Late at night, when the other team members had already fallen asleep.
Jun and Aiden were conducting an independent exploration, away from the rest of the team.
This was the right Jun had secured from Colton in exchange for giving up a share of the profits.
Of course, Colton had imposed several conditions.
The permitted time was limited to just one hour per day.
It was impossible to explore during the team’s scheduled activities.
If even once a monster’s aggro was drawn and posed a threat to the team, the right would be revoked, among other restrictions.
Jun had to listen to various naggings, but it was something he could easily endure.
“Hey, look! I found a book!”
“It’s not a skill book… Ah, just an ancient book.”
Aiden who had discovered a book tangled among tree roots dusted it off with a sense of awe.
“This really feels like an adventure.”
“It is an adventure, after all.”
However, even though they spent two days exploring, the book they had just found was the only thing of note they had discovered.
“It’s in an ancient language… Huh.”
Jun examined the book and tilted his head in puzzlement.
Even though the letters were unfamiliar and resembled a tangle of worms, Jun somehow understood their meaning.
“…An expedition journal? What is this? Why can I read it?”
“What’s wrong, Senior?”
“Oh… It’s nothing.”
After muttering to himself briefly, Jun quickly stashed the book away.
In truth, Jun already knew what the book contained.
It was a book that he could obtain while playing the game <Blackout>.
The book would automatically translate once you learned the ancient language. Jun remembered the disappointment when he first thought it was a skill book and asked the community about it, only to find out it was just an ancient book.
But to read this, I should need the [Ancient Language] skill.
However, Jun didn’t have any skill like [Ancient Language] and was still able to read it.
Could it be related to how I understood the Goblin Lord’s witchcraft earlier?
He felt a brief unease at this inexplicable phenomenon.
Well, being able to read ancient languages isn’t exactly a bad thing.
Maybe through this book, he could learn more about the strange changes happening to him.
Pushing aside his discomfort with that thought, Jun continued his exploration.
“Is the [Luck] skill useless?”
However, aside from the ancient book, there were no other hidden pieces to be found.
“This game really is all about luck.”
***
“Phew, I thought I was going to die. Today was really dangerous.”
“Doesn’t it feel like the dungeon’s difficulty has increased since last time?”
“Yeah, and what’s up with that strange sound we keep hearing?”
“Oh, that? Isn’t it this? When I stepped on this flower, it made that sound.”
Beeeeep…
On the fifth day of the dungeon raid,
No one had yet noticed the anomaly.
***
“It really does seem useless. The [Luck] skill…”
“Huh?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Not long after their independent exploration began,
Jun moved based on the routes he already knew, but no hidden pieces were discovered inside.
Hidden pieces were never common to begin with, but to actually not find any at all?
It was something inevitable, given how much it depended on luck.
Still, that didn’t make the frustration go away.
Wouldn’t it be disappointing to go through all the trouble of joining the raid, only to gain just one ancient book?
“Haaah…”
“Don’t be too discouraged, Senior. There’s still a raid target left, right? With your skills, you’ll definitely be able to get a good reward.”
Aiden forced a bright expression as he tried to comfort him, and Jun’s face softened.
“Yeah, well. This isn’t the only chance, after all. And there are still hidden pieces left.”
“Really? I hope we can get them this time. Haha.”
“But this one can only be obtained by you.”
“Huh?”
Aiden tilted his head in confusion at the sudden remark.
“The condition to enter requires someone who uses magic and is trained in swordsmanship.”
However, this hidden piece had one problem.
A very big problem.
“But if you fail, you might die.”
“Huh?”
“It’s like a trial. If you can’t meet the conditions presented inside, you’ll suffer a mental shock.”
Unlike in games, reality had no save or load system, so choices had to be made carefully.
“The choice is yours.”
“Do you think… I can do it?”
“If I thought you couldn’t, I wouldn’t have brought it up. But you don’t have to go. There are plenty of other ways to get stronger. It’ll just take a bit longer.”
“….I——”
Just as Aiden was about to respond, the change began suddenly.
“Kyahhhhh——!!”
“What?!”
A terrible, piercing scream echoed from somewhere.
However, it didn’t reverberate in their eardrums but in their minds.
Aiden instinctively drew his sword and looked around cautiously to locate the source of the scream that burst out without him knowing.
“Senior!”
“…It’s finally begun.”
“What?”
“Put your sword down for now. There’s no immediate danger.”
“But that scream just now… what was that…?”
The air grew heavy.
It wasn’t just a feeling; their bodies physically felt heavier.
“It’s a hidden stage.”
“A hidden… stage, you say?”
In the <Blackout> community, it was a phenomenon commonly referred to as hard mode.
“Yes. This place, the Black Forest Raid, has a few hidden secrets.”
“Does this have anything to do with why you haven’t looked well for the past few days?”
Since Aiden had to protect the mage Jun, he often observed him closely.
Throughout this dungeon exploration, there were moments when Jun had either a serious or troubled expression.
The first time Jun had shown such a look was when they encountered a flower that let out a strange sound whenever he stepped on it.
More precisely, whenever that flower screamed, Jun’s expression would worsen.
“That scream just now… it means the Fairy Queen has awakened.”
***
“The Fairy Queen? Was such a monster part of the raid?”
“It wasn’t originally part of it. But if certain conditions are met, the Fairy Queen awakens. One of those conditions is… this.”
A flower with a dark purple energy.
It started to emit a strange energy. Just moments ago, it had been nothing more than an ordinary flower, but ever since the scream was heard, it started exuding an unusual energy.
“This flower is called the ‘Flower of Absorption’. It’s typically used by dark mages or witches when crafting cursed artifacts.”
“The Flower of Absorption… I’ve never heard of it.”
“Well, it’s not a common flower. It only grows here in Blackout.”
Aiden listened carefully to Jun’s calm explanation.
Blackout was often a topic of debate among imperial scholars.
It was a strange space where even if the terrain was destroyed or monsters were killed, everything naturally recovered over time.
Because of this, numerous historians have tried to uncover its secrets and it seemed Jun also knew something about it.
Of course, in Jun’s case, it was simply information he had stumbled upon while searching for strategy guides back when he was still Lee Jeong-jun.
“The Fairy Queen, the queen of the forest, is connected to the entire forest. And this Flower of Absorption plays a role in suppressing her corruption. As its name suggests, it’s been absorbing the power of corruption.”
“So that’s why she didn’t look pleased every time a flower was trampled…”
“If a certain number of these flowers in the raid are trampled and killed, the corrupted Fairy Queen will awaken.”
“…Is that very dangerous?”
“It’s definitely not something we can handle on our own.”
Unless the entire raid party consisted of level 3 fighters, excluding the raid leader, there would be a slim chance at best…
It’s impossible now. To be safe, the raid needs to be filled with at least level 4 fighters.
Even so, the reason Jun didn’t inform the raid party of this fact was simple.
“This was probably something the ‘Azure Cloud’ party did on purpose. I don’t know their exact purpose, but it seems they needed the achievement.”
The raid leader’s side had already made their plans.
However, considering the overwhelming power the raid leader held, it would have been pointless for Jun, a mere low-rank mage, to speak up about it.
“So… what should we do?”
“…We have to survive. In the face of a disaster brought on by human greed.”
For now, there was no other way.
“So let’s pick up where we left off. What do you want to do?”
“Oh… you mean about the hidden piece?”
“That’s right.”
“If I go for it, will it help us survive?”
“Well, yes.”
In fact, it would do more than just help. It could potentially be the key to resolving the current crisis.
But to obtain it, Aiden would have to risk his life.
Jun didn’t want to force that choice on him with mere words.
“I was planning to go anyway. There’s a chance to grow stronger, and I believe in seizing opportunities when they arise.”
At least for Aiden, who had lived in the imperial palace, even such chances had never been handed to him.
A life where he had been forcibly pushed by the tides of the world.
Aiden didn’t want to experience being unable to resist in the face of forced choices any longer.
“…Alright. Then, I’ll explain the hidden piece to you on the way, so listen carefully.”
***
As they walked down the passage, they reached a dead end.
But when they arrived, Jun looked at the ground with a satisfied expression on his face.
“We’ve found the right place.”
A circular flower bed with a radius of one meter.
Jun sprinkled a translucent powder at the center where nothing was growing.
It was the loot from killing a fairy— the “Fairy Dust”.
When he turned around, he saw Aiden’s face full of curiosity. Jun chuckled and explained.
“These circular flowers were said to be the fairies’ pathway. The fairy dust acts as a sort of trigger to open this passage.”
“It really feels like we’re on an adventure.”
“Well, the situation won’t be all that romantic though.”
The flowers absorbed the fairy dust, and soon, they emitted a violet glow as they created a passage where there had been none.
“Let’s go.”
As they stepped into the softly glowing passage, sure enough—
A hidden room revealed itself.
“Is that it?”
“Yeah.”
At the far end of the room, Aiden approached the space where a giant greatsword was embedded.
“Like I mentioned earlier, channel your magical power into the sword and focus.”
“…Understood. I’ll be back, senior.”
With a determined expression on his face, Aiden placed his hand on the huge greatsword and closed his eyes to concentrate. As he did, waves of magical power began to ripple around him.
The waves gradually formed a circular curtain that completely surrounded Aiden and the greatsword.
It was a kind of barrier.
“Hoo…”
The moment Jun confirmed that the barrier had completely engulfed Aiden, he let out a heavy sigh.
“Huh? What’s this? Looks like someone got here before us.”
A voice echoed from the passage where Jun and Aiden had entered.
***
After feeling as if he’d been floating in a dream, Aiden opened his eyes and looked around.
The dark passage he had been in was gone. Instead, it was replaced by a lush green forest surrounding him.
“…Just like senior said. It feels incredibly real.”
Shaking off the lingering sense of discomfort, Aiden glanced down at his hand and realized that this was a world of illusion.
“We have a visitor.”
A voice called out.
The deep and low voice reminded him of a beast’s growl.
When he turned toward the source of the voice, he saw a being unlike any he had ever encountered.
It looked like what a lion might resemble if it walked upright on two legs.
“Are you the master of this place?”
“You guessed correctly. I am Pride, the Knight Commander of Herlinte.”
The man who introduced himself as Pride was a beastman with a thick mane like a lion’s.
His entire body was clad in heavy armor, befitting his title as a Knight Commander.
“…To actually find an intelligent being in Blackout.”
Aiden couldn’t hide his surprise. There was nothing like this in the world he came from.
Sensing Aiden’s astonishment, the beastman spoke.
“Ah, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Your world and this world were originally supposed to be completely cut off from each other.”
“……..?”
“There’s no need to understand. Our world is already over, and yours has merely been placed on a new trial. That’s all you need to know. And in this trial, you must defeat me.”
As if signaling the end of the conversation, he gripped his greatsword.
It was the same greatsword Aiden had held before entering the illusion world.
“Come, stranger. I will test whether you are worthy of mastering my swordsmanship. But be warned, my trial will be extremely ruthless.”
Though it was just an illusion, if Aiden were to die here, there was a real possibility he would face death in reality as well.
Knowing this, Aiden drew his sword with a heavy expression on his face.
I’m at a disadvantage from the start.
Pride was a towering figure, well over two meters tall. Naturally, Aiden, with his shorter reach, was at a significant disadvantage.
When Aiden slowly circulated his magical power within, his opponent moved first.
A low stance, followed by a descending diagonal slash.
The speed at which it came was terrifying. It felt almost unbelievable given his huge size.
Aiden narrowly dodged the attack and attempted to counter, but Pride’s kick was even faster.
Whoosh!
Even his foot was as large as Aiden’s head.
“Gah!”
Aiden rolled his body completely to dodge the kick and then he broke into a cold sweat.
“What kind of strength…?”
Even though he dodged from a considerable distance, the tremendous wind pressure still struck his face.
What would happen if he took that attack head-on?
There was no time to dwell on it.
Pride’s sword strikes followed like a raging storm.
“Ugh…!”
He dodged the relentless assault and was barely able to steady his stance.
At times, when there wasn’t enough time to evade, he tried to deflect the attacks, but the sheer destructive force made his bones vibrate.
All he could do was protect his body with magical power.
The battle was clearly disadvantageous for Aiden.
When he tried to close the distance, Pride’s fierce kicks blocked his path. Even his swordsmanship was far from ordinary.
The seamless flow between sword and body was so natural it confused Aiden’s eyes.
“Huff…!”
Sparks flew from Aiden’s sword as he blocked one of Pride’s strikes.
– Remember, your opponent will be superior to you in every way possible. But don’t get lost in that. Your goal there isn’t to kill him. This is a trial, so focus on his swordsmanship.
This was the advice Jun had given him before he arrived here.
And those words crossed his mind like a flash of lightning,
What was the intention behind Senior’s words?
Aiden focused on the swordsmanship of the Beastman Knight, Pride.
It’s not like I can’t block it at all.
In terms of raw power alone, it was lighter than the golem’s punches he faced in the Black Forest.
But back then, had his body ever felt this heavy?
No.
Once again, Jun’s advice surfaced in his mind.
Jun was a mage. He always explored the world, and Aiden had always envied that perspective of his.
So does that mean he couldn’t do the same?
However, Jun always insisted that anyone could do what he did. It’s just that most people didn’t realize it.
Following this, Aiden observed the phenomenon happening to him.
Thanks to that, Aiden realized why he had been pushed to this point.
Killing intent.
The overwhelming killing intent emanating from his powerful opponent was slowly wearing down his spirit.
As a result, the fear that had been creeping up on its own subsided, and calmness settled into his eyes.
Focus on swordsmanship, he said…
After he barely managed to block Pride’s sword once more, Aiden thought about swordsmanship.
In the past, he had secretly watched the knights’ training grounds.
What had the knight in charge of training said back then?
– The closer you get to the ground, the more solid your basics become in swordsmanship.
With a single step, you can predict the enemy’s movements; the direction of the waist reveals the strength in the entire body, and the shoulders trace the path of the sword.
The moment those fleeting words flashed through his mind like a lantern’s light, an astonishing phenomenon occurred to Aiden.
“Ah……!”
It was a moment of realization, a manifestation of talent.
Fragments of memories he had forgotten, having had no use for them until now, surfaced along with a sudden burst of inspiration.
In that brief moment, he could see his opponent’s lower, middle, and upper sections all at once, as if he were glimpsing into the future and predicting the enemy’s movements.
Whoosh—!
With a sharp sound, the Beastman Knight’s greatsword sliced through the air.
He narrowly avoided it by the width of a sheet of paper.
Even though he felt pain from the pressure of the physical force, he ignored it.
Aiden’s body shot forward like a flash of light.
Unlike before, when he had been solely focused on defense, he gathered his magical power at the tips of his toes and unleashed it.
Clang—!
Though his attack was thwarted by the opponent’s knee guard,
The important thing was that, for the first time, his sword had made contact with the enemy’s body.
“Oh?”
In response, Pride’s beast-like eyes lit up with interest.
Leave a Reply