A heavy silence fell over the underground cavern.
While the others looked around in confusion, Jun opened his mouth.
“The one who ran away… nothing we can do about him. I already asked for help regarding that, so it should be fine.”
“Help…?”
Aiden, still trying to grasp the situation, asked the question.
“That guy’s really good at running. You need a lot of preparation to deal with him.”
Back when Jun first heard from Dexter that Javier had almost been poisoned multiple times—
He had already been keeping a close eye on the situation.
If we fought him head-on, we probably wouldn’t lose. But that guy doesn’t care about winning or losing fights.
He was the type to escape again and again, putting his opponents in danger in the process.
There was a reason why players in the game always sarcastically praised his “parents” on the forums.
Just when you thought you had him, he’d vanish. The next moment, your teammates would be poisoned.
It got to the point where players said they’d rather lose a fight outright than deal with that kind of torment. Even the devs got cursed out a lot for it.
What matters is how fast we can catch him once he runs.
That’s why Jun had brought in none other than Sword Soul Aden.
Someone following this expedition in total secrecy. He would take the bastard out before he had the chance to pull anything.
By now, Aden should’ve finished the job.
The thought gave Jun a sense of satisfaction.
We’ve taken care of one of the most troublesome enemies we’d face in the upcoming missions.
Poison was terrifying.
No matter how much you prepared, it was hard to defend against. And this guy was someone even Jun, with his [Herbology] and [Potion Making] skills, found difficult to counter.
“All that’s left is to head back up and we’re done—”
He was about to say “done” when—
Ruuummmble—!!
The ceiling suddenly shook, sending clouds of dust falling down.
“……”
Silence returned once again. With everyone’s eyes on him, Jun quietly brought a hand to his lips.
Thankfully, Maya and Eleanor didn’t have a thread and needle in their hands this time.
“Let’s go check it out before things get worse.”
“…Haaah Yeah, let’s.”
Only Aiden looked at Jun with a sympathetic gaze.
***
Aden vanished just as suddenly as he had appeared. And so did his master.
With the two of them disappearing at the same time, the Poison Master stared down at what he held in his hand with a look of despair on his face.
A jewel filled with ominous energy.
It was a material meant to enhance the “Evil Spirit Orb” implanted inside him.
So in the end, I really have to use this…
The Evil Spirit Orb served several purposes within the Heavenly Church.
The first was as a failsafe in case of betrayal.
The second was to enhance the user’s abilities.
I knew I’d have to take it someday… but not like this.
And the third was to turn a human into a monster.
A body twisted and mutated by a corrupted spirit, transforming the host into a monster.
And that carried a very specific meaning.
There wasn’t a single monster in Blackout whose body and soul weren’t shackled to its rules.
In other words, once transformed, he would become an entity no longer bound by the “rules” enforced by Blackout.
This, in turn, would greatly support the grand ambitions of the Heavenly Church.
Monsterification…
A part of him wanted to run away.
In truth, the Sword Soul, who had stopped him earlier, had vanished. And now, even his master’s eyes were no longer watching.
If he transferred his consciousness to the clone he’d hidden outside the mine, he could survive.
But that wasn’t what his master wanted.
Right now, his master wanted him to transform. To become a monster.
Trying to escape now would be considered betrayal. There would be no future, no survival.
That’s why his master had left him with only one option and then disappeared.
And who knows when the Sword Soul might return.
In the end, fully realizing that there were no other paths left, he swallowed the jewel in despair.
***
Dexter and Javier stood tensely in front of the collapsed mine entrance.
“…Big Brother. What do you think?”
“Huu… That mage has never failed a mission before. Let’s just hope this time is no different.”
“…I see.”
Javier was honestly surprised by Dexter’s response.
It was the first time he had ever seen the always-confident man place his trust in someone else like this.
Noticing Javier’s gaze, Dexter gave a wry smile.
“Javier. The Emperor’s throne isn’t meant for someone who can do everything alone.”
“Then…?”
“If an emperor could truly handle everything by himself, what need would there be for vassals? The very reason they exist is because there are things that cannot be done alone.”
In Dexter’s view, the one worthy of the imperial throne was someone who could trust their vassals and wait for them.
“Didn’t Father say the same? He placed capable people in important positions, regardless of their status.”
“…He did.”
Though the nobility grumbled and protested, it was an undeniable fact that the empire had benefited greatly from that policy.
Even the nobles if they failed to produce results, would be removed from their positions.
“And we must inherit that legacy.”
“……”
“Even if I don’t become emperor, it’s the same. So long as imperial blood flows through our veins, we must give everything we have to the Empire.”
“…But doesn’t it all become meaningless if you don’t become emperor?”
For the first time, Javier responded at length, prompting Dexter to quietly look his younger half-brother in the eyes.
“Then what of the mercenaries fighting for their lives in there? Does that mean their efforts are meaningless too?”
“……!”
“Are they risking their lives because our father ordered them to?”
“…No.”
Exactly.
The White Whale Mercenaries weren’t acting on the Emperor’s orders. They had taken up the request of a count and of the two princes.
“Remember this, brother. The emperor is someone who listens to the voices of his people and makes the final decision.”
“……”
Javier still looked like he didn’t fully understand.
Dexter gave a bitter smile.
Can’t be helped.
Given Javier’s upbringing, it was understandable.
Unlike him, who was naturally drawn to people, Javier had lived strictly under his mother’s will.
The only ones he could be at ease around were those unconnected to the imperial family.
Javier still had a narrow view of the world.
“Aden has moved as well. It’ll be over soon.”
“…Let’s hope it ends quietly.”
As Javier nodded while glancing at the village enjoying a festival that felt out of place—
Ruuummmble…!
“……!”
A massive tremor shook the ground beneath their feet.
And as the vibrations grew stronger with each passing moment, the two imperial princes instinctively stepped back.
In the blink of an eye, the Blackguard Knights and the Heavenly Dragon Knights, who had been hiding in the shadows, revealed themselves and moved to shield them.
Before long, the tremors rising from underground grew stronger, and in an instant, something shot up from the ground.
And it wasn’t only from where the two imperial princes stood.
Something also surged up from the collapsed entrance of the mine.
“Wh-What in the world is that…?”
“What happened inside?!”
At the [Checkpoint], where no anomaly could occur unless caused by human hands, a disturbance had erupted.
It looked like a tree made of human flesh.
Something pale apricot in color soared upward endlessly into the sky.
At that moment, the vice-commander of the Heavenly Dragon Knights, Venner Tobias, shouted.
“Poison! Protect the princes!”
The instant his cry rang out, the Heavenly Dragon Knights activated their artifacts.
A shield infused with powerful magic enclosed the group, and only then could they make out the true form of what had erupted from the ground.
“A… mushroom…?”
A colossal mushroom cap blotted out the sky.
Around its massive roots, countless smaller mushrooms branched outward like limbs of a tree.
From them, poisonous spores spewed forth, filling the surroundings with a thick, white haze.
“Damn it.”
“All of that is poison?”
“What in the world happened inside?!”
Poison was a troublesome enemy.
And when it spread to such an enormous area, how could it possibly be dealt with?
As the Blackguard Knights frowned,
“Whoever or whatever has shown up, stay sharp!”
Venner Tobias drew his sword, shifting the atmosphere.
The Heavenly Dragon Knights’ eyes gleamed with a subtle heat.
Meanwhile, the Blackguard Knights who rarely had reason to work with them could only watch in puzzlement, unsure of what they intended to do.
Fwoooong—!
Tobias drew his weapon.
A huge rock-like greatsword was forcibly drawn.
The moment he unsheathed it, magic surged wildly, swirling around him.
“Wh-What kind of power is that?!”
“Wait….don’t tell me all of that is aura?”
“Impossible…”
The magic stormed around him.
And when his will was channeled into the greatsword and it came swinging down—
“……!!!”
A storm of aura surged forward, sweeping through the poisonous spores that had spread like mist.
Not only that, but the towering mushroom was ripped to shreds, scattering fragments in every direction.
“Crazy…”
To stir nature’s fury with just a single sword!
The Blackguard Knights were left speechless, while the Heavenly Dragon Knights watched the scene beyond the shield with pride on their faces.
But then—
Rumble rumble rumble…!!
From beneath the ground, yet another massive mushroom erupted, and the fragments that had fallen were absorbed back into its body.
“It has regenerative abilities, too.”
Tobias looked at the mushroom with annoyance.
“Restoring something of that size isn’t easy. But if I leave no trace behind and if there’s nothing left to absorb…then that’s the end of it.”
The protective shield was still functioning normally.
With the safety of the two imperial members secured, there was no longer any need to hold back.
“Are you serious? That wasn’t the end?!”
“It got even stronger after that?!”
He focused more deeply, pouring his will into it, and unleashed another storm born of his sword.
The raw power of a knight at the threshold of level 8.
This time, the mushroom cap was utterly obliterated, vanishing without a trace.
Yet another mushroom burst forth from below, but Tobias didn’t even blink.
Watching this unfold, the Blackguard Knight Commander Thaerdin bit his lip.
You can’t manipulate aura like that with ordinary magic. It has to be imbued with will.
And that was a realm attainable only through true realization.
Someday… I will too…!
***
“Goddamn it.”
Inside the mine, Jun frowned as he looked around.
At first, it was just a tremor from above. Then suddenly, a cloud of poison spread all around.
Looking closer, he could see pure white poisonous spores creeping outward like cancer cells, consuming everything in their path.
“How the hell are we supposed to deal with this…?”
He quickly deployed a shield to block the poison and prevent poisoning.
What I need to figure out right now is why this is happening.
The original Poison Master never had this kind of ability.
Jun had killed the creature countless times in the game, so he knew.
Which means something abnormal must have happened. Something I don’t know about.
Where had it all gone wrong?
Aden is here. So… did he fail to track the Poison Master?
Impossible.
No matter what that guy tried, he should never have been able to escape from Aden.
The only explanation was the appearance of an unexpected enemy.
And in that moment, fragments of information flashed through Jun’s mind.
The Poison Master is a being created by him.
A follower of the Heavenly Church he had encountered in the Ervantos’s contamination zone of the fourth level.
If it’s him, then maybe… he could block the Sword Soul, if only for a moment.
But how could someone like him who should have been bound by the rules and unable to fully use his power in the lower levels, appear in the Third Level and stop the Sword Soul?
Was he that prepared to break the rules?
No, maybe the backlash from breaking the rules didn’t come in the way Jun had imagined.
In any case, if we assume Aden failed because of that guy…
Then this phenomenon was very likely caused by the Poison Master.
Don’t tell me… he triggered a berserk state? Damn it. That’s what this is.
The Evil Spirit Orb. An artifact that grants power to the cultists.
The Poison Master was a being that had grown by consuming that very artifact, and this outbreak was almost certainly the result of the corrupted spirit within him going berserk.
Now that he had figured out the cause and the effect, it was time to deal with the situation.
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