Chapter 300
Chapter: 300
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 300
>Chapter Title: Code Zero (5)
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An endless wave of orcs poured out from the labyrinth.
However, after repeated mechanical sweeps, they had finally been reduced to just one last longbow unit.
[This place is yours now, Gulup!]
Owen's sudden shout startled the ranger mid-swing with her dagger, sending her flailing her limbs.
[What? Owen! As you know, archer units counter close-range fighters...!]
[Your health is almost bottomed out anyway. Gulup, you're pretty good with a blade, right?]
[Ah? Wait! Hold on, Owen!]
But Owen, in his haste, barely registered Gulup's words as he charged straight toward the boss room.
[Newbie! Titi!]
What awaited Owen, however, was an unexpected sight.
The massive orc king, drenched in blood, knelt before the little mountain goat, reciting his final lines.
-How lamentable is this, Thunderstorm Bon...
Its battered body faintly glowed, gradually fading into transparency.
-Is this inevitability? Or was my power simply insufficient? I gathered all the wisdom of my clan to stop you, yet the prophesied wheel of fate has inexorably cast your star into the orbit of ruin!
Seongjin listened silently, feeling an odd sense of familiarity from the orc's darkly sunken eyes.
-Yet dare not grow arrogant, Thunderstorm Bon. The sins you have committed and the sins you are destined to commit—they shall not deviate even an inch from the Goddess's prophecy.
[.......]
-If you still dare to defy the gods despite that, I shall gladly mock you! There will be no fool greater in this world...
Unlike his earlier anguished cries, his tone now carried a strange calm.
That was why Seongjin asked.
[When did you know?]
-...What are you talking about?
[Don't play dumb. You knew your own mind was flickering in and out, didn't you?]
It happened when you first saw me, and several times during the fight too, right?
Seongjin pressed, locking eyes with the orc's one remaining intact right eye—the eye that reminded him of the Lycanthrope Lord Nebraska he'd once met in a labyrinth.
At the same time, a brief flash of silvery-gray light flickered in Seongjin's pupils.
[Justitia must be behind whatever trick you're pulling, but bursting out of an unopened boss room was purely your own will, wasn't it?]
The orc king blinked several times, flicking away the blood pooling at his eye.
-No use hiding it now. Indeed. The alarm rang, alerting me to an intruder, and I gladly opened the door to welcome you. Why would one with limbs intact sit idly, waiting for the enemy to come?
Yes. That might have been the appropriate response—if this weren't the regular world.
A door opening without meeting its conditions—that was a phenomenon utterly violating this world's rules.
The orc king then gazed at Seongjin with a peculiar expression.
-Something impossible happened? Then isn't it all ultimately your fault, Thunderstorm Bon? The one who shatters Pangea's order and leads all to ruin—just as the Goddess foretold.
Yet despite repeating the same words as before, no trace of anger remained in the orc king's tone.
He murmured calmly, staring up at empty space.
-But how strange. As life's end draws near, odd things occur. Things once so clear blur into haze, while things previously unseen now stand vividly before my eyes.
[.......]
-When did the Goddess leave me her prophecy? What was the Pangean order I strove so desperately to protect? It all feels so utterly vague now...
With that, his eyes spun back toward Seongjin.
-In contrast, Thunderstorm Bon, your other side is now clear to me. You seem like a fresh newbie just stepping into the world, yet also like a ferocious demon who's roamed battlefields for eons.
Chzzzt.
Just then, a small noise flickered across Seongjin's vision again.
-...Ah, I see!
Suddenly, the orc king's one good eye widened in shock. As if beholding something unbelievable, his dilated pupil trembled violently.
-Yes! So that's how it is! You are undoubtedly ■■■...
[...What?]
Seongjin asked belatedly, but—
Fsssh...
It was too late. Before he could finish his final words, Orc King Raigas dissolved into a handful of light streams and vanished completely.
At the same moment, a small message window appeared before Seongjin.
〚Your party has cleared 'Orc King's Labyrinth' with outstanding results. Rewards will be distributed differentially based on party members' contributions. Receive rewards now?〛
〚Accept/Decline〛
'....'
Seongjin scowled at the window.
Hey, hold on. You're kidding, right?
That guy was about to tell me something important, and it has to cut off right now?
Just then, Owen, who had been quietly watching from behind, slyly placed a hand on Seongjin's shoulder.
"Don't be too down about it, Newbie."
"Hm? About what?"
"No, you just look kinda depressed."
What nonsense is this guy spouting now?
Dumbfounded, Seongjin shot him a sullen glare, but Owen's next words were even more absurd.
"It's okay, Newbie. When I first came here, I agonized over killing enemies I had no grudge against, total strangers. But everyone says they're not real lives."
"......"
"Sure, the orc king reacted vividly, but that doesn't mean dungeon mobs are alive. The same guy will pop up good as new next time you enter, right? So don't feel too bad about it."
Seongjin was utterly flabbergasted by the out-of-left-field comfort.
What the hell is this all of a sudden? Who doesn't know that? Have I ever seen such a clueless idiot?
Seongjin's incredulity flowed straight into his fingertips.
Thwack!
"Eek!?"
Owen rolled across the floor from the unexpected flick to the forehead. Once he gathered himself, he protested with a deeply hurt expression.
"Hey! Why'd you hit me again? What'd I do wrong this time?"
"Who asked for your advice? Quit yapping and just watch your own back from now on!"
"What? Who's giving advice here? Newbie, who do you think you are to nag me already when you've barely known me..."
Owen bellowed, then suddenly felt his anger deflate.
Not just because of the cute little hoof boldly thrust before him.
Even if he wanted to flick back, the mountain goat in front of him was a bit too small. Plus, its defense was the worst among the party!
"Damn, can't even smack this thing 'cause it'd be too pitiful."
Seongjin, of course, snorted in response.
"You must live a sheltered life. Who in the world takes a punch that slow?"
"What? Sheltered? You little brat, where do you get off talking like that!"
"Who's the brat? Hey, punk, do you even know who this elder is?"
"Elder, my ass! If you're an elder, then I'm Elder Grandpa!"
Meanwhile, Hatasu Titi and Gulup watched the two with warm smiles.
[Young friends seem to bond so quickly. Must be because they're from the same region?]
[Positive evaluation! This is extremely helpful for team morale!]
Of course, it was a misunderstanding born of not understanding a word. The two were busy bickering in Imperial tongue.
Right then.
[Hey! Everyone, check this out!]
Dexter, fiddling with windows alone, suddenly shouted in excitement.
[Can you believe it? Our party's No. 1 on the server time challenge! And by an overwhelming margin over second place! We did it!]
* * *
That day, Seongjin's group logged off a bit early.
They had planned to rush straight to a B-rank dungeon, but the tension from multiple unexpected incidents left everyone with heavy fatigue.
Dexter agreed readily. His supposedly perfect strategy had hit several snags.
Especially the boss room suddenly opening—he needed to investigate that properly.
They could let this one slide, but if something like this happened in a higher dungeon, no one could guarantee their lives.
[Plus, our record won't be broken anytime soon.]
Dexter peered proudly at the ranking window.
[The boss room opening turned into a gain. It was defense and boss fight at the same time.]
Whether parties triggered all the alarms or ran like Seongjin's group to avoid them, none had cleared the labyrinth faster.
And the immediate boss fight after. At this rate, this time challenge would go down as an unprecedented record in Pangea history.
[No. 1 on time challenge really pays off. Better rewards than running dungeons all day.]
[Agreed. Let's head back with these!]
The silent villains were buzzing too.
Everyone except Owen.
"Newbie. Do you really have to go? If nothing's urgent, hang out with me a bit?"
Seongjin eyed the burly guy pitifully pleading in a way unlike him.
Hey, I'm busy.
"If you wanna game more, play alone."
"But status window won't leave a guest ID user solo. If everyone logs, I'll get kicked too."
"Then log off early for once today."
Owen grumbled with a sulky face.
"Ah, no thanks. I'd have nightmares like this."
"......?"
It was a somewhat concerning reaction, but with pressing issues at hand, he couldn't indulge Owen's whining.
Not just the incidents, but Justitia's words kept circling his mind.
-You cannot shake it off. □□□ □□. Justitia has already melted into this place's atmosphere—it is irreversible.
Chzzzt. Crackle.
As they exited the dungeon, the noise frequency spiked. Imperceptible to senses, but that unpleasant thing was probably trying to latch onto him again.
"Newbie. Huh? Huh?"
"Ah, enough!"
After shaking off the clingy grown child, Seongjin quietly told Dexter.
"Hey, let's hurry to the workshop first. I need to discuss something important with you."