Chapter 103: Guild War — Dawn (4)
Chapter 103: Guild War — Dawn (4)
“How is my disguise? Isn’t it completely flawless?”
When I asked casually, Mordan stroked his beard and glared at me.
“…Two out of four were fakes. I hate to admit it, but that’s certainly an astonishing transformation. What Mystery is it? [Transformation]?”
As expected, the Mystery of Okail, the chief deity of the Evil God faction, was somewhat famous, so veteran explorers recognized it immediately.
“That’s correct.”
“Was [Transformation] really this exceptional of a Mystery? I heard there are barely a thousand followers of Okail.”
Indeed, [Transformation] was not a particularly impressive Mystery.
Without [Thunder Dududung], the sense of unnaturalness was difficult to conceal, and the user’s identity was quickly exposed.
However—
Inside the [Battlefield of Sun and Moon], where everyone’s Soul Rank and physical abilities were equalized, things were different.
Because everyone’s level had been equalized, even a high-level explorer like Mordan could not easily notice that his companion had been replaced by the adorable cultist Kar.
Fwoooosh!
The flames greedily devoured the nearby trees, growing larger.
The forest was burning completely.
“I will begin dealing with you properly now.”
Without hesitation, I opened my mouth and swallowed the blazing flames in front of me.
The burning heat of my throat and stomach.
《Due to the effect of [Sin: Gluttony], your body has acquired properties similar to the sinister flames of Leria!》
“…You swallowed fire?”
Mordan, who had looked ready to charge, hesitated.
Why the surprise?
Fire swallowing was a common trick you could see in traveling troupe performances.
“Aren’t you coming?”
I calmly walked straight into the center of the flames that blocked my vision.
“Then I’ll go to you.”
“……”
The dwarf’s eyes widened as he watched a vampire walk calmly through the flames.
“Uh… goodbye!”
“Let’s meet again later.”
Lael the ranger and Tilda Ires the stalker from the Snow-Bear-Love Guild, who had been watching cautiously, quickly fled.
That was a very wise decision.
“Vice Guild Master.”
The pink-haired berserker of the Great Warrior Guild spat on the ground and grabbed the arm of Vice Guild Master Born.
“Let’s go too.”
“……”
Born nodded and began to withdraw with his guild member.
Thud.
“…Urgh?”
Before they could leave, Yallen—now free from paralysis—approached silently and stabbed the tonfa berserker’s neck with a dagger.
Like a true schemer, the blade was surely coated in potent poison.
Thump.
The berserker of the Great Warrior Guild collapsed forward.
After eliminating an explorer instantly, Yallen spoke to me.
“I’ll hold off Mr. Born, so please deal with Mr. Mordan!”
“Understood.”
The moment I answered, I launched a surprise attack with flames.
Fwoooosh!
An enormous torrent of fire surged forward.
Fifth-Tier [Sin: Gluttony] doubled efficiency and power when manipulating something it had consumed.
As a result, the power of [Sa · Yeom · Hwa] that now composed my body had been amplified.
“…I underestimated you. You’re quite a capable explorer.”
Mordan walked out from the raging flames after taking a direct hit from [Sa · Yeom · Hwa].
Three small hammers—tools he had crafted himself—floated around him, pushing the flames aside.
“I will not underestimate you again.”
Mordan pulled a massive hammer from his subspace.
A masterpiece-grade tool that looked unbelievably heavy.
[Angry Heavyweight].
A weapon capable of extinguishing fire, a shared weakness of both vampires and ghouls.
“Golden Crow Kar. The promising rookie’s performance ends here.”
Fwoooosh!
I released flames once again.
“Hup…!”
Mordan swung [Majestic Presence], splitting the flames in half before charging at me and swinging his hammer.
Boom!
“…What?”
The strike, filled with monstrous strength, failed to deal serious damage to me.
The brown aura surrounding my face had blocked the impact.
The dwarf ignored this and continued swinging his hammer repeatedly, frowning.
“That… aura? How can a cultist use it?”
“I’m a cultist with many secrets.”
[Avatar of the Earth].
The innate Mystery of Earth Elves, which significantly strengthened the body each time its tier increased.
Its advancement conditions were troublesome, so in reality it was still only First Tier.
But in this labyrinth, it was Fifth Tier.
And starting from Fourth Tier, [Avatar of the Earth] gained a new effect in addition to increasing Strength.
Hummmm.
Brown energy gathered around both arms.
Aura.
Power filled with the essence of earth.
Boom boom boom boom!
The hammer blows continued.
Simple full-force strikes, the Sixth-Tier common Mystery [Driving the Great Tree], and assistance from steel arm tools protruding from both sides of his torso.
I blocked every attack by precisely concentrating aura only on the points of impact.
It was a perfect defense made possible because I knew every attack pattern—and because the labyrinth’s gimmick had weakened Mordan’s physical ability.
“…What…? You’re blocking all my ultimate combos…?”
While unleashing a threatening barrage of attacks, Mordan muttered in disbelief.
The weakest class—the cultist—was displaying divine-level defense.
I blasted crimson flames at him again, sending the dwarf flying backward, and continued speaking.
“Citizens of District Three, are you watching? I, a cultist, am perfectly blocking the attacks of the famous explorer Mr. Mordan. This is all thanks to my unwavering faith in a great divine being—”
Mordan split both my speech and the flames with his hammer and charged again.
Crunch, crack!
Even though I blocked with aura, the heavy hammer delivered severe shocks to my neck and shoulders.
I ignored the pain and continued.
“—that’s right. Thanks to the twisted knowledge bestowed by Lidni, I’m able to perform so magnificently. Anyone interested in the Twisted Truth may consult this cultist Kar.”
“…Stop advertising your religion during a guild war!”
Unable to endure it any longer, Mordan shouted.
At that moment, flames erupted from the snake tattoo that had moved to my shoulder.
Fwoooosh!
[Sa · Yeom · Hwa] burned Mordan’s head.
And it didn’t stop there—the flames flowed downward and began burning his body as well.
“Graaah!”
While the small floating hammers extinguished the flames, a Blind Crow shot forward and folded its wings.
Crunch!
Its beak struck directly between Mordan’s eyes.
I never thought I’d see Brave Bird in real life.
“…Everyone listen carefully.”
Mordan could have continued resisting, but he refused to act pitifully and lifted his communication tool.
“‘Golden Crow’ Kar can use a [Transformation] without any sense of unnaturalness. Be careful.”
I waited patiently without interrupting.
There was no need to hide the existence of [Transformation].
In fact, I wanted it widely known.
Good.
The foundation for countering the schemer’s plan had been established.
“Mordan…?”
Born of the Great Warrior Guild, who had been playing tag with the constantly splitting Yallen, flinched.
It seemed he had never expected that a mere cultist could defeat a veteran like Mordan.
“You can’t lose focus!”
Yallen seized the opening and slashed Born’s thigh with a dagger.
The poison on the blade quickly seeped in, forcing Born to drop to one knee.
“…Then at least one of you!”
Pushing Yallen aside with his shoulder, Born rushed at me and unleashed a blue aura-wrapped punch.
[Myeongcheon Gale Strike].
A Mystery that ignored defensive measures such as aura, armor, and barriers.
Crunch!
The martial artist’s merciless fist crushed my head.
“Yes!”
Joy filled Born’s face—only to turn into shock moments later.
“…Impossible.”
“Oof… that hurts quite a bit.”
Even though more than half of my head had exploded, I did not die.
I simply stood there.
“All explorers should have identical physical ability in this labyrinth…!”
“That’s correct.”
But Mysteries changed the story.
The curse Fertilizer Sprout, which drained Strength and Agility, still increased my Vitality here thanks to [Dark Clouds Rumble] and the [Copying Mirror].
And—
The labyrinth’s mechanic that adjusted physical ability was a debuff for veterans like Mordan.
But for me, it was an overwhelming buff.
“Mr. Born. How is it?”
Touching my rapidly regenerating head, I smiled wickedly like a proper cultist.
“My durability and regeneration—temporarily reaching the realm of transcendence within this labyrinth.”
The [Battlefield of Sun and Moon] was a place where one could experience an incomplete glimpse of the future of the Immortal Cultist build.
Yallen sat on the ground and sighed.
“Phew… that was really close.”
This time he was not speaking in Western Continent dwarf phrasing.
Mordan of the White Jade Touch Guild.
Born of the Great Warrior Guild.
Both explorers had been formidable opponents.
In another labyrinth, cultists like me would have had our spines snapped instantly.
“Thanks to you bravely taking those attacks, Mr. Kar, I barely managed to hold on. You’re amazing!”
《Translation: We won thanks to you, but you fight like a brute. Still, impressive!》
He still viewed me through a somewhat distorted lens, but it was friendly enough.
Compared to the hostile stares I had endured since childhood—like I was some alien lifeform—this was practically affectionate.
“…Raenis of the Fire Turtle Guild. Heavyclaw of the Great Warrior Guild.”
Yallen suddenly became serious and whispered.
“Since Mordan turned out to be himself, those two must be the only remaining spy candidates.”
Yallen had also narrowed down the schemer candidates.
More precisely, it was likely a conclusion based on the investigation results of Dilmor, the gnome vice guild master who served as host of the guild war.
“So one of them is the spy, right?”
“Most likely.”
“But since we can’t find them anywhere, they’re probably on the Moon Battlefield. We’ll have to identify the spy in the inner depths.”
There was no need to rush yet.
The schemer’s plan centered on what happened in the depths.
“Anyway, five Primordial Fragments have appeared.”
Yallen gathered the gems scattered on the ground.
“I only need four more to reach six. What about you, Mr. Kar?”
“I only need one more to reach twelve.”
“Twelve? Ah, the Hidden Piece?”
After handing me one Primordial Fragment, Yallen scratched his cheek.
“You’re aiming for that useless Hidden Piece?”
In this labyrinth, a Hidden Piece could be triggered by collecting twelve Primordial Fragments.
This was already publicly known information.
Because the guild war had existed for quite some time, the stage of the competition—the [Battlefield of Sun and Moon]—had been heavily researched.
There were almost no unknown elements left.
“As far as I know, that Hidden Piece isn’t very useful.”
“Are you asking why I would waste time on something pointless?”
Yallen stared at me with clear eyes.
Strangely, just meeting his gaze made it feel as though my thoughts were completely visible.
I placed a hand over my chest.
“Mr. Yallen, Lidni knows everything. In this guild war, an unprecedented catastrophe will occur.”
“……”
Yallen looked into my eyes for a while before putting the Primordial Fragment into his pocket and raising both hands excitedly.
“Wow! I’m really looking forward to it!”
Seeing his innocent reaction made me excited too, so I began hopping around with him.
Then Yallen suddenly froze mid-jump.
Did his legs start hurting?
“Mr. Yallen. Activating the Hidden Piece will take some time, so please go ahead first.”
“…Alright. I’ll go regroup with the other guild members.”
Yallen hurried away toward the golden tower in the center of the forest.
Without delay, I immediately took all the Primordial Fragments from my subspace and began arranging them neatly on sunlit ground.
The first shape to form was a circle.
Not an oval—an absolutely perfect circle.
《Warning: Ghoul approaching from the northwest!》
A Slaughterer Ghoul attacked midway, but I burned it quickly and continued my work.
I couldn’t rush this.
Even the slightest distortion would invalidate it.
Now finally….
I placed the final Primordial Fragment in the exact center.
Complete.
A circle with a single dot in the middle.
The astronomical symbol representing the sun.
Saaaa—
The fragments, now forming a symbol rather than mere gems, emitted a faint light.
Now I had to expose them to sunlight for ten minutes.
《Another warning: Ghoul approaching from the north!》
I calmly eliminated the occasional intruders while protecting the symbol from disturbance.
《Ten minutes have passed!》
Finally—
The time had come.
Shwaaaaa—!
The Primordial Fragments shone with a brilliance incomparable to before.
But it wasn’t finished yet.
There was one final step.
Fwoooosh!
I extended my left hand and released flames at full power.
The astronomical symbol of the sun ignited.
[Sa · Yeom · Hwa] burned fiercely and surged upward.
Squirm…
Just as the snake tattoo on my left hand withdrew beneath my sleeve—
—Fwoosh.
From within the burning crimson flames, a horse slowly emerged.
A sacred beast with a mane shining like the sun.
A divine animal symbolizing the Sun Faith even in reality.
《Divine Beast — Skinfaxi》
《The sacred horse that pulls the chariot of the sun deity Solmiran and illuminates the day. Undead creatures weak to flame will melt merely by approaching it.》
Skinfaxi.
The steed of Solmiran.
—Neigh!
The divine beast had descended into the labyrinth.