The Sage's Robe (2)

The very moment Hajun discovered the Hidden Piece—

A message appeared out of nowhere before the eyes of everyone in the Forest of the Labyrinth.

"Huh?"

"What is that?"

It was a message none of them had ever seen before. The Ascenders in the Ruined Forest's Maze all wore the same baffled expressions.

And the message didn't stop there.

The existing monsters of the Forest of the Labyrinth had grown one and a half times stronger. An ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unprecedented crisis no one could have predicted! It was only natural that chaos erupted not just among the Ascenders staying in the Forest of the Labyrinth, but outside the Tower as well.

Breaking reports flooded in within moments. The Ascenders' Community instantly burst into a fever pitch over the topic.

Many people deduced that this situation was connected to the Ruined Forest's Maze — and that, judging by the timing, Hahoetal was involved. It was a deduction very close to the truth.

The news spread at an astonishing pace, all the way onto live broadcasts.

At the host's words, Committee member Lee Soon-jae adjusted his glasses before answering.

"I suspect someone has discovered the Fallen King of the Forest, which had been slumbering in the form of a hidden piece."

"Really?"

The host's voice rose in pitch. Curiosity had been piqued by Lee Soon-jae's remark.

"Well, this is absolutely fascinating. A hidden piece, you say. I'm dying to know who set off this whole chain of events."

"The current consensus is that a man named Hahoetal discovered it."

"Hahoetal, you say?"

"Yes. Hahoetal."

"Who's that again?"

"Oh come on, you know — the Ascender who supposedly received a Mythic-grade skill during this cycle's Proof of Qualification on the 2nd floor."

"Ahh, now I remember. So this new god caused all of this?"

"Ha, Mr. Jang, you're a bit slow on the gossip lately, aren't you?"

"Haha, I have been rather busy these days. Well, if it's true, that only makes it more intriguing, doesn't it?"

"It certainly does. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'm very curious to see how this situation plays out."

"Ah! On that note, we've received a request from viewers asking for more detail on exactly what kind of being the Fallen King of the Forest was. Could you elaborate for us?"

"Of course. That's exactly why I'm here. The Fallen King of the Forest is—"

As Committee member Lee Soon-jae continued, the host Jang An-cheol's eyes grew wider and wider until they were practically saucers.

Well, well.

The moment the message appeared before his eyes, the mana flowing through the Forest of the Labyrinth began to churn and surge violently.

GRAAAAAAAGH—!

SKREEEEEEEE—!

Savage roars echoed in from every direction. Amid the unsettling turbulence in the air, Hajun clenched and unclenched his fists once.

This is actually fun.

He had just smashed through a wall, and a grin spread across his face as he looked down the passage revealed before him. Beyond the wall — remarkably — a portal had come into existence, a path leading somewhere entirely separate from the existing labyrinth. The blue mana rippling around the portal seemed almost to beckon him in, urging him to hurry through.

"So I just head through here, right?"

"That is so. It is not quite the form I had envisioned, but the awakening of the Fallen King of the Forest has succeeded regardless. Proceed with the strategy as planned."

Breaking through the wall had been an action taken precisely in anticipation of a hidden piece triggered by just such an Easter egg.

"From this moment, it is a race against time. You must reach the place where the being resides as swiftly as possible."

Hajun nodded at Ellaon's words and immediately stepped through the portal.

Light burst, and a new location unfolded before his eyes. The layout resembled the Forest of the Labyrinth, but the tree roots and vines lining the walls had faded to a dull grey.

Crunch.

The leaves piled on the ground had withered and shriveled like dead autumn litter. The moment his foot touched them, they crumbled away like ash.

"The energy of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the negative dimension is far stronger here than I anticipated."

Indeed, this scene existed because the entire place was saturated with the energy of the negative dimension.

"GRAAAAAAGH—!"

After moving a little further, new beings appeared before him.

Tregroses of a level similar to the ones he'd faced before — but their appearance was tinged grey, and their names glowed red.

Elite monsters.

They had transformed from ordinary monsters into something far more powerful. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for an eleventh-level climber like him to hunt a level nineteen elite monster.

But Hajun had already stepped well beyond the constraints of level.

Time to give Mana Drain a spin.

This one had appeared alone — finally, a target perfectly suited to testing Mana Drain.

"Shadow Binding!"

Whoosh!

Shadow hands seized the vines and roots lashing toward him. Hajun charged straight at them and grabbed one of the suspended vines with his bare hand.

The creature outleveled him, which meant direct contact like this was the only way to trigger Mana Drain.

"Mana Drain."

The instant he activated the skill—

VROOOOM.

Blue mana particles erupted from the vine in his grip and streamed into him.

"GRAAAAAAAARGH!"

At the same moment, the creature let out a shriek of agony.

Whoa.

A gasp escaped him. His mana, which had drained faster than he'd expected, was surging back up. This was practically the equivalent of downing an entire mana potion.

And that wasn't all — the creature had been hit with Stun and Mana Enervation, his HP was refilling, and a translucent barrier had risen around his body. Finally, there was the blue aura flickering over him: the damage-increase buff.

And if I stack Sage's Aura on top of that...

"Fireball."

KABOOOOOOOOM!!!

With an explosion even more massive than before, the creature's entire body went flying.

"Wow."

He couldn't help marveling at how potent Mana Drain really was.

Even for a Mythic-grade skill, taking down a level nineteen elite monster this easily is absurd.

His admiration welled up all over again. Of course, he understood better than anyone the true source of the combat power he was displaying.

The foundation that lets an eleventh-level me fight like this is the Sage's Tome.

The Sage's Tome. It didn't make much of a showy display, but it was the item underpinning every ounce of his combat strength. For one thing, boosting all his stats by a combined twenty-one was an effect that exceeded a four-level gain all on its own. On top of that, the increased casting speed, movement speed, and mana recovery were like strapping wings onto his back in combat.

"It was never for nothing that these are my Three Sacred Treasures. Once you obtain the Sage's Robe as well, you shall feel your fighting strength deepen all the more, I assure you."

Hajun let out a small chuckle at Ellaon's words.

I'm already getting excited, honestly.

And so he pressed onward, encountering species after species of monster beyond the Fallen Tregros.

"Gh... aaaargh!"

THUD!

With a final death rattle, the Fallen Tree Golem toppled sideways. And then, what had been hidden behind its back came into view.

The dwelling place of the Fallen King of the Forest. The boss room had appeared.

Creeeak...

Pushing open the door of grey tree trunks and stepping inside, he found a chamber blanketed in ash-grey roots. And at its far end—

A figure sat upon a throne grown from living wood.

The master of this maze — a forgotten ancient being sat upon the throne.

Special Hidden Boss, huh.

The title alone gave him the feeling that fighting this thing was going to be a serious pain.

But the name's Dryas, you say?

Seated as it was, he couldn't gauge its exact height, but its frame suggested something in the mid-to-late 180 centimeters — roughly his own build. Gaunt branches sprouting where hair should be, and a grey jewel embedded in its forehead — a being with the outward shape of a human.

"That one is a highest-tier spirit of the forest."

...!

At Aleon's words, the corners of Hajun's eyes trembled almost imperceptibly.

A spirit?

In the Sky Tower, spirits were something like mysterious, fantastical beings of legend. They were so rare that merely witnessing one was difficult, but it was said that the power of those occasionally glimpsed transcended imagination.

Still... even for a Special Hidden Boss, level twenty feels awfully low.

"It is because the being has fallen. In truth, the spirit power remaining in it seems to amount to scarcely more than a mote of dust."

That does explain it.

So that was why it had been reduced to a mere level twenty. What level it must have commanded in its prime was beyond imagining.

In any case, this creature was an enemy he needed to eliminate — and quickly. The wise sages of old had always said it plainly: in every fight, the one who strikes first wins.

Let's open with a big, fat first punch, then.

Fwoooosh—

Emerald flames bloomed to life in his hand. Sensing that mana, the creature turned its gaze toward him — and in the very instant their eyes met, Hajun hurled a Fireball straight at it with everything he had.

"Nice to meet you. Here's a gift!"

KABOOOOOOOOM!!!

With a colossal roar, emerald fire swallowed his entire field of vision.