Memories (1)
I bid them farewell, and we headed straight for the Ruins of the Beginning. Normally, the journey would have taken an absurdly long time. After all, the ruins were located in a rather remote area. But thanks to Gray, we were able to use the gate for free. As a result, we reached the Ruins of the Beginning much faster than expected.
-It's been a while.
She spoke while gazing at the ruins, as if lost in reminiscence. I turned to her and asked,
“Have you been here before?”
-Yes. In the past, I came here with my comrades to face the trials.
Heh, I didn't know that either.
In the original story, I hadn't gone into much detail about the first heroes' growth process. As a result, it was never clearly shown how they had become stronger. It seemed they had obtained their Awakening skills here.
'As expected, there's no one around…'
Just as I'd anticipated, the area was completely deserted. Well, that made sense. To enter the deeper sections, one needed either a key or to be chosen. Even without that, the mazes and traps were enough of a headache.
'I should bring the others here later.'
With that thought, I stepped inside the ruins. True to its name, the interior was pitch black. However, thanks to Mind's Eye, I wasn't actually blind.
“Master. May I ask you just one thing?”
-Hmm. If it's my disciple asking, I shall answer to the best of my ability.
“It's nothing major, but… what kind of trial did you face here?”
-Hmm…
At my question, her expression grew serious as she fell into deep thought. Then she answered quietly.
-I cannot tell you the details, but… it was about overcoming the trauma of my past.
“Trauma?”
-Yes.
That was a relief. I'd been a little worried that the trials might differ from person to person. After all, in the original game, the trials had only been shown from the player's perspective and never from anyone else's.
'I did set them up as trauma-based trials, though…'
Given how much the butterfly effect had already changed things, I'd been concerned. But it seemed I didn't need to worry too much.
'Still… what kind of trauma would I face?'
When I thought about it, this body wasn't originally mine. It was just a game character. Yet the soul currently inside it belonged to Kim Seunghwan, who had lived on Earth. So I had no idea what kind of trial might appear.
-Disciple. Before worrying about the second trial, focus on the first one first.
Suddenly, she linked her arm with mine in a clear warning. Well, she wasn't wrong. There was a first trial before the second, after all. But the reason I was treating the first one so lightly was simple.
'Because it's nothing more than a maze and some traps.'
To most people, that would be incredibly annoying. But for someone with the Mind's Eye trait like me, it was child's play.
'Hmm. This is tedious. Should I just smash through it all at once?'
Right as that thought crossed my mind—
Clear the First Trial in the Ruins of the Beginning!
📍 Objective: Pass through the first trial located within the Ruins of the Beginning.
🎁 Reward: Varies depending on the method of completion.
A quest window appeared before my eyes. I hadn't expected a freebie quest like this, so I paused for a moment to think.
'In that case, maybe stepping on every trap would be better?'
Normally, one should avoid stepping on traps. They usually created obstacles, after all. But what if I triggered every single trap and destroyed them all on my way through?
I was certain I could earn a perfect score—or even better. It was a bit of a gamble, but…
'Besides, the second trial isn't something that can be solved with physical strength anyway.'
Having organized my thoughts, I stepped firmly onto the trap without the slightest hesitation.
The next instant—
-Rumble!
A sudden earthquake shook the ground as a massive boulder rolled straight toward me. I quickly summoned my bow and gripped it with all my strength.
“Hoo…”
The boulder drew closer, clearly intending to crush me flat. But compared to the trials I'd already faced, this was nothing. Fighting against demons and demonic beasts had been far more dangerous than this.
-Whoosh!
I swung the bow with all my might. At the same time—
-Kwaaaaaang!
The boulder rolling toward me shattered into countless pieces in an instant. Fragments rained down around me. I brushed off the dust and continued walking. At that moment—
-Click!
Another trap activated. I caught the flying arrows out of the air and let out a mental sigh.
'Ugh, how long is this going to take?'
With that thought, I kept walking toward the second trial.
It took Baran roughly three hours to clear the first trial.
Miroel, who had been watching the entire process from the side, could only click her tongue inwardly.
'Even though he's my own disciple… he's truly terrifying.'
When she and the rest of the hero party had passed through this maze, it had taken them about five hours. Unlike Baran, they had gotten completely lost multiple times and had done their best to avoid every trap.
But what about Baran? He had deliberately triggered every single trap so that those who came after him wouldn't get hurt. And he had dismantled each one with ridiculous ease.
Moreover—
'Just how is he navigating without getting lost?'
Even she had found the constantly shifting maze incredibly frustrating back then. Yet Baran walked through it as casually as if he were strolling through his own home. She was genuinely excited to see just how strong he would become once his growth was complete.
'Perhaps my disciple will be the one to defeat the Demon God we sealed away.'
Of course, she wouldn't force him. Even if he was her disciple, facing the Demon God was an incredibly dangerous task.
While Miroel was busy being astonished by him—
'Hurry up and give me the reward already.'
Meanwhile, Baran was mentally threatening the system to hand over his reward. As if it had read his inner thoughts, a message appeared.
You have cleared the quest: Clear the First Trial in the Ruins of the Beginning.
As a reward, the player has been granted 5,000 points and experience.
The reward was far better than expected. The system used to be so stingy with points, yet this single run had netted him 5,000 in one go. In just two days, he'd earned 10,000 points total.
'Still no level-up, though.'
I'd thought I might level up immediately, but it seemed the higher my level became, the harder it was to gain experience. It was a little disappointing, but this was still amazing. After all, getting this kind of reward from a freebie quest was ridiculous in itself.
Baran dismissed the message and approached the door in front of him. The next moment—
Clear the Second Trial!
📍 Description: This is the second trial located within the Ruins of the Beginning. Upon clearing it, the player will be granted an Awakening skill.
⚠ Warning: Due to the player's low level, even if an Awakening skill is granted, it cannot be used perfectly.
A quest window appeared in my vision.
'Hmm. Just as I expected.'
In truth, this wasn't the right time to obtain an Awakening skill. It was normally something you acquired in the latter half of the story. Still, the reason he had come here now despite that was simple.
Because you never knew what might happen in this world.
The butterfly effect had already occurred in the previous episode. So there was no harm in obtaining an incomplete Awakening skill.
'Even if its power is reduced, an Awakening skill is still an Awakening skill.'
With that thought, Baran turned his head and asked Miroel,
“What will you do, Master?”
-Hmm. I shall go with you. First, I will enter the Bow of the Beginning.
Miroel disappeared into the Bow of the Beginning. Baran slowly opened the door. Then—
To receive the second trial, the Key of the Beginning is required.
The system has confirmed that the player possesses the Key of the Beginning.
#@$%^ is now activating on the player.
What?
What the hell was that supposed to mean? It should have said “The second trial is now activating.” Instead, some bizarre string of characters had appeared. Caught completely off guard, I flinched in surprise. At the same time—
-Flash!
A brilliant light burst forth from beyond the door. And with that, his vision went completely dark.
The moment the light engulfed me, my vision suddenly went black.
What on earth was happening? What was that message just now? Why had an error I'd never seen before suddenly appeared?
That was when I heard it.
-Disciple! Disciple! Wake up!
It seems we've been kidnapped to some strange place!
I didn't know when we'd left the Bow of the Beginning, but Miroel was shaking my shoulder violently. Strange place? What was she talking about? I quickly pulled myself together to figure out what was going on. The next moment—
-Beep! Beep!
A very familiar sound reached my ears. Yes, it was the sound of car horns. Wondering if I'd heard wrong, I turned my head. And then—
“What the…?”
The sight before my eyes left me utterly speechless. Because what filled my vision were cars and countless apartment buildings.