Leave Home, Find Hardship
Leave Home, Find Hardship
I shouldn't have left Siyoram.
The moment I reached what should have been Echoes of the Ghost Valley, that thought hit me.
Getting here had eaten up so much time. Precious time, wasted. Looking at the miserable results, I couldn't stop thinking it.
I'd been stuck on trains for nearly a whole day. I didn't just laze around, though. While lying there in a daze, I studied for written subjects and scribbled down magic theory.
Couldn't train my body. No matter how good the train's facilities were, they weren't exactly conducive to serious physical conditioning.
I changed trains several times, trying to track down Hidden Pieces.
Trying to map knowledge from the original work onto this place wasn't accurate. I had to fill in the information gaps with my own body.
And after all that wasted time, all I found were the ruins of a dungeon someone else had already cleared, and a heavily weathered, worn-down monument.
I stood there blankly for a while. My head spun. I was on the verge of taking out my destructive impulses on that innocent monument.
I turned away as if fleeing. If I'd stayed there any longer, I felt like I'd lose my mind.
The way back wasn't exactly smooth. This was clearly a zone outside the city, so there were monsters roaming around.
Amidst those dangers, I pushed onward, keeping Spatial Perception wide open and my guard up in all directions. I trudged along, occasionally taking down monsters that lunged at me.
Back in the city after the outskirts inspections, my legs gave out before I could even reach my lodgings.
I sprawled limply onto a bench in a nearby park.
'Ah...'
The earlier thought resurfaced.
Shouldn't have come here. Should've just stayed holed up in Siyoram. What was the point, just wasting time and shouldering risk for nothing. Who did I think I was, trying to check things out on my own. Should've just stayed curled up like a baby in the Cradle, fussing and crying...
Regret ran rampant, but this was all hindsight. Doesn't everyone regret things like this?
Ah, I should've done it differently back then.
The reason I regretted this schedule was because I had nothing to show for it.
If I'd snagged even one Hidden Piece, far from considering the time wasted, the gains would've far outweighed the hardship.
'Honestly, it's not like I didn't expect this...'
This was reality, not a game.
I kept repeating that to myself. Something I should obviously know, but I'm such a pathetic mess I might get it wrong at any moment.
So I'd guessed that Hidden Pieces might have disappeared, and it turned out I was right.
This case differed from the Origin Egg in several ways.
The Origin Egg was inside the Tower of Growth, which had entry restrictions, and even if someone discovered it, they couldn't actually obtain it without the status of a Special Admission Cadet.
The Hidden Pieces I'd tried to find this time... had no particular restrictions, no conditions. Just first-come, first-served.
They weren't in especially hard-to-find locations, didn't need special conditions to acquire, and weren't the type with high difficulty.
That was the reason I'd even tried poking at these Hidden Pieces. I still didn't dare touch the other ones.
Given the choice, I'd like to deal with the Curse of Short Life right away, but as far as I knew, there were only two ways to handle the Sea Pearl.
The method using a Consumable Artifact — the Curse-Lifting Jewel.
The problem was, the dungeon that spat out the Curse-Lifting Jewel was Grade 1.
A place where the monsters that appear have a Standard Rank of 5th Rank. On top of that, if an Alpha Individual shows up, its Rank jumps to 3rd Rank.
If something like that dropped in the Inland rather than the Demon Realm, alarms would go off even in neighboring countries, and the Association would immediately form an Analysis Unit and a Subjugation Squad.
Setting foot into something like that... honestly, I doubt it'd even be possible for me later on.
Right now, I'm not even close to being in the same league. The location is so remote there might be a chance, but I still don't know if even that one has been conquered.
The second method is the Wish Ticket you get from conquering a Tower.
Specifically, conquering an as-yet-unconquered Tower to receive the Authority of Wishes and use it to lift the curse...
'That's insane...'
It's a method even more insane than the Curse-Lifting Jewel.
The 8th Iteration, Heavenly Thunder, had challenged a Tower after gaining proper strength for the first time. He'd been utterly dumbfounded and fled.
The difficulty is utter shit. As if to demonstrate exactly why they're different from dungeons, a relentless wave of traps and monsters came pouring in. He was so intimidated he fled on the spot.
Depending on compatibility, the 8th Iteration was capable of solo-subjugating a 3rd Rank. And he was that overwhelmed.
Of course, maybe it would've been possible if I'd kept ramming my head against it and dragged it into a long-term battle, but the main base — Earth — was getting wrecked at the time, so I had no choice but to pull back.
I'd planned to conquer it later, but then Baek A-rin stabbed me in the back and I got utterly screwed.
Anyway, the only iteration that even managed to conquer a Tower was the 11th Iteration, Diamond Warrior.
At bare minimum, I'd need power beyond the 8th Iteration... ideally reaching the level of the 11th Iteration for it to even be a viable challenge...
'......'
I grew depressed. The possibility that I might genuinely die young suddenly loomed large. My hands and feet trembled faintly.
As if in sympathy with my emotions, the Sky Wing Feather trembled along with me.
I took a deep breath and buried my face in my hands.
I didn't want to die. I hated things that were hard enough to kill me too, but maybe because my true nature is some base beast, I hated dying even more...
- Tap.
'?'
While I was trying to calm myself down —
Through the Spatial Perception that was observing my surroundings in real time, I sensed something walking steadily toward me.
Some little kid.
A child with neatly braided hair resting over one shoulder came plodding over to me, then started poking and tugging at the tip of the Sky Wing Feather.
'What the.'
No hostility.
My head tilted unconsciously at the sudden action. Curious, I turned my head that way.
The child tilted their head to match mine.
The neatly braided yellow hair slipped off their shoulder. That somehow familiar... chick-down-colored hair.
But unlike the person I knew, the eyes blinking back at me seemed blunt and expressionless.
What did they want? As I was wondering, the child right in front of me tapped the smartwatch on their wrist.
The shape of it was somehow familiar.
[Are you okay? Do you need help?]
A familiar hologram. Just like the one I used, text was displayed on the holographic projection.
The technology was developed by the Association, which distributes the smartwatches... or so the official story goes, but the truth is it's an Authority through the Tower of Harmonization.
I blankly chewed my lip for a moment, then subtly observed the child.
People communicate. Obviously, in most situations, talking out loud is easier.
If you're not talking? There's probably a reason for it.
Like me.
[Hello. I don't need help.]
The child stared intently at the hologram I'd projected, then nodded. They didn't speak either.
'...It's complicated.'
I must have made a weird expression at the sight of them.
I was grateful for the kindness they'd shown, yet a wave of self-loathing washed over me — did I really look so helpless that a child thought I needed help?
...Now that I think about it, there's probably no reason to feel self-loathing. Maybe I was just overestimating myself?
My mental age seemed about the same as this kid's. And having few things I could do alone was similar to a child too.
Considering the kindness they'd just shown, this kid might be a far better person than me.
My thoughts suddenly spiraled into self-deprecation. I shook my head vigorously and tapped my smartwatch.
[Thank you for worrying about me. But I'm okay.]
The child nodded. Then they loitered around and plopped down on a nearby bench.
...Why aren't they leaving?
'Their parents...'
Are they around... I started to ask. I stopped midway. Because of one possibility.
What if they had no parents? That question would be incredibly rude right now...
After thinking for a moment, I realized it was none of my business. The child's attitude seemed calm, not like they were lost.
At the very least, they didn't seem to be in a difficult situation.
Just in case, I fiddled with the bracelet attached near my smartwatch.
It was the bracelet with a perception-obstruction function.
Its grade was top-tier; it could maintain perception obstruction — a magic of ludicrous difficulty — perfectly for a full week without needing a recharge.
It was the Vice Headmaster's handiwork. And Siyoram's side would also provide basic identity protection, so no one would recognize me in a place like this.
Sighing at the sight of the child sitting on the bench, idly kicking their legs back and forth, I leaned back against the bench.
'Let's go back...'
I'd already booked a train arriving in the afternoon.
It was a far earlier return than I'd planned. If I'd actually gone through with exploring Echoes of the Ghost Valley, the timing would've been tight.
Despite the quick return, the results were practically nonexistent... a bitter outcome.
Got humiliated for nothing. The only thing I'd learned was that basically every Hidden Piece with easy accessibility should be considered already looted.
From now on, I should avoid setting foot outside the Cradle as much as possible... I shou......
...
Abruptly, the nape of my neck prickled. My reason, which had been slack and dejected, was pulled sharply taut.
This was also a sensation I'd felt once before. I raised my hand and slowly swept it across the back of my neck.
It was slick with cold sweat. An action I'd taken once before, too.
'...This is.'
The day before I came to this world. The intuition I'd felt right before creating the character for the 13th Iteration.
A wave of vertigo washed over me.
- BOOM!
"...?!"
I shoved myself off the bench. The child nearby flinched in surprise, but I didn't have the luxury of considering that.
'What is it, what's going on, what's happening?'
Something dangerous was clearly happening, but I didn't know why it was dangerous. The sensation was simultaneously vague and growing certain, driving me so crazy with frustration my chest felt like it would burst open.
I gritted my teeth.
My head wasn't working right. Not knowing what to do, I frantically tapped my smartwatch as a thought suddenly struck me.
A request for help. I had no idea what was going on, so I figured I'd at least check in and call for help.
I didn't think it would be the case, but what if this intuition turned out to just be my imagination? Then I could just play it off as a sudden scare and say that's why I contacted them.
The hologram shifted. It went to my most recent contact.
[Professor Atra]
▶Me: Yes, I'll be back safely (Yesterday 18:21)
▶Me: Professo... (Now)
- KWOOM!
'Ghk...!'
Before I could even finish typing the message, a massive impact suddenly slammed into my head. More precisely, it was a collision that struck my mind.
The moment my mind reeled, the hologram flickered, then — kkzzzt — vanished.
My Spatial Perception shook like crazy. It was like seeing the vision of someone who'd just been clobbered by a dump truck.
'Hnng...'
I clung to my reeling consciousness. Compared to the first day when Spatial Perception nearly fried my brain, this was nothing.
The moment I managed to endure the mental collision, a crushing pressure bore down on me from all directions.
With the feeling of being buried under a massive pile of dirt, my Spatial Perception began to shrink bit by bit. A sensation I've felt somewhere before.
- CRASH CRASH CRASH!
Before I could even fully realize what it was, a colossal series of explosions reached my ears. The successive booms didn't stop at one; they echoed throughout the city continuously.
- Ah, AAAAAHH—!
- What the hell, why is a dungeon... without any warning signs...!
- Where are the defensive formulas?! Where'd all the magic go?!
Right after, various sounds flooded my ears. Not a single positive one among them.
Fear, anguish, pain, chaos... a feast of negative emotions.
'......'
Mana Concentration suddenly soaring in the vicinity. The smartwatch disconnected as space was isolated. Monsters bursting out everywhere.
Not even a swear word came to mind.
My face went paler than it ever had before.
[｢The Curse of Beauty's Misfortune｣ attracts ill fortune, and misfortune finds you.]
[Vitality Energy is consumed by ｢the Curse of Beauty's Misfortune｣.]
...
[Player Correction System: Pioneering Progress]
[Detecting adversity approaching the Player.]
...
[A ｢Dungeon Chain Rampage｣ Quest has been generated.]
...
[The Authority ｢■■ and □□｣ grows.]