The Guide of Ether
I stared blankly up at Lee Han's face. The village chief asked if I knew him.
"Uh..."
Should I say I know him, or pretend I don't?
The Lee Han I knew was a 7-level mage, the hero who protected Korea. But this Ether Guide statue left in the abyssal village was someone I didn't recognize.
"He's an acquaintance, but not really," I said, gazing up steadily. The chief nodded.
"I see. A Guide of Ether must have had many faces."
"I received his help, but I can't fathom his intentions."
At those words, the chief placed a hand on my shoulder.
"If it was the Guide's guidance, you'll come to understand soon enough."
"I hope so."
I narrowed my eyes and approached the statue. Faint traces of writing lingered at its base, as if words had once been inscribed there.
"This is...?"
The chief shook his head.
"A verse from the lost Guide. It's been gone for ages."
I traced the remnants of the letters, feeling the cold stone. Then, a strange warmth seeped in.
"......"
As I lingered, I sensed the ether inside the statue stirring.
"What're you doing, communing with the statue or something?" Lea quipped. I raised my hand.
The ether within, glowing like twinkling starlight, soon formed patterns like constellations. Piecing them together revealed strange letters.
"......"
My fist clenched instantly.
"You bastard!"
Thwack—
The moment my fist struck the statue, cracks spiderwebbed across it, and it crumbled with a roar.
"Ah..."
Only Lee Han's statue remained from the knees down. Panicking, I glanced sideways to see the chief's equally stunned face.
"I-it just suddenly collapsed on its own!"
"Hoo..."
"The guardian statueuuuuh!" Lea screamed. Flustered, I waved my hands.
"No, really! I just barely touched it!"
Despite my excuses, Lea and the chief advanced on me with glares.
*
"Guide! Just two bundles of herbs today."
"Here you go..."
I handed over the herbs and received two glowing stones in return.
"These herbs are in great shape today. See you tomorrow~"
Triman, the villager with a scar on his face, took the herbs and left.
"Tomorrow too? Hasn't that kid recovered yet? I hope he heals soon..."
Suddenly feeling like an NPC at the herb shop, I slumped into the little chair.
"Haa..."
A wave of exhaustion crashed over me. It had been a full week since I'd been stuck in this underground village. I'd learned not just everyone's names, but their family histories too.
For a city this size, there are hardly any residents.
Most houses stood empty, over half the place reduced to ruins. It was little more than a noisy shell of a village.
Tch. Should I just knock 'em out and bolt?
Honestly, a week of labor for smashing one statue seemed punishment enough.
"Sacrilege and blasphemy? As if that guy's some saint."
The chief, who'd saddled me with his herb shop, lay motionless in bed. As I leaned back in the chair for a quick rest and closed my eyes, Lea pinched my cheek.
"Eek!"
"Guide! Slacking off already?"
"Slacking? I just closed my eyes... I'm innocent."
Lea snorted and handed me a bundle of herbs.
"Picked these from the wraiths' midst. One glowstone per bundle."
I traded three bundles for glowstones.
"You're so weak, but you go every day."
"What?! Weak? Don't you remember almost losing to me?"
"Strength doesn't make you strong, kiddo."
"Hmph! Strength does make you strong. What nonsense~"
Lea pouted, snatched her glowstones, and vanished down the alley.
"Hm..."
Stroking my chin as I watched her familiar retreating figure, I muttered.
"My body's all stiff."
How long was this time-wasting supposed to go on? If I slipped out while they slept and escaped the Abyss, maybe I'd get another shot next time.
"Should I just run for it like this?"
"You dare say that aloud? Are you an idiot?"
The chief's shrill voice rang out—he'd woken without a sound.
"I'm sorry about the statue, but if it crumbled to a frail girl's punch, its time was up!"
"Frail, you say? Guide of Ether."
"......"
I pouted sullenly.
"Hah, your face is just like Lea's."
Averting my gaze, I rummaged through the herbs.
"Hmph, why does a tiny village like this even need herbs?"
The chief rose from his bed.
"No choice. No sunlight here. We can't survive without them."
"You could've swept those wraiths in a day."
"......"
The chief sighed.
"That's not all there is to it. Those are mere shadows."
"Shadows? What do you mean?"
He clicked his tongue.
"Illusions. Bait to make you pour out your ether."
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
Then, if I'd blasted ether there...
"Exactly. You'd be dead, you fool. You're clever, but too hasty."
"......"
Speechless, I fiddled with the herbs.
"So there's a real body?"
"Yes. The illusory demon, the Blazing Gatekeeper, lurks somewhere below."
"Well..."
Even if there is, I could just kill it—though the chief would have words for that.
As if reading my mind, he chuckled.
"You couldn't kill it with your skill."
"......"
I furrowed my brow. An abyssal entity beyond my ability to slay violated the rules of a personal Abyss.
"I thought this was my personal Abyss's 9th floor. Something's off."
"Heh. Climbers always misunderstand. Entering floors matching your level up to 20 is the world's courtesy, not a law."
"...That courtesy always skips me."
As I grumbled, the chief placed a hand on my head.
"Indeed. It's time now. Prepare to leave."
"?"
"Ignore the shadows and run as far as you can."
With the chief's words, the Abyss's voice echoed.
9th Floor Clear Mission
Survive for 24 hours.
Reward: 9th Floor Clear
"What in the...?"
No sooner had I spoken than the cave shook violently.
Kwaaaang—
Something exploded, and a massive giant wreathed in flames appeared.
The 10-meter behemoth swung its arm without warning, demolishing village buildings.
Kroooaaarrr—
Its roar filled the cave as flames devoured the air and structures.
"New Guide of Ether, may fortune follow you to the end..."
A blue magic circle unfurled before the elder.
"Wait! What do you mean? That thing appearing today out of nowhere doesn't make sense!"
"Chief!"
Lea, clad in armor, rushed in but vanished from sight after a boulder flung by the giant struck her.
"Uh..."
"What are you doing? It's at least a 5th-grade wraith. Get to safety, Guide."
Seeing the burning village ignited a fire in me. For a moment, I heard families' screams—like my own.
And Lee Han's statue flashed in my mind.
"Ah, the guardian statue."
Lea had called it that.
"Did smashing the statue summon it?!"
"Guide, it was fated to break then."
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"...I can't go."
"What? Don't waste your life here."
"I won't run, even in death! Not when people are dying because of me!"
Abandoning others was unbearable. Living off sacrifices—I never wanted that again. Ending it here felt easier than a lifetime of that guilt.
"You fool! Aren't you the Guide of Ether? What of the Arkrans you've saved?!"
"I'll save at least one."
I shattered an incoming boulder with magic, dug Lea out from under it—she couldn't stand, her lower body crushed—and dragged her beside a building.
"Run! Abandon the rest and flee!"
Hearing the villagers' screams, I charged forward, glaring at the flaming giant for weaknesses.
3-level spells should hold for a few minutes.
Burns were a small price if needed.
The chief's voice came from behind.
"Don't approach! Break the barrier! Just buy time!"
Matching his shrill tone, I cast.
2-level Projection
Salvo
Ether clumps infused with starlight hurtled toward its face and exploded. A purple barrier shimmered dimly against the blast waves.
4-level? Maybe 5-level barrier...
I'd rarely broken one that strong, so I focused intently.
"Guide of Ether! Reckless folly!"
Ignoring the chief, I leaped onto a rooftop.
3-level Enhancement
Stella Maris
The enhancement spell, completed by absorbing ambient ether. Ether propelled me into the air.
My eyes locked with the giant's massive ones. It seemed confident in its barrier.
"Sorry, but you picked the wrong opponent."
Grinning, I analyzed the barrier's flow at my fingertips.
Galaxy Flow Special
Reverse Flow