Chapter 1460
Chapter 1460
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 1460
Chapter Title: Dark Moon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Bell Terrier..."
Chewing over the name, I rummaged through the deepest corners of my memories. Nothing came up.
It was a name I didn't recall ever hearing, even in the most obscure lore of the original game. 'Is it just a coincidence that she looks exactly like the character I created?'
"You don't need to take my name so seriously, kid. I'm not even operating out of Neo London, after all."
"...By any chance, are you from Hamburg Innovation?" I asked, testing a theory.
Hamburg Innovation. It is a powerful city-state just like Divine France and Neo London, though its territory and population are smaller compared to the others.
However, when it comes to mechanized technology, Hamburg Innovation boasts the best in the world. They say if you want to replace your failing flesh with machinery, you head there.
"Oh, you're a sharp one, aren't you? How exactly did you figure that out? It's usually impossible to tell just from appearances."
"I guessed from those specific mechanical eyes. Hardware like that is hard to come by anywhere but Hamburg Innovation."
Truth be told, I only took a shot because the starting point for the character I created, 'Jjapaguri,' was Hamburg Innovation.
Her face, her figure, her voice, and even her personality—they were all a perfect match for the character I designed.
Even her origin story matches perfectly. She had to be the 'Jjapaguri' I made. It was truly amazing.
It was surreal seeing my character, whom I'd only ever viewed through a monitor, staring right back at me. Despite it being our first meeting, she felt strangely familiar.
Still, I didn't let it show on my face. I turned my body away. She was a character I'd created, sure. But so what?
I couldn't just say, You belong to me now because I made you. In this physical world, she lived her own life.
I tossed another coin into the fountain. "Hold on. You never actually told me your name. Is that how it's gonna be?"
"...Eugene Mayer." I replied. "Eugene Mayer. Hm. Got it memorized. That's a nice name."
"Is that name not part of your input data?" I teased. She laughed, a short, sharp sound.
"I didn't replace my brain with machinery, kid. Just my arms, legs, eyes... Oh, and my heart too? Nah, that's... Ugh, why am I even telling a total stranger this?"
"......" I remained silent. The sixth coin plopped into the fountain with a soft splash.
"So what brings a guy like you all the way out here to the edge of the world? Business?"
"It's a personal matter. I picked up some intriguing info. I can't go into the details. You get it?"
"Yeah, I get it." she replied. It was probably tied to her personal storyline.
In the original game, player characters' stories varied based on origin and class. 'She'll handle it herself.'
We were nothing to each other right now. Reminding myself of that fact, I tossed the final seventh coin into the water.
In the game, throwing seven coins into the fountain triggered a temporary luck boost message. But nothing appeared before my eyes.
"Life must pay pretty well for you, huh? If you're tossing money into fountains, how about sharing some with me?"
"I'm not throwing away money. I'm buying luck." I said. "For 70 credits? That's enough for a decent meal at a good restaurant."
"With some luck, I might earn significantly more than that." "Ha, I don't buy that crap. ...Wait, are you some kind of fortune teller?"
"Suddenly you're all trusting. 70 credits... Maybe I should actually give it a shot? Does it have to be exactly 70?"
"Seven coins. It doesn't matter whether they are 1-credit or 10-credit ones." "Really? That is music to my ears."
She flung a 1-credit coin toward the fountain. I walked past her and out of the village. The sun was setting, and the black moon was beginning to rise.
The village was suddenly ghost-town quiet. Everyone had barricaded themselves indoors, lying in bed and praying the day would end quickly.
Levitation
I cast the spell and felt the weight leave my feet. My body floated upward as I flew toward the fourth-largest mountain to the south.
Flying wasn't exactly smooth sailing tonight. Black-shelled eagles, frenzied by the Dark Moon's influence, swarmed me like mad birds.
Electric Whip
I whipped the incoming predators with crackling electric lashes. The charred eagles plummeted to the ground, becoming food for other beasts.
I had taken about thirty of them down by the time I arrived at my destination. I scanned the dark surroundings to get my bearings.
'I saw the cliff on the way down. I should head that way.' Boom! My heart thudded loudly in my chest and then suddenly stopped.
Sudden cardiac arrest. I grimaced, forcing my heart to beat again by pumping mana through the organ. 'Damn it. Cardiac arrest right from the start...'
I glared at the Dark Moon hanging in the sky. Depending on the region, Dark Moon nights trigger different, random status ailments.
Around the Neo London outskirts, it's heart attacks, random diseases, or partial paralysis. They usually fade after a short time, returning things to normal.
The real problem is you never know when or where the next one will hit you. After five minutes, my heart started beating on its own again.
No more need to force it with my mana. That alone was a huge relief. The cliff finally came into view through the dark mist.
Peering down revealed a sheer vertical drop into nothing. The bottom was lost in absolute darkness, appearing bottomless to the eye.
'There's no need to go down there, so it's fine.' I approached the cliff edge. Suddenly, my internal mana flow went haywire and raged wildly.
Even I couldn't cast spells reliably in this unstable state. That was exactly why I hadn't flown straight to this specific spot.
'Nailed the location. Alright then...' I looked around the rocky outcropping. It was easy enough to spot the faint blue flower blooming at the edge.
This world has plants that only bloom under the light of the Dark Moon. One of them was the blue flower before me: Blue Distortion.
It distorts the surrounding mana. It must be harvested while it's blooming; otherwise, it's just ordinary, useless weeds.
I pulled a specimen box from my coat. I plucked the Blue Distortion petals and placed them inside. It warps mana perfectly.
'This is the essential material for repairing a shattered Mana Road.' It blooms deep in the mountains only under Dark Moon, so it's incredibly pricey.
If I were to sell this on the black market, I would make a literal killing. 'But one single root won't cut it for my repairs.'
I eyed the empty air beside the cliffside. 'The cliff in front of the triangular rock... It should be right there.' I exhaled a slow breath.
Shaking off the tension with a sigh, I headed for the open air. Steeling myself, I lifted my right foot toward the empty space off the cliff.
It didn't drop below—instead, it landed firmly on invisible ground. '...Success. It's a good thing the prerequisite quest isn't required here.'
I stayed sharp. Ignoring the black moon glaring down and the chill wind, I walked further out toward the center of the abyss.
'7366. 7366. 7366.' Repeating the numbers of the path, I advanced. I stopped precisely at the seventh step and looked down.
Below was the pitch-black abyss. Falling there would mean instant death. 'Three steps to the right.' Step. Step. Step.
'Six steps left. Six steps right.' The moment I took the final step safely, a glowing door appeared in midair before me.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the handle and pushed it open. It was a small, three-pyeong space filled with unnatural serenity.
Blue sky, fresh air, and damp earth. A massive cluster of Blue Distortion bloomed there. There were easily over a hundred stalks.
'Jackpot.' Grinning, I crouched down and began harvesting the petals one by one. 'A certain gardener's secret garden.'
This area is cleared via a subquest and is accessible only under the Dark Moon. You score a ton of Blue Distortion here, but it's a one-time haul.
After gathering every last one, I stepped back out. I was still midair. But my mana flow had already normalized itself.
I had taken all the Blue Distortion that was disrupting the local field. I prepared my next spell to leave the area.
Levitation
I flew back through the air and landed on the solid mountain peak. I fell into deep thought about my next move.
Should I head back now, or risk the night for more loot? 'I'll head back. The opportunity isn't just for tonight.'
'I should repair my Mana Road fully first, then return for more on the next Dark Moon.' There was no need to rush my progression.
Pushing lingering regrets aside, I lifted into the air once more. Kaboom! A massive explosion suddenly echoed through the valley.
Frozen midair, I turned toward the sound. It came from the right peak with the clearing—the known site of hidden ancient ruins.
'...Telescope.' I enhanced my vision with a quick magic ritual. I gazed into the distance at the source of the smoke.
Bell Terrier, whom I'd met just hours ago at the village fountain, was currently battling a squad of Droids. Droids were robots hostile to all humans.
Neo London's nobles and citizens loathe them at a deep, traumatic level. The city nearly fell to a violent Droid rebellion once in its history.
Its current Victorian-esque culture is actually due to that anti-tech influence. 'Bell is clearly at a tactical disadvantage there.'
I decided to help her. I still had unanswered questions for her. If my guess was right, she should have been somewhere else entirely.
Flying toward the battle, I prepared a high-yield magic formula. Crackle. Lightning mana surged skyward and began gathering at my call.
The Droid, with its reinforced steel body and skin, looked up. Its twin red lenses glowed, locking onto my incoming heat signature.
Before it, Bell swiftly maneuvered, pulling her pistol's trigger repeatedly. Bullets targeted its head precisely but inflicted no meaningful damage to the plating.
"Mage detected. Estimated Rank 5. Priority target changed. Eliminating hostile human." the machine droned.
The Droid raised its heavy arm toward me. Click-clack. The arm morphed into a gun barrel aimed directly my way.
Energy began to gather at the muzzle, about to fire a high-velocity bolt. I didn't give it the chance to finish its charge.
Thunder Bolt
A beat faster than the machine, a massive bolt of lightning struck the Droid. The entire area flashed as bright as a summer day.
The Droid collapsed instantly, rendered motionless by the surge. 'As expected, lightning magic works wonders on these machines.'
I landed gracefully on the charred grass. She stared at me intently, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Was that unwanted meddling on my part?" I asked. "...No, thanks. You actually saved my skin there."
"That Droid's armor was shrugging off my armor-piercing rounds completely." I glanced behind her at the clearing.
Amid the battle-ravaged ground, a mechanical door leading underground stood perfectly intact. "Ah, this? Ancient ruins I stumbled on by chance."
"It has nothing to do with those Droids, so don't worry. No matter how crazy shit got, that door wouldn't break."
"Do you happen to know how to open it? You're a mage, after all." she asked. "I do." I replied simply.
"...For real? I was just asking for a long shot... Alright, help me out then. We'll split whatever's inside."
"I found it, so half seems fair to both of us. What do you think of that deal?" she asked. "Let's check what's inside before splitting."
"That's a fair point." I approached the heavy door. Standing right before it, I stared at the ancient emblem carved into the center.
It was a complex lotus-like pattern. "Do you know what that symbol is? I searched it up in my data, but got nothing."
"It's the Transcendentalists' mark." I replied. "Transcendentalists? What's that? Is it some kind of elite superhuman group?"
"No, it's something older." I looked directly at the door and spoke the activation phrase: "Only transcendence is our ultimate goal."
Vrrr... The heavy mechanical door finally began to open.