Chapter 136
Translator: uly
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Del Mark Chancellor's Legacy
The advantage of the Dimension Fortress was that you could access it from anywhere.
That applied even inside buildings.
As long as there was space nearby to create an entrance, you could open a dimensional gate and hide inside.
The idea had struck him right after slipping out of Feril's room.
Back when the additional rewards had just been settled.
All he had to do was follow the waiting room corridor out of the battlefield.
But in that moment...
A single question bubbled up in Luke's mind.
What if I open a dimensional gate here and hole up in the Dimension Fortress?
Instead of leaving the battlefield, just wait out the time there.
Of course, there was a chance it could fail.
He might get forcibly ejected from the battlefield midway.
Or the administrator, Feril, might catch on.
But even so, it was worth a shot.
That's why he'd created a dimensional gate in the waiting room corridor and slipped inside.
'The gate isn't disappearing!'
The attempt succeeded spectacularly.
The dimensional gate that refused to vanish.
No forced ejection, no detection by the administrator Feril.
In other words, they hadn't noticed his presence at all.
Instead, as time ticked by, the corridor lights simply winked out one by one.
Luke, watching from beyond the gate, instinctively knew his clever ploy had worked.
By the time he stepped out of the dimensional gate...
Night had long since fallen.
The battlefield corridor was pitch black, as if the place had closed for business, every light extinguished.
No guards in sight, either—the interior was deathly quiet.
'Heh heh heh.'
A sinister grin crept across his face unbidden.
He'd only tried it on a whim, but it had worked like a charm.
He'd successfully hidden in the battlefield without anyone the wiser.
Using the Dimension Fortress, no less.
What an ingenious application.
'You think I'll just slink away quietly?'
Fat chance.
The hidden scriptures Feril had offered as extra rewards.
He'd chosen the mage's scripture to end the settlement, but he'd glimpsed a total of ten back then.
Meaning nine were still left somewhere in this battlefield.
Right in Feril's room, no doubt.
'Found it!'
'Iron Mask, you can rejoice. I've finally got a special reward for you...'
When he'd found that first hidden scripture, hadn't Feril been rummaging through the room's corners?
The rest might still be scattered around in there.
Luke had holed up in the Dimension Fortress with that possibility in mind.
To sneak into Feril's room undetected.
'If those hidden scriptures are still sitting there...'
He'd steal every last one.
And if time allowed, help himself to whatever else caught his eye.
With that in mind, Luke crept forward cautiously.
The surroundings were dim, but not so dark he couldn't move.
He simply groped along the wall, advancing slowly.
That's how he reached the front of Feril's room.
His eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness.
The first thing that caught his eye was the proficiency-up message.
Probably from a common skill.
He brushed it off lightly.
What actually drew his gaze were the long shapes blocking his path.
'Iron bars?!!'
Sure enough.
Narrowly spaced iron bars.
They stood right in front of Feril's room.
'Shit!'
This was a problem.
Not even a door—just bars blocking the way.
Luke gripped the bars and scanned the surroundings.
Wondering if there might be a gap to slip through.
But nothing like that was immediately visible.
'They weren't here when I picked up the reward!'
The corridor and room had been wide open back then.
And now, suddenly, bars.
An unexpected obstacle.
From the moment he'd exited the Dimension Fortress, items and skills had become unusable.
No poisons or lockpicks, either.
As he racked his brain for alternatives with a troubled expression...
"Poko."
Suddenly, Poko popped out of his backpack.
'Wait, why are you coming out?'
When had it even climbed in there?
Luke looked down at Poko in bewilderment.
"Hey, buddy. Do you even grasp the situation right now..."
"Poko."
"Huh?"
Before he could finish, Poko darted off.
And it headed straight for the iron bars ahead.
The narrowly spaced iron bars.
Poko was squeezing right through them.
'Holy shit.'
Luke's jaw dropped.
He stared blankly as Poko slipped inside.
Poko had successfully infiltrated the room using its tiny size.
Immediately after, it looked like it was gathering things up from within.
An utterly astonishing sight.
Luke just gawked at it for a moment.
But only for a moment.
Soon, he thrust both hands high and cheered wildly.
'Ooh, that's my Poko!'
The cheering had begun.
Ever since emerging into this world, it had stuck by a single human.
The adventurer who had saved it.
Luke.
At first, full of wariness—but now, it had opened its heart to him and followed along.
Quite some time had passed since then.
Poko knew what Luke needed.
And what actions made Luke happy.
That's why it had taken the initiative this time.
The iron bars blocking the way ahead.
Squeeze through them and fetch useful items.
That was its job right now.
'Poko poko.'
With that resolve, Poko began stealthily rummaging through the room.
Things that sparkled especially bright.
Unnecessarily flashy items.
And things humans often carried.
It already had a solid grasp on what Luke liked and what he usually went after.
So Poko swiftly stashed them away in its sub-space, prioritizing those.
"Poko."
"Poko?"
It was then.
A whisper-like voice drifted in abruptly.
Poko perked up its ears and approached the bars.
Luke was quietly shaking something.
"This, this."
A scroll fluttering in the darkness.
Poko's sharp night vision identified it instantly.
A long strip of paper.
Or bound pages.
That's what he wanted it to find.
Poko nodded briskly.
Then it scurried about even more busily in search of what Luke desired.
Rifling through bookshelves, tables, cabinets—every piece of furniture.
But even so, nothing resembling the scroll Luke held came into view.
Its tail drooped.
At the same time, Poko glanced around with a sullen expression.
None.
It had searched every corner of the room, but no paper anywhere.
'...Poko.'
No point searching further.
Poko swept up other promising-looking items in resignation.
In the midst of that, its gaze locked onto an object on the table.
The most uniquely shaped item in the room.
But it couldn't quite judge if this was useful.
A birdcage about its own size.
A tiny doll visible inside.
Would Luke like this?
Poko stared down at the cage, pondering.
In that instant.
"Poko, you almost done?"
Luke whispered from the darkness again.
A voice calling for it.
It couldn't keep Luke waiting any longer.
So it would make this birdcage the last item and finish up.
With that thought, Poko stored the birdcage—its own size—into its sub-space.
Then it returned to Luke, who was waiting.
"What, couldn't find the scriptures?"
Nod.
"You searched but there were none?"
Nod, nod.
"Sigh. Thought we'd snuck in so perfectly... What a waste of time."
A drawn-out sigh.
Disappointment, as expected.
Seeing that, Poko hung its head.
But in that moment.
Stroke.
Luke's hand enveloped its head.
"Still, good job, you little rascal."
"Pokopoko."
Poko gladly melted into the head-petting.
It had been worth slipping through the bars.
"Alright, let's get out of here quick."
"Pokopoko."
And so, Poko followed Luke out of the waiting room entirely.
"......"
The empty waiting room corridor.
Once the two had left, silence returned.
But that quiet didn't last long.
Mysterious messages.
But Luke was oblivious to it all.
Meanwhile, having exited the battlefield, Luke gazed up at the deepened night sky and caught his breath.
His current location was just past the Expert's Gate.
The entrance to the mid-tier region.
You have passed the promotion exam!
Quest achieved!
You have proudly proven your qualification in the promotion exam!
📍 Access: Mid-tier region now available!
⏰ Next Step: Choose destination via entrance carriage!
🎁 Note: Destinations divided into East and West.
Two carriages waited near the entrance.
One headed east.
The other, west.
Each bound for different destinations.
Now he just needed to pick one and head that way.
But first, there was something else to handle.
'No people around anyway.'
So he'd sort through his gains first.
With that thought, Luke opened another dimensional gate and stepped inside.
The scenery shifted in an instant.
Luke was now inside the grand mansion of the Dimension Fortress.
"Poko!"
One being naturally popped out of his backpack.
Poko, who had pulled off the biggest feat this time.
'A well-raised tanuki is worth ten men, they say...'
It hadn't found the remaining hidden scriptures, but Poko had still come away from Feril's room loaded with all sorts of goodies.
Some might even rival the value of a scripture.
Back in the battlefield, it had been too dark to properly check what was stolen.
Luke turned his head, eyes brimming with anticipation.
Rustle rustle.
Poko began neatly unloading the stolen goods from its fur.
A wide variety of items soon piled up on the floor.
'But...'
His eyes gradually dulled.
For some reason, no truly useful items stood out.
Just a few flashy decorations here and there.
Everything else was practically worthless.
'Damn it.'
No payoff matching his expectations.
Luke let out a deep sigh.
"Haa. Knew it was too good to be true. Just when I thought I'd had a brilliant idea for once..."
"Poko!"
"Yeah?"
As he started to turn...
His gaze locked onto the final item Poko pulled out.
A strangely shaped object unlike the rest.
A birdcage about Poko's size sat on the floor.
Maybe Feril had kept a bird in her room.
Luke peered slowly into the cage with curious eyes.
There, a small figure came into view.
'...Hold on, no way?'
A body the size of a finger.
Two pairs of wings on its back.
Twin tails tied in pigtails.
A familiar-faced fairy slumbered peacefully inside the cage.
'What the...'
His mind went blank as snow.
Luke alternated stares between the cage and Poko, utterly dumbfounded.
"Uung."
In the midst of that.
As if waking from sleep, the fairy rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up.
"...Huh?"
Bleary gaze.
Her eyes swept the surroundings.
An utterly unfamiliar backdrop.
Not her room, the one she'd always known.
The moment realization dawned.
"Ugh... UGYAAAAAHHH-!"
Feril immediately let out a shriek.