Chapter 17
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Omen (2)
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Late at night. At the hour when the other team members had fallen asleep.
Jun and Aiden were conducting individual scouting away from the rest of the team.
This was the privilege Colton had granted Jun in exchange for him giving up his share of the loot distribution.
Of course, Colton had attached several conditions to it.
The permitted time was just one hour per day.
It was impossible during the team's schedule.
If even once a monster aggro drew threat to the team, the privilege would be revoked, and so on.
He had to endure all sorts of nagging, but those were things he could easily tolerate.
"Whoa, hyung! There's a book here!"
"Not a skillbook... Sigh. Just an old tome, huh."
Aiden spotted a book tangled between tree roots and brushed off the dust with curiosity.
"This really feels like we're on an adventure."
"It is an adventure, sure."
Unfortunately, even though two days had passed since they started scouting, the only thing they'd found so far was this single book they'd just discovered.
"It's in ancient script... Huh."
Jun tilted his head as he examined the book.
These were clearly letters he'd never seen before—like worms wriggling together—yet he understood the meaning contained within them.
"...An expedition log? What the heck? Why can I read this?"
"What's wrong, hyung?"
"Uh... Nothing. It's nothing."
After muttering briefly to himself, Jun tucked the book away first.
In truth, the contents of this book were something Jun already knew about.
It was a book you could obtain while playing the game <Blackout>.
It was a book that translated itself once you learned Ancient Language, but he'd been disappointed when he asked the community about it, thinking it was a skillbook at first, only to learn it was just an ancient text.
'But to read this, you need the [Ancient Language] skill.'
However, Jun didn't have any such [Ancient Language] skill.
'Is it related to how I understood the Goblin Lord's incantation earlier?'
For a moment, he felt uneasy about this inexplicable phenomenon.
'Well, being able to read ancient script isn't all bad.'
Maybe he could learn something about the changes happening to him through this book.
With that thought, he pushed aside the lingering discomfort and continued scouting.
"Is the [Luck] skill just trash?"
But aside from the old tome, they hadn't discovered any other hidden pieces.
"What a total luck-based garbage game."
"Whew, I really thought we were goners. Today was seriously dangerous."
"Doesn't the dungeon's difficulty feel higher than last time?"
"Yeah, and what's with that weird noise we've been hearing since last time?"
"Oh, that? You mean this? It made that sound when I stepped on this flower."
Squeeee...
Day 5 of the dungeon raid.
No one had noticed the anomaly yet.
"It really seems like trash after all. The [Luck] skill..."
"Pardon?"
"No, nothing."
Not long after starting their scouting.
They followed the routes Jun knew from before, but no hidden pieces turned up.
'Hidden pieces aren't exactly common to begin with. But none at all like this?'
It relied so heavily on luck that there wasn't much to be done about it.
Of course, that didn't make the frustration any less.
After struggling to join the raid party, getting just one old tome felt like too raw a deal.
"Haa..."
"D-Don't be too down about it, hyung. We still have the raid boss left, right? With your skills, you'll definitely get good rewards."
Aiden forced a bright smile to comfort him, and Jun's expression softened.
"Yeah, sure. This isn't the only chance. And there are still hidden pieces left."
"Really? I hope we get one this time. Haha."
"But only you can get this one."
"Pardon?"
Aiden tilted his head at the sudden remark.
"The requirement to access it is being a mana user who's trained in swordsmanship."
But this hidden piece had one problem.
A very big problem.
"If you fail, though, you might die."
"Pardon?"
"It's like a trial. If you don't meet the conditions inside, you'll take mental damage."
Unlike the game, there were no save and load systems in reality, so the choice had to be made carefully.
"The decision is yours."
"C-Can I... do it?"
"If I thought you couldn't, I wouldn't have mentioned it. But you don't have to go. There are plenty of other ways to get stronger. It'll just take a detour."
"...I—"
As Aiden started to respond, the change began abruptly.
Kyaaaaaaaahhh——!!
"Ugh?!"
A horrific, piercing scream echoed from somewhere.
But it wasn't in his eardrums—it rang directly in his mind.
Instinctively drawing his sword at the sudden outburst, Aiden scanned their surroundings warily.
"Hyung!"
"...So it finally started."
"Pardon?"
"Put the sword away for now. It's not an immediate problem."
"Wh-What was that just now...?"
The air grew heavy.
It wasn't just a feeling.
Their bodies felt strangely weighed down.
"It's a hidden stage."
"A hidden... stage?"
In the <Blackout> community, it was known as hard mode.
"Yeah. The Black Forest raid has a few hidden secrets."
"Is this related to why you've looked uneasy these past few days?"
As the mage Jun needed protection, Aiden often kept an eye on him.
And throughout this dungeon exploration, Jun had occasionally worn a serious or contemplative expression.
The first time Jun had made that face was when they found the flowers that emitted eerie screams when stepped on.
More precisely, his expression soured every time those flowers screamed.
"That scream just now... means the dormant Fairy Queen has awakened."
"Fairy Queen? Was there a monster like that in the raid?"
"Originally, no. But if certain conditions are met, the Fairy Queen awakens. One of those conditions... is this."
A flower pulsing with deep purple energy.
It had been a common flower just moments ago, but from the instant the scream rang out, an unnatural aura began emanating from it.
"This is an 'Absorbing Flower.' Black mages or witches mainly use it to craft cursed artifacts."
"Absorbing Flower... I've never heard of it."
"Well, it's not common. It only grows naturally inside Blackout."
Aiden listened intently to Jun's calm explanation.
Blackout was a topic of much debate even among the Imperial scholars.
A bizarre space where terrain destruction and dead monsters naturally regenerated over time.
Countless historians had swarmed to uncover its secrets, and it seemed Jun knew some info related to it too.
Of course, for Jun, it was just something he'd stumbled upon while searching strategy guides in his Lee Jung-jun days.
"The Fairy Queen, queen of the forest, is connected to the entire woods. These Absorbing Flowers suppress her corruption. As the name implies, they absorb the power of corruption."
"So that's why your face fell every time one of those flowers was crushed..."
"If a certain number of these flowers in the raid get trampled and die, the corrupted Fairy Queen awakens."
"...How dangerous is it?"
"Way beyond what we can handle."
If everyone scouting other dungeons—excluding the raid leader—were at least level 3, there might be a slim chance...
'But not now. To clear it safely, you'd need it filled with level 4 users at minimum.'
Yet Jun hadn't reported this to the raid party for a simple reason.
"This was probably deliberately triggered by Azure Cloud. I don't know their exact goal, but they likely needed a public achievement."
The raid leader's side already had plans in place.
Considering the raid leader's overwhelming authority, a lowly junior mage like Jun speaking up would have been pointless.
"So... what should we do?"
"...Survive. In the face of humanity's greed unleashing disaster."
That was the only option available right now.
"Anyway, let's pick up where we left off. What do you say?"
"Ah... About the hidden piece?"
"Yeah."
"If I do it, will it help us survive?"
"Well, yeah."
In fact, it was more than helpful—it could be a key card to resolving this crisis.
But acquiring it required Aiden to risk his life.
Jun didn't want to pressure him with empty words.
"I was planning to go anyway. If there's a chance to get stronger, I think you should seize it when it comes."
Even living in the Imperial Family, Aiden had never been given such opportunities.
A life forcibly thrust into the world's tempests.
He no longer wanted to experience being robbed of even resistance in forced choices.
"Phew... Alright. I'll explain the hidden piece on the way. Listen up."
Following the passage led to a dead end.
But Jun looked satisfied as he gazed at the ground upon arrival.
"We found the right spot."
A circular flowerbed about a meter in diameter.
Jun sprinkled translucent powder at the center of the empty circle.
It was 'Fairy Dust,' loot from the fairies they'd caught.
Turning back, he saw Aiden's curious face and smirked, explaining.
"These circular flower arrangements were fairy passages. The fairy dust acts as a trigger to open them."
"This really feels like a proper adventure."
"The situation isn't that romantic, though."
The flowers absorbed the fairy dust and began glowing purple, creating a passageway where none had existed.
"Let's go."
Entering the faintly glowing passage revealed a hidden room, just as expected.
"That one?"
"Yeah."
Aiden headed toward the far end of the room.
A massive greatsword was embedded there.
"Like I said earlier, infuse mana into the sword and focus."
"...Got it. I'll be back, hyung."
Aiden placed his hand on the greatsword with a resolute expression, closed his eyes, and concentrated. Mana ripples emanated around him.
The waves spread outward, gradually forming a spherical barrier that fully enclosed Aiden and the greatsword.
It was a kind of ward.
"Hoo..."
The moment Jun confirmed the ward had completely swallowed Aiden and let out a heavy sigh—
"Huh? What's this? Looks like guests beat us here."
A voice came from the passage Jun and Aiden had taken.
Aiden opened his eyes amid a floating sensation like dreaming and looked around.
The dark passages he'd known were gone, replaced by a lush green forest welcoming him.
"...Just like hyung said. It feels so real."
Shaking off the lingering daze, he glanced at his hands and realized this was an illusory world.
"A guest has arrived."
A voice spoke.
The low, resonant timbre evoked a beast's growl.
Turning toward it, he saw a being unlike any he'd encountered before.
As if a lion stood and walked on two legs.
"Are you the master of this place?"
"Correct. I am Pride, knight captain of Herlente."
The man who called himself Pride was a beastman with a lush lion's mane.
True to his knight captain title, he was clad in thick armor protecting his entire body.
"...Finding a sentient being in Blackout."
Such a race didn't exist in the world Aiden knew.
As Aiden failed to hide his surprise, the beastman spoke.
"Ah, I cannot understand what you say from your world. Our worlds were meant to be completely severed."
"...?"
"No need to grasp it. Our world has ended, and yours has merely entered a new trial ground. That's all you need to know. And in this trial ground, you must defeat me."
As if conversation was over, he gripped the greatsword.
It was the one Aiden had held before entering the illusion.
"Come. Outsider. I shall test if you are worthy to inherit my swordsmanship. But beware—my trial is exceedingly merciless."
Though it was mere illusion, dying here could mean death in reality for Aiden.
Aware of that, Aiden drew his sword with a grim expression.
'I'm at a disadvantage.'
Pride towered over two meters. Naturally, Aiden's shorter reach put him at a severe disadvantage.
As he slowly circulated mana through his body, the opponent moved first.
A low high slash, crouching low.
Unbelievably swift for such a massive frame, chillingly fast.
Aiden barely dodged, attempting a counter, but the kick came faster.
Whoosh!
Even the foot was as big as Aiden's head.
"Hup!"
Rolling to evade the kick, Aiden broke into a cold sweat.
"What power..."
He'd put considerable distance, yet the gust battered his face.
What if he'd taken it head-on?
No time to imagine.
Pride's sword strikes followed like a storm.
"Kuh...!"
He dodged the relentless assault before he could even stance properly.
Sometimes there was no evade window, so he'd parry, but the bone-jarring impact spoke of devastating power.
Protected only by mana.
The fight was clearly against Aiden.
Closing distance? Vicious kicks blocked the path. Even his swordsmanship was unnatural.
Seamless flows as if sword and body were one, dazzling Aiden's eyes.
"Hoo...!"
Clang!
Sparks flew from blocking one of Pride's strikes.
- Remember. The opponent will surpass you in every way. But don't get fixated and give up. Your goal there isn't to kill him. It's a test. So focus on his swordsmanship.
Jun's advice before entering flashed through his mind.
'What intent did hyung put into those words?'
Aiden focused on the beast knight Pride's swordsmanship.
'It's not completely unblockable.'
Pure strength-wise, lighter than the golem's punches in the Black Forest.
But had his body ever felt this heavy then?
'No.'
Jun's advice resurfaced.
Jun was a mage. He always explored the world. Aiden had always envied that gaze.
Could he not emulate it?
Yet Jun always said anyone could do what he did—they just didn't notice.
Following suit, Aiden observed his own state.
Thus, he realized why he'd been pushed this far.
'Killing intent.'
The overwhelming foe's killing intent was slowly eroding his mind.
The creeping fear subsided, calmness settling in his eyes.
'Focus on the swordsmanship...'
Blocking Pride's sword once more with effort, Aiden pondered technique.
The knight training grounds he'd secretly watched in the past.
What had the training knight said?
- Swordsmanship grows more solid the closer to the ground.
Footsteps predict foe movement, waist direction reveals power input, shoulders trace the blade path.
As that half-remembered phrase flashed by, a wondrous epiphany struck Aiden.
"Ah...!"
It was enlightenment, a manifestation of talent.
Forgotten memory fragments surfaced with a spark of insight.
In that instant, enemy's low, mid, high stances became clear; their moves predicted as if glimpsing the future.
Whoosh—!
The beast knight's greatsword cleaved air with a sharp whine.
He evaded by a paper's thickness.
Pain from the physical wind pressure, but ignored.
Aiden's body shot forward like lightning.
Unlike prior defense, mana burst from his soles.
Clang—!
The strike fizzled against the knee guard.
But crucially, his sword had touched the enemy for the first time.
"Hoh."
Interest flickered in Pride's beastly eyes.