Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Pilgrim of the Void
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“Hoo...”
Woojin let out a low breath as he climbed up onto the ramparts of the citadel.
The citadel's walls were quite high.
Clang—!!Scraaaape—!!!
Up on the ramparts, orc archers were respawning one by one, and a few players were hunting them down.
'Definitely fewer than on the first floor.'
In the main plaza where groups of five orcs spawned at a time, and on the surrounding ramparts, only single archers appeared.
The respawn times were long, and the number of monsters low, so it wasn't a great hunting spot.
One could call it safe—sure, safe—but if you were going to hunt here anyway, it seemed better to drop down a level and take out more monsters there.
'It's close to where people are eyeing spots and waiting their turn.'
As the saying goes, unlike the first floor where no one paid him any mind, the moment Woojin stepped onto the ramparts, the hunters all turned to eye him warily in unison.
“Hm.”
Ignoring their stares, Woojin inspected the crumbling pavilion at the edge of the ramparts.
'Nothing particularly special about it... but it's still a ways off from dawn, so who knows.'
Time and place alone couldn't be the only conditions for the red-eyed orcs to appear.
Woojin figured he needed to uncover some additional condition he didn't know about right here.
What could it be?
The final piece everyone else had overlooked.
There were four pavilions built along the circular ramparts of the citadel.
Only one of them was broken down to its skeletal frame.
'Why is only this one destroyed?'
As he examined the other pavilions, Woojin spotted one odd detail.
'The intact ones don't have it, but this one has a wooden pillar right in the center.'
A red pillar.
What could it have been used for?
Woojin closely examined the pillar.
“Painted it red, huh?”
Even just looking at the citadel, it was nothing but rough-hewn logs stacked up. And orcs with zero sense of aesthetics had painted it?
Weird.
“Unless it wasn't painted on purpose...”
Mottled dark red stains.
'Must've gotten colored naturally.'
Woojin narrowed his eyes.
The red on the pillar was none other than
“Bloodstains.”
That was when it happened.
Woojin whipped his head around at the voice from behind him.
“...?”
But no one was there.
Flustered, he scanned the area, but all he saw were people hunting orc archers.
“The orcs hung them up here to drain the blood from their sacrifices.”
The voice was close. When Woojin looked down, one corner of the ruined pavilion shimmered.
“Humans like you, that is.”
“...!!!”
A gaze peered out from a rift that split open like sliced space itself.
“Quite the curious thing. I've been hanging around the citadel for days, but you're the first to take any interest in the pavilion.”
A red robe.
Short legs and thick arms.
From the husky voice, Woojin instantly knew this was the one he'd been looking for.
“You're Kahira.”
“...You know me?”
“Heard about you from the general store owner in Moretti Village. Said you were looking for rare materials.”
“Goblin hide infused with mana...? Where on earth did you get this?”
When Woojin pulled out the [Mana-Infused Goblin Hide], Kahira questioned him with keen interest.
'Dwarf through and through.'
Unlike her earlier wariness, her eyes sparkled the moment she saw the hide, confirming Woojin's suspicions.
“Took down a Goblin Lord.”
“Fascinating... I hunted a Goblin Lord myself once, but nothing special dropped. A perk just for humans, maybe?”
“Doubt it. You're just too strong, that's all.”
In low-level dungeons, high-level players not dropping loot was common knowledge among players, but NPCs wouldn't know that mechanic.
“Haha! True enough. A strong one muddying the weak's waters goes against Mha's code.”
Kahira laughed heartily, as if she'd grasped Woojin's point.
“I'd like armor made from this material... Can you do it?”
“Hm. Unusual stuff, but the grade isn't high. It's goblin hide at the end of the day.”
She inspected the hide.
“Shouldn't be too tough. You want to commission me?”
“Yes.”
“It's an interesting material for sure... but if you heard from the shopkeep, you know what I do, right?”
Woojin nodded.
“You've got sharp eyes to track me down here. How about it? Help me out, and I won't charge you a fee.”
She extended her hand toward him.
Mha's Pilgrim Kahira → Red-Eye Hunt
Proceed with the quest?
“Music to my ears.”
Seeing the quest name, Woojin inwardly cheered.
'A hidden monster no one's managed to hunt.'
And now he was going to bag it.
With the best party member imaginable, no less.
“I heard you're looking for a rift.”
“That's right. A gap connecting world to world. Monsters are born there, or sometimes entirely new races emerge.”
The sun began to rise slowly over the citadel pavilion where they stood.
The two had pulled an all-nighter investigating the pavilion, but aside from the blood-soaked pillar, they'd found nothing special.
“We call them voids. Mha's pilgrims hunt down voids hidden all across the world.”
Worlds connecting...
Woojin knew it was just game lore from an NPC, but the line stuck with him oddly.
Not that it made sense, but he couldn't shake the thought that the otherworld he'd experienced might be something like that.
“Looks like another bust today, though. Been here a week already... How about we head to the city and rest up for the day? Word is you came straight to the citadel after arriving.”
“True, but... after this time passes, investigating the citadel might get tough.”
“What do you mean?”
Woojin relayed what he'd heard in the city about the Genesis Unit to Kahira.
“...They're occupying the hunting grounds?”
Her face twisted the moment she heard.
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
And she voiced Woojin's own thoughts loud and clear.
“One of Mha's core teachings is hunting.”
She crossed her thick arms.
“It's a clash where both sides stake their lives! That's why it's sacred—everyone equal before death... And they're gonna hog it for themselves?”
“If all humans were pilgrims like you, maybe... but humans are selfish creatures.”
“Hmph, no need to flatter pilgrims so much.”
She said that, but Kahira looked plenty pleased by Woojin's words.
“Don't worry. No matter who it is, they won't stop us from investigating the citadel.”
“Got a solution?”
“Of course. Pilgrims have their ways.”
“...”
Her words rang firm, but Woojin couldn't shake his unease.
“Let's head back for now. Rest up, and we'll return to the citadel tonight.”
“Got it.”
The two descended the ramparts and headed for the citadel entrance.
“See you this evening.”
Parta's morning was quiet, unlike the evening when Woojin had arrived.
Kahira, who'd camped at the citadel for days, finished her greeting and bolted for the inn, dying for a wash.
“Alright, time to go.”
Woojin was tired from the all-nighter too, but he had business in Parta.
He couldn't waste his precious remaining time before heading back to the citadel on sleep.
Knock-knock—.
Woojin tapped on the wooden desk with his fingers.
“Oh dear, sorry about that.”
The dozing librarian wiped his mouth in a hurry at the sound and looked up.
“Not many folks come here...”
Woojin had come to the library.
True to its status as the Dark Forest's only city, the seven-story building was packed floor-to-ceiling with books.
“Looking for a book... Can you search for specific topics?”
“Yes. Just write what you're after here.”
The librarian opened an old magic tome and showed it to him.
[ _ ]
A cursor blinked on the inner page.
Clack—.
He pulled out the drawer beneath the book, revealing an ancient typewriter.
Fancy packaging as a 'magic book,' but it was just a search input.
Tap—tap-tap—.
With the typewriter's cheerful clacks, text filled the blinking cursor.
[Sarbandin]
Tap—.
Hit enter, and the magic book snapped shut on its own.
Vrrrrmmm......
The book trembled lightly, and when it reopened, white light particles scattered from its pages.
The particles floated up and settled one by one on books lining the walls.
Those books with particles popped out of their shelves and stacked neatly before Woojin.
'Handy.'
Woojin smirked at the polished effect and eyed the stack.
Three books total.
'Might actually find a lead here...'
He'd worried it might be a waste, but this was promising.
Thud—.
Woojin set the books down and took a seat.
As the librarian said, he was alone in the library.
No surprise— in a beginner zone where everyone raced to level up, leisurely bookworms weren't exactly common.
Flip—.
The sound of turning pages felt satisfying.
Maybe the first sense of calm he'd felt in Evil Tail.
『Light of the World』
『Research on Essence Magic』
『Theories of Outsider Sorcery』
Woojin sped through the books.
『Light of the World』
It told of the three gods who created the world.
The god of light Rasheen, the god of darkness Haden, and the god of nothingness Mha.
Nothing groundbreaking.
For seven days the world brimmed with light, seven days of darkness followed, and after fourteen days of void, this world—Akedonia—was born.
Same as the lore on the homepage.
Except for one thing.
The final passage read:
[Akedonia was forged from the blood of the three gods and the first human, Sarband.]
'Similar name, but... doesn't seem related.'
Woojin moved to the next book.
『Research on Essence Magic』
[Most mages see magic as something special, but truly great power belongs to those who command the gods. We witnessed them in the far south—outsiders calling themselves the first descendants, Sarbandt.]
Woojin's expression hardened slightly after the second book.
His eyes drifted to the last book's title.
'First human, first descendants, outsiders...'
Unlike the first, which seemed unrelated, all three books intriguingly linked up.
『Theories of Outsider Sorcery』
[The Sarbandt used ancient sorcery rites to birth a nameless god.]
“...”
After finishing the last book, Woojin felt an odd sensation.
“A god created by humans...”
The being contracted to him was an ancient divine beast.
'Related to this nameless god the outsiders made?'
Still too murky.
'The northern continent is the Dark Forest beginner zone, followed by the central continent with the Labyrinth Tower.'
The outsiders were spotted in the south.
The southern continent hadn't even been explored yet—still shrouded in black fog on the world map.
'So why is the ancient divine beast's soul, which should be in the south, hidden away in the northern Dark Forest?'
Someone must have moved it deliberately.
...Who?
“Need more info.”
Rumors said southbound trips required at least second job advancement.
Answer was simple: level up.
Thud—.
He closed the book and stood.
After a few more reads, the sun began to set.
“There you are?”
Kahira, waiting in the plaza, waved him over.
Time to move.
“Halt right there!”
“No entry from here on. Go hunt somewhere else.”
The path to the citadel.
Dreaded issues always cropped up eventually.
“Them, huh? The lunatics from earlier who said they'd take over the citadel at night.”
Kahira asked Woojin, glaring at the two blocking the way.
“Probably. And they're not alone. What now?”
“What do you mean? Truth always prevails.”
She strode up to the pair.
“I'm Kahira, pilgrim of Mha.”
They couldn't hide their shock at the dwarf revealed beneath her shed robe.
“Got business in the citadel. Make way?”
“We warned you: no entry.”
But they glared back defiantly.
“Gonna make us kill you?”
“Damn right!!”
“Hm.”
She nodded like she got it.
Wham—!!!!
“...!!!”
In that instant, her hammer smashed the loudmouth's head.
“Pilgrims have their ways.”
Woojin recalled her dawn words.
A void pilgrim through and through.
Thud—.
The man's body crumpled to the ground.
Off to the void with him.