Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Reunion Amidst Chaos
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Charup---!!!
"Enough already..."
Woojin wiped his damp cheek and grabbed Pensir's face with both hands.
[Kyaang---!! Karung---!!!]
-Master smells good, it says.
Setsuna, who had somehow learned to speak Pensir's language, sat atop its head and relayed the message.
-It smells like mom.
"Mom, huh... Yeah, that makes sense."
Time had passed, but Woojin had met Fenrir.
-And it smells noble too.
"Me? That's too high a compliment."
Woojin chuckled at her words.
-No. It says it's the scent of your ancestor.
"...Ah."
Woojin nodded awkwardly with an embarrassed smile.
"Ancestor... You mean Kalla's Fenrir?"
The founding king of the Tekan Kingdom and the only one in continental history to tame a Fenrir.
The soul of Kalla's Fenrir, tamed alongside his own soul, was here too.
"Was it... Aswell Balan who took the ancestor's soul from inside the stone wall?"
[Krrung?]
Woojin hesitated at Pensir's puzzled head-tilt.
He pondered how to explain it to the creature.
"Hmm... Well..."
After much thought, he finally spoke.
"The one who killed your mother."
It wasn't the most pleasant explanation, but it was the clearest way to make Pensir understand.
[Grrrrrr...]
Pensir growled with clear hostility.
-Calm down. Master didn't mean to upset you.
Setsuna stroked its mane soothingly from atop its head.
[Krrung...]
Pensir drooped its ears and shook its head dejectedly.
'Not Aswell, then?'
"Who was it?"
[Kyaang---! Karung---!!]
Setsuna's expression hardened at Pensir's response.
"What's wrong?"
-It says... it wasn't human.
"Not human...? What does that mean?"
[Grrrrung...! Kyaang!]
Pensir headed deeper into the stone wall and began scratching at the ground.
"Hmm... What's this?"
Black powder-like residue remained on the floor.
-Let me take a look!
Setsuna hopped down from Pensir's head and placed her overlapped hands over the black powder.
Wooong---.
Her eyes sparkled as light flowed from her fingertips.
[Trail Walk] and [Analysis].
She cast two skills at once effortlessly now, no longer treating them as one.
'Setsuna's gotten even better at handling skills since coming to this world.'
In the game, using two skills simultaneously required learning the [Double Casting] trait separately.
Without it, speed differences made sequential casting inevitable.
'Impressive...'
Woojin was genuinely amazed by her adaptability.
She was a being born from the game, after all.
Her foundation was programming.
The biggest change since arriving in this world was becoming a breathing lifeform.
Woojin, who had lived in reality, felt out of place here, yet the virtual Setsuna adapted better.
"Must be her natural talent..."
It might sound like an excuse, but he couldn't think of another reason, so he smiled bitterly.
Shwaaaa---!!!
The piled ash scattered, and Setsuna's face grew grim.
Amid the black ash glittered red flecks like jewels.
She scooped some red powder on her finger and showed Woojin.
-This... It's called Red Powder, which appears in people addicted to magic power.
"So, people who ate mana stones?"
-No. Magic addiction isn't from eating mana stones. It's from prolonged exposure to them.
"Exposure to mana stones..."
He had seen magic-addicted people in the game too.
The villagers of Yorka Village.
"Does that mean the ones who came here are connected to the mana mine?"
-Probably. And Pensir saying it wasn't human... I think it's because these guys reeked of demons.
"Demons?"
-Yes. The demon we found in Torn Bach had a similar smell. It's faint now that it's powder, but... definitely demon scent.
"Demons... can get magic addiction?"
Woojin tilted his head, piecing it together.
Demons were the most adept at handling mana on the continent.
They were born from it.
For them to suffer magic addiction?
-Master, even if not full demons, there are others who carry the demon scent.
That's when Woojin recalled the words from Baldoa.
"...Awakeners."
Humans transfused with demon blood.
-But why would they get magic addiction?
"Who knows. Could be a side effect of awakening... Nothing's certain yet."
One thing was clear, though.
'The ones who took Kalla and Fenrir's souls are tied to demons.'
What would demons do with their souls?
Unknown, but nothing good.
They were humanity's enemies.
He didn't want entanglement, but conquering this world's towers meant facing them eventually.
"Hmm... Anyway, how do we get back to the original world? Pensir, can you do it?"
[Krrung?]
"Well... Camilla rammed into me before, and I got sent back."
[Grrrrr...]
-It says if you want to return to the dirt, it'll bite your throat.
"...I'll go there someday, but not right now."
Woojin sighed at Pensir sticking out its tongue playfully.
'Looks adult, but it's only about 30 years old since birth.'
Handling spirit power might be too much.
Plus, its mother—who could teach it—was killed by Aswell...
"Camilla might be our only hope..."
But with the dimensional gate collapsed, no way to Dark Forest.
-Master...
That's when it hit him.
-How far is the Dark Forest gate from the central continent?
"Not far, visually. You can see it with the naked eye. But waves flow between continents, so can't cross without a gate."
Woojin shrugged.
"Maybe some secret path I don't know, but banking on that to get there is impossible."
-No. There might be... a way!
"How...?"
Setsuna's eyes sparkled as she shouted.
-Cloud Step!! Like how I went to you inside Kelduan's belly!!
Woojin's eyes lit up at her cry.
Skill: Cloud Step
▶ Advanced form of Mist Step.
▶ Teleport once per day to a designated target's location.
▶ Can take up to 2 hand-holding companions; target must be within 500m radius.
That was the ability.
-If the gate's within Cloud Step's range... we might cross the continent!!
Cloud Step targeted known beings and teleported to their location.
-To me, Luen is Luen, no matter where she is.
Setsuna gave a thumbs-up, as if preempting Woojin's worry.
[Karung...!!!]
At that moment, Pensir lowered its head before Woojin.
As if inviting him to mount.
Waaaaah---!!
Waaa---!
"Archer unit!!!"
A sharp sword thrust upward into the blood-red darkened sky.
"Fire!!!"
As the sword swept down,
Shuu---!!
Shushushu---!!!
Silver-armored soldiers loosed arrows in unison.
[Keeeek...!]
[Keguk...!!]
The arrow barrage pierced the monsters' heads precisely, despite the dense forest.
These weren't ordinary Dark Forest beasts.
From giant cockroach-like armored bugs to snake-bodied, bird-headed chimeras.
Clearly not naturally born.
"All units, attack---!!!"
Her delicate voice echoed miraculously across the battlefield.
Dududududu---!!!
Cavalry charged with long spears under the arrow rain.
Thud---!! Kwajik---!!
Their spears impaled monster necks one after another in a rampage,
"K-Kraaak...!!"
"Kraaaak...!!"
But the monsters outnumbered what they could handle.
They swarmed fallen riders, tearing into flesh indiscriminately.
The battlefield filled with screams in moments.
Chwaaaak---!!!!
Then a flash erupted, turning dozens of monsters targeting the cavalry to ash instantly.
"Hold the line!! We cannot fall back!!!"
[Kyaaaaak――――!!!]
But contrary to her shout, the monster waves devoured soldiers relentlessly.
"Your Majesty...! It's impossible now!!"
A blood-soaked armored knight rushed to the flash's source and yelled.
"The magic circle isn't complete yet. We must hold this place at all costs."
She removed her helmet amid ragged breaths, revealing a beauty unfit for the battlefield.
Luen Pirbas.
And the knight before her was Goon, her butler who had scarcely held a sword before.
Dozens of scars across his face attested to the hell he had endured.
"If we can't reach the central continent, we have no chance. With the gate destroyed, we must build the magic circle this time, no matter what."
"But... their assault is too fierce."
Goon pleaded with a pale face.
"Any more losses, and even the remaining clansmen are at risk."
Kwak---.
Luen bit her lip at his words.
The moment to decide.
If they didn't survive...
There'd be no next chance.
"...Retreat..."
Kwagagagagang――――!!!
Kwagang---!!
That's when it happened.
Myriad lightning bolts rained down on the monsters charging the elven army.
[Kyaak―――!!]
[Kyagang―――!!!]
The monsters charred black and crumbled to dust amid screams.
"...Blue lightning?"
Luen stared blankly at the endless cascades.
"Good thing you didn't give up. Nearly lost sight and missed you."
At that moment,
Luen whipped her head toward the familiar voice.
Amid the monster shrieks.
There was a longed-for face.