Chapter 22
Chapter 22
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Soulstone (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"May I come in?"
Elana, whose hair was now completely dyed blonde, pointed toward my lodgings.
"Let's walk."
"Oh, no can do. I bleached my hair color."
Elana smiled, lightly tugging at the corner of her mouth upward.
"Right now, I'm not here. Elana Frilia. Engaged Dawn Guild Vice-Master Lea on underground level 6, defeated. Currently fled and in hiding in the Parasite Forest near the Empire."
Elana tilted her head slightly.
"A blonde noble from the Kingdom is hiding in the Parasite Forest. If it's discovered I'm here, they'll come chasing again."
"......"
Elana knocked on my lodging door. Tap-tap.
I silently expressed my refusal.
"...Tch. Fine then."
Elana shook her head lightly.
Her blonde hair immediately began to turn back to purple.
"...Ah. This hair color stands out a lot, right? I figured it needed to be this obvious so anyone would recognize me at a glance."
"Are you a puppeteer?"
"Ah... Well, that's what I am."
Elana continued, smoothing her disheveled hair with her hand.
"But... you can't make puppets exactly like real people, can you? So I'm borrowing some power from my sister."
Sister must mean Ilana.
Ordinary puppets have clear differences from humans.
But... the Elana in front of me didn't seem like a puppet.
"...Did you rip out a soul?"
"......"
Ilana smiled faintly, as if affirming it.
"It really hurt... To the point where I thought dying might be better. Mine was done by my sister, but doing it yourself like she did... I can only admire that."
There are two job classes that manipulate souls.
Shamans and black mages.
However, to insert a ripped-out soul into a puppet, it must be extracted undamaged.
Neither class can extract a soul intact.
No available job class can do that.
But... if it's a boss, it's different.
Beyond Labyrinth City, there are various field bosses.
Among them, the nightmare of the forest, the one requiring the longest battle time.
The witch.
"I've given you the gist of the explanation, so can we get to the main point now? Time's short."
I nodded, and Elana pulled something from her bosom.
A ring engraved with the Kingdom's seal.
The engraved seal... belonged to the now-deceased 1st Prince.
"Did you know? The 1st Prince... he had a son."
She handed me the ring as she continued.
"The 2nd Prince's position isn't secure yet. Large-scale purges always come with backlash."
Just as Ilana said.
In truth, the Kingdom was unstable inside, with players running rampant in the chaos.
The first siege war update was for the Kingdom.
Soon after, the Empire had one too, so there wasn't much difference between the two nations.
"To shore up his shaky position, the 2nd Prince is selling out the future."
The 2nd Prince had few options.
Mercy toward those who didn't support him, and scrape by day by day on thin ice with them all.
Or eliminate all risks and slowly rot the Kingdom away with his sycophants.
In the end, legitimacy mattered, but the 2nd Prince couldn't provide a proper answer.
Without legitimate cause, convincing the 1st Prince's loyalists was impossible.
Naturally, only the greedy remained under the 2nd Prince.
"Are you planning to start a civil war again?"
"It's about returning things to normal."
"...It'll be tough. Most of the 1st Prince's forces were purged."
"Yeah, exactly. So......"
Elana pulled an identical ring from her bosom.
"I'm gathering people. Ah, not right now, of course. We still lack people to help."
Ilana stroked the ring as she spoke.
Sorry, but her plan wouldn't work out as she thought.
The biggest issue was ultimately the power gap.
Even if the Kingdom was shaking now, it wouldn't fall to just one witch.
If external intervention like witches or dragonkin began, it would only justify the Labyrinth Lords' involvement.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for the Kingdom.
"No external intervention allowed."
"Ah, I know. That's why I did this."
Elana lightly lifted her hair.
Purple strands cascaded down smoothly.
"For my sister, I secured a Kingdom identity."
"...A puppet will eventually be found out."
"Do I look like a puppet to you, Rain?"
"......"
She looks human.
Elana read my expression and gave a sly smile.
"I've passed inspections multiple times, for real."
Elana knocked on my door again. Tap-tap.
"During the Abyss Door. I got a little help from the Guard Captain... but I fooled the knights on the 1st floor too."
She meant the 1st floor boss subjugation.
Someone had opened the boss room first—it was her.
Even on low floors, that's considered terrorism, pursued by knights and guards.
Since she hasn't been caught yet... her disguise must be perfect, as she said.
"You noticed me, right? When our eyes met then, you have no idea how startled I was."
Elana glanced up at my eyes.
"So I deliberately stuck my sister to you, but I didn't expect her to fall for it hook, line, and sinker. My sister spent her whole life in the forest, so adventuring was her dream. She must've enjoyed it. In various ways."
Elana chuckled.
But... doubts remained.
"Fine on the face, but how did you sneak into the boss room?"
"Ah. That."
Elana clasped her hands together.
After waiting a moment—
Swish—
Her hands began to turn transparent.
"I shook off the knights with my sister's magic. Of course, entering the boss room first required the Guard Captain's help. When you hunted with my sister, Rain, did you ever run into people?"
...No.
Elana smirked, as if she knew, reading my face.
"Not as lame as you thought, right?"
"......"
I was cautious with my response.
I hadn't built up my strength yet.
Deciding my path too early could sweep me away in the waves.
Reading my thoughts, Elana continued with a puzzled look.
"...Not convincing enough, huh. We'll meet again when the time comes. We're in the same boat, Rain of the Astria Family."
Elana tucked the 1st Prince's ring into her bosom and continued.
"I'm passing that ring to those who share our cause. So keep it safe?"
Elana finished speaking.
At that moment, rain began to fall from the sky.
Strangely transparent rain.
"Ah... Time's up, I guess."
Elana smiled faintly.
"My sister's already slipped out. You'll miss her."
The pattering rain had no weight.
It passed through like mist, not wetting clothes or skin.
But... Elana in front of me was different.
With each drop, her body slowly stiffened.
"...I heard you were a witch."
At the same time, a man's voice came from behind.
The man who reached underground level 8 alone. Labyrinth Lord Wirgon.
He walked slowly toward me.
Whoosh—
He passed right through my body, continuing forward.
Up close, his body was transparent.
Wirgon's spirit form magic.
"......"
Wirgon, passing through me, didn't seem to notice me.
Curious, I looked around.
'Stay still.'
Elana, head bowed, mouthed words to me.
At some point, I'd been hit with invisibility magic.
Since it was Ilana's, she must've cast it when we parted.
Whether because Wirgon was in spirit form, he showed no sign of detecting me.
"Witch... correct?"
"......"
"Hmm... Dawn Guild asked me to catch you, but I'm not thrilled. Causing a fuss over external matters is even less appealing. Will you come quietly?"
"......"
Elana nodded silently.
"Good. Then."
As Wirgon raised his hand, knights and guards from both nations poured out from behind.
Behind them, Guard Captain Den's face appeared.
"Wasting mana. If I'd known you'd be this compliant, I wouldn't have used it."
With Wirgon's words, the rain slowly stopped.
At the same time, his body began to crumble away from the bottom.
[Your magic has reached a new realm.]
[2nd Circle Magic unlocked.]
[Soulstone unlocked.]
Releasing spirit form, it seemed.
The knights and guards saluted in unison at his appearance.
He was currently on underground level 8.
So... just spirit form allows 5th Circle magic.
Faster progress than expected.
"Guard Captain, make a proper statement too. Letting two unverified people into the city on your own... What were the guard elders thinking? Such a hassle."
With those words, Wirgon's form vanished.
At the same time, the knights and guards dropped salute and took Elana away.
"Hmm."
Elana had been handed over to the knights.
According to her, Ilana had also escaped the city.
Feeling a bit disappointed meant affection forms quickly.
But the biggest issue...
"Starting tomorrow, how do I hunt?"
Ilana's magic made kiting hunts easy, but now I'd have to run around on my own two feet.
At least I'd hit level 20, unlocking 2nd Circle magic.
Tomorrow, maybe buy a grimoire... but first.
I opened my Status Window.
The 2nd Circle Shop should be open now.
Then.
"S... Huh?"
Soulstone.
Seeing the word immediately revived horrific memories from the original game.
This was when Another World's balance truly started breaking.
None
None
None
None
None
Clicking the Soulstone slot showed five empty spaces.
That part was the same as before.
After Soulstones were added, the money sink changed, and many users hated it.
Top rankers often spent tens of millions per Soulstone to get desired options.
In other words.
For me now, it was the perfect element.