I Refuse.

Isabel Silver paused for a beat at my words, then replied in a low voice.

"......Why?"

I wasn't entirely surprised by her response, so I asked back with a calm expression.

In the end, we barged into a dungeon where another party was hunting. Public dungeons allow anyone to hunt freely without dibs, sure...... but the problem is the opponent is Rerto Karen.

It made perfect sense. Even for someone like Isabel Silver, picking a fight with one of the eight great clans in this situation wouldn't be easy.

But at the same time, I couldn't hide a twinge of disappointment that she, of all people, was the one shying away from confronting the eight great clans.

"Why? Scared to face the guy now? Weren't you the one going on first about the eight great clans ruining the game's balance or whatever?"

I said coldly to her.

"What are you talking about?"

But instead of flinching at my jab, she scoffed defiantly. Her red lips twitched visibly behind her half-mask.

"It's because we can't take down Parahum if we just turn back now."

I frowned slightly at her words. Pressing a hand to my temple, unsure how to explain, I spoke carefully.

"That's because you don't know...... To kill Parahum, you first have to insert the Death Flame into the wraith's body to materialize it. Then destroy that flame with the opposing force of cold."

"......"

I let out a low sigh as she stared at me silently.

"We're in a hurry, so why the hell do I have to explain this to you......"

[Krrrrrraaaaaah......!!]

It was then.

A wail like a demon's howl echoed from deeper inside, signaling that Parahum was heading our way.

"Well, what I know is a bit different. The Death Flame can't be destroyed by ordinary means. The cold clue is right, but regular ice won't cut it. Not without a specially tempered weapon, anyway."

"......What the hell does that mean?"

"You're the one missing something. There's a prerequisite before you can even use the method you mentioned."

"What?"

"You have to halt the flames inside it for an instant before cooling the Death Flame."

The moment I heard her words, I realized my mistake.

"To stop the Death Flame, you need dwarven magic. But that's impossible in this situation. So to destroy the Death Flame, you need a new weapon from the place marked on the secret map."

"A dwarven weapon......"

One thing I hadn't considered.

In my dreams, when I cleared Parahum's Tomb, the weapon I used was the Twisted Edge, forged by Hal-son Woken, the master smith of the north.

Made from a special cold iron unique to the Northern Plateau, that sword inherently possessed powerful freezing properties.

That's why I thought I'd destroyed Parahum's Death Flame with the Twisted Edge's chill.

Especially since, across all five dream clears, while the party members changed, my sword had always been the same.

But that's not it.

There was one person who joined me for all five clears: U-ryu-ga.

The second of Gullak's Five Heroes, a peerless knight who mastered the dwarven king Norpa's martial engineering tome, the Book of Torong.

Was it U-ryu-ga's abilities that let me destroy Parahum's heart?

I had to admit I'd overlooked a crucial piece of the raid.

"Use the weapon from the secret map you just got to smash Parahum's heart. If you really want to clear Parahum, I can give you the heart. But find the secret place first."

Isabel Silver pulled the burning heart from her inventory. She wore crude gray gloves, likely specially made to withstand the Death Flame's heat.

To get an item of that caliber right now, it'd have to be from Obela's Shadow Market, the Kal Duchy's dwarves, or Deus Union's Magic Tower exchange...... I heard she was with Deus Union—did she raise her affinity with the Tower?

Raising affinity with the Magic Tower without being a mage was no small feat. A true Hidden Eater.

"Hoo......"

I sighed softly and pulled the secret map from my inventory.

"Give it here. Interpreting maps isn't something you just eyeball. You need specific skills."

She pointed at the worn map in my hand and beckoned with her finger.

But I deliberately unfurled it right in front of her.

A new blinking point appeared on the small minimap in my view.

"I can handle that much myself."

At my response, Silver looked mildly surprised, her expression tinged with interest.

"Now I see why you're so confident."

She extended her hand to me. For a moment, I thought she was offering a party invite handshake, but then I spotted another map in her grasp.

"Maps like this come in pairs. Consider yourself lucky. You can't get this one from Parahum's Tomb."

"Yeah, figures. It's from the Veil, right?"

"......!!"

She looked shocked at my words.

"How do you know about the Veil......?"

"I'm pretty interested in the continent's secrets, just like you. Hand over the map already."

She frowned slightly at my reply, then passed me the map bound with a red string.

"You're the lucky one. Even a Hidden Eater couldn't solo the tomb's guardians at your level. Were you waiting for me to sweep them?"

"Can't deny that. But I was about to talk to you before I spotted something interesting."

She pointed at Black Eye standing behind me.

[What are you looking at?]

Black Eye glared back, and she stepped away slightly. But despite her reaction, her eyes sparkled with curiosity, like she'd found new treasure.

But when I hit [Confirm] on the map, a red warning popped up.

"Can't read the map, huh?"

Silver asked, as if she'd anticipated my reaction.

"Seems like you can only use it once you reach the secret map's location."

I nodded at her words.

"Let's hurry."

The clanging of weapons grew louder, telling me the trio fighting Parahum's wraith was struggling.

Nod.

Isabel Silver followed me into the dark passage inside the sarcophagus.

"Mind if I ask something?"

She broke the silence as we raced along the hidden passage behind the statues, guided by the minimap.

"As long as it's not about Black Eye."

She glanced at Black Eye, now a blue fireball flitting over my shoulder.

"What class were you planning to tell Nam-gung Yun? He wants an explorer job like mine, but he's not cut out for combat. Among the hidden classes I've found, nothing fits him better than Spellwarper."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Silver asked with genuine curiosity.

"You don't know him that well, do you? Why assume that? How do you know he's not suited for combat?"

"I don't?"

She sneered at my question.

"Nam-gung Yun must've told you about our relationship."

"I know. But that's not enough to convince me. Sometimes strangers understand people better than siblings."

I looked at her.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"If you care about your brother, don't keep him in your pocket. Do you want to protect him, or control him?"

"......What?"

"Don't try to lock him in your shadow."

Her face hardened at my words.

"Don't give him false hopes. Reaching the top requires a vessel worthy of it."

I found it odd how she called her own brother "that person" and treated him like a stranger.

A brother chasing his little sister's shadow. I'd sensed something off between them the first time I met Nam-gung Yun.

Hmm...... She talks tough, but she doesn't want him in danger. Her attitude says otherwise, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠though. Ambiguous.

I had questions about the two, but Isabel Silver was the most shrouded figure in Dimension World anyway. Time would tell.

Rushing could ruin everything. Especially if I wanted both of them.

As our conversation wrapped up, we'd arrived in a small, dark dead-end space. The minimap at the top glowed a bit brighter, and notifications appeared.

"Hmm."

Up until now, the minimap had just shown paths, but now crude details of nearby objects started appearing.

Secret locations give big level ups, huh. Makes finding hidden passages easier.

I nodded in satisfaction. If we found the other secret spot Silver gave me, the skill would level more.

Now big things show on the minimap. At this size, even humanoids should appear......

Sure enough, a red dot blinked on the minimap—probably Isabel Silver.

Good, nothing major around.

I scanned the minimap once more. Spotting a small gap marker, I swung my sword at the blocked stone wall.

Bang--!!

Crash--!!

I didn't explain, but Isabel Silver instantly got it and pulled several small daggers from her inventory.

"Gonna dig through the wall with that?"

As I teased her, she flung her daggers at the wall demonstratively.

Thin wires trailed from the dagger tips, connected to her arms.

Thud-!

Thud thud-!

Thwish thwish--!!

In an instant, fifteen daggers embedded in the stone wall I'd struck, forming a perfect circle.

Click......!!

The black blades weren't ordinary; wedges shot out from both sides on impact, gripping the wall tight.

She yanked her arms, tensioning the wires, then rotated them in a circle.

Shrrrrrrk......!!

The wall section ground away and crumbled.

Did Veil Successors have skills like that?

I wondered at her ability to shred the wall so quickly. I'd experienced this world countless times in dreams, but this technique wasn't in my memories.

"Let's go."

She stepped into the hole and beckoned me.

"Urgh......"

It was then.

"Hm?"

Nothing showed on the minimap, but a groan came from inside the stone wall.

Whoosh......!!

Black Eye, orbiting me, flared brighter.

But the empty space held only a weathered chest.

"......Where?"

I scanned urgently, but only faint groans remained.

Then—

"The map I gave you!!"

Silver shouted.

I hurriedly pulled the remaining map from my inventory.

As Silver said, unlike before, I could read it now. The moment it applied, a new marker appeared on the minimap.

"There!!"

She smashed the wall I pointed to.

Dirt and debris collapsed, revealing a figure slumped inside.

"Hey!"

Unlike before, Silver rushed over frantically, propping up the fallen man as she yelled.

He had a sturdy build but was unusually short, creating a strange dissonance.

"......!!"

Surprisingly, what we'd found in the secret location wasn't a dwarven weapon—but a living dwarf.