Seed of Tears (2)
Grandfell's ironclad shamelessness was undeniably helpful for maintaining my mental composure. Without it, I might have been quite shocked. Even though I'd braced myself for the [Dungeon], it was a total shitshow right from the start.
'As expected, the rumors are true.'
I didn't even have time to realize it was a trap. Or rather, I didn't even have a chance to trigger it? All us players, including me and Shreyg, had done was take a few steps into the rain and fog.
That left only one possibility.
Shreyg muttered while glaring up at the London above our heads.
"Does breaking through the trap count as the beginning?"
Well, he was surprised, but not dumbfounded. He probably figured it was par for the course in a dungeon. As expected of a veteran.
In that sense, it was a relief.
"Shreyg."
"Yes, I'm listening."
"What do you make of this, you who knows the lay of the land here so well?"
As for me, I was in no position to play "spot the difference." I didn't know London all that well.
Shreyg nodded crisply, his voice brimming with conviction.
"As I said, it's identical. Except for the citizens in that London up there. And as you've realized, it seems we've indeed fallen into a trap."
Shreyg bit his lower lip.
"Whether it's that side or this one. Someone has."
He wasn't fully convinced yet. Fair enough.
Soon, Shreyg issued orders to his guildmates.
"Explorers, begin analyzing the trap's structure! The rest of you players, protect the explorers in case of any sudden attacks."
As expected of a world-class guild like Second Sun. They had their own explorer-class players, cultivated independently without relying on the Explorer's Federation.
But.
"This is insane. What kind of trap is this?"
A dungeon rift with a minimum recommended level of 600 and a maximum of 900.
'It's not a lack of explorers.'
Even the head of the Explorer's Federation, Fabien, would struggle to detect a trap like this in such a short time.
But as I said, no need to worry.
I gazed at High El flapping its wings over the opposite London.
"There are times to clash head-on, and times to deftly deflect."
Whoosh─!
My words came out rather grandiose, but if anyone asked what I meant.
I just planned to use the pouring rain as fertilizer for plants.
'Please, let this mutter be drowned out by the rain...'
I prayed fervently in my mind.
Yet.
"...Pardon? Did you say something?"
Shreyg had heard me after all.
Damn formalities. I had no choice but to respond to his polite inquiry.
"Watch closely, Shreyg. You'll understand soon enough."
"...?"
Shreyg's eyes followed my gaze.
High El's presence was impossible to miss.
Realizing it, Shreyg stammered in surprise.
"High El? Isn't that Player Lee Hoyeol's contracted spirit? Don't tell me...! You detected the trap through spirit summoning? As expected, how impre─ Wait, what's that?"
Another London reflected in the sky.
Something extending from that sky.
It was roots.
Yes, the roots of a plant that fed on water as nourishment.
The [Pentacle of Pure Knowledge] proved useful once more.
Thanks to the item's effect.
I spoke shamelessly, as if I'd known all along.
"Do you all remember the summers of the Arcana Continent?"
Silence fell over the group─ What nostalgia trip is this?
They looked baffled.
Only Shreyg played along with my rhythm.
"It varied by region, but summers in the southern areas like Hesiys were truly fantastical. Once the rain started, it poured endlessly, as if the heavens had a hole in them. Just like now."
Thanks for the perfect response, Shreyg. I wanted to slap ten praise stickers on you.
Because it was spot-on.
"Correct, Shreyg."
"Correct, sir?"
"Have you ever seen Hesiys flooded?"
"...No. Not in my memory. What about the rest of you?"
Heads shook as they exchanged glances.
Why bring up Arcana summers out of nowhere, and specifically the southern city of Hesiys?
Because those roots belonged to a plant unique to Hesiys.
The 'Aquarium Oak.'
Shreyg pondered for a split second.
"...Now that you mention it, it's odd. Hesiys isn't high ground, nor does it have drainage like the imperial capital. How did it never flood?"
I replied calmly.
"That is the power of {Nature}."
[Pentacle of Pure Knowledge]. The knowledge of the Aquarium Oak flooded my mind through its effect.
Indeed. Each Aquarium Oak absorbed an enormous amount of water as nourishment to grow.
'That's why it only grows in Hesiys.'
No other place in the Empire saw rain like that.
In that sense, High El was truly my alter ego, my mirror... No, my contracted spirit.
'You understood without me saying a word, High El.'
Having ascended to unique spirit status, High El had awakened its {Nature} ability, gaining control over plant life.
As long as mana supported it, growing plants was no challenge.
"Wait, Shreyg. What's that?"
Shreyg, mulling over my words, finally turned at his guildmate's call.
And realized.
The roots of the Aquarium Oak descending from the sky.
Shreyg looked at me, eyes wide.
"...Don't tell me, the power of nature you mentioned is...?!"
I nodded in response instead of words.
A picture's worth a thousand words. Watching would make it clearer than any explanation.
This wasn't an ordinary Aquarium Oak.
It was blessed by the unique spirit, High El.
And the environment brimmed with nourishing water.
Soon.
Swish─
The oaks began growing at an alarming speed!
"Sh-Shreyg! Trees! Roots suddenly from the sky, trees!!"
By the way, High El.
...You sure love the dramatic flair. Who'd you get that from?
Finally given permission to use {Nature}, it was going all out.
Like planting street trees.
Aquarium Oaks taking root all over London's streets.
'Even with the [Pentacle of Pure Knowledge] boosting mana efficiency, this is excessive.'
I worried if my mana could hold out.
...Strange?
I felt no mana drain at all.
Impossible, even with improved efficiency.
High El was pouring mana into this nonstop.
Did it have a bigger mana pool than me?
As the疑問 grew.
Senior spirit mage Payan Lot's words came to mind.
-"The Chief would know, but unique spirits differ from regular contracted ones. They're beyond 'grades,' you might say."
As expected of a unique spirit.
If High El now had its own independent mana pool unbound to me, it explained everything.
Like a parent watching a well-raised child.
Thanks for growing so independently, High El.
The oaks, roots firmly planted, steadily grew larger.
The moment sprouts began emerging one by one.
Change finally arrived.
"...What is it?"
The thick rain fog began to lift.
The ankle-deep rainwater dried up.
Even the relentless downpour.
Whoosh....
Whoosh...
Drip...
Drip.
Drip.
"The rain... it's stopped!"
It had completely ceased.
And with it.
Our vision flickered.
Blinding light poured in briefly.
What filled our sight was London's panorama once more.
But definitely changed.
"...P-people! Citizens!"
"Damn it, I don't know what happened, but wake them up!"
"Hey, are you okay? Come on, snap out of it!"
They hadn't regained consciousness yet.
But we'd reunited with London's vanished citizens.
I reunited with High El too.
High El bowed elegantly to me.
"I apologize for my delayed response to your call."
What apology between us, High El?
I wanted to praise your ingenuity.
But assessing the situation came first.
I looked up at the sky.
Just storm clouds now.
No other London vista.
Then I asked High El.
"High El. Did I, did we, lose consciousness like them?"
High El replied.
"Sir Hoyeol stood rigidly still. You said nothing until awakening, but I received your telepathy."
So it was an illusion after all.
We'd truly fallen into the trap.
Now it was certain.
This [Dungeon] boasted insane difficulty.
But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn't blame the dungeon alone.
'Beyond recommended levels.'
Without High El.
We players would've drowned in the status-afflicted rain.
Yes, this went beyond dungeon traits into outright malice.
A message proved my instinct right.
Natural Enemy Relationship has been activated.
Demons weren't enough; now dungeons too.
I regretted grumbling about demons and dungeons spawning.
They came as a set.
Reality was far more of a cesspool than I'd imagined.
But the demon hiding in the rain fog, like me, couldn't have anticipated this either.
Whether it hid in reality or rolled around Arcana.
"Time to pay the price."
Akshan's survivor and final demon hunter.
It never dreamed I'd be alive and well.
With the rain stopped thanks to the Aquarium Oaks.
No more fog obscuring vision.
Meaning I could see clearly.
Where you lurked, inferior scum.
I asked Shreyg.
"Shreyg, may I trouble you to guide us further?"
"Ah, yes! Of course."
"Is there a landmark building at the street's end?"
"A landmark? Around Chelsea Bridge Road, probably..."
*
Everyone had anticipated a day like this would come.
New rifts weren't guaranteed to match the old ones forever.
Prepare for the worst to face crises.
The AAU's apocalypse declaration was for that purpose.
But the London incident exceeded expectations.
Britain, hit directly, was in utter chaos.
At the press conference.
A tense man barely spoke.
Downing Street 10, Buckingham Palace.
Britain's leaders and countless citizens.
All vanished into the dungeon rift's rain fog.
The military couldn't even move in time.
Only players could approach the rain fog rift.
Naturally, eyes turned to Britain's guild, Second Sun.
But why?
Second Sun's guild master, Shreyg, hadn't budged.
"Why's Shreyg doing that?"
"Did the recommended level scare him off?"
"No, even scared, you fake it in this situation, right?"
"Shreyg's not the type anyway."
"...Wait, the camera angle's weird?"
Not fear, but status affliction.
The rift's rain induced it.
Truth spread quickly.
Because a man with a black umbrella soon appeared.
AAU Korea branch.
Three men watched the scene.
Seong Hyunjun clenched his fist at Hoyeol's entrance.
"He really hits the emotions, huh? A black long umbrella!"
"It's just an umbrella."
"...I don't wanna know that vibe. Hyunjun."
Yoon Sugyeom glanced at branch chief Park Minjae.
...Shouldn't you be busy with emergency summons now?
Branch chiefs should be in meetings.
Park Minjae caught the look.
"Why stare like that?"
"Just wondering if you should be here."
"They only seek us when desperate. Why bother meeting?"
Lee Hoyeol proved it again today.
He ignored government and global scrutiny.
Appearing boldly, heroically, in Britain.
But my vessel, Park Minjae's, isn't that broad.
"Too insolent. I'm not going."
AAU united on paper, but branches operated independently.
Skipping a few chief meetings wouldn't cause issues.
Why, the British chief had skipped dozens already...
"...!"
Wait.
Park Minjae felt unease.
...Why Britain of all places?
Recent lull in contact with AAU London branch.
Then the [Dungeon] rift in London.
Pure coincidence?
"...Damn."
Park Minjae couldn't deduce alone.
Need info to think.
But he didn't sit idle.
He urgently pulled out his smartphone.
"What's up, Chief?"
Ignoring the question, he tapped sporadically.
Sender: Lee Hoyeol... if only.
'Need the number first.'
One degree of separation it was.
Sender: Nam Taemin.
The sent message, summarized in three lines:
"...Did AAU find something?"
Relayed straight to Hoyeol.
Hoping it helped.
Bzzz─ A reply already?
Hoyeol checked so soon?
Nam Taemin checked tensely.
"...Hahaha."
He let out a hollow laugh.
Hoyeol's reply was four characters again.
But different this time.
"He's so profoundly deep, impossible to predict, huh?"