Process of Growth
I can’t say for sure if it was a stroke of luck, but passing through Points <8, 9> wasn’t as grueling as I had feared. Vivienne, having traveled with me and the kids for some time, had a decent grasp of my combat style. She didn’t take the lead in battles but maintained a clear boundary, refraining from overstepping it.
The same went for Go Yeon-ju.
Go Yeon-ju diligently fulfilled her role as the Keeper, as I had requested. She only stepped in during dire situations, occasionally assisting the kids through her shadows, which was something I could overlook.
As a result, the tasks they didn’t handle naturally fell to the rest of the group.
Not struggling at Points <8, 9> meant that the undead Death Knights and Liches I had anticipated didn’t swarm us. I had thought absorbing the malevolent energy might make them more troublesome, but thankfully, no such absurdity occurred.
It wasn’t until we reached Point <9> that we encountered a Lich. Its hollow, dark eyes emitted a sinister smoke, indicating it had absorbed the malevolent energy. It wasn’t alone; a formation of skeletons surrounded it. Facing a high-level undead, we had to adjust our battle strategy.
The new plan was to let Vivienne manage the battlefield while I focused on taking down the Lich. I couldn’t entrust this to the kids, and relying on the others felt a bit risky. (Go Yeon-ju was excluded as she was temporarily with us as the Keeper.) As a swordsman, I was best suited to confront a mage.
We were also nearing Point <10>, where I planned to let the group experience a boss raid. Given the formidable nature of
For a swordsman, defeating a ranged enemy is straightforward: close the distance and strike with enough force. While this might not be simple for others, I had the capability to execute this strategy.
The Lich, having absorbed the malevolent energy, was indeed powerful, casting spells twice as potent and at a rapid pace. However, I was more than a specialist in dealing with mages.
Despite its relentless spellcasting, the Lich eventually allowed me to close the gap. I seized the opportunity, slicing through its body with precision. The result was inevitable. The Lich couldn’t even attempt to phase out before its body collapsed onto the cold ground.
Soon, a clear flame engulfed the Lich’s body, and I turned away without hesitation. There was no time to search for a life vessel, and it was better to ensure its destruction with fire magic than risk a surprise attack.
Though we encountered a Lich at Point <9>, the Death Knights were conspicuously absent. During my first run, they appeared frequently along the detour, so their absence was puzzling. Even after passing through the detour and entering the central path, they hadn’t shown up.
As we resumed our march, a thought struck me, and I called An Sol, who was walking behind, to the front.
“Sol, come up here for a moment.”
“Okay!”
Her cute voice made me smile, though I didn’t show it. As expected, An Sol grabbed my sleeve as soon as she arrived. I wanted to tease her about her habit of clinging to my clothes, but I held back, fearing it might make her cry.
“Remember before we entered the clearing, I asked if anyone had a better idea?”
“Yeah… Oh, you mean the place with the black smoke and skeleton dolls?”
Black smoke and skeleton dolls. Someone behind us chuckled at her description. I calmed my flushed face and continued.
“Right. Did you want to go forward or take the detour? I know you probably didn’t want either, but if you had to choose?”
An Sol, who seemed ready to say she didn’t want to go either way, closed her mouth when I preempted her. She closed her eyes, recalling her feelings from that moment, and furrowed her brow slightly. Meanwhile, I scanned the area within a 200-meter radius and admired her innocent face, her cute little nose, and cherry-like lips. I realized I should teach the kids multitasking after this expedition.
As we continued marching, her lips parted slightly.
“It was a tough choice, but if I had to, I would have gone into the clearing.”
“I didn’t push you. But why? I’m curious about your intuition, even if it’s just a feeling.”
“Thinking about turning back made me feel really frustrated inside.”
Her clear voice provided the answer I needed. After gently prying her hand from my sleeve and sending her back, I could finally organize my thoughts.
Monsters typically roam; they don’t stay in one place. While undead aren’t technically alive, they harbor emotions like resentment and a thirst for slaughter. It occurred to me that perhaps someone had deliberately arranged the undead after Point <5>.
Leaving a skeleton army in the clearing leading to the central path and placing Death Knights along the detour. The occasional Liches. The arrangement varied by individual, so it wasn’t my place to judge. But as time passed, the arrangement might have loosened, allowing the undead to roam more freely.
This theory fit almost perfectly. During my first run, other users had entered before us but couldn’t get past Point <5>. If Point <5> was the benchmark, it confirmed my memory of the
I couldn’t be certain if my hypothesis was correct. Still, having a plausible theory lightened my steps as we walked through the cave.
The ultimate target in the
We reported our findings to the temple, and they requested an investigation from the city’s leading clan. The clan ignored our warnings, even though we emphasized the loss of skilled users. They merely scoffed.
They sent a mediocre team of about thirty users and residents, losing 70% of them. Alarmed, the clan then assembled a massive team of over a hundred, including famous users from allied clans, and finally managed to defeat
At the time, the northern continent’s clans were divided, and rival clans mocked us for struggling with a mere small-town dungeon.
But underestimating
The image of
“Achoo!”
“Hold on a moment.”
As I halted my steps, something caught my attention, and I felt a slight bump against my back. It seemed someone had been following me closely. Turning around slowly, I saw Vivian rubbing her nose with a pout on her face. When she saw my calm expression, her cheeks puffed up in frustration.
“You should’ve warned me sooner!”
“Weren’t you the one walking without a care in the world?”
“Ugh…”
“When we’re on a march, you should be on high alert, not daydreaming.”
Vivian lowered her gaze, seemingly at a loss for words. She mumbled something about how I always warned her of danger in advance, but I let it slide, feeling a bit stung by my own words. There were more pressing matters to discuss.
“There are no reactions within 200 meters. However, I’m sensing the strongest and most dangerous energy I’ve ever felt. I’m curious if any of you sense something similar.”
The group looked at me blankly. As I calmly met their eyes, their gazes split. Some turned to Go Yeonju, others to An Sol. An Sol shook her head, as if to say, “I never wanted to be here in the first place.”
Eventually, all eyes were on Go Yeonju, who tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
“Well, nothing definitive yet. But now that you mention it, there’s a creeping sense of unease.”
I nodded a couple of times and turned back around. Lost in thought, I realized we were nearing Point <9>. This meant we were close to facing the boss of the
The group followed in silence, perhaps feeling a strange sense of déjà vu from my words. After about ten more minutes of walking, a massive black door came into view in the distance.
The sight of the door stirred a bit of commotion among us. It was too enormous to be just a room door, exuding an abyss-like darkness. Using my third eye, I understood why the others hadn’t reacted much.
I felt a warmth spreading through my body, the dormant fire within me awakening as we approached the door. But I decided not to rely on it this time. I had resolved to tackle this raid with the group, and with Go Yeonju, a <Level 10> user, among us, I was confident we wouldn’t lose, despite the challenge ahead.
Cautious not to let my confidence turn into arrogance, I stopped just short of the door. It was over six meters tall and about three meters wide. I heard Lee Yu-jung take a sharp breath beside me.
“Hmm. I don’t sense anything unusual.”
As we stood before the door, Go Yeonju stepped forward and reached out to touch the pitch-black surface. The moment her hand made contact, she recoiled with a gasp, her face contorted in shock.
“Ah!”
“User Go Yeonju! Are you alright?”
“Don’t touch that door!”
Go Yeonju’s sharp warning made Shin Sang-yong step back in surprise. She was rubbing her hand, lips pressed tightly together. It was the first time anyone had seen the
After a moment, she calmed down and spoke, her voice unusually subdued.
“This is insane. What is this feeling? Pain, resentment, malice, venom, anger, sorrow, despair, curses, grief… It’s like every negative emotion in the world is concentrated here. What on earth is inside…?”
“We’ll find out once we go in.”
I interrupted her, my voice steady. The group, except for Go Yeonju, swallowed nervously, watching me. Go Yeonju, too, seemed uncertain if she could handle what lay inside.
But she met my gaze, and after a moment, nodded resolutely. Her role would be crucial from here on, and she needed to prepare herself mentally. I instructed the group to ready themselves for battle, and they began their preparations with tense expressions.
Watching Ha Yeon prepare her Memorize, I slowly drew my sword.
Only one final challenge remained:
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yujin.
I’ve been incredibly busy lately. Haha. I wish there were 30 hours in a day, or at least 28. Just four more hours would make things so much easier. I’m sure many of you feel the same way. :) Anyway, it seems we’re nearing the end of the
『 Reader Comments 』
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