Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Inside the Barrier surrounded by Puppets.

A girl trembled in fear, clutching the pendant hanging from her neck.

‘How did things end up like this?’

She had originally been living quite well in Ebla’s Temple.

Although she had been born as a daughter of House Lorentze, she had always been so fainthearted that rather than becoming an Adventurer of the dungeon, she wanted to live as a Priest of the Golden Order.

Her house had not said much about it until now, so she had thought that would be allowed.

She had even managed to secure a good connection in Chief Priest Elos, so it seemed as if a smooth road as a Priest was about to open before her!

That was certainly how it should have been…….

“What went wrong……!”

Then, out of nowhere, an official notice like a bolt from the blue had arrived, ordering her to go to the Second Floor.

Something suspected to be a Master’s trace had occurred, so she was to investigate it and return!

Adventurer work was dirty, filthy, and physically exhausting, so she absolutely hated the idea of doing it.

By the tradition of her house, she had graduated from the Selection Grounds, but ever since then, she had lived without so much as facing the letter D of dungeon.

And now they wanted someone like her to go to the Second Floor! To the Landscape Realm!

On top of that, to investigate a “Master,” a walking natural disaster!

Her house had not even assigned her a common Escort!

“S-Still, the plan should have been perfect…….”

Since it had come to this, she had wanted to handle the matter quickly and return.

So she had plotted the shortest route leading to South Spirit Mountain.

She had hired a 3-Star Adventurer as an Escort and cleared the easiest boss on the First Floor, and since she had steadily consumed Mana Stones, the side effects were not much of a problem either.

So all she needed to do was quickly cross the Demonic Region on the Second Floor…….

“No one told me the field effect was this strong!”

While crossing the Demonic Region, her Escort had collapsed!

The Demonic Region had been far more dangerous than she had thought…….

The Escort, who had fallen into “Confusion,” had rolled his eyes back and committed suicide, and she, who had no combat ability, had been stranded in the Demonic Region just like that.

Having no other choice, she had sent a rescue request to White Cloud Castle, but the distance was so great that she could not know when anyone would come.

“I…… I, in a place like this…….”

Was she going to die so meaninglessly?

Clutching the pendant tightly, she burst into tears.

Her position as a Priest of the Golden Order!

The place where she could have lived in comfort for the rest of her life had been right before her eyes……!

CLANG!

“Hiiik……!”

The Barrier shook violently in front of her as she sobbed.

Was it finally breaking?

Was she really going to die now?

Just as her complexion darkened with despair,

surprisingly, what appeared before her was not the battered Puppets.

“Ah, there you are.”

A boy appeared before her.

***

As soon as the roles were decided, Persica and Jin Sohwi moved.

The two of them, each drawing their swords, plunged into both wings of the gathered swarm of Puppets.

“Hahaha! You bastards, over here!”

Persica silently, and Jin Sohwi excited by the thought of fighting, swung their weapons.

Thanks to that, the swarm of Puppets that had gathered was torn apart in two directions, but not all of them followed them.

Around a dozen remained near the Puppeteer I had agreed to handle.

‘It cannot be helped. I have no choice but to deal with them together.’

I had not expected them to quietly leave the Puppeteer behind anyway.

I steadied my sword and drew up the Mana of my Core.

At the same time, the Puppeteer that had spotted me let out a ghostly wail.

The monster, with its body over three meters tall, began charging toward me.

‘The Puppeteer’s first pattern is…….’

I quickly skimmed through the knowledge in my head.

Prepared for the patterns that could come out as the first move, I raised my sword the instant Steel Wires shot out from various parts of its body.

Steel Wire as the first move.

It had given me a pattern that was quite convenient to repel.

KAAANG!

The Mana threads, hard as steel, were all knocked away with a single slash.

A violet flash of Mysticism burst out, and the creature, which had taken a step back, screamed again.

‘Got you.’

Smiling at the sight, I began to unfold my swordsmanship in earnest.

[Secret Art: Ethrana]

[Chapter One – Fate]

A violet radiance swirled like flame and traced a shimmering haze.

The Puppeteer swung the Steel Wires like whips, and at the same time, it attacked by spewing poison from all across its broken body.

However, not a single one of those attacks struck me.

KAKANG! KAGAGANG!

Every attack was rendered futile through Parrying, and instead, the creature began to be pushed back.

It was only natural. Every attack it unleashed was one I had guided it into making.

Through Parrying, I restricted its actions and arranged the board so that it had no choice but to act that way.

‘As expected, my body does not hurt at all now.’

Normally, by now, I would have been sitting down while complaining of pain.

But after creating my Core, I felt no burden whatsoever while unfolding the first chapter.

‘No, if anything, I feel energized.’

The Core formed from the Dragon Jade emitted Mana imbued with Pristine Power, and an energy three times stronger than ordinary Mana was breathing vitality into me in real time.

Honestly, I felt so full of energy that I could fight for seven days and nights.

KWAGANG! KWADEUDEUK!

The swordsmanship continued.

The creature continued only the attacks I had decided, at the moments I had decided, and the instant that reached the tenth time, a sword flash glimmered.

The “Counterattack,” filled with all ten Stacks, cut off one of the Puppeteer’s arms.

─KIIIAAAAK!!

‘Was this thing this easy……?’

I was sure I had originally fought it with a fair amount of tension.

Having awakened Secret Art: Ethrana and obtained its unique “sight,” perhaps because I could clearly see its next action, that huge body did not feel even slightly threatening.

I passed by the Puppeteer howling in pain, leapt over the Puppets rushing in, and approached the Barrier.

I judged that securing the person came first for now.

“There you are.”

“Ah…… Wh-Who…….”

“We came from White Cloud Castle after receiving the rescue request.”

The person was a blonde girl who looked younger than Persica.

As if she had been crying out of fear, her teary eyes were swollen.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“N-No…….”

“Then stay still. I will deal with those things first and come back.”

“W-Wait……!”

Leaving the girl behind, I struck away the Steel Wires of the Puppeteer that had chased after me.

Then, when it hurled itself forward as if pouncing, with its whole body covered in Steel Wires, I knocked it away outright with Parrying.

With a burst of violet light, its massive body rolled across the ground.

The eyes of the girl who had been watching grew round.

“A Puppeteer…… so easily……?”

Ignoring her startled voice, I raised my sword before the creature could get up and poured a flurry of slashes down on it.

Its remaining arms were cut off, and I drove my blade into joints all over its body.

─KIAAAAK!

The creature screamed in agony.

Since it was tough, it did not die right away, but judging by the fact that the pattern where it spewed poison from its whole body had appeared, it was on the verge of death.

That was its final struggle pattern.

“It looks like it will die if I hit it one more time.”

Sorry, but I already knew that pattern too.

The poison it sprayed in every direction merely melted the innocent grass.

The eyes of the girl watching blankly widened as if they would tear open.

It seemed she found the sight of me one-sidedly beating down a 3-Star monster of a Demonic Region quite impressive.

“How…….”

Because I had learned properly, that was how.

Just as I was about to deliver the last hit, the Puppeteer thrashed and pushed me away, then screamed.

At that, the Puppets that Persica and Jin Sohwi had been handling began to run this way.

─Uuuuuuu……!

─Uuuuuuuuuuuh……!

The Puppeteer charged toward the approaching Puppets and began devouring the energy dwelling within them.

Was it the devouring pattern?

It was a pattern where it absorbed the death energy of lower entities and recovered.

Every time it ate a Puppet like that, it restored its Health and regenerated its wounds.

“……What are you doing to my Mana Stones?”

The problem was that if it did that, the Puppets’ Mana Stones would not drop.

That son of a bitch was restoring Health with my money!

[They were not your money to begin with, though…….]

Ignoring Hyeollyeo’s nonsense, I kicked the Puppeteer away while it was absorbed in its meal.

If I left it alone, it would recover faster than I could kill it.

Before it came back, I unfolded my swordsmanship and cut down the Puppets.

If I turned them into Mana Stones before it could eat them, it would have no choice either.

However, cutting them down one by one did not pick up speed as much as I had expected.

There was nothing wrong with my body or my swordsmanship, so had something gone wrong?

‘Ah. It is the characteristic of the swordsmanship.’

After quietly observing the situation, I discovered an unexpected weakness of the fully completed Secret Art: Ethrana.

‘It is weak against multiple opponents.’

Just as I was weak in one-against-many battles, Secret Art: Ethrana was not suited to handling multiple enemies at once.

Also, because it was swordsmanship of response, it was strong against strong opponents, but endlessly weak against weak opponents.

Well, since Secret Art: Ethrana was a swordsmanship created under great influence from my build, it was not strange for it to share the same characteristic of being unsuited to battles against multiple opponents.

It might change if I raised its realm further, but as of now, when I had only mastered the first chapter, it was directly bound by the limits of Parrying.

‘At this rate, I do not think I can kill them all.’

It was only weak against multiple opponents; if I cut them down one by one, I could still deal with all of them, although it would be a little slow.

However, if I did that, the Puppeteer would clearly return before then and start draining them again.

‘Should I try using something else?’

Ishara’s swordsmanship was not suited for battles against multiple opponents.

I switched to the other swordsmanship I possessed.

[White Cloud Sword Method: Buddha Patriarch]

[First Form – Rising Cloud]

The White Cloud Sword Method unfolded as I changed my stance and began slaughtering the Puppets.

Its destructive power itself decreased, but I could feel that the hunting speed had clearly increased.

‘I felt this at South Spirit Mountain too, but it is quite effective in battles against multiple opponents.’

If Secret Art: Ethrana changed the situation to fit me, the White Cloud Sword Method was swordsmanship that could fit itself to every situation.

Since it was faithful to the basics, perhaps it was not particularly restricted by circumstances.

Thanks to that, in battles against multiple opponents, there were even aspects where its performance was better.

‘I can use Secret Art: Ethrana for one-on-one, and White Cloud Sword Method for battles against multiple opponents.’

Since I had not learned the related Skill, it was only half-complete swordsmanship, but for dealing with Small Fry, my current level was enough.

[White Cloud Sword Method: Buddha Patriarch]

[Fourth Form – Raging Waves]

The swordsmanship of the White Cloud Sword Method surged forth and sliced up the remaining Puppets in one breath.

Right after I converted all the Puppets into Mana Stones, the Puppeteer returned.

Was it my imagination? It seemed flustered.

“Stop being annoying and just turn into a Mana Stone quietly.”

I had spent 2 million Runes not long ago, so it still hurt.

I knocked away the creature as it charged in for its final struggle, then cut off its head with the last strike.

─Guuuuhhh…….

The Puppeteer collapsed.

In the place where it vanished, a Mana Stone a little smaller than a fist remained.

After roughly collecting only the large ones, I approached the girl sitting dazed behind me.

She was staring blankly at me with a round-eyed expression.

Was it because she was relieved that she had finally survived? Her face also seemed a little flushed.

“It is all right now. My companions will take care of the remaining Puppets.”

I held out my hand to her.

The girl took my hand with a slight tremble and stood up.

“For now, let us─”

“You…….”

“Get out of here…… Hm?”

“You are truly as handsome as an angel…….”

“……?”

What kind of nonsense was that all of a sudden?

***

The girl who had said something utterly bizarre only came back to her senses a little later, after Persica and Jin Sohwi returned.

“Sorry. A few got away.”

“It is fine.”

“We can adjust the ratio later during distribution…… For now, let us deal with this side first.”

Persica pointed at the girl in question.

Leaving the others aside, the girl coughed while looking at me.

“A-Ahem! I am ‘Lavina Lorentze,’ the third daughter of the great House Lorentze. I swear upon the name of my house that I will surely repay you for this matter!”

“Ah…… yes.”

“M-More importantly, you! Amazing…… you are truly handsome. Wow, wow. I have never seen someone this handsome before.”

“Excuse me?”

I had saved her while she was dying, so what kind of situation was this now?

While I stood there in bewilderment, Persica stepped forward and blocked Lavina, who was approaching.

The moment Lavina faced Persica, her expression rapidly soured.

“You…….”

“It has been a while, Lavina.”

“I did not think the half-wit of Ortanis would be here.”

Judging by their reactions, the two seemed to know each other. And in a rather unpleasant way.

Although she had heard sharp words to her face, Persica did not so much as blink as she struck back.

“I think the half-wit is the one who came here alone and got stranded.”

“That was because my Escort died!”

“You probably got an innocent Escort killed because you did not even know the characteristics of the Demonic Region.”

Lavina pressed her lips tightly shut.

Apparently, that had hit the mark.

“And if I am a half-wit, then that means you survived thanks to that half-wit.”

“The one who saved me is that pretty boy over there!”

“Isran is a member of my party. So it is fair to say I did it.”

Persica glared at Lavina with her distinctive cold expression, then introduced her to us.

“This is Lavina Lorentze. As you can tell from her surname, she is from that House Lorentze of Trinity. A spoiled brat two years younger than me.”

“Who are you calling a spoiled brat! I am someone who finished the Selection Grounds two years faster than you!”

Lorentze.

One of the three houses that formed Trinity alongside House Ortanis had appeared.

Though she was very different from what I had imagined…….

“If you are not a spoiled brat, why on earth did you come here?”

“It was the fastest route! According to my calculations, breaking through should definitely have been possible!”

“This is absurd. But what I am curious about is not your intelligence. It is why you came here.”

“You just subtly dissed me, did you not!”

Watching the two of them, Jin Sohwi and I silently exchanged glances.

It was roughly a look of, ‘What is going on?’ and, ‘I do not know either.’

“You may be tiny, but your ears are sharp. If only your mind were just as sharp, you would not have come here and made such an ugly mess of yourself.”

“Hey!”

“So. Why did you come?”

Persica’s voice was cold.

From her perspective, it seemed she was quite irritated that an uninvited guest had intruded upon her smooth path of growth.

Facing Persica, Lavina subtly averted her gaze.

“H-Hmph! Why do I have to tell you? This is an official mission. I cannot tell an outsider! And! I am your senior by two whole years, so what is that tone of yours─”

“I can guess. They sent you before your license became a closet license, did they not?”

“…….”

“You have not gone down into the dungeon even once in the past two years, have you?”

Perhaps that had also hit the mark, because Lavina began to break out in a cold sweat.

With a sigh, Persica briefly explained who Lavina was.

House Lorentze was a rather strict house, so she said that all direct descendants took the Selection Grounds as soon as they turned fourteen.

Lavina was sixteen this year.

She had taken the Selection Grounds two years ago, but because she was timid, she had barely passed the exam, and ever since then, it seemed she had never entered the dungeon even once.

“She has been compared to me a lot since long ago. Whether it was an inferiority complex or something else, she was an annoying little brat who picked fights over every little thing.”

“Who has an inferiority complex!”

“And.”

Persica grabbed Lavina as she was inching toward me and pushed her away.

“She is a severe face-lover.”

“Ah, just let me touch him once! It is not as if he will wear down! Pretty boy!”

“…….”

What on earth was this?

We had come to clear a Demonic Region, and somehow, we had picked up a burden.

Jin Sohwi spoke with a sour expression.

“Can we not just leave her behind?”

They say even a broken clock is right twice a day.

For once, I deeply agreed with him.