Clue to Chaos (1), Clue to Chaos (2) and Clue to Chaos (3)
“I’m really sorry… I was sent here to ruin your world.”
「Uh… ?”
“No, I really want to live… I don’t want to die… !”
And again burst out screaming.
That cry was the last.
Pod! Without Shiina’s time to respond, Etna’s soul was scattered all over the world in an instant.
“… … ?”
Shiina could not comprehend the situation unfolding in front of her for a long time.
Even after Etna disappeared, Shiina searched for him for a long time.
For some reason, a curse had been born in the world since that day.
Whenever she stayed in one place for too long, Shiina was terrified by the feeling that her soul was about to melt.
If you disappear like this, we might never see each other!
From then on, Shiina started wandering the world.
To escape the curse, to find him again.
‘I went back to the original world… ?’
However, no matter how much she searched, there was no way Shiina would find Etna.
Shii! Shii!
After a while, when she realized that he was no longer in this world, Shiina broke down and cried.
The time she has been with Etna is only a few decades.
It was an absurdly short time compared to the two thousand years of waiting for someone.
However, from Shiina’s point of view, can that time be called a mere one?
The 20 years have turned Shiina into a completely different being.
One day when I was tired and exhausted.
Shiina was lying on the leaves of a large rosfranc, watching the scenery drifting in the air.
It was the only place like this that was good even if you didn’t care about the curse.
I asked myself a question.
two thousand years. And about 30 years. which of the two was real.
‘What was it… ?’
Suddenly, Shiina couldn’t recall the memories of the past.
What was he trying to do before meeting Etna?
I forgot all the revelations of so long ago, all the knowledge I should have known.
I don’t remember It must have been something important.
No, was it important?
everything got annoying
I don’t even want to move for a while. Shiina closed her eyes as it was.
She couldn’t sleep or dream, but she could clear her thoughts.
day… Two days… . one month… one year… .
Even without Shiina being conscious of it, time continued to flow.
100 years… . 200 years… .
At some point, she couldn’t think of units to measure time with.
It just feels like a very long time has passed.
“Shiyi… ?”
Shiina came to her senses only when she forgot why she was lying down.
When Shiina stood up again, her mind was empty.
I forgot the name Etna and my duties as a servant a long time ago.
… …
And now.
The fairy tale contract with the prefecture touched the other side of Shiina’s unconscious mind.
“… I remembered.”
I didn’t recall everything.
No, there were a lot more memories that didn’t come to mind.
Right after breaking up with someone, he only vaguely remembered what he had wished for.
“I wanted to go to the outside world… 」
“outside… world?”
“There was someone I needed to meet. I still don’t know who it is, though.”
Shiyi… Shiina’s breathing was faint, and her body was so limp that she couldn’t stand it any longer.
She looked up at Hyun, who was holding her.
“you… .”
The only soul blessed in this world.
Every time I made eye contact with him, every time I smelled it, I felt dizzy.
Shiina brought out the voice that had been lingering in her heart.
“You destroy me.”
Hyun’s face stiffened for an instant, but Shiina, whose eyes were already blurred, couldn’t look at the other person’s expression.
In the meantime, Shiina’s words continued.
“My wish is impossible from the beginning. An ordinary soul cannot reach the end of this world.”
“… … .”
“But if you are blessed… I keep hoping that there will be something.”
Hyun didn’t answer.
The more I listened to Shiina’s words, the more I felt my chest tighten.
“I’ll ask you again.”
“… .”
“Destroy me.”
A little while ago, Hyun stopped walking.
It was because no matter how far she ran, Shiina’s condition showed no signs of improving.
On the contrary, she was collapsing even faster because of the shock of running while holding her.
Tring!
It was at that moment when Shiina’s form collapsed that the alarm suddenly sounded.
‘what… .’
Agitations spread in Hyun’s eyes as he read the message that popped up in front of him.
Until now, system messages have been like a compass pointing to a breakthrough in a crisis, but this time it’s the opposite.
The message that appeared before his eyes was to ignore the possibility he had hidden in one side of his mind.
[Records the memory of the soul!]
‘save… ?’
<The nameless spirit has waited eons of time, finally completing her mission. Even though she doesn’t even remember who she is or what she has to do, it must be a miracle that she was able to finish the job safely… .>
Hyun hastily looked at the place where he was standing.
There isn’t even a magic circle nearby, let alone a similar pattern?!
I realized it belatedly.
Since when? The liquid that flowed from Shiina’s body drew strange patterns on the floor.
And the effect of the magic circle was swallowing himself and Shiina at the same time.
“aha! ah… .”
Hwaaak! Even Shiina, whose eyes were blurring, saw a group of lights appearing in an instant.
“As expected, it was good that I came with you.”
Shiina’s last cry was clearer than ever.
“Me too… blessing… !”
That is Shiina’s end.
Even after the shape she supported with her hands completely dissipated, Hyun couldn’t even move.
I would like to stop this message if I can.
Regardless of the wind, messages continued to flow.
<… Thus, the servant fulfilled his role. Her soul may be gone, but traces of her soul may remain with her master forever.>
Before I knew it, the sticky liquid that soaked Hyeon’s body disappeared without a trace.
Sarrrrr-. Instead, beautiful grains of light were pouring down.
Hyun stood up from his seat after a while.
In order to avoid the curse, I had to constantly move somewhere.
“… … .”
I didn’t understand all the meaning of the message, but I didn’t want to interpret it now.
No, I didn’t want to think about anything.
Hyun moved slowly to the area below.
It didn’t take long to get back to the old area.
A place very close to the end of the world.
Since then, it has been a single road, so even without Shiina’s guidance, I was able to figure out the direction.
With his head completely empty, Hyun began to descend the stairs whose end was unknown.
‘I can’t see.’
My vision was distorted as my whole body was swallowed up in the purple mist.
You don’t know what’s ahead, so if you move hastily, it’s a dangerous situation.
Even so, Hyun’s pace did not stop.
It was because I instinctively moved forward, but my head was full of other thoughts.
Shiina.
My time with her was less than a week.
It has richer emotions than ordinary NPCs, but it was awkward compared to 2nd generation artificial intelligence.
He wasn’t even human. Just by looking at her appearance, she must belong to a monster or monster.
Shiina’s disappearance would not hold much meaning to herself as a user.
Obviously it should be… Why do we indulge in these sentiments?
When Shiina disappeared a moment ago, Hyun felt his heart tremble.
It was a different kind of sensation than what came to mind the moment I foresaw Louise’s death in Iluna.
Yeah, if there’s a wound in the soul, wouldn’t it be like this?
Hyun thought of the countless NPCs who had died so far.
The enemies he killed, and those who died helping him.
Among them, there was also a 1.5 generation like Radiette.
but… Even after countless deaths, the image of Shiina that lingered in her mind could not easily disappear.
Even in the stuffiness of not being able to breathe, Hyun continued to go down the stairs.
[You have obtained the Fragments of Chaos! (1/3)]
[Some skills have been enhanced!]
[The mission goal of the final awakening quest: Transcendence has been updated!]
-Go to the second world.
It took more than an hour to reach the destination.
end of the world.
In a place where everything was messy, nothing with a form existed.
While staring blankly at the empty space amidst the swirling purple chaos, Hyun’s vision was reversed in an instant.
“… … .”
Shade Guild’s private room.
Hyun could know that he had returned to his original world.
It might have been because he had reached the end of the nether that he could access Asrian even after less than 24 hours had passed since his death.
late morning.
What were you thinking?
Hyun, who was sitting on the sofa in the private room, jumped up at the moment and recklessly climbed to a higher place.
The center of the border city. A pyramid altar guarded by skeleton guards.
Ordinary users couldn’t even get close to it, but it didn’t matter to Hyun, the owner of the city.
On top of the sculpture, which has been transformed into a black water fountain, Hyun looked at the dizzying night view.
It is said that after the soul dies, a reverberation remains.
If you still have traces of Shiina’s soul… .
I thought I wanted to show her the sights outside as well.
[Fatigue has reached the limit and the connection is forcibly terminated!]
Hyun took in all the scenery of the border city until his eyesight went dark.
***
late afternoon.
When Hyun reconnected, many things had changed.
First of all, the exploration record of Yufia Island.
<Record 99-1: The dungeon in the central cave of Ufia Island collapsed at XX: XX on the XX day>
<Record 99-2: Since then, no demonic-related objects, including demons, have been found>
‘Everything is gone.’
The entire dungeon leading to the nether world was gone.
quest item. The ‘mirror that kills when you look at it’ was also missing from the inventory.
The way to go back to that world, and the traces that such a world existed, were completely erased.
Perhaps, at the same time he reached the end of the nether world, the world itself might have disappeared.
“are you okay… ?”
Ain, who was watching Hyun from the side, murmured.
She already knew everything.
Hyeon rarely made a face like this, so Ain felt nervous for no reason.
Suddenly, something from the past came to mind.
If you didn’t get strength from Hyun’s comfort when you were blocked by the Apostle Quest’s wall, wouldn’t it be hard to regain your energy? Maybe I couldn’t get over the wall in time.
Ain thought it was his turn to repay Hyun’s debt.
“Hyun, should I hug you… ?”
He said while pretending to wrap his arms.
“huh… ?”
“Right now, I can only do this much, but… .”
Ain, who had muttered so quietly, suddenly stuttered.
“Ah, it’s okay if it’s within Asrian! If you tell me what you want, I’ll listen to anything… !”
“Isn’t that what I said?”
“Huh? I did… me?”
Hyun laughed at Ain’s erratic behavior.
It seemed that his subdued atmosphere had leaked out to Ain as well.
“thank you. It’s a little better.”
“What, does it work?”
“I know.”
Hyun looked into the distance with Ain.
border city square.
It was always the most raucous place, even in a city that grew busier by the day.
Looking at the lively scene, Hyun decided to erect a statue of Shiina.
‘I have to stop here and forget everything.’
I couldn’t think of a place for the statue of Shiina other than the city square.
Because she longed for the outside world until the very end.
If you want to save the unique atmosphere of always wearing a relaxed smile, you should ask a skilled artisan.
At that point, he should be able to shake off the aftereffects of this quest.
“Louise, I need to ask you something.”
Afterwards, Hyun took time to go see Louise.
“huh? do you mean me… ?”
“okay. I don’t think there’s anyone else to ask but you.”
It was because several questions about Shiina remained unanswered.
<… Thus, the servant fulfilled his role. Her soul may be gone, but traces of her soul may remain with her master forever.>
A phrase that came to mind at the same time as Shiina disappeared.
Here, the words ‘servant’ and ‘master’ confused Hyun.
“This is a bit of a cautious question… .”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll answer everything I know!”
“How would you feel if Shatin disappeared?”
“That would be boring. Poppy is always busy, and didn’t you say you’re busy these days too?”
“no. What does it mean to disappear… .”
Hyun asked the same question again in a serious voice.
“I’m asking what you think it would be like if Shatin died.”
“To die… ? Shatin?”
“It’s just a home. Are you the owner of Shatin? I was suddenly curious about how the death of an attendant would affect the master.”
“I don’t know because I’ve never thought about it… Of course it wouldn’t be sad.”
Hwaaak. It was at that moment that a huge golem was summoned by Louise’s side.
Shatin, who had been listening to the story, escaped from Louise’s soul.
“that… It would be better for me to explain myself.”
“Oh, were you with Louise?”
“yes. Attendants are always… It is a being that stays by the owner’s side.”
Shatin’s subsequent explanation was much clearer than Louise’s.
“Servants and masters… Their souls are linked by an invisible string. If the string is broken, it is natural that the soul will be scarred… .”
Shatin said that ‘soul wounds’ do not mean physical damage.
Rather, a wound that shakes the heart.
It is said that the stronger the bond between souls, the bigger the wound, and the effect is expressed in various emotions such as sadness, emptiness, and emptiness.
“That’s why we burn our souls at the last moment… It is to avoid hurting the master’s soul.”
Therefore, it is said that all attendants have an instinct to destroy their souls right before they die.
Disappearing rather than being cut off leaves no scars on the owner’s soul.
‘It’s a wound of the soul.’
While listening to Shatin’s explanation, Hyun contemplated his condition.
When I got out of bed today, I felt fine.
I thought I would be able to forget the past and return to my daily life.
My heart started beating from the moment I lay down in the capsule again.
The fact that my mind, which was relatively calm in reality, became unstable as soon as I connected to Assrian, may be an ‘effect in the game’.
‘It’s a phenomenon that occurs between the attendant and the master… .’
Shiina said that she had forgotten everything from the past.
He would not remember the fact that he was an attendant or who the owner was.
In an instant, Hyeon’s mind flashed.
Apparently, Ain and himself died in the same place and in the same way.
However, I think we can figure out why Ain was logged out while he moved to another world.
[You have obtained the Fragments of Chaos! (1/3)]
[The mission goal of the final awakening quest: Transcendence has been updated!]
-Go to the second world.
Hyun opened the previous log window.
These are the messages that came to mind when I arrived at the end of the nether.
I started putting together a huge puzzle by combining the clues and messages I had gathered so far.
‘No way, am I chaos… ?’
at some point. Hyun recalled an absurd assumption.
I soon stopped because it was so absurd.
‘no… That’s not it.’
A transcendental person is a being who handles an ego and empathy of an out-of-standard size.
In the land of darkness, Louise was also tormented by the sudden release of the seal of empathy.
It was because ordinary human beings could not stand the torrent of turbid emotions that came from all sides.
2nd generation artificial intelligence.
In other words, unless you are a human who can compete head-to-head with the latest supercomputer, you will not be able to handle the role of a transcendent.
‘But I’m certain that I have something to do with chaos!’
Hyun guessed his identity.
Various possibilities surfaced.
Apostle of chaos, seed, servant, or middle manager… ?
I don’t know exactly when, but it was clear that at some point he started to get involved with chaos.
‘after… My head hurts all of a sudden.’
I went to Yupia Island to solve Louise’s problem, but the problem became more complicated.
The monsters on Ufia Island had nothing to do with darkness.
‘It’s chaos.’
Chaos is a word that should never be taken lightly.
It had never appeared even once in Asura as well as in Assrian.
How are you and chaos related?
Also, when did the link come about?
Questions that could not be answered immediately seemed to have to be considered in the future.
***
Prior to the full-scale investigation, Hyun solved minor issues.
First of all, management of the city.
Now that three months have passed since the opening of the city, the development of the boundary city has progressed to the extent of utilizing all the land area.
Surprisingly, Ginny’s ambition was just beginning.
“Which is better, a city in the air or an underground city?”
“Public… I beg your pardon… ?”
After reading Genie’s plan, Hyun asked blankly.
It was to the extent that Genie’s words, predicting the pros and cons of each and explaining them in detail, did not come into my ears at all.
“I want to do both at the same time, but then too much energy is wasted on the magic circle to maintain the hardness of the ground. There is no choice but to specialize in either the air or the underground.”
“… Didn’t you say you were digging through the basement last time?”
“that’s right! As expected, I’m glad Hyun and I agree. There were only a handful of people who supported the floating city because of the scenery.”
It was only then that Hyun realized that the number of employees at SHA Company had increased by nearly dozens without him paying attention.
He nodded, remembering that he had entrusted all power to Genie.
No matter how talented a person is, it is impossible to handle various types of specialties at the same time.
Also, it was the same story for him.
‘Is this what the pants boss is all about… ? It would be better not to touch the small things.’
Hyun decided to only receive reports on big plans from time to time.
After the rough story was over, we moved on to the next agenda item.
“How is gun research going?”
“It goes smoothly. I made an engine formula that adds a horsepower coefficient to the bullet.”
Genie’s field of expertise is probably this rather than urban planning.
According to her, recent research trends are shifting interest from removing mana from objects to applying it.
It didn’t mean that mana heavy weapons were useless.
Rather, it became more important.
In order to engrave a fine magic circle on the sample, it was necessary to clean it with a high-performance mana neutralizer beforehand.
“To be honest, guns have lagged behind other weapons. It may change in the future.”
To sum up the complicated explanation in one word, the damage was greatly increased by adding a horsepower proportional coefficient to the bullet.
This meant that guns that were used only as low-level growth, long-range containment, and secondary weapons could now be used as main weapons.
“Well, it won’t be able to completely replace existing weapons, though.”
However, as a genie, the only regret was that the gun’s limitations were clear.
It was discovered that the additional damage that could be contained in a single bullet could not exceed 1x [Magic Power].
That, too, was only a theoretical figure, and considering the mana loss rate, it was difficult to include half the coefficient.
If you want to increase the damage more than that, you had to use the Assrian system of skills and critical hits.
“… So, future research is oriented towards minimizing the bullet’s mana loss rate according to the distance it flies.”
“How much power is it now?”
“Immediately after launch, it is 0.54 times the horsepower. However, the bullet’s power is halved every time it travels 5 meters… The magical power factor applied to a target 30 meters away is less than 0.01.”
“hmm… That’s a problem.”
“Yes, it is a problem that must be resolved someday.”
Currently, the biggest challenge is the damage reduction rate according to the range.
For this reason, the most popular gun these days is called the ‘shotgun’ series.
If you hit multiple bullets at close range, you can pull out more damage than a greatsword.
“Can I ask you to remodel this too?”
“Yes, of course!”
Hyeon entrusted the scythe of vigilance borrowed from Ain to Genie.
Whether it’s near or far, it’s clear that the performance will be better than now.
After the business with Ginny was over, she went to see Poppy.
He always seemed busy as he was in charge of the main job of urban planning.
Hyeon only asked about important matters so as not to disturb him.
“Is production going well?”
“yes. A few days ago we built one more medium transport. The test run will be over soon.”
Transport ships are the most important means of transportation in border cities.
It was because they had to take countless users to various places in the Sky Island for the Shade Guild’s only information line, ‘Exploration Quest’.
According to Papi, the construction of the third transport will be over soon.
It was the same as meaning that the number of exploration quests doubled or tripled.
‘Okay, the shade exploration quest will be easier too.’
Hyun once again realized the importance of information.
If someone hadn’t found Magi on Ufia Island, they wouldn’t have gotten a clue about the final awakening quest and chaos.
In the worst case, the information may have been stolen by other users or NPCs.
In Asrian, who does not know when and what kind of incident will occur, intelligence is more valuable than force.
‘Let’s see, what I asked for then… . Ah, the reply came.’
Next, Hyun checked the note from Mayday.
The deal with Darkness was still valid.
In return for handing over the unnecessary knowledge of ‘Asura’, Hyun was receiving information that he could not easily obtain.
‘There was friction between Latis and the Regressor Guild?’
One of the many news caught Hyun’s attention.
There was a quarrel between the two in the course of the quest in the sky, and as a result, Latis died, and it is said that 8 casualties occurred in the returnee guild.
‘This… Is it honey?’
Among the users, the two most irritating guys would self-destruct on their own.
For a ranker, death is as painful as failing a large quest.
There is no news as happy as the death of Latis and the members of the regressor guild to Hyun, who has been nervous about growing up for five days.
Even while he continued to check the details, the corners of Hyun’s mouth showed no sign of going down.
“Puhahaha!”
Hyun, who kept reading the information, eventually burst into laughter.
‘Is this real?’
In addition, it was because the news that Latis had been deprived of his apostleship had been written.
Arbitrary actions and mission failures on the sky bridge. And another failure in the large-scale quest of the regressor guild.
Because of those two failures, it seemed that Latis had lost the title of apostle.
‘That guy. I expected it to be the ‘Apostle of Light’… .’
Even if it wasn’t Light himself, it was certain that he served at least an angel of royal rank or higher.
It means that a more solid future is guaranteed than anyone else.
To be deprived of such a position, Hyun could be sure that if he were Latis, he would have gone mad without sleep that night.
Alright, to commemorate one valid competitor dropping out, I’m going to eat out with Ain today.
No matter how ranked 1, the user who lost his apostleship was not even a threat to the current Shade Guild.
“Tartar, is there anything special?”
“Salon too. Please tell me if there is anything.”
Tartar and Salon were also reported on the incident.
“Ah, that’s right! These days, it seems that more people are trying to undermine our Shade Guild reputation!”
“It has always been.”
“no… In the past, it was just petty jealousy or gossip, but this time it feels much more systematic.”
Tartar said that it seems that suspicious posts have been posted on various communities recently.
Based on the prefecture of Asura Online, it was a content that disparaged the reliability of the Shade Guild.
For example, they were instigating that shade points would become obsolete in the future.
「Something special? Well, there are more suspicious people in the city. Hehe, everyone was equal in front of my sword.”
And Salon reported an increase in ‘spies’ in the city.
Besides, recently, I often see users over level 200.
“Are there any accidents?”
“okay. So far, there is no problem with just the skeleton guard and the ‘Wanted Quest’, but if it increases here, it might be difficult to handle.”
The reports of Tartar and Salon had something in common.
‘It’s not something that happens by chance.’
Hyun reviewed the data and was convinced again.
Both situations point to the same premise.
‘It seems there is a force that wants to shake the Shade Guild.’
Hyun let out a laugh.
I expected from the beginning that hostile forces would emerge.
Rather, it is late. If the shaking started when the city was being built, it would have been much more difficult to deal with.
Where is it?
There was also a possibility that it was done by one of the real-life organizations trying to check the growth of Darkness, the regressor, the third guild, or SHA.
‘I don’t think he has any plans to reveal himself yet.’
If you really want to keep yourself in check, you won’t be able to move passively.
Whether it’s an individual or a faction, one day you’ll have no choice but to reveal your true identity.
At that time, Hyeon vowed to nip the bud.
From one day, Seohyun and Ain became unable to go outside freely.
Even if they were wearing hats or masks, when the two of them walked down the street together, they were often surrounded by crowds in an instant.
Trying to avoid and avoid such a troublesome situation, I have been confined to my house for almost a month now.
“What day is it today?!”
Ain was excited about going out after a long time.
“Hyun should save time playing games.”
“why? Are you tired of leaving?”
“Oh, no, I like it… !”
“just. Lately, I’ve been confined to the house too much… I also had something to celebrate.”
Their lifestyle has completely changed from before.
First of all, using your own car when going out is a necessity, not a luxury!
Now that autonomous driving has developed, licenses have literally become a relic of the past.
It was fortunate for the two of them, who had to invest all of their time in Asrian until they got their licenses.
[Explore the route!]
[To arrival: 24 minutes and 13 seconds]
It was also uncomfortable that there were fewer restaurants to go to.
Maybe even a family restaurant.
However, the moment they entered a crowded place, such as a street snack or fast food, Seohyun and Ain were sure to get caught up in the crowd and unable to get out. To that extent, the ripple effect that Assrian had on reality was enormous.
The safest option is to be as extravagant as possible.
“Hmm? Is Latis dead?”
Ain asked while holding a 200,000 won hamburger set.
Neither Seohyun nor Ain knew how delicious these hamburgers were compared to fast food ones.
“As well as being dead. What’s even more fatal is that you’re no longer an apostle.”
As a user with the greatest influence in the sky, Latisse was destined to constantly encounter the Shade Guild, which belonged to the Abyssal Force.
In fact, the sky bridge was also in danger because of that.
Because of this, when Seohyun heard the news that Latis had been kicked out of her ministry, she felt like she had lost a tooth.
“Then you don’t want to meet again?”
However, Ain also felt a little regretful.
“It was quite fun to play with him… . Ah, because it doesn’t mean what Hyun thought. You don’t have to be jealous.”
“… Didn’t I think of anything?
Ain glanced up at Seohyun and smiled.
“Huh, I can’t even write fairy tales here… I bought you food, so well, I’ll fool you.”
“Then what are you fooling me about?”
Seohyeon, depressed by Shiina’s death, felt much better than a few hours ago.
Did the aftereffects of sensory synchronization fade after getting out of Assrian?
Or maybe it was just chatting with Ain and getting distracted.
After talking about this and that, the topic naturally shifted to the final awakening quest, which had been poured over five days.
“Anyway, there are a lot of new things happening this time. Oh, you must have been watching the broadcast anyway, so there is no need to explain?”
“No, I haven’t been watching you all day!”
“okay? That’s surprising… .”
Even if I knew the approximate situation, additional explanation was necessary.
In the first place, he would not have been able to read all the detailed messages that passed quickly.
Seohyun explained each and every situation from Ain’s death until yesterday.
“Didn’t you finish all those quests?!”
“yet.”
“Hyun, you did that every day these days!”
Ain naturally assumed that Hyun’s quest had been completed.
It was because I invested 5 days and confirmed that Hyun had reached its destination even when I watched it on the air at dawn.
“It’s about a third of the way done. maybe… .”
[You have obtained the Fragments of Chaos! (1/3)]
[The mission goal of the final awakening quest: Transcendence has been updated!]
-Go to the second world.
Ain’s surprise was natural.
There had never been such a complex and lengthy quest even in Asura’s time.
But when Hyun reached the end of the world, the message said that this is the beginning.
“second? So, is there a third?”
“I guess so.”
“Where is the next world?”
“I don’t know. I have to look for that too from now on.”
Seohyun was convinced that this quest was not an ordinary one.
First off, the scale is too big.
If it hadn’t been for Shiina’s help, he would have wandered in the Nether for months and eventually gave up.
“This is a great opportunity. An opportunity that can be considered a main quest level.”
The constant mention of the words ‘transcendence’ and ‘chaos’ was not to be taken lightly.
It is common sense that the difficulty of the quest and the reward are proportional.
A reward given upon completing a quest.
It was absurd to give up such a quest while aiming for the king of Asrian.
Hearing all these explanations, Ain gave a very sad look.
It was because he had an intuition that he could not play with Hyun unless the quest was finished.
“Why was I the only one who didn’t receive the quest… ?”
“I thought about that too.”
Seohyun recalled the memory of that time.
After being swallowed up by the purple mist, Ain was logged out, but his soul survived.
“It’s not that you’re wrong, I think I was special.”
Come to think of it, even after receiving that energy, he was the only one who was fine.
Other spirits, objects, and even space, including Shiina, lost their shape and crumbled in front of the purple mist.
“Now I’m guessing it’s because of the job.”
“Hyeon’s job? Shadow Shooter?”
“no.”
At Ain’s question, Seohyun silently shook her head.
I still remember how dangerous it was when I jumped off the cliff because the wind barrier didn’t activate.
It’s not just the wind barrier.
In that world, almost all skills were sealed.
Only 3 skills were available. Only Shadow Shield, Bantan, and Fairytale.
It didn’t take long to realize the commonality of those skills.
It fit too exquisitely to be dismissed as a coincidence.
“supporter.”
Seohyun checked the screen prepared for Ain with the mobile phone connected to the capsule.
The message that popped up when I reached the end of the world
[You have obtained a fragment of chaos! (1/3)]
[Some skills have been enhanced!]
“I think there is something in the supporters.”
I even showed you the screenshots I took.
After that message popped up, the effect of one skill he possessed changed.
[Vantan Lv.0]
– Surrounds the selected target with a shield for 1 second.
– Enemies that attack the shield are stunned for 3 seconds + (Empathy/500) seconds.
– When activated by consuming demonic energy, the enemy’s time is stopped for 3 seconds + (Sympathy / 500) seconds. (※ New effect!)
-When hit, the cooldown is reduced by 5 seconds.
(Cooldown 600 seconds)
(Magi consumption: 100,000)
The enhanced skill is Bantan.
A supporter is a basic skill that can be used at the same time as obtaining a job.
There was a time when Hyeon also invested a large amount of skill points in bantan with a big heart.
The difference according to skill level was so insignificant that I reset the points with tears in my eyes.
However, when Skilla was strengthened with the power of the fragments of chaos, a meaningful change occurred in Bantan for the first time.
It is the ability to stop ‘time’.
“Time stop, there was such a status abnormality… ?”
“It looks like the upper level compatibility of the baron fainting.”
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be a big difference between stunning an enemy and stopping ‘time’.
However, as a result of testing it on Louise and others, Hyun learned that Bantan had evolved incomparably before.
“Purification, recovery, and any other dispel-type skills couldn’t make the stopped time flow again.”
“It’s a completely irreversible stun?!”
“Better than that. Skill cooldowns did not recover while time stopped.”
An effect that literally freezes everything.
Magic that manipulates time is not common in Asura and Asrian.
Acceleration and slow magic exist, but they all work by changing the momentum, friction, or viscosity of the target.
Genie’s ultimate skill, Reverse, also ‘restores’ the target to its previous state, so it is not magic to turn back ‘time’.
In Asrian, Hyun experienced only two time manipulations.
The first is the level 50 awakening quest.
The second is the save point of the final awakening quest.
Letty’s trials also recreated the past, but strictly speaking they were just illusions.
In other words, all the quests that Hyun and time were related to were related to jobs.
“Supporters, chaos, time… . Doesn’t the connection seem very strong?”
What if manipulating time is the power of chaos?
What if the job of a supporter is related to chaos?
If you look at it like that, it wasn’t strange that the supporter was dealing with time.
“Wait, then you mean Hyun is Chaos? The Great Devil?!”
“It’s a leap to get there. Still, it seems certain that I can use some of the power of chaos.”
“oh my god… .”
“I’ll have to check if this guess is correct.”
A memory from a very long time ago popped up in Seohyun’s head.
The day I just started playing Assrian. He himself was tricked into choosing a supporter by deception.
Until now, I had only known it as an act to feed the taffy… Was there something hidden in the supporters from then on?
“I need to meet Caydrial.”
The question remains unanswered until he hears directly from Gi-ki.
Ain is an apostle of deception. With Ain’s help, he would be able to face deception relatively easily.
I don’t know if I can trust Cadrial’s words straight away.
***
It was near dawn when Seohyeon and Ain returned home.
On a dark night, you can avoid people’s gaze. It was refreshing to go outside after a long time, so I wandered around the quiet places of the night streets.
“Can you call me?”
Connecting to Assrian again, Hyun asked Ain to call Caidrial.
Then Ain put on a troubled expression.
“Come to think of it… I don’t know how to meet deception.”
“what? Are you a priest?”
“But you’ve never called me from here before?”
In the meantime, Ain and Giman’s communication has been one-sided.
Ain could sometimes hear the voice of deception, but on the contrary, there was no way to convey his voice.
“If you are listening, come quickly.”
“… ?”
Ain suddenly glared at the sky and muttered something to himself.
When Hyun looked at him with questionable eyes, he smiled awkwardly again.
“just. They might be watching us nearby… But, it doesn’t come out…”
“Mmm.”
Hyun was lost in thought.
The root of deception is the great devil. It is not an existence that can be easily met by calling.
Because transcendentalists need ego or empathy to affect the world.
Influence here does not mean only physical.
There is a reason why even the act of conveying one’s will to someone is called the grandiose word ‘trust’.
“Maybe I don’t like it.”
“An oracle? Advent?”
“both. Because now is an important time for Ki-ki too. You want to save your own power.”
Hyun guessed at Caidrial’s situation.
I heard about her from a celestial being named Isia.
Calling itself ‘Harmony’, it was splitting the sky.
Same as before.
Even in Asura Online, Ki-gi pretended to be an angel and gradually turned the forces of the sky on her side.
And when it was judged that it had enough power in the sky, it began to move in earnest.
Hyun thought that now was the right time.
A time to take a step back and crouch right before taking a giant leap.
“There will be a lot of uses for your powers soon, so you don’t want to waste it on useless things.”
“It’s useless to meet us… Are you a bit embarrassed?”
“Because he is as confident as the great devil, I don’t think he will change his judgment easily.”
If the development is similar to the time of Asura, a war will soon break out in the sky.
It is a civil war between those who have fallen for the instigation of deceit wearing the mask of an angel and the existing forces.
If you want to save the oracle to be given in the name of harmony at that time, you can’t waste the oracle elsewhere.
“Because I still don’t know. Shall we try praying?”
At Hyun’s suggestion, Ain nodded.
“I’m not good at it… Hyun help me.”
“I thought so even if you didn’t say anything.”
