The Ruins of the Monsters (1), The Ruins of the Monsters (2), The Ruins of the Monsters (3) and The Ruins of the Monsters (4)
In the frustratingly slow world, Louise’s hand flashed.
The spear that stirred the air moved along the optimal path.
The flying arrows hit the spearhead and bounced off, and the bullets that were lighter than that had their trajectory twisted by the force of the black wind.
‘… Not even one hit.’
Hyun admired the effect of the time amplification skill.
Louise’s movements were like watching a very fast action movie at 4x speed.
The ability to perceive the world slowly.
This was the true value of the ‘time property skill’ Hyun had learned.
‘Can I deflect bullets?’
From a gamer’s point of view, that ability is a blessing beyond measure.
It means that you can see more things than others and make various judgments in the same amount of time.
Simply put, it is the same effect as increasing the reaction rate by more than 5 times.
On the battlefield where lives come and go with a difference of 0.1 seconds, the difference was enormous.
‘I’m sorry, but… .’
Hyun paid attention to the words ‘it has no effect on the user’.
‘Is that natural?’
No matter how much Assrian is a game that uses brain waves, it seems that it cannot distort the user’s ‘sense of time’.
If human technology had advanced that much, so many students would not have to stay up all night during exams.
‘Well, it can’t be helped.’
Since it was a skill he had decided to learn to support Louise from the beginning, Hyun decided to be satisfied with this level.
“laugh… !”
Hyun couldn’t avoid Louise who suddenly ran towards him.
After killing all the holograms, Louise kicked off the wind and flew away in an instant.
“What are you doing, it’s heavy!”
“Wasn’t we just amazing?!”
Louise is no longer the kid she used to be.
Bigger and heavier than Ain, there was no way to get her off if she clung to her like this.
Above all, Louise’s strength stat was over 400.
“As expected, I need you by my side.”
“Okay, so let’s talk about it for now. Ain might be watching too?”
“Whoops, how is that? Now your partner is this body!”
After a moment of silence, Hyeon swallowed his breath and murmured.
A message from Ain had just arrived.
“Look, you were watching… !”
“What, Ain… ?!”
“I have something to tell you, so I want you to tell it… . It’s kind of like saying it with my mouth. Would you like to read it?”
“… !”
Hyun looked back at Louise with an absurd smile.
Except for occasional private disturbances, Hyeon’s plans were not disrupted.
Louise, who grew up by leaps and bounds, soon grew to the point where she could face Salon.
No, it was a situation where Louise overpowered Salon, so Hyun had to support Salon with a shot of salvation to balance it.
“how… Can this be?”
Salon, who caught up in an instant, was shocked.
In the first place, Salon was an unfavorable fight.
The most important thing in a user’s duel is mobility!
As long as Louise’s mobility was overwhelming, it was clear that Ain would have a hard time defeating her without a mobile device.
But Salon seemed shocked by the fact that the results had changed after only a week.
It was another story when Salon started practicing like crazy from that day on.
‘I’m getting used to it, too.’
While Louise was sweating, Hyun did not stay still.
First of all, I focused on raising the hit rate of bullets.
Previously, the accuracy was enough to hit a basketball at a distance of 100 meters, but now it is possible to hit a baseball.
Assuming that both you and the target are moving quickly.
‘Is there any news yet?’
Hyun checked the status of the Shade Exploration Quest several times a day.
It was to check if there was any news about Magi.
If you follow the Oracle of Deception, you will soon have to head to the place where Louise’s men are sleeping.
But haven’t you found it? Isn’t it time yet?
Information similar to that seldom appeared.
It’s already been three weeks since I’ve been with Louise.
‘It would be nice if Ain could join us.’
In a little over a week, the contract with Gi-ki will expire.
After that, if the main quest starts, Ain will be able to help.
“I’m meeting the dukes of the abyss these days!”
Ain told me about his current situation every day.
It seemed that she was moving from place to place following the deceitful plan.
It is said that he has already met dozens of dukes, including Bahimir and Scotanatos.
“I still don’t know the intention of the deception… Do you understand Hyun?”
“It’s to weed out the traitor. I don’t want to get hit in the back of the head when I go to the sky.”
“Um… .”
“Even in Asura, Kigi took care of the main base carefully before making power in the sky.”
“I still don’t know, but Hyun seems to know, so it doesn’t matter if I don’t know. You can go back in about ten days anyway!”
Spending time with Louise, sometimes talking to Ain, Hyun waited for an incident to happen.
The exploration quest still had no results.
In the middle of the time that passed like that.
Hyun heard the news related to the incident from a completely unexpected person.
“Hyun, it’s been a while, right?”
It was a whisper from Mayday, the eternal No. 2 in the rankings.
「Is the 10,000 points given to finding Magi-related information on Sky Island still valid? I think I just found it.”
“yes? Where are you?!」
“It’s Carinta Island.”
‘It’s a place where we haven’t sent a transport ship yet!’
Some sky islands had places where Abyss users could stay.
Carinta Island is one of them.
Since it was not possible to travel all over the sky with two transport ships, the island could not be explored.
Perhaps that is why the discovery was delayed.
“Relics have been found here since a few days ago. It’s an artifact engraved with the traces of a demon.”
“It’s a relic… ?”
“Yes, I will send you a screenshot!”
Tring!
After checking the message, Hyun’s face became more and more serious.
Certainly there were traces of monsters and demons on that island.
You should try to find out as much information as possible!
Hyun asked for more information about Carinta Island in return for promising to give points to Mayday.
“Are there other users who know about this?”
“There are several other people besides me. Not many, but.”
‘… !’
Hyun’s awareness rose at Mayday’s words.
Because of the worry that it might be too late to find the information.
Although there are a lot of users who are in the process of exploring the shade, it is only a fraction of the total number of users.
That meant it wouldn’t be strange if there was information they were missing.
“Please tell me how many NPCs know that information!”
「There are so many NPCs! I think there are tens of thousands of people.”
Pound, pound, Hyun’s heart became more urgent as he checked the photos sent by Mayday.
Carinta Island is not a rural village like Ufia Island.
A small town with a larger population than that.
I hadn’t investigated yet, but it was clear that there would be a heavenly being ruling the island.
If there was something related to monsters or demons in such a place, it was clear that the information would reach the ears of the celestials in an instant.
“Thank you, this time… I will definitely repay you later.”
After a short thank you to Mayday, Hyun immediately called Louise.
“Louise! Let’s go!”
“Uh, where?”
“Carinta Island, we have to move right now!”
There was just one empty transport left.
The construction of the third transport was finished, but it was not running in case of an incident.
Hyun boarded the transport ship alone with Louise.
No, including Shatin mixed in her soul, the three of them started moving to Carinta Island.
“Three and a half hours to the destination. I’m glad it didn’t take long.”
“You are finally going.”
The reason for going to Carinta Island all of a sudden.
Louise has also heard a lot of stories from Hyun.
He was also aware of the Oracle of Deception and the need to revive his subordinates.
“I thought I might be able to meet my subordinates like Shatin… .”
Louise’s heart trembled whenever she recalled that on this trip there was a high chance she would be able to meet those who served her.
“oh!”
On the way, Louise suddenly shouted.
Because he remembered the important role of the border city he played.
“I forgot! If I leave, who will open the gates of the city?”
“I’ll keep it open for a while.”
“Leave it open? What if someone comes!
“Because if something big happens in the city, it can be closed from afar. Rather, how are you feeling right now?”
“any… You are nervous.”
“It seemed like that.”
Pod! Hyun assimilated with Louise.
Just like her expression, a feeling of nervousness was mixed in her heart.
“Don’t worry too much. If you are now, you will be able to defeat most opponents.”
“I’m still alone… lack. If it’s not with you”
“Yeah, since I’m with you, there’s no danger.”
Moderate tension increases concentration, but excessive tension only hardens the body, so the string eased Louise’s mind.
“But I still don’t know.”
“What?”
「I understand that there are traces of monsters in the place we are going to, but I am not sure that they are my subordinates. If not, what should I do… ?”
“Your subordinates must be.”
“… Why are you so sure?”
Hyun took a deep breath and opened the log window.
There was a new message floating around.
It was a quest that was born from the moment you set the route to Carinta Island.
“Because the main quest has appeared.”
***
Carinta Island.
Jointly managed by two celestial beings, it is home to about 50,000 residents.
It wasn’t very big or bustling, but it wasn’t a small island like Ufia.
In other words, rumors among NPCs were not easily buried.
Rumors about demons and demons were very special, so the incident that happened on Carinta Island spread quickly to NPCs, and soon reached the ears of the heavenly people.
<There are ruins of monsters in the ground of the island!>
<In the ruins, monsters and artifacts believed to be used by monsters have been excavated!>
It didn’t take long for rumors to spread throughout the island.
Interestingly, neither the celestials nor the owners of the island had much hostility towards the existence of ‘monsters’.
Rather, a museum was created under the initiative of the celestials.
The museum, which exhibits artifacts excavated from underground ruins, quickly became a specialty of the island.
<We must know the history!>
<Excavate more artifacts!>
Rather, the celestials instructed the inhabitants of the island to do so.
It was the celestial that would get sick of hearing the word monster or demon.
Ordinary celestials would ought to burn an artifact mixed with demonic energy as soon as they found it, but why did they act like this?
The reason was simple. It was because the celestials who managed Carinta Island followed the idea of harmony.
According to the teachings of harmony, all things other than the transcendent are insignificant.
Humans, celestials, and monsters too!
Their karma disappears upon death, and the reincarnated soul is reborn as a completely different being.
Even if it was a living monster, there was no need to have fear or hostility even to a monster that had died a long time ago.
“To think there were ruins of demons under the city… .”
Rumors of the demonic relic soon spread to all the inhabitants of Carinta Island.
It was even reported that a museum had been built in the center of the city.
“They say there are no living monsters. Isn’t that fine then?”
“Well, there is no need to hate even the dead.”
Perhaps because the residents were also imbued with the idea of harmony, they did not show resistance to the Monster Museum.
For that reason, the museum is open to the island’s residents and to wanderers visiting the island.
It was natural for a large number of people to flock to a special place.
“This is a monster… ?”
Among them, there were people who saw monsters for the first time in their lives.
Their sense of values, which came to mind images of savage and ferocious skeletons, ghouls, and ghosts, began to shake little by little.
‘It’s sacred.’
‘beautiful… !’
That was the feeling most humans felt.
At the entrance of the museum, there were two vampires hugging each other.
The artifact that looks like a statue is not actually a statue.
It is the corpse of a monster that lived and moved in the past.
According to the wizard who identified the artifact, the souls of the vampires were expelled 3,000 years ago, and the time of the body somehow stopped.
‘It’s definitely a monster… .’
‘Why am I feeling so sad?’
The two vampires were kissing each other with tears in their eyes.
Perhaps they were lovers in the past.
There are huge scars all over their bodies.
From that, he could guess the situation the vampires were in.
What tragedy happened 3,000 years ago?
Maybe they didn’t want to die either.
The sight of them holding each other’s hands so they wouldn’t miss it made them feel sad, so some of the highly sensitive viewers shed tears.
“This… Are you a reaper?”
It wasn’t just the vampire lovers who confused the audience.
Those who passed between the exhibited artifacts soon encountered a mural.
A large mural depicting Valkyrie and the Grim Reaper.
Representing the sky and the abyss, they bent their knees and bowed their heads towards each other as if to swear something.
Even though it was just a mural, it was such a painting that I could feel the solemnity of it.
‘What are they doing?’
‘At least I know this mural doesn’t represent a fight.’
In the museum, there was also a skeleton, a monster that everyone knows.
A small skeleton and a statue of a child who appeared to be human were mixed together.
They are said to be statues that have been excavated from the ruins as they are.
The two were pointing their swords at each other.
Everyone could easily tell from the wide grin on the children’s faces that they were not fighting in earnest.
The two looked like they were just joking around or playing soldiers.
“I came here after hearing that it was a monster museum… Is it too different from what you thought?”
Looking at any of the relics, the monsters in their stereotypes did not exist.
What I feel from their appearance is not fear or fear, but friendliness.
Most of the monsters were not much different from ordinary humans, and sometimes they got along with humans.
“They are all relics from 3,000 years ago.”
“It means that things like this were made casually in the past.”
There were not many objects on display in the museum.
It was because there were not many intact artifacts excavated.
However, those few artifacts shocked the people who had spent their entire lives in heaven, and their perception of the abyss gradually changed.
When they finally left the museum, many people were unknowingly thinking about this.
‘Maybe the relationship between the sky and the abyss wasn’t bad before?’
‘If there was an era in the past where humans and monsters coexisted… .’
‘Maybe that kind of day will come again someday!’
The biblical record is said to have been revised about 2,000 years ago.
Since there are no Bibles left before the revision, there was not a single human being who knew the history of 3,000 years ago.
What was the old history like? Is it what people imagined?
Those with such curiosity did not yet know.
The fact that in their hearts, the resistance to the abyss has been considerably erased.
***
Hyun and Louise soon arrived at Carinta Island.
Naturally, both fairy tales and twists were used.
‘There is no title of deceiver. What if I get caught by a heavenly person… ? If you’re unlucky, you might be kicked out before you even land on the island.’
Hyeon suddenly felt that kind of worry, but when he thought about it again, it was useless.
Mayday was a user of the Abyssal Force.
The fact that she was functioning normally on Carinta Island meant that no major problems would arise for herself and Louise.
As soon as they arrived at Carinta Island, the prefecture was able to safely proceed with leaving the transport ship at the operating berth.
“It’s free here.”
Louise muttered while looking around the island.
Hyun smiled bitterly at her words.
Compared to the city on the border, it would be leisurely, but it was not an island with a very low population density.
“Are my subordinates sleeping here?”
“Perhaps. They say that the underground ruins are full of traces of monsters. There is a high probability that your subordinates will be among them.”
Hyun began to grasp the situation on Carinta Island.
The discovery of traces of monsters on the sky island is an incredible event.
It wouldn’t be strange to declare a state of emergency.
Even so, Hyun could not find any tension in the expressions of the residents.
‘Why are you so calm?’
The sky islands are, in a sense, the same as the direct jurisdiction of heavenly beings.
Besides, most of the NPCs must already know about the existence of the ruins, but the reaction of the residents is so nonchalant.
“Hey, are you an adventurer?”
“Yes, by the way… ?”
“If you have nothing to do, let me tell you something good. Rumors about monster ruins are hot these days… .”
Some NPCs even gave quests saying that they would reward you if you brought an artifact from the ruins.
Hyeon was so generous to monsters that he couldn’t tell whether this was a sky island or a dark country.
“This is an island in the sky… ?”
“Is there anything strange about it?”
“Of course it is strange! It seems your senses are getting weird since you’ve been living only in the border city these days, but the sky island is entirely a realm in the sky!”
“hmm… .”
“Think about when you were at Iluna Shrine. What will happen if a monster appears in the temple or an item mixed with magic is found?」
“that… It must be a pretty big commotion.”
“yes? That’s why things are weird right now. To think that the inhabitants of Sky Island have such a flat reaction to things related to the Abyss… .”
Hyun could not easily understand the situation.
It wasn’t like this even in Asura. What changed?
It was only after Hyun and Louise wandered around the city some more that they realized why people had become strange.
Every moderately large city on the Sky Island must have a temple.
The moment he stepped into the temple on Carinta Island, Hyun could see a statue with a familiar face.
“Ah, that… !”
“hyeon? Is this a familiar face?」
“It’s a face you know!”
“Yes… ? iced coffee!”
Even Louise, who was tilting her head, soon realized.
The fact that the statue erected in the temple is not an archangel of truth, light, or order.
No, it resembled an angel, but it was completely different from an angel.
“It’s a deception!”
“When in angelic form, it would be more correct to call it harmony.”
The statue erected in the temple of Carinta Island is a woman who looks very much like Caydrial.
It was clear that deception had had a profound effect on the island, even without further investigation.
Only then did Hyun understand the reaction of the NPCs on the island.
Why do they leave the traces of the monster as it is? Why are you not hostile to monsters?
Maybe it’s because I fell for the agitation of harmony.
“haha… It’s pretty good!」
A smile escaped from Hyeonu’s lips.
I had heard that deception would expand its power in the name of harmony, but I never imagined that her influence would extend to an island like this.
Did she help Louise, help herself and Ein, and even succeed in splitting the heavens?
If this achievement has been achieved, the prefecture has no choice but to acknowledge it.
In the future, even if deception does something suspicious, you will not be unconditionally suspicious.
“Did it go well?”
“Of course, it means we can go around freely! You won’t have to worry about getting caught by the celestials anymore!”
Judging from the situation, the celestials who are the administrators of the island must also be serving deceit.
“A monster museum? What is this again?」
It was after Hyun and Louise got out of the temple that they even realized the existence of the museum.
「Let’s go!」
“I thought so even if you didn’t say anything.”
The two went straight to the museum.
There, artifacts related to monsters that were said to have been found in the ruins were on display.
It didn’t take Hyun long enough to realize that all the artifacts were Caidrial’s arrangements.
‘Wait, maybe.’
It was then that something flashed in Hyun’s head.
Hyun recalled the main quest that came to mind a while ago.
<Main Quest: End of Hibernation>
-Those who served the darkness are asleep nearby.
-You will definitely need their help for the future steps of darkness.
-Help Louise to awaken her minions.
“Louise, can’t you save those vampires with your own power?”
What if the beings prepared here are the sleeping subordinates of Louise?
Unfortunately, such prefecture’s expectations were misplaced.
“no. I can’t feel my soul.”
Louise quietly closed her eyes and shook her head.
“Everything else in the museum is the same. You are the only one around here who can sympathize with me.”
“Um… . That’s right.”
Hyun clicked his tongue in regret.
If Ki-man had prepared all of Louise’s men, he would have bowed to her statue once a day.
In the end, it seemed that there was only one way to clear the main quest.
To go directly to the ruins that are said to have been created on the island.
If you wander through the ruins, you may find the servants of darkness sleeping somewhere.
‘Wait, is that guy still here?’
In an instant, Hyun thought of May Day.
She said that she came naturally to Carinta Island while solving a little special quest.
‘I knew the information about the ruins.’
It was Mayday who explained the general situation of Carinta Island to herself and informed her that a large ruin had been created in the center.
Guessing the situation, it was highly likely that Mayday knew more about the structure of the ruins.
‘I wish I could get some help…’ .”
I looked at the Friends window with such expectations, but Mayday was already offline.
It seemed that today’s play was over and the connection had already been closed.
「I can’t help it. Let’s go together, Louise.”
“Oh, it’s finally starting.”
“What, you look so excited all of a sudden?”
“It’s a trip to find my subordinates. Isn’t it natural to expect it!”
Perhaps because she knew she didn’t have to fight the sky, Louise’s tension was much more relaxed than on the transport ship.
It wouldn’t be nice to be too relaxed, but it would be better than too stiff.
Hyun and Louise started to visit the entrance of the ruins, which were said to be full of traces of monsters, asking NPCs.
***
On the way, Hyun was able to hear some more information.
When Hyeon said he was going to the ruins, the NPCs talked about what they knew without asking.
Most of it was trivial chit-chat, but there were occasional stories that seemed useful.
The prefecture’s biggest gain was finding out that the artifacts found in the ruins are about 3,000 years old.
‘Three thousand years ago… .’
Hyun was in trouble.
Searching the interloop didn’t record anything that happened that long ago.
The oldest record is about 2600 years ago, when the first Holy King established the Holy Kingdom.
After that, numerous countries competed for each other’s interests, and it is said that the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Nation of Darkness stabilized as a three-power system.
In other words, even the prefecture who experienced Asura Online knew nothing about the history before that.
‘I don’t know.’
Hyunguk shook his head.
Until I saw and confirmed it for myself, it seemed that nothing could be answered with certainty.
“You, you are a user.”
It was when Hyun was about to enter the entrance of the ruins that he heard such a voice.
At the entrance of the ruins, NPCs who appeared to be guards were talking to Hyun.
“Are you a companion of those who entered first?”
“yes… ?”
“Ah, nothing. Besides you, there were other users who went inside. Everyone said they received a quest to excavate an artifact.”
‘Users who entered first… ?’
Hyun’s eyes narrowed.
NPCs used the expression ‘users’. It was clear that he was referring to users other than Mayday.
“How many are there?”
“Hmm, I didn’t count, but… If you add all the users who entered the ruins, there will be about 20 people.”
Despite learning new information, Hyun hardened his expression even more.
The NPC’s words meant that there were 20 users who knew the information ahead of him.
“Users can go to dangerous places without any burden, so excavating artifacts will be much easier with the help of users like you.”
“… That’s good.”
Who is it? If you knew this information first, you would be a ranker, right?
Numerous names passed through Hyun’s head.
From Hall of Fame single-digit rankers such as Latisse and Mayday, to Asura and the regressor guild with deep ties.
No matter who appeared, there was a high possibility that it would be a variable in proceeding with the main quest.
There’s nothing wrong with being prepared just in case.
Hyun decided to engrave the existence of other users deep in his heart.
‘Didn’t I say Mayday was here too?’
Hyun looked at the situation once again.
‘As long as there are enough users to come here, the level is guaranteed.’
Like May Day, who came here for a quest.
If it was enough to reach Carinta Island, each and every one of them would be users equivalent to rankers.
‘Are you taking a risk… ?’
No matter how experienced Asura is, he doesn’t know all the job skills after the 2nd job change.
It was because there were too many types of jobs, and it was impossible to memorize each skill that was more diverse than that.
Now that all rankers have passed level 200, the situation is different from before.
“thank you. surely… Users should be careful.”
Hyun bowed his thanks to the NPC.
However, the guard tilted his head as if he didn’t know why.
“What does that mean?”
“yes… ?”
“You seem to have misunderstood me. I didn’t warn you of that kind of danger. There are no real dangers.”
“yes… ?”
Hyun asked the NPC.
“I heard that there are no living monsters in the ruins… Could it be that demons or monsters have been found?”
“no. So far, there have been no reports of ‘moving things’ being found inside the ruins.”
“Then a trap… ?”
“Not even that.”
The NPC’s answer raised a question mark in Hyun’s head. If there were no fights and no traps, what was the danger?
Then he began to describe the events taking place at the site.
“People who entered the ruins are disappearing for no reason.”
“Disappearance?”
“okay. I don’t know why, but they say that if you take a second look, your comrades will disappear without a trace.”
“Disappearing… .”
It was a word that was even more difficult to understand.
“It would be quicker to tell you what actually happened. Not too long ago, ordinary villagers formed an expedition and headed to the ruins.
The story that came out of the NPC’s mouth was really absurd.
“Ten people went on an expedition, but only eight returned. The curious thing is that no one knows why the other two disappeared.”
“Did we get mixed up while acting separately?”
“no. Surprisingly, the rest of them were talking to their missing comrades just a few seconds ago.”
“… !”
“Aren’t you curious? The person next to me disappeared in an instant.”
The guard’s explanation continued.
“That is not the only suspicious case. The rest of the people who returned said in unison that they had experienced strange phenomena inside the ruins.”
“What kind of phenomenon is it?”
“That I was lost.”
Hyun didn’t understand his words for a moment.
Isn’t it common to get lost in a complex place like a labyrinth?
Even in Labyrinth, the NPCs remembered that they had solved the problem by creating a map.
However, what the guard said was not so ordinary.
“It seems you don’t know yet. These ruins are all alone.”
“yes… ? then… .”
“You understand what I mean now? People are lost in places where there is no fork in the road.”
“why?”
“It’s dangerous because we don’t know why!”
I get lost without knowing why, and people disappear. Certainly, as the guards said, it was considered dangerous.
“Because of this, even the celestial man who manages the island has issued an order not to enter the ruins in order to protect the residents. The reason I’m standing here is because I’m in charge of filtering out residents who don’t have official permission to explore… .”
“… .”
“Ah, of course, since you’re a user, it doesn’t matter. Users who visit the island are rather encouraged to explore the ruins. Aren’t you free from death?”
“okay… .”
Hearing the explanation, Hyun’s eyes twinkled.
This is also a kind of freak phenomenon.
A similar phenomenon had also been experienced on Ufia Island.
When you reach the 13th floor of the dungeon found in the island’s cave.
There have been times when progress has been blocked due to unexplained phenomena that keep happening.
‘Is it related to chaos?’
Death, Mirror, Nether, Time.
Whenever chaos intertwined, something out of common sense happened.
Perhaps this time both darkness and chaos are involved.
“The reason will be revealed soon since a wizard reputed to have excellent skills is on the expedition. Until then, players like you will have to suffer.”
“All right… thank you for the information.”
“Keuheum, and what to say, but… .”
Tring!
Suddenly, a quest alarm rang in Hyun’s ear.
“If you find a useful artifact inside, will you hand it over to me?”
“A relic?”
“Ah, don’t get me wrong. Because it’s not a scam. I’ll pay more than twice the compensation you hand over to the museum.”
Mmm.
Hyungwon nodded, remembering what happened earlier.
There were several NPCs in the city that gave quests like this guard.
They seemed to know a route to sell the relics at a higher value than supplying them to the museum.
“I will do that if possible.”
[The guard ‘Leon’s quest begins!]
Hyun readily accepted his request with a smile.
It’s not about expecting gold or items.
Anything that the guards can only give you can get it whenever you want.
Nevertheless, Hyun accepted the quest in order not to lose the affinity he had built up through conversation.
“Oh, thank you!”
And the effect appeared sooner than Hyun expected.
“Ah, come to think of it, there was information I couldn’t tell you before.”
“… ?”
“It seems that there are people who pretend to be users even among ordinary people.”
“You pretending to be a user?!”
For an instant, the image of a woman with a sharp impression appeared in Hyeon’s mind.
macaroon… No, the Heretic Inquisitor named Karma!
Even though he was an NPC, he was wearing a user’s mask.
“Why would you do such a thing?”
“Of course, they are trying to excavate the artifacts themselves. Because the residents of the island are forbidden to enter. Well, those who break the island’s laws are cheap even if they go missing, so I don’t bother stopping them.”
“Um… .”
Hyun’s eyes narrowed as he listened to the guard’s explanation.
To break through the gaps in the law… .
Why does it come to mind that maybe that’s not all?
It was at that time that Louise suddenly shouted in spirit dialogue.
“Currently, if you’re a guy who imitates users… .”
“I know what you mean.”
Hyun answered before Louise could finish her words.
It was because he knew that Louise was also thinking of Karma.
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“I hope it’s not what we’re imagining.”
“But what if it’s as you imagine?”
“then… .”
Hyun recalled the strength of both sides.
Although both herself and Louise had become stronger than before, the specs of the story-named NPCs must have increased as much as that time.
How much can the two of them handle now?
A paladin of the Shakron class would be able to deal with it well enough. Maybe even C-class celestials.
After the rough calculation was finished, Hyun reassured Louise.
“You don’t have to worry too much.”
That’s right, isn’t that what raised Louise for a time like this?
If possible, he and Louise would not fall into danger.
Like back then, even if guys with the title of apostles came rushing in, even if there were encounters with named-level NPCs, they wouldn’t be taken for granted.
Hyun made that decision and moved on.
***
The ruins of the monster.
It looks vast at first glance, but it is an illusion caused by the width of the hallway.
Except for the fact that there are spiral staircases and winding roads, the inside of the ruins was not complicated at all.
If you connect irregular roads with a width of 5 to 50 meters into one, you will end up with a single road.
A child under the age of 10 will not get lost in a place like this.
“I don’t see anything resembling a relic.”
“Because it’s still early days.”
Hyun answered Louise’s muttering.
“The artifacts here must have been excavated first. There are people at the ruins before us.”
“I wish I could find it… .”
Hyun and Louise did not forget the purpose of coming here.
Hyeon flew all the way to Carinta Island to get a clue to the chaos, and Louise to wake up the sleeping men.
“You suddenly feel anxious.”
“I came all the way here, but I wonder if your men aren’t there?”
“Yes… .”
“There is no need to worry about that.”
Hyun laughed.
Louise’s concerns were just unfounded.
<Main Quest: End of Hibernation>
-Those who served the darkness are asleep nearby.
Proof of this is the main quest that popped up on the way to Carinta Island.
The minions of darkness must be waiting for their master’s call somewhere in these ruins.
“What we’re looking for will be in the depths.”
“Um… Should I go further?”
“Okay, let’s speed it up a bit.”
Fortunately, there were blue magic lanterns hanging all over the walls of the ruins.
Occasionally, there were lanterns of unusual colors, but there was no problem in fulfilling the role of lighting all over the site.
Fain! Fain! The wind blew incessantly from the tip of the string.
I went down the cliff cut like that and passed the vast square.
There were no crossroads and no traps, so Hyun was able to run through the ruins without hesitation.
It was in the middle of running for a long time that I borrowed Louise’s skill when I felt the question.
“It’s a bit strange.”
“what?”
“It’s too wide.”
“huh… ?”
Louise didn’t understand at once, so Hyun added an explanation.
“The diameter of Carinta Island is only 8 kilometers. It doesn’t make sense that there are ruins like this drilled underground.”
“Isn’t the space ratio different?”
“no.”
Hyun shook his head at Louise’s objection.
Before coming here, I was able to find something strange because I had carefully looked at the records about Carinta Island in Interloop.
“The magic circle on this island doesn’t have that ability.”
“is it… ?”
“Because Carinta Island was created before the space distortion magic circle was invented.”
Hyun glanced at the interface floating on one side of the screen.
The distance traveled is already more than 50 kilometers.
If the road is winding, it may be possible to fit 50 kilometers of road into a diameter of 8 kilometers.
Even such an assumption was impossible now.
Hyun was making a hologram of the traces he had passed through the map function, because the widest width of the drawn map was over 20 kilometers.
You cannot put an object larger than the diameter of the bottle in the bottle.
Louise soon understood Hyun’s explanation.
“how… ?”
That moment,
Pod! The color of the magic lantern has changed.
from blue to orange.
Hyun glared at the lantern that had just shaken.
“I think this is the most suspicious.”
“lamplight? What do you mean?”
“Now, look.”
Hyun turned back around the corner he had just passed.
“ah… ?”
At that moment, Louise let out a foolish voice.
“The structure… Has it changed?”
“also. People don’t get lost for nothing.”
Hyun was convinced that his assumptions were correct.
Before turning the corner, they were clearly walking on flat ground.
However, the moment I looked back at the road I had passed, the flatland had turned into an endlessly descending slope.
“What kind of English is this… ?”
Louise asked with a serious expression.
Hyun put in a map drawn from the traces he had passed, and instead cut and played a 30-minute recording.
I didn’t know it when I passed by, but when I looked closely like this, I was able to realize something that I hadn’t noticed before.
“maybe… .”
After comparing the videos in short segments, Hyun was more convinced.
The déjà vu I felt several times while running through the ruins was not an illusion.
I passed a similarly shaped pillar, and jumped down the same type of stairs.
Until now, I only knew that these ruins were originally built with such a structure, but… It seemed that it was not just a feeling.
“I think I passed the same place three times.”
“What… ?!”
“Looks like you’ve lost your way.”
Hyun could then see Louise’s expression turn pale.
Hyun remembered the guard’s advice.
Did you say that the colleague you were talking with suddenly disappeared?
Now that I look at it, it didn’t happen for nothing.
The flat land turned into a slope.
Does the structure change every time you turn a corner?
Assuming that, I tried to recreate the same situation several times, but no matter how many times I tried, the slope did not change into a flat surface.
As I had no choice but to go down the slope, a place I had never seen before appeared before my eyes.
It was the moment when the sense of incongruity of the prefecture, which had continued since entering the historic site, disappeared.
“This is a completely different place.”
“this… what.”
“The reason I didn’t realize it until now is probably because I’ve only been looking ahead and running.”
Through the fairy tale, Hyun could feel that Louise was in confusion.
There was no other way anyway, so I slowly made my way along the newly revealed path.
Has it been 5 minutes like that?
Pod! At some point, the magic lamp flickered again.
This time from orange to blue.
‘It has changed… !’
that instant
Hyeon climbed the cliff he had just jumped off of before and tried again.
“Aha, as expected.”
He raised a corner of his mouth and made a face that he finally knew.
At the top of the cliff, another scenery was unfolding.
The tiles on the floor and the patterns on the walls were completely different from the previous areas.
A ruin without a fork in the road?
That is completely wrong.
The road that looked like a single road at first glance wasn’t actually a single road.
“What should I do now…?” ?”
It had been a while since Louise had come to her senses.
No, it was as if he hadn’t come to his senses yet.
His voice was shaking as if he still couldn’t get out of the panic.
“They said that all the people who went missing here are dead!”
“huh… ? No one said anything like that… ?”
「Still, if there is no news, isn’t that proof that you are dead!」
“Hey, calm down for now.”
Hyun showed Louise the return scroll.
It is an object that allows you to move to a private room anytime, anywhere, unless it is a place with a magic circle that isolates space movement.
It was only after seeing the scroll that Louise’s voice seemed to have subsided.
“That, that’s right… Great, but nothing has been resolved yet. After coming this far, I can’t go back without getting my men. If I miss this opportunity, it might end forever… .”
Hyun also agreed with Louise’s words.
The next awakening of darkness will surely require her minions.
If the sleeping souls were broken or sealed by someone else’s hands, it was an irreversible situation.
“Nothing has been resolved, but it is not without clues.”
“Yes?”
“Doesn’t anything similar come to mind?”
Hyun recalled the knowledge he knew.
Knowledge that was not available in Asura Online.
“You’ve experienced a lot of sudden changes in the world.”
If this was the first time this had happened, I might have been embarrassed.
However, Hyun has already experienced similar situations countless times.
In the Temple of Twilight, in Satellite Iluna, in the Shadowlands, and most recently in the Skybridge.
“A symmetrical world!”
Hyun looked at the status window and was convinced again.
In addition to the symmetrical world, there is a world called ‘Netherlands’, but it is a place you can only go to after you die.
There was no possibility that he had fallen into the Nether now that his health bar was still full.
“This is the basement… Called?”
After hearing the explanation, Louise looked around.
Hyun corrected Louise’s mistake.
“No, because I moved twice, I came back from underground to the surface.”
The lanterns hanging all over the walls are blue.
Even at the time of entering the ruins, the lanterns were blue.
“And you can go underground again from the ground.”
「How can you say… ?”
“… ?”
For a moment, Hyun thought that Louise might be an idiot.
Because I thought I had completely forgotten the method I had used so many times.
“Wait, what an excuse!”
Feeling sorry for herself through fairy tales, Louise quickly retorted.
“I didn’t ask because I didn’t know how to pray! Skipping worlds is incredibly dangerous! If the density of the space is different, the body will be torn as it is, but I meant how to solve that problem!”
“Yeah… .”
Hyun replied in a slightly puzzled voice.
“Can’t we just do it at the place where the color of the light changed?”
“Yes… ?”
“It’s safe to go through the same place again…” .”
“… … .”
sudden silence.
Then, through the fairy tale, I felt Louise’s embarrassing feeling.
“that… Let’s go back there for a moment. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to check the points where you can pray.”
In order to erase the useless awkward atmosphere, Hyun had to hasten his steps.
***
The real world and the symmetrical world.
Or above and below ground.
The way to go back and forth between the two worlds is to adjust the level of consciousness by praying to angels or demons, but it is simple but not simple.
If you don’t have enough skill, it’s because it’s useless to pray for a hundred days.
‘Even those from the Holy Kingdom couldn’t easily come over to the symmetrical world.’
Hyun still clearly remembers what happened in the land of darkness.
Priests and paladins had to use very special magic to skip worlds.
The power consumed by that energy was so great that we could only send one order of knights led by Shakron.
Even the priests, who devoted themselves to prayer all day long, were at their limit.
‘I’m probably the only user who can do this.’
Even he, who had reached level 9 of prayer, could not cross the world by himself yet.
Even though I have been practicing prayer whenever I have a spare time.
It meant that there was no user with a higher prayer level, so the only user who could use this method at the moment was himself.
‘I’m getting tired of praying too.’
It’s already been four days since we entered the ruins.
Meanwhile, Hyun had been wandering around with Louise and making maps.
Is there anyone who doesn’t get tired of drawing all day without being able to hunt or PvP?
However, Hyun was feeling worthwhile even in the midst of that boredom.
‘I never thought I’d raise my proficiency this way.’
The prayer proficiency, which had not even moved, finally reached 85 percent.
Only 15% of the proficiency left until the long-awaited level 10!
‘What is the new effect?’
‘Prayer’s priestly clothes’ explained that the item’s new effect is opened at the 10th level of prayer.
3 seconds of invincibility and reduced death penalty with level 6 effect, strong god at level 9!
Up to this point, it is an excessive ability for one item, but what kind of ability will be created here?
Drinking kimchi soup like that made my heart feel happy.
‘No, I have to focus on the main quest now.’
Hyun shook his head and brushed off his thoughts.
Thanks to four days of hard work, a large part of the map was completed.
‘I’m finally starting to see the outline.’
In the meantime, the prefecture did not advance into new districts.
It is not lost.
I didn’t go forward on purpose because I had an intuition that it was more important to understand the rules here.
“Is it over?”
“okay. I don’t need to draw any more.”
No one can draw a map in a one-way maze.
However, if you are in a place with two-way traffic, you can invest enough time to complete the map.
In other words, it was only thanks to Louise’s help that Hyun was able to grasp the rules of the ruins.
“I know for sure how things are going here.”
The ruins had a structure in which the worlds of both the underground and the ground were repeated and interlocked like a chain.
The only places where you can safely cross the world are the intersections between them.
Hyun decided to call the intersection a ‘passage’.
Now that all the rules were figured out, Hyun could know the location of the passages without having to wait for the lanterns to change color.
“While the size of the districts is constant, the number of aisles is decreasing.”
In addition, by looking at the regularity, it was possible to guess how many districts the site consisted of.
It is a way of inferring the whole through the parts.
“There is only one passage connecting the twelfth and thirteenth districts… So maybe the 13th is the last area.”
“Are my men there?”
“It could be, or it could have been before. You’ll know exactly when you go.”
Hyun, who finished organizing the situation, slowly prepared to move.
The current location is District 5.
It wasn’t too difficult to find the passage to the 6th district.
‘If you connect here and here, here… .’
Pod!
I didn’t even have to pray.
The moment he arrived at the location marked on the map, Hyun could see the lanterns hanging on the wall turn red.
from ground to underground.
It was a signal to inform them that they had entered the next area.
“Yes?”
Right after that, Hyun’s eyes widened.
There was a loud noise coming from somewhere.
“This sound… .”
“It’s the sound of a battle!”
Louise quickly shouted.
“Are they the ones who came before us?”
“I don’t know, the people who came in later… Otherwise, there is a possibility that he is not human!」
Hyun corrected Louise’s words.
While making the map, I realized that the structure of the site is very wide and complex.
Considering that all passageways are one-way, it was a more troublesome place than a labyrinth.
It was not strange at all for the two parties to cross paths in such a place.
Or, there might be monsters in the ruins.
“Anyway, let’s go!”
Hyun silenced the footsteps and approached the place where the sound came from.
In order not to reveal his existence, he deliberately did not use Louise’s wind.
A roar finally approached.
Hyun and Louise were able to watch from afar the culprits causing the commotion in the wide open space.
“It’s a person!”
Louise shouted first.
“As expected, we are fighting!”
As she said, four people dressed as players were fighting in the clearing.
To be precise, it was 3 to 1. It was a form of three attacking one person.
The moment he used his clairvoyance, the details caught Hyun’s eye.
At the same time, Hyun’s eyes widened.
‘Mayday… ?’
It was because he realized that the one user who could receive an attack 3 to 1 was Mayday.
In the next moment, an even more surprising fact was revealed.
‘Those guys are the members of the Regressor Guild!’
I don’t know about the two, but I know about the other one.
It was because Hyun remembered some of the faces he had seen in the land of darkness.
“Hyun, do you know someone?”
“Yeah, of course you know! Among the user guilds, these two have the most powerful forces!”
“Better than the Shade Guild?”
“It’s not like that… It’s a fight between the strongest guild after us!”
Is it a war between guilds? Or is it just a personal matter?
Even if it was the latter, there was a strong possibility that this fight would escalate further.
Mayday is, in name and reality, the strongest of the Darkness Guild! He was a more famous user than the guild leader or sub guild leader.
The members of the regressor guild were also inducted into the Hall of Fame, forces that emerged in an instant.
For Hyun, from the moment he started Asrian, they were constantly conscious beings.
“Tell me which one to help!”
Hyun answered Louise’s question with a question.
“help… ? why?”
“Well, wouldn’t it be advantageous for us to help the Abyss user!”
Hyun, lost in thought for a moment at Louise’s words, shook his head.
“Right now, power doesn’t matter.”
“what?!”
“Users fight each other for no reason. Just because they have the same power doesn’t mean they’re all allies.”
“Even if there is no reason… ?”
“To be precise, trying to trample on the other person itself is the reason for fighting.”
Rankers are originally those who have a desire to become stronger than others.
It is natural to want to weaken the power of a future competitor.
“Whoa, hmm, anyway, let’s just watch.”
Hyeon also harbored such a desire.
No, Hyun was proud that he had a bigger goal than any other user of Asrian, so it was hard to hold back the laughter that leaked out naturally.
