Shaking Soul (1), Shaking Soul (2) and Shaking Soul (3)
“The master and the attendant… They are connected by soul strings… .”
Louise and Hyun suddenly heard Shatin’s voice in their ears.
Shatin is inside Louise’s soul.
How do you two usually talk?
Hyun was able to answer that question this time.
“Even if empathy is sealed, it doesn’t mean the string has disappeared… No wonder the death of one affects the other… .”
“is it.”
The conversation between Louise and Shatin was very short.
Shatin muttered an incomprehensible explanation, and Louise only responded with one word.
Is this also a possible conversation between the master and the attendant?
Or maybe it’s just because Shatin is a golem.
However, Hyun felt Louise’s heart slowly sinking with just that brief conversation.
‘If I had been with her since I was young, I would have done well as a babysitter.’
Hyun had a useless imagination.
If Shatin was with Louise when she was probably 10 or 15 years old.
Wouldn’t it be easier for me to take care of Louise?
In the midst of such useless thoughts, Hyun could hear Mayday’s voice.
“Hyun, how did you find that?”
“… ?”
“I haven’t found any yet!”
“It probably doesn’t exist anymore.”
Hyun stood up quietly.
It was after Louise’s heart became much lighter.
“I think we should talk more than that.”
“yes… ?”
“Who did you get this quest from?”
Hyun opened the quest window.
No matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find any explanation other than the quest goal and reward.
“Oh, that!”
With nothing to hide anymore, Mayday answered without hesitation.
“Ah, it was an NPC who claimed to be the representative of the celestials!”
“Heaven… ? Do you know the name of the Celestial?”
“I don’t know about that. Even if I asked, they wouldn’t tell me.”
“Hmm… ”
Hyun’s thoughts deepened.
The more I listened to the story, the more suspicious I felt.
An artifact with a soul… No matter how much I thought about it, the only thing similar to him was a hibernating monster.
In other words, someone was trying to find her men before Louise did.
And there was only one premise to explain this situation.
“It seems that there are people in the sky who noticed us, right?”
“No doubt!”
A being who knows the plans of the dark in advance.
Someone like that is trying to sabotage Louise.
<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.
The description of the main quest is still the same.
It meant that there were more ‘those who serve the darkness’ somewhere in the ruins besides the skull just now.
“It looks like an oracle of light has come down.”
“trust?”
「Yes, the light has always read my plan beforehand. If the information is not leaked, I can only think of an oracle.”
“Is that so?”
Hyun looked back at Mayday and said.
It must be the hostile forces of the NPC Louise who gave her the quest.
Having grasped the situation roughly, Hyun had no intention of letting the quest go ahead.
“It would be better to stop this.”
“yes… ?”
“Because it will make other people quit the quest as well as you.”
“What is that… .”
To Mayday, it sounded like a thunderclap.
Was the generosity of Hyun, whom I briefly saw then, a fake?
Making others quit quests to monopolize the rewards!
Although he often hears that Hyun is a personality breaker from his guild member Cage, even Mayday never thought that it would be to this extent.
“Instead of that, I’ll give you a new quest.”
What followed was even more speculative.
“Including the returnee guild members, ‘Kill all who seek special artifacts.’”
“… .”
“Simple, right? That is the goal of my quest.”
“uh… hmm… .”
“I will definitely issue it as a guild quest. This is a list of quest rewards, so read it.”
“A reward?”
Mayday slowly read what Hyun had written.
“… !”
At one point, my eyes twinkled.
I quickly shook my head.
Isn’t this bad enough?
After all, there was only one soul clone elixir. Maybe this is better than not getting it!
“Okay, I accept.”
As Mayday nodded, a new list appeared in her quest window.
A quest is a kind of contract. You can’t lie in any way.
It was the moment when Hyun and Mayday joined forces once again after in the land of darkness.
***
People go missing inside the ruins!
Sometimes things that are impossible with common sense, such as getting lost or the companion right next to you disappearing, happen!
Realizing that such ghost stories are not just rumors, the owner of Carinta Island forbids unauthorized residents from entering the site.
In addition, an expedition was immediately organized.
It was to understand the phenomenon that occurred inside the ruins.
The composition of the expedition members organized in this way were wizards, trap searchers, scholars, and a few guards around level 250.
There were two reasons for not putting a lot of effort into it.
Because it is burdensome to put high-quality manpower in a place where people frequently go missing.
Second, it was because it was known that no demons or monsters would appear there.
Like that, the expedition made up of NPCs were roaming the ruins even before Hyun and the Mayday Regressor Guild members came in.
“Sheesh, I still don’t know how it came about.”
grumbled the cartographer.
Even after several days, the map of the ruins could not be completed.
Again, someone next to him comforted him.
“You know the way back. No more disappearances will happen.”
“Yeah, but… .”
“Leave the rest to people better than you.”
The identity of the NPC who answered that is a historian.
I applied for the expedition because I wanted to see the relics of the past as soon as possible.
Unlike the others, he could read the ancient writings.
The historian muttered as he stroked the densely written phrases on the wall.
“The world 3,000 years ago… .”
I was quietly lost in my own thoughts.
In the meantime, numerous murals were engraved everywhere in the ruins that passed.
Sometimes there were meaningful phrases that I didn’t know what they were, and sometimes there were phrases that recorded everyday things.
If all of this were true, it was clear that the history of the past was very different from what mortals knew.
‘They said that the ground and the underground support each other.’
The historian who looked around the relics thought of ‘harmony’.
He also remembered her teachings as a follower of harmony.
The idea of harmony, which does not clearly see the boundary between the abyss and the sky, was very similar to the idea of the past.
If all the records of the site are true, the actual history will be far more disruptive than people knew.
‘Is that guess true?’
He was also one of the people who toured the museum on Carinta Island, so he was not aware of the open rumors floating around.
In the distant past, Heaven and Abyss might not have had bad relations.
‘The possibility that this is false… Almost none.’
The people of posterity have no choice but to glimpse the past through the traces of time.
Especially for historians like him, artifacts excavated from sites are an absolute reference point for judgment.
After examining all the records, he was convinced that 3,000 years ago, the two powers were innocently intertwined.
Above all, isn’t it conclusive proof that there are countless traces of monsters left in the ground of the sky island?
“It’s a pity that I couldn’t take all of this with me right away.”
The historian clicked his tongue as if regretting it.
If possible, I wanted to move the entire ruins to a museum.
Only then will people be able to recognize the correct history.
“You don’t have to be so sorry. Master.”
someone was told
He, too, was a resident of Carinta Island who served harmony and the successor of an old historian.
“Because they say they are moving the intact ones first. The number of artifacts revealed in the world will soon increase.”
“How many pitches have you moved so far?”
“A total of 46 balls.”
“Not bad.”
“That’s right. Through our efforts, there will be many people who follow the teachings of harmony in future generations.”
“Cancer, that’s how it should be.”
The two priests faced each other and nodded.
To be honest, the current harmony had a fairly small position in the sky.
It was because there were so many people who only followed tradition and served only truth and light.
However, if this historical truth is revealed to the world, things will change in the future.
It must be a difficult story to accept right away from the point of view of the stubborn celestials and priests.
But after a very long time, nominal order will disappear from the Bible, and harmony will take its place.
“Completing the map must be an urgent priority.”
“It is. Once the map is complete, we will be able to move all the artifacts out of here.”
That’s how the exploration of the NPCs seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
It was only after several weeks of exploration that the problem arose.
The expedition encountered some groups at the site.
The suspicious outfit looked very similar to that of the so-called ‘user’.
Users were allowed entry, so I could understand meeting them at the ruins.
But why do they start attacking as soon as they see them?
Embarrassed NPCs asked, but the other party didn’t even respond.
Two level 250 guards resist their attack and lose their lives in an instant.
“Kuh… ! Who are you!”
“Why are you doing this!”
When the deceased came out, the members of the expedition team turned pale.
There weren’t that many people who could fight in the expedition team, which was composed of various experts.
It was because they did not consider the possibility of fighting someone in the ruins.
“What is this… .”
Those who barely survived scattered and fled.
So did the two historian priests.
“Weren’t they users just now…? ? I don’t know why they attacked us.”
“I am not a user.”
The disciple muttered with meaningful eyes.
The teacher, a historian, was surprised and shook his shoulders.
“What do you mean?!”
“I don’t know if there are users, but there were faces I knew among the attackers.”
The disciple recalled the last face he had seen.
I remembered that when our eyes met each other, the other person also showed a look of bewilderment.
It was clear that he, too, was aware of his identity.
“You know that I am from a priest, right?”
“okay… . Wait, are you saying there was a priest among them?”
“If I’m not mistaken, I’m sure.”
“Huh… !”
The master could not hide his absurdity.
If the attackers were not users, this situation could not be more understood.
Why did the priest attack them?
“… They may be those who do not recognize harmony.”
The disciple spit out what he guessed.
As far as he knew, most priests of the sky were hard-headed.
Even if an angel gives an oracle, even if they directly witness the scene of the descent, they are frustrated people who only blindly believe in the Bible.
“Aren’t you trying to keep your mouth shut because you’re unhappy about us revealing the correct history?”
“… It won’t be that simple.”
At the disciple’s explanation, the master shook his head.
“They serve the truth, so why should they lie?”
“They are already hypocrites. Even among priests and celestials, the same fanatics are numerous.”
“Hey, watch your words!”
“Did I say something wrong?”
“Even if you’re right, it doesn’t make sense to kill us for nothing just for that reason.”
The expedition was organized under the command of the owner of Carinta Island.
It meant that even if the first expedition went missing, the exploration of the site would continue as long as the owner’s will did not change.
In the meantime, if something unsavory happens, it is certain that the assailants will catch the tail, so there is no reason for them to act recklessly.
After hearing the teacher’s explanation, the disciple also admitted that his thoughts were shallow.
“After hearing the reason, I see it.”
“Yes, I wouldn’t commit murder without a greater motive.”
“What do you think was the motive?”
“well… .”
What could be the reason for doing this other than resentment of harmony?
No matter how much they tried to wrap their heads, the two priests couldn’t come up with a ‘other reason’.
Continued in the next volume
“Rather than that, let’s figure out a way to get back.”
The teacher historian sighed and looked around.
I was able to survive the raid, but the problem starts now.
I already knew that this seemingly simple place had a much more complex structure than the Labyrinth.
Now that even the life and death of the guide is unknown, can you escape the threat and return to the entrance safely?
I don’t know when the unknown attackers will appear again.
“Ike… !”
Occasionally, whenever they felt a presence in the distance, the two priests quickly ran away, killing footsteps.
I also passed by places I had never seen before.
They don’t know it well, but the deeper you go into the ruins, the smaller the number of ‘passages’.
It was like a set procedure for those who had reached the inside to get lost.
“ah… .”
To make matters worse, those who roamed the ruins encountered the beings they had been avoiding so much.
“Make sure your face fits.”
“that’s right. These guys are the last!”
“I’m lucky, I never thought I’d be able to find it this soon.”
Those who wear user’s attire.
The faces of the historian priests, who intuited their fate from their conversation, hardened.
Because they lacked combat ability, they couldn’t deal with even a single level 200 user.
“Are all of you users… ?”
The disciple summoned courage and asked in a trembling voice.
There are three people in front of you. There were no familiar faces among them.
It was natural. It was because they were all members of the Regressor Guild.
One of them nodded and said.
“Don’t think badly of it. I just received a quest to catch you.”
<Linked Quest: Clearing the Ghost>
-Destroy as many relics with souls as possible in the ruins.
-If there is someone who wants to stop it, no one should be left alive.
The speed of the quests of the returnee guild members was one step faster than that of May Day.
I succeeded in bringing the artifact containing the soul, and now I’m on my way to the next level of the quest.
The desired reward was something that could be obtained according to the performance of the linked quest.
“Hey, why are you talking to the NPCs you’re about to kill?”
“He’s a psychopath. When I talk to NPCs for a long time, I feel uncomfortable before killing them.”
Upon hearing their conversation, the faces of the two historians turned pale.
Unlike before, it was clear that these were real users, and it seemed that they were not going to let them live.
‘This is it. Yes?’
The moment he was about to accept the approaching death, the disciple felt a question, not fear.
For a moment, I felt the living feeling that my hair stood on end from somewhere.
It wasn’t the enemies right in front of me, it was energy coming from farther away.
The moment your downy hair stands on end with a chilling feeling.
Wow!
There was an illusion that the world was covered in pitch black.
‘what?’
At the same time as a gust of wind passed, the bodies of the menaces who were threatening them were split in two.
Woo-woo-woo-woo-.
With an unknown sound ringing in my ears, the body, which had been stretched into six pieces, became petals of light and scattered.
‘angel… is it?’
The disciple, who was a priest, knew a magic similar to this.
A skill that can only be achieved by an angel above the royal family. split space.
Its technique, activated by striking the air, is said to cut the opponent in front without any warning.
Therefore, it was not unreasonable to think that an unknown angel had descended to save him.
“All those who appear to be users have been dealt with!”
“good job. After all, there is nothing like transparency in a surprise attack.”
However, his true identity was a demon, not an angel.
A demon hiding behind the shadows.
pod. When the duration of invisibility expired, a new type of Hyun appeared in front of the two NPCs.
After some time passed, Mayday also appeared and slowly approached Hyun.
“It’s over… ?”
“yes.”
“I don’t think I need any help… .”
Mayday’s role was to slow down the movement of the regressor guild with gravity magic.
But looking at it now, is it an illusion that there would be no difference in the results even if he hadn’t had his own magic?
“no. It was thanks to that side that they drew attention, so the surprise attack was so easy.”
Despite Hyun’s answer, Mayday’s doubtful feelings did not easily disappear.
***
After the short battle, Hyun smiled with satisfaction.
‘As expected.’
Because he was sure that Ain’s void would be completely filled with Louise’s existence.
No user would be able to deal with Ruiz, whom he supported.
Right now, the fight was decided by surprise, but even if there were no tricks, Louise would not lose.
Louise, who received not only invisibility but also biorhythm acceleration and time amplification, was an almost impossible opponent with the power of the user.
Speed, debuffs, and reflexes are three important factors in a duel.
Louise was no different from a user who had everything perfectly.
[Black Wind Lv.5(+1)]
-Attack and move around the body with demonic wind.
[Wind of Purification Lv.3 (+1)]
– Resists harmful status abnormalities with an 85% chance! (passive)
– Removes all harmful effects when used!
(Cooldown time: 3 minutes)
[Time Boost Lv.1]
-Amplifies the target’s perceived time by 5.4 times for 2 seconds.
– No effect can be seen on the user.
(Cooldown time: 1 minute)
If you had to point out Louise’s weakness, it would be one thing.
Just like Ain’s Ifrit’s claws or Prosia’s ice sword, it doesn’t have a wide attack range?
It was also a part that could be overcome sufficiently with the help of the supporter himself while using a spear as a weapon.
‘By the way, the things these guys do have not changed from before.’
Hyun recalled the arrangement of the members of the regressor guild from earlier.
They’ve taken control of the must-have passage in the 8th precinct.
It was clear what the intention was.
In order not to let other users in. And it would be to monopolize the reward among themselves.
Even in Asura Online, they used to control certain hunting grounds or named monsters in order to make a big profit.
Their behavior did not change even in the occasional group events, and there were frequent complaints from new users in the Asura community.
In the end, it helped the newbies quit the game.
‘Did I say that a similar incident had already occurred in Asrian?’
In the community, it was famous for the ‘black village control case’.
The Black Village means the land of darkness.
The reason why other users still couldn’t participate in the quest even after the Paladins swept through the town.
It is said that this is because the members of the regressor guild killed all the users who moved to the village.
In the end, they were annihilated by themselves and Ain, and they did not reap any benefit, but the incident was openly known to various communities as their representative evil act.
‘In a sense, it’s amazing.’
The regressor guild members must have taken control of the ruins before May Day.
The reason why they were hostile to Mayday was probably because they didn’t want to share quest rewards with anyone else.
Because they preoccupied the ruins first.
They are demons with souls. In other words, Louise might have found several subordinates to wake up.
‘It’s quite annoying this time.’
Hyun was just annoyed.
It wasn’t just because the quest of the regressor’s guild was at his opposite point.
More than that, I didn’t like the fact that Louise was dealing with the beings she sympathized with as they pleased.
I thought that someday I would have to nip it in the bud, but… Maybe we should move that time forward.
When Hyun heard someone’s voice in his ears, he was thinking about future measures.
“Are you guys users… ?”
Hyun belatedly turned his attention to the NPCs.
One old man and one young man.
It was the young man who asked himself the question.
“yes.”
Hyun nodded quietly at his question, and asked again.
“Is that the expedition team of Carinta Island?”
“… It is.”
From the answer, Hyun was able to grasp the approximate situation.
These are NPCs belonging to the forces of harmony. It belonged to a completely different affiliation than those who tried to sabotage Louise.
On the other hand, the members of the Regressor Guild would be in league with the NPCs who gave out quests against the darkness.
Then, it is possible to explain why their lives were threatened by the regressor guild.
Even in the previous work, the members of the guild of regressors destroyed all beings that interfered with their will.
It was impossible to just let the NPCs who were pursuing conflicting goals live.
Hyun spoke quietly to them who were anxious.
“You don’t have to worry.”
“yes… ?”
“If you ask which of the two, I am also a force of harmony.”
“… !”
Hyun’s words surprised the two NPCs.
“Is that really… ?”
The name of harmony is well known in the sky, but there are still many priests on earth who do not even know the name of harmony.
I did not expect that the name of harmony would be mentioned in the mouths of ‘users’ who mostly stay on the ground.
“You say you serve harmony?”
“I don’t know, but I worked with the Apostle of Harmony once… Wouldn’t it be similar to serving?”
“An apostle… !”
The old man, who had only been watching, suddenly shouted in excitement.
“The Apostle of Harmony, who would you say?”
“Um, that… .”
The first thing that popped into my mind was Ain’s face.
However, there is no way NPCs know about Ain, so Hyun came up with a different name.
One celestial man who served as a guide on the sky bridge.
“They say my name is Mystia. I don’t know if he’s a famous apostle.”
“Of course you are famous! He is the manager of Lysias Island!”
This time the young man answered.
A manager is a being one step below the owner. It is a position in charge of administration according to the will of the owner of the island.
“You mean you’re working together with Mistia-sama?”
“Uh… For now, it is.”
Need proof?
Hyun showed the NPCs some of the recorded footage from the sky bridge.
They perceived the video they were seeing for the first time as something similar to crystal ball magic.
There was a record of Mistia being there, so there was no doubt about Hyun’s remarks.
“And I am also following the Oracle of Harmony.”
“The trust… ! Could it be that you are an apostle?”
“no. My friend is Sado.”
“indeed… !”
After hearing that their friend was an apostle, the faces of the two NPCs noticeably brightened.
There is no way that the one who received the oracle of harmony would harm them.
“Fortunately, the. Master! I live!”
“Right… No one can tell the difference between good and evil by appearances. The word of harmony was applied to the user as well. I almost made the mistake of defining a user as ‘evil’ with just one meeting.”
After knowing the identity of the prefecture, they actively cooperated without being asked.
There is no reason not to help those who follow the oracle of harmony at the same time as the apostle’s friend.
“Unidentified assailants have annihilated our expedition.”
“you’re right. We, too, were being threatened for our lives by them.”
Historians gave Hyun the information they knew.
It is said that the two priests had been wandering around the ruins for two days avoiding the assailants.
“As for the monsters, those users from before?”
“no. Including non-users. They are what you call NPCs.”
‘NPC… ?’
Hyun listened closely.
Because unexpected information was popping up.
“Then what level are the NPCs?”
“that… .”
The young man made an ambiguous expression.
As a historian, he did not know the scale of strength according to level, but he remembered only the identity of the face he saw.
“It’s not normal. At least not the ones the users will be dealing with.”
“You mean strong?”
“yes. very… .”
Even without a detailed explanation, Hyun realized the seriousness of the situation.
Are they also the forces of light?
They were the most powerful of those who tried to thwart the dark plans by doing suspicious things in the ruins.
Those guys are cooperating with the Regressor Guild, or controlling the Regressor Guild through quests.
It was clear that he would be an opponent he would never be able to take lightly, even if he and Louise combined their powers.
“One more thing, something I’ve found out in the past few days.”
The old man who had been quietly listening to the story opened his mouth.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know why, but it’s true that those who threatened us are destroying artifacts throughout the ruins.”
“… … .”
He felt the blood run down his face.
My heart also jumped loudly.
It was a change in Louise who was assimilating.
“It must be the work of the traditionalists. If these relics go outside, there will be many people who believe in the idea of harmony. You must be trying to stop him.”
The old man was furious when he said that.
It is the work of those who do not want a new world to open up.
‘You may see it that way, but… ‘
But Hyun thought of another possibility.
As the old man said, not for political reasons, but for reasons clear enough for anyone to know.
And Louise seemed to have had the same thought.
“hyeon… .”
A faint voice called out to Hyun’s ear.
Assimilation is a skill that overlaps the soul of the opponent.
Hyun can feel all of Louise’s emotions together.
“just now… A string of souls has disappeared nearby.」
Louise’s heart was filled with nervousness as she spoke softly.
Five years and months ago, Louise sealed her empathy.
He said it was to avoid revealing his existence to the people infesting the abyss.
However, Louise added that it was not a complete seal.
The reason was that there was no magic to remove the strings of the soul by any means.
Louise’s condition became strange because the wounds were constantly forming in her soul.
The frustration and pain felt as countless souls were ripped off.
“Even now, nearby… !”
Louise’s voice became increasingly urgent.
“It continues to disappear!”
“Do you know where the direction is?!”
“This way… !”
Hearing Louise’s urgent voice, Hyun asked for everyone’s understanding for a moment, saying, “Wait a minute.”
Fain!
Immediately, Louise burst into wind.
Hyun put all his doubts aside and let Louise control his body.
I passed numerous pillars and climbed the stairs.
A gorgeous place like a palace that we finally arrived at.
At the end of it, fragments of something that had all been broken were scattered on the floor.
‘This… .’
Hyun felt his heart sink.
It was because he had an intuition about the identity of the smashed pieces.
‘huh?’
Hyun turned to the side at the sudden presence.
There, Shatin, who had been staying in Louise’s soul all along, had escaped.
Shatin muttered in his characteristic blunt voice.
“Peeking into the private parts of the owner… Because it’s not polite as an attendant… .”
Sentences that, as always, are difficult to understand.
But now Hyun could guess the meaning.
It is said that the master and the attendant are directly connected by the string of souls.
And the feeling when that thread of the soul is cut… . She herself has been through it once.
When Shiina disappeared.
Right after that, I couldn’t come to my senses for a while.
The feeling of bursting into tears for no reason continued until I completely disconnected Asrian.
Louise now feels similarly, so Shatin may be trying to get out of her soul for a while.
“these are… ?”
Hyun looked around again and asked Shatin.
Shatin followed Hyun’s gaze and nodded quietly.
“They must have been like me… .”
“You mean a golem?”
“yes… . They are the attendants who have been waiting for the darkness to come.”
At Shatin’s affirmation, Hyun remained silent.
The wreckage remained in place, not yet dissipated by the light.
The number of broken pieces didn’t seem too many. It takes about 10 to catch a lot.
It’s not decorated with fancy decorations like Shatin and Shatina. They must be entities with a much lower level than them.
In other words, the power of Louise’s subordinates lost here is not so great even when combined.
But what can I do, emotions aren’t just calculated like that.
“hyeon. Thank you.」
Louise, who finally came to her senses, opened her mouth.
From that voice, Hyun noticed that she was angry.
“If it wasn’t for the strength you gave me, today I would have no choice but to wait for my destiny… I’m really glad Even if I thank you a million times, it’s not enough.”
Aaaah-!
Suddenly, Magi was swirling around Louise.
The inner feelings leaked out as a black wind.
“It’s a shameless request.”
At one point, Louise muttered cautiously.
“okay.”
Hyun answered before Louise finished speaking.
Hyeon spoke calmly to her who twitched her eyebrows.
“Are you trying to ask for help this time for the last time?”
“… .!”
“doesn’t care. It’s my job to take care of you.”
As for the content of the main quest, the final goal was for Louise to wake up her subordinates.
But even if it wasn’t for the quest, Hyun wouldn’t have refused Louise’s request.
“It’s better to act shamelessly than always saying it’s the last time.”
“Laugh, that… !”
“Still, it’s better than before.”
“Previous… ?”
“When something similar happened in the land of darkness. I do not remember? He cried and cried so much that I put him to sleep in the inn until he calmed down.”
“Isn’t that natural… ! The ego of this body now is incomparably bigger than it was back then!”
“Then I’m glad.”
Yes, Hyun thought it was fortunate.
I know a little bit about what it feels like to have your soul ripped out.
If such feelings exist in reality, it is certain that the number of patients suffering from lethargy will increase many times over.
I was worried that Louise would not be swallowed up by emotions, but now Louise seems to have grown enough to control herself.
“Shatin.”
After a while, Louise looked around and said.
“yes… ?”
“Your friends will definitely save you.”
There was a slight sense of incongruity in that voice because it belonged to Hyun, but Shatin, who knew the existence of Donghwa, knew that Louise had said it.
“Friends are superfluous to servants… The only being I serve is you, the darkness.”
“is it? If so, I will order again.”
After catching her breath, Louise opened her mouth.
“You should make friends for me too.”
“What do you mean… I didn’t understand.”
I don’t think the meaning is easily conveyed.
Hyun interpreted the language between the two.
“He wants to save his men.”
“okay… All right.”
Louise had a hunch about the fate of her scattered followers all over the world.
The souls he failed to save will someday be seen in the sky and die a lonely death.
Louise didn’t want that outcome.
whether human or demonic. I wanted everyone to be happy.
The reason he used the word friend was because he understood the loneliness of Shatin, who was forever separated from her sisters.
“Then let’s go.”
Louise took one last look at the debris scattered around her.
The fragments of the golem are slowly reconciling with light and disappearing.
I promised to do enough mourning for them later.
Now is the time to move faster than anyone else.
***
“thank you! How to pay off this debt… !”
Historian NPCs thanked Hyun over and over again.
It was because Hyeon showed the way out of the ruins.
“Oh, I don’t know if this will help… .”
The young man took out a piece of paper from his bosom.
“This is the map we made in two days. It was of no use in getting out of here. I have noted some unusual places.”
‘map… ?’
Hyun, who took a sneak peek at the map, secretly clicked his tongue.
Is it because the overlap between reality and the symmetrical world is not considered? Because the map was completely messed up.
‘Well, I’m not even a map maker.’
Hyun compared it to ‘other’ maps.
The map he created was created by grasping the regularity from the structure of the 1st to 4th districts.
The location of the aisles and the direction of the corridors never deviated from predictions until they reached Area 8.
It meant that the map given by the NPCs was of no use if it was for finding the way.
Hyun, who thought so, listened again to the young man’s words.
“I marked the places where the assailants stay.”
“The location of the monsters… ?”
“yes. It is a map made to avoid encountering them.”
‘… !’
At that moment, Hyeon’s eyes flashed terribly.
If you look closely, you can see check marks all over the map, just as he said.
“Hyun, over there… !”
In an instant, Louise noticed something and suddenly opened her mouth.
The space where the remains of the golem were scattered is also marked with a check mark.
“That’s right, that’s where we just went.”
This is a map with different uses.
A strategic object that records the location of enemies in detail.
It didn’t take Hyun long to realize that fact.
Within minutes of the NPCs leaving, Hyeon organized the maps they gave him into his own.
Then, I started making plans for the future.
“Mayday. Please take care of all the members of the Regressor Guild.”
“… ?”
Mayday couldn’t understand Hyun’s words for a moment and blinked.
After a while, he asked with a puzzled expression.
“You want me to deal with them all by myself?”
“yes.”
“Then what does Hyun do? ?”
“I think there are more dangerous guys… . I will take them.”
NPC forces that cooperate with the regressor guild.
Hyun was convinced that they were the ones who received the oracle of light.
Both in the land of darkness and on the sky bridge, those who tried to hinder Louise were always the forces of light.
“I’d help if I could, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford it.”
Those who came after receiving an oracle might be at least in the late 300s, maybe even over the 400s.
Shakron, who was easy to catch in the past, would have been over level 400 if he had met him now.
It was a characteristic of story-named NPCs that they naturally grew over time.
“Louis.”
“huh? Yes… !”
「Don’t be nervous. It won’t work if it’s too hard.”
Hyun suddenly felt Louise’s mood rise and said.
Moderate tension is good, but it’s not good when it turns into nervousness.
“I wasn’t that nervous… !”
“Then it’s done.”
After everything was ready, the group started moving quickly.
There are a total of five locations of the assailants marked on the map.
Hyun scanned the target points in order from near to far.
The moment I arrived at the first check mark like that.
‘Is it too late?’
Hyun stopped, biting his lip slightly.
The surrounding landscape was not much different from before.
Enemies were nowhere to be found, and instead, unknown debris was scattered on the floor.
Feeling that Louise’s heart was about to shake again, Hyun quickly moved to the next place.
Louise shouted when she had passed three more markers on the map.
「Hyeon, I can feel the presence of people nearby!」
“Where?”
“It’s in front of this plaza!”
‘clairvoyance!’
When the skill was activated, Hyun’s field of view expanded.
As she said, I saw someone standing in front of me.
At first glance, it seems to imitate the user, but the outfit is somewhat awkward.
‘Those guys… !’
Hyun noticed at a glance that they were NPCs.
It was because the disguise was quite crude compared to the macaron I had encountered before.
“Hyun, can you hurry?!”
“Urgent?”
“That man, the magic circle is almost finished!”
Louise, who had been watching with clairvoyance, hurriedly shouted,
“I’m releasing the seal on the door right in front of me! It looks like my men are sleeping on the other side of the gate!”
As soon as he heard Louise’s explanation, Hyun grasped the situation.
That mysterious man was one of those who destroyed Louise’s men.
If you don’t hurry, countless souls will disappear again.
“Hyun, look behind you!”
But just then, Mayday’s whisper pierced Hyun’s ear.
Hyun was running a little ahead as she couldn’t catch up easily.
“There are five enemies behind us!”
“Five people… ?”
“Yes, they are all members of the Regressor Guild! I can’t fight alone because I’m missing my ultimate!”
Hyun shifted his gaze to the back.
There, Mayday was fighting with guys dressed in user costumes.
Those who have definitely completed the 2nd job transfer.
Mayday, receiving the five pincers, looked dangerous as if it would collapse at any moment.
‘What should I do?’
In an instant, Hyun’s head became complicated.
It is natural to hurry up and deal with the NPC wizard in front. That guy is about to get rid of Louise’s sleeping subordinate.
The problem was that Mayday in the back couldn’t be left alone either.
If she died, it was almost certain that after that, he and Louise would receive a pincer attack from the regressor guild and NPCs.
Hyun realized that he was at a crossroads of choice.
Which one should I help first?
‘damn… !’
I didn’t have much time to think.
Hyeon, biting his lip slightly, let out a fairy tale and shouted.
“Louise, go first!”
“alone… Are you dealing with it?”
“You are not alone.”
Hyun immediately took out one piece of equipment from his inventory.
A unique sniper rifle handmade by Genie.
It was an object created solely for the purpose of assisting Louise.
“It’s just like we practiced!”
A place as large as a square.
There were few obstacles in the way of shooting.
The goal is May Day, which seems like it will die if you don’t help it right away.
Fain! Some of the regressor guild members swept away by the range of Hyun’s shock bullets were pushed away, and Mayday was given a moment’s rest.
‘This will last me a few more seconds… !’
Hyun immediately turned the muzzle 180 degrees and aimed it at Louise.
Taang! At the same time as the gunfire echoed once again, the figure of Louise, who was rushing forward while blowing wind, completely disappeared.
It was the moment Hyun shot with the ‘Salvation Bullet’ with the invisibility skill.
