Chapter 19: 2nd Floor Hidden (3)
Chapter 19: 2nd Floor Hidden (3)
There are scenes often found in fantasy comics or novels where a character senses an enemy’s aura and realizes they are facing a formidable foe. I experienced that for the first time today.
A knight in black armor stood before us, dripping with molten lava. Even without sensing his aura, his strength was visible to the naked eye. Could a being that walked calmly out of a furnace drenched in lava be anything but powerful? He was obviously incredibly strong.
The vital question was whether he was an ally or an enemy.
“Sir Carlos!” Hailyn called out to the knight, her voice bright with relief.
Thank goodness. It seemed he was an ally. The knight named Carlos turned to look at us. He let out a sinister chuckle before speaking.
“Have you gone for another night stroll behind the servants’ backs, Lady Hailyn? I have been searching for you for quite some time. I feared you might have perished in the lava.”
Hailyn’s expression slowly hardened. Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, my face stiffened as well. Oh, damn… is he an enemy?
“Sir Carlos, surely… was this your doing?”
Carlos nodded. “It was.”
Hailyn was incensed. “…Why! How could you, the Knight Commander, betray the Dapria Family!”
“It is not betrayal if I was never loyal to begin with.”
“How dare you! Do you think you can handle the consequences? When my father returns…!”
“I cleared away the nuisances in advance for that very reason. When the Count returns, I shall take his head and end this loathsome oath.”
Their conversation, which felt like a cutscene from a game, barely registered in my ears. I watched for an opening and launched a surprise attack on the Black Knight with Flame Strike.
KABOOM!
“Huh?” Hailyn looked at me, startled.
I spoke up. “The first strike wins the fight.”
If things look suspicious, I attack first. It was a lesson I learned from defeating the old mage on the 1st Floor… but it seemed it didn’t apply here. As the flames cleared, the Black Knight emerged completely unscathed. He was so perfectly fine that for a moment, I wondered if I had missed.
“…”
The Black Knight glanced at me. I gave an awkward laugh. Haha. Am I screwed?
Without a word—not even asking who I was—the Black Knight raised his sword. The moment he swung it, I used Stop to freeze time.
…What on earth?
Within the frozen time, dark red energy blades were descending upon us like a massive net. I’m going to die. I’m really going to die. Sensing my life was on the line, I focused with everything I had. The moment I released the time stop, I used Leap to teleport through a gap in the net of energy blades.
RUMBLE!
A tremendous explosion shook the area, and the shockwave sent my body flying like a scrap of paper. I thought I was dead… no, I’m alive. Am I?
“Ugh…”
Groggy and disoriented, I managed to push myself up. The surroundings were devastated, as if a carpet bombing had occurred. It was hard to process what the Black Knight had just done. How could a single swing of a sword cause this much destruction?
“…!”
Through the dust, I saw the Black Knight. He didn’t even care about me, treating me like a mere bug. He approached the fallen Hailyn and raised his sword.
Squelch!
The sword fell, and so did Hailyn’s head. A message appeared before my eyes.
***
Back in my room, I lay blankly on my bed to rest. Fortunately, I wasn’t physically injured, but I was in a state of mental shock.
“That’s just insane…”
A single attack from the Black Knight had leveled the area, and I had nearly been torn to pieces. My strongest attack, Flame Strike, hadn’t worked at all. This meant he was an opponent I couldn’t damage through conventional means. Perhaps I had been foolish from the start; the guy had walked out of lava, after all.
He was an opponent clearly far beyond my level. And I’m supposed to defeat that?
That makes no sense.
I quickly reached a conclusion. He isn’t an enemy meant to be defeated. And if Hailyn dies, the mission fails. Thinking about the story progression: encounter Hailyn > persuasion and cooperation > discover the Knight Commander’s betrayal > ?
Well… what else could it be? The goal must be to escape from that Black Knight while taking Hailyn with me. I only had one chance left. After finishing my rest, I used my final attempt to enter. Let’s not push too hard; my life is the most important thing.
I went past the platforms, past the Minotaur, and back into the woods. I stayed alert and waited for Hailyn’s ambush.
Clang!
“Wait! I have no intention of fighting!”
“Shut up, human! Die!”
As expected, Hailyn wouldn’t listen. Only after showing her the difference in our strength, just like before, was I able to talk to her.
“See? We have no reason to fight.”
“…I understand for now.”
Hailyn made the same proposal. “In that case, human, you shall serve as my guard for a while. I have not fully cast aside my suspicions, so if you are truly innocent, assist me. Naturally, I shall grant you a fitting reward later.”
“A guard?”
“Yes. My current situation is dire. My castle being submerged in lava is due to magic running wild…”
This was the branching point. I listened to her explanation and nodded. “I’ll help, of course. But we can’t go back to the castle.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I saw an incredibly powerful intruder. I barely managed to escape without being noticed. No one left there is alive. we need to run away right now.”
Since telling her the Knight Commander was a traitor would only invite suspicion coming from a stranger, I explained it this way. Hailyn’s eyes grew fierce as she shouted.
“You mean that intruder is still near the castle! Where are they!”
“What? No…” What is she talking about? Did she not hear me? “I told you, they’re incredibly strong. I can’t win, and you definitely can’t win. If we run into them, we die.”
“So you are telling me to run away like a coward while leaving behind the intruder who destroyed my family’s castle!”
I was speechless. Why was she being so stubborn and prideful?
“I am going back to the castle. You follow me this instant.”
“I’m not going. I’m not crazy enough to go there just to die.”
“Coward! Then get lost! I shall go alone.”
Hailyn turned her back and started walking toward the castle. Argh, seriously. Realizing that persuasion wasn’t working, I blocked the headstrong Hailyn’s path.
“I said you’ll die if you go! Just listen to me!”
“Move! Human, do you have any idea who you are blocking!”
Was the theme of this 2nd Floor Hidden mission ‘how to handle a spoiled brat’?
“Listen to me. This isn’t running away; it’s a strategic retreat. You need to be alive to get revenge, don’t you? Why walk right into the intruder’s hands? Right?” I tried to suppress my annoyance while persuading her.
“Why are you trying so hard to keep me away from the castle? Now that I look at you, you must be up to something suspicious!”
The crazy demon responded to my efforts by swinging her sword again. This is driving me nuts. After clashing blades for a while, I used Leap again to catch her off guard.
“Urgh!”
Hailyn was kicked in the back and fell to the ground. “Could you please just listen to me?”
Hailyn bit her lip and screamed. “Human, do not think you can make me submit with force!”
She just wouldn’t listen.
“Y-you… gah!”
I fought her again and landed a few more hits. As the damage accumulated, Hailyn lost her strength, and I struck her sword hard.
Clang!
Her sword flew into the distance, and I kicked her in the stomach, knocking her down. As she groaned in pain, I said, “I’m really begging you. Who am I doing this for? You will die if you go to the castle.”
Hailyn shouted, “Just kill me! You damn human!”
She was clearly consumed by distrust. Was she resentful for getting hit after she was the one who attacked? Fine, I give up. I gave up on persuading her.
Thwack!
I teleported behind Hailyn and struck the back of her neck with the side of my hand.
“Guh.”
She slumped forward. She didn’t pass out, though. She glared at me while rubbing her neck, looking bewildered. …I guess it doesn’t work like it does in the movies. I just forced her under my arm and carried her.
“Let go! Urgh, let me go! You human!”
I was naturally stronger, and she was already exhausted, so her resistance wasn’t very strong. Perhaps because my ‘Enthusiasm’ effect was still active, my stamina was still going strong.
“Let’s just go! I’m going through all this trouble to save your life!”
“I said let go… let me go!”
I ignored her and started running. I headed down the road stretching away from the castle. Hailyn, who had been struggling, suddenly started crying out of sheer frustration.
“A mere human… to insult me like this…! Waaaah! I’m going to kill you!”
Unbelievable. At least she stopped struggling once she started crying, which made it easier. Yeah, just keep crying. I didn’t know how far I had to go, so I just kept running. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if this was the right way. It was just the path I chose because fighting that Black Knight seemed impossible. If I failed, so be it.
When the sobbing Hailyn seemed to have calmed down, I asked quietly, “Where do we go to escape? That intruder might be chasing us right now.”
Hailyn kept her mouth shut and didn’t answer. I really wanted to give her a flick on the forehead…
“…!”
Suddenly, I felt a chilling sensation behind my back. I looked back. Hailyn must have felt it too, as she lifted her head.
“…Sir Carlos!”
Shit, is he actually chasing us? I started sprinting as if my feet were on fire.
“Sir Carlos! Over here! I am here!” Hailyn began shouting at the top of her lungs.
I shouted back, “Shut up! That guy is the traitor!”
“What nonsense! Sir Carlos is here, so you’re dead now, human…!”
Yeah, no. You’re the one who’s going to die. He didn’t care about me at all. It was a waste of breath to argue, so I just ran as fast as I could. Actually, I needed to refill my Willpower first. I stopped time and fully restored my depleted Willpower. Then I ran again.
As I ran, I saw something chasing us. It wasn’t that monster Black Knight. I could feel that he was still far away.
“What are those now…”
Black dogs with glowing red eyes and shimmering, haze-like bodies were rapidly closing in on us.
“Those are Sir Carlos’s tracking familiars! You’re finished!”
Thanks for the explanation. Soon, the dogs were right on our heels. It would have been fine if they were just tracking us, but they looked ready to tear us apart, so I attacked.
KABOOM!
I fired a Flame Strike, reducing their numbers, but several remained. No, their numbers were increasing again. How many of them are there?
“Ugh…!”
Suddenly, Hailyn started thrashing around in my arms. I momentarily lost my balance, and we both tumbled to the ground. Hailyn scrambled up and put some distance between us.
“Hahaha! I told you! You’re finished!”
While we were down, the dogs caught up. Hailyn shouted happily, “Over here! Come and seize this—?!”
The dogs lunged and attacked. They ignored me and went straight for Hailyn.
“Aaaah! Wh-what are you doing!” Hailyn flailed her arms, trying to fend off the dogs.
I stared blankly for a moment before moving to help her. When I slashed the shimmering bodies of the dogs with my sword, they easily dissipated. They were fast but not particularly strong.
“Stay close!”
As another pack swarmed toward us, I grabbed Hailyn by the waist and used my Leap skill. We soared high into the air, and I dropped a Flame Strike onto the dogs gathered below.
KABOOM!
Only then was I able to wipe them all out. I landed on the ground and set Hailyn down. She was bleeding from a few bites, but the injuries didn’t look serious. Hailyn stood there panting, staring at me in a daze.
“…Why? Why did Sir Carlos’s familiars attack me?”
I clicked my tongue and answered, “I told you, he’s a traitor. He wasn’t chasing me; he was chasing you from the start.”
“That’s impossible.”
Hailyn looked utterly shocked. Good grief…
“It is possible. Now that you’ve grasped the situation, let’s just go quietly. Use your own legs.”
It was incredibly annoying, but at least she had come to her senses. I was worried she might throw another fit about wanting to fight the Black Knight, but fortunately, Hailyn kept her mouth shut and started running behind me. Seeing how this crazy demon could suddenly control her temper, that knight must really be terrifyingly strong.
“A bridge will appear if we go a little further.”
“A bridge?”
“From there on, it is outside the territory. Carlos cannot leave this Dapria territory because of his oath. We just need to cross the bridge.”
Really? Now I could see the clear condition. It would all be over once we crossed the bridge.
“Huff, huff.”
As we ran, Hailyn kept falling behind. Was her leg hurt? I could see her limping. My stamina wasn’t exactly overflowing, but I went over and picked her up again.
“Wh-what are you doing!”
“It’ll be faster if I just carry you.”
Since we were almost there, this was better. If we got caught, we were dead. Hailyn didn’t struggle and stayed quietly tucked under my arm. I gritted my teeth and sprinted, then looked back and asked urgently, “How much further!”
“…One more minute at this speed!”
There was a reason for the urgency. I could feel that he was almost upon us.
“…!”
A red flash suddenly flared from behind. I used my Leap skill to lunge forward.
RUMBLE!
The energy blade didn’t hit us directly, but trees were uprooted and sent flying by the shockwave.
“Gah…!”
Hailyn and I couldn’t completely escape the impact and tumbled across the ground. Ugh, should I just quit? I want to leave. It felt like a waste of all this effort, so I groaned and stood up. I grabbed Hailyn and started running again.
“…!”
The bridge came into view. But… it was a very long bridge. It was a massive structure, like a great bridge connecting two distant cliffs.
“We just have to cross that!”
The final spurt. I ran. When I reached the middle of the bridge, I looked back. The Black Knight looked like a tiny dot in the distance. He had stopped in front of the bridge, seemingly unable to pursue any further. Just as I thought we had barely escaped… wait, what is he doing?
THOOM—!
The Black Knight slammed his sword into the ground, sending a massive tremor through the earth. Crazy. A dark red aura surged like a tidal wave and engulfed the bridge. About a third of the bridge was instantly destroyed, followed by a chain reaction of collapses.
“Aaaaaah!”
I screamed as I raced across the crumbling bridge. The collapse was rapidly catching up to us. When there was only a short distance left, I made one final, desperate leap. Immediately after, the ground beneath me vanished.
I flew toward the ground on the other side. The distance… it’s not enough!
“Aaaaaaaak!”
Sensing we would slam into the cliff face and fall, Hailyn screamed at the top of her lungs. Stay still for a second, we won’t die. I threw Hailyn toward the other side with all my might while in mid-air. Then I stopped time. Teleport.
Arriving on the other side first, I caught the flying Hailyn. Having been thrown by me and then caught by me, Hailyn looked up at me with a bewildered expression, unable to process what had happened.
RUMBLE.
The massive bridge completely collapsed. I set Hailyn down and stared across the cliff. The Black Knight, looking like a tiny speck, seemed to be watching us. What are you looking at, you jerk? You said you couldn’t leave that place. I was worried the monster might try something else, but fortunately, he seemed to have given up and was turning back.
Exhausted, I collapsed to the ground. Rescue of the brat… successful.
“Phew…”
Hailyn stared blankly at the other side before turning to me. I returned her gaze with a look that was far from friendly. I felt like a journey that should have been easy was ten times harder because of her, so I couldn’t exactly look at her with kindness.
“…Human, who are you?” Hailyn spoke up. “How did you know the Knight Commander had betrayed… No, more importantly, why did you go to such lengths to save me?”
I was too tired to even respond, so I just waited for the success message to appear. But it didn’t. What the hell, why isn’t it appearing? I did everything.
“Human! I am asking you. Who are you, and why did you save me?”
“Oh, for… you’re alive, aren’t you? Why do you have to be so difficult?”
“Do not evade the question!”
Would you even understand if I told you the Tower made me do it? I gave a half-hearted answer. “I just wanted to save you. Happy?”
Hailyn tilted her head, then suddenly looked flustered and began to stammer. “Wh-what…! I am a demon! We are of different races!”
“Excuse me?”
“Even though you are human, do you actually harbor such feelings for me…? Of course, my beauty transcends racial boundaries, but… ugh!” Hailyn put her hands to her cheeks and shook her head. “F-fine. I wouldn’t mind a man who can risk his life for me. You have already proven yourself… I suppose I could give you a chance…”
What is she talking about? How did she interpret my words that way? While I was speechless with bewilderment, Hailyn gave a shy smile and spoke.
“My name is Hailyn Dapria. What is yours?”
“…Seohyun Kim.”
“Kim Seohyun? That is a unique name.”
Earlier she said it was a strange name, but now it’s been upgraded to ‘unique’. Hailyn took off the necklace, bracelet, and ring she was wearing and held them out to me.
“First, since you saved my life, I must grant you a fitting reward in the name of Dapria. Choose one of these three. They are all precious treasures.”
…Huh? A reward? I stared at the jewelry on Hailyn’s hand, confused. Could this be the hidden reward? I have to choose right here?
“What do these do?” I asked. I had to know their effects before choosing.
“The necklace is a medium for contracting with a powerful familiar. I have not attempted it yet, but you, Seohyun, might be able to.”
“A familiar?” Like that pack of dogs from earlier? “What kind of abilities does it have?”
“Did I not just say I haven’t attempted it? You must check for yourself to find out.”
As I moved my gaze to the bracelet, Hailyn continued her explanation. “The bracelet is a totem inhabited by a spirit of darkness. If the spirit takes a liking to you, you will be able to borrow its power.”
“A spirit of darkness… and its ability?”
“You can see through the darkness.”
“…Is that it?”
“I-it is because my affinity with the spirit is not high yet. The higher the affinity, the more abilities you can use.”
Finally, the ring.
“The ring is an heirloom engraved with the seal of the Dapria Family. The ring itself has no special power. However, if you ever visit the Dapria Family with this ring in the future, the family will grant you any one request within our power.”
In other words, it was useless. We won’t be seeing each other again once I leave. Besides, isn’t the family ruined now?
“Hmm…”
I debated between the necklace and the bracelet. I touched them to see if item information would pop up, but nothing appeared.
“Will you choose the bracelet?”
“No, wait a second.”
Man, I can’t decide. But wait, can’t I just have all of them? I went through all that trouble. I’m her lifesaver, aren’t I?
“They all look great.”
“Indeed. They are all three magnificent treasures!”
I stole a glance at Hailyn. When our eyes met, she looked away. “Wh-what are you staring at? Hurry up and choose.”
…Maybe? Should I try? There was nothing to lose. Embarrassment is fleeting, but the fruits of it are eternal. I knelt on one knee and gently took her hand.
“Lady Hailyn.”
“Wh-wh—”
“Could you give me all of them? Since they all belong to you, Lady Hailyn, I wish to cherish them all.”
Hailyn’s pale skin turned a visible shade of bright red. It’s fine. I’m not embarrassed. I’m not embarrassed… While I repeated that in my head and kept a straight face, Hailyn lowered her head and replied.
“T-then, you may have them all…”
The scenery changed in an instant, and I was transported to the Reward Room. Looking around, I saw Hailyn’s three pieces of jewelry and a Skill Stone.