Chapter 34: 3rd Floor Hidden (2)

“We thank you for your assistance! We are Paladins of the Order, carrying out a sacred mission under the radiance of Paely, the God of Dawn. And you are?”

The knights greeted me with clear favor. All three were middle-aged men. Seeing as they were Paladins, they were definitely allies.

“I’m just a traveler passing by. I saw you fighting the Undead and decided to help,” I introduced myself. I had to act as natural as possible to avoid looking suspicious.

The Paladin who had spoken for the group nodded with a firm expression. “I see, a traveler. You must have been quite startled.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean by this temple suddenly appearing in the middle of the Natmon Plains. I suspect this is a temple of the ancient Rune Magic Empire.”

They’re dumping lore on me right from the start? I needed to understand the situation better, so I simply nodded along.

“Yes, I was surprised it appeared so suddenly. But you say this is a temple of the Rune Magic Empire?”

As I repeated his words, the Paladin continued his explanation. “Indeed. It seems a barrier that had been maintained since ancient times has finally broken, revealing its form…”

“A barrier broke?”

“Precisely. A structure of this scale couldn’t have just sprouted from empty land unless it was hidden by barrier magic. we came here to investigate an Undead problem and discovered this temple instead.”

“You came to investigate an Undead problem?”

The knight stopped mid-sentence and stared at me. Oops, I overdid it. Sensing my awkwardness, the knight tilted his head slightly before introducing the group again.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves. I am Delent.”

“I am Slavan.”

“And I am Philip.”

“Ah, I am Seohyun Kim.”

The knight named Philip asked, “Are you perhaps from the Eastern Lands? I’ve heard that people from the East have black hair and eyes.”

“Ah… yes! That’s right. I’ve come from the distant Eastern Lands.”

Since the knights were all Western in appearance, I suppose I looked quite foreign to them. I doubt ‘the Eastern Lands’ referred to Asia on Earth, but I decided to just roll with it. After the introductions, the knights started a fire right there to take a rest.

“Would you care for a cup, sir?”

“Thank you.”

They were even brewing tea, so I joined them for a rather unexpected tea break. It tasted like black tea, though it wasn’t particularly good.

“…And so, we came here to investigate the Undead, but we never dreamed we would find a situation like this.”

“I see.”

“Do you know the legend of the Rune Magic Empire? The tale of Rune’s downfall and its final emperor?”

“No, I’m not familiar with it.”

I listened intently while sipping the tea. Just like the 2nd Floor Hidden, I had to understand the narrative flow to deduce the clear conditions.

“Katerun, the last emperor of the Rune Magic Empire, fell into a Cult in his later years. The Noctun—those heretics who still persist like cockroaches today. Infatuated with their tainted beliefs, Katerun sought to Summon a Great Demon. He committed atrocities, building temples and sacrificing countless people for that purpose. I believe this temple is the very one from those legends.”

“I see. Does this place have something to do with the Undead, then?”

Delent nodded. “According to legend, the entity Katerun tried to Summon was a Great Demon named Balruk, who is said to command the power of the dead. We suspect that as the temple’s barrier broke, the residual power of the Great Demon leaked out and attracted the Undead… but we won’t know for sure until we investigate.”

Delent’s expression turned grave. “Katerun’s method for Summoning the demon involved corrupting Holy Artifacts to harness their power. That is why the Order of Paely suffered terrible persecution during the reign of the last emperor. The emperor seized the Order’s Holy Artifacts to use in his Summoning, so it is highly likely that our lost artifacts remain within this temple. Specifically, the ‘Chalice of Dawn,’ which was the heart of our Order, may be here. While we must investigate the Undead, our primary sacred mission is to recover any Holy Artifacts that might remain.”

I organized the information in my head. Let’s see. These Paladins wanted to find Holy Artifacts, especially the Chalice of Dawn. The predicted enemies were the Great Demon Balruk and the Noctun Cult. I couldn’t guess the exact clear condition yet, but it seemed my job was to help these Paladins find the artifacts.

“However, um, Sir Kim Seon-un…”

“It’s Seohyun Kim.”

“My apologies. I am not accustomed to Eastern pronunciations. Sir Seohyun Kim, I was astonished by your exceptional skills despite your youth. Thank you once again.”

“Oh, it was nothing.”

Delent looked at me with expectant eyes. “In that case, would you be willing to assist us in investigating the temple? I ensure you will be properly compensated in the name of the Order of Paely.”

So this is how the story goes. I nodded. “I’ll help. An ancient ruin of a magic empire sounds interesting.”

“Oh! We are truly grateful.”

After finishing the tea, I moved with the Paladins to find an entrance to the Pyramid-shaped building.

But what is that? I looked up toward the top of the Pyramid. The peak appeared to be cut off, leaving a flat top, and a massive structure sat there. A cannon? It looked like some kind of cannon…

“Undead!” Delent shouted as he spotted another one. It was a large one, just like before.

As the three prepared for battle, I immediately fired a Flame Strike.

KABOOM!

Unable to withstand the explosive force, the Undead blew apart in a burst of flames. The three men stood there with their mouths agape at the sight.

“Sir Seohyun Kim… may I ask what rank of mage you are?”

“Rank?” What’s that? I have no idea.

“Ah, right. You likely don’t use such a system in the East. I was simply surprised that you possess such high-level martial arts alongside such powerful magic.”

“I’ve never seen magic cast so quickly before. Eastern magic must be truly different!”

They chattered among themselves and reached their own conclusions. After easily handling the Undead wandering inside the temple, we finally found a way in.

“This looks like the entrance.”

We entered the Pyramid. The interior was pitch black without a single ray of light. Slavan took out a lamp-like object to provide light. It wasn’t electric; perhaps a magic tool? Philip was occasionally sprinkling glowing powder on the floor, so I asked, “Are you marking the path so we don’t get lost?”

“Yes. We can’t afford to lose our way when we head back out.”

I stayed alert and kept watch on our surroundings. we were passing through a narrow corridor. Ever since the entrance, it had been a series of maze-like paths.

Something should be showing up soon. I didn’t think the Hidden clear would be as simple as just finding a Holy Artifact. Even if that were the goal, the process would likely be treacherous—filled with traps throughout the temple.

Delent voiced my thoughts. “I’ve heard that magitech was incredibly advanced during the Rune Magic Empire, often called the golden age of magic. Be careful, everyone. You too, Sir Seohyun Kim.”

Hearing that, I felt certain there would be traps. I spoke to Delent, who was leading the way. “Sir Delent, I’ll take the lead. I have a good eye for spotting hidden traps.”

I volunteered to lead because I was worried the Paladins might die if they triggered a trap. Like Hailyn on the 2nd Floor, they might be essential NPCs who shouldn’t die. I was confident I could react using my Sixth Sense.

“Oh, I see! Since you are a mage, can you perceive magic-based traps?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Then I leave it to you.”

With me in the lead, we began to move again. As I walked, I suddenly flinched and pulled back my foot just as I was about to step forward.

“Sir? What is it?”

“…Wait. Step back.”

I felt it. I backed away, glared at the corridor ahead, and fired a Bullet at the floor.

Pop! WHOOSH!

As soon as the Bullet landed, fierce flames erupted from the walls on both sides. The three men watched in shock.

“There was a trap.”

“How did you know? Did you sense the faint mana of the trap?”

“Um… yeah, that’s it. I felt the mana.”

“Oh! Truly impressive!”

It was all thanks to the Sixth Sense skill, though. We bypassed the trap and took another path. “Another trap.” Next was a room. When I fired a Bullet into the air, the ceiling opened and something like Gatling guns emerged.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

The Gatling guns spun furiously, spitting out rounds made of light. The floor was instantly devastated. Of course, since we hadn’t entered the room, we weren’t hit.

Wow, seriously… I was a bit taken aback. I didn’t expect Gatling guns.

“Let’s find another way.”

Several more traps appeared after that, but my Sixth Sense skill never failed to filter them out. I don’t know what I would have done without it; it was truly a reliable skill. After bypassing various traps and continuing forward, we finally left the maze-like paths and entered a wide space. It was a luxurious room decorated with gold and jewels on the walls and floor.

“Sir Delent! Look over there!”

But the three men didn’t even glance at the riches; they stared at a single spot. On the head of a gargoyle-like statue in the center of the room sat a circlet.

“This divine energy… it is definitely a Holy Artifact!”

The three rushed forward, but I stopped them. “Wait! There might be a trap.”

“Ah, right. I was overeager.”

I stepped forward first and hovered around the statue. Even as I got closer, I didn’t feel any sense of danger. “It seems fine.”

I personally removed the circlet from the statue and handed it to Delent. Delent examined the circlet with an overwhelmed expression before speaking as if he’d realized something.

“This is…!”

“What is it?”

“It appears to be the Circlet of Saint Randahill!”

“Oh! You mean the legendary Circlet of Saint Randahill?!”

“The Circlet of Saint Randahill! Is that true!”

What the heck is that… I mean, dear Paladins. Delent, who had been in charge of the lore, explained again.

“The Circlet of Saint Randahill is a Holy Artifact said to have been lost by the Order of Paely in the distant past. To think it was actually here.”

“Congratulations. That’s great.”

“Haha! This is all thanks to Sir Seohyun Kim. The power of this circlet is that it glows red when a wicked being is nearby. Look, you can use it by infusing it with divine power like this…”

Hummm.

The circlet in Delent’s hand suddenly emitted a red light. Delent stopped talking. The expressions of the other two also hardened.

“…It turned red?”

Huh? Wait. The three of them slowly raised their heads and looked at me. I was stunned and stared at the circlet before shaking my head.

“No, it’s not me. You’re misunderstanding something.”

Why is that thing suddenly turning red? I was obviously innocent, but the three were already radiating hostility toward me.

“You, what is your true identity?”

“No, I told you it’s not me! Why would I be a wicked being? I’m a perfectly normal Human.”

“Are you saying the Holy Artifact is lying?”

“…Maybe it’s just broken because it’s so old?”

“How dare you!”

The three drew their swords and lunged at me. I hastily backed away. Ugh, dejà vu from the 2nd Floor.

“I’m telling you, it’s not me!”

Despite helping them all this way, their eyes flipped in an instant as they attacked. Since the three weren’t particularly strong, I tried to subdue them. But the moment I dodged Delent’s Sword and kicked him away—

With the message, I was instantly returned to my room. I blinked blankly before collapsing onto the floor.

“Sigh~ Not this again.”

I thought things were going too smoothly. I didn’t even kill them, so why? Is it a failure even if I just attack them this time? …Let’s think. Attacking the Paladins leads to failure. And the Holy Artifact that filters out wicked beings turned red for some reason. Does that world treat me as a wicked being? Or, if not that, then maybe…

I’m retrying immediately. I organized my thoughts and entered the 3rd Floor again. I activated the Sun symbol underground, killed the boss, and moved quickly to the temple.

“I’ll help you!”

I found the three fighting the Undead again, helped them, and proceeded with the story.