◈ Chapter 167. You Left Something Precious Behind (3)
Ransha could not close her mouth.
“……
Huh?”
The darkness swallowed the demon.
There was no sound, no commotion.
“Gardner, is something the matter?”
So much so that those who had woken from their sleep could not even tell what had happened.
“It is nothing, elder.”
There was no need to tell them the situation as it was.
The appearance of a demon alone would have been enough to terrify them.
And now, that very demon had been swallowed by an unknown darkness.
“What in the world……?”
Gardner looked at the darkness once more.
Back when he had wandered the continent as a mercenary.
Gardner had seen mages and magic alike.
But a black “something” that spoke like a person?
He had never seen anything like that.
Then, Ransha murmured.
“……
The End Crisiad Eternal Darkness.”
“Hm? What did you just say, Ransha?”
“I think it said its own name!”
“I-Its name?”
Wasn’t that awfully long for a name?
Like the name of some noble from a great house.
Ransha continued.
“And its lord, according to the endlessly deep darkness……”
Endlessly deep darkness?
Gardner frowned and desperately searched his memory.
But it had already been decades since he retired from being a mercenary. He had drunk far too much wine in all that time to remember the countless epithets that had drifted across the continent.
But what did it matter what its name or affiliation was?
“It definitely said it would save Dredsen!”
As stated before, Dredsen was a very small village.
A remote corner of imperial territory.
Dredsen was a place even the high-and-mighty, who loved being served, turned their eyes from. Even if they showed interest and went to the trouble of whipping it, nothing would come of it.
“I cannot understand it.”
Gardner’s eyes narrowed.
He did not want to go so far as to say this, but……
“Why would someone important enough to be called a lord care about the likes of us?”
He simply could not understand.
Dredsen was not the only place in danger.
Every nearby village, city, and even the imperial capital.
All of Arcana was collapsing under the hands of demons.
And out of all that, it would save us, who have nothing?
But the question did not last long.
The darkness, The End, spoke once more.
“Because you have not lost the pride in your hearts.”
“……
Pride?”
“Like that man who did not submit to demons until the very end.”
“……!!!”
Everyone could tell.
That man was undoubtedly Mate.
Squeeze—at that instant, strength entered Ransha’s hand as she gripped her sword.
Pride, out of nowhere.
It would be stranger to understand it right away.
Ransha opened her mouth.
“……
How do you know about Mate’s final moments?”
Even then, the question still remained.
Dredsen was a mountain village.
Unless one looked down from the sky, it should have been impossible to know what had happened in the village……. But at that moment, a tremendous noise came from the sky.
Thudududu—“?!”
Ransha, Gardner, and the others looked up at the sky and were horrified.
The night sky gleamed with demonic eyes.
Yet, unconcerned by the gaze of those demonic eyes, an enormous shape revealed itself.
That was unmistakably a “ship.”
“What is that!”
“U-Uncle Gardner?!”
“R-Ransha! Don’t ask me. A ship flying through the sky?!”
To the astonished people, The End continued.
“Even if the world turned its back on you.”
“……?”
“My lord does not turn his back on you.”
For some reason, that voice was infinitely benevolent.
“Just as I, too, was saved by my lord.”
*The Magic Tower.
As I climbed the stairs, I repeated it endlessly in my head.
……
I had wanted to turn away from it, yet this day had finally come.
‘My mouth finally caused trouble.’
This was none other than a spirit of “darkness.”
I had suspected that my damned naming sense would manifest in this way. Just like with Hiel……! I could generously overlook the first name.
‘The End.’
But as expected, the part after it was the problem.
[The End Crisiad Eternal Darkness].
Everything should be done in moderation, seriously!
Eternal Darkness.
Eternal darkness, of all things.
Truly, every time I thought of it, shame welled up to the point that I wanted to close my eyes and bury myself in eternal darkness……. But this, too, was a weight I had to bear.
Yes, it meant that since the number of spirits had increased to two, it was only natural it would be heavy.
‘I have been grateful for that since before, though.’
The senior mage of spirit studies, Feiyan, had sent a letter through parchment.
A {Unique Spirit} was an existence that transcended rank and even spirit contracts. Therefore, existing contracts were annulled.
‘Well, even when Hiel used her natural abilities.’
There had been no change in my mana.
A unique spirit really was something special; I had guessed as much.
But to think a new spirit and a new contract would be possible.
Naturally, I did not hesitate.
A spirit of darkness.
Its momentum alone, simply by appearing, was enough to make Feiyan’s contracted spirit and a high-grade spirit, the Fire Drake, tense.
On top of that, I had confirmed the darkness spirit’s abilities in Teppern Labyrinth.
[The Spirit King of Darkness, Arcane, blesses the contract.]
I formed the contract, and since I was at it, I even gave it a name.
The problem was that the name was unbelievably bizarre……
However, I have no regrets.
‘Hiel and The End are different.’
Awakened as a unique spirit.
Hiel had grown further through the influence of [Sublimity], but she had an origin to begin with. Hiel was a forest spirit, not a spirit specialized for combat.
Well, I do not know who she takes after, but…….
‘Considering that, she fights quite well.’
She did make stems shoot up and disappear, and handled monsters rather skillfully.
But she could not compare to the spirit of darkness.
That was why I entrusted Dredsen to The End.
[Quest: The Request of the Awakened Decisive Battle Weapon]
Akshan’s decisive battle weapon, the Qirnberg Machine Tower.
What it chose instead of an answer to the question was pride.
The memory of the machine wished to protect the survivors left behind.
—Save the survivors of Dredsen Village. (Success)
The result had appeared as a message.
As expected, it was worth enduring the shame and calling it.
I knew you would succeed splendidly, The End.
‘The mana consumption was reasonably fine, too.’
[Blessing of the First World Tree]
Now that this was permanently active.
I was no longer my past self who struggled with mana consumption.
It meant that even if The End faced a powerful enemy and used my mana, it would be fine. Well, seeing that my mana was intact, it seemed nothing of the sort had happened.
Click—
I arrived at the Crystal Hall.
The Round Table meeting.
Was this the first Round Table meeting since the players entered the Magic Tower?
For some reason, everyone looked visibly tense.
Of course, I had nothing to do.
I knew myself, or to be precise, my loose mouth, very well.
‘It’s obvious I’ll only pour out venomous criticism.’
Without remembering that I was once a tadpole myself.
They didn’t even know exploration, interference, or manifestation.
I could clearly see the future where I would pour out nagging.
So today, let’s stay still and keep my mouth firmly shut.
Let’s just attend the meeting as a figurehead chief.
While I was making that resolution, someone spoke to me.
“It’s been a while, Chief Lee.”
It was Bellier.
At her greeting, I lightly nodded.
What is formality?
It is to respond with sincerity to a courteous greeting.
Perhaps because her worries about Marcelo had lessened.
Her face seemed much brighter than before.
It was the moment I was about to reply.
“……
Oh?”
Suddenly, Bellier’s gaze went to my chest.
To be precise, to the brooch on my lapel.
Bellier’s pupils widened.
“You have one more brooch, Chief? But somehow it matches the brooch you originally wore so well, like they’re one piece! No, aside from that, it’s beautiful.”
Her eye for noticing even the smallest changes, of course.
Her aesthetic perspective was not lacking either.
You pass, Senior Bellier.
Not only Grandfell, but I, too, ended up feeling a little proud.
‘I’m not displeased that she noticed.’
[Name: Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
[Title: Last Adventurer, Sublimity]
[Class: Demon Hunter]
[Level: 544]
[Stats]
Strength: 90 / Agility: 100 / Mana: 423 / Luck: 10 / Aesthetic Sense: Mid
[Available Points: 50]
The experience accumulated in the Qirnberg Machine Tower was as expected.
The maximum value, 50 levels, had risen all at once.
Thanks to that, I easily surpassed level 500.
Which meant I could wear the second hexagram brooch.
[Hexagram Brooch 2/6]
[Grade: Unique]
[Requirement: Lv.500]
[Effect: Increases all physical attack damage by 10%.]
[Description: Part of a set of brooches in which six gather to become one. Because it is only an extremely small part, its effect has been significantly diminished.]
Even without the magic tools borrowed from the Magic Tower, [Aesthetic Sense] had also risen to [Mid].
So no matter how much I tried not to show it, I could not help but feel my heart swell.
After all, I had only cashed out a single savings account so far.
‘Let’s see, how many machine towers were there on the Arcana Continent?’
There should be at least a hundred.
Numbers floated through my mind.
Somehow, I had been making many requests lately and felt shameless, but.
‘Even so, I ask this of you, Iron Castle.’
It does not matter if they have been shattered to pieces.
Please find as many remnants of the machine towers as possible. Of course, my complicated and worldly inner thoughts had no chance of showing on the outside.
I replied succinctly.
“Thank you, Senior Bellier.”
Crash—
With a sudden clamor, a face drew close.
It was the senior of fire magic, Bensch William.
“I was just about to say so myself!”
Say what?
An objection regarding the application to leave the tower?
I stared intently at Bensch.
“As expected, the new brooch suits you well, too!”
So that was what he meant.
There is no one in the world who dislikes praise.
Moreover, the new hexagram brooch was like a medal proving my efforts. There was no reason for me to feel bad. However, I ended up responding coldly.
“Let us refrain from unnecessary conversation, Senior Bensch William.”
“……
Pardon? Pardooon?”
Bensch looked back and forth between me and Bellier.
He seemed extremely wronged.
To be honest, I did resent Bensch.
That damned application to leave the tower!
If he was going to write it and submit it like that, why did he fill one out every single day? But for the fair and just Grandfell, such personal feelings did not exist.
That was right.
Everything was merely according to procedure.
Because Marcelo had just climbed onto the dais.
“Chatter during a meeting is prohibited.”
“……!!!”
Look at the Crystal Hall, Bensch.
Even the players, who did not yet know what kind of place the Magic Tower was, were quietly keeping silent. Even though no one had nagged them at all.
‘I didn’t want to go this far, but…….’
Bensch William.
You are far too lacking in tact.
I knew it from the moment you wrote your application to leave the tower that way.
Seriously….
“I really thought I was going to suffocate to death, afraid they’d even hear me breathing!”
“If it’s Bensch William……. Isn’t he the senior mage of fire magic?”
“He said that to a senior? Lee Hoyeol is seriously scary!”
“But don’t you understand?”
“……
Huh? What?”
“I mean, as if entering the Arcana Continent wasn’t enough, they say he hunted millions of demons and came back, right? And on top of that, they say he wasn’t injured anywhere at all……!”
*After the Round Table meeting ended, I entered a rift.
[Griffin’s Cliff]
[Appropriate Level: Lv.500]
[Collapse Progress: 14.7%]
Now that I had far surpassed level 500.
The appropriate level of most rifts had no meaning to me.
Not in the sense that they were not dangerous, but in the sense that leveling up would be impossible no matter which rift I hunted in. As I had said last time, the efficiency compared to time was poor.
The reason I entered a rift despite knowing that fact?
Well, there were several.
First and foremost, according to pride.
‘I should first confirm whether the residents of Dredsen are safe.’
In the process, I would have to endure the shame and summon The End, and through Hiel, I would also have to learn the situation of the Iron Castle. While I was at it, I would ask about the progress on the ego equipment, too.
But before that……
The scenery changed in an instant.
Atop a utility pole, there was a griffin with the head of an eagle.
And the body of a beast.
[Sharp-Clawed Griffin: Lv.500]
Had it noticed my presence?
Kieeeek—!
As it screeched noisily, griffins gathered from all over the rift.
At a rough estimate, there were about a dozen.
I opened my mouth.
“An unnecessary interference.”
But well, it was not bad.
‘I was curious anyway.’
Whether bird, beast, or whatever else, volunteers were welcome.
I straightened my clothes.
“It is not enough for you to behave quietly while wagging your tails. You spread your wings, raise your claws, and make a noisy fuss. You resemble only the bad points of beasts and birds.”
I paid particular attention to aligning the hexagram brooches.
“However, unfortunately, today’s discipline ended at the Round Table meeting.”
That was right.
Now was the time.
The opportunity to confirm the set effect of the hexagram brooches.