◈ Episode 463. To Me, It Is as Familiar as Breathing (1)
The living legend of the Colosseum, Rockkid.
Despite his fame and his bulk,
the mass of muscle was sprawled pathetically across the dirt floor.
“What a baby.”
“Shut up.”
“So, how’s Aksh—”
“That name pisses me off so much I could die just hearing it, so shut up!!”
Who had reduced the great Rockkid to such an ugly state?
Former Third Seat of the Shadow Mercenaries.
Henderson burst into laughter.
“How many years has it been since you drowned yourself in liquor and pleasure? Did you think you’d still have the stamina of your prime? The world isn’t that easy, Rockkid. If you charge in trusting only the vigor of youth, that’s how you get a bitter taste of reality.”
How dare you lecture me about my life?
The Shadow Mercenaries had officially disbanded, too. If it had been Rockkid’s usual temper, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to rush over and seize Henderson by the collar right then and there.
However.
“Fuck, if I could move, you’d be dead.”
Not a single muscle in his body would listen!
On top of that, even though his words were vicious, he wasn’t particularly angry at Henderson’s sneering. After all, Henderson himself was collapsed on the ground and groaning, just like him.
Former Ninth Seat, Dshev, let out a long yawn.
“Grandpa Alkari, what kind of people were the Akshan? Did they really carry out this ridiculous training every single day? Forget it being bothersome—if we push ourselves any harder than this, I feel like even breathing is going to become a bother……”
That was right.
The root of all evil was that damned Akshan.
Training that never ended.
And when they barely managed to finish, training that repeated all over again.
Former Fifth Seat, Herkiora, grumbled.
“Fine, if we’re going to wash our dirty hands clean and be reborn, we should suffer a bit. Training, whatever, I’m all for it. So when exactly are we going to go hunt demons?”
Who would have thought the day would come when he missed the sight of a demon’s face?
“I’m not joking. I’d rather spend all day tangling with those nauseating bastards, you know? Then at least we could skip training for a day.”
Even if they were magic-type classes whose physical abilities were relatively lacking,
they could not be exceptions to Akshan’s new rules.
Wasn’t it obvious?
The “someone” who had rebuilt Akshan had gone through the same process himself.
The members lay strewn about like rags.
Among them, there were still some who preserved their dignity.
Kichi and Wolf.
“Hoo.”
For several days now, they had repeated training pushed to the limit.
Their bodies were already screaming.
But the two of them had an even greater justification.
Was it the difference in attitude?
The two forced themselves to straighten their posture.
“Can you feel it, Captain?”
“Yeah, to some extent.”
“It’s completely gone.”
Thanks to that, they could feel it.
Faintly, the scent of demons that had lingered at the bridge of their noses.
Of course, the two were not mistaken.
“What kind of bastard must it be, for its stench to spread across the entire continent?”
It was not because their talents as demon hunters were exceptional. It was merely that the scent of demons wafting through the air was so intense they could not help but notice it.
Rockkid asked the two of them.
“Hey, Captain…… No, former captains! So how long are we supposed to keep suffering like dogs like this? I know the territory is huge, but I’m so stifled I’m about to die!!”
Claudi’s territory was vast.
So vast that the adventurers in the mansion did not even know
that the former Shadow Mercenaries were staying here in this annex.
“So saying you’re stifled is just an excuse, isn’t it, Rockkid?”
Dshev struck right at the heart of it.
“You’re just craving alcohol.”
“What? Shut your mouth, you rat-sized little—”
“You don’t know that Akshan’s rules prohibit drinking?”
“W-w-what?! P-prohibit drinking?! Is that true, Captain?!”
Wolf whispered quietly to Kichi.
“There’s no such rule, though. As expected, he must not have read it properly.”
Of course, what did rules matter?
Though he had been at the bottom of the hierarchy, Rockkid had been someone no one could easily control.
For that Rockkid to properly participate in training like this.
It was something unimaginable in the past.
Wolf chuckled.
“Still, if it’s to that extent, he’s following along pretty well, isn’t he……”
……
Captain?
Wolf had been adding those words to Kichi, who was unusually quiet.
His face turned pale as a sheet in an instant.
Because the focus had vanished from Kichi’s pupils.
“!”
Thud.
Wolf caught Kichi as she toppled forward.
If he had not felt the sensation at his fingertips,
he would have thought he had failed to catch her.
Kichi’s body was as light as a feather.
It was not a metaphor. Her weight truly was no different from a feather’s.
But it was something he had expected ever since Kichi’s shadow disappeared.
So Wolf did not panic.
“Captain, are you all right?”
“Wolf, what happened?”
“What is it all of a sudden? She didn’t faint from exhaustion, did she?”
The members who realized the gravity of the situation approached one by one.
And soon, all of them realized it.
Claudi’s territory.
A place where different rules from the Arcana Continent applied.
In the language of adventurers, a [Hidden Piece].
Because of that, they had overlooked it for a moment.
Wolf parted his lips in a voice filled with certainty.
“……
The Captain has been dragged away. The 『Shadow Corridor』 has opened.”
*One step.
I strode confidently into the wide-open Shadow Corridor.
As expected, its interior was just as grand as its exterior.
Two steps.
More than anything, they put considerable effort into the presentation, didn’t they?
Whoosh.
Candles lit up each time I took a step.
Flicker, flicker.
My shadow writhed wildly in the candlelight.
‘Eerie. Truly eerie.’
And more than anything,
there was the hostility the Shadow God had toward me, which had appeared in a system message and did not lie.
Perhaps because all of it meshed together, the atmosphere was no joke.
It was then.
I sensed a presence from the opposite side of the corridor.
Swoosh.
Seeing how the figure bowed politely and offered a greeting……
No matter what, it seemed they were at least treating me as a guest.
Should I call this fortunate?
‘Honestly, it feels unpleasant.’
But this damn formality and procedure.
As a noble of high pride,
one had to treat even another’s servant with proper etiquette.
Thanks to that, I had no choice but to speak calmly.
“It is regrettable that I could not keep the deadline on the invitation.”
……
Right.
I knew that would be your first line, given your personality, Grandfell.
Regardless of the reason, you live and die by punctuality.
“Not at all.”
Soon, the approaching figure answered in a courteous voice.
Her entire body was covered in a black veil,
but the voice was that of a gentle woman.
“The Master of the Shadow Corridor instructed me to convey his gratitude that Lord Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo accepted the invitation at all.”
……
Is that so?
‘No, when it suddenly pops out like this, I can’t get used to it.’
If you’re grateful,
could you tell him to start by refraining from calling me by my full name……?
That earnest request rose all the way to my throat.
“Then, from this point on, I shall formally guide you through the rules of the Shadow Corridor. This place is a location where rules completely different from those of the Arcana Continent and ordinary places apply……”
As if answering a quiz, I replied.
“I have already grasped that it is a Hidden Piece.”
“……
Pardon? A Hidden Piece?”
“It is a term of the strange language, so it is only natural that you do not know it.”
Do not fill your self-esteem with something so petty, Grandfell.
No, your self-esteem is always at its maximum, so perhaps there is no need to fill it at all? In any case, the servant hesitated, yet did not get swept up in Grandfell-style speech and continued.
“The invitation for this corridor was sent only to Lord Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo. However, now that the Shadow Corridor has opened, ‘honored guests’ other than Lord Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo are also entering the corridor.”
Other honored guests.
‘Then maybe I can relax a little.’
I had no way of knowing who had set foot in the Shadow Corridor, but simply not being alone was a comfort. However, at the words that followed, the sigh of relief about to escape me scattered.
“If I may offer presumptuous advice as a servant, I recommend that you keep a close eye on those honored guests. There are no particular ‘restrictions’ within the rules of the Shadow Corridor, which serves the Shadow God.”
No restrictions.
As if it was not a lie,
my vision flashed.
[The rules of the Shadow Corridor are applied to you.]
[1. The Free Duel System is activated.]
[2. The Bounty System is activated.]
[3. The Intrigue System is activated.]
Who was the Shadow God?
The god served by the Shadow Mercenaries,
the worst criminal organization on the Arcana Continent.
As expected, the rules were nothing short of chaotic.
Of course, I had predicted this to some extent as well.
Free duels were just hitting and fighting, so no explanation was needed. As for bounties, when I recalled the Shadow Mercenaries, who moved only for money, I could fully understand why such a rule existed.
But.
‘The activation of intrigue?’
Intrigue.
I could not know exactly what intrigue meant.
But it was from that moment on.
The servant walking ahead of me began to exude an unusual air.
I could sense it instinctively.
‘She is hiding killing intent behind a smiling face.’
It was obvious, but classes had limits.
I was not an assassin, nor did I possess other classes’ unique stats such as [Premonition] or [Insight]. That meant I could not immediately detect killing intent held by someone who was not a demon.
However, in this moment, I was clearly feeling it.
Whoosh.
The candles that lit up one by one each time I took a step.
Thanks to them, the scenery of the Shadow Corridor slowly revealed itself.
And beneath those swaying shadows,
countless presences were aiming for me.
That was right.
This was not something I,
Lee Hoyeol, was feeling.
『There was a valid reason Grandfell had been chosen as the heir of his house at the mere age of seven.』
Until he was chosen as the next head of the Claudi family.
And until the day his house fell.
Grandfell must have suffered through countless intrigues.
Grandfell’s senses, which had survived on that line between life and death, were influencing me, Lee Hoyeol, now that the proficiency of [I Alone Am Supreme Under Heaven and Earth] had exceeded seventy percent.
I recalled the meaning of intrigue.
To hide hostility behind a smiling face.
To make cunning schemes a matter of course.
To eliminate one’s opponent by any means and methods necessary.
So I did not let my guard down even around the servant.
“Beyond this door is the social hall.”
I maintained my brazen composure and made the first move.
“As expected, the rules of the Shadow Corridor are rules that apply not only to the honored guests, but also to those of you who reside in the corridor. Regardless of right or wrong, they are suitable rules because they are fair.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“There must be no exceptions to rules.”
“……!”
Now that her true intentions had been exposed,
there was no need to hide them, was there?
In the blink of an eye, a dagger flashed in her hand.
Tak.
Had even a sudden pattern like this been reflected in the appropriate level? I could not know that much, but in any case, I clearly realized that within the Shadow Corridor, I must not trust anyone’s words.
Shing.
I drew Gwicheol and countered the servant’s assault.
Then I confirmed it once more.
It would be troublesome if they said something different later, wouldn’t it?
“Then the Master of the Corridor cannot be an exception to the rules either.”
That’s right, Hoyeol.
“Whoever you are, convey this to your master.”
This was the Shadow Corridor, disconnected from the Arcana Continent.
There should be no one here who knew me.
So what if I spoke my full name with my own mouth?
“I, Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo, shall gladly accept your treatment as an honored guest.”
It was the moment I boldly declared that from the entrance of the Shadow Corridor.
Shiver—
In an instant, goosebumps rose along my spine.
They had to.
They had not received invitations,
but the other honored guests had entered the Shadow Corridor for some reason.
Among them.
‘……
Wait, is that?’
A strangely familiar silhouette entered my vision.
What that meant was simple.
……
They saw and heard it, didn’t they?
Me, Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo.
With my own mouth,
spitting out that damned full name……?!
.
[Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
[Current Bounty: 1,000 Karma]