◈ Episode 139. Arcana (1)

[World Quest: Evil Dragon Hunter].

The hunter of the evil dragon clan.

The legends of the mountain range are calling you.

Reach the top of the Zero Mountains. (Ongoing)

The One Who Must Not Be Awakened.

A world quest that began when I defeated the creature.

I was the only one who knew of its existence. The players who helped defeat it also received a quest, but it was just a normal quest. In short, it was a different class of quest.

But you tell me I’m an evil dragon hunter!

How did Skarl find out about my nickname?

I didn’t really want to think about it. The stream of thought continues naturally. Let’s see, it was a world quest that could affect the entire Arcana world.

‘A message.’

Why, the [Seed of the World Tree] quest had a message for all players. A hidden class, the Dragon Knight. The message related to the evil dragon hunter must have occurred to only Skarl.

‘Fortunate or unfortunate.’

Yeah, let’s just say I’m glad for that. Of course, the moment Skarl uttered my name on camera, it became meaningless.

‘This isn’t even good enough, Skarl.’

I muttered to myself as I walked away.

I headed for the portal.

Like I said, I didn’t have time.

But.

A roar.

The sound of reporters chattering behind me stopped me in my tracks.

“Did you just say that you turned down Skarl’s request?”

“This is going to bruise his ego a lot, isn’t it?”

“Didn’t he seem very upset beyond rejection?”

“I mean, like meeting with Skarl was a waste of time……!”

The lobby of the Magic Tower.

A space open to anyone as long as there was a portal.

As the co-chief of Magic Tower, I knew that better than anyone.

As much as I value formality, I also value procedures, isn’t that Grandfell? It’s not my living room, and I don’t have the heart to say anything about having a conversation.

But today is a different story.

I am deeply offended.

I stopped walking and turned around.

I stare at the crowd.

I hadn’t even opened my mouth to say anything yet.

“……inhale!”

There was silence.

I opened my mouth in that silence.

It wasn’t a command, but a stern request.

“I also need you to be quiet inside the tower for the time being.”

Absolute calm is essential for the patient.

.

.

. . .

Marcelo collapsed.

In a private room in the Healing School of the Tower.

The adept mages, including Klee, were on edge.

“What are we supposed to do, Klee?”

“First, let’s calm down. Everyone.”

“……I expected it, but I didn’t expect it to be this sudden.”

The curse of the Simuard family.

Even if you shush, words without feet travel fast.

And the cursed one had no intention of hiding it.

Marcelo is breathing heavily on the bed.

Bellier watched him from the side.

It was the first time since childhood that he had closed his eyes.

“……It’s the same.”

The way he slept.

The same foolishly honest personality.

Bellier and the other senior mages, received Marcelo’s will..

It was as honest as he was. There was no mention of his own life, only of Magic Tower.

“Damn it. I knew it. A curse, but a crude one.”

Bensch’s voice came from beyond the door of the spare room.

Several senior mages had come to see Marcelo.

But no contact.

Soon, Bellier’s gaze shifted to the void.

Or, more precisely, the cursed sigil in the air.

From the moment Marcelo fell until now.

The curse mark had gradually grown darker.

As if it was absorbing Marcelo’s life.

Knock.

Bellier answered the knock.

“You may come in. Matisse senior.”

The door opened, and I caught a glimpse of Bensch’s face through the peephole.

He looked eager to get in, but Bensch’s bravado wouldn’t do him much good at this point.

“What the……!!!”

Bellier didn’t need to speak.

Natural enemies.

Thud.

Matisse slammed the door shut.

Then he looked at the curse symbol in the air.

“I don’t sense any magic in it.”

“That’s right. It doesn’t look like a magic circle either.”

“…….”

A shrug.

Matisse looked at the ring.

The color hadn’t changed.

Alien magic, black magic.

The structure of black magic is also strange and disparate.

The curse sigil wasn’t even black magic.

Just in case, just in case.

Bellier laughed bitterly.

“Neither magic nor black magic. So it seems we were right after all.”

“What is Chief Marcelo’s condition?”

“As I told you. We’re trying to force life into him.”

Keeping his body functioning through healing magic.

Matisse’s brow twitched.

It must take a great deal of magic to maintain that level of healing.

But Bellier showed no signs of exhaustion.

“Are you taking turns with the adepts to maintain the magic?

No, it seemed that even the adept mages of the Healing School were not free to enter and exit this place.

They should have come long ago, even if they had reached the limit of their magic power……. Matisse’s concerned gaze quickly turned to Bellier’s unusual attire.

Wait, now that I think about it, isn’t that a priest’s robe?

Noticing the stares, Bellier tugged at her cuffs.

“Chief Lee Ho-Yeol handed it to me, saying it might be helpful.”

“…… Chief Lee?”

“From the pattern, it’s a magic item of the Goddess Church. No, no, the Church doesn’t call it a magic item, they call it a holy object. Whatever the name, it’s a holy object because of its effects.”

The holy object was handed over by Chief Lee.

It was the only thing that kept Marcelo alive.

Matisse swallowed hard.

‘You’re sensitive in the most unexpected places.’

This was Ho-yeol, the man who saved Muon, the holy land of the Goddess Church.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Ho-Yeol possessed a holy relic of the Goddess Church. The Goddess Church, if they had any pride, would have repaid him in some way.

As soon as he finished thinking, Bellier spoke up.

“In the end, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if Senior Lee Ho-Yeol returns.”

“…….”

All I can hear is Marcelo’s breathing.

The gloomy atmosphere is not good.

Bellier opened his mouth to lighten the mood.

“Really. Magic Tower, what is the mood of the seniors?”

“They’re worried about the loss of leadership.”

“They probably don’t know why Chief Lee headed to Arcana…….”

All Chief Lee has said is that he plans to enter the Arcana continent.

He didn’t say why.

Now that Marcelo has fallen, he’s headed to Arcana.

Suddenly, there was a threat to both Chiefs’ lives.

But.

-“I will not be away for long. Therefore, I ask that you refrain from requesting my presence for a few days, and I hope you understand.”

-“Because the Simuard family is there.”

-“And yet believe in me.”

Bellier, Matisse.

At least the two seniors had faith.

That’s why I was able to open my mouth.

“It might be okay to relax once in a while for a few days.”

But the change came much sooner than they thought.

“……?”

……The curse symbols were pulsating differently than before.

“!”

Whereas before it had merely gradually gotten brighter, now it was getting brighter, then dimmer, then repeating.

The frivolous luminescence made it seem as if it was trembling in terror.

Panicked, Bellier looked out the window.

“……The sun hasn’t set yet?”

Chief Lee Ho-yeol.

It hadn’t even been a full day since he left the Magic Tower.

He had already set foot on the Arcana Continent.

Does this mean he’s found a clue to the Curse of the terminal illness?

*

[Sunset Crossroads]

[Recommended Level: Lv.380]

[Collapse Progress : 0.6%]

I’ve entered the rift closest to the magic tower.

The reason is simple.

I wasn’t confident.

‘……I wonder if I’ll have the energy to return to reality and manifest the portal.’

I couldn’t bring myself to go back to the tower.

My destination was not the rift, but the continent of Arcana.

How to return to reality?

I only know one way.

To activate the effect of [The Last Adventurer].

In order to activate it, you must die once on the Arcana Continent.

But will I, or will Grandfell, be able to close my eyes in peace? On the demon-infested continent of Arcana?

I was sure of it.

Because I don’t have enough magic left in me.

I would hunt demons until my body was tattered.

‘That’s why I chose the nearest rift.’

We’ll have to hail a taxi to get back to the tower.

Shoot!

Soon, the landscape of the rift emerges in the sunset.

But today, I didn’t have time to enjoy it.

I immediately opened my inventory.

[Map of All Things]

[Rank: Epic]

[Limit: None]

[Effect: Reveals the location of something someone has hidden, something someone has lost, something hidden somewhere. You can also teleport to the location of something once.

However, when you activate the teleportation effect, you immediately lose all effects].

[Description: A magic item with endless possibilities depending on how you use it].

Demon’s Loot.

I reminded myself before activating the effect.

A forgotten Arcana setting.

Back when Arcana was just a game, time passed four times faster in Arcana than in the real world.

A day in the real world was four days in Arcana, and Frost confirmed that the setting was still valid after the Cataclysm.

‘It depends on how you think about it.’

You might think you have more time than you think.

And yet, you still feel like the time is running out.

Of course, that’s what I’m saying.

“The passage of time doesn’t even matter to me.”

……Yes, that’s my snout. My mouth.

There was no hesitation.

As if manifesting a portal, I formed the coordinates in my mind.

-“Simuard Family. East of the Imperial Capital. Near Lake Narnia.”

Goooooo-!

Light emanated from the [Map of All Things].

The demonic aura has been purified through the Exorcism Ritual.

The only thing to worry about is the effect of the item.

A message flashed in the light.

[You have entered the doomed continent of Arcana].

.

.

.

I’m reminded of Arcana from various commercials.

Not to mention the ever-present Zero Mountains.

Almost as frequent as the Zero Mountains was the night view of Arkana.

Dozens of stars adorned the night sky.

The night sky of Arcana was filled with stars larger than the moon in real life. Yes, I woke up on the continent of Arcana. The next thing I saw after the message was the night sky of Arcana.

A giant pupil.

A giant pupil in the sky.

Watching over the continent of Arcana.

I recognized it.

No, as a Demon Hunter, I felt it instinctively.

[Skill, ‘Natural Enmity’ is activated].

I did.

Instead of stars, it was the eyes of demons that lit up the night sky of Arcana.

I spat out my impressions.

“What an eyesore.”

Malice flooded the continent of Arcana.

The pride in my chest reacted more fiercely than ever.

Grandfell would not tolerate even a breath of the demon’s breath; indeed, he would have unleashed a barrage of magic upon the eyes of the night sky in an instant.

But as important as pride was, there was a process.

I had entered the continent of Arcana for a reason.

I checked the quest window.

[Quest: Requested by Simuard Family]

Mge Family, Simuard.

They’ve been cursed with a terminal illness.

They want me to find the source of the curse.

─Visit the Simuard Mansion. (Success)

─Confront Countess Simuard. (Ongoing)

To uncover the mysterious curse on the Simuard family.

In other words, I have taken a heavy step.

Indeed, the Mage family, one of the most powerful on the continent.

The size of the mansion was unbelievable.

Above all, the exterior was intact.

‘Even Frost, the largest city in the North, has fallen.’

The [natural enemy] is getting sharper and more widespread by the day.

The demon hunter’s senses were feeling it.

There was a demon inside Simuard’s mansion.

It wasn’t hard to identify them.

As stated in the quest objective, the demon would most likely be Countess Simuard. I recalled the information about Countess Simuard that I had heard from Bellier.

-“Godmother, Yulah Simuard. She was practically the patriarch of the Simuard family.”

Countess Simuard, who had served as the head of the short-lived Simuard family. At the memory of her, Bellier rubbed his forehead.

-“But I’m sorry, I can’t remember anything about her. Strangely enough, the image of Marcelo, whom I saw on the same day and at the same time, is vivid in my memory. It’s as if I’ve cut out only the residual image of Madame Simuard…….”

It may sound like an asshole, but the mages of the Tower are intelligent.

The apprentice mages alone are the pride of their families, the sum total of their talents, and the ones who’ve been called names.

Bellier is a senior mage, far beyond apprenticeship. When she says ‘clear in memory’. She means really, really clear, like she just saw it.

‘I could definitely smell it.’

So.

I half-guessed there.

That’s a little more than a demon state, I thought.

And in this moment, in front of the mansion, I was convinced.

Simuard Family.

The demon is swallowed up the by curse of a terminally ill person.

is wearing the mask of a countess.

It’s a new realization.

Demons have no fear, do they?

How dare they touch the Mage family.

There was a demon who tried to stab a demigod, an elder mage, in the back of the head.

I’m starting to think that’s pretty typical of demons.

Thud, thud, thud.

Suddenly, there’s a flurry of activity from beyond the darkness.

A man in a tuxedo.

He holds a magic lamp in his hand and speaks to me.

“You’re a welcome visitor, though I’m not sure what you’re here for.”

Click.

He opened the door and greeted me politely.

“I am Theo Hatif, the butler of the Simuard Family. Our home is open to all. Would you like to rest?”

Yes, it’s very demonic of him to put a stranger in front of me, but he’s impeccably polite for an Count’s butler. As if I could refuse.

“Thank you.”

I followed the butler, Theo, into the Simuard Family.

Some might ask if I’m crazy.

I suppose I am, too.

But this is also my heavy pride.

Part of me wanted to blow the whole place to pieces, a mansion inhabited by the demon. It was Marcelo’s home, the Simuard family. A thought for Marcelo as he struggles with the curse.

“For you are innocent.”

At the same time, Noblesse Oblige.

Including the vassals who serve the Simuard family.

Furthermore.

“I beg your pardon, but did you just say?”

I didn’t answer, but looked up at the sky.

There were more than just demon eyes in the night sky.

My “mate” had been waiting in the clouds earlier.

[Flying Machine Castle, Iron Castle: Waiting for command]

So.

I strode confidently to the Simuard Manor.

To the Demon’s Maw.