◈ Episode 152. The Seed of Tears (3)

A text from Nam Tae-min.

[The key to defeating a dungeon is to identify the location of the Dungeon Core.

This rift, the location of the dungeon’s core, is near Chelsea Bridge.

There is a very high probability that it is the London branch of AAU].

Right.

The AAU must have realized something.

Of course, I had already guessed the location of the dungeon’s core through [Natural Enemies].

“……After the Cataclysm, the symbol on Chelsea Bridge Road changed to the AAU’s London branch.”

Unfamiliar, London’s geography.

Without Schreig’s guidance, I might have had to open a map app and find my way around. Of course, it’s also a hassle to manifest a portal.

‘I know what’s at those coordinates.’

This means that the portal could be a shortcut to a trap.

Plus, wasn’t the trap in this dungeon rift rain-related?

I was already soaked from head to toe.

I’m soaking wet as it is.

No more forced showers.

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing, by the way.”

Schreig sounded thrilled.

…… I can tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t just saying empty words.

I wondered what he saw.

I followed his gaze and looked around.

London after the rain had stopped.

The streets were lined with Aquarius oaks.

A dozen at most.

Barely enough time for them to grow into giants.

Indeed, it was the effect of the blessing of Hiel that sprouted the seed of the World Tree.

The roots are strong, the trunk upright.

Above it, branches grow in abundance.

At the tips of the branches, glorious buds began to bloom.

……It’s almost too colorful.

[The Desire of Pure Knowledge].

The Aquarius oak in my knowledge was never like that.

I can guess why.

It must be the influence of Hiel.

Damn, I have a bad taste in my mouth.

“It’s not my place to complain.

I feel like I’m looking at my own “magic” with an extra [Aesthetics] stat!

What’s that they say about children being the mirror of their parents?

I’m sorry, Hiel.

As I looked at her, she opened her mouth as if she had been waiting.

“The sublime must have rubbed off on me.”

Yes, it’s all my influence.

I’m sorry I brought up bad water, Hiel.

……But, wait, [Sublime]?

That was a word I couldn’t let slip.

That’s because [Sublime] was my new title on the Arcana continent.

I opened the status window to see the effects of [Sublime] once again.

[Sublime: Sublime, the Arcana Continent remembers you].

It did.

The opposite of the long and specific [Last Adventurer] effect.

It was just one line.

Why didn’t it feel bad?

Because there was something very powerful about a one-line effect.

‘The continent of Arcana remembers me.’

I don’t know if it’s my innocence or what.

It meant that the system didn’t pretend to be oblivious to my struggle against millions of demons. And how many gains did I get from that struggle?

First and foremost, the terminal illness curse of Marcelo.

[Telescope of the Evil Eye].

And enough experience to override the death penalty.

And the vague effects of the title.

I was able to let it slide.

I wonder if the joy of winning was even greater because I had no expectations.

‘…… There’s something to this, right?’

It was not only plausible, but it was clear that [Sublime] had additional effects that were not specified. A ‘something’ that could not be recognized even with Grandfell’s talent and skill.

“I see. Good work, Hiel.”

The words were spoken with a calmness that belied the overwhelming feeling inside.

Sigh.

The corner of Hiel’s mouth twitches up, and she lowers her head.

“You’re giving me too much credit when I’m not quite there yet.”

Of course, there was no time for small talk.

The core of the dungeon were getting closer and closer, the AAU UK branch.

Suddenly, Schreig called out.

” ……,It’s the enemy. the number is approximately five!”

Schreig, level 402.

He was now on par with Nam Tae-min and the other top players. He was once one of the top three players, along with Skarl and Rox.

Chulkuk─

His calm demeanor in the face of sudden enemies is a proof of that.

I am familiar with Schreig’s class.

He was one of the few players I knew before I awakened. Why did I know? Simple, because he was awesome.

Swordsman class, Fencer.

Indeed, a gentleman in a gentleman’s land.

Schreig drew his weapon and assumed a fighting stance.

His weapon, like a giant needle, was a foil.

A sword specialized for stabbing.

“Zachary, do you hear me? What’s the situation? what about the citizens?”

While he is focused on the battle, he does not forget about the safety of the fallen citizens.

It’s a sight that, unsurprisingly, makes Grandfell’s pride beam with satisfaction.

“No monsters yet? Good, good. Then we’d better get ready, because it looks like the monsters are coming from the core of the dungeon.”

Schreig grasps the situation and relays it.

I stood side by side with him.

He looked ahead.

‘Five, to be exact.’

I describe them as mannequins filled with water.

Five water men were coming towards us.

The situation was clear.

Ending the call, Schreig turned to me.

“According to the additional patch notes, their name is Ghosts of the Gloomy City. Their level is said to be between 600 and 650, and this is just my guess…….”

Boom.

Schreig gritted his teeth.

“If they’re ghosts, there’s a good chance physical attacks won’t work against them.”

I sympathize, to a point.

Names aside.

What’s the old saying about cutting through water with a knife?

Apparently, physical attacks don’t work.

Swish, swish, swish.

Shreig’s grip on his sword trembled.

It wasn’t fear.

It was anger.

London, his home, and the people who had brought it to this.

“Damn it.”

He’s angry that he can’t do anything with his sword.

I understand your frustration.

But even though I can guess what he’s feeling.

There is a reason why I said I only sympathize ‘to a certain extent.’

I opened my mouth.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s ……?”

“Are you really sure that a physical attack won’t work?”

“That, uh, that it.”

Schreig didn’t seem to understand.

I would have said the same thing in the old days.

Are you trying to say something cheesy again?

I might have started to lament my lot.

But I realized something when I came back from the dead.

‘In the end, we need the power of the players.’

Maybe on the Arcana continent.

In the real world, I was no match for millions of demons.

In the end, I need the cooperation of the players.

And pride is a must.

I need the cooperation of players with great skill.

So look at me, Schreig.

I slowly raised my hands.

I took a fighting stance.

And what I held in my hand was a black umbrella.

“……!”

I said to the surprised Schreig.

“Your job from now on is simple. Watch.”

Then I drew my sword.

No, I focused it on the long umbrella.

I continued nonchalantly.

“More precisely, to witness the sword energy.”

” ……What do you mean, sword energy?!”

Sword Energy.

An art that requires a high level of qualification just to witness before it can be wielded.

However, once a swordsman is able to wield it, his combat power increases exponentially.

I’ve witnessed the power of swordsmen like Harkon, Yessica, and Enoch above and beyond their level.

Not surprisingly.

Swords with that kind of power.

Even if it’s just an umbrella, not a sword.

It could damage ghosts.

“A sword, I don’t know what you’re talking about all of a sudden……! You’re not safe on your own. What’s more, with an umbrella like that……!”

But Schreig couldn’t know that.

No wonder he’s freaking out.

So I told him to stay still and watch.

“You’ll understand once you see it.”

The five ghosts charged.

I aimed my umbrella at them.

The silver aura rises up around the umbrella.

Boom!

A decisive blow.

The wraiths collapsed at the same time.

A look of horror crossed Schreig’s face.

“……What the hell?”

Unlike him, I wasn’t the least bit surprised.

There was no joy in defeating a monster with an umbrella.

Five level 600 monsters in one hit.

The level is close to level 500, and that’s not enough, is it because of the [Natural Enemy] that has been activated?

Or maybe it was the experience of fighting among millions of demons on the Arcana Continent.

They weren’t the only ones who felt the tension.

‘You’ve really grown up, Lee Ho-yeol.’

I didn’t enter the dungeon rift alone for nothing.

.

.

.

Player, Lee Ho-yeol.

Estimated level, at least level 900.

His strength was familiar.

Schreig, he had Arcana common sense.

He was once ranked third in the player rankings.

He had experienced the pain and emotions that other players were currently feeling.

That made it even more puzzling.

Lee Ho-yeol, what does he mean?

His main attack is magic.

However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him wield a sword.

I had seen him wield a sword in the media.

But this goes beyond that.

An umbrella.

Defeating five level 600 monsters with an umbrella!

Schreig clenched his fists.

‘…… Is this the difference in levels?’

A gap.

He didn’t just feel the gap between him and Lee Ho-Yeol, because all he could point to now was his past glory, and he knew it better than anyone.

‘I must have hit my limit long ago.’

The limits of class, of being a fencer, to be precise.

In reality, there is no natural progression to a profession.

Classes in the Arcana do.

The one at the very top is a precious hidden class.

A former member of the Hidden Class might be Skarl or Jesse Heinness.

Their power and potential are hard to describe.

Below them are popular classes like Barbarian and Healer.

These are the classes that many players choose, and they’re backed by performance.

If you’re lucky enough to get a class quest.

It was similar to the hidden class, or even changed to a hidden class.

And at the bottom of the pile are the unpopular classes like his own.

Schreig could guarantee it.

Fencers were a shitty class.

If he could go back in time, he wouldn’t have chosen this class.

It was basically a swordsman with a sword.

Attack power has no choice but to be based on the [Strength] stat. Fencers who had to target the enemy’s weaknesses required an extremely high [Agility] stat.

This class requires both strength and agility.

The more you level up, the less efficient you become.

‘That’s a power I can’t even dream of.’

Damn.

Schreig looked at his Foil.

In the end, it was the power of his attacks that was holding him back.

An attack that relied on stabbing had many weaknesses.

‘What the hell is your class?’

Chief of Magic Tower.

Infinite Darkness.

Evil Dragon Hunter.

I couldn’t guess from the title.

Magic.

Swordsmanship.

……And umbrella fighting.

You couldn’t tell by watching.

But one thing was certain.

Schreig laughed bitterly.

‘I’ll never be able to keep up.’

In truth, I’d been working on the problem since the Kingdom of Yusra.

I didn’t think I’d be discouraged……….

Schreig was furious.

” …… So, in other words, I’m no help at all.”

London.

The city where he was born and raised.

Until this morning, the streets he walked down were shrouded in rain and fog.

Families, colleagues, and citizens of London are in crisis.

He resented that he could do nothing with his hands, nothing with his abilities.

“You’re incompetent.”

Schreig shook his head.

“Are you paying attention, Schreig?”

Ho Yeol’s voice came from …….

Schreig looked up.

His posture as steady as his voice.

Hoyeol, holding the umbrella like a sword, continued.

“You must witness the sword technique.”

A sword technique.

He had no idea what he was talking about.

Schreig recalled Ho Yeol’s words in a flash.

-“Your task from now on is simple. Watch.”

-“Or, more accurately, to witness the swordplay.”

Overestimating.

Clearly, he was firmly mistaken about me.

Schreig spoke in an angry voice.

“Swordsmanship. I don’t know if you know this, but I’m not like the other sword class players! I’m a damn fencer, which is my class, with its own weaknesses and limitations. I don’t even know what sword energy is, but that’s not what you expect from me……!”

“I know.”

“You’re ……?”

What does you know?

I know my class, fencer.

If not, it knows my limitations.

Before my question could be answered, Ho-Yeol spoke up.

“But it doesn’t matter.”

“……?”

“Believe in yourself, even if you don’t have the courage to do so.”

His voice could not have been more serious.

“Believe in me, who believes in you.”

.

.

.

I knew you.

Schreig, you’re one of the few players I’ve known since before my awakening. And what, A Fencer is extremely weak and has clear limitations?

If you feel like this, I’d like to give you a one-day experience as a demon hunter.

‘It’s less noticeable now that it’s grown so much.’

I mean, when I first awakened, hunting gnolls far below my level was enough to make my legs tremble.

I guarantee you, even if the Fencer is an ambiguous class, it can’t match the Demon Hunter, right?

I mean, what other class in the world invests stat points in Strength, Agility, Magic, and Luck at the same time?

So I could say with confidence.

“Believe in me, I believe in you.”

I guarantee it.

Rank 3 in Arcana is a position you’ll never reach if you don’t have the talent.

So raise your head and see, Schreig. You must witness the sword, you must realize what it is.

“If you want to protect what you hold dear with those hands.”

To face the demons that will come.

I’m afraid I’ll spit it out in Grandfell’s tongue.

Once again, the [Ghosts of the Gloomy City] came into view.

……By the way, there are quite a few of them this time.

There are so many of them that it puts to shame the form they achieved. If I were alone, I would hold an umbrella and deal with it slowly, but there were citizens who fainted. No matter what, structure is a priority over education.

This was the moment I was about to raise my magic.

“!”

A message popped into my mind.

[Sublime one, your sublimity has made a small change].

……I made a small change?

What change?

Isn’t it a bit much to be called sublime before that?

While I was thinking.

I heard a voice.

Schreig’s voice, rough and trembling.

“Hey, player Lee Ho-yeol, that silver glow on your umbrella, is that the Sword Energy you’ve been talking about? Wait, before that, do you know what a [Sublime] is? I just got a message… … !”

You’ve witnessed the Sword Energy, Schreig.

But it also enlightened me.

So this is the hidden effect of [Sublime], huh?

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