◈ Episode 167. You Left Something Precious (3)

Lansha couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

“……?”

Darkness swallowed the demon.

There was no sound, no commotion.

“Gardner, what’s going on?”

Those who woke up couldn’t even understand what was going on.

“Nothing, old man.”

I don’t need to tell them what’s going on.

The appearance of a demon was enough to frighten them.

Because it was a situation where an unknown darkness had swallowed up such a demon.

“What the hell……?”

Gardner stared into the darkness again.

Once upon a time, when he roamed the continent as a mercenary.

He’d seen mages, he’d seen magic.

A black ‘thing’ that spoke human words.

He’d never seen anything like it.

Suddenly, Lansha muttered.

“……Diend Chrysiad Eternal Darkness.”

“Huh? What did you just say, Lansha?”

“I think he said his name!”

“Huh, a name?”

It’s very long for a name, isn’t it?

Like the name of a noble of a great family.

Lansha continued.

“According to my lord, the Infinite Deep Darkness…….”

An infinite deep darkness?

Gardner frowned and desperately tried to remember.

But he had been retired from mercenary service for decades. Too much wine had been drunk to recall the countless aliases that roamed the continent.

But who cares about names or affiliations?

“Surely, I said I would save Dredsen!”

As I said, Dredsen was a very small town.

A remote part of the Empire.

Dredsen is a place that even the most honored of men would turn their backs on. No matter how much they tried, no matter how hard they whipped, nothing came of it.

“I don’t understand.”

Gardner’s eyes narrowed.

He didn’t want to say it, but…….

“Why would a man so big as to be called Lord care about things like us?”

I didn’t understand.

It wasn’t just Dredsen that was in danger.

All the nearby towns, cities, even the Imperial Capital.

Arcana, all of it, is crumbling at the hands of demons.

And we, who have nothing, are supposed to be saved?

But the questioning didn’t last long.

Diend, The darkness, spoke once more.

“Because you have not lost the pride in your hearts.”

“Pride in ……?”

“Like the man who refused to give in to the demon until the very end.”

“……!!!”

Everyone could tell.

He was referring to Mate, that was for sure.

Quack-!

Suddenly, Lansha’s grip on the sword became stronger.

Pride, pride, pride.

It must be weird to understand things so quickly.

Lansha opened her mouth.

” ……How do you know of Mate’s final fate?”

The question remained.

Dredsen is a mountain village.

There was no way to know what happened in the village unless you were literally looking down from the sky……. But at that moment, a loud noise came from the sky.

Tududududu.

“?!”

Lansha, Gardner, and the others looked up and were stunned.

The night sky was filled with Evil Eyes.

A huge figure appeared, unaffected by their gazes.

It was definitely a ship.

“What is that!”

“Mr. Gardner?!”

“La, Lansha, don’t even ask me! A flying ship!”

To their astonishment, Diend spoke.

“Even if the world has turned its back on you.”

“……?”

“My lord does not turn his back on you.”

For some reason, his voice was more generous.

“Just as I have been saved by my Lord.”

*

Magic Tower.

As I climbed the stairs, I kept repeating it over and over in my head.

… … I wanted to ignore it, but this day came.

‘The snout has finally done its job.’

It’s the spirit of darkness, if nothing else.

I mean, I knew my damn naming sense would manifest itself in this way. Just like with Hiel……! I had to be generous with the first name.

‘Diend (The End).’

But it was the second half that was the problem.

[Diend Chrysiad Eternal Darkness].

Everything in moderation, really!

Eternal Darkness. (iteoneol dakeuniseula)

Eternal Darkness.

Seriously, every time I think about it, I feel so much shame that I want to close my eyes and sink into eternal darkness……. But this, too, is a weight I must bear.

Yes, with two spirits, it’s no wonder it’s so heavy.

‘Well, I’ve always been grateful for that.’

Senior Mage of Spirits, Feiyan, delivered the letter via parchment.

‘The {Unique Spirits} is a being that transcends class and even spirit contracts. Therefore, the existing contract is destroyed.

‘Why, even if Hiel uses her natural abilities.’

There was no change in my magic power.

Unique spirits are special, I’d guessed.

But I didn’t realize it was possible to make a new pact with a new spirit.

Needless to say, I didn’t hesitate.

The Dark Spirit.

Its mere presence was enough to make Fire Drake, Feiyan’s contract spirit and higher ranking spirit, nervous.

Besides, I had seen the Dark Spirit’s abilities in the Teffern Labyrinth.

[Dark Spirit King, bless the Arcane Contract].

I made the contract, and while I was at it, I gave it a name.

It’s just that the name couldn’t have been more bizarre…….

But I have no regrets.

‘Hiel and Diend are not the same.’

Awakened with a unique spirit.

Although Hiel has grown further due to the influence of [Sublime], but there is something about his origins in the first place. Hiel is a forest spirit and is not a spirit specialized in combat.

Well, maybe because of who they resemble……….

‘For all that, I’m good at fighting.’

She could make stems sprout and disappear, and she could fight monsters with the best of them.

It is nothing compared to the Dark Spirits.

That’s why I’ve entrusted him with Dredsen.

[Quest: Request from the awakened decisive weapon]

Akshan’s Battlecruiser Quernberg Machine Tower.

Instead of answering the question, I chose pride.

The machine’s memory wants to protect the survivors left behind.

─Save the survivors of Dredsen Village. (Success)

The result came in the form of a message.

Indeed, it was worth it to overcome my shame.

I knew you would succeed, Diend.

‘Not a bad use of magic, either.

Now that [Blessing of the First World Tree] is active.

I’m not the same person I used to be when I was freaking out about mana consumption.

It means that it’s okay for me to use my magic in the case that Diend is facing a strong enemy. Well, it didn’t seem to happen, since my magic was still intact.

ttogag─

I reached the Crystal Hall.

The Round Table.

Is this the first roundtable conference since the players entered the Magic Tower?

I can tell they’re all nervous.

Of course, there’s nothing I can do about it.

I know myself, or more accurately, my big mouth.

‘I’m going to spew venom.’

I couldn’t even think about my days as a frog tadpole.

I don’t even know how to assimilate, interfere, or manifest.

I could see the nagging future.

So let’s just keep our mouths shut today.

I’ll just show up to the conference as the pants chief.

While I was thinking to myself, someone walked up to me.

“Long time no see, Chief Lee.”

It was Bellier.

I nodded slightly in greeting.

What is formality?

To respond to a polite greeting with a sincere response.

Maybe it’s because she’s relieved of her worries about Marcelo.

Her face seems much brighter than before.

I was about to reply.

“……?”

Bellier’s gaze is drawn to my chest collar.

To be exact, a lapel brooch.

Bellier’s pupils widened.

“You’ve got an extra brooch, Chief, and somehow it fits in with the one you were wearing before, but no, it’s beautiful even without that.”

Of course, he has the keen eye to notice even the smallest changes.

You’ve got an eye for aesthetics.

Pass, Ms. Bellier.

I feel a little flattered, as does Grandfell.

‘I’m not surprised you recognized me.’

[Name: Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]

[Title: Last Adventurer, Sublime]

[Class: Demon Hunter]

[Level: 544]

[Stats]

Strength: 90 / Agility: 100 / Magic: 423 / Luck: 10 / Aesthetics: Medium]

[Holding Points : 50]

The experience points accumulated in the Quernberg Machine Tower were as expected.

I gained a maximum of 50 levels in one fell swoop.

Thanks to you, I easily passed level 500.

I’ve been able to equip my second Sixth Sight Brooch.

[Sixth Sight Brooch 2/6]

[Rank: Unique]

[Limit: Lv.500]

[Effect : Increases damage dealt by all physical attacks by 10%].

[Description: Part of a brooch where six come together to form one, but since it’s only a part, it loses a lot of its effectiveness].

My [Aesthetics] have also increased to [Medium] without the magic items I borrowed from the Magic Tower.

So no matter how much I try not to show it, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed.

After all, I had only just broken a single stack.

‘Let’s see, how many machine towers are there on the continent of Arcana?’

A hundred, if not more.

The numbers float around in my head.

For some reason, I’ve been asking for a lot of favors lately.

‘Still, I request it, Iron Castle.’

I don’t care if it’s broken.

I want you to find as much of the remains of the Machine Tower as you can. Of course, my complicated, worldly thoughts were not to be revealed on the outside.

I replied succinctly.

“Thank you, Senior Bellier.”

Wudangtang─

A face drew closer, accompanied by an unusual noise.

It was Bensch William, a senior in Fire Magic.

“Even if that wasn’t the case, I was going to tell you too!”

About what?

Was it an objection to his application for the tower?

I glared at Bensch.

“You look great in your new brooch, too!”

That was it.

Who doesn’t love a compliment?

Besides, my new sixth sight brooch was a medal of honor for my hard work, so I had no reason to feel bad. But I snapped back.

“Let us refrain from unnecessary conversation, Senior Bensch William.”

“… … Yes? Yes?”

Bensch looks back and forth between me and Bellier.

He looks very resentful.

Actually, I resent him more than I resent me.

That ridiculous application form!

If you’re going to write it down and submit it, what’s the point of filling it out every day? But such personal feelings don’t exist for the impartial Grandfell.

He did.

It was all just a matter of procedure.

Marcelo stepped up to the podium.

“No small talk during the conference.”

“……!!!”

Look at the Crystal Hall, Bensch.

Even the players who don’t even know what a Magic Tower is yet have fallen silent, and not a single one of them has been nagged.

‘I didn’t want to say this, but…….’

Bensch William.

You’re too clueless for your own good.

I knew it when you wrote that on your application.

Seriously.

.

.

.

“I thought I was going to choke to death, if they could actually hear me breathing!”

“If it’s Bensch William……. Aren’t you the senior mage of fire magic?”

“You talked to a senior like that, you’re really scary, Lee Hoyeol!”

“But don’t you understand?”

“……Eh, what?”

“No, it’s not enough that he entered the Arcana Continent, he came back after hunting millions of demons, and as if that wasn’t enough, he didn’t even get injured……!”

*

After the roundtable ended, I entered the rift.

[Griffin’s Cliff]

[Appropriate level : Lv.500]

[Collapse Progress : 14.7%]

I was well past level 500.

The appropriate level for most rifts is meaningless to me.

It’s not that they’re not dangerous, it’s just that I can’t level up in any of them. Like I said, it wasn’t worth my time.

Why did I enter the rift knowing that?

Well, there are several reasons.

First and foremost, pride.

‘I need to make sure the people of Dredsen are safe.’

In the process, I’ll have to risk shame to summon Diend, and I’ll need to get an update from Hiel on the status of the Iron Castle. I’ll also inquire about the progress of the ego equipment.

But first…….

The landscape changed in an instant.

An eagle’s head appears on top of a telephone pole.

There was a griffin with the body of a beast.

[Sharp Claw Griffin: Lv.500]

I wonder if it recognized my presence.

Kkieeeeeek—!

With a loud howl, griffins swarmed from all over the rift.

I counted at least a dozen of them.

I opened my mouth to speak.

“An unnecessary distraction.”

But it’s not so bad.

‘I’ve been wondering about them anyway.’

Volunteers are welcome, bird, beast, whatever.

I straightened my clothes.

“It’s not enough to wag your tail and play nice. Spread your wings, set your claws, and make a fuss. You resemble a beast and a bird in all the worst aspects.”

I aligned the sixth sight brooch with particular care.

“But unfortunately, today’s discipline ended at the round table.”

There it was.

And now.

This was my chance to see the set effect of the Sixth Sight Brooch.

[디엔드 크리시아드 이터널 다크니스] -> [diendeu keulisiadeu iteoneol dakeuniseu] -> [Diend (The End) Chrysiad Eternal Darkness].