◈ Episode 195. Can You Follow Me (3)

A light illuminates the darkness of the Zero Mountains.

“It’s not my place to say this, but it’s beautiful.”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought so.”

“It’s sparkling, it’s beautiful…….”

A sphere of light so bright it feels warm.

For all sorts of complicated reasons.

The mere mention of Hoyeol’s name was enough to make Dmitri’s brow furrow and his words slur.

“……What are you doing, huh?”

I was still nervous as I entered the portal.

I didn’t want Camilla to make fun of me.

For a tanker, there is no more intimidating battlefield than a dark forest.

What kind of monster is in the dark forest?

You never know where they’re going to jump out of the darkness.

Besides, what kind of forest is this?

It was the Zero Mountains.

Back when Arcana was just a game.

Not the low-level zones I’d experienced.

It was somewhere in the middle of nowhere that I hadn’t even seen.

“Dmitri, here they come.”

Suddenly, I hear Rox’s voice.

He looked up to see a rabbit charging at him.

Dmitri raised his shield.

“Okay!”

Thud!

The guard jumped back.

All the while, Dmitri was thinking.

If only the light hadn’t illuminated the darkness…….

BANG!

“Ugh……!!!”

Would I have been able to block the blow now?

Apparently, it was no different than a common rabbit.

But on the subject of rabbits.

I could tell by the way it was attacking the players.

I shouldn’t let my guard down because of its cute appearance.

Snap, snap, snap!

The bow was drawn.

Camilla said with an arrow in her mouth.

“Haw mach af tha guud staff ded thay ewat? (How much of the good stuff did they eat?)”

To survive in the middle of the Zero Mountains.

That alone should be proof that it was no ordinary rabbit.

But as I said, there was ‘light’.

“Stay in line. Normal monsters, even at high levels. The pattern is obvious.”

Under Rox’s command, the Shining skillfully dealt with the rabbits’ ambush.

Perhaps it was the extreme experience of dealing with demons in the Rift.

Or maybe it’s the light that illuminates the darkness.

Aah!

Camilla brushed her red hair out of her face.

“I think I’m done with the welcome~”

“…….”

A thud.

Dmitri dropped his shield without a word.

……There’s no way she could be this quiet.

Sensing something, Camilla spoke up.

“You’re reacting so strangely unlike our youngest.”

“……I don’t understand.”

“What? Why?”

“What do you think is the reason for doing this?”

Chuck-

Dmitri’s thick fingers pointed to a sphere of light.

Oh, that?

Camilla smirked.

“Well, if I knew that, wouldn’t I have left The Shining too?”

Just like our Jesse.

“Camilla, I’m listening.”

“Hmph. Look at you turning red. Kidding. Just kidding, Rox.”

Camilla chuckled, then said.

“Actually, I don’t think it matters why.”

“?”

“It’s not like this is the first time our commander-in-chief has done something like this. How many times do you think he’s gone through this troublesome and troublesome process? and you don’t think this is the first time, do you, Dmitri?”

Dmitri closed his mouth and racked his memory.

‘At least level 900…….’

Even that was a long time ago.

Dmitri was a ranker himself, and he knew it well.

It takes a lot of work to stay on top.

‘Even if I spend all my time leveling up, it won’t be enough.’

What did Lee Hoyeol do?

He did his best, even in a rift that seemed insignificant to him.

Anything that might pose the slightest threat to humanity, including Demon King?

He crushed them to the ground.

Yet he was not arrogant or cocky.

He even mobilized the Arcana forces he’d built to help those who had fallen behind.

He did.

[Quest: The Unfinished Holy War]]

The quest in front of him was a testament to his consistency.

Sigh.

Soon, Dmitri shook his head.

” ……Maybe I was looking at the trees, not the forest.”

I looked at him with simple jealousy.

“And now you’re pretending to be enlightened, because you’re still not cool~”

I deserved to hear that from Camilla today.

Snap!

Dmitri slapped her cheeks roughly with both hands.

“Okay, I’ll have to be more serious from now on.”

Rox smiled bitterly at his resolve.

‘It would be weird not to admit it at this point.’

As if that wasn’t enough.

Even Dmitri’s free-spirited personality has changed.

I’m completely lost to him.

Rox gazed at the path of light that circled the mountain range.

He raised his sword and shield.

“If it’s unfair, I have no choice but to pursue it diligently.”

“……What did you say, Rox?”

“No, I didn’t say anything.”

Yes, I’m an underdog.

I’m a dog at heart, no matter how hard I try to form.

A dog with a vested interest in chasing someone.

Rox ordered the support team.

“Let’s set up a base camp closest to the portal. You’ve cleared the area of monsters, so this shouldn’t be too bad. Now, do me a favor. Everyone.”

“Already done? Oh, no. Rox?”

“That’s right, the man’s passion has just been ignited!”

“Of course, I’ll take your sincerity a step further.”

Just then, the Shining was about to take a step.

Duduksil-

“?”

Spheres of light rose into the air.

“Whoa, what the hell, that’s pretty.”

I was stunned by the sight.

Aaaaahhhhhhhh!

The light became a beam of light and streaked across the Zero Mountains.

“……!!!”

It wasn’t just the Shining.

Everyone in the Zero Mountains could guess.

At the end of that streak of light, there was Hoyeol.

Vision Expansion Skill, [Eagle Eye].

Camilla looked around the Zero Mountains with the eyes of an eagle.

She stuttered speechlessly.

“……Okay, wait, how high is that?”

Just beyond the reach of [Eagle Eye]’s vision.

As far as the eye could see.

The beam of light stretched toward the very top of the mountain range.

Surprise quickly turned to horror.

Because of a sound coming from a far away place.

Kugugugugugung—!

What a loud noise.

Could it have traveled so far?

What the hell was going on up there……?

Dmitri spoke in a tentative voice.

“……Wait a minute, isn’t that the Dragon’s Nest near the top?”

*

[Baton of Rhyme]

[Rating: Epic]

[Limitations: none]

[Effect : When worn, the wielder gains vast musical knowledge, granting buffs to everything under the wielder’s control with effects befitting that musical knowledge].

[Description : A magic tool whose effects are as noble as its noble appearance].

It was.

[Along with the Map of All Things and the Telescope of Evil Eye, this was the loot of the Demon King when I captured Demon Castle. Thanks to its effects, I was able to utter familiar musical terms.

Chuck-.

“Vivace.” – Flashy and fast.

But what is vivace, anyway, vivace!

It’s like, faster and faster.

Or shouldn’t it have just been fast?

Did you really need to add “flashy” in a place like this, Grandfell?

I’m almost tempted to ask if you’re disoriented after coming through the portal, because that’s the dragon’s nest you see when you peek your head out……!

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak-.

I said.

I’m under a dragon’s nest, and I’m doing a lot of magic.

I am genuinely concerned.

I wonder if I’m waking up the dragon with all this noise.

‘How severe is the noise stress between floors?’

If it does wake up, it’s only natural that its anger will be directed at me.

It’s hard enough to deal with the Sheegwin in front of me, but a dragon?

That’s the last thing I want to have to deal with.

‘To do that.’

I’ll have to fight as fast as I can.

I have to go all out.

Shegwin’s movements were hard to follow.

But from the moment I picked up the [Baton of Rhyme], I was in command of the battlefield.

Yes, thanks to that damned Vivace. Of course, the baton did not increase my physical abilities.

‘If that were the case, it would have been an item beyond epic.’

But it’s enough for now.

The light moves swiftly at my command.

My assimilation, interference, and manifestation equally swift.

Light and magic spheres each manifested with different magic and began to pressure Shegwin. Flame, Ice, and even illusion magic that disrupts vision.

The amount of magic being thrown around was too much for even me to comprehend.

‘So this is the Circle.’

It wasn’t a transcendent that I had honestly reached.

I could feel the effects just now.

No wonder Elder Yugweed was so excited, like it was her business.

But.

‘It doesn’t feel overwhelming at all.’

The circle is probably too much for me.

But I was using the circle to my advantage.

No, beyond that.

I felt like I was pouring out my ‘full power’.

『My innate magical talent was such that I could mimic most magic just by looking at it.』

Yes, now that I’ve formed the circle.

It feels like the setting of Grandfell is where its power comes into full effect.

Sigh─

I looked at the baton that was being swung nonchalantly.

I feel like a real conductor…….

A Sword Saint and the continent’s only Grand Sword Master.

Shegwin dodges the barrage of magic.

He looked like a creaky singer under a barrage of notes.

Something said.

I think I said something about a wild heartbeat and a screaming duet.

Truly, you have to live up to your words, Grandfell.

But not to be underestimated.

Likewise.

No, unlike me, who took a shortcut.

Shegwin was a transcendent, a man of his own power.

As if to confirm my suspicions.

ssaeaeaeaeaeg─!

Soon, a gust of wind blew away the magical notes.

“It’s a damn magic tool.”

Sussss─

Dust rose from the mountain range.

Shegwin emerged from it.

His pupils revealing themselves in the clearing dust.

“And it feels fucking good.”

Blackened eyes.

It was telling me that Shegwin had indeed fallen to the demon.

But his pupils were fluttering wildly.

He wasn’t exactly making eye contact with me.

‘There is no way that transcendental beings would be intimidated by force.’

Then there’s only one reason.

As demon hunter versus demon.

It means that me and Shegwin are not in the right weight class.

‘Demon of True Origin, Shegwin. Not a demon.’

You have to be at the level of a demon king.

Even among demons, you should have experience confronting demon hunters.

Or, to put it more simply, you must have overcome a natural enemy.

To be able to remain calm in the face of natural enemy.

‘Something like greed.’

The Greed of the Seven Deadly Sins, who committed suicide and were reborn.

He was a Great Evil, but he had no immunity to the Demon Hunter. He was condemned to hell before he could put up much of a fight against a former, much weaker, me.

Such was the case with Shegwin.

‘He was only recently corrupted into a demon.’

It has no resistance to natural enemy.

He reeked of inexperience.

That was good news for me.

It was good news for me, so I could say with confidence.

“It’s just as ugly as it looks.”

The corner of Shegwin’s mouth twitched upward.

“I noticed it in the social hall, too, but you have a way with words, and the way you look down on the world is arrogant and insolent.”

I’m flattered.

You’ve regained your youth, but you can’t fake your age, can you?

Anyway, I thought I would hear harsh words at least once, Grandfell.

‘I recognized it from the moment I spoke informally to Senios until the end.’

Of course, that doesn’t make it any less true, Shagwin.

Not that you deserve any respect.

I snapped back.

“You’re mistaken.”

“……?”

“You’re talking about a conversation that could be had between humans.”

“……!”

“Are you sure you still think you’re human?”

Suddenly─

Shegwin’s face contorted.

That was enough to convince me.

‘I really don’t think I had any intention of becoming a demon.’

But nothing changes.

No, it’s worse.

You made a deal with the demon simply to regain your youth.

Even if you were tricked by the demon, it’s a different crime.

Shegwin didn’t seem to be trying to argue.

“I have no doubts, no regrets. I can still hear the cries of the humans in my ears. But what is so wrong with that?”

His black pupils reflected madness.

“Their lives would have been lost to the demons anyway. They were sacrificed to the demons. What’s wrong with that? It’s bad enough that a fucking demon bastard insulted me. Shut up!”

A surge of demonic energy.

I could see where Shegwin was coming from.

Indeed, the continent of Arcana had been trampled by demons.

But to me, to Grandfell, they were not worth hearing.

A cold voice flowed from my lips.

“No, you have only turned away.”

“Turned away from ……?”

“You have turned away to fulfill an ugly purpose.”

I’m not here to preach, but I’m also not here to listen to rationalizations.

And above all, I, and Grandfell, deserve to say this.

Struggling to death, even if only for a moment.

We brought peace to the continent of Arcana.

We deserve to be heard.

I opened my mouth slowly.

“But if that pathetic excuse is the pride you’ve been living up to.”

Then I slowly lowered my baton.

“I will beat you with true pride.”

Yes.

This is it.

Grandfell’s disposition of Shagwin.

I continued.

“Deliver this to the Spacetime Social Hall.”

“……?”

“I challenge the Transcendent, Shegwin to a spacetime duel.”

“!”

Then my vision flipped.

“Raise your swords, for I, too, will raise my sword.”

Yes, the ‘new sword’.

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note: LETS GOOOOOO!!!