Light of Arad: Forerunner

Chapter 52

Jinseong knew where the female Ghost Knight user, Louise, Michelle, and others were headed while chasing the giant rat ‘Scar.’

‘A village of suspicion located below the mine. This place, too, used to be filled with named mobs in the past…’

Following major changes and updates to the main scenario quests, it had since become a place rarely visited by users.

Nevertheless, Jinseong cautiously tried to sense any signs near the elevator leading down to the abandoned mine because he had already confirmed several instances of contamination.

‘If contamination were to occur down there… It might result in the reappearance of past monsters, just as the Kingdom of Pennes feared.’

Within the dungeon, there was a character that appeared not as a monster but in the form of a special human.

These were called Auto Player Characters, or APCs, which were a feature of the game Dungeon & Fighter, sometimes appearing as allies, and other times as enemies.

Although no such APCs existed in the current dungeon region: North Myre’s dungeon ‘Village of Suspicion,’ the contamination could potentially cause these APCs to appear as enemies, which would undoubtedly be a headache.

‘The only relief is the elevator. APCs are still considered human, so they can’t descend underground without using the elevator… If APCs had been using it frequently, this rickety elevator would’ve broken down long ago. The fact that it’s still operational suggests that the only real users are the female Ghost Knight user and her party.’

This implied that the likelihood of contamination revealing itself in the dungeon ‘Village of Suspicion’ was low.

As soon as he quickly assessed the situation, Jinseong began to move.

It wasn’t that he moved far. He simply hid himself a little away from the entrance to the abandoned mine.

The sequence of actions, flowing smoothly like water, naturally had a purpose.

“…It’s clear.”

He knew that Michelle Monahan, a woman with green hair fluttering under her fedora, was searching around the abandoned mine.

‘My memory serves me well. Heh, the only ones descending into the abandoned mine to investigate the Village of Suspicion were the user and Louise.’

Of course, even if Michelle searched, she wouldn’t find any trace of ‘Scar,’ so she would simply wait for the user to return, giving Jinseong a bit of leeway until then.

‘Maybe it’s because I’ve experienced it once in the Kingdom of Pennes. For sure, it feels like… the level related to contamination has risen.’

Thinking back to the pursuit of the male Priest user, where he found absolutely nothing in the end, Jinseong chuckled.

He had invested considerable time and effort, keeping all his senses on high alert, hoping to find traces of contamination.

That experience likely made his current ability to detect contamination much faster.

‘If it’s not even here… Then the only place where contamination appears with a ‘Card’ is in one location.’

The Village of Suffering, Reshpon.

The place where the 6th Apostle, Diregie of the Black Plague, currently resides.

‘If I could at least hope for the other monsters and named ones on the way to meeting Diregie to be contaminated—.’

Gulp.

Jinseong swallowed dryly.

Contamination of the so-called named monsters was still manageable.

Considering that Jinseong himself might have to face them directly, it was a comforting thought.

However, he had to consider the possibility that it might not be the case.

‘There was the case of Lotus. It would be foolish to assume an Apostle could never be contaminated.’

Having already gone through it once, he knew not to be complacent.

If Diregie were contaminated, what could Jinseong do?

What had happened when Diregie and the user adventurer met in the Village of Suffering, Reshpon?

‘…Hmm.’

Jinseong briefly retraced his memories but soon gave up.

After all, he already knew the flow of the main scenario quests.

‘Trying to predict exactly how the contamination will break out… is a futile effort. The possibilities are nearly infinite, and preparing for each one is impossible.’

Knowing the major events was enough.

Worrying or feeling anxious beforehand would only stiffen his body.

‘What I should be anticipating is the ‘worst-case scenario’ instead.’

In other words, avoid wasting energy on unnecessary things and focus on the most dangerous or critical one.

For the rest, it was sufficient to maintain mental composure that allowed him to react calmly and swiftly.

‘In that sense, the deal I made when I met Azelia was a perfect response. The crisis that could’ve almost led to a ‘worst-case scenario’ has been averted for now.’

In exchange for revealing Reshpon’s location, he had obtained Azelia’s protective barrier.

Even the user, or adventurer, had found Michelle Monahan’s barrier insufficient and had to add Azelia’s barrier on top just to be able to move.

Since Jinseong had already obtained medicinal supplies like plague antidotes from the Mage Guild, securing Azelia’s promise of protection meant he was now fully prepared.

All that was left was for Jinseong to focus.

‘But the fact that I met Azelia…’

It wasn’t that they had a particularly extensive conversation.

Rather, Jinseong had left a favorable impression of himself.

There was no problem.

‘From that very fact alone, might there be some kind of butterfly effect?’

Was it a contradictory worry, thinking that it could cause issues?

Jinseong crossed his arms, tilting his head back and forth, but no answers came.

‘Anyway, if it’s something I’ve confirmed, well, compared to Azelia who already knew everything from the times of Mirror Arad and the Great Battle… it’s the most recent and established storyline I know of Azelia. That’s enough for now.’

Above all, it was significant that even someone like Azelia was as he knew her.

The fact that he could recall Azelia the moment he encountered her underscored her importance in the game Dungeon & Fighter, ranking among the top few figures.

Rumble, rumble, rumble…!

“Hmm?”

As Jinseong was organizing his thoughts, he felt the ground tremble.

Unlike Michelle, who was nervously inspecting the entrance to the abandoned mine, Jinseong appeared relatively calm.

‘The mine is starting to collapse. Then, soon…’

The sight of the female Ghost Knight user and Louise scrambling out followed.

Seeing that the two were unharmed, Jinseong began stretching his ankles.

“What on earth did you do? And what’s causing this shaking?”

“The mine’s collapsed. Inside, the infected were conducting a ritual for Diregie.”

“Did you not see Scar?”

“I don’t think it was inside.”

Louise responded to Michelle’s question.

As Michelle was about to shake her head,

“I didn’t find it here eith—”

“Phew, almost, almost made it! Just a little further!”

Clang, the noise echoed as Scar burst out.

The giant rat, muttering to itself, scurried away.

Louise sighed at the sight.

“Then why did we even enter the mine?”

“Stop talking and chase him!”

Michelle scolded Louise as she darted forward.

The female Ghost Knight user and Louise also followed Michelle, resuming their pursuit of Scar.

Jinseong, who had been warming up all along, did the same.

Jinseong quickly closed the distance while maintaining just enough gap not to be detected by those ahead. The foremost, Scar, followed by the chasing users and NPCs, and finally Jinseong himself—everyone was headed to the same place.

The final destination of the dungeon region: North Myre, the source of the incidents that started in the Kingdom of Pennes.

The location of the 6th Apostle, Diregie of the Black Plague.

It was the entrance to the Village of Suffering, Reshpon.

Before the overwhelming space where the sinister energy was visibly thick, the user’s party hesitated.

“Damn, the poison here is too strong. The barrier isn’t fully activating.”

“So we’ve come all this way and can’t get any closer?”

“We’ll become infected before we even meet Diregie.”

“Damn… To come this far and—”

As Michelle shook her head and Louise lamented,

“You’ve finally arrived, everyone.”

Azelia stepped forward, revealing herself in front of the user party.

* * *

Michelle immediately reacted, on guard.

“Who are you?”

“I am Azelia. I lead the Grim Seekers and have come from the Tower of Despair to save the world from destruction.”

Azelia spoke without a trace of falsehood.

To Jinseong, listening in, it was all transparent facts, but to the adventurers, the users of this moment, it probably felt like she was spouting some outrageous stories.

“The Tower of Despair is a place where time flows very slowly. We observe the world from there, striving to prevent the grand flow from heading toward destruction.”

As Azelia spoke, Jinseong also nodded.

Ultimately, what were the Grim Seekers trying to do?

What was Azelia’s goal?

‘Hilder’s plan… No, it’s not just Hilder. It’s to prevent the prophecy of from coming true. When the Apostles fall to the and the prophecy is finally fulfilled, the worlds of all dimensions, including Arad, will vanish and perish.’

Thus, Azelia made a choice.

If the prophecy would be realized when the Apostles were pierced by the Refined Blades—

Azelia continued her words.

“One of our efforts is to protect the Apostles.”

Prevent the prophecy from coming true.

By protecting and safeguarding the Apostles.

This was Azelia’s choice, the decision made by the leader of the Grim Seekers.

‘Tch,

but well… That’s how it is.’

However, not everyone would follow such a decision.

Above all, who were the Apostles?

Just from Michelle’s heightened vigilance towards Azelia, it was clear.

“Then, to reach Diregie, we’d have to defeat you.”

The influence of the Apostles.

The harm caused by the mere existence of an Apostle.

They could never agree with Azelia’s approach, and Azelia knew this as well.

“At first, I came to protect the Apostle, but not anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

Michelle asked, and Azelia answered.

“We protect the Apostles to prevent the great flow from heading toward destruction, but that doesn’t mean we ignore immediate disasters. Before the current calamity spreads further… I will help you stop Diregie.”

Thus, regarding this incident with the 6th Apostle, Diregie of the Black Plague, the approach was changed to that of neutralizing him.

Azelia explained what Jinseong already knew, and the user party accepted it.

Moreover, since her abilities were needed, it was a natural outcome.

“From here on, your own barrier won’t be enough. I will assist you, so let’s proceed together.”

With Azelia’s barrier overlaying them, the user and Michelle first entered Reshpon.

Watching from a short distance, Jinseong observed as Louise and Azelia conversed before Louise also followed the user into Reshpon.

Step, step.

“I’ve sensed your presence for a while, Jinseong. But I kept quiet because it seemed inappropriate to acknowledge you.”

Azelia spoke as she looked at Jinseong, who revealed himself.

Jinseong smiled at her and approached the entrance of Reshpon.

“Your judgment is precise. Ah, and as I mentioned before— Ugh!”

Even those few steps towards Azelia revealed the overwhelming power of Diregie.

‘The spot I was standing was barely ten meters outside from the female Ghost Knight user. But just closing that gap—’

It felt like his whole body was burning, sapping his strength.

Barely managing to steady his steps, he exerted force, but the piercing pain spread to his muscles and even his bones.

───────────……!

Then, the pain gradually subsided.

Azelia’s barrier began to envelop Jinseong.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Even with the plague antidotes he had gulped down like preventive medicine from the Mage Guild, the pain was palpable, making one wonder what might happen without it.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Jinseong quickly spoke to Azelia.

“Ahem, so I’ll… go my own way—”

“Yes, I trust your words about not ‘interfering’ with each other. If you prove those words true, I also have something to tell you.”

Then, she spoke to Jinseong in her own way.

A kind of verification or test, perhaps.

Without even waiting for Jinseong’s response, Azelia dashed after the female Ghost Knight user into the depths of Reshpon.

Jinseong tilted his head.

Of course, he continued walking toward Reshpon. In a place as vast as the ‘Village of Suffering,’ it was natural not to rush.

‘What does she intend to say? After all, I know pretty much everything related to Azelia. Oh, no. I don’t know everything. After this meeting, the next time we encounter—’

Even while pondering the meaning of Azelia’s suggestion, Jinseong suddenly stopped.

If the area was vast, there was also a chance the user could take a different path.

“Ugh… Don’t burn me…”

“Keh-hee, keh-hee-hee-hee!”

This meant encountering monsters that the user hadn’t cleared yet.