Light of Arad: The First to Walk - Chapter 141



Only Noblemtl

141

It was just as Azalea and Ezra had guessed.

The reason Jinseong didn’t ask where the Tower of Despair was located was because, of course, he already knew.

[Click click click… … It smells… … .]

“That’s what I mean. I’ve been to this area a ton of times before… but it’s still unique. Even in Arad, places like this aren’t common.”

The area where Jinsung arrived was a little further west from a certain area in the northern part of Granfloris and the southern part of Stormpass.

The area, formed by rough rocky terrain and sunken valleys in a desolate place like the Grand Canyon, had a name as ominous as its appearance.

“The Valley of the Dead… It’s been a while.”

Dungeon Area: Valley of the Dead.

Users who have started playing the game Dungeon & Fighter relatively recently may not know this, but it is a place that made many users nervous when it had a somewhat different flow from the current main scenario quest, including the existence of the God of Death.

‘I came here when I was doing the awakening quest. These days, new awakening quests for each job have been created… … Ah, but I guess I’ll come here once when I do the epic quest. Other than that, it’s become a place that most users don’t bother to visit.’

That too is a joy and a regret that only online games can have.

In particular, the Tower of Despair is not a place that can be considered as past content.

‘In the current patch version of DnF, the map changes after Azalea dies. The Tower of Despair that I’m trying to go to has completely disappeared.’

Dungeon Area: Valley of the Dead map itself changes, so the dungeon itself called Tower of Despair disappears.

It’s not simply a matter of whether or not there is content for users to enjoy there, but rather the Tower of Despair is a place that is being deleted in line with the flow of the main scenario.

‘But still, if it’s now… … .’

The target Jinseong was trying to reach was not visible from the beginning because it was obscured by the rough terrain.

However, since Jinseong could mentally draw the map of the dungeon area: Valley of the Dead, and especially the location of the Tower of Despair, where he wanted to go, it wasn’t that difficult for him to find his target.

“There it is. That’s it.”

Dungeon Area: Deep in the center of the Valley of the Dead, there is a single building standing tall there.

It is not a single, tall pillar like a radio transmission tower or ‘tower’.

[Kukuk… … The Tower of Despair. Jinseong, isn’t that a name that suits you perfectly? You’ll end up in despair.]

“Hmm, well… the etymology itself is that despair. It’s a bit different. Strictly speaking, the word ‘top’ isn’t really a ‘top’ either.”

The Tower of Despair is not just a building with layers upon layers.

It may look like that at first glance, but in reality, it is a ‘built spaceship’.

‘The spaceship that took flight carrying the last survivors, including Azalea, when the ancient planet Terra was destroyed… … Genesis.’

The reason why the Tower of Despair was deleted according to the flow of the main scenario quest was because it was a ‘spaceship’.

‘The fact that Azalea was able to fall into a long, long hibernation… … and the fact that the inside of the Tower of Despair is a strange place where time flows at a different speed than the outside is all due to the ancient Terran technology.’

How many people on the continent of Arad currently know its secrets?

Jinseong went towards the place, repeating the secret so naturally.

[different?]

“You don’t have to know.”

So, it would take ages to explain to Heukgu that the Tower of Despair does not simply mean despair, and that it was a long and complicated story. Jinseong dismissed it with one word, saying that it was close to a secret that should not be talked about in the first place.

“Phew…….”

After checking the Tower of Despair, Jinseong approached the entrance on the first floor.

With each step I took, I felt a tension that felt like my skin was being squeezed.

That too was a natural thing for Jinseong.

It is currently unused and can be considered virtually deleted content, but what was the dungeon ‘Tower of Despair’ in the Valley of the Dead dungeon area like in the past?

‘The entry level was 70 or higher. From my perspective, I’m only level 68… … I haven’t even met that minimum cut.’

The level is lacking.

Fortunately, I am using it, but I am not satisfied with this equipment.

Even if you come here with the strongest equipment, the best condition, and the latest skills that can be learned at level 70, you cannot guarantee your safety. That is why… … .

“That’s a good thing.”

Jinseong fiddled with the ‘Azalea’s Mail’ that had been stored in his [Inventory] again.

I knew it would be difficult to climb the tower using force, so I went as far as asking around to meet her.

Jinseong finally opened the door to the first floor of the Tower of Despair and entered.

Step, step, step… The passage was not that narrow, but the stone walls on both sides were peeling off in places.

It has a relief engraved with a figure that appears to be a knight fighting a monster, giving it a very gothic fantasy feel.

‘Hehehe, that can’t be helped. Before the Tower of Despair was set to be ‘actually a Genesis spaceship!’, it was probably designed as a dungeon with that kind of feeling… … .’

It is only natural that you feel like you have entered a demonic castle.

Jinseong did not let his guard down.

By the time I saw a light brighter than the hallway lights shining from afar, I was already holding Azalea’s letter in my hand, which I had taken out of my [Inventory].

“Ahem, are you there~? I am a messenger from Lady Azalea, here to see Lady Soldoros.”

The real plan was to prevent a conflict from happening.

Jinseong’s choice to deliberately shout loudly and emphasize the names of Soldoros and Azalea was certainly reasonable.

“Is anyone there? I am here to deliver Lady Azalea’s message to Lord Soldoros!”

Surely it could have been a valid operation.

Because it was clear that all the characters in the Tower of Despair were members of the Grim Seekers.

“…What is it, an outsider?”

“You want to deliver a message to Lord Soldoros?”

Finally, Jinseong heard a rustling noise.

I have seen people react clearly to the two words, Soldoros and Azalea.

So I had to be a bit confused.

What was it like when you came to the Tower of Despair as a user?

The structure was such that if you won against the APC assigned to each floor, you could advance to the next floor.

Unless the APC on that floor has a special nature, there is usually only one APC on each floor, i.e. the user will only have to deal with one enemy.

‘Three, four, five… …? Five on the first floor? Even though I can’t remember, I remember that there was one Crusader APC on the first floor. What kind of incompetent guy was that- Ah, that’s him.’

But now there are as many as five.

In the meantime, should Jinseong be happy to see the first person who greets users on the first floor?

“Azalea…you. What a name I miss.”

“An outsider? Is that true?”

“Yes, it’s true. Lady Azalea’s letter is here. I really need to show it to Lord Soldoros… Hehe, how about, can you show me some directions?”

Jinseong quickly looked them over as he answered their questions.

It was a situation that Jinseong could also accept.

‘Well, it’s probably not contamination. If users come, they should be placed on each floor… … But they’ll need time to gather and chat amongst themselves. It’s not that strange for five of them to be gathered on the first floor… … But.’

As soon as I recognized one person, memories started coming back to me like a chain reaction.

APC, who used to guard the first floor of the Tower of Despair, who are the people next to ‘the incompetent guy Benayoun’?

‘These are the APCs on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors. If I remember correctly, all the APCs from the 1st to the 5th floor are gathered here.’

All APCs from floors 1 to 5 from the past when the Tower of Despair was active as content are gathered here.

I thought that to this extent, it wasn’t that unusual, and in fact, it might be better than asking just one person to do it.

“But how could that be? Azalea’s letter, now?”

“Go back! Just go back when I’m talking to you nicely!”

And Jinseong realized that it was a naive thought.

All the characters remaining in the Tower of Despair are indeed members of the Grim Seekers.

“……yes?”

“What are you going to tell Lord Soldoros now?”

“When I tell you to go back, go back!”

However, those in the Tower of Despair are all hardliners who have split from the ‘moderate faction on Azalea’s side’.

Soldoros is a leader who is almost an object of worship to them.

In other words, what is Azalea?

What more so for those who are not located in the upper floors of the Tower of Despair, and whose training is limited to blocking the intrusion of outsiders from the lower floors?!

“I can’t go back, please guide me to Soldoros-.”

“If you don’t go back, I’ll kill you, outsider.”

How much meaning is contained in the message that Azalea sends to Soldoros.

This means that they are people who do not even have the ability to interpret the meaning contained in such an act itself, regardless of its content.

* * *

The eyes of the APCs, four men and one woman who once ruled the 1st to 5th floors of the Tower of Despair, changed.

The same was true for Jinseong.

In order not to ruin the mood until the end, I didn’t activate it, but I was prepared to deal with them right away if they came running at all.

However, it was not possible to rush in first and subdue them with force.

[Keep on going, it’s always the ones below that are the problem. What are you going to do, Jinseong? Jin: It seems like you’re on a different track from the guys who came out for the Blue Dragon Tournament… … Aren’t each and every one of those idiots on the same level as that woman who fought in the finals?]

Aside from the fact that they were part of the Grim Seeker hardliners, they also had physical limitations that Heukgu had mentioned.

Any one of these people would be skilled enough to win the Jin:Cheongryong Tournament.

It would never be a wise choice to fight five of those at the same time, especially inside the Tower of Despair where mobility is limited.

Jinseong wanted to solve the problem through words until the end.

“Telling Lord Soldoros directly… I guess it might be burdensome. Then, wouldn’t it be better to tell someone else? Maybe Lord Shingeom Yang-eol… Or if Lord Yang-eol doesn’t work, maybe someone like Lord Pungwolju Bihwarang or Lord Baeksuwang Unjo would be good.”

I tried speaking without losing my smile.

And the sincerity could be felt.

“Hey, what’s Yang-eul’s name…?”

“It’s surprising that I know the Master of the Wind and Moon, Bihwarang, but Master of the White Emperor, Unjo… He’s so high up in the sky that I don’t even know which floor he’s on!”

“How can an outsider know the names of people we can hardly even meet face to face?”

“Azalea- Azalea said it!? Azalea told all the secrets!”

That the conversation itself would no longer work.

“hmm……?”

Plain: Most of the Arad residents I’ve met since being possessed by Arad have been smarter or more amazing than the NPCs or APCs I’ve met as a game user, but the humans in the Tower of Despair are much dumber than the APCs I’ve met.

The only thing faster than letting out a sigh was starting the chainsaw.

“Stop him from running away!”

“Eat this!”

“Kill me, outsider!”

“What the hell, you idiots! !”

─────────────!

Jinseong had to immediately activate the skill including invincibility.

, , and up to .

At that time, the main skills used by the APCs on the 1st to 5th floors of the Tower of Despair were instantly fired toward the invincible Jinseong’s body.

Kookookookook… … .

Dust rose from the first floor of the once quiet Tower of Despair.