Light of Arad: The First to Walk - Chapter 143



Only Noblemtl

143

The one guided by blonde Tyler was Matan 6 Reina, located on the 73rd floor.

When Jinseong first saw her, who was a particularly important figure among the hardliners who remained in the Tower of Despair following Soldoros, he couldn’t help but feel very nervous.

‘It was a gimmick where you would automatically clear the level by shooting the sixth bullet. There are still many unique and fun patterns, but at the time, it was so fresh that it was ridiculous.’

Because it reminded me of when I faced Matan 6 Reina at the Tower of Despair.

But there was no time to be leisurely like that.

As soon as she heard the story from Tyler, she glared at him and said a word.

“If you want to live, run away now.”

“…That can’t be. How could you run away after bringing a message?”

That was all.

And even up until this moment, when he was guiding us to the floor of Soldoros, he did not speak to Jinseong himself any more.

After explaining the situation to ‘Predator Tinas Hope’ on the 95th floor for the last time, she and Jinseong went up to the 96th floor.

The main difference between the low to mid-rise areas, which were made up of stone walls like an underground prison, and the mid to high-rise areas was that the outside could be seen.

As if time flowed differently from the outside world, the sun that had been high in the sky was already setting as I walked a few steps with Matan 6 Reina… … .

‘Hmm, if I go back out like this, a lot of time will have passed – or I’ll turn into a hunchbacked old man and Arad will already be destroyed -‘

Knock knock.

‘-Ugh.’

Perhaps even absurd thoughts were an escape from reality.

Jinseong had to come to his senses with a start at the sudden knocking sound.

Tension is contagious.

Another reason Jinseong was nervous was because of Reina’s very cautious attitude.

“Soldoros, I am a guest with a message from Azalea. May I come in?”

She asked.

No answer came.

Only the door opened.

Pusheeeek… … .

The real thing was seen with the mechanical noise of the hydraulic piston.

A person I only saw on the monitor. The strongest human in the game Dungeon & Fighter.

A true weapon master who can handle tens of thousands of weapons.

Plain: The owner of the one and only ‘Weapon Selector’ in Arad.

Currently the strongest swordsman in the entire continent of Arad and the Heavens.

Representative of the hardliners in the Grim Seeker faction.

A strong man who has trained in the Tower of Despair for over 2,000 years.

Only the first apostle, one who lives in destiny to deal with the fateful Cain.

A supreme being who makes you forget all these adjectives in an instant.

‘Solderos… … .’

Soldorus was there.

* * *

Reina swallowed dryly.

“I have a message from Lady Azalea. There was a brief commotion on the lower floors, but the blonde Tyler on the 6th floor-.”

“I understand. Go away.”

“-……Yes, Lord Soldoros.”

Reina bowed her head politely.

She had no resentment toward Soldoros for cutting off her report, nor any sense of insult at being ignored.

Soldoros was literally the representative of the hardliners of the Grim Seekers and a figure of absolute charisma and spiritual leadership.

‘Unlike the lower class, the middle class and above call Azalea with honorifics, which is probably why. Soldoros is clearly a member of the hardliners, and seems to be in conflict with the moderate Azalea… … .’

It only opposes the moderates’ position.

This is because, rather than taking a passive stance of protecting the apostles, they insist that they should actively control/manage the apostles after dealing with the first apostle, Cain of Fate, led by the hardliner Soldoros himself.

In the human-to-human relationship between the human named Soldoros and the human named Azalea, both of them understand that they respect each other.

The fact that people above the mid-level who can fully understand Soldoros’s intentions use honorifics towards Azalea means that they respect Soldoros’s intentions.

Kkeeeeeee… … Thud.

Jinseong couldn’t take his eyes off Soldoros until he heard Reina leave and the door close.

It was the same with Soldoros.

How can I describe him, with his hair, eyebrows, and even his beard all turned white?

White tiger? Looking at its outstretched head, it was so real that it felt like I was facing a white lion.

“My name is Azalea.”

“Ah, yes, well, I met Lady Azalea… recently. First of all, so… strictly speaking, it’s not like Lady Azalea wrote a message to Lord Soldoros and I delivered it, but to be honest, I wanted to meet Lord Soldoros, and I asked Lady Azalea to write something like a, uh, letter of introduction? Actually, I don’t know exactly what’s in it-”

Wheeeeeeet-!

“-Huh?!”

Jinseong lifted the for a moment.

Before Jinseong knew it, a sword had flown in and was floating around right in front of his eyes.

A sword that doesn’t look particularly special, but the sharpness of its pale white blade makes anyone who sees it freeze in shock.

‘Ego Sword Claris. Soldoros’ favorite sword.’

Ego Sword Claris was ‘standing’ in front of Jinseong.

It’s not an aggressive stance where you aim the tip of the sword, but a situation where you’re literally standing in the air with the handle pointing toward the ground and the tip of the sword pointing toward the sky.

Even though he was somewhat confused, Jinseong was able to read Soldoros’ intentions.

He carefully took out Azalea’s letter from [Inventory].

Pot-!

“ah.”

At that moment, Ego Sword Claris lightly carried the letter and flew to Soldoros’ side.

A sword with an ego, not just an ego, but one that can move and act on its own, Clarice.

‘It feels different from the Igi-eogeom. The Igi-eogeom is closer to the concept of the caster controlling the sword… … This is literally like ‘automatic hunting’.’

Soldoros lightly picked up Azalea’s letter that was tucked into the end of Clarisse’s blade and unfolded it.

His eyes rolled rapidly.

Jinseong looked at the scene calmly.

‘Yeah, well, I expected that. I came here to tell you something, Lady Azalea’s letter was just to add fuel to the fire during that process… … Even if I say something like that, Soldoros won’t react like ‘Oh, really? What are you trying to say?’

Soldoros’s words and actions of showing no interest in him, even though Jinseong himself had already revealed that he had come to him for business, were in fact nothing special.

For Jinseong, who has already confirmed Soldoros’s tendencies several times in the game Dungeon & Fighter, it is rather natural.

“Phew.”

Therefore, Jinseong also anticipated that what would come next would be important.

Heukgu seemed to notice that the hand holding had become stronger.

[Click click… … That human can never win, Jinseong. Even if he’s with me.]

“I know. But… I can show you. I can prove it. When I give you the signal, lend me your strength, Heukgu. I’ll be sincere from the start.”

Jinseong muttered in a voice barely audible.

What kind of person is Soldoros? He is not a man of words.

‘He’s like Apostle Cassillas. There’s actually an in-game script that says, ‘Let’s talk with the sword.’

Dialogue of swords.

A person who can read the opponent’s intentions and true feelings while exchanging sword strikes.

The fourth apostle, the conqueror Cassius, and among humans, Soldoros has also reached that level.

Therefore, Jinseong’s body was preparing like a track and field athlete right before starting.

‘It will be after he reads the letter. He might even attack me without even preparing.’

It’s not a lie that I don’t know exactly what Azalea wrote in the letter.

However, he did not tell me about facts that could have been predicted to some extent.

‘It might have been written to test me directly. If not, it might have included a phrase that encourages testing. In any case, there’s no way they’d let me go with a letter from Azalea.’

If Jinseong’s own prediction is correct, the letter’s contents are likely to be as follows:

[Soldoros is another worthy candidate for the Forged Blade. I would like you to find out for yourself whether he is qualified.]

What if there is a phrase like the above, or something with that nuance?

Soldoros will try to test his true self. Definitely.

That’s why he was heading towards the Tower of Despair and creating a new combo, and why Jinseong was reorganizing his status while dealing with the APCs on floors 1 to 5.

“hmm.”

Soldoros folded the letter.

Jinseong’s body flinched for a moment.

Which one is rushing in, him or Ego Sword Clarice?

Thump, thump, thump… … .

Soldoros looked into Jinseong’s eyes and said.

“Go back.”

It was a single word that made Jinseong dumb for a moment.

* * *

“……Huh? You want me to go back?”

“That’s what I said.”

There was no pitch in Soldoros’s voice.

Jinseong tilted his head as he watched the Supreme Being speak in a steady tone without any hesitation.

“Oh, hey, didn’t Lady Azalea’s letter say anything else? Like, test me? Or… maybe, something like, “I’d like you to grant this person a favor.”

“her.”

It was a laugh.

To be precise, it was a laugh.

Jinseong was speechless.

Soldoros turned away as if he had no interest in Jinseong anymore.

“Excuse me, excuse me, just a moment!”

Jinseong tried to call Soldoros, but he neither looked back nor responded.

Jinseong shouted as he watched the old prosecutor slowly walk towards the chair in the corner.

“No, that, the truth is, I came here! As I said earlier, I came here because I have a favor to ask of you! I came here to speak to you, Lord Soldoros, as well as to your disciple, Lord Shingeom Yang-eol! Apostle Anton! Aren’t you curious about the story of the Apostle Anton of the Celestial Realm? I already spoke to Lady Azalea, but-”

“That’s nonsense. The conversation is over.”

Soldoros cut off Jinseong’s words.

After hearing his strong and heavy voice, Jinseong couldn’t even flinch anymore.

end?

Is this the end?

What was the reason Jinseong came here?

‘… … The power that can be had as a possessed being, beyond the simple use of items… … I came here to find my own unique characteristic that I can utilize.’

It is also to chase after Ah-hang, who was possessed by the source of the Abyss and the .

There are character adventurers, but fundamentally, it is also to cultivate the power to correct the pollution of the possessed adventurers.

Above all, it was something that Jinseong himself needed to do in order to live and survive here in Plain: Arad.

But is that all over?

Are we supposed to end our meeting with Soldoros like this without even having a proper conversation?

When will we meet Soldoros and Shingeom Yang-eol next?

‘… … After the Castle of the Dead. And further on, around the time of Sirocco’s resurrection. It’s a long time from now.’

Does that mean that nothing will change until that time comes?

Does this mean that, just like Jinseong himself has done so far, he will have to struggle to find a part that he can take while barely remaining dependent on the system of the game Dungeon & Fighter?

“Phew…….”

Jinseong took a deep breath.

Soldoros sat on a chair and held his teacup.

Only after slowly swallowing a sip did he see the truth.

“If you’re worried about going down, let me tell you. Don’t touch a single hair.”

The tone of voice was something like, “The reason Jinseong hasn’t come out yet is because he’s afraid.”

Jinseong was still catching his breath.

“ha…….”

It had to be that way.

No matter how sincere you are, you have to be determined to this extent.

Considering the weight of the work I have to do from now on, it will be difficult to control my mind even if I take deep breaths all day long.

“Black ball.”

Jinseong muttered quietly.

In an instant, a black aura enveloped Jinseong’s body and disappeared.

The look in his eyes as he looks at Soldoros while holding his sword.

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiii───────ㅇ!

The chainsaw started to turn as fiercely as his sincerity.

Regardless, Soldoros was still savoring his tea.

It wasn’t just his appearance. It wasn’t just his attitude of ignoring Jinseong himself.

“I’ll make you regret it, swindler.”

Jinseong rushed towards Soldoros, letting out all the complicated and subtle feelings he had for Soldoros that had been building up since he was a user of the game Dungeon & Fighter.

Soldoros frowned.