Light of Arad: The First to Walk - Chapter 187



Only Noblemtl

187

“So, so? Just find the person that Mr. Jinseong is looking for right now-. The person that you asked Manager Ka about? Then it’s over? You can go back?”

Chili Shrimp asked urgently, brandishing his whip.

After sending away Cassias, who was running wild and demanding to spar with Jinseong right away, she didn’t even summon any other summons.

“Keeeeeeet-!”

“Kyaaah, kyaaaaak!”

Even so, the contained enough power to destroy the normal Tartan monsters… … It was to the point where Jinseong thought that he could gain strength that he didn’t have before.

“I can’t give you a definite answer. But… um, maybe? Through a deal? It’s possible.”

So Jinseong had to worry about choosing his words.

It was because of the fear that the whip might fly towards Jinseong himself at any moment.

In the truth game between Jinseong and Chili Shrimp, Jinseong, who won the right to ask the first question, obtained information through Casillas. Then what about Chili Shrimp, who is closer to the second attack?

She asked straight away.

Please tell me how to return without becoming a sharp blade.

At least Jinseong didn’t lie about that question.

Although he didn’t use the term “the one causing the pollution,” he did say that if he found the “guy” he had heard about from Cassillas, there would be a chance of him returning.

Of course, that answer would not have satisfied the chili shrimp, and that is how it ended up here.

“What’s that! It’s a game of truth, so how can you give such a vague answer? I mean, with Chief Ka, huh? Even though we’ve had such a long friendship, I sent Chief Ka away. I believed Jinseong’s words. But if you keep evading me like that-”

“I don’t know anything more than that, so that’s why I’m saying that.”

These were sincere words and true.

If you find the , you can return to reality if you can uncover his identity and report it to Nemer, or create a situation where Nemer has to deal with it.

However, he did not say that the only person who was assured that he could return was Jinseong, who had the , and that was also a reasonable and truthful answer.

‘If I actually meet Nemer, I’m the one who can make a deal. Thanks to Chili Shrimp and Vivi, I was able to complete the , and I helped find the , so send me… …! I’ll try to say that.’

It’s not like I’m lying, I’m just not sure if it’ll be accepted.

However, the reason Jinseong can be honest is because the transcendent Nemer is not a fool.

There is no way I wouldn’t know what would be the right choice and what would be a good choice.

Above all, if only the problem of could be solved, her joy would reach its peak, so it would not be an impossible suggestion.

Because Jinseong couldn’t tell the truth about that part in detail, Chili Shrimp was clinging to it so tenaciously.

“I’ll do my best. Once I find him, I’ll talk him into returning with Chili Shrimp and Vivi.”

Looking at Jinseong’s more serious expression than ever, Chili Shrimp was unable to say anything for a moment.

Jinseong, who thought it was an unspoken agreement, turned around with a bashful smile.

“Okay then? Let’s go.”

This is the dungeon ‘Black Volcano’. Up until now, it has been relatively easy, but if you go around the inside of the volcano, you will eventually reach one place, which is the place where the Almighty Mateka is.

Now that he has obtained information from Kashias, the only thing left for Jinseong to do is to question Mateka.

‘Besides, I can’t stand not telling you. Now that everything related to Anton is over, I’m going to use all my strength to make you vomit it out.’

For that reason, Jinseong’s plan to arrive faster than Vivi’s group was proceeding without a hitch.

The chili shrimp followed Jinseong’s back as if in a trance, watching him walk away.

Then, as I started running towards him, one step, two steps, three steps faster, I realized.

“……Wait a minute. Then, until we find the person that Chief Ka was talking about, I have to keep hanging out with Mr. Jinseong, right? Oh my, I think I’ve got my nose in my mouth. Hey, Mr. Jinseong! Isn’t this the end of the truth game? We have to do it properly!”

There was no way Jinseong would answer.

* * *

Shoooo───! Shoooo────!

Gas was gushing out strongly from the hole between the ground, or more precisely, Anton’s back.

The first to set foot in the place that reeked of sulfur were Jinseong and Chili Shrimp.

“Mateca.”

The being that looks down on them, floating in the air as if waiting for them, is the almighty Mateka, Anton’s brain and Anton himself, the king of the Tartan race.

“…The power to divide time and space. Is that something you have also been granted, human?”

Mateca said in a tired voice.

The chili shrimp was constantly looking around to see if Mateca’s ‘pattern’ would be activated at any moment, but there was no response from the crater around Mateca, except for the occasional puff of steam.

It was a natural thing.

“No. It wasn’t given to me. I found it. I just did it.”

From Anton’s perspective, it was like pouring out a significant amount of the energy he had absorbed from the heavens.

It literally means attacking by consuming resources that could be used as one’s own life force.

Still, it didn’t work.

That is, Mateka realized that he could not deal with Jinseong with his current body, and so he did not move. Of course, Jinseong also noticed this.

“It’s my own strength….”

Mateca looked at Jinseong for a moment and caught his breath.

Then he made a suggestion.

“Then I have a proposal. The power you possess. The power that has subdued the apostles and also consumed my energy. Would you not use it to walk the same path as me?”

If it had been a normal main scenario, this would have been a line that Agnes, Mateka’s subordinate, would have said.

The effort to win the adventurers over to his side came from the mouth of Mateka, who is Anton himself!

Could this be contamination? Jinseong thought for a moment, but shook his head.

‘It doesn’t matter anyway.’

Anton must be punished.

And here we have the adventurous chili shrimp.

If so, there is no problem.

If you make her attack Mateka and Jinseong assists, and Vivi and her group arrive in the meantime, the whole flow will eventually settle into the main scenario flow that Jinseong remembers.

So Jinseong answered.

“I’m sorry, but that can’t be done.”

“Why? You humans call me evil, but do you really think that’s right? Have you ever thought about who creates good and evil?”

“No, no. I don’t think you’re evil, Anton.”

“-hmm?”

Jinseong cut off Mateka’s words.

It’s not because Anton is evil.

It is not because it caused countless celestials to be swept up in death.

It’s a simple struggle.

“It’s just an act of survival, isn’t it? It’s neither good nor evil. To borrow your words-”

The struggle for survival.

A fact that Anton himself had been telling the celestials.

“-Only the survivors move forward… That’s the way of the world. Right?”

Jinseong, who raised the corners of his mouth, repeated the ‘lines from Mateka in the game’ that he had remembered back to Mateka himself.

You could read the look of confusion in Mateka’s pure white eyes.

Mateka spoke hurriedly as he watched Jinseong slowly raise his sword.

“……Don’t you want to know about Caloso? Surely you-.”

‘Shh. If you don’t want to die right now, let’s talk with your wits about it.’

Jinseong ‘thought’ while looking at Mateka who was about to make a fuss.

It was a measure to keep the information from leaking out to Chili Shrimp, who was still very nervous but was listening to Jinseong and Mateka’s conversation.

[Do you want to keep a secret from the person next to you?]

‘If you say one more word without my permission, you will die, Mateka.’

Jinseong looked at the chili shrimp while giving an unprecedentedly strong warning to Mateca.

A young girl with short red hair, with a little bit of tension and excitement in her eyes.

It was enough to read through Chili Shrimp’s nonverbal expressions that Mateca was not sending messages to Chili Shrimp without Jinseong knowing.

‘So, what can you do for me? Just recite it all at once.’

[Recite it- How dare you-.]

‘You dare? You want to be torn to pieces?’

Mateka had to cut off his words.

Who is the being that can control this place right now? There is no way that the King of the Tartans, who is one with Anton of the Ulu tribe through his telepathic ability, would not know.

Mateka’s voice, more trembling than before, rang in Jinseong’s head.

[Human, aren’t you afraid that you are being manipulated by a being stronger than the apostles, created by Caloso? So come with me. With my telepathic powers. And with the energy you can provide. You too can take revenge on the being that manipulates you.]

It was an answer to the question, what can Jinseong do for himself?

Beyond simply asking to be on the same side, a more specific suggestion that it would be beneficial to Jinseong as well.

Of course, it was something that Jinseong couldn’t even snort at.

‘That’s too bad. What I want isn’t revenge. Rather, you know? Don’t make such trivial suggestions. Tell me what you know.’

Above all, there was a reason why Jinseong came out so strongly.

How much does Mateca really know?

‘About Caloso, or something, or .’

Even the existence of the transcendent Nemer was stolen by tracing the true memories.

In addition, Jinseong himself had obtained information about the through Cassillas.

If that’s the case, then the almighty Mateka, who is the Apostle Anton himself to the current Jinsung, is literally nothing more than a worthless monster!

[… … I don’t know about the . However… … From what we can tell from the part where the Transcendent created by Caloso is looking for it, it seems that he too must possess great power. It may be difficult for me to completely perceive the pollution that you perceive, but with my telepathic ability, I’m sure I can find it.]

‘Hahaha, Mateka-san. You seem desperate. You said it yourself, right? The transcendent being created by Caloso is looking for you, he’s that strong… … But do you think you could read that being right in front of you with your telepathy or something? Are you sure?’

Besides, you don’t even know anything about the ?

At this point, there was only one thing Jinseong could realize.

The omnipotent Mateka is in such a difficult situation that he is falling into a self-contradiction.

What this means is that the cause of the trouble is Jinseong himself, right in front of you.

[I, I… … I know the geography of the Demon World. Rather than the imperfect Derege you’re with, I-.]

‘I know that much. Would you like to read it now? How different is the map of the Demon World that I know from the one you know?’

Mateka eventually tried to show off the weapon that only he had, but that didn’t work either.

If it were another person who had been possessed, I wouldn’t know, but it just so happened that the target was a ‘veteran’ who knew the worldview and settings of the game Dungeon and Fighter by heart.

[… … In the details, it is clear-.]

“Poohahahaha!”

Jinseong finally couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.

Kwaaaaaaaang… … !

At that moment, an explosion was heard from quite a distance away, followed by the roar of a monster.

Chili Shrimp raised his whip with great tensity.

“Huh!? Mr. Jinseong? Are you laughing?”

“yes.”

“Shouldn’t we do something about it?”

If she had just summoned a bunch of beasts, she wouldn’t have had to worry since she was from a ‘cool’ background.

For the summoner who was left alone due to Jinseong’s persuasion, this kind of tension was natural.

But Jinseong did not move easily.

“It’s okay. That’s probably Vivi… and that sound is probably the sound of a tile from the Abyss bursting. Did Vivi fail the pattern? Hehe.”

That was also the reason why I had this and that conversation with Mateka, who had no more information to extract.

Vivi and her group come and deal with Mateca perfectly.

Because I was planning to help adventurers complete the Apostle Anton’s subjugation quest and move on to the next step.

‘When they come, it’s really over. So tell me more. What else do you know? What about Caloso? What kind of Caloso do you understand, what kind of being is it in your head?’

So Jinseong asked simply to kill time.

And Mateca answered.

“Caloso is literally the law of the world. He governs life and death, but does not interfere. He is the beginning of everything and the end of everything. He is the last to appear, but the first to walk.”

Jinseong flinched at his vocal cords.