Light of Arad: The First to Walk - Chapter 52



Only Noblemtl

052

Jinseong knew where the female ear inspector user, Louise, and Michelle were going as they chased after the giant rat ‘Scar’.

‘A village of suspicion located beneath a mine. This place used to be a place where many named mobs would appear… … .’

After the major changes and updates to the main scenario quest, it is now a place that no one specifically seeks out.

However, Jinseong was cautiously trying to find a clue in front of the elevator heading down the abandoned mine because he had already confirmed the contamination several times.

‘If there’s any contamination down here… … it might be something like monsters from the past popping out, just like they were worried about in the Kingdom of Penness.’

There are characters that appear in the dungeon not as monsters but as special humans.

Auto Player Characters, or APCs, are one of the features of the game Dungeon & Fighter. Sometimes they appear as allies and sometimes as enemies.

Current dungeon area: Northmire’s dungeon ‘Suspicious Village’ does not have these APCs, but if by any chance they appear as enemies due to contamination, it will obviously be a headache.

‘The only good thing is that there’s an elevator. APCs are treated like humans anyway, so you can’t go down to the basement without taking the elevator… If there were a lot of APCs going up and down, this incredibly unstable elevator would’ve broken down. The fact that it’s still in operation means that there are practically no users other than the female ghost sword users.’

This means that the possibility of contamination being revealed in the dungeon ‘Village of Suspicion’ is low.

As soon as Jinseong finished assessing the situation, he started to move.

It wasn’t like I was moving very far. I was just hiding a little way from the entrance to the mine.

There was a reason for the series of events that continued like flowing water.

“……There isn’t any.”

Because he knew that Michelle Monaghan, a woman with flowing green hair and a fedora pulled down low, was searching around the abandoned mines.

‘I told you my memory didn’t die. Hehe, only User and Louise went down to the abandoned mine to investigate the suspicious village.’

Of course, even if Michelle searches, she won’t be able to find any traces of the ‘scar’, so from now on, she’ll just be waiting for the user to return, and until then, Jinseong will have some free time.

‘Is it because I experienced it once in the Kingdom of Pennes? It definitely feels like something… … has leveled up in terms of contamination.’

Jinseong chuckled as he recalled the pursuit of the male priest user, who seemed to have something going for him but ended up finding nothing.

That experience of putting in a lot of time and effort and being on edge all the time, wondering if there might be any element of contamination.

Because of that, we can only see that Jinseong himself has become faster at judging contamination.

‘If it doesn’t end up here… … This time, there is only one contamination where the ‘card’ comes out.’

Resiphon, the village of pain.

The 6th Apostle, the Direzier of the Black Disease, is currently staying there.

‘If possible, it would be best if the other monsters and named people on the way to meet Direjie are contaminated.’

Gulp.

Jinseong swallowed dry saliva.

It’s still worth a try to contaminate the so-called named monsters.

Considering the possibility that Jinseong himself might step forward and deal with it, one could even say that it is a relief.

However, we must also keep in mind that this may not be the case.

‘There is a case of Lotus. It is foolish to assume that the apostle cannot be contaminated.’

The point is that we must not let our guard down, because this has already happened once.

So what can Jinseong do when Direjigae is contaminated?

What happened when the adventurer, Direji, and the user encountered each other in the town of pain, Resiphon?

‘… … Hmm.’

Jinseong tried to recall his memories for a moment, but soon gave up.

Anyway, don’t you already know the flow of the main scenario quest?

‘It’s foolish to even think about which direction the contamination will explode in. The possibilities are literally infinite, but it’s impossible to prepare for each and every one of them.’

If you know the main things, that’s enough for now.

Worrying and feeling anxious in advance will only make your body stiff.

‘What I should be expecting is more of a ‘worst case’ scenario.’

That is, you should not waste your energy on useless things, but focus on the one thing that is the most dangerous or important.

Wouldn’t it be enough to have the mental capacity to deal with other things calmly and quickly?

‘In that sense, making the deal with Azalea was a perfect response. I think I’ve overcome the crisis that could have put me in a ‘worst situation’.’

In exchange for telling us the location of Reshphon, we obtained Azalea’s shield.

Even users, that is, adventurers, were barely able to move because Michelle Monaghan’s shield alone was not enough, and they had to add Azalea’s shield as well.

Since Jinseong had already obtained medicines such as a cure for the plague from the Magic Guild, and had even received a promise of protection from Azalea, it means that he is now fully prepared.

What remains is Jinseong’s own concentration.

‘But then I met Azalea… … .’

We didn’t really talk much.

Rather, it left a positive impression on Jinseong himself.

There is no problem.

‘Wouldn’t that fact itself have some kind of butterfly effect?’

So, I guess you could say it’s a contradictory worry that it might be a problem.

Jinseong tilted his head from side to side with his arms crossed, but there was no way he could come up with an answer.

‘Anyway, if it’s a confirmed fact, well, back in the old days of Mirror Aradni, the Great War, etc… … Compared to Azalea, who already knew everything, including Reshphon’s location – she’s definitely the Azalea of ​​the most recent and established storyline that I know. That’s enough for now.’

Above all, it was important that even someone as young as Azalea was exactly as Jinseong knew.

As Jinseong thought of her the moment he met her, Azalea is a character that can be counted on one hand in terms of importance in the game Dungeon & Fighter.

Kugugugugugugu… … !

“hmm?”

Jinseong felt a tremble as he took a moment to collect his thoughts.

Unlike Michelle, who was nervously looking towards the entrance of the abandoned mine, Jinseong had a relatively calm expression on his face.

‘The mine is starting to collapse. So now… … .’

The sight of the female ear inspector user and Louise running out in a hurry.

Seeing that nothing much was happening to the two of them, Jinseong began to stretch and loosen up his ankles.

“What on earth have you done? What is this shaking!”

“The mine collapsed. Inside, the infected were performing a ritual for Direzier.”

“Haven’t you seen the scar?”

“I don’t think it was in here.”

Louise answered Michelle’s question.

And the moment Michelle was about to shake her head.

“I didn’t find it here either-.”

“Ugh, I almost died. Just a little bit more, just a little bit more!”

A squeak, a loud noise echoed through the streets, and the scar popped out.

As soon as the giant rat finished talking to himself, he started running away.

Louise sighed at the sight.

“If this was going to happen, why did you go into the mine?”

“I’ll chase that bastard before I have time to say a word!”

Michelle ran out, beating Louise.

The female ear inspector user and Louise also followed Michelle and followed Scar’s footsteps once again.

And the same was true for Jinseong, who had been loosening up for a while.

Jinseong quickly closed the distance, but kept his distance enough so that he wouldn’t be detected by those ahead. Scar was running in front, and the users and NPCs were chasing after him. Finally, the place where Jinseong was heading to was already decided.

Dungeon Area: Northmire’s final destination and the culprit behind a series of events that occurred in the Kingdom of Fennes.

The 6th Apostle, the place where the Direzier of the Black Disease is located.

It was the entrance to Resiphon, the village of suffering.

The group of users stopped in their tracks in front of the overwhelming space where the terrible energy was visible to the naked eye.

“Damn, the toxicity is too strong in here. The shield won’t activate properly.”

“You’ve come this far and you can’t get any closer?”

“We’ll be infected before we even meet Dereji.”

“Oh my… I came all the way here-.”

When Michelle shook her head and Louise felt sorry.

“You’re finally here, everyone.”

Azalea walked out and appeared in front of the user.

* * *

Michelle reacted immediately and became alert.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Azalea. I lead the Grim Seekers, and I have emerged from the Tower of Despair to save the world from destruction.”

Azalea spoke without a single lie.

It may be a completely transparent fact to Jinseong who was listening, but to the adventurers, or users at this point, it may feel like they are just telling absurd stories.

“The Tower of Despair is a place where time flows very slowly. We observe the world from there, and try to prevent the great current from heading towards destruction.”

Jinseong also nodded while listening to Azalea.

So what is the picture seeker trying to do?

What does Azalea want?

‘Hilda’s plan… … No, not just Hilda. The prophecy of the will not come true. When the Apostles lose their lives to the , when the prophecy is finally fulfilled, all worlds in all dimensions, including Arad, will disappear and perish.’

So Azalea chose.

If the prophecy comes true when the apostles are pierced by the sharp blade.

Azalea continued.

“One of those efforts is to protect the apostles.”

All you have to do is prevent the prophecy from coming true.

By guarding and protecting the apostles.

That was Azalea’s choice and the decision made by the leader of the Grim Seekers.

‘Ugh, but… … something like that.’

But not everyone followed that decision.

First of all, who is an apostle?

You can already tell just by Michelle’s nervousness and her reaction to Azalea.

“So that means I have to kill you to get to Direji.”

The influence of the apostles.

People who are harmed by the mere presence of an apostle.

They can never agree with Azalea’s methods, and Azalea knows it.

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

“What does that mean?”

Azalea answered Michelle’s question.

“We protect the Apostles from destruction in the great current, but that does not mean we turn a blind eye to the immediate disaster. Before the current disaster spreads further… … we will help you stop Direji.”

That is why, in this case, regarding the 6th Apostle, the Black Disease Deregi, the route has been changed to dealing with him.

Azalea explained what Jinseong already knew, and the users were convinced.

It was only natural, since her abilities were needed more than anything else.

“From here on out, it’ll be hard to protect yourself with just your own shield. I’ll help you, so let’s move forward together.”

Azalea’s protective shield is placed over them, and User and Michelle enter Reshpon first.

And Jinseong was watching everything, including the conversation between Louise and Azalea a little later.

When Louise finally finished talking with Azalea, she entered Reshphone to chase the user.

Sabak-.

“I’ve been sensing your presence for a while, Jinseong. But I felt like I shouldn’t pretend to know, so I kept quiet.”

Azalea said as she looked at the truth that had been revealed.

Jinseong smiled at her and approached the entrance of Reshphon.

“Your judgment is correct. Oh, and as I said before- hmph!”

Just walking a few steps towards Azalea, you can feel the power of Diregie.

‘The place I was was at most ten meters away from the female ghost sword user. But just by closing that distance-.’

I feel like my whole body is burning and I feel weak.

As I try to exert strength to avoid stumbling my steps, I feel excruciating pain that reaches not only my muscles but also my bones.

───────────… … !

And the pain began to subside little by little.

Because Azalea’s protective shield began to surround Jinseong.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

Considering that the pain was still there even after drinking a lot of the plague cure from the wizard guild as if it were a preventative measure, I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t even had that.

Jinseong felt somewhat embarrassed and quickly spoke to Azalea.

“Ahem, then I… will move as I please-.”

“Yes, I will believe your words that we will not ‘get in each other’s way. If you can prove that, Jinseong, I will also have something to say to you.”

And she told Jinseong in her own words.

You could call it a kind of confirmation or test.

Azalea quickly ran inside Reshphone after the female ghost examiner user without even listening to Jinseong’s answer.

Jinseong tilted his head.

Of course, I was walking towards Respon. It was obvious that there was no need to rush in a place with such a large area that it could be called the ‘Village of Pain’.

‘What are you trying to say? I know practically everything about Azalea anyway. Oh, no. I don’t know everything. If we meet and part ways this time, it will probably be until the next time we meet-.’

In the midst of all this, Jinseong suddenly had to stop while trying to interpret the meaning of Azalea’s suggestion.

If it is a large area, it means that there is a possibility that users may take a different path.

“Oooh… Don’t burn me….”

“Kihihi, kiihihihi-!”

This meant that users might encounter monsters that they hadn’t yet sorted out.