Light of Arad: The First to Walk - Chapter 80



Only Noblemtl

080

Some say that it took only two weeks, but that is something that even Jinseong himself can do.

If you think about it, it only took about two months so far because there was a mission given only to Jinseong himself.

‘Well, I guess so. Hehe, I guess so.’

Jinseong was able to observe Vivi with more composure, releasing the tension he had felt a moment ago.

She is busy controlling the small interceptor from the Sparrow Factory through the small control device she is holding.

Why do I feel more warm than frustrated when I see Vivi groaning?

‘Well… … Thinking about it that way, I guess I should say that it’s fortunate that I was possessed by the Dark Knight.’

The same goes for skills.

Vivi complained that she had to control it herself, but it’s not like it would activate just by reciting the skill name, right?

‘Basic movements… … I should have known the structure. Fencing? Kendo? I’ve never done that before, but-.’

If you’ve been able to fight in that manner up until now, it’s because you perfectly understand the skills and combos of the Dark Knight profession.

Only after thinking about it that way did Jinseong become curious again.

“Oh, Vivi. Then what was the job of the person who came to heaven after two weeks?”

He must be someone who is as close to a veteran as Jinseong himself.

This user would have a perfect understanding of the skill composition, etc.

What is his occupation?

“Berserker! Dead, you damn Schroed!”

Still arguing with the cartel’s mobile leader, Bibi answered.

Jinseong’s relaxed eyes gradually began to grow wider.

“… … Hmm? Berserker? You chose Berserker?!”

At the same time, his voice gradually became louder.

Berserker, it was a natural thing for Jinseong, who knew that job all too well.

And when he finished hearing the story, Jinseong was shocked once again.

* * *

“You’re back!”

Zeldin, the captain of the Zodiac Guard, could not hide his joy at seeing Vivi return.

“Gordon… is that right, he betrayed… ”

The mercenary group that was helping the Imperial Army deserved praise for Vivi’s actions, even though she met her death through betrayal, as she not only defeated Captain Schroed, but also saved another NPC who was being threatened by them.

“Still, thanks to you, I’m glad that Maywin came back alive. Thank you so much for saving her.”

“No problem. Hehe.”

Vivi also nodded as she watched Zeldin nod.

Of course, Jinseong was just watching all of this from behind.

“The Imperial Army is fighting better than I thought. I was worried because they were carrying old-fashioned weapons, but it seems they are elite soldiers. The Empire of the Lower World must be an amazing country.”

“I don’t know much about it, but it’s amazing. But even for them, it won’t be easy.”

“Oh, Adventurer. Have you heard the news? I heard that an unidentified machine has appeared at the south gate of Ghent. Mr. Ban and several soldiers should be nearby, and I am concerned that something may have happened. Would you please go to the south gate right away and assess the situation?”

As Zeldin praised, this quest requires some level of cooperation with the Imperial Army.

In other words, Jinseong, who recalled the flow of encounters with Van Balshteit, had no choice but to take a delicate position of staying by Vivi’s side and standing at the forefront.

“Mr. Jinsang, aren’t you going to help me this time?”

“Oh, I’ll help you if Vivi gets in trouble. I’ll focus on protecting you for now… Don’t worry.”

“I, I’m not particularly worried about you, Jinsang- um, okay.”

Vivi meant that she was afraid that she would be put in danger, but Jinseong couldn’t accept that intention at the moment.

Because the words Vivi had said were messing with Jinseong’s mind.

‘Berserker… … If you were an adventurer too – you would have chosen a job like Vivi. You would have told Nemer what job you would do.’

Vivi said she chose the female mechanic profession not only for her own analysis, but also to prepare for the unexpected and to distance herself from any direct threats.

It is unknown whether Nemer had any specific explanations before being transformed into a true adventurer, but it is likely that Berserker, who ascended to the heavens after two weeks, also went through a similar situation.

‘But I chose Berserker… … even though I knew full well the concept of a berserker.’

I’ve already asked Vivi.

“If you get hit, Vivi, does it hurt? Can you feel the pain?”

“Of course. It hurts. The first time I got hit by a stray dog, I just hid and cried for two days.”

There is no way they wouldn’t feel what Jinseong himself felt.

‘Pain. It hurts. It hurts when you get hit. They said that the reason it took Vivi so long to get to Heaven was because she was afraid of pain.’

There may be some aspects of her that she had difficulty adjusting to having to directly control all of the skills of the female mechanic, but the biggest problem is probably the trauma from being hit by monsters, including the Gul Guwisi, right after she was possessed.

All ice creatures become sick when their HP decreases.

I feel pain.

And what about Berserker in the game Dungeon & Fighter?

“I wonder if he’ll end up with all the epic items for the low-life setting, the so-called ‘Arcane Setting’ later on… … In the end, even that person will only be wearing rare and unique items at most right now-.”

You chose Berserker?

Berserker has skills that consume HP instead of MP.

There are even buff skills that require you to endure things like reduced physical and magical defense, and limited HP recovery in order to increase skill attack power and attack speed.

There are also skills such as exploding your own blood and scattering it to inflict enemies with the ‘Abnormal Status: Bleeding’ effect.

All of these skills are based on HP consumption.

‘-Doesn’t it hurt?’

This means that pain will eventually follow.

Couldn’t the fact that he is advancing at an incredible pace to become a true adventurer mean that he is fighting a battle while leaving his body covered in wounds?

‘Of course, there are skills like that don’t decrease HP below a certain level, but that would have to be at least level 60. At least, you wouldn’t have been able to learn it until you reached the Heavens. At best, there was , but that was all… ‘

It was certainly surprising, but it was not strange.

It’s not impossible, as some people may be motivated by pain.

The problem came next.

“He wasn’t sick? Did he talk about something?”

“Um, well. I finished the Heavenly quest so quickly and went back down to Arad… so we talked, but we didn’t have enough time to talk about things like that.”

“I completed all the quests in Heaven and went to Arad… Does that mean I saved Princess Erje of Heaven?”

“Yes. I bet it wouldn’t take you even a week to do all that?”

“That’s an incredible speed. Two weeks to Heaven, one week to complete all the quests in Heaven… ”

“Right? As of today, it’s probably been about a month since he was possessed. The method itself is-.”

“What did you say!?”

“-Eh, Huh!? Why, why are you yelling and all?”

Information that makes Jinseong react by shouting without realizing it.

This was what really shocked Jinseong more than the fact that he was a berserker.

It took him two weeks to first ascend to heaven.

That job was Berserker.

“What now- what is wrong with today?”

“Huh? What did I say? Oh, based on today-.”

Information that makes ‘that kind of thing’ irrelevant.

“-That Berserker must have been possessed for about a month now.”

It means that he has been living in the world of Arad for ‘about a month’.

This is the place where Jinseong himself has been living for ‘about two months’.

* * *

Jinseong’s mind was extremely complicated, but his actions were not sloppy.

Because the De Los Imperial Army of Arad, especially the units including Ban, were allied with the Celestial Empire’s Imperial Army to fight against the Kartel, Jinseong himself could not rashly reveal himself or be active on the battlefield.

“Kuaaaat-!”

“Damn, where did these come from?!”

Vivi was pulling the trigger of her automatic pistol without hesitation and was pushing back the cartel members together with the Imperial/Emperor forces.

And Jinseong thought, keeping a little distance from her.

‘… … A month. This is my second month. Almost two full months.’

It has been two months since Jinseong himself began living in the reality of Plain: Arad, that is, since he was possessed.

And if everything Vivi said is true, Berserker, who came to Heaven in two weeks, is currently in his first month of being possessed.

‘Then that means you came later than me. You became possessed later than me?’

What did Nemer say when Jinseong himself was possessed?

Isn’t it true that he possessed Jinseong to correct the ‘contamination’ caused by the , which was an issue that even a transcendent being could not arbitrarily intervene and deal with?

‘There could be someone who was possessed before me. Yes, there could be many. It makes sense if you think about it logically. But… … After me? Not to mention an adventurer, not a swindler?’

It was discovered later than Jinseong.

It’s not like he was given the , according to Vivi.

The man possessed by Berserker reached Heaven in two weeks, rescued the Heavenly Princess Erje before a week had passed, and then went back down to Arad for the next quest without hesitation.

‘The place where you go to save Hergé is probably the country of Suju. Now it’s time to go back and forth through the with Siran and explore the past in earnest. In the process, you’ll realize that Iris is behind all the things that have happened… ‘

Compared to the area where you first have to go up to Heaven and go around to rescue the princess who was kidnapped by the cartel, the activities in are not that complicated.

This is because you will literally go through the to return after a certain period of activity in an area, then go through another to return after activity in another area.

In terms of exploring various locations across time and the past, it’s conceptually complex but practically manageable.

‘From that perspective, is it possible that Berserker… … has already finished the Time Gate? No matter what, he can’t do it that quickly… … .’

Jinseong soon shook his head and changed his mind.

You shouldn’t take it lightly.

‘If it were me, I would have finished it. I probably would have finished it. Then, I guess I have to admit that Berserker has finished the or is close to finishing it.’

If you think about it based on your true self, it might not be too far off.

So Jinseong couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

How should I accept that someone who was possessed later than me is progressing through the main scenario quest ahead of me?

‘… … It has not been confirmed yet – but if any contamination is found on Vivi.’

If there is contamination even in those who are possessed, that is, those who are candidates for true adventurers.

It’s not impossible that he’s the Berserker who was possessed later than Jinseong himself.

The contamination of those who have already been exposed is inevitable.

Even if something like that has happened or could happen, it is already beyond Jinseong’s power to do anything about.

‘Nemer would know that too. Of course he would have thought so. But… … .’

How should we deal with those who entered the world later than Jinseong himself?

It was a situation where Jinseong was deeply troubled, but it was also unfortunate that there were not many options available to him.

Ultimately, the only thing we can do now is to move around with Vivi and check for any contamination.

‘And I also have to speed up now. If I were to speed up at this point, then-.’

And if that happens, it’s to catch up with Berserker, who has surpassed Jinseong himself.

‘-Vivi… … I think we need to make that person a little more skilled.’

Kaaaaang-!

As if to awaken that determination into reality, a rough metal sound rang out.

It also meant that the leader of the Iron Wolf Knights, Van Balshteit, who could easily cut through metal with a short sword, had entered the battlefield.