Vol 5 Chapter 13
As he did so, the faintly visible sand in the bottle suddenly glowed red the moment it fell onto the ground of the forbidden area. It was like the shining pebbles that showed the way in Hansel and Gretel. As he watched the sand glowing in the darkness, he recalled what the old woman had said. Didn't she say that even if you use this, if you go deep into the forbidden area, you won't be able to get out again because the paths change?
Thinking about those words from a game system perspective, it could be seen that the old woman had given him a kind of hint. To find what's in the forbidden area, you need to keep moving towards where the paths keep changing, and that was exactly what he wanted.
'Then I don't need to use this sand right now. I'll hang it on my waist in case it might be useful later. So... is this where it really begins?'
Although it had always been dangerous at other times, he realized that now, having fallen into a place where he couldn't use magic, was more dangerous than ever before. Before setting out, Kapros closed his eyes and properly imprinted the objectives in his mind. What he was looking for was a trace of Superior. But he also had to find the belongings of Remil's father, the girl who had guided him here, and the cause of why this forbidden area had become like this.
The 'Flower of Rezul' that was said to exist somewhere in this forbidden area.
Could he really find it properly? The tension made his entire mind cold. Kapros tightly closed and opened his eyes once, then felt his way through the darkness and walked into the depths of the forest.
He walked for a long time after that but didn't encounter any living creatures. However, he confirmed that the old woman's words about the paths constantly changing were true. At first, to check this, he walked while marking his way by breaking tree branches, but when he tried to return that way, no matter how much he walked, he couldn't get back to where he had broken the branches.
Still, he could be certain that he was properly advancing to a deeper place. It was because his body was becoming heavier as he progressed.
Ding!
- As you enter deeper into an unidentified area, the status ailment, Heavy Motion, is being applied more strongly. Do you want to continue on this path?
'Looks like I'm going the right way.'
It seemed that this forest, like an antlion trap that draws in prey as you wander, automatically moved people towards its center. Kapros ignored the notification window and continued to move his increasingly heavy feet. At that moment, he heard what sounded like flowing water mixed with his footsteps.
When he listened carefully to find the direction, it was quite close. As he quickened his pace a bit, a small stream trickling by appeared before his eyes shortly after.
'A stream...'
Thinking that at least he hadn't fallen into a place where time had stopped, he carefully examined the direction of the water flow.
All water flows from high to low. This means that if you follow the direction of the water, you won't lose the sense of up and down, wherever it leads. For Kapros, who couldn't tell which direction he should be heading, this stream was an extremely welcome presence. He bent his knees and sat down, dipping his fingertips in the water, pondering whether he should go upstream or downstream.
If the place he needed to go was deep in the forbidden area, should he head upstream? Or should he first explore downstream, which would be easier to walk, to conserve energy since his body was already heavy and walking was difficult?
"Ugh... urgh!"
It was then. Suddenly hearing a strange sound from across the stream, he raised his head and looked ahead to see a faintly visible huge figure standing there. The figure was standing on two feet like a human, and had two brown pupils in whites that gleamed clearly even in the darkness.
'No... is it not just something like a person but actually a real person?'
In the moment he was blinking in surprise, the figure, breathing roughly, stepped back and retreated. After retreating some distance with the sound of rustling leaves, the figure let out a blood-curdling scream and ran away shortly after.
"Uwaaaaagh!"
"..."
I'm the one who was surprised by its sudden appearance, so why is it running away first?
Kapros had been scared out of his wits at first, not expecting there to be people in the forbidden area, but seeing the other's reaction, his startled feelings settled into calmness.
'Whatever it is, if I wait, it'll probably come back on its own.'
After waiting leisurely for a few more minutes while sitting, as he thought, he felt presences from across the stream again. The difference this time was that it wasn't the footsteps of one person, but several.
"...you say? There was a person?"
"Stop lying... It's been so long... since we last saw a person..."
"N-no, really! Th-there, look there!"
The figures that had approached to within a few meters all looked in Kapros's direction at once. He could feel several pairs of eyes staring intently at him through the darkness.
As they stared at each other blankly, the breathing sounds coming from across gradually became rougher. After waiting for a long time without them speaking, Kapros slowly stood up and spoke first.
"Um..."
Even though the stream was between them, their breathing sounds were as vivid as if they were breathing right next to him. One of them, whose breathing had gone beyond rough to the point of sounding like they might pass out, raised a trembling hand and pointed at Kapros.
"Hu... hu... hum...!"
Hum...? What about hum? While inwardly suppressing his puzzlement, he decided to try to get some information first.
"I'm sorry, but do you happen to know where this is?"
"It's a human! Uwaaaagh!"
"Kyaaaah!"
"Aaaaaaagh!"
Once again, ear-splitting screams echoed loudly throughout the forest. The only difference from before was that there were now a few more voices.
After screaming, they all turned around at once and started to run away again. By this point, Kapros felt so dumbfounded that he thought he should chase after them.
'The stream is quite wide, but it's shallow, so it should be fine to just cross it as is.'
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Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.
"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."
In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.
"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."
And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.
"For now, until then, let's sleep..."
As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.
'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'
Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.
Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.
"Since when have you been watching me?"
Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.
"From the very beginning."
Graduate student Yi-han finds himself reborn in another world as the youngest child of a mage family.
– I’m never attending school, ever again!
‘What do you wish to achieve in life?’
‘I wish to play around and live comforta-‘
‘You must be aware of your talent. Now go attend Einroguard!’
‘Patriarch!’
My future would be guaranteed once I graduate. For my future!
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