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Chapter 37: Settle Down or Move Forward (3)
Chapter 37: Settle Down or Move Forward (3)
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 37: Settle Down or Move Forward (3)
[Promotion Device]
I checked to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything and stepped into the advancement device.
It had been quite a while since I last set foot in this building.
“Well, let’s see how they’ll welcome me this time...”
Just stepping inside made cold sweat run down my back.
‘It’s strange to think it’s just about showing me memories of the past.’
The materialized creatures were a problem, but the boy who spoke to me was even more unsettling.
Thud.
The door closed, and a blue gauge and message appeared before me.
[The advancement ceremony will now commence.]
[Update... 22%]
“Better be prepared...”
[Sensitivity LV. 1 has been activated.]
[Sixth Sense LV. 3]
With this much preparation, I could react if something ambushed me.
I wished I could use the reinforced body as well, but I could only use one skill with sensitivity at a time.
“Is this the best I can do...?”
Once I finished my rough preparations, I looked at the gauge.
[...88%]
The gauge was approaching 100% before I knew it.
[100%]
As the gauge filled up, my vision flickered rapidly.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in an unfamiliar place.
No, it was somewhat familiar.
“This place...”
“One of the few knight orders under Camelot.”
“...!”
Startled by the sudden voice, I whipped around.
“Hey, this is the first time we’re meeting face to face, isn’t it?”
Despite the faint static noise, I could tell who it was.
The boy was smiling at me.
I immediately put some distance between us and crouched low.
Then, I glanced at the message.
[Sixth Sense LV. 3]
[00:48...]
Sensitivity was working properly.
‘Even with the Sixth Sense, I didn’t notice him?’
After taking a deep breath, I raised my sword, wary of the boy.
‘If I can’t sense him... it’s better to switch tactics.’
[Intermediate Swordsmanship LV. 1 has been activated.]
“...Let me ask you one thing. Are you an enemy?”
I didn’t really expect an answer.
I just wanted to see if the boy acknowledged me, so I threw the question out.
He looked at me for a moment, then responded.
“...That’s something you have to decide for yourself.”
He was fully aware of me.
Ignoring the warning signals echoing throughout my body, I kept my eyes on the boy.
He then turned away from me and began walking down the long corridor.
“Don’t waste your energy. It’s not time for that yet.”
Suddenly, the static on his face wavered.
“Follow me.”
I sheathed my sword and silently followed the boy.
Of course, I kept a certain distance since I didn’t know what might happen.
‘...The advancement device is supposed to observe the memories of the employee.’
If that’s the case, the boy probably knew the original owner of this body.
‘What kind of relationship did he have with the owner...?’
It was unsettling to have a figure from memory talking to me, but I had no other choice, so I walked down the corridor behind him.
After walking for what felt like forever, I suddenly encountered something.
There was a massive door at the end of the corridor, which I initially thought would go on endlessly.
“Alright, go in.”
The boy confidently opened the door, revealing a gigantic round table beyond.
People were seated around the circular table, and all their gazes were directed at the boy.
The most prominent of them, a blond man seated at the head of the table, spoke quietly, looking at the boy.
“So, the inevitable has come...”
The boy shrugged at his words, then pulled out a spine-chilling book from thin air.
“The time to make a choice has arrived.”
“We’re too tired... So please, let it end.”
The man’s radiant golden eyes were losing their light.
The man who had been conversing with the boy was someone I knew all too well.
‘Nice...?’
It wasn’t just Nice.
“...My king, I will do it.”
“...”
Nice remained silent.
That silence was as good as approval.
Once tacit approval was given, the white-haired woman sitting next to Nice slammed the table violently.
Bang.
Then, she rose from her seat and grabbed Nice by the collar.
“Are you kidding me? You’re giving up without even trying? And even sacrificing your child?”
“...Morroel.”
I also knew the red-haired knight who offered to sacrifice himself and the white-haired woman scolding Nice.
‘Mordred and Luci too...’
What on earth is going on?
But I didn’t have time to think any further.
The tension at the round table had reached its peak, and I couldn’t afford to let my guard down, unsure of what might happen next.
Thud!
Nice slammed his hand on the table.
Then, he forcibly removed Luci’s hand and glared at her.
“Even now, people outside are dying! Because of a useless king! Or Morroel, do you have some groundbreaking solution to end this catastrophe?”
“...That, I...”
“I thought not. If you further interfere, I’ll add treason to your charges.”
It was a tone and demeanor unlike the Nice I had seen before.
Even Luci seemed startled by Nice’s unusual behavior, flinching a few times before turning her back to hurl curses.
“Fool. You’ll be struck by divine punishment.”
Despite Luci’s harsh words, Nice merely nodded in resignation.
“If it’s for the greater good, I’ll do whatever it takes...”
Luci turned and headed toward the door.
Watching Luci walk away, Nice asked.
“...Morroel, where are you going?”
“I’m going to resolve this in a different way than you. So don’t bother me. I’ll find my own method.”
Luci coldly brushed off Nice and stepped out the door.
I moved aside, thinking we might bump into each other, but in the end, my action was meaningless.
“Vanished?”
Luci never even made it to where I was.
She simply disappeared.
Quite literally.
As Luci passed through the door, she evaporated in an instant.
“I see. This must be part of a memory…”
I shifted over to a knight standing nearby, but no one seemed to notice my presence.
“...”
To discern the boy’s intentions in bringing me here, I focused on the conversations of the boy and the remaining knights seated at the round table.
There was a brief silence after Luci left.
However, the silence didn’t last long.
“...If any other knights wish to leave, do so now. I… won’t stop you.”
Creak.
At Nice’s words, the first to stand was the knight wielding a bow.
“...Tristan, are you leaving?”
“Yes, there is no longer anything here that aligns with my beliefs. I will seek another path. Thank you for everything.”
The knight called Tristan placed his bow on the table and walked toward the door.
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
One by one, other knights began to leave after Tristan.
And then.
“Will none of you leave?”
““No, Your Majesty.””
Only four knights remained at the round table.
I could see Nice’s hands trembling, unable to suppress his turmoil.
But soon, regaining his composure, the trembling stopped, and he glared at the boy as he continued to speak.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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“Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“Well, it wasn’t that long.”
“There are only five of us now, not thirteen... but the contract remains unchanged, correct?”
“Of course.”
The boy handed a sinister-looking book to Mordred.
The eyes on the cover rolled around wildly, and then massive tentacles shot out, piercing Mordred.
At the same time, Mordred spewed dark red blood.
“For the glory of Camelot...”
Mordred’s glowing red eyes dimmed to black.
The other knights winced and closed their eyes, but I watched the scene unfold vividly.
Thud.
The boy stabbed a sword, which he had somehow acquired, into Mordred’s fallen body.
[Warning!]
[A severe mental contamination has been detected.]
[The Foundation’s Star protects you.]
Though the gruesome sight nearly shook my mental state, the Foundation’s Star shielded my mind.
Whoosh.
Mordred, impaled by the sword, gradually disintegrated into black particles.
She was then absorbed into the sword.
“As expected of a royal sword. It’s only because it’s Clarent that it could fully contain Mordred’s soul...”
The boy nodded, seemingly satisfied.
Then he tossed the sword, Clarent, in front of Nice.
“That should last you another six months.”
Nice looked at the fallen Clarent, then covered his eyes with his trembling hands.
“...What happens after six months?”
“The invasion will start again. Oh, but don’t worry. If you kill Mordred, who’s become a vengeful spirit, again, the barrier will hold. Of course, if you keep repeating that, the barrier’s lifespan will shorten...”
“I see…”
Blood trickled from the corner of Nice’s mouth.
He must have bitten his lip too hard, causing it to burst.
Leaving Nice and the knights behind, the boy approached me.
“This is all I can show you at this rank...”
He mumbled something before snapping his fingers.
Snap.
With that, everything—the round table and all—vanished like a mirage.
The boy disappeared as well.
I had returned to the promotion trial chamber.
[You have recovered a forgotten memory. Your potential has grown by one step.]
[Divine Star LV. 10/20 (Rank 6)]
[Skills]
- The Foundation’s Star (LV. 3 UP!)
[Stats]
- Strength (29/49)
- Agility (30/49)
- Endurance (31/49)
- Durability (35/49)
- Mental Power (EX+/??)
[The latent abilities of the Foundation’s Star have been enhanced.]
*Empathy LV. 2
- You can borrow a collected creature’s skill for 5 minutes. (UP)
- You can use two abilities simultaneously. (NEW)
[The latent abilities of the Foundation’s Star have been unlocked.]
[You have learned Lord (LV. 1).] (NEW)
*Lord.
- Summon a creature stored within the Foundation’s Star.
After briefly glancing through the incoming messages, I stepped out of the Promotion Device.
There was no room to continue pondering the newly acquired abilities.
My mind was already too cluttered.
"…Who are the ones Nice mentioned?"
A Rank 1, and a ‘Knight Executor’ at that, Nice was a monster capable of dealing with most creatures single-handedly without even needing a strategy.
Not only him, but his subordinates—knights who could match a 3rd rank creature in strength—were also more than skilled enough to handle most creatures easily.
"Sigh..."
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to sort out my thoughts.
'...The problem isn't just that.'
There were still countless mysteries left unsolved.
For instance, whose memories did I encounter in the Promotion Device, and who was that boy?
Why did the boy show me Camelot's ancient memories?
In this increasingly perplexing situation, only one thing remained clear.
"...The Chairman."
If the headquarters Chairman was involved, he must know the truth behind all of this.
So, nothing had changed.
'I will expand the company, increase my abilities…'
As I recollected my goals, I opened my eyes wide.
'Survive.'
I must survive and capture the Chairman's attention.
As I clenched my fists and reaffirmed my objective, suddenly—
"Administrator, sir!"
"Something terrible has happened!"
Yon and Mari rushed over in panic.
Just as I was wondering what disaster could have occurred, I calmed them down.
"Calm down. Don’t tell me Mordred has escaped?"
If something serious enough to alarm Yon and Mari had happened, the only thing that came to mind was Mordred’s escape.
"No!"
But Mari quickly shook her head.
Apparently, that wasn't the case.
I gave her a puzzled look, as the only creature we had currently isolated that couldn’t be stopped if it escaped was Mordred.
So, I couldn't think of anything else that warranted such a reaction.
"Then what’s the big issue?"
"It's… it's really bad! Extremely bad!"
"...Yon, what’s going on?"
Instead of Mari, who was too flustered to speak properly, I turned to Yon for an answer.
"…Rather than explaining, it would be faster for you to see this for yourself."
Yon said as he handed me a photograph.
Since photography was a function that only came with the [Platinum] class, it wasn’t something we had made.
So, where did it come from…?
I took the photo Yon gave me.
"'Magleus'?"
On the back of the photo was the name of a company I’d never heard of.
"…A Platinum seal."
Besides that, there were also coordinates of some unknown location and unfamiliar text.
As my curiosity deepened, I turned the photo over to its front side.
And then.
"…What the hell."
The moment I saw the photograph, I became paralyzed, like a broken robot, unable to move.
"…."
I rubbed my eyes and looked again.
But the content of the photo remained unchanged.
"…."
They say that the brain freezes up when a person receives a sudden shock.
That was exactly the case here.
For the brief moment I stared at the photo, my brain refused to process what I was seeing.
Which was understandable.
It was a photo of V, Hyeok, and Mino—along with what looked like employees of the [Yeondan Society]—all battered and tied to crosses.
Panicked, I hurriedly examined the writing on the back of the photo again in more detail.
- If you want to save your employees and allied companies, bring the Bow of Verdure and come alone to the given coordinates.
This was a declaration of war.
Crack.
I bit my lip, crumpling the photo in my fist.
'Hah, these bastards.'
I’ll teach them that they should pick their targets wisely before pulling such a stunt.
'You're all dead.'
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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