Light of Arad: The First to Walk - Chapter 204



Only Krnovel

204

Hilda was the one who could instantly cast magic with just one gesture.

She uses magic that is beyond the scope of Jinseong’s own knowledge.

‘One thing that Lotus’s statement makes clear is the absence of telepathic abilities. Hilda does not have such powers.’

What if you had telepathic abilities, or conversely, could hide your own mind or memories?

Hilda would not have let it be known that she was carrying out her secret plan, that she was going to make the prophecy come true.

‘Hilda is a schemer who piles up schemes upon schemes, but… … Even though she has the mental ability to protect her own memories, it would be too risky to deliberately let Shiroko read it. She wouldn’t do that.’

In other words, it is clear that Hilda does not have the ability to sense the minds of others.

That’s why Jinseong actually had some secret expectations.

Hilda, who has no telepathic abilities.

At the point where it was confirmed that something called telepathy existed.

In other words, would he have stayed still after learning about Apostle Lotus and Apostle Scirocco?

‘Then, I’m sure he would have taken some action. If only to avoid making the same mistake twice. The fact that my whispers didn’t work and that I couldn’t communicate with him through party messages… … is probably because Hilda’s trick was in effect.’

If it was Hildar, he would have been prepared.

And what if Jinseong’s own experience of being hallucinated by the Apostle Lotus and talking to the almighty Mateka, the brain of the Apostle Anton, is correct?!

‘Whispers and party messages exchanged between possessed people… … This is ultimately a type of telepathic ability. Talking to Mateka or whispering to Vivi felt essentially the same to me!’

That must be why the whispers/party messages didn’t work.

It may even have the ability to navigate or respond, rather than just block.

Didn’t Jinseong accurately identify the hidden point and strike it?

‘I have to admit it. At least Hilda has already reached that level. That’s why… … That’s why… …!’

It’s worth facing Hilda.

It’s worth talking to Hilda.

“Hoooooo… I guess I can’t let my guard down. But-.”

He was just an apostle who I thought I had to be careful of.

Rather, he was considered a candidate for .

But now that it is clear that this is not the case, and more than anything, Hilda’s ability itself is so powerful that it goes beyond Jinseong’s own knowledge, information, and even his imagination.

“-I should try it.”

I need to contact Hilda.

I can’t avoid her any longer.

[… … You’re not saying you’ll be on Hilda’s side, are you, Jinseong?]

“Rather than being on the same side, what, a temporary alliance? Something like that.”

[Do you think I will tolerate that? I am the Marker sent by me through the dimensional rift. Jinseong, your location is probably still known to me as my other self.]

Does this mean that at any moment the dimension could be torn open and monsters from Direji could emerge?

Does this mean that monsters derived from the existence of Direji, such as fragments of black monsters or parasitic sponges, are following the aura of the Black Ball and coming here?

It’s different from when you first met Kashias and Hilda.

Heukgu would agree to Jinseong’s suggestion to not come out right away and to plan for the future, but he would never agree to the literal meaning of being on the same side.

A warning so grim that it makes all previous trust seem meaningless.

Even while listening to that, Jinseong’s expression didn’t change much.

“What if that were the ultimate revenge?”

[what?]

“Trying to tear Hilda apart isn’t revenge. Wasn’t trying to ruin that plan your revenge on Direji?”

[that…….]

The 6th Apostle, because he knows what the Diregie of the Black Disease wants.

To be more precise, it’s not just about Dereji.

The wish of all the apostles who suffered from Hilda is the same.

‘It’s not about killing Hilda. It’s about ruining Hilda’s plans, that’s the greatest revenge.’

Since Jinseong perfectly understood their hearts and psychology, he had no reason to be afraid of Heukgu’s words.

“It’s literally a temporary alliance. Just this once.”

[Just this once… … .]

“Yeah, just this once. So don’t worry.”

It was a reassuring remark to Heukgu, but it was also an expression of Jinseong’s own determination.

There is no way you can form a permanent alliance with the greatest mastermind in the game Dungeon & Fighter.

‘Considering the limitations of the setting that I know – it’s dangerous. If I get hit, I’ll get hit, and there’s no way I can be on the side of taking advantage. So I’ll just hit it quickly and briefly and get out.’

The point is that you get what you want and you have to break up quickly.

To do that, what topic should I bring up, what kind of conversation should I have?

What to say and what to hide.

In preparation for his conversation with Hilda, Jinseong thought and thought.

Of course, there was no stopping during that time.

-Mr. Jinseong, what’s next?

– It would be easier to think of Argos as a short-range kill. Minions keep coming out, and if those ‘Rookbots’ overlap with Argos, they deal damage to the entire map, so think of that as your top priority.

-I understand. Are there any other patterns that I should be particularly careful of?

– It’s distance control. Since Chili Shrimp is alone, there will probably be a circle under Argos when the mark appears, but if you just fight from a distance from the beginning, there won’t be any particular danger. If you have Chili Shrimp’s current skill cycle set, there won’t be much difficulty.

From the moment I started thinking about Hilda until now, Jinseong has been teaching Chili Shrimp’s ‘method for breaking Luke Raid Pattern’.

* * *

The chili shrimp answered with a satisfied voice.

She, too, is someone who has been living off of ‘Anton Zell’ since the beginning.

He is a person with a high level of basic understanding of the game Dungeon & Fighter to the point where he could become a fan.

It means that even a simple explanation like this is enough for her to understand, without having to go into too much detail.

-I know what you mean. Got it. This next room is the boss, right? Quattro Manus, that one?

-Yes, but since it appears in the raid as a Mk-II, it’s slightly different from what Vivi faced. I’ll explain that later.

-Wow, that’s good, that’s good… … Are you holding some kind of strategy book? Why does it just pop out like you’re pressing a button on a vending machine?

Chili Shrimp said it as a joke, but Jinseong could tell that there was sincerity dripping from his voice.

Jinseong, who was weak in the face of such blatant praise, had no choice but to express his awkwardness in some other way.

-… … Normally, that’s what Vivi would say, but, ahem, a strategy book… … We don’t use that expression these days. Even analogies like vending machine buttons are a bit, how should I put it, age-.

-Sir, be quiet! Eight, Vivi, why are you so quiet all of a sudden? Speak up! It’s more embarrassing because you’re quiet!

The chili shrimp cried out in anger at Jinseong’s prank.

At that point, even the sincerity was somewhat questionable.

– So, Ms. Vivi said that after talking to Hiram Claff, she went out with her men? Hulk and Mew?

Jinseong knew which part Bibi was currently working on.

Having eliminated Quattro Manus, Vivi will be moving deep into the Castle of the Dead to find the final location where Apostle Luke is hiding.

Hiram Clough, who came to Zelva for such an exploration, assigns two officers who are his subordinates to the ‘adventurer’.

Those two people are the duo that Vivi mentioned earlier, Mew and Hulk that Jinsung mentioned.

Unlike Chili Shrimp, Vivi chose the [Grim Seeker] route and was running closer to the flow of the epic quest than the raid, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that she has already reached the latter half.

There was nothing special to watch out for. At least in Jinseong’s opinion.

-yes.

But the moment I heard Vivi’s answer, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of discomfort.

There was no need to say anything strange.

Vivi might not get involved in Jinseong’s and Chili’s shrimp’s pranks.

She already told me how the current situation is going, and she is even answering Jinsung’s question right now.

A sense of discomfort, or a sense of unfamiliarity. That was what the chili shrimp felt as well.

-Are you catching any strong mobs? Well, you might be busy.

-Ahem, that’s right. Even though Vivi is on an epic quest route… … Hulk and Mew, the two of them might be talking to each other right next to you. Then it’ll be difficult to have a conversation like this.

Jinseong tried hard to imagine a situation where Vivi would have no choice but to give a short answer.

It’s quite possible that this could happen.

What you need to do now is not to think about useless things.

-If you go a little further, a guy named Hulk will probably go crazy and start causing a scene. Dealing with him won’t be hard, but the hard part is not killing him. You have to subdue him. After all, that guy is also one of Hiram’s subordinates.

– Are you crazy? Hiram, that guy, smells a bit abnormal. Are his subordinates crazy too?

-Oh, that’s not it. In the castle of the dead… …there’s something that the Apostle Luke spreads. It makes people crazy. Strictly speaking, it’s not quite the same as going crazy, but anyway, that’s what it is.

-Oh. Was there such a setting? It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.

-If we go by the storyline that Chili Shrimp-nim remembers, let’s see… …Why, Cold Dragon Skasa-.

Jinseong tried to explain it in a way that Chili Shrimp could understand.

But there was one word that suddenly came out, cutting off his words.

-If it’s Hiram’s subordinate, can’t we just kill him now?

Vivi said.

A hard, stiff voice.

A tone of speech that makes both Jinseong and Chili Shrimp tilt their heads at the same time.

The two people reacted similarly.

-… … Huh? Vivi?

-Wh, what are you talking about, Vivi?

-That’s right. Why are you talking so much about Hiram?

Still, Vivi’s tone of speech did not change.

The lively expression “stinging” would not be appropriate.

However, since it had been revealed to some extent since the Noble Sky that Vivi did not like Hiram, Jinseong was not flustered.

Whatever Hiram Claf’s personality, whether you like him or not, at least for now, he must remain a loyal Coast Guard Captain under the Celestial Jiben Empire.

-The way you speak… … .

-Um, I appreciate your consideration. First of all, well, Hiram still has to maintain his position as a loyal subordinate of the Heavenly Realm… … It would be troublesome to touch him like that now and bring about trouble later. We have to go to the Demon Realm now, so you don’t want to leave any troubles behind, do you, Vivi?

That means it would be difficult for two of Hiram’s subordinates to die at Bibi’s hands.

‘In the upcoming civil war in Heaven, I’ll cause chaos in my own way… … But at this point, killing Hiram’s subordinates or doing something like that-. It would be a big deal. It would be an unbelievable, large-scale accident.’

Since he was Jinseong who had a thorough understanding of the main scenario, he was able to make a quick decision, but there were still parts he did not know since he had only experienced it through the game.

My character, the ‘adventurer’ I was controlling in the game, was fine.

It might not matter since my body was 100% embodying what I had trained to do on my way here.

Because it’s a character. Because it’s an avatar.

There is a fundamental difference between Jinseong himself, Vivi, and Chili Shrimp.

All three are icebreakers.

Vivi was even given the role of an adventurer and was called to the Plains: Arad.

He is human.

Just because you’ve grown up once doesn’t mean you won’t make mistakes again.

Just because something gets better once doesn’t mean it won’t get worse again.

We have thoughts that change from moment to moment, and emotions that we feel in every situation.

Parts that can be affected because they are not characters.

Vivi said.

With a harsher tone than ever before.

-Ah, no matter how much I think about those fucking bastards, I just don’t like them.

At that moment, Jinseong had to swallow dry saliva.

An incredibly sudden change, and where Vivi is now.

Because when considering the two issues, only one thing came to Jinseong’s mind.

‘Black nightmare? Could it be that Vivi-… … is in a black nightmare?’

[Black Nightmare] scattered by Apostle Luke.

Vivi is being influenced by it.