Light of Arad: The First to Walk - Chapter 205



Only Krnovel

205

Chili Shrimp kept coughing and tried to say something to Vivi.

Although Bibi often teases Chili Shrimp, Chili Shrimp doesn’t fundamentally hate Bibi.

They literally care for each other like sisters, so they accept such pranks and play along with each other.

Because of the fundamental nature of chili shrimp, I was trying to say something to gently correct my beloved younger brother’s attitude.

-Well, Vivi, what you’re saying is… … I get that you’re angry, but it’s not nice to swear like that. It doesn’t make you look strong… … It just damages your image. Especially in social situations, it’s important to know when to swear and when not to, but at a time like now-.

-What?

-uh?

-My sister also acts like she knows too much. I’m an adult too.

Vivi just won’t hear it.

The word itself wasn’t strong, but the tone was.

When the sound of the chili shrimp squeaking could be heard in Jinseong’s head, when a subtle silence continued, Jinseong was sure.

‘It’s a black nightmare… … It’s clear that Vivi has been affected.’

The power that the Apostle Luke was ultimately worried about spreading, [Black Nightmare].

The power to suppress positive emotions and amplify negative emotions.

The power to explode with negative emotions and ultimately lead to pursuing a desire that has been kept secret.

It will inevitably cause harm to an unspecified number of people, and thanks to the wandering and madness of those who have suffered such harm, Luke himself will be able to capture more of the power of light and darkness.

At least what the Grim Seeker said wasn’t a lie.

Luke, who feels guilty and remorseful, is not just a bad apostle.

An apostle who is capable of communicating well and of persuading others.

It was Sirocco’s thoughts from the future that led Luke, who had been struggling so much, to take that last step.

After hearing information about the future, Luke eventually realizes his responsibility and uses his powers.

‘It’s not just that the Cold Dragon Skasa went mad. It wasn’t just the continent of Arad that was affected. It was the castle of the dead that connected the Demon World to the Heavens in the first place… ‘

Even the heavens could not escape its influence.

Wasn’t the ‘cartel’ incident in the lawless western region a representative example of the influence exerted by that power?

‘There are few people with as many ‘negative emotions’ as the Celestials who lived in such a rough area called the Lawless Zone. In the end… … Because of Luke, both the continent of Arad and the Celestials were in chaos, but that was all. In any case, I only knew of it as an ‘incident’ like that-.’

Anyway, Jinseong already knew enough about [Black Nightmare].

So, although I was somewhat concerned, I didn’t waste time thinking about countermeasures that didn’t even exist.

It was a natural thing.

Rather, if it was dangerous, it was Jinseong himself who was in danger, because he thought that Bibi and Chili Shrimp would not be affected.

They are ‘adventurers’.

Because they are the ones who will become this.

‘Even in the game, the adventurer just won. It was so easy that not only Hiram, but the surrounding NPCs acknowledged the adventurer.’

Vivi’s current level is higher than the character level that you will reach by progressing through the main scenario and completing the epic quest.

But does that mean that Jinseong’s heart was penetrated more intensely than he had expected?

‘I didn’t know because I only saw his curious and innocent behavior. No, maybe that’s why he had a dark side that was even more hidden.’

Even in the midst of such regret, Jinseong had to act.

– Vivi, wait! Calm down for a moment! You need to realize that what you’re saying right now is because of a black nightmare. You’re just spitting out words from the bottom of your heart-. Chili Shrimp! You know what I mean, right?

-Phew… … It’s not like I ate it later. Even among the employees, there were some punks who turned their backs and tried to attack me-. Ahem, sorry. There were those guys. It wasn’t just the lid opening and their eyes turning, it was that nightmare.

Fortunately, the chili shrimp had some experience.

‘That’s right. I don’t think the old man who’s seen all kinds of dirty behavior at the company would get angry easily. He’s a better person than I thought.’

There was a bit of a misunderstanding that if he had heard of the chili shrimp, he would have run around a lot, but anyway, as soon as he finished eating the chili shrimp, Jinseong continued talking to Vivi.

-Yes, so first… …I think we need to get away from the Black Nightmare. Vivi! Could you pause the quest for a moment and move back a bit? How many rooms can you move back in the dungeon?

-Is that the only way? Just walk away?

-Because that’s also a method that worked on NPCs. When it explodes due to Black Nightmare, one way is to subdue it with force, but if not, you should just keep your distance. That’s fortunate.

Hulk, an NPC underling of Hiram Claf and under the influence of the Black Nightmare, is subdued by the adventurers and regains consciousness. Another NPC, Mew, only realizes his condition after being dragged far away by the adventurers.

At that point, if both methods worked, one of them would definitely work for Vivi, so naturally the first thing to consider was Vivi moving away herself… … .

-Why? Just go deeper into the castle of the dead, kill all these bastards, and then go back. What can Hiram do? Just say he was attacked by a monster Luke created.

-That’s not it… … Ahem, those two have roles later on too.

-They’re not the main NPCs, right? I may not remember them as much as Jinseong, but I remember the main NPCs. These two bastards are just plain annoying.

There was no way Vivi could hear.

It was as if the thought of dealing with the two NPCs, Hulk and Mew, was already controlling her.

Jinseong bit his lower lip.

If this is the case, there is only one way left.

‘I have to force her away. Eventually… … I have to go get her.’

The point is that Vivi must be kept away from [Black Nightmare] even if it means using external force.

There’s no way an NPC like Hulk or Mew could subdue Vivi.

However, it is not possible to continue the epic quest in this state.

We need to get to Vivi as soon as possible and stop her.

-Then, would you stop for a moment? I’ll go.

-Wouldn’t it be better if I went? I’ll do some training for that human, Vivi.

-No, no, it’s better for me to go than for Chili Shrimp to go. Since I’m the ‘last quest’. It’s better than having the risk of overlapping with the epic quests even a little bit…

-Well, that makes sense. Even with his eyes rolled back, he seems to be listening to Jinseong.

There’s no way I didn’t feel Vivi’s tone was like that of a chili shrimp.

There was no special intention. I literally just wanted to say that Jinseong would be more effective than the chili shrimp itself.

But Vivi’s reaction was different.

-Who would say that to whom? It’s Chili Unnie who really gets annoyed by that kind of thing, right? Just pretending to know like that is enough, but even knowing that, t-t, whether it’s a joke or not, f-

-Stop! Stop! This conversation is over!

Because Bibi, who literally ‘rushed’, was so flustered that Jinseong had to hurriedly stop her, worried that she might make a slip of the tongue.

At this point, even Jinseong could not help but feel angry if he just tried to stop her.

-From now on, I won’t help anyone who provokes you with unnecessary words. If you’re going to spend the rest of your life alone in Arad, then just say something.

A stinging word that made both Vivi and Chili Shrimp shut their mouths.

But he didn’t miss the truth.

-Chili Shrimp, please return to the raid as is.

-Hmm? Now it’s the boss room, but the pattern is-.

-I’ll tell you everything in real time. Don’t worry. Just keep going.

-… … If it were outside, it would be a special recruitment for our company, really.

Vivi’s [Grim Seeker] route was going to end quickly anyway, so there was no need to drag out the main scenario of Chili Shrimp, which had to be completed through raids.

Jinseong took a deep breath.

“Whew… I didn’t know I’d be doing this twice in one day.”

It wasn’t just because of the quest that Jinseong told Chili Shrimp that he would go to Vivi.

How can one pursue Vivi, who is already deep in the castle of the dead?

After all, it is something that can only be done with the ability of the current true nature to move through the gap in space and time, which requires pouring in a significant amount of energy.

[Kekekeke… … This will be fun. Are we going there again?]

“It’s not fun. It’ll be fun even if I go-… Oh my, now that I think about it, something’s strange.”

It was at that moment that Jinseong, who was about to say something to Heukgu’s playful muttering, remembered something.

In the current situation, Vivi has become rough due to the influence of the Black Nightmare. She has not yet completely lost her mind and self and is acting only on impulse, but time is running out.

Chili Shrimp is proceeding with the main scenario, which has effectively become a raid-style scenario, by choosing the [Joint Investigation Team] route.

And what about Jinseong himself?

‘… … As a sidekick, I have nothing to do since it’s the main scenario and I’m not an adventurer. I’m just in the castle of the dead. When Vivi finishes the [Grim Seeker] route, I’ll pretend to finish the [Adventurer’s Guild] route and join her to do Chili Shrimp’s [Joint Investigation Team] route and raid.’

The reason I was able to come up with this plan and execute it was because I knew that I could put gaps in the main scenario flow for the three people and proceed with them individually.

Vivi went first.

Chili shrimp is next.

When the last one is the real one.

As Jinseong himself is not an adventurer and is not progressing through the main scenario, who is currently included in the main scenario?

“Now that I think about it, why… no. It’s not why. What the heck, damn it!”

I just thought it was a black nightmare.

There was a scene where the adventurer overcame the Black Nightmare, so I didn’t think that even if he became possessed, he would be completely immune to the Black Nightmare.

So, even if Vivi was affected, I just accepted it as something that happened because she was human.

“Haaaaaah…….”

But what if that wasn’t the case?

Whether you’re a character you control in a game or a blade that lives in possession, what if adventurers are ultimately largely unaffected by the Black Nightmare?!

As the energy slowly blooming from the black arm turned towards his eyes, Jinseong had to brace himself.

“Let’s go, Black Goo. I might need to borrow your strength right away.”

[Haha, I get it.]

Then I put on the and and focused.

───────────… … !!!!

Space was torn from the tip of the sword that was gently drawn in the air.

Although he was a true being who could skillfully open dimensional rifts, his complexion was not very bright.

‘Whew, I guess I can’t do this several times a day.’

As expected, the consumption of energy is very high.

It’s different from the feeling of HP being consumed. It’s also different from the feeling of MP being lacking.

Literally, the energy or spirit contained in the flesh itself that was possessed by Plain: Arad.

With the thought that he was still lacking in the ability to freely use his natural power, Jinseong stepped through the swaying gap.

Meanwhile, in Jinseong’s head, he was already devising a plan for how to deal with the worst-case scenario.

‘If I were to fight Vivi 1:1… … Hmm, it would be nothing but a complete annihilation. As soon as I see her, I’ll attack first – or at least, unless I go straight for the drag form, I’ll get tired.’

Even when she fought against Fire and Ahaeng, she was flustered because she was not used to fighting between people, but not anymore. It’s not just because she has grown.

‘Because it’s Vivi who was influenced by the Black Nightmare – no, maybe… … . ‘

Maybe what Jinseong himself had to face was contamination.

Bang, bang, tat tat tat… Jinseong began to gain speed quickly from deep within the castle of the dead.