Light of Arad: The First to Walk - Chapter 209



Only Krnovel

209

Jinseong didn’t show any reaction even though he was receiving Hilda’s gaze.

If he had flinched even a little or his expression changed, it would have made Hilda, who was no exaggeration to say the greatest strategist and mind reader among the apostles, feel uncomfortable.

‘I’m glad that what happened when I was with Lord Kashias wasn’t discovered.’

The first reason why he was able to remain calm in front of Apostle Hilda was because he had trained thoroughly.

[Kekekekeke… Is it impossible now, Jinseong? You’re letting your guard down. It’s different than last time. With the distance we have now. With the power you showed us just now. Can’t we cut that girl in half together right now!?]

‘Please be quiet, please! I can’t speak, I’m going crazy!’

The second reason was that there was a being muttering in his head that was even crazier than Jinseong himself.

Even if it was just a small voice, he could only talk to Heukgu, but since he couldn’t do that in front of Hilda, Jinseong had to just focus on enduring Heukgu’s voice, and thanks to that, he ended up not flinching or backing down even when Hilda was right in front of him…

“As you may have noticed, behind me is a black nightmare-like, but more sinister force. Luke has sealed the path to himself. Luke’s black nightmare, seeping out from beyond the sealed door, is growing stronger. This is because Luke, who has been moving quietly and slowly for a long time, is now acting quickly and without hesitation when his intentions are discovered.”

Hilda said.

Hulk and Mew still had doubtful expressions on their faces as they did not even know the identity of the person in front of them, but Jinseong was different.

‘Right. So, to open the door, you have to find Becky who has the key.’

I wonder if there might be a difference between Hilda’s words and the information in my memories.

To contrast that, Jinseong kept his mouth shut.

“No, not because he was caught, but because the time he was aiming for was ripe. After regaining his former form, he intends to envelop the entire world in the darkness of a black nightmare. As the lord of Heblon, he is the one who controls both light and darkness. If things continue this way, light cannot be salvation, and darkness cannot be rest.”

It was clear that what she said was not a lie.

However, it was also clear that the hidden truth was not told.

The reason he spreads the black nightmare is because of the crisis of death that is approaching him, but it was Hilda herself who designed and created that crisis.

Even if the [Grim Seeker] route is the main scenario flow of the canonical history, who kills the Apostle Luke and how was it possible to do so?

‘Luke is really great. In fact, Hilda probably didn’t want to show up like this. Even the blatant ending. This is proof that he is so strong that he can’t be defeated unless he does something like this.’

Hilda explained lightly. Luke deals with light and darkness.

However, the ability is not limited to simply emitting light or making a place with light dark.

‘What should I say, the properties of light and darkness? I guess I should say that it even utilizes complex concepts.’

Light and heat are different. Yet, it’s as if we’re using the power of ‘light’ in the same way as a high-temperature, high-power laser.

One of his abilities, ‘Black Nightmare’, could also be seen as utilizing the dregs of light energy he absorbed.

Darkness also does not mean only the shadow that blocks visible light.

Dark energy, that is, negative energy.

And the darkness like a black hole that sucks up all the overflowing energy sources.

Even the miracle of creating one’s own creation and giving it life by replacing the concept of birth with light and the concept of extinction with darkness is possible through the ‘light and darkness’ that Luke deals with.

‘It’s a scam. Even I think it’s a scam.’

Just being able to use such abilities freely can be enough to attain the status of an apostle.

Although the other apostles may have different personalities, they usually possess abilities of that level.

That is, the reason Hilda keeps Luke in check is not ‘only’ because of her power to manipulate light and darkness.

‘The Castle of the Dead that even Hilda couldn’t find in the first place… … They dug a hole in the dimension of the Demon World, really? It was made in a way that was hard to understand even after hearing the explanation. And the ‘Hebron Laboratory’ that came out later was like a place that was created by separating another dimension within another dimension, or something like that.’

Builder Luke.

By expanding space multidimensionally and controlling senses that are difficult for even intelligent life forms to understand, he surpasses the abilities of other apostles with just his overwhelming power.

1. The power to manipulate light and darkness.

2. The power to create space.

3. And one more thing.

One of the reasons why Hilda is so wary of Luke, which had been on Jinseong’s mind from the beginning.

‘Prophecy. Foresight. Yes, Luke has that ability.’

It was Jinseong himself who told Vivi and Chili Shrimp about Quatro Manus and Luke’s precognitive dreams.

Luke has the gift of prophecy, and even Hilda has mentioned that she has been helped by his prophecies in the past.

So what if Luke is now stronger than he was before, instead of a frail old man?

The reason Jinseong himself can face Hilder now is because he was included in Vivi’s timeline.

The ideas that came to Jinseong’s mind could not help but end up in one direction.

[Luke the Constructor Who Knows Pollution (Contamination)]

‘I have to meet Luke. That’s what he wanted to tell me… Is that it?’

I know about pollution.

Also an apostle with the ability to prophesy and foresee.

Could it be that meeting Luke is a message to Jinseong himself?

Gulp.

Jinseong swallowed dry saliva and studied Hilda’s face, and it wasn’t just because she was right in front of him.

“Adventurer, we must break the seal and defeat Luke. If we leave it as it is, Luke and his black nightmare will become a disaster of unparalleled magnitude that even Anton and his men will not be able to match.”

The reason Apostle Hilda appeared before the adventurers’ eyes was to suggest that they kill Luke.

And it is something that must be done according to the main scenario that Jinseong himself remembers.

‘Ugh, I thought all I had to do in the Castle of the Dead was talk to Hilda… … .’

Learn about the Demon World through Hilda and question Nemer.

That was all Jinseong had planned and prepared for, but a risky mission was added out of the blue.

If it is certain that Ga sent a message to Jinseong himself, what should Jinseong himself do?

You must meet the Apostle Luke without anyone’s eyes.

That too without touching the main scenario.

In other words, you should not affect any NPCs around the Castle of the Dead, and you should avoid their eyes as much as possible.

in other words…….

“Why don’t you do it yourself?”

The one who asks Vivi’s questions.

He who does not lie, but never tells the whole truth.

And it’s hard to even guess what and how much they know.

“An apostle cannot kill an apostle. But that does not mean that he will not die. Someone powerful who agrees with the will of another apostle may have tried to harm me. That is why I hid behind the scenes.”

Hilda with crying eyes, it must mean that even her eyes must be deceived.

* * *

“Then I can do it by myself again?”

“Yes. You can go find Becky.”

Jinsung spoke in front of Zelva’s base camp again after leaving the castle of the dead.

Vivi had safely finished her conversation with Apostle Hilda as an adventurer.

There were some parts that were a bit different from what Jinseong remembered, but ultimately, it was Apostle Hilda’s suggestion that a ‘key’ was needed to open the door that Luke had locked, and that the homunculus he had brought from the demon world had that key.

While Hilda is trying to stop the Black Nightmare from spreading further, adventurer Vivi must find the homunculus Becky and obtain the key.

Until the conversation continued like that, Jinseong and Hilda both kept a kind of wary, non-wary look at each other, but that was it.

In a situation where there are NPCs such as Vivi, Hulk, and Mew, there is no need for Jinseong to emphasize his own presence, and for the time being, Hilda has to stop the black nightmare from leaking out.

In that case, I guess I should go out first, finish tidying up, and then ‘come back again’.

Vivi, who was watching Jinseong checking his own movements, quietly opened her mouth.

“Mr. Jinseong…what are you going to do?”

Her eyes, still looking at Jinseong, were subtly moist.

Jinseong looked into those eyes and smiled awkwardly.

“I have to start with my route first. Chili Shrimp-nim has already made progress, so I have to move quickly to keep up. He was whispering a lot earlier too… Oh, Vivi, you didn’t hear me? He whispered things like pattern explanations and sabotage methods instead of using party chat. I was so distracted.”

That wasn’t a lie either.

Even after fighting Vivi and obtaining the card, Jinseong was still giving Chili Shrimp instructions one by one regarding the Luke Raid.

“Me, when you were fighting me – even when I was just talking?”

“Of course. Hehe, as you know, Vivi, I used to be a YouTuber for the College of Education. I’m not a beginner, so if I can’t guide someone like Chili Shrimp-”

“Yeah! Right, right, I guess Unnie Chili was talking a lot again!? Right?!”

“-Huh? Well… I guess so. Rather than asking about the pattern destruction, I was asking for a general explanation of Luke Raid. He said that he would be able to do it himself if he knew the flow.”

When Vivi’s tension suddenly rose, Jinseong was momentarily flustered, but just shrugged.

After hearing that story, Vivi was almost jumping for joy.

“I see! So! That must be it!”

“Hey, Vivi? I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

“Huh?! You don’t know that either? Anyway, even though Jinsang is good, he always has a loose side.”

To Jinseong, it was just an abnormal reaction.

Even though Jinseong, who had been fine in front of Hilda, was flustered, Vivi instead had a refreshing smile on her face.

Jinseong had to shake his head as he looked at her smiling brightly.

Who is telling whom that a screw is loose?

I met the Apostle Hilda, and now I am on the verge of meeting the Apostle Luke in earnest.

You suddenly brought up the Luke Raid story of Chili Shrimp and are you going to go off on your own?

“Well, I guess I have a question as to who is telling whom they have a loose screw…”

Jinseong gave it back to her secretly.

Still, Vivi just smiled.

Nodding her head so vigorously that her platinum blonde hair swayed.

“But, it’s okay. Just tighten the screws. One engineer is enough. Yeah, yeah.”

She said.

What is Vivi’s state of mind?

What situation came from to create this laughter now?

“…Why the sudden Engineer? Are you talking about Luke?”

“Huh? Puhahaha! Anyway, Mr. Jinsang! I told you that all you have in your head is Dungeon & Fighter!”

Jinseong will not be able to understand Vivi’s words.

Bibi spoke to Jinseong, who was flustered and stammering.

“Th-what is that? Is that wrong? You’re the one saying things I don’t understand, Vivi-”

“Okay! Then I’ll go now! There are already people waiting.”

Wherever she turned, there were Neville Jurgen and Hiram Claf from the heavens, Isabella, the princess of the De Ros Empire, her bodyguard the hound Cyrus, and Hearts von Kruger of the Iron Wolf Knights.

They gathered after hearing the story of the Black Nightmare and the Apostle Hilder, and the news that the current adventurer must find the homunculus Becky.

Whether it’s the [Grim Seeker] route, or the [Joint Investigation Team] and [Adventurer’s Guild] route, I know that at least this time, we have to work together and get through it quickly.

“Then I’ll be off!”

Vivi was now going to do what she had to do.

But she couldn’t just take her feet off the ground.

Because there was a person who appeared quietly as if he had been waiting for the right moment near Vivi and Jinseong.

“……Adventurer. There is something I would like to tell you for a moment.”

Azalea Rot.

The leader of the Grim Seekers spoke to Vivi.