Chapter 130

SLURP!!!

“Enough already...”

Wiping his soaking-wet cheek, Woojin took Fensir’s face in both hands.

YAP! RUFF!!!

“You smell nice, Master.”

Apparently having already learned Fensir’s language, Setsuna sat atop the wolf’s head and interpreted.

“Like Mother, apparently.”

“Mother, huh... Well, I suppose that makes sense.”

It had been a while, but Woojin had met Fenrir.

“And you smell noble, too.”

“Me? That’s a bit too flattering.”

Woojin chuckled at her words.

“No. It’s the scent of an ancestor.”

“... Oh.”

Embarrassed, Woojin nodded with an awkward smile.

“An ancestor... Does that mean Kala’s Fenrir?”

Kala, the founding king of the Kingdom of Tekan, was the only king in the continent’s history to have commanded Fenrir.

Along with Kala’s soul, the soul of the Fenrir he had tamed had also been here.

“Was it... Aswell Balan who took your ancestor’s soul from behind the stone wall?”

GRR?

Fensir tilted his head, and Woojin hesitated, wondering how to explain who Aswell was.

“Hmm... I mean...”

After some deliberation, he finally said,

“The one who killed your mother.”

He disliked putting it that way, but it was the best way to make Fensir understand.

GRRRRR...

At those words, Fensir growled with outright hostility.

“Calm down. Master didn’t say that to upset you.”

Still seated on Fensir’s head, Setsuna stroked his mane to soothe him.

GRR...

His ears drooping dejectedly, Fensir shook his head.

‘So it wasn’t Aswell?’

“Then who was it?”

YAP! RUFF!!!

Setsuna’s expression hardened at Fensir’s answer.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well... Apparently, they weren’t human.”

“Not human...? What do you mean?”

GRRR...! YAP!

Fensir went behind the stone wall and began scratching at the floor.

“Hmm... What’s this?”

Something like black powder remained on the floor.

“Let me take a look!”

Setsuna climbed down from Fensir’s head and held her hands one over the other above the black powder.

HUMMMM...

Light streamed from her fingertips, and her eyes glittered.

[Walking Trail] and [Analysis].

She now seemed to have no trouble casting two skills simultaneously instead of just one.

‘Setsuna seems to have gotten better at using her skills since coming to this world.’

In the game, using two skills simultaneously required learning a separate Trait called [Double Casting]. Without it, skills could only be used one at a time, however quickly one cast them.

‘That’s impressive...’

Woojin was genuinely impressed by her adaptability.

Whatever else she might be, she was a being born in a game. Her foundation was a program.

The greatest change she had undergone upon coming to this world was becoming a living, breathing creature.

Even Woojin, who had originally lived in reality, felt out of place here. Strangely enough, Setsuna, a virtual being, seemed to be adapting to the other world better than he was.

“Is it because she was born exceptional...?”

It might sound like he was making excuses, but he could think of no other reason. Even after saying it, Woojin could only smile wryly.

WHOOOOSH!!!

The ash piled on the floor scattered into the air, and Setsuna’s face stiffened as she examined it.

Mixed into the black ash were red particles that glittered like jewels.

She dabbed a finger into the red powder and held it up for Woojin to see.

“This... is called crimson dust. It appears in people suffering from mana poisoning.”

“So they ate mana stones?”

“No. Eating mana stones isn’t what causes mana poisoning. It happens after prolonged exposure to them.”

“Exposure to mana stones...”

He had seen people with mana poisoning in the game, too—the villagers of Yorka.

“Does that mean whoever came here was connected to a mana stone mine?”

“Probably. And I think Fensir said they weren’t human because they smelled like demons.”

“Like demons?”

“Yes. The demon we found in Thorn Bach had a similar smell. It’s faint now that they’ve turned to dust... but it’s definitely a demon’s scent.”

“Can demons... get mana poisoning?”

Putting her words together, Woojin tilted his head slightly.

Demons were more adept at handling mana than any other beings on the continent. They were born from mana, after all.

And beings like that had mana poisoning?

“Master, there are others who smell like demons without being demons themselves.”

At that moment, he remembered what the men he had met in Baldoa had said.

“... The Awakened.”

Humans who had received transfusions of demon blood.

“But why would they have mana poisoning?”

“Who knows? It could be a side effect of awakening... We don’t know anything for certain yet.”

But one thing was certain.

‘Whoever took Kala’s and Fenrir’s souls is connected to the demons.’

What could the demons be planning to do with their souls?

He had no way of knowing, but it certainly wouldn’t be anything good.

They were humanity’s enemies. Even if he wanted nothing to do with them, he would inevitably have to face them to conquer the tower in this world.

“Hmm... Anyway, how do I get back to the world I came from? Fensir, could you do it?”

GRR?

“Well... When Camilla rammed into me before, I went back to where I’d been.”

GRRR...

“He says if you want to return to the earth, he’ll bite your throat for you.”

“... I’ll go there someday, but that’s not where I want to go right now.”

Woojin sighed at Fensir, who had his tongue out and looked amused.

‘He looks fully grown, but he’s only about thirty years old at most.’

Wielding a Sacred Spirit’s power might be beyond him. Besides, Aswell had killed the mother who could have taught him...

“Is Camilla my only hope...?”

But with the portal destroyed, there was no way to reach the Dark Forest.

“Master...”

It was then that Setsuna spoke.

“How far is the Dark Forest’s portal from the central continent?”

“I’m not sure. The actual distance probably isn’t that great. You can see it with the naked eye. But there are energy waves between the two continents, so you can’t cross without going through the portal.”

Woojin shrugged as he answered.

“Well, there might be a passage I don’t know about... but we can’t go all that way just hoping there is.”

“No. There might... actually be a way!”

“How...?”

Setsuna cried out, her eyes sparkling.

“Cloud Step! It’s how I reached you when you were inside Kelduan’s stomach!”

Her exclamation made Woojin’s own eyes light up.

Skill: Cloud Step

▶ An advanced version of Mist Step.

▶ Once per day, move to a designated target’s location.

▶ Can transport up to two people holding hands with the user. The target must be within a 500-meter radius.

That was indeed how the ability worked.

“If the portal is within Cloud Step’s range... we might be able to cross between the continents!”

Cloud Step allowed the user to target someone they knew and travel to their location.

“To me, Lady Ruen is Lady Ruen, wherever she is.”

As though she already knew what worried him, Setsuna gave him a thumbs-up.

RUFF...!!!

At that moment, Fensir lowered his head in front of Woojin, as if inviting him to climb on.

* * *

RAAAAAH!!

RAAAH!

“Archers!”

A sharp sword rose toward the dark, blood-red sky.

“Loose!”

The raised sword swept downward.

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH-WHOOSH!!!

Soldiers in silver armor loosed their arrows in unison.

SKREEE...!

SKREK...!!

Despite the dense forest, the shower of arrows pierced the monsters’ heads with unerring accuracy.

These were not the ordinary monsters found in the Dark Forest. From beetles resembling enormous cockroaches to chimeras with snakes’ bodies and birds’ heads, they were clearly not creatures born of nature.

“All troops, attack!”

The cry came in a delicate, clear voice, yet somehow it rang across the entire battlefield.

RUMBLE-RUMBLE!!!

Beneath the rain of arrows, cavalry began charging with long spears leveled.

THUD! CRUNCH!!

Like warriors each worth a thousand men, the cavalry raced forward, their spears piercing the monsters’ throats in an instant. But...

“G-gah...!”

“Aaargh...!”

Unfortunately, there were far too many monsters for them to handle.

The monsters pounced on the unhorsed riders and began tearing indiscriminately into their flesh. In an instant, screams filled the battlefield.

SHAAAAK!!!!

A flash of light erupted, and dozens of monsters attacking the cavalry turned to ash and vanished.

“Hold the line! You must not give ground!”

SKREEEEEE!!!

Despite her cries, the onrushing monsters continued devouring the soldiers.

“Your Majesty...! We cannot hold out any longer!”

A knight in armor stained with monster blood approached the one who had unleashed that flash and shouted.

“The magic circle isn’t finished yet. We must hold this position, whatever happens.”

Breathing hard, she removed her helmet, revealing a face so beautiful it seemed out of place on a battlefield.

It was Ruen Firbas.

And the knight standing before her was Goun, her steward, who had never even properly held a sword before.

The dozens of scars scattered across Goun’s face bore witness to the hellish ordeals the steward had endured.

“If we can’t reach the central continent, we have no chance. With the portal destroyed, we have to establish the magic circle this time, no matter what.”

“But... their attacks are too fierce.”

Goun’s face was pale.

“If we lose any more troops, even the rest of our people could be in danger.”

Ruen bit down hard on her lip at those words.

The time had come to make a decision.

If they didn’t survive... there would be no next chance.

“... Retreat...”

KRA-KA-KA-BOOOOM!!!

KRA-KA-BOOM!!

It happened just then.

Countless bolts of lightning rained down upon the monsters surging toward the elven army.

SKREEE!!!