#191
“labyrinth?”
“We must have already passed by here at least twice.”
Gael was born into the ‘Gaia tribe’ that lives in the forest. He had more extensive knowledge and experience about the forest than anyone else. In the forest, his five senses were heightened to a frightening level.
“Are you saying we were hovering around the same spot?”
“Considering that I can feel the magical energy surrounding me, I can’t explain it other than that someone intentionally created a labyrinth around here.”
Baek Do-hyeon’s eyes turned to the tree branch he had broken when he stepped on it. Next to it lay the remains of a broken tree branch in the same shape. As Gael said, it was proof that he had already passed by this place.
“Gael, can you find the core that sustains the labyrinth?”
“The range of magic power is wide, so it will take a long time to find it.”
Baek Do-hyeon, who was quietly listening to the heroes’ conversation, slowly walked forward with his hands outstretched. In just three steps, an unrecognized flow of magic power was caught at his fingertips. It was a flow so weak that you wouldn’t notice it unless you concentrated.
The flow of magic power, which was connected like a skein of thread, was spread approximately 40 meters ahead on the left and right. Baek Do-hyeon, who was following the flow, withdrew his outstretched hand, walked next to him, and whispered.
“<One Cheokan LV.6>“
The moment white light entered his black eyes, a milky white world appeared in Baek Do-hyeon’s field of vision. Between them, I could see thick and thin skeins of bright red thread twisting and moving to create a huge shape. Its shape was that of a dome.
Jeopuk-
Baek Do-hyeon moved after a thick thread. ‘Ilcheoksang’ was a skill that allowed one to see through things and reveal lies and truth. The amount of magical energy required was significant enough to be useful.
“here.”
When he pointed to a location and moved, Gael quickly noticed and stabbed a dagger wrapped in magic toward the location Baek Do-hyeon pointed to. There was a crackling sound, and the world imitating a forest shook briefly.
“here.”
Baek Do-hyeon pointed to one spot again. After that, the dagger flew out again and got stuck. The world before my eyes was greatly shaken once again.
“here.”
A total of three places. When the dagger finally hit the pointed spot, the shaking world began to crumble. The traces of magical power scattered like threads disappeared and what was revealed was a ruined ruins site.
“The presence… “There you are.”
Numerous presences were clearly felt on everyone’s skin. The historic site had been left in such a state of disrepair that it was unrecognizable. The mossy surface and overgrown weeds gave a sense of a long period of neglect.
One by one, we started moving through the remains of the ruins. It was an eerie place without even a sound. The area was foggy and hazy.
However, the moment the air suddenly changed, the energy of fire rushed over everyone’s heads. When I looked up, I saw a huge fireball falling.
“I’ll take care of it.”
The one who jumped out sharply among the group was Renshis. He thrust his gauntleted fist towards the glowing fireball.
Quang-!!
There was a loud roar that was loud enough to make two people ring. The fire that was burning my flesh disappeared as if oxidized in the air. As soon as the fire evaporated, Baek Do-hyeon’s eyes turned to the ruined buildings.
There was a man holding a cane, trembling and walking backwards. Judging from his appearance and circumstances, he was someone who could only be thought of as a wizard.
“Uh, how did you… .”
As soon as Baek Do-hyeon made eye contact, the man turned his back and started running away. However, she could not take three steps and fell when an arrow pierced her ankle. The person who shot the arrow was Gael.
Everyone slowly made their way to the place where the terrible screams were coming from.
“Lyzebuia… ! Have mercy on me!! “Please, save me, Luzebuia!”
The man was desperately begging for his life towards the sky. Her obsession with life was frightening. However, when her eyes turned to Baek Do-hyeon, the man suddenly changed and began to pour out her criticisms with her hatred. Even her personality seemed different.
“Are they sent by the empire? They found out about this place and are trying to kill us! You guys are pitiful too, pitiful. You poor creatures who are taken advantage of without knowing anything and then die in a disaster! Do you really not know why the goddess gave that oracle? The goddess has taught us how to live! “He taught me a way to live, rather than being destined to die as a result of being played by the ambition of an emperor who dreams of fighting!!”
The man shouted bitterly, while occasionally glaring at the sky and pouring out his scathing words.
“You will soon see how miserable that sacrifice is! This means that you will all be buried in disaster and die without even a single piece of skin left! Even the foolishness of trying to fight against that will be eaten… !”
Most of the words whose meaning was unintelligible were curses. But when a dark shadow passed over her man’s bloodshot eyes, everyone instinctively followed his gaze and looked up into the sky.
In an instant, the backs of everyone’s necks stiffened. vast sky. There was something black floating in the sky that I couldn’t see because it was hidden by the forest’s appearance.
It took me a while to figure out what it was. Barely visible between the tree trunks was the hand of a giant monster.
“You poor creatures who will die at the hands of the emperor. You do not yet know the horror of the calamity! And until the moment you die, you will never know!!”
Baek Do-hyeon’s eyes fell again and focused on the man. I couldn’t guess who the contempt in my bloodshot eyes was directed at.
Baek Do-hyeon, who listened quietly, slowly stretched out his arm toward the man. His grotesquely long-looking arms stretched out like branches toward the man.
“Then you can tell me.”
‘<Mental Sensitivity LV.8>’
[Casts the ‘domination’ leadership skill ‘Mental Sensitivity LV.8’.]
The man’s body began to convulse as he looked at Baek Do-hyun’s fingertips. The tremors continued until her man’s eyes rolled back.
“Tell me everything you know.”
“Big, big… .”
“Or should I choose someone else again?”
Baek Do-hyeon’s eyes looked over the shoulder of the man who was struggling and pulling out his head. Beyond the dark gate of the ruins, numerous people were appearing. In the same outfit, similar energies encroached on the surroundings like waves.
They were all wizards.
They were all those who clearly felt the rejection that was under the evil gaze. If we fight, one side will be the only one left here, either dead or dead. Of course, there was another direction as well.
How many people can there be?
The number of people I glanced over was approximately fifty people. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to use the Domination skill on all of them. The limits of leadership skills were set. And Baek Do-hyun has never surpassed that limit before.
Baek Do-hyun’s strengths also turned out to be his weaknesses. When faced with an opponent whose dominance skills did not work, Baek Do-hyeon became as helpless as a shadow in front of the sun. His grand duke, Isis, accepted it as reason, but Baek Do-hyeon dismissed it as his own incompetence.
‘You must obtain a dominance skill that no one can neutralize.’
I had to acquire a mastery and leadership skill that was strong enough to not even be able to dispel that giant monster floating in the sky. That was the ‘growth’ that Baek Do-hyun had to achieve during this journey.
“… “I have no choice but to try it.”
This was just the first step. Every time Baek Do-hyun took a step forward, his arms stretched out bizarrely. It was a sight of blackened tree branches sprouting as if they were multiplying.
Baek Do-hyeon’s figure inside was covered in tar-like slime. The heroes just watched from a distance.
These were the first footsteps of the group that fell into the eastern black forest.
***
Sehyeon was looking down at a white piece of paper with a quill in her hand. It was because he couldn’t find the words to start with. No, actually, what he was going to say was decided. Those words written in Renshis’ letter.
[Make sure to live… And let’s meet again. To my beloved hero, Ren.]
Still, I wasn’t sure. If that’s not what Sehyun wrote-
“… … .”
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After thinking for a while, Sehyeon put ink on the quill pen. And he wrote down his thoughts on parchment. It was only a few letters at most. After looking at it for a while, Sehyun folded the letter and put it inside the wooden box she bought at a local store.
And among the extra weapons that the heroes brought with them, he found Renshis’s Gauntlet, put it in a box, and locked it.
The box was clunky. The surface was rough, and the shape was even ugly. This was prepared on purpose to avoid being noticed.
Sehyeon left the inn with Muan holding the box in her arms. And then we passed through the street and headed towards the castle.
‘Lenshis’ was a hero who told many stories about himself. He wasn’t like that from the beginning. As for him, his trustworthiness had decreased since his species changed, and the process of raising it was not all smooth. His trust began to increase significantly after Sehyeon read the letter he presented.
From that day on, Renshis began to tell his story often.
From the story of how a soldier who was the gatekeeper of the empire saved his life on a day when a red moon rose, to the anecdotes of living together, the entire process of losing him and standing on his own, and the rest of his difficult life.
Renshis was a child born on the day the red moon rose and abandoned by his clan. He clearly remembered that one phrase. So Sehyun now knew exactly what he had to do.
