Chapter 36 : Chapter 36

Chapter 36: In Search of an Answer (1)

Under the bright sky.

Two people, a man and a woman, were clashing weapons.

Claaang!

The weapon that deflected the axe flying through the wind was, surprisingly, a thin longsword.

‘Lower right.’

The moment the axe approached, the longsword shifted its path ever so slightly. And then, a change occurred in the path of the axe that had been coming straight on.

The destructive power contained in the blow vanished in an instant.

Kagagak!

“Tsk! Why isn’t it working?”

“I told you, it’s not about just swinging with brute force.”

“Then how about this!”

Jeina’s arm muscles bulged as if they would burst.

Artier, who had intended to meet the sword with a chilling sensation, changed his mind and angled his sword a bit more.

Thud!

“Ugh?!”

It was an ignorant amount of power.

Just enduring the attack made my entire body numb.

If he hadn't made any preparations, Artier might have been cut in two along with his sword.

“Hey, is it okay to use this much power in a spar?”

“You won’t die anyway, little brother!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Amidst the pouring attacks, Artier calmly looked for a counterattack.

“If you use too much power, your openings increase in turn.”

Pow!

Artier’s leg struck Jeina’s side.

“Ugh?!”

“Like this.”

A fleeting gap created just so.

Artier’s longsword struck Jeina’s empty wrist, and Jeina ended up dropping her axe.

As the axe fell to the floor with a loud clang, she sighed and raised both her hands.

It was a sign of surrender.

“Ugh… I thought I could land a hit this time.”

“If you land a hit with that axe, wouldn’t it be an instant death?”

Artier sheathed his sword and extended his hand to her.

“You worked hard.”

Jeina smiled brightly and took the hand Artier offered.

“Is the spar over? Good work.”

The place they were standing was a vacant lot right next to the Alpha Mercenary Corps’ base.

As the two entered the lodging, Gerard handed them towels he had prepared.

“In the end, I couldn’t beat my little brother even once during the break.”

“We only sparred three times. And it was a light spar just to not lose our practical senses.”

“Still, I thought I would win at least once….”

Watching the grumbling Jeina, Artier inwardly broke into a cold sweat.

She didn't know it, but to Artier, Jeina was considered a tricky opponent.

‘Why is a tanker so aggressive?’

Jeina was particularly ferocious.

Whether she believed in her Battle Healing skill or not, she would charge with the mindset of just taking minor attacks, which made her incredibly difficult to deal with.

“There will be chances for sparring later. We need to get ready to leave now.”

“Ah, are we leaving again?”

“Yes.”

A week had already passed since they arrived here.

‘Now we can finally start preparing…….’

Artier let out a sigh of relief.

“The times are not good. I heard the castles in the northeast have been under attack recently.”

“Since they couldn't break through Dorman, they've changed their direction to the east.”

“That’s right. I heard one castle has already fallen.”

At Gerard’s words, Artier drew a world map in his head.

The large, donut-shaped Orion Continent. Among it, there were a total of five castles in the northeast.

“How long will the northeastern castles hold out?”

“They have the experience of Dorman, so they'll prepare based on that. But they don't have the means to procure equipment like Dorman did, and unlike mercenaries, it won't be easy for soldiers to adapt immediately to monster attacks. Considering the time it took for one castle to fall… it probably won’t take more than two months at most.”

“Two months. That’s incredibly fast.”

‘How much time is left?’

Unlike the game where events only proceeded when the protagonist went there, here the Hellmorphs’ attacks were happening in real-time, so Artier couldn't rashly predict how the situation would unfold.

‘I can’t think of it as two months. One of the five castles in the northeast is the setting for a main quest.’

Thinking that far, a question arose in Artier’s mind.

If the place where the main quest was to take place became a ruin, where would the system guide him?

‘It could just skip it and guide me to the next main quest… but I can't be sure.’

There are also main quests where acquiring a specific item or interacting with an NPC is essential.

If the conditions weren't met, you couldn't achieve the true ending, and sometimes the main quest itself wouldn't proceed due to a bug.

‘As expected, the most likely possibility is that a new main quest would be created on the spot.’

This was the option Artier himself wanted to avoid the most.

The problem wasn't just that he wouldn't be able to use the know-how or advantages he knew, but that he would have no idea what kind of situation would unfold in a new main quest.

“We need to finish our business as quickly as possible and head to the northeast.”

“We have no reason to refuse, but may I ask you something frankly?”

“Yes?”

“What is the reason you keep seeking out those monsters? Is it simple vengeance?”

“Why the sudden question?”

“It’s just personal curiosity. You lost your memories and your comrades to those monsters.”

Gerard glanced at Artier’s sword and then his hand in turn.

“Normally, one would hate even thinking about the monsters, but you say you’re going north without hesitation……. It made me a little curious.”

Gerard had lost his swordsmanship to the Hellmorph’s poison, while Artier had lost his memories.

As someone who had painstakingly gathered his will to stand up again, it wasn't strange for Gerard to be curious about Artier, who he considered to be in a similar situation.

Artier placed a hand on his hip.

“It’s similar to you, Gerard. Those things won’t give up.”

“……I see.”

Although Artier didn't have the same feelings as Gerard, both of them knew well what they had to do from now on.

The Hellmorphs would not give up, and if left alone, the world would be destroyed.

That alone was reason enough for Artier to fight without running away.

“They are smart. They will get stronger and stronger. So, we have no choice but to get stronger to match them.”

“Yes, you are right. In that case, I too shall follow you. To survive.”

[Gerard’s favorability has increased to Stage 2.]

[Gerard will now believe there is a valid reason for your commands.]

Sometimes, favorability events like this just popped up.

Fortunately, it seemed I had given a decent answer.

“Let’s depart now. To Gigas Hall.”

By the time the party had packed all their belongings and left the building, the sun had fully risen, making it a perfect day for travel.

As they finished their preparations to leave and stepped out the door, they looked back to see the lodging’s appearance returning to a dull color, as if it had fallen asleep.

“Where did Bow say he was?”

“We decided to rendezvous at Gigas Hall. When I told him the destination, he said he knew the place well and would go on ahead.”

“Is that so?”

“What’s the point of going ahead?

Collie tilted his head to one side and asked.

“We’re going to travel by teleport gate anyway. If he goes alone, won’t he have to pay a higher fee?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Does he have an unexpectedly clumsy side? I should tease him about it later. Hehehe.”

The party headed to the teleport gate together.

“We’d like to go to Gigas Hall, four people.”

“Excuse me? Where?”

“What?”

The magician who heard Artier’s words asked again.

It was a reaction I had never seen before while using the teleport gate.

“There’s no destination called Gigas Hall.”

“That can’t be. It’s clearly the name of an existing city.”

“Is it? One moment please…….”

At Gerard's words, the magician rummaged through a nearby book and communicated with someone.

“What could be the matter?”

“Don’t tell me the monsters destroyed it and left?”

“Gigas Hall is a city at the southern end of the empire. For the monsters from the north to get there, they would have to cross the entire empire.”

“That’s true, isn’t it?”

A moment later, the magician, who had removed his hand from his ear, continued.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Gigas Hall is a region we cannot send you to.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“The area around Gigas Hall is a unique terrain where a vast flow of mana runs throughout the year. Teleportation to that vicinity is impossible.”

“What did you say?!”

For a moment, it felt as if time had stopped for everyone.

“This is trouble……. Hey, where can we go if we teleport to the nearest place?”

“We can send you as far as Haol Castle in the south-central region, but you’ll have to walk for about two months from there.”

“That’s absolutely not an option.”

It was out of the question.

A round trip would take four months, and in that time, those things would surely have descended not only on the northern castles but also on the central capital.

“But… that can’t be right.”

“What do you mean?”

“Um, it’s nothing.”

Artier muttered and then promptly shut his mouth when he felt Collie’s gaze.

Of course, that was only on the outside; his mind was already a crucible of chaos.

‘What is going on? I’m sure I traveled around just fine in the game.’

Artier retraced his memories once more, wondering if they were mistaken.

But there was no room for that.

Gigas Hall was a city near the elven ruins Artier had his eyes on. It was a city he had visited often to obtain important items, so there was no way Artier could have forgotten.

Then, something suddenly crossed Artier’s mind.

‘Wait, the quest in Gigas Hall doesn't appear until a year later.’

The first time Artier visited Gigas Hall in the game was after the Hellmorphs had already pushed down to the south and even the Spirit Creatures had gone extinct.

There was no way a flow of mana could have remained.

“Hahahaha.”

“Master, is something the matter?”

“No. It’s just that I feel a bit foolish.”

What’s done is done; a plan had to be made.

To meet Bow who had left first and to see Collie’s senior Spirit Creatures, they had to stop by Gigas Hall.

“What about an airship?”

Artier asked the magician, but the magician shook his head.

“When the flow of mana is strong, rough winds also blow in the skies above. Even for an airship, such a route is dangerous, so they tend to avoid it.”

“Hmm…….”

“How about a boat instead?”

“A boat?”

“Gigas Hall is very close to a port city. If you take the nearest boat, you should be able to make a round trip within 3 weeks.”

At the magician’s words, Artier looked at everyone.

“How about we go by boat, everyone?”

“Good.”

“I’m looking forward to it!”

“Then I will guide you to the nearest port city.”

Flash!

Mana filled the teleport gate, and light began to shimmer.

Watching the swirling gate, Artier was the first to throw himself toward it.

‘Let’s be sure to return to the main quest in time.’

The rest was over now.

It was time to run again.

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