NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12
How should I lure the apple?
Just when I was thinking with my hand on my chin…
SSHHH!
Suddenly, the Dog Spider sprang forward.
Towards the nearest apple tree.
PIII!
The Jellyfish followed the Dog Spider in a flurry towards the apple tree.
Pururu—?? Where are you going all of a sudden!
Mysticism—
What are those guys doing?
I was slightly flustered but didn’t stop them.
They were clearly wild monsters.
They wouldn’t recklessly attack someone stronger than themselves.
‘Did they judge that they could win with that number?’
I hoped so.
If they were just being foolish with their actions, I couldn’t continue traveling with them.
I don’t need reckless companions.
‘But it’s weird. The Dog Spider isn’t really aggressive and seems like one that wouldn’t jump out without orders.’
The Dog Spider and Jellyfish arrived in front of the apple tree.
I didn’t move from my spot.
I carefully watched their actions from a distance.
The Jellyfish used magic to shake the tree.
Then, the apples that were hanging from the branches fell, rolling onto the ground.
Pururu—Huh? The apples are floating in the air!
Mysticism—
The fallen apples began to float, defying gravity.
It didn’t seem like the Jellyfish’s levitation magic.
It looked like the apples were lifting themselves.
However, the freedom of the apples didn’t last long.
SSHH!
The Dog Spider’s thread quickly wrapped around the apples.
The apples fell back down to the ground.
…For now, it seemed like my kids won.
Without a proper battle.
*
From now on, I decided to refrain from saying, “Don’t act unilaterally without my orders.”
They follow me but don’t necessarily obey.
Our relationship is closer to friends than master and slave.
In other words, it was a horizontal relationship rather than a vertical one.
‘Still, I should remind them to be careful with their actions later. I could get in danger otherwise.’
Thinking that, I arrived in front of the apple tree.
SSHH!
PIII!
The Jellyfish presented me with an apple bound in thread.
Seeing that it was unharmed by the thread, it seemed the Dog Spider had also relieved the Jellyfish of its restrictions.
I cautiously took one apple.
Pururu—What the? Why does this apple have eyes and a mouth?
“I mean, it’s a monster.”
Pururu—Don’t tell me you’re going to eat it?
“Am I crazy? I’d let it rot instead.”
I definitely couldn’t eat this.
The creepy appearance wasn’t the problem, but the apple was rotten.
It was clearly a being that harbored poison.
Pururu—But it seems pretty weak for a monster. What’s its danger level?
“It’s also B-rank.”
Pururu—??? Wasn’t it just a weak mob? What’s with the B-rank?
“Probably, it has to meet specific conditions to unleash its power.”
Pururu—Specific conditions?
Mysticism—
“Some of them only grow stronger in special environments or awaken by consuming the fear of their opponent.”
Pururu—So it’s not really B-rank then? It’s weak right now.
It wasn’t wrong.
Right now, it indeed was a weak one.
Once they let their guard down and relaxed.
If you just absentmindedly looked at it, the danger level would be measured significantly low.
But considering its usual state.
My instinct still screamed that this was a B-rank level.
The reason was obvious.
If the power of the apple was sealed, I wouldn’t feel it was B-rank, but it wasn’t sealed; it simply wasn’t able to exert its power yet.
Who knows when it might fulfill the conditions and unleash its strength.
If I let my guard down for a moment, it could be dangerous, so I should be cautious.
Pururu—Wait, wait, wait!
Pururu—Look out! Behind you!!!
Mysticism—Behind!!!
Suddenly, an urgent chat popped up.
Missy was typing for the first time.
What’s this? Is it that dire?
I glanced back, and one unrestrained apple came into view.
While the others were subdued.
It seemed to have been hiding in an invisible spot.
The apple rose into the air, radiating a piercing gaze and summoned other apples around it. Unlike the rotten main body, the summoned apples looked fresh and lively.
PIII?
SSHH!
The Dog Spider and Jellyfish didn’t even glance at them.
They must instinctively know.
That the level of the summoned apples was incredibly low.
“Those don’t even seem to be F-class.”
Pururu—Not even F-class? Does that mean below average person level?
As I casually observed the apples, they all suddenly rushed toward me.
Thud. Thud!
It wasn’t even ticklish.
The apples that charged at me bumped into my body and fell over, rolling on the floor.
Pururu—What the heck.
Mysticism—
I picked up one of the summoned apples.
It still didn’t look dangerous up close.
This means.
Even if the rotten apple later awakens its power, the summoned apples wouldn’t get stronger. Unless they are newly summoned.
“It seems the rotten apple can’t exert any power, so the quality of the summons drops.”
Pururu—Is that so? I worried for nothing.
Pururu—Scaring us with a mediocre apple. -_-;
Mysticism—
“Speaking of which, I think I can eat this?”
Mysticism—
Pururu—Why would you eat that…?
“Unlike the main body, it hasn’t rotted.”
Pururu—But it looks a bit off. Is it really safe to eat?
Mysticism—
“You’ll find out if you check it out. First, let’s catch that rotten apple that summoned it—”
Just then.
Near the apple tree.
The space twisted and warped, and then suddenly tore in half, revealing a portal.
Pururu—?? What’s that? A black hole?
Mysticism—
“…That’s a Dark Portal. I guess we are in a labyrinth after all?”
It wasn’t my first time seeing a phenomenon like that.
Dark Portals sometimes occur in labyrinths.
Of course, they don’t happen all that often.
I’ve only seen it about twice in this other world.
Pururu—What’s a Dark Portal?
“It’s not certain, but it’s said to lead to another dimension.”
Pururu—Huh? So we can escape through it, right?
“It’s possible, but the problem is we don’t know where it leads. Once you go through, you can’t come back, so we need to think carefully.”
Pururu—Ah. One-way ticket?
“Yeah. Not a single person who has crossed the Dark Portal has ever returned.”
People say.
Unlike the portals that open with designated coordinates, Dark Portals have no fixed destination and randomly connect to one of the countless worlds existing in every dimension.
It’s not exact information, just speculation.
‘Wherever I go, it might be better than this hardcore labyrinth…’
Even so, going through there wasn’t a good choice.
Once I stepped outside this labyrinth.
The chances are high that I will lose my qualifications as an explorer and my powers.
Without the abilities of an explorer, it would be hard to survive in other worlds.
My current body was just an ordinary person.
When I first came to this other world, I merely survived and grew lucky. I didn’t expect that kind of luck to strike twice. Betting my life on two miracles was a crazy act.
“No matter how I think about it, it’s best not to cross over there. I don’t want to gamble.”
Pururu—Yep, thinking that way sounds wise. It would be a disaster if I fell into an even stranger place. Can’t come back either.
Mysticism—
I decided to ignore that Dark Portal.
It was merely speculation that it was a portal; even if it was a portal, it might lead to a hellish place where life can’t survive.
“Then, I should catch that rotten apple… huh?”
The rotten apple that summoned the summons was already caught.
The Jellyfish had it in its tentacles, shaking it around as it played.
“Looks like you’ve already caught it. I was wondering why you were just sitting there while I was checking out the portal.”
PIII!
The poor apple that had become a toy screamed.
The Jellyfish shook its tentacles more vigorously, wearing a cheerful smile.
Then, it accidentally dropped the apple.
PIII?!
The Jellyfish tried to catch it again, but…
“Jellyfish, stop!”
PI, PI?
I urgently called out.
The apple had chosen the Dark Portal as its escape route.
The apple, having thrown itself into the Dark Portal, vanished into the dimensions, and the role of the Dark Portal as a transporter was completed as it discreetly disappeared.
Pururu—Those crazy apples. Of all places to run, they choose that. It’s like jumping off a cliff when there’s nowhere to escape.
Mysticism—
“……”
Pururu—?? Why does your expression look like that? You seem serious about something.
“……”
Pururu—Hey? What’s up?
“…It’s nothing.”
Again.
I just felt that strange sensation again.
When the apple was sucked into the Dark Portal.
I felt its danger level spike tremendously in an instant.
From B-rank to S-rank.
‘That wasn’t an illusion yesterday?’
Even if I tried not to care.
I couldn’t ignore this anymore.
This time, I witnessed it clearly and felt it.
Denying it was just escapism.
‘Rather than thinking about it here, I should finish my exploration for the day and head back to the hideout to sort things out.’
I needed to think more deeply about this phenomenon.
In a certain dimension, in a certain universe.
A planet existed where humanity was flourishing and advancing scientific civilization. The surface of this planet was adorned with skyscrapers decorated with neon signs and buildings packed with cutting-edge technology.
For hundreds of years, this planet enjoyed a peaceful existence.
But one day.
The sky split, and an object fell, creating a whirlwind as it crashed to the ground.
With a powerful impact, dust swirled.
When the dust settled, a singular, red-glowing apple appeared at the center of the gigantic crater.
Citizens began to gather around it.
Armed soldiers quickly mobilized.
People looked at the apple with mixed curiosity and fear.
They soon felt an eerie aura and began to back away one by one.
A tremendous evil hung in the air.
A pressure that felt as if it were shaking the very heavens and the earth pressed down on the people.
In that moment.
The apple began to release a black aura and quietly floated into the sky.
From its rotten surface, green poisonous gas erupted.
In its red, glowing eyes was a killer intent.
Seeing that, humans trembled in fear.
The apple absorbed the fear of these humans to gain strength, expanding its body more and more.
As the size of its body grew larger.
The fear of the humans only intensified.
The greater their fear, the more massive the apple became, until it filled the sky.
The apple grinned wickedly and opened its mouth wide.
And with a sound that could tear the world apart, it cast spells.
Sūperfluĕ, pōma.
As the powerful spell was unleashed.
Red apple masses rained down from the sky like meteors.
Apples that smashed into the ground melted everything they touched.
Poisonous gas and the aura of death enveloped the world.
The once-bustling city turned into ruins.
The civilization that humanity had built over thousands of years.
That once brilliant achievement came crashing down in an instant due to the invasion of a single apple.
*
One year after the apple’s invasion.
Humanity mobilized all their cutting-edge scientific technology and finally defeated the apple.
In the process, countless lives were lost, and half of humanity perished at a tremendous cost, but ultimately, humans were able to raise the flag of victory high.
On that day.
A page of history was rewritten, and this destructive invader was recorded as “The Apple That Brings the End.”
And the apple was now recognized as a sinister and dangerous existence, causing humans to uproot all apples from this planet.
─ The Apple That Brings the End: 종말을 가져오는 사과 ─
An apple that nearly brought about the end on some planet.
That apple was born and raised in an ancient labyrinth.
In that place, a man bound the apple’s kin.
While munching on summon apples, he began to draw in a notebook.