NOVEL NEXT Chapter 90
Once again, I had to get off near the plaza, pushed by the crowd.
‘So the portal opened, huh? Did they just make a fuss over it appearing in the plaza?’
As I was about to walk away from the departing carriage, Veronica opened her mouth.
“How strange. It seems like the other adventurers are moving in an orderly manner, but usually, this doesn’t happen before the portal opens.”
Just as she said, looking around revealed some oddities everywhere.
At a glance, aside from a few adventurers with high-level gear, most were trying not to make noise and were wary of someone’s gaze.
Among them, the lower-tier adventurers, armed with dull swords and shabby armor, seemed frozen in place.
Normally, when the portal shimmers and bursts with light, that’s when the guards’ control starts, but these many people are already moving in an orderly fashion?
“Ah! I think I know the cause. Look over there.”
Yeriell pointed her arm toward some spot far ahead.
Oh? What’s that?
“Ah, I get it now. The Light Church sent people.”
The familiar robes of resident priests seen in the Cathedral, along with the heavy holy knight armor like Georg was wearing.
Seeing the unmistakable attire with its distinct features made the situation quite clear.
Recently, the city had been thrown into chaos because of the Evil God, and soldiers were often seen running around, enhancing patrols.
Looks like they’ve decided to intervene directly even at the plaza where the labyrinth entrance portal opens once a month.
‘What are they planning? Did they bring something to detect the Evil God’s energy? Or some special feature to sniff it out?’
“Let’s just get in line first. Standing around here is pointless.”
I led my party to the end of the long queue.
“Ugh. I liked the vibrant atmosphere where people were laughing and shouting. This time it’s too stiff.”
“Right.”
I couldn’t help but agree as I listened to Yeriell and Lumia chatting quietly.
The mixed crowd of elves, dwarves, and adventurers from distant lands.
The thrill I felt when I first saw such a buzzing array of humanity still lingered deep in my chest.
But now… darn those Evil God bastards were absolutely no help at all.
‘Ah, those damn Evil God bastards!’
While cursing inwardly and waiting for the portal to open, a group of holy knights began to approach from afar.
Thud thud.
The knights looked each adventurer over one by one, led by a man with a massive white cross on his back.
With colder gazes than examining stones, higher-level adventurers might feel irritated, but…
Maybe it’s out of their righteous intent or the solemn mood that wrapped around them, but no adventurer stepped up to protest.
Just when the holy knights reached the middle of the line.
Woosh!
‘W-what?!’
A blinding holy light erupted from the cross on the leader’s back.
“Shit! This wasn’t mentioned!!!”
Are they related to the Evil God?
I focused on him right away.
────
[Doumelrin]
[Strength: E+] [Agility: E+] [Durability: D-]
[Health: D-] [Magic: E+] [Luck: E]
[Owned Traits] (Collapse)
Beginner Swordsmanship
Venomous Blade
Inferior Mark
Wriggling Malice
One Language
────
Could it be that ‘slave’ trait mentioned in Sophia’s arrangements?
────
[Wriggling Malice] [P]
The powers of the Plague God Actur were forcibly injected into his heart, along with excruciating pain.
His blood and splattered flesh are corrosive acid, killing foes with venom.
─Turning bodily fluids into a weak acidic venom permanently.
─Concentrating magic in a body part allows the use of “Plague Explosion.” When used, flesh explodes, inflicting damage while bestowing random disease debuffs upon enemies.
─When the user reaches death, all retained magic and heart’s powers will mix and trigger a wide-area “Plague Explosion” automatically.
Beings caught in the “Plague Explosion” will receive high-grade random disease debuffs and negative traits.
────
…Crazy.
“I can’t die like this! Hyejin!!!”
Bang!
The Evil God’s slave tried desperately to escape, pushing adventurers aside.
“You said if I settle in the city, you’d remove the mark!”
But aside from a few, no dimwitted adventurer just stood by and watched him.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Evil one, don’t move!”
[Kagarok casts “Grasping Hand.”]
[Indinar casts “Binding of Nature.”]
[… …]
[… …]
Gah! Gaghhh!!!
The air distorted as Doumelrin’s legs buckled, and vines erupted from the ground, binding his entire body.
Crack!
Moreover, a summoned bear that looked to be about 3 meters tall crushed him flat, or flying metal and ice spears pinned his wrist to the ground, showcasing a flurry of diverse traits and techniques.
No matter how much they were crowd-control techniques, Doumelrin was already on the brink of death from the dozens of attacks unleashed by adventurers around him.
…The issue was the trait within his heart.
“I don’t want to die like this… agh.”
[The ‘Wriggling Malice’ embedded in Doumelrin’s heart reacts to lifethreatening attacks.]
[The user reaches death, activating ‘Plague Explosion.’]
“Hyejin…”
As if he sensed that escaping the word ‘death’ was impossible no matter what, he uttered a single name with a serene expression.
Gulp.
“Something’s off. Everyone, scatter!!!”
“Move back!”
The area around Doumelrin’s heart darkened and swelled explosively.
Boom!
Bang!
At that moment, a white barrier appeared in front of everyone. Well, looking at its appearance, it’d be better to call it a barrier.
[Orion casts “Holy Barrier Glamidium.”]
“Don’t panic, everyone calm down.”
As Doumelrin’s body exploded, the leader extended his hands and activated the trait.
An intricately shaped hexagonal light barrier sealed off the splattered blood and meat from spilling outside.
‘Ugh. I feel like throwing up.’
Could it be because it was a barrier of light? The gruesome scene inside was still visible.
Black blood and pieces of flesh grotesquely stuck to the barrier’s walls, and the more I looked, the more my stomach churned.
Ughhh.
Bleegh.
A few adventurers with weak stomachs were already throwing up or spewing on the ground.
[Advanced Purification.]
Regardless, the leader continued casting divine spells to cleanse the traces of the explosion and remains.
Then he shouted loudly.
“Whether dragged here by force or zealots from outside, not a single one of the Evil God’s servants will leave the Labyrinth City alive from this point on!!!”
Boom!
With a tremor that shook the ground, he continued.
“Rest assured. The Light Church will always be by your side! Our First Holy Knight Order will do their utmost to eradicate the Apostles and Followers of the Evil God, so adventurers, please remain focused on exploring the labyrinth!!!”
Damn it. This isn’t some political rally.
Despite my rather sour feelings about it, many of the thousands of adventurers gathered in the plaza cheered and responded.
“Exactly! We’re going into the labyrinth to adventure and explore, no need to worry about the Evil God!”
“Right! Isn’t that why we have armed forces like the Holy Knights to beat back those villains creeping into the city?”
“Waaaahhh!”
Amid the furious applause and cheers directed at the leader, I struggled to maintain a stiff expression.
‘Hyejin… huh? The guy who just died is just another modern person who longs for a sister or a lover after clearing a game.’
The only differences between him and me were luck and which god was watching over him.
If I were that guy destined to live a mediocre life without 2 billion?
What if the god who had been interested in me wasn’t Seres but an Evil God like Tehelum or Actur?
I know I shouldn’t indulge in these ridiculous hypotheticals, but recalling the transference device that exploded before my eyes, I felt chills run down my spine.
[Chaos says he’s merely a victim of those disgusting Evil Gods. Think positive.]
[Chaos encourages me to maintain my center as a party leader before we’ve even entered the labyrinth.]
Hearing that snapped me back to reality.
‘If I waver over this, my party members who followed me trusting my lead will be thrown into chaos too.’
Right. Even if someone cries out for their parents or murmurs their lover’s name, I have no obligation to give a damn about their sad stories.
Anyone who stood in my way with the label of a ‘transferee’ would be dealt with without hesitation.
Didn’t I already kill Isaac for revenge?
Crunch!
I bit the inside of my cheek hard.
The iron taste flooded my tongue, but I didn’t care.
“Aren, are you okay…?”
“Beeep.”
“Haha! How could I not be okay? By the way, the Holy Knights aren’t kidding around, huh?”
I laughed off the concern while trying to reassure myself.
“Ahhhh!!!”
In the meantime, another Evil God’s transference was spotted trying to escape, but of course, he’d just go through the same sequence as earlier.
“Looks like they really planned to break a path somewhere in the city? How many did they let in despite the dwindling capital?”
“Yeah, right? Tsk. I really wonder how this world is meant to function.”
As I listened to a party in front of me share worried voices, the signs of the portal opening began to appear unconsciously.
Woosh.
Whoosh!
The surface of the swirling dark portal shimmered with light.
“Everyone, don’t push and keep your order! It’ll be over soon!”
With the guards’ commands, the long line began to quickly shorten.
“Stop! Show your pass and wait for a moment.”
Wait?
After handing a pass to the guard, a priest approached and cast a divine spell.
[Purification.]
As light enveloped us, we were puzzled, and the guard returned the pass, saying.
“If you concentrate your divine power for a short time, those tainted with evil energy tend to resist nine out of ten times.”
Just like they sent a blade to filter the intruders, they also meticulously filtered here in layers.
Well, I don’t know how long such a massive vigilance will last, but for now, I could breathe easy.
“Pass! You may enter!”
The guards here seemed to be really on their toes.
We grabbed each other’s hands or linked arms to maintain physical contact and stepped forward.
‘Remember. This time, I can’t just stop at the 4th Floor.’
With a firm resolve, I stepped into the portal.
Whoosh─
*
I swung my sword lightly.
Swish!
Monsters were swept away by my slice and area spells.
The rear-guard allies wouldn’t let any danger reach us, even in the rear.
…Is it too easy?