8th-rank and 9th-rank.
When you compare a goblin to a death fiend, it feels like the difference should be night and day. But in reality, the gap between those two ranks isn't that wide.
Not when compared to the gap between 1st and 2nd rank.
Typically, five 9th-rank explorers can take down an 8th-rank monster with ease.
Same applies to the 7th rank.
Five 8th-rank explorers are more than enough to hunt a 7th-rank monster, and that pattern continues…
Up to about the 3rd rank, that is.
Starting from the 3rd rank, even if the whole group is 4th-rank, you're recommended to bring at least a twelve-man raid party. For 2nd rank? A full expedition unit of thirty or more is essential.
So then, what about 1st rank?
Honestly, every 1st-rank creature is so unique that it's hard to make any blanket statements.
But if you think back to when we hunted Kashan, the Wolf of Prophecy, on the Library Island, and how we brought hundreds of people and still lost elite explorers in droves…
Out-of-standard.
That much I can say for sure.
1st-rank monsters aren't just a level above 2nd-rank—they're in a class of their own.
That's why simply possessing a 1st-rank essence is enough to earn massive fame and set tongues wagging all over town.
That Eye bastard was exactly one of those cases…
Anyway, that's not what matters right now.
Creeeeak, eek, screee—
Was it all the warping from Sniktura?
Unlike before, the door now opened with a loud scraping noise, rather than gliding smoothly.
Watching the gap slowly widen made my heart pound.
Thump—!
Did it drop? Or didn't it?
Creeeeak, eek—!
Maybe it was the dopamine kicking in, but every passing second as the door opened felt excruciatingly slow.
Thud—!
Finally, the door fully opened, and the answer to my question came through Raven's trembling lips.
"T-That… uh…"
"…"
"That's… an essence, right…?"
Eyes dazed and voice half-gone, she asked the question.
I blinked once, then gave my answer.
"Behell—yeah…"
Sniktura's essence had dropped.
***
The shockwave that a 1st-rank essence sends through a group… is incredible.
"Wow…"
"So that's a 1st-rank essence…"
"Adnus, don't even think about anything weird."
"Ahem, I was just admiring it."
"Truly, even the glow feels different…"
Everyone stared with their mouths agape, overwhelmed by the pressure that emanated from the essence.
And it's no wonder.
Even if you dedicate your life to being an explorer, actually seeing a 1st-rank essence in the flesh is absurdly rare.
Also, as someone pointed out, its appearance really is different from ordinary essences.
"It has two colors…"
Sniktura's essence floated in the air, radiating a brilliant glow—two distinct colors swirling within it.
It wasn't just a blended hue.
The colors were split clearly—almost like a yin-yang symbol.
"Oh, right. I've heard some 1st-rank essences are like that."
"If there are two colors, does that mean it has two powers?"
"Yeah, that's what I've heard."
"Then that essence…"
"Who knows… Honestly, I've never studied one myself. Info on 1st-rank essences is so scarce… they're practically mythical."
"Still, hasn't every generation had a few people with one?"
"Sure, but think about it—would you be cooperative if you had something like that?"
Raven said this while glancing at me sideways.
Clearly wondering if I knew something about the essence.
Not an unreasonable guess.
But still…
"Raven, first get the vial ready."
Let's take care of what needs to be done first.
We've got plenty of time, but come on—everyone does this, right?
Even if it's unnecessary, when a rare item drops, the gamer instinct kicks in—you drop everything and rush to grab it first.
"But wait."
As Raven pulled out the vial, she turned and asked me,
"It's not the color you wanted, is it?"
Ah, that?
It's… kind of complicated.
But the color isn't the reason we bottle essences in the first place.
"That essence is for Emily."
"Oh ho? Gonna prioritize the girl who wasn't even here?"
Uh…
Is it… like that?
I guess from the perspective of the others, who just risked their lives in battle, that could feel a bit unfair…
"…It was a joke. Don't take it so seriously."
"Ah… no, I didn't mean…"
"Seriously, how does a guy like you end up making rules like 'the leader holds as many votes as there are members'?"
"…."
Yeah, saying anything else would only dig the hole deeper, so I kept quiet.
Thankfully, Raven was too focused on bottling the essence to needle me further.
Time passed.
"All done."
Raven handed me the vial containing Sniktura's essence, and with that, everything we needed to do here was finished.
And at that exact moment—
"U-Urghhh!!!"
Sven Parab, who had been unconscious, jolted awake.
"Hup!"
He screamed like he'd just come out of a nightmare and snapped into a combat stance as if ready to fight something on the spot.
Totally understandable.
His last memory was probably fighting Sniktura.
Frontline fighters often black out mid-battle, so this kind of thing happens more than you'd think.
"W-Where… are we…?"
But after looking around and sensing the relative safety, he slowly lowered his guard, blinking in confusion.
"D-Did we win?!"
"Yeah. We won. Calm down."
"N-No one died?!"
"You can see for yourself."
He looked around as I shrugged, then let out a deep breath of relief.
"Whew…"
That visible release of tension, that collapse of strength in his legs…
Is that what I look like to others?
I don't know.
But even if I do, I don't mind.
Seeing a comrade's legs give out from sheer relief after confirming everyone's safe—it made him look reliable, in a way. And I kind of liked that.
"But… what happened?"
"How much do you remember?"
"Well… you told us to say our last words because we were all gonna die, and… I was despairing, like, ah, so this is how it ends…"
As he trailed off, something seemed to click, and his voice grew excited.
"Oh! The authority! I used that new authority I got, grasping at straws! And… it worked, right?!"
"…"
"Eh? Why aren't you saying anything? It did work, right?! That's why everyone's alive, right?!"
His voice was filled not just with hope, but a desperate need for confirmation.
And that made the weight on my chest even heavier.
"What did it do? Was it defensive? Offensive? Wait… did I take Sniktura out in one blow or something?!"
"…"
"Eh? Why's no one saying anything?!"
He tilted his head and looked around, but every time he locked eyes with someone, they quickly turned away.
Or rather—they looked to me, waiting for my lead.
"Uh… can you guys hear me…?"
"…."
"Kaislan? Miss Marone? Kalstein…?"
"…."
Tch. I guess I've got no choice but to be the bad guy here.
It feels like we're bullying him, which sucks… but…
Sigh…
It had to be done.
The goddess herself had descended to give this warning.
Sven Parab must not know the truth about that authority.
Yeah, so…
"What authority? What are you talking about?"
"…Huh?"
"…Nothing happened."
Even if I felt guilty—this was the right move.
***
We climbed the ladder and returned to the original bunker. As soon as we entered, Auyen came rushing up.
"Captain! I'm so glad you're safe…!"
"Thanks. You really came through this time."
"No, not at all! It was just coincidence! I didn't do anything special!"
"Don't say that. We're all alive thanks to you."
As I praised him with full sincerity, Sven Parab suddenly looked confused.
"Wait… we're alive because of Rockrove? What do you mean?"
"…."
"Didn't we all just work together to defeat Sniktura?"
"…."
"Why's everyone suddenly quiet again…?"
As the mood turned icy, Parab looked around, baffled.
Come on, man. If people are acting weird, maybe just take the hint?
Luckily, I didn't have to figure out how to redirect the conversation.
Because someone else jumped in at just the right time.
[…We were watching the whole thing. You did it, heroes of the Empire!]
That «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» booming voice over the speaker belonged to Arta, the master of the secret base.
He sounded like he was giving a heartfelt blessing to some valiant adventurers—but given how he'd just been bitching about selfish imperialists, I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
And besides, there was something he said that I couldn't just ignore.
[When you suddenly began destroying the lab, I wasn't sure what would happen—but in the end, my decision was the right one.]
"…Right?"
[Think. If I had opened the door when you asked, what would've happened? This world surely would not have been saved.]
Seriously… what the hell.
I had so many things I wanted to say, but arguing with an AI felt pointless.
All that mattered was getting what we needed from him and moving on.
[Thanks to your actions, we've taken a great step forward on the path to salvation. If you help me a little more, we can surely stop this world's end. Of course, we'll have to rebuild the lab first…]
Rebuild the lab, huh…
That wasn't in the game script.
But I guess it makes sense, given we destroyed it out of order.
"So?"
[Heroes of the fallen Empire, I have one more favor to ask.]
"Say it."
Honestly, I didn't need to listen.
The structure of this quest hadn't changed. Just a few details.
To summarize: he'd help us, and in return, we had to travel to the origin of the apocalypse, kill the boss, and bring back the loot.
"Fine. We'll do it."
[I knew you would say that—champions of humanity.]
Now we'd gone from "heroes of the Empire" to "champions of humanity."
Not that I cared. What caught my attention was something else.
[Oh, and I recently detected a human at the origin of the apocalypse—with the same symbol as you.]
"You mean this?"
I held up the Anabada Clan insignia.
Arta confirmed it.
[Yes. That symbol.]
"Was it a woman? Red hair?"
[Indeed. Is she an ally?]
"Yeah. She's one of ours."
At that, Arta gave a cryptically ominous response.
[Hmm. Then you'd best hurry.]
"…?"
[That woman—she's going to die very soon.]
…A sudden quest had just dropped.
-x-X-x-
Why was Amelia, who was supposed to be watching the others from Skull Island, here of all places?
I didn't know yet—but I could guess at least one thing.
'If Amelia, who was ordered to keep tabs on the Golden Tree Clan, came here...'
Then there's a high chance they came here too.
There's no way she would've entered this place without reason.
"Did you see anyone else besides my comrade?"
But Arta's reply to my theory-based question was unexpected.
[Hard to say. So far, we've only confirmed the woman.]
"Only one?"
[Is that a problem?]
"No. Then I'll ask this instead. What situation is my comrade in that made you say she's about to die?"
[Maybe she's just wandering around aimlessly, but she's already entered the Beast's territory. It wouldn't be strange if they ran into each other at any moment.]
The place I'm currently inside—"Memory of the End"—is a hidden field, much like Larkaz's Labyrinth we visited before.
And the Beast is effectively the boss of this field.
But you're saying Amelia is already inside its territory?
'Fucking hell.'
Time was tight.
No—time was incredibly tight.
"Arta, is there anything else I should know?"
[As I already said, in order to slay the Beast, you must remember my advice—]
"So, nothing. Got it. That'll be all."
I had no reason to waste time listening to the strategy all over again, so the conversation with Arta ended there.
I quickly rallied the members and left the secret base.
"You don't need me to say it, right?"
"Yes. I promise we'll reach you without delay, Captain."
With Auyen's confident answer, the ship cut swiftly across the water.
Swoooooosh—!
Honestly, it was moving even faster than when we first came here.
Sure, it helped that we were slamming mana stones into the engine without worrying about fuel efficiency...
But that wasn't the only reason for this speed.
「Auyen Rockrove has cast [Tailwind].」
「Auyen Rockrove has cast [Trade Route].」
「Auyen Rockrove has cast [Ghost Ship]...」
Watching Auyen activate every skill he had, the other members began to look concerned.
"Uh... Navigator, sir? Are you sure you're okay? I get that this is urgent, but there's a saying—haste makes waste..."
"If you go all-out from the start, you might collapse halfway through."
Spoken like true explorers—logical and grounded. And frankly, I agreed with them.
If Auyen ran out of mana and his skills failed mid-voyage, we might arrive even later.
So I asked what needed asking.
"Auyen, are you sure you're okay?"
He answered without hesitation.
"Coming here, I had to think about getting back. But this time, going back isn't the point."
And that was that.
"Understood."
If we're the experts in monster-slaying, then he's the expert in navigation.
Best to just trust and leave it to him.
Swoooooosh—!
We raced across the water toward an island that hadn't yet appeared on the horizon. How much time had passed?
Beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep—
The ten-hour timer I'd set when entering Arta's base went off.
I'd built in a buffer, just in case... but still.
'I thought we'd be heading back at a more leisurely pace...'
Just goes to show—you never know how things will play out.
Even the Sniktura raid had ended in a way I hadn't expected.
"..."
Maybe it was because I had nothing to do but wait until we arrived?
Staring at the endless horizon brought up all kinds of thoughts. Before I knew it, my jaw clenched, and my fists tightened.
"Don't worry too much... It'll be okay..."
"Yeah, seriously, Uncle. It's gonna be fine."
My teammates assumed I was worried about Amelia.
And sure—I was.
But that wasn't the only reason.
I couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened.
"Yes, it was intense, but in the end everyone made it out okay, right? Don't stress too much."
Elwen meant to comfort me, but that was exactly the problem—it stabbed me in the chest.
A few hours ago, we'd almost been wiped out.
No—technically, we had been wiped out.
I hadn't found a solution.
I accepted our fate.
For the first time since becoming a barbarian, I'd prepared my last words.
Sure, things had somehow turned out alright in the end—we killed a 1st-rank monster and got a top-tier essence...
'But that wasn't because I was any good.'
We survived today because we got lucky.
I hadn't even considered [Star's Proxy] at the time.
'...Or maybe it's because I wasn't good enough.'
If I really think back over the fight, that total wipeout could have been avoided.
If I'd been willing to give up on Beleg sooner, the raid could've followed my plan exactly.
But I didn't.
I clung to naive hope—that maybe if I sacrificed a little more, we could save everyone.
And the result of that stubbornness?
Disaster.
'Sure, it ended well. But...'
How long will luck keep saving me?
No.
Am I even the kind of person who deserves to rely on luck?
'Of course not...'
Luck carried us this far.
There won't be a next time.
If I go into the next situation with the same mindset, the ending will be the worst possible one.
And once I truly realized that...
BOOOOOM—!
My head exploded.
Or rather, my thoughts collapsed in on themselves.
***
Maybe it was because I suddenly slammed my forehead into the railing?
"..."
"..."
Silence settled across the deck.
I looked up and saw the crew all avoiding eye contact like they'd just seen something forbidden.
"Ahem..."
"Well... I suppose I should polish my gear. Where'd I leave my whetstone...?"
Dammit.
That was reckless of me.
Whatever's going on in my head, I'm the leader—I shouldn't show it on the outside.
'It's not like I'm the only one suffering here.'
Just because you're an explorer doesn't mean you don't feel stress.
Sure, we're all used to the threat of death, but no matter how skilled an explorer is, the pressure weighs heavy.
That's probably why there are so many messed-up personalities in the guild.
Everyone had just barely escaped death.
They were definitely tired and on edge.
And here I was—making them nervous too.
"Sigh... Sorry, everyone! I just... really felt like headbutting something for a sec!!"
I shouted it out half-jokingly, laying my heart bare—and it helped ease the mood a bit.
"...Haha, is that so?"
"Of course! Sometimes you just really need to bash your head on something, right? Right?"
"Haha... yeah, I guess..."
The laughter was a bit awkward, but it was better than uncomfortable silence.
And thanks to my effort, even Raven—who'd been keeping her distance—came back over to stand beside me.
"Looks like you're finally in the mood to talk again?"
"...Did you need something?"
"Sniktura's essence."
Ah, that.
I thought she'd come over to cheer me up.
But I guess normal conversation like this might be better.
"So? What abilities does it have? I've been dying to know. Is it the color you wanted?"
"Half."
"So... one of them is the one you were aiming for?"
"Yeah."
"Why are you answering like that? You know what I'm asking—just spill it already!"
"That can wait for later—"
"No! Later is the worst habit an explorer can have! What if you die before 'later' comes? I'll be so mad I'll magic myself into pieces!"
"...Magic yourself into pieces?"
That weird phrase made me blink, and Raven quickly looked away.
"O-Oh, um... Some mages believe that when they die, they don't go to a god's embrace or anything—they just dissolve into pure mana particles..."
Ah. So like, atheists.
If I had to pick, I guess I'd be in that camp too.
No afterlife—just decomposition into nothing.
Not that I want that to be true.
Even if it's just wishful thinking, it'd be nice if there was a place where you could rest.
Somewhere you could meet the people you've lost, and talk about the old days—even just once more.
"Hey? You still with me?"
Ah. Right. We were talking.
"Come on! Are you really not gonna tell me?"
"No, I was just about to. What was the question again?"
"Sniktura's essence!"
Ah, right...
My head really was a mess.
So I just pulled the description from memory and recited it directly.
"Sniktura's essence has two inherent physical-type abilities. One is [All-Poison {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Physiology], and the other is [Final Radiance]..."
I kept going—passive skill functions, active skill stats, the whole breakdown.
At first, Raven listened with wide eyes, but her expression gradually soured.
"No, I mean—which one did you want?"
Oh. That's what she was asking.
"I didn't have a specific preference."
"What?"
"I only cared about one thing—[Final Radiance]."
"What? Not [All-Poison Physiology]?"
That's useful too, sure—but nowhere near as critical.
Amelia's core essence is [Self-Replication] from the doppelganger.
We later fused it with the Twin Hydra's [Dual Dominion] to control her clones more effectively, and then added the Cyclops's [Wave Link] to boost clone output to main-body levels.
"...So that [Final Radiance]—that was the skill Sniktura used at the end, right? It only triggers right before death..."
Hearing that the main ability was a passive, Raven muttered to herself, then suddenly lit up.
"Oh! That makes sense! With her clone setup, that one-time-only trigger limitation doesn't matter anymore!"
"Exactly."
Sure, you can't move for a minute when it activates, but if you just wait that out, a clone emerges that's several times stronger than the original body.
'Once we infuse this essence and finish tuning the rest of the build, she'll clear Floor 10 minimum.'
"Okay, but what's the other ability?"
Oh. That.
The second one is [Form Shift].
"Ooh, that's a really good one, isn't it?"
"When Sniktura used it, she could freely transform into other monsters and use their traits, yeah. But in practice, it's a little different."
"What's the catch?"
"You can only transform into the last monster you killed. And you don't get any physical stat boosts."
"Ah... I see."
She sounded disappointed—but that's not all there is to it.
This is a 1st-rank essence, after all.
There are lots of advanced uses.
But I'll save that for Amelia, who's actually going to use it.
"So what's the last ability?"
"...[Final Day]."
"Huh? That's an actual ability?"
"It is."
"...Your face doesn't look good."
"That's because it's... tricky."
Honestly, I said all the abilities were fine—but this one's the exception.
If it had been [Seed of Destruction] instead, I'd have had better use for it.
"What's tricky about it? Is it bad?"
Tsk... Well...
"It's technically strong, but it has a lot of activation conditions."
"Oh, come to think of it—Sniktura never even used it in the fight, huh? What does it do?"
I spent quite a bit of time explaining what the ability did, along with its conditions.
Raven eventually got her curiosity satisfied and wandered off.
Finally, I had a moment alone.
And then it hit me.
"Oh, shit."
This wasn't the time to be obsessing over someone else's essence.
"...[Harbinger of Corruption]."
That thing... it hit me, didn't it?
-x-X-x-
[Harbinger of Corruption].
A bizarre skill that warps one of your currently equipped Essence abilities if it hits.
In my case, it hit [Transcendence] from Bayon.
'At least it didn't hit Storm Gush...'
Even if I'd dodged the worst-case scenario, it still stung.
Because [Transcendence] was a core Essence that could be linked not only with [Giant Form], but with numerous other Essences as well.
It might not have ranked as high in importance as [Giant Form], but that didn't change the fact that it was a core part of the final build for a shield-barbarian.
'I wonder how it changed...'
The thought that it might've turned into something completely useless was eating away at me, but there was no way to find out yet.
Once you're hit by that skill, the affected ability becomes unusable for 180 days.
'This is day 33 of the expedition...'
If we stick to the original plan and return to the city on day 75, that leaves 42 days.
And 30 more in the city.
'Even if we do another 75-day expedition after that, we'll still have 33 days to go.'
Meaning it won't be until the third expedition that I'll be able to use [Transcendence] again and find out what changed.
"Captain, the island's in sight...!"
I'd been standing on deck lost in thought when finally, our destination came into view.
The sky around the island was stained blood-red, as if that part of the world were detached from reality.
Hardened lava streaming into the ocean.
A thick, dark-red smoke cloaking the entire island.
"Disembark...!"
From anchoring the boat to setting foot on the island, the entire process took 3 hours and 50 minutes.
Roughly 50 minutes faster than it took to reach the secret base.
"Well done, Auyen."
"It's nothing..."
Still, Auyen's complexion was visibly pale—understandable, considering he'd pushed his ability to the limit for the entire voyage.
Use that ability even a few more times here and he'd likely collapse into soul exhaustion.
"From here on, you rest."
"Sir?"
No need to overexplain.
"Ainard!"
The moment her name was called, Ainard instantly picked up on the context.
"Got it!! You want me to carry him up top, right?"
"Huh? I-I'm really fine—!"
"Haha! Don't worry so much! I've carried people before!"
Okay, that settles Auyen's mobility.
And since the Fire Orb had remained activated since we arrived on the island, there was no need to reactivate it.
That meant—
"We're moving at full speed from here."
Leading the now-rested squad members, we surged through the island.
Our goal was the island's center, where Amelia had last been spotted.
But even as we advanced toward our destination, we continued carefully scanning our surroundings.
Because it wasn't just Amelia who was at risk.
「Status effect [Eternal Scorching] applied.」
「Your character takes ongoing fire damage that amplifies over time.」
That field effect—its damage scaling wasn't yet critical, so I could live with it.
「Time remaining until death: 05:50:17.」
But with only about six hours left before [Doomed] kicked in, we had to start resetting our party members right now.
Here's how:
"Raven, Marone. From now on, cast the 'Distortion' spell on every monster we kill."
Even while maintaining our breakthrough formation and pressing forward, we cast Distortion on every monster we encountered before taking them down.
Monsters afflicted with Distortion don't drop Essence on death—instead, there's a chance their corpses remain, yielding rare byproducts...
"Oh! It worked!"
Instead of vanishing into a shower of light, the defeated monster collapsed.
Thud—!
Distortion had succeeded.
But not long after, flames erupted from the corpse, reducing it to ash.
Then—
Fwoosh—!
A red shimmer rose into the air.
"That looks... kind of like an Essence?"
"It is."
The official name in-game: 'Original Sin.'
Why it was called that, no idea—but the effects were twofold.
「Your character has consumed 'Original Sin'.」
「Fire resistance permanently increased by +1.」
It raised your fire resistance by +1.
「Status effect [Doomed] has been reset.」
「Your character will die in 24 hours.」
And reset the [Doomed] status, buying us another full day.
Note: the fire resistance buff only applied on first consumption—no stacking from repeated doses.
Still, that wasn't the point right now.
Since there was no UI to hover over the debuff icon like in the game, we made sure to have each squad member manually set a 24-hour timer on their watches the moment they took the dose.
"This is a weird feeling. Knowing exactly how long I have left. Don't you think so, Parab?"
"Haha... yeah. I guess it is."
"It'd be nice if we could always see how much time we had left, even in real life."
"Excuse me?"
"I mean your remaining time, like your lifespan. Wouldn't it be helpful to know that? Earlier, when we thought we only had one minute left... I just panicked. I started thinking of all the things I've never done..."
"...It would be nice, yeah. If we could see how much time we had left... we wouldn't die without saying the things we needed to say."
"Saying the things... not doing?"
"Ahaha... it's just a saying! Just a saying!"
Even in a situation like this, Marone and Parab were chatting in that warm, fuzzy way of theirs.
Tch. And here I thought it was weird when Parab insisted on being Marone's mount during travel.
'...Is something really going on with them?'
I didn't know. But I couldn't help thinking it.
Part of me just wanted to leave it alone.
Once, I would've worried about such relationships forming within the team.
Feelings meant unpredictability, after all.
But I'd changed.
"...We might not have a 'later.'"
"Huh? What did you say just now, old man?"
"Just talking to myself."
I brushed off Elwen's question and turned my attention away from Marone and Parab.
Whatever happened between them wasn't my business.
If it worked out, great. If not, then it didn't.
As long as there were no regrets, that was enough.
With that mindset, we focused solely on advancing toward the center of the island.
「Ainard Prnelin has consumed 'Original Sin'.」
「Fire resistance permanently increased by +1.」
We'd secured four Original Sins total and reset everyone's [Doomed] status.
And that's when I heard a familiar voice whisper in my ear.
"So you finally found me."
"...Huh?"
I knew that voice...
"Emily...?"
I muttered the name without thinking.
"What, did you see a ghost or something?"
Amelia appeared, grinning slyly.
"...Uh?"
I was stunned.
Honestly, it did feel like seeing a ghost. I hadn't expected to find her this fast.
'No, wait. Did she find us?'
As it turned out, Amelia hadn't even known we were looking for her.
Hell, if not for what Arta said, I wouldn't have even known she was on this island.
"What the hell happened that brought you here?"
"Something happened outside."
"Golden Tree? Those bastards?"
"No, they've got nothing to do with it."
"...What? Nothing to do with it?"
"As soon as they realized we'd taken out their tail, they left the island. I waited just in case, but didn't see them again until I came here."
None of this matched my expectations. I'd assumed if she was here, it had to be because of them...
"So if not them, why the hell did you come here?"
This time, her answer was even more unexpected.
"A Floor Lord got summoned on the 6th Floor."
...What?
***
A Floor Lord summoned on the 6th Floor.
It was shocking—but it made sense.
"You came here the moment you found out, huh?"
"Yeah. If I got caught up in it alone, it would've been bad. Plus, I figured you guys would be returning around now."
Hearing her full reasoning, I nodded in understanding.
Classic Amelia. The only one you could trust not to screw up, even unsupervised.
Her judgment—fast and accurate.
"Well done."
Most Floor Lords affected the entire floor.
Take Liachis on the 3rd Floor, for example.
When he appeared, he immediately shut down inter-floor portals and transformed the entire field.
And the same applied to the 6th Floor's Lord.
That one doesn't block portals, but once it's summoned, its skills reach anywhere across the vast ocean.
'I was going to just leave the island if anything happened, but now... that option's off the table.'
One path had closed—but we were lucky, in a way.
You could say we'd ended up in a safe zone by accident.
If we weren't here, we definitely would've gotten caught in the Floor Lord event.
"...Anyway, I'm just glad you're safe. Let's talk more once we're out of here."
"Why? What's wrong with staying?"
"There's a nasty one lurking around here. We plan to take it out eventually... but we're not ready yet."
"Got it. Makes sense."
Once we linked up with Amelia, we started heading away from the island's center.
"Did things go well after I left? I was worried my absence might've messed things up."
"Oh, that..."
"Something did go wrong?"
"Not quite. There were problems, but it turned out fine. We even got an Essence."
"A first-grade Essence...? Impressive. Doesn't matter who ends up with it—the city's going to explode when they hear."
"Nope. That's not gonna happen."
I shook my head firmly, and Amelia raised an eyebrow.
Then I grinned and shrugged.
"You hate being famous, right?"
"...?"
She looked confused at first, then her eyes went wide.
Realization hit.
Whistle—!
"That's amazing. A guy who gives away a first-grade Essence as a gift? Where do I find one of those?"
"Miss Raven, you're a mage. You can't even absorb Essences..."
"Still, I love Essence research!"
"Hmph, who cares about first-grade Essences? I got a Tier Essence from the old man!"
"R-Really...? I'm jealous of both of you..."
The others were making a ruckus, whistling and teasing, but Amelia didn't seem to care.
She just looked straight at me and said:
"Thanks. I'll put it to good use."
So simple.
But inside that plain gratitude, I felt a strange weight.
It was more sincere than a hundred flowery words.
Of course, that solemnity didn't last long.
For all her stoic appearances, Amelia could be childish too.
"So, what's the ability on this Essence? How can it link with mine?"
"Oh, for that, ask Raven."
"Me?"
"You probably wrote it all down already."
"Ugh... I did, but... fine! Here you go!"
Amelia took the documentation from Raven and, after reviewing it, came over to ask for advice.
And then...
"Huh? What's this? The name is kind of romantic. 'The Last Day'? Hah!"
What part of that is romantic?
I'll never get her aesthetic, but I gave her a straight answer.
"Oh, that one? Don't worry about it for now. Given its conditions, you might never get a chance to use it."
"Really? Yeah, looking at the conditions... definitely not something you can use on the fly."
"Right, so..."
"[The Last Day]."
Damn it. That curiosity of hers...
She had to try it once.
Not that she'd be able to activate it—
Flash—!!
...Or so I thought.
"...Huh?"
What was that?
Whooooooooosh——!!!
"Bjorn! Look! Look at the sky!!!"
...Why is there a meteor falling from the sky?
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!
I didn't know exactly what happened, but the way Amelia's face was suddenly full of panic made one thing clear.
"...Did I screw something up?"
This wasn't going as planned.
.
.
.
.
.
「Amelia Rainwales has activated [The Last Day].」
「For the next 24 hours, a 10km radius will be bombarded at random.」
-x-X-x-
[The Last Day].
One of the active skills used by the first-grade monster, Sniktura.
Its effects are quite diverse.
BOOOOM—!!
A meteor falls from the sky.
Flash—!!
A lightning bolt slams down, carrying damage comparable to a third-tier attack spell.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE—!!!
The ground quakes, caving in and temporarily rendering the area impassable.
As the name suggests, [The Last Day] unleashes a barrage of terrifying, apocalyptic effects.
Within a 10km radius, for 24 hours straight.
"Huh? Sounds great to me! It's like the monsters get wiped out without us lifting a finger!"
Ainard, wide-eyed and cheerful, gave her innocent take on the situation, but I didn't bother to explain further.
Barbarians learn best through experience.
Flash—!!
"...!!"
As lightning slammed straight into her head, Ainard convulsed silently, unable even to scream.
This was the main problem with [The Last Day].
BOOOOM—!!
Yes, the meteors, the lightning, the general end-of-the-world aesthetic was impressive and destructive...
But the real issue was that it hit everyone. Allies, enemies—no discrimination.
"A-Are you all right, Prnelin?!"
"U-Urgh... I-I'm fine... Except I-I can't move my jaw—!"
Flash—!!
"...!!"
"Ainard got hit again...! A-Are you okay?!"
"Urgh... Emily... M-Make it stop! This hurts like hell...!!!"
Having taken two lightning strikes right out of the gate, Ainard's luck couldn't have been worse. She cried out in desperation, but all Amelia did was stare in flustered silence—something you almost never saw from her.
Because that was the second problem with this skill.
Once [The Last Day] is activated, it can't be canceled.
"Emily! Can't you hear m—"
"Stop, Ainard. There's no way to interrupt it. Once it starts, it runs for a full 24 hours no matter what."
"What...? Don't be ridiculous! There's no such thing as an ability you can't turn off mid-use!"
"Uh..."
She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world—and honestly, even I was thrown off.
But judging by everyone's reactions, I wasn't the one mistaken.
"Raven? Don't most activated abilities not let you cancel them midway...?"
"Ah, yes... That's true, right? Even Ainard's own [Indomitable Spirit] keeps going once you use it, until its set time runs out?"
With Raven chiming in, Ainard was left speechless. Meanwhile, the source of the chaos—Amelia—looked around awkwardly at everyone.
"Well... still, kind of fascinating, no? That it runs for 24 hours?"
"It's not fascinating—it's horrific."
"This is bad. If Prnelin reacts like this, normal people could die."
"So you're saying we have to live like this for 24 hours? That's a serious problem..."
"Ahem..."
Amelia cleared her throat—clearly aware she'd messed up.
"So..."
Then suddenly, she turned toward me. Voice quiet. Timid.
"...T-Technically, it's not entirely my fault."
"...What?"
For a moment, I thought I'd misheard.
She was... dodging responsibility?
'Amelia?'
I gave her a look, incredulous. She averted her eyes and continued.
"W-Well... I mean, according to your explanation, it shouldn't have been able to activate in the first place..."
Ah. That.
"Well, sure, but still..."
"He's right, Mr. Yandel! Why did it activate?"
Raven, joining in with visible curiosity, turned the group's attention on me.
But...
"Hmm... not sure..."
Truthfully, I didn't know either.
In-game, [The Last Day] had one very specific condition to activate.
"Not sure? Isn't the trigger condition 'when the labyrinth is closing'?"
Exactly.
The skill could only be used on the final day before the labyrinth closed.
Like the 7th day on Floor 1, the 10th on Floor 2, etc.
And this place, while technically a hidden field, was still part of Floor 6—meaning it should only be usable on Day 60.
"So why was she able to use it now?"
Exactly.
I was thinking the same thing.
Skill confusion aside, this whole situation was just weird.
Why had a skill only usable on the labyrinth's final day been triggered now?
BOOOOOOOOM—!!!
...Was there something I didn't know going on?
***
Honestly, things had been going too well lately.
Surviving Sniktura without losing anyone, scoring an Essence on top of that—
My luck had been unreal.
Which, ironically, made it worse.𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
'It just makes me more anxious...'
Experience told me: the higher the upswing, the harsher the fall.
And sometimes, the reverse.
In any case—
'There's a lot to think about...'
The Floor Lord summoned on the 6th Floor. [The Last Day] activating unexpectedly.
What it all meant, and what I should do next—there were too many unknowns.
But if I focused just on the now...
'Not bad.'
That was my honest conclusion.
Putting aside outside concerns and just thinking about clearing the hidden field "Memory of the End," [The Last Day] was a massive help.
Especially when it came to taking down the island's boss—the "Beast."
Like so:
「Over 10% of monsters in the area have been defeated.」
「The ancient Beast's power weakens.」
「Over 20% of monsters in the area have been defeated.」
「The ancient Beast's power further weakens...」
All we'd done was circle the island's edge with Amelia in tow, and already the monsters were getting wiped out at an incredible pace.
Total annihilation.
「Defeated: Fanatic Gatekeeper +EXP 7」
「Defeated: Haunting Memory +EXP 6」
「Defeated: Enchanting Bloom +EXP 6」
「Defeated: Mirror Hound +EXP...」
「...」
Seeing our EXP shoot up at intervals, it was obvious even monsters above 4th tier were getting vaporized by meteors.
'At this rate, we could clear the whole island in a day.'
We'd initially planned to spend at least a week here. This was insane progress.
Of course, nothing's perfect.
Speed always comes with problems.
"Gaaah!! That's ten times now—I've been struck by lightning ten times!!"
"Kyaaaaah! Mr. Parab! Mr. Parab got crushed by a meteor...!!"
Setting aside the side effects—being KO'd by lightning or nearly dying from meteor strikes—the bigger issue was this:
"Um... that means we've only got five people left, right...?"
"Ms. Raines doesn't need it immediately, so really, it's four."
"Ah... right..."
The "Memory of the End" field requires you to constantly reset the [Doomed] debuff.
But because of [The Last Day], we couldn't do it as usual.
We had to meet the monsters to cast [Distortion]—and everything was getting obliterated before we could.
"B-But can we still make it? Th-There's only two hours left..."
"Haha... It'll be fine, Ms. Marone! No need to worry too much!"
We were carrying our mages around to hit everything we saw with [Distortion], but the drop rate was slower than expected—and everyone was getting nervous.
Especially those who hadn't reset yet.
"You say 'don't worry' because you've already reset, Mr. Parab!"
"Th-That's not what I meant!"
"Sorry. That was unfair. This isn't your fault."
"No, no... I understand. You don't need to apologize..."
There was a backup plan.
In the worst-case scenario, we could send the un-reset members through the portal back to Skull Island.
At least that would lift the [Doomed] effect.
'Problem is, with the Floor Lord summoned outside, it's not exactly safe out there either...'
Still, risky was better than certain death.
「Time remaining until death: 01:50:17.」
With under two hours left before [Doomed] hit, we poured everything into getting more Original Sins.
And finally—
「Riris Marone has consumed 'Original Sin'.」
「Beleg Shusia di Tersia has consumed 'Original Sin'.」
Two more resets. And then—we got another drop.
Which meant only one person left.
"Oh...!"
For some reason, as soon as the next Original Sin dropped, Guildmaster Ilia Adnus visibly brightened.
I had nothing to say about that part, but what came next was a problem.
"...Ahem! At last... my turn..."
I couldn't ignore that.
"Your turn?"
"...?"
"There's still one person who hasn't gotten one."
"Oh, you mean him?"
Adnus glanced at Auyen beside Amelia.
Still, he didn't look particularly concerned.
"Haha, don't joke. It's not ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don't copy, read here) like we were feeding them in strict order. From what I've seen, you prioritized the front-line fighters, then moved down the ranks. You're picking based on usefulness in the expedition, right?"
Wow. He actually figured that out?
Guess being a career politician sharpens the mind.
Still, if he was that sharp, how could he not realize this?
"Auyen is next."
By priority, you're last, pal.
***
Naturally, there was a little drama over the order.
Guildmaster Adnus shot me a disapproving look.
"What's with that face?"
"...I didn't make any face..."
Yeah, right. Like hell you didn't.
"You think you're more useful to the expedition than Auyen?"
Eventually, I decided to just ask him outright. He answered like he'd been waiting.
"Ahem... I may be retired, and not much to look at here, but my skills don't pale next to anyone's..."
From the sound of it, he was annoyed that a navigator like Auyen had been given priority over him.
"I-It's fine. I can go last..."
"What do you mean, 'it's fine'?"
"I mean... Lord Adnus is far more capable than I am, and—"
That annoyed me.
Was he just trying to prevent conflict? Or was he actually that humble?
Either way, I couldn't let it slide.
Didn't matter if the guy used to be a Guildmaster.
"Auyen, you're a member of our Anabada Clan."
"..."
"And he isn't. Is there really anything else to consider?"
"..."
"If not, take it. Adnus will get the next one."
Hierarchy exists for a reason.
"That's the end of it. No time for questions."
I cut the discussion off fast. Adnus didn't argue.
He knew.
Out here, my word was law.
「Auyen Rockrove has consumed 'Original Sin'.」
「Fire resistance permanently increased by +1.」
With Auyen's reset complete, we could finally move with some peace of mind.
"W-We're moving so leisurely all of a sudden, don't you think?"
"Just your imagination."
"B-But we're slowing down for real... a-and moving away from the portal... weren't we supposed to use it in an emergency?"
"Everyone's exhausted. Don't whine."
"M-My apologies. I wasn't trying to upset you..."
You should've thought of that sooner.
Why do I always have to lay down the law?
"Let's pick up the pace."
From then on, we returned to our usual fast stride, resuming the hunt.
Eventually, we got Adnus reset too.
「Ilia Adnus has consumed 'Original Sin'.」
「Fire resistance permanently increased by +1.」
And some time later—
"Up top!"
I looked up to see a black portal forming.
Nothing particularly surprising.
"Another one."
It was one of [The Last Day]'s lesser-known effects.
Aside from meteors and lightning, it occasionally spawned portals that spat out random monsters.
"Wonder what we'll get this time."
"Everyone, stay alert! Mr. Yandel said even second-tier monsters can appear!"
Everyone immediately assumed formation.
Then...
"It's small?"
"Some kind of small-type?"
"Doesn't look too strong..."
The monster finally emerged—
"...Huh?"
—and screamed as it slammed into the ground.
Thud—!
[Owwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!]
It hit the floor hard and landed on its butt, now rubbing it repeatedly while babbling in what sounded like an ancient tongue.
[But I did it! I really made it here! Woohoo! My mana-quantum conversion matrix trajectory calculations were correct!]
Wait... was this really a monster?
I didn't know, but whatever it was, it suddenly noticed us—and jumped in shock.
[Eeeeek!!!]
"..."
[W-Who are all of you...?]
That was my question.
And the fact it was speaking in Ancient Language made it worse.
[What even are you?]
[Huh? I-I'm... I'm Arta...?]
[...Arta?]
This was a hidden piece I didn't know existed.
-x-X-x-
Arta's secret base. And the mechanical beast Arta, appearing there as the final boss.
'This can't be a coincidence.'
My instincts, sharpened by nearly ten years of playing Dungeon & Stone, told me as much. There's no way the two just happen to share a name.
'Could it be that using "Final Day" on this island is what lets you meet this thing?'
I don't know yet. Which means I have to figure it out.
"Raven, use the barrier spell."
"Suddenly? You've been telling me not to because of the mana drain."
"This time, I think it's worth it—even if it costs us. I need to talk."
"Got it."
Upon receiving the order, Raven instantly deployed a dome-shaped barrier around us. Like a kind of umbrella?
Kwaaaaaang—!
Flash—!
Krrrumble—!
A translucent curtain blocked the meteors and lightning crashing down from the sky. Okay, we had the peace and quiet we needed—.
[Oh, interesting. A language system that's similar to the common tongue, yet different... Still, if someone here speaks the common tongue, that means it hasn't been entirely lost? Well, it doesn't really matter either way.]
That's when the man watching us muttered something.
"Activate neural sync."
That's when his words started to sound different.
"Now then, can you understand me?"
"...!"
"Huh? Can you really understand him, Marone...?"
"Yes? Yeah... I don't know how, but I can understand what he's saying. I know it's a different language, but somehow, it just... makes sense."
In response to Marone, the man asked cautiously, "Um... is this your first time experiencing neural sync?"
"Uh, yes. I've never heard of anything like this."
"Phew... I kind of figured as much from your outfits, but it seems a lot of tech has been lost. Don't be alarmed. All that's happening is that I'm syncing the wave circuit emitted by your brain patterns to let us 'understand' each other. It's normal to feel disoriented at first."
The man, who introduced himself as Arta, said that much before shifting his gaze beyond Raven's barrier.
And then—
"Yes... this really is the Final Day... Isn't it exactly how you imagined it?!"
He stared wide-eyed at the storm of meteors and lightning outside, his eyes gleaming with excitement. From the way he suddenly popped out of a mysterious portal to the weird things he kept saying, everything about him screamed suspicious, but oddly enough, he didn't feel threatening.
Maybe it was because—
"Heh heh... With research results like these, I don't need to worry about next year's budget...!"
The way he looked, the way he talked, even the way he dressed... his whole presence was more gloomy than menacing.𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
"Hey, you said your name was Arta, right?"
"Ah? Yes. Sorry, I got a little distracted. But may I ask—who are you all? And if it's not too much trouble, could you perhaps explain what's going on—"
"We'll be asking the questions."
"Ah...! Yes! Of course, of course. You must be curious yourselves. I'll answer anything I can. But if I may, could I make one request as well? Oh, nothing major, so please don't be alarmed!"
"...Speak."
"If I answer everything you ask, would you let me ask a question too? I'm honestly dying to know what's going on here, ha ha..."
What the hell is with this guy? Is he hiding his power or something? His boldness didn't match his weak-looking exterior, and it threw me off a bit—but getting information was the priority, so I nodded.
"Fine. I promise."
"Then go ahead. Ask away."
"Who are you?"
"As I mentioned earlier, my name is Arta. Currently—or perhaps I should say formerly—I was the chief researcher at the First Magi-Tech Research Institute of the Empire. Ha ha, not to brag, but only the vice director and director outranked me."
"Research institute...?"
The moment he said that, something clicked in my head and I frowned. The man caught the shift in my expression.
"Oh? Are you familiar with our institution?"
Not exactly. I just had a hunch.
"Was it the one that used monsters as test subjects to make living weapons?"
"Huh? No, that's not us. Our institute is at the very frontier of magi-tech advancement. Our research may be used to develop weapons, but we're not a weapons lab."
Hmph... if you say so. The one we explored on Basement Level 1 had the official name of the Panthelion Institute, not this magi-tech whatever.
"Anyway, what's a big shot like you doing here?"
"What else would a researcher be doing? Research, of course."
"Cut the jokes. We don't have time for that."
"Ah... true. I suppose from your perspective, time would be a pressing concern. Allow me to explain simply, in a way laypeople can understand... The research we were conducting involved observing the spacetime continuum of the future."
"Observing spacetime...?"
"Yes. Observing the future to change the present—that's the core of our research."
"...Not the past?"
"Ha ha! You must be referring to time travel. Changing the present through the past was deemed impossible long ago. That's why we focused on the future."
So the idea is that their research succeeded and this guy was flung into the future?
'Man, this fantasy setting really throws everything in, doesn't it...'
It's absurd, but whatever—at least I got the gist.
"By the way, could I ask a quick question? I've been dying of curiosity since earlier."
"..."
"What year is it right now?"
Ah. So we're the future in this setup.
***
RPG stands for "Role Playing Game."
Literally, a game where you act out a role. Broadly speaking, what I was doing now wasn't that different. You follow the story in line with the concept, the episode progresses, and eventually, it ends—with a sweet reward waiting at the finish line. That's why...
'Right now's the part where you gather the clues to move the story forward.'
That's what I figured. So I kept talking to him for a long while, pulling information from him. After all, this wasn't a game where you could just mash the spacebar through dialogue and have everything automatically show up in the quest log.
"The Era of Cataclysm...? Incredible...! You're saying even the calendar system changed?"
"The world was already destroyed once by a witch, and now only a single city-state ruled by the Lafdonia royal family remains...? Truly astonishing...!"
"Oh, you think I already knew the state of this place? Ha ha... That's partly true. You see, the coordinates I set for my jump were aimed at the very last point in time—literally, the Final Day!"
"Why would I do that, you ask? Isn't it obvious? I wanted to know how the world would end!"
"Huh? Scared? Not at all. If my heart stops or I'm in danger, I can return to my original time whenever I want. Back home, we've got the best magi-tech engineers standing by—they can bring anyone back, as long as they're not dead."
"Why magi-tech engineers instead of priests? Wait... are you saying magi-tech knowledge has been lost in this world?"
"And then... what exactly happened to the world? If what you're saying is true, didn't the witch who tried to destroy it already die?"
Through our conversation, Arta learned about our side of things, and we, in turn, learned about his. And if I had to summarize...
"So the apocalypse really did happen... I have to learn what caused it—and how to stop it. Travelers from the future! Will you help me? If you lend me your strength, I'll return to the past and find a way to prevent this tragedy!"
That's more or less the gist of the quest. And of course, what really matters here is—
"...A reward? You want to know what I can offer? You... you don't want to stop the end of the world?"
"I'm afraid I have nothing to give you..."
Hmm. So the reward must come some other way. Maybe he's the key to accessing a treasure room we can't enter without him. Something like that.
"I was joking. If the world ends, what good is a reward? If there's even a chance to stop it, I'll do whatever I can."
"I knew you were kidding!"
So that wraps up the reward talk, framed as a joke.
"Let's talk while we move."
"Yes, that would be best. I don't have much time left, anyway."
"Not much time?"
"Oh, I didn't mention that yet. I can only stay in this time period for a limited duration. So I {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} have to gather as much information as possible before I return."
"And if you don't make it back in time?"
"Well, I don't think that'll happen... but if it does, then I guess I'll meet the Final Day right here with the rest of you."
"I see."
I let it slide like it was just idle curiosity. I couldn't exactly tell him the truth, could I? That if nothing useful or rewarding happens while he's with us, I'm planning to make sure he can't go back.
'Maybe the real quest only starts if he ends up stuck here.'
It was the kind of hidden element I'd never encountered in the game before—meaning I had to exhaust every possibility.
"Raven! Drop the spell!"
After that, Raven released the barrier spell, and we resumed our full-scale sweep of the island. At the same time—
"Um, Mr. Arta, was it?"
Raven, who hadn't been able to join the conversation earlier because she'd been focusing on the spell, started talking to Arta herself.
"Mr. Arta?"
"...."
"Do you... not want to talk to me?"
"Ah, no, it's not that... I'm just a bit shy around new people..."
"You didn't seem that way with Mr. Yandel."
"...."
I kept my ears open in case something useful came out of their exchange, but so far all I'd learned was that Arta was hopeless with women. And then—
"I'm actually interested in magi-tech myself. Would you mind talking about it with me?"
"Oh! You're this beautiful, and you're interested in magi-tech?! Is that true?!"
"...Huh? Uh, yes, I am..."
"Ha ha! Ask me anything. I'll tell you everything you want to know...!"
Apparently, Arta is weak to beautiful women who like magi-tech.
'...Okay, from now on, if I need to squeeze info out of him, I'll just have Raven handle it.'
I listened for a bit longer, but it turned into straight-up alien-sounding magi-tech babble, so I skipped it. Still, it was a good thing for Raven to expand her knowledge, so I didn't interrupt—I just focused on clearing the island.
And then—
「Over 50% of monsters in the area have been defeated.」
「The ancient beast's power is weakening.」
「Over 60% of monsters in the area have been defeated.」
「The ancient beast's power is weakening.」
「Over 70% of monsters in the area have been defeated...」
By the time we'd cleared about 70% of the island—
"Ahem... S-sorry, but I really need to focus on gathering more data from this time period."
"Oh..."
"D-don't worry! I'll definitely find a way to save you, Miss Raven...!!"
Looked like Arta had finally snapped out of it and was returning to his main objective.
"Mr. Yandel, was it? You mentioned that the source of the apocalypse is a beast... so why haven't you gone to it directly?"
Seriously? He's asking that now? How weak is this guy to women, exactly? Unbelievable.
Still, I gave him an answer.
"Because killing the monsters on the island weakens the beast."
"Ah... I see."
"Find anything interesting while we looked around?"
"Um... not really yet."
Yeah, no kidding. He'd been too busy chatting with Raven.
"Oh! But there is one thing!"
"What is it?"
"At the center of the island, where the beast that caused the apocalypse is said to reside—there's a strange, powerful mana signal coming from that place."
A mana signal, huh... Could it be some hidden area I missed in the game? Or just the boss's location? Well, either way—we'll find out soon enough.
「Over 90% of monsters in the area have been defeated.」
「The ancient beast's power has been nullified.」
Looks like it's time for the boss fight.
-x-X-x-
'Memory of the Apocalypse.'
A hidden field accessible through Skull Island.
Originally, this place was just where you killed the "Beast," the boss of the island I called Apocalypse Island, and that was it. But if you discovered the hidden element, you could enjoy extra content.
For example...
Leave the island and go to Arta's secret base, and you can do the Sniktura raid.
Then, take the next quest, go back and kill the "Beast" on Apocalypse Island, and you can get an extra reward.
And if you refuse that extra reward, you unlock the real boss — the Mechanical Behemoth Arta raid.
'I wasn't planning on doing the Arta raid anyway, so I don't need to think about it.'
In practice, the only thing left for me on this island was the second stage — killing the Beast and claiming the extra reward.
Well, that's if this guy weren't here.
"Hm. At first, I thought it was just a difference in mana density, but now I see the very nature of the mana in the air is unusual. This sort of arrangement usually only forms artificially..."
What the hell is this guy?
Could there have been a hidden chapter beyond the final fight with the Mechanical Behemoth Arta?
My gamer's intuition told me the odds were high.
And because of that...
"I'll have to return to the original timeline and find this island at these coordinates to be sure. If the original island has the same arrangement, then it might just be a natural trait of the island itself."
Since I didn't know, I made sure to listen carefully to every line that came out of him.
You know how it is — most hidden content in games starts from some throwaway NPC remark.
'Not that I actually understand a damn thing he's saying.'
Mana this, arrangement that, density... I'm no mage, so there's no way I could follow it.
Still, I knew one thing for sure — the right route was to drag him along and clear the Beast raid first.
The reasoning was simple.
"To the center! We have to get to the center! I need to observe it if I'm going to compare the difference when we return—"
Yeah. He kept trying to send us there.
"Don't be so pushy. Going to the center doesn't mean it'll just show up."
"What?"
"Just—"
Keep that in mind, I was about to say, when—
[GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO——!]
The Beast's howl rolled over the entire island.
It echoed from every direction, so much so that it was meaningless to even try pinpointing where it came from.
"Your character has entered the radius of [Song of the Apocalypse]."
I quickly stopped moving and shouted.
It was happening sooner than I'd expected.
"Battle stations!!"
It had appeared.
***
The boss of Apocalypse Island — the Beast.
The method to summon it was simple.
Stay in its territory long enough, and it appears naturally.
As far as the game went, there were no other ways to summon it.
"Formation...!!"
Even as we hurried to get into battle formation, doubt crept in.
'...It's appearing the moment we step inside?'
Even in the game, that had never happened. No matter how fast it was, you'd have to roam the area for an hour or two before it showed up.
But this time, we stepped in, and boom — summoned.
"Oh...! Don't tell me it's actually here?"
So... was it because of him?
Whatever. This wasn't the time to think about it.
"Yeah. From here on out, stay back there."
"Yes, understood!"
First, I sent Arta to a safe position in the rear.
Thump—!
My body, heated from the anticipation of battle, surged forward to the vanguard.
And then...
"Hoo..."
As always, I steadied my breathing before the fight.
It was like a ritual athletes do before a match. Exhaling slowly made me feel just a little calmer...
Creak—
And I believed that calm — even if only a little — would raise my odds of victory.
Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble—!
"It's coming...!"
The ground heaved like waves, and from it burst lava.
From within that blaze, the "Beast" emerged.
Kwoooooooaaaaaaaahhhhhh—!
From now on, every second mattered.
After all, its aura skill, [Song of the Apocalypse], had a very special effect.
"All time is accelerated."
It's only a one-line description, but as anyone who's read a battle manga knows, the simpler the explanation, the more broken the ability.
And [Song of the Apocalypse] was no exception.
"Time remaining until death: 22:50:43."
From now on, the remaining time on the [Terminal] status would start ticking down several times faster.
"Characters take continuous fire damage, which increases over time."
The field effect, [Eternal Blaze], worked the same way.
Even the "Orb of Fire" that halved damage wouldn't hold out for long — the breaking point would come much faster.
That's why, in my original exploration plan, the raid time for this thing was fixed.
'Thirty minutes.'
Thirty minutes max. Any longer and we'd call it a failure, turn around, and run without looking back.
'...Not that it's likely to come to that.'
The Beast was tough, but it was still easier than the Serpent of the Apocalypse, Sniktura — assuming you knew the strategy.
"Oh... Bjorn!! That's the one?!"
Ainard's voice rang out, oddly excited at the sight of the Beast. She'd been pestering me ever since Skull Island, saying she wanted to kill it after seeing its bones. Guess she wasn't kidding.
'Still, I thought she'd be a little intimidated seeing it in person.'
I activated [Giant Form], raised my shield to cover my upper body, and looked at the creature beyond.
It stood around nine meters tall — enough to qualify as "ultra-large" by monster classification.
Its build was a bit like the Chaos Lord Liakis — bipedal, with a massive tail.
From a modern human perspective, it looked almost like a dinosaur.
[GUOOOOOOOOOOOO——!]
It hunched its torso and roared.
The vibration in the air was strong enough to feel on my skin. This wasn't just a roar — it was a skill in its own right.
"The Ancient Beast has cast [Ultimatum]."
"For five minutes, all physical stats of characters within range will steadily decrease."
On its own, the wide-area debuff wasn't that threatening — the stat reduction was small, and the five-minute limit kept it manageable.
But when combined with the "all time is accelerated" effect of [Song of the Apocalypse]...
"Urgh...! My strength's draining...! And I keep hearing weird sounds...!"
What would normally take five minutes to max out now took barely one. And with no cooldown, it could keep the effect going for the entire fight.
Not that I came unprepared.
"Urgh... we have to fight like this?"
This guy again. I'd explained all this in the briefing.
"Raven!"
At my call, Arua Raven cast her prepared magic.
"Arua Raven casts Rank 5 Curse Magic [White Tone]."
"Characters' hearing is temporarily paralyzed."
The moment it took effect, it was like putting in earplugs in a silent room — total stillness.
Not even the rustle of my clothes or the sound of my own breathing remained.
And the reason for using it was simple.
"[Ultimatum] has been dispelled."
This magic could clear the debuff — something no magic item, consumable, holy spell, or purification ability could do.
As for why it worked...
"..."
I had no idea.
Gamers don't care about the why — only the efficiency. If it works, you use it.
'And it works in reality too.'
In the game, I'd discovered it by accident and thought it was a bug. But after countless explorations in Lafdonia, I learned — there were no bugs in that game.
'Still, feels good to see it confirmed.'
If it hadn't worked, I would've aborted the raid immediately.
Slide.
With the magic active, we switched to hand signals as agreed.
Like this:
"The Ancient Beast has cast [Knot of Ruin]."
"Damage taken is greatly reduced for a set duration; when it ends, stats increase in proportion to damage taken..."
Clench fist and raise it — stop DPS.
"The Ancient Beast has cast [Devour]."
Open hand, wave forward and back — everyone but me evades.
"Beleg Shusia di Tersia casts [Horn of Souls]."
"Summons deal bonus damage when hitting the same target."
Raise index finger — ranged only attack.
"Ainard Prnelin casts [Single Target Focus]."
"Elwen Fornaci di Tersia casts [Rend]..."
Raise index and middle fingers together — both melee and ranged attack.
And then...
Slide middle finger upward —
———————————————!!!!
———!! ———!! ———!!
————————!!
Everyone unleashed their strongest finishers at once.
Though...
'Feels a bit underwhelming without the sound.'
Still, the raid progressed smoothly.
"The Ancient Beast has cast [Tremor]."
Phase 1 ended.
"The Ancient Beast has cast [Horn of the Apocalypse]."
Phase 2, where it summoned a horde like an army, passed without incident.
"The Ancient Beast has cast [Ghost Return]."
Even Phase 3 went fine — the only close call was Ainard getting stunned by lightning.
'Eighteen minutes to here — we're fine.'
Eighteen minutes in, we reached the final Phase 4.
"The Ancient Beast's HP is below 20%."
"Gradually regaining lost Authority."
The phase had two key traits: first, it slowly regained sealed powers over time; second...
"The Ancient Beast casts 'Authority of Annihilation.'"
The first Authority it used was always fixed on the "Cursed One."
'...Wow, starting with Annihilation?'
The strongest Authority, right off the bat. No cast time, unavoidable, targeted instant kill.
———————!
A shapeless mist rose from the Beast's body and drifted silently toward its target.
And as I'd said — the target was predetermined.
On Skull Island, the one who got the last hit on the boss and earned the "Cursed One" title was... Guildmaster Ilia Adnus.
I hadn't planned the raid just to sacrifice the Guildmaster — I'm not that kind of barbarian.
Besides, in its weakened state, the first Authority wasn't lethal. It just erased something from the target.
What that "something" was... varied.
"...?"
What would it be this time? Regenerable body part? Equipment? Maybe some essence?
I turned quickly to check — and couldn't help but let out a soundless gasp.
'Ah...'
With the lava, meteors, and lightning providing plenty of light, the reflection was obvious.
'So that can happen too...'
His hair had been annihilated.