Episode 151 – Abyss (2)

Abyss (2)

After a long time, I logged back into [Bethune Dungeon].

The rooftop room of Shadowring.

“Shion. Have you arrived?”

Soliette, who had logged in before me, greeted me.

“Yeah. Did you wait long?”

“I just logged in too.”

For the record, her friend window showed she had been online for three hours.

“Okay. Let’s work a bit harder today.”

I said while stretching.

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

I checked Soliette’s level.

[Solize]

│Advanced Human │ Lv. 20 Rogue │

She’s already at level 20. That’s a rapid level-up.

Compared to Soliette, who pours all her remaining time into Bethune Dungeon excluding [Planarium], my character is still only at level 6.

“……You should take it easy. Where are the rest of the party members?”

“They’ve already gone to the second hideout. I’ve been waiting for you, Shion.”

As Soliette slung her bag over her shoulder, she handed me a crossbody bag.

“Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

We both stepped out of the hideout.

“It’s dark.”

The streets of Shadowring were shrouded in thick fog and swallowed by darkness.

“It’s perfect for moving stealthily. Follow me.”

Soliette took the lead.

We moved through the silent darkness.

“Let’s hunt first, Shion. It’s a bit tough here for level 6.”

“Really? I don’t think my class is much affected by levels.”

“……I think you’re right. You gain so little from leveling up, Shion. You can’t increase your basic stats. Do you have any other advantages?”

“Ah, I do get unique skills. Since I’m at level 6 now, I’ll get another unique skill when I level up.”

A new [Unique Skill] blooms whenever a Gambler reaches a certain level. My luck also increases little by little.

“Oh. I see. Let’s level up right away then. Follow me.”

Soliette guided me.

……

──Level up!

──You have reached level 7, the 「Gambler」 class unique skill has blossomed.

In a quiet garbage dump on the outskirts of Shadowring, Soliette and I slaughtered the ghouls that spawned like mushrooms after the rain.

“Are you some kind of blade master?”

Especially Soliette, she swung her sword like a whirlwind. She was too powerful for a rogue.

“Yes. Haha. Watch this.”

Whirrrrr───!

Soliette spun around holding her twin swords.

“It’s a new skill I learned. It’s called 「Sword Storm」.”

“……But you’re a rogue.”

“It suits me.”

Her lips answered firmly.

If that’s the case, she should have been a warrior. Somehow, it seems like she’s becoming a failed character.

“More importantly, Shion. Did you level up?”

“Yeah. Just now.”

“What skill did you get?”

“I got 「Gift Box」. It’s a passive.”

“……Gift Box?”

“Yeah.”

「Gift Box」

：From now on, every time the Gambler levels up three times, they will receive a gift box appropriate for their level.

：The box must be opened within 72 hours, and the level of the item obtained varies depending on the Gambler’s luck.

I opened my inventory.

[Consumable Item Box]

[Equipment Item Box]

[Enhancement Item Box]

There were three item boxes.

“This is it. They say you get these boxes every time you level up three times.”

“…Please open them.”

Soliette looked at the boxes with eyes full of envy.

I started with the consumable item box.

[You have acquired a Return Token.]

[You have acquired a Return Token.]

Two Return Tokens.

“Oh!”

I let out a sound without realizing it.

“What is it-?!”

Soliette also reacted curiously.

“Two Return Tokens!”

“Wow!”

Soliette’s eyes widened. She clapped her hands and congratulated me.

“Congratulations, congratulations.”

Return Tokens are truly precious items.

No pun intended, they’re practically extra lives, worth about 40 to 50 gold coins each. (Pun is related to the Korean language, not explaining it, cause it doesn’t matter)

“Next, let’s open the Equipment Item Box.”

She stuttered like a child, full of curiosity.

“Okay.”

Next, I opened the Equipment Item Box.

「Extra Stiff Leather Gloves」

「Blink Bracelet」

「Comfortable Socks」

I laid them all out.

“Not great. I guess there’s no treasure since I’m only level 7.”

“Is that so-? They all look good to me.”

“I’ll give you the socks.”

I held out the socks. At that moment, Soliette took a deep breath.

Gasp-

“…May I accept them?”

She asked, glancing at me.

“Yeah. Thieves need to move quietly.”

“…Thank you.”

Soliette carefully took the socks. A wistful smile played on her lips, as if she had found a long-lost pet.

Finally, I opened the [Enhancement Item Box].

「Enhancement Implant: Fruitful Body」

◆ Every 12 hours, beneficial fruit is generated from your body.

That’s what enhancement are. They grant special effects to the character itself, like R-elix.

“This one’s nothing special. Let’s go now. To meet the party members.”

“…”

Soliette’s face darkened a bit.

“Shion. Level 7 might be a bit of a stretch. We should level up more-”

“No, it’s okay. I can’t fall behind. Let’s just try. I have Return Tokens too. I need to level up through quests.”

Perhaps because my class is a 「Gambler」, I want to take on quests, even if they’re dangerous, especially since I can use my unique skill 「Betting」.

“…Yes. Then… follow me. Let’s go right away.”

* * *

We arrived at a certain forest.

The only path leading to the inner sanctum of Shadowring.

A forest where trees are densely packed, endlessly rising, and fog swirling between them, ominous to anyone who sees it.

[Forest of the Flowing Abyss.]

Even the name is Forest of the Flowing Abyss. Quite fierce.

“This is the Forest of the Flowing Abyss.”

“It looks tough.”

“Yes. There are three trials to reach the Count’s castle, and this is one of them.”

Soliette clenched her teeth in what seemed like tension. It was an unusual sight for her.

“Why is it an abyss?”

“Well… Emotional darkness… Traumas and stuff like that… They keep flowing out in this forest.”

I immediately understood. Soliette’s trauma. It must be about Jared and Felix appearing.

“Really?”

“Yes. It feels like it’s probing my soul, bringing out the deepest darkness. I couldn’t pass through. I barely escaped with my life.”

[A quest has been triggered]

◆ With the help of your party member Solize, you have discovered the ‘Forest of the Flowing Abyss’. You must cross this place to get closer to the Count’s castle.

◆ Completion Reward: EXP + 900

[You can use the Gambler’s Unique Skill 「Betting」.]

[Success Probability: 22%]

22%.

It’s very low, but worth betting on.

“Soliette. Give me the socks again.”

“……Yes?”

“Give them to me.”

“Ah…… Yes.”

Soliette diligently rummaged through her pocket.

Then she spoke with a somewhat embarrassed tone.

“Shion. It seems I’ve lost the socks.”

“Give them to me. I’ll make them better and give them back.”

“…….”

Then she looked at the ground, lifted her shoes to check the soles, touched everywhere on her upper clothes, and then wore a surprised expression.

“Shion. This is serious. I think I really lost them.”

“I said I’ll pay you back. Give them to me quickly.”

“…….”

Soliette then reluctantly handed over the socks.

I immediately used 「Betting」.

I bet all the items I got from the ‘Gift Box’, and all 800EXP.

[I bet on the success of the quest.]

“Soliette. Before we go in.”

I flicked a 「Return Token」 to her. Soliette caught it in surprise and her hair stood on end.

“Shion. The Return Token is-”

“I’m lending it to you. If you use it, pay me back in money later.”

“……Yes.”

She answered in a low voice.

“Be careful, Shion. When the narration comes out, that’s when the trauma will appear.”

“Don’t worry.”

“It’s not something you can just say ‘don’t worry’ about.”

“Don’t worry.”

I am immune.

……Or maybe not?

I might be largely immune to magic or magical aspects, but I haven’t confirmed it in this game yet.

“Let’s go.”

I held up a torch.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Soliette also held up a torch.

We stood side by side and entered the forest.

[You are entering the Forest of the Flowing Abyss.]

[All system operations are suspended.]

As soon as we were covered in fog, all systems were turned off.

“Soliette. Are you following?”

“Yes.”

She was right behind me. I could hear her footsteps.

But strangely, I felt anxious.

“Ah. Let’s hold hands and walk for now.”

It might seem childish, but I can’t help it.

I reached out to hold Soliette’s hand.

Clang-

Then, the sound of something falling.

The sound of a glass window breaking, and shards flying out, a sharp explosion.

Then, an unidentified voice whispered in my ear.

──You feel your heart being separated.

──The world is unaware, the biggest secret you harbor……

──It seems to be taking shape.

It was the precursor to the ‘abyss’ that Soliette mentioned─ the narration.

I froze for a moment. I checked my body all over. There was nothing unusual.

“Soliette.”

I called Soliette again.

There was no answer.

“……Soliette?”

I called her once more.

Again, silence-

──Maintain the formation!

-Instead of silence, a loud shout rushed in.

Instead of Soliette, intense and urgent vibrations.

With a clang-! The sound of a sword about to burst, and from within the violently trembling magic, the low tone unique to the undead mixes in.

Grrrrrrr…….

I looked at the spot.

Zombies were clinging to a carriage.

-Lady! Sir! Stay inside the carriage! You must not fight!

The knights trying to escort the carriage swung their torches and swords, but they were already caught in an illusion, only slashing at the air here and there.

[A quest has been triggered]

◆ You have discovered users caught by the undead of the abyss. Whether you rescue them or ignore them is your choice.

◆ Completion Reward: EXP + 500

Unfortunately, betting is on cooldown, but there’s no reason to refuse this quest.

I drew a 「Card」. It was a colorless card.

With a flick- I activated it and the card turned into a dagger of magic.

At the same time, I rolled the 「Dice」.

Rolling-

[18]

18.

This time, I won’t make a mistake.

Attribute distribution is Agility 14. Endurance 3. Strength 1.

[The stat values of Dice Roll are applied.]

The moment that happens, everything from the speed of my breath quickens.

Even with Agility 14, Acceleration is full. The zombies clinging to the carriage, flailing their hands, and the swordsmanship of the knights trying to cut them down. The entire battlefield seems slow to me, as if stuck in the air.

“Hoo.”

One deep breath.

Holding the dagger, I walk through the frozen world.

There’s no need to run. Just move as slowly as possible to minimize stamina consumption.

Grr……uh……uh…….

A chunk of groaning zombie takes 3 seconds to growl.

In fact, these guys are tricky undead. They don’t die just by blowing up their heads like in the movies. To kill a zombie, you have to destroy its ‘core’, and its location is random for each individual.

I turned on the SZX-9500. All thirty-three of them. I observed all of their ‘cores’.

Thump-!

I stabbed one’s heart.

Shush-!

I cut one’s throat.

Tsuzun-!

I split one’s back.

Crack-!

I broke one’s femur.

Thud-!

I burst one’s eyeball.

In this way, I cleanly cut the cores of exactly 33 zombies.

“Grr…….”

It’s so hard I could die.

“End.”

───—!

The moment I said that, they all disassembled. They fell over, their bodies chopped up like firewood.

“Sir! Lady……?”

“Oh, I know! I’m doing well not to fight, so in front of…… What? They’re all dead?”

The people in the carriage were confused. They blinked their eyes blankly at the sudden massacre, then they found me.

“…….”

They saw the blood dripping- drip- drip- from my dagger.

I belatedly examined their faces.

Snow-white hair.

Snow-white hair.

Two of them had snow-white hair.

No, their entire bodies were white.

I knew who they were.

Sheron Aventagher, Erick Aventagher.

Including the three escort knights, a total of five people were staring blankly at me.

“…Did you help us?”

The most senior escort knight asked in a polite tone, and I nodded. Just then,

“Huh? Wait a moment.”

Suddenly, Sheron inside the carriage stretched out her finger. It was a natural gesture.

“You, look at me.”

I looked at her. She also looked at me.

Sheron Aventagher, illuminated by the torchlight, was indeed beautiful. Her appearance was so stunning that it was considered the best on the continent.

──However.

To explain again at this point.

The pre-return Sheron Aventagher was a villainess with a twisted fate.

She was pushed out of the succession of the great Aventagher family. She had everything taken away by her twin brother Erick. Still, she lived as a villainess after becoming the wife of a conglomerate. Then she fell into the abyss due to rumors of an affair with a mere chauffeur….

Yes, she fell because of rumors of an affair with ‘Shion Ascal’.

“Right. You….”

At that time and now, I think that the affair was an event that could not be manifested, occurring in a very special situation where she was psychologically cornered after countless coincidences overlapped.

“Shion Ascal. Right?”

……However.

Seeing that she, who never needs to remember the name of someone she met once, remembers my name like this.

“You applied to my club. With Gerkhen.”

I have a slightly ominous feeling.

Perhaps she might be an ‘odd person’ who likes guys like me from the beginning.

She raised her eyebrows in a frown.

“Hey. Why are you just standing there? You’re Shion Ascal.”

“Who is that? Shion Ascal?”

Erick appeared next to her.

Sheron slapped his lips with a smile.

“You shut up.”

“……Ah, this crazy woman has been going on since yesterday.”

Erick grabbed her hair.

“Let go, you crazy bastard! Let go-?!”

The two of them rolled around inside the carriage.

“…….”

The escort knight came over, closing the carriage window.

Bang-! Thud-! Crash-!

Something big seemed to be happening inside the carriage.

“Ignore it.”

Hmph. The escort knight coughed.

“You’re a benefactor, yes. I am ‘Raelro’. Did you have a connection with the lady?”

At Raelro’s words, I shrugged my shoulders.

“…Well, yeah. We had a little connection during a college tour.”

“Then, would you like to go through this forest with us? The reward will not be disappointing. Here and in reality.”

[A quest has been triggered…….]

I shook my head.

“Ah. I’m sorry. I have someone to find.”

I received a lot of help from Sheron before the regression, a lot indeed, but right now, Soliette is my top priority.

“Let’s search together. You’re a student at Magic High, you should know our faces, right?”

“I do.”

They are the elites of the Aventagher Knights. Raelro is particularly famous among them, being the second-ranked knight.

The problem is, their levels are low.

They’re all on the same level as me. The fact that they’ve made it this far is probably due to the luck of their real lives.

Creak-!

At that moment, the carriage window opened again. Sheron, with her hair all messed up, poked her head out.

“Hey, come with us.”

There was no sign of any disturbance inside, perhaps she had won against her younger brother.

“We have connections inside once we get through here.”

[A quest has been triggered]

◆ Very wealthy users are asking for your help.

◆ Completion Reward: EXP + 600

I stared at Sheron. Sheron squinted one eye.

“…Ah, what! Why!”

The eyes of Sheron facing me now are definitely not looking at an ideal type or anything like that.

“Why have you been staring at me since earlier? If you don’t like it, just say so!”

“……”

Well, the Sheron before the regression and the current Sheron are practically different people.

“…Yes, I’ll join.”

I told Raelro.

“But first, help me find my party member.”

“Of course. If you’re a student at Magic High, we can even write a recommendation letter for you in the Aventagher dimension.”

“…….”

I bit my lip.

“Well…… I won’t refuse.”

A recommendation letter from Aventagher could be an unexpected income.

“Pfft. Look at him, he likes it.”

Sheron snickered and closed the carriage window again.

“…….”

Raelro silently patted my shoulder. I raised an eyebrow.

“It’s okay.”

Whether it’s Sheron or Erick, the personalities of the two successors would be famous even within the family.

But I don’t dislike Sheron’s behavior like that.

“I understand.”

That means, the favor I ‘already received’ before the regression is significant.