Light of Arad: Forerunner

Chapter 21

Iris Fortune Singer, known professionally as a “Fortuneteller.”

‘Could she really see? Could she immediately know who I am? That’s impossible,’ Jinseong thought, his eyes narrowing with intensity.

Up until now, the NPCs he had encountered displayed abilities within the context of their world.

The Four Weapon Masters, including G.S.D., were humans who had trained to their limits.

Sharan, the dark elf, was adept at utilizing the magical power of the Mage Guild.

All of them exhibited abilities rooted in the “Dungeon & Fighter” game’s lore.

But what about Iris?

“Iris…?” Sharan called out cautiously, but Iris didn’t respond, continuing to stare intently at Jinseong.

Jinseong swallowed dryly, meeting her gaze.

‘At this point, Iris Fortune Singer undoubtedly possesses overwhelming magical power. Not because of her abilities as a fortuneteller… but because she’s under the control of Apostle Hilder.’

The concept of an **Apostle** is central to “Dungeon & Fighter” lore.

They are the most powerful beings from other dimensions who came to the Demon Realm, known as “Apostles.”

Their origin lies in the “Will of Darkness,” a force created by the Creator God, Kalosso. This dark will gave birth to the Apostles, making them akin to fragments of the Creator God.

Kalosso, displeased with their evil deeds, fought them, and after a fierce battle that even shattered his body and power, he managed to destroy twelve of these artificial gods.

In the process, the planet “Terra,” where they were created, and its life forms were annihilated, even splitting the universe itself into multiple dimensions.

Ultimately, the twelve Apostles and the immense power they carried, known as the “thirteen forces,” were scattered across various dimensions and planets, finding hosts strong enough to wield them. These beings gathered in the Demon Realm, becoming the current Apostles.

The twelve Apostles, who now remain after the ninth Apostle was replaced, are powerful enough to rival the will of the Creator God himself, making them central figures in the game.

Among them, one particularly enigmatic Apostle, who wields a power that no other Apostle possesses, is the Second Apostle—Hilder, the “Crying Eyes,” who controls Iris Fortune Singer.

‘But…’

Jinseong swallowed hard.

He knew all of this.

Despite knowing, he had come to the Mage Guild and intended to stay here temporarily, trusting in his calculations.

“Ah, Iris!”

“Yes, Sharan.”

Sharan repeatedly called out to Iris, who finally responded.

Even the leader of the Mage Guild was cautious when questioning the fortuneteller of the guild.

“Have you already learned about the events at the Sky Castle?”

In response, Iris plucked the strings of the four-stringed instrument, the marerith, she was holding and answered.

“A sorrowful wind is blowing. The marerith weeps. Soon, events involving life and death… will occur.”

Her eyes remained fixed on Jinseong, making it unclear what exactly her words meant.

Neither Sharan nor Jinseong could fully grasp her meaning.

“I see… We’ll discuss what you’ve learned later. This is Jinseong. He helped G.S.D. investigate Bakal’s magic circle at the Sky Castle… and due to circumstances, he’ll be staying in our guild building for the time being.”

Sharan introduced Jinseong to Iris.

Iris nodded and said, “Yes. I had a feeling.”

At that point, Jinseong couldn’t stay silent.

He wanted to ask,

“Are you aware that you’re being controlled by Apostle Hilder? Do you know anything about the ?”

Of course, he couldn’t say such things out loud.

If he did, it could shake the very foundation of the Plain of Arad, not just the .

Taking a deep breath, Jinseong finally spoke.

“Do you perhaps have any idea what my role is, Iris? Or could you see anything about my future?”

He needed to talk to Iris.

He couldn’t afford to be scared.

He needed to know what she knew. What she could see.

If she knew something, could it help him?

Or, would there be times when he would need to keep secrets from Iris?

He had to weigh all these factors.

Iris replied, “You’re someone with deep questions. Just know that everything will unfold as it’s meant to.”

With a quiet voice and a slight bow, Iris began to walk away.

Jinseong watched her retreating figure, noting that the Mage Guild was much larger than what he had seen in the game.

And with that, he had some degree of certainty.

‘Her words were similar to the lines she says when clicked on in-game. They don’t lack meaning entirely, but there’s not much substance to them either. Which means… Iris doesn’t know.’

She doesn’t know who I am.

She doesn’t know that I’ve been sent to Arad with the mission of the Forerunner.

‘It could be an act. But… even Hilder herself might not be able to immediately discern my identity, so it’s unlikely that Iris, who’s merely controlled by Hilder, could.’

Jinseong’s presence in the game world of Dungeon & Fighter was all because of Nemer.

If the power of the “Transcendent,” who was stronger than Apostle Hilder, was involved, then it’s reasonable that neither Hilder nor Iris, who is under her control, would be able to fully understand Jinseong’s identity.

‘Good. Then I can investigate Iris and the without my identity being discovered.’

His reason for making the Mage Guild his base wasn’t just to get Sharan’s help.

Jinseong hid his smile, maintaining a poker face.

Sharan looked between Jinseong and the departing Iris, then sighed.

“Haa… I hope you understand, Jinseong. She’s really helpful, but sometimes even I find her words difficult to understand… Oh, and there’s something I wanted to ask.”

“Yes?”

Then, out of nowhere, she asked.

It could be said that she was so focused on Apostle Hilder and Iris Fortune Singer that she had momentarily lost track.

“What did you mean by that question you asked Iris? When you asked if she could guess your role or see your future? Did I ever mention that Iris was a fortuneteller?”

“…Huh?”

Jinseong had been babbling away before Sharan even introduced Iris!

The sharp gaze of the Dark Elf Mage Guild leader pierced through Jinseong.

Just as his eyes were about to shift away—

“Guild Leader! Lorian has—Lorian has gone missing!”

Someone urgently called out to Sharan.

The situation was a breath of relief for Jinseong.

* * *

“He left behind a magic stone to mark his location in case anything happened… but there’s been no response, no reaction.”

The guild member, with teary eyes, held out a small magic stone.

No one would be certain that someone was missing just because they hadn’t been in contact for a few hours.

But judging by the expression of the Mage Guild members, Jinseong could tell that the magic stone the guild member handed over was something significant.

The stone, which should have glowed or flickered, was now dull and cloudy.

“How long has it been unresponsive?”

“It happened shortly after you left, Sharan.”

“…I understand. We’ll search the area near the Sky Castle—no, the vicinity of the West Coast. Gather the necessary personnel.”

“Understood, Guild Leader.”

The guild member bowed to Sharan and quickly ran off.

Sharan bit her lower lip before turning to Jinseong.

“Unfortunately, it seems we’ll have to discuss the meaning behind your question to Iris later… As you heard, there’s a problem within the guild—”

Even in this situation, where she was preoccupied with the guild’s issues, Sharan’s curiosity about Jinseong’s identity didn’t waver.

Jinseong had to make a choice.

“Lorian Kornaro. Eighteen years old, blonde, a genius who graduated top of Sharan’s magic school.”

As Sharan blinked in surprise, Jinseong took a step closer and spoke.

“I know about Lorian… and I can assure you that he’s safe.”

“Don’t tell me—you—!”

“Shh. Sharan, you don’t seriously think I kidnapped him, do you? We’ve been together this whole time.”

Jinseong lowered his voice.

He could say this because he had seen Sharan’s rationality and how she had deduced situations multiple times.

Indeed, Sharan fell silent at his question, then quickly began piecing things together.

“How… do you know? About Lorian… Although her arrogance is infamous—”

“It’s not because of that. It’s the same reason I asked Iris those questions.”

Jinseong’s demand in exchange for his choice was simple.

“I can see the future to some extent.”

He needed Sharan’s complete trust.

While Sharan might not play a major role in the upcoming main scenario quests from the perspective of a player, it was different for Jinseong, who was living in this reality.

Having the Mage Guild fully on his side would be a significant advantage for someone living in the real world of Arad.

‘That item from earlier didn’t exist in the game. It means I can use items that aren’t in the game. Which means…’

Jinseong’s earlier realization about Lorian’s disappearance and the existence of the magic stone had only confirmed this further.

“You want me to believe that? Even if Iris is a fortuneteller, Jinseong, you—”

“Whether you believe me or not is up to you… but

you know there’s no better alternative.”

There were things that no amount of reasoning could explain.

Even Jinseong felt nervous as he spoke.

Was it acceptable to claim that he knew the future?

Nemer had warned him strongly not to reveal his identity, but what if that applied only to the player? Would this kind of talk be allowed with NPCs?

Their eyes met in silence.

Jinseong checked to see if there were any penalties, while Sharan was organizing her thoughts.

“Are you certain Lorian is safe?”

She finally asked.

Jinseong answered as accurately as he could, ensuring he wouldn’t incur any penalties.

“Yes. Lorian will be safe. I can’t say when we’ll meet again, and I can’t guarantee that every place she’s in is completely safe, though.”

“So… she’s secured her safety in a somewhat dangerous place with her own power, is that it?”

Sharan’s perfect interpretation prompted Jinseong to nod.

After all, why did he know about Lorian as an NPC?

‘She’s in the dangerous Demon Realm. Living well under the name of the Red Witch, she’s even secured her own territory.’

Explaining the Demon Realm to Sharan at this point would be difficult, but there was nothing wrong with the broader implication.

“Alright. It’s hard to believe, but… Given what I know about G.S.D. and Iris… I suppose I understand.”

Sharan sighed as she spoke.

Jinseong carefully made a suggestion.

“So… there’s a place we need to go.”

“Is it important?”

“Of course.”

“Okay. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

Sharan called another Mage Guild member, informing them to cancel the search and that she would be going out with Jinseong.

As soon as they left the Mage Guild, Jinseong led the way, heading somewhere.

Noticing the direction toward the southeast of the West Coast’s central area, Sharan asked,

“The port… Are we heading to the port?”

“Yes.”

“Is there something important at the port? Hmm.”

Despite Jinseong’s straightforward answer, she tried to guess his intentions but came up with nothing.

It was understandable.

The serious Jinseong came to a stop before someone who shared Sharan’s skin tone.

“Here we are.”

“Hm? Here—Kagon? Why Kagon?”

Sharan tilted her head in confusion as Jinseong stopped in front of Kagon, the dark elf.

“It’s important.”

Jinseong replied, maintaining a serious demeanor.

“I need to get my equipment tailored.”

However, from Sharan’s perspective, it was nothing short of bewildering.