Light of Arad: Forerunner

Chapter 22

Sharan thought she had misheard.

For a long time, she remained silent, just blinking her large eyes while staring at Jinseong.

The master of the Magic Guild, who usually responded with a reasonable conclusion no matter what she heard, was nowhere to be seen.

“Huh? Sharan?”

It was only when Kagon noticed her and called out that she finally snapped out of it.

However, before she could say anything, it was Jinseong who spoke again.

“The equipment. You said you’d help me under the name of the Magic Guild, didn’t you? Like with the Sky Castle Pass. I haven’t received the cube or potions yet, but what’s important to me right now is-”

“Wa-wait, wait. You said there was something important? Equipment? You’re asking the Magic Guild to outfit you at their expense?”

“That’s what’s unfortunate. If my level were just a little higher, I would have gone to Shinda to purchase it instead.”

“…Huh?”

Jinseong smacked his lips.

The equipment Kagon sold was around level 25 to 30.

The equipment sold by NPC Shinda, whom Jinseong had just mentioned, was at level 45 to 50.

Jinseong’s current level was 23, but thanks to the permanent application of the *Overlord’s Contract* by Nemer, he could wear equipment requiring a level around 33. If he could have raised his level to just 35, he could have equipped the gear Shinda sold instantly!

Sharan noticed Jinseong’s genuine regret, which caused the corner of her eyebrow to twitch.

“Do you even hear what you’re saying-”

“Sharan?”

It was Kagon who interrupted her.

“Oh, Ka-Kagon. How have you been?”

“Of course. Thanks to the Queen and your concerns, I’ve been well.”

Kagon, who was also from the Obsidian Elf race like Sharan and from the Kingdom of Fennes, spoke in a respectful tone to stay on Sharan’s good side, as she was favored by the Queen and held a high rank in the kingdom. However, the look he gave Jinseong was far from friendly.

“But what brings you here with this ugly human? If this guy is troubling you-”

“Oh, it’s nothing like that… Actually, maybe I should say it is?”

Sharan started to say it was nothing, but then subtly changed her words.

As Kagon’s gaze bore down on her, Jinseong noticed and let out an awkward laugh.

“Of course, I’m just joking. Ahem, Sharan, you don’t have to take it so seriously… It’s true I need equipment, but that’s not the main issue.”

“…Are you sure?”

Even as Jinseong reiterated his need for equipment, he turned away from Sharan.

“Absolutely! The real reason I’m here, the important reason I mentioned-”

Jinseong looked at Kagon as he continued.

“-is because of Magata. Kagon, your Magata will soon be needed.”

Magata, the airship used by the Obsidian Elves.

Although its design differed slightly from the Dornier, the airship that had crashed into the Sky Castle, they were both ships that could fly in the sky. Jinseong knew that Kagon was the only one who could officially carry civilians and navigate the airspace of the Duchy of Bell Meyer on the Arad continent.

So, he had to come here with Sharan.

Not just to get equipment from him…

“Magata? I can repair and fly Magata, but I’m not taking a human like you on board-”

“You have to. I need to go there.”

Jinseong pointed to the sky.

At that moment, something cast a shadow over Jinseong, Sharan, and Kagon’s faces, blocking the sunlight.

“That’s…”

A whale flying in the sky, a floating continent in motion.

It was the massive creature Behemoth, floating through the sky, which Jinseong had briefly glimpsed while passing through the Sky Castle.

“Soon, I’ll be heading there, Sharan. We need to prepare for that. If you want to get ‘information’ from me.”

Jinseong was laying the groundwork to ensure he could reach his next likely destination, Behemoth.

He needed to secure permission from Kagon, who couldn’t refuse anything Sharan asked.

“Kagon, when the time comes, I’ll be counting on you. Ah, Magata can take off right away, right?”

Jinseong asked Kagon with a friendly smile.

Kagon wanted to show his irritation towards Jinseong but found that he couldn’t.

“Of course! I could take off right now if I wanted. But taking a human like you on board-”

“Could you do it for me… Kagon?”

Jinseong’s ploy had worked perfectly.

From the hypothesis about G.S.D’s identity to the conversation with Iris and Lorian’s whereabouts, right up to this point.

As the head of the Magic School in Hendon Myre and the guild master of the Magic Guild, Sharan had decided to make a bold investment in Jinseong.

And there was no way Kagon could refuse Sharan’s request.

Jinseong nodded with a bright smile.

“Alright then… Kagon, can I see your item list?”

“So, you’re really planning to buy equipment? Seriously?”

“Uh? I told you, I do need the equipment. Let’s see, what’s available~?”

And a little later, Jinseong checked his fame points.

Original Adventurer Fame: 17.

Updated Adventurer Fame: 65.

Though he still had a long way to go, Jinseong had already achieved almost four times the growth.

* * *

Sharan spoke.

“Would you consider staying here to help manage the Grand Magic Circle?”

“What?”

Seria asked back, startled and flustered, but Sharan remained calm.

“The ability you used to purify the contaminated Grand Magic Circle… That’s something no one else can do. If you help manage the Grand Magic Circle, it would be a great relief. I’ll also formally teach you about magic.”

Seria seemed flustered by Sharan’s proposal related to managing and repairing the Grand Magic Circle at the Sky Castle.

On top of that, the offer to teach her magic made Seria respond hesitantly.

“W-Well, let me think about it.”

And Jinseong watched the scene with a satisfied smile.

Watching Seria and the female fighter walk out of the Magic Guild from the Sky Castle.

‘That female fighter’s Sky Castle chapter is now completely over… Oh, what a hassle.’

Even though Sharan was watching Jinseong, he had a good reason to stretch leisurely.

Only after the player had completely disappeared from sight did he speak.

“I told you she’d come, and as I predicted, she’ll accept the offer. It’ll be much more beneficial for the Magic Guild in terms of personnel management.”

It was Jinseong himself who had advised Sharan to bring Seria into the fold, telling her that Seria would soon arrive.

Sharan leaned back in a comfortable chair fitting for a guild master.

“This is all part of your ‘knowledge of the future,’ isn’t it, Jinseong?”

“Let’s say it is.”

“…So? What are you going to do now, Jinseong?”

She asked Jinseong.

For that part, Jinseong couldn’t immediately answer.

“As I mentioned, to Behemoth… I have to go.”

“When?”

While he had a grasp on where to solve the problem, he couldn’t yet determine the ‘when’ and ‘how’ that Jinseong needed.

Jinseong shrugged and flicked something into the air, catching it repeatedly.

“Who knows. When the time comes? Haha, I’ll be out for a while. Ah, please check quickly if you can make that potion I mentioned, not just the cubes and potions. It’s pretty urgent.”

“…Honestly.”

Sharan chuckled at Jinseong, who was casually flipping the coin-like object while bantering.

But perhaps it was more accurate to say that even though he acted this way, Jinseong was equally anxious.

Walking through the streets of West Coast after leaving the Magic Guild, Jinseong was lost in thought.

‘What will be contaminated this time? In what way will this contamination manifest?’

The two contamination cleanups he had dealt with so far.

When he dealt with the contamination of Ghoul Guishi, he had thought that just killing the monster would be enough.

He had thought it would be enough to simply clear up the abnormality as soon as it started.

‘But that wasn’t the style of the Sky Castle. Even though Lenny’s appearance had twisted things, the one contaminated wasn’t Lenny.’

What was contaminated was actually Dornier.

It was an airship that wasn’t even alive.

‘Something contaminated could wipe out a key figure in the “main scenario quest” or… prevent a player or adventurer from meeting that figure…?’

Jinseong could only draw conclusions based on his own experiences, but he couldn’t say it was perfect.

‘If something in the main scenario quest a player is going through is contaminated… Do I need to approach it with the concept that the entire quest will be messed up until that contamination is resolved?’

The first case was Seria.

If Ghoul Guishi had led Seria to death, the main scenario of Dungeon & Fighter would have lost its meaning for the male Ghost Knight player at the time.

The second case was Lenny.

‘Lenny… Even if it’s not because of her skill, she’s still an essential character. You could say it’s like the will to solidify the resolve of the “player adventurer” character that players control,

to become a refined blade.’

Lenny, who could be considered an important character, if she had died tragically by being hit by a falling airship, the flow of the main scenario would have been cut off as well.

“Whew… This is frustrating.”

Even though he had experienced two cases, both were different, so it was only natural that Jinseong felt frustrated, unable to come to a definite decision.

And then, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

“Hehe, what’s the matter?”

“Wha-?!”

Jinseong quickly closed his mouth and turned around.

Not only did he hear a familiar voice, but he also saw a familiar face and nickname.

The nickname was “Sunsujikgi.”

A Vanguard character from the Lance Master class, with a spear casually resting on his shoulder.

He was the player Jinseong had partied with to solve the pass issue when infiltrating the Sky Castle.

“What surprised you? Haha.”

After hearing Sunsujikgi’s words, Jinseong hesitated for a moment but couldn’t just ignore him.

If he assumed that Sunsujikgi knew him, he couldn’t predict how his ‘surprised reaction’ would be perceived, so he naturally decided to greet him and move on.

“It’s been a while, Sunsujikgi.”

“LOL. These days, the ‘Madtak’ people talk weirdly. Is it a trend? Haha, like last time.”

The two spoke almost simultaneously.

So Jinseong’s eyes widened at Sunsujikgi’s remark.

‘What’s going on? The term “Madtak” is like a nickname for Dark Knights.’

Jinseong’s mind was racing.

If that person was a player, he would have seen Jinseong’s ID through the monitor.

Jinseong initially thought that Sunsujikgi approached him with a playful attitude, having recognized him and decided to mess around.

But what if that wasn’t the case?

‘If he just overheard my grumbling and found it amusing because it ended with ellipses… and that’s why he found it funny and spoke to me…’

Moreover, if he combined what Sunsujikgi had just said!

“? Do you know me?”

Sunsujikgi’s expression seemed to imply that he didn’t remember Jinseong.

But that wasn’t the only issue.

If Sunsujikgi truly didn’t remember Jinseong, that might actually be a relief.

‘If he doesn’t remember me, that’s fine. The problem is something else. This guy, Sunsujikgi’s expression…’

However, the number of Dark Knight players was small compared to Ghost Knight, Fighter, Gunner, and Mage classes.

They had partied right before the Sky Castle, and after only one map move, they disbanded the party—a “unique experience” that should have left an impression.

Jinseong was staring into the eyes of the Lance Master, whose height was similar to his Dark Knight body.

And he saw the expression in those eyes slowly change.

From a look of unfamiliarity to one of curiosity, as if something had just clicked in his mind!

“Ah, are you that guy from the Sky Castle party? That ‘Madtak’?”

Sunsujikgi asked.

The moment he heard that, Jinseong knew.

That this was a bigger problem than just being forgotten.