Light of Arad: Forerunner

Chapter 31

The 8th Apostle, Lotus. His epithet: the one who can wield thousands of weapons at once.

Currently, he exists in Arad, but before he ascended to the Demon Realm, he resided on an oceanic planet.

It’s well-known, even from playing *Dungeon & Fighter*, that Lotus can unleash his full power when submerged in water. However, the name of his original oceanic home planet, “Solaris,” is a detail only uncovered by delving into the game’s lore.

In other words, none of the NPCs in this world could know that.

[“Answer me. Not even to her have I ever spoken the name of my homeland. How is it that a mere human knows of it?”]

Until Jinseong had just now recalled that bit of lore, even Hilder didn’t know it.

Even though Lotus’s voice continued to resound, Jinseong didn’t respond.

There was no need to.

‘He reads thoughts. This is definitely beyond the Lotus I know.’

[“…I am the long-limbed Lotus, ruler of the oceans. What do you mean by ‘the Lotus I know,’ foolish human?”]

Lotus was already reading Jinseong’s thoughts, so there was no need to speak.

Jinseong hesitated for a moment.

If acting shamelessly or pretending to know something wouldn’t work on Lotus, what method could he use to get out of this situation?

‘This is all a hallucination created by him. Now that I’m certain he’s reading my thoughts, I have to be careful about what I think.’

Apostle Lotus clearly had powers beyond what Jinseong knew.

The ability to read thoughts.

To what extent could Lotus read Jinseong’s mind?

How deeply could he delve into it?

Jinseong tried to clear his mind to stay on guard, but that wasn’t something he could suddenly do.

‘Damn it. No one can just shut off their thoughts like that. It’s not like I can enter a state of nothingness just like that-.’

For a typical modern person, reaching a state of absolute nothingness is anything but easy.

Therefore, Jinseong had to change his approach.

While living thoughtlessly might be difficult for a modern person, there were things a modern mind could do!

‘Dungeon Fighter, Dungeon Fighter, Lotus, Lotus… Oh right, the Lotus Raid. I’ve never played it since it’s not in the PC version of Dungeon Fighter, but there is a parallel world where the Lotus Raid exists, and that’s still Arad, even if it’s not the same as the Plane: Arad….’

By flooding his mind chaotically with every possible piece of information related to *Dungeon & Fighter*, Lotus, and the Apostles, Jinseong wouldn’t even be fully aware of what he was thinking himself!

His plan was simple: overwhelm Lotus by flooding him with an onslaught of thoughts and information to confuse him!

[“Hmm… You are a human of this world, yet at the same time, not of this world?”]

“…What?”

Lotus’s voice had a hint of hesitation, and Jinseong was certain that his plan had worked, but it wasn’t enough.

Lotus had the power to control and manipulate the minds of others to the point of causing hallucinations and mental confusion.

[“A parallel world? Are you referring to a phenomenon of transference? What do you mean by another Arad that is not Plane: Arad?”]

Even in the flood of information Jinseong unleashed, Lotus was able to selectively pull out key details.

“Crazy…”

Jinseong scowled.

If Lotus had read this far, he might soon try to control Jinseong.

‘I’ve still got items in my inventory. I could pull one out now, but I’m not planning to fight Lotus anyway, so there’s no need…’

Jinseong was preparing himself, but there was no immediate need to act.

Even though Lotus had read his thoughts and information, normally, he would have quickly tried to manipulate or control Jinseong through hallucinations, but he wasn’t doing that now.

Thoughts of “Lotus Raid,” “parallel worlds,” “another Arad,” and even “I’m not here to fight Lotus” kept filling Jinseong’s mind.

The emotions reflected in Lotus’s five blue, piercing eyes—so sharp and enormous that they barely seemed to belong to a living being—were ones of shock and curiosity.

[“You’re not here to stop me? No… are you implying that the thoughts you were just having, the memories, refer to a world separate from Arad? Are you saying such a phenomenon truly exists?”]

Apostle Lotus questioned him.

As he listened to Lotus’s words, Jinseong thought to himself.

Escaping this hallucination could be an option, but maybe that wasn’t the priority right now.

[“Answer me, foolish and feeble human. Tell me about the existence of the parallel world. And, are you really saying there exists another Apostle Lotus in that world?”]

Lotus wasn’t showing hostility toward Jinseong yet.

Jinseong could easily sense the emotions of doubt and curiosity radiating from him.

‘Thank you, Dungeon Fighter Mobile…!’

If that was the case?

Jinseong made his decision.

“Yes. Unlike you, who was caught in Hilder’s transference… I came to this Arad with a mission, bestowed by one far more powerful than her.”

He had to extract information from Lotus that he didn’t already know.

There was only one way to do that.

“First, guarantee the safety of me and my companions. Then, let’s make a deal.”

Jinseong proposed a deal to Lotus, speaking as if they were equals.

A flash of anger appeared in Lotus’s five blue eyes.

[“You dare suggest a deal with me, a mere human? You wish to trade answers, hoping to gain more from me than you’ll give? I could crush your pitiful companions this very moment!”]

Even the smallest of his eyes was larger than Jinseong’s entire body, and the central eye in particular was so immense that its size defied comprehension.

But Jinseong didn’t retreat.

Moments ago, the sheer sight of Lotus’s massive form would have made his legs buckle, but now that he had steeled his will, even the fear could be overcome.

“But you won’t, will you? Because you want to confirm whether the information you’ve read from me is true. You can’t be sure yet.”

[“I don’t need confirmation! Even if such a world exists, I would never make a deal with the likes of you—!”]

“But you *do* want to confirm it. You’re frustrated and angry at how you’re currently being played by Hilder’s scheme, aren’t you?”

[“…I don’t know how you know about her, but do you truly believe you understand with that tiny human brain of yours?!”]

‘I’ll give those words right back to you. Do you really think you know everything? You didn’t even know anything until Shiroko’s thought-form told you.’

Jinseong alternated between speaking and thinking.

He knew that Lotus could read his thoughts, so he deliberately shifted the most interesting pieces of information into his thoughts to further draw Lotus in.

[!?]

When Lotus’s massive eye blinked, Jinseong knew his plan had worked.

In the main storyline of *Dungeon & Fighter*, this event was one of the crucial turning points Jinseong remembered.

At this point, Lotus hadn’t merely been transferred by Apostle Hilder.

‘Should I tell him more? That in the future, the memory of the deceased Shiroko crosses the and arrives here? That it was her thought-form that told you Hilder’s plan and what you had to do to stop it?’

[“How… how do you know that…?”]

One of the pivotal events in the future had influenced the past, and that past was now Jinseong’s present.

Jinseong spoke.

“You have no choice but to accept my deal, Lotus. Guarantee our safety, and answer my questions.”

Lotus didn’t respond.

In that moment, the balance of power had shifted.

The five enormous blue eyes were still locked onto Jinseong, but the fact that their pupils had contracted slightly was telling.

‘A parallel-world Lotus, another self. Things are quite similar over there too, but I’d say the situation’s a bit better for them than for you, huh?’

Jinseong continued to provoke Lotus.

Even so, if Lotus refused to be swayed, Jinseong had a final card to play.

“I won’t let Hilder’s plan succeed either.”

At that moment, Lotus clearly reacted.

There was no need for him to explicitly say “yes”; Jinseong could already tell.

The 8th Apostle, the long-limbed Lotus, who loathed humans more than any other Apostle.

[“Interesting… A human who has come here by the power of one stronger than *her*, huh? Very well, human. You surely know what it means if Hilder’s plan succeeds.”]

“Of course. I know.”

[“Hahahaha! Even Shiroko didn’t tell me anything about you, which must mean that you are indeed a variable in Hilder’s plan… Very well, I shall answer your questions. What do you wish to know?”]

Finally, Lotus had acknowledged Jinseong.

Jinseong asked.

“Is there another Apostle who can read thoughts and minds like you? Not just mental attacks, but one who can dig even deeper into memories? What’s the mental sensitivity of the other Apostles?”

* * *

Lotus processed Jinseong’s chaotic thoughts about *Dungeon Fighter Mobile*.

But that didn’t mean Jinseong could relax just yet.

The reality where *Dungeon Fighter* and *Dungeon Fighter Mobile

* coexisted.

The existence of that reality, and the transcendent being Nemer, who had possessed Jinseong and brought him into Plane: Arad.

If there was an Apostle capable of invading his mind and extracting such deep-seated memories, it would pose a serious threat to Jinseong’s very existence.

[“It’s not that there are none… But not all Apostles have the same ability as I do.”]

Lotus answered.

Jinseong began comparing Lotus’s words with the information he already knew.

[“For beings like Diregie or Anton, who operate purely on instinct, there’s no point in even mentioning them. Isis-Prey has strong physical abilities but weak mental faculties. He wouldn’t be able to read your thoughts.”]

The 3rd Apostle, Isis-Prey of the Sky.

The 6th Apostle, Diregie of the Black Disease.

The 7th Apostle, Anton the Fire-Eater.

Impossible.

Jinseong’s predictions aligned with Lotus’s.

[“As for Cain or that silent old man, there’s no telling what goes on in their heads, so I can’t say much about them.”]

The 1st Apostle, Cain of Fate.

The 9th Apostle, Luke the Constructor.

‘But Luke… Luke has unique abilities, so I’d better be careful with him.’

Jinseong thought it was wise to remain cautious about Luke, even though not much was known at this point.

“What about Ozma or Michaela? Do you know about them?”

[“I don’t care about those wretches. I don’t even recall seeing them in the Demon Realm. Are they even Apostles?”]

The 10th Apostle, Michaela of the Castle.

The 11th Apostle, Ozma of Chaos.

‘That makes sense. From what I remember, their backstories don’t quite match up either.’

Apostles who had always existed in Arad may have piqued no interest for the Apostles that arrived via the Demon Realm from other planets.

[“Backstory?”]

“No, ahem, so… what about Cassius and Shiroko?”

[“Cassius may be a brute, but he has a beast-like instinct that lets him read his opponent’s intentions. As for Shiroko, you already know, don’t you?”]

“…Ah, right. She’s the one who figured out Hilder’s plan, after all. There’s no way she wouldn’t be capable.”

The 4th Apostle, Cassius the Conqueror.

Somewhat possible.

The 5th Apostle, Shiroko the Formless.

Possible.

Especially Shiroko, Jinseong was already familiar with her story.

[“Indeed. Compared to me, her range is limited, but within her sphere of influence, especially with direct contact, she may be as capable as I am… or perhaps even more. Hah, well, she’s the one who uncovered Hilder’s plan after all.”]

Though his Apostle pride didn’t allow him to admit it openly, Lotus was essentially acknowledging that Shiroko’s mental abilities could be even more dangerous than his own.

Even with this troubling information, Jinseong still had one more question.

“What about Hilder?”

[“Impossible.”]

Lotus’s answer came swiftly.

It was as if he knew exactly what Jinseong most wanted to hear.

But it wasn’t entirely satisfying for Jinseong.

“Are you sure? I heard Hilder can control minds. Doesn’t that mean she can also read memories?”

The fortune-teller, Iris Fortune Singer.

As far as Jinseong knew, even up until the present, Iris was still under Hilder’s mental control. Could Lotus’s words really be trusted?

However, Lotus merely reacted with a mocking laugh.

[“Do you think creating a puppet to control and penetrating someone’s mind to read memories are the same thing? If Hilder had such an ability, do you think I wouldn’t have known?”]

Lotus took pride in being one of the strongest Apostles in terms of mental abilities.

Jinseong needed a moment to process everything.

‘That makes sense. Strategies, schemes, manipulations… These all suggest that she can’t just read minds. If Hilder could extract information from someone’s mental world, she wouldn’t need to resort to such tactics.’

It seemed correct to conclude that Hilder was unable to read minds or extract memories.

As Jinseong reached that conclusion, a chill ran down his spine.

The 2nd Apostle, Hilder of the Weeping Eyes.

Unable to read minds or steal memories.

But when considering things beyond pure abilities…

‘How incredibly smart would someone have to be to… whew.’

In other words, everything that had happened up until now, all the events orchestrated to align with Hilder’s will, were the result of her sheer intelligence.

[“Hahahah, are you scared already?”]

“No, not scared. It’s just dawning on me how incredible this is. Oh, and one more question.”

Jinseong steadied his breathing.

Discovering unknown information about the Apostles was only his primary goal.

As he continued exchanging information with Lotus, Jinseong had another, deeper goal in mind.

If Apostle Lotus could display such mental sensitivity…

If he could so readily accept Jinseong’s thoughts about “parallel worlds” and “another Lotus”…

Then he might know more.

Most importantly, he might have the key to Jinseong’s return to his original world.

“Do you know anything about the ?”

His real objective was to uncover information about the .