The Player Hides His Past

Chapter 151: Seeds of Tears (2)

Grandfels iron face definitely helped with mental management.

If it werent for that, I would have been quite surprised.

[Dungeon], even though I was mentally prepared, it seemed we were doomed from the beginning.

As expected, its just as rumored.

I didnt even realize it was a trap.

No, should I say I didnt even have time to touch the trap?

All the players, including Schraig and I, did was take a few steps into the fog. In that case, there was only one possibility to consider.

Schraig muttered, glaring at London above his head.

Does that mean breaking through the trap is the first step?

Well, he was surprised, but he didnt seem dumbfounded.

He probably thought it was something that could happen in dungeon.

Indeed, as expected of an experienced person.

In that regard, it was a good thing.

Schraig.

Yes, I am listening.

Since you know the geography of this place well, how does it look to you?

For me, it was like searching for the differences between two pictures.

I didnt know much about London.

Nod

Schraig replied immediately in a confident voice.

Like I said, its the same. Except, there are citizens over there in London. And as you have noticed, I think you are right in saying that we have fallen into a trap.

Schraig bit his lower lip.

Either this side or that side. One of us did.

It seemed he wasnt sure yet.

Soon after, Schraig instructed the guild members.

Explorers, start figuring out the trap structure! The rest of the players protect the explorers in case of an unexpected attack.

Indeed, as expected of the world-class guild Second Sun. Rather than relying on the League of Explorers, they had explorer-class players that they fostered on their own.

However.

Im going crazy. Traps like these exist?

Dungeon rupture with recommended level 600 at minimum, level 900 at maximum.

Theres no shortage of explorers.

Even if Fabian, the president of the League of Explorers, came along, it would be difficult to see through this trap in a short period of time.

But as I said, there was no need to worry.

I looked at Haiel flapping her wings in the opposing London.

If there are times when we clash, there are also times when we can flexibly let go.

Pitter-patter!!

Somehow, it sounded quite grandiose.

If someone asked what I was talking about.

I was simply thinking of using the pouring rain as nutrients for plants.

Please, I hope the words I say to myself are buried by the sound of the rain

I prayed in my heart.

Yes? What did you say?

At last, Schraig had to hear that.

This damn formality.

I had no choice but to answer the polite question again.

Just watch, Schraig. You will find out soon.

?

Schraighs eyes followed my gaze.

Needless to say, it was directed to Haiel.

Schraig, who noticed, fumbled in bewilderment.

Haiel? Isnt that Player Lee Hoyeols contract spirit? No way! Did you detect the existence of the trap through spirit summoning? As expected, thats amazing! Wait, what about that?

The other London in the sky.

Something stretched out from the sky.

That something was root.

Yes, the roots of plants that used water as nutrients.

[Pentagram of Pure Knowledge] helped me again.

It was thanks to the effect of the item.

I spoke shamelessly as if I had known it from the beginning.

Do you remember the summer of the Arcana Continent?

All silence

Why am I suddenly selling out the past^[1]The word used here is and it means appealing to people by using old memories. An example of this is when an entertainer appears on broadcasts talking about their prime days or when old idols rely on the memories of the existing fans to sell albums. ?

They seemed confused.

As expected, the only one who matched my rhythm was Schraig.

It varies depending on the region, but summer in southern regions such as Hessias was truly fantastic. Once it rained, it didnt stop raining, as if there was a hole in the sky. Just like now.

Thank you, Schraig, for responding to my big mouth.

I would like to attach at least 10 complimentary stickers.

It was a perfectly appropriate answer.

Thats correct, Schraig.

Yes, what do you mean correct?

Have you ever seen Hessias submerged in water?

No. Not in my memory. How about you guys?

Shake

Players shook their heads looking at each other.

Not only did I bring up the summer of Arcana out of the blue.

Why did I bring up the name of the southern city, Hessias?

That root was a plant that only grew in Hessias.

Aquariu oak tree.

It was the root of the oak tree.

Schraig agonized for a moment.

Now that I heard it, its strange. Hessias is not a highland, nor is it equipped with a drainage system like the Imperial Capital City. How did it not get submerged?

I spoke calmly.

That is the power of {nature}.

[Pentragram of Pure Knowledge].

Through its effect, I recalled the knowledge of the Aquariu oak tree. Aquariu oak tree was a plant that grew by using a huge amount of water as nutrients.

Theres a reason why they only live in Hessias.

Hessias was the only place in the empire where it rained that much.

In that regard, Haiel was truly my alter ego and mirror

No, it was as expected of a contract spirit.

You understand without me having to say it, Haiel.

{Nature} abilities awakened as the level of the unique spirit increased.

Haiel was able to control the life of plants.

As long as she was backed by mana, she could make plants grow.

In other words, this wasnt a difficult task for her.

Wait a minute, Schraig. What is that?

Schraig, who was pondering my words, turned his head at the guild member calling his name. And he noticed. The roots of the Aquariu oak tree stretching down from the sky.

Schraig looked at me with astonishment.

Dont tell me, thats the force of nature you mentioned?!

I nodded instead of answering.

Once again: seeing it once is better than hearing it a hundred times.

Now, it would be easier to understand by watching than by saying a hundred words.

It was not an ordinary Aquariu oak tree.

It was an Aquariu oak tree blessed by Haiel.

A unique spirit.

Moreover, the environment was cold and overflowing with nutrient water.

Soon.

Stretch

The oak tree began to grow at a frightening rate!

S-Schraig! tree! Suddenly roots and trees appear from the sky!!

By the way, Haiel.

Do you also like flashy things because you take after someone?

For the first time in a while, I made full use of her {nature} abilities. Like planting a street tree. Aquarius oak tree took root throughout the streets of London.

No matter how much mana efficiency has increased thanks to [Pentagram of Pure Knowledge], there is a limit.

I was worried whether my mana would last.

Its weird?

I didnt feel any mana consumption.

No matter how much my mana efficiency had improved, that couldnt be possible. As you could see, Haiel was still using her magic right now.

Didnt that mean she had a greater magic capacity than I did?

Just as my question was growing.

Suddenly, the words of the Senior Mage of Spirit School, Peiyan Lot, came to mind.

Chief, as you may well know, unique spirits are different from ordinary contract spirits. How should I say this, it is a being that cannot be classified with class.

As expected, was it thanks to being reborn as a unique spirit?

If Haiel had its own mana that was not dependent on me, all my questions could be explained. Is this how parents feel when looking at their children who have grown up well?

Thank you for growing well, Haiel.

With steady roots.

Aquarius oak trees grew in size.

The moment the sprouts started to bloom one by one.

Change finally came.

What?

The thick fog began to clear.

The rainwater, which had risen to my ankles, also dried up.

And even the pouring rain.

Pitter-patter

Pitter

Drip

Drip

Drip.

It stopped raining!

It completely died down.

At the same time.

My vision and the players vision flashed.

For a moment, intense light poured out.

What also came into view was the panoramic view of London.

But something had definitely changed.

P-People! Its the citizens!

Damn it, I dont know what happened, but lets wake them up first!

Hey, are you all right? Wake up!

They didnt seem to have regained consciousness yet.

We encountered Londoners who had disappeared without a trace.

I also encountered Haiel.

Haiel bowed her head to me gracefully and said.

Im sorry for responding to your call late.

What is there to be sorry about between us, Haiel?

On the contrary, I want to praise you because youre amazing.

However, understanding the situation was always important.

I looked up at the sky first.

Just dark clouds.

There was no longer the view of another London.

Then I asked Haiel.

Haiel. Have I lost my consciousness like they did?

Haiel answered my question.

Hoyeol-nim was just standing still. You didnt say anything until you woke up, but I could hear the telepathy you sent.

As expected, was it a hallucination?

I was caught in a trap.

This made it clear.

[Dungeon] was a place that possessed an enormous level of difficulty.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldnt just blame the dungeon.

Apart from the recommended level.

If it wasnt for Haiel just now.

The players, including me, would have fallen into the status abnormality and drowned in the rain. Yes, I could feel a viciousness there beyond the dungeons peculiarity.

The message appeared as if to prove my intuition.

[Skill, Natural Enemy Relationship is activated.]

Even the demons werent enough.

I reflected on the complaint I had when the dungeon was created.

The dungeon and the demon were a set.

The reality was a lot worse than I thought.

But just like me, even the demons hiding in the fog couldnt imagine it. Whether they had been hiding in reality or running around in Arcana.

Its time to pay the price.

Akshans survivor and the last demon hunter.

They would never have thought Id be alive.

The rain stopped now thanks to the oak tree.

There was no more rain fog blocking the view.

In other words, it became clearly visible.

The inferior race, the place they were hiding.

I asked Schraig.

Schraig, may I ask for directions?

Ah, yes! Of course.

Is there a building at the end of the street that can be said to be symbolic?

If its symbolic, its probably near Chelsea Bridge Road

*

Everyone had expected this day would come someday.

There was no way that the newly created ruptures would forever be the same as the previous ruptures. They needed to anticipate the worst and be prepared to respond to the crisis.

AAUs apocalypse declaration was also announced to that effect.

But the situation in London exceeded expectations.

England, which had gotten hit directly, was in complete chaos.

A press conference.

The man, who looked nervous, barely managed to speak.

We will do our best to resolve the situation.

The Prime Ministers residence, 10 Downing Street, as well as the royal family at Buckingham Palace.

Many citizens, including British leaders.

Dungeon rupture appeared and then disappeared in the fog.

Even if the army moved right away, it wasnt enough.

Only players had access to the rain fog, the rupture.

Naturally, the worlds attention was inevitably drawn to the British guild, the Second Sun. But why? Second Suns guild master, Schraig, didnt budge.

Whats wrong with Schraig?

Did he get scared after seeing the recommended level?

No, isnt this a situation where you have to pretend youre not scared even if youre scared?

With Schraighs personality, theres no way he would behave like this.

Wait a minute. The angle is a little weird?

He wasnt scared, he was inflicted with a status abnormality.

Rain near the rupture caused status abnormality.

It didnt take long for everyone to know the truth. Because it didnt take long for Hoyeol, the man holding the long umbrella, to appear.

AAUs South Korean branch.

Three men were watching that scene.

Sung Hyunjoon clenched his fist at the appearance of Hoyeol.

I heard the black long umbrella stimulates emotions in some way.

An umbrella is just an umbrella.

I dont really want to know what kind of emotion that is. Hyunjoon.

By the way, Yoon Sookyum looked at the branch manager, Park Minjae.

Wasnt it time for him to be busy with an emergency call-up by now?

The branch heads wouldnt only gather together and hold a meeting.

Park Minjae noticed his gaze.

Why are you looking at me like that?

No, I was wondering if its okay for you to stay here.

They only look for things they could lament. Dont you think we only meet for appearances sake?

Lee Hoyeol proved himself again today.

Even if the government was surrounding him.

He appeared in England like a hero.

Confidently.

As if he didnt care about the world trying to keep him in check.

But Park Minjae was not that great of a man.

Im not going, even if its disgraceful.

AAU.

Although it was tied to one organization, it was safe to say that each branch was actually an independent organization. This meant that missing a few meetings with the branch managers wouldnt land him in big trouble.

Well, even the head of the UK branch had already done that dozens of times

!

Wait a minute.

For a moment, Park Minjae felt a sense of incompatibility.

Why England?

AAU London branch hadnt interacted much recently.

And a [dungeon] rupture was created in London shortly after.

Was this really pure coincidence?

Shit.

Park Minjae couldnt guess it with his own head.

Wasnt it obvious?

You had to know something to at least use your head.

But Park Minjae didnt stand still.

He hurriedly took out his smartphone.

Whats wrong, Branch Manager?

He shook his head in the face of the question.

He pounded on the keyboard with his fingers.

He sent it to Lee Hoyeol Or so he wished.

I need to know his number.

So he had no choice but to go through a mediate.

He sent it to Nam Taemin.

To sum up the transmitted message in three lines, it was like this.

[The key to attacking the dungeon is to locate the depth of the dungeon.

The location of the depth of the dungeon is near Chelsea Bridge.

It is very likely AAU London branch.]

.

.

.

Did AAU find out something?

He sent the message straight to Hoyeol.

He hoped it was helpful information.

Whiing

Uh, was that a reply?

Hoyeol-ssi already checked the message?

He hoped it could be of some help

Nam Taemin checked his smartphone with nervous eyes.

Hahaha.

Then he let out a laugh.

The reply from Hoyeol was only a few words again this time.

But the content was a little different.

I know.

Is he unpredictable because hes infinitely deep?

• 1. The word used here is and it means appealing to people by using old memories. An example of this is when an entertainer appears on broadcasts talking about their prime days or when old idols rely on the memories of the existing fans to sell albums.