episode_0076

It’s the same as before.

[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!······]

As I entered, dangerous characters started to pop up like crazy.

An ominous darkness that makes it impossible to see even an inch ahead.

Even the creepy chills that run up my spine.

All my senses were warning me, as if they were trying to stop me from approaching this place.

[Kwon! Huh?# ¶Bbaengnyeong⁋Bbaengnyeong···]

[I !$⧓∏∐▣□■▣※▣···]

Meanwhile, the system appears to have crashed, outputting broken letters.

But I knew all of this was a bluff, so I just went down without caring.

And then, before I knew it─

[Poem ∑∏∀······]

Hwaaak!

The view has brightened.

The alarm bell ringing in my head and the darkness blocking my view disappeared, and an empty lot appeared.

A simple space without any decoration or pattern.

The only thing unusual here is a blue stone in the center of the room. I pick it up without hesitation.

[Moon ▣△뭻▲※궯#@%₩]

This is the second one.

Of course, having two didn’t make any difference.

Just because you have it doesn’t mean you can use it right away.

‘In the game, the effect does get stronger when gathered···.’

Mainly, the duration of power restrictions and incapacitation was extended.

If the effect in the game is the same, this item will probably be the same. Of course, it would be best if there was no need to use it.

“Ugh··· What the hell are you.”

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t guess what this rock was, so I took another rock out of my pocket.

It was another stone I got from Chunghoeseong last time.

I took it out because I thought there might be some differences if we compared them.

And fortunately, the difference was quickly discovered.

“Huh?”

Although the two names are similar, they are different.

[▣△뭻▲※궯#@&∑]

[Moon ▣△뭻▲※궯#@%₩]

The letters were still broken, but there was one letter that looked particularly neat.

‘moon.’

If you think about it, it was like this before too.

Every time a broken system window popped up, the first letter remained neat and clean, as if performance had improved compared to before.

Of course, it could just be a coincidence.

It was the same broken text, but it just happened to come out neatly, and I might have been an idiot and made a mistake when I saw it.

But now that we have no clues, shouldn’t we hang on to that?

After collecting the items, I went back outside.

And I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Huh, huh!”

Because Yulis was right in front of the ruins.

As if he had been waiting for me just a moment ago.

“Wow, that’s surprising. How long have you been there?”

“······.”

Yuris looks at me with a meaningful expression.

“I just··· found the warrior while investigating and followed him······.”

She continues.

“I found this scene.”

“Haha···.”

I laughed awkwardly.

In a word, it was a coincidence.

As I stood there dumbfounded, she poked her head out and looked inside carefully.

“···The thing I saw last time is here too.”

I guess she found that big hole too.

I thought you wouldn’t notice me because my presence was so faint, but it seems like you recognized me as soon as I popped out.

Thanks to that, I was speechless.

What excuse should I make? No, can I make an excuse in the first place?

I don’t know exactly what that is, what should I say?

As she was thinking that, she let out a sigh.

“Is that also a difficult question to talk about?”

I remained silent without answering.

She continues, as if the silence itself was the answer.

“Well then, I won’t bother asking. But it’s not dangerous, right···?”

This time I nodded enthusiastically.

“Okay then.”

I sighed inwardly.

Thank goodness you didn’t ask. This place becomes a headache the moment Enen finds out, so you have to be careful about what you say.

I don’t know why, but I felt like she was considerate of me.

Normally I would have been suspicious, but this time I decided to just be grateful for her consideration.

Thanks to her approaching me, she felt somewhat more comfortable.

With my mind at ease, I suddenly asked her something I was curious about.

“Oh, by the way, Saintess.”

I guess it’s okay to ask this much.

“Do you know anything about the moon?”

“The moon? Are you talking about the moon that rises at night?”

“Just··· everything about the moon. Anything.”

“Moon, moon···.”

She lowered her head as if she was struggling.

After a moment of silence, her eyes widen in surprise.

“Wait, really···?”

“What do you have?”

I looked at her and asked her.

“No, no. I guess I was mistaken.”

But the only answer I got back was this.

“It’s getting late. I’ll go back first. You must be tired too, so don’t be late.”

And she goes back in a hurry.

It looked as if he was running away from something.

‘There’s definitely something there.’

Because of that, I couldn’t help but think like this.

There’s something there. I just don’t know what it is.

It looks like she knows something, but she can’t tell me.

Well then, there’s nothing we can do.

‘I have no choice but to find out on my own.’

Thinking like that, I headed back to the center of the territory.

To be exact, to the library there.

*

The library is the cradle of knowledge.

Even in this world where information control is strict, that fact remains the same. The fact that not only certain classes but also ordinary citizens can enter remains the same.

The only difference is that most people in this world cannot read, and there is no one who can teach them how to read.

Anyway, back to the beginning.

I was reading a book in the library right now.

The reason, of course, is to find information about the ‘moon’.

“Ugh··· No matter how much I look for it, I can’t find it.”

But unfortunately, there was no progress.

When it comes to the moon, it’s just a fairy tale about the moon rising in the sky.

The meaningful content I want is something I can’t find even if I open my eyes wide and look for it.

I feel like there might be something.

There is not a single piece of information that can be found.

To begin with, there was very little information about the moon.

No matter what, it’s still like that. It’s floating in the night sky like that, but don’t the people here have any interest in the moon?

“Hoo···.”

Thanks to that, I couldn’t help but sigh.

No matter how much I search, I can’t figure it out. If there’s any information, I can at least make an inference.

So I closed the book. When I suddenly looked outside, it was already late at night.

There were fewer people walking on the streets, and now only the research team searching for the puppet temple was moving busily.

The library, which used to be bustling around sunset, now had only two or three people left. Come to think of it, people had started leaving around the time I came in···.

‘Oh, could it be because of the curse?’

At that moment, I was slapping my knees as I realized the uncomfortable reality anew.

A person came into my sight. A member of our party, slightly smaller than an adult woman, with fiery red hair.

It was Lily.

Now that I look at it, it looks like she was doing some research at the library too.

This is truly a wizard’s concentration. Even though this body covered in curses appeared, I didn’t expect to receive a single glance.

That’s why I thought this.

‘Should I approach you?’

In the past, I wouldn’t have even thought about what I would hear.

She’s been quite toxic these days. She apologizes first and often checks my mood.

I don’t know why it changed, but it’s easier to approach than before.

So I approached her.

I call out to her cautiously from a few steps away, out of consideration for her.

“Excuse me, Lily.”

“Gyah!? Oh, that’s surprising! How long have you been there?”

Unfortunately, my consideration turned out to be a failure.

“It’s been quite a while. What was Lily doing here anyway?”

“Me? I’m just… not really good at running around.”

She picks up the book and shows it to me.

It was a dictionary-like book related to the Four Heavenly Kings.

“I was researching while reading a book like this.”

The page she showed me had a drawing of a puppet master.

Although there are some parts that are awkward and lacking, it is information that humanity has shed blood for so far. As expected of a well-known Four Heavenly Kings in the human world, there was a lot of information.

“Hey, instead of just standing there, why don’t you sit in front of me···?”

As I was staring blankly, she spoke to me cautiously. It seemed like she was uncomfortable with me standing there.

I sat in front of her as she said.

And it wasn’t long before I realized.

‘Wait… Are you being considerate of me just now?’

Really?

Despite having a black curse hanging over you?

Until a few weeks ago, you hated me so much you wanted to kill me?

Her amazing appearance didn’t end there.

“That··· What Sir McGuff said this afternoon. As I said before, don’t take it too seriously···. He’s such an extreme person, that’s why.”

It was she who comforted me!

Oh my, this is a scene you don’t see often even in games.

There really is something going on. Or it’s a high-level deception.

I don’t know why she does that, but it’s good for me. It’s just the right timing.

There was something I wanted to learn before I faced the puppet master.

“Excuse me, Lily.”

“Huh?”

When I call her, she responds with a perk.

I took a deep breath and then asked her.

“Can you please teach me one magic trick?”

It would be faster to learn from someone than to teach yourself.