Chapter 205

Chapter 205. Scattered Puzzle (4)

It was the second day since we began the strategy against the final 6-star Corrupted Area.

The day was particularly characterized by thick storm clouds and oppressive humidity.

As I moved forward through the damp air, Kim Yul suddenly halted, muttering a curse through gritted teeth.

“Damn it…”

Although he didn’t say it aloud, I, along with Yang Taeho, shared similar sentiments.

The surrounding landscape was littered with thousands of skeletons, resembling mummified figures with decayed flesh clinging to the bones.

The densely wooded northern forest hardly allowed any sunlight through.

To make matters worse, the sky beyond the trees was packed with dark clouds.

Even during daytime, the sight of thousands of scattered remains in the dusky area was chilling.

In one word, the view that sprawled in front of us could be defined as ‘Ramon’.

“Every time I see something like this, it really gets to me…”

Perhaps overwhelmed by the scene, Kim Yul murmured with an unusually stiff voice.

I maintained my composure as I spoke.

“You need to get used to it.”

We were in the middle of a war. We could never afford to forget that simple fact.

“No matter the location, our task remains unchanged. Destroy the messeo and search for artifacts.”

Artifacts often appeared more frequently in places like this.

I planned to search thoroughly after handling our primary objectives here.

“… Yeah.”

After a slight pause, Kim Yul gave a brief reply.

Noticing his voice was a bit huskier than before, I patted his shoulder reassuringly.

As I began to move forward once more, I sensed him following closely behind.

The reason we advanced by stepping over the unknown remains was straightforward.

‘Because there is a Messeo here.’

When we finally reached the heart of the final 6-star Corrupted Area, we found the messeo, seeming isolated in a slightly detached region.

Seeing it, I organized the team and moved into position.

We had already eliminated over seventy percent of the monsters gathered within the Corrupted Area, so it wasn’t too perilous.

During our approach, most of the creatures we encountered were typical monsters that hadn’t even managed to reach the messeo.

The reason for leaving the messeo pile untouched and heading elsewhere was simple.

‘The blue dot next to the messeo.’

Given the situation and location, a stray survivor seemed unlikely.

‘Considering the circumstances, it’s likely a traitor.’

I had already verified in another main scenario that blue dots indicated traitors.

Capturing the traitor could potentially yield information I’d long been seeking.

Abandoning the achievements typically only earned from closing Holes or completing special missions seemed worth the risk.

‘Fortunately, Ramon took Berta along.’

A few days ago, Ramon had unexpectedly shown up and taken Berta with her.

The sound of her annoyed cries still lingered in my ears.

Along with them, Ahel was also taken on the pretext of escorting them.

Thus, only Yang Taeho, Kim Yul, and I moved toward the messeo with the mysterious blue dot.

We pressed forward through the piles of remains, maintaining a fitting level of alertness.

When we reached the location in question, confusion furrowed my brow.

The only things there were evolved species and a few normal monsters.

‘Could it be capable of Invisibility or Stealth magic?’

I suppressed my presence and scanned the surroundings from various angles.

The mysterious blue dot was practically on the same spot as the messeo.

The creature, if there, should be close enough to carry or place its feet on the messeo.

Given I couldn’t physically see any suspected Demi-humans around the messeo, I decided to start by eliminating the monsters.

There weren’t any general-rank foes present, after all.

The overwhelming prowess of three gold ranks was demonstrated against the monsters gathered there, possessing attribute mana.

The battle concluded swiftly, intensifying my bewilderment.

“… There’s no one here?”

Listening to Kim Yul’s confused voice, I repeatedly checked both the map and the messeo.

There was one Messeo at my feet, and right beside it, a single blue dot.

Yet, only the messeo was visible.

After pondering momentarily, I activated Mana Detection.

Finally, I understood the source of the mystery.

‘It’s below.’

Beneath the swirling maelstrom of mana seeping through the Hole of the messeo, there was a surprisingly substantial pool of mana.

‘They must have known we were coming…’

Were they simply confident? Or was there another reason for remaining still?

I mulled over these thoughts while lowering my stance.

Beneath the messeo lay a skull, and something within it glinted faintly.

I thrust my left hand, enveloped in mana, into the pile of remains.

After groping around several times, I found something.

“Hmm?”

What I felt was entirely different from the hard bones, slippery moss, or decayed skin.

It was soft and warm to the touch.

And the owner of that sensation seemed, as if to declare itself a living being, intent on burrowing deeper into the crevices.

However, I had no intention of just letting it get away.

If I let it slip away, I would be helpless again, forced to wait for an uncertain opportunity.

‘Even if it means losing a hand, I’m going to catch it.’

If I could retrieve a severed part of my body, I could reattach it with a high-rank potion.

The pain involved in the process would be excruciating… but it was better than letting it go and waiting for the next chance.

Fully committing, I pushed my hand further in.

The mana-enveloped hand easily shattered the remains around it.

Thanks to that, I succeeded in grabbing the small creature that was trying to use the narrow gaps to burrow even deeper.

I quickly pulled my hand out, fearing an attempt at escape through magic or other means.

Simultaneously, I infused my hand with red mana, almost to the point of eruption.

But surprisingly, my concerns were unfounded.

Nothing happened until I completely withdrew my hand from the ground.

With a slightly bewildered feeling, I opened my clenched hand.

I held a dagger instead of a spear in my right hand, ready for short-range combat, just in case.

Finally, as I fully opened my hand, I found myself speechless.

Amongst the crushed bone fragments and slippery waste, there was a small creature, no larger than a rhinoceros beetle, huddled and quivering with its head buried.

“… Tinkerbell?”

Kim Yul’s bewildered mutter was completely unexpected.

However, I, too, momentarily thought of a similar term.

The two pairs of transparent wings reminiscent of a dragonfly, and the glistening dust falling around them.

The pointed ears and the petite size that could fit snugly in my palm.

The fluffy, cotton candy-like soft pink hair.

Looking at its fantastical appearance, as if it stepped right out of a fairy tale, there was a naturally arising word.

“Fairy…race.”

It seemed to be one of those Fairy race, the first to betray the Demi-humans.

‘Why is this thing in the Corrupted Area? Was it here for the messeo? It’s impossible for it to carry that alone…’

The unexpected and inexplicable appearance momentarily tangled my thoughts.

A brief pause ensued.

The fairy race, who had been curled up and holding its head, slipped its hands down and lifted its head.

The tiny being scanned the three humans above it with its eyes.

“Hi-yap!”

Suddenly, it fluttered its wings.

The luminous powder from its wings momentarily flaring into a bright light distorted my vision.

Immediately, a drowsy sensation swept over as my consciousness began to float away.

As I ascended slowly, dreamlike scenes unfolded.

I wandered in a concrete jungle surrounded by cherished family members.

Fragmented snapshots of memories raced through my mind.

Instead of checking prices, I looked at menu names first.

When I found clothes I liked, I checked if I could try them on before worrying about the price tag.

In those moments, I was unhurried, free from any rush.

Everything—my expressions, my movements, even my thoughts—appeared at ease.

Instantly recognizing the anomaly, the floating sensation vanished.

“Hyung!”

“K, snap out of it!”

As the dizzying feeling of plummeting commenced, I erected a Barrier.

“Oh, no!”

However, it wasn’t necessary.

As soon as Kim Yul realized something was off with me, he captured the fairy using a high-rank containment magic.

Regaining my consciousness with a jarring fall, I reached out and seized the creature with an icy expression.

Kim Yul released the binding chains but watched the fairy with a tenser face than before.

“No, no way! How did you break free so quickly?”

The fairy race was visibly flustered.

I squinted and glared at it.

‘So this is the ability that invokes dreams…’

What I saw was both my past and the lost future of my siblings.

All that I once took for granted but couldn’t provide for my twins.

Even now, with money at my disposal, I’m stuck in Bihar, unable to meet with my siblings.

Thus, I could sense the incongruity before I soared too high.

If I hadn’t identified the disparity, I might have been drawn into the dream conjured by the fairy.

‘Is it because the gap between the dream and reality was too wide that the ability didn’t take hold?’

If this were the standard for all Fairy race’s abilities, it wouldn’t pose a great threat.

‘Or maybe this particular one is just remarkably weak.’

While contemplating the fairy race’s ability for the first time, the creature, its wielder, was trembling, tears welling in its eyes.

‘Jeez.’

Anyone seeing this would think I had committed some egregious crime.

Yet the one at fault was the being itself.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I gripped it securely.

I only exposed its head, enfolding the rest of the fairy race’s body with my hands.

Simultaneously, I restricted its wings.

‘It flapped and scattered dust before using its ability earlier.’

Whether that was indeed the key, it didn’t attempt the ability again.

The countermeasure seemed surprisingly intuitive and simple.

‘No wonder many suffered from trafficking.’

As I swallowed a sigh, the fairy clamored.

“Ouch! Ow! Ow, that hurts! Let me go at once!”

Of course, its voice was so small it didn’t rise above a whimper.

I had to expand my Perception more than usual to hear it clearly.

‘… Though the physical size disparity is expected.’

Communication itself must have been challenging with other races under such conditions.

Recalling the betrayal process and background of the fairy race, I sighed.

“You brute of a human! Release me this instant!”

Ignoring the incessant shrieking of the fairy race, I retrieved an item from my inventory.

Seeing it, Kim Yul appeared alarmed and asked.

“Are you using that magic stone?”

“To be precise, it’s not a magic stone.”

It was a solid form of condensed attribute mana.

The specific attribute mana in question came from a flower with hallucinogenic properties.

Attempts to find a similar plant on Earth had been futile.

‘It’s a plant exclusive to Bihar.’

Moreover, it occasionally grows only in regions where spirit stones manifest.

According to the classification in magical studies, it follows the Earth element, starting from the mok system’s root and reaching the advanced level 5.

Only eight instances of this rare attribute have been documented over several centuries.

The last, eighth occurrence is presumed to have appeared a few years ago.

‘Its identity remains unknown.’

Rumor has it that around five years ago, this mana began circulating in the black market.

All the information led back to Ladriol.

Back when he attempted to kidnap me, the black magic stone he used was akin to this substance.

‘He called it poppy mana back then.’

Recalling this, I inquired if Ladriol knew of any mana used during interrogations.

– It’s well-known among those high up.

– While the supply is sparse, quite a few likely possess it.

Yet, I refrained from asking those within the Order about it.

I wasn’t keen on discovering their potential response.

Damned System