His hand was tightly held by the person next to him. He tried to pull his arm, but the grip only tightened. A strange warmth was felt through his palm.
When As sensed something unusual at the shopping mall in Yongsan Station, he first checked his mana.
[Mana conservation mode is active.]
[Mana recovery: 35%]
[Due to insufficient mana, some spells may be uncontrollable when used.]
His mana had recovered enough to deal with a monster like that.
Just as he was about to release his mana, a gentle hand stroked his forehead.
"As, I'll be right back. Wait here."
A worried look, as if seeing him as a weak and young human.
Until now, he found it annoying, but for some reason, she was on his mind.
Once she knew his true identity, this human would neither stroke his head nor smile at him with a dazed face. She would be wary and afraid.
Just imagining it made him feel... very bad.
Perhaps because of these thoughts.
[Mana control is unstable.]
"!"
If this continued, the uncontrolled mana would involve the human next to him. As quickly reined in his mana.
There was no choice. The only remaining method was for him to die. Even though he had made up his mind, As couldn't understand.
Why did this human look so sad?
As's current body was not his true form.
A manifestation body, Asmodeus, created from the primordial chaos using mana, and due to insufficient mana, it was a small, weak, and incomplete form.
This dazed-faced human seemed to think he had "middle school second-year syndrome," but As didn't know what it was because it wasn't in the basic human knowledge he had downloaded.
In any case.
Even if this body died, it would return to the primordial chaos and a new manifestation body would be created. It was different from the true existence's annihilation.
Therefore, As himself didn't feel much sense of crisis. He just had a premonition of the end.
But why was this dazed-faced human so desperate?
"Mr. Yoo, we need to... take As to the shop. It's safer there."
"There's a way."
A man named Ki Yoo-hyun created a door in the air.
"This is a door that forcibly breaks through space. However, it's impossible to approach the dungeon gate, so we have to walk from there."
He added that an attack would come as soon as the space broke, so he would go with them.
"...Understood."
The usage was simple.
Lee quickly grabbed As's hand and opened the door. The black curtain around them dissipated like a mirage.
The next moment, the red-stained stone walls of the Great Dungeon, *Abyss*, appeared.
It would have been a very beautiful scene under normal circumstances. But black monsters were pouring out of the sky gate.
The monsters, summoned from another world by the faceless one, had no intelligence. They just wandered endlessly in search of prey.
That prey was him, a manifestation body created from the primordial chaos.
They wouldn't stop until they devoured As.
"!"
The black monsters, sensing As's presence, suddenly started running faster.
The man with black eyes quickly used a skill, and a net of light extended to bind the monsters.
"Run. I'll take care of these."
"...Understood! As, hold my hand."
The man with black eyes must have hated him.
The smell of white light.
If he used the power of the one who weaves threads in the darkness, he would have quickly figured out As's true identity.
Indeed, the moment they met, this man had a cold expression and immediately checked his information.
But why...
The hand that held his didn't lose its grip. It still firmly pulled him.
He must know. At least that As wasn't a young and weak human.
But why was he so desperate?
Bang!
A monster appeared from the opposite direction they were running.
It was about to charge at As, but a flying arrow stopped it.
"...You two!"
It was the twins they had met before. The girl twin shouted at Lee, who turned to look.
"Sister, hurry up!"
Lee, after sending a worried glance, grabbed As's hand and ran again. She pushed As into *Cafe Lee* and shouted.
"Kwon Mee-eum, open the door!"
"Why, why (What are you doing here all of a sudden?! Ah, what are those monsters)!"
"Meow!"
The strange cat was startled. Next to it was a slime that always made strange sounds.
Even this cat and slime had never shunned him.
"No time to talk. Grant entrance permission to my part-time worker, Kim As!"
"Meow!"
A gentle light enveloped them, and soon a blue gate leading to the space appeared on the wall.
Lee pushed As into the gate. But she didn't come in. The hand that had held his tightly let go, and As's hand scratched the air.
"As, listen carefully."
Beyond the gate, which shimmered with light and was not clearly visible, Lee grabbed As's shoulder and whispered.
"You'll be safe in there. No one will find you."
Her face, stained with sweat and dust, but her brown eyes were infinitely gentle. As deeply etched them in his mind.
"It might get boring, but don't come out. Just hold on for one day. I'll be back soon, so stay there until I come. Okay?"
"...Okay."
The gate closed, and she disappeared completely before he could ask the question he wanted to ask.
-Why are you trying to save me?
Under a giant tree, As sat down, hugging his knees. His hand, which had lost its warmth, felt cold.
He felt like crying for some reason.
Only then did he realize.
Even if he was just a piece of a manifestation body that had fallen from the chaos, 'I' wanted to live.
* * *
[1. Protect the manifestation body
Hide the target in a safe place: (Completed)]
As soon as the quest ended, the next quest appeared as if waiting.
[2. Find the fragments of the fake Shining Trapezohedron
The fragments of the fake Shining Trapezohedron are hidden in various places in the city.
You cannot prevent the gate from opening unless all fragments are destroyed.
Find and completely destroy the fragments.
Time limit (04:31:22) - Quest fails if the time limit is exceeded.
Fragments destroyed 0/5: (Incomplete)
Note: Coordinates 37ยฐ29'xx.4"N 127ยฐ00'xx.0"E]
After safely hiding As in the space and returning, I saw Ki Yoo-hyun following behind.
First, let's share information. I read the content of the system window that appeared in front of me to Ki Yoo-hyun.
"Does the system give such detailed instructions? I've never heard of that... Anyway, I understand."
"Do you have any more questions?"
"Many, but... I won't ask now."
I felt the same way.
"I feel the same. I won't ask now."
The sudden appearance of Ki Yoo-hyun, his abilities... I pushed all the questions to the back of my mind. It was more urgent to deal with the situation than to solve the questions.
Thus, a 'let's talk later' alliance was formed between Ki Yoo-hyun and me.
To solve this situation, we need to destroy the fragments of the Trapezohedron.
The system said the fragments were at those coordinates.
But how do we move by coordinates?
While I was thinking, Ki Yoo-hyun took out an item that looked like a scroll.
"It's a teleportation magic scroll."
He added that using it within the city was illegal, but it was an emergency, so it was okay.
"It's difficult to teleport to a place you've never visited using only coordinates. It could also be a dangerous place. I'll use the teleportation magic if you give me the coordinates."
"Mr. Yoo, can I go with you? I don't know what might happen."
"Sure. I'm also curious about the quest and worried about you."
"...Thank you."
As the scroll was torn, light enveloped us, and I felt like I was being sucked into somewhere.
We arrived at an ordinary playground.
There was no need to worry about how to find the fragment in this vast area. Ki Yoo-hyun found it quickly with a net of white light. The skill was really convenient.
The fragment was a star-shaped ornament. This is the fragment of the Trapezohedron.
[Item: Fake Shining Trapezohedron Fragment (โโโโโ)
Though fake, its effect is clear.
It enhances the power of the faceless one.]
As soon as I held the fragment, a notification window appeared.
I tried to break it with force, but it didn't break easily.
"Mr. Lee, use the ring you're wearing now."
"Ring? ...You mean this one?"
Ki Yoo-hyun pointed to the ring of Cthulhu on my hand.
Was this such a great item? I had only used it for roasting coffee.
I tried it half-heartedly.
Whoosh.
As I focused, flames rose and burned the fragment. It turned into white ash and crumbled.
...It really was a great item.
The quest screen immediately updated with new coordinates. The location of the next fragment, I guess.