Eun Yuriâs condition looked worse than he expected. Her hair was a mess, thanks to the wind tossing it all over the place, and her eyes were slightly cracked open, looking at the sky in a daze.
It seemed she was on the verge of passing out, especially given the trickle of saliva dripping off her mouth.
Then again, even if this wasnât her first time in Paradise, she had yet to step out of the Neutral Zone. It was no wonder she was like that, especially after experiencing a movement skill that flashed through short distances at the speed of lightning, multiple times in succession.
Nevertheless, Eun Yuri had somehow managed to cling onto her conscientiousness and proceeded to take out her phone with trembling hands.
#Coastal Cliffs (Diary of an Unknown Survivor â Page 30)
One of our companions went missing while we were searching the mountain for a way to deal with the killers. He was nowhere to be found no matter how hard we searched.
We finally managed to find a trace of our lost companion after searching for half a day. We found a pair of shoes lying in front of a cave on a cliff. They belonged to our missing companion!
But what is this cave? Why are there so many blood-stains all over the place?
It feels strange. There is a dark aura flowing in this place. Itâs filled with a cold, insidious air that canât be described with words.
I donât think Iâm the only one that feels like this since my other companions seem reluctant to approach the cave, too.
At first, the comrade that suggested capturing the killers instead of killing them persuaded us to quickly proceed with the search, but after a discussion, the rest of us came to a consensus to give up the investigation of the cave.
The comrade harshly criticized us and after saying she would go in by herself, she forcibly continued the search alone. We tried to persuade her against it, but we couldnât stop her from entering the cave.
This is driving me crazy. I get that she lost her reasoning after her lover went missing, but I really donât want to go inside that cave.
âŚDamn it. Why isnât she coming out? Did something happen inside?
Not knowing what to do, we waited for her for a bit before we turned our backs as we were unable to endure the ominous feeling. It might have been my imagination but right as we arrived at the foot of the mountain⌠I thought I heard a hideous laughter ring out from behind us.
It was the right decision to escape.
The thing inside that place isnât something that can be handled by humans.
I shouldnât ever go near that place againâŚ
Seol Jihu let go of the soundlessly struggling Eun Yuri only after he finished reading the Diary of an Unknown Survivor.
Eun Yuri stumbled instead of replying. She grasped Seol Jihu with both hands and steadied herself with great difficulty.
For a while, she took deep breaths in and out before wiping the saliva off her mouth with the back of her hand and straightening her posture. Seol Jihu spoke while feeling awkward.
âIâm sorry. The smoke was faster than I expected.â
âItâs fineâŚ. RatherâŚâ
Eun Yuri collected her breath and shook her head.
âIt was my first time⌠experiencing such a thrilling rideâŚâ
Though she said she was fine, she glared at him with a slightly resentful gaze.
Seol Jihu dryly coughed and switched the subject.
âAh. Look over there.â
Eun Yuri turned her head as he pointed towards the coast.
âIt looks like we found it, doesnât it?â
Her face slightly brightened when she found the round cave carved into the cliff.
âWell done. Nice job, really.â
When Seol Jihu fired off a succession of compliments and patted her slender back, Eun Yuriâs shouldersâ flinched. She made a bitter face, but Seol Jihu was looking at the cave.
He started walking as he activated his Nine Eyes. ThenâŚ
He abruptly halted his steps. Eun Yuri, who had been following behind him, also stopped with a confused look.
Eun Yuri looked at Seol Jihu while frowning with her long, slender eyebrows.
He had been hitting her in excitement just a few seconds ago. Now his expression changed without warning.
It was the face of someone finding out that the result he had gotten after solving a complex math problem was different from the answer.
Seol Jihu gulped while staring at the cave.
This was unexpected. There had been several cases in the past where two colors had simultaneously shown up, but this was the first time he saw two warning colors together.
âIt means âAttention Requiredâ and âDo Not Approachâ, huhâŚâ
Seol Jihu bit his lips, unable to make heads or tails of the situation.
âIf I try comparing it to the basic tutorialâŚâ
There was no rule against having the same thing come up in Stage 2 or 3 just because it had already appeared in Stage 1.
For example, the phantom, which was the most difficult enemy at the time he took the tutorial, had appeared ever since they escaped from the auditorium before making its entrance again in Stage 3, causing the survivors to tremble in fear throughout the level.
From what he could gather from that case, it wasnât a bad idea to get rid of the thing inside the cave now. It could be better to settle things in advance in case of unforeseen implications in the future.
That was how Seol Jihu decided to interpret âAttention Required.â And as for âDo not approachââŚ
âLetâs back away for a moment.â
Seol Jihu quickly retreated while circulating his mana. He might have turned away to flee the area if âImmediate Retreat Recommendedâ or âEscape Immediatelyâ popped up, but luckily enough, he didnât see any red or black.
Of course, orange also meant that there was danger, but like the Diary of an Unknown Survivor mentioned, they would probably be fine as long as they didnât approach the cave more than necessary.
Seol Jihu created a Mana Spear after widening the distance to the cave. When he aimed his palm at the cave to first test the waters, a blue Mana Spear shot out and split through the air.
What happened next, however, caused Seol Jihu to doubt his eyes.
As soon as the Mana Spear came into contact with the black smoke floating around the caveâŚ
âŚThe Mana Spear disappeared without a trace.
He felt a sinking feeling.
Seol Jihu prepared his mana once again.
He activated his mana to his limits, causing his reinforced mana circuits to become hot, and molded the anti-evil attribute into his mana.
And when he threw the Mana Spear with all his might after a run-up, a lightning spear beaming with a golden light exploded out with a mighty radiance.
It was definitely different this time. Because he had thrown it at maximum power, the spear did not immediately disappear and pierced through the black smoke.
Seol Jihuâs eyes widened after only a few seconds.
When dark gas suddenly shrouded the Mana SpearâŚ.
âŚThe spear began losing its speed before ultimately losing its golden brilliance and melting away in the air.
Seol Jihu gazed at the cave with sunken eyes.
He had imbued the spear with High (High) mana and the power of lightning which was said to be the highest rank of all anti-evil energy. However, the spear couldnât even go near the cave.
He had yet to go all out. He still had Sword Qi, the defining skill of Level 5 Warriors.
When he linked his mana circuit with the macheteâs blade, the machete began resounding with a mighty sword sound while shining with golden light.
As he did that, the haze became a level darker as if it was mocking him.
Feeling that it was daring him to try, Seol Jihu hesitated while holding the machete. He had to try to find out, but for some reason, he had a feeling that it wouldnât be devoured like before.
âShould I try going in?â
The thought suddenly flashed past his mind, but he shook his head. It wasnât just his Nine Eyes, but his intuition too was ringing alarm bells. They told him that he shouldnât approach the cave nor even touch the gaseous substance.
Seol Jihu smacked his lips.
âItâs still the final boss of the special Tutorial, huh?â
A creepy laugh echoed out of the cave. It was a terrible laugh that raised goosebumps just from hearing it.
[The anti-evil attribute, eh?]
[Kehe, I thought you were only a prideful punk believing in his trivial abilities. But I guess your confidence wasnât baseless.]
[Kehehehe. To think that the anti-evil attribute was still being inherited. I thought I had thoroughly purged it that dayâŚ]
[I am a little surprised, but⌠itâs a power that has already been defeated once. You dare think you can harm me?]
Seol Jihuâs eyes sharpened.
A sneering laugh followed.
[Who knows? Why donât you come in if youâre so curious?]
It only ridiculed him instead of revealing its identity.
Seol Jihuâs mind began to race as he stood guard against the cave. From what the voice said before, the being inside seemed to be something related to his anti-evil magic.
âThe power of anti-evil was once defeated?â
Now that he thought about it, he felt like he had heard of it before. When he desperately combed through his memories, the words Kim Hannah had told him while investigating the warehouse appeared in his mind.
[In Paradise, magic is categorized into seven systems, depending on their application, method, and discipline.]
[Necromancy, anti-evil, summoning, alchemy, elemental, white magic, and black magic.]
[Among these, white magic and black magic were lost along with the Empireâs collapse.]
[The heritage of anti-evil magic apparently disappeared a long time ago after being defeated by the followers of black magic.]
Seol Jihu asked, half in doubt.
A surprised voice sounded out.
[How⌠No, an inheritor of anti-evil magic would naturally know.]
[Good, good. Now. Why arenât you coming in? Donât you need to take your revenge?]
The haze swayed as if to provoke him, but Seol Jihu decided to collect more information first.
âWhy is a black mage here?â
[Hehehehe, Iâll tell you if you come in.]
However, his opponent did not comply.
Needless to say, Seol Jihu had absolutely no intention of entering the cave. Only an idiot would listen to that monster when it was goading him with such obvious intentions.
[Hehe. To see a punk that supposedly wields the power of anti-evil frozen in place in fear. What a sight!]
[Yes. Tremble as much as you wish. A little more⌠Only just a little left. My children are diligently at work. Itâs almost timeâŚ]
âItâs almost time for what?â
Eun Yuri who had been quietly standing to the side spoke up.
She spoke towards the cave.
âThereâs no reason for us to enter. From the looks of it, you seem to be trapped inside anyways. We only need to kill the rest of the killers to leave this place.â
It looked like she also felt the need to collect more information and was throwing out random sentences to bait the monster into talking.
[Kekek! What a cute little girl. Then who⌠huh?]
The black mage suddenly stopped laughing and made a strange noise.
[Ho⌠Now that I look at you, you are rather excellent ⌠No, in the end, youâre still only a human.]
[Itâs quite unfortunate, but youâll still serve as good nourishment. Kehehehe!]
It spoke to itself and laughed at its own words. While Seol Jihu didnât know what it was talking about, he knew it wasnât anything good when it talked about nutrients.
Seol Jihu decided to first match Eun Yuriâs words.
âOh, I guess youâre right. But poor you. Your children will soon end up being killed by my hands.â
But the only response that came back was a mocking laugh.
[This is the problem with all you anti-evil magic usersâŚ]
[Youâre all so stupid. How could people be that stupid?]
[Use your head a little. Itâs because you guys were so reckless, blindly believing in your powerful energy that you were destroyed in the end by us.]
[Well, do whatever you want. I should be thanking you instead. Kehehehe!]
Just where did this black mageâs confidence come from? He knew he shouldnât enter the cave. But seeing its carefree attitude, he felt uncertain whether he should get rid of the remaining killers.
One thing he knew for sure was that the remaining killers would become stronger whenever they were killed by the survivors. When one died, their physical abilities increased, and when two died, their senses were enhanced.
If he killed two more killers leaving only one remaining, he wasnât sure just how strong the last killer would become.
There was a method of obtaining more magic rope to tie up the remaining three killers before killing them all at the same time, but he didnât know how many ropes were available. He also had to take into consideration the time he would expend in finding the ropes and the killers.
He wasnât sure what would happen in the meantime, nor did he think the black mage would just watch and do nothing.
In other words, he was in a dilemma.
Seol Jihu closed his eyes. Seeing was not everything.
Was he treating this tutorial too easily?
That thought flashed in his mind.
After thinking for a while, Seol Jihu arrived at a decision.
He would push on according to their plan.
In any case, he was almost certain that black mage called the Sixth Mother played a pivotal role in this tutorial.
While he didnât know what she was up to, all was good if he got rid of the perpetrator. He felt this was the best option he had at the moment.
Seol Jihu spoke after organizing his thoughts.
âNo matter how I think about it, I think itâs best to kill that thing now.â
Eun Yuri thought for a second before agreeing.
âThe souls of the dead killers went into the cave. Then the remaining killers became stronger. I was curious about the process, but I think thereâs a connection to the Sixth Mother inside that cave.â
In other words, there was a possibility that the remaining killers wouldnât get stronger if they killed the Sixth Mother now.
The two shared the same thought.
[Kill? Do you mean to kill me? Kahahahah!]
Crazy laughter rang out of the cave.
Seol Jihu spoke while staring at the cave.
âLetâs rip one here.â
Eun Yuriâs eyes widened. But that was only for a moment.
She immediately understood and took out a piece of white paper from her bag.
âThereâs nothing else to see. Rip it.â
At Seol Jihuâs order, Eun Yuri ripped the blank paper talisman with hesitation.
[You have used a Necessary Talisman.]
[Scanning for the most needed spell in the current situation. Please wait.]
[Activating the Liberation Forbidden Magic: Territory of Heavenly Jurisdiction.]
[Heavenly light will shine on the designated area and return all evil into nothingness.]
A deafening roar shook the earth as if an earthquake erupted and the sky began to split in half.
The black mage ceased its laughter.
White light spilled out from the crack in the sky.
[That⌠Thatâs impossible! Where did this supreme white magic suddenly come from?]
The dazzling ray of light shined down the entire region beforeâŚ
âŚThe rays focused and rushed into the cave, like a flood.
[Wait, wait! Waaii-aaaack!]
A terrible scream rang out.
In the Neutral Zone, a group of five or six people had gathered in front of a screen to watch the tutorial.
The room should have had a lively atmosphere judging by all the food and alcohol scattered around the floor, but for some reason, everyone was quiet.
The majority were struck speechless as they watched the live stream.
ââŚThis is driving me crazy.â
Chohong wrapped her face in her hands and shouted.
âOf all the things he could have doneâŚ!â Please go to https://www.novelupdates.cc/The-Second-Coming-of-Gluttony/ to read the latest chapters for free