Light of Arad: Forerunner

Chapter 44

Jinseong tightly gripped the *Lotus’s Thorned Tentacle*.

It wasn’t that he had let his guard down, as such objects hadn’t appeared in the previous dungeons he’d explored.

‘In the game, once a user moves to the next room, the objects in the previous room don’t activate. Naturally, that includes objects that periodically respawn monsters.’

It was a realization that something unusual had happened, something that typically didn’t occur.

Considering the possibility that this system might apply to him in more dangerous locations, he could only be thankful he discovered it now.

If he had overlooked this while in the place where dragon eggs pulsate, he would have been forced to face dozens of baby dragons.

‘Well, of course. Since Arad is now my reality… it’s not just about advantages.’

Even though he had been happy to name his creature without a *Creature Renaming Ticket*, he had to get used to penalties like this being applied in such a way.

It was one thing to know that, but the fact that it still sent chills down his spine was another matter.

A mound of dirt covered in thick spider webs, spider eggs stuck here and there, and small spiders emerging from them—Mini Marfisas made Jinseong shiver.

“Ugh, Mini Marfisas… They were such a pain even back then.”

Jinseong, trying to destroy the spider nest, clicked his tongue as he looked at the swarm of Mini Marfisas blocking his path.

Faced with spiders the size of small dogs or cats, it made sense that Jinseong was more filled with anger than fear.

‘Really small monsters are annoying to deal with. It’s hard to hit them properly.’

In his past as a *Dungeon & Fighter* user, he had been caught by the ankle by these tiny Mini Marfisas, only to be attacked by other monsters.

However, considering that their hitboxes were much larger now, didn’t that mean the monsters themselves were much bigger than they felt in the game?

Whether that could be considered fortunate or not was hard to say.

“.”

Jinseong used *Dark Rave* to pull dozens of spiders toward him.

“Kieeeek-!”

After gathering them all together with the suction power of the skill, what followed was a new skill that could be learned at level 30.

“.”

Without the dark-attribute orb skill that shoots energy forward, Jinseong wouldn’t have been able to feel so relaxed in front of dozens of spider-sized creatures.

*Whooshhhh─!*

“Kikikikik!”

“Kikikiik!”

The orb, which spun rapidly while scattering dark energy, hit the Mini Marfisas multiple times, dealing damage.

In *Dungeon & Fighter*, regular monsters couldn’t move when hit by attacks.

As the *Dark Ball* slowed and exploded at the end, the dozens of Mini Marfisas, unable to escape the range of the *Dark Ball* due to the *Dark Rave*, shattered and burst apart.

‘Not bad. It felt like I had been training for this ever since I fought those brainwashed cultists back at Behemoth.’

After defeating the Apostle Lotus and moving to the Alpraira base, Jinseong could feel it.

It wasn’t just because he had gotten a good item.

More than the sense of controlling a character in a game, he was becoming perfectly attuned to the body of the Dark Knight.

Jinseong clenched his fist.

“Mm.”

“Grrrk.”

Beside him, his creature flapped its tentacles as if imitating Jinseong’s movements.

Jinseong chuckled at the creature.

“You don’t even have hands… You’re an octopus, after all.”

“Grrk!? Grroook!”

“Oh, are you talking back now? You look like an octopus stuffed into a box, you know… Actually, I just thought of a name for you.”

“Grroook, grrroook!”

The creature, which was flapping its tentacles and wings as if disliking being called an octopus, reminded Jinseong of something.

The Apostle Lotus, who had been trapped in the GBL Church building.

And how that appearance had been simplified into an adorably small creature.

A creature that looked like an octopus in a box?

The perfect name came to him.

“Takoyaki. No, that’s too long for four syllables. Takko. From now on, your name is Takko.”

“Grrok, grrroook-!”

Takko circled around Jinseong, flicking its tongue and flapping its tentacles, trying to express its feelings, but Jinseong paid no mind.

“Feeling salty, are you? It doesn’t matter. You’re Takko. Takko, Takko, Takoyaki.”

He teased it, urging it to get used to its new name.

Jinseong played with Takko for a moment as he looked around the dungeon.

“Besides, since it seems like the Male Priest is on his way without any problems…!”

Even after reaching the end of the spider lair, there were no unexpected occurrences.

His last worry had been whether some issue, which was now ‘part of the past story’, might arise here.

‘If something like the Spider Princess Angelina were to pop out, that would be serious contamination. I was worried something like that would mess up the story, but apparently not.’

The Male Priest user was probably moving smoothly with Roel, the elf representative, and Paris, the human representative.

Seeing that the undead were awakening as expected, it seemed that Spirazzi’s influence wasn’t much different from what Jinseong had experienced in the game. This meant the dark elf hero, Lunggell, would have safely awakened as well.

‘So the users will clear the path to Underfoot, and I’ll follow at my own pace.’

With that, Jinseong could now focus on what he needed to do.

He turned to Takko.

“Takko.”

“Grroook!”

Then, he gave his order.

“Gather all the Marfisa, Poison Marfisa, Mini Marfisa—whatever spider corpses are lying around.”

Considering not only the Marfisa spiders that Jinseong had killed but also those killed by users, the total number would be staggering.

Takko blinked its eyes, flapping its wings.

“…Grrrk?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t understand. Get moving, or I’ll change your name to something like Squid Fishcake.”

“Grrroooook!”

Takko quickly flew off to start collecting the spider corpses.

Jinseong smiled with satisfaction as he watched Takko follow his orders, using its tongue and tentacles.

‘This works too. Great, great.’

He had discovered yet another way to use a creature, something only Jinseong, who had possessed this body, could do—something no *Dungeon & Fighter* player could achieve.

—

The path to Underfoot itself wasn’t particularly dangerous.

Since the user had already swept through the Hero’s Underground Tomb, the Lava Cave, and other dungeons where monsters and major bosses would appear, the Male Priest user was even progressing on to the next quest.

‘Hah, we’re almost there. And the user, along with the elders of the Penneth Kingdom and their forces, are all gathered in that direction…’

The Death Dragon Spirazzi.

The user had detected the presence of one of the three great dragons, who was finally unsealing itself, and now, alongside the resurrected dark elf hero, Lunggell, was fighting to seal Spirazzi once more with the help of the Penneth Kingdom’s elders.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Jinseong had managed to slip past Spirazzi’s tomb and arrive near Underfoot.

In some ways, it was sheer luck, but Jinseong was panting for breath.

Even Takko struggled, flapping its wings and tentacles, swaying as if it could barely stay afloat.

“Grrrk, grrroook.”

“You won’t have to face him directly, so don’t worry. After all, you’re modeled after an Apostle, aren’t you?”

Though Jinseong chided Takko, he could understand its fear.

It was the first time he had encountered the presence of the Death Dragon Spirazzi.

He hadn’t even seen him in person.

He had only passed by the sealed iron cage where he was trapped.

And yet, Spirazzi, focused on the user’s quest and locked in battle with them, had still left Jinseong utterly shaken.

‘Even so… even just passing by. That’s what they call the “Dominion Effect,” huh? Just walking past was enough to make breathing hard, filling me with terror, pressure, anxiety… Even my skin feels itchy somehow.’

Despite slipping by in a matter of seconds, the massive energy of Spirazzi had etched itself into his body, leaving a lasting impression.

Since Jinseong thought he knew Spirazzi well, the shock hit him even harder.

‘I fought him hundreds of times in the game. I thought I knew his attack patterns inside and out. And this isn’t even Spirazzi at full power.’

Spirazzi had barely broken the seal, recovering only a sliver of his former strength.

To exaggerate slightly, Spirazzi had regained less than 5% of his power compared to his prime.

Even with that, Spirazzi made Jinseong’s legs tremble.

So what would Spirazzi be like at full power?

‘Damn… When I face the fully grown True Dragon in the *Machine Revolution*, Spirazzi in his prime will be…’

What would that be like? How strong would he be?

Jinseong shook his head.

‘Who knows when I’ll even get to that point. And even if I do, I… I’m just a Bucipke. I might not have to face him directly… but I

should still prepare.’

Though Spirazzi was a concern for the distant future, that wasn’t all.

Another dragon among the ‘three great dragons’ alongside Spirazzi.

‘The Ice Dragon Skasa… He’ll be awakening soon.’

He wouldn’t be at full strength either.

Having just awoken from his slumber and being far from sane, he would be stronger than Spirazzi was now.

Which meant that Jinseong needed to start preparing for Skasa from now on.

‘Hmm, what should I do? I have a feeling Skasa’s corruption might involve me more directly. But what should I prepare for…?’

When the time came to face the three great dragons, could Jinseong take control and turn the situation in his favor?

It was while he was mulling over these thoughts that a green light began to flood his vision.

Even though the underground of Mount Alpraira remained dark due to the lack of proper lighting, the presence of this light—clearly not natural—meant only one thing.

“We’ve arrived at Underfoot.”

The capital of the dark elves’ kingdom of Penneth.

Although the entrance was located within Mount Alpraira, the many monsters roaming the area made it difficult to approach. On top of that, Underfoot itself was located deep underground, making it nearly inaccessible to outsiders.

Finally, Jinseong had reached Underfoot.

—

Moving swiftly, Jinseong hid himself and scanned his surroundings.

‘I expected a spooky atmosphere, but… this place feels more unreal than anything. It’s a stranger sensation than I felt at Sky Castle.’

He wasn’t sightseeing.

Even now, the Duchy of Bell Meyer and the Kingdom of Penneth were in a standoff.

Though the two had been trying to resolve their misunderstandings and work together at the border, here in the capital, Underfoot, the dark elves had no reason to harbor goodwill toward humans.

‘There were no guards, so I managed to sneak in… but if I get caught, things could get ugly.’

Jinseong felt relatively at ease since he had seen the bulk of the Penneth Kingdom’s forces gathered near Spirazzi’s tomb.

Since they had left, security was bound to be lax.

Moreover, Jinseong remembered Underfoot’s lore: ‘No one, aside from the dark elves, knows its exact location or path.’

‘There’s no way they’d bother stationing guards or building watchtowers all over the place.’

Still, he couldn’t relax completely.

He knew the reason for that too.

How long had it been since Jinseong had been hiding in a secluded corner of Underfoot Square?

Jinseong could see the dark elves, including the Male Priest user, returning to Underfoot and heading toward the royal palace.

The Death Dragon Spirazzi, barely released from his seal, had lost his strength due to Lunggell’s sacrificial battle, which had drained the dragon’s energy.

‘In the chaos, thanks to the adventurer’s efforts, they managed to barely reseal him… And though things seem to have smoothed over between the Duchy and the Kingdom…!’

Why had Spirazzi resurrected? Why had the Death Dragon, who had been dormant until recently, started moving?

It was all because of humans! That was the kind of nonsense being spread by the elders of the Penneth Kingdom, delaying the peace agreement.

‘And the result of that is… Exactly, that’s how it should be.’

Jinseong clicked his tongue without realizing it as he watched.

Two NPCs were being dragged out of the palace—Princess Paris of the Slums and the dark elf giant, Roel.

Both were being temporarily imprisoned.

“Let me go! I said I’m going!”

“…Damn it, this is a disgrace to our dark elves, do you understand?”

Even though Roel was also a dark elf, the elders didn’t go easy on him, solely because he had been friendly with adventurers.

To rescue the two, the Penneth Kingdom’s elders had only one condition for the adventurer.

‘To personally verify the cure… by investigating the site of the plague’s outbreak.’

The adventurer would now head to Noirepera, the site where the plague first erupted.

Alongside another dark elf, Minette, who would serve as both guide and watcher.

Watching Minette move alongside the Male Priest user, Jinseong carefully tailed them.

The first dungeon in the Noirepera region: The Tyrant King’s Altar.

Jinseong knew this dungeon’s story and structure had been greatly altered.

He had worried that if the contamination had spread, the past and current situations might have intertwined. But contrary to his concerns, nothing happened.

Instead, Jinseong found himself perplexed.

Because as soon as he followed the Male Priest user and Minette into the second dungeon, he saw something.

‘What… what is this? Could it be—?’

Jinseong reached out and grabbed one of the objects he saw.

He could grab it.

The name of this quest was *A Place Full of Gold*.

The name of the second dungeon in the Noirepera region was ‘Gold Mine’.

What Jinseong held in his hand was gold.

Not something that had the appearance of gold through magic, but real gold.