Chapter 10. Revelation and Trial (1)
Step, step.
I strode into the building without hesitation.
I had been here hundreds of times while playing the game, so the layout of the factory was crystal clear to me.
Our destination was the 7th basement level of the abandoned factory—where the entrance to the hidden dungeon of Dark City, Dawnguard: Hidden Dungeon II, was located.
“This is it.”
Before long, we arrived at our destination.
The hallway on B7 connected directly to a dark, cavernous tunnel.
From the stalactites and lake, fluorescent water was flowing. According to the game lore, the cave had been severely contaminated by factory waste.
“Graaaahhh──!”
Right on cue, a chilling roar echoed from far away.
Sensing something ominous, Adelia looked quite bewildered as she spoke.
“How could you possibly know about this place…?”
“I received a revelation.”
A revelation—a prophecy given only to chosen ones, including Swordmasters.
Hearing that, Adelia shut her mouth briefly and then nodded.
Others might not understand, but as a member of the sacred Goldheart family, she couldn’t possibly disregard a divine revelation.
Especially because she believed I was one of the Twelve Swordmasters.
For Lea de Karayan, the magic word was “savior.” For Adelia, it was “revelation.”
Anyway…
Finishing that train of thought, I glanced at my MP window.
〔MP: 1/1〕
‘It takes about 24 hours to recover 1 MP.’
In other words, Soul of the Swordmaster was a one-use-per-day ultimate skill.
In a world like Roel, where danger could appear anytime and anywhere, that usage limit was laughably insufficient.
It meant I had to save it for only the most life-threatening moments.
Which is why…
“Adelia, take the lead.”
…I obviously intended for our bus driver to carry us through this dungeon.
“…?”
Adelia paused and turned back with a puzzled expression.
She asked with a suspicious tone,
“Wait a moment. Did I ever tell you my name…?”
I quickly made up an excuse.
“That was part of the ‘revelation’ too.”
“…Ah.”
Nod, nod.
Adelia nodded in understanding.
As expected, our magic keyword worked like a charm.
Ding!
〔You have entered Dawnguard: Hidden Dungeon II.〕
I followed behind Adelia as we passed through the cave entrance.
A notification floated into view.
I ignored it and kept walking; the translucent window soon disappeared.
“It’s dark.”
Adelia frowned slightly as she walked ahead.
Just as she said, the cave was pitch black.
Only the fluorescent lakes and puddles glowed faintly, providing minimal visibility.
Whoom–!
Adelia drew her sword and activated her aura.
A bluish-green energy began to wrap around the blade.
Her sword burned like a torch. She cautiously advanced, relying on its light.
Screeeeech!
Before long, we encountered the dungeon’s first group of monsters.
〔Lv. 51〕
〔Lv. 52〕
〔Lv. 50〕
Skreeeeee!
Something the size of a forearm shrieked and darted toward us at lightning speed.
It was so fast I couldn’t even react.
“Gasp!”
But Adelia was different.
She swung her sword, and several things fell from the sky.
Thud! Plop!
I looked down at the ground.
Half a dozen fluorescent fairies were sliced clean in half.
Adelia’s sword had neatly severed their torsos.
“I’ll keep moving forward.”
I nodded at her flat-toned report.
Outwardly, I appeared calm—but inside, I was stunned.
What the hell? How was that thing so fast…?
Polluted Tinkerbell.
A Level-50 monster created through illegal experiments in the abandoned factory.
It flies at players and self-destructs—if not intercepted early, it causes serious damage.
In the game, I could dodge them easily…
But in reality, I couldn’t even track it with my eyes.
Maybe it was because my Agility stat was literally 1.
I really need to improve my physical stats soon.
Just as I was lost in thought—
“Swordmaster, sir?”
Adelia, who had gone ahead, called out to me.
Apparently, I had been promoted to “Swordmaster-sir” now.
“I’m not sure if this is the right time to ask, but… could you give me some feedback on the sword technique I just used?”
A sudden, random question.
I shut my mouth for a moment.
Your sword technique…?
I didn’t even see anything properly…
All I saw was a flash of light and monsters splitting in half.
But I couldn’t exactly tell her that, especially not when she was looking at me so expectantly.
Right…
I was supposed to be mentoring her, at least in name.
After a brief hesitation, I said something completely made up.
“There was conflict in your sword path.”
“…!”
“A strike born of a tangled mind cannot be clean. When you raise your sword, forget your worries. Focus solely on that moment.”
Adelia’s eyes widened.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
A soft smile appeared on her lips.
She looked genuinely pleased with my advice.
Hmm.
Why did I suddenly remember a quote I read online?
Something like, “Once you’re famous, even if you crap your pants, people will still applaud.”
…She’s really happy even though I just spewed verbal crap.
As they say, old sayings never lie.
In most RPGs, killing monsters earns you experience points. Accumulate enough, and you level up.
But Lost Elder used a different system.
“Players increase their stats through repetitive actions or training.”
Of course, you could also level up by defeating monsters—on the premise that your real combat experience gave you “insight.”
So no matter how many of the same monster you killed, your experience gain would plateau.
Which meant that simple grinding was pointless in Roel. You couldn’t level up that way.
That’s why I didn’t level up even after killing the Human Butcher, Varva.
Anyway, the reason I brought this up…
Ding!
〔Your HP has slightly increased. (1→2)〕
〔Your Strength has slightly increased. (1→2)〕
…was because my stats had just gone up after walking through this rugged cave.
So my HP and Strength increased already.
I felt sore all over.
My legs trembled, and I was starting to get short of breath.
This little bit of walking and I’m already worn out?
It was honestly pitiful.
Meanwhile, Adelia had cut through monsters like nothing—and didn’t even break a sweat.
“Huff.”
Stop.
Adelia halted.
She wiped the blood from her sword. Fluorescent slime splattered onto the ground.
Then she slowly raised her head and stared at the massive obstacle ahead.
“It seems we’ve reached the end of the cave.”
Rumble…
A giant stone gate, almost 10 meters tall, came into view.
Grotesque murals were carved into its surface—depicting children being kidnapped and used in illegal experiments.
I was all too familiar with this entrance.
…Of course I was. This was the boss room of the dungeon.
“Let’s go in.”
Adelia pushed open the stone gate.
A booming sound echoed as dust rained down from the ceiling.
Creak…
The view beyond the door gradually came into focus.
A cavern with a high ceiling.
Dim moonlight shone through the half-collapsed roof. The waterlogged floor glowed fluorescent green.
Rusting steel pillars barely supported the ceiling.
At the center of the clearing sat a hulking figure, radiating a terrifying aura.
〔Lv. 82〕
Flutter—!
Tattered green rags shifted to reveal translucent wings.
Six monstrous arms, each holding a giant sword.
Its rugged, rough skin was scorched brown and fluorescent green.
It looked like an Asura from Hindu mythology.
If this were the game, its boss name would’ve been displayed above its grotesque face.
[Peterpan, the Kidnapper of Dawnguard]
“Ah…”
Step back.
Adelia instinctively retreated.
The oppressive aura from Peterpan was enough to make even Level 77 Adelia freeze.
Ding!
〔Your MAX Mental Strength resists the opponent’s intimidation.〕
Of course, I was fine.
The passive effect of Soul of the Swordmaster granted full immunity to mental debuffs.
I glanced at Adelia and spoke.
“You’ve warmed up enough by now.”
“…”
“This is the final stage of the training I mentioned earlier. Can you handle it?”
Peterpan.
His name might sound silly, but he was one of the toughest bosses in the entire game.
Forget his high stats—his attack patterns were complex and deadly.
If Adelia fought him now, she’d probably die 7 out of 10 times.
“Hoo…”
Adelia surely knew that.
Veterans above Level 75 could sense each other’s strength. She could tell the odds were against her.
Shing—!
Even so, Adelia raised her sword without hesitation.
And slowly approached him.
“If I can gain insight… then I’ll gladly face him—”
KAAAANG──!
Suddenly, red sparks flew.
In a blink, Peterpan was right in front of her, swinging his sword.
Adelia blocked it instinctively, her eyes wide with shock.
“What the—?!”
The strike was fast and heavy.
Her hands trembled from the impact.
But there was no time to rest.
Six massive blades began to rain down like a storm.
“Wendyyyy─!”
Whoosh!
Peterpan flapped his wings and leapt into the air, twisting his body as he launched more slashes.
His speed defied his massive frame.
Adelia staggered back, barely managing to defend.
Those she couldn’t block left wounds.
Less than five minutes had passed, yet her body was already covered in cuts.
Yeah… this is too much.
Peterpan was far more dangerous than I expected.
I had hoped Adelia might gain insight from this battle, but at this rate, she’d die meaninglessly.
…I made my decision.
I pulled out my trump card.
Thanks for your effort, Adelia.
She had fulfilled her role just by bringing me to the boss room.
From here on, I would take over.
Shing—!
I drew the Feather Sword.
It was so light it felt like an extension of my hand.
Suddenly, everything went dark. It wasn’t intentional—my body instinctively shut its eyes, remembering the storm from last time.
And then—
〔MP: 1/1〕
Tick.
〔MP: 0/1〕
…For the briefest moment, an overwhelming sense of omnipotence engulfed my entire body.
