Chapter 365: Chapter 365: Responsibility (3)

‘Ghostly Canyon’, the entrance to the 7th floor of the labyrinth, the Dark Continent.

Once you passed through this canyon, you would reach the lake where the royal forces were currently stationed. And from there, there were three different paths.

The first was the River of Souls, which flowed into the lake.

It was the fastest route to the Dragon’s Mountain Range, the heart of the Dark Continent…

‘That’s where Bellarios appears.’

…and the place where I could obtain the essence that would be responsible for my Magic Resistance in the late game.

Well, I wouldn’t be going there this time since I was on patrol duty.

Anyway.

The second path was a vast jungle east of the River of Souls, called the Great Forest.

It was so large that it was further divided into several sub-fields, but that was its official name.

And…

The third path was the Pantelion Ruins, located west of the River of Souls.

It was the destination of the 4th Patrol Team, which I was currently a member of.

“Forward march!”

The patrol team reorganized its formation at the entrance of the ruins, which were practically abandoned, and entered the field.

Of course, the purpose of the patrol team was active defense, so we wouldn’t be going deep into the ruins.

But…

“Front line, forward!”

“Shield wall!”

…this place was teeming with monsters.

[Grrrr…!]

Starting with modified beasts with metallic bodies, like golems…

Kaboom! Kaboom!

…giant magic engineering golems…

Whiiiiiish!

…and mechanical flying monsters that zipped around like drones.

The monsters that had been slumbering in the ruins emerged, sensing the intruders.

But they couldn’t reach us.

Kwaaang!

The monsters were blocked by a wall of humans.

It was a strange sight.

I never thought I would be looking at someone’s back from this angle.

‘So this is what they usually see.’

I was lost in thought for a moment, and then I smashed the monsters that were trying to escape to the sides with my hammer as soon as the order to attack was given.

「Character has cast [Swing].」

「Gigawolf defeated. EXP +4」

The monsters at the entrance of the Pantelion Ruins weren’t that high-level, even on the 7th floor, so none of them could withstand a single blow.

The impact felt different since they were mechanically modified.

Clank, crack, thud!

‘This is so easy, I just have to swing my hammer.’

“Front line, step aside!”

The commander of the patrol team shouted, and the tanks moved in unison, opening a path in the center.

The monsters rushed through the gap…

“Liona Er Efpura!”

…but a joint magic spell had already been completed in the rear.

Whoosh!

A beam of light shot forward from the center of the formation, piercing through fifteen large monsters and breaking their formation. We were then able to quickly clean up the remaining monsters.

‘…Hunting is definitely easier in a raid group. And the tanks are much safer with a priest.’

Although their average level was low, there were over a hundred monsters, but it took less than ten minutes to clear them all.

Well, we had over thirty people on our side.

Even if we killed a hundred monsters, the individual reward wouldn’t be that significant.

“No essences dropped, so gather the magic stones and let’s move on!”

The patrol team continued to… well, patrol, following the predetermined route.

And…

‘Wow, I’ll get over 100 experience points today.’

I had already killed over 20 new types of monsters during this patrol.

Although their levels were low, there were many unique species that only appeared in this field.

“Good work, everyone.”

After about ten hours of patrol, we handed over the reins to the next shift and returned to the base.

And we each received a token from the administrative staff.

It was a token that proved our share of the loot from today’s patrol.

We could submit it to the Achievement Office in the city and receive our payment…

“Hey, buddy.”

I turned around as someone called out to me.

I couldn’t help but tilt my head.

“…Who are you?”

I didn’t remember having a friend like him, and besides…

“What’s with that ‘I’ve never seen you before’ look? We were right next to each other during the battle.”

Uh, were we?

Now that I think about it, maybe we were…

It’s best to brush it off and change the subject in situations like this.

“Ah, so what do you want?”

The man patted my shoulder as if he was my superior.

“You were a beast in that fight.”

Hmm, was he trying to be friendly?

I decided to be humble.

“You must have low standards.”

“What?”

He frowned.

It wasn’t my concern.

I brushed his hand off my shoulder.

Thud.

It had been bothering me.

If he wanted to be friends, he should at least look me in the eye.

“So what do you want?”

The man also wiped the fake smile off his face.

And…

“I just wanted to give you some advice.”

…he said something unexpected.

“…Advice?”

“It seems like you just blindly focused on strength. You’ll be in danger someday if you keep absorbing essences like that.”

He then drew a dagger and cut his arm.

“See? It doesn’t cut easily, even if I use all my strength. An explorer shouldn’t just focus on strength, you need balance, like me—”

“What the hell, you’re just an idiot.”

“…?”

“Ah, sorry. I was thinking out loud.”

He glared at me, offended, even though I apologized.

Damn it, he looks like he would die if I flicked him.

How dare he brag about his measly Physical Resistance in front of me?

“By the way, what’s your name?”

But I asked for his name, just in case.

“Melivor Eltein.”

What, it’s not even Hans?

“I see. See you around.”

“Mister, what are you doing?”

“My companions are here.”

I left, trying to forget his name.

___________________

So, his name was Melivor…

‘What was it again?’

I couldn’t remember, but unfortunately, I never saw him again.

I continued to be assigned to patrol teams, but I was always in a different one…

The reason was simple.

Each patrol team was assigned to a specific area.

Well, it was a rational decision from the command center’s perspective.

If a patrol team was always in the same area, they would become familiar with the terrain and their teamwork would improve.

It wouldn’t have been possible to switch teams so often…

…unless you had connections in the military’s upper echelon.

[Raven, I heard the 11th Patrol Team is going on a deep patrol this time…]

[Okay, I’ll write you a recommendation letter.]

[Thank you.]

Thanks to Raven’s help, I was able to visit the River of Souls and the Great Forest, as well as the Pantelion Ruins.

Of course, we only patrolled the outskirts of each area, so there were still many monsters I hadn’t encountered.

But I gained experience points every time I switched teams.

And time flew by, and now…

「Character level has increased.」

「Soul Power +30.」

「Maximum number of absorbable essences increased by +1.」

…I finally reached level 7, and I had another essence slot.

I could add another synergy to my current build.

‘The money problem is practically solved, so I don’t have to participate in the war anymore. I should farm essences next time.’

Ah, but I would need a boat first, right?

That’s when, as I was lost in thought…

…I realized that my surroundings were quiet.

“Raven.”

“What?”

“Where did Erwen and Emily go?”

“That woman said she was going to take a nap in the tent, and Erwen… well, she followed her soon after.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“So that’s all you wanted to ask?”

Raven was already reading another document, not even looking at me.

Geez, at least give me time to answer.

‘Come to think of it… it’s just the two of us.’

I stepped back, trying not to disturb her work, and I felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

Whenever I met Raven after our reunion, Amelia or Erwen was always with us.

‘Maybe I should ask her about something I’ve been curious about.’

“Raven.”

“What is it now?”

“What was that… ‘incident’ you mentioned before?”

Raven’s hand, which was writing something, flinched as I cautiously asked.

And she glanced at me.

“What incident?”

Don’t play dumb.

“You said it before, in front of the cage. That something happened after you entered the Magic Tower…”

“…I don’t want to talk about it. It’s not important.”

“…Is that so? Then I can’t force you.”

I gave up on my curiosity, even though I was usually shameless, especially since it seemed like a sensitive topic.

And…

“Then how’s your mother doing? Is she well?”

…I decided to just chat with her.

It was also a slightly sensitive topic, but I was involved this time.

“Did you… know something…?”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head at her strange reaction, and Raven quickly tried to change the subject.

“It’s nothing. But… why are you suddenly asking about my mother? I don’t think you should be curious about that.”

“Why not? I’m the one who persuaded your mother to send you to the Magic Tower.”

Raven flinched at my casual remark.

“…………Wh, what did you say?”

“I don’t know if you remember, but you came to the library after your mom beat you up. You were crying and asked me to help you—”

“That… never happened!!”

“Huh? You said you barely remembered what happened back then?”

“Even so, I… I believe it never happened.”

“Oh, really?”

“Don’t tease me, and just tell me. Is that true? You persuaded my mother…?”

“Yes.”

I then told her what had happened in the past.

I had glossed over it back then because we didn’t have time.

I wanted to have this kind of conversation.

To be precise, I wanted to know how much of a positive impact I had on causality.

After all, I might have to use the ‘Fragment of Records’ again someday.

‘Ah, but I shouldn’t tell her about that part.’

But I omitted part of my conversation with her mother.

There was a simple reason.

[She’ll abandon me.]

[She’ll look down on me after becoming successful. And then she’ll leave for her own world. Just like he did… because she’s his blood…]

[Isn’t this wrong? Why is her life so easy? She’s my daughter, but I’ve never met anyone who helped me like that. But… but why is she…]

How could I tell her that?

Especially not in front of her.

“Let’s forget about what happened at the library. Just tell me what you talked about with your mother that day.”

“Nothing special. I just persuaded her to send you to the Magic Tower and said I would pay for everything, and she refused.”

“Refused…?”

“Ah, to be precise, she refused the money. She said the Magic Tower had already sent someone a few days ago. You caught their eye because you were using magic on everyone at such a young age.”

“I see… so that’s why she suddenly changed her mind…”

“Ahem, it’s a bit awkward to say this myself, but in a way, I’m your benefactor…”

Raven ignored my subtle attempt to appeal to her.

“….”

How rude.

“So… how’s your mother doing? Are you two getting along now?”

Raven answered coldly as I changed the subject.

“I wish we could.”

“…Huh?”

“She’s dead.”

“…….”

“Ah, uh… I, I see. I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was sick or anything…”

I was so flustered that I stuttered, desperately trying to salvage the situation, but it was too late.

“It wasn’t a health issue. It wasn’t an accident either. And she didn’t die of old age.”

“…Then?”

“She hanged herself.”

“…….”

“It was about a month after I entered the Magic Tower. I went home for a week because of an assignment my master gave me…”

Raven spoke in a flat voice, as if reading from an old diary.

“There was a rotten smell coming from her bedroom. That was the last time I saw her.”

“…….”

“Don’t make that expression. It’s all in the past. It’s not like it’s a big deal for someone to die.”

Raven tried to comfort me, but I was speechless.

Her words only made me remember more vividly…

[Isn’t it strange? I’ve spent my entire life working for just this one room in this shithole.]

…our last conversation.

And after our conversation ended…

[What was the point of my life?]

…the way she staggered towards the back alley, her spirit broken.