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[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter 16: A Fleeting Revelation (4)
Was it around my third playthrough?
Anyway, it was something that happened back in my early days as a noob, not long after I’d first started Lost Elder.
I’d been wandering around the Free City of Veritas as usual when—
“P-Please… my husband’s body… no, even a keepsake—anything, please find it for me.”
—an NPC widow suddenly approached me with a request.
She wanted me to find any trace of her husband, who was presumed dead while traveling to the Dark City of Dungard.
“Oh, nice. I was planning to head into the frontier anyway…”
Click.
Without much thought, I accepted the quest.
To be honest, deaths while crossing the frontier weren’t rare at all—especially now that the end of the world was accelerating.
The number of people searching for missing family members had increased, and I figured this was just another one of those ordinary fetch quests.
“Hmm? Wait a sec.”
But the more I progressed through the quest, the more I felt something was off.
“No matter how I look at this trail…”
Eventually, I discovered the truth.
The NPC’s husband hadn’t died in some tragic accident.
His death was the first warning sign—the very first signal that marked the beginning of the world's collapse.
Wuuuuung… Wuuuung…!
The Silk Road—a path that protected travelers crossing the frontier.
It had long been considered an inviolable safe zone.
The barrier formed by magic stones punished any approaching monsters, and before long, monsters had come to instinctively avoid this path altogether.
Knowing that, one of the merchants shouted with a shaky voice, “D-Don’t panic! The barrier is still functioning perfectly!”
The Silk Road only became dangerous in one scenario: if the supply of magic stones faltered and the barrier lost power.
So as long as the barrier remained stable, no monster attack could breach it.
Thud—!
…Or at least, that’s what people used to believe.
“W-What the hell…?”
That belief was now crumbling into dust.
KWA-GWAGWAGWAGWANG──!!
Without hesitation, the monsters slammed straight into the barrier.
Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere, staining the translucent surface.
“What the hell are those things…?”
A mercenary muttered, voice trembling with a mix of fear and confusion.
Thud. SPLAT. CRUNCH—!
Most of the monsters died instantly from the impact, and the few that survived were trampled to death by the waves that followed.
Their corpses piled up endlessly against the barrier.
“Ha… Hahaha…”
Nervous chuckles broke out amid sighs of relief.
“They’re just brainless idiots, aren’t they?”
“Pfft! What were we so worried about? They're just smashing their own heads in on the barrier!”
But that fragile sense of relief didn’t last long.
Within moments, the barrier was completely drenched in monster gore. The number of creatures charging into it just kept growing.
Cr-cr-cr-crack—!
And then—thin cracks began forming across the barrier’s surface.
“Wh-What…?!”
Everyone went pale.
“Run! Drive at full speed—now! Push the wagons to their limits!” The caravan master screamed, veins bulging from his neck. “We’ll make a straight shot for Veritas—don’t stop until we get there!”
“...What?”
Confusion flashed across the merchants’ faces, but only for a moment.
In this world, hesitation was death.
Before their minds could even catch up, their bodies moved—driven by sheer survival instinct.
“Get on board! Move—get on the wagons, now!”
The merchants, realizing the gravity of the situation, began leaping onto the moving wagons one by one.
Their eyes were filled with only one thing: the will to live.
“Dump the cargo! Lighten the load!”
Crash! Clatter!
At someone’s shout, they began tossing out crates.
Expensive goods spilled onto the dirt, rolling away—yet no one cared.
Not even the caravan master, who’d been transporting them.
‘Smart. Knows when to let go of greed in a crisis.’
A seasoned move, befitting a veteran.
In a situation this desperate, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the merchants had turned on the caravan and hijacked it.
When survival is at stake, even fellow humans can become threats.
Better to abandon material goods than die a meaningless death at someone’s hand.
Even the most precious treasures are worthless compared to one’s life.
“Sir Gaon.”
In the midst of the chaos, I heard Adelia’s voice.
She was gripping her sword—no idea when she’d drawn it.
She stared at me, waiting—like a hound awaiting its master’s command.
I responded in a deliberately calm tone, “Wait and conserve your strength. You can move once the barrier falls. That won’t be too late now.”
“What? But…”
She glanced at the barrier.
The cracks were spreading. I could tell she wanted to act before the situation worsened.
I cut in before she could protest further.
“Didn’t I already say? That monster wave isn’t the end of it.”
“……”
“Don’t make me say it twice. Our enemy isn’t the horde—it’s the one responsible for unleashing it.”
Adelia bit her lip, then gave a nod.
“...Yes. Understood.”
Clatter. Rattle.
The wagons shuddered violently. The coachman snapped the reins, pushing the horses to their limits.
“Hyah! Hyahhh!!”
Under his screams, the speed increased steadily.
But it wasn’t enough.
Even the caravan master sensed it—his eyes darted anxiously toward the back.
‘At this speed, we’ll be caught in no time.’
〔MP: 1 / 1〕
I instinctively checked my mana window. I had enough to use the skill.
If I activated [Soul of the Swordmaster] right now, I could wipe out that entire wave.
Even Adelia, at Level 77, had annihilated a pack of Scavenger Wolves in one blow.
So you can imagine what that meant for me.
‘But still…’
No matter what, I couldn’t use the skill recklessly.
A trump card should be saved until the final moment.
If I panicked and used [Soul of the Swordmaster] too early, I could end up in even greater danger.
‘…More importantly, until that thing shows itself, I need to let Adelia handle everything.’
Yeah.
For now, I’d just have to trust our designated “bus driver.”
After all, bringing Adelia along was specifically to prepare for a moment like this.
“It’s breaking—! The barrier’s breaking—gaaahh!”
KWA-BOOOOOM—!
A deafening explosion rang out from behind.
The Silk Road’s barrier had finally collapsed, unable to withstand the constant impacts.
“Damn it!”
The caravan master cursed through gritted teeth.
“Faster! Go faster!”
At his frantic cries, the coachman whipped the reins again.
KRUMBLE-RUMBLE—!
The earth trembled as monsters pounded toward us, their footfalls shaking the ground.
“Aaaaaaaghhh!!”
Screams erupted from all sides.
Wagons that had lagged behind or failed to depart quickly enough were swallowed up by the incoming flood of monsters.
Agonized cries, splintering wood, and monstrous roars filled the air.
THUD—!
Of course, our wagon didn’t escape the shockwave either.
“Adelia.”
At my call, she immediately looked to me.
Her eyes said she was ready to leap out and slash through the monsters at a moment’s notice.
But—
As I said earlier, that’s not her role.
“Protect me.”
KRAAAANG—!!
The wagon shook violently again.
A roar loud enough to tear eardrums—and then, the wagon flipped.
VWOOOOOOOOM—!
The world spun. I was flung into the air, ejected from the wagon.
Even without using Ritardando, everything slowed down.
Adelia’s shocked face. Cargo flying through the air. And the ground rushing up to meet me.
“Sir Gaon…!”
I heard her desperate cry.
In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance and wrapped her arms tightly around me—
THUD—!
—just before a massive impact engulfed us.
* * *
Getting swept up in a monster wave?
A wagon flipping over?
That’s fine.
All of that was well within the range of what I’d accounted for.
If it was Adelia, she could easily protect me—even in a situation like this.
“Urgh…”
Well, except for one thing.
What I didn’t factor in… was that I’d be too dizzy to even function from just this much.
In terms of the game, and in terms of actual impact, my HP hadn’t dropped by even 1 point.
But still—this constant flipping and spinning of my vision?
Yeah, this was a first for me.
In other words—motion sickness.
“Haa… Hah…”
Thankfully, I barely managed to keep myself from puking.
Instead, the iron-rich stench of blood stabbed at my nose, snapping me back to my senses.
I slowly propped myself up.
‘Ugh… I’m gonna be sick…’
Through my swirling, unsteady vision, I scanned the area.
It was a massacre.
Wreckage from the shattered wagon.
Monster corpses strewn everywhere.
Blood and flesh soaked the dirt, turning the whole place into something that resembled a battlefield.
Saaaah—.
Just a moment ago, it had been absolute chaos.
Now, it was silent. Deathly silent.
Of course.
While I’d been groaning in misery, Adelia had dealt with the entire monster wave—alone.
“Are you all right, Sir Gaon…?”
Huff, huff—
Right then, I heard Adelia’s breathless voice.
She stood with her back to me, sword still in hand.
Her body was covered in wounds. Her armor was torn and drenched in blood.
And yet, she remained standing—silent and firm. As if declaring that no matter what threat came next, she would protect me.
‘…And the truth is, she really did protect me. Perfectly.’
Even with her body in that state, my HP hadn’t dropped by even a sliver.
“Main force, huff… I’ve… protected Sir Gaon.”
Adelia spoke through ragged breaths.
She was exactly like her in-game self.
She didn’t question why I’d abruptly ordered her to protect me.
She didn’t wonder what reason lay behind it.
Once she said she’d follow my lead, that was it—she’d obey the command to the letter.
Purpose didn’t matter.
‘She’s got more than enough of her own baggage. Asking about someone else’s reasons might even feel disrespectful to her.’
Once again, I was convinced—choosing Adelia as our “bus driver” had been the best possible decision.
‘Well, that aside…’
I mumbled as I glanced up toward the dark night sky, “...It should be showing up about now.”
KIEEEEEEK—!
A bone-chilling screech rang out from above.
A massive shadow blotted out the moonlight, passing over our heads.
KWA-RANG! KWA-RURURUNG—!
A fierce wind howled, and thunderclouds swallowed the sky in an instant.
Lightning flashed across the heavens.
“Ah…”
Adelia’s eyes widened.
She looked up at the sky, frozen, tension written all over her face.
【Lv. 90】
Sky Dragonbird
The incarnation of storm and thunder.
The sovereign ruler of the skies.
Its enormous body looked ready to devour entire mountain ranges.
Each of its scales gleamed like a bolt of lightning.
Its monstrous appearance—part dragon, part bird—was the very embodiment of a catastrophe.
The sheer aura of death radiating from it was enough to make your skin crawl.
Ding—!
〔Your MAX Mental Strength resists the overwhelming pressure.〕
The air around us grew heavy.
The Sky Dragonbird’s oppressive presence weighed down the entire world.
And if it was this overwhelming for me, with my maxed-out Mental stat… then how must it have felt for Adelia?
“W-Why in the world…”
As expected, Adelia’s voice trembled with fear.
“…Why would an Elder Divine Beast attack humans?”
I ignored her question and issued a command in a cold, clear voice, “This is the second Trial, Adelia.”
━━━━━━━━━━━━
【Ritardando: True】
(Cooldown Remaining: 581 seconds)
━━━━━━━━━━━━
“Hold out for exactly 10 minutes.”
Crisis begets opportunity, or so they say.
And right now, this moment—was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
‘If everything goes according to plan…’
This moment would become the catalyst for tremendous growth.
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[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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