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Author’s remarks
The subtitle has been changed from ‘The First Apostle’ to ‘Archbishop Gregory’ .
Originally, I thought the content about ‘Ian’ would be the main one, so I made the subtitle like this, but as I progressed through the story, there were so many other things… I think ‘Archbishop Gregory’ was more appropriate.
＜ 19. Arpan’s Burnt Offering (1) ＞
Perfect darkness where not even a speck of light can be seen. Even in a midnight forest where the moon does not rise, vague outlines of objects are bound to be visible, but this space only provided a view as if it were covered with black drawing paper .
There was not even a sound. Silence like a dead mouse. Even the slightest noise that could be heard if there was a living being was absent. As long as I didn’t hear tinnitus in my ears, it would be a long way from hearing anything here .
A space where you can’t even feel the texture of an inanimate object, let alone the warmth of living things, and make all your senses cumbersome .
Small cracks began to appear in the space .
The green light cluster, which was not even a crumb, gradually increased in size, and soon drew a large arc in a spiral. Among them, the yukmangseong that appears clearly. Through the summoning circle, someone appeared .
The guide of the dungeon, with two horns rising from his temples, the eyes of a mountain goat emitting blue eyes, wearing a mouse-colored robe and black boots, holding an iron cage .
As soon as Arpan entered the space, he lowered his body and got down on one knee. A deep voice cut through the silence .
“ My humble servant begs to see you, my lord .”
Then something started to wriggle in the dark. A being completely indistinguishable from the background broke away from the darkness and lifted up its eyes, which glowed with multicolored light .
[… What’s the matter, Arpan ?]
A message with overwhelming weight, as if gripping and squeezing the heart. It had such a majesty that even a feeble mortal’s soul could be torn apart just by trying to interpret the will contained in that voice .
Before Arpan entered this place, he gathered an artifact that amplified resistance and cast countless protective spells on himself. Even so, Arpan couldn’t stop the pressure from shaking his soul and making him short of breath .
After barely breathing, Arpan opens his mouth again .
“ The challenger chosen by the master has obtained the key to the hideout of ‘him’. Because of that, they threatened to give me a penalty if I didn’t bring it out, and I actually did, but I didn’t really care. At this rate, it will probably reach the 80th floor without difficulty .”
“…”
The being in front showed no reaction. An extremely heavy and uncomfortable silence. An ominous intuition ran down his back. Arfan involuntarily swallowed his saliva .
It wasn’t until he was about to go crazy with the pressure, that the being in front of him opened his mouth .
[ So what are you going to do?]
“… in order to prevent the challenger from entering the hideout… Instead of just using an indirect method like now, I’ll use my hands to steal the key, or else I’ll kill it… ugh, kek, kek !”
Arpan couldn’t finish talking normally. The black space that seemed like a background was twisted, and it became a strong grip and strangled me .
The moment they made contact, the protective spells they had put all their heart and soul into were shattered at once. Arpan had no choice but to struggle in the air like a fish threaded through a needle .
[ When did I say you could touch the challenger yourself, Arpan ?]
“ Kek, sorry, kuck .”
[ Did you take my giving you the power to think for yourself and the authority to manage the dungeon as a sign that you could disobey my orders ?]
“ That, that thing, no, kek, kek .”
The skin exposed through the bristly hair was already bluish-purple. However, the grip on Arpan showed no signs of weakening. On the contrary, more and more powerful power went into it without being able to resist .
Duduk .
The sound of a broken neck bone being heard. As soon as it fell to the floor, Arpan’s head, which had been stumbling, bent at a right angle .
It wasn’t just the body that was broken. A curse that shattered even the soul was hung in the grip of the stranglehold. Restoring a broken soul is next to impossible. It seemed far off for Arpan to come back to his senses .
However, when the person standing in front of him twirled his fingers, a strong sense of incongruity enveloped the entire space. It feels like the whole world is turning upside down. The broken neck bones are put together, and the broken soul is back in place .
Arpan, who barely came to his senses, immediately bowed his head to the floor. It seemed that this was not the first time he had been subjected to such corporal punishment .
“ I apologize for the presumptuous remark, Master. What should I do with this foolish and foolish servant… Please give me an order .”
[… You disappoint me again and again, Arfan. Do you not know how to do anything without an order?
Since the fundamentals are merely designed puppets, that must be your limit .]
“…”
An insult that denies one’s fundamental existence itself. If I had been told that by someone else, even if that person was a god, I wouldn’t have stayed silent .
However, Arpan couldn’t do that to the being in front of him. The only thing he could do was to bow his head sadly .
The entire space trembled, spreading low frequencies. Arfan knew that this meant something similar to letting out a sigh for a human being. A voice with more weight than before resounded as if it would tear the space apart .
[ Make the challenger skip the 80th floor. Then, without touching the challenger, you will be able to prevent facing ‘him’ .]
Arfan lowers his head and hides his red eyes. A violent clash erupted between the creeping rage and the fear imprinted deep in the bones. But he already knew which emotions would win in the end .
Arpan refrained from mixing emotions as much as possible and answered in a dry voice.
“ I will do as you command, Manager .”
*
“ Andrea, something… seems to be following us ?”
A passage leading to the 78th floor after leaving the 77th floor. Glancing back, Trisha said .
In fact, it was a fact that Andrea knew a long time ago. I tried to keep pace with them, but the noise of each movement was not enough to cover up the noise of four people .
It’s just that Andrea has been unable to come up with a plan to deal with it because she has been guessing what it is .
‘… Another challenger? No, the challengers cannot face each other except in the event room or waiting room. I don’t know if it’s Anna who used to come and go freely in the dungeon… I don’t think she would walk around making a fuss like that unless she took some medicine …’
‘··· Then a monster? No, there’s no such thing as a monster. The giant ants on the 77th floor have been cleaned up… In the first place, the monsters can’t leave for the next floor, right?’
If it was a dark merchant stealing things, it would have appeared when collecting rewards earlier, and other events would not have occurred in the aisle. I mobilized all the knowledge in my head, but I couldn’t figure it out .
After much thought, Andrea made a decision. I have no choice but to go and check it out. Just in the safest way possible .
“ Everyone, go first. I will check what it is and follow it .”
“ Ha, but Andrea-sama. If that’s a monster… wouldn’t it be dangerous alone? We’d rather go and check together …”
Emilia spoke with a worried expression. Andrea simply calmed her concerns by drawing a card from the deck .
“ No, don’t worry. You can use this .”
The companions nodded and agreed immediately. As soon as they left, Andrea used shadow stealth to hide herself in the darkness .
Kung, koo goong, kung .
The sound of footsteps getting closer. It was different from before, when I kept a certain distance and didn’t come close. He seemed completely unaware that Andrea was hiding in the shadows and ambushing him .
The pursuer finally approached right in front of me. Andrea, who confirmed that appearance, frowned at once .
‘··· Mimic ?’
It was an Ancient Mimic that Archbishop Gregory had been breeding (?), seen in the Temple of the Shadow God .
‘ What, why is this guy here ?’
The Mimic was moving forward, its tongue sticking out and its limbs protruding from the box vigorously swaying. Because the aisle was cramped, my long limbs were bruised from hitting the walls .
Andrea hesitated for a moment. It was not a long worry. In my experience, surprise is the best way to deal with monsters. Even if you followed Gregory, there was no guarantee that you would be able to communicate with him .
Andrea decided to use Shadow Imprint and destroy the Mimic in one fell swoop .
Whoo-wook !
However, just before the fists touched, Mimic noticed Andrea’s presence and fell back .
“ Now, now, wait! don’t hit! I am not your enemy !”
Andrea froze at the unexpected reaction. In the meantime, Mimic poured out words like a rapid-fire cannon .
“ Old man, dead. I have no reason to be there anymore. I didn’t follow you to hurt you. I-I’ll give you this, so don’t hurt me either .”
Mimick opened the lid and took out a sack of gold coins from the inside. Gregory left it for Mimic’s food before he died .
Andrea’s eyebrows made a deeper goal. While exploring the dungeon, he had a lot of different experiences, but it was the first time that it was as absurd as this. Would you feel like this if you met a bear who said that he would like to get along with you while giving a joke ?
“ Uh, but sorry. I’m hungry, so I’ll just eat one .”
tick off, tick off .
A mimic that takes a gold coin out of a sack and chews it up with its bladed teeth. Andrea was in the mood to say something now .
*
“… so I brought it for now .”
Andrea confessed all about Gregory’s sacrifice and the strange symbiosis with Mimic, and said that Mimic expressed his desire to be with the group. Everyone seemed to have the same absurd mood, so no one could say anything and just hesitated .
After a while, Marco opened his mouth. He thought the first thing to do was to express his condolences .
“ You seem like a great person, but it’s a pity… Are you okay, Andrea? You and the archbishop don’t seem to have a normal relationship .”
“…After 300 years of devotion, it’s time to rest in the arms of Lady Calisis. Rather, I guess I should be concerned about his… legacy now .”
Mimic placed the sack of gold coins in front of him and was trembling all over. I felt sorry to see him, so I told him to eat as much as he wanted, but he didn’t listen. He probably thought that he would not be accepted without gold coins .
“ But how can a monster go beyond the floor? Does n’t he become a card like the hell hounds we met before ?”
Tricia asked, frowning. That was a question that even Andrea could not answer. I’m just vaguely guessing that it has something to do with following Gregory .
Mimic anxiously glancing at the party with her pupils inside the box. Judging from what he was doing right away, it didn’t seem like he would suddenly attack, but it bothered me that he was born a monster. There was no guarantee that they would not be hostile to them under any circumstance .
Andrea and the others decided to vote whether or not to take Mimic with them. As a result, Emilia and Marco were in favor, and Andrea and Trisha were against it .
“ I feel sorry for what you are doing …”
“ Andrea, anyway, it’s a mimic raised by the Archbishop, who has a deep connection with you, so why don’t you try it together ?”
“ I think it’s right to reduce variables as much as possible without personal feelings, Mr. Marco. First of all, they are monsters .”
“ I agree with Andrea. It’s a world where even people don’t know how to deal with it, let alone monsters .”
“ I, I agree to take you. Cow, to be honest, people hit more people than monsters …”
A mimic who suddenly intrudes into the vote with a show of hands. Tricia opened her eyes and Mimic flinched .
“… What, you bastard ?”
“ Lo, fact, everything .”
“… Andrea. Shouldn’t you remove this baby, the outside jewelry ? ”
“ All of them are fake jewels anyway. Besides, it’s like a crab shell, so if you peel it off, the Mimic will get sick .”
“ Look, look. The archer man, he is already trying to overthrow it …”
They argued for a while, but eventually decided to take the Mimic with them. The vote was also 3 to 2… Anyway, the side that took me with me had the upper hand. In fact, Andrea also thought that it was necessary to find out why only this monster could go to and from the other floors .
‘ Besides that, an Ancient Mimic would be quite helpful in battle. . . . It’s only possible to help in battle, but .’
However, Trisha was still disapproving. Still, she couldn’t overturn the decision that had already been made, so Trisha lashed out at Mimic the entire time she passed through the aisle .
“ Sir, be quiet and walk around! You don’t even know how to go forward if you don’t touch the walls of your limbs ?”
“ A bowman, short limbs. Sa, actually, I’m envious of Mimic .”
The rest of the party continued to listen and walked towards the 78th floor, subtly thinking that the sum of the two of them would go well together .
＜ 19. Arpan’s Burnt Offering (1) ＞ End