Accompanying (1), Accompanying (2)
on the day of departure.
The face of Ain, who had just connected to Asrian, was slightly flushed.
‘Okay, as expected!’
<Stat boost rate: 40%>
Hyun cheered as he checked the status window.
Nice to spend the morning with Ain this morning!
According to the results of yesterday’s experiment, it was Ain who had the greatest stake in the power of empathy.
This means that the higher Ain becomes aware of me, the higher the stat amplification rate!
Therefore, from this morning, Hyun put more effort into helping Ain feel better than usual.
He didn’t reject Ain’s subtle skinship, and deliberately accepted his slightly embarrassing remarks.
“… … .”
Thanks to this, the gaze of some guild members strangely changed, but Hyun was extremely confident.
Isn’t it common sense to prepare the best specs before the main quest?
It’s just that it’s enough if the annoying person doesn’t see it.
In such a slightly subtle atmosphere, Hyeon took the party and headed for the pointy tree where he had promised to meet Ceseri.
Until you leave the village and pass the ‘Pond of Silence’. No one in the party complained of shortness of breath.
It must be because everyone’s emotions are being converted into the power of empathy as soon as they accumulate.
“You really came.”
Ceseri was waiting for Hyeon under the pointed tree.
Even in the ‘upper zone’ of the island, he was quite surprised to see the group in good shape.
“How amazing. There are people who can stay sane here… .”
“Are you guiding me as promised?”
“Sure. Instead, you should follow me well.”
The group started moving slowly.
Towards the temple, which is still too far away and shrouded in fog.
The road to the top of the island was arduous at first glance.
The average slope was about 45 degrees, but due to the repeating terrain of flatlands and cliffs, the party often had to climb up the tree roots as if climbing a rock wall.
Ceseri informed us in advance that the straight-line distance to the top of the island is only 5 kilometers, but the actual climbing route is about 50 kilometers.
“Is it spinning around like that… .”
“I can not help it. Because the upper northern land is full of terrifying, poisonous clouds everywhere that will melt your body the moment it touches you.”
‘cloud… ?’
In an instant, images of the ‘black fog’ flowing through the border city and the ‘white belt’ that covered it passed by in Hyeon’s mind.
Even those energies had one thing in common: their bodies melted when touched.
The ‘poison cloud’ that Seseri refers to is similar. It must be an energy mixed with unrefined divine power.
“The sky is especially full of poisonous clouds. You can never fly high… . Ah, humans are not good enough, so I don’t think there’s any need for a warning like this… ?”
Ceseri looked up at the sky, but soon returned with a determined expression.
“Anyway, even near the ground is dangerous! Never approach suspicious places without my permission.”
“What about monsters?”
“yes?”
“When you encounter a monster. What should I do then?”
Hyun remembered encountering monsters even before reaching the halfway village.
Had it not been for the help of the Corkess, they would have been annihilated.
“Of course I have to avoid it.”
“Um, is that so… .”
“But you won’t encounter monsters for some reason. It’s a route I pioneered over six years.”
“huh? We already met… .”
“What, what do you say… ?”
Everyone’s heads turned to Hyun’s murmur.
About 50 meters up, I saw a black figure wriggling in the branches of a tree.
It is a ‘black spirit’ that I have seen before coming to the village.
“Isn’t that a monster?”
“… … .”
Seseri’s flapping wings suddenly stopped as she flew in place.
After being silent for a long time, she let out a trembling voice.
“okay… There are also occasional encounters with monsters… In that case, just hold your breath and stay still. Now, look, if you wait until it disappears alone like that, nothing will happen.”
“… .”
“Kuhm, there are exceptional cases like this from time to time… . But it’s literally just an exception. Monsters like that must be the ones who got lost and came in accidentally.”
“Right.”
Hyun decided to convince me for now.
As Ceseri said, it might be that he only encountered monsters by chance when he accompanied him.
but.
Contrary to Seseri’s conviction, as time passed, the frequency of encounters with monsters hiding in various places began to increase.
Boo. woo woo
Whenever cries were heard, Seseri and Hyun’s party hid themselves in nearby bushes, twigs, or crevices in the cliffs made up of the roots of unknown giant plants.
“Is this a proper climbing route?”
“Yes, no matter how you look at it, this is a monster den!”
Ginny tilted her head, and Tartar also spat out a painful word.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
It was because various monsters were appearing on the climbing route Seseri mentioned.
Louise’s complexion hardened.
She muttered to Hyun in a voice that Seseri couldn’t hear.
“Hyeon, is this perhaps not a trick…? ?”
“what?”
“He is the one who claims to be the servant of light. Maybe we’ve already noticed that we’re in the abyss and are playing tricks… !”
At Louise’s words, Hyun looked at Ceseri.
“I-I can’t do this… .”
A look of bewilderment was evident on Seseri’s face as she crouched her black wings to avoid the monster’s eyes.
According to Louise, even that would be acting.
“I don’t think so.”
Hyun didn’t think Seseri was cheating.
She’s probably a first-generation artificial intelligence. It is not an NPC that plays a special role in the world view.
It was impossible for an ordinary NPC to deceive users with vivid acting.
“Then what is this situation? ! Is that blonde guy bad-headed because he’s a bird-head? Yes, you forgot the road because your memory is poor!”
“well… .”
Louise claims that Ceseri’s intelligence is so low that she even forgot the route she made.
Hyun was also skeptical.
If you’re that stupid, you won’t be able to safely explore the upper part of the island for six years.
Besides, Ceseri clearly remembered what happened to her brother from six years ago.
Rather than questioning her memory here, it would be more reasonable to assume that something else happened.
“There might be a lot of monsters especially today.”
“Only today… ? Do you say that!”
“It is not impossible.”
Hyun looked up at the top of the island again.
Due to the absence of the celestials, the borders of the Temple of Light will be much thinner than usual.
“If the number of watchmen is reduced, it is possible enough.”
“warden… ?”
“They are celestials who do things like spotting suspicious people and exorcising monsters around the temple.”
It is said that the northern part of the island is so dangerous that even the celestials cannot enter it, but it was possible to use ultra-long-range magic or send a ‘Guardian’ without a soul to expel monsters.
However, if the boundary around the temple is loosened, the environment of the upper ground will be different from usual.
It was no wonder that the climbing routes pioneered by Seseri were also affected.
“Oops, I got caught by a monster!”
Ceseri’s complexion turned pale.
What she found was a spirit monster resembling an eagle.
Kiyi! The guy was screaming when he found the group hiding behind the tree trunk next to him.
“Unbelievable… why… .”
Hearing that sound, even other monsters rushed in.
The party soon saw hundreds of spirits rushing at them from all sides.
“Something is wrong! Everyone run away! oh… ?!”
Ceseri flapped her black wings, then realized something and stopped.
Except for himself, everyone knows that humans cannot fly.
To get out of the siege of monsters, you have to fly to the sky… !
‘Even if I carry it, one person is the limit!’
Ceseri had a strong sense of responsibility.
When he left the humans he brought with him to die and tried to run away alone, he couldn’t spread his wings easily out of guilt.
Just then.
“Everyone, don’t move.”
Hyeon pulled the restless Seseri behind him.
After that, he immediately assimilated into Ain.
“Ah, it suddenly disappeared… ?”
“It’s not gone.”
pod. Seseri was taken aback when Hyeon used a twist.
what’s going on… ?
It was natural to think that one person had disappeared, unless one knew fairy tales.
Leaving Seseri behind, Hyeon drew out the scythe of vigilance.
Louise, who was watching the action, asked in surprise.
“Hyun, are you trying to catch a monster?”
“huh.”
It was natural for the party to be agitated by Hyun’s answer.
“What?! You’re out of your mind again! If you catch a monster, you will be in big trouble!”
“you’re right. The monsters here explode the energy they possessed at the same time they die.”
“Hyun, is your judgment clouded again? If you tell me, I will write a retrograde right away!”
The guild members dry the strings while recalling previous memories.
But Hyun only smiled at them.
“I’m fine.”
“… !”
“Everyone is at ease. If it’s the way I think, it’ll probably be fine.”
“Uh, what… !”
Ceseri’s mouth fell open.
“Are you trying to catch a monster now? Even I, the strongest of the Corkess, can’t stand the energy of the spirits of the upper lands! What’s more, you’re just an ordinary human being… !”
Hyun did not respond to Seseri’s fuss.
The monsters had already come too close for that.
“I’m fine, so I’m watching you.”
When I activated ‘Frosia’s Ice Sword’, blue frost formed on my blade.
The moment the blade of cold cuts the ‘black spirit’ in front of you in half!
He felt as if all the blood in his body was boiling.
<Stat boost rate: 60%>
shit. Looking at the status window, Hyun’s teeth were exposed.
‘As expected!’
Yes, if the principle at which empathy works is as I understand it, then this must be the case!
I immediately put my hand on my chest.
My heart is beating a little faster than usual, but it’s not as painful as before.
It must be because the amplified emotions are immediately converted into the power of empathy.
Hyun then asked Ain about his condition.
It was because she, along with herself, directly received the energy emitted by the monster.
“Ah, are you feeling alright?”
“… no problem at all Except for one thing」
“Like what?”
“You can tell me now… ?」
“… Nope.”
Hyun, who read Ain’s mind through fairy tales, quickly cut off his words.
Even if empathy was activated, it seemed inevitable that the emotions would be amplified to some extent.
<Stat boost rate: 58%>
<Stat boost rate: 57%>
<Stat boost rate: 56%>
… … .
I checked the status window again.
The stat amplification rate decreased rapidly at first, but as time passed, the speed slowed down and stabilized around the early 50%.
Awesome! Awesome!
I caught a few more nearby monsters.
Every time the blades of frost danced, mournful cries echoed.
The stat amplification rate rises again whenever the monster’s death effect explodes!
However, the number did not continue to rise.
The stat amplification rate recorded the highest value at 75% immediately after catching a spirit resembling a blue eagle, and it did not rise any higher even after catching other monsters.
However, the rate of decline was noticeably slower.
‘It seems that each monster has a set limit.’
Hyun nodded.
Adding firewood to a campfire does not make the flame indefinitely hot.
In order to increase the temperature, industrial gas or the like must be added, and to increase the temperature further, electromagnetic energy must be used as a raw material.
Likewise, it seemed impossible to obtain energy beyond the concentration of the monster.
“you… Are you okay?”
Ceciri’s mouth fell open.
How could there be a human being who was fine even after slicing up about 10 monsters in the upper northern area?
That kind of thing was against the common sense that Ceseri knew.
“I’m sure he would have taken that energy head-on… . how… !”
Leaving Seseri’s muttering behind, Hyeon looked back at the party.
The guild members were also in a dazed state as if they did not understand the situation yet.
Now that I understand the principles, there is no need to hesitate any longer.
Hyun smiled and told everyone.
“I’ll explain the principle later, so everyone catches monsters first. Oh right.”
He looked back at Louise and said.
“Louise, you stay still.”
“Why me… ?”
“You don’t agree. It could be dangerous.”
“… !”
It didn’t take long for everyone to understand the situation.
Hyun and Ain were fine even after catching so many monsters.
“Quuck-cuw, yes. I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
Salon drew his twin swords and ignited his fighting spirit.
Not only that, the rest of the guild members also pulled out their own weapons.
Only Ceseri, still unable to comprehend the situation, looked around.
It was the very next moment when the Shade Guild’s first battle began.
Hyun assimilated into Tartar’s body.
‘black hole!’
He poured out 150,000 demonic energy at once.
At the same time, an enormous sphere born from Hyun’s hand began to suck in the spirits.
<Stat boost rate: 75%>
The amount of magic that can be absorbed with the ‘Shadow Shield’ and the maximum amount of magic that can be collected are all proportional to the ‘Empathy’ value.
The exact calculation formula is:
Maximum Absorption: [Empathy] X 200
Max Magi: [Empathy] X 650
Hyun’s usual empathy is 662, and the amplified value is 1158!
As a result, Hyeon had about 750,000 demons, which is like a named boss.
It was really nothing to use 150,000 demons.
“Ha ha ha, yes, this, this was it!”
Salon, who was hacking at the center of the black hole while receiving the Biorhythm Acceleration buff, let out a flash of light.
He had changed his weapon to a beginner wooden sword to build a combo.
He reached 2,000 combos in an instant, and after that, he started running wild all over the battlefield.
What was different from before was that Salon had a pistol in his hand?
The appearance of guns also changed the way users control them.
The skill of shooting a gun and continuing the timing right before the combo ends has long been established as a standard combo thief.
“I gave you a buff, go!”
“What is this?!”
“This is a skill I learned a while ago!”
And unexpectedly, the compatibility between Ain and Genie was quite excellent.
It was thanks to the skill Hyun asked Genie to learn.
[Priest’s Arms Lv.1]
-Increases the normal attack range of the target by 50% for [Magic Power] seconds.
-When using divine power, additionally grants ‘divine absorption’ to the target.
-[Sacred Absorption]: Recovers divine power by 1% of the maximum for every critical hit with the increased range!
(Cooldown time: 10 minutes)
(Mana consumption: 1000)
(Divine power consumption: 50% of maximum value)
Ain’s biggest weakness is that he has no means to restore his divine power.
In a state where holy power is exhausted, advanced skills such as ‘Afterimage Slash’, ‘Giant’s Strike’, and ‘Execution Sniper’ cannot be used.
I had to wait about an hour to fully fill up my divine power with natural recovery, but I didn’t have to do that anymore.
This is because Genie’s buff has the effect of restoring 1% of divine power for every critical hit.
「Ain, I will help you.」
In addition, if the help of the string was added, the divine power could be maximized in an instant.
Taang!
Hyun, who had assimilated into Tartar’s body, aimed at Ain and fired a gun.
The bullet of salvation, a skill that shoots bullets with buffs.
At the same time that the invisibility hit, Ain’s body disappeared on the spot.
Awesome! Stand up!
Without fail, the fragmented monsters were scattered in the air.
A bizarre sight as if the body split itself apart
‘good.’
A satisfied smile crept across Hyun’s lips as he watched the scene.
No matter how good Ain’s control is, it’s difficult to land a critical hit with a weapon as large as a scythe.
However, combining this with transparency solves the problem simply.
From now on, whenever Genie’s skill is activated, Ain’s divine power will be filled to the maximum.
“hey… ! Leave the enemies near me alone!”
When Ain slaughtered too many monsters, Salon let out a panicked voice.
“If you want to use ‘Combo Memorize’ later, you have to increase the combo as much as possible now… !”
“Um… Get off on your own.”
Ain, who appeared at the end of the transparency, spat out the words bluntly.
Ain, who had slaughtered monsters in the Land of Emotional Amplification, had become quite sensitive to people other than Hyun.
“Or do you want to fight me? It doesn’t matter though.”
“no… I just fall.”
Occasionally, minor skirmishes occurred, but generally the hunt went smoothly.
No, it wasn’t smooth, so Hyun couldn’t hide his smile.
Because the distribution setting was set to ‘acquire party leader’, numerous drop items were piling up in the inventory.
oh my god! How can I express this feeling with other words!
Magic stones and rare magic materials… . In the market, materials that could not be obtained even with money were pouring in.
If we were to judge the value in terms of real goods, it was like a house falling for every monster we caught.
Naturally, I had no intention of selling these materials to anyone.
‘A full set of Legendary is really not a dream!’
In front of Hyun’s eyes, the same image as yesterday began to appear.
I’m not crazy about the items today… .
I’m just catching the monsters I should have caught, and the additional income is pouring in!
People said that you can get what you want when you throw away your lingering feelings.
Am I in just such a situation right now?
Rowing when the water comes in, Hyeon instructed the guild members with the mindset that he would not miss any monsters in sight.
And Seseri was watching Hyeon like that, as if he had lost his senses.
“I don’t know what is going on… .”
Something incomprehensible kept happening.
Where the hell did all these monsters come from?
And how else are humans catching such a monster?
It was a human with the most incomprehensible name.
Yeah, every time he went out, something unusual was happening.
“This… I can’t really say anything… .”
“It will be easier not to think too deeply.”
Poppy accepted Ceseri’s self-talk.
He, who hates fighting, did not participate in battles with monsters as always, but instead stayed by Ceseri’s side to hide his presence.
“He is someone who is not easily understood. As a heavenly person, I still don’t know all the depths he has.”
“yes?! Hey, he’s a celestial!”
At that moment, the celestial pattern caught Seseri’s eyes.
Unlike Hyun and Ain, he was not wearing gloves, so Papi’s pattern was easily noticeable.
“Chi, Heavenly Father, uh, what happened… .”
“Being a heavenly person doesn’t have to be so difficult.”
When Seseri found out about her identity and was at a loss for what to do, Papi added a word.
“Compared to other people, I am nothing.”
“haha… . A joke like that… .”
Ceseri quietly followed Poppy’s gaze.
His eyes were on Hyeon, the human he had been eyeing earlier.
Suddenly, I wondered about the identity of the man.
To the extent that they say that the heavenly cannot know the depth, who the hell is that?
“Is that person a heavenly person too?”
“no. I am the only one in the group. He’s a normal human being. no… I wouldn’t say it’s normal.”
“A normal human… .”
Ceseri looked at Hyun again.
As the celestial man said, a human being who seems to have nothing special on the outside.
However, there is no way that a normal human being who went through such an eccentricity in the north of Radix Island would not be special.
“hyeon… .”
Ceseri repeated his name.
That figure of leading and directing everyone looked pretty cool.
That’s right, the older brother who always led me from the front was like that.
At that moment, Ceseri did not realize that she had begun to become aware of the strings.
So it was only natural that he was unaware that he was sympathizing with him.
***
The composition of Ceseri guiding the way and the party hunting monsters continued for several hours.
<Stat boost rate 95%>
The stat amplification rate is also approaching 100%.
The higher you climbed, the stronger monsters appeared, and as the phenomenon of amplifying emotions intensified according to the altitude, fatigue gradually came to Hyun.
‘I can see it slowly.’
Taking a deep breath, Hyun looked up at the top of the island.
The end of the cliff made of plant roots, part of the edge of a magnificent building protruded.
Yes, that place is the Temple of Light.
It looks close from here, but it will take another three or four hours to get there.
As the fatigue of the party was increasing, Hyun decided to take a little break.
“Let’s rest for a while.”
Coincidentally, there was a temporary shelter made by Seseri nearby.
A place that exquisitely utilizes the inner space where the roots of a huge tree have been cut.
It seemed to be a place like a base camp when pioneering a climbing route.
There, the party had some time to reorganize, and Louise and Poppy had a simple meal.
“What is that… ?”
Ceseri, who was unpacking the grain sacks, asked while watching the food Hyun was taking out of his inventory.
what kind of food… ? An unbearable smell tickled my nostrils.
“Ah, this is seasoned chicken. It’s so delicious that it can’t be compared to that kind of dryness.”
Louise answered the question, reaching for the food.
Louise muttered so much, and her face was filled with inexplicable pride.
Hyeon took some food and handed it to Seseri.
I didn’t bother to say that it was a new dish.
Since it’s boneless, if you don’t tell me, you won’t be able to figure out the ingredients.
“Would you like to eat some?”
“… !”
Seseri’s eyes widened as she ate the seasoned chicken.
‘What is this?!’
It was because even she, who had tasted earthly food a few times, tasted something new.
‘It’s delicious… !’
Ceseri looked at Hyun once more.
strange man… .
Everything he was doing now seemed strange.
Even after holding that scary Requius, all I could do was moan for a moment.
How could a human be like that?
No, did humans get hit in the first place?
While that thought was circling in my head.
“oh… !”
Suddenly, Ceseri shouted loudly.
With a voice that surprised Louise, who was eating chicken next to her.
“What’s going on… ? Are you trying to say that the chicken was tasteless?”
“No, it’s not like that… !”
I just realized something very important.
I was staring at Hyeon so much that I didn’t even notice my condition!
“I… It’s my first time… .”
“what?”
“When I came up to this height, my heart always hurt so much that it was difficult to breathe. But now… .”
As if to check her condition, Ceseri changed her posture and jumped in place.
“I’m fine… It’s nothing! I’ve never been in such good shape! Yes, if it’s today… !”
Then, a look of anticipation lit up on her face.
The anticipation that maybe we can reach the Temple of Light today!
Ceseri suddenly grabbed Hyeon’s hand tightly.
His eyes widened and his voice began to tremble.
“Please… Could you please take me to the temple?”
Up until now, she had been kind to him, but now her position has changed.
For some reason, now that monsters are appearing on the way up, I definitely need this man’s help to reach the temple.
There will never be a better time like this, right?
If it’s not today, it might take another few years before I see you!
Yes, Ceseri was ready to do anything if she could fulfill her long-held wish.
‘Uh… .’
On the other hand, Hyun let out a troubled moan.
It was because I noticed how things were going.
‘As expected, this is empathy, right?’
Empathy is the act of consuming one’s emotions as raw materials.
The reason that Seseri is more normal than usual even in high places is probably because, like the guild members, she is conveying sympathy to herself.
‘Somehow, the numbers are strange… .’
Hyun smiled bitterly as he recalled a memory from a while ago.
The stat amplification rate increased surprisingly quickly.
Perhaps that was the point at which Ceseri began to empathize with her?
In the interloop, it was written that the Corkes are very good at prayer.
Of course, Seseri, who are outstanding among the races, would be of great help.
The problem was that she was claiming to be a ‘servant of light’.
As soon as they reach the temple, this side will engage in an all-out war with the forces of light, but will she just watch?
Of course not.
Standing on the side of the light, Seseri will make full use of her outstanding prayer ability.
