Chapter 18: 2F Hidden (2)

Back in my room, I sat down at my desk and began to think.

“Why did I fail?”

Wasn’t that Demon the boss I was supposed to defeat?

Could there have been another enemy besides her?

If the problem had simply been that more enemies remained, killing the Demon shouldn’t have resulted in an immediate failure.

The fact that the attempt had ended the moment I killed her meant she was someone I wasn’t supposed to kill.

Then could she have been... an ally?

‘But she attacked me out of nowhere.’

If my reaction had been even slightly slower, her blade would have gone straight through my neck.

Whatever the case, one thing seemed certain.

Killing the Demon was not an option.

I rehydrated, allowed my depleted Willpower to recover, and immediately entered the 2nd floor again.

I crossed the platforms, climbed to the top, and defeated the Minotaur.

After descending the Tower and returning to the starting point, I made my way into the forest.

This time, I remained on full alert.

One wrong move, and I could die before I had a chance to react.

Just as I was thinking, It was around here that she appeared last time...

I sensed a presence in the bushes beside the path.

I only noticed it because every one of my senses was stretched to its limit.

I stopped and stared at the undergrowth.

A moment later, something burst from the bushes at tremendous speed and struck at me.

Clang!

I deflected the blow with the sword in my hand.

Immediately retreating several steps, I shouted.

“Wait!”

The Demon flinched and stared at me.

I raised both hands to show that I meant no harm.

“I don’t want to fight! Why are you attacking me out of nowhere?”

She had spoken during my previous attempt, which meant she wasn’t some mindless monster.

She was intelligent.

Surely that meant we could communicate.

The Demon glared at me, leveled her sword, and shouted.

“Treacherous human! How dare you speak such shameless nonsense!”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“You are the one who drowned the castle in lava, are you not? Do not think This Lady is unaware!”

...The castle?

Lava?

I pieced together the meaning behind her words.

The “castle” she was referring to must have been the Tower I had escaped from.

And she seemed convinced that I was the one responsible for filling it with lava.

All right.

I understood the situation perfectly now.

I hurried to clear up the misunderstanding.

“That wasn’t me. I’m a victim too.”

“A victim?”

“Yes. I nearly drowned in the lava myself. I only barely managed to escape the castle.”

“What? Who are you to claim that you escaped from This Lady’s castle?”

“...What? I was inside it from the beginning.”

“What absurdity is this? Then you admit that you were an intruder after all!”

Oh no.

The conversation was going in entirely the wrong direction.

I realized that I had somehow ruined my own explanation, but the Demon was already glaring at me with even greater hostility.

“Enough of your word games, human!”

She rushed at me again, swinging her sword.

I desperately blocked and avoided her attacks.

“I told you, it wasn’t me!”

Listen to me, you insane Demon!

She had apparently decided that the conversation was over and continued attacking without pause.

I can’t kill her, so... am I supposed to subdue her?

Flame Strike was out of the question.

A direct hit could easily kill her.

I decided to overpower her using only physical force and threw myself fully into the battle.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

Our blades crashed against one another in a rapid exchange.

I seemed to hold the advantage in raw strength, but our speed was roughly equal.

Her technique, however, was clearly superior.

Her swordsmanship was far more refined than mine.

I had thought I was becoming fairly accustomed to combat, but was this what genuine swordsmanship looked like?

‘I can barely keep up...!’

I managed to block and evade her strikes by stopping time at critical moments.

If things became truly dangerous, I still had Teleportation as a last resort.

As the fight continued, however, it gradually became easier.

The effects of Exaltation steadily accumulated, and my body grew faster with every passing moment.

Only once Exaltation reached its maximum did I finally surpass her in speed.

I found my rhythm and began forcing her back.

No matter how wide the gap in skill might be, once I held the advantage in both strength and speed, the balance began to shift.

“...!”

Now the Demon was the one wearing a desperate expression.

Even so, finding a decisive opening remained difficult.

The knight goblins and the Minotaur had attacked in simple, predictable patterns. Once my physical abilities surpassed a certain point, defeating them had been straightforward.

This kind of intense exchange, where neither side could easily overwhelm the other, was a first for me.

Strangely enough, it felt almost refreshing.

‘This isn’t going to work.’

Realizing that the battle would be difficult to settle in its current state, I stopped time.

The real challenge was subduing her without killing her.

Once I completed my Mental Concentration, I Teleported behind her.

The Demon’s sword, which had been aimed at my neck, sliced through empty air.

Thrown off by my sudden disappearance, she had no time to react as I delivered a full-force spinning kick into her side.

“Guh!”

Ah.

Maybe I kicked too hard.

The blow landed squarely against her ribs and sent her tumbling across the ground.

When I approached, she scrambled back to her feet.

The fight resumed.

But the damage had clearly taken its toll.

There was noticeably less force behind her sword than before.

“Let’s talk this out! Come on, talk to me!”

“What nonsense...!”

I’m telling you to communicate.

Is that really so difficult to understand?

Clang!

The Demon blocked my sword, but the impact sent her sliding far backward.

She clutched her ribs and gasped for breath, clearly in pain.

Maybe she would finally be willing to listen.

I tried again.

“Can we please stop fighting? I don’t want to fight you, so calm down.”

“Hah... hah... you human...”

She kept saying “human” as though it were an insult.

That was rich coming from someone with strange horns growing out of her head.

“You’ve misunderstood the situation. I’m not an intruder, and I’m not your enemy. I had nothing to do with the lava either.”

“You expect This Lady to believe such a thing...?”

“What other choice do you have? To put it bluntly, if I wanted to kill you, I could have slit your throat from behind instead of kicking you. Why would I waste my time trying to talk?”

“Insolent human! Who do you think is killing whom here?”

The Demon erupted in fury.

“Am I wrong? Then tell me. If we continue fighting, which one of us do you think will die?”

“Grrk...!”

“So let’s talk. Please.”

The Demon was unable to answer.

Apparently, even she couldn’t deny that she was outmatched.

Her hostility faded slightly, and she finally spoke.

“Talk about what, exactly?”

“Like I said. I’m not an intruder or anything of the sort.”

“Cease your lies! A human trespasses upon demon territory, yet claims not to be an intruder? Then what are you?”

So she really was a Demon.

“This Lady demands an answer! What is a human doing on demon land? If you are not an intruder, then explain why you were in Dafria County!”

I scratched my head.

“Well... I’m lost.”

“What?”

“I’m a traveler. I wander from place to place, and I lost my way. I didn’t even know this was demon territory.”

That was the story I would use for now.

I knew nothing about the lore of this world, so there wasn’t much else I could plausibly claim.

The Demon stared at me in disbelief.

“...What are you saying? Do you truly expect This Lady to believe that?”

“Whether you believe it or not, it’s the truth.”

“This Lady has never heard of a human so foolish. You became lost and wandered all the way into demon territory?”

I pressed on without shame.

“Yes. I have a terrible sense of direction.”

“...”

The Demon’s mouth fell open.

Judging by her expression, was it actually working?

“Th-then what did you mean when you said you escaped from This Lady’s castle?”

“Oh, that. Well, I happened to be passing through the area when the lava nearly swept me away. That’s why I said it. Lava was pouring from the windows like a waterfall.”

The Demon frowned.

“That is not what it sounded like...”

“Don’t concern yourself with minor details.”

Whatever.

I would simply keep pushing the story.

“Anyway, what matters is the situation we’re in now, isn’t it? Let’s think about this logically. Between the two of us, who is stronger? I’m stronger, right?”

“...Do not insult This Lady! This Lady has not yet lost!”

Her Ladyship looked ready to explode again.

I continued calmly.

“Right. I understand. You haven’t lost. But objectively speaking, which one of us is stronger? Be honest. Hand on heart.”

“Grrk... This Lady does not deny that you are the stronger one!”

She forced out the admission through gritted teeth, as though every word wounded her pride.

And yet, surprisingly, she admitted it without much resistance.

“Yes, I’m stronger. And even though you ambushed me and nearly killed me, I’ve spent this entire time trying to talk to you. Even though I could defeat you easily.”

In reality, I had killed her immediately during my first attempt.

“If I were the one who destroyed your castle with lava, why would I waste time having this pointless conversation instead of simply killing the castle’s owner? Can you honestly say I have hostile intentions?”

She fell silent.

Then, after a moment, she shouted.

“That... This Lady supposes you do not!”

“Yes, exactly. I’m not your enemy. So you understand now that we have no reason to continue fighting, don’t you?”

The gentle, coaxing tone seemed to be working, so I maintained it.

She merely stared at me now, confusion filling her eyes.

“Human, then tell This Lady your name. If you are truly so confident.”

“...My name? Kim Seo-hyeon.”

She tilted her head.

“Kimsseohyeon...? Are human names always so strange? What is your family name?”

“Kim is my family name. Seo-hyeon is my given name.”

“What? Even your family name is strange. Your given name is strange, and your family name is strange as well. And why do you place your family name before your given name?”

...Why did she keep calling it strange?

Should I kick her again?

“Humans are incomprehensible. This Lady is Heilin Dafria. The rightful heir of the great House of Dafria is none other than This Lady.”

That meant absolutely nothing to me.

Apparently reading the Ah, right, I see... expression on my face, Heilin raised her voice.

“This Lady’s house is a truly distinguished family, in case a human such as yourself is unaware! Human, what of your house? Is this House Kim, or whatever it is called, part of human nobility?”

“No.”

Well, perhaps it had been once, a long time ago.

Heilin’s expression immediately became haughty.

“Is that so? Then you must show This Lady the proper respect. Even if our races differ, This Lady is nobility, while you, human, are not.”

Yeah.

She was beginning to get on my nerves.

In any case, I had succeeded in avoiding her death and resolving the immediate hostility.

What came next, however, I had no idea.

What was I supposed to do now?

“Very well, human. From this moment onward, you will assist This Lady.”

“...Assist you? With what?”

“The situation is urgent. You will serve as This Lady’s temporary escort.”

An escort?

Out of nowhere?

Was the scenario finally progressing?

“What’s so urgent? You’ll have to explain the situation first.”

Heilin began to speak.

“This Lady’s castle was consumed by lava because a spell went out of control. It was originally a Self-Destruct Magic intended to activate only as a final measure when intruders breached the castle, yet it triggered without warning.

“If you are not the intruder, then another must exist. An intruder powerful enough to cause the Self-Destruct Magic to activate. That is why you must assist This Lady.”

Ah.

So that was the setup.

I asked another question.

“But why don’t you know who the intruder is? Weren’t you inside the castle?”

“Address This Lady as Lady Heilin!”

“Yes, Lady Heilin. Anyway.”

Heilin’s expression hardened.

“This Lady has a habit of taking solitary walks at night. As it happened, This Lady returned from such a walk today only to discover this disaster. When This Lady followed the footprints leading from the main gate, they brought her to you.”

“Ah, I see...”

“The intruder must have known that Father was absent and seized the opportunity. How dare they... If Father had been present...”

Heilin trembled with rage.

I had a rough understanding of the situation now, but one final question remained.

“But why, exactly, should I help you, Lady Heilin? None of this has anything to do with me.”

She had spoken as though my cooperation were the most natural thing in the world.

Heilin shouted.

“This Lady has not yet completely dismissed her suspicions of you! If you truly have nothing to hide, then naturally you must help!”

So it was simple coercion.

“Of course, once the matter is resolved, This Lady will grant you a suitable reward. This Lady is the heir of House Dafria. This Lady would never act in a manner that tarnishes the honor of the Dafria name.”

A reward.

Could that be the hidden reward?

I nodded.

“Understood. I’ll help.”

This seemed to be the correct path forward, and I had intended to cooperate anyway.

“So what do you plan to do now, Lady Heilin?”

“This Lady will return to the castle. There may be surviving members of the household who escaped, and This Lady must confirm their condition.”

Heilin took the lead, and I followed her as we retraced the path toward the Tower.

As we walked, a strange feeling settled over me.

‘What is this world?’

Was it real?

Was the Demon walking in front of me an actual living person?

I hadn’t given the question much thought on the 1st floor.

But now that I was holding natural conversations and watching a story unfold around me like a game scenario, I couldn’t help wondering.

Even after reviewing information from other difficulty levels, I had never found °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° a case of anyone encountering humans or other intelligent beings inside the Tower with whom they could communicate.

Did that mean this phenomenon was unique to the Hidden Route?

Everything felt far too real to be fake.

And yet it was too artificial to be real, since leaving the Tower and entering again reset everything to the beginning.

“Lady Heilin.”

“Hm?”

“Do you know what the Tower is? It’s divided into Easy, Normal, Hard, and Nightmare difficulties, and people climb through its floors...”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Heilin clearly had no idea what I meant.

As expected, that line of questioning led nowhere.

I changed the subject.

“Then what kind of world is this? I mean... what is the continent we live on called?”

“The Panderun Continent, of course. What exactly are you trying to say?”

Heilin looked at me as though I were insane.

Panderun.

Was this another world in a separate dimension?

Or was it nothing more than an artificial setting created by the Tower?

“Come to think of it, This Lady also has a question. How did you suddenly appear behind This Lady earlier? This Lady could not follow your movements at all.”

“That? It was just Teleportation magic.”

Heilin looked startled.

“That was magic? You are a mage?”

“Well... I can use magic, yes.”

It was classified as a Magic Type skill, so calling it magic seemed reasonable.

Heilin continued, visibly bewildered.

“But how did you cast it in that manner?”

“Pardon?”

“Well, This Lady does not claim to be an expert in magic either, but... does magic not always require casting time? And surely one cannot move while casting.”

Casting time?

Was she referring to Mental Concentration?

“I have my own methods.”

I had no way to explain it, so I brushed the question aside.

During our brief exchange, we had already arrived back at the castle.

“Ah...”

The moment Heilin saw it, a pained sigh escaped her.

The lava must have continued rising after my escape, because it had now completely overflowed.

The castle’s outer walls were no longer visible at all.

Survivors?

There couldn’t possibly be any.

Even while escaping the castle, I hadn’t seen anyone besides the Minotaur.

“They’re all dead.”

Heilin murmured the words, her face drained of color.

“I must find traces of the intruder... They cannot have gone far... No, perhaps I should go to Father first...?”

At that moment, Heilin and I turned our heads simultaneously.

It was a sensation unlike anything I had experienced before.

Dark.

Ominous.

A presence that prickled against my skin.

An overwhelming power so immense that words could barely contain it.

CRASH!

The castle gates and the hardened lava surrounding them shattered apart.

From within the ruins, someone emerged, molten lava streaming from their body.

A knight clad in jet-black armor.