Light of Arad: Forerunner

Chapter 45

*Zrrrraaaack…*

A light, melodic sound echoed through the air.

It was the sound of a few gold coins tumbling down a slope.

And the reason for that sound was obvious—the “slope” was part of a mountain made entirely of gold.

As the coins clinked and clattered against each other, Jinseong realized something.

“The dwarves… gathered this gold. Right, there was a dungeon like this. I remember a dungeon like this from back when I played—one that I completely overlooked!”

The official name in the game *Dungeon & Fighter* was the Dwarven Race.

Currently, the city they were headed to, *Noyerptera*, where Jinseong, the NPC Minette, who was both a guide and a monitor, and the players were, had once belonged to the dwarves.

But the gold-loving dwarves were never satisfied with just possessing it.

They reported to the goddess *Venus*, accusing her favorite human of having an affair with a fairy. In return, they gained information about a gold vein, allowing them to obtain even more gold!

“Goddess Venus was enraged and cursed the fairies, turning their skin into what it is today, creating the current *Dark Elves*. The Dark Elves, despite knowing they were at fault, couldn’t bear the fact that their entire race’s fate was upended by one individual’s mistake. Eventually, one of their kings killed the Dwarven King and subjugated Noyerptera… Yeah, that was the story.”

Jinseong recalled that the game had actual dungeons based on this background, with NPCs representing key figures as boss monsters or helper NPCs.

“Though recently, when I was leveling a side character, they just summarized it in a few lines… But yes, that was the story. The dwarves and Dark Elves had a bitter rivalry, and as an adventurer, the player had to pass through the *Golden Cave* in the middle of it.”

But right now, Jinseong wasn’t focused on that background.

What mattered most to him was the item in his hand.

It was something that would fit neatly into his [Inventory].

An item he could definitely claim ownership of.

“Gold… real gold. Pure gold… maybe not, but still, it’s gold.”

Jinseong’s mouth stretched into a grin that almost touched his ears.

“Hah! This is insane! It was just background scenery! Pixels! I never cared about it when I was a player!”

In *Dungeon & Fighter*, there was no special interaction with the background.

The dungeon’s background was just there as scenery; players would simply defeat the dwarves, stop them from spreading disease by digging tunnels, and move forward toward Noyerptera, closing off the tunnels.

But Jinseong?

“Gruuurk?”

“Taco! Look for a bag or something. I know your creature inventory is empty, but can’t you carry a sack or something?”

He could take it!

It was his to claim!

Even though he wasn’t sure of its purity, gold had value in *Plain: Arad*.

“Grrr? Gruurk—.”

“Don’t just sit there growling! Gather as much as you can! We need to collect everything!”

The player path ahead was predetermined.

There would be continuous combat for a while, and it would take time to deal with the revived Dwarven King.

More importantly, Jinseong knew the route ahead. Even if he spent hours here, he was confident he could reach Noyerptera ahead of the players.

That meant he had plenty of time to gather all of this gold as capital for himself.

It wasn’t just for the present—he couldn’t afford to miss this windfall, even for the future!

“Hah, and there’s no one around to stop me from taking this gold, either! This is crazy! If this were reality, this would be a one-way ticket to turning my life around in an instant—…wait, reality.”

As he frantically stuffed gold coins into his [Inventory], a thought suddenly occurred to Jinseong.

Sure, this fortune could ensure his safety and be useful for his future in this world.

But his current thought was more fundamental.

“…Do I really need to go back?”

What if he stayed here instead of returning to reality?

There was no pressing time limit.

It wasn’t as though he was a *Bucipke*.

“Even if I do go back, it’s not like…”

There was hardly anything in that reality to which he was deeply attached.

If anything, it was his personal circumstances that had driven him to become so engrossed in the game *Dungeon & Fighter* in the first place.

And now, where was he?

He was in the world of *Dungeon & Fighter*.

The world Jinseong cherished most.

Given his current situation, wouldn’t he be able to live comfortably as a wealthy person in *Arad*?

A goofy grin spread across Jinseong’s face.

But slowly, his smile straightened out again.

“No, I can’t stay here forever.”

It would be fun, for sure.

But living like this wasn’t an option.

“If *Nemer*’s will comes to pass… or if *Hilder*’s plan succeeds…”

If adventurers didn’t fulfill their role, the world of *Plain: Arad* would eventually be destroyed anyway.

* * *

“Gruurk?”

Taco tilted his head, looking at Jinseong.

Jinseong was busy gathering gold coins and arranging them into some sort of strategic map.

“Nemer’s goal is clear. To gather all the scattered fragments of *Kalosso*, to restore Kalosso’s full power, and to open a new world.”

The current world would be completely destroyed.

A new world would begin.

With Kalosso.

That was Nemer’s goal.

“When you face Nemer in the *Legion Dungeon: Dimensional Corridor*, the world described as ‘the inverted world of destruction’… it’s because, to the people of Arad, that world is as good as a post-apocalyptic wasteland.”

However, Nemer wasn’t directly carrying out this plan.

No one knew why.

“Maybe it’s that she can’t intervene directly, or maybe she chooses not to. Judging by what she said when she possessed me… it’s probably because direct intervention by someone at a Transcendent level would disrupt the balance and cause distortions. So she’s using others instead.”

Thus, Nemer created the Knights to seek out the fragments of Kalosso, and she had another trick up her sleeve.

*Genesis Chronicles*.

The reason Apostle *Hilder* could transfer other Apostles was all thanks to the original copy of the *Genesis Chronicles*.

One of the reasons Hilder was so special was that she had hidden the *Genesis Chronicles* in a place only she knew and was the only one who knew how to wield its power.

But how did Hilder get her hands on the *Genesis Chronicles*?

“Nemer gave it to her. Or, at least, Nemer told her where to find it. Either way, Nemer is using Hilder. Hilder is executing the prophecy from the *Genesis Chronicles* as if it were a grand plan… and the moment that’s fulfilled—”

Kalosso would gather all the fragments, become whole again, and a new world would open.

In a sense, Nemer and Hilder were on the same side.

You could say Hilder was Nemer’s proxy.

And that was another reason Hilder was special.

“—Hilder knows the current world will perish. She’s aware of Nemer’s plan. She’s playing along with Nemer to further her own goals.”

Jinseong roughly guessed what Hilder’s goals were.

Even if he was wrong, the fact that Hilder had a different plan from Nemer was certain.

At some point, their paths would diverge. Hilder would inevitably betray Nemer.

But until then, Hilder would continue to use the power of the *Genesis Chronicles* to prepare for her own plans.

In other words, they were allies now, but they would inevitably become enemies.

Knowing all of this, Jinseong was at a crossroads.

Nemer wanted him to be a *Bucipke*.

Nemer wanted adventurers to become sharpened blades, properly refined and ready to carry out the prophecy from the *Genesis Chronicles*.

In other words…

Wasn’t Jinseong helping to bring about the end of the world?

Helping Hilder mid-plan would only play into her hands.

Jinseong shook his head immediately.

That would make him just another pawn fulfilling Hilder’s wish. There was no way he could accept that.

Not to mention the *Cause of Contamination*.

An incomprehensible, unpredictable entity existed.

It was beyond the main storyline and lore of the game *Dungeon & Fighter*, a being Jinseong couldn’t even begin to predict.

“…Well, I don’t really know Nemer’s or Hilder’s true intentions, either. So when it comes down to it, hmm…”

Jinseong pondered.

The Transcendent Nemer.

The Apostle Hilder.

The *Cause of Contamination*.

And other beings with power on par with those mentioned in the game.

As long as these higher beings were playing their own games, setting up their pieces for their plans…

“No matter how much gold I have, I won’t be able to rest easy, even in Arad.”

*Clink, clink, clink…*

Another pile of gold coins tumbled down the golden mountain.

Somehow, the sound wasn’t as thrilling as it had been the first time.

“Gruurk.”

“Yeah, yeah, what’s the point of thinking about all this now? I still need to act like I’m fulfilling

the *Bucipke’s Duty*, just like Hilder pretends to help Nemer’s plan… And, of course…”

Jinseong needed to prepare.

He might have to face them one day.

And what did he need for that?

*Clink, clink…*

Another pile of coins fell.

This time, Jinseong neither laughed nor felt disappointed.

“Taco!”

“Gruurk?”

“What are you doing? I told you to gather up those gold chunks. We may not get another chance to come back here. Life’s unpredictable, you know. Grab what you can while you can.”

Jinseong’s expression was firm.

As strong as his resolve.

“Gruuuuurk…”

Poor Taco had no choice but to comply.

* * *

Jinseong slapped his own cheeks lightly to keep himself sharp.

He was fully aware that he couldn’t let this windfall distract him from his *Bucipke’s Duty*.

“Still, even looking at it now… nothing’s wrong?”

The other reason for his focus was that, so far, he hadn’t detected any contamination in the quest.

Even though he had spent a fair amount of time in the *Golden Cave*, he wasn’t far behind the male Priest player.

In fact, he’d even had the leisure to open a few treasure chests left by the dwarves, gathering their hidden tequila and other liquors.

Because of this, Jinseong had already verified almost all of the quest progress in Noyerptera.

“Even at this very moment, I haven’t noticed anything strange. We’ve already encountered *Diregie’s* phantom, but still no sign of contamination.”

There had been no traces of contamination even now, as he and Minette faced off against the phantom of *Diregie*.

It was a bit unexpected for Jinseong, who had suspected something would be off around here.

“This is essentially where you first encounter the *Grim-Seeker*, after all. It’s also where adventurers first become aware of the *Grim-Seeker* as a group.”

A group that played a pivotal role in the main storyline of *Dungeon & Fighter*.

The *Grim-Seeker*.

Players first encountered them during the battle against the phantom of *Diregie*, the cause of the plague in Noyerptera.

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