FLASH.
As the world, dyed completely white, began regaining its colors, finding myself standing in an unfamiliar world no longer felt strange.
Right. That was how it should have been.
But.
“Char. What are you doing? Hurry up!”
It was a very different matter when a young blond-haired, blue-eyed boy suddenly waved at me with obvious familiarity.
On top of that, he was speaking a language quite different from the common tongue I had learned until now, yet somehow I could understand him.
And.
“Young Master Bartus, I’m telling you, this is dangerous!? Everyone is saying war with the Greenskins could break out at any moment.”
My mouth moved on its own and spoke those words.
“So what? The war hasn’t started yet. I’m only saying we’ll go to the mountain behind the castle for a little while.”
“Big brother! Big brother! Me too!”
“I want to go too!”
When two even younger children who resembled the boy clung to him, he looked even more confident.
“See? My brothers are restless too. We’re only going out for some fresh air.”
“Given the circumstances, it is still dangerous, Young Master.”
“Exactly. That’s why Char can protect us, right?”
“Hah......”
My body sighed on its own, then eventually nodded.
The boy broke into a huge smile and headed toward a small hole in the castle wall.
‘What the hell is going on?’
My body was talking and moving on its own, but my mind raced furiously.
Only one possibility came to mind.
‘Did I get possessed?’
What they called role-playing (Role playing).
I had heard that when a small number of adventurers undertook Advancement Quests on the upper floors, they sometimes experienced role-playing Quests where they seemingly possessed people from the distant past.
In other words, on the deep floors.
‘This is Floor 5! The Novice Bracket!’
Floor 5 was supposed to be a maze.
As far as I knew, the normal Floor 5 involved making your way through various mazes and traps and defeating an Elite Monster.
That was why I had thought of Klinsmann Leather Briefs in the first place, to prepare for all kinds of Status Effects.
But.
‘What the hell is this!?’
Regardless of my confusion, events continued moving forward.
The boy Bartus and his younger brothers slipped out of the castle with speed utterly unlike children their age and raced off like the wind.
“Ahahahaha!”
“Big brother! Wait for me!”
“Brother!”
That was not a figure of speech. They were literally wrapping the wind around themselves as they ran.
‘Spirits?’
Bartus, the oldest-looking one, barely looked ten years old.
Yet even his younger brothers skillfully wrapped wind spirits around themselves and raced easily along the mountain path.
Within half a day, they crossed not merely the mountain behind the castle, but the mountain beyond the mountain beyond it.
‘So spirits can be used like that.’
I widened my eyes at the feeling of learning something from little children.
Then suddenly, my consciousness tore free from the body I had possessed and shot high into the sky.
It was as though I were looking down over the entire region, centered on the mountains where the Bartus brothers were running.
And far beyond where they were headed, I saw a massive green tide slowly advancing across the plains.
‘What!?’
From tiny Goblins to Orcs and Trolls, and even enormous Ogres.
Green-skinned humanoid monsters were advancing as an army.
More importantly, on the mountain directly behind the one where Bartus and his brothers were running, a detached force numbering in the hundreds was already climbing through the terrain.
The instant I became aware of them, my vision zoomed in and showed me the Greenskin detachment.
“RAKTUS!”
“HA!”
A massive Orc wearing iron armor over every vital point of his body, riding an enormous wolf and swinging an axe that flashed with blue light.
Even looking at him from far away, I could feel a terrifying pressure.
‘He looks... stronger than that Demonized Human.’
Around him were dozens of mounted Orcs riding wolves and hundreds of Goblin Warriors.
The instant I confirmed their presence, the System spoke.
[You have entered Floor 5 of the Labyrinth.]
[Floor 5 Quest]
[Return Bartus and his brothers safely.]
[Bartus 0/1]
[Balthazar 0/1]
[Kartus 0/1]
‘Hah. It really is a possession Quest.’
The instant I sighed, my field of vision suddenly narrowed again and returned to the eyes of the escort running with the children.
Immediately, I shouted.
“Young Masters! Wait!”
Only then did the words come entirely from my own will.
I had never heard this language before, but perhaps because this was a Quest, it felt as though the System were automatically translating for me.
“Why!?”
“It’s dangerous!”
I stopped the confused children and activated my Trait on the Quest window in front of me.
‘Please don’t give me some impossible Quest. Please.’
I had a terrible feeling.
And sure enough.
[Perfect Clear Conditions]
[Annihilate the Greenskin detachment.]
[Orc Great Warrior Grash 0/1]
[Orc Warriors 0/30]
[Goblin Warriors 0/213]
[Success Condition: Kill at least 70%, including detachment commander Grash.]
[Failure Condition: Bartus and his brothers die.]
“Ah. Damn it!”
I had gotten the worst possible Quest.
As if a possession Quest on Floor 5 were not enough, the Perfect Clear Conditions were practically telling me to fight a war by myself.
While I was sighing, Bartus tilted his head and approached.
“Char, what’s wrong?”
So.
‘This kid is the hero Bartus?’
The name of the city I lived in, and the name of its royal family.
The heroic founder from whom both had originated.
One of the heroes said to have saved humanity, and a legendary figure who was even said to have ascended to the heavens and become a god.
Unfortunately, that was all I knew.
One short explanation someone had once given me about where the city’s name came from.
‘Damn it. I should’ve learned more about Bartus.’
I regretted it, but that would not help me now.
“I asked what’s wrong.”
“Uncle Char, why?”
“Why?”
Only when the younger brothers—the children who were presumably Balthazar and Kartus—looked at me with curious eyes did I snap out of my useless thoughts.
“An Orc Great Warrior and his detachment are coming over that mountain right now. You must return immediately.”
I hoped they would understand how serious it was.
Instead, Bartus and his brothers’ eyes lit up.
“What!? Enemies?”
“Is it war!?”
“Wow!”
They seemed to feel none of the danger contained in the word ‘war.’
My chest tightened.
“But how do you know!?”
“Through the spirits......”
“Oh, then we’ll look too!”
“......No, this isn’t about looking!”
When I suddenly shouted, the children finally flinched.
“Go back immediately. I’ll stay behind and keep the Greenskins from following you.”
First, I needed to send the source of danger away and then think of a way to deal with the enemies.
That was my plan.
“I-I want to fight too!”
“Me too!”
“Big brother, me too!”
The thoughtless children made me want to clutch the back of my neck.
“No! Does war look like a game to you!?”
The instant I shouted without thinking—
CHWIRAA!
a strange voice rang out from far away.
My head snapped around automatically.
Beyond a nearby ridge, I saw a green Goblin pointing in our direction and shouting.
And immediately behind it, Orcs riding wolves—Orc Riders—began racing down the mountain at terrifying speed.
“Damn it! Run!”
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD.
Fortunately, this time the children listened.
Perhaps seeing the threat with their own eyes had finally convinced them.
“Run!”
“O-Okay!”
At Bartus’s shout, the children began running with everything they had.
‘Like this?’
I imitated the way they wrapped wind spirits around themselves while running, and immediately felt Volante Footwork become noticeably faster.
But I had no time to celebrate the unexpected discovery.
“KURATCHA!”
One especially fast Orc Rider had already crossed the ridge and was charging toward us at frightening speed.
I glanced back at him.
His equipment was not on the level of the commander’s, but he carried gleaming iron weapons.
Even at a glance, he seemed to be on a completely different level from any monster or creature I had fought until now.
He was obviously nothing more than one of the commander’s subordinates.
Yet he looked like an Elite Monster.
‘How the hell is this supposed to make sense on Floor 5!?’
I screamed inwardly.
That did not change reality.
“Keep running!”
I shouted and stopped moving in the opposite direction.
From slightly higher ground, I decided to kill the pursuer first.
‘One of them......’
Surely I could handle one.
Thinking that, I turned and took my stance.
Then the sun suddenly disappeared.
‘What!?’
The wolf had leaped from far ahead and soared all the way over my head.
From above—
BARK!
“KRA-CHA!”
the giant wolf’s claws slashed down at the exact same time the mounted Orc thrust his spear at me.
The pressure was vicious.
‘Hup!’
TAP.
I instinctively leaped backward, putting myself outside their range.
Then, while the wolf landed, I charged straight in and leaped.
TAP.
I gathered the force of my jump and the vibration of my spear into a single strike aimed at the Orc Warrior’s neck.
‘Got—’
I saw the Orc’s eyes widen.
He had not yet managed to recover the spear he had thrust.
But then.
WHAM—!
A sudden impact struck me from below, sending my body spinning through the air.
The instant I realized the wolf’s forepaw had hit me, the Orc Warrior recovered his stance and thrust his spear again.
‘Fuc—’
I twisted my body and used the wind spirit to evade as much as possible, but I had no choice but to brace myself for a heavy hit.
‘......You think you’re the only one landing a hit!!’
I twisted my entire body and thrust my spear back toward the Orc.
The Edelin Long Spear.
Attack Power +9.
In other words, a spear that carried the force of more than 9 Strength even in a casual thrust.
I trusted it.
Then, at that exact moment—
HUMMM.
A powerful current of wind wrapped around the Orc’s spear.
At the same time, it suddenly felt as though a foothold had appeared beneath my feet in midair, giving strength back to my posture.
SQUELCH—!
My wavering spear shot straight forward and pierced the Orc Warrior’s neck.
“Ghk......?”
The confusion in the Orc Warrior’s eyes matched my own.
Then.
“GRAOOO!”
CRASH—!
Flames exploded against the face of the wolf, which had gone berserk after sensing its rider’s death.
Earth wrapped around its legs and held them in place.
Only then did I understand what had happened.
‘Thanks!’
TAP.
SQUELCH—!
I landed and drove my spear into the wolf’s neck.
Only then did the System speak.
[Orc Warrior and Giant Wolf defeated.]
[Contribution: 70%]
[Experience increased.]
[Level increased.]
[1 Level-Up Point acquired.]
‘As expected of an Elite Monster.’
I had no time to enjoy the Level increase.
When I turned around, sure enough, the children were standing a short distance away with their arms raised in celebration.
“Run!”
After receiving their help, I could hardly waste time scolding them for not running away.
All I could do was hope they would use that time to put even one more step between themselves and the enemy.
And so, borrowing the power of the wind spirits, we raced madly through the mountain paths.
But.
BARK!
BARK-BARK!
AWOOOO!
the howls of wolves pursuing us from behind kept drawing closer.
I glanced back.
This time, three Orc Riders had caught up.
‘This won’t work.’
I had sensed it just from reading the Quest.
After actually fighting one, I knew for certain.
This was not a Quest I could clear through a frontal battle.
If so—
“Into the forest!”
I shouted and led the children off the path and into the woods.
I hid them inside thick undergrowth where the sunlight barely reached.
“Do not make a sound! And when they disappear, you know what to do, right?”
After warning them, I immediately ran back out alone.
“Char! Take this!”
Bartus hurriedly slipped something into my clothes.
But I had no time to care about what it was.
“Over here, you sons of bitches!”
I curved my route widely, running back toward the direction the detachment itself was coming from.
BARK!
Seeing the Orc Riders turn toward me actually filled me with relief.
Was that because of the Quest?
Or because of my conscience?
Either way, I had already made my choice.
Now I had no option but to take the gamble.
‘If I can’t run away, I’ll go deeper and hide.’
Fortunately, I had the Concealment Cloth Kim Hyeon-sik had given(?) me.
It was an absurdly simple plan, and the odds of success did not look particularly high.
‘Hide and ambush them.’
But I could see no other possibility for completing the Perfect Clear.