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As planned, Misteltein used the artifact ring in Nova's possession and they teleported to where he mentioned a trial dungeon could be found. Immediately upon arriving, the team began to set up camp and anti-monster repellants and barriers. Cameria said she'd patrol the forest while waiting for the rest of them to finish up.
As Galadriel was the first to take a trial, Nova took her through the strange forest, its trees three times the size of the average forest trees they're familiar with. One thing was clear to Alice—they weren't in Diacree anymore.
The trees stretched as high as skyscrapers, blocking out almost all sunlight with their thick branches and many leaves. Hanging from the branches were strange animals Alice had only seen in illustrations and splash art. The air was fresh, a sign that no human settlement had ever touched this forest.
The weather was warm, unlike the cold season that just started recently.
'Where are we currently, system?' she thought as she accompanied Galadriel and Nova from behind.
--Scanning… Pulling up map… Ding The player is currently located in Alvaria.
'The Realm of the Elves? I don't recall this realm connecting to the Sky God Dungeon…'
Only a player would know this realm's coordinates.
However—
'I'm getting too ahead of myself. While rare, dungeon storms can occur in the dungeon worlds so he must've stumbled upon that merchant and the trial dungeon here. Coincidences exist everywhere.'
Speaking of that merchant, she was quite alarmed that he was acquainted with an undead, a creature that envies and despises the living. Not just any undead, one who can jump worlds. The baffling thing is that she can't see the undead's name.
All that showed up were question marks.
'My system is level 4 so the system can't be the issue. He might be a quest giver and the question marks are a type of sign for me to approach.'
Those weren't uncommon. In fact, random encounters often took place with quest givers, the more mysterious ones having questions marks over their heads. But as you progress their quests, you finally learn about them and unlock their codex so you can read their whole biography like that.
Maybe the merchant has a quest for her to finish? She'd like to do it as she also needs his services. For now, the joint quest takes priority.
They soon arrived in front of a cobblestone door of some sort covered in moss and vines.
On the cobblestone were engravings in unknown languages. Of course, to someone like Alice, they were written the ancient Elven language.
Without much thought, they had gone in and Alice was told to guard Nova's body while his soul was transported into the dungeon with Galadriel. Fully trusting of her guild master, Galadriel quietly went along with everything, even making sure to remind Alice to guard his body.
She told them not to worry but the moment they left, she took out a magic item and activated it, making a barrier cover the area. Not only is it a powerful semi-star class relic with high defense, traded for 25 000 Star Points, it would alert her if something is nearby.
Her plan? Well, she entered after the two, leaving her own body behind and entering as a ghost.
Nova might've said only two people can go in at a time, the one taking the trial, and the other as a spirit to watch out for traps and help with navigation. But she knew that was false.
Either he purposefully misled them, thinking one of them might be players, or he genuinely didn't know and just parroted what the merchant said.
The atmosphere changed the moment she entered. She couldn't feel her mortal body anymore and floated through the walls as a spirit, trying to locate them. Using the system map of the trial dungeon, she was able to pinpoint them as the dots on the mini-map.
How could she say this… Nova yelled orders as if he knew exactly what to expect.
There's no way he took the trials himself, right? He said it himself—a martial spirit allowed him to undergo Equilibrium, which unlocked his full potential. In addition, his status literally showed he still has the Common Warrior class.
So the first reason wasn't correct.
The second reason… If the merchant really did tell him the entire process and how to deal with the monsters, puzzles and other tests, why was he being purposefully vague…?
Naturally it bothers Alice that he could be a player but… at the same time most of everything he's ever done was for the benefit of others.
Of course, it's common knowledge by now that he murdered an academy student but that was to prevent a genocide. A Black Death plague-level disaster like that wouldn't be easy to handle.
Though she finds his cold attitude deplorable, it was a necessary evil. Even she can't deny that a villain like Arnold is needed to make tough decisions that someone like her wouldn't be able to do.
Looking at him guiding Galadriel through every trial and tribulation—and thinking of how he warned the empire about the dungeon and also how he knew about the curse—she came to the conclusion that he was without a doubt—
A player.
But somehow that didn't scare her anymore. Someone as powerful as him could easily defeat her even if she's regained her former strength. But seeing him trying to redeem himself (her imagination), made him look more trustworthy than the others she had to fight over the years.
Returning to the outside after seven hours had passed watching him guide Galadriel as if he knew everything inside the dungeon.
What should she do with this information?
Should she… share this information with her that person? But that might just paint an unnecessary target on Arnold's back. All signs point to him being a player, sure, but he hasn't done anything that would warrant suspicion.
Revealing him now would be putting him in harm's way. If someone as powerful as him could become her ally, her goal would be made much easier.
'…I'll observe a little longer.'
**
The three returned to the camp, after Galadriel successfully passed her trials.
"Level 99!?" screamed Lucia when she examined Galadriel with the rune plaque they brought along. Every guild must have one to determine the level of their adventurers. They aren't made public so Misteltein is fortunate to be considered a guild in the eyes of the empire to have the privilege of using this magic item.
"Haha…" Galadriel smiled awkwardly at her companions, "Guild Master said I'm now an [Eternal Champion], a class that allows me to parry any and all attacks so long as the enemy is close to or on my level. What's crazy about this is that I can build up some kind of energy in my sword by absorbing the physical force from parries and unleash it with powerful blasts. Even if I block a strike, a portion of the damage will be absorbed into the sword if I can hold my ground. In addition, I absorb way more damage now if I use a shield, so I'm basically a hybrid between a tanker and swordsman." She explained her class in minute detail, the excitement blatant in her voice and face.
"I don't think I've heard anyone do that before. What the heck is an Eternal Champion anyway…? The evolution of your class?" Lucia blinked as she asked dumbfounded.
"Yes! I'm no longer an ordinary knight. Now that I've gone through the trials, I'm certain I can reach higher than A-rank, possibly SS-rank in a few years." She turned to Nova and bowed deeply, "Thank you for everything, Guild Master. I didn't foresee a future like this when I approached you in the past."
"It's natural for a leader to help their companions grow stronger." He said coolly as if it was a natural thing to do, "If your companions can't carry out orders due to a lack of strength, it isn't the fault of their potential but the fault of the leader. That's something my senior drilled into me."
'…A familiar phrase… He even said it word for word…'
"Ohh, then this senior must be stronger than you, huh?" said Tenma.
"Yes, she's stronger than I am even as someone who uses Aether. That's something only possible with two evolutions."
'!' Until now, he said words that held no meaning to Alice. Even though she's familiar with the part about the responsibility of a leader—it's something any leader would know.
But the part about two class evolutions? That's not something just anyone would know.
Could he possibly be—
"But I'm sure that once I ascend my own class, I'll be her equal."
"Right, Sir Nova is still an ordinary warrior even with the martial spirit inside him." deduced Elora, to which he nodded.
If he did the trials, he'd become astronomically stronger than he is now, surpassing even his endgame self.
"Wow, someone stronger than Sir Nova? I can't really picture it…" said Elora as she stared up at the sky, as if the answer was up there somewhere.
"…You'd picture it very clearly if you met Gederick and Guinevere…" he muttered with the wryest of smiles.
"Oh Tenma, you're next. Make sure to eat a lot now because there won't be any rest once we're inside." Nova called for Tenma as she was eating.
"Alright! I'm fired up for this! If Galadriel can become this strong, then I just know I can become stronger! I'll become an SS-ranker just like my senior, Cameria!"
Cameria is also a martial artist and despite being in the level 70s, she's far more skilled in fighting and possesses superior body techniques. That's something that comes with experience and is the greatest evidence how level isn't always everything. Tenma spent most of her days hunting monsters as part of her training but neglected her training more than XP hunting.
Still, for someone her age, she's grown remarkably fast and this isn't even her ceiling.
"Guild Master, I have a request!" Tenma spoke up after Nova stood up, signaling that he wanted to get going.
"?"
"If I pass this trial, will you let me fight you at your full strength?" a face full of smiles, she requested the duel.
"That fiery spirit of yours hasn't changed at all, haha…" he muttered something only Alice heard.
She narrowed her eyes at him, seeing that knowing glint in his eyes.
"I promise each of you a reward if you pass the trials then. Galadriel, I'll listen to your request when I get back."
"Thank you, Guild Master!"
**
'Despite this being the world of Elves, we still haven't encountered any during the eight hours we've been here.' Through the trees, she saw a gigantic tree that pierced the sky, its bark black as tar and devoid of radiance.
'Even this realm's World Tree has died. This probably happened many thousands of years ago, possibly longer. The only thing keeping this world standing is the connection the realm has to the Elven Goddess.'
Could the Elves have left this world many years ago? She couldn't sense a single humanoid signature around them, only those of animals and bugs. Even the system was unable to identify signs of Elven life. There wasn't even a fairy in sight either despite them being very close to the World Tree itself. Fairies are typically found near them so this was highly suspicious.
A pit formed at the bottom of her stomach.
Had she not feared the consequences, this World Tree could've been saved. Even if the Elven Goddess does survive and her soul remains connected to the World Tree in this realm, there's no guarantee it will survive and the Elves will return.
Alice looked up ahead, at Nova's back—that wide back that has carried so many burdens already.
Could she rely on him to carry even this burden…?
"Uhm, Guild Master, I heard you're just an ordinary swordsman without aura but you said you use Aether earlier…" as they walked through the forest path, Tenma brought something up.
She only recently joined them so it's not surprising she doesn't know about his real identity.
"There's no way using Aether is that easy… right? Not even my father can use it. And he's the strongest martial artist I know of."
"I use Aether, yes."
"From all the news about you, it sounds like you hide it deliberately, Guild Master. If people knew, they'd make a bigger fuss, given how rare it is for martial artists to awaken it. Anyone can use it sure but… only once in their lives."
"I grew up fighting and training with my aura and never relied on my own physical strength. The reason I don't use it as an adventurer is to push myself and see where my limits are. I'm a warrior like you so that's how I challenge myself." Without turning back and continuing walking, he said to her, "Even if you do fight weaker monsters than yourself, you can always learn new things by setting limits on yourself—fighting with one hand for example. If you ever lose an arm, your combat capabilities won't be impacted."
She muttered something while pumping her fists: "He's so cool!"
"Then what conditions should I set on myself!?"
He glanced back, looking at her from top to bottom, "Your arms seem more trained than your legs so I suggest you fight with your legs a bit more."
That's true. Tenma only uses fist techniques and aura blasts to fight. Rarely has she ever fought with her legs in the game. Kicking randomly isn't exactly fighting with your legs, though.
"W-Well, you're right. My peers always went after my legs at the sect during sparring. It was annoying to deal with since they almost always suggested."
"That's the point of limiting yourself. Get used to different fighting styles. My master might be like you, using his fists to fight, but he forced me to train my entire body."
"If it's your master, he must be an amazing teacher!"
He shuddered for some reason, "Y-Yeah…"
Watching their interaction, a smile formed on Alice's face.
To think that these two used to be sworn enemies, ready to kill each other at every meeting. Since Arnold dropped out of the academy by this point in the story and helped a certain person revive the Heavenly Demonic Cult, Tenma—being a child of the Justice Faction—constantly ran into him on the battlefield.
But seeing that sparkle in her eyes as she spoke to Arnold made that memory feel like an illusion.