Underground Ruins (2)
A secret room is a rather cliché device, but even so, it has a charm that makes one's heart race.
The wall split apart, revealing a hidden door. The opening was wide enough for a single person to pass through comfortably.
Woojin was about to step inside the secret chamber when…
Something strange happened.
Shhh—
From the crack in the wall, a curtain of blue light flickered.
A translucent barrier resembling tinted glass.
It looked very familiar.
It's similar to the magic Duran used.
A spell that created a protective barrier.
They had gone through the trouble of opening the hidden door, only for an unexpected spell to block the way. The people nearby also looked troubled.
Claire whispered softly.
"There's another barrier here. Jin, how do you think we can remove it?"
"Well… there must be some kind of clue."
While he was thinking—
Scratch, scratch—
With a sound like a fountain pen scribbling across rough paper, glowing golden letters began writing themselves across the surface of the barrier.
—Attend the banquet. (5)
A suspicious sentence.
Woojin thought for a moment before speaking to Claire beside him.
"What do you think it means by attending the banquet?"
"I'm not sure…"
There wasn't enough information to jump to a conclusion.
As the two of them talked, Duran muttered in surprise.
"You can read the language of the ancient empire as well? I was about to translate it for you, but it seems there's no need."
"…Huh?"
Claire blinked in confusion, as if realizing something strange only now.
"Jin… how did you read that?"
Very few people could read the rune script of the ancient empire.
Woojin brushed it off casually.
"I happened to learn it somehow."
"Really? That's not something you just 'happen' to learn…"
Claire tilted her head in doubt, but Woojin had nothing more he could say.
To be honest…
Even having conversations with Claire like this was unnatural in itself.
I've never even learned the language of this world.
Woojin had never studied the language of this world, yet he could communicate with people here and read their writing without much difficulty.
It seemed the rune script of the ancient empire fell into that same category.
Thanks to that, he could understand the meaning of inscriptions like this without needing someone to translate them.
Attend the banquet.
What exactly did that mean?
Woojin scratched his chin, then turned his head toward the plaque beside the table sculpture.
Prepare a feast for the heroes. Fill the basket.
The basket had already been filled.
And since that condition had opened the secret door, the meaning of attend the banquet must be—
Maybe it just means we're allowed to enter.
With that guess, Woojin reached his hand toward the glowing barrier.
As soon as his hand touched it, an odd sensation spread through it—and his hand passed straight through.
It felt like pushing his body into a giant pudding.
Woojin casually stepped into the secret chamber.
When he turned his head back, Claire stood on the other side of the barrier, excitedly shouting something.
I can't hear her.
It seemed this strange barrier also had soundproofing properties.
Wondering what she had said, Woojin stepped back through the barrier and rejoined the group.
He spoke to Claire.
"What did you say earlier? I couldn't hear anything from the other side."
"The number changed!"
Claire said it would be easier to understand by seeing it directly.
Then, just like Woojin had done earlier, she stepped into the barrier.
She stared at the sentence written on it.
—Attend the banquet. (5)
The moment Claire's body fully crossed to the other side, a small change occurred.
—Attend the banquet. (4)
The number decreased by one.
It was easy to guess what the barrier's role was.
It's controlling the number of people who can enter.
Apparently, up to five people could pass through.
Supporting that hypothesis, when Claire returned through the barrier, the number went back up to 5.
It wasn't a particularly restrictive condition.
There were only four people here.
Woojin, Claire, Tower Master Duran, and the senior mage Fabian.
Since the group was small, they could freely explore the chamber.
However, there was one thing bothering Woojin.
"What happens if the number reaches zero?"
"Good question."
What would happen if five people entered simultaneously and the number on the barrier reached 0?
Maybe nothing would happen.
But for some reason, the number looked like a kind of countdown.
It felt like something might occur the moment it reached zero.
Duran murmured as if talking to himself.
"We'll need to bring one more person. We must fulfill whatever condition this secret chamber requires."
Fabian responded immediately.
"Tower Master, who should I bring?"
"Hmm… bring a paladin. We'll need someone who can take hits. If we're unlucky, we might end up fighting."
At the moment, their lineup consisted of three mages and one hunter.
It would be troublesome for Woojin alone to protect three mages, so adding a paladin would create the perfect balance.
Fabian nodded right away.
"There's actually someone suitable nearby. Please wait a moment."
Fabian stepped outside and soon returned with someone who fit perfectly.
A paladin with an outstanding physique walked in.
He looked well over two meters tall, with a body as thick as an ancient tree trunk.
Wearing armor made him look even larger.
His size was enough to remind Woojin of the giant knight Boemong.
The young knight politely greeted them.
"Tower Master, it's been a while."
"Oh, Theodore. Thank you for coming so readily."
After welcoming the paladin, Fabian introduced the others.
"This is my disciple Claire. And this man here is Dean—a very skilled mercenary."
"Dean" was the alias Woojin used.
Since Woojin was still hiding the fact that he had survived, he used the false name Dean whenever he met people from the Religious Alliance.
Theodore smiled and introduced himself.
"I'm Theodore of the Order of Devotion. Please feel free to call me that."
"Nice to meet you."
As they exchanged brief greetings, Woojin instinctively examined Theodore's weapons.
Theodore carried two shields on his sides.
They were long triangular shields made of frost steel, their edges sharpened like blades.
Normally they could be used as shields, but depending on the situation they could also be swung like weapons to slash opponents.
It was a design surprisingly popular among mercenaries.
Does he use both shields at the same time?
Not dual swords—dual shields.
He was certainly the kind of knight that mages would appreciate.
To cast spells comfortably, they needed a durable tank who could withstand attacks.
While Woojin was calculating that in his mind—
Duran clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Alright, alright. Now that introductions are finished, let's stop wasting time and go in."
"Understood."
At the Tower Master's urging, Fabian and Theodore stepped through the barrier first and entered the secret chamber.
"Jin—ah, no… Dean. Let's go too."
"Alright."
Woojin glanced around briefly, then approached the doorway a beat later than the others.
Just as before, he passed through the barrier with Claire.
The moment they stepped inside the secret room, glowing golden letters appeared in the air.
All guests have attended the banquet.
Rumble—
An ominous grinding sound scraped against their ears.
The door they had just passed through slammed shut.
As they began to panic—
Whoosh!
The logs inside the previously dark fireplace suddenly ignited.
At the same time, the chandelier hanging from the ceiling lit up, brightly illuminating the room.
Another message appeared in the air.
—The Banquet of Heroes.
Then music began to play.
An ornate music box sitting in the corner suddenly started producing a soft melody. As if played by a ghost, the handle of the music box turned on its own.
Claire whispered quietly.
"…This feels bad."
"Really?"
"Aren't you worried?"
Woojin answered without much thought.
"Not really. It just seems like it'll be fun."
"…That makes me even more nervous."
"Why?"
"Because you only start having fun when things get dangerous."
"…."
He couldn't exactly deny that.
Woojin silently looked away and began observing the room.
A round table at the center of the room caught his eye.
It was a stone table carved from white rock.
Various dishes were laid out on top of it…
But they weren't edible.
They're all stone sculptures.
Just like the grape sculpture they had seen earlier outside, the dishes placed on silver plates were all carved from pure white stone.
Quite literally food you could only look at.
Woojin briefly examined the table before walking toward the music box playing the melody.
Is this an artifact too?
Cindy would probably like it.
Thinking that, Woojin picked up the brass music box and examined it—
"Everyone, come here."
Suddenly Duran called out to the group.
Woojin responded and approached him.
"Did you find a clue?"
"Yes. Take a look at this."
Duran pointed to a chair.
An elegant dining chair.
This, too, was a sculpture carved from stone.
"Listen carefully."
Duran emphasized before sitting down in the chair.
Click.
A sound like a button being pressed echoed.
Apparently it wasn't just decoration.
"Looks like a pressure button triggered by weight."
"Most likely. You should all sit down as well. It doesn't seem to activate with just one."
There were five chairs in total.
Exactly matching the number of people who had entered.
They sat around the round table together.
The moment all five of them were seated—
A strange phenomenon occurred.
Flash!
A dazzling light suddenly burst from the center of the table.
It was like a flash grenade going off.
They instinctively squinted their eyes—
"…What?"
Woojin opened his eyes wide in confusion.
His gaze fixed on the table.
And for good reason.
The stone food sculptures that had been sitting there had somehow transformed into real food.
And it wasn't just the food.
"The chairs… they've become soft!"
Claire leaned back against the chair as she spoke.
The materials of the chairs and table had changed as well.
All the sculptures in the room had transformed into ordinary objects one might use in daily life.
The experienced Tower Master quickly understood the situation.
"They didn't transform. It would be more accurate to say the spell was lifted and they returned to their original state."
"What do you mean?"
"It's a petrification spell. A very complex high-level magic. These pieces of furniture and food weren't sculptures—they were objects turned to stone."
A petrification spell.
A type of magic that turns a targeted object into rock.
The button they had just activated was a device designed to release that petrification magic.
Scratch, scratch—
New words appeared in the air.
—All guests have taken their seats.
—The banquet begins.
—The Banquet of Heroes.
The meaning was obvious.
"…I think it's telling us to eat the food."
When Woojin said that, the others hesitantly picked up their utensils as well.
Theodore expressed concern.
"There might be poison in it."
A reasonable concern.
But Woojin answered immediately.
"It's fine."
"Do you have a reason for that conclusion?"
"I don't smell any poison."
Woojin possessed a wolf-like sense of smell, and he had spent so much time struggling through the Demonic Realm that he had encountered countless poisonous plants.
Because of that, he could roughly tell if something was poisonous just by smelling it.
Of course, there were poisons with very faint scents…
"I'll taste it first to confirm. I'm resistant to most poisons anyway."
Woojin picked up his utensils before anyone else.
He moved a particularly noticeable sausage onto his plate, cut off a small piece with a knife, and took a bite.
After quickly sampling several of the dishes—
"…Hmm."
Suddenly Woojin's expression became serious.
The others looked at him with concern.
Duran cautiously asked,
"D-did something happen?"
"No. The taste is… unique."
"You nearly gave us a heart attack!"
Duran barked in irritation before picking up his utensils himself.
In truth, the possibility of poison was already low.
Silver utensils had been placed on the table from the beginning.
If poison had been present, the silver would have discolored.
They all began eating together.
Even Duran, who had scolded Woojin earlier, tasted the food several times before making a curious expression.
"…It certainly has a peculiar taste."
"Right?"
These were foods none of them had ever tasted before.
Naturally so.
The dishes on this table had been cooked hundreds—perhaps even thousands—of years ago.
Preserved for ages under petrification magic, their flavor was quite special.
It's basically a kind of time capsule.
Meat from ancient beasts that might now be extinct, along with spices long forgotten.
Only those seated at this table could experience their taste.
They chatted casually with one another while eating, and before long their stomachs were full.
Claire yawned softly.
"Ugh… I'm getting sleepy after eating."
"Same here."
Maybe they could take a short nap outside later.
Woojin was leisurely thinking such carefree thoughts when—
Scratch, scratch—
More words appeared in the air.
—The Banquet of Heroes.
The phrase they had already heard repeatedly.
Since the banquet had ended, it would probably tell them to leave now.
That was what Woojin expected.
But instead—
—This banquet is for heroes.
—We ask you.
—Are you truly heroes?
"…Huh?"
The atmosphere had suddenly changed.
Just as Woojin felt a sense of foreboding and tried to say something—
—Prove it.
Clank!!
The ground beneath their feet vanished.
Woojin and his companions plunged into an endless darkness.
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