A week after the battle in the Town of Thaloria ended...
Alex looked at the monument that had been built at the plaza of the town with a confused look on his face.
’Did this monument really look in the game?’ Alex thought as he observed the monument up close. ’I remember it being a shield as well, but why does this shield look like Svalinn?’
Players only spent a few hours in the Town of Thaloria, and just like everyone else, Alex had seen the Heroes Monument in the past.
But he could vaguely remember that the design of the shield seemed to be different in the game.
While he was deep in thought, a familiar voice spoke from behind his back.
"The Elder helped in creating this monument because he specialized in Earth Magic," Cairo said. "Do you like the design he made? He actually planned to put the claw of the Clawford Tribe at the center of that shield, but I talked him out of it."
"So that’s it!" Alex finally understood why the shield looked like Svalinn.
If the Elder of the Hartwell Clan had been the one to design the monument, he would of course have favored one of the treasured shields of their Clan.
"Master, it is fortunate that you managed to talk him out of it," Alex said. "Things might be awkward if he had added your tribe’s emblem to that shield."
"Right." Cairo nodded.
He had also been a little embarrassed by the Elder’s attempt to advertise their clan’s contributions to the defense of the Town of Thaloria.
"Alex, what are your future plans?" Cairo asked, changing the topic. "You once told me that you planned to go to Briarwood Village, right?"
"Yes, Master," Alex answered. "If possible, I want you to accompany me as well because I may... find myself in a similar situation like the monster stampede that happened here..."
"... What?" The Catkin looked at his disciple in disbelief.
Alex had already prepared himself to explain everything to his master in a roundabout manner.
"Master, actually, I’m some kind of Seer," Alex said calmly. "I get visions of things that might happen in the future. I’m actually going to Briarwood Village because of a vision I saw."
Cairo had been there when Alex had told Lavinia that he was a seer. At that time, his only disciple had been in the process of climbing the stairs of the trial that led to the residence of the Hartwell Clan.
Back then, he hadn’t really taken Alex seriously. But seeing how serious his expression was now, Cairo was starting to feel that his disciple might really have some kind of clairvoyance ability.
Alex really wanted to tell the absolute truth to his Master, but he couldn’t possibly do that.
How could he say that he knew about the future because he played a game with the people of Arcana as the NPCs?
This was why he decided to use a roundabout method. In the case something similar happened in the future, Cairo would just think that it was because Alex had seen another vision of the future.
"Tell me everything you can tell me. Why do you insist on going to Briarwood Village?" Cairo asked. "I’ll make my decision after hearing your full story."
Alex nodded and began his tale.
About Charles Lambert’s predicament and his wish to reunite with his sisters in Harmonia.
However, he was unable to do that because he would die inside the Dungeon of Beginnings. And he would die because of his passive ability, Challenger’s Mark.
< Challenger’s Mark >
"The will to defy. The flame that dares every foe."
— Monsters within 10 meters of the bearer are instinctively drawn to their presence, as if challenged by an unspoken call to battle. This skill automatically generates aggro from all hostile creatures within range.
— When entering a dungeon, the effect intensifies dramatically, extending to a 2-kilometer radius, marking the bearer as a beacon of defiance no monster can ignore.
"... What kind of broken skill is that? Can it even be considered a skill?" Cairo, who had been listening to Alex’s explanation of Challenger’s Mark, couldn’t help but feel sorry for the person named Charles Lambert.
"Now I understand why you saw him dying inside the Dungeon of Beginnings. That means it’s active on the entire floor he is on, right?"
Alex shook his head. "No, Master. This skill also works vertically inside a dungeon. So the monsters on the lower floors will be drawn to him as well."
"... Isn’t this guy seriously unlucky?"
"You can say that again, Master."
Even now, Alex and the other players of ELO hadn’t known why Charles was blessed or perhaps cursed with such a skill.
Technically, he was the perfect tank because his aggro skill was always active. As long as he didn’t enter a dungeon in his life, he would be fine.
Unfortunately, he had no choice but to enter the Dungeon of Beginnings because it was the first step in the Trial of Frieden Academy.
No one could take the second trial unless they took this trial first. There were no shortcuts, and anyone caught bypassing this rule would be blacklisted from taking the trial again for the next three years.
Alex, who also planned to enroll in Frieden Academy, needed to take this trial as well.
Although he could choose one of the many villages, towns, and cities that were connected to the Dungeon of Beginnings, he chose to enter through Briarwood Village so he could help Charles overcome his own trial.
"You weren’t joking when you said that this is similar to a monster stampede," Cairo commented after Alex finished his tale.
Alex nodded. "Yes. Master."
"But must you really help him?" Cairo inquired. "I’m not saying what you intended to do is a bad thing. But the most logical thing to do is to talk him out of entering the Dungeon of Beginnings.
"Although it is regrettable that he won’t be able to enroll in the academy, at least he will be able to live and take care of his sisters, no?"
Alex shook his head. "His sisters are now in the capital city and are being taken care of by their aunt.
"Charles is their foster brother, and their aunt doesn’t recognize him as part of her family. Since his adoptive parents are already dead, his sisters are the only family he has left. He is not allowed to see them unless he passes the trial.
"Also, his little sister, Eris, has the Child Bane Disease. Charles has heard the news that a Pill that can be exchanged with Merit Points in the academy can cure it."
"The Child Bane Disease?" Cairo frowned. "That incurable disease that kills children before they reach ten years of age?"
According to researchers, it was a cruel, virulent disease of unknown origin. Its most noticeable feature was a lotus-like black tattoo on the child’s forehead, as if they had been marked by the God of Death itself.
The child would also suffer from black rashes in the shape of thorns or vines. Not only that, but they would also experience daily bouts of pain, which could last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.
Most children suffered immense pain in their final years, which was why some parents chose to end their children’s lives rather than let them suffer in pain for years.
Alex nodded. "Yes. Eris is only five years old, and Charles desperately wants her to be cured. This is why, even if it is dangerous, he will not give up enrolling at the academy—even if it costs him his life."
Cairo sighed and shook his head helplessly.
At first, he had simply thought Charles was just another pitiful, unfortunate soul.
But now he understood. Charles was shouldering a burden far heavier than he’d imagined, which was why he would willingly risk his life for the slim hope of finding a cure for his sister’s illness.