#50
050
[212p: -45 years. The memories recorded on the 78th are restored.]
[Load the save data of the field ‘Balark’s Iron Castle’.]
The moment an additional message occurred to me.
Memories of that time, which had been vague and sporadic, like a film with cuts in the middle, gradually began to become clearer.
It was as vivid as if it had happened yesterday or even today.
“This….”
In the panorama of memories flooding in like a flood, Daesung was able to recall and restore everything.
What is at the entrance of the Iron Fortress and what other beings lurk inside?
Everything from the big details to the details.
‘Good.’
The memories of that time, which I could only recall about 70% to 80% of, flowed into my head in a perfect 100% state without the slightest error.
The gap of oblivion that became inevitable due to the passage of several decades has been completely filled.
That moment.
Tung-!
“…!”
Daesung suddenly felt his vision being overturned.
And like a deflated balloon, my body lost all strength.
The moment when you think, ‘What is this?’
As with the item realization quest, the interior of the Pantheon was split into particles.
[212p: -45 years. It goes back to 78 days.]
System messages passed by as if an invisible force was constantly pulling me.
After quickly passing through a passage of five-colored, brilliant light.
Pot-!
The light cleared and the vast land spread out in the distance.
Daeseong had a panoramic view of the vast land from top to bottom.
‘I feel like I’m acting.’
I didn’t feel any weight in my body.
Daesung realized that he was now floating in the sky.
‘It was said that you enter the Field Implementation Quest in a trance state.’
After recalling the system’s words, I lowered my head and looked at his hands, and sure enough.
He was now almost like a mist in the form of a non-human person covered in skin.
Shootaaa-
Heavy rain poured down like crazy under the red sky and pounded the ground.
At this time, Daesung, who was in a trance, could be seen.
“That is….”
The sight of a man lying on the pitch-black ground with raindrops bouncing violently.
He wore black and white plate armor and a helmet, and in his right hand was a curved sword with a rusty blade, and in his other hand was a round steel shield.
‘That’s me back then.’
It was his past self.
At that time, I looked down at myself as if my soul had completely disappeared.
[The soul of the Absolute connects with the past body.]
As soon as the voice of the message comes to mind
Hahahaha!
The distance to the land below suddenly narrowed.
Tightly-
The blackout curtain was spread and Daesung slowly opened his eyes.
As his blurred vision gradually came back into focus and his senses recovered, he felt a weight that he had not felt in his trance.
Clap, clap, clap-
The feel of thick and heavy iron armor.
Daesung looked down at his hands, clad in his jet-black gauntlets, and realized.
“It’s back to a time when I don’t miss it at all.”
Balark’s attack on Iron Fortress.
It’s a return to those days.
***
Although it cannot be compared to the demon god who governed hell itself, or the 13 lords who occupied power in their respective domains, such as the Flame King or the Ghost King.
Valarc, who was called the Dragon Knight of Annihilation and proudly ruled the hellish Middle East region, was also a formidable force.
On the other hand, Daesung was very weak at the time.
Worst of all, it was a difficult task to defeat the annihilating dragon that Balark rode instead of his horse.
‘There were days and days of retreat and progress.’
Balark did not bother to chase after Daeseong, who was wandering around in his dark days.
It was a confidence like, ‘Let’s see how far you can struggle.’
‘He probably didn’t know that his arrogance would turn into a trickster.’
It is said that even a Seodang dog can recite the good fortune every three years.
The total time it took to conquer Ballark’s Iron Fortress was 15 days.
During that 15-day period, Daeseong persistently explored the wide iron castle and found clues that could be Balark’s weaknesses.
‘It took 15 days because I didn’t know at the time, but not now.’
I remember it clearly and I can understand it.
What to do from now on.
‘There is no need to take fifteen days.’
As long as you know the structure of the field you need to attack and know all the weaknesses of the enemy you need to kill.
Just one day was enough.
“Eryophwa Great Sword.”
Daesung, who had one thing to check, got up from his lying position and muttered that.
However, even after uttering his command, the Yeohwa Great Sword did not appear.
‘also.’
At this time, he was still a weakling who was not even close to King Yeom’s toes, and of course he did not even have Yeomhwa Great Sword, which was King Yeom’s weapon.
‘You can’t just take the easy route.’
As it is a quest that embodies the ‘realm’ of hell itself rather than an item.
It was natural that the difficulty level also became more difficult.
Clap-
Daeseong walked with a creaking sound coming from the joints of his armor.
Daesung was definitely reckless at this time.
‘I challenged Balark with only a curved sword and a shield that had lost all its blades.’
Priest Odi’s curved sword and the ice giant’s shield.
It was a shield that didn’t perform too well, and that’s why Daesung had been using them for a long time.
That was why.
The reason why he recklessly engaged in a fierce battle with Valarc was because he relied too much on worn-out equipment.
But right now, this is all the equipment I have, so I have no choice.
‘Does not matter.’
Daeseong didn’t care and continued his steps, dragging his armored body filled with water.
Soon, a huge medieval-style castle appeared beyond the long pier.
It was Ballark’s iron castle.
At the same time, the quest arrived.
[Quest has arrived.]
—–
Field Implementation Quest-1 (In Progress)
‘212p Ballark’s Iron Castle’
Difficulty: Unknown
Content: Defeat the gatekeeper guarding the entrance to the Iron Castle.
Timeout: None
Goal: Deal with the gatekeeper’s dragon soldiers.
Reward 1: Achievement points + 5000pt
Embodiment: Valarc’s Iron Strength + 33%
—–
On one side of the tightly closed iron gate stood a statue kneeling on one knee.
It was Yong Ah-byeong, the gatekeeper.
It pretends to be a statue, but when an intruder approaches, it immediately relaxes its stance and launches a surprise attack.
Thanks to that, Daesung had to deal with the measles from the very beginning because of that gatekeeper.
‘If you enter the range, you cannot avoid the halberd he swings.’
The range was wide, but the barrage of spear strikes raining down like thunder was nothing short of a nightmare.
It may be that Daesung has a present-day body, but he is now a body from the past, a return to a time when he was weak.
Although he has the visual acuity to match, he lacks the physical strength to back it up.
‘It’s urgent to wake him up without getting close.’
Right then.
Hwareuk-
A fireball like a will-o’-the-wisps appeared in Daeseong’s right hand.
It was the first magic application skill I acquired a year after falling into hell.
At that time, I was so excited that I gave it a name like Fireball or something, but…
It was a skill that I didn’t even bother to think about after realizing that low-level magicians were the only ones who could inflict effective damage with this.
But it’s different now.
‘It may not be an effective blow, but it’s enough to wake a sleeping guy.’
Hahahaha!
Daesung hurled the fireball summoned in his right hand towards the statue like a fastball.
pop-!
Sparks flew and small fireworks exploded.
For dragon soldiers, this is an attack that can’t even tickle them, let alone do any damage.
Kugugu-
However, it was enough to touch the anger of Yongahyeong, who was sleeping in a state of frostbite.
Yong Ah-byeong, who was kneeling on one knee, slowly straightened his legs.
Then, a height similar to that of an iron gate, well over 10 meters, was revealed.
The tip of the halberd he held in one hand was sharp and shiny, and he glared at Daesung, who was standing on the bridge pier.
‘To be honest, entering an all-out war is suicidal.’
It should not be overlooked.
The body I have now is, after all, the body I had when I was weak.
Boom boom!
The dragon soldier who discovered the intruder on the bridge made a dull sound and rushed the large figure.
A spirit similar to that of a tank!
However, Daesung just calmly measured the distance without any hesitation.
‘A dragon soldier, like a command soldier, is nothing more than a shell without a soul.’
Boom boom!
The moment the Yongah soldier approaches, creating a vibration that threatens to break even the chain attached to the edge of the bridge.
‘There was a mark that held onto its very existence.’
bang-!
Daeseong slammed the ice giant’s shield, which was mounted on the back of his left hand, into the bridge pier.
at that time.
[The unique skill of ‘Frozen Giant’s Shield’ is activated.]
[Unique skill: < Iceification >]
Damn it –
The iron floor of the bridge pier froze around the point where it touched the shield.
Short radius of less than 50m.
however.
Slippery!
Yongahbyeong, who had come within that short radius, suddenly stumbled over his body on the frozen floor.
He just stumbled.
It didn’t show the shameful sight of a guy who was the gatekeeper of Cheolseong falling down in an unsightly manner.
But that brief gap
‘now.’
Daesung never missed.
While his big body leans sideways for a moment
Sigh-!
Daesung stretched out his legs and slid on the slippery ice floor.
In the blink of an eye, he caught the back of Yongahbyeong and jumped up, clinging to its back.
‘I couldn’t fight back properly and ran away. I kept running away until I finally found him.’
Where is the mark that can be said to be its core?
Right in the middle of the back.
Sigh-! Sigh-!
Daeseong climbed up Yongahbyeong’s back, accurately grasping the gap in his armor.
Ahhh-!
Suddenly, Yongahbyeong, who thought something troublesome had stuck to his back, twisted his body hard and roared.
It was an intense struggle, but there was no disruption in Daesung’s movements as he climbed up the guy’s back like he was climbing.
yet.
Pak-!
Daesung reached the mark engraved on his back and raised the curved sword he was holding in one hand.
Sigh-!
I pierced it deep into the mark.
Ahhh-!
Yongahyeong screamed, and blood as black as oil spurted from the sword wound.
yet.
thud-!
Yong Ah-byeong’s heavy body, which had lost its core, fell onto the bridge pier.
‘There’s nothing difficult if you know how.’
Daeseong quickly got off the back of Yongah Byeong, who was riding on him.
That moment.
[The permission that Yong Ah-byeong possessed permeates his body.]
[You can enter Balark’s Iron Castle.]
[The quest has been completed and the implementation work is making progress!]
[10000 points of merit points have been awarded!]
[Current realization rate: Valarc’s Iron Castle 33%]
The same system message I saw before came to mind, except for something related to implementation.
The right to permission is like a kind of invisible power.
Daesung, realizing that the power had seeped into his body, walked to the entrance of the old castle and pushed the iron door.
Kugugugung-
The iron gates opened with a loud sound, revealing the dark interior of the old castle.
“Tsk.”
Daesung clicked his tongue at the familiar and disgusting sight.
[Quest has arrived.]
—–
Field Implementation Quest-2 (In Progress)
‘212p Ballark’s Iron Castle’
Difficulty: Unknown
Content: Reach the castle lord’s room.
Timeout: None
Goal: Arrival at Seongju’s room.
Reward 1: Achievement points + 5000pt
Materialization: Valarc’s Iron Strength +33%
—–
Except for the gatekeeper, Yongahbyeong, and the castle lord, Balark, there were no separate demonic beasts stationed inside the iron castle.
However, if it were just a flower path, the system wouldn’t have given out quests like this.
‘Every time I took a step, I had to sharpen my sense of touch.’
It was a place littered with traps and obstacles that were harsh enough to make you think Yongahyeong would be better off.
Phew-!
As soon as I stepped onto the stairs leading to the top, one wall inside the castle opened wide and arrows flew out.
Ting-!
However, Daeseong, as if he knew this would happen, waved his left hand equipped with a shield as if it were a natural thing and deflected the arrow.
A barrage of arrows rains down every time the intruder takes a certain number of steps.
Ting-! Ting-! Ting-!
Each time, Daeseong did not panic and waved his shield to effortlessly bounce off the arrows.
If it comes from a direction that cannot be physically blocked, it rolls.
‘It’s a place I’ve been coming and going persistently for a long 15 days.’
Phew-! Ting-!
For a dozen days, I suffered from this trap, suffered, and overcame it.
It is bound to be obvious where and how the trap will pop out.
A silver flash flashed and an arrow flew out, and Daeseong bowed, rolled over, and raised his shield…
I used all my movements for evasion and defense to avoid the arrow trap.
Fish profit-
The floor where the arrow was stuck melted, spewing out steam.
An arrow coated with extreme poison.
The power was unbelievable with the full plate he was wearing now.
Jeopuk-
As I climbed all the stairs while avoiding the barrage of arrows, the dark, straight passage continued endlessly.
Rattling-!
Wow-!
The road through the passage was truly a thorny road.
Thorns were sticking out from all directions, not in any metaphorical sense, but in a physical sense.
The floor collapsed, the side wall opened, and a sharp window popped out.
‘Right at 15 paces. The bottom is open from the curved entrance.’
However, thanks to the memories of that time flowing in through his journal, Daesung made his way forward with a skill that was almost precognitive.
Jeopuk-
“….”
After passing through all the long passages.
The moment we arrived at the cavity where the stairs leading to the lord’s room at the top of the iron castle were installed.
Daesung’s eyes flashed once.
‘Just because Balark has memories and experience doesn’t mean he’s a guy you can take down.’
Because there is no physical body that can make those memories and experiences shine with value.
then.
‘This is his home ground, so there is something that acts as a handshake to him.’
The only way to win is to obtain ‘that thing’ that can inflict fatal wounds on the guy.
The fifteenth day of the successful attack on Ballark’s Iron Fortress.
Daesung, who needed to somehow find a number, was able to find ‘it’.
Somewhere in the cavity where he is standing right now.
‘I regretted hitting the ground and wishing I had discovered it sooner.’
But it’s not surprising that he didn’t discover it sooner.
If Balark had common sense, he would not expose elements that could be his weaknesses in plain sight.
In other words, discovering it at the time was pure luck.
Jeopuk-
Ahead of the castle lord’s room, the goal of the second quest.
Daesung turned and headed towards the far right corner of the rectangular cavity.
‘It was like this.’
An ordinary stone wall that looks nothing different on the outside.
But the scenes unfolding beyond the stone wall were anything but ordinary.
Sze-
The moment Daesung spread his palm and touched the surface of the stone wall.
Wow-
Unknowingly, a ‘space’ that could barely accommodate one person was created on top of the wide stone wall.
[The secret route to Balark’s Iron Castle has been discovered.]
[You can use ‘Balark’s Treasure Vault’ for the next 5 minutes.]
Daesung saw ‘it’ revealing its presence in the thick darkness.
‘The image of that guy regretting and lamenting his arrogance comes to mind.’
The corner of his mouth slowly curled up.