◈Episode 16 The price of ignorance (2)
“But it’s night…”
“Why don’t you say that to the victim too.”
Because it has been turned upside down, neither the dumpling nor the wizard’s face can be seen. However, I think I could hear the sound of someone swallowing their breath at first glance.
“…I will go too.”
“Oh my… you put an old man to shame.”
hmm. Even if we did individual activities, I would have been okay with it. I guess it’s a party character after all. The fact that we somehow end up going together.
“Hero? Wise man…?”
“I am grateful for Bishop Heo’s consideration, but… that friend is not a ‘low-responsibility’ person who uses fatigue as a reason to rest in the face of the devil.”
In the meantime, the skill of the wise man in subtly turning and peeling is not normal. If they do that, their own face will be a little damaged, but they use fatigue as an excuse to discard the priests who have caught them without hesitation.
“that…!”
“You shouldn’t let an old man hold you back. Now, let’s get going.”
“…yes!”
At the Archmage’s words, the Inquisitor followed next to me with a bright face like a child who had been given permission. It was ridiculous, but it was cute, so I decided to watch it.
“Now then… we must first uncover the hidden devil.”
We held on a little longer, but eventually the three of us left the temple and began exploring the village.
Since I didn’t have a destination, I was still wandering around aimlessly, but once I got used to the map, it wasn’t all that useless.
“Let’s hear more from the eyewitness.”
“Not required.”
I cut off the Archmage’s words and focused on the smell. As I remember, the characteristic feature of draugrs was their tremendous odor.
Of course, in the PC days, all you could do was say, ‘It smells strange,’ using a speech bubble. Now that it’s VR, you’ll have to smell it yourself to distinguish it.
“Have you any idea what kind of demon this time is?”
That question was too difficult to ignore right away. First of all, I am a collaborator. Should I share information? But will the crazy person behind the concept really share it?
It’s a bit funny that he is a wise man but doesn’t even know the devil. Of course, just by looking at his facial expression, it feels like he is asking the question even though he knows it.
Well, since we can’t ignore players without basic knowledge, it’s right to encourage them to find out for themselves. Because games should always be player-driven.
“There is no reason to play with an intelligence that doesn’t even know this.”
So, I decided to roughly write some lines that fit the concept. The dumplings next to you seem to be in vain, but I look at you because you are cute.
“…Can I hear your opinion?”
Still, the Inquisitor was a priest who was not ashamed of his ignorance.
She asked a little hesitantly, but then with a confident voice. The will to stick it in my head burned brightly in my green eyes.
“I can’t believe you’re a hero.”
“I know I am untrustworthy, but please refrain from making profane remarks.”
Oh, you mean to believe in God even if you don’t believe in yourself? He’s a really inflexible priest.
“So what species is the hidden devil?”
It’s even persistent. I nervously turned my head.
“…It’s a draugr.”
“Draugr… I see! Surely draugr would explain it.”
The draugr themselves seem to know. The Inquisitor’s eyes immediately lit up.
“As expected, you are an expert in demon hunting. You figured it out right away when you heard it…”
No, judging from the happy smile behind him, the wizard seems to know. If I do this, will I automatically become a fellow NPC even though I haven’t done anything?
With that thought in mind, I pursed my lips that were about to twitch. However, it is quite difficult to hold back laughter, and it is even more difficult to hold it back without being noticed.
I quickly thought of dark or serious thoughts. This is why laughter comes right into it.
“If I do that, I’ll have to find a place with a really bad smell. “Isn’t that right?”
There was a topic that was good to think about lightly.
“If there is a cemetery, it might be a good idea to inspect it. “I heard that draugr are born in graveyards.”
“The Inquisitor knows this well.”
“Would you compare it to a wise man and a demon knight?”
The Drauger incident that occurred in the original work led to corruption and devil worshipers in the diocese.
What will it be like in the remake version?
“Oh, it smells strange!”
I wonder if the priest’s nose is better than mine. To be more precise, I have a better sense of smell, but I can’t distinguish between smells.
“It doesn’t smell very good.”
As I followed the priest into the alley, the smell I had smelled so far appeared dozens of times stronger.
I thought it was a smell coming from the street, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
“This is Draugr’s…!”
One thing I also realized was that my night vision was better than that of the Inquisitor.
I grabbed the Inquisitor’s armor and pulled him back. The Inquisitor, whose face was wrinkled like a cat, was forcibly pulled out and I was ahead of her.
“Demon knight…?”
I put my hand on my waist and tried to ignore the smell that lingered in the alley as much as possible. Sweet. The lantern at my waist turned on, and the alley that had been engulfed in darkness became brighter.
“…Oh God.”
“Is it too late?…”
Inside, there is a body so dry that you can’t even feel the moisture. It’s better than the traces left after being crushed or eaten, but this is also quite disgusting to unfamiliar eyes.
I quickly approached the corpse, leaving the two sighing. The stench that filled the alley was strongest from the corpses.
So this definitely smells like draugr.
The draugr, the source of the smell, is also not present. But just from the remnants, it smells like copper. I think it would be quite painful if I encountered it.
Crackling.
But that’s not important.
I thought about an action that suited the concept and quickly made a decision. As a victim, it is obvious that the character who moves to prevent further damage will have feelings when he sees the victim he was unable to save.
“…You can leave revenge to me.”
I blame myself if I had been a little faster. As expected, the hostility that all devils must disappear. The anger that would come from that.
“Just close your eyes comfortably.”
Even at that moment, the sadness I feel as I project my family onto the victims and the desire for them to be comfortable.
Now, call me a genius in analyzing data. Ah haha.
“…I will offer up a prayer.”
The Inquisitor came up next to me and put his hands together. From those lips flowed a prayer that was neither too long nor too short, accompanied by divine light.
Even though I’m an atheist, that seemed pretty cool.
“I called the guards.”
The Archmage seemed to have done something and then sent a message to the guards. This was also good sense.
Actually, it felt a bit strange to leave it alone every time a corpse like this appeared in the game. In some games, guards were summoned in an instant.
“The smell was strong, so he must have been murdered not long ago. In that case, the draugr are probably still nearby. “Let’s find him quickly before the next victim appears.”
“Is it because I’m bragging about the basics to show off that I’m better? “I think it would be more efficient to track them while they’re at it.”
I appreciate the idea of telling the player what to do next, but I don’t like the concept. I reacted needlessly sharply and crossed over to the corpse.
I didn’t mean to insult the deceased, but there was a bad smell coming from there so I couldn’t help it.
“Hehe, that’s right.”
However, the wizard, who had a good reputation, clapped his hands despite my sarcasm. Then, the foul smell floating in the air turned into a visible fluorescent color.
“It’s a tracking spell. “It won’t last long.”
Since I haven’t mastered the tracking skill yet, I was wondering if I should just rely on my sense of smell to chase it. This is implemented in this way again.
I finally made a puzzled face at the convenience offered. If this is the case, can I not use the tracking skill…? Rather, what happens if you start with the wizard profession?
“….”
First of all, since good things are good things, I decided not to chase them.
I walked ahead into the alley. Then this time, white light exploded from behind.
“I will go while purifying my demon energy.”
As divine power softly illuminated the alley, the fluorescent fog near the Inquisitor disappeared.
Thanks to you, will this be the place later when the road gets twisted?? I don’t think there will be any confusion while doing this. Since she’s the last row, there won’t be any traces to follow.
Sigh.
If you do that, you can run. With that thought in mind, I strengthened my feet. Palak. The three-parted coat collar spread out like a peacock’s tail feathers.
“Mmm, wind, please lighten our steps!”
As I started running, the Archmage hurriedly chanted a spell. Considering the effect I saw at a glance and the vague spell, I think it’s probably Haste, which is roughly a movement speed buff.
But why are you two going to bet and not me? Is this karma?
“Is this a dead end?”
After running for a while, the draugr’s traces along the alley penetrated the wall of the building. This was possible because the draugr is an amorphous demon that can move through objects.
“….”
What should I do? Should I go back to the side road? But then I think I’ll miss the trace. It’s not cool either.
Should we take advantage of the virtual reality game this time?
“Demon knight?!”
Instead of slowing down my running speed, I turned slightly to the side. Coincidentally, there were a lot of protrusions in the densely packed building that I had to grab and step on.
thud!
The body running on the wall hooked its hands on the window frame and pulled itself up. I wondered if this would work, but it really became parkour. It was even more comfortable than I thought because it was a body in the game and the performance was good.
Now that what had only been imagined had come true, climbing to the roof of the building was a breeze. The roof made of tree bark was lightly crushed by shoe feet, making a faint noise.
“He’s an unstoppable guy…”
Party members are often programmed to teleport and follow him if the distance gets too far, so there’s no need to worry. Where did the smell lead?
I ran over the building and looked at the street below. I guess I passed through the building-street-building order, and fluorescent fog was seen here and there.
Kwasik. Kwasik. Kwasik.
I jumped over it, crushing the dried bark roof. As far as jumping over buildings, which I thought would be impossible, this was faster.
But why is it so quiet in the back? Is this a system that prevents you from teleporting even if you get too far away from a party member?
Glancing.
I only confirmed it after checking that it was empty.
I was a little anxious because there are many games where you are out if you get too far away from your teammates, but the relevant window does not appear. So things like join your colleagues within a few seconds or something like that.
So, you mean to say that individual activities are also supported? Or developer mistake? At this level, it won’t even be considered a novelty, so it’s probably a good idea to deal with it in advance. So, is the intention just to match the speed with the party members?
Unfortunately, that is a rejection. I am a native Korean who hates slow things!
“found.”
The fluorescent light disappeared as if the magic had taken effect, but instead, the source of the stench was observed. It was a narrow vacant lot between buildings.
Even when the red eyes flashing through the pitch-black fog changed from 2D to 3D, it was clearly a draugr.
“Drauger│A ghost that tricks people’s eyes and pushes them into their mouths. It rises from the grave and moves as if swimming through rocks to find prey.”
“❖ Evil hiding in the village
∎ Tracking down the evil hiding in the village
∎ Eliminating the draugrs 0 / 1”
Flap!
With the quest renewed, I turned my back on the moon and jumped into a space close to the clearing.
The hem of the coat spread out in the process, but it wasn’t too uncomfortable. My hand is holding the two-hander that was rattling on my back.
Woowoowoo—!
The draugr let out a humming sound, and the two-hender stuck in the spot where it narrowly escaped. As soon as I took it out, I held it firmly with both hands and took the shot, but it was a little disappointing that I missed.
In fact, even if it was hit properly, it would not have done any damage due to the irregular nature of physical attacks being invalid.
“…Glory to heaven.”
And did I mention that a true concept lover has to be perfect even when no one is around?
“Avenge the dead.”
He violently pulled out the sword from the ground and pointed it at Draugr again.
A thick black fog began to cover the clearing. The stink that was so mind-numbing was a bonus.
Ugh.
Rather, wasn’t it absolutely impossible to cut out the indefinite form from memory? It’s a shame. Parrying is the easiest way to time an attack.
Woooo!
“I was wondering how to get rid of the heretic… but you are Gretchen, after all.”
─ A variable appeared.
“Gretchen, the King is looking for you.”
A robin rose from the draugr fog.
A gloomy black robe adorned with red jewels. Even if you don’t think about the original, you can clearly see its identity.
“Devil Contractors│People who have made a contract with the devil and put their souls on the line. It is unknown whether they really sold their souls to the devil or their own desires.” They
were devil contractors.