"How are things going, Archie?""Interesting. I got some new skills and was thinking about how to use them later. By the way, where are Luca and Lucius? Are they still eating at Jenny's?”The one who greeted Archie in front of the church was Layla, his fiancé. He had not seen the two colleagues who had escorted Archie's arrival before."They took some snacks for Gimmond."“Huh? Gimmond still working hard, too, isn't he? Even though I'm sure after the adventurers clear the irregular dungeon, the transmitter will recover," said Archie.After taking quite a break, Archie got back into shape. He felt the herbal tea that Jenny's mother had served him was adequate. Maybe he should ask for the recipe.<
Luca wanted to rest his body immediately; he felt sore in several places, especially his feet, after walking quite a distance and climbing the mountains. The more his desire appeared, the more he realized how physically weak he was compared to his other colleagues."Welcome back, Master Luca."The maids greeted Luca as usual as he entered the church building. In all the years, he had never noticed such a marked difference in almost anything around here, regardless of the good or bad that was going on in the empire.Usually, Luca would report to the staff, but this time, on direct orders from Archie—his new best friend—he had to confirm the young master's preconceived notions. "Is Sir Rubben in his room?"Rubben Antraghski, the man in charge of all kinds of re
The commotion started to break out as panic from both sides—adventurers and guards—they still couldn't determine the sudden attack’s direction, instead pushing and pointing their weapons at each other. Not long after casualties fell, the adventurers began physically attacking and were driven away by the guards who tried to defend themselves. From the entrance, other guards started arriving. “Oh, thank goodness, reinforcements,” they thought. They never expected that the guards coming from behind would instead start attacking the adventurers with spears and swords. The confused adventurers could only resist while observing the situation before deciding. Luca jumped up and witnessed the commotion in the hall; he didn't know what attitude to take under such circumstance
It was the first time Luca faced an international criminal directly; he couldn't focus on the newly appeared clown; his body had to avoid and withstand the swings and attacks from the mummies creature.“Damn it. If only we could avert the spiral,” Luca grumbled.Countless creatures filled the hall, scattered in all directions, and gave everyone a headache. Choosing which enemy to cut down for real and which partner to make is a confusing choice, not because the external appearance is so obvious, but because the momentum of the coming attacks from almost all directions makes even skilled combat adventurers have to think twice."If we just cut this puppet human, it'll be fine, right?""Stupid. Who knows if they are still alive?”
“Ardian?!”Luca once again confirmed what he saw was true; he was surprised to see Ardian's physical appearance, which was no longer the same—his clothes were tattered with several bruises on his chest, shoulders, and cheeks.Slightly inside the hall, three guards were wearing light-blue armor, standing in front of a room. They had just finished giving the higher-ups time to escape first. That was the reason why there were so few reinforcements coming to the hall; the church prioritized the evacuation of the higher-ups.From the vantage point of the three light-blue guards, they could see into the hall full of mummies and several of their comrades trying to keep the creatures from scattering any further."Is everything in order?"
“My time is almost up, huh? Too bad, hea hea hea. Then I will raise the difficulty level.”Maybe only a few heard the clown mutter, or even not at all, which is evident after he said that almost all the occupants in the hall began to show changes for the worse.“Uuw. What else is there now?”"Have they gone mad?"The guards and adventurers inside the hall—who should still have their consciousness—screamed in pain while trying to strangle themselves. The sudden and strange sight made the light-blue triad wonder, especially their two active individuals, Fernis and Hollis.“HEA HEA HEA.” Laughter followed from the clown, who started standing on the railing around the second-floor s
Luca and Dannais took turns facing Haiyakami's skilled sword slashes and swings. Luca tells how the enemy can control Haiyakami at the same time. Everything just happened when Luca tried to protect Ardian who the enemy controlled.“...and Ardian is lying there frozen while Haiyakami is the controlled puppet? Tch, what a trouble.” Dannais had some knowledge of Ardian's identity and served as the butler at the church. If he had to choose, fighting a controlled Ardian would undoubtedly be easier than the current Haiyakami."You guys are known as the Triad, but why are you taking so long to fight a clown like that, huh?!" Even though he was being controlled and unable to control his own body movements, Haiyakami could still shout and admonish Hollis and Fernis on the second floor. They were confronting the clown head-on, but time had passed, and nothing
The controlled humans’ faces showed their alterations. The previously expressive eyes could still answer questions, and greetings were gone, turning into humans without any signs of life, just like the bodies of empty containers.Black shadow marks slowly circled from the nape and spread to their faces and hands. The appearance was too clear and was easily seen by others. The changes that occurred became even more significant after black smoke appeared behind the two controlled humans. The black smoke had the shape of a head, and human-like body parts seemed to be embracing the two from behind."Tch, this is dangerous. They are starting to be fully controlled."Two controlled humans jumped alternately—it was a high jump—higher than an ordinary human's jump—black shadows shot out and formed li
Archie awoke to a peculiar and unfamiliar dream, disorientated by the commotion outside. Looking around, he struggled to grasp his surroundings and the situation at hand.Gradually, he realised he was lying on a bed of soft grass, when suddenly a loud noise shattered the silence. It was the voices of the people who had just emerged victorious against three raging demons.He gingerly touched his temple, feeling the tender wound. While he couldn't recall much from the dream, he sensed it had been unnervingly vivid and had left him anxious.Getting up, Archie surveyed his surroundings, taking in the warriors' smiling faces and cheerful chatter. They wore expressions of fulfilment after their triumph over the demons. Archie was relieved to still be alive but overwhelmed by the reality of the situation.
As the group entered the city, they saw that chaos had already begun to unfold. Buildings were on fire, people were screaming and running for their lives, and there were strange creatures roaming the streets. Akhem and Harlequin seemed pleased with the destruction they had caused, but Archie felt a pit in his stomach."What have you done?" he asked, looking at them with horror."We have done what needed to be done," replied Harlequin. "We are bringing change to this world, and sometimes that requires sacrifice."Archie shook his head, unable to comprehend the cruelty of their actions. "This isn't change, it's destruction. Innocent people are dying because of your actions."Akhem chuckled. "Innocent? There is no such thing as innocence in this world. Everyone is guilty of
As the group made their way through the desert, Archie couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the situation. The sandstorm had died down, but the air was still thick with dust and it was difficult to see more than a few feet in front of them. Akhem and Harlequin led the way, with Archie following closely behind.Suddenly, Akhem stopped in his tracks, causing Harlequin to bump into him from behind. Archie almost ran into Harlequin as well, but managed to stop just in time. "What's going on?" he asked, confused.Akhem turned to face them, his eyes scanning the horizon. "We're being followed," he said in a low voice."Followed? By who?" asked Harlequin, also looking around."I don't know yet. But we need to keep moving and be cautious," replied Akhem.
Harlequin and Akhem exchanged glances before turning back to Archie, who was still trying to process the information. "We don't expect you to make a decision right now," said Harlequin. "We understand that this is a lot to take in. But we hope that you'll consider it and join us in our cause."Archie remained silent, unsure of what to say. He had always thought of himself as an ordinary person, not someone with the power to change the world. The idea of possessing a grimoire and using it to achieve such a goal was overwhelming.After a few moments of contemplation, Archie spoke up. "I need some time to think about this. It's a big decision, and I can't just jump into it without knowing all the facts.""Of course," said Akhem. "Take all the time you need. But keep in mind that the longer we wait, the more difficult i
As they walked through the crowded streets, Archie couldn't help but notice the fear and anxiety on people's faces. He wondered if it was related to the strange occurrences happening lately.They arrived at the town square, where a large stage had been set up. A man in a white suit was standing on it, addressing the crowd."People of Krakal, I come to you with a message of hope. For too long, we have suffered under the rule of corrupt leaders who care only for their own interests. But I promise you, things are about to change."The man's words were met with mixed reactions from the crowd. Some cheered, while others remained skeptical.Akhem turned to Archie and Harlequin. "That man is dangerous. He's using the people's fear and frustration to gain power."<
As Archie continued to train with Harlequin and Akhem, he began to notice their growing obsession with the idea of changing the world. At first, he didn't think much of it, but as their training progressed, he couldn't ignore the darker undertones in their conversations.One day, while they were resting after a training session, Archie brought up his concerns to Harlequin and Akhem."Guys, I have to be honest with you. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this idea of changing the world. What if we cause more harm than good?" Archie asked.Harlequin and Akhem exchanged a quick glance before turning back to Archie."Archie, we understand your concern, but the world as it is now is flawed. We have the power to change that, to make it a better place for everyone. Don't you wan
The world was in turmoil. Wars ravaged the lands, famine and disease were rampant, and natural disasters were becoming more frequent. In the midst of all this chaos, two individuals emerged with a grand plan to change the world. Their names were Akhem and Harlequin, and they were the leaders of a secretive organization known as The Clowns.Akhem and Harlequin believed that the world was in dire need of a massive transformation, and they knew just the way to achieve it. They had discovered a powerful artifact called The Tree of Elders, which they believed held the key to their grand plan.According to legend, The Tree of Elders was a sentient tree that had existed since the beginning of time. It was said to possess unimaginable power and wisdom, and those who were worthy could gain its favor and wield its power.Akhe
“Like I said before, we just need to buy time until the time limit for summoning these demons runs out.”"How long?""I don't know. It could be days, or even months.”"That's crazy. We can't possibly last that long,” Dannais was frustrated to hear that.Naturally, even though Archie only exaggerated a little, it doesn't mean that the potential for it to happen doesn't exist at all. If the demons existed and survived by absorbing things from this world, then they wouldn't be able to continue to defend against it and the humans would definitely be wiped out in a few days.“I'm just exaggerating. Since I fought them first, they haven't gotten stronger or weakened, it seems my thinking in that direct
The situation at the church had not been much different since Archie had left it some time ago. The bandits and guards were still squabbling and attacking each other while occasionally cooperating when the demons attacked them. Even so, it didn't seem like it would make their fortunes any better.Archie still has a somewhat blurry look in his eyes, the effect of a ritual that somehow he could do. He thought, it seemed that indeed the holy power was intertwined with each other, or, Elashaa Whitehall's body which was empty of holy power, still had traces of being able to receive the holy power from the Grimoire of the Light.Occasionally, and not infrequently, earthquakes still occur wherever they are. Everyone just thought they were facing a natural disaster, but no one would know that this was one of The Clowns' plans.