Chapter 69: I Only Trust My Own Ability
The sound of wings swallowing space seeped out from the torn scroll.
Papapapapapapapat—!
A brilliant white spectacle unfolded in the air.
Butterflies composed of pure white light illuminated the surroundings as they soared in all directions.
An overwhelming swarm of butterflies was summoned, enough to encircle the steep cliff.
It was a beautiful, dreamlike scene, like something seen at a festival.
Everything was consumed by the swarm of butterflies.
Pause—
Arena, who had been relentlessly attacking Fenry, suddenly slowed her movements. Her expressionless pupils quickly dilated.
Her eyes reflected the swarm of white butterflies, filling her vision.
When her entire body was enveloped by the butterflies, her movements froze like stone.
A momentary paralysis triggered by a trauma she could not forget, not even in death.
I didn’t miss that moment.
Piercing through the dizzying swarm of butterflies, I reached out my left arm toward Arena’s back. Roughly, I grabbed her and pulled her into my embrace.
Her touch was as cold as ice, her skin completely devoid of life.
“Kid, let’s end this here.”
My voice elicited a reaction from Arena.
She stared at me with eyes drained of emotion.
A small monster, tormented even in death by Grand Duke Clarke and her own parents.
For the unfortunate Arena, there was only one thing I could do.
Click—
“There won’t be any pain. Only I will be the one suffering like hell.”
I glanced at the bracelet I had just removed, letting out a bitter smile.
The Boom—a perverse creature that explodes in response to a signal, using its host as fuel.
To think I’d be releasing the Boom, which had been sealed in this bracelet, here.
‘I’m past the point of no return.’
It was too late to run or give up now. The only small solace was the existence of a life insurance policy—however tenuous.
Locking eyes with Fenry through the swirling storm of butterflies, I could see her shocked expression.
Her face seemed to scream, Why the hell are you hugging her?!
Answering her incredulous gaze, I just gave an awkward smile.
I’ll be counting on you again this time.
But that fleeting thought was interrupted as a sharp pain distorted my face.
Crunch—!
As the stiffness in her body gradually released, Arena began clawing at my left arm that was wrapped around her.
Even as the excruciating pain of my bones being crushed and my arm nearly being torn off consumed me, I began awakening the Boom.
“…Damn woman, forget feeling sorry for you.”
[Your arm might be gone, but the power is guaranteed. Most enemies won’t survive.]
Karl’s words about the Boom floated to mind. If I detonated the Boom and kept my mind intact, I could survive. Of course, there was a condition.
Lose focus, and you’re dead.
My goal wasn’t to kill Arena—it was to retrieve the Heart of the Immortal, Retonicalus.
I had to extract her heart before her destroyed body could regenerate.
After that…
As I started to think about what would come next, the Boom, which had been lying dormant on my wrist, began to stir.
[Arena Huaton – Avatar of the Immortal Retonicalus (97%)]
‘Come on, hurry!’
It felt as though every nerve in my body was being severed one by one. The fear of my arm exploding threatened to overwhelm me.
Clenching my teeth tightly, I forced myself to stay focused.
In this cursed world, into which I’d been thrown without warning, I had gained several abilities to survive.
And the one ability I trusted and relied on the most wasn’t the ancient glyphs, Sacred Power, or the abilities of a Hunter of Divinity.
It was my Mental Barrier.
A unique ability bestowed upon me—not as a character in a novel, but as the real me.
I only trust my own ability.
[……98%]
[……99%]
“Sh-shit.”
Kwooooom—!!!
The entire world began to turn crimson.
***
In a secluded, shadowy back alley.
With a grim expression, Kamel walked through the dark alleyway. The only ones accompanying him were Knight Commander Lyon and Shaman Rengua.
Between the sound of quiet footsteps, Kamel’s voice rang out.
“Rengua, are we there yet?”
“We’ll arrive soon. But why would you choose such a shabby place…?”
“Don’t ask. Just lead the way.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rengua bowed his head and took the lead. Though serving as their guide, he couldn’t grasp the situation entirely.
He’d been abruptly pulled away while working on recovering the memories of a damaged shaman doll, destroyed in the process of vanishing.
‘He said he was heading back to Blyer, so why return now?’
His lord had left Etor Territory immediately after recruiting the merchant leaders—like Jack and Howell—and finalizing grain contracts, dragging them along against their will.
Rengua had stayed behind to complete the bio mana stone processing in Etor, but suddenly his lord returned and summoned him, ordering him to guide them to the Crux hideout.
Knowing his master to never act impulsively, Rengua couldn’t help but be curious.
‘What was written in that report?’
The whole ordeal had started with a single report.
It had been sent from the “Nest of Shamans,” meaning it was related to the assassination organization Crux.
Normally, the report would’ve reached Rengua first, but this time it was delivered directly to his departing lord with urgency.
Its contents were marked as “Top Priority.”
If it had been about him, the one his lord was most wary of, then Jack and Howell would’ve accompanied them today as well.
But the hounds had been sent ahead to Blyer, so it was likely unrelated to him.
Rengua wanted to ask questions to resolve his curiosity, but his master’s heavy expression held him back.
For now, he focused on guiding his lord to the Crux hideout.
It was clear there was a reason only he and Lyon had been brought along.
“This is the place.”
The group stopped in front of an old building tucked away in a corner of the alley.
The sign bore markings indicating an information guild, with a name signifying the secret hideout of Crux’s master.
“Should I drag out the master?”
Without much hesitation, Rengua mentioned the master.
Having learned a fair amount about Crux’s forces through the Nest of Shamans, he thought either he or Lyon could handle the task alone.
However, Kamel chuckled lightly and turned in another direction.
“Do you think I came here personally just to see the master?”
“…Then what?”
“There’s something else I need to check nearby.”
Kamel passed by the Crux hideout and stopped in front of a shabby inn.
He stared at the inn for a moment.
The reason he had canceled all his plans and rushed to this place was a single line in the top-priority report.
[A guest has been confirmed at Crux—a guest by the name of… Arcane.]
While searching for traces of him through Crux, the name Arcane had surfaced—completely unexpectedly.
It could just be someone with the same name, but now that he knew, Kamel had to confirm it.
Faint light flickered from the first floor.
Following the light, Kamel pushed open the inn’s door and stepped inside.
The inn’s first-floor tavern was bustling with patrons eating and drinking.
The lively chatter quickly died down as the black-cloaked nobleman entered.
The suffocating pressure emanating from him made it hard to even look directly at him.
Even Lyon’s entrance, clad in sharp blue armor, prompted those present to hurriedly abandon their seats.
The remaining innkeeper, trembling and pale, was the only one left behind. Kamel’s gaze landed on a lone figure sitting at a table, back turned, wearing a shabby robe and quietly sipping from a glass.
The man seemed completely uninterested in Kamel’s arrival.
“Do you know anything about that man?”
Startled, the innkeeper nodded furiously.
“H-he’s an astrologer who reads fortunes for small change!”
“Do you know his name?”
“Th-that… I don’t! He only introduced himself as an astrologer….”
“How long has he been staying here?”
“About three months… maybe more? He frequently visited the building across the street too….”
Kamel asked several detailed questions about the astrologer.
Afterward, Kamel approached the astrologer and placed a gold coin on the table.
“I’d like my fortune read.”
“I’m closed for business, as you can see. I’m enjoying a drink.”
“Is the gold insufficient?”
“Drinking dulls the accuracy of my readings. Come back tomorrow morning.”
Kamel’s eyes gleamed at the man’s indifferent response. Even under the pressure of the Dragon’s Mantle, the man seemed completely unfazed.
As Lyon bristled, about to step forward, Kamel raised a hand to stop him.
Sitting across from the astrologer, Kamel placed a heavy pouch of gold on the table.
“Then instead of a fortune, how about I pay for a look at your face? Consider this your fee.”
“You don’t seem like the type to be into men….”
“What will it be?”
“Quite the extravagant price for something so trivial. Are you planning to kill me if I’m not the person you’re looking for?”
As the man addressed Lyon with his question, Kamel smirked and poured another drink into the astrologer’s empty glass.
“Kill you? Do I look foolish enough to make an enemy of one who serves the ‘Prophecy’?”
“…….”
At Kamel’s words, Arcane quietly accepted the refilled drink and sipped from it.
The person most visibly shocked, however, was Rengua.
Arcane? That Arcane?
The man closest to unraveling the mysteries of the divine names through prophecy.
One of the two figures, along with the Witch of Ordor Forest, considered absolute threats not to be provoked.
‘Why would Arcane show up as a guest of some insignificant organization like Crux?’
Even more baffling, he had revealed his name outright.
Though puzzled, Rengua chose not to dwell on it.
Arcane moved according to prophecy. How could a mere human hope to comprehend the will of prophecy?
“It’s strange. I didn’t foresee meeting a distinguished guest in my readings.”
“Are you saying I’m insignificant?”
“Hmm, hardly. That’s precisely why it’s strange.”
Arcane slowly removed his robe.
His long white hair flowed in the air.
The young man’s pale skin gave him an ethereal beauty, complemented by a sapphire earring on his left ear that shimmered in harmony with his silver hair.
Arcane gazed at Kamel with his narrow eyes for a moment before bowing slightly.
“As the ‘Master of Divine Names,’ you are indeed an esteemed figure.”
“……!”
Behind Kamel, both Lyon and Rengua flinched at those words.
Though they tried to keep their composure, their reactions betrayed their shock—they hadn’t known their lord was the Master of Divine Names.
“Am I truly the Master of Divine Names?”
“You didn’t know?”
“This is the first confirmation I’ve received.”
Judging by his expression, Kamel didn’t seem entirely unaware. Arcane fiddled with his earring as he continued.
“The thread of fate connecting us is extremely thin. This means we weren’t destined to meet yet.”
“I know. The reason I came to find you is because of him. He is what led me here.”
“Him?”
“The one who lightly twists the destiny you revere so deeply. Just like now.”
If it weren’t for him, Kamel wouldn’t have investigated Crux, and he would never have discovered Arcane’s presence as a guest of Crux.
Arcane’s hand, which had been fiddling with his earring, came to a halt.
His expression grew thoughtful as he listened to Kamel’s words.
The prophecy had been slightly off lately, which was why Arcane had stayed with Crux longer than anticipated.
A person who should’ve died according to prophecy had somehow survived, obscuring all related readings as though shrouded by a dense fog.
And now, an unconnected figure—the Master of Divine Names—had appeared, mentioning him as if delivering a warning.
After a moment’s contemplation, Arcane asked Kamel,
“Is he also a Master of Divine Names?”