Chapter 207

It was an inexplicable phenomenon, but Karina didn't even seem to care.

On the contrary, she reacted as if it were perfectly normal.

The moment Seonghyun was gone, she put back on the grotesquely distorted doll mask she had taken off in his presence.

An extraordinary aura immediately enveloped her.

A dark, navy-blue energy began to surge around her.

It was similar to her appearance when she first revealed herself to Seonghyun, but the energy was now so much denser that the surrounding shadows flinched and trembled.

Deepening her guard, she spoke into the empty air.

"My loyal servants. Solidify the perimeter and ensure that no one sets foot in this castle."

As Karina issued her command, the navy-blue aura flowed out from the air and into the undead stationed outside the castle, causing them to circle their posts more ferociously.

It was only natural to heighten the security.

"The Lord must not face even the slightest inconvenience while he attends to his business in the basement."

At her words, filled with loyalty, the shadows around her trembled and replied.

[It shall be done.]

Because she was wearing the grotesquely distorted doll mask, it was impossible to see Karina's expression.

However, judging by how she turned away from the basement without a second thought, she didn't seem particularly displeased.

As Karina moved through the castle, radiating her navy-blue aura, the black mages Seonghyun had seen earlier reappeared.

They bowed their heads and followed behind her.

Accepting their presence as a matter of course, Karina spoke.

"The moment the Lord emerges, summon me immediately."

"Yes, it shall be done, Branch Manager."

"Also, watch carefully for anyone approaching this area."

"Yes, it shall be done, Branch Manager Karina."

"Stake the very existence of our Over Palace on this."

At Karina's words, spoken like a fierce growl, all the black mages shouted in reverence.

““For our Lord! It shall be done!””

As if responding to their voices that echoed thunderously through the castle, Karina gave a single nod and then vanished, melting away on the spot.

The place she reappeared was at the very top of the spire, the highest point of the castle, which could be called its core.

Karina materialized there, standing at a vantage point overlooking all of Hexia, her gaze sweeping over everything as if on high alert. She muttered to herself.

"...I hear that pathetic Hero has started to move again, haven't they? It's none of my concern, but if they come here, they had better be prepared."

Muttering this, Karina's aura, completely unlike the one she showed in front of Seonghyun, was now openly ferocious, wrapping around the entire castle.

It was a clear show of her intent to not let any suspicious individual go unpunished.

3.

In a darkness that consumed everything, obscuring even light itself, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.

Within that void, something was shining brilliantly, all on its own.

A sharp, vertical pupil that seemed to stare into the darkness, surrounded by a bright yellow iris.

And around that eye, faint red pupils floated.

Was it huge?

No.

It wasn't huge.

But it wasn't the size of a normal animal, either.

It was about the size you'd expect from a human-shaped figure.

The two pairs of pupils, floating at that height, pierced through the impenetrable darkness and muttered.

"Helena?"

"Did you come to find us?"

"Why did you take so long?"

"Didn't you miss us?"

"We missed you."

"Do you hate us?"

"We believed you would come back."

"Why did you only come looking for us now?"

"Let's play together now."

"No, we won't play."

"It's not Helena."

"But it is Helena."

"Should we play with them?"

"But it's not Helena."

It was a conversation that seemed to connect, yet didn't.

Anyone who heard it would have gotten goosebumps, but there was no one here to listen.

The two pairs of pupils chattered on before revealing white teeth in the empty air.

"If it's not Helena, they can't play with us."

"We'll wait."

"No, we've been abandoned."

"Yes, Helena will find us."

"So we don't need anyone else coming here."

"We won't play."

As the white teeth curved into a mirthful grin, their pupils and teeth vanished from the air, off to drive out the intruder who wasn't Helena.

It didn't take long for them to reappear.

"Heehee, found you."

"Now you're it."

Though it was a place shrouded in darkness where he couldn't see ahead, for some reason, Seonghyun felt a strange sense of familiarity as he walked through it.

He should have been scared by the inability to see his surroundings, but he wasn't.

He moved forward with confident steps.

Inside the disorienting darkness where even the sound of his footsteps didn't echo, Seonghyun walked on, moving with what seemed like certainty.

It wasn't a place he remembered, but a vague sense of familiarity continued to wash over him.

‘Should I call it déjà vu?’

For some reason, he felt as if he had been here before.

And then, he finally understood.

‘This isn’t my memory.’

It was a memory from someone, from a very long time ago.

A memory he couldn't read clearly, but one whose feeling was unmistakably transmitted to him.

It was one of Helena's old memories.

This was definitely the place where Helena had stayed; the feeling was palpable.

In the past, this place seemed to have been above ground, not a basement.

He got the impression it was something like a small, grassy hill.

But now, it was completely different.

Beyond just being desolate, an ominous darkness wrapped around the area, casting a shadow so deep it obscured all sight.

‘And the cause of this……’

It had to be the quest he had received.

Even though it was a quest with an unknown reward, the mere fact that it was related to Helena sparked a great deal of interest.

To think a drawing from her childhood had come to life.

And it was as clear as day what form it would have taken.

Feeling this, Seonghyun looked around.

‘Hmm.’

The sense of déjà vu he had felt just moments ago was gone.

Instead, his senses—now sharper and more sensitive from absorbing the experiences of various ghosts—screamed at him.

Dodge.

Now.

As Seonghyun followed his instincts, kicking off the floor and throwing himself out of the way, a sharp sound rang out.

Kagaang—!

It was a sharp metallic sound, as if something had clawed the floor.

If he had stayed there, he would have taken damage.

And the moment that sound echoed, Thump! Thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Sounds came from the surrounding walls, and then light erupted from the ceiling and walls.

Lights, sprouting like torches, illuminated the surroundings, and only then could Seonghyun clearly see where he was.

It was a large, room-like space at the end of a long corridor.

A hemispherical space.

The ceiling was a dome, and on its domed walls, various childish drawings were painted.

The walls were colored with crayon to look like a sky drawn by a child.

The floor, too, had patches left uncolored, as if painted by a child.

It was decorated like a playground, but that was only true for the drawings on the walls.

It was a wide-open, empty place with no actual furniture whatsoever.

‘Hmm.’

Just moments ago, this place had felt familiar, but after the lights came on, that sense of déjà vu completely vanished.

Should he say it felt like it was suddenly created?

Or that it had been overwritten?

The feeling was overwhelming.

With that feeling, Seonghyun spotted two shadow-like figures that had risen up on either side of him.

Two figures, just about the size of a person.

One, Narisha, stood on two legs like a human, glaring at him with bright yellow eyes, vertically slit pupils, and sharp claws extended.

The other, Berto, also stood on two legs, its red pupils gleaming as it drooled, revealing sharp fangs.

The two creatures were grotesquely distorted, as if drawn by a child.

As soon as Seonghyun spotted them, a message appeared.

[You have encountered the Hidden Raid Boss, 『Narisha and Berto』.]

[The Hidden Raid is about to begin.]

!!!WARNING!!!

You are not in a party!!!

This is dangerous!!!

A familiar message popped up.

Yet, Seonghyun felt strangely at ease as he gripped his sword.

Normally, he would have summoned his other familiars to fight, but this time, for some reason, he wanted to face them alone.

His familiars were strong, but hadn't he also grown stronger in the meantime?

Wanting to test himself, he quietly drew his sword.

Sreureung.

The moment Seonghyun drew his blade, as if it were the signal to start, Narisha moved first.

Pabat! Swish!

The soft pads of Narisha's feet kicked off the floor. However, contrary to its cute appearance, the repulsive force was immense.

The sound of Narisha cutting through the air was a clear sign that its speed was no ordinary matter.

‘Fast.’

Seonghyun, having expected as much, raised his sword to block.

Just then, Narisha's long claws descended upon him.

Kggggggggg---!!!

Sparks flew with the sharp sound of metal grinding against metal.

Neither had used a skill; it was merely a clash of sword and claw.

But from the force that traveled up their arms, they could both tell.

‘No pushover.’

Just as Seonghyun had this thought, a deep furrow formed on Narisha's brow.

It seemed to have reached the same conclusion about Seonghyun.

However, Narisha retracted its claws and, with a flexible twist of its body in mid-air, launched a kick at Seonghyun.

It all happened in an instant, but the moment Narisha began to retract its claws, Seonghyun sensed it and moved out of the way.

A split second later, sharp fangs snapped shut in the space where Seonghyun had just been.

Kwadeuk---!!!

Having bitten only air, Berto turned its eyes toward Seonghyun, who had backed away.

Its gaze held a hint of disbelief, unable to comprehend how he had dodged in that fleeting moment.

But the creatures didn't dwell on the question for long.

With Seonghyun having retreated, Berto quickly moved from the spot where it had missed, circling around to face him again.

Then, it kicked off the ground and charged forward.

It was a simple, straight-line attack, but its speed was significantly faster than Narisha's.

This time, Seonghyun used a skill first.

A giant blade of darkness rose from the shadow and flew toward Berto.

The creature, as if sensing it, used a skill of its own, kicking off the air with its two glowing legs.

Boom!

Berto's speed exploded, becoming even faster.

But even that speed wasn't enough to escape its own shadow.

It was impaled by the blade of darkness that shot out from within its shadow.

Puuk!

Without so much as a scream, Berto was struck by the blade and sent tumbling to the floor.

At that exact moment, a shadow burst forth from directly behind Berto.

It was Narisha.

It had used Berto as a screen to charge in. As Berto fell to the ground right in front of Seonghyun, Narisha emerged, its body wreathed in darkness to accelerate.

Its speed was now incomparable to Berto's.

As the formidable Narisha flew towards him, Seonghyun snapped his fingers.

An abyss opened up from under the feet of Narisha, who had closed the distance to be right in front of Seonghyun's nose.

The grasp of the abyss caught its ankle, halting its movement.

And then, Seonghyun's sword moved.