Episode 74
074: This is Serious
An extremely subtle turbulence of magical energy, imperceptible to NPCs or average players, enveloped the entire city. It was an ominous feeling, like an invisible vortex churning beneath the clear surface of a lake.
‘Insight of the Meridians.’
As golden hand activated the skill, his vision changed. Over the beautiful cityscape, the magical circuits engraved throughout the entire city appeared as thin blue lines. But these lines were flickering faintly in places or had turned a corrupted, dark crimson.
“Huh… This is serious.”
golden hand let out a hollow laugh. The city’s protective defense system was rotting from the inside out.
Airtoss, Airtoss…
Geumson strained to recall past memories. Surely, if the magical circuits of an entire city were decaying like this, some major catastrophe should have occurred. But Geumson’s memory held nothing about it.
‘Too early on… was it not a topic of discussion?’
He had no special memories of Airtoss. In his past life, preoccupied with mastering his smithing skills and focusing on his broadcasts, he wasn’t well-versed in general 《Lepyon》 news. Moreover, it was a city of magic. It was bound to be outside the interest of golden hand, who had walked the path of a hammer-wielding warrior and blacksmith.
‘Well… it’s a city of mages. They probably solved the problem themselves.’
golden hand tried to ignore the visible magical circuits and the flaws in the magical barrier’s structure. He reasoned that a city full of wizards couldn’t be unaware. Besides, the city looked so vibrant it didn’t seem likely a major problem was brewing.
‘Am I worrying for nothing?’
Geumson took in the lively streets of Airtoss once more. Children-wizards riding brooms or carpets for deliveries. Even players seemed to have set up their own market stalls.
“Come, come! Take a look! Pick one! Freshly caught ‘Sand Scorpion’ pincers, hot from the desert! Delicious grilled or steamed! Use them for enchantment for a zappy electric effect! Yours for a mere 5,000 gold! The shop next door charges 6,000, but I sell with a conscience! They have no conscience!”
“My sister personally made these ‘Magic Recovery Cookies’! One bite and your magic zooms right up! Try one! Aren’t you tired of potions? This is a cookie! A cookie!”
“Shhh! Everyone, quiet down. Ever seen this? ‘Lich’ finger bone ground into powder… there’s no better voodoo material for you dark mages~ Only one vial left. The price is… name your own, but since you look nice, I’ll give it to you specially for 30,000 gold – deal?”
.
.
.
From haggling to hawking wares.
Chaotic Airtoss. A vibrant, albeit chaotic, cityscape where players and NPCs were intertwined.
‘Not the time for this… but it’s bothering me.’
golden hand frowned. Time was already tight to find Astrid somewhere in the city. Yet, the damaged magical circuits kept catching his eye. Call it a professional hazard, but he couldn’t help it.
If left like this, the entire city could one day suffer a functional shutdown from magical depletion, or worst-case, a catastrophic explosion from a magical backflow. golden hand headed towards the nearest magical relay tower, cleverly hidden beneath a city fountain.
“Hey hey, look at that outsider? Just going into the fountain like that?”
“Leave ’em be, it’s an outsider. They’re always making a fuss looking for something… let’s see what it is.”
“Anyway, they’re so uncouth. Last time, some outsider went barging into our neighbor Charles’s house, breaking every jar they could find!”
“Why’d they do that?”
“Dragged off by the guards, they said… they were looking for some hidden item or something?”
“That’s… just a thief, isn’t it?”
“My point exactly! So uncouth!”
The gazes of Airtoss’s residents upon Golden Hands were not kind. It seemed their unfavorable view wasn’t just for Golden Hands but for players in general. Players, approaching 《Lepyon》 as merely a game, didn’t have the best relationship with the local NPC inhabitants. Thus, Geumson carefully approached the control panel cover, conscious of his surroundings, and opened it.
“This is…!”
golden hand’s eyes widened. The interior of the control panel was a wreck. The magic stabilization runes were scratched by something sharp, and the core circuits were crudely severed, then haphazardly reconnected elsewhere. This wasn’t simple wear and tear or an accident. It was a clear act of sabotage, done with intent.
‘Who, and why, would do something like this….’
Geumson scanned the area with a grave expression. Then, a single possibility flashed across his mind. Only one person came to mind.
Moiran.
Her exaggerated friendliness during their first meeting in the desert.
Her gaze, skillfully filming him throughout the entire battle.
And above all, the name that lingered faintly in his memory.
‘Moiran… right, Moiran!’
In his past life, just before the era of destruction arrived. The notorious Arachne Guild, which deliberately sowed chaos in 《Lepion》’s peaceful cities, crumbling defensive systems from within. They always moved stealthily, like spiders, inflicting fatal damage on cities.
And one of that guild’s core members. A woman renowned as a master of disguise, infiltration, and sabotage. Her nickname was…
“Poison-Spider Moiran!”
A low sigh escaped golden hand’s lips. Poison-Spider Moiran, who later rose to become a top-ranked player in late-stage 《Lepyon》.
Now everything clicked into place. Moiran and her guild were clearly conducting preparatory work to bring down Airtoss.
‘Damn it, of all times, now!’
golden hand’s face hardened. His current goal was to meet the Archmage Astrid and learn magic from her. But if the city fell into chaos or faced the threat of collapse, finding the reclusive mage would become even more uncertain.
‘Until I find Astrid, this city cannot fall.’
golden hand pondered. Poison-Spider Moiran was infamous in 《Lepione》, but not during the era of destruction. He had never met her personally. But he knew of her.
‘Poison-Spider Moiran….’
Forgotten, or rather, memories he wanted to forget, surged in Geumson’s mind like a massive wave. The peaceful, magical cityscape of Airtoss before his eyes instantly turned ashen, overlapping with the despairing scenery of that era when everything crumbled.
The Era of Destruction.
The atmosphere in the central control room of humanity’s underground fortress city, ‘Undercity 08’ — commonly called Bastion — was heavy. Holographic screens displayed the overwhelming forces of the ‘Abyssal Legion’ surrounding the fortress. At its center, the red aura of the Legion Commander, the source of all despair, ‘Void Lord Krakthul’, pulsed ominously.
“……There’s no way.”
The Supreme Commander of the Survivor Alliance muttered with a bloodless face. His voice was thick with resignation and helplessness.
“Krakthul has completed the ‘Void Catalyst’. In 12 hours, when it activates, Bastion and all surrounding space will vanish into the Void. We have… no means to resist.”
The control room sank into a heavy silence. Everyone knew. This was Bastion’s moment of demise.
Surrounded on all sides, Bastion’s only survival method was to destroy the Void Catalyst. However, destroying it, located deep within the enemy stronghold ‘Obsidian Spire’, was nearly impossible.
“Reconnaissance impossible. The area within a 10-kilometer radius of the Spire is covered by a powerful surveillance barrier. The interior is layered with spatial distortion traps and magical detection devices… Sir.”
The intelligence analyst’s report was a hopeless verdict, snuffing out even the last ember of hope. Just as everyone hung their heads, helplessly awaiting Bastion’s doom…
“……I’ll go.”
A low, hoarse voice. Perhaps worn down by fatigue, her cracked voice drew everyone’s gaze. A woman standing in the corner of the control room, in the shadows. Worn-out combat fatigues and burn scars marking her face, telling of unknown suffering.
Poison-Spider Moiran.
At her words, the Supreme Commander shook his head.
“Moiran, I understand your feelings… but that’s a suicide mission. It’s better for you to escape alone, inform others of our situation, and prepare against Krakthul. That would be more…”
The Supreme Commander tried to persuade her. But Moiran’s resolve was firm.
“Run away alone? Leaving the people of this city behind? No matter what a bitch I am… I’m not that low.”
Her crude retort. But a faint, yet bitterly rueful smile touched her lips. She walked past the Commander and picked up the communicator at the very back of the room. She called one person.
Bzzzt—
“ Golden Hand.”
golden hand’s workshop was linked to the control room. golden hand, tasked with repairing and upgrading the soldiers’ armaments.
“I have a request.”
Her request was simple but difficult. A harsh request to make the impossible possible.
“I need equipment that can infiltrate the Obsidian Spire. Clothes that can evade all magical detection, that can completely meld into the shadows… Can you… make it?”
Geumson held the communicator. He pondered. Though Moiran’s words were brief, golden hand understood Bastion’s situation better than anyone.
