Chapter 105 …
Watching the approaching Destroyer, Dohyeon felt his nerves tighten.
He had made only the faintest noise, but the cave was so quiet that it had been heard.
He hurriedly scanned his surroundings, but there was nowhere to hide.
There were also many small stones scattered around.
Shoes might muffle footsteps, but they wouldn’t silence the sound of bumping into obstacles.
If he moved, he would be caught.
‘This is what sucks about Weak Stealth.’
Since it wasn’t perfect stealth, there was nothing he could do.
At this rate, he’d be forced into a fight.
‘Should I strike first? Or try to hide for now?’
Dohyeon’s mind, which had been racing in the emergency, suddenly froze.
Ssk.
‘Mmph!’
As he instinctively turned his head, in the endless darkness a pair of bloodshot red eyes was staring right at him.
Ten centimeters away—maybe.
Close enough that he could hear the creature’s breathing.
Dohyeon barely swallowed the groan that almost escaped his lips, his pupils trembling.
‘Holy… when did it get here?’
It had definitely been over there just moments ago. Was it a ghost or something?
[Hmm…?]
Fortunately, the creature didn’t seem intent on attacking.
Even with him right in front of it, it hadn’t noticed—apparently it lacked the ability to see through stealth.
Then again, with that level of combat power, giving it that ability too would be completely broken.
‘…Is this a chance?’
Dohyeon’s gaze shifted to the creature’s heart.
A heart glowing red—possibly a Fragment of Fate.
It looked close enough to grab if he just reached out.
If he struck in the instant before it noticed…
His decision was quick.
‘Alright. Even if I fail—’
But the Destroyer moved faster.
‘…!?’
At the sudden outstretched hand, Dohyeon instinctively leaned back and barely avoided it.
The hand missed him by a hair—but he saw it.
[The Abyssal Contractor who broke the taboo, “Destroyer Gaiman,” bestows a ‘Terrible Nightmare.’]
[Targets with lower stats than the caster die instantly upon contact with the nightmare.]
‘…What?’
…Instant death?
An instant-kill mechanic? In only the second city?
There was a huge difference between a boss’s ultimate simply hitting hard enough to practically kill you and an attack officially designated as instant death.
Instant-kill skills were usually reserved for bosses of Hero+ rank or higher.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me…!’
In other words, that monster was at least Hero+ tier.
There was no way Dohyeon’s stats were higher.
He absolutely had to dodge.
The moment that thought flashed through his mind—
—BOOM!!
Black energy exploded from the creature’s hand.
The aura was nothing short of horrifying.
Like a swarm of black insects, the creepy mana instantly engulfed the area and melted everything like acid.
Drip. Drip.
The cave wall in front of Destroyer Gaiman lost all shape as it dissolved and rained down.
[That should do it.]
If even a rat had been hiding, it would have died for sure.
Satisfied, he exited the cave through the hole blasted in the wall.
Step. Step.
Listening to the footsteps fade away, a man hidden behind Zerdik’s headless corpse finally exhaled.
It was Dohyeon.
[A mark is being generated.]
“Wow… I barely survived that.”
Just before the Terrible Nightmare engulfed the area, he had barely succeeded in using Backstab.
There was no other way to describe it but insanely lucky.
Using Backstab had canceled his Weak Stealth, leaving him with no way to hide for 300 seconds.
Since he had only clumsily hidden behind the corpse, if the monster had looked this way even once, he would’ve been caught for sure.
—If you ever encounter him… avoid him at all costs.
Gamilion’s earlier warning resurfaced in his mind.
He had expected the enemy to be strong, given the NPC reactions and Gamilion’s concern—but this was beyond imagination.
‘If an Abyssal Contractor is this strong, just how powerful are the ones actually living in the Abyss?’
Maybe this level was necessary to end the Great War.
Considering even the heavily nerfed tutorial Abyss species had been that strong, it made sense.
Just as Dohyeon was still recovering from the shock—
—M-Master! Are you okay!?
—Riza!
Jihad and Eliza came running in panic after hearing the cave collapse.
Fortunately, neither of them looked injured.
‘Looks like they hid well.’
Thankfully, they hadn’t been spotted.
Jihad reached them and gasped when he saw Zerdik’s body.
—Gasp!? Wh-What? Is he… dead?
—R-Riza!?
“Well… yeah.”
—What the heck happened, Master? And what’s with the melted wall? Was it that guy from earlier?
As the two made a fuss, Dohyeon lowered his gaze again.
The headless corpse lying face down.
It was strangely eerie—he had died so cleanly that there wasn’t a single other wound.
“…This feels unpleasant.”
Dohyeon frowned as he looked at Zerdik.
Maybe because he knew the circumstances—even if he was just an NPC—it left a bad taste in his mouth.
A slight sense of guilt contributed too.
From the Destroyer’s earlier conversation, it seemed Zerdik had been discovered while hurriedly trying to hide.
If Dohyeon hadn’t encountered the Destroyer during the main quest, the man probably wouldn’t have fled here.
‘Is this what they call the butterfly effect?’
It was coincidence, but his involvement had clearly changed the story.
Feeling oddly conflicted, Dohyeon approached where Zerdik’s head lay.
At least he should offer a prayer.
Ignoring the two tilting their heads in confusion, Dohyeon gently closed the man’s wide-open eyes.
After a brief moment of thought, he lifted the body and propped it neatly against the wall.
‘Yeah. This looks better.’
When the priests came to retrieve the body, it would be better than leaving him sprawled pitifully on the floor.
As Dohyeon looked on with satisfaction, his gaze suddenly fell on the man’s hand.
“Wow, he must’ve been really desperate. He’s still clenching his fist.”
It was squeezed so tightly that dried blood had seeped out.
Thinking he might as well tidy that too, Dohyeon carefully opened the fist.
Then—
[You have discovered the Trace of the Destroyer.]
[Trace of the Destroyer (2 / 2)]
[All traces collected. Return to Gamilion to complete the quest.]
“…Huh?”
The sudden message made his mind go blank.
When he checked the palm—
There was something small inside.
Even at a glance, it radiated an ominous aura.
—Ugh. What is that, Master?
Jihad frowned and stepped back, but Dohyeon just stared blankly.
“…Ha. So that’s what it was.”
—Huh? What do you mean?
Because it was such a clear clue.
The moment he saw it, he knew exactly who the culprit was.
‘He didn’t just die helplessly.’
Before dying, Zerdik had managed to snatch crucial evidence from the enemy and clutch it in his hand.
He had used what might have been his only chance to counterattack and survive to secure the evidence instead.
An obsession bordering on madness.
‘He must’ve hoped the priests would find it someday.’
But that couldn’t be allowed.
If Dohyeon hadn’t checked first, the evidence would have vanished meaninglessly.
But now that it was in his possession, the situation had changed.
“Well… now things are different.”
Dohyeon’s lips slowly curled into a grin.
Destroyer Gaiman—
Maybe… just maybe… they could kill that monster.
* * *
[Main Quest ‘Second Fragment (1)’ cleared.]
[You have gained a large amount of experience.]
After returning to Brion, Dohyeon immediately found Gamilion and completed the quest.
When he handed over the traces and roughly explained what had happened in the hidden field, Gamilion’s face stiffened.
“…To think he was the Destroyer. The elders will turn the place upside down when they hear this.”
“It is quite shocking.”
Dohyeon felt the same.
Even now, it was absurd to think about.
“Anyway, now that we have the evidence, that’s a relief. However… the problem is time.”
Soon the emergency meeting would end, and Gildeti would summon everyone who had attended the first meeting.
Destroyer Gaiman—that monster—would be there too.
The only chance was to strike while he remained unaware he’d been exposed…
“But Sir Rebed has heard the news and is on his way just in case. Even if he rushes, it will take at least one hour to reach Brion… possibly two.”
The problem was that their core force—Rebed and the Holy Knights—would take too long to arrive.
They needed to stall the Destroyer until then.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t impossible…
…but realistically, it was.
“He is contracted with a Named of the Abyss. Without the Holy Knights, no one can match him.”
“…Yeah. I barely survived myself. He’s ridiculously strong.”
His strength defied common sense.
If the creature hadn’t been cautious by nature, Dohyeon would have already failed the quest during their first encounter at the Rirhar Temple.
“Other temples do have knights, but… suddenly bringing them along would raise suspicion.”
That meticulous monster would definitely notice.
Hadn’t he blown away an entire cave wall just because of a faint noise?
If that monster went on a rampage, the casualties would be enormous.
They couldn’t allow that.
‘Worst case is he massacres people and escapes before Rebed arrives.’
He had already vanished once.
There was no reason he couldn’t do it again.
And since he likely possessed a Fragment of Fate, they couldn’t afford to lose him.
“So… what about this plan?”
“…Hm? What do you mean?”
Ever since finding the evidence in the cave, Dohyeon had been thinking nonstop.
How to overcome this crisis.
No matter how long he thought, there was only one answer.
If this plan worked, not only could they hold out until Rebed arrived—
They might even be able to kill the monster.
“…It’s too dangerous, Successor. I know you’re remarkable, but… you’re still growing.”
Gamilion waved his hands in alarm after hearing the plan.
The risk was enormous.
But Dohyeon’s eyes were firm.
“High risk, high return. It’s dangerous—but if it works, we can screw him over big time.”
“…I can’t deny that.”
“There’s no other way. I’m taking the biggest risk, but I won’t be doing it alone.”
After a moment of hesitation, Gamilion finally nodded.
“…Indeed. This is the only way.”
“Told you.”
He simply couldn’t think of a better plan.
With a sigh, Gamilion bowed his head.
“…Then, though it’s shameless of me, I leave this in your hands, Successor.”
“Sure. Just make sure you handle what I asked for.”
“Of course. Leave it to me.”
As the two exchanged faint smiles—
“Ah, there you are. Didn’t you hear? High Priest Gildeti has issued an emergency summons. Everyone who attended the meeting is requested to come immediately.”
A breathless priest ran up and explained the situation.
At the same time—
Ding.
[The waiting time for the emergency meeting has ended.]
[Quest ‘Emergency Meeting’ completed.]
[Linked Quest ‘Emergency Summons’ has been generated.]
[Emergency Summons]
Rank: Rare+
Description: After the emergency meeting, Gildeti appears to have important news to deliver.
All attendees must be present. Refusal may result in suspicion of being a ‘Destroyer.’Success: Linked quest ‘???’ generated
Failure: You may be falsely accused
[A forced quest chain is currently in progress. All quests will be forcibly linked until completion.]
‘Time to go.’
The decisive moment had arrived.
