[The 4th trial will start shortly.]
Was it time to perform already? Damn, how long were we trapped in the library dungeon?
I pulled out my smartphone and tried checking the them. Unfortunately, the phone didn't come on. The battery must have ran out some time ago.
[Four Tiger Sword's durability has worn out.]
The blade of the Four Tiger Splitting Sword scattered and turned to dust.
It was a pity but this was just a scam item from the beginning. The real deal was somewhere else.
"Ugh... my head hurts."
Lee Suhye groaned as she slowly regained consciousness.
"You were out for a while," I replied.
"What happened? Did we win?"
"If we hadn't acted, we'd be dead. If we lost, that bastard would have fed our corpses to the monsters, used us as decorations, or taken our heads as trophies."
"Alright, I get it. It was a stupid question. Geez..."
Lee Suhye looked around and noticed the change in the background.
"Wait, where are we? Are we still at Seoul University?"
"Yes, we're on the rooftop. I need you to stay here."
"Huh? Why?"
I pointed at the unconscious Soo Jinyoung.
Lee Suhye's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Soo Jinyoung... she's alive?"
"Yes. After I defeated the dungeon master, her wounds began to heal on their own."
"You mean self-regeneration? I didn't know she could do that."
"There's a lot of things you don't know about Soo Jinyoung."
Her expression cracked slightly. She may admire Soo Jinyoung's strength, but she doesn't truly know the core of Soo Jinyoung.
"I see... Thank you, Jakga-ssi."
In response, I gave a wry smile.
Truthfully, I hadn't done much. If anyone deserved her gratitude, it was Soo Jinyoung. She was the true NovelFireP of the boss battle.
I shifted my gaze around the rooftop and noticed the other party members.
Jung Yunhee and Angelica stared into the distance with distant expressions as if lost in thought. Somewhere within the ruined Seoul, their families were either hiding in a safe shelter or already dead.
It was a grim reality that was needed to acknowledged.
I silently approached an item on the floor without anyone noticing. Although I entered the library dungeon to save Soo Jinyoung, my real objective was the special reward for the tenth floor.
I narrowed my eyes. There were unknown characters written on the box. I couldn't read them but there was no need to read it since I already know.
Random Item Box. According to the main story, Song Jaewon only discovered the existence this item after failing to clear the dungeon.
Who was the character that discovered this item? Was it the High Priestess? It was hard to remember the exact details but this item was amazing item.
I opened the black box and hilt of the broken Tiger sword inside. Shortly, the box began to glow and tremble.
[The random draw has started!]
From its name, the random item box was something that randomly spat high ranked items related to the one you put in, with possibilities ranging from C grade to SSS grade. Basically, it functioned like a gacha box and like any gacha boxes, it was impossible to know what would come out.
I didn't know what would come out but it was obviously going to be something better than my current item.
My heart raced and sweat coated my palms. I reflected on my terrible luck with gacha boxes— it seemed nonexistent.
My mind slowly the past experiences I had with online games, rare rewards were a rarity. In fact, the number of rare items I found in a gacha box could be counted on one hand.
[A high-ranked item has arrived.]
Soon, the box stopped trembling and the faint golden light subsided. I reluctantly approached and opened the box.
Please, let it be an A-ranked artifact.
[You defeated the dungeon master by using his anxiety against him? It can't be that simple. You can't just fool the dungeon master with just acting.]
'True, I couldn't defeat the library keeper with just acting. I needed to plant a seed of doubt in the library keeper's heart. Thus, I needed to overwhelm his first two strikes.'
[I can understand that but how did you dogde his second strike? You dodged his second attack without dodging. Wait, don't tell me...]
'Yes, it's what you're thinking. The reason why he missed the second time wasn't because of my acting but because Jinyoung used her power to create an optical illusion around the library keeper.'
[... ]
Aurora looked at me with a stupid expression.
'What's up with that dumb expression? It's very simple. Soo Jinyoung has power over flames. Utilizing heated air to generate mirages and alter light refraction to produce optical illusions is within her capabilities as well.'
[That's not what I'm surprised about! Wasn't she in a state between life and death the entire time? How was she able to use her power in such a state?!]
'Yes, but she was alive, was she not? Skills can be activated with just a mental command so as long as you're conscious. In the end, that's all that matters.'
Though the anxieties of the library keeper was the source of his self destruction, the one that drove him to self destruction was none other than me.
Speaking of which, there was something that has been bothering me for a while.
'The words of the library keeper before died... Why was it censored?'
[He must have said something unnecessary so his words were filtered out.]
Filtered out?
My mind recalled the words of a character from the novel.
「 The 'Principality' represents the fundamental laws that govern the totality 」
Has the [Law of Principality] already taken effect?
In the original story, there was alot of censorship due to the discovery of both the reincarnator and the regressor. Even so, it was too early for the censorship to appear. Perhaps it was the main reason why so many constellations paid attention to me now.
[A few constellations are curious about your existence.]
[The constellation 'Architect of Destruction' is laughing and kicking their feet.]
[The constellation 'Destroyer of Santicity' is silently looking at you.]
[5000 coins has been sponsored.]
It was a situation born from a misunderstanding. More importantly...
'Wait, so you could mute the constellations indirect messages all time?'
[Of course I can. Do you know many indirect messages that I had to block?]
'I see. Can you leave the constellations on mute? I only want to receive messages about coins sponsorships.'
[Look at this greedy fellow. You're lucky the constellations didn't hear what you just said.]
'Please... If you do, I'll give you lots of cookies.'
[Hmph. I won't be easily bribed.]
Aurora puffed her cheeks and disappeared. Wasn't she becoming more cute everytime I saw her?
In any case, that was the end of that chapter. A chapter was closing and a new chapter was opening.
My expression turned grim as recalled the future events. The most troublesome arc in the Song of the Fall.
I stopped infront of the party members and turned around.
"Is something wrong?" Angell inquired, her voice laced with concern.
I took a deep breath before responding. "Yes, I'm afraid so. From here onwards, things are going to become more difficult so I'll need your full cooperation. Our survival will depend on it."
"Understood. What are you planning?"
"We'll create a fake story."
I retrieved the white smiling mask and slipped it onto my face.
Initially, it felt a bit awkward, but it soon began to mold itself to my features. In the next moment, the mask felt as though it had seamlessly integrated with my skin.
[You have become the new owner of the Holy Relic.]
[Input the name of the target's face you wish to wear.]
"From this moment onwards, I'm Soo Jinyoung."