Chapter 217

Episode 217 Ruler (1)

The dimensional door.

A kind of unique magic that only a few schools deal with.

Needless to say how deceptive this spell is in a game full of all kinds of annihilation flags.

Is it possible to return to the city without waiting for the labyrinth to close?

Isn’t this an invincible survival tool?

‘It’s not without restrictions, though.’

First of all, it is not easy to use it as an escape tool during battle because the method of countering is widely known in a person-to-person battle rather than a monster.

Also, it can only be used by up to 30 people.

This was also the reason why the upper tier expedition was almost always composed of 30 people.

‘Above all, if you use it once, the wizard won’t be able to use that magic again.’

Note that this is different from the game.

In the original game, unless you were a level 1 wizard, you couldn’t use the ‘dimensional door’ magic.

If used, the wizard must be dead.

However, this is a future world 150 years after the time in the game.

After joint research, the six schools that possessed the spells of dimension gate magic created a way for even low-level wizards to use dimension gate spells.

I’m not a wizard, so I don’t know the details, but I know that it’s a method that can only be used once in a wizard’s life.

‘There won’t be a wizard who refuses to use dimension door magic in the current situation…’

So, how many people have entered the labyrinth?

Well, it will be quite a while.

Large clans prioritize recruiting wizards who can use dimension gates, and the school also recommends that wizards with remaining number of ‘dimensional gates’ go out to support exploration.

But…

‘Even if I gather the souls, there won’t be 150 of them.’

Less than 4500 people can realistically escape this hell through the portal.

‘The official knight of the royal family. Excluding the elites of large clans that would have had wizards… In fact, it would be safe to say that all the rest were abandoned.’

The more concrete the numbers are, the more I feel how absurd they are trying to do.

The number is different from the 3rd floor lord incident.

At least ten thousand explorers will die.

‘He made this choice while knowing that……’

He continued his reasoning calmly, leaving behind the distant feeling.

This may be the most important right now.

Why did the knight commander make this decision?

‘……The road to the 2nd floor was blocked, or at least it was judged that it was no different.’

It is impossible to get out of the first floor.

No, it may be possible, but it will cost more than just a few fleeing through the ‘dimensional door’.

So, the knight commander made this decision.

Thinking that returning to the city with as much power as possible was strategically the right choice—

“See you again.”

I turned around at the sudden presence from behind, and I froze.

I’m surprised after

“Isn’t it Bjorn Yandel?”

I don’t know since when, but the knight commander was standing behind me.

So the name is…

“Marco Elburn.”

“You have a good memory for a barbarian.”

Normally, I wouldn’t have lost, but I would have fired at him, but I accepted his words gently.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Isn’t he the most powerful person in this place?

Even if it’s just for a short time, it’s a chance to have a chance to have a conversation with just the two of us.

After thinking about it several times, I asked him.

Straight forward like a barbarian.

“I was looking for a wizard capable of dimensional door magic. Are you thinking of running away?”

First of all, this question will be the most important to check whether it is true or not.

As soon as he heard this question, his eyes hardened coldly.

“You’re like a barbarian in that way. If you were someone else, you wouldn’t have thought to ask me directly if you’d noticed.”

As you can see, it’s because he’s a barbarian.

When our eyes met, he asked again.

“Where did you hear about that?”

That was enough.

yes it is true

I really wondered if there was another strategy.

“I heard the driver give instructions to the executive.”

“…He’s a person with poor attention. Or he was careless thinking he was a barbarian.”

Looking at those eyes, it seems like it would be hard to go over that article, but it’s a story that has nothing to do with me.

It was a car that was trying to continue the main topic.

“Well, maybe you were smarter than you thought.”

The boy gave a strange look and continued talking.

“I’ll just tell you what happened like this. I heard about the composition of your team through the administrative officer.”

“…… You did a background check on me?”

“It’s because I’m interested.”

Interest…….

Is this a positive variable or vice versa?

As for the result, it was both.

“I can take you and the wizard. If you promise to serve the royal family for just one year.”

He offered me a portal ticket.

The problem is that there are only 2 chapters.

“rest of it?”

“Don’t you know. What kind of choice do you have to make?”

You mean it’s not up to the fucking standard.

I thought I had grown well for several months.

“So what are you going to do?”

I was at a crossroads of choice.

“I want you to answer now. I don’t have much time.”

Is it the life of one of my colleagues?

Or is it a gamble with everyone’s life?

[Can you… win?]

[Don’t worry. I will definitely return alive.]

The fleeting conversation we had one day flashes through my mind.

“I…”

he answered without hesitation.

“I do not abandon my colleagues.”

Maybe he really became a barbarian to the head.

***

“The second Dreadlord has been killed.”

“The third Dreadlord has been killed.”

“The fourth Dreadlord has been killed.”

“The Fifth Dreadlord has been killed… .」

「…….」

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Time flies.

I thoroughly kept silent about the conversation I had with the knight commander.

[Leave the story about the dimensional door to you alone. If you value your colleagues.]

His threat is also a threat, but I didn’t feel the need to do so. Even if it’s not me anyway, this will spread quickly.

It actually was.

“Did you hear Mr. Yandel? That story.”

It is impossible to shut the mouths of thousands.

Especially if it’s not a tight-knit group.

The Knight Commander’s plan to escape the portal had spread and it didn’t take long for Raven to hear about it.

“Yes, I know.”

“…What are you going to do? Do you think Mr. Yandel is just a rumor?”

At Raven’s question, the eyes of Mr. Bear and Misha are focused on me. The three of you had already discussed it before you told me.

Well, they must be the only ones who didn’t feel the life in this cave.

“Karon can’t even lift that greatsword! That’s why you can call him a man!!”

“It’s not that I can’t lift it! Look!”

“Ohhh! Then you’re half a man!”

A barbarian who has been playing well for an hour while spinning an adamantium greatsword.

Sometimes I envy their insensitivity.

I can only move on without a doubt.

“Hey Mr. Yandel…?”

“Oh sorry, I was thinking about something else for a while.”

I smiled brightly and tapped Raven on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry about rumors! Everything will be fine!”

It will work out.

i will definitely make it

So I hope they just move forward without any doubt.

It would be enough for me to constantly doubt and worry about what traps and enemies lie in front of me.

“No, why are you so unnecessarily positive!”

“That’s what being a leader is.”

“Okay, stop slapping the shoulder!”

I finished the conversation roughly, closed my eyes again, and fell into thought.

All my interests lately have been only one.

How can we all live together?

To this end, he repeated his thoughts thousands of times, made numerous plans and discarded them, and even after making one plan, he reviewed countless times to see if there were any variables or misjudged errors.

‘It has to be perfect.’

Plan B if plan A

doesn’t work

.

How long has it been like that?

Whoa!

A weak vibration blooms from the ground as if announcing that the critical point is approaching.

“It’s already the eighth.”

With this, the eighth layer lord was summoned.

Since this happened over and over again for several days, everyone including Raven didn’t show anything special.

that’s because they don’t know

What event occurs when the ninth layer lord is defeated.

‘That’s probably why there are no protests yet despite rumors like that. Most of them will think it’s nonsense.’

From an ordinary person’s point of view, there is no reason for the leadership to escape through a portal.

Because there is no information about ‘it’.

“By the way, I can hear the screams, so it looks like it’s around

here…”

We waited until the hierarchical lord was defeated, being on alert just in case.

At that time, a chuckle was heard from the back aisle.

“I’ll be passing by for a while, everyone stick to the wall!”

A group moving quickly, pushing explorers through a narrow aisle like an ambulance dispatching.

As soon as it was attached to the wall, it passed by like the wind.

“It’s Eramel’s Star Clan.”

A group of large clans with well-known names.

Judging by the direction from which the scream was heard, it seems that he is on the move to defeat the layer lord.

“Since the support team has gone, it’s going to get dark again soon.”

1st floor lord can be captured by 30 7th floor explorers. If there is a strategy, it can be done with much less power.

I smiled bitterly.

‘I don’t know why the hierarchical lord keeps going to catch him when he’s going to throw everything away anyway.’

The first-floor lord had no loot to speak of.

Essence does not come out, and the value of the byproduct obtained through ‘Distortion’ magic is not high.

The only reward for defeating them is that they can be promoted to a 4-star clan with full-fledged benefits.

So, he was mostly used only as a verification role.

Like a rite of passage when you reach a certain level, it’s about the monsters that you only kill once and move on.

‘Are you feeling guilty? Did we do our best until the end?’

I suddenly thought of that, but the realistic reason is probably bigger.

You have to look like you’re doing your part until the end, so those who will be abandoned won’t notice.

[Kyaaaaaaa — !!]

After about 20 minutes, a huge ghost came from a distance, and the reddish fertilization turned off.

It means that the treatment of the hierarchical lord is over.

“It’s five days from tomorrow, so now I just have to hold out for two more days.”

I checked the time from time to time and continued to check my plans.

How long has it been since then?

[22:07]

About two hours had passed since the 8th layer lord was defeated.

No, say it again…

“Damn it!!”

The time when there were four hours left until the road to hell unfolded.

“Everybody run inside! The rumors are true!”

“The royal family are trying to abandon us and run away!! Stop it!!”

A commotion erupted from inside the cave.

***

At that time, the center of the barracks for knights belonging to large clans and royal families.

“You bastards!! Get out of the way!!”

“Back off, explorer, if you come any closer, I’ll cut you.”

“It’s the same as dying one way or another—!”

Slow-!

Tuk Degur.

One explorer’s head falls to the floor.

“Is anyone else coming?”

I hesitated for a while at the knight’s murderous words.

“What are you doing, push!”

“I’m going out! I’m going out!!”

“Ah! An arm! An arm…!”

Explorers blinded by life rush at them like moths.

It was a scene that was taking place simultaneously in all passageways connected to the center.

“The real enemy is out there, but they’re willing to shed meaningless blood.”

The man who was the 3rd Commander of the Royal Knights and also the one who created this current situation.

Marco Elbern clicked his tongue and asked the adjutant.

“What’s the current progress?”

“A little more than half of the people have escaped.”

“It’s half… It’s taking a lot longer than planned.”

If all of them had used the dimensional door magic and escaped to the city at once, there wouldn’t have been such a fuss.

However, due to the nature of the dimensional door magic that absorbs the surrounding mana, it was inevitable that the magic had to be used sequentially.

“Now it’s our turn. Leave this place to the rest of the knights and leave. Captain.”

Marco Elbern followed the adjutant to the center. At that moment, a new dimensional door opened and emitted a dazzling light.

Woo-woo-!

Marco Elburn erased all lingering feelings and slowly moved toward the portal.

“Please take me too!!”

“Aaaaaagh!”

With every step he took, he heard a mixture of emotional screams and weapons.

clap clap clap.

Marco Elbern paused in front of the portal.

It was because I suddenly remembered a conversation we had two days ago.

[I do not abandon my colleagues.]

He was an impressive person in many ways.

Should I say that I am not a barbarian, but I am not an answer?

It was also a bit disappointing.

[I misunderstood you. I never thought I would make such a wrong choice.]

He lost interest in the barbarian.

It was sheer whim that made this offer to him in the first place.

But I wouldn’t even have that luck.

[Leave the story about the dimensional door to you alone. If you value your colleagues.]

He tried to leave with nothing more than a silence threat.

But at that moment.

[You feel guilty.]

The barbarian spat strange words.

[Guilt…?]

[That’s probably it. I was disappointed because I declined the offer.]

At first, I didn’t know what he was talking about.

But soon, a cold voice pierced his ears.

[Isn’t it because you wanted to be convinced through me that your choice wasn’t wrong?]

Marco Elbern couldn’t refute.

I didn’t even notice that, but I thought maybe it was.

[Knight, I’m different from you.]

[So, don’t use me to relieve your feelings.]

The conversation with the barbarian ended there.

We’ll probably never see each other face to face again.

“Captain, you have to go.”

Marco Elbern looked up and stared ahead.

Unlike this dark labyrinth, the brightly shining city was visible through the portal.

The only city in the cursed world.

A place we really need to protect.

Last Citadel.

“For Lapdonia.”

He pushed himself through the portal.

It was a choice that had to be made.

***

Close your eyes for a moment and catch your breath.

and reflect on yourself

Finally, the moment of decision came.

So…….

‘Do what you have to do.’

Open your eyes.

“Everyone follow me. I’m moving to the center.”

“Yes? What are you going to do?”

What do you do?

By the time you arrive, all kinds of talented people who have been abandoned by various groups will be struggling with despair.

‘I have to match the weight class first.’

must gather forces.

That’s the first way to live.