READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 106
As soon as the morning sun brightened, we set off on Briyagon.
“Isn’t it cold?”
“Yes.”
“How’s your breathing?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for worrying.”
As for Charlotte, her complexion had noticeably improved since yesterday when she seemed like she was going to die.
I gazed down at the scenery gradually becoming clearer. With only a vague sense of direction, I had to glance down occasionally to gauge our current position.
“Charlotte, let me know when you see the marshlands.”
“Yes.”
Our destination was the marshlands located at the extreme end of the Lauraba Duchy. The trees there lacked leaves, and it wasn’t exactly a picturesque spot.
From above, it would be completely visible due to its openness.
‘Who would have thought someone so creepy would be hiding there?’
The hermit makes his home in the dreary marshlands. His nature is inherently gloomy, so it was expected. Even his name is Hermit.
He is so withdrawn and reclusive that he can’t even face his subordinates. The creature hides away in the Boss Room and doesn’t step out even an inch.
Despite all that, he longs for companionship, but thanks to his ‘splits’, he can live in solitude without feeling lonely. He chats and plays with his splits to ease his loneliness.
He’s not only shy but also very fearful, so he avoids intruders regardless of their strength. He only appears once all his dozens of splits are exhausted, like a last-ditch effort.
Given his trivial personality, I initially questioned whether he was truly the Boss of the Seven Lairs.
‘Though it made impersonating him easier.’
He definitely knows me. Even if he lives in the shadows, he’s not completely in the dark about the world.
His specialty lies in sending some splits out to obtain information, so he must be aware of me, and the reason he allows me to go on is that it benefits him.
“Boss, isn’t that it?”
Charlotte’s words snapped me out of my thoughts. Looking down, I could see the marshes coming into view.
“Land there.”
As soon as I spoke, I affectionately scratched Briyagon’s neck, and he nodded in response.
After landing on the ground, the two of us also set foot on it. Briyagon shrank down and settled on my arm.
I didn’t worry too much since I could always summon Briyagon if necessary in the dungeon.
“I’ll summon Golgoli.”
“Got it.”
It’s been ages since I heard Golgoli’s name. You’d have to have a terrible sense of naming to call a skeleton horse Golgoli.
In an instant, Charlotte’s shadow twitched and burst forth, forming Golgoli’s shape at last.
Charlotte gently stroked Golgoli’s face as it neighed.
“Can you ride?”
“Yes, I can manage a bit.”
“Then this time, you’ll be in charge.”
“I would gladly take that on.”
Since I had previously ridden Golgoli, it was only fair to give Charlotte this chance. Frankly, though, I was just lazy. Golgoli seems to prefer Charlotte over me anyway.
Charlotte mounted first, and I followed her lead.
“Excuse me, Lord, but could you cradle my side?”
“….”
“If I fall, I won’t have the face to meet the Boss again. Please.”
Her earlobes turned bright red, displaying her embarrassment.
***
Is this the feeling of riding a carousel after being on a roller coaster?
Having just gotten off Briyagon and now riding a skeletal horse, I found it rather dull.
Clop! Clop!
Everywhere Golgoli trotted, the muck squelched uncomfortably beneath us.
Surveying the area, I saw it was a marshland full of moss and sparse vegetation.
‘…I wonder how the hermit will come out.’
He was so reclusive in nature, I didn’t think he’d be easily swayed.
If he had a positive disposition, I pondered if he would subject me to a trial.
The hermit’s trials could either be deadly poison or miraculous elixirs for the recipient. If one fails, they die, but overcoming them leads to exponential leveling up.
If I felt I might die, I could always have the hermit release me.
So, when I sensed he was friendly, I was inclined to face his trial.
Having mastered mental interference, he was the Boss of the Seven Lairs and even his trials poked at the subject’s mental state.
Specifically, he would drag out past traumatic memories like hallucinations, breaking one’s psyche.
Even if you’re at a higher level than him, if your mental strength is weak, you won’t conquer the trial.
The first time I went through this, I was completely flabbergasted. My level was significantly higher, so why on earth was this happening?
‘I’m curious how it’ll play out for me this time.’
If it works, will it be the memory of my body’s owner, or will it project my own memories as trauma?
I was also skeptical if it would even work on an Undead, as I’d never tried before.
Even if it wouldn’t, Charlotte was there.
If Charlotte could endure the trial of trauma, she’d at least gain a level or perhaps even two.
Of course, level and mental strength don’t align perfectly.
‘But I figure Charlotte would have high mental strength…’
A wizard gets stronger through mental cultivation after all.
She could have a glass jaw in contradiction to her appearance, but I had no concerns for her life.
I’d only undergo the trial when I felt the hermit was an ally.
-Heehee!
Before long, Golgoli’s trot came to a halt.
Charlotte glanced back quickly.
“I know.”
At my words, Charlotte’s mouth closed which made me curious about the reason for our stop.
[Lv. 32]
[Lv. 33]
[Lv. 35]
[Lv. 37]
Dozens of levels lazily bobbed up from within the marsh. Orange, indicating a warning.
The unfolding events mirrored a game, so I wasn’t all that surprised.
The lurking mobs at level 30 in the marsh were most likely Lizardmen.
This marshland was unexplored territory, and the Lizardmen’s clan were the natives.
To make an analogy, they were akin to the insects living in the Great Woods.
Stopping Charlotte, I decided to move there alone.
Using the Holy Sword wasn’t necessary since, as a high-level being, intimidation was best achieved through my aura.
“Come forth.”
The moment I unleashed my aura, the surrounding air began to ripple, and levels gradually turned pitch black.
“If you don’t show yourself, I’ll consider you an enemy.”
With that statement, I drew the Holy Sword and raised it high.
It was just for a moment, but the marsh grumbled, and one by one, the Lizardmen emerged into view.
[Lv. 51]
The highest-level Lizardman approached me slowly after seeing my level.
Upon seeing his level, I involuntarily tilted my head to the side.
‘White?’
That level color felt rather dissonant given the current situation.
Before me, the native showed no emotion whatsoever.
While he wouldn’t know who I was, he had to be aware that I was radiating my aura and holding a Holy Sword.
While the rest of the Lizardmen trembled in fear, this one just stared at me blankly.
A frog in a well, perhaps.
No matter how strong he thought he was, it felt strange not to show any caution.
“I am Chief Velicum. Intruder. Leave. If you don’t, you’ll be treated as an enemy.”
He tightened his grip on his spear.
His level remained an unwavering white even in his defensive stance.
‘…Now I get it.’
After a brief moment’s thought, it suddenly struck me.
I remembered all the little details about the hermit. Lizardmen below level 60 practically had no emotions or identity.
It’s only once they exceed level 70 that emotions and identity emerge, and they’re classified as mid to high-tier splits.
It seemed he had been expelling intruders all along leading a troop of Lizardmen.
This never happened in the game, but reality was indeed merciless.
“Hermit.”
The Lizardman at level 51 was a split of the hermit and, thus, had no emotion.
Even upon seeing it again, the transformation looked exactly like the game. If I hadn’t checked its level, I would’ve been fooled.
“Hermit? What’s that?”
Now that I’d been exposed, he feigned ignorance.
“I know everything. We will visit soon, so prepare to host your guests.”
Fuming, the split’s body began to bubble.
It was as if it were a premonitory sign as it melted from the head down, flowing somewhere.
“What’s going on, Chief?”
“Chief! The chief is dead!”
The Lizardmen’s panic made it clear they believed so fervently in their chief.
Their levels, now deep black, glared at me.
Even if they thought I was the one responsible, I’m glad they didn’t act recklessly.
Even if they did try to fight, I’d just unleash my aura again.
“Hermit. Is that its true identity?”
…Ah.
I realized too late that I had misspoken.
“My lord, how did you see through the Lizardman’s true nature?”
I had absent-mindedly spilled the words without thinking of Charlotte.
What excuse would I give her? I pondered but couldn’t come up with anything.
“Was it your insight, Boss?”
“…Hmm?”
“I suspected it when I recognized the split of the 6th Lord. It’s truly insight worthy of a Boss to see through deception and discern identity…”
Charlotte seemed to have convinced herself of that, nodding her head.
It’s true that the Lords of the Seven Lairs possess exceptional insight, but is that insight truly insight?
In any case, I didn’t need to correct her misconception.
“That’s a relief. I thought maybe your insight was reading other people’s thoughts.”
“…Reading thoughts?”
“Yes. I felt like, for a Boss, having such insight wouldn’t be unusual.”
“But what do you mean by relief?”
Charlotte immediately sealed her lips.
After a moment, she slowly opened her mouth, her voice barely a whisper.
“Everyone has thoughts they don’t want revealed, right? I’m human, too, and yeah. I’m the same. Sometimes, no, often, I have thoughts I really shouldn’t.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“You mean you don’t want your thoughts uncovered?”
“…Yes.”
[Lv. 92]
Seeing the deep pink level, I had a rough idea of what kind of thoughts she was having.
***
“No! No! He’s coming!”
“They already overheard us trying to drive him away! This is bad, this is bad!”
“This can’t be happening… it’s the end of our hiding…”
“You said you didn’t know! Why do you know about us?”
“I… I don’t know how I know… I thought I wouldn’t know if I didn’t go…”
“We need to hide the Life Core. If we get found, we might die!”
“That’s right… so let’s say number one is to hide…”
“It’s not ‘number one,’ it’s the main body! I’m the main body!”
“Whether main body or number one, they mean the same! Just hide! If you’re caught, we all die!”
“But do you really think he’ll kill us? Aren’t you overreacting?”
“No! He’ll kill us! He *could* kill us!”
“Then why?”
“Think, you fool! We’re hiding and abandoning our responsibilities! You think our subordinates would be happy knowing we’ve been lurking around? We even tried to get rid of him!”
“Ah, I see.”
“If I were him, I’d want to kill you…yeah, I’d definitely kill you.”
“Get a grip! The Boss is looking for us! No, he’s coming right now!”
“We need to hide, quickly!”