Chapter 96

Chapter 96, Decision

I listened to her explanation, thought for a moment, then opened my mouth.

Considering how serious the matter was, I had no choice but to ask again just to confirm.

“Is that information certain?”

“Yes, it's certain. The characteristic of darkening the surroundings, the scale, the period before its appearance, and the location all match what the Order observed.”

“What exactly do you mean by observation?”

“Among the five 900-series Mysteries possessed by the Order, there's one called the Book That Records the Future. It's a future-prediction-type Mystery that can observe the future. The Order used that to observe it.”

A future-prediction-type Mystery.

Eriel explained that the Order had used that Mystery around half a year ago to observe information about Scq930.

Apparently, the reason the Order, which had remained quiet for a long time, recently started acting aggressively was to build up enough forces to retrieve Scq930.

For some unknown reason, they couldn't mobilize the strength of the Order's main headquarters located in another world.

So instead, they had chosen to strengthen the Order's Asia Branch.

That was also why I had repeatedly crossed paths with them in various places before I went to attack the Order.

One question that had remained unresolved all this time was finally answered.

So everything the Order had been doing in Korea had ultimately been based around obtaining a single Mystery, Scq930.

“...Just how powerful is that Mystery?”

I looked at the apartment complex.

Even at this very moment, its overall color was slowly growing darker.

“The moment the entire apartment complex turns completely black, that's when Scq930 will appear.”

From the looks of it, Scq930 seemed to be related to darkness.

Even its omen suggested that.

And the name attached to it was Erebus, the god of night and darkness.

The Eye of Ra, which was associated with the sun god, also possessed an ability connected to the sun.

So it seemed likely that the Cloak of Erebus would also be related to night or darkness.

Still, thinking about sun gods and gods of night made it feel as though the genre of the world around me had changed.

Until now, it had felt closer to strange phenomena and ghost stories.

This time, it felt like clear and unmistakable fantasy.

That too was probably a characteristic of 900-series Mysteries.

They truly existed on a different level.

Enough to make me desperately want one.

“The Order theorized that the Cloak of Erebus possesses the ability to bring night.”

“...Night? You mean night as in day and night?”

“It's not confirmed information. It's only a theory based on circumstantial evidence, so there's a good chance it could be wrong.”

“Still, bringing night... Does that mean it changes day into night?”

“Uh, it's hard to imagine...”

Hwa-ryeon openly showed that she couldn't quite understand it.

Lee Yeonhee's gaze became unfocused, as though she was having trouble imagining it too.

I couldn't fully understand it either.

Still, there was no reason to become too immersed in information that wasn't even certain.

I cut off the thought of What would it look like if it brought night?

At the same time, I pulled hard on the leash around the greed swelling inside me.

If the Order wanted the Mystery that badly, there was no way it was mediocre.

And even if it were the worst possible 900-series Mystery, there would still be some moment when it could be useful.

Naturally, desire rose within me.

But I tightened my grip on that leash.

The weight carried by the words 900-series Mystery was too great to act on greed alone.

Were we really the only ones who had noticed Scq930?

There was no way.

The Order had already observed it far in advance using a prediction-type Mystery.

There was no chance that no one else would notice a 900-series Mystery that had already begun showing visible omens.

And even if nobody had noticed it yet, there was no way it would remain unnoticed for the entire remaining month.

I could already imagine a massive struggle breaking out around the apartment complex.

Everyone else here had reached the same conclusion.

And none of us expected that struggle to be small.

“This really is important information. Eriel, thank you for telling us.”

“Hehe. It's nothing.”

Eriel smiled and took a step back.

She had finished telling us everything she wanted to say.

From this point onward, she was leaving it to us to discuss what we should do.

Whether we would participate in the struggle over the Cloak of Erebus.

Arlin was the first to voice her opinion.

I expected her to oppose it.

“I think we should try obtaining Scq930.”

But she didn't.

I hadn't expected Arlin, who prioritized safety and disliked variables, to give that answer.

For now, I listened carefully to hear her reasoning.

Arlin looked over each of us before speaking.

“There are two reasons why I hold this opinion. First, we currently do not possess a complete 900-series Mystery.”

“...Can that really be considered a reason?”

“Yes. A 900-series Mystery contains overwhelming power. We have already earned the hostility of the Company and the Order, and there is a high probability that we will encounter them again someday. In our current situation, increasing our combat strength is absolutely necessary.”

Arlin added that if we obtained a 900-series Mystery, our total combat strength would increase by at least fifty percent.

The Company and the Order were already constant sources of anxiety for me.

The damage they had suffered because of us was considerable.

At the very least, it was enough that we'd crossed a river we could no longer turn back from.

That was also one of the main reasons I kept trying to become stronger.

“And second, surprisingly, this might not be as dangerous as it seems.”

“Huh? I don't really understand that.”

The moment Arlin gave her second reason, Hwa-ryeon raised her hand.

“If it's a 900-series Mystery, shouldn't every major faction come running for it?”

“But what if there's a high chance those major factions will remain on the sidelines?”

“...What?”

Instead of answering herself, Arlin pointed toward Eriel.

Everyone's gaze followed her finger.

Eriel slowly nodded under our attention.

She was confirming Arlin's words.

“That's right. Just as Arlin said, there's a high chance the major factions will stay out of it. They're all keeping each other in check in the other worlds, so it's almost impossible for them to mobilize their main forces.”

“Yes. The moment any major movement is exposed, they would be subjected to a concentrated attack. Under those circumstances, the only forces they can use are their branches here on Earth.”

The small branches sent by major factions and established on Earth.

The Order's Asia Branch that we had fought, and the Company's First Branch, were examples.

Hwa-ryeon listened carefully, but she still seemed unconvinced.

She asked another question.

It was the same question I had.

“What does that have to do with them staying out of it? If they're that greedy, wouldn't they mobilize even the tiniest branch they have?”

“They would if they had the余裕.”

Need fix Japanese. Continue. “But right now, they have none. I recently heard some interesting news.”

Eriel stepped forward as she answered.

She stood before us and waved her hand.

The hologram floating in front of us changed.

It now displayed a ruined landscape.

The sky had turned black, darker than even thick storm clouds.

The ground was split apart as though a massive landslide had torn through it.

From the cracks, bubbling lava occasionally surged upward and flowed thickly across the surroundings.

It was a landscape that brought words like the end of the world or apocalypse to mind.

At its center stood a single building that barely deserved to be called a building anymore.

It looked like an abandoned ruin on the verge of collapse.

There was no roof.

Only a few broken pillars remained.

Calling it a ruin was perfectly appropriate.

“This is inside False Utopia.”

“...Seriously? That's False Utopia?”

When Eriel nodded, Hwa-ryeon looked shocked.

“We damaged it a little, but I don't think we destroyed it that badly...”

“That's right. Originally, it wasn't this bad. This is what the major factions that entered after you left did to it.”

Eriel briefly summarized what had happened.

The major factions noticed that they'd lost contact with their subordinates and came to investigate.

They discovered the pile of Mysteries gathered in the center of the exhibition hall.

That was when the tension began.

Then one of them used a memory-replay-type Mystery to read the memories of the dead and learned about the existence of the Eye of Ra.

After that, the major factions, driven mad by greed, began waging war inside False Utopia.

And apparently, it still hadn't ended.

“So you don't need to worry too much. They've taken considerable damage from this incident.”

“Yes. Even if they learn about Scq930, they'll probably be unable to move for some time while recovering from their losses.”

Arlin and Eriel finished speaking, then looked at me.

Since I was effectively the center of the group, and everyone implicitly followed my lead, they were asking what I wanted to do.

If I said we should simply give up here, Arlin would accept that and back down.

I thought for a moment.

Then I spoke.

“Should we give it a try?”