Chapter 23: Netherworld (2)

As we got closer to the portal, the light cluster started to vibrate menacingly.

It's like warning us to stay back, otherwise there would be problems. And it's true, if we just try to directly launch our way through, we would just bounce off.

So, at this time, I took out the black card that the President gave.

I threw it as soon as we were about to get in contact with it. The light cluster wriggled which tore a hole in the space itself.

At the same time, I set a timer for exactly 2 minutes.

'…This is the limit of Atallante's access pass.'

Originally, this was end-game content that was only given to players who had achieved 'Eternal' status.

The black card was something like an identification given to these high beings. Without this, I'd be 'quarantined' once I enter the other side of the portal.

It was being strictly managed.

"…"

In other words.

The Netherworld is a crazy place that even an Eternal like Atallante is only allowed entry for two minutes.

Occasionally, depending on the route you take, you might have to enter this place again during the main scenario and not just in the DLC.

'…Absolutely not.'

Really.

Please no.

God forbid that happens.

I'll also work my ass off to prevent that from happening.

"Wow."

A surprised exclamation came out of Elijah's mouth as soon as she entered the portal.

"I thought it would be straight hell as soon as we enter, but this…"

"Yeah, I get what you mean."

Well, it might look pretty right now but it couldn't be more terrifying.

Various objects of all shapes and colors are scattered throughout the place, as if various filters were overlayed on top of the real world terrain.

Astral bodies. Forgotten ancient objects. Spirits.

All of them are powerful and dangerous.

"Try to not carelessly touch things. They are dangerous."

Elijah was just about to touch a white haze that was floating nearby, and immediately snapped her hand back in a flurry after hearing my words.

If ever something bad does happen, there's still the angel's protection. However, it's best not to come into contact with objects from the Netherworld as much as possible.

"…but how high did we go up? How much higher do we need to go?"

"Just a little more."

In fact, if it were just simply entering and exiting the portal, there would have been a more suitable flying item from the Vision Warehouse and not this makeshift 'catapult'.

But there's a reason why I used such a primitive method, that is, to obtain the items that existed in the 'Gregory Hall's Highest Level'.

"…Coming to such a high place reminds me of the old days."

Elijah, who was in free flight with me, suddenly muttered.

"You're familiar with this experience?"

"My older brother is as crazy as Mr. He had thrown me from the top of the mountain without any equipment since I was little. Looking at it that way, aren't you two the same?"

"…"

"He always saves me in the end, and say that this was to train my courage."

"…"

No wonder she's still strangely calm even in this situation.

"That idiot really loved heights."

Elijah continued with a smile.

"…I wonder where and what is he doing now?"

The longing was clear in her tone.

"…"

But.

Twelve years ago, the Crimson Night Incident happened.

It was a terrorist incident caused by the 'Revelation Descendants', a group of devil worshipers who follow the 'Red Devil'.

Elijah's family was killed at that time.

"…"

If she was left alone, Elijah would have grown up in a peaceful farmhouse. Her "missing brother" probably played a significant role in her taking up the role of a hero candidate, even though she had no interest in it.

Elijah's brother was the only one who survived the Crimson Night Incident, but he went completely missing nor was there any whereabouts of him.

Elijah couldn't help but constantly cling to the hope that if she became famous enough, he might recognize her and come find her.

Originally a farmer's daughter, she had never even held a sword. I can't imagine how much she had to push herself to get to this point.

"Oh, there's something there."

I got pulled out of my thoughts when Elijah suddenly exclaimed and pointed in front.

It was a pure white 'smoke' that was the most noticeable even amidst the colorful surroundings.

It's appearance closely resembles of what's generally called a 'spirit'.

The faraway smoke didn't look ordinary.

'The Spirit of the Gregory Hall.'

It originally appears as an Easter egg long after the main story.

It manifests itself into the material world once using the 'inter-dimensional access route' earlier.

"…"

And there's one thing that only those who saw it at that time knows.

This is one of things that the earlier you get it, the more broken it is.

Players were even data-mining like crazy to find its original location and get it as soon as possible.

"Eucha."

I unfolded the sack I prepared beforehand.

Of course, it's not just some random sack.

[ Magic Sack! ]x3

[ Price: 500pt ]x3

[ Item: Junk ]

[ Can hold any item inside for one day! ]

[ Remaining Points: 1,000pt ]

A sack that can store anything that is treated as an item for a day.

First things first, the spirit is considered as an item. It's normally impossible to capture it by normal means, but with the sack, it's possible.

Although the 500pt price tag was steep, it was worth it.

As for the two remaining sacks, I gave one to Elijah.

"Here, hold this."

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Grab something nearby when you run away. Anything is fine."

"…Yes? Run away?"

I then silently pointed up.

To which Elijah frowned.

"What's wrong, isn't that just the sky?"

I continued and pointed to a huge dot moving around at the center of the 'sky'.

"Do you see that?"

"Yes."

"That's the pupil."

"…Yes?"

And with that, I left the confused Elijah and checked the watch instead.

1 minute remaining.

'I'll manage.'

Although I'm no scientist, I've already proven my actions to be correct, in this world built on top of the game system several times.

This should be safe enough.

"What do you mean those are the pupils-"

Just as Elijah was about to ask such a question, she immediately shut her mouth.

That's because she saw the color of the sky change for a moment before immediately returning to its original state.

This phenomenon was caused by a being closing and opening its eyes.

To put it differently.

What looks like the sky right now was simply the 'white' part of the being's eyes.

And the 'pupil' looked like a huge dot.

At this moment, Elijah finally realized that we were being watched.

"This is, this is crazy-!"

With a deafening roar, the 'sky' receded.

[ A moment of danger has been detected. ]

[ Determined the situation as life-threatening. ]

[ Skill: Desperation raised to EX Class. ]

Specifically, the 'Netherworld beast' that sensed us pulled its head back and was now approaching us with its jaws wide open.

'…this is why the Netherworld is hell.'

Mind you, this is a 'trash mob' of this world.

A creature at the bottom of the food chain.

"M, Mr., this, damn it!"

Elijah drew her sword as she said so.

Her whole body was trembling and tears were welling up in her eyes.

"Ge, get behind me!"

"…Are you sure it's safe to go that route?"

"You saved me before! This time, I'll…!"

"…"

I see, I understand how you feel. And for that, thank you.

The courage and mental strength to put yourself in the face of danger without even knowing the opponent was amazing. Definitely deserving of a round of applause.

But fighting that thing with our current strength alone is suicidal.

"Calm down, we're not here to fight that thing."

Saying so, I reminded her of the sack I gave earlier.

At this moment, our soaring bodies were about to stop.

All that remains was a free-fall downwards.

"From now on, gather everything that comes pouring down."

"Pour, pour down?!"

"That thing."

I pointed to the white lumps pouring out of the beast's open mouth.

"Take as many as you can. It can be used in a lot of places."

"Y, you really have the time to think about that right now?!"

But despite my instructions, she was screaming in protest.

Elijah was more concerned about our lives being in danger, to which she was not wrong.

'…Still, it's absolutely necessary.'

To do so, I even bought two more sacks and spent 1,000 points.

If my calculations were correct, we wouldn't be in a situation where we'd die.

'Ah, that's right.'

Can I use 'it' here?

[ Skill: Evil Ruler has been activated. ]

[ Triggering command right to target 'Elijah'. ]

"Relax, it's fine."

When I said that, Elijah's trembling suddenly stopped.

"…Uh?"

I couldn't imagine that before this calmness, she was just on the verge of tears.

Even she, herself, was shocked for such a sudden change.

'The effect is better than I thought?'

I hesitated because the term 'command' was a bit ambiguous, but just by telling her to calm down, it removed her fear of death.

I don't know how far it can go specifically, but it's for certain that it's persuasion power is not ordinary.

"Have you calmed down?"

"…Uh, yes, yes. Somehow. So, uh? what is it again?"

"Then put that thing in."

Then I tried giving her the sack again.

"It's necessary, alright? Believe it or not, we are safe."

"…"

Elijah looked at me with questioning eyes, but rather than answering, I checked my watch instead.

10 seconds remaining.

The beast's jaws was getting closer and closer. It was coming at us faster than we were falling. But because of it, the white lumps were also falling quickly.

"…Ahh, I don't know. Why can someone be calm in this situation?"

With a half-giving up expression, Elijah finally followed my lead and opened her sack to catch the falling white lumps.

This and a humongous creature larger than the mountain coming to devour us was quite the strange sight to see.

9 seconds.

"So, what's the plan! We're almost there!"

Her words had a double meaning.

Above is the gaping maw of the beast while below is the hard ground.

It's either death by vore or death by fall.

Still, there was nothing to plan or say.

"Just… Watch your step."

There's no room for mistakes here.

As the main character, her life is precious.

"Yes?!"

One second left.

As the alarm on the watch went off, the world that had just been filled with various filter-like colors returned to its original state.

The 'entry permit' that allowed us to enter the world has expired and thus we got forcibly expelled.

"Ehut… Cha."

At the same time, we made a 'soft' on the ground.

Basically, expending the time limit and getting kicked out makes it so our coordinates are 'newly generated'.

What does that mean? In other words, in the current situation, the only force that would affect me and Elijah is the momentum from jumping from this two-story building.

Kung, kung. A series of thuds rang out.

"…"

"…"

Elijah looked around with a dazed expression, before ignoring everything for now and checked the sack's contents.

[ Gregory Hall's Spirit ]

[ Item: Epic ]

[ Grants contact with the spirit of a legendary figure. ]

[ Ectoplasm Blob ] x3

[ Material: Special ]

[ A mysterious substance only secreted by Netherworld beings. Can maximize certain properties depending on the catalyst. ]

Right, so.

The Gregory Hall's Spirit will be used as a material for my exclusive equipment. While the Ectoplasm Blob will be used for the 'cannon' I asked Percy to make.

'…Good.'

Although it was risky, this was a very good harvest.

"Mr."

A shaking Elijah suddenly called out as I was in my thoughts.

"…No way, did you plan this all from the beginning?"

"Uh? What?"

"Going up to the Netherworld, getting unknown things, being chased by a monster, and a safe landing. Ahhh, I don't know how it works. Anyway, did you know that this was going to happen?"

"…I guess?"

If I did, why not do it, right?

Veteran Sera players call this the 'Gregory Hall's Spirit Early Farming Method'. If the conditions are met, it's actually quite easy to do.

In addition, it's a widely used method because you can also obtain the top-quality material, Ectoplasm.

"Then why didn't you tell me from the beginning?"

"…Then if I had told you, would you have followed me?"

Eung.

I'm sorry, but this was the truth.

I was confident that it would be safe, but not everyone would be willing to experience something that crazy.

"…then why did you need me in the first place?"

"Because I needed extra help."

"Yes?"

"I had to get at least three of these white things, but I was short on hands-"

[ You have influenced the target 'Elijah'. She has intense anger at the target 'Dowd'! ]

[ Marked with negative tendency! ]

[ Rewards Available! ]

[ Skill: Evil Ruler has been activated. Obtained 1 command right over the target! ]

"…"

Eum.

My command right got refilled as soon as it was used.

What's happening?

"Just, barely, that kind of, that hellish thing, hu, huhu…"

Elijah was glaring at me, with her voice shaking.

Her eyes were out of focus.

…It's scary.

"I'm sorry. I apologize."

"If people could just apologize and solve everything with words, what's the need for laws in this world-!"

"I'll do anything you ask for."

This was the promise she made when she apologized to me.

I'll return the favor when I can.

Elijah's outburst immediately stopped as soon as she heard this.

"…Anything?"

"Anything."

She awkwardly scratched her cheek.

" 

" 

Then, with pouted lips, she held out her pinky finger.

"Then promise me."

"Uh?"

"Pinky promise."

"…"

Are you a child?

But since when I asked her, she didn't ask anything, I need to reciprocate.

So I held out my pinky and tied the promise, after which she broadly smiled.

'…So she just let's it slide just like that.'

Is it that simple?

"…Heh. As expected, you're similar."

"Eung?"

"I used to do this often with my older brother."

Having said that, Elijah moved away from me.

There's still a wide smile on her face.

"…just looking at Mr. made me want to do something like this for no reason."

However.

It's certaint that hidden beneath her cheerful words was a mixture of all sorts of complex emotions.

●

'…He's really a strange person.'

Elijah watched as Dowd leave with his sacks, after saying he had somewhere to go, and then turned her gaze to her hand.

Her pinky finger had linked with Dowd's just now. She could feel his warmth still lingering.

She absentmindedly fiddled with that part of her finger.

"…"

She silently recalled what had just happened.

When the unidentified giant monster had opened its mouth and was coming to devour them.

'Relax, it's fine.'

She was so scared.

It felt like she was going to die.

But when that man told her to calm down, she suddenly felt relieved.

It really felt like that.

His words just pierced straight through her heart.

'It's strange. Really strange.'

At first glance, he seems indifferent and just blurts out things carelessly.

But if you were to stay by his side for a little while, you would realize that he always seems to see things that others can't.

Most of all.

He would always do things that strike people's hearts during crucial moments.

'They're a little bit similar?'

Her brother had always remained stuck in her heart for the better or worse.

He's mischievous, insensitive, and usually only play silly pranks. Sometimes, she wonders if there's another dolt like him in the world.

But at the same time.

No matter what adversity, he would always rise up and overcome it.

No matter how strong the opponent is, he never backs down.

Above all.

Whenever she is in danger, he always rushes to her rescue.

He was her only hero in the world.

Didn't he used to say that every time?

'Relax, it's fine.'

" 

" 

"…"

And, oddly enough.

After experiencing the previous situation, that man called Dowd strangely reminds her of him-

"Aaaaahhhh-!"

Elijah groaned and slapped her cheeks with both hands.

'Crazy, are you insane!?'

How could she compare her brother with that person!

In the first place, he's someone else's man! And he said he likes Princess Tristan! It's disrespectful to compare someone involved with that damn family to her brother!

"So annoying! That Mr., ahh it's irritating!"

Yeah, that guy is annoying!

-Relax, it's fine.

"…"

His voice once again echoed in her mind. But, Elijah immediately shook her head and shouted again at the top of her lungs.

"I really hate you, Mr.!"

She was screaming so much that her face started to get red.

It was as if she was trying to force out a voice that was coming from inside of her.

●

"Aaaaahhhh-!"

"So annoying! That Mr., ahh it's irritating!"

"I really hate you, Mr.!"

"…"

I suddenly heard such words echoing as I was dragging my sacks.

'She's really angry, huh…?'

I should apologize properly next time.

Otherwise, I might really get killed…

[ The favorability of the target 'Elijah' has greatly increased! ]

[ The favorability level has been upgraded to 'Interest Level 4'! ]

[ Rewards Available! ]

[ Reward has been reduced due to the good alignment of the target! ]

"…"

In the meantime, I don't know why this suddenly popped up.

No.

Why are you here, seriously?