"Grandpa, Marglas, Kobe, Nax… enemies..."
Just as I suddenly heard Arthur's shout, I saw someone attacking us with two black lightning bolts.
"Marglas…! Use your relic…!"
I immediately shouted at Marglas. As soon as he heard me, Marglas's shield began to glow, and a massive barrier of air formed in front of our group.
"Boom..."
The clash between the air-formed barrier and the black lightning caused an explosion, filling the surroundings with dust. The lightning that struck us just now must have been dark magic. Even the relic embedded in Marglas' shield couldn't fully block it. My relic, the Moon Ring, protected me, but Marglas had to stand at the front and use his shield to absorb the remaining damage for the others.
Afterwards, Marglas kneeled on one knee, panting in anger, while Kobe and Nax seemed to have only suffered minor scratches. I quickly took a healing potion from my bag and tossed it to Marglas.
"Thanks, old man... Who the hell ambushed us like this? Cowards... No guts to fight face-to-face, huh?"
Marglas was visibly enraged. I turned to check on Arthur, making sure he was okay. Seeing that he was unharmed, I felt relieved. Just as I was about to call him over, his expression suddenly changed, filled with worry, and he sprinted toward me.
"Grandpa…!"
Clang…
A loud clash of swords rang out. I saw Arthur being blown away from behind me, crashing into a tree.
"Arthur...!"
The sight of his bloodied body sent my blood boiling. Without hesitation, I swung my sword at the person who had attacked him. My strike was blocked instantly, so I grabbed the attacker's head with my free hand, forced him down, and kneed him in the face. Caught off guard, the man staggered backwards, and without missing the opportunity, I followed up with a spinning kick, sending him flying.
For a moment, everything froze. Marglas and the others stared at me and the enemy in shock. Then, snapping back to reality, Marglas stepped forward with his large shield while Kobe and Nax flanked me. I turned back toward Arthur, concerned. He was unconscious near a tree.
"Marglas… Nax… are you guys okay?"
"Is that bastard who attacked us? Grandpa… I'm gonna rip him apart!"
"Calm down, Marglas… And Nax, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Grandpa Thomas..."
"Good. Go check on Arthur. He's unconscious by that tree. Use a healing potion on him."
"Understood, Grandpa Thomas… Buff Magic – Invisible."
With that, Nax vanished from sight, likely using his invisibility magic. I readied myself again and turned to face the enemy who had attacked us earlier.
"What...?"
The man we were fighting was no ordinary foe—he was a High Ghoul, an A-rank monster. What was even more surprising was that it was daytime. High Ghouls were supposed to be terrified of sunlight and only found deep within dungeons.
"Who's behind this? The one who attacked us with dark magic earlier?" I wondered.
Just then, a loud voice echoed through the ruins.
"Hah…I thought you were all dead. You little fucking cockroaches… Even after I powered up this damn High Ghoul, it was still useless. Well, I guess I'll have to step in myself…"
"So it was you who hit us with that lightning, huh? You fucking rat…!"
Marglas interrupted the mysterious man wearing a black cloak before he could finish speaking. The cloaked man narrowed his eyes in irritation.
"Hey, you shield-wielding gorilla… Who taught you to interrupt when a noble is speaking, you damn savages?"
"A noble? Ha! More like a criminal… I'll kill you, you dog!"
"Marglas, focus! He's not alone."
I cut in, warning him. The cloaked man then examined me closely.
"Hmph… A retired knight, huh? You damn meddlesome knights… Well, since you've seen too much, I'll just have to kill all of you."
"Buff Magic – Flying."
With that, the black-cloaked figure lifted into the air, looking down at us from above. He spun his staff, forming a magic circle. Within moments, the battle had begun.
---
'Where… am I…? What…?'
I thought I had lost consciousness, but now I found myself in an unfamiliar place.
"Am I dreaming? Haha… Looks like I must have passed out and started hallucinating, hahaha…"
The environment around me was so surreal that it felt like a dream. Within a green void, I saw ancient ruins, shattered white-and-gold buildings and debris floating around, all suspended in midair. There was also a strange, buzzing "Gzzzz" sound.
"Ugh… What is this place…?"
I instinctively slapped my cheek.
"Ow… That hurt. So this isn't a dream…"
That meant this place was real. Hmm… I tried to think carefully. Everything I had experienced today felt too realistic to be a dream. The feeling of powerlessness I had just gone through—I would never forget that sensation.
I tried to recall what had happened before I lost consciousness.
Five minutes passed.
My head was burning. I couldn't think clearly. Then, a terrifying possibility crossed my mind.
"Wait… Am I dead…?"
I suddenly felt a deep sadness.
"Damn it… I never even got to thank Grandpa… I wanted to become a knight like him… Damn it…"
The sorrow weighed heavily on my chest, and a sharp pain pierced through my heart. I feel like I got flashbacks. Starting my life after the adoption from Grandpa, lived in the Beautiful town called Limart, saw landscapes of the Great Theondia forest every day, and met with a lot of friends such as Marglas, Kobe and Nax, especially I could protect My grandpa. Now I think about it, I think I'm satisfied. And also there was nothing I could do about it, so I finally calmed down.
"If this is the afterlife, then let's take a look around. Maybe I'll find other souls and ask them about this place."
I decided to move forward. But then, I noticed something strange.
"Huh… My body isn't moving?"
No, my body wasn't moving—I was floating, just like the ruins around me.
"Oh… So this is what happens when you die, huh? Hmph… Then how do I even move around? Is it by thought?"
As soon as I considered it, my body shifted.
"Ah… So it is controlled by thought."
I decided to test it for five minutes, flying around to get used to it.
"Alright, I get it now…"
The buzzing "Gzzzz" sound continued, irritating me.
"Even in death, there's noise? Damn it…"
I listened carefully to that sound. The sound seemed to be coming from the northwest. Maybe it was another soul? I became curious and decided to follow it.
As I moved, I passed by more floating ruins, broken buildings, and shattered stone pillars. The sound grew louder. Soon, I arrived at a colossal golden structure, completely intact.
It was a circular building, with large openings on its upper levels and a massive wooden door slightly ajar. In the centre of the door was a carved emblem of a sword. As I observed the structure closely, I realized I had heard about this place before.
"This looks like… a colosseum?"
As I stepped inside, I found a vast arena surrounded by tiered seating, like a stadium. At the very center stood a man, leaning on a sword, as if waiting for me.
He looked to be in his thirties, with middle-part style black hair that hung down to his eyes. He wore silver armour, and his sword was made like pure silver.
He slowly raised his head and locked eyes with me.
"Hey, you there.... are you also in a similar situation? When did you die? How long have you been here?"
There were so many things I wanted to know that I quickly bombarded him with questions.
At that moment, the man stared at me with his piercing eyes. Then, without warning, he threw his sword toward me.
"Pick it up... I'll give you three seconds. If you can defeat me, I'll tell you everything you want to know."
His sudden and strange words left me completely speechless.
"Uhm… brother or uncle…? I don't even know what you're trying to say…"
As I was still speaking, a mysterious chain suddenly emerged from the man's hand. Before I could react, it wrapped around my leg.
"Huh…?"
In an instant, I was yanked forward and flung toward the spectator stands.
"Ugh…!"
I crashed against the wall before falling onto the stone floor below. I was in complete shock, unable to process what had just happened.
'Am I really in the realm of the dead…? I hit the wall and fell to the ground, yet I didn't feel any pain…'
"I'll let that one slide, old man... Ha..."
Before I could fully recover, multiple chains shot toward me once more. Without hesitation, I swung the sword in my hand and sliced through them.
"Hey, listen… Since we're both souls, I thought we could just talk this through properly... Or do you want to fight? Fine, you bastard... I accept your challenge! Come to me"
As soon as I said that, I noticed something—just for a brief moment, the man smirked slightly. Then, he casually waved one hand, and once again, countless chains surged toward me like serpents.
"Ah… This damn old man…!"