Season 2: Chapter 165: Swift (1)
Almond chose the rune for a simple reason. It looked like the best choice to him because of its cool name and the fact that it was listed first. As always, he didn't bother overthinking his choices in games. He believed that was the natural way to play games. This was also his philosophy regarding Bubblegum.
"Everything resolves itself in the end. Don't clench your teeth, everyone."
Such choices usually only differed in efficiency, but would somehow work out. While some players stressed over suboptimal efficiency, it was unnecessary to always play so efficiently. Otherwise, everyone would end up playing in exactly the same way and it would be hard to tell if this was an exam or a game.
— Yes
— Makes sense lol
— 1 star clear is okay but you said you'd go for 3 stars
— Roughly speaking, Ah is right.
[PrivateFirstClassWarrior has donated 10,000 won!]
[Wow, I watch this stream for this refreshing taste.]
— ??
— Agreed
— Just pick one! It does feel refreshing lol
— PFC: The essence of being cool
[FactBoxer has donated 1,000 won!]
[lololol, why bother if you're just going to be a nut? You're a mammal.]
— lol lol
— Living up to their nickname
— Fact: Almond is a hardcore nut
— Bark ^^7
"Thank you PFC and FactBoxer," Almond bowed and examined the rune.
It took the form of a small stone.
"What's written on this stone?"
The characters on it faintly glowed blue. At first glance, the script seemed extraordinary.
[Speed Rune - Winferestin]
It seemed to provide information, but why did it make him feel even more clueless?
"What's this?"
He looked it over.
"Ah. Here's the explanation."
He discovered an exclamation mark that appeared in the corner of his vision.
"This is the explanation you all like."
— ???
— Not really.
— No need to read that.
"I'll read it."
[Basic Information about Runes]
A rune refers to an ancient method of inscribing Logos, the primordial language at the pinnacle of ancient magic. Originally, Logos was the speaker's language, meaning the expression of intent was the highest form of magic manifesting itself.
However, the ancient ancestor magicians who wielded this art could not predict how many of their descendants would endure their training methods. Therefore, they inscribed the most fundamental aspects of Logos in the form of characters, or markers, onto massive stones. This method was called a rune. In later generations, the stone and the markers themselves came to be called runes.
Runes are indeed brilliant and astonishing. Regrettably, the most crucial aspect of Logos, its intent, could not be fully captured in the markers. This was not a technical issue, but a conceptual limitation of transmission.
This alone was sufficient to tremendously influence later generations. Even those with the most basic disposition of a magician could utilize a part of its power by merely reciting the outer shell of this primordial language contained within the rune, making it a simple miracle. However, the poor-quality markers left for future generations will oxidize and decay after one use.
"… Even if it decays…" Almond finished reading the explanation.
— Where is this place? Who am I?
— Crazy guy, crazy…
— We've lost, please stop…
— What a relentless nut...
— Explanation x100
— lololol
It seemed like a minor revenge against viewers who had been spamming for him to read descriptions.
"Wow. This is interesting," Almond chuckled while glancing at the chat. "To summarize, if you recite the words engraved on the rune, you can use its power."
— Whew… Relaxing
— To me, a three line summary is the real ancient magic
— Is this Logos? Is this Logos?
Winferestin. If he recited the name of this rune, it would become a spell allowing Almond to use magic.
"It feels like it's a one-time use. Let's save it and head out."
Almond thought finding Swift in this dungeon was the top priority just as it had been in Raina and Ran's story modes. The story always truly began once he found the narrator.
Finally stepping out of the cabin, he looked around. It was a forest densely packed with tall trees.
As expected, it was quite dark. The faint light emitted by fruits hanging from the trees provided the bare minimum visibility. Since visibility was poor, Almond decided to use a technique he had learned in Civil Empire.
"We need to listen."
He laid his ear on the ground, trying to heighten his senses.
"It seems I'm not alone..."
He couldn't determine the size of the space he was in or how much of it he could perceive, but… He definitely felt the vibrations of footsteps.
Thump… Thump…
The distance didn't seem too far.
"It doesn't sound like human footsteps."
He thought it wasn’t a person. After all, this was a dungeon. It would be natural for monsters to be present.
"It seems like a monster. Since it's a dungeon, do I have to level up by hunting monsters…?"
The basic format of RPG games was to hunt and level up. This wasn't much different in LIL. The MOBA genre was essentially a condensed form of RPG.
"This will be different from Ran's story mode."
Almond intuitively felt this story mode was more similar to Raina's than Ran's. It was much more game-like in its structure.
Thump.
He tested the rune he had acquired by tossing it and catching it again.
"Let's go see if we can at least catch a glimpse of this creature."
He cautiously walked toward what he presumed to be a monster.
***
Ssssshhhh.
In the dark forest, Almond's head peeked out from between the dark green underbrush as he snuck around.
"This should be the place."
He alternated between laying his ear on the ground and scanning his surroundings.
Thump… Rumble…
"It's correct."
The sound was growing closer, but he couldn’t see anything yet.
Rumble…!
He didn’t need to put his ear to the ground anymore. He could feel the ground trembling, yet nothing could be seen.
"Ah."
Almond suddenly realized what was happening and threw himself back.
Boom!!
The ground and bushes exploded as a grotesque creature emerged.
[Earth Fish]
[Lv. 1]
Thump!
The monster looked like a fish and swam amusingly through the earth rather than in water. Its scales and strength allowed it to navigate through the solid ground as if it were swimming through the sea.
Although it was only slightly larger than a forearm, it possessed teeth and jaws that could inflict serious harm from a bite. However, this fearsome monster was not targeting Almond. It had not emerged directly under Almond's feet, but about five meters away.
"Huh?"
Almond watched the monster's struggle from a distance. It was fighting another human.
"There was a person here."
Thud!
An unsuspecting human thrust a spear into the earth fish’s mouth. The earth fish thrashed a few times and died more easily than expected despite its sturdy scales. It seemed its mouth lacked any real defense.
"So that's how you kill it."
Almond took this as a gameplay hint and committed it to memory.
Boom!
Several more earth fish burst forth.
Ssshh!
Several humans responded by also emerging from the bushes.
Thwack! Thud!
The humans slaughtered the earth fish with their weapons, displaying familiar skills to the first human.
Flap! Flap!
"They die quickly."
Almond pondered for a moment whether to join these people. These were the first humans he encountered upon arriving. Surely, it wasn't by chance and seemed intended.
"Let's go out."
Almond quietly revealed himself from the bushes, deciding that was the right move.
Ssshh.
"Who, who are you!?"
Understandably, they did not welcome Almond warmly.
Click. Click.
They immediately raised their spears.
"Were they children?"
The faces tensely holding the spears looked young. Their bodies were adult-sized, but their faces resembled that of teenagers.
The one leading the group pushed his spear forward and asked, "You. What were you doing there?"
He wasn't very tall, but had a sturdy build with dark and healthy skin.
"Is that Swift?"
Almond wondered if this person could be Swift. While Raina and Ran had distinctive appearances that made them recognizable even in their youth, Swift looked quite ordinary and made it harder to discern.
"You. I asked what you were doing," he said again in a more threatening manner.
"I was just startled and watched."
Almond showed his empty hands to indicate he was unarmed. Of course, he kept the rune hidden in his pocket.
"I'm Almond."
He introduced himself first in hopes of learning the other's name.
"I'm Swift."
'Found him!'
This person was Swift. Almond struggled to control the corners of his mouth from rising and maintained a neutral expression.
"Almond. Are you a participant too?"
"Participant?"
"Are you heading to the sanctuary?"
The sanctuary was something on the battlefield, but it seemed best to agree if he wanted to join them.
"Yes."
After hearing his answer, Swift briefly consulted with the other children. After a moment, Swift made an offer to Almond.
"Then, do you want to join us? We're also heading toward the sanctuary. Of course, we can't offer you a large share of the reward since you're joining late."
Almond's expression stiffened at the mention of a reduced reward.
"They’re nothing but daylight robbers. What can I do?"
This was Swift's story mode and he was the center of this narrative.
"Well, it's impossible alone anyway. I'll join."
"But..."
Swift stroked his chin and sized up Almond. He noticed something odd.
"Do you have a weapon?"
Almond felt awkwardly caught off guard and hesitated in responding.
— lolololol
— Caught lol
— lol, just picked the first option~~
"Ah... I, I was unlucky."
"Unlucky?"
"I didn't pick a weapon from the box."
"What are you talking about?"
"That box, you know, the one with light..."
Should he not have mentioned that? Almond paused momentarily. He had assumed it was a basic provision for everyone, but perhaps not. Was it a false alarm?
Swift scoffed as if in disbelief.
"A rune box was on the first floor?"
He was aware of the box's nature.
"Yeah. That one."
"Strange affairs. It wasn't bad luck. It was good luck."
It seemed rare for a rune box to appear on the first floor.
"We're still outside the sanctuary's influence. Rune boxes can't exist for long outside the sanctuary's influence. You..."
Ssss.
Was it just his imagination?
Swift and his companions seemed to be closing the distance, their sharp spears and swords at the ready.
"You're quite suspicious, aren't you?"
“Gulp.”
Almond didn't know what to do.
"No weapon and you didn't even pick one from the rune box?"
The feeling of being cornered grew. What would happen if they suspected him too much? He hadn't lied. Would this misunderstanding lead to a fight? It turned out to be an unnecessary worry.
"Go back. I can't drag around someone useless. You have no weapon and seem too foolish to make a good decision."
Swift dismissed him and thought he was stupid instead of suspicious.
— That's harsh
— Swift, the psychic entity, lol
— That burn dealt real damage lol
"Let's go."
Swift left after remarking on Almond's stupidity and continued on with his companions.
“Sigh.”
Almond was dumbfounded.
"What? Just because I made one wrong choice, this happens?" he complained to the chat because of the injustice.
— lololol
— Eh
— Outplayed lol
— Then do better~~
— Ehh lololol
— Tricked
They mostly teased him. Amid this, Almond noticed a particular message.
— Swift gave you a hint. You don't need a weapon
Swift had given him a hint? Almond pondered for a moment.
"A hint? What do you mean?"
He reviewed what Swift had said. Among what was said, one phrase struck him.
"I can't drag around someone useless."
Usefulness. That was it. It wasn't about having a weapon. It was about being useful or not.
"With this, perhaps..."
Ssshh.
Almond fiddled with the speed rune in his pocket.
"Hey. Wait up."
He eventually called Swift back.
— That's the tone I heard back in my school days
— PTSD intensifies lol
— Sa, Sang-Hyeon, the snack bar isn't open now!