Chapter 71
Ferius.
It had been less than half a year since Schneider first heard that name. A name given out of respect by the Thunder Knight, acknowledging a warrior who had reached a certain pinnacle.
Ironically, Schneider heard the name again in a clipped stream video featuring Lee Suhyuk on Players.
“Please help us. We beg you.”
“Savior! You’ve awakened!”
“Yes, ask me anything!”
He could hardly believe what he saw. Could this really be the same person?
The Thunder Knight he knew and the Ferius from Lee Suhyuk’s stream just didn’t seem like the same individual.
But.
‘It’s not a common name. It seems too much of a coincidence, especially given the similar nature of the trials.’
It was possible the two Feriuses were the same person. No, it was highly likely. Thus, Schneider asked Suhyuk about the knight named Ferius on that night in the tavern.
“Ferius… Ah, you mean Loserrius?”
“Loserrius?”
“That’s what we called him on our stream. But why do you ask?”
“That monstrous being gets called Loserrius on your stream….”
It was so funny that Schneider felt his drunkenness dissipate. To him, Ferius was a figure of despair, yet on Lee Suhyuk’s stream, he was treated like a minor character.
Laughing for a while, Schneider refilled his empty cup to regain his lost intoxication before explaining more about the Thunder Knight.
“…And that guy introduced himself as Ferius.”
“A different person with the same name… doesn’t seem likely. No, better not to think that.”
“Yeah, considering both trials involve lightning, it’s better to think they’re the same.”
Suho’s reaction was one of mild surprise.
“That guy is the final boss there, huh….”
“I’m not certain he’s the final boss. There might be more to his story.”
“Then how come I only know about it now? Surely I’m not the only one who knows Ferius.”
Originally, Ferius was a character appearing in the middle stages of the Lightning trials. Even Suho’s viewers knew that Ferius ended up dead, indicating they were well-versed in the Lightning trials.
“Even if many players have met Ferius, I’m the only one who knows the Thunder Knight’s name. Unfortunately, I didn’t know the name Ferius.”
The Thunder Knight had revealed his name only when Schneider’s party was wiped out, leaving Schneider alone. And though Schneider remembered the knight’s name, he never mentioned it to anyone.
“Anyway, there’s definitely a connection between this Thunder Knight and your lightning. So….”
‘It should’ve been him here, not me.’
Schneider frowned at the sight of the Thunder Knight ahead. Lee Suhyuk had certainly passed through the first chamber’s trial before them, so why wasn’t he here?
‘Did he fail? Right after passing the trial?’
If he could watch the stream, his curiosity could be eased. But now, he also had to face his trial, making it impossible to check the stream.
Step, step.
Ferius approached Schneider and his team. Looking directly at Schneider, standing at the front, Ferius spoke.
“I expected you would come again.”
Schneider had indeed challenged the Thunder Cave countless times. Schneider had clashed with Ferius several times. And every time, it ended in Schneider’s defeat.
However, the Thunder Knight seemed certain that Schneider would not give up so easily.
“But the result will be the same. You can’t pass through here with just sheer will.”
“I know. You’re not waiting for me, are you?”
“It’s good that you remember.”
Those words drove Schneider into despair.
“No matter how many times you try, it will be useless. The one I’m waiting for isn’t you.”
Schneider felt an indescribable emptiness upon hearing those words. He had become so obsessed with the Thunder Cave that he thought it was his destiny. Perhaps he even felt that the Thunder Cave was calling out to him.
But.
According to Ferius, the Thunder Cave was not waiting for him after all. Who or what Ferius was waiting for remained a mystery. But it was clear that it wasn’t him, and that was the very reason he couldn’t pass through this place.
“Then, the person you are waiting for hasn’t arrived yet?”
“No, they haven’t.”
“… Is that so?”
Schneider closed his eyes at those words. He had held onto a sliver of hope, but it seemed that Lee Suhyuk had not come after all.
‘Nothing has changed.’
He had hoped that things would be different after seeing the mural of the lost dragon. With a sharp sound, Schneider opened his eyes again and pointed his spear forward.
‘In that case…’
He would just have to challenge it with all his might once more. And at that moment.
“Surround him, everyone!”
With Paul Rimen’s shout, about ten players began to encircle Ferius. It was the most basic tactic used when hunting a single player. But sometimes.
There are opponents whom tactics cannot reach.
“Wait! If you step forward like that first—”
Before the words were even finished.
Flash!
Ferius’s old sword flashed, drawing a yellow line.
Boom!
With the sound of thunder, the sword swung. In the blink of an eye, a hole was punched in the formation encircling Ferius.
The wave of electricity emitted from the sword swept away three players. Ferius’s sword then aimed at the center of the formation where Paul Rimen was.
Paul Rimen instinctively used a skill. The sword in his hand grew larger and heavier. Paul Rimen’s enlarged sword, easily three times his size, clashed with Ferius’s old, chipped sword.
Clang!
A heavy, clear sound reverberated in all directions. It was the sound of the oversized sword and the chipped sword colliding.
The result was.
Crack, cr-crack—
Cracks rapidly formed on Paul Rimen’s sword.
“You’re a bit better than the previous three.”
‘A bit?’
Paul Rimen’s eyes widened in surprise. Who was he? He was the hidden card sent by Blue Zone to conquer the Thunder Cave in place of Schneider.
Yet, he was only ‘a bit’ better than the three who went before him?
While Paul Rimen was still bewildered by Ferius’s comment.
Clang!
Paul Rimen’s sword finally broke, and Ferius’s sword flew towards his neck.
‘I’m going to die…’
Thunk!
Contrary to his expectation that his head would be severed, sparks flew before his eyes. A spear intervened just in time. Schneider, exuding a blue aura, had blocked Ferius’s sword.
Clang, cr-crack—
And as if by a tacit agreement, they both… began clashing spear and sword.
Clang—
Schneider’s spear moved rapidly, tracing countless lines. Ferius’s sword emitted golden electricity, intertwining with the movements.
Although it lasted only a few seconds, Paul Rimen, alternating glances between his broken sword and the battle, felt a sense of powerlessness for the first time in his life.
‘This is… Omar Schneider?’
He had only heard rumors. He hadn’t participated in the competition on the third floor, so he never had the chance to witness his skills firsthand.
Perhaps on some level, he had thought that way.
‘Isn’t he just a loser struggling on the third floor?’
But.
“Do you really think the guild sent you because they didn’t trust the team leader?”
Don Zhao knew from the start why Paul Rimen had joined the team.
“No. You were just meant to be a stimulant. To provoke the team leader’s pride and push the team’s tension higher.”
“I’m… a stimulant?”
“Did you think you were anything else?”
His pride was hurt. But despite that, he couldn’t say anything because of the spectacle unfolding before his eyes.
Schneider and Ferius. Their battle seemed to take place in a different dimension altogether.
Boom!
Buzz, clang—
The yellow electricity clashing with the spear was blinding. It felt like stepping into that space, even for a moment, would tear his body apart.
It was on another level. It made him question whether they were truly players of the third floor and whether Ferius was a boss from the third floor.
Watching a fight he couldn’t dare to interrupt. Paul Rimen thought of someone who would be on the same level as those two.
‘Did someone like Lee Suhyuk actually defeat such a guy?’
Lee Suhyuk. A streamer who suddenly emerged one day and began making a name for himself. What kind of monster could he be?
Boom!
Electricity surged once more from the tip of Ferius’s sword.
Cr-crack—
The electricity shattered the cave walls, pushing Schneider back. Grimacing from the impact, he flew backward, clutching his spear.
“Ugh…”
Throb—
His hands, gripping the spear, trembled uncontrollably. Even though he tried to shield himself with magic, the electricity from Ferius numbed his body.
He could barely keep up with the speed, but the destructive power was on a different scale.
‘How much longer can I hold out?’
It had only been about three minutes since the fight started. Last time, he collapsed after holding out for just this long. The only reason he could endure a bit longer this time was that he hadn’t expended energy in the first room.
‘Another three minutes? Or maybe two?’
Buzz—
He saw Ferius’s sword drawing a diagonal line. This time, it wasn’t aimed at him, but at his other comrades.
“This crazy—”
The reason he cursed wasn’t anything else. It was because it was already too late by the time his body reacted.
Boom!
The electric wave from Ferius’s sword swept away more of his comrades. There was no way to dodge or block it. This was the result of his comrades trying to attack Ferius to help Schneider.
Of course.
Thanks to that, Schneider’s spear managed to get a bit closer to Ferius.
Buzz—
Clang—
When did he even turn his body?
Ferius’s sword clashed with the spear. Then, Ferius’s sword smoothly slid along the shaft of the spear.
“Gasp—!”
Gasping for breath, Schneider hurled himself backward. He managed to dodge a slash, but his stance was broken.
Clang, clang, cr-crack—
Sword and spear collided. The spear wavered dangerously, and his hand shook violently as he gripped it.
‘What kind of strength is this…?’
If he let his guard down for even a moment, he felt like he would lose his grip on the spear in an instant. It was like flailing at the edge of a cliff.
And that precarious feeling didn’t last long. When Ferius’s old sword flashed one more time—
Boom!
Thunk!
With a loud clap of thunder, Schneider’s spear was flung toward the ceiling of the cave. Ferius’s sword appeared right before his eyes.
‘Is this the end again?’
Schneider, as always, thought of the word ‘failure’.
And at that moment.
Clang—
With a resonant sound, something flew in and deflected Ferius’s sword.
Ping, tiding—
A brief stillness settled in.
Crackle—
Schneider’s gaze followed the yellow line that extended far away. Towards the doorway of the second chamber they had entered.
Standing there was the other conqueror of this place, the one he had been waiting for so desperately.
“Lee Suhyuk?”