Chapter 34 It'S All True
Darkness.
In an unknown, obscure space, where one couldn't even sense their own location.
The man felt an air heavier than usual, and he struggled to maintain a twisted expression.
He could sense the woman's presence on the other side of the darkness, and it was clear she was in a bad mood.
He thinks his suggestion to change the plan might have been a mistake after all.
But even if the plan hadn't changed and executed it as originally intended, he doesn't think the outcome would have been much different. If he had helped Judas and the others, they could have dealt significant damage to the "Labyrinth Conquest Team". However, he doesn't think they could have annihilated them.
If they couldn't completely wipe them out and silence them, it would be meaningless.
Considering the current situation, the fact that he still exist within the "Labyrinth Conquest Team" must have some utility value. The strategy to turn one of their top-tier powers to their side is also progressing smoothly, in his opinion.
Still, he couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that he might have made a mistake.
The reason was simple.
It was just too... easy for the other side. Originally, the "Labyrinth Conquest Team" should have suffered some damage. But in reality, they didn't suffer any losses. That's the problem.
When he thought about it, Ignitor had already been defeated, and all 12 infiltrators had been captured. The battle was over, and there was nothing he could do to harm the clan.
That's why it's bad. It's too one-sided. The organization's losses are too great. The fact that his suggestion led to this situation is a grave concern.
The plan hasn't failed, and the losses we incurred this time were within the scope of our initial plan. Still, the fact that the "Labyrinth Conquest Team" didn't suffer any losses is putting his position in jeopardy.
That's why he's tongue-tied. So, this time, it was the woman who spoke up first.
"――I have something I want to ask."
"...What is it?"
"About the battle with Ignitor, you were with me, right? You saw it, didn't you? From my side, the wall of flames blocked my view, so I want to hear it from you. ...What's going on? How did it get defeated so quickly?"
"That's what I was going to report, of course."
The man actually grateful that he got to hear it from the woman. Even from a man's point of view, it would be a bit of a heavy topic to bring up.
"Did you use 'Nectar' to help them, by any chance?"
It's as if she's suspecting that he used his full power, with the help of 'Nectar', to defeat Ignitor in front of Ail's group.
"That's impossible. ...Even if I did use 'Nectar' and went all out, it's still impossible to defeat Ignitor that quickly."
He can understand why she'd be suspicious. But she wouldn't do something so stupid, and as a woman, she really don't think that's what happened.
But the woman just can't believe it.
The fact that there's a monster like that on the enemy's side.
"...So, what happened?"
The woman asks, and the man answers.
He tells her everything he saw during the battle with Ignitor.
It's not a long story. In reality, the important information to report is just about one person's combat skills and equipment.
"......Did that man use the same skill as 'Sword Saint' with the sword of the ≪Ice Elemental Treant≫? And he solidified magma to block Ignitor's recovery...? You expect me to believe that?"
After the man finishes his report, the woman remains silent for a long time before finally speaking.
Her voice is filled with undeniable doubt towards him.
"It's all true."
The man's voice also lacks any sense of confidence. He knew she'd react like this, so he doesn't feel like arguing or getting angry about being suspected.
It's because the more accurately he report the information about the battle with Ignitor, the more unbelievable it becomes.
What's most unbelievable is that Aaron Gale used the same skill as 'Sword Saint'."
Unique Jobs are a phenomenon that can only occur once in a particular era. There can't be 2 people with the same Unique Job in the same era. That's why they're called Unique Jobs.
As a result, the skills unique to Unique Jobs can only be used by the person who awakened to that specific Job in that era.
Some skills, like [Blink], can be acquired through Unique Jobs, but can also be learned through other Unique Jobs. However, the [Dragon Scale Crusher] and [Flying Dragon Sever] that Aaron Gale used are not like that. They're truly skills unique to the 'Sword Saint' Job.
"...Are you mistaken?"
The woman asked, her tone skeptical. The man replied firmly.
"I've seen the Sword Saint's skills many times. I couldn't possibly mistake them."
"Then, how do you explain Aaron Gale using the Sword Saint's skills?"
"..."
The woman's question left the man speechless.
It's not like he didn't know the answer.
Still, if he consider the possibilities, there are 2 theories.
"One possibility is that Aaron awakened to an unknown Unique Job, and that Job allows him to acquire [Dragon Scale Crusher] and [Flying Dragon Sever]."
This theory is more plausible than the other one. However, if he thinks about it normally, it's not a very convincing explanation.
Throughout history, from ancient times to the present, it's hard to believe that an unknown Unique Job remained undiscovered.
"Or perhaps..."
However, the next theory is more plausible.
"Aaron Gale controlled his aura on his own and mimicked [Dragon Scale Crusher] and [Flying Dragon Sever]."
Controlling one's aura on their own...
It's not impossible, and that's a fact.
In the phenomenon known as "Skill Mastery," when a mastered skill is used, the amount of aura consumed increases, amplifying its power. On the other hand, as aura control becomes more precise, the power increases while the amount of aura consumed decreases. This is a well-known fact.
However, reproducing an unlearned skill on one's own is, in modern times, 'impossible'.
"It's just a rough estimate, anyway... So, it's impossible."
"Yeah, it's impossible."
The man agreed, but continued, "However..."
If they're talking about possibilities, maybe those like the [Four Great Families of the Seals] or themselves, who are "adepts (suitable candidates)," could do it. But humans in this modern era, unlike those from the god era, cannot convert magical energy into aura without the assistance of the Jobs System or skills.
So, they can only make estimates upon estimates...
"For example... suppose we master a specific skill like [Slash] to the extreme."
"What's the point of mastering a trivial skill like [Slash]?"
"Well, listen. It doesn't have to be [Slash]. If we can freely control aura by mastering a certain skill, we might be able to use the aura generated by that skill to mimic other skills... maybe."
As the man said this, he lost confidence in his own words. "What am I saying?"
No, he never had confidence in the first place.
But even so, theoretically, it's not impossible. The woman probably understood that too. After a brief silence, she opened her mouth as if to confirm her own thoughts.
"So, you're saying that if we use a specific skill as a trigger to generate aura, and then control that aura to activate another skill on our own...?"
"That's right."
The woman had voiced the same estimate that the man was about to say.
That's why the woman let out a disappointed sigh, as if she had lost interest.
"That's impossible, isn't it? Even the heroes from the god era, who didn't have Jobs or Skills, couldn't do that."
The heroes from the god era, who were the basis for all Jobs. They controlled their own magical energy and auras, and could use all the techniques that are now Skill-ized on their own.
If one can manipulate their aura without relying on Skills, it's possible to achieve extremely high-level techniques, even if it's extremely difficult.
But if they try to manipulate an aura that's been generated by a Skill, the story changes completely.
A Skill is a packaged ability that includes the generation and control of auras. It has a coercive power, and if they try to use an aura in a way that deviates from its original specifications, it becomes harder to control.
It's likely that even the heroes from the god era couldn't "transform" or "alter" one Skill into another, like they just hypothesized. The binding power of Skills is that strong.
So even the man who said it himself didn't believe it. It's a possibility that's extremely low, but he mentioned it as one possibility.
"And there's still something that bothers me."
The woman asked a new question, as if to change the subject.
"What is it?"
"In the end, how did Aaron manage to defeat Ignitor?"
He didn't need to dig up his memories to answer that. The man replied immediately.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"I said I don't know. I didn't see it."
To explain further, he should say that he couldn't see it.
The man explained.
After Ignitor spewed flames in all directions, Aaron was in a different location, unlike the men who were protected by the [Dome Shield].
Aaron's figure was hidden by the torrent of flames, and the men couldn't see him.
And after the massive flames disappeared, what they found was Ignitor's body with its head cut off, and Aaron standing next to it.
Unfortunately, they couldn't confirm the decisive moment when Aaron defeated Ignitor with what kind of Skill.
≪Ice Elemental Treant≫ If he use the skill he thinks was used in the battle, he can easily cut off Ignitor's head, which was split open by the dragon scales. However, it's impossible for a skill with that kind of power to activate instantly.
Looking at the damage around Ignitor, who was knocked down, it's likely that it's a different skill, but the details are unclear.
"Ha... so, we can't know that guy's limits, right?"
"That's why we need to revise his danger level upward."
"...upward revision? You mean upward revision?"
The woman burst out laughing, "Ahahahahaha!"
Her laughter sounds carefree, but the man felt a prickling sensation on his skin, as if her laughter contained hostility or anger.
"Are you saying we need to raise his threat level even higher than Expert?"
"... if he's really an Expert, he should be able to cope with 'Magus' or 'Ipsissimus' already."
"Hehe... that's true, isn't it?"
The woman laughed again, her voice tinkling and refined, with a hint of mockery.
The man felt a sense of unease, as if the situation was slipping out of their control ―― no, it was about to slip out of their control. He was convinced that their handling of the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ was going to change.
The woman's words reinforced his conviction.
"I never thought there were monsters like that outside of our group... it's dangerous to underestimate them just because they're from the old human era. Their abilities could exceed 50 floors... and if that's the case, we can't afford to wait, since the teleportation circle has already been set up on the 46th layer. As an organization, we need to deal with this issue with all our might. ... so, I'll hand over command of this operation to 'Magus'."
"Wait――no, wait!"
The man tried to reason with her, saying,
"What about the plan to bring him to our side? The disposal of ≪Slayers≫ and ≪Hapan≫, and our arrival on the 46th layer, were all part of the original plan. It's true that Judas and the others didn't manage to kill any clan members, but we haven't failed yet."
≪Slayers≫ and ≪Hapan≫ were given an "activator" laced with a slow-acting poison beforehand. It was unexpected that everyone would be caught alive, but it was certain that they would die from the poison once they took the "activator".
The fact that the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ reached the 46th floor was also a compromise made during the plan change, and there was no problem. The organization had already stopped using the teleportation circle set up on the 46th floor.
So, for now, nothing had failed. That's how it should be.
But the woman flatly denied it.
"We failed. Now I realize we failed. The best course of action would have been to use 'Ipsissimus' or something to wipe them out before they reached the 46th floor."
"Wiping them out wouldn't change a thing if the [Four Great Families of the Seals] remain. The pursuit against us wouldn't stop. Our current operation is crucial to taking down the [Four Great Families of the Seals] as well."
If they could turn someone deeply connected to the Kirke family into their pawn, it would give them an advantage when taking down the [Four Great Families of the Seals]. That's why they're convinced and proceeding with the current plan.
However, the woman said "no".
"Even if one of the top-tier powers from the current ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ betrayed, or if they became an 'adept', I don't think it would be enough to guarantee our victory... Rather, I don't think it's necessary to put the entire organization at risk for your plan. They're not that valuable to us, are they?"
"...You're right. But it's a fact that they can become a useful pawn. You should acknowledge that too. That's why I shifted to my proposed plan."
"Yeah, that's right. If he becomes an 'adept' and can wipe out the Labyrinth Conquest Team and eliminate the Four Great Families of the Seals, then that's fine by me. But if the Labyrinth Conquest Team can clear more than 50 floors, then that's no good. With that kind of power, they might even conquer the 'Sky Floor' in a short amount of time, don't you think? It's not worth the risk of getting one pawn."
The woman's tone was firm.
It was already impossible to change her mind.
"...I see. I understand. I'll follow your judgment."
"Thank you. I'm glad you agree with me. ...By the way, I've been wondering something."
"What is it?"
"You, despite your long history together, aren't you a bit too attached to him? If you recruit him into the organization, won't that be beneficial for you in some way...?"
――I'm being watched.
He could feel a piercing gaze from the darkness, as if he was being observed.
He's being suspected. If he gives a wrong answer here, he'll probably be eliminated. He need to answer carefully, making sure to clearly state his own benefits.
"If he defects to our side, he might become a 'death'-class warrior. And if he helps eliminate the Four Great Families of the Seals, he'll definitely make a huge contribution. If I'm the one who recruits him, my evaluation within the organization will definitely increase. Do I need any other reason?"
"...Yeah, that's right. You're that kind of person, after all. Sorry for doubting you? And you, who are bound by the [Testament (Contract before God)], wouldn't betray us, would you?"
Her expression seemed to show understanding, but he could still sense some doubt. That's how it felt.
Even so, the man needed to appeal to her, no matter how futile it might be.
"The Labyrinth Conquest Team's matter, from now on, we'll follow Magus' instructions. But, it's not a problem to bring him to our side, right? If we don't, my evaluation will drop, and it'll be a waste."
"......If you're going to act alone, I don't mind."
There's no backup from the organization, that's what it means.
But, that's what he intended from the start. The man nodded.
"I understand. Thank you."
And the man left the unclear space.
Hiding his inner, anxious thoughts desperately.
(Aaron...because of him, I've been overly cautious. Just a little more...Damn it! His combat power is too irregular. If I miss this timing, there's no point in bringing Logan to our side...I have to bring him to our side too...? No, it's impossible for me. Maybe if I go through Logan, there's a possibility...but anyway, I have to bring Logan to our side first. If I do that...)
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)