Light of Arad: Forerunner

Chapter 33

Wearing the mask of the GBL Church to cover his face, Jinseong quietly took a step back.

Rennie, Fiona, and Den, all preoccupied with the female Archer user, hadn’t noticed that Jinseong wasn’t following them.

Above all, he had taken great care to conceal himself.

He couldn’t pursue them any further.

If he were honest with himself, even watching them was difficult.

That’s because Jinseong already knew what would happen.

‘The player thinks that the illusion of Lotus appeared as Rennie. Here, they attack Rennie. Of course, it’s not just an illusion, and at this point, the player is much stronger than Rennie, so…’

Rennie would die from the player’s attack.

That’s the progression of the main scenario quest.

Among all the countless branching paths, battles, meetings, and farewells in *Dungeon & Fighter*, this might be the only moment where a player directly creates a sacrifice with their own hands.

‘So… I can’t interfere here. The regret and remorse over killing Rennie are what will drive the player to strengthen their resolve later on.’

Because of that, it was a point where Jinseong couldn’t intervene.

If he stopped Rennie here, the female Archer user’s scenario quest wouldn’t progress any further.

“Adventurer! Stop right there! Where do you think you’re going?!”

As if responding to Rennie’s shout, the female Archer user halted.

Of course, she didn’t stop out of kindness.

“You! I didn’t like you since we met at Sky Castle! Are you really going to act like this?!”

Her sharp attack, where she instantly drew and fired her arrow, was fierce enough that not only Rennie but even Fiona and Den, following behind, had to gasp and dodge.

“Please, get a grip, Adventurer! Commander and Aganzo are waiting for you!”

“I’m already scared to death about facing Lotus, and now you’re acting like this too?!”

The three of them desperately called out to snap the player back to their senses, but it was pointless.

Jinseong knew this too.

‘The player isn’t in control right now. They’re probably just hitting the spacebar or clicking through the quest scripts on their screen. And by the time the script ends…’

It would be after they landed the fatal blow on Rennie.

Only after seeing Rennie fall would the player come to their senses.

No matter what, at this point, Rennie’s death was inevitable.

How many more times did the sharp whistling of arrows fill the air?

Even from a fair distance, Jinseong could tell that the player’s attacks were relentless, to the point where Fiona and Den couldn’t approach.

“Rennie! We can’t handle this! Just like the Commander said, we need to stall for time—”

“Y-Yeah! We should wait until the Commander and Aganzo deal with Lotus. We can’t beat her anyway!”

The difference in skill was clear, even to Jinseong.

Even though the female Archer user’s first class was the buffer class, Muse, it didn’t matter in this situation.

“Are you just going to stand by and do nothing?! We need to knock some sense into her and send her to help the Commander!”

Despite the growing distance between them, Rennie hadn’t given up.

Jinseong’s throat felt dry with frustration.

‘I have no right to step in. Besides… this is part of the game’s questline. If I save Rennie now, everything will be thrown off for future quests, not just this one involving Lotus.’

The main scenario quest of *Dungeon & Fighter* involved retracing past events.

Though it happened much later in the timeline, the player eventually pursued the “Thoughts of Shiroko” and revisited several moments in the past, including the time when Apostle Lotus was defeated in the era of Behemoth.

‘Even then… the player could only watch helplessly as Rennie died.’

Knowing how the quest unfolded, Jinseong instinctively turned his head away.

!?

And then he saw it.

The same username as the female Archer user.

Two other NPCs standing beside her, helping with the quest.

“What…?”

Jinseong spoke without thinking.

Whether they heard his voice or sensed his gaze, or perhaps both, one of the two NPCs looked at Jinseong.

It was Iris Fortune Singer.

* * *

‘Huh…? What?’

Startled and flustered, Jinseong stumbled backward, landing on his rear.

But perhaps it was for the best. With the GBL Church mask on, she seemed to recognize him as just another monster and quickly turned her head away.

Of course, Jinseong couldn’t feel relieved yet.

‘Why are Iris and Shiran here?!’

He was more confused than anything.

It wasn’t because Iris Fortune Singer was Hilder’s puppet.

‘By this point, she’s already free from Hilder’s control. She’s genuinely helping the player to correct the mistakes of the past.’

It also wasn’t because of Shiran.

As one of the “Four Weapon Masters,” Shiran was a trusted NPC who had always sincerely aided the player.

So, there was only one reason for Jinseong’s confusion.

‘Why is a player from the future here?!’

Jinseong had been following the female Archer user.

She was a relatively novice player who had just started the quest to defeat Apostle Lotus on Behemoth.

‘Right, I even picked up some items that she left behind. So, she’s not just some NPC or APC! She’s a real player! A person controlling a character through a monitor and keyboard!’

She had been clearing dungeons, and Jinseong had followed in her wake, collecting items.

In other words, the female Archer user was a real person currently logged in.

Then, who were these people that Jinseong was seeing now?

‘The items are different. How is this possible? Am I seeing this player’s future?’

This was something that only happened during specific quests.

However, it wasn’t something that should be happening at level 30. It was supposed to be part of a much later quest in the *Dungeon & Fighter* main scenario.

‘This… this is part of the scenario.’

It was something that happened when chasing “Shiroko’s Thoughts” during the questline.

That quest also had to be played by a player.

For this to be happening, there would need to be two of the same person.

That was impossible.

Jinseong reached a conclusion.

Though it followed the scenario’s flow, this wasn’t part of the current timeline.

This was an abnormal situation.

‘It’s contamination.’

Then, this must be contamination.

By the time Jinseong’s suspicion turned to certainty, further evidence presented itself.

The ‘future player,’ who had been hiding, suddenly started walking out.

“Adventurer, snap out of it!”

“Rennie, watch out!”

Jinseong realized that this was the only chance, as neither Rennie nor Fiona and Den, who were fully absorbed in the battle, had noticed anything.

Without hesitation, Jinseong sprinted forward.

“!”

He swung his sword at the ‘future player,’ or rather, the ‘contaminated entity.’

*Clang!*

Jinseong’s attack was blocked.

“What…?”

The person who had raised their blade to block wasn’t a player.

It was an NPC with a familiar dialect and a rather lively tone.

Yet, this figure was someone deeply respected in the martial nation of Suju.

“What kind of situation is this? A brainwashed believer is attacking us?”

It was Shiran, one of the “Four Weapon Masters.”

Jinseong saw the surprise on Shiran’s face through the GBL Church mask.

“This doesn’t seem like a typical brainwashed believer. Be careful, Shiran.”

“Careful or not, this situation—”

“, !”

Jinseong continued his combo.

Even if the attack was blocked, the structure of the Dark Knight’s skills ensured that the combo wouldn’t break in the middle!

“Ugh?!”

Shiran staggered, struggling to deflect Jinseong’s onslaught.

That’s because Jinseong’s attacks weren’t aimed at Shiran.

“Adventurer, it looks like this guy’s after you.”

Shiran stepped in front of the player, preventing them from advancing.

This was exactly what Jinseong had hoped for.

“Shiran, be careful. This person has been brainwashed by Lotus, and they have no reason left. But if those over there see us, as we are from beyond the , it will only cause trouble.”

“What do we do then?”

“Stay within the range of the magic I’m about to cast. It will temporarily conceal both our presence and sound.”

Iris’s cautious stance was exactly what Jinseong had hoped for.

Light emanated from the four-stringed instrument, *Marelite*, in Iris’s hands.

“Alright then. Adventurer! Let’s take care of—”

“, !”

Jinseong couldn’t afford to hold back any longer.

To be exact, he didn’t have the luxury of holding back.

“-Whoa! You’re fast.”

Though he unleashed his second main combo skill set, both Shiran and the adventurer in the form of the female Archer user easily dodged his attacks.

‘But this is proof that this is contamination. If they were the real thing, I would’ve been done for by now.’

After all, this was supposed to be a quest that took place when a player’s level was well over 100.

With Jinseong barely around level 30, it was highly likely that just one hit would have ended him.

Half

of it was a gamble, but the other half was based on the reaction to his initial attack, allowing Jinseong to make up his mind and act.

“!”

Jinseong fired a cross-shaped, dark-element slash straight at Shiran.

Shiran’s eyes widened briefly, but the slash was nullified by a protective barrier surrounding his body.

Though Shiran was known for his swordsmanship as one of the “Four Weapon Masters,” his techniques utilizing *Nen* were also at a high level.

“Iris! Is this guy really just a brainwashed follower? He even uses sword energy?”

Though his attack didn’t land directly, it was enough to throw Shiran off balance.

“I don’t know either, but— Adventurer! Why do you keep trying to step outside—”

“Adventurer! You can’t leave! If the Time Lords catch sight of us moving in and out of the , they won’t stay quiet!”

But the “future form” of the female Archer user was causing confusion for everyone, including Jinseong.

The female Archer began walking out of Iris’s magic circle.

Through the mask of the GBL Church, Jinseong caught a glimpse of her vacant eyes.

If those eyes were focused on only one thing—Rennie, who was currently battling the female Archer user—then?

‘Is she trying to reveal herself and disrupt the quest?’

Shiran rushed at Jinseong, swinging his sword down.

Stopping him was Jinseong’s immediate priority. He knew that.

But he couldn’t.

If he blocked Shiran’s attack, the contaminated figure would step out of Iris’s magic circle, and from that point, the female Archer user’s quest would be completely derailed.

So, Jinseong extended his left arm.

‘Even if I get hit—’

When they had descended from Sky Castle, his level had been 23.

Since then, he had explored Behemoth with Rennie, handed over a copy of the *Genesis Chronicles* to Ban, and fought off monsters. So now?

‘I’ll stop it!’

Jinseong had gained the time and ability to learn new skills.

“!”

─────────────!

From Jinseong’s hand, a non-elemental vortex shot out, mercilessly pulling the “contaminated entity,” the future version of the female Archer user, toward him.

Not just stopping, but forcibly dragging it backward.

As the entity staggered…

“Haaa!”

Shiran’s war cry rang out.

Jinseong’s back burned, but he couldn’t turn around.

At the same time, another sound reached him.

“Aaaagh…!”

It was Rennie’s scream.

The female Archer user’s arrow had pierced Rennie’s heart.

Even though he assumed Shiran’s sword was about to strike the back of his head, Jinseong couldn’t close his eyes. He had to see it.

Before he could even feel the sorrow or regret he had anticipated, Jinseong was struck by confusion.

‘It… disappeared.’

The future version of the female Archer user that had been pulled toward Jinseong’s left arm had vanished.

The pressure on the back of his head had also disappeared. Jinseong quickly turned around.

Shiran was gone, and so was Iris.

‘Did the contamination end?’

However, there was no sign of any loot on the ground.

Where Shiran and Iris had stood, there were only two corpses.

The bodies of two high-ranking GBL Church members, dressed differently from regular believers.

‘…Was it an illusion?’

When Jinseong realized that the events he had just experienced were due to an illusion, he also came to another conclusion about the *Contamination* and its *Source*.