NOVEL NEXT Chapter 297.1
Chapter 297.1. The World Of Darkness
It was a clear day. The sunlight was warm, and the cloudless sky felt refreshing.
Hana, holding down her hair swayed by the gentle breeze, was relaxing while watching the rapidly growing rice.
But the anomaly soon appeared in a way that everyone could notice. A small black cloud appeared in the sky, and before anyone knew it, it spread rapidly, covering the surroundings in darkness.
“W-what is that?”
The ominous dark cloud. The area was enveloped in dim light, and the lights installed for night security were hastily turned on. Even without the lights, the sky was faintly glowing, but it was still too dark without them.
“What the hell is this?”
“Daddy, I’m scared!”
The workers cried out in fear and confusion at the sudden anomaly. It was no wonder; even Hana herself was terrified. The warm breeze from earlier had turned lukewarm, and a sense of dread crept into her heart as she felt something ominous was happening.
But seeing the people around her panicking in confusion and fear, she bit her lip and slapped her cheeks.
I am the person in charge here. If the person in charge panics, it will only make things worse. To shake off the fear creeping into her heart, she shouted loudly.
“Everyone, please calm down and return to your homes. It’s just a change in the weather. But as a precaution, we’ve decided to end work for today! You will all be paid for today’s work, so don’t worry.”
Hearing Hana’s words, the people, seeing this young girl bravely fulfilling her role as the person in charge without succumbing to fear, felt ashamed and regained their composure.
“Y-yeah, you’re right. There’s no need to panic.”
One person scratched his cheek and muttered, and the others, feeling embarrassed, also began to calm down.
“It’s just a little darker, that’s all.”
Seeing everyone calm down and the confusion subsiding, Hana was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but it was a bit too soon.
“Look, a black pillar has appeared!”
A child pointed with a voice full of surprise, and Hana followed the direction, gasping.
There stood a massive pillar of darkness. It descended from the sky to the ground, and the earth shook violently.
“What is that? Huh? A dungeon!”
The spot where the dark pillar had descended began to rise, forming a cave. Though it was called a cave, it was more like a massive hole, wide enough for tanks to enter in formation.
Even among dungeons, it was immediately clear that this was a highly dangerous one. At least a C-rank. Maybe even an A-rank.
A mist began to spew out around the dungeon, rapidly gathering and materializing into monsters.
“Groooar!”
It was a four-legged monster, about 20 meters tall and 60 meters long. It had twisted purple horns on its forehead, and its scales, like those of a snake, glistened slimy and wet.
The people stood frozen in front of the suddenly appeared monster, and it let out a roar like a shockwave.
“I-it’s a Behemoth!”
An old man, who had once survived an attack by a Behemoth, collapsed in terror. He recognized the monster at a glance and its terrifying abilities. It could easily destroy a city, overturning the earth and raining down lightning.
Moreover, more Behemoths began to appear around them. Seeing this, the people realized escape was impossible, and some parents tried to shield their children.
“Run! Everyone, please run! I’ll buy us some time!”
Hana stood in front of the Behemoth, holding the spear she always kept by her side for emergencies. She didn’t know if she could buy any time against such a powerful foe. But she was the strongest here and the person in charge.
“I’m sorry, Jun-chan, I might not be able to return to you all.”
With a grim resolve, Hana sharpened her gaze and looked up at the Behemoth, a mountain-like monster, ready to fight.
The Behemoth, looking down at the girl who seemed like an ant compared to it, was about to step forward as if crushing a pebble on the roadside.
Compared to the powerful monster, she was a tiny existence. It would be hard to even notice her.
But just as it was about to step forward, something strange happened. Its strength began to drain away. In disbelief, it raised its head to check its body and saw an unbelievable sight.
A jet-black mist was seeping out of its body. As the mist escaped, its strength faded, like air escaping from a punctured balloon.
It became difficult to stand, and it staggered. The other Behemoths around it also lost their strength, trembling weakly.
“Huh? What’s happening?”
Hana was confused as the Behemoths stopped moving, their immense power fading away. What on earth was happening?
[Tree Emperor Spear Land]
A girl’s voice, which Hana had never heard before, reached her ears. Then, tree spears sprouted from the ground beneath the Behemoths, growing in the blink of an eye and piercing their bodies.
All the Behemoths were impaled by the tree spears and died.
“Your courage is commendable.”
With a cool voice, a girl in a shrine maiden outfit and a fox mask landed softly beside Hana, smiling sweetly.
“Um… thank you for saving us. Who are you?”
“Fufu. I am Itsuki of the Jester Knights. I came to destroy the dungeon that appeared. Along with these cats.”
“Meow.”
Itsuki introduced herself with elegant gestures, and Hana hurriedly bowed in return. At Itsuki’s feet, a black cat that had appeared out of nowhere meowed and watched.
“Uh… destroying the dungeon?”
“Yes. It seems to be something called a ‘bonus stage’. The monsters here are weakened to about 10% of their original strength.”
Itsuki smiled gently, placing a hand on her cheek. It didn’t seem like she was joking.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
“O-okay. Take care?”