NOVEL NEXT chapter 191
191. Clash (2)
[First.]
[The technique is against the heavens.]
“Wait-“
The being inside the mirror began to speak without warning.
Alon tried to converse with it.
[Second.]
The man in the tattered coat, though different from Alon’s current appearance, exuded a familiar aura and did not stop speaking.
[Contemplate the foreign object.]
“Wait-“
Alon tried to speak again.
However.
[Third.]
The being inside the mirror continued to list information unilaterally.
It seemed to have no intention of engaging in a typical conversation.
[Recognize.]
By then, Alon had given up.
Instead, he began to focus on the words of the being before him.
What kind of object is this mirror?
I don’t know who the figure reflected in it is.
But I instinctively realized one thing.
That man’s words would surely become an important key.
The words spoken by the figure in this mirror are undoubtedly important.
[Fourth.]
[Face it.]
[Fifth.]
[Don’t run away.]
Even if Alon didn’t respond, the figure in the mirror continued to explain.
As if addressing him.
And then.
[If you do so, you will be able to reach it.]
With those words, the figure in the mirror began to slowly disappear.
From the bottom to the top.
Slowly.
At that moment.
[What are you doing?]
Basiliora’s voice came from behind.
“……What are you talking about?”
[No, you were saying something while looking at the mirror.]
At Basiliora’s solemn voice, Alon looked puzzled.
“Me?”
[Then who else is here besides you?]
“……No, there was definitely another figure in the mirror besides me.”
[What nonsense is that? From what I saw, there was nothing but your blank expression.]
“……Really?”
[Don’t you trust me?]
Alon turned his head blankly to look at the mirror.
In the mirror, where the man had vanished, only he himself was reflected.
Therefore.
‘What on earth-’
Alon, who was faintly frowning as if he couldn’t understand.
Guruk-!
With a very strange sound, he felt a sense of emptiness beneath his feet.
In a truly fleeting moment-
[Oh no-!]
[Kyuu!?]
The gradually distant voice of the startled Basiliora and the surprised cry of Kkamang.
Only then did Alon realize.
That his body was falling below the suddenly created space along with the mirror.
“!”
In that instant, Alon, displaying quick wit, immediately moved his hand to grab a root, but
Snap-!
The root, unable to bear Alon’s weight, broke off.
Instead, it dragged him into the abyss below the root.
[Damn it-!]
Basiliora moved urgently.
The root that had pulled Alon down, as if it had a will of its own, completely closed the hole through which light had been entering as soon as he fell.
In the darkness where the light was cut off, Alon, feeling a sense of floating.
“?”
At some point, he felt the sensation of the ground beneath his feet.
‘Surely I was falling?’
He brushed his feet in the darkness, but he was definitely standing on solid ground.
A feeling as if a great confusion was coming to all his sensory organs.
Alon contemplated this unknown space.
In the midst of a vast darkness, like the universe, where its size could not be measured, only the ground could be felt.
In the pitch-black abyss where nothing could be seen.
Paradoxically, only his body appeared normal.
‘What is this……?’
A very strange situation.
Alon, feeling as if his perception was distorted, checked the abyss and his own body repeatedly.
First, he moved to get out of this place.
He didn’t know what threats might be there, but he couldn’t just wait here.
How long had he walked aimlessly like that?
“?
Alon discovered letters at the end of the abyss where there had been nothing.
Letters that seemed to be engraved somewhere, yet also seemed to be floating in the air.
He approached the letters.
‘…Rough.’
Letters crudely carved into the wall with a knife, without any professional skill.
There was no great difficulty in reading them, so Alon quietly confirmed the contents, his eyes widening.
The content of the engraved letters was.
‘…How to use Gyeok.’
It was about how to use Gyeok.
####
[To those who seek to awaken Gyeok, contemplate.]
[And if you gaze directly.]
[You will be able to escape this place.]
Alon silently read the crude letters again.
A slight dissatisfaction appeared on his face.
It was indeed the method to use Gyeok, but.
It was written like a difficult riddle.
‘…It would have been nice if it was just explained plainly.’
Knowing there was no one to complain to, Alon sighed lightly.
He suddenly wondered who had written this.
“Hoo-“
First, he sat down.
The important thing now was how to get out of this place.
Alon slowly closed his eyes.
He maintained a calm state as the letters had instructed.
Simultaneously, he felt the stirring of magic.
Although he had already used a lot of power dealing with the Greed Mother,
the remaining sliver of magic began to swim through his body.
He was inwardly surprised.
‘…It shouldn’t be easy to enter such a deep state of contemplation.’
Observing the magic flowing through his body wasn’t particularly difficult for Alon.
After all, it wouldn’t make sense for a mage who handles magic not to be able to observe it.
However, what surprised Alon was the ‘level’ of contemplation.
Alon was observing the magic much more deeply than usual.
Normally, he could only grasp where the magic was flowing and how much of it was left.
But now, Alon could perceive even the minute details of the magic.
His senses had become incredibly sensitive.
For a moment, he marveled at the level of detail, as if he were looking at tiny microorganisms through a microscope.
“?”
At some point, Alon felt a strange sensation of his mind expanding.
He felt dizzy and nauseous.
Nevertheless, Alon maintained his composure and continued his contemplation.
At that moment,
with a strange feeling as if he were being sucked into something,
“…?”
four spheres appeared before him.
All four spheres were of different colors.
‘Blue, green, red, white…?’
As Alon instinctively confirmed each color from the left, he realized.
These were not magic, but divine powers.
He was puzzled.
‘…Four divine powers?’
Alon had already somewhat recognized the fact that he was gaining faith through the Dragonkin.
However, he never imagined there would be four types of divinity.
He was extremely bewildered.
‘If it goes as expected, one of these must be the divinity of Kalanon, the lightning bearer… What about the other three?’
Divinities of unknown origin and identity.
As his thoughts deepened.
“?”
Alon realized.
Another sphere had emerged beside him.
It was not easily identifiable in the dark space.
A sphere of deep darkness, as if it would blend into the abyss, silently rose behind Alon.
‘This is…?’
Although its size was similar to the other four spheres.
Unlike them, the dark sphere was positioned behind.
It emitted a dangerous light, like a black hole in the abyss.
At that moment.
Wooong-
A sound resonated through the air, drawing his attention forward.
The green sphere, unlike the others, was emitting a strange resonant sound.
A sphere vibrating subtly, as if urging him to choose it.
After a moment of hesitation, Alon moved his hand towards the green sphere.
At that moment.
Fwaaa-!!!!
A blinding white light engulfed Alon.
“!?”
Alon hurriedly opened his eyes and realized that his body was now glowing with a mix of green and golden light. He immediately stood up.
Soon after.
He discovered something emitting a faint green light from within the roughly carved letters and reached out his hand.
Tuk-
The moment Alon’s fingertip touched the letters.
Fwaaa-!
There.
The sprouts began to grow.
It wasn’t just one.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands- no,
“!”
Countless sprouts began to grow.
A fresh scent.
A beautiful green hue.
Sprouts that took over the abyss, offering a sense of ecstasy.
The sprouts that grew all over, as if spreading contagion, devoured the abyss.
The ‘true form’ of this space began to slowly reveal itself.
Eventually.
“Ah.”
It was fully revealed.
A vast garden filled Alon’s view.
Lush green leaves spread all around.
A giant ancient tree stood in the center of the garden.
Alon couldn’t help but exclaim at the splendid sight.
At that moment.
The giant tree in the center of the garden swayed as if beckoning Alon.
Come this way.
It wasn’t a voice he heard.
Nor a sound echoing in his mind.
Yet, quite naturally.
Alon sensed that the tree was saying so.
As if entranced, he approached the tree.
Thud-
As if acknowledging his presence.
The moment Alon stood under the tree, something dropped from the branch and landed on his hand.
It was a fruit.
A golden fruit, about the size of an apple.
Thank you.
As he gazed at the fruit.
The tree communicated once more, with a rustling sound, as if engraving the message.
Alon looked up at the tree.
Behind the tree.
He discovered a staircase spiraling upwards.
Without hesitation, he walked towards it.
####
[Squeak!]
[Are you alright!?]
Alon, who had climbed up through the spiral staircase.
Basiliora and Kamangi approached him as if they had been waiting.
[No, wait- what is that?]
“?”
[Why are you leaking divine energy like that?]
Basiliora, who had shrunk back into a spirit form after 15 minutes.
At the creature’s intense reaction, Alon looked down at himself.
Still glowing, his entire body wrapped in green light.
Realizing this, even for a moment.
Alon looked around.
Under the roots, which had been desolate, sprouts and flowers were now growing throughout the space.
“…By the way, why has this place suddenly changed like this?”
[It changed like this a little while after you went in.]
What had happened below had also occurred here.
Alon suddenly noticed the elves standing in the distance.
In addition to the four Pagade who had accompanied him, the number had now grown to over twenty.
They were the ones who had followed Alon into the depths at different times, already cloaked in black leaves.
Unaware of this, Alon thought,
‘Did reinforcements arrive in that short time?’
and approached them.
Since his business was done for now,
he turned to Lim, who was staring blankly at him, and said,
“Let’s go up now-”
Alon was about to say, but
Thud-!
Lim suddenly knelt down.
“?”
What is this all of a sudden…
Thud-!
Thud-!
But that wasn’t the end of it.
As if they had made a promise, the elves all knelt before Alon in unison.
Soon,
““We, the humble beings of the forest, greet the great one.””
“……???”
As if they had rehearsed it,
they bowed their heads to the ground without a single error.