STM 58

But there was nothing here. No entrance to the Forest of Crimson Waves, nowhere it could possibly be. Is this just an ordinary?

Yes, that must be it. I went around the entire wall just in case, but there wasn’t a single thing out of the ordinary. I was stunned.

“It seems like this is the secret room, so why is there nothing… huh?”

Something brushed against the tip of my foot as I walked to the center.

There were no lights here, and the only illumination came from the hole I’d made earlier, so visibility wasn’t great.

At first, I figured I’d just hit a gap between floor stones, but the feeling was different.

What’s that?

I crouched down to take a closer look, and that’s when I noticed a small groove carved into the center of the floor tile.

It was about the length of a finger, barely visible, easy to miss if you weren’t looking. But I couldn’t ignore it.

Wait a sec… the shape looks like…

I turned my gaze to the club I was holding, then back at the floor. Back and forth.

If the club returned to its original size, it would fit perfectly.

Like a key.

“Hey, can you go back to your original size?”

Just in case I asked the club. Of course, it didn’t answer.

Damn, the Spirit of Poison should’ve told me how to use the thing if he was going to give it as a gift.

And another thing..

“If you’re a key, maybe say something like ‘I’m a key’ fir…wah!”

Before I could finish, the club suddenly shrank.

Startled, I quickly opened my hand so I wouldn’t drop it.

Ah. So it reacts when I say what I need?

I decided to test it. I set the twig into the groove on the floor.

It slotted in perfectly, like it had always been a part of it.

Then the air shimmered, warping like ripples, and a new view appeared within it.

It looked like a doorway leading to another space, a forest, glowing red in the twilight.

The Forest of Crimson Waves.

I swallowed my saliva, and as I approached, I hesitated. The memory of the pond came to mind. I had been so captivated by the light that I’d fainted after getting close. If Dia hadn’t stopped me, I might’ve actually died.

‘Don’t go in without me! I can’t come back out!’

I remembered Dia’s warning and looked down at the key again. But this is the key, after all. It’s supposed to let me enter safely. If I keep it with me, maybe I’ll be fine.

I’ve nowhere else to go anyway. I might as well see what’s inside. I reached down to pull the key from the floor when a voice came from behind me.

“Adeye Lu?”

The moment I heard my name, my whole body tensed.

The voice was unfamiliar, but the killing intent in it was enough to set off every alarm in my body.

I turned quickly, and understood why.

A familiar face glared back at me with cold hostility.

The swordswoman who had drawn her blade at the Club of the 13th Month. The woman with the empty gaze.

Tap. Tap

She smirked as she stepped into the secret room.

“Ha. What are you doing here?”

“Introduce yourself first.”

“Oh, right. You deserve to know at whose hands you’re going to die.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she swung her sword. A streak of light extended from the blade, rushing toward me.

I rolled aside in time, watching the spot where I’d been standing get carved into the floor.

She looked delighted.

“My name is Zend Ottma. Captain of Grand Duke Borhumi’s guards. So this is what this place is, huh? My power actually works here.”

Her laughter echoed as I scrambled to my feet, careful not to look at the center of the room.

If she followed my gaze, she might notice the twig in the floor.

I took a step toward the opposite wall instead. Her sword instantly tracked my movement.

“Don’t move. How did you get in here?”

“…”

“Who made that hole in the wall?”

All I could think of is unanswerable questions. I made a conscious effort to not let my gaze wander to the twig.

The doorway floating in the air was impossible to hide, but I had to keep that twig secret.

Then I realized I didn’t have to worry. Ottma was too busy looking around the room.

“This place… is this the secret chamber? So you really were the one who took the Baron? That’s how you knew how to get in here?”

She raised her sword again, but I hesitated, thrown off by how wrong her question sounded.

Shouldn’t she be wondering about the giant red portal behind me?

“Why is there nothing here?”

Ah. So she can’t see it.

“Adeye Lu, why are you not answering? Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking of a plan.”

Her voice turned cold as she looked me up and down with disdain.

Instead of replying, I shifted one foot to the side, closer to the doorway.

It’s the only way I can survive, even if I don’t know what’s beyond it.

But before I could take half a step, Ottma’s sword moved first.

Thud!

With a loud sound the floor in the direction I was heading shattered. I rolled back. Ottma simply walked through the still-open illusion.

Ah, she can’t see it either, so she can’t enter.

If Ottma keeps tearing through the interior like this, the key wouldn’t be safe.

“I don’t even know where this place leads. I just fell into this room by luck.”

I raised both hands and stood slowly, trying to negotiate.

Ottma smiled and took a step closer. At the same time she swung the scabbard at my head. Mo’s warning popped up by a hair.

[Danger! Direct overhead!]

Whoosh

A strong force brushed my hair.

Shit. I almost got my head smashed in.

A shiver ran down my spine. Even so, I rolled toward the wall instead of toward the twig.

Thud!

I slammed into the wall and finally stopped.

Ow. That hurts.

But this wasn’t time to complain about pain. Ottma stopped moving, watching me with a look of surprise.

“How did you dodge? I heard you kept your mouth shut even after getting beaten until you passed out… Are you really a different man like Torida claimed?”

“Because I almost died.”

Habit makes me reply without thinking. No need to explain to someone trying to kill me. Especially someone who doesn’t even believe me.

“Lies. I’ve seen people come back from death countless times, but none changed like you.”

While she was sizing me up, I quietly asked Mo.

‘What chance do I have to dodge and grab the key?’

[Impossible unless the enemy makes a mistake.]

‘Then force a mistake. Predictive analysis on movements?’

[Insufficient data.]

“See? You’re looking right at me.”

“Eyes were made to look. What’s your problem?”

The moment I answered, she swung her sword again. It looked like a light motion, but a cluster of sword aura shot out in my direction.

[Left.]

Mo’s prompt popped and a dodge line appeared to my left.

Thud!

I barely avoided it again. The spot where I’d been sitting collapsed.

The floor shook. Why fix it shake so much more this time? I wondered, but didn’t have too much time to think deeply about it.

“You, an idiot who only knew how to dress up had all these tricks.”

“Yeah, compared to your childish tricks, this counts as a skill.”

Whoosh!

[Up-right.]

Crash!

This time I was too late to dodge and was hit in the shoulder and left arm by the collaps ing bricks.

“Tell me. How do you open the entrance to the Forest of Crimson Waves?”

Dammit. I cursed inwardly, but tried to keep my eyes on her movements as closely as possible. She swung her sword as if she were toying with me.

Whoosh!

Thud! Crack!

The solid stone of the wall cracked and fell on me. I rolled twice more, out of breath, before finally stopping.

Haa, Haa, I was gasping for breath when I heard a cold voice.

“Who are you?”

Her eyes grew serious, and she switched her sword from her right hand to her left. I didn’t miss that moment.

‘Have you seen the hand?’

[Judging by the unnatural movements of t he thumb and index finger of the right hand, it is presumed to be an injury.]

It would have been better if her leg had been injured, but I was satisfied with this and gauged her right side.

My goal was simple: quickly get past Ottma and grab the key on the central floor. But the opponent was formidable.

“What are you plotting?”

She’s quick-witted.

‘Mo, calculate a route. Just grab the key.’

[Probability of success is extremely low. You risk your life.]

When was it ever high?

There was no other way anyway.