I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents
Chapter 39
The words had clearly sunk in for Carmine, as her movements became more agile.
Arrows rained down from all directions.
I expanded the size of the “Mirror of Transformation” and covered Carmine with it.
Wrapping myself in a protective aura, I leaped over the city’s ridge.
TING! TING!
I deflected the incoming arrows with my sword and turned my gaze toward Carmine.
“You know where to go to reach Ventura Academy, right?”
Carmine’s eyes had already sharpened with determination.
“Yes.”
I noticed Carmine’s footsteps hesitate for a moment.
Beyond her, the towering figure of a massive man stood imposingly.
The weapon he held was a halberd, fitting for his enormous stature.
[NPC – 4th Rank Knight Margrid]
Since he was only 4th Rank, I didn’t feel too threatened yet.
“Do you know him?”
At my question, Carmine nodded.
“He’s a knight from the Raphaelo Viscounty. I’ve seen him a few times at the viscounty.”
The halberd-wielding knight nodded in acknowledgment.
“It’s been a while, young lady.”
The knight spoke again.
“If you surrender quietly, I’ll do my best to ensure you don’t die.”
I couldn’t help but scoff at Margrid’s firm words.
“That guy… he sounds serious, doesn’t he?”
My words must have reached Margrid’s ears.
“I am serious. Outsider. If you turn around and leave now, I’ll pretend I didn’t see the murders you just committed.”
He didn’t seem like a complete villain.
But even if he wasn’t, I had no intention of sparing him.
I had absolutely no plans to carry this escort quest over to a second playthrough.
“Big guy, can you really guarantee Carmine won’t die even if you do your best?”
Margrid, the big guy, furrowed his brow but didn’t answer.
“No choice, then.”
Margrid ignited a red aura around his halberd.
I twisted my body to block the halberd he swung horizontally.
CLANG! CLANG!
Sparks flew in all directions.
Margrid let out a shout and continued moving his arms relentlessly.
This big guy is fast.
His massive body moved with surprising speed.
Dragon-Slaying Sword, Defense Technique Form 1: Libra.
I deflected every single one of his sword strikes.
I instantly lifted Margrid’s huge frame into the air, and as he landed, he swung both arms downward toward the ground.
A red lightning bolt, coalescing at the tip of his halberd, came crashing down.
[‘The Giant Who Devoured the Moon’ predicts that you will be hit by an attack falling from above your head!]
[‘The Saint Chasing Light’ tightly closes her eyes!]
Direct hit? As if.
I lowered my body abruptly.
Pure white mana surged in both my feet.
I kicked off the ground.
My shadow curved like a sickle.
Along with my body.
I swung my right leg upward.
Flowing Flame Space-Breaking Technique, 2nd Form.
Shadow-Severing Kick.
CRACK!
“GAAAH!”
Margrid seemed caught off guard by the unexpected attack and couldn’t react.
I swung my straight sword at his neck as he twisted to the left.
CLANG!
Margrid barely managed to block the strike by raising his halberd, now coated in a red aura.
THUD!
I stabbed the Blood Dagger, held in a reverse grip in my left hand, into his side.
I swung my straight sword horizontally, slashing Margrid’s throat.
Margrid clutched his throat and staggered backward.
His massive body collapsed to the ground.
[Level has increased!]
[Lv.26 → Lv.27]
Leveling up is always welcome.
[‘The Black Storm’s Sword Ghost’ admires your swordsmanship.]
[‘The Blood Demon’ twitches its eyebrows at your fighting style.]
[‘The Giant Who Devoured the Moon’ scratches its smooth head.]
I stepped over Margrid’s cooling corpse and moved forward.
I checked Carmine’s expression.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to question what I had done.
If she had said something like, “Did you really have to kill him?” I would’ve felt pretty disgusted.
“Run.”
Carmine sprinted forward at my low command.
The edge of the bridge.
“Go down first.”
Carmine didn’t hesitate and threw herself off the bridge.
Holding my sword, I looked behind me.
I’d cut down the pursuers here and escape this encirclement.
BOOM!
Just before jumping off the railing, I swung my sword, infused with sword energy, downward and threw myself off.
The reason I struck hard enough to half-destroy the bridge was, of course, to create chaos for those chasing us.
I brushed off the dust from the collapsed bricks and walked into the dense thicket.
“Do you know how far it is?”
I deliberately matched my pace with Carmine.
Carmine opened her mouth.
“It takes about three days by carriage.”
She continued.
“I know a place where we can get a carriage. And I have a companion there.”
A companion.
Could this companion really be trusted?
The doubt crossed my mind, but for now, getting a carriage as Carmine Everhart suggested was the top priority.
Ventura Academy was too far to reach empty-handed.
“Lead the way.”
“Yes!”
Carmine and I finally threw off our robes and stepped into the alley.
As we passed through the alley, a wide street came into view again.
Carmine led us to a stable with several horses.
“Lady Everhart!”
A young man with brown hair approached.
[NPC – 3rd Rank Mercenary Lengel]
“You’re safe.”
I watched Carmine’s face as she looked at Lengel.
“Lengel!”
Carmine’s face brightened noticeably.
She turned to look at me.
“He’s a mercenary who often helped out at the viscounty.”
Apparently, he was someone Carmine trusted.
Carmine smiled faintly and began speaking to Lengel.
“I need to borrow a carriage from you. Finally, I can breathe a little.”
Right after Carmine finished speaking, Lengel spoke again.
“You’re in danger right now.”
Carmine let out a sigh.
“Yeah, I might actually die if this keeps up.”
The moment Carmine’s words ended, Lengel spoke again.
“I’ll help you.”
3rd Rank, mercenary.
I couldn’t help but be suspicious of this Lengel guy. He had appeared out of nowhere.
I’d only just reached the 5th floor, but my instincts told me that people who showed up mid-mission like this were rarely true allies.
Maybe I was just being overly paranoid.
“Where is the young lady headed?”
I expected Carmine to hesitate before answering Lengel’s question.
But her lips were looser than I thought.
“Ventura Academy. I think I can secure my life if I just get enrolled.”
She must really trust him.
“If we take the Monteum Forest route, we can reach Ventura Academy more safely and quickly.”
At Lengel’s words, Carmine’s lips curved into a smile.
“Really?”
“Yes, I’ll take the reins and escort you to the academy.”
Lengel pulled out a map and unfolded it with a flick.
Since it was a detailed map of the surrounding area, I could recognize it too.
Taking a carriage through this forest did indeed seem like the fastest and safest route at the moment.
Which made me even more suspicious.
A guy who shows up exactly when you need something.
I couldn’t easily trust someone like that.
I looked around the stable.
On the other side of the carriage were horses.
I took out the talisman and channeled mana into its back.
I had already confirmed the effectiveness of the ‘Veil of Secrecy’ before opening the door to the 5th-floor stage.
Lengel and Carmine walked toward the carriage.
I followed them, keeping my senses sharp in case I needed to cut Lengel’s throat at any moment.
And I held the talisman in my left hand.
– Archmage: The Constellations can’t perceive you in the first person. I asked the Administrator in the later floors, so it’s certain. So, the talisman the Priestess gave you—the ‘Veil of Secrecy’ on its back—will definitely work.
Since it was written by the Archmage senior, it was trustworthy.
SWOOSH…
After distorting my surroundings with the veil, I took out the Transcender Gallery terminal.
Neither Carmine nor Lengel seemed to notice the distortion around me.
Just as the terminal was completely invisible to NPCs in the stage or players I met in the exchange meeting, it seemed unlikely that the Constellations could clearly perceive the Gallery either. But it was better to prepare for all variables.
[‘The Saint Chasing Light’ raises a question mark above her head!]
[‘The Blood Demon’ tells you to remove what’s blocking your path.]
[‘The Judge with a Thousand Eyes’ notices the sudden distortion in front of you and furrows its brow.]
I turned off the Constellations’ notifications so they wouldn’t appear in my vision.
I posted on the terminal.
Title: I don’t know how to ride a horse—can I just get on?
Author: Anonymous*
– So, I have to escort someone to Ventura Academy. Oh, and a guy who seems like a helper showed up—can I trust him? Or is being suspicious and weeding out traitors a common quest mechanic?
ㄴ Be suspicious. Always be suspicious.
ㄴ Ice Queen: BRRR! You must be suspicious!
ㄴ Horseback riding is a talent, but… climbers adapt quickly.
ㄴ Light’s Sword: Riding is ultimately about communication with the horse. If someone seems suspicious to you, keep doubting them.
ㄴ Archmage: Horses make me nauseous… Just fly and be done with it.
ㄴ Archmage: Quest types sometimes turn into mystery dramas unrelated to combat if you’re unlucky. For escort missions, you should suspect everyone except the escort target.
ㄴ Anonymous*: Got it.
A mystery drama?
Why would that even happen?
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: Think of the horse as a comrade.
ㄴ Spear King: Like a lover.
ㄴ That sounds weird, Spear King.
ㄴ Spear King, old man, have you ever had a lover?
ㄴ Spear King: I’m a married man.
ㄴ LOL
ㄴ Priestess: Hawawa, if the difficulty is six stars, there’s a higher chance of encountering stronger enemies, so be careful!
ㄴ Anonymous*: Okay, I’ll use the talisman well. The ‘Veil of Secrecy’ seems to work on Constellations too. They can’t see me using the terminal.
ㄴ Priestess: Hawawawa!! The maiden’s talisman is excellent!
ㄴ Anonymous*: Gotta go.
ㄴ Sewer Sword Sage: If your suspicions turn out
to be true, don’t hesitate—cut them down. Hesitate, and you’ll be the one getting cut.
ㄴ Anonymous*: Noted.
I stored Sword Saint’s advice in my mind and closed the Gallery.
