Chapter 144

Bristling with caution, Kuu prepared for battle. However, Cayna recognized the angel and demon. “Wow, never thought I’d run into an argent and an Old Hollow here,” she said with her usual candor. Next to the relieved angel, the wooden demon pitched forward. “O-Old Hollow?! I’ll have you know that my kind are called shubez!” “Uhhh, what were these guys called again, Kee?” Cayna mumbled with a puzzled head tilt. “That is the name I have on record.” Old Hollow was a popular nickname for this creature among the players. It was short for Old Man Hollow, so named for the demon’s distinct appearance. It was categorized as a demon and also referred to shubez monsters commonly found in the Underworld. Usually between level 400 and 500 on average, these weren’t much of a threat compared to the rest of the area. However, they could meld with a level-800 monster. Once this happened, it would spam weakening spells and curses on players. No monster was more irritating. The general rule in any party was to have a vanguard neutralize the main threat while the mages destroyed the shubez. Since the monster’s body was a tree, most used a midlevel (for Cayna anyway) fire spell to burn it to a crisp. An argent, on the other hand, was a monster from the Heaven Area who defended her sanctuary as its gatekeeper. She appeared as a female angel with four white wings and was an impressive level 700. Nonetheless, battle was not an argent’s forte. Her only duty was to maintain a defensive wall around the sanctuary, so a host of divine followers fought on the front lines instead. Back in the day, Cayna and several other Cream Cheese guild members shaved down an argent by breaking holes in the barrier while tackling the angelic horde. They would attack the argent before the holes were filled and eventually won after repeating this process a dozen or so times. And now both were right before Cayna’s eyes. They obviously weren’t hostile, so she dropped her guard. A wary Kuu noticed this and swooped down to sit in her usual position. “I take it you’ve got some kind of business with me, since you came all this way?” Cayna asked the two monsters. The shubez and argent paused a few steps from Cayna and then fell to their knees with heads bowed. “We were summoned by Master Opuskettenshultheimer,” said the shubez. “You are his sworn friend,” the argent added. “We shall not dare raise a blade to you, Lady Cayna.” “Ah, I knew it. Opus said I’d probably run into you…,” Cayna muttered quietly with a smirk of realization. “Indeed.” “Actually, Master Opus informed us of your arrival, Lady Cayna.” “That was totally unnecessary. He couldn’t bother to fill me in?” Cayna and Opus saw each other all the time. If he had something to say, she wished he’d just spit it out. “We’ve been keeping an eye on you, too.” “Come again?!” When she asked for clarification, the answer was pretty straightforward. The shubez had been observing Cayna’s overall activities. Since the day she’d first arrived in Felskeilo, the monster had watched from a reasonable distance in the darkness and the shadows. In addition to reporting all this information to Opus, its mission was to prevent unexpected interference from third parties. When Cayna was targeted by organized crime, the Old Hollow pretended to be one of the Five Great Dukes for the sole purpose of eliminating them. In truth, it wasn’t a shady character at all. “So, that’s why I randomly felt him nearby. I never signed off on this!” Cayna puffed out her cheeks, but then she noticed the argent, who remained unfazed and wore a placid smile. “Are you the one maintaining the Abandoned Capital’s barrier?” she asked the angel. “Indeed, I am.” Cayna had fought the argent countless times and understood her ecosystem (?), so she already comprehended the situation. The static noise around the angel was hard to miss—this monster couldn’t hold her form much longer. “I’m surprised Opus could keep this up for two hundred years.” “I do not understand it myself, but it seems I am rooted to this place.” “Right. I guess that’s the special ability Opus mentioned.” “His connection will hold up as long as the target isn’t destroyed.” Cayna could understand calling out a single summons like an argent, but there was also an entire army of low-level angels. An argent was better equipped to defend the main stronghold while the other angels eliminated any outside threats. Her Special Skill, Fence, was a unique and rare ability unavailable to players. A player’s Isolation Barrier would disappear and leave an area defenseless upon reaching its limit. However, an argent’s Fence instead assembled a mass of hexagons and distributed its endurance across each section. As long as the angel didn’t run out of MP, she could easily fix the barrier, even if one section was pierced. At first, any monster to escape the Fence was likely suppressed by the angel army. Opus had stopped by on occasion to maintain and restore the barrier as well as to supply additional MP, but they had used up most of this over the years and were almost at their limit. As a result, monsters scattered across the continent to become the bane of Cayna’s existence. “And the goblin army just now?” “I apologize. I have my hands full overseeing the Fence, and…” “Nah, I took care of them, so it’s all good. Are you okay, though? Do you feel sick?” Cayna asked worriedly. The argent’s body flickered with static noise. It was a miracle she’d held on this long. “You’re…going to vanish soon, right?” Cayna said. “Correct. I cannot last much longer.” “Couldn’t I just give you a bunch of MP?” The argent shook her head forlornly. “I do not even have enough strength to repair the Fence anymore. I have grounded my existence in every way I know how, and this is my limit.” “I see. Do you know what’s going on inside?” “Yes. The most vigorous have already escaped, but many are building their strength in anticipation. The moment it is clear Fence has lost its functionality, they will unleash their pent-up resentment and trample the outside world.” “It won’t break down in the next two or three days, right?” “Correct. I can still last for a few days, but it is very likely there will be impatient monsters who escape beforehand.” “Oh dear.” “The camp will go bye-bye,” mumbled Kuu, who had remained silent so far. She looked back toward the direction of the camp. “Are there normal people in the vicinity?” the argent asked. “The only one who can fight is Cohral. At level 300, it’ll be tough for him to defend a group of fifty… But Exis and Quolkeh are there, too, so maybe it’s fine?” “Unlike the local monsters, the ones from that world can sharply perceive foes. They will quickly detect a group of people nearby.” “Shoot, we better evacuate everyone fast. We’ll have to evoke martial law in the capital, too. I’m sure Opus will figure something out, so hang in there.” Cayna turned around to leave but first asked the shubez what it planned to do. “I will spy among the monsters inside.” “Huh. I don’t really get it, but do your best, too.” After giving a light wave good-bye, Cayna hurried back to camp and explained to the faculty and adventurers that a monster attack was almost imminent. “Last time the knights were useless while we adventurers drove ’em away. What’s the issue?” Jild had apparently been present at some point during the earlier attack when a game monster controlled the monsters of this world. They had managed to fend them off somehow, but the adventurers would be crushed like pebbles by the roadside if game monsters were the main force. Cohral and Exis, the latter of whom had stealthily joined the rest of the adventurers, helped convince Jild that this was a dangerous tactic. “Nonetheless, we cannot move at night,” said one of the Academy faculty members. “Do you mind if we at least wait until morning?” After conferring with the student representatives, the teachers refused to budge on this point. Cayna accepted. “Still, the Abandoned Capital? What kinda crazy monsters are sealed up in there…?” Exis wondered aloud. “How am I supposed to know?” asked Cayna. “I see. Hey, that ghost ship must’ve been from the Abandoned Capital, too. Let’s avenge Luka’s village.” “It’s fine that you’re itching for a fight, but hold on a sec.” “Why?” “Opus is planning an event just for this occasion. Granted, I don’t actually know if it’s a quest or event, though.” “So, that guy is up to somethin’ again… You better keep a tight rein on him.” “He’s slippery as an eel!” Meanwhile, Opus spoke in the nameless darkness. “All right, my preparations are complete. It looks like Cayna has been brought up to speed as well. And so begins the final quest.” He flashed a wicked smile and set things in motion.