Chapter 12

Game Category [Post][Strategy Guide]

[List of Hidden Items 1]

‘Black Moss’
The very first item a low-level beginner gets their hands on. Extremely simple to use.
It melts a certain type of being.

What I was holding was a clump of black moss. I balled it up tight and stuffed it into my pocket.

‘This stuff’s essential in here.’

Alright. I may be low-level, but I’ve got this.

Knowledge is power. Time to flex my seasoned player skills and make something happen…!

That’s what I was thinking, when—

[Objective! Escape the ‘Hidden Practice Dungeon’ while avoiding the fanatic who snuck in!]

…Huh?

I froze at the unexpected quest notification.

Wait, are you kidding me? That was not part of the original story!

‘Why the hell is a fanatic in a low-level dungeon?! This place is supposed to be for practice!’

Just as I was about to scream—

“Mmff!”

Something clamped over my mouth.

I thrashed in surprise, but someone was holding me firmly.

“Shh… Keep quiet.”

“Mmm?”

“It’s dangerous.”

A boy I didn’t recognize came into view.

He had his finger pressed to his lips, shushing me.

Blond hair, soft amber eyes.

‘Bennett?’

I knew right away.

‘He’s one of the protagonist’s companions!’

Game Category [Post][Strategy Guide]

[List of Recommended Protagonist Companions 1]

Here’s a list of companions worth recruiting, ranked by priority.

Bennett Satin
Division: Deputy Commander of the Azure Holy Knights
Traits: Highly intuitive, extremely suspicious by nature—great for detecting fanatics. Nicknamed the “Cult-Hunting Hound.”

Droopy eyes and a gentle face that reminded you of a golden retriever. No doubt about it.

‘What’s a cult-hunting tracker doing here?’

Bennett was a highly capable holy knight—one the protagonist had to recruit after reaching adulthood.

He looked about ten right now, though.

“If you promise not to scream, I’ll let you go.”

I nodded.

Thank god, I thought I was gonna suffocate.

“You’re the kid who was captured earlier, right? How did you escape?”

…What?

I was confused for all of three seconds.

“No? I came in from outside.”

“Huh?”

“And what’s this about being captured?”

Bennett stared at me for a moment, then answered plainly.

“Just what I said. There’s a group abducting children. I got caught, too. But I managed to sneak out. Oh… I’m Bennett, by the way.”

Polite, isn’t he?

“I’m Nemesia.”

From the looks of it, some fanatics had kidnapped kids. And most likely…

‘They’re planning to use them as sacrifices, huh?’

That’s usually what cults want children for.

‘But there wasn’t a fanatic hideout in this practice dungeon…’

Then again, thinking about it wouldn’t change anything.

Probably a random event.

‘One that could get me killed? Oh great. So thrilling.’

“Did you notice anything strange while you were locked up?”

“Strange? Oh—yeah. It seemed like they were preparing something with the kids. They were drawing these creepy, evil-looking symbols on the floor. But wait—who are you?”

Instead of answering, I dusted off my clothes.

‘Evil symbols, huh. So they’re summoners.’

Cultists who worship dark gods always showed up to mess with the Order.

These bastards had probably set up this hideout to summon a monster that’d help plunge the world into chaos using dark god powers.

And for that, they’d need pure sacrifices.

“Which direction was the place you were held?”

The door I came through only opened one way, so we’d have to find another exit.

“What? No, we need to get out of here and report this to the Order! My mentor is Sir Roden, a holy knight. We have to—”

“There’s no exit in the direction I came from. So we have to go the way you came.”

And that way likely led to the fanatics’ hideout. Bennett’s face turned grim as he grasped the situation.

“W-wait. That outfit… Don’t tell me—you’re a pope candidate?”

Yeah, pope candidates were treated with extreme care, so our clothing definitely stood out. He must’ve recognized it, being a promising holy knight recruit himself.

I just shrugged.

‘Guess I’ve gotta save the kids.’

“Let’s move. We don’t have time to waste.”

“…! Right!”

He brightened, probably thinking I had some kind of plan up my sleeve.

‘Though… not the kind of plan you’re thinking, kid.’

Even at his age, Bennett moved almost silently. Proof that his physical skills were already impressive.

We crept forward cautiously—until we came to a sudden stop.

[WA R N I N G]

“T-this wasn’t here earlier…”

Bennett looked startled.

A golden rope stretched across the passage in front of us, with a warning note pinned to it.

[This area beyond the rope contains unexplored terrain and is suspected to be tainted.
We cannot guarantee your safety.
Turn around immediately without looking back.]

“W-what do we do now, Candidate?”

“What do you think? We go in.”

This wasn’t something the Order put up. It was a trick—a fake barrier set up by the fanatics.

[Post][Strategy Guide]

[Fake Markings Used by Fanatics]

Fanatics are basically like mosquitoes and cockroaches.
They leave eggs all over the Order’s territory.
If you suddenly get an event saying “Fanatic Hideout Discovered”?

As a low-level player → Don’t look back. Just RUN.

It’s easy to identify their fake warnings.

They stick identical-looking Order notices around…

But the rope? It’s always gold.

Feel like taking the risk anyway, for the thrill and the retry grind?

Then…

“There’s no other exit. And you said the kids are that way too.”

Bennett nodded. We crawled under the rope and moved inside.

He hesitated at the edge, clearly uneasy, but after a deep breath, he followed me.

“Why wasn’t that rope visible when I was escaping?”

“Maybe it’s like a barrier. Only visible to people coming in from outside.”

“Ah…!”

I had another theory too, but I kept that one to myself.

‘Maybe the fanatics realized Bennett escaped and set these up afterward?’

We didn’t walk far before spotting some bars.

“Hide here…!”

Bennett grabbed me and pulled me behind a wall. What we saw just before ducking were massive cages.

Inside, a bunch of kids were locked up.

“They were all awake earlier… They must’ve put them to sleep somehow.”

I saw it too.

‘There’s more of them than I thought.’

At least ten. Who knows where they snatched them from.

‘This is bad. Too many people.’

Honestly, it’d be ideal if I could summon Daddy the moment I was transported here…

But I’d moved out of range for Guardian Summoning.

If my level were higher, I could’ve managed, but right now it was impossible. No wonder I was so worried about leaving him behind.

If backup doesn’t arrive in time, Daddy might not be enough to stop them on his own.

And one of these kids could end up dead.

‘This isn’t good.’

A faint glow shimmered around Bennett, who was holding me close.

He was probably using divine power to mask our presence.

‘To be doing that at his age… impressive.’

I peeked out from behind the wall.

There were no guards near the children.

“There aren’t many fanatics around. If we hurry down that corridor, we could—”

Problem.

What does it mean when there are no guards protecting an important sacrifice?

It means their attention is focused elsewhere.

Like, for instance… searching for an escaped child?

I looked up.

Bennett’s eyes widened.

At the same time, a shadow loomed over us.

“They’re escaping…!”

“There you are. Hey! Found them!”

“Hurry over here!”

“Damn it, they were right under our noses.”

Fanatics swarmed in all at once.

“What’s with this brat?”

Bennett turned pale and stepped in front of me.

“Hmph, take both of them!”

Because I was standing in the shadows, they hadn’t recognized my clothes yet.

But it was only a matter of time.

“T-they…!”

“Shh. I’ll protect you…!”

Bennett tried to push me back and shield me.

“Sorry.”

“Huh?!”

I bit down hard on the hand trying to hold me back.
 

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Translator: Japchae