Chapter 101: Twenty-Fifth Floor, Papal Defense (2)

[Locate the pope and survive until reinforcements arrive. Time remaining: 1 hour 16 minutes.]

The acrid smoke stung my nose, and my Sixth Sense remained silent, refusing to offer any guidance. Even Doppy seemed lost.

I would have to rely on my judgment and intuition.

A massive temple stood in the center of the fortress, but I was confident the pope wasn’t there. If he was, other climbers would have already found him.

Damn it, even if it is unfortunate Alexei can’t be the one to find the pope, how has no one found him by now.

Considering how many individuals filled the fortress, it wasn’t too much of an exaggeration to say that every corner was packed with people. Over forty-five minutes had already passed, which should be enough time for

someone

to encounter the pope.

That gave me an idea.

Is he hidden in a secret passage?

I was confident this was the case as I had often heard tales of medieval castles containing hidden passages. Plus, this was the pope’s residence, the leader of the only publicly known religion on the continent. Surely there would be a concealed emergency route.

Then I guess my current goal should be to find that secret passage. Should I start in the nearby temple?

Still pondering, I suddenly recalled the ring Comet had given me—a ring infused with the power of the goddess Blue Dawn Breeze. If the goddess was aware of the current situation, perhaps she would convey something to me through the ring.

Considering “Breeze” is part of her title, I am sure she can communicate with me through the wind.

I channeled my mana into the ring before placing my right hand on it. To my astonishment, a faint breeze began to stir around me.

So it actually works...

Even though this was the outcome I had been shooting for, I was still taken aback by the success. The gust of wind stood out against the previously still air, pointing toward my 7 o’clock.

As I prepared to move across the rooftops, I glanced at Doppy.

There’s no need to bring Doppy if I know where to head.

Traversing the crowded fortress along the rooftops would be faster and safer than navigating the streets, plus Doppy wouldn’t be able to keep up with me.

Alright, I will trust Hendrick and go on my own.

***

[Locate the pope and survive until reinforcements arrive. Time remaining: 58 minutes 41 seconds.]

The breeze shifted slightly from time to time, so I assumed the pope was on the move. Thankfully, since it maintained the same general direction, I could continue forward without much trouble.

After about ten minutes, I confirmed my suspicion. The pope was indeed using a secret passage. However, I encountered another problem.

The breeze from the ring only pointed toward the pope’s current position; it didn’t reveal the entrance to the passage.

Finding myself in a narrow alley strewn with corpses, I pondered what to do now. The breeze pointed straight down.

Damn, how did Alexei manage to find the pope?

Starting at the hard dirt floor, I knew the secret passage had to be right beneath me, but there was no way the entrance was in this shabby alley.

If I wanted to save the pope, I would have to break through the ground. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure if I could, even with my enhanced strength. Punching the ground wasn’t an option, and my axe wasn’t suited for the job either. Maybe it would be possible if I had a shovel, but I hadn’t thought I would ever need one until now.

Should I just follow him and hope he will emerge from the passage?

No, I couldn’t be that complacent.

If the pope could safely escape the fortress without help from the climbers, this tower wouldn’t have even created this trial in the first place.

Fuck, I should have brought a bomb.

It was a futile and belated regret. Ha Hee-Jeong’s supply list hadn’t included explosives, either.

I exhaled in frustration. I needed a mage here immediately—someone with substantial firepower. The first names that sprang to mind were Ha Hee-Jeong and Hendrick.

Well, I don’t know where Ha Hee-Jeong is. Thankfully, Hendrick isn’t too far away.

It took me around twenty minutes to reach this spot from the plaza. Now that I knew where to go, however, returning would be much easier. Twenty minutes would be more than enough time to run there and back.

Wait, no. I have the Two-Way Portal skill.

I couldn’t believe I was acting this foolishly. Even with the urgency of the situation, I shouldn’t let it cloud my mind. At least I had remembered before it was too late.

Just as I prepared to activate the portal, an odd sense of unease washed over me.

Come to think of it, the wind hasn’t shifted for a while.

The moment I realized this, an increased sense of urgency gripped me. There could only be one explanation for the pope’s sudden stop: an enemy ambush.

I pressed my ear to the ground and strained my ears. Faint metallic echoes reverberated from below. Not wasting another moment, I activated Two-Way Portal. Time was of the essence.

As soon as I stepped through the golden portal, I swiftly scanned the surroundings for Hendrick.

“Wha-what’s happening?”

“A portal?”

“It’s Kwon Su-Hyeok!”

The climbers in the square stared at me, bewildered. I spotted Hendrick about three meters away, his face frozen in utter shock.

“Hendrick!”

“Yes, yes?”

“Come with me!”

“What? Why the sudden—?”

I didn’t have time to explain. Moving urgently, I seized Hendrick’s wrist and pulled him along. He followed, still dazed and unable to resist.

Oh, right. I left Hendrick as the commander.

Just before we crossed the portal, I called out to Alexei, “Alexei! I’m borrowing Hendrick! Take command for now!”

“What? Hey! What’s going on?”

Ignoring her exclamation, I stepped through the portal and immediately closed it, sealing it off to halt the rapid drain on my mana.

Finally regaining his composure, Hendrick turned to me.

“Mr. Kwon Su-Hyeok?”

“I’m sorry for rushing you. The pope is right below us. Can you break through the ground?”

“Oh. I can see why you dragged me away without warning. Wait, below us? How did you even figure that out? No, never mind.” Hendrick was clearly taken aback, and he cast his gaze downward. “Hmm... No wonder the climbers couldn’t locate him, he’s hidden in an underground passage.”

Hendrick knelt down and placed his palm on the dirt floor. A faint ripple of mana spread from his hand, seemingly probing the ground.

Woah, I didn’t realize mana could be used like this.

While I marveled at this new realization, Hendrick rose and took a step back.

“Well, I should be able to remove the soil, but there’s a massive stone wall underneath. It’s quite thick. Still, I’ll give it a shot.”

Instead of replying, I nodded and stepped back. Without hesitation, Hendrick began chanting.

The dirt floor sank instantly and a sinkhole approximately three meters wide appeared. The soil vanished, and I wondered where it had gone.

Peering down, I could see blue bricks lining the area below.

“That must be the ceiling of the secret passage.”

“Yes, I’ll cast an explosive spell, so please step back a bit more.”

I obediently moved two more paces back, giving him room to work his magic. Standing at the edge of the sinkhole, Hendrick resumed casting spells. I expected to see a large explosion, but a barrier appeared instead, surprising me.

Even though I had retreated, both of us were still positioned near the edge of the opening. Hendrick had the foresight to shield us from any potential fallout.

“―――, ――.”

Finishing the spell’s last words, Hendrick retreated quickly as a resounding boom shattered the silence. Black smoke, dirt, and stone fragments blasted from the sinkhole, scattering high into the air.

Did we break through?

Excited, I was about to advance, but Hendrick’s expression remained somber. Apparently, the initial spell hadn’t been powerful enough. He began another chant.

“――――, ――.”

Bang! Ba-bang!

Three powerful detonations echoed in quick succession, creating an immense force that shook the ground and caused the edges of the sinkhole to collapse slightly. Although the smoke clouded our view, Hendrick squinted and peered into the depths of the crater. I couldn’t just wait idly by, so I moved closer to the sinkhole’s edge.

“Did we manage to break it?”

“No, I didn’t hear a collapsing sound. The bricks seem to be more solid than I expected—”

The deep, rumbling sound of crashing stones interrupted him, signaling our success.

It worked. We did it.

After exchanging a quick glance with Hendrick, I plunged into the sinkhole unhesitatingly.

Thunk, thud—

Loose soil and stone fragments rattled against my armor as I landed, the dust still swirling heavily in the air as it obscured my view. I focused on my other senses, feeling fractured pieces of brick littering the ground beneath me. That was when I noticed them: a group of armed heretics lining the passage on both sides.

“Wha-what is this?!”

“Clear the smoke!”

As soon I gathered my bearings, I swung my axe in a sweeping arc. It tore into the enemy closest to me before continuing onward, cleaving a swath through the heretics.

“

Argh!

”

“

Ugh!

”

My swing generated so much force that it stirred up a gust of wind and instantly cleared the air around me. Heretics—turning to investigate the commotion—gaped at me in shock, their expressions full of confusion. Ignoring their reactions, I focused on the figure behind them.

Surrounded by ten knights in full plate armor—who were in turn surrounded by the heretics’ vanguard—stood an elderly figure robed in blue priestly garments. At last, I had found him: the pope.

***

[Locate the pope and survive until reinforcements arrive. Time remaining: 46 minutes 31 seconds.]

A veritable horde of heretics pursued us, but numbers alone couldn’t pose much of a threat to me. Although I had a relatively easy time dispatching them, what lay ahead proved to be the real challenge. Without enough mana to reopen the portal, we had no choice but to slaughter our way through the fortress.

The pope’s aged steps were slow, and as time passed, more enemies converged upon us. Outside of one of the holy knights sustaining an injury, we thankfully made it back to the square unscathed.

As soon as the pope saw the countless climbers gathered in the square, tears filled his eyes.

“Support from the goddess herself... She truly hasn’t left us!”

“Didn’t I already tell you? We’re the reinforcements sent by the goddess.”

To be honest, I found it a bit exasperating. One of the first things I had declared to the pope was that we were emissaries sent by the goddess. Apparently, he hadn’t believed a word I said.

Although it was true that fifty years had passed since the goddess vanished, how could the pope possess such weak faith?

Well, they did lose all of their divine power overnight...

Though I couldn’t fully comprehend their struggle, it still seemed excessive. Regardless, I decided to set aside any concerns about others’ faith.

With only fifty-seven minutes until reinforcements arrived, I felt reassured that the twenty-sixth floor was nearly complete. Now that we had found him, all I needed to do was gather the climbers scattered throughout the fortress.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has located the pope hidden within the secret passage, completing the hidden mission ‘How Did You Find Me?’ All stats increased by 2.」