Ash Flower ③ – Holy Edge.
When you think things might just work out, you find yourself getting energized.
Even if it’s just a faint, faint glimmer of hope, as thin as a strand of hair.
First, I take the Elixir container out of my pouch.
I pour the contents onto the blade of my Knife. The wet Knife glitters, shining white.
As many as eight Skeletons are approaching. They’ve definitely spotted me.
I emerge from behind a tree and slash at the nearest Skeleton.
It hit the bone in its arm. That was all it took.
The Skeleton dissipates like mist.
“Huh!?”
What? What? No, this has to be some kind of mistake.
I dodge a well-aimed thrust from the second Skeleton, the one holding a spear, and cut its arm again.
It was a close dodge.
The Skeletons here aren’t just ordinary Skeletons.
But that strong, spear-wielding Skeleton vanished like dew.
With just a mere scratch… taking down a Skeleton.
No way. I can’t believe this.
It has to be a mistake. My confusion and doubt swell.
And then, recklessly, I plunged into the horde of Skeletons.
I defeat about 100 of them.
It was pretty tough, and I nearly died a few times, but I still managed it.
“…As expected of an Elixir…”
This is the power of the highest-grade, legendary Elixir. Frankly, I’m taken aback.
Its sheer power is seriously overwhelming.
It’s not just strong, it’s way too strong.
It’s a cheat.
It was just a single, faint glimmer of hope, as thin as a strand of hair.
In an instant, it exploded and shone like the sun.
Somehow, I don’t feel like I can lose anymore.
The tension of life and death is fading. Whoa, that’s not good!
That’s the most dangerous thing.
The critical situation hasn’t changed.
As far as the eye can see, it’s now a sea of Skeletons.
A hundred of them are nothing more than a wave in this sea.
There’s no way I can get out of this alive.
But, but.
With the way I am now, I could probably even swim through it.
Heck, I could probably even dive.
I could even go surfing!
California Dreamin’ on a sea of white bones!
“…What am I saying?”
I suddenly regain my composure.
There’s no way I can swim in a sea of Skeletons.
And ‘California Dreamin”? Seriously?
I guess I got kind of high on the power.
Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve been in such a pinch.
It’s the greatest crisis I’ve faced since I started living cautiously.
This world is harsh and unforgiving.
But that harshness isn’t usually about situations like this.
Though it’s typical fantasy stuff, this is my own mistake.
My lack of interest backfired.
And then, suddenly, comes the greatest sense of elation in my life.
Right now, I probably can’t lose.
Until just a moment ago, I was in the middle of a death game.
But now, while I might still die, it feels more like a beginner-friendly action RPG.
I take a deep breath.
Calm down. Calm down.
“Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…“
Repeating this calms me down.
Alright. Pull yourself together. Now, while there’s an opening.
“[Wheel of Fortune].”
I don’t need to chant it, but I say it out loud anyway.
I had misunderstood. No, I had completely forgotten.
The Relic [Wheel of Fortune] isn’t a Relic for finding items.
It’s a Relic that points out good fortune with light.
That glow represents good fortune for me.
There are three lights: green, yellow, and blue.
Green light is Rare. Yellow is Super Rare.
Blue is the extremely scarce Ultra Super Rare.
I saw a light.
Beyond the sea of Skeletons. I can see a distinct blue glow.
I don’t know what’s there.
I don’t know what will happen.
But that is my light of good fortune.
Heading towards that light is the best course of action right now.
I ready my Knife, which is still glowing brightly even though I only wet it.
This isn’t a permanent enchantment, right?
Holding onto a sliver of anxiety, I plunged into the sea of Skeletons.
Towards the light, towards the light. I focus only on reaching it.
I crossed the sea of Skeletons.
It took longer than I expected.
Thanks to the Elixir Knife, any Skeleton went down in one hit.
Even so, the Skeletons were strong.
There were times I thought I’d die, and I got tired.
That fatigue vanishes due to the Elixir.
Strangely, once I got past them, even though quite a few remained,
the Skeletons didn’t pursue me.
It’s then I notice. There’s no Forest.
Not a single one of the trees and grave markers that were everywhere before is here.
Come to think of it, they weren’t there when I was fighting the sea of Skeletons either.
Could this be the true appearance of this place?
“…Hallucination? Or bewitchment?”
Thinking about it probably won’t give me an answer.
A narrow path stretches out before me.
At the end of that path, I can see a single point of blue light.
As a test, I used my Relic [Danger Detection].
It’s pitch black.
Everything except the white path and the blue light is pitch black.
“…A bridge.”
There was a crude wooden bridge. An arched bridge.
Halfway across it stood something like a knight clad in Black Full-body Armor.
It was about three heads taller than me. An adult.
The heavy black armor was adorned with splendid gold trim, and it held a drawn sword.
Its helmet had horns that jutted upwards.
Here and there, it was wreathed in eerie, blackish-purple flames.
Beyond the skull-shaped visor of the helmet, a pair of ominous red eyes glowed.
It looked at me.
Instantly, I had a gut feeling.
Impossible.
There’s no way to reason with this mysterious armored knight.
To proceed further, I have no choice but to fight and win.