Light of Arad: Forerunner

Chapter 30

Jinseong couldn’t help but feel momentarily bewildered for several reasons.

‘There are other items with similar names, but at least as far as anything with “High Priest” is concerned, the mask has definitely been discontinued.’

As someone who had been playing *Dungeon & Fighter* since the game’s release, Jinseong was quite familiar with the name of this piece of equipment. However, newer players, having only recently started the game, wouldn’t even know of its existence, as it was an old, unique item.

‘In the past, you could obtain it by defeating certain monsters in specific dungeons, like the outskirts of the Temple of Behemoth, and only by chance. But not anymore. These days, the GBL Cult series is a complete random drop—nobody knows when, where, or from which monster it’ll drop, so it’s practically considered discontinued.’

Among these discontinued items, one stood out in particular.

More than anything, what shocked Jinseong wasn’t just that he had acquired a discontinued item.

The method by which he obtained it was far more astonishing and perplexing.

‘The Muse player—yeah, that female archer—left behind an item, and I clearly recognized it as an “item.” It was clearly distinguishable on the ground, and I picked it up. But this…’

It wasn’t an item.

Jinseong had simply picked up something that had fallen off the face of a brainwashed GBL Cult follower he had defeated.

There was no indication, before picking it up, that this was an item, something usable, or equipment that could be equipped!

‘So the thought I had in Sky Castle is really coming true? I… I have to strip loot off monster corpses, don’t I?!’

Jinseong realized.

‘That’s such a waste! How many items have I missed out on until now?!’

The regret he felt came before any sense of horror. It wasn’t just because *Dungeon & Fighter* was his life.

‘Ugh, there could have been items I could strip and sell… I could have gotten discontinued items this way, or maybe even used discontinued materials to craft things you can’t make in the game anymore. I should try an experiment…’

As a person now living in the world of *Plane: Arad*, countless ways to drastically improve his survivability flashed through Jinseong’s mind.

He started moving without even realizing it.

“Jinseong? What… are you doing?”

Naturally, Lenny, with a worried expression, had to ask what Jinseong was about to do.

“Huh? Oh… what?”

For Jinseong, having Lenny look after him was actually a relief.

There was Fiona, a junior female knight like Lenny, but with bright blonde hair that made her stand out.

And then there was Den, a junior male knight who always wore a helmet, making it hard to even see his expression.

“Um, why are you taking the mask? And…”

“Why are you stripping the corpse’s clothes… Is it for magical… research for the Mage Guild?”

Unlike Lenny, the two of them were horrified, taking a step back.

Jinseong had been fiddling with the clothes of the deceased GBL Cult followers, trying to take them off.

Startled by his own actions, Jinseong quickly let go of the clothes.

He glanced at the three of them and said awkwardly,

“Yes, well… something like that? Ahem, I was thinking… high-ranking! Yes, the outfits of higher-ranking members might be different… or something like that.”

“And what do you plan to do with them?”

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“Re…search. For the Mage Guild.”

Jinseong responded weakly to Lenny’s question.

It was definitely not research.

Even Sharan from the Mage Guild wouldn’t know much about the GBL Cult, which had been isolated atop the ruins of Behemoth.

From the beginning, Jinseong only wanted one thing.

And that was the mask.

Just like the mask he held in his hand now, it was a discontinued item, deemed unobtainable by most players.

‘Especially this mask… if my memory serves me right, it boosts the skill levels of Ghost Knights and Dark Knights.’

That’s why he had been trying to strip the clothes off the brainwashed GBL Cult priests.

But explaining that in this situation felt far too out of place, so Jinseong could only smooth things over with an awkward laugh.

“But that’s not important right now. As we get closer to the temple’s central area, there should be more high-ranking priests, right? Let’s move on, shall we? Hahaha.”

“Jinseong, you’re acting weird.”

“Weird? Lenny, what’s weird about this? Come on, let’s go!”

Lenny, Fiona, and Den watched Jinseong’s back as he walked ahead.

But the laughter and conversation didn’t last long.

To take responsibility for the disturbance he caused, Jinseong issued a warning.

“The closer we get to the center of the temple, the stronger Apostle Lotus’s mind control will be. Everyone, be careful.”

* * *

Although the statement was meant to heighten their vigilance, Jinseong wasn’t lying.

In fact, in areas like the Bloody Chamber and the outskirts of the temple, no one remained unaffected by Lotus’s mind control.

“Jinseong… sir, but how exactly do we… be careful?”

The problem was that even Jinseong, who gave the warning, couldn’t easily answer Den’s question.

Apostle Lotus’s primary ability was to control minds, inducing confusion and causing hallucinations.

If one couldn’t resist those hallucinations, their mind would completely fall under Lotus’s control, turning them into a puppet.

“You’ll… need to have strong mental fortitude.”

“But what does that even mean? Fiona, Lenny, and I went through knight training at the academy, but I still don’t understand how to strengthen mental fortitude… Should we, like, tense up or something?”

“Ha, no, no. Den, you have quite the sense of humor—”

“Den! Are you trying to disgrace the honor of the Iron Wolf Knights?!”

It wasn’t until Fiona’s sharp rebuke that Jinseong realized Den had been serious about his question.

By then, Jinseong had to swallow nervously.

He didn’t know how to strengthen mental fortitude either.

But at the very least, he knew they couldn’t continue like this.

“Who are you all?”

“Excuse me?”

They needed to start believing in themselves.

Self-confidence and pride were also essential to mental clarity.

Raising his voice slightly, Jinseong looked at the three of them and said,

“Who are you? You’re proud knights of the Iron Wolf Knights of the De Los Empire, aren’t you? You all know better than anyone the grueling training you went through, don’t you?”

“Hmm.”

“Yeah, it was brutal enough to make us sick.”

At Jinseong’s words, Fiona and Den nodded.

Jinseong alternated his gaze between them, except for Lenny, who already trusted him completely, and continued.

“You need to believe in yourselves. Of course! It’s not like you won’t get mind-controlled at all. Apostle Lotus’s power is strong, and even the mere disorientation can be dangerous.”

“Then what should we do?!”

The knights looked dismayed at Jinseong’s mixed message of caution and reassurance.

“The good news is, at least there are four of us. As long as one of us holds out, that person can wake the others up, right? And in the meantime, we can protect each other from brainwashed GBL Cult followers or hunters, can’t we? You are proud members of the De Los Empire’s Iron Wolf Knights, aren’t you?”

Jinseong’s question caused Lenny, Fiona, and Den’s expressions to change.

From the fear of facing a formidable Apostle to the firm resolve of renewed determination.

“You’re right, Jinseong.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“We know each other so well, even our sleep habits.”

This was one reason Jinseong had requested to take them along, after all.

If too many people were involved, it could lead to more confusion, but these three weren’t just anyone.

Lenny, Fiona, and Den were especially close siblings-in-arms who trusted each other deeply.

They knew each other’s states and emotions better than anyone, making it easier to watch out for one another. Even if one of them fell under mind control, they would know how to subdue them without causing serious harm.

‘That’s why it’s a bit disappointing. I actually wanted to create gear that could block Lotus’s mind attacks entirely.’

Though he couldn’t say there were no countermeasures, Jinseong clicked his tongue in regret.

One reason he had asked Sharan to observe Iris was so he could replicate the bracelet Iris had once given to a player: the .

‘Sharan said she doesn’t know either, what Iris is doing or how she’s doing it. Ugh, back in the old days, there was even a quest in the game to make the Hyper Jammer, but now I can’t even get the materials. If only I had known sooner that I could harvest things from monster corpses, maybe I could have done something…’

It was too late now.

Jinseong could only hope that the alternative method he had devised would work.

‘At any rate, the was once an item players could craft. Based on that, I believe a player’s own skill should offer some resistance to Lotus’s mind attacks. I don’t know how strong or how many times it’ll work, though.’

If there was one truth amidst all the chaos, it was that the Apostle Lotus transferring to Behemoth was one of the worst scenarios for him as well.

Since he couldn’t exert his full

power without water, Lotus was drying up and had already lost most of his strength in this arid environment.

As the dry, crackling sound of footsteps approached once more, Jinseong spoke.

“Fiona, Den, make sure to leave clear marks for the team following us. Lenny, you and I will—”

“For Lord Lotus…”

“Glory to Lord Lotus, may all humans submit to him!”

“—take care of these brainwashed ones.”

With his beam saber blazing, Jinseong charged.

Since the number of enemies wasn’t that large, his plan was to use his second combo skill, starting with , to handle the brainwashed GBL Cult followers.

But just as he was about to swing his sword for the first strike, Jinseong realized something.

He couldn’t hear Lenny’s voice.

He couldn’t hear Fiona or Den’s voices.

There had been two enemies before him, but now there seemed to be three.

Now four.

Now five.

“Damn it! !”

As his vision warped, Jinseong swung his sword, filled with the energy of darkness.

The momentum was enough to cut down all the approaching enemies, but the blade of his beam saber merely sliced through empty air.

His sword had to stop.

More accurately, Jinseong’s entire body had to stop.

Because the brainwashed GBL Cult followers were no longer in front of him.

What had once been their bodies was now transforming into something reddish.

Except for the faded stones that made up the ancient ruins and the green plants that had somehow taken root there, there was nothing else in sight—except for those reddish things growing and creeping up, wrapping around the ruins on Behemoth’s back.

Jinseong understood.

‘I’ve been caught.’

He was already under Apostle Lotus’s mind control.

Though his body seemed to be moving normally, could he really call this “actually moving”?

If, by chance, he really was moving, how could he tell whether the things he saw were mere illusions or if they were the companions he had come with?

More than anything, when he turned his gaze outside the ruins, he saw five eyes staring back at him.

Each of those eyes was larger than any living creature Jinseong had ever seen. How could he even begin to describe this gigantic entity with five eyes?

‘Get a grip. Don’t be fooled. That’s Lotus, but it’s not really him. It’s just an illusion. The real one isn’t here.’

Shaking his head, Jinseong gripped his sword tightly.

Rather than moving recklessly, the urgent task was to steady his mind.

He had to keep repeating to himself while scanning his surroundings.

‘Don’t panic. No matter how much he once ruled the planet Solaris… Right now, he’s nothing but a giant squid trapped in a jar—’

As Jinseong tried to break free from the illusion, a strange voice interrupted his thoughts.

[…Who are you?]

The voice alone made Jinseong’s skin crawl.

He didn’t need to think twice about who it was.

The 8th Apostle, Lotus of the Long Legs.

The Apostle who could wield thousands of weapons at once spoke.

[How do you know of my home?]

With that one question, Jinseong understood something about Apostle Lotus’s power that he had never experienced in *Dungeon & Fighter*.