Chapter 49
“Ah.”
Fortunately, the arrow didn’t fire.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Eden, who had restrained the arrow, approached me.
“…Was this not it?”
“Of course not!”
I did mean to restrain her, but I never meant for her to be killed.
If Sienna got hurt here, there would be no going back.
Being a leader who kills their team members just because they don’t listen?
‘That’s not leadership; it’s dictatorship.’
A rule through sheer force always has a predetermined end.
Instead of shooting the arrow, I decided to try a more human approach.
After all, she hadn’t completely succumbed to the illusion yet.
“Sienna, you might find it hard to believe, but these ridiculous glasses can block illusions. Right now, I can see the true nature of those relics!”
The true forms of the relics, as seen through the Eyes of Truth, were just worthless scraps of metal.
They were mere chunks of metal that lured people into meaningless desire.
“Sienna, if you put these on, you’ll be able to see it too. So, please…”
Please trust me.
I carefully took the remaining item from my inventory and approached her slowly.
“Just trust me and check it out once.”
I handed the glasses to Sienna, who was still watching me warily.
Stepping back slightly to give her space, I waited tensely for her reaction.
“All of this is an illusion…?”
To accept that the opportunity to become stronger in an instant was just an illusion was no easy feat.
But I had to convince her.
It was the only way for us to get out of here without anyone getting hurt.
“Haha, hahaha…”
Sienna, clutching the glasses, let out a strange, twisted laugh.
“Who would believe such an obvious lie?”
By the time I sensed something was wrong, it was already too late.
Sienna crushed the glasses in her hand and lunged toward the nearest relic.
“Sienna, don’t!”
The moment her hand touched the relic—
Ding Chirp!
A clear chirping sound rang out, and the ceiling turned crimson.
Boom!
The thrones were instantly engulfed in flames.
And amidst the chaos, a small bird flapped its wings, looking down at the foolish humans consumed by their desires.
[How foolish.]
It was time for the Garden of Judgment by Flame to pass down its wrath.
The rose petals that had been drifting through the air turned into sharp flames, raining down on our group.
“Argh! My arm, my arm!”
“Get away! Move!”
“Run, run! We can’t stop this!”
Then, with a thunderous crash, the door shattered open.
‘Roar!’
And into the hall stormed the beasts that had been friendly just moments ago, now transformed into enormous and savage creatures.
“Everyone, stay calm! Gather together in one place!”
A red horse that spread flames and a giant bison spewing fire.
And a torrential downpour of flames like a volcanic eruption.
Holding tightly to Lyria’s hand, I desperately called out to the team members, who were scrambling in a panic.
“Everyone, calm down and work together to set up a defense—”
Boom!
But before I could even give the order to set up a defensive line, a massive fireball crashed down, splitting the floor in two.
‘The ground… it’s cracked?’
As I stood there, staring blankly at the perfectly divided floor—
“Leader, what are you waiting for?!”
“Sylvester?”
Sylvester grabbed my wrist.
“We can’t stop this. We have to run! We need to escape!”
Just as he said, this wasn’t an attack we could fend off.
This dungeon wasn’t designed to be conquered by sheer force.
“Argh! The path is blocked! Those… those creatures from before…”
The way forward was cut off by the rampaging beasts, trapping us in a dire situation.
The overwhelming power of the flames filled my team’s eyes with despair.
“Damn it…”
From the beginning, it made no sense for the protagonist’s party in the original story to clear this insanely difficult dungeon head-on.
So, for those who aren’t the protagonist, a different approach is needed.
“Ha, I really didn’t want to use this method.”
It would be a huge expense, which made my stomach churn…
But surviving came first.
Favor or not, everything becomes meaningless if you die.
“Everyone, come here!”
The eyes of those who were fleeing turned toward me at the sound of my voice.
“For now, everyone who can use a shield, use all your skills.”
At my words, a few people with shield skills stepped forward, forming small shields around the team.
“Can we layer them?”
“Sure.”
I nodded, and a red shield layered over the existing ones.
“I’ll help too.”
Lyria, who was beside me, summoned a hearth.
It was now about the size of a 43-inch TV, enough to truly be called a hearth.
[Due to the Hearth of Hestia, your recovery speed temporarily increases.]
Although it wasn’t as powerful as Yeriel’s shield skill…
‘This should hold until we finish talking.’
I hurried to speak before the shields disappeared.
“As you’ve seen, the beasts in this garden move according to people’s desires.”
The illusions that had lured us were gone now.
I removed the cumbersome glasses and called the party closer.
“The central theme of this place is desire.”
Thus, the moment you reveal your desire, the trap activates, and the once-peaceful garden turns hostile.
“They follow desire, and they attack based on it. But there is a way to draw them all to one place.”
And here, a method to subdue that desire existed.
Of course, it wasn’t something used in the original story; it was only mentioned…
But right now, we had to try anything we could, no matter what.
“Do you all see the mark beneath the Phoenix over there?”
I pointed to the dark red magic circle beneath the cage holding the Phoenix.
It looked like a magic circle that could summon a demon.
Strange ancient runes were written on it.
That was the hidden third strategy that could only be used here.
“If someone sacrifices themselves and steps onto that circle, while they become the target, the rest of us can escape the dungeon safely.”
In the strategy base, everyone except the celestial being could opt for an early exit.
However, upon doing so, the dungeon would be sealed for an hour.
This meant it would become a sealed zone, where no one could enter or leave.
In the meantime, the one who sacrificed themselves would have to endure the attacks from the beasts here.
“Then, who would that sacrifice be…?”
One of the team members murmured quietly.
“That would be…”
One team member’s gaze drifted to Sienna, who was sitting in a corner.
The others seemed to share the same thought, avoiding eye contact and shifting awkwardly.
It was clear they hoped Sienna, the one who caused all this, would be the one to step onto the magic circle.
Sienna shivered, seemingly aware of her fate.
Calling it a ‘sacrifice’ was just a nice way of saying it—it was practically a death sentence.
Just look at those terrifying flames.
Even a single hit would probably be fatal.
Thinking about enduring that for an entire hour…
‘It’s horrifying.’
Of course, I hadn’t gathered the team just to sacrifice Sienna.
I certainly didn’t call them together with that intention.
“Hic.”
Seeing Sienna on the verge of tears, I let out a small sigh.
If I left her like this for much longer, she might really start crying.
Or worse, throw a tantrum and refuse to cooperate.
Before things could spiral, I spoke up.
“I’ll do it.”
A look of surprise flashed across everyone’s faces at that moment.
“…Sister?”
Even Lyria, clearly not expecting me to step up, stared at me with a shocked expression.
I squeezed Lyria’s trembling hand.
I’m okay.
As I gently stroked her hand, Lyria’s trembling gradually eased.
“Because, I’m the most suitable person for this.”
This was the so-called ‘Sacrifice Strategy.’
The fire magic circle didn’t just attract the attention of all the beasts—it also had another peculiarity.
It temporarily doubled all the base stats of the one standing on it.
Moreover, even though it was a replica, while on the circle, the person could use the power of the relics…
‘As long as I can hold out while I’m on it.’
“And.”
I patted Sylvester’s shoulder, which had tensed up.
“This guy here can contact the other team, so we just need to hold out until then.”
In other words, it wasn’t entirely hopeless.
Hearing my words, the team members exchanged uneasy glances.
Then, with a look of determination, they spoke to me.
“…Then, we’ll stay here and protect this place.”
“That’s right! If we leave, the dungeon will close.”
“Even though it’s only an hour, anything could happen during that time…”
“We’ll stay here and help you!”
Although I had volunteered myself, it seemed they couldn’t help but worry.
These guys…
Honestly, I didn’t expect them to step up like this.
‘I guess I have good luck with my team.’
I gave them a smile internally and then spoke casually.
“No need for those faces. Didn’t I say no one would die?”
“…But.”
Seeing their unusually downcast expressions, I gently pushed them forward.
The shields were already close to breaking.
We really didn’t have much time left.
“Let’s go. Now!”
It was time to face the Phoenix.
—
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