chapter 457
457 – 「Episode: Red Moon」 # 1
457 – 「Episode: Red Moon」 # 1
『Are there only five left?』
The game master looked around with his one remaining eye.
There were only five people left in the entertainment room, which was crowded with countless gods.
Only me, the Game Master, the God of Blacksmiths, the God of Adventure, and the Goddess of Beauty remained. Even the gods who were watching the game in the outfield disappeared like the tide.
Thanks to this, the game board became much more gloomy.
Perhaps because the light shining toward the players was turned off, the room itself felt even darker.
It feels like an illegal gambling house with a single light bulb dangling from the ceiling.
Of course, that was a good thing.
I was actually glad that the noisy outfield was gone and I felt relieved.
However, the game master seemed a little angry.
『Even though the game is not over, you leave because it is not your turn. These guys don’t know how to enjoy games. From next time, we will have to make new people, not those guys, into players.』
That seems to be the case.
『Continue playing the game.』
The game master said.
After hearing his story his, I picked up the dice.
Degurrr-.
Finally, the dice rolled and my game pieces started to move.
The place I arrived was the 17th square from the goal.
In terms of time, it would be about a month since I left Ludens.
A place where only one space is left on the eight-eyed dice.
I arrived there.
The drawn mark is a ‘treasure chest.’
Soon the bird-headed god opened his beak wide and shouted.
『You have arrived at the adventure and reward section! Ah, there were adventures and gifts I had prepared so long ago, but I was nervous about what would happen if I returned without stepping on them. As expected, it was a good thing I stayed.』
Horus, the god of adventure, seemed very happy about my arrival at his event.
However, the blacksmith sitting next to him said, “Damn, that’s a shame. “In the end, it didn’t even arrive at my compartment.” He said with great regret.
Somehow I feel sorry.
But strategically, it was an unavoidable choice.
The bird-headed god spoke.
『The rule is that those who arrive at the adventure space must pick a page from the ‘Adventure Book’ and read it. Now, I’ll shuffle it well, so you can draw a card from the top, player.』
The bird-headed god began shuffling the cards.
Perhaps the adventure space was a space where a random card was drawn and an event occurred there.
Why is there a space like ‘Golden Key’ in board games?
When you arrive at that space, you pick one card from the pack of cards with the ‘Golden Key’ on it and read it.
「Drifting on a desert island: Go to a desert island. You cannot take any action for 3 turns.”
「Receiving a gift: You got married and received a gift. Receive 500,000 Ren from nearby players.”
In general, events like the above occurred.
A neutral event with some good and some bad.
I’m nervous for no reason.
『Now, pull out the top one. Just pull it out, read it, and tell me what event you will experience.』
The god of adventure handed me a pack of cards.
I picked the top one among the cards with a treasure chest on it.
Zek-.
“…”
Small letters are written neatly on a palm-sized card.
“If you read this, please do not read this part out loud. I’m on your side. I can’t talk at length because of the game master’s surveillance, so I’ll just tell you my business. I heard from Death that you can control the eyes of the dice at will? If so, step on the 5th space ahead from this space. We have prepared a gift for you.”
It is the 5th space from this space.
It was a space with an eight-eyed dice drawn.
I don’t know what the gift I prepared is, but I don’t know if I can trust it and control the dice. If you heard about me from the ‘God of Death’, then the trustworthiness is high.
I rolled my eyes and finished reading the story below.
“Now, read the story below out loud.”
“One day, ruins that had not been discovered by anyone were discovered. “The adventurers found a warehouse with a mountain of old boxes in the ruins and were able to acquire treasure.”
Is this an item acquisition event?
For me, it was a plus event.
The game master who was listening to the story said lightly.
『It’s an acquisition event, you’re lucky.』
* * *
“Oh my god, what is this?”
Victorica was surprised.
This was because the ‘remains’ newly discovered in Ludens today were truly an incredible place.
“Those boxes are all treasure boxes, right? “The boxes that appear when you clear a dungeon.”
Where Victorica pointed, wooden boxes were piled up like books in a library. The numbers are significant. It may well exceed 10 and reach 50, or even 100 at most.
“Who discovered it?”
In response to Victorica’s question, Enio looked around and said.
“Luke and the party.”
“Why has such a large ruin not been discovered by anyone until now? “If you think about it now, we also wandered around the western fields around here a lot, right?”
Victorica’s question was valid.
About that, Enio said, “Hmm…” He sighed lightly and then spoke.
“Maybe it has something to do with Victor. I definitely think so. The ruins that had been hidden until now were suddenly revealed. “It’s not an ordinary thing, right?”
It was not ordinary.
It was an extraordinary discovery.
Therefore, Enio coolly and calmly judged that this matter would be related to the ‘play’ that Victor was having at the Pantheon.
“Then shall we open it? To be honest, I don’t have high expectations because it’s a wooden box.”
Enio approached the wooden box.
The wooden box was a box that appeared as a reward in the dungeon for level 5 to 10 beginners.
It usually contains things like “Lesser potions” Or “Old iron swords”.
There was a time when Renee was in it.
Sometimes, for some reason, ‘there was nothing in it’.
A box that is a loss if you expect it.
That was Ludens’ wooden box.
There was a lot of that in these newly discovered ruins.
Enio opened the box without much expectation.
Kii Iik-.
An unimaginably dazzling light began to emanate from the box that slowly began to open.
Hwaaa-.
“Isn’t this at least a shining effect when a legendary item appears?”
Enio was surprised.
When the blinding light finally subsided, I saw a wooden box containing a golden water bottle.
「Advanced Elixir: Recharges stamina to maximum. Removes all status abnormalities.”
“It’s an advanced elixir… !?”
It was also a type of item I had never seen before.
We had all heard of the grandeur of the name ‘Elixir’, but even Enio could not have guessed how much value ‘Advanced Elixir’ would have.
“Why is this in a wooden box?”
Come to think of it, a wooden box appeared when Nike defeated the Earl of Winter. Inside that wooden box was a mythical item that was completely unexpected.
This was the “Tiara of Vanadis” That Nike acquired.
Victorica said.
“It’s not an item that would be contained in a wooden box. In order to contain such an item, it must be at least a ‘golden box’ or a ‘diamond box’.”
That was the rule.
Good things in a good box.
It was the law of Ludens created by the gods.
But it is not being followed.
Victorica turned her head and reached for another wooden box.
“Maybe another box?”
Ki Iik, crash.
Good profit profit profit.
Boxes were opened in the hands of Victorica and Enio.
Every time that happened, light began to shine out from the shabby, old wooden box.
“What? What is this?”
Victorica was surprised to see the treasures starting to pile up before her eyes.
12 “Advanced Elixir”.
52 “Dragon Claws”.
21 “Advanced Spirit King’s Magic Stones”.
3 “Star Hearts”.
22 “Elf Songs”.
.
.
.
“They’re all amazing ingredients. It’s an item that you have to defeat a monster as big as Fairybane to obtain it!”
Victorica felt slightly dizzy.
Who crammed such a huge amount of materials into a wooden box?
What was even more surprising was this.
「Strings of Sharanga: A harp made from the strings of a bow that pierced numerous enemies during the mythical era. It was made from the thread that drew the boundary between light and darkness in the beginning. It resonates with a very beautiful sound.”
“This isn’t an ordinary item at first glance, is it?”
Victorica asked.
Then Enio picked up the harp from the box and said.
“No matter how bad you are, it’s a legend… No, I think it’s higher than that. “I heard that these items have special effects.”
Enio opened his eyes right away.
Now, as I looked at the object with eyes that could penetrate the essence beyond the veil of darkness and night, the mysterious performance of what could be called a harp appeared before my eyes.
In addition to the effect of greatly amplifying magic attack power, there was also a blessing that could be called a ‘miracle’.
「《Hymns of the Rigveda to you》: Once per turn, damage to an ally can be completely negated.」
“It’s an amazing effect.”
Enio was impressed.
It was an item worthy of being called a weapon from mythology.
Diriring-.
Enio played the harp with his fingers.
Music that could be called a heavenly tone spreads softly.
Enio, who had been enjoying it with narrow eyes, now struck the harp quite sharply with his fingernails.
Ji-ing-!
Sharp winds erupted in all directions along with a tearing noise.
Shashashashak, shashak!
Enio nodded with satisfaction as he watched the walls of the ruins collapse loudly as they were cut by the sound waves.
“It’s a weapon that leaves no trace. I like it. I want this. “What do you think?”
Enio asked Victorica.
However, Victoria’s eyes were already focused on one place.
Seuseuseuk-.
Victoria held out her hand and took it.
「? : ?」
It was an object that looked like a pack of square cards.
It seems to be in an ‘unconfirmed’ state.
Zek-.
Victorica radiated light with her hands to illuminate the darkness and the unknown.
Soon, letters appear before Victorica’s eyes
「Records of Akasha: A card that appeared when the world was created. It is said that all phenomena and situations in the world are written down.”
Sreuk-.
Victorica drew a card from her deck of cards.
「《13th Storm》: This is a card that records the 13th storm ‘Noah’, which was said to be the largest and most violent since creation.
I will bring a flood on the earth to annihilate from the earth all flesh in which there is the breath of life, and everything on the earth will die.”
She was able to immediately realize that Victoria would be able to manifest the phenomenon recorded here in the world with her own magic.
* * *
『Is it Akasha’s recording on Sharanga’s harp? Aren’t both these items that were sealed for a long time in the Pantheon’s treasure hall because it was judged that they could disrupt the order of play?』
The blacksmith god was greatly impressed.
After listening to the explanation, it seemed like they were great items.
『It’s the same with Vanadis’ Tiara. It looks like the nymphs packing the boxes are making a huge mistake. There are so many things like that in a wooden box.』
Mistake.
Are the nymphs putting items into boxes making a lot of mistakes?
No, I thought maybe this was intentional confusion and a mistake.
Someone is taking advantage of the chaos to smuggle out valuable items to Ludens on the ground.
Probably to help my party.
To me, it wasn’t a bad story.
On the one hand, I could instinctively feel that the fates I would have to face in the remaining spaces that would require these amazing items would be great and powerful problems.
The game master said.
『Sharanga’s bowstring and Akasha’s records are both great items. I also remember that it was so great that it almost took away from the fun of the game. That’s amazing.』
He didn’t wonder why the wooden box contained items that seemed to only appear in mythology. His eyes are just urging.
I hope I throw the next dice─.
『Now, there are 16 spaces left. It’s all my domain as the game master. There were all events prepared with great care, so you can look forward to them.』
I heard that the old king Gilgamesh gave up the game before these 16 spaces.
Was he also thinking the same way I am now?
Zek-.
I held the dice.
Degurrur, roll.
The number that came out was 5.
At that sight, the bird-beaked god opened his mouth.
『5? You really picked 5. Awesome! There is a chance for victory!』
He liked it very much.
However, the game master simply opened his ‘rule book’.
『The fifth 8-eye compartment. Let’s see… Ah, here it is.』
“Hmm, hmm,” Said the game master, his voice serious, as if he were a storyteller telling a heavy story.
『─One day, the sun stopped rising in the world. The only thing floating in the sky is a huge ‘red moon’ that has been around for some time.』
As I turned my head, the sun was setting on the board game board ‘Ludence’.
Instead, all that came to mind was the ‘red moon’, which gave off a gloomy and bizarre atmosphere.
『Hell is full and the dead begin to flow back to earth. The cries of monsters and ghosts begin to be heard from all directions. The world ended today. There is now nowhere to run or hide─.』