I Became the Younger Sister of the Game's Villain - Chapter 5.2
With these idle thoughts, I reached out my hand to him.
Gu Seo Bok, who had been staring blankly, lightly pulled me to my feet.
“You should stay close behind me. If you get hurt, it’ll be a real problem for me.”
As if just imagining it sent shivers down his spine, he said.
After emphasizing it several times and stretching, he snapped his neck.
And…
Woosh.
The air trembled softly, and around Gu Seo Bok’s body, it began to blur as if covered with fog.
Power, vacuum.
The method of creating a vacuum state in the desired range to kill the beasts was a silent but lethal skill.
“I’ll be back.”
While watching him rush towards the beasts, I exhaled lightly.
“He’s finally gone.”
As soon as Gu Seo Bok was out of earshot, she tightened her expression, still playing dead.
I rubbed my cheeks furiously, as if my facial muscles were twitching.
I crouched down a few feet away and watched the overwhelming battle unfold.
‘Where should I start the search?’
A brief contemplation.
Although I vaguely remembered the location where Shields obtained the Resonance Stone from the story, it was somewhat hazy.
However, there was a possibility that the structure inside the portal was different.
If there were changes in the location of hidden maps, I would have to thoroughly search the entire portal from scratch.
That would be a bit of a headache.
‘It would be nice to have a bit more information.’
The fact that there was not much I could do made me feel a bit anxious.
Unconsciously, Gu Seo Bok, who had lightly dealt with the surrounding mantises, approached, dusting off his hands.
“Let’s move on.”
* * *
As we went further into the portal, it became increasingly dark.
I kept stumbling, so Gu Seo Bok escorted me through narrow passages and across large open spaces.
So far, we’ve mostly been attacked by the occasional low-level bird-type beast.
I, in particular, was on edge, trying not to miss any hints about the hidden map.
I felt the stone walls with my fingertips and pushed my arm through the tiniest of holes.
At one point, Gu Seo Bok whined about the possibility of me triggering a trap.
Do I look like I would do that kind of thing?
‘No signs at all.’
Even with the gaze of an experienced player, it seemed that way.
Typically, a hidden map was elusive and hard to find—between protruding rocks or trees, behind pillars, and if not, they were buried in the terrain pretending to be part of the background.
Occasionally, there were cases where you had to scatter a specific item or place it on an altar, but those were truly special situations.
I also knew that Shields finding the item was just a matter of luck while they were wandering.
Nevertheless, with every step, my insides felt stifled.
So far, we had explored about five caves.
Usually, with a C-ranked portal, it was the time when the key to exit would soon appear.
Then, this portal would be finished, and I would have to do this all over again for a week or even longer.
‘I will find it for sure.’
Once again, I gritted my teeth and steeled my resolve.
If I still didn’t find it at the end, I was willing to go back to the beginning by myself.
Gu Seo Bok, who had been walking while casually popping Mausu with his fingers, hesitated for a moment.
Ahead was a vast and open area with a superb visual.
“Why?”
“Huh…?”
He made an indecipherable sound as he stretched his hands behind him to protect me and scanned his surroundings.
I peeked my head out, and the clearing was empty.
It was silent, without a single beast.
And the passage to another location as well.
‘This is it.’
This familiar space and scene.
Memories flooded my mind like watercolor paint.
I walked straight to where my subconscious and my conviction pointed and threw the rocks.
Gu Seo Bok followed closely behind me, scratching his head, probably thinking it was nothing important.
“What are you doing, miss?”
Gu Seo Bok asked with a puzzled voice, but I didn’t have the leisure to answer.
Not this one, not this one, not this one either…
Despite the numbness in my fingertips from the blunt rocks, I didn’t stop.
Definitely.
Here.
“…I found it.”
An ethereal pearl among the rough stones.
My heart fluttered at the sight of it.
The thrill of having an item in my hands that I had never used before!
I gently lifted the jewel with my index finger, brushing off the dirt with a soft breath.
At that moment, as I was about to think of cherishing this precious item and offering my body to it, an announcement disrupted my thoughts.
【Departing from the planned narrative will result in penalties.】
“What?”
“Huh?”
Gu Seo Bok exclaimed, startled by my outburst.
However, I was equally surprised.
A penalty? Departing from the planned narrative?
‘Is it something he can’t see?’
Examining his reaction, I bit my lip.
The notification didn’t stop there; it continued to clutter my vision.
【Reclassifying portal difficulty…】
【Announcing portal grade change. Result: ‘A-‘】
【Status and details are being adjusted.】
【MISSION】
▷ Break through the portal!
― Classification: Portal / A-
Upon success, receive 3000 diamonds.
(However, 100 diamonds will be deducted for each damage to the body part.)
Upon failure, ending.
‘A-?’
Does that even make sense now?
My blood ran cold.
My bony, clenched fists began to pale.
