Deepstone City

Deepstone City.

As one of the most prosperous cities in northern Paffield, it had a character entirely different from any other city. A vast, deep open-pit mine formed its very foundation. Deepstone City had once been an ordinary little mining town, but after the rich natural deposits beneath it were discovered, it had become a bustling city of ore. The entire city had been built atop this enormous open-pit mine.

Seen from above, Deepstone City looked like a tiny, insignificant ornament clinging to the walls of an inverted cone-shaped pit, broad at the top and narrow at the bottom. But only once you were inside could you appreciate what an impressive city it was. The roads that looked no wider than a finger from above were actually broad avenues wide enough for four carriages to travel side by side. And those densely packed little holes in the distance turned out, when you stood before them, to be enormous cavernous homes. Here, big and small blended together in perfect harmony, their striking contrast enough to make anyone remember the city.

Like other cities, Deepstone City was divided by social class, though its districts were arranged somewhat differently. Only the nobility were allowed to live on the uppermost surface, where they enjoyed the sunshine and the cool, sweet river water, living in comfort. The commercial and commoner districts occupied the mine's first three levels. Below them lay the slums, where the sun never shone and food and water were scarce. Rumors even claimed that demons lurked in the dark depths of the mine, snatching people away for food. So unless they had nowhere else to go or worked as miners, no one chose to live there.

"Deepstone City..."

Stepping down from the carriage, Mace wore an unusually solemn expression. He stood by the roadside, gazing at the enormous, pitch-black pit nearby, which seemed almost bottomless, and couldn't help exclaiming.

"Even though I've been here many times, every time I see this city, I can't help but marvel—Holy Soul preserve us, I really can't believe people could dig such a huge, bottomless pit."

As he spoke, Mace licked his lips and turned to Rhode, standing beside him.

"Mr. Rhode, I don't know if you've heard, but not even the oldest miners in this city have ever seen what lies at the bottom of this enormous pit. It's truly mysterious and fascinating. They dug the mine themselves, yet there isn't a single record of what's down there. It's hard to imagine, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

Rhode nodded, but said nothing more. Unlike Mace, he knew exactly what lay beneath the mine. After all, it was one of the Dragon Soul Continent's Ten Great Mysteries. Ordinary people might not dare risk exploring it, but for players who didn't mind dying, even a hundred or so deaths were nothing if it meant solving the mystery.

Sometimes, though, the sacrifices they made were not commensurate with what they gained.

As they entered the city, the first thing that struck them was the quiet. Unlike the bustling metropolis they had imagined, the place seemed unusually still. The only things that broke the silence were the carriages thundering along the streets with their loads of goods, and the faint clanging of metal against ore in the distance.

Rhode wasn't absorbed in the city's magnificent sights like Mace. He looked up at the blue sky and the edge of the mountains. Beyond the peaks, he could almost make out the Golden Castle beside Fairy Lake, and the slender, charming yet resilient figure who lived there.

In a daze, Rhode seemed to find himself once more on that bloodstained hillside. The dazzling red sunset slanted across the sky, as if struggling to unleash its fury in one last burst of light. Beneath its red glow, a figure in magnificent armor knelt on one knee. Ten thousand troops stood before her, yet they had halted in the face of a single person.

The figure, bathed in blood and the crimson light of the setting sun, knelt motionless, leaning on her sword. Her head was bowed, and her carefully tended golden hair was now a tangled mess. Even the feathers on her pristine white wings were beginning to drift away on the wind. Yet her eyes remained unwavering, fixed firmly on everything before her. When Rhode appeared, she turned her head slightly. A moment later, her pale pink lips curved into a dazzling smile.

"I see... That's wonderful..."

She murmured to herself, then closed her eyes.

After that, darkness swallowed everything.

That was the second time Rhode had found his goal in life. It was then that he decisively abandoned his former identity as a free player, formed a guild, and began trying to change the entire game world. He succeeded, changing three eras with his own hands. But Rhode was not satisfied, because deep in his heart, one lingering regret remained.

He had once thought he would never have another chance to make amends.

Now, that chance was right before him.

Rhode knew what this continent was about to face: a catastrophe unlike anything in history, one that would engulf every living thing. For now, all seemed peaceful and calm, but this was only the quiet before the tsunami, brief and fragile, liable to be destroyed at any moment. All that would remain in its wake was devastation.

But Rhode wasn't in a hurry. There was no point in rushing. From now on, if everything went according to plan, he had at least one or two years of peace. That was more than enough time to make preparations. After that, he would have to figure out how to survive the storm.

If he could help it, Rhode wouldn't choose such a risky course. But he knew how terrible the coming storm would be. No one on the entire Dragon Soul Continent would escape; every living thing would be swept up in it. Rather than burying his head in the sand and facing it unprepared when it came, it was safer to plan ahead.

With that thought, Rhode tugged at his cloak, hiding his face in shadow. That face was liable to cause trouble in both reality and the game. It was best to avoid any trouble he could.

"Mr. Rhode."

Just then, Ben came over with his men and the chubby young lady. Perhaps because he was back on home turf, he seemed more confident than before.

"Thank you for your help. We were able to make it back in time because of you."

"She should be all right, shouldn't she?"

Rhode glanced at the pale-faced young lady hiding behind Ben and asked casually. Hearing his question, Ben could only smile helplessly.

"The young lady is fine. She was just a little shaken up and bruised. Miss Lize has already treated her, so there's nothing to worry about."

At that, Ben hesitated before finally looking up.

"Um... do you have any time now? The young lady would like to invite you to her home as a guest, to repay you for saving her life..."

"I have other things to do, so I won't impose."

Rhode shook his head and declined Ben's invitation.

"It was nothing. Just a small favor."

"I see..."

Ben looked a little awkward at Rhode's answer. Behind him, Helen's face flickered with disappointment, though no one noticed.

As a captain of the guard, Ben wasn't especially capable, but he was quite good at dealing with people. Hearing Rhode's response, he knew better than to insist, and even seemed somewhat relieved. Though he hadn't spent much time with Rhode, the young man had put him under considerable pressure. He'd been on edge the whole time, afraid that one wrong word or misstep would bring more trouble. Now that the pressure was finally lifting, he didn't press the matter.

"In that case, I wish you a safe journey. Once we're back, I'll report this to the family patriarch. I'm sure he'll thank you."

After saying that, Ben quickly left with the chubby young lady. Only after they had gone some distance did Helen turn around and look back at Rhode, her face twisting with anger.

"You're useless! Weren't you supposed to trick him into coming home, so Dad could get someone to teach him a lesson?!"

"Young lady, this isn't the time for childish nonsense."

Ben could only smile helplessly at the spoiled young lady.

"You and I both saw how strong that gentleman is. What if something happens when you go looking for trouble with him?"

"But he dared to hit me!"

Helen stamped her foot angrily and clenched her teeth. She hadn't dared lose her temper in front of Rhode, but now that she was away from that man, the chubby young lady could no longer hold back her anger.

"Even my dad has never hit me!"

Hearing Helen say that, Ben could only shake his head helplessly. He sincerely didn't want to get entangled with Rhode again. The young man was too frightening. Ben didn't know how Rhode's strength compared with the people in the Keller Family, but he didn't want to bring trouble down on them. If the young lady was really upset, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Forget it. There'll be plenty of chances to deal with him later."

Helen glared viciously at Rhode in the distance and left him with that threat. Just then, Rhode seemed to hear her words. He looked up at the two of them. Both Helen and Ben went pale. The chubby young lady instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth, as if that could shove her words back inside. Ben hurriedly turned and walked on.

"We should go, young lady. If we don't get home before the master returns, things will be even worse."

"Ah, yes. Right, right."

At Ben's reminder, Helen nodded repeatedly. She cast Rhode one more wary glance, and only when she saw that he had turned away did she relax. Then she hurried off.

"Mr. Rhode, we're here."

The young woman's clear voice drew Rhode's attention back. He looked at Lize, who stood before him, seeming a little nervous. After a moment of silence, he asked,

"This is your last chance, Lize. You can still refuse."

"No, Mr. Rhode."

Lize shook her head firmly. Then she looked intently at Rhode, a complicated expression in her eyes.

"I've thought about it for a long time. I know I'm not the right person for this. I know I'm naive and inexperienced, and that I don't know what to do. But I also know that courage and conviction alone aren't enough. If you can help me achieve my dream, I won't refuse your offer."

The young woman's gaze was resolute and clear, without a trace of doubt. But Rhode did not back down.

"I'm sure you've already seen how I operate. I want to know what you think of it."

"Huh?"

Caught off guard by Rhode's unexpected question, Lize froze for a moment, then immediately lowered her head.

"I..."

"Be honest."

Though Rhode seemed only a few years older than Lize, standing before him now, she felt a powerful pressure. It was the same kind of pressure she had once felt from her captain and her father—the kind that made it impossible not to answer their questions. The air, once gentle, seemed to weigh on her like lead. Lize even felt that it had become difficult to breathe.

"I... I don't know."

In the end, Lize shook her head.

"I really don't know, Mr. Rhode. I can tell you honestly that your methods are completely different from what I imagined, but... at least I don't dislike the way you do things."

"I understand."

Hearing Lize's answer, Rhode nodded, then reached out with his right hand and patted her on the shoulder.

"I won't let you down."

Then Rhode spoke.