Dark Fantasy Guide for the Summoner - Chapter 35

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 35.
Forest Shelter Ⅴ
Alto glanced around, then turned to me with a question.
“Do you know the name of that ore?”
“Moonstone.”
“You know it well.”
Alto nodded and began to explain.
“There are several means of countering Shadow. The most common is silver, but moonlight is far more effective.”
It was something I already knew.
I’d erased Shadow by reflecting moonlight off a mirror during the Opening Sequence, after all.
Though I had wondered about it.
Why ordinary light wouldn’t work, and only moonlight could produce results.
“All light casts shadow. But moonlight is different. While it cannot dispel darkness, it does not deepen shade either. And darkness and Shadow are entirely different concepts.”
“Mm… ah.”
I gathered the scattered information in my mind, and suddenly a new possibility emerged.
“Did you know that this place we’re in is called the Forest Shelter?”
“Forest Shelter?”
“Think of it as a location that exists beneath the forest. Far underground, vast tunnel systems sprawl like a spider’s web, and those who dwell there are called Underground Dwellers, or the Parsu. No light reaches this place at all—it’s underground, after all.”
Alto gave me a puzzled look, as if wondering where I was going with this, but seemed content to listen in silence for now.
I pressed on.
“And the only thing that can illuminate this pitch-black space is Moonstone. If you produce light by any other means, you incur the wrath of the Parsu, and you’re barred from ever entering the underground again.”
So whether torches or electric lights or any other source of illumination, their prohibition was the first and foremost rule to observe in the Shelter.
I’d never thought deeply about the reason.
I’d simply assumed that after spending so long underground, their eyesight had regressed and they couldn’t tolerate intense light—something vague like that.
But now, listening to Alto’s words, a new possibility occurred to me.
“Could the Parsu be descendants of the Ashen Moon?”
“Strictly speaking, they are not descendants.”
Alto replied in an unusual tone.
“They were the most wretched of all in the once-glorious Moon Kingdom. Their bloodline was so diluted that they escaped genocide at the hands of Frost Sun and have managed to survive to this day.”
Though Alto spoke of them as lowly, there was no contempt in the words.
Rather, it felt tinged with pity, even a touch of guilt.
“It is shameful. We who inherited noble blood should have protected those pitiful weaklings.”
“So this Moonstone is…”
“They instinctively preserve the ancient kingdom’s ordinances, nothing more. They don’t consciously oppose Shadow. Though the result is indeed an excellent safeguard.”
“A safeguard…”
Now that I thought about it, the Shelter had never been attacked by Shadow even once.
I’d assumed it was because it was originally a Safety Zone, but now that I understood the setting more deeply, it had been a realm Shadow could never penetrate from the start.
‘Ah.’
Lightning flashed through my mind.
As multiple pieces of information converged, the gamer in me immediately applied this newly acquired knowledge to strategy.
“Then could this Moonstone also be used to detect Shadow’s disguises?”
“Of course it can.”
I nearly jumped to my feet—the low ceiling barely stopped me.
If I could identify Shadow alone, my Clear Probability would skyrocket.
The primary cause of all my Game Overs while playing PoOp had been those Shadow creatures anyway.
“But it won’t be possible in this era.”
“What?”
Alto gazed at the Moonstone embedded in the wall.
“First, ore of this poor quality is worthless. You’d need far greater purity. Similarly, silver refined through special techniques would be necessary, but…”
Alto shook his head firmly.
“The problem is the existence of a craftsman capable of performing that process. It’s a forgotten ancient technique. The probability of such a skilled artisan surviving in this age seems slim. The Frost Sun creatures especially went to obsessive lengths to erase all traces of craftsmen.”
“…”
It made sense.
At the same time, it dawned on me why I’d gleaned almost no information about Ashen Moon or Frost Sun throughout the game.
‘They must have erased the entire history.’
No wonder there was nothing worth salvaging even as my Progress Rate approached seventy percent.
As I grasped this new reality, another question arose.
“Then where can we find high-purity Moonstone?”
“The Old Kingdom Ruins. In terms of the forest’s geography, it’s nearly at the deepest level. But as I said, without refinement it’s meaningless.”
“We can find an artisan later. First, let’s just secure the ore.”
“Are you listening to me? The odds that the old kingdom’s craftsmen are still alive are slim to none.”
“I suppose.”
Alto looked up at me with disbelief written across his face, but I was certain.
The mere existence of such information was as good as proof that the craftsmen were real.
Even if, by some miracle, no craftsmen had survived, there would be hidden texts somewhere recording their techniques.
‘That’s how PoOp works, after all.’
Once I’d thought that through, I realized the conversation had drifted considerably from its original course.
“Wait—what exactly are the Primordial Divine Trees?”
“I don’t know precisely.”
“What?”
“I mentioned it before, didn’t I? Those beings have existed in the forest for at least thousands of years. When the kingdom was at its height, when the Frost Sun revealed their true nature, when we fought wars with our very clan’s fate on the line—they were still there in the forest, unchanged.”
I exhaled a deflated sigh.
“You spoke with such certainty.”
“Of course I know more than you do. The being that has taken an interest in you is an owl known as the ‘First Fool’ or the ‘Traveler of Midnight’—and our ancestors called him the ‘Opener of Calamity.'”
“That sounds incredibly dangerous.”
“Does it? But I don’t believe that being actually brings calamity directly.”
“Do you have evidence?”
Recalling the sinister aura and appearance that creature gave off, it seemed like the sort to gather calamities by the handful and drag them about.
“For instance, if a migratory bird takes flight before an earthquake strikes, did the bird cause the earthquake?”
“……”
An old soul—or perhaps simply an animal’s way of speaking.
This creature seemed to have a strong tendency toward speaking in metaphors. I grasped the gist of what he meant, more or less.
“So you’re saying he doesn’t cause calamity, but merely possesses an abnormally developed sense for detecting it?”
“Precisely. To an abnormal degree, at that. Moreover, calamity itself would mean nothing to such a being. It’s merely an amusing spectacle to him.”
“Hmm……”
“That’s not all. The Divine Trees are cruel beyond measure. They move only according to their whim. The expansion of the forest, the fate of the world—such matters are trivial to them. After all, no matter who triumphs, their own circumstances remain unchanged.”
So they were enjoying the war between clans—a struggle with the fate of nations hanging in the balance—like spectators at a gambling den?
Offering modest support to the side they favored, no less.
“Of course, some among them can be reasoned with to a degree. Some favor the Frost Sun, while others favored the Ashen Moon. But their interest is not necessarily a blessing.”
“What about that owl? Which one did it bet on—the Ashen Moon or the Frost Sun?”
“Neither. If anything, it sides with whatever captures its interest. I’ve heard that when something piques its curiosity, it follows and observes relentlessly.”
Alto, who had been watching me intently, let out a soft laugh.
“Throughout history, there have been a few beings that caught its interest. And without exception, their ends were nothing short of tragic.”
“……Does that owl have a name or something?”
“Of course it does.”
“What is it?”
Alto’s eyes fixed on me.
“Nyx.”
“……”
“Traveler of Midnight, Nyx. That’s how the old texts recorded it.”
* * *
After our conversation ended, Alto claimed exhaustion and retreated to his nest.
I would have liked to talk more, truth be told.
Something told me this creature was still hiding much from me.
But……
“Listen, Kaindel. Circumstances have led us into something resembling a contract, but I’m making this clear now: I’m no subordinate of yours.”
“What?”
“Don’t summon me for trivial matters. Unless……it concerns those Shadow creatures, you understand?”
“……”
I couldn’t exactly strike him.
I wanted nothing more than to throw him out of the nest, but I held back. There was still much I could extract from Alto.
‘It’s not urgent, anyway.’
Perhaps it was because some of the worldbuilding mysteries had finally begun to unravel—but for the first time in ages, I felt genuinely excited.
In the real world, I would have shared this information with those Forever Pole fools. While I was at it, I would have mocked Chris too, that smug bastard.
‘Madman.’
A wry laugh escaped me. I’d been thrashing through the forest moments before, desperate and terrified, and now that I had a moment’s reprieve, look at me.
……Get a hold of yourself.
It’s fine to take an interest, but don’t let it become carelessness.
As I cooled my overheated thoughts, Haarim returned with perfect timing.
“Here. Dinner. Eat.”
The tone was like feeding livestock. Worse, the plate held a murky-brown stew that reeked something awful.
“Ugh… You’re telling me to eat this?”
Seigrena, having just come to her senses, wrinkled her nose in disgust—but what choice did she have?
She needed to eat to recover her strength.
Besides, this wasn’t ordinary food.
Parsu’s special recovery stew.
Made from ingredients of unknown origin. Best not to ask—you might regret it. Just be grateful and eat. It restores vitality and fortifies the constitution, and it’s excellent for relieving stress.
Food that could actually reduce your Stress Meter.
‘That’s why the Shelter is so valuable.’
When you’re exploring the forest, your Stress Meter accumulates relentlessly. The standard way to manage it is to return to the Royal Capital.
The Shelter’s food was one of the non-standard methods.
“One bowl costs ten thousand Sydni—don’t leave any on the plate.”
“…I can just give you the money myself. Do I really have to eat it?”
“You’re eating it.”
“Ugh.”
Once I confirmed that Seigrena had picked up her spoon, I ate the stew without complaint.
The taste, at least, wasn’t quite as terrible as the smell.
“Guests. You have thirty minutes left.”
Haarim announced it with a yawn in her voice.
I called over Cria and Seigrena and gave them a rough overview of this place.
“I had no idea such a place existed in the forest.”
Cria, whose complexion had improved significantly, murmured to herself.
“How did Kaindel know about this?”
“Read it in a book.”
“Ah.”
Seigrena, having just finished her bowl, gulped down water and wiped her mouth before asking.
“Phew… So? What’s the plan after we leave here?”
“First, about Lorang and Kazen.”
……
Both of their expressions darkened abruptly.
Those names were like landmines to these two right now. Of course, their feelings about them would be quite different.
“We can’t track them immediately. The forest is vast, and we don’t have any tracking skills.”
“You think they’ll be alright?”
I looked at Seigrena with an expression of sheer disbelief.
“You’re worried about them now?”
“Not especially, but still—her brother is with them, you know.”
“…There’s no need to worry. Their party’s level is far above ours. Like I said before, right now we’re the ones struggling. At this rate, we’re barely treading water.”
At least in this region, there’s nothing that could threaten the White Knight Lorang.
Unless they stumble into some ridiculous event like Wood Revenge.
“Either way, they’ll head back to the Royal Capital soon enough. So let’s focus on filling our Exploration Map Completion for now.”
Once we return to the Royal Capital, we’ll naturally reunite with Lorang. We can settle the accumulated debts then… though honestly, I’m not sure how.
I don’t really know how to handle this either.
‘What good will my current Reputation do me?’
Even if I went to the Security Bureau in my current state and complained about the injustice, it wouldn’t get me anywhere.
Though PoOp might be a world where science and civilization are advanced, it’s still barbaric in strange ways.
In this age, crimes can be buried as easily as money and reputation permit.
“How much longer can your Exploration Map function? How many days are left?”
“About twenty days. We still have plenty of time.”
Besides, thanks to the Unknown Fruit, my Exploration Map Completion jumped considerably.
Even without it, clearing the remaining Exploration Map Completion with our current strength wouldn’t have been that difficult.
‘The problem is that the ecosystem of the Woodman Colony has changed.’
Because of that shift, the information I’d previously gathered might be useless now… Depending on circumstances, I might have to push into the Spore Kingdom.
As I was laying out these various plans, Haarim approached and asked me something.
“Listen, guest.”
Was time already up?
“Start getting ready to leave. Since this place is hard to come back to, make sure you haven’t forgotten anything…”
“No, no. I still have ten minutes left.”
Then why was she rushing me?
At my expression, Haarim scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“If you don’t mind… I wanted to ask you for something.”
“A favor?”
“That’s right.”
If an NPC was giving me a favor, that meant a Quest?
‘The Parsu are giving me a Quest?’
It was certainly new territory—even I’d never experienced anything like this before.
“Ah.”
That’s when it hit me—another line from the Beast’s Friend trait description.
▶ Most beasts no longer regard you as hostile, and occasionally you may receive special tasks from them.
I asked, my voice laced with equal parts curiosity and intrigue.
“What kind of favor?”
“Nothing major. Just a simple cleaning job, you might say.”
The moment Haarim spoke.
Ding—!
A cheerful chime sounded, and a Quest window materialized before my eyes.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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