Stella could hardly believe what had just happened.

At first, she thought she would easily win. She had heard of the Silver Dawn Knights and knew their strength, but considering he was a newbie knight, she assumed he wouldn’t be too strong.

She believed the reason he challenged her to a sparring match was that he, a newbie freshly inducted into the knight order, was overflowing with confidence and overestimated his own skills.

So after the sparring ended, she planned to give the newbie knight a light-hearted piece of advice not to be too arrogant or reckless and to work harder, especially since he would surely be despondent after such an overwhelming defeat.

But now, it was Stella herself who was in despair.

None of Stella’s attacks landed. No matter where she aimed, how she swung, or how hard she tried to strike, that guy seemed to anticipate her every move and easily countered her.

Later on, she even channeled her Divine Power and swung her flail with all her might, yet it was all deflected by what appeared to be an ordinary sword, which left her feeling as if her efforts were useless.

Moreover, unlike Stella, that man didn’t seem to be exerting himself at all. He never showed signs of being out of breath or fatigued. He merely frowned slightly each time he blocked her attacks.

If she could just land one hit—just one hit—she could break the Blessing of the Moon surrounding her and end the sparring match. She didn’t even need to strike him directly; a mere grazed attack would suffice.

However, until the moment the Blessing of the Moon wore off, Stella failed to land a single blow.

It was her first time losing like this, feeling utterly toyed with. She felt an insurmountable gap separating her from him.

All of this made her wonder.

“Is the shock just too much?”

I plopped down on the floor, staring at Stella, who sat there with her mouth agape and a dazed expression, while rubbing my wrist.

Her effects still tingled through my right arm. It wasn’t that it was bearable; it was just that it wasn’t pain-free. Every time I struck the flail, it felt as if some low-frequency wave was resonating in my wrist.

Provoking her into a response here would certainly make for a perfect revenge, but I didn’t want to stir up trouble unnecessarily. Who knew how Stella would react?

But my words were half-serious. In Vanilla, perhaps, but in Darkest Light Mode, the bosses wielding massive weapons categorized as “super-sized weapons” were relatively easier compared to others.

Imagining being nicked by a dagger or taking a full-on hit from a greatsword, it would be fair enough. If that was the case, fighting a boss with numerous minor attacks would only make it tougher.

Bosses with crowd control abilities or those with relentless combo patterns were the top of the list for caution. The former could be a slip-up that would cause damage, and the latter meant that just one misstep would mean death.

A prime example of this was Lize.

“So, Inquisitor.”

“…….”

Stella, who had been blankly staring at me, turned her eyes slightly to the side. Though she didn’t respond, it indicated she was at least listening to what I had to say.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me? Something you’d like to share or perhaps grant me entry permission?”

“……?”

A glimmer returned to her eyes. However, the emotion swirling in her green gaze was curiosity, indicating she did not quite understand what I was saying.

Now it was my turn to feel flustered.

When one wins a sparring match, the Inquisitor is supposed to laugh heartily while praising the player’s skills and share the location of a Rune Dungeon, suggesting they might have a shot at clearing it.

That very dungeon is where one can acquire the necessary runes to face the final boss battle of the DLC.

“I don’t… I don’t know.”

Stella stammered. I narrowed my eyes slightly. This was becoming a bit awkward. While I roughly knew the location of the Rune Dungeon, I needed the Inquisitor’s permission to enter.

Since it’s a dungeon containing runes, it was directly managed by the Holy Kingdom, so knowing the location didn’t mean I could just barge in.

‘Should I just straightforwardly ask?’

The thought of bluntly asking for entry permission to the Rune Dungeon crossed my mind. But considering how the story was already tangled up, it wouldn’t matter how I answered, right?

It seemed the shift in her reaction after the sparring match had significantly affected her. In the game, she would have chuckled and praised my skill, yet now she looked utterly lost.

“Is there something you need?”

As I pondered how to obtain entry permission to the Rune Dungeon from Stella, Selene swiftly approached me.

Her usual expression was stoic and cold, yet a hint of surprise flickered across her face.

What I needed. Of course, I had something. I needed to acquire the runes for entering the boss room in the Rune Dungeon and move on to the next story. But I was uncertain whether I could share that with Selene.

“If it’s something you can’t discuss in such an open space, I understand.”

Wondering how she interpreted my silence, Selene glanced around at the battle nuns surrounding us and nodded her head. It wasn’t like I was unable to speak due to those nuns.

“Please follow me.”

“Ah!”

Selene suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled. Upon seeing this, Stella gasped and reached out to stop us, only to slump her arms down helplessly.

With my wrist held firmly, Selene strode off somewhere. I obediently followed behind her, thinking I wouldn’t regret going along this time.

“This is the place.”

After walking far from the sparring ground, Selene finally released my wrist as we entered an empty chapel. The chapel, made of gray marble and silver, gave a distinctly dark vibe.

I could guess where we were. Light filtered through the stained glass, and there was a painting on the ceiling resembling the moon, so there was no way I could be mistaken.

It was definitely a chapel dedicated to the Pope of the Moon.

“It seems you wanted to say something to the Inquisitor. What are you requesting? As long as it’s not related to the sun, I can assure you that whatever the Inquisitor can do is within my means as well.”

Her violet eyes stared intensely at me. Though her actions stemmed from misunderstanding, in this situation, it wouldn’t matter if I ended up with nothing to gain. If it worked out with Selene, great; if not, I wouldn’t lose anything.

Having calculated this in my mind, I opened my mouth.

“Could you grant me entry permission to the Rune Dungeon nearby?”

“If you’re referring to the Rune Dungeon nearby… do you mean ‘Abyss’?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“……I believe you understand the implications of requesting entry permission to the Rune Dungeon.”

I nodded. Saying I wanted to enter the Rune Dungeon indicated that I intended to take possession of the runes inside and absorb them.

While it was mostly just a nominal agreement due to the common practice of those who discover them consuming the runes, a discovered Rune Dungeon was treated as property of the nation.

Who knows what useful effects those runes might possess? For instance, a rune that amplifies magic power would make all sorcerers light up with excitement and rush in.

However, I was a citizen of the Empire, not of the Holy Kingdom. In simpler terms, seeking to consume the property of another nation was akin to saying I intended to devour their resources.

“I am aware of that. But it seems there won’t be any issues. After all, the Holy Kingdom has failed to conquer it and has just left it alone, right?”

Selene flinched slightly, as if I had struck a nerve.

Despite being a dungeon discovered long ago, what remained intact inside was directly due to the Holy Kingdom’s repeated failures to subjugate it.

The reason why the Inquisitor would easily grant entry permission was that if one has the skills to best her, she might as well suggest they take a shot at it. Naturally, there would also be warnings about the dangers involved.

Thus, when a player clears the Rune Dungeon and returns, the reaction is quite astonishing.

“……”

Selene bowed her head and fell into deep thought. I could hear her muttering something. She seemed to be so deeply buried in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize her inner thoughts were spilling out.

Of course, most of what she said was indecipherable. A few words I barely caught were a collection of terms that were impossible to interpret.

“Very well, distinguished guest.”

After what felt like an eternity, she finally gave her permission. While saying I could go to the Rune Dungeon, Selene repeatedly emphasized her lingering unease.

“Under normal circumstances, this is something that should never be permitted, but I trust in your capabilities, considering you thoroughly overwhelmed the Inquisitor in the sparring match.”

The determination in her violet eyes shone through.

“But remember this well. That place is no different from an abyss with unknown depths. The moment you step into a spot where the light from above no longer reaches, anything could happen. Furthermore, below, even the Holy Kingdom will not be able to protect you completely. Even if it were me.”

“Of course. So you can rest easy.”

“You should be worried. It’s a dungeon we couldn’t reach the end of even after descending for a solid twelve hours. How can you say otherwise?”

I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly at Selene’s stern expression. Twelve hours and still no end? If you stick to the conventional path, of course, that would be the case.

But I could probably do it in under twenty minutes.