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A bitter smile formed on Ian’s face after the dark sorcerer vanished.

While the man was a terrible person who deserved death, Ian did not enjoy killing humans.

“Tsk.”

Ian clicked his tongue, shaking his head once, before retrieving his sword.

Usually after a battle, he would shake the blood off his weapon before retrieving it, but the aura had created a shroud around the blade, keeping it clean.

The remaining mana came to Ian.

Ian gently smiled at the sight.

He did not enjoy killing, but if it made him stronger, he would endure it.

As was the case this time.

“Hm…”

Ian groaned as the dark sorcerer’s mana also absorbed into him. It was a strange sensation to feel fully satiated.

Ian opened his eyes as the refreshing sensation coursed through his body.

Ian hesitated to leave, looking around the dungeon.

There was no trace of the sorcerer, only of the hostages and the Black Orcs who had been occupying the dungeon, nothing else.

"Weird."

The sorcerer must have conducted his research there. Additionally, the notification he heard upon entering the dungeon was "The Dark Sorcerer’s Laboratory."

It was strange for all trace of his research to have vanished with him.

Ian remained in the darkness, searching every inch of the dungeon. There was nothing peculiar to be found, so Ian searched for places where the mana was denser than the surrounding areas. He still found nothing.

Ian decided to switch tactics and searched for places of minimal mana concentration.

He scoured the dungeon, finding nothing, but on his third examination, he discovered an area that was slightly different from the rest of the dungeon.

In a small corner against the dungeon wall.

"It’s less dense here than anywhere else."

The mana was usually spread out and plentiful, but in that small corner, it was limited in quantity and restrictive in its movement, rejecting outside mana.

“Interesting.”

Ian knew that the mana could think and even talk, but this was truly fascinating. Up until now, he had never seen the mana push back, so he carefully extended his hand. Then, his hand was gently sucked through.

“Huh?”

Ian paused for a moment, getting the goosebumps.

He stared at his hand, which had gone through the wall, smiling.

It's not hidden that well either.

It was doubtful anyone else would have found it, and Ian was relieved there were no traps.

He walked into the wall, passing right through it.

[You have discovered a dungeon hidden within the Class 6 dungeon of "The Dark Sorcerer’s Laboratory!”]

[There are no monsters that can harm you inside the hidden dungeon, “The Room with the Concealed Truth.” However, you will be confronted with an unimaginable reveal.]

[Keep in mind that sometimes it's better to not know the truth than to know it at all.]

How meaningful.

Ian simply bobbed his head and accepted the notification.

Chaotically spread throughout the room were several chemicals and suspicious materials.

“Woah.”

Ian recognized several of the items.

Ian picked up a rustic stone which shone dimly.

The Heart of the Gargoyle.

It was also referred to as the ‘Frozen Heart,’ an item worth hundreds of millions before Ian came to this world.

If the spirits possessed the Heart of the Gargoyle, it increased the power of the earth’s attributes. Furthermore, the stone had the ability to slow the aging process to any awakened hunter who possessed it. It was a hugely valuable item.

The dark sorcerer’s lab was filled with rare and valuable items, some Ian recognized and many he did not, but he knew that he could make a fortune if he sold the items.

Ian looked at each item, searching for those he might recognize.

"Wow... Is this the leaf from the world tree?"

Ian was in awe when he saw a green leaf with dim green energy. He had only seen it from pictures floating around on the Internet, never in person. He heard that the leaves of the world tree had a better anti-aging effect than the Heart of the Gargoyle, and that there were even cases where it awakened ordinary people.

This single item could fetch billions of dollars. 

Ian admired the leaf of the world tree, and closely examined the mana within it..

“It's crystal clear."

Not even the mana floating in the air was as clear as this. It was refined and enchanting. Ian picked it up seven times as if he were bewitched by the pure mana. Whenever he did so, it spurted mana like it was pleased.

Ian felt as though a gentle spread of mana was showering upon him.

I’ll absorb it for sure.

Although he believed it would be too much to absorb the pure mana now, he thought he could more than handle it once he grew a little stronger.

Ian kept looking around the lab and found an additional room.

The partly opened door appeared to be quite heavy, but as soon as Ian raised his hand, the stone door opened by itself.

Ian couldn’t help but gape when the door opened.

“Oh my god.”

***

It was a massive painting. Truly massive.

The first thing he saw was the dragon, a red dragon spewing its fiery breath at monsters.

It was just a painting, and yet his heart was racing at its magnificent splendor.

Ian carefully reached out and touched the dragon's tail. The painting was so big that he could only reach the tail with his hand fully extended.

Somehow the dragon felt warm, so Ian left his hand on it for a moment before taking it off.

He went on to scrutinize the painting.

Ian squinted when he saw a person on the dragon’s back.

"A Dragoon?"

One could only see them in games. No matter how many portals and monsters appeared on Earth, there were no Dragoons. Their existence was something unimaginable, and yet here they were in the painting.

He couldn't tell if this was drawn from someone’s imagination or if it was a depiction of a real event.

"It seems like a war between mankind and monsters... Were the dragons on the human’s side?"

Intrigued, Ian walked to the side, amazed that the painting extended farther.

This time, the scene changed. A dragon and the man mounted on it in the previous picture were facing each other.

This made Ian take a closer look at the dragon and the man.

Whereas most of the people in the painting had a strikingly unusual appearance, the black-haired man was a bit different.

"He resembled Ignis's father from his dreams."

Similar yes, but he wasn't him.

Ian stared at the man for a long time, before turning his gaze to the dragon.

The red dragon was exuding tremendous presence. However, it’s eyes were filled with sorrow.

"What's going on?"

Ian tilted his head.

He walked again and looked at the next picture. He found an inscription on the bottom right of the painting.

Victory is ours. I am thy king. Swallow thine enemies like the flame.

Since it seemed to be a line from the character, Ian passed by it without much thought and looked at the following picture.

This time, it wasn’t only the setting that changed, but also the characters.

"It’s the sea..."

Hell was breaking loose. There were hundreds of ships attacking each other, and a dragon was in the center of it all. Unlike the picture from before, the dragon with the blue scales was incomplete.

Ian cracked a smile seeing the dragon with a carapace for its back.

"It's not like it’s some turtle ship...”

Ian shook his head as he observed the man sitting on the dragon’s back.

His appearance was a little more Western than the man on the red dragon from earlier. Nevertheless, the disparity in his appearance compared to the people of the Panthea continent drew Ian in.

"Starting from his attire… It’s different."

What he was wearing was similar to the full plate mail armor worn by medieval knights on Earth. It was completely different from the lightweight armor that the aura-producing knights wore here.

Ian turned his gaze to the lower right.

Advance! The Spirits of Water are with us!

“…….”

The words sounded very familiar.

They were the famous words of Lancelot of the Lake from the story of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table.

"Don't tell me..."

It couldn’t be.

Ian shook his head. However, he was not allowed to give into denial.

[You are confronted with a mighty truth.]

[A quest will be given. You may choose to accept or decline it.]

[The one who seeks the truth.]

You have unearthed a difficult truth. You have identified characters from your world in the Panthea continent.

Find out what kind of people they were and how they managed to traverse to this world.

Search for an ally among them.

-Quest Completion Reward: ???

[Will you accept this quest?]

Ian was lost in his thoughts as he watched a series of windows pop up in front of him.

"So, this means he’s actually Lancelot...”

If so, who was the man he first saw?

Ian contemplated for a while before he was able to think of someone.

"…Chiwoo the Heavenly King!"

He had once been famous in the World Cup¹. 

The blazing flames on the man's body made it a high possibility that he was Chiwoo the Heavenly King, also known as the Red Devil.

"Should I accept?"

If the optional quest was level 100 that meant it was high.

Ian worried if he accepted the quest, he may not be able to clear it.

“It won’t be easy.”

He would need to put his life on the line.

It was hard to accept, but...

I want to do it.

In the end, Ian clenched and unclenched his teeth, before opening his mouth.

"I accept."

[You have accepted the quest, “The one who seeks the truth.”]

[The Spirits of Nature are watching you, who holds a piece of the truth.]

The notification rang.

At the same time, the Key to Destiny, an item which had come out of a quest, moved.

My destined partner...

…Was there?

Footnotes

¹ Referring to the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship when the Korean team, Red Devils, reached the semi-final. Their mascot is Chiwoo the Heavenly King, a legendary figure in ancient Chinese and Korean history.