"It should be somewhere around here…"
I muttered as I looked around.
The sky, hidden behind the large trees, was gradually turning crimson.
I was wandering along the path under the faintly shimmering sunset.
It had already been three hours since I entered the Forest of Deep Time.
At first, I thought I would arrive quickly if I just walked in the direction the map indicated.
But it wasn't as easy as I thought.
Dense bushes and fog of unknown origin covered the entire forest, making it impossible to secure a wide view.
In addition, the inherent power emanating from the sanctuary suppressed the use of mana itself, so I couldn't even rely on the power of magic tools or scrolls.
I had no choice.
I was still doing manual labor to find the entrance to the ruins.
'I remember there was a passage under a certain tree...'
The problem was that I didn't know what kind of tree it was.
There were trees everywhere; how was I supposed to know which one it was?
The map provided by the system only displayed major geographical features, making it practically useless.
It only vaguely indicated the general area.
As a result, I had to spend a considerable amount of time checking every tree in the vicinity.
After what felt like an eternity,
as the sky began to darken, I finally found a tree with a small symbol near its roots.
"…Found it at last."
A sigh filled with mixed emotions escaped my lips.
I'm exhausted. I just want to lie down in bed…
'In the novel, Allen twisted a branch, and a hole appeared under the tree, revealing the passage.'
I should be able to do the same, right?
I circled the tree, twisting every branch I could find.
As I twisted the twenty-seventh branch,
-Rumble…
A faint tremor ran through my fingertips, accompanied by a subtle vibration.
Okay. Found it.
I turned my head to look at the ground on the opposite side and saw a hole large enough for a person to pass through.
I carefully stepped inside.
-Thud…
The smell of earth filled the air inside the hole.
I lit a match I had prepared beforehand, illuminating the cave.
Whether it was because no one had set foot here for a long time,
or because no one had ever set foot here before,
the passage leading to the ruins was overgrown with tree roots and small plants and animals.
"Phew… Shall we go then?"
I had wasted a lot of time, so I needed to move quickly.
The dormitory had a curfew at 10 PM.
It wouldn't be good to be late.
I started jogging through the dark underground passage.
Since I knew there were no traps or gimmicks, there was no need to be wary of my surroundings.
Soon, I reached a point where the single path split into three.
I stopped in my tracks, standing before the crossroads.
At the same time, a familiar mechanical sound rang in my ears.
-Ding!
[Sub Quest]
Title: Your Choice
Description: Choose the path you desire.
The three paths before you each lead to a room where a relic of the Goddess of Joy, the Goddess of Sorrow, and the Goddess of Fury is kept.
Choose one of the three and obtain the relic of the corresponding god.
[※Caution※]
Once you choose a path, you cannot enter the other two.
After obtaining the relic, a teleport leading back outside will automatically activate.
"Hmm…"
So it was a relic-related quest after all.
I stroked my chin, examining each path in turn.
In the original story, Allen chose the right path, the third one.
And there, he obtained the relic of the Goddess of Joy, the holy sword 'Dawn.'
'First, let's rule out the right path.'
I could steal all of Allen's other opportunities, but not the holy sword.
Later, Allen would use the power of that sword to defeat the final boss, a demon who was trying to resurrect the Demon King.
If I took the sword, there would be no way to stop the demons that would swarm in a few years.
For the sake of my future in this life, I'll avoid that one.
With that thought, I looked at the remaining two paths.
Since Allen never revisited the ruins after obtaining the relic in the original story,
it was unknown what relics lay on these two paths.
The Goddess of Sorrow and the Goddess of Fury.
"…"
Personally, I think the Goddess of Fury would be better.
The relic of the Goddess of Sorrow… just holding it sounds depressing.
I doubt anything good would come out of it.
"Yeah, the Goddess of Fury would be better. But the problem is…"
Just because I prefer the Goddess of Fury doesn't mean I can just go there.
How do I know if the Goddess of Fury is on the left or in the middle?
Even Allen in the original story wouldn't have known.
"Hmm…"
I rolled my eyes, examining the crossroads closely.
Hoping to find some kind of clue.
After a few minutes,
"Hmm…?"
I noticed something on the ground at the crossroads.
"Symbols…?"
Faint symbols were visible beneath the thick layer of dust that covered the floor.
The left path had a symbol of a red sword.
The middle path had a symbol of a blue water droplet.
And the right path had a symbol of a yellow sun.
'Could these be the symbols representing the three goddesses…?'
The yellow sun on the right obviously symbolized the Goddess of Joy.
Then, logically, the red sword on the left would represent the Goddess of Fury,
and the blue water droplet in the middle would represent the Goddess of Sorrow.
With this simple deduction, I called up the status window.
"Status window, main quest selection. I'll take the left path."
-Ding!
[First path selected.]
[Confirmation complete!]
[Teleporting to your chosen location in 5 seconds.]
"Phew… Did it work?"
Now, let's go see the relic of the Goddess of Fury…
-Ding!
[The first path cannot be selected.]
[Intervention is not permitted for relics that already have an owner.]
"What…?"
It can't be selected?
What's more, a relic that already has an owner?
What does that even…
-Ding!
[The next path will be automatically selected.]
[Second path. Teleporting to the location where the relic of the Goddess of Sorrow, Lotia, rests.]
"What?! Hey, wait…!"
-Crackle
Before I could finish my bewildered protest, a small sound rang out, and my vision went black.
.
.
.
-Thud!
With a loud thud, my body slammed onto the ground.
At the same time, my vision returned, and the darkness before my eyes brightened.
I frowned, feeling a sharp pain in my stomach.
I was standing upright before the teleport, so why did I end up sprawled on the floor…?
I dusted myself off and stood up.
Then, I looked around.
The atmosphere of the space was gloomy.
The air was chilly, unbelievably so for summer.
White frost covered the interior of the vast, cave-like space.
In the center, there was an altar shaped like a staircase,
and at the very top of the altar, a dark blue sword was embedded in stone.
'It's pretty much the same as the description in the novel.'
The altar Allen saw was filled with brilliant light instead of frost or icicles,
but other than that, it seemed almost identical.
I ascended the staircase-like path, approaching the altar.
"That sword must be the relic of the Goddess of Sorrow…"
…But seriously, this is so unfair.
Someone already owns the relic of the Goddess of Fury?
That wasn't mentioned in the original story at all.
And what's with sending me to the second path without my consent?
Why even give me a choice in the first place?
I suppressed the pointless frustration rising within me.
Well, it's already happened.
There's nothing I can do to change it.
I have to accept it.
"…"
I want to kill myself.
Reaching the top of the altar, I let out a deep sigh and reached for the sword.
Well, I haven't checked the relic's abilities yet.
Even though I'm feeling down, it's too early to be disappointed.