A Hidden Episode.

This type of event was one you could stumble across randomly while playing the game.

Think of it as an easter egg chapter hidden around by the developers.

While it didn’t heavily influence the main storyline, it provided new information about the world’s lore or expanded the backstories of characters.

Sometimes, there were even powerful items as rewards.

*“I did study this content quite a bit.”*

I’d uploaded numerous walkthrough videos, so I’d probably uncovered at least twenty of these episodes myself.

This time was no different.

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**[EP???. How to Cross the Desert]**

\- *A Gate in the Sky, a Boy Watching the Stars* -

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This was an event triggered when you touched a specific item in a certain place.

Each player could experience it only once in their playthrough.

The stage’s difficulty was rather high, but considering the quality of the rewards, it was well worth the challenge.

After all, there were items you could only get here.

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“Wh-where is this…?”

A soft voice broke the silence.

It was none other than Regia.

The girl, who’d been immersed in confusion moments ago, had now gathered her composure and was glancing around.

Her green eyes seemed to be taking in the situation.

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“A desert, all of a sudden… We were just looking around that old shop, weren’t we?”

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The view was entirely golden.

An endless expanse of sand stretched as far as the eye could see.

The scene shifted in a surreal transition.

As I relaxed, taking in the view, the navigator murmured, seemingly lost in thought.

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“Could we be seeing an illusion…?”

“I’m not sure… Nothing feels particularly out of place, so it seems more likely to be real.”

“This… this can’t be happening.”

“Well, this is certainly an unusual situation.”

“If it’s not an illusion, then how are we supposed to explain this… landscape?”

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“Hm.”

I spoke gently.

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“It seems we’ve been caught in some sort of accident.”

“Wh-what?”

“Something must’ve been wrong with the book we touched… but I don’t know the exact details myself.”

“Right, it all happened so quickly…”

“It’s possible that the pages were enchanted with magic.”

“Ugh…”

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First, we had to come to terms with the fact that we’d been hit by an accident.

We’d been walking through the academy, lost consciousness for a moment, and opened our eyes to find ourselves stranded in the middle of a desert.

It was understandable to be flustered.

I waited patiently for Regia to settle down.

After a moment of introspection, the girl seemed to realize something else and suddenly stood up.

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“Huh?”

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She reached out into the air.

Waving her hand before her eyes, she spoke with a frozen expression.

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“M-my lord… I can’t gather mana at my fingertips.”

“What?”

“The flow of the air feels strange. I can sense mana, but whenever I try to manifest magic, it just dissipates.”

“It’s true.”

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This was the key to the current field.

A space where magic was completely nullified. In this desert, the use of mana to actualize magic was entirely prohibited.

For mages, this place was pure poison.

One traveler had called it *the land that doesn’t shine*.

Only those with extraordinary skill could overcome these restrictions.

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That’s why the roles of other positions were crucial here.

Knights, priests, shamans, summoners… we needed cards that could substitute for a mage’s firepower.

This was precisely the role Regia was to play this time.

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“It feels like my abilities are being suppressed.”

“To what extent, exactly…?”

“I don’t think I can use shadows as I usually do. At best, I might be able to create a single sword.”

“That’s… unbelievable.”

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Of course, that was a lie.

These temporary restrictions could be shrugged off if I exerted a bit of power.

But I chose to act as though my abilities were sealed.

This field wasn’t for me to shine in, after all.

I’d entered this place specifically for Regia’s growth; it wouldn’t do if I took care of everything myself.

So, I smoothly spun out my lies.

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“Since I’m a mage, too.”

“What do we do? We have no idea where we are, and I can’t even use communication magic…”

“Yes, that’s truly a problem.”

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It was about time.

I glanced around casually.

As we continued scanning the desert with uneasy expressions, we suddenly heard a faint voice.

A voice aged and worn.

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“Get out of the way! I can’t die here…!”

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It wasn’t far off.

It sounded as though someone was shouting nearby.

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“My lord! I heard something just over there…?”

“I heard it too.”

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We ran toward the source of the voice.

Upon crossing a small hill that had been blocking our view, we spotted the owner of that desperate cry.

An elderly man, hunched over, sat collapsed on the ground.

He seemed to have injured his arm.

The old man swung his arm around, shouting angrily.

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“Get away…!”

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A screech followed.

Five black scorpions were closing in on him.

We couldn’t help but furrow our brows.

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“This is…”

“What… what are those?”

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Could we even call those scorpions?

Each one was bigger than a small car.

They all looked dangerous, with their poison-filled tails poised and ready.

As if they were hunting prey.

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“I’m going in, Lady Regia.”

“Y-yes…!”

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In an instant, the situation turned urgent.

We didn’t hesitate and leaped forward, leaving faint afterimages behind.

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*Kriiieek! Krrrhrhrk-!*

The creatures let out spine-chilling roars.

Condensing a long shadow, I formed a single sword.

The obsidian blade sliced through the sandstorm.

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“Haah…!”

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I took a short breath.

I leaped toward the nearest scorpion.

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*Kiieeek-?!*

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Did it notice our presence?

The creature turned too late.

But my strike had already sliced through the air, drawing a bold arc.

In an instant, I sliced it.

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*Screeech!*

The sound of something being cut echoed vividly.

The scorpion’s tail, raised defensively, was severed cleanly.

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*Cut.*

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A tingle spread through my fingertips.

The creature, startled, staggered backward.

Not missing the opportunity, I swung the sword once more, splitting the creature in two.

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*Thunk!*

The massive body split in half.

Purple blood seeped into the sand.

It had taken no more than ten seconds.

A life ended in mere moments.

But there was no time to rest.

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*Kirrek-!*

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The gaze of the other creatures was now locked on us.

Three scorpions charged forward.

I rotated my wrist lightly, flicking my sword.

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The blade spun smoothly in response to my gesture.

The long shadow split into two short daggers.

I gripped one in each hand and launched myself at the monsters.

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*Swish-!*

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A scorpion tail swooped down toward my head.

I deftly avoided it, letting the missed strike glance off my blade.

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*Spark…!*

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Sparks flew.

I struck with both daggers, aiming for its hard shell.

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*Crunch-!*

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The scorpion’s head was crushed under the force of my blows.

I paused briefly to adjust my stance, readying myself again.

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“Hm.”

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Even without magic, these lesser creatures could be dealt with using basic swordsmanship.

I methodically dispatched the creatures one by one.

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“Stay back!”

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Beside me, Regia was struggling with one of the scorpions herself.

Though unable to use her basic spells, she managed to fend it off by swinging her bag directly at its head.

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*Thwack!*

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I wasn’t sure what was in her bag, but the sound was impressive.

Perhaps that was to be expected of a student from Galimar.

Her basic movements weren’t half bad.

Thanks to her efforts, the scorpions were swiftly taken care of.

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*Kriiiek-!*

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The last scorpion collapsed with a final scream.

Blood pooled between the grains of sand.

We were granted a brief respite.

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“Haah…”

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A sigh slipped out.

Fighting without using my lies was tiring.

Without stamina buffs, I felt my breath quickening.

It had been a while since I’d fought like this.

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Of course, thanks to my *Smiling Mask* trait, my exhaustion didn’t show outwardly.

I merely maintained a relaxed smile.

I patted Regia’s head as she panted, worn out.

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“You did well, Lady Regia.”

“Huff… Who were those giant scorpions?”

“I don’t know; I’ve never seen anything like them before.”

“They were so strong… My arm is still trembling…”

“They certainly don’t seem like ordinary creatures.”

“Haah… My lord, you were amazing. I could barely handle one, and yet, you took on four with such ease…”

“Thank you.”

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We stepped past the scattered scorpion corpses toward the old man, who was now sitting quietly nearby.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem seriously injured.

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“Excuse me… Are you all right?”

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Regia approached him carefully.

The old man, who had been staring at us blankly, finally came to his senses and let out a slight cough.

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“Cough! Cough! Thank you for saving me, young ones… You saved my life.”

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The old man wore a tattered robe.

His hair was white, and

 his face was framed by a beard and blinking blue eyes.

He had a dignified look about him.

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“Did you hurt your left arm?”

“I twisted it by mistake.”

“I’ll treat it for you! I always carry medical supplies in my bag!”

“I’m so grateful, I don’t know what to say…”

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Regia rummaged through her bag, pulling out a roll of bandages.

While she was focused on the old man’s injury, I observed his white hair over her shoulder.

An old man receiving treatment, hunched over.

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*So, we meet like this.*

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This was the pivotal character of this episode.

For the next few days, he’d be our objective and the key to escaping this field.

The player’s task here was simple.

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**[Escort the Character ‘Josh Clocker’ Safely to His Destination.]**

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Our task was to escort this elderly man safely to his destination.

The place he spoke of…

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“My children… I hate to impose, but I have a request.”

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With his pale blue eyes focused on us, he spoke, clutching his injured arm.

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“Would you, by chance, be able to take this old man… to the stars?”

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A strange request wrapped up in a single sentence.

Just like in the original game, this episode began with that line.