We crossed another bridge, stepping onto a larger island.
"Does the System always teleport you when a new Knot appears?" I asked.
"Usually," Llewellyn answered without looking at me. "Not this time, though. I was already nearby."
Wait...
"Do you live in Baekhaven?!"
Llewellyn just hummed, his gaze fixed on the path ahead.
Damn. How had I not known this? This was my job, my hobby, and had been pretty much all I'd been thinking about in the past two years.
Of course there had been speculations online, but nothing conclusive. He'd only been photographed in Baekhaven a few times, so these days most people just assumed he lived in some small town somewhere up north, well away from the press.
Honestly, considering his fans, I was surprised he'd managed to keep this secret.
"You live in Baekhaven," I repeated, "and nobody knows?"
"Some people know." Llewellyn kept walking. "Just not the press—or those people on the Internet."
"How do you even manage that?! There are literally forums dedicated to tracking your movements."
I knew that well. We had to report anything weird or dangerous to Emma as an immediate priority.
Llewellyn glanced at me, deadpan. "I don't go out much."
His tone was flat enough that I couldn't tell if he was joking.
Well. What do you say to that?
The path ahead was getting steeper, winding up toward what looked like ruins at the top of a hill.
Soon, stone steps emerged from the grass, presumably worn smooth by time—though it was difficult to say that of a Dungeon that didn't exist until a few hours ago.
The steps kept climbing.
Llewellyn moved with grace, making the ascent look effortless. My legs, on the other hand, were already starting to burn.
A cool wind swept down from above, carrying the scent of rain. The temperature had dropped since we'd left the festival town, and the sky was now gray with clouds. My jacket wasn't meant for this weather.
"You should have proper gear," Llewellyn said, his attention back on the path. "The System provides a basic equipment allowance, which might be sufficient for your current stats. And you can always convert Oryang into Coins and buy what you want."
Not a bad thought. Maybe his trench coat was a wearable too, then.
I opened the System Shop again and navigated to the relevant section, scrolling through the listings.
Most jackets and coats looked too bulky and impractical for fighting; however, one caught my attention.
It was a pale cream trench coat—closer to off-white than pure white—muted enough that it didn't feel stark or flashy. The fabric was described as a sleek blend that repelled water, but still let you move easily.
Two rows of metallic buttons ran down its front, their symmetry softened by the coat's relaxed drape. Metal fastenings, subtle straps, buckle accents, and neatly concealed zippers gave it an understated flair.
According to the description, it also gave a moderate Attack and Defence boost and adapted to temperature changes.
It was 3,500+ Coins, which seemed a lot, but I had a contract covering full living expenses now, so I just topped up my Coins with the Oryang the System had transferred me earlier that day and selected Purchase before I could overthink it.
The coat materialized directly onto me, replacing my old jacket.
-
[System Notification: Seashell White Trench Coat equipped!
Thermal regulation active.
+15% ATK and DEF increase.
+6% Water damage bonus.]
-
The chill lifted instantly. I raised my arm, happy with how light the fabric felt. The buttons also felt satisfyingly sturdy under my fingertips.
Llewellyn nodded in approval when I mentioned thermal regulation.
The sky had darkened since we'd arrived, with clouds gathering overhead. Under our feet, the stone had crumbled away, leaving a gap in the stairs.
I edged around it carefully, keeping close to the intact side. Heights weren't usually a problem for me, but the drop was steep.
Soon, the stairs ended and we found ourselves facing a circular platform. Around the edges, strange symbols were carved into the tiles.
The moment we reached it, the entire circle lit up with a soft golden glow.
"A gate puzzle." Llewellyn walked past me.
As if responding to his voice, the symbols began to lift from the ground and rotate slowly, creating a spiral. Their movement formed a cone of light at the centre of the platform, almost like a Christmas tree.
"Great. So what do we do?"
I reached out toward the nearest floating symbol, but Llewellyn caught my wrist—lightning fast.
"Don't touch them!"
I looked at his hand, startled.
"You almost got yourself incinerated."
What? Seriously? I moved back, flinching.
It looked like I didn't have to touch the symbols for something to happen, though.
The platform rumbled, then three stone pillars rose from the ground.
Llewellyn exhaled and walked to the nearest one, examining it.
Two of the pillars had a Fire and Water symbol. However, nothing was indicated on the third one.
I frowned. "What's up with this one?"
Llewellyn pointed to the floating symbols, still spiraling, then at the keyhole in the pillar. "Those aren't just for show. They're keys. Likely, one of them works on this one."
He pulled something from his pocket, frowning, and I moved closer to take a look. "What's that?"
"Something I picked up earlier. You weren't the only one collecting things."
Guess I hadn't been that discreet.
"Thought you were too busy being heroic and scowling at that statue to loot."
Llewellyn eyed me. "Never too busy to loot," he said.
I couldn't help but snort.
"So you've been picking up random crap this whole time too?"
Apart from his initial dungeon drop, there hadn't really been much to loot.
I'd got one of those festival lanterns, thinking they might be useful if we ended up somewhere dark, and the ribbons from that deflated barrel we had chased (though, judging from the System description, they didn't seem to do much but bring festive cheer). I'd also looted one of those delivery baskets we'd collected for the baker. The Dungeon would disappear soon anyway and an enchanted basket for special deliveries seemed useful.
Llewellyn held up what looked like a small, ornate lyre. The manufacture looked delicate in the light coming from the floating symbols.
"This isn't random. Didn't you notice the lyre-shaped objects scattered throughout the town?"
Well.
"I noticed a bin," I offered helpfully.
Llewellyn gave me a flat look. "The lyres were everywhere. On the fountain. The tokens. The baker's sign. The Knight statue's belt. The children's balloons. The Kiosk."
I stared at him for a second, then glanced back at the town. Now that he mentioned it…
"Right. So what do we do with your tiny lyre?"
"It should be a carillon," Llewellyn said, frowning, turning the miniature instrument over in his hand, before holding it above the pillar. Nothing happened.
I remembered how the town's lanterns had lit up when we'd used our Elemental Magic on them.
"Should we try the same thing we did with the festival lanterns?"
"I was thinking of that," Llewellyn said. "But I don't think it's as random. See if you can find any clues around."
I wondered if I could activate Elemental Insight at will.
[System Notification: "Elemental Insight" is active!]
Good. It looked like I could.
Just as it had happened in the Distorted Realm, my vision swayed before refocusing, suddenly brighter and sharper.
A faint halo was visible around the key pillar, bearing two different magical signatures from two different Elements.
"I think we need to channel the two Elements into the lyre," I said.
Llewellyn looked at me for a moment, seemingly thinking this over. He brought his attention back to the pillar, likely using one of his skills, then nodded. "Alright," he said, finally.
I moved closer and summoned Water, right as Llewellyn summoned Fire.
A faint melody drifted out of the lyre—the same tune that had played throughout Mondwyn Harbor—then, a symbol flew out of the cone of light right toward the pillar's lock, sliding in and turning with a click.
Llewellyn hummed, satisfied.
The music coming from the lyre continued to carry the flow of Water and Fire through the key, then poured into the keyhole.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the flow split again, branching out toward the other two pillars in separate streams, each reaching its relevant pillar—Fire to one, Water to the other.
The remaining symbols flew outward, landing one by one to form a glowing path leading into the forest.
"That worked," Llewellin said, lowering the lyre.
I sighed in relief. At least I didn't get either of us incinerated.
We followed the new path, walking in comfortable silence.
The magical symbols continued to appear ahead of us, one by one, lighting up the way through the darkness.
Finally, we crossed the next bridge and stepped into the final island.
A wide, stone dais stood before us.
A System message popped up:
[System Notification: Physical contact required for Elemental Alignment.]
Well.
"How do you even deal with these when you're alone?" I asked.
Llewellyn grumbled. "I've never had to before." He shot me a sidelong look. "Which means this is probably your fault."
"Hey!" Honestly. "If anything, you're the common denominator here."
As if it didn't look like the System was doing its best to make sure Llewellyn had all the resources he needed.
Of course, that was the best course of action, but still.
Llewellyn shifted closer until our shoulders pressed lightly together.
"Let's just get it over with."
Well, fine by me. I exhaled and we used our Elemental Abilities again.
I wasn't sure why, but summoning Elemental Magic felt good, especially without the threat of a fight. It made the itch in my chest tingle slightly, but in a pleasant way.
Llewellyn, however, looked as unaffected as ever.
The stone dais lit up with our combined powers; then, the ground beneath us rumbled and a massive serpent burst from the earth, its body translucent.
The final boss.
Inside, Water sloshed as its twin eyes tracked us, as dark as black holes.