Chapter 33

“Ah, I can see it now too. Recommended Theater? What is this?”

“I think it’s because we used a Rare-grade Ticket, but this is the first time I’ve seen this as well.”

“Let’s see… I can roughly tell the genres, but the titles are all so vague…”

That was certainly true.

There had been many theaters with unfriendly titles before, but this time it felt especially so.

In the end, in a situation like this, it seemed there was no choice but to make a decision based on the genres listed at the end.

“Mr. Taewoon, how many theaters have you cleared? What was the difficulty like?”

“I’ve attempted two theaters with a two-and-a-half-star difficulty. Once, I had to escape a complex maze inside a mirror, and another time, I had to engage in a duel with a Level 3-rank powerhouse.”

Even though they were both two-and-a-half-star difficulty theaters, there was a clear difference between ‘The Mirror’ and ‘The Final Rampart.’

‘In the case of The Mirror… direct combat ability wasn’t particularly required.’

However, that unprecedented entity he encountered at the final moment must have possessed an overwhelming power that even Iosis or Theogenes could not approach.

In other words, it was reasonable to assume that the criteria for the difficulty set by the system focused on ‘how difficult it is to reach the Conclusion of the Theater.’

“Hmm, so that means the perceived difficulty could increase depending on whether or not one realizes the correct direction…”

“Exactly.”

Taewoon had grown significantly, but honestly, the risk was too high in a situation like this.

Since he was planning to accompany Yerin, who was a complete beginner, it could be seen as too much of a burden to realistically challenge a theater exceeding three stars.

“Personally, I don’t think there’s a need to push too hard. I believe it would be better to choose the theater with the lowest difficulty.”

“….”

Yerin, who pondered for a moment with a slight frown, soon locked eyes with Taewoon, her expression suggesting something was unsettled.

“Be honest with me. If I weren’t here, you would have chosen a Recommended Theater, right?”

“….”

“You don’t need to be that considerate. I decided to accept the proposal after weighing the risks and benefits myself. It would be counterproductive to lose out just because of that, wouldn’t it?”

She was certainly right. Although he tried to make excuses, if Taewoon had been alone, he definitely would have attempted to clear a Recommended Theater.

After all, Taewoon had already resolved to head toward higher heights.

“I prefer that as well. A half-star difference shouldn’t be that fatal. We just have to do our best.”

“Understood. Then I will select the fourth theater.”

【You have selected the theater ‘Who Opened It?’.】

【Please set your Starting Point!】

▶【Tilman’s Wandering Archaeologist】

▶【Redhook Magic Academy Guest Instructor】

▶【Ruins Hunter Low-rank Official】

‘This is…’

It was a detail he had unconsciously overlooked, but seeing it like this, there was quite a bit of information to be gained through the Starting Point.

An archaeologist, a Magic Academy guest instructor, and a Ruins Hunter.

Looking at these three keywords alone, he could roughly guess what role Taewoon was playing in this theater.

“This is hard… I can’t tell just by looking, but each must have its own pros and cons, right?”

“Yes. Most likely. Based on my previous experience, the differences depending on the choice were quite stark.”

In the end, Taewoon and Yerin agreed to take the most unremarkable option and finished their deliberation without much difficulty.

【You have selected Tilman’s Wandering Archaeologist!】

【You may select an Entry Privilege!】

▶【A Handful of Blessing】

▶【A Step of Change】

▶【A Word of Advice】

“Oh, a handful of… what is this?”

“It’s an Entry Privilege. Could you please wait and stay still for a moment?”

It would be troublesome if she touched something randomly and the decision was finalized.

Thus, Taewoon stopped Yerin and turned his gaze toward the options before him.

Indeed, which privilege would be most effective in this theater?

‘The A Step of Change privilege… was more incredible than I thought.’

He had considered various possibilities, but he had never imagined a privilege that operated in such a manner.

Particularly in the case of the ‘A Step of Change’ privilege, the biggest advantage was that Taewoon could enjoy the appropriate effect at a specific moment without having to agonize over it.

This meant it was a privilege with overwhelming stability compared to the other two.

‘However, conversely, I can’t activate the effect at the desired time, nor do I know when it will help. I have to keep in mind that the pros and cons are stark.’

Advice, blessing, and change. They were certainly privileges with distinct personalities.

And Taewoon’s choice for this theater challenge was as follows.

【You have selected an Entry Privilege!】

▶【A Step of Change】

“Oh, did you choose?”

“Yes. I selected the ‘A Step of Change’ privilege. It’s just too convenient that it activates on its own without me having to stress over it.”

“Then what should I choose? There are two items left, and since an experienced person’s judgment would be more accurate…”

Hearing that, Taewoon tilted his head in slight confusion.

“What? You can choose one too?”

“Yes. Except for the privilege you chose, the others are still lit up. It seems they are applied individually?”

It was a happy miscalculation.

Just being able to select one more privilege meant that the number of tactics they could use increased by several.

“In that case… I think it would be better for you to choose the ‘A Handful of Blessing’ privilege, Ms. Yerin.”

“Why?”

“In the case of advice, its value varies too much depending on the interpretation, and honestly, if you don’t at least have a blessing, I think it will be difficult for you to be immediately helpful in a theater of this difficulty.”

Since it was a point with clear logic, Yerin nodded without much hesitation and selected the ‘A Handful of Blessing’ privilege.

【All viewers have completed preparations to enter the theater!】

【Would you like to enter the theater ‘Who Opened It?’】

After exchanging a look, Taewoon took a deep breath and expressed his intention to enter the theater immediately.

Soon, his vision went dark, and the consciousnesses of Taewoon and Yerin began to be sucked into an unknown, giant vortex.

Immediately after opening their eyes, Taewoon and Yerin were standing in a plaza filled with antique sculptures.

A fountain was installed in the center of the plaza, and pedestrians dressed in colorful clothes occasionally passed by it.

Yerin, appearing somewhat excited, covered her mouth in surprise and blinked as she spoke.

“W-wow, this is amazing… So, we’re currently inside the theater, right?”

“Yes. From now on, we must gather information and synthesize clues to reach the Conclusion of the Theater. Let’s start by looking around.”

With that, the two immediately set off to check the cityscape.

The lifestyle seemed to be from the modern era following the Middle Ages, and judging by the endlessly bright expressions of the people and their well-kept attire, the standard of living also appeared high.

‘Anyway, is this some kind of fairly wealthy city?’

After checking the surroundings moderately, Taewoon stopped a passing pedestrian and spoke to them, and as expected, he learned that the name of this beautiful city was Tilman.

“W-what should we do now? The city is quite large, so I feel like it would take ages just to see everything…”

“For now… I think finding a place to stay should be the priority. When I searched my pockets, I found a pouch with a bit of money in it.”

Having some experience under his belt, Taewoon was able to deduce one piece of information from that fact.

‘It seems this isn’t a theater that can be cleared in just a day or two…’

If so, he had to move after securing enough leeway, keeping in mind the possibility of it becoming a long-term battle.

Taewoon and Yerin asked pedestrians for directions and headed to a recommended inn, where they were soon able to pay for two nights’ stay using 30% of their money.

“…In that case, should we assume that about a week is the time needed to see the Conclusion of this theater?”

“I’m not certain, but I don’t think so. Based on my experience so far, the theaters haven’t been that kind.”

Even during The Final Rampart, Taewoon had slept on the street a few times. In other words, it was more reasonable to view the current provision as the minimum funds provided to establish a living base.

“I think we need to steel ourselves. It might take longer than expected.”

“Ugh, yes… That’s much better than expecting something and being disappointed.”

Anyway, unless something special appeared immediately, they needed to share their opinions and decide on a future direction.

Yerin, having organized her belongings, came over to Taewoon’s room, and soon their modest meeting began.

“Mr. Taewoon, you felt it too, right? The sense of incongruity on the streets.”

“Yes. I noticed people emitting an unusual Aura lurking in various places. Some of them seemed to be paying attention to us.”

At first, he thought something was about to happen suddenly, but upon closer observation, it seemed they were each part of separate groups.

Rather than trying to pull some trick, their gazes were closer to simply being wary of Taewoon and Yerin.

“It hasn’t even been a few hours, but… it feels very complex and puzzling.”

“It usually is. Since three opportunities are given, people tend to be busy going through trial and error at first.”

Regardless, now that they had secured a shelter for the moment, it was time to call another companion to their side.

Taewoon gave a brief explanation to Yerin and activated the ‘Companion of Memories’ privilege, and soon familiar names appeared before his eyes.

【Viewing Privilege, ‘Companion of Memories’ has been activated.】

【Please select a recorded companion.】

▶The Red Man – Dawn Assembly Third-Class Solver Jain

▶The Final Rampart – Arman Kingdom Third Prince Theogenes

‘As expected.’

If this was the case, it seemed that building sufficient bonds with one another was the Activation Condition for the companion privilege, just as Taewoon had predicted.

Recalling the profile of Theogenes, who had met a quiet death on the final battlefield, Taewoon shook his head for a moment to clear his emotions and selected Jain’s name.

A mysterious cluster of light swirled around, and a young man with bronze curly hair appeared in a corner of the room as if he had existed there from the beginning.

“This place is…”

“Long time no see, Jain.”

“Mr. Taewoon? But… your Aura has changed to the point where I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Yerin covered her mouth at the amazing sight of a person appearing out of thin air, and Jain tilted his head, beginning to scrutinize Taewoon’s appearance repeatedly.