Infinite Regressing Knight

It was Dominic's stern voice that changed the atmosphere.

"Dave, Luke, Marshall, Jeff."

"Yes!"

"One by one, point to the east, west, south, and north with your hands. You can use your daggers if you want."

It was a sudden order, but the four soldiers checked their compasses and pointed in all directions.

"From now on, I will blindfold you. Rely on your senses and maintain the direction you initially pointed in, no matter what."

"Yes!"

"The squad leader will keep a close watch on them and report any changes immediately."

"Understood!"

"Lastly, the four adjutants will help the blindfolded ones descend. The entire unit! Descend at their pace!"

It was a strange instruction, but Dominic's intention was simple.

To determine when and from where the effects of the spatial distortion magic were being activated.

They needed to establish a baseline to escape.

The 8th Squad began to move again.

Dominic frequently checked the directions his subordinates were pointing in while moving, and Jarrot did the same.

How long had they moved like that?

He couldn't be sure exactly, but they had definitely traveled a much greater distance than before.

They had completely escaped the slope that connected to the ridge, so if they just cut through the flat ground now…

"T, that's a slash-and-burn village!"

Everyone's eyes turned to the four blindfolded soldiers.

As if mocking Dominic's intelligence, the four men were pointing in the exact same direction.

Towards the slash-and-burn village.

"..."

The direction could shift while moving.

But there was no way four men could point to one place so perfectly.

"W, what is this…"

Jarrot exhaled a sigh of astonishment.

There was no other way now.

Rather than wasting energy on meaningless acts, they had no choice but to jump into the source of all the problems.

"...Enter the village."

What followed was the same.

Except that he couldn't find the ring on his ring finger anymore.

Monsters appeared.

-Kkyaaaaaaaak!

"Do not attack."

This time, they didn't attack the monster.

Without an attack, the monster began to circle over the 8th Squad, drawing increasingly large circles.

It was eerie, as if it were counting them.

The soldiers were uneasy, but Dominic had his reasons.

He hadn't thought deeply about it when he was facing death, but there was information he could infer from the witch Velicaya's words.

"The real security system was activated?"

"Did you kill the Squirmers and enter? But how are you still alive?"

There was a high probability that the monster in front of him was the entity referred to as "Squirmers."

Otherwise, the sentence "killed the Squirmers and entered" wouldn't make sense.

Also, considering the flow of the sentences, killing that monster was the trigger to activate the security system.

'The ones in charge of security are the shadow monsters that poured out.'

If his reasoning was correct, he could prevent one of two things by not killing it.

The activation of the security system.

Or entry into an unknown space.

'I'd prefer the latter if possible.'

But judging by the way things were going, that didn't seem to be the case.

-Kkieeeeeek!

The monster circling above suddenly let out a ferocious shriek and opened its mouth wide, pouring out darkness.

The darkness fluttered like ink spreading in water.

The moment all the darkness covered the slash-and-burn village.

"Damn it!"

"A, a black moon!"

The black moon rose, and another spatial shift occurred.

"All-around defensive formation!"

Dominic, who had delivered the order, looked around.

The location had changed.

Previously, they had to fight shadow monsters pouring out from a sunken, basin-like area, but now…

'A forest.'

It was a vast forest of unimaginable scale.

And that wasn't all.

Far away, in the very center of the forest, stood a colossal tower that couldn't be adequately described with the word "gigantic."

He had never seen anything like that in any kingdom's capital.

Could it even be a structure that humans could build?

Nevertheless, the good news was that there was no shadow monster attack this time.

"Disengage the perimeter."

As Dominic sheathed his sword, the squad leader approached and cautiously opened his mouth.

"Captain, where exactly is this…?"

"We need to figure that out from now on. Divide into groups of five and gather information for 30 minutes."

A short while later, the members, making use of the search team's specialty, gathered.

"All the trees are of a species I've never seen before. They are vegetation that doesn't exist in the Tera Kingdom or countries adjacent to the Tera Kingdom."

"There's no life in the soil. I dug around but couldn't find a single bug."

"Sap is flowing from the trees. We can secure drinking water, but we don't know if it's poisonous."

While most of them were bringing up practical stories related to survival, Dominic noticed someone hesitating, looking reluctant.

"Marshall, do you have something to say?"

"Well, it feels like I'm saying something out of the blue…"

"Is there anything more out of the blue than the current situation? Speak comfortably."

"I think I've seen this place in a book that records myths."

"What?"

"A forest where despair has settled. A tower that defies the will of the heavens. Darkness that spreads like ink descends, and a space of eternal life where even death avoids…"

"Where did you see it?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it was an ancient document that compiled the myths of defying the heavens."

Most of the soldiers chuckled at Marshall's words, but Dominic was different.

-A space of eternal life where even death avoids.

This phrase flew into his mind and struck him.

He had died.

But he had woken up with his memories intact.

If this was a one-time occurrence, it would be the last opportunity given by God.

But what if it was repeated?

What if he returned to the fork at the entrance of the mountain range every time he experienced death?

Doesn't the phrase 'eternal life that even death avoids' fit perfectly?

'But why only me?'

He had probed a few soldiers while escaping from the slash-and-burn village, but none of them seemed to have memories.

The ring was the most suspicious thing, but it was also strange that the ability to transcend death was granted with just one ring.

Such a miracle was grand magic.

You can't put a dragon's breath in a lamp.

"Anyone else have any information to share?"

The soldiers added a few words, but there was no more useful information.

Dominic, having ended the information-gathering time, turned his eyes to the sky.

Darkness had fallen, but the constellations were not visible.

But even if there were no stars, humans needed to sleep.

"From now on, we will search the area and move. The top priority is to find a campsite, and the second priority is anything that can be eaten or drunk."

"Yes!"

"Jarrot, investigate the unit's food situation in detail while moving and report. If there is nothing edible in this forest, that will be all we have."

* * *

Two days after being dropped in an unknown forest.

Dominic had learned some important facts.

First, safe zones exist.

The central area where the tower is located.

The outer edge that exits the forest.

These areas are teeming with shadow monsters.

But somewhere in between, there are areas that the monsters do not invade.

As long as you don't leave those areas, you are safe from monster attacks.

'It seems they want us to stay here obediently.'

He could feel the intention to keep them tied to a specific location.

Second, other than the sap from the trees, there is nothing that humans can consume.

It could be seen as fortunate since the most important element for human survival is water.

However, the 8th Squad's food situation was not very plentiful.

If they ate sparingly, they could last twenty days.

If they rationed while maintaining combat power, it would only be a week.

A day had already passed, so they needed to do something quickly.

But the most important fact was the last one.

"...!"

"Don't come closer and reveal your identity!"

Third, the 8th Squad wasn't the only one stranded in this unknown space.

"I'll say it again. Reveal your identity."

While Jarrot stepped forward, Dominic surveyed the strangers.

Five men, one woman.

Judging by their attire, the woman was a priestess, and the men were those protecting her.

But Dominic, with his keen eyes, could see much more than that.

Meanwhile, the conversation between Jarrot and the strangers could be heard.

"I am Edgar Refli, a knight of the Tera Kingdom."

"Are you a Royal Knight?"

"That's right. Judging by your attire, you seem to be from the Kingdom Defense Army. Who are you?"

"I am Jarrot, of the Tera Defense Army. I am the squad leader of the 8th Squad."

"The Tera Defense Army? Does that mean this is the border region?"

Ironically, he was someone he knew.

He hadn't recognized him right away because of his disheveled appearance, but he realized it the moment he heard the name.

"I will use my precious sword to cut off your lowly arm in the finals."

"Hold up your severed arm and bow to me. Then the priestess waiting will reattach your arm."

Edgar Refli.

The last thing Dominic remembered from the academy.

He didn't feel any particular emotions.

After all, Edgar was just a puppet like himself.

The only difference was that he had run away from Kedrell, and Edgar sincerely cared for the Refli family.

But he was curious.

It had already been 20 years. Would Edgar remember him?

Would the seventeen-year-old boy have forgotten his mistakes and become an adult?

Dominic stood next to Jarrot.

"I am Dominic, commander of the 8th Squad of the Tera Defense Army."

Edgar's eyebrows twitched.

"You're being informal. We are knights of the Tera Royal Family, though not your direct superiors."

"I can't trust you."

"What?"

"We have been stranded in an unknown space, and the only ones we can trust are the faces we've been with for years. Aren't you the same?"

"But our..."

"The emblems of the Royal Knights engraved on your scabbards and clothes are not symbols of trust. The priestess's robes are also not symbols of trust."

"...I know your name. Dominic. The first sword of the Tera Defense Army. I heard you recently killed the pirate grandmaster Eron?"

Edgar didn't seem to remember Dominic.

He had only heard about "Squad Commander Dominic" through rumors.

But that didn't change anything.

"Since when has having good hearing become a sign of trust?"

"..."

He was clearly upset, but Edgar didn't move rashly.

The 8th Squad had twenty-two members.

They were only six.

Moreover, Dominic's words were correct.

Trying to build trust with strangers met in a strange place with just a few words was ridiculous.

What was needed now wasn't trust, but usefulness.

The most perceptive among them was the priestess.

"Commander Dominic, then how about a trade instead of trust?"

"A trade? Weren't you a priestess who bestows the word of God upon the lambs?"

"It doesn't seem like you're a lamb, nor are you the type to be touched by the word of God."

Dominic chuckled and nodded.

"Good. I'll decide whether to give you food after hearing the information. Tell me what you know about the forest."

At that moment, the eyes of the priestess and the others changed.

They hadn't said they wanted to get food with information about the forest, but the man named Dominic already knew it.

"How did you know that?"

Dominic frowned at the priestess's question.

"Isn't it obvious? A trade is about offering something the other party doesn't have."

In that sense, all they could offer was information about the forest.

What they wanted was food.

Dominic thought it was obvious, but the Royal Knights' reactions were different.