ALL NOVEL Chapter 87
87. Invisible Barrier
The venue began to stir with a different kind of unease than before. The audience was in a state of panic, some were even visibly distressed.
“What the hell is going on…?”
I ran towards the exit gate and hurriedly headed for the stands.
“Arx! Wait up a second!”
Just as I was about to check on Raize and the others, Irena called out.
I turned to see her standing just before the gate, having stopped abruptly.
“What’s wrong? Did you forget something?”
“No! I can’t go any further!”
With a serious expression, Irena started pounding the air in front of her, as if there was an invisible wall.
—No, to be precise, there was something there. An invisible wall.
She didn’t seem to be joking, especially not in this situation.
“So… this is what’s causing the audience’s panic!”
The spectators were trapped by this invisible wall! Realizing they couldn’t get out because of an invisible barrier would understandably cause panic.
However, there’s a question. Why was I able to pass through the wall without being affected…?
Or am I already affected by the wall somehow? Yet, I don’t feel any damage or changes in my condition.
“
If I don’t understand, I just need to investigate! I summoned an Analyze Slime and directed it towards Irena, activating
—
Detected Barrier Magic
—
The cause was quickly identified. It was a type of magic trapping Irena and the others.
“What is
—
A magic that consumes mana to generate a transparent barrier.
It does not allow beings below level 30 to pass through.
—
“So, it’s a matter of levels…!”
The answer was simple. The reason I could pass and Irena couldn’t was because of our levels.
Apparently, even a barrier isn’t all-powerful. It can’t restrict people with high levels.
The question now is—who created this?
Was it someone related to the tournament? If so, what was their aim? No answer came to mind.
“Arx!”
As I stood there thinking, Irena called out to me while pounding on the invisible wall.
“Just leave us for now and get outside the venue!”
“But, is that okay?”
“You’re the only one free right now! I’ll look for an exit; you go see what’s happening outside!”
Irena’s suggestion was very rational.
Indeed, given the current situation, the townspeople are ‘trapped’.
If I go outside, I might find some information.
“Got it. I’ll leave it to you!”
“You bet!”
Irena and I nodded in agreement and began to act separately.
As I stepped out into the town, it was unusually quiet.
The shopping district, usually bustling with people, was completely silent. Of course, the townspeople were at the venue.
“Is anyone there…?”
I walked around the town, looking for anything unusual, anything different from the norm.
With so few people around, I released some slimes to help search for abnormalities.
“Pigi!”
After a few minutes, one slime reported with a cry.
“What happened!?”
Rushing to the scene, I found a person collapsed near the town gate. It was—someone I recognized!
“Are you alright!?”
I ran to the fallen person and realized who it was. Long green hair, a gentle, sleepy-eyed look.
“Ilza!?”
It was Ilza, the girl I met in the forest.
“Arcs…”
She was severely injured. Just looking at her wounds was painful.
I immediately summoned a Healing Slime to start her recovery.
“Ilza, tell me what happened, as much as you can.”
“…The forest is under attack. Everyone’s in danger.”
“By whom!?”
“The Lord of Tunberg territory. That’s what I heard.”
Her words shocked me.
Tunberg territory is adjacent to Ortia, separated by the forest.
“But why?”
“The lord brought an army. They intend to come to this town.”
So, they were trying to pass through the forest to bring an army to this town?
Isn’t that practically an invasion? Why now!?
The answer came quickly. The town’s lord is absent. It’s no coincidence—they targeted this moment when the Orteze family was in complete decline.
It makes sense. A barrier traps people at the venue, and the army comes in. The outcome is predictable.
In other words, this town is under attack.