by Road Warrior
However, Willie’s expression remained frosty. “How will you take responsibility?”
“Isn’t it enough for me to quit? I’ll return all of the fees that were paid for the contract when I return.”
Willie Gilford had somehow placed the sharp tip of the sword against her tongue in the short pause between her words despite the fact that she had been in the middle of speaking. Her face turned white from fear, but she didn’t say anything more. If she had moved her tongue even slightly, the sword aura contained within the blade might have cut it to pieces.
“…”
Once Mimi was forced into silence, Willie looked down at the woman below him with a haughty expression. “In the Ancient Kingdom, taking responsibility means forfeiting your life, mage. Did you think that I would let someone like you to quit midway? Never.”
Willie removed the sword from her mouth, then continued speaking. “I’ll repeat this so you all can understand. Shut up and listen to it all the way to the end, and once I’ve finished speaking, remove those repulsive little homunculi from my vicinity and lead me to the tomb of the Avian King.”
Mimi had no other option but to nod her head. The humiliation made her head swell, and her legs tremble, but she could do nothing against absolute strength. Willie placed her on display in the front while continuously scolding her with degrading speeches. His derision was never ending.
I suppose this is his hobby, thought Sungchul.
Unfortunately for Willie, his lectures didn’t last much longer. A short shriek from the rear stopped him from scolding any further. At the same time, Sungchul felt a threatening presence on his back like a sticky substance.
“W-what is that?”
“It’s a monster that we’ve never seen before!”
The monstrous creature in the form of an avian that was covered in a layer of mucus appeared from a distance. The Despair of the Abyss. The creature had revealed itself once again. However, the Despair of the Abyss didn’t have its eyes set on Sungchul this time. It was headed toward Willie Gilford. The monster walked toward the man who had been blaming and chastising a child of another for the mistakes of his own.* On seeing the approaching monster, Willie quickly pulled out his sword.
“Shit. These actually were here. I thought they were talking out of their asses.”
He was deeply startled. He was peerlessly powerful in comparison to Mimi, but to the Despair of the Abyss, he was no different than any other soldier shitting themselves from fear. Despite this, he quickly regained his composure as expected of a man worthy of the title of a Champion of the Continent.
He backed up slowly with his sword emitting an aura as he pulled something out from his Soul Storage. He soon held a small lantern which contained a blue light. He pointed the lantern toward the Despair of the Abyss and spoke in a loud voice.
“Specter, lost and adrift with no knowledge of where you are, swept away by the flow of time and wandering through the ages, heed me. If you have eyes, lift up your face and gaze into this flame imbued with ancient moonlight!”
When the blue light drew closer toward it, the creature, who had been steadily moving forward, stopped. The creature looked mesmerized by the light and did not make any further movements. The others slowly began to regain their senses from the panic, and they could now clearly see the dark creature, which was even omitted from the legends, known as the Despair of the Abyss.
When Sungchul saw this, he muttered something under his breath. Ordinary people are not supposed to look at the Despair of the Abyss…
The Despair of the Abyss was not only terrifying due to its hideous appearance and its ability to drag beings into oblivion, but also because weak minded creatures looking directly at it would lose their minds and go insane. It was difficult to express the levels of horrors that comprised this terrifying creature.
“Kyaaaaa!” One of the Sword Adepts who stood looking directly at the creature suddenly held his head and screamed. Willie Gilford who had been preoccupied in dealing with the creature realized his blunder too late and shouted a warning to all around him.
“Everyone, retreat! Do not put your eyes on this creature!”
However, the command was a moment too late. Many of his men had already looked at the creature and had their minds shattered.
“Uwaaaa!!” A dwarven suicide unit member suddenly lifted his axe and decapitated his comrade whom he had just fought alongside. Fountains of blood spurted in every direction, and a bellowing battle cry roared simultaneously in the surroundings.
Wille did not lose his composure in the chaos and continued to face the Despair of the Abyss. “Begone from my sight, you who are buried by endless time!”
The Despair of the Abyss stood dumbly for a while before it turned and disappeared into the darkness. The monstrous existence that had caused the chaos had left, but the chaos had only just begun.
“Calm yourselves, everyone! All those who still hold their sanity hide behind me! Hurry!”
Willie shouted in a thunderous voice with the hope of reigning in the chaos, but it was already far too late. Mad men that had already lost themselves to the insanity were cutting down their comrades in full force, and the situation continued to deteriorate.
At that moment, Sungchul noticed a few people fleeing into different directions. One of them was Aaron Genghis. He was fleeing with the empath that always accompanied him along the rope toward the exit.
“I thought I had hit a jackpot, but it turned out to be a trap!” muttered Aaron.
The man had no qualms about abandoning his subordinates, but it looked as though he also didn’t hesitate to abandon his superior.
The other fleeing the chaos was the one that had been wrongly disciplined by Willie Gilford, the female mage.
“…worthless human beings,” said Mimi as she wrapped herself in the invisible veil and continued into the dungeon.
Sungchul had nothing more to see here. He evaded the blades flying in all directions with minimal movements in order to pass Willie. When he was passing by, Willie unintentionally looked toward Sungchul’s direction.
That guy?
Looking at Sungchul’s face and the cloth number attached to his coat, Willie turned his attention away. He shouted in a commanding voice instead, “All those who retain their sanity, listen well. Proceed to retreat to the second-floor entrance. All those who wish to live, follow at my rear!”
Sungchul ignored the command and stood before the stairs that lead to the third floor. There was nothing in his way. He re-entered the massive corridor inside which he had battled the golem.
“Krrrr…”
In the distance, another magic golem lifted its body from the ground. There was a feeling of deja vu, but the result was drastically different.
WHAM!
Sungchul’s Fal Garaz struck against the golem’s head, and it was smashed to pieces in a single blow.
“…”
Sungchul didn’t intend to play with it leisurely this time.
Training is important, but I cannot afford to take my time.
There were too many guests to attend to. He didn’t like having too many guests. Sungchul hurried across the corridor and smashed five more golems in a similar manner. It had taken forty minutes last time to deal with an obsidian golem with magic, but now it had taken only three minutes to smash all of them and reach the massive obsidian door.
“…”
Sungchul stopped before the door that obstructed his path. The door was rigged with explosives. It wasn’t suitable to break through the ceiling like last time either. The booby trap was set not only on the door, but also on all sides of the ten-meter cube room. It looked as though it was meant to obstruct any path leading down the stairs.
Sungchul put away Fal Garaz and placed the symbol of the Nahak into the altar, but the door did not open.
[You cannot enter with the symbol of the lowly.]
[Return with the symbol of the noble.]
Sungchul felt lost,
but at that moment he could feel a faint presence behind him. Sungchul simply waited for them to approach. Finally, the hooded woman underneath the invisible fog revealed herself.
“I guess you might actually be strong?”
Mimi appeared with her homunculi.
“Can we become fairies if we cross beyond this door?”
“We can take off these heavy and stinky helmets once we become fairies! I want to quickly become a lord that rules over humans!”
“Miss Mimi! Let’s ignore that human and continue down this path!”
The homunculi began to shout excitedly. Mimi struck the floor with her staff and spoke angrily. “Everyone quiet down.”
At her scolding, the five homunculi became terrified and shut their mouths.
“I apologize. My familiars were excessively loud.” Mimi put on a pretentious smile as she gave a small nod toward Sungchul. Sungchul pointed toward the obsidian door. “Can you open this door?”
“Yes. I can open the door. Not only that door, but I can also open the doors of antiquity that lie beyond this door.”
Mimi handed Sungchul a platinum-plated stick about the size of a finger.
"This is the symbol of Nahak nobility. This is my gift in return for you having taken care of those pesky golems."
Sungchul extended his hand to receive the symbol which he inserted into the slot on the altar.
[One of noble blood, you may enter]
[His Majesty awaits impatiently]
[For the restoration of the Nahak]
The eyes of the avian statue lit up and the door opened with a small tremor.
“It is quite dangerous starting from the fourth floor. I wish you luck. Even if we meet in the Tomb of the King, let us refrain from fighting. We are seeking different things.”
Sound of military boots was then heard from a distance. Sungchul and Mimi both looked back. The Sword Masters of the Ancient Kingdom and the surviving members of the suicide unit had entered the third floor.
“Find Mimi Azrael! She must be somewhere around here!” The one leading the group was not Willie Gilford, but his son, Mikhael. He was gritting his teeth.
I have to get results this time; otherwise, my brother will take my place and I will be cast into the cold.
Willie Gilford had three sons. They had all grown into brilliant Sword Masters, but their relationship couldn’t be considered friendly. It was well known that Mikhael, the second son, was far lacking in terms of talent among the three. He was inferior in every way to his brothers; in character, in intellect, and even in skill with the sword. Mikhael wasn’t one to listen to this gossip, but he could also feel that his father’s paternal devotion and expectations were dwindling as of late. He had thrown himself into this dungeon in order to regain his value. To the dungeon where almost the entire expedition of mighty veteran warriors and mages of the Ancient Kingdom had nearly been wiped out.
“Young master, do not feel rushed. As long as Master Willie has plugged the exit, Miss Azrael is but a rat in a corner. Don’t rush; instead, track her carefully, and you’ll eventually be able to find that female mage,” advised Odrias.
Butler Odrias was Mikhael’s sole ally. Mikhael, who was arrogant and self-righteous, just like his father, listened to the old butler’s word without hesitation.
“We’ve got an unwelcome guest. It might be best to split up,” said Mimi before she made a gesture after which one of her homunculi muttered an incantation which veiled them in an invisible fog. She used a teleportation magic within the fog and disappeared to another place. Her destination could not be determined.
Sungchul also hid his presence and melted into the darkness. A spiralling staircase extending down to the fourth floor was waiting for him. Sungchul quickly descended to the fourth floor.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, glints of emerald light brilliantly shined from all directions.
“Wow…” Bertelgia couldn’t help but whisper in admiration. There were clusters of green gems lining every wall along the fourth floor basement, including the ceiling.
“These are Green Stones of Luminosity. They are all entirely made from Alchemy!” Bertelgia spoke as she carefully examined the green gems exuding light before her. Sungchul slowly walked down the corridor filled with emerald lights until he noticed something lying ahead. Whatever it was, it was waiting for him. Sungchul stopped his steps and projected his voice further down the corridor.
“Who is it? Reveal yourself.”
Upon hearing his voice, a shadowy figure appeared beyond the bright lights. A hint of curiosity flickered in his eyes. What appeared within the emerald brilliance was something unexpected. A blind creature; a Cave Elf had appeared before him. It had an appearance different than the Cave Elves Sungchul had seen before, wearing a circlet made of beaks and a dress decorated with feathers. Sungchul’s Eye of Truth, his Soul Contract, activated itself.
Is it an illusion?
What appeared before him was an illusion of the Cave Elf, but it wasn’t just a simple illusion; it breathed and gave off a foul stench. It was a spell that he hadn’t come across yet.
Sungchul finished his conclusions of the situation as he spoke while looking directly at the Cave Elf. “I said to reveal your identity.”
When Sungchul asserted himself, the Cave Elf swung his staff and opened his mouth. “Kii… I-I have not c-come… to f-fight…”
Surprisingly, the Cave Elf spoke in the language of the Other World. His vocalization was airy, and the timbre of his voice sounded metallic, so it was difficult to understand, but the crowned Cave Elf undoubtedly spoke the common language of this world.
Sungchul glared at the Cave Elf and spoke in a low voice. “What is your purpose then?”
“I-I have… thoroughly witnessed… your strength. You are one… that we could never oppose… despite this… you cannot go further…”
“State the reason, blind man.”
The Cave Elf shook as though struck with fear then spoke with great difficulty in a trembling metallic voice.
“Beyond here… lies… the King of Feathers and Beaks…”
“King? The King of the Avians?”
“T-That… is correct… The accursed king… who not only buried alive… millions of my kind… but also swallowed up his own kind…”
“Are you saying that the King of Avians still lives?”
The unfamiliar cave elf muttered something unintelligible in response to this question from Sungchul. Not even Sungchul was able discern a meaning. When this undecipherable mumble came to an end, the Cave Elf slowly continued his speech.
“The King… of Feathers and Beaks… Not even you… can oppose him… He has already far surpassed… the mortal limits… and has stepped into… the realm of lesser gods… If… that thing is awakened… great disaster… will befall us…”
Those were the final words of the crowned Cave Elf. After speaking, the Cave Elf collapsed, and his entire body went up in black smoke. Another Cave Elf with a different appearance was lying in its place when the smoke had cleared.
He must have cast an illusory magic on a living body of his kin.
It was magic that he had never heard of. It could possibly be the secret magic passed down among Cave Elves from the forgotten ancient era of the past. The Cave Elves must be feeling desperate to use such a magic to warn Sungchul.
Quite an unusual thing. The King of the Avians might still be alive according to what that Cave Elf had said, but Mimi hadn’t mentioned a word about it.
He couldn’t determine which side was lying, but things like this did not bother Sungchul. As long as there was a way to gain more power, he had no choice but to push forward. Sungchul erased all suspicion from his mind and walked forth. New enemies soon blocked his path. They were the mummified avian corpses. They had a sinister aura about them which was incomparable to the one emitted by the skeletal swarm roaming on the first floor. Sungchul could feel the chill of an insidious black magic from these corpses.
Cassandra, the demonic weapon, made another appearance from the Soul Storage.
FWICK!
The heavy blow from the whip left the corpses in pieces.
At that same moment, another battle was going on somewhere nearby. Sungchul could hear an explosion rather close by along with the scream of homunculi. He headed toward the noise.
Mimi looked at the limp corpses of the avians with a cold stare. There was not a scratch on her person, but she wasn’t without losses. One of the Homunculi had lost its leg and was crawling along the floor.
“Miss Mimi… Miss Mimi… leave behind this Head of Investigations Ujira! I can’t go on.”
The homunculus had dragged himself toward Mimi as it bled from its severed limb and whispered in a quiet voice as it grabbed her skirt. Mimi looked hesitant for a while, but soon arrived at a decision.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she looked toward the other homunculi.
“New Head of Investigations Ujichu! You’ll be casting the veil this time.”
She disappeared into the darkness with the other four homunculi.
When their presence faded away, Sungchul approached the homunculus that had lost its leg. The iron mask that had covered the homunculus’s face had been crushed revealing a portion of its hideously twisted face. On seeing this, Sungchul began to wonder if these Homunculi had been formed by some other method than the one he was familiar with.
“Enhanced homunculus… poor thing.” Bertelgia spoke in a sad voice. The homunculus who had heard her voice looked toward Sungchul’s direction.
“Why are you looking at me? Are you perhaps pitying me even though you’re just some human?” The Homunculus revealed a completely different attitude from when it was talking to Mimi, filled with hostility and aggression.
“…”
Sungchul didn’t rebuke it and tossed the creature a bandage. It was some cheap styptic.
“I don’t need such things! I don’t need cheap pity!”
The bone-chilling eyes of the homunculus revealed through the crumpled iron mask began to spasm, but the homunculus applied the medicine to the critical injury. It must have felt unbearable pain as it let out a peculiar cry in agony.