213. Glimpse of the Afterlife

Rootred summarized the events of the past three weeks.

There had been an invasion from the 6th floor, and many adventurers had died.

Additionally, the second and third of the Three Evil Women had suffered significant damage and fallen into slumber, and they still hadn’t decided how to handle the corpse of the King of the Sewer.

“So, the hunt was successful, but our side took heavy losses too.”

“Right. More importantly, there’s the remains left behind by the King of the Sewer.”

The dead Roa had been left abandoned on the 5th floor.

And the area around its remains was being contaminated in real time.

“The poison flowing from the corpse is too potent. Originally, my siblings and I planned to divide and consume it, but the toxic energy is too strong-we can’t do that now.”

“Wait, if even you can’t handle it, what are we supposed to do? We can’t just leave it there. Humans can’t even get close, right?”

“Exactly. Ordinary humans would start mutating just from approaching it, eventually melting away or degenerating into monsters.”

“Damn…”

“But I think you might be able to handle the remains.”

“Me? How?”

“If you have the Spirit Eye and Soul Chain, it might be possible.”

The creature’s remains were divided into a contaminated outer shell and the core hidden within, she explained.

In short, if I could pierce through the outer shell it had worn to exert physical force in this world and extract the hidden core inside, I could safely dispose of the King of the Sewer.

“Originally, that bastard was probably stalling for time to resurrect itself in that state. Roas are fundamentally immortal, after all.”

“So it hid its true body to prepare for resurrection.”

“Exactly. It probably made sure no one could approach so it could buy time until its revival. Predictable.”

The King of the Sewer was powerful enough to take out two of the Three Evil Women.

Given that, it was only natural it had planned for resurrection.

“First, get out of there. I’ll be waiting for you on the 5th floor.”

“Understood.”

As Rootred vanished, the dream world began to crumble.

Now I had to wake up quickly too.

-Wait…

Just as I was about to create a sword to kill myself and wake up, something appeared behind me.

A sudden presence and the chilling voice of a girl made me freeze, and in that moment, my entire body stiffened-like someone pinned under sleep paralysis.

-Hey… Stop… running away…

“Tch…”

Had the curse engraved on the Dream Ring finally activated properly?

Maybe because the Three Evil Women weren’t in perfect condition, it managed to slip out like this.

-You… make a contract… with me…

A contract? Wasn’t this bitch originally a vengeful spirit that drove people insane by giving them nightmares? Why the sudden talk of contracts?

Nowadays, every damn thing wants to make a contract with me. Seems like they all want something from me.

“What kind of contract? Can you at least let me move first?”

-No… You’ll just kill yourself right away…

“Damn.”

Busted, huh?

Well, if I’m caught, there’s nothing I can do. Might as well hear what this ring’s evil spirit wants.

“What do you want? Why do you want to make a contract with me?”

The ring’s malevolent spirit hesitated before reluctantly answering.

-Those women who contracted with you… They’re too strong… Keeping you trapped in my mansion… would be hard… So… let’s make a deal…

“Your mansion?”

-The Dream Mansion… my place… Everyone became my friends…

This crazy bitch must have imprisoned the people she killed in dreams inside a place she calls her “mansion.”

But since I have the Evil Women protecting me, she can’t touch me-so she’s offering a contract instead.

“So what do you want? Why are you trying to make a deal with me?”

-I’ll… give you access to my mansion… In return… you’ll gift me toys… How about it…?

“You want me to give you toys?”

-Yeah… Toys break… Only two are left in my mansion now… They’ll break soon too… I need new ones… Sturdy ones…

After Mabel sealed the Dream Ring, there had been no more victims.

During that time, this evil spirit must have devoured all the souls it had stored.

Naturally, its power weakened, and now it wants to replenish its souls by making a contract with me.

“That’s it, right? You need sacrifices.”

-No… I need friends… Friends…

“Friends, my ass. You call them toys?”

-…Don’t… keep making me angry…

“What the hell can you even do if I piss you off, dumbass?”

You can’t do shit when the Evil Women show up.

“If anything threatens me, you’ll just get torn apart. Know your place.”

-Stop… provoking me…

“Cut the crap. If you want a contract, either make it an equal deal or offer me something tempting. This is a terrible start.”

-I’m letting you… into my mansion…

“Why the hell would I even want to go into your mansion?”

-No… you idiot… If I open my mansion… the number of souls you can gather… will increase… Stupid bastard…

“Wait, what?”

-If I give you access to my mansion… your soul capacity will expand… You don’t even know anything…

“Hold on. Seriously?”

-Yeah… You struggle when you have too many souls, right…? I’ve seen it…

“That…”

She’s right. Sometimes, it gets hard managing too many souls with the Soul Chain.

Not to mention the capacity of my soul itself-I’ve been running out of space.

-I can… fix that…

“You’re saying opening the mansion will solve that?”

-Yeah… That’s what it was originally made for…

“Made for that?”

-Yeah… Master… made it that way… I’m just the guardian… But… one day, Master stopped coming… Must have died… I’m lonely…

So, originally, this ring was an artifact created by someone who handled souls, and this girl, the core of its curse, was its guardian.

Over time, that turned into a curse.

“What kind of toys do you want?”

-Roa’s core… That… would last me a long time…

“If I give you that, you might do something bad with it. A Roa’s core is like asking for a god’s heart. How can I trust you?”

-That’s why… we make a contract… If we can’t trust each other… we bind our souls with the contract… Dumbass…?

A fair point.

I don’t trust her, and she doesn’t trust me.

So if we make a contract binding our very existences, it solves the problem cleanly.

‘Rootred must know I’m talking to her right now. The fact she isn’t interfering means…’

She’s respecting my decision.

“Let’s make a contract. You open your mansion to me, and I’ll give you the Roa’s core.”

-Good… Betrayal means death. For you. For me.

The girl cut my palm with a knife, then did the same to her own.

-Shake hands… Our ectoplasm will mix, and we’ll be bound by the contract.

“Got it.”

This is a Blood Pact.

I’ve seen it a few times in the Labyrinth City.

You cut each other’s palms, shake hands, and share blood to seal the contract.

And so, I successfully made a contract with the ring’s evil spirit.

-How…? Feel better now?

“Yeah, I can breathe easier now.”

I had been feeling suffocated from binding too many souls with the Soul Chain.

Like I was straining against chains pulled taut.

But the moment I contracted with the ring’s spirit, the pressure vanished. The burden of all those souls chained to me was lifted at once.

-They’re now bound to our mansion, not your soul…

“So that’s why it feels easier.”

Originally, I was the vessel holding all those souls, enduring the pressure. Now, the mansion acts as the vessel instead.

I can collect far more souls now. It feels like my limit has skyrocketed.

-And… I’ll give you one more gift…

“You’re giving me something else now?”

-Yeah… It belonged to Master… But Master’s dead anyway… You take it…

She pulled a black bead from her pocket and handed it to me.

“This is…”

-Power Master gathered… Swallow it…

“If I swallow it, I’ll get stronger?”

-Your Spirit Eye… will reach the next stage… Still not as good as Master’s, though…

Swallowing this black bead would elevate my Spirit Eye further.

It’s already strong, but if it gets even stronger, the Soul Chain’s power will increase too.

“Thanks.”

-The Roa’s core… You have to give it to me…

“I will. I promise.”

I swallowed the black bead she gave me.

I don’t care what it’s made of-if it makes me stronger, I’ll take it.

-Then… bye…

The moment I swallowed the bead, the dream world shattered completely, and I could finally wake up-

‘What the-?!’

Right before waking, my enhanced Spirit Eye let me see beyond the crumbling dream.

I saw things I shouldn’t have. My head throbbed as if splitting open.

‘That’s…’

An uncountable number of souls.

Souls hidden in the shadows were moving toward something.

‘No way. There were this many?’

Souls I’d never seen before were now visible.

Maybe these weren’t just the souls of those who died in the labyrinth.

Until now, I could only see souls lingering in the labyrinth, but these didn’t seem like mere earthbound spirits.

‘They’re lining up… Where are they going?’

Could I be glimpsing the afterlife right now?

Is that the true underworld?

Maybe they’re lining up to go to heaven or hell.

Not the labyrinth’s dark side, but the afterlife itself.

‘If I could take them with me…’

What if I could call upon those who’ve already moved on?

If I could summon those lining up for annihilation and use them…

‘An army of souls would change everything.’

Before waking fully, I shouted at them.

“Hey!!! Any of you!!! Want to come back to life?!”

Did my voice reach them?

The lined-up souls turned to look at me.

And they reached out.

‘Ah-!’

But my time ran out, and their figures were swept away into the darkness.

I woke up completely.

And my Spirit Eye had grown stronger. The sensation of the Soul Chain in my hand was sharper than ever.

Now, I could probably rip souls from the living without any strain.