Ch.3535. Until It Goes Out
by fnovelpia
“Brother, I asked what happened.”
Harald’s expression clearly showed anger.
Contrary to the promise of gathering at least twenty people, no one had arrived at the meeting place. It was a breach of contract.
It wouldn’t have been strange if he had abandoned the treasure room or whatever it was and turned his back with his companions right now.
Nevertheless, instead of immediately venting his frustration, Harald asked his question in a calm voice.
In a way, he was giving one last chance.
Yakof was a man Harald truly respected. If it had been someone else, a stranger, he would have left without a moment’s hesitation.
“P-please calm down.”
But Yakof hesitated, fumbling for an answer.
With those words, the thread of reason Harald had been forcibly holding onto snapped.
Just as Harald was about to shout something, one of the men who had been observing silently cut in abruptly.
“You talk too much.”
His tone was incredibly condescending. Everyone gathered looked at the man with shocked eyes.
Harald was no different. For a moment thinking he must have misheard, he stammered as he opened his mouth.
“…What did you say?”
“It’s utterly disgusting how you keep complaining endlessly after being graciously included. Did it not occur to you that the others might be delayed due to scheduling issues? What’s the rush when all you need is a little patience?”
Harald was speechless in the face of the continuous stream of insults. When anger rises to the top of one’s head, words often fail. That’s exactly what was happening to Harald now.
“Fuck.”
Corner twisted his face and spat out a curse.
The other companions also had hardened expressions. It was impossible not to be angry when their party leader was being insulted.
Still, it was within acceptable limits. They hadn’t drawn knives; they had only exchanged harsh words.
If a fight broke out here, that would be the real disaster. Knowing this, the others were barely suppressing their anger.
However, Chloe seemed to have different thoughts.
“You son of a bitch!”
Chloe was trembling violently, gripping her dagger tightly as if ready to pounce at any moment, and finally took a step forward.
What she intended to do was all too obvious. Rex grabbed Chloe’s shoulder.
“What!”
Chloe turned around roughly but fell silent when she met Rex’s face. Beneath his piercingly blue eyes, flames were flickering.
That gaze seemed to say that she wasn’t the only one who was angry, but now was the time to hold back.
“…Sorry.”
The surge of emotion subsided instantly. Chloe awkwardly bowed her head.
Rex silently shifted his gaze toward the man.
‘Crazy bastard.’
He had been suspicious of them, but he never imagined they would show their true colors at this moment.
“I’m sorry!”
Yakof looked around with a troubled expression and hastily spoke.
“It’s all my fault. I didn’t find any other companions. This is everyone in my party. But I swear the treasure room is right ahead. I stake my life on that.”
Harald let out a hollow laugh with an incredulous face. He understood Yakof’s intention. The situation was turning sour, and he was trying to defuse the tension.
However, his subsequent confession only made matters worse.
“Actually, these people aren’t my party members either. They’re the ones who discovered the treasure room, not me. I’m just tagging along. When they asked me to recommend a reliable party, I thought of you, but I didn’t have time to properly explain and ended up following you here.”
“…Do you take me for a fool? Expecting me to believe such nonsense?”
Rex, who had been quietly observing the conversation, inwardly agreed with the expression “nonsense.” It was an incredibly contrived excuse.
The entire story was so full of contradictions that he couldn’t even figure out where to begin pointing them out.
Moreover, if those words were true, then the excuses made by the man who had just belittled Harald were all deceptions.
Why would he talk about patience and look down on others when there was no one to wait for in the first place?
As expected, the man spoke up, not hiding his discomfort.
“Yakof. Are you insane?”
“There’s no reason to hide it anymore! Conrad, I’ll go all the way, but let them go. Since everything’s ruined anyway…”
“Well said. Isn’t it all your fault that things got ruined?”
If they were equal business partners, it would be fine to take a strong stance, but Yakof consistently defended himself with a servile attitude.
Rex narrowed his eyes and observed the opponent. It was clear that the man called Conrad was the leader of the group.
The others remained silent behind him. Cold gazes flashed beneath dark hoods.
Yakof shook his head and addressed Harald.
“I’m sorry for showing such a shameful side. You should go now. I’ll take responsibility.”
“No need to act generous. I was already planning to leave.”
Harald snapped back in a sullen tone. Yakof nodded with a bitter expression at the voice clearly filled with disappointment.
“Let’s go.”
Harald turned his back. Corner muttered while spitting a thick glob of saliva on the ground.
“Tsk. Pigs with their noses in the manure. Chicken-headed vermin soaked in sewage…”
“Corner.”
“Come on, I can’t just take insults without giving some back.”
The companions, though wearing disgruntled expressions, immediately began gathering their belongings. They felt bad, but the desire to leave this place as quickly as possible was stronger.
It was then that Conrad suddenly sneered in a dismissive tone.
“How amusing.”
Rex paused while shouldering his bag and glared at Conrad.
The others did the same, but Conrad calmly received their hostile gazes and smirked.
“It’s quite amusing to see you prattle on about leaving as you please. That’s not your choice to make. Do you really think I’ll let you go so easily?”
Harald sighed deeply and shook his head.
“We won’t reveal the location of the treasure room, so don’t worry. If you still don’t trust us—”
“I couldn’t care less about some treasure room.”
“Then what do you want?”
Conrad answered coldly without hesitation.
“Your lives.”
Harald’s expression hardened at those words.
“Combat ready.”
The party immediately drew their weapons. None of them showed fear. After all, they were all veteran adventurers hardened by battle.
In fact, people were curling their lips upward at the thought of finally being able to kill that damned bastard. Even Lady Aira had taken on a serious expression, gripping her iron mace and glaring fiercely at the opponent.
Corner and Chloe were already spewing curses in harsh voices.
“That psycho bastard! I knew it. His face looks like absolute shit.”
“Sir, you’re making a lot of sense today. Let’s cut out his tongue so he can never spout nonsense again, shall we?”
“That’s quite a brilliant idea. Chloe, are you perhaps a genius?”
“You flatter me.”
Rex frowned. It wasn’t the crude curses that bothered him.
‘Something’s wrong.’
The feeling that something was going awry kept pricking at his chest.
The sense of discomfort that had been clouding his mind since first meeting those men and coming to the 9th layer had now grown too large to ignore.
In terms of numbers alone, the advantage was on their side. Even including Yakof, there were only five of them, far fewer than seven.
Rex activated his Warrior’s Gaze to examine the enemy.
The total amount of divine power felt was similar to that of his companions. And when people of equal strength clash, the side with greater numbers usually wins.
It was an incomprehensible confidence unless they had some hidden ability.
‘Hidden ability…’
Rex twisted his lips crookedly. He had already confirmed that long ago. Opaque divine power was rising like smoke from those men.
The divine power of those who haven’t received any blessing is opaque in color.
It was just a guess, but Rex was half-certain. After all, Chloe, who had gained power from the Wind God, was emitting a bluish smoke.
His thoughts concluded with only questions remaining. The men who had been standing at a distance from Conrad approached.
Conrad murmured with a sinister smile.
“Is the chitchat over? You can keep barking if you want. We have plenty of time.”
Ignoring the mocking words, Harald pointed the tip of his halberd forward. That action was answer enough.
In response, Conrad slowly extended his hand forward. His open palm faced upward, a gesture as courteous as asking a lady to dance.
Everyone frowned at the sudden eccentricity. But Conrad, not minding at all, rather muttered to himself in an excited voice.
“O revered Pandeminus. Your humble servant has finally reached the grand finale, so please watch over me.”
Rex was the first to notice the anomaly.
A chill ran up his spine and spread throughout his body in an instant. Cold sweat trickled down his temple.
Rex widened his eyes.
‘Impossible.’
Rex saw a form that others could not see.
Pitch-black smoke, impenetrable to the eye, was rising from Conrad.
Until just now, it had been the same opaque color as the others, but everything changed the moment Conrad muttered to himself. The black darkness swelled rapidly.
“Rex.”
A hand grabbing his sleeve brought him back to his senses. Rex looked to the side. Elin was addressing him in an anxious tone.
“We need to escape. Quickly.”
Elin’s voice, always indifferent, was now trembling uncontrollably.
That sight deepened his anxiety. Rex swallowed dryly and turned his head. He intended to say they should retreat, to follow his lead as there was no time to explain.
That thought was never realized. Before Rex could speak, Conrad opened his mouth first.
[Chaotic Wave.]
Clunk.
The door to the treasure room, which had been closed all along, swung wide open. Then the companions’ bodies floated into the air.
People couldn’t move a finger, as if their bodies were bound by chains. When Conrad waved his arm, the companions were roughly thrown into the treasure room. At the same time, the power constraining their bodies disappeared.
“What the hell…!”
The companions quickly got to their feet and formed a formation. If Yakof’s words were true, this place was a den with forty orcs swarming about.
However, contrary to expectations, the interior was empty without any monsters. Only purple bloodstains were scattered across the floor.
There was no need to think long about who had killed the monsters. Conrad and his men entered the room with slow steps.
“What do you mean kill them! This is different from our agreement!”
Yakof followed behind, shouting in a bewildered voice, but when Conrad flicked his finger in annoyance, Yakof’s solar plexus caved in and he was sent flying.
Thud!
Yakof hit the wall and collapsed, coughing blood. Judging by the intermittent groans, he wasn’t dead.
“Finally, some peace and quiet.”
Conrad touched his chin with a satisfied face and then pulled something out from his breast pocket. It was a crystal ball with a dull red hue.
“Hmm, eight of them. I’m not sure if this will be enough to complete it, but we should at least try.”
Conrad placed the crystal ball on his palm and moved his lips. Then the bright red light that had been circling the crystal ball gradually intensified, illuminating the darkness of the room.
Whatever he was doing, it was clear they couldn’t just wait and see. Rex gripped his greatsword and said,
“We need to strike now. If we stand here dazed, we’ll all die.”
The companions, shocked by Conrad’s ability, were slowly regaining their senses. Though hesitant, they all nodded and began to move.
At that moment.
Thump— Everyone in the place felt the spreading vibration. A sound resembling a heartbeat came from the bright red crystal ball. The crystal ball contracted and expanded on its own like an egg about to hatch, then slowly floated upward.
“Oh! Has the life of chaos finally been completed? Even before taking eight lives!”
Seeing this, Conrad shouted in ecstasy, and the men following him prostrated themselves on the ground.
Rex breathed heavily.
It’s coming.
A being beyond comprehension was approaching this place.
Gooooo—
A sinister energy unlike anything ever felt before transmitted through the skin. The mark that had always vibrated intensely before battle was now eerily quiet. As if facing an opponent that could not be defeated even if one were to die and be reborn…
‘I was mistaken.’
Conrad wasn’t the danger. The real threat was that crystal ball.
Rex bit his tongue. It was an overwhelming pressure that he couldn’t endure otherwise. The numbed mind awakened with the dizzying pain. Belatedly remembering his other companions, Rex quickly turned around.
“Aaaah…”
“My head, my heaaad!”
People were wailing while shedding bloody tears, and then suddenly stopped moving. Their empty gazes, staring into the distance, were like extinguished torches. Rex roughly shook each one, but there was no response.
Even the most reliable Elin was trembling, clinging to Rex’s arm, unable to say anything.
“Damn it!”
This time, there truly seemed to be no way to survive.
Once a negative thought arose, a wave of despair rushed in. Rex gritted his teeth and glared at the crystal ball floating high.
And so, ‘it’ awakened.
Crack.
A long fissure appeared on the crystal ball, then it split open with a crack, revealing a giant eye. It rolled its eyeball around, scanning the people. Its gaze soon fixed on Rex.
Their eyes met.
‘Ah.’
In that moment, Rex let go of everything. It wasn’t a one-dimensional concept like resignation or despair, but rather something closer to enlightenment.
How could a mere mortal confront a god?
Rex was no longer afraid of death. Because he knew there were punishments far more terrible than dying.
‘That thing’ had many names. The Twisted Circle, the Snake That Bites Its Tail, the Spiral That Extends in All Directions… a being that encompasses all disorder in this world.
Rex groaned at the countless pieces of information continuously boring into his mind. It felt like his brain was about to boil.
“O fragment of the revered Pandemius! Bestow power upon your humble servant!”
Conrad roared at the giant eye with his arms spread wide.
The eyeball scrutinized Conrad carefully. Conrad raised the corners of his mouth with an expectant face.
At that moment, something unexpected happened to everyone gathered in this place.
Why should I do that?
A kind of mental thought, different from spoken words, was projected into Conrad’s mind.
“What?”
Conrad asked back with a confused expression. The thought was also transmitted to Rex. Rex blankly looked up at the eye.
Know your place, foolish one.
There was no pitch in the mental voice, but the displeasure was clear.
Be gone.
The eye glanced at Rex, then closed its eyelid. And it never opened again.
“Why…?”
Conrad’s hollow voice echoed through the empty chamber.
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