episode_0035

Flames began to flicker from Karen’s blade.

A feeble fire, so pitiful it would be embarrassing to compare it to that of an Archmage or even a fire spirit.

Yet, no matter how meager those flames were, they would never be extinguished—

Not as long as her hatred toward the Eroded remained unquenched.

That was her innate ability.

To be precise, it was more like the faintest ember of an ability that had yet to fully bloom.

“Huuup!”

The flames enveloping her greatsword flared brilliantly as they surged toward the Melancholy Erosion.

—Schhk!

Karen’s scorching fire seared the long, gaping wound left on the Melancholy Erosion.

But as she did so, a cobalt-blue Sorrow Erosion lunged viciously at her flank.

“Get lost!”

Karen kicked the Sorrow Erosion away with a fierce stomp of her boot, then swiftly retrieved her greatsword and resumed her assault.

Her movements were fluid, efficient, devoid of any waste—so much so that I couldn’t help but let out an impressed sigh.

‘Honestly, it’s fascinating.’

Karen had never once received formal combat training.

She’d never had the luxury to pay for such lessons, nor had she ever placed enough trust in anyone to learn from them.

It wasn’t by choice. Her circumstances had forced her hand.

And yet, despite that, she wielded an instinct for battle so sharp it was hard to believe she was self-taught.

Where did that instinct come from?

Was it the natural talent of Karen, this world’s protagonist?

Or was it the desperate struggle of a fragile life, clinging to survival in a land devoid of even the faintest hope?

Whatever the case, I couldn’t help but respect her.

As someone who had walked the same path just one step ahead of her—

I knew all too well the hardships she had endured, and those still awaiting her.

“……”

After cleaving through the last Melancholy Erosion, Karen closed her eyes for a moment and steadied her breathing.

“…I can do this. Let’s go.”

Muttering those short words, she pressed deeper into the dungeon.

Was that whisper meant for me—or for herself?

I didn’t dare guess.

The dungeon was far larger than I’d expected.

After about an hour of traversing its depths, I found myself tilting my head in confusion. ‘Was it always this long?’

But soon, the answer came to me naturally.

‘The game couldn’t fully capture this world.’

When I first arrived in this world,

I realized Providence was far vaster and more intricate than I’d imagined.

The medium of a game simply couldn’t convey the true scale of this place.

So, naturally, this dungeon was also much larger than its in-game counterpart.

Not that it changed much—aside from making the run a little longer.

And so, we pressed on.

—Schhk!

Cutting down Melancholy Erosions.

—Thud!

Stabbing through Sorrow Erosions.

We advanced relentlessly, tearing through the Eroded that sought to drag us into the abyss.

Taking occasional breaks, we steadily cleared the dungeon until, at last, we stood before the final gate.

Carved into the massive door was an indecipherable script.

“Ancient language,” Karen murmured, scanning the inscription.

I pulled out my smartphone and replied,

“Yeah. Back in the day, people had to translate these manually. Thank goodness times have changed.”

Nowadays, most ancient languages could be deciphered with translation apps.

Click. After snapping a photo, the app quickly processed the text, and the meaning appeared before us.

It has no weight, no form.

Yet it presses upon our eyelids, bearing down endlessly upon our chests.

It has been with us since birth,

Yet it always seeks to drag us into the silent depths.

What is this unseen thing?

A riddle, asking for the identity of ‘this.’

“…What the hell is this? I don’t get it at all.”

Karen scowled after skimming the riddle, her tone laced with irritation.

Even in the game, she’d reacted the same way upon seeing this puzzle.

Karen was always a bit weak in areas requiring creative thinking, like quizzes.

Originally, it was Porun, the intelligence-focused character from Class D, who solved this riddle. But since Porun wasn’t here, I’d have to step in.

“The answer: Despair.”

I stepped forward and declared it aloud.

And then—

—Groooan…!

The massive gate before us began to creak open.

Dust cascaded down like snow, as though the door had stood untouched for centuries.

The reason the answer was ‘Despair’ was simple.

The emotion that permeated this dungeon was ‘Despair.’

Despair has no weight, no form.

Yet it presses upon our eyelids, bearing down endlessly upon our chests.

It has been with us since birth,

Yet it always seeks to drag us into the silent depths.

This wasn’t a riddle you could solve just by reading it—you had to understand why such a question was placed in this dungeon.

“Did you know the answer beforehand?”

“What if I said I figured it out just now? Would you believe me?”

“No.”

“Smart. Ask me later if you’re curious. I’ll explain why that’s the answer. But for now…”

Beyond the half-opened door, a massive coffin came into view.

“…We don’t have the time. Get ready.”

“Boss fight.”

Her quick understanding despite my vague wording made me smile.

We advanced slowly, cautiously, toward the lone coffin in the spacious chamber.

And when we were roughly ten meters away—

—CRASH!

Something burst out, shattering the coffin lid.

A deep indigo Erosion, as though embodying the unfathomable depths of the abyss.

The boss of this dungeon—the Despair Erosion.

As it rose, smashing through the coffin lid—

I immediately leased a Persona and lunged at the creature before it could fully stand, slashing with a chisel and scissors.

“…..!”

But, as expected of the Despair Erosion—

Unlike the others, my weapons barely pierced its flesh.

The limits of a 2-star Persona, I supposed.

If this thing had been a demon instead of an Erosion, my titles might’ve at least allowed me to deal some damage.

Ignoring my feeble attacks, the Despair Erosion roared and swung its fist.

—!!!

The eerie, horrifying roar froze me for an instant, but thanks to predicting its movement, I barely managed to dodge.

I drove my chisel into its exposed elbow as it overextended.

The concentrated thrust managed to pierce its flesh, but—

‘Just as I thought.’

Perhaps because it lacked proper joints, the Despair Erosion showed no hesitation and immediately launched another attack.

Its movements were too fast to follow.

A terrible matchup for the Artist Persona.

As I barely evaded its relentless assault—

—Schhk!

Karen’s greatsword severed one of the Erosion’s arms in an instant.

The sheer mass of the blade and Karen’s immense strength produced destructive force the Despair Erosion couldn’t withstand.

With one arm gone, the creature immediately switched targets from me to Karen, charging at her.

My expression stiffened.

I wasn’t sure if Karen could handle the Despair Erosion’s speed and power.

Even I, with my evasion skills, had struggled—how could Karen, wielding a heavy greatsword, endure?

Worse, since Karen was the only one who could deal meaningful damage, drawing the boss’s attention to her was disastrous.

So, I had to force its focus back onto me.

I needed to buy her time for a decisive strike.

“Hyaa!!”

Leasing the Angler Persona, I immediately lashed out with my fishing rod.

The line coiled around the Despair Erosion like a living thing, pulling taut.

It was successfully restrained.

But there was one thing I hadn’t anticipated.

‘What kind of monstrous strength…?!’

Even though I was the one binding it, I was the one being dragged along instead.

At this rate, the line would snap soon.

If even the Angler Persona couldn’t hold it, then there was only one option left.

To use that last resort, I needed to get close.

So, I had to gamble.

Gritting my teeth, I poured all my strength into yanking the rod back.

For a brief moment, the Despair Erosion’s movement halted—but then, as if annoyed by my struggle, it yanked the line back with terrifying force.

My body lifted into the air, hurling toward the creature.

Perfect.

Closing the distance in an instant, I canceled my Persona Lease—

And for the first time in a long while, leased that Persona.