episode_0056

One of the Four Kings of the Underworld.

The druid, Kali.

Finally comes face to face with the one he has been longing to see.

“It’s a shortcut, buddy.”

|What?!!!|

He probably didn’t expect to drill a hole in the wall and go straight to the last room.

It’s a perfect ambush.

Drawing his sword, he immediately jumps down, ready to strike.

“His weakness must be there.”

The Weak Point trait activates, revealing Kali’s weak spot in his sight.

The spider’s abdomen beneath his upper body.

The venom sac inside is his vulnerable spot.

|Ahhhh!|

Thud!

Unfortunately, Kali rolled away in a hurry, so he couldn’t stab his vulnerable spot.

Despite the ambush, his reflexes are quite fast.

Especially those spider legs, numerous and fast enough to be hard to track with the eyes, caution is needed.

“Alicia, stay up there and protect.”

“Yes, got it!”

Alicia’s voice, which had been scared all along, comes alive.

Soon, Mijung also jumps down and lands lightly.

“Here.”

“Sure.”

With Mijung handing Blinny’s wooden club (enhanced +1), they are ready to fight.

However, it seems that the element of surprise has worn off, as Kali’s expression gradually becomes more relaxed.

|Ha… Haha… Hahaha…!|

No way.

Has he gone crazy?

“They said Velfegor was in trouble, and I thought it was just a bluff! I didn’t think there would be such a strong tribe! This is exciting!”

“Well, thanks.”

It seems he’s genuinely excited.

Seeing him laugh and smile without knowing his own future.

Let’s move quickly.

Since Kali is the dungeon owner, the longer the fight drags on, the more disadvantageous it is for us.

Exchanging glances with Mijung, as soon as they step forward.

“Accept my welcome!”

“Oh no!”

Crackle! Crackle!

The fixtures on the wall break, and small spiders come pouring out.

Man-eating spiders rushing in from all directions like waves.

At that moment when things seem to be screwed.

Whoosh!

“Oh?!”

A flame ignites in the air.

Simultaneously, sparks spread in all directions.

As the sparks settle on the ground, a ring of fire forms.

“Eek!”

“Eek! Eek!”

The spiders engulfed in flames scream, and the fire spreads.

The screams echo so loudly that it feels like eardrums will burst.

But it’s only for a moment.

The screams stop, and the spiders quickly burn to ashes.

The flame, now the size of a person, flickers and takes on the form of a spirit.

Unbelievably, the red light on the magic stone has disappeared.

Ifrit, this bastard…

“He really managed to break free under the protection of the gods. Damn insects.”

“What… What…! Insects!”

The Elemental Lord of Fire.

Ifrit has finally escaped from the magic stone.

In fact, this situation was the most feared.

If Ifrit had broken free, he would have tried to burn everything to the ground.

But if he escaped within the dungeon, it’s a different story.

If he had to burn something, it would be limited to this place, so there would be no need to burn the World Tree.

Ifrit must be well aware of the situation.

Burning Kali alone would resolve the situation, he must have understood that quickly.

“You reckless human. I would love to burn you first, but… the situation is urgent, so let’s deal with the insects first and then talk.”

“Good idea.”

Here, Ifrit will be our ally.

Suddenly, our forces have increased.

The Elemental Lord of Fire joins the front lines.

And I have one top-grade magic stone back to its original state.

|Wait a minute! How about we have a little chat? Huh? Kids…|

|Shut up|

On the ceiling, Alicia was protecting with magic.

On the ground, Ifrit was perfectly dealing with the small fries with flames.

And Mijeong and I were approaching from both sides, cornering Kali and attacking her.

It seemed like she knew what was coming, as the calm expression on Kali’s face disappeared, gradually turning pale.

But complacency was a mistake.

Just like with Velfegor, you never know what random trait she might have absorbed.

|Crack! Crack!|

Cornered, Kali started to resist.

The moment she opened her mouth, a web made of spider silk shot out.

Fortunately, Mijeong swiftly jumped and managed to avoid it, but

“Oh! Crap!”

I ended up getting caught in the web.

I thought I would be cut if I tried to slice through it with my sword.

But it was surprisingly sturdy and didn’t get cut.

Eventually, after being thrown back by the web and slashing my way out with my sword, I was able to escape from the web.

“Take out the most dangerous one first! You must kill her so that Draken can be safe!”

Sizzle.

Kali’s massive body moved swiftly towards us.

Dodging the flames emitted by Ifrit and the wind magic shot from the ceiling.

“You thought you could handle me one-on-one?”

As the sharp spider legs rushed towards my head to strike me down,

Kali’s eyes widened.

I wasn’t where the spider legs came down.

I had somehow passed through under Kali’s body, leaving her behind.

“What?!”

With a thud, Kali’s body leaned forward.

As a result of breaking the sound barrier with Darkia’s 0th primary diet and charging forward.

I had surpassed Kali’s reaction speed by far and sliced off her front legs.

“What just happened? Didn’t you see it? Why? How did a mere human?!”

Kali is indeed fast.

As a boss monster focused on speed, she is designed to be unbeatable in terms of speed even in the mid-to-late game.

Encountering her now in the early stages and overwhelming her with speed is unexpected.

Tei’s magic stone that has already surpassed high-end level.

On top of that, boosting stats by five times as a Paladin.

And mastering magic and training to become more proficient in magic control.

It’s a natural result.

At least until her magic runs out.

Until then, I can overwhelm Kali in all stats.

“Fast? And strong? More than me…?”

She quickly grasped the situation.

Realizing that she had no chance of winning, Kali staggered, losing her legs and gradually retreating.

Then, in an instant, she tried to escape from me.

“Rabbit! Blow the wind!”

“Understood, Great Spirit!”

However, Ifrit’s unquenchable flames burned, and Alicia’s wind spread, creating a wall of fire in an instant.

The entrance to the room was engulfed in flames.

The path was blocked.

Whoosh!

And this time, flames rose from the opposite side.

This time, a barrier was formed behind me.

The wall of fire surrounded us on all sides.

Now, inside there are only me and Kali.

“Having a quiet date?”

“No! I hate it!”

Now that I knew I could overpower Kali, it was definitely advantageous to engage in a one-on-one fight.

The others would only be a hindrance.

Alicia had good instincts.

“Keep resisting until the end. Let’s see how long you can hold out.”

“I don’t want to die! I can’t die so meaninglessly like this! I can’t face Draken without meeting him!”

But this guy seems to be quite scared.

Overwhelmed by fear, he kept stepping back repeatedly.

His body trembling as if receiving a vibration alert.

And spider silk oozed from his back.

And then Kali crouched down and sprang up immediately…

“We have to take Gil Dong with us!”

“Hey!!!”

Without rushing towards me, Kali flew to the opposite side.

Passing through the wall of fire, Kali ran towards me with the flames still burning on her body.

The direction Kali was heading towards was none other than towards Mi Jeong.

“Let’s see how you handle this one, even this one!”

“…”

But Mi Jeong was not an easy opponent despite her name.

Kali swung her legs with flames attached to them, but Mi Jeong, with her small frame and agility, easily dodged them.

I was grateful that Mi Jeong caught the aggro.

If she had gone to Alicia through the ceiling, she would have been killed without a chance.

Thanks to Ifrit extinguishing the flames, the way was clear again.

I ran towards Mi Jeong to save her.

“Mi Jeong?”

“…”

Mi Jeong suddenly looked at me and stopped in her tracks.

What is she doing?

I should dodge.

A sinister aura approached.

“…Promise.”

“What? What are you-”

Ping.

Mi Jeong took off the ring from her finger and threw it at me.

What is she trying to do?

In the moment of anger…

“Heavenly Gauntlet!”

Kurung.

Walls suddenly rose around Kali and Mi Jeong.

In an instant, they disappeared inside the spherical wall.

Klang!

I tried to stab the wall with my sword, but the blade shattered into pieces.

There was no scratch on the sphere.

Even when I punched it, it was the same.

My fingers tingled, and I was thrown back.

“No way…”

Heavenly Gauntlet.

It creates a zone that deflects all external impacts.

If that was indeed the Heavenly Gauntlet, no matter how much force you pour into it, breaking it would be impossible.

“Great Spirit! Fire!”

“Firing! You damn rabbit!”

Despite enduring intense flames and strong winds, the sphere stood its ground, trapping Mi Jeong and Kali inside.

Suddenly, I noticed the ring that had fallen on the ground, and the words I had said to Mi Jeong before came to mind.

If you feel like you’re going to die, take off the ring and die.

That ring is more valuable than your life.

“Damn it!”

When I came to my senses…

I was unknowingly hitting the sphere, my finger broken and my foot twisted.

***

Taking on the name Mi Jeong…

I lived a life that was too much for me.

I went to pick flowers and got bitten by a red-eyed wolf, bringing back a plague to the village. That was me.

I destroyed the peaceful village.

I turned the village into a living hell.

When I came to my senses, the village was engulfed in flames.

Screams echoed everywhere.

People with red eyes were attacking and eating others.

I wondered if I was the only sane one.

My hands and mouth covered in blood, and my family lying dead covered in blood, the shocking reality hit me.

I couldn’t believe that I had done all that.

So instead of accepting reality…

I decided to separate my mind from reality.

I forgot how to speak, how to think.

I lost my emotions.

I no longer wanted to live.

I wandered the mountains, unable to die, a moving corpse.

That’s all I was.

Not long after, I was captured by slave traders.

I was unsold for 10 years.

But then, someone appeared who wanted me.

“Truly, he is utterly useless and his price is ridiculously low. I want him.”

“Hahaha. I’ve never seen a customer like you before. Come this way.”

Yujin.

A strange person.

He bought an empty vessel like me, not expecting anything in return.

Just following me around.

Sometimes sucking a bit of blood.

Treating it like an object actually made me feel more at ease.

As if treating it preciously, Eugene’s touch was gentle and warm.

My frozen heart began to slowly thaw.

I wanted to face the reality that I didn’t want to see or hear before.

Lost emotions started to return.

Even towards a dead body.

Even towards the murderer who killed my family with my own hands.

I found the courage to live again.

With Eugene by my side, I felt like I could stand up again.

But ultimately, that’s just wishful thinking.

Objects are bound to break someday.

Honestly, I’ve lived a life that was beyond what I deserved.

“Ahaha! Ahaha, ahahahaha!!!”

“······.”

Surrounded by closed and sealed space.

As my whole body burned and my flesh melted away.

The spider woman in front of me continued to laugh as if going insane.

“I, one of the Four Heavenly Kings! To be in such a position as to serve the bloodsucker and the demon!”

Is there a death more valuable than sacrificing for Eugene?

The person who warmly embraced me, who was as good as dead, and brought me back to life.

Thanks to Eugene, I was revived, so my life must be spent for Eugene.

I’ve always thought that way, and I can actually sacrifice like this, feeling relieved.

“Even so, it seems like the human child values you greatly!”

“······Wrong, no. Mijung is an object. Eugene, thinks of me, as precious. No, stop.”

“Will that really be the case! Ahahahaha!”

I don’t understand what they’re saying.

I’m just an object with a little usefulness to Eugene.

Even if I die, Eugene won’t shed a single tear.

She’ll probably just regret and feel sorry for her bad luck.

It’s a bargain paid to catch this powerful monster.

Eugene will surely think that way.

And that statement is really true.

It’s fortunate that I can die instead of other precious lives.

I’m truly fortunate to be able to die.

It was just a fleeting thought.

“Worrying, aren’t you! How should I kill you to make the human child feel more pain! Let’s start with your arms and legs… Huh?!”

Crash!

With a clear sound like glass breaking.

A bright light poured down from behind.

Surprised, I turned around and saw

“······Eugene?”

“Don’t touch my object.”

It was Eugene.

Eugene, standing there with a more lost expression than ever.