episode_0133
by fnovelpiaLian scratched the back of his head before moving forward. Thinking there was no one else who could pass through, the path to the next room was very short.
“Hmm.”
Standing in a large underground pupil that reminded him of a massive gymnasium, Lian’s gaze ended at a smooth wall. A huge wall, about 15 meters in both width and height, covered with intricate magic circles, stood before him.
“Should I draw the Dark Sword? No… I’ve come this far, but it feels a bit… ”
In gaming terms, obtaining the Dark Sword was no different from using cheats or hacks. Having arrived here through his own strength, he wanted to reach the end solely through his own efforts.
Due to being repeatedly caught in various traps and setbacks, his original goal of finding Pia had been somewhat forgotten.
“It’s quite an impressive magic circle, but…”
Lian approached the magic circle. The fluorescent sky-blue glowing magic circle, which seemed to be carved on the wall when viewed from afar, revealed itself as a detailed drawing upon closer inspection.
“Can’t I just erase this?”
Using the remaining fabric of his clothes, Lian lightly erased a part of the magic circle. Despite trying any magic, the indelible magic circle was effortlessly wiped away by the touch of the ‘Master.’ No, it didn’t disappear; it sparkled brightly.
Rumble…
As a part of the magic circle was damaged, it began to lose power and collapse. The beautiful light faded away, leaving behind only a dark brown drawing.
Scratch…crumble!
Gold appeared on the wall where the magic circle was drawn, then it crumbled down. Lian watched the falling debris, his eyes widening.
“Whoa!”
Swiftly dodging the falling rocks like a trickster, Lian stepped back.
“Cough, cough…!”
Dirt and dust clouded his vision. Wiping away tears flowing like a waterfall due to coughing, the dirt settled.
“Huh?”
Emerging from beyond was a Chimera crawling on all fours. With a chameleon face, human torso, lion hindquarters, and various other animal combinations, ten Chimeras appeared, drooling and eyeing their new prey.
“Uh…”
Staring blankly at the ten Chimeras, a black shadow loomed over his face.
“Eek!”
“Ack?!”
The hungry Chimeras lunged at Lian. The chameleon’s mouth opened wide, sharp teeth mercilessly biting into Lian’s shoulder. Another Chimera bit his side, while another went for his head.
As the Chimeras swallowed parts of his flesh, their bodies began to twitch and change. The more diverse the life forms synthesized by the Chimera, the higher the probability of its death.
There was one way to dramatically reduce the chance of death: absorbing and evolving from the consumed organism. The reason the Chimera attacking Lian began to change gradually was for this purpose.
For Chimeras that had evolved by consuming something since birth, it was a natural progression to consume and transform after eating Lian.
…If it hadn’t been Lian they had consumed.
“Hiss?”
When the Chimera with the chameleon head gulped down a large chunk of flesh, it felt a bubbling sensation as if carbonation was bursting inside its body. Startled by the strange feeling, the Chimera fell away from Lian, looking down at its own body.
Gurgle.
“Eek?!”
The ship began to sway wildly as if it were riding the waves. The ship lurched back and forth like a living creature before finally…
Boom!
It exploded, with chunks of chimera flesh flying in all directions, signaling the beginning.
“Kit?”
“Kihit?”
Boom! Boom!
Chimeras that had taken a bite out of Lian started bursting like balloons, one by one.
Eight chimeras rushed towards Lian, trying to grab a piece of his flesh. Two of them, unable to find a spot, circled around him, looking for an opening.
Boom! Boooom!
Only two chimeras remained intact, having failed to consume Lian. They watched their exploding comrades with blank faces.
The chimeras, unafraid even in death, began to tremble. In the dark fantasy world, chimeras were terrifying monsters that harmed humans without reason, but in this comedic world, they were just another common sight.
As a result, these creatures, driven solely by instinct, now exhibited something akin to “reason.” The remaining two chimeras, filled with fear, distanced themselves as much as possible from Lian.
“If you raise a dog, you should at least write a warning… ”
Ferocious, charging, biting wildly—these were the characteristics of comedic world dogs.
With faces made of gold, bodies entirely of iron, or alien dogs walking clumsily—the comedic world housed such a variety of canine forms that even chimeras seemed like slightly unusual dogs to Lian.
Lian, getting up and dusting himself off, appeared unchanged except for the round imprints left on his body. These were marks left by dogs in the comedic world.
“Kkiing…Nng.”
“Kkeung…”
Though he distinctly saw eyeballs popping, bellies splitting open with organs spilling out and being swallowed, Lian stood unscathed, causing the two chimeras to shiver in fear.
Lian did not feel the need to deal with the trembling chimeras, even though they resembled dogs… no, chimeras. Passing through the rubble, he stepped into the chamber where the chimeras had been confined.
Intricate patterns on the walls, pillars standing tall, a large torch burning blue—it was clearly a boss room. Lian quickly realized that the dungeon’s end was near and chuckled coolly.
“Let’s see… Ah, there’s a door over there.”
Despite the vast space, he spotted a small door and approached it immediately. Various magical runes covered the door to prevent chimeras from crossing.
Squeak.
Effortlessly wiped away by the touch of a housewife’s hand, Lian pretended to wipe sweat and opened the door.
“Where… Hm? Smaller than I thought?”
Muttering to himself, he entered a room no larger than a studio apartment. In the center of the room, an altar of unknown purpose stood, supporting a round bead the size of two adult male fists combined.
The walls, ceiling, and floor were adorned with radiant, glowing runes, shining in a deep purple hue.
‘I thought there would be a reward room or something similar. Is this the reward?’
Approaching the altar in the middle of the room, Lian looked down at the bead.
***
When Lian had just defeated the chimeras and reached the deepest part of the dungeon, the cave.
Pia, consumed by despair in the cruel reality, was biting her lips, while the old man savored Pia’s misery with delight.
‘Lian…’
Pia, as always, prayed fervently, seeking a deeper connection with Lian amidst profound despair.
“May mercy and salvation be granted to the children…”
A faint aura of holiness emanated from Pia’s body. Though not visibly apparent, an elderly man who had once wielded such holiness keenly sensed it.
“Oh, you were truly a faithful believer! In that case, I shall send you to the embrace of the gods first!”
The old man, believing sincerely that his actions were for the benefit of the divine, approached Pia with a nauseating smile. Pia maintained her stance with eyes filled with conviction.
Even if she were to die here, her determination to rescue the children burned brightly. Observing this resolve in Pia, the old man unexpectedly flashed a smile.
“Do not worry. The pain will soon end.”
Despite his kind demeanor, the swift and menacing blade he brandished was more threatening and rapid than any executioner’s. It moved at a speed beyond what Pia’s body could match. As the blade swirled towards her neck, time seemed to elongate like a stretched rubber band.
Moving as if living in a slow-motion world of her own, Pia’s body sluggishly shifted backward. In contrast, the old man moved effortlessly as if dwelling on a different temporal plane. Such was the swiftness of his movements.
At the moment the old man’s blade descended towards her neck like a predator aiming to slaughter its prey,
Clang!
The blade abruptly veered sideways and struck the cave wall. The massive rock formation making up the cave wall caved in deeply from the force of the blow.
“Grrraaah! Aaargh!”
Pia, startled by the unexpected deviation of the old man’s attack, flinched at the horrifying scream.
“Hmm… Strange?”
Was he not feigning pain, much like when he pierced her chest with a dagger?
With these thoughts in mind, she cautiously eyed the old man while subtly inching towards where the children were.
“Cough, cough! Urrgh! Kyyaaah!”
The old man clawed frantically at his chest with wrinkled hands, letting out bloodcurdling screams. His eyes bulged, skin peeled off, and blood dripped profusely.
At that moment, Lian.
“What is he using it for? Is it for fortune-telling?”
He grasped the old man’s heart firmly, caressing the pulsating surface before shaking it vigorously, akin to shaking a bottle before drinking its contents. Soon, he began rubbing the pulsating surface with delight, causing beads to fall off his palm.
“These beads that stick to my hand feel quite pleasant!”
0 Comments