episode_0179

“Huh?!”

In a damp cave,

a giant spider suddenly sat up, trembling all over.

Transformed into the form of a human girl, the spider wiped the cold sweat off her body, muttering to herself.

“A dream of death…”

She had a disturbing dream.

A dream of burning alive in flames on a mountain engulfed in fire.

Sogong found solace in the fact that it was just a dream and immediately assumed a meditative posture to begin her training.

Training after a short nap.

Training after eating.

Training after visiting the back room.

These days, it was a relentless pursuit of training to elevate her skills.

Her master, Guiho, had mentioned that Sogong possessed a talent that only came once every thousand years.

He said that for Sogong to take a day off was equivalent to others taking a ten-year break, a tremendous loss.

In other words, if she dedicated herself to training all day, she would be ten years ahead of everyone else.

“When my master and my doppelganger return, I must impress them by advancing my skills significantly!”

Sogong chuckled to herself and refocused her concentration.

She looked forward to her master rushing in, patting her on the backside, and praising her.

Unaware of what had happened to her doppelganger, who she had disconnected from in her dream…

*

“Hurry, everyone! We need to escape Elvengard quickly!”

“Lady Priestess! The search is complete! There are no missing residents!”

“Good. Are there any injured individuals who cannot be transported, Lex?”

“We have enough transportation vehicles. We are prioritizing the evacuation of the injured, including Taesu.”

The endless procession of evacuees continued.

Mia sighed softly as she looked out at the scene.

The crisis had been averted.

The Grand Elders, who had been on the verge of destroying Elvengard, had regained their senses.

Now, all they had to do was safely evacuate through the land route.

There were no casualties.

Except for a few who had been injured in the process of slowing down the steps of the Grand Elders, the losses were negligible.

Yet Mia couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“We can’t be late…”

The cold emanating from the dungeon was corroding Elvengard.

Initially, she had thought that the cold seeping out of the dungeon wouldn’t go far.

She had thought it would only slightly chill the land outside the dungeon.

But the magic network connected to the otherworldly realm emitted an endless cold, creating a vast snowfield centered around the dungeon.

The snowfield was rapidly expanding.

The roots of the World Tree were beginning to freeze.

In an hour from now, the World Tree would completely freeze and die.

Time was of the essence in many ways.

They had to flee before the cold enveloped the evacuees and froze them to death.

And Mia needed to see Yu Jin come out as soon as possible.

“It’s so cold…”

Even though they were far from the dungeon, the temperature had already dropped below freezing.

If it was this cold outside, how cold must it be inside the dungeon?

Mia pulled her cloak tighter around herself, feeling her body shivering.

The fact that the cold was still spreading meant that Yu Jin was still alive.

The conflicting emotions of wanting the cold to disappear and wanting it to remain coexisted within her.

“Ah… Elvengard is finished…”

“The World Tree is dying…”

“Don’t look back, everyone! Keep walking briskly! We can’t afford to slow down!”

Elves looked back one by one, panting.

Mia couldn’t help but feel sorry for them as she urged them forward. As long as the roots were tainted by the cold, the fate of the World Tree was sealed.

The dense foliage that enveloped Elvengard was slowly falling, one by one, like rain.

Frost was gradually creeping up the thick stems.

It felt like the land of the Frost Lord.

It seemed like it was turning into Palana.

The elves, shedding tears, orderly left Elvengard without looking back.

“289… 288… 287…”

Meanwhile.

At the back of the procession, the Frost Lord was counting numbers while gazing at the freezing World Tree.

About 25 minutes had passed since the Great Spirit stopped advancing.

Yujin’s plan had succeeded.

The transcendent’s brainwashing no longer controlled the Great Spirits.

The transcendent hastily entered the dungeon.

But even after more than 25 minutes had passed, Yujin had not emerged.

The promised 30 minutes were almost up.

As the promised time approached, Yerina felt increasingly anxious.

“Sorry. I can’t keep the promise!”

“Frost Lord?!”

Yerina, frozen in place, dashed out onto the frozen ground.

Against the flow of the evacuation procession, Yerina turned back.

Despite the protests of Jil and Yulia, they couldn’t stop Yerina from running with all her might.

Tran Sylvia followed closely behind.

Yerina drew her sword with a swift motion.

“After this is over, I’ll set you free, murderer.”

“It seems you’re quite determined. Even if you weren’t a slave, I would have helped my comrade in trouble.”

“Comrade… How close are you to Yujin?”

“We’re as close as two people who touch each other’s hearts.”

“?”

Yerina’s thoughts came to a halt.

Touching each other’s hearts?

Is that what you call being comrades?

“After all this is over, let’s have a talk, slave.”

“What? Weren’t you going to set me free?”

“Shut up.”

After everything was over, Yerina planned to interrogate Tran Sylvia and Yujin.

Of course, that was only after Yujin returned safely.

“Tran Sylvia!”

“I know!”

The frozen stone gate was revealed.

There was no time to waste in dealing with it.

When Yerina gave the signal, Tran Sylvia swiftly drew her sword and unleashed a rapid wind-wrapped sword strike.

One strike, then a retreat.

The sharp wind struck the stone gate twice, shattering it into pieces.

Just as Yerina was about to enter without slowing down.

“Huh?!”

Crash!

With a thunderous sound, the dungeon entrance collapsed.

In an instant, the rubble filled the entrance.

Yerina, taken aback, kicked the blocked entrance with all her might, but…

“No! It can’t be!”

The kick only slightly crushed the rubble.

It was insufficient to clear the blocked entrance.

From the inside, the sound of collapsing continued, indicating that the entire entrance was completely blocked.

It was impossible to break through with brute force.

Even if she cleared the stones one by one, it would take days.

Moreover, in this bone-chilling cold, she couldn’t work for so long.

“Yujin!!!!!!”

Yerina shouted at the blocked entrance.

Her desperate cries continued.

Tran Sylvia watched her with a somewhat helpless look.

.

.

.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“…I am. But I can endure. For you.”

Chop, chop.

Even my hand, stroking Mijeong, was gradually freezing and losing sensation.

Although I thought I had developed some immunity by facing the heroines and accepting Yerina’s grudge, now that an hour had passed, I felt like I couldn’t hold on any longer.

On the other hand, Mijeong was holding up quite well.

Perhaps it’s because my body lacks moisture to begin with.

It doesn’t seem like the impact would be too great even if I froze.

If I had known this would happen, I should have become a vampire too.

“Mijung.”

“······Yes.”

“We might not be able to get out of here after all.”

The moment I stepped inside, a strong intuition came over me.

This interior is Luna’s unique dungeon.

Not only is the dungeon doubled, but there are also many hidden traps.

Perhaps our fate was decided the moment we entered here.

Suddenly, I could find myself accepting and resigning to the future.

“······It’s okay. I’m here with you.”

“······.”

“······Yujin, alone. Won’t leave you, no.”

“Thank you.”

Gripping Mijung’s small hand, I let out a deep sigh.

And at that moment.

From the dark dungeon corridor, the dragging sound of footsteps begins to echo.

|This bastard······!|

Slowly emerging from the darkness, Inyeong appears.

I could once again face that repulsive face, now with broken bones and a more distorted appearance than before, making it even more grotesque.

“You’ve come back looking much better? Did you sharpen your face with sandpaper?”

|What the hell did you do! Why and how did my undead army freeze!|

“Ask Draken about that. This curse was bestowed by him.”

|Do not mention ‘that person’s’ name lightly!!!|

Luna angrily reacts as soon as Draken’s name is mentioned.

These abandoned hunting dogs are still serving their master, quite pathetic.

No matter how hard they try, Draken will never consider reinstating the Four Kings.

|Well, that doesn’t matter anymore······. You are the culprit who froze this dungeon solid, so all I have to do is kill you! Then this physical body will become a transcendental being again······! Hehehe!|

“Well. Go ahead and try to kill me. If you can.”

|I showed mercy once and you’ve become quite cocky! I didn’t leave earlier because I was afraid of you! It just wasn’t the right time to kill you! But in my unique dungeon, all abilities can be sealed!|

“······!”

The dungeon core begins to emit light.

Suddenly, I feel the energy draining from my body.

Not only magic but also mana are completely absent.

Trying to use a skill in surprise, only the message [Skill usage is restricted here.] appears.

No skill can be activated.

And the same goes for the Paladin.

[Stats]

[Strength: 20 *Paladin penalty failed]

[Health: 45 *Paladin penalty failed]

[Mana: 50 *Paladin penalty failed]

[Agility: 28 *Paladin penalty failed]

[Luck: 10 *Paladin penalty failed]

The inflated stats return to their original state.

Not even close to a transcendent being, my physical abilities are now less than that of an ordinary knight.

|Strength and weakness are not determined by the number of abilities! It’s determined by one’s own power! Are you finally facing reality, human?|

My body feels heavy.

The armor and sword feel like a ton.

The cold makes my frozen body feel even heavier.

|Hehehehehe! Breaking the dungeon core is useless! It’s just for show! There are hundreds more dungeon cores in this dungeon!|

“······.”

I quickly shattered the shining dungeon core, but the ability sealing effect remains.

|Do you think I kindly asked you to please break the core and brought it here? Hehehehehe!|

That’s exactly right.

The original structure of dungeons tends to have some rules.

Intelligent Four Kings who break free from such constraints don’t necessarily need to design dungeons kindly.

If they can adjust it at will, it’s advantageous to make it difficult to defeat.

In the case of Kali’s unique dungeon, the dungeon core was inside Kali’s body.

In Luna’s case, there are multiple dungeon cores.

There must be some bastards whose minds only turn towards the worst.

But no matter how poorly designed it may be.

There is a common method of defeating them.

“This dungeon can never be defeated! Hehehehe!”

“You’re talking nonsense. In the end, won’t the dungeon disappear when you die? It’s your unique dungeon.”

“Me? You’re going to kill me? You-”

Luna momentarily wore a dumbfounded expression, tilting her head.

After staring at me in confusion for a while, she burst into laughter.

“Hehehehehe! How are you going to kill me! With the body of a weak mortal who can’t even use any abilities! Look! Just by raising your sword, your arm is trembling, isn’t it! On the other hand, even if this body is not a transcendental being, it is fundamentally superior to a human in strength, stamina, and senses! When you swing your sword once, I can stab you more than three times! How are you going to kill me-”

Swish!

At that moment, Luna’s cheek, which was flushed with anger, was cut, leaving a wound.

The crimson blood flowed out, freezing instantly in the cold.

Luna, who had been touching her cheek for a moment, looked at me.

With an old sword in hand, aimed at me in the air.

She still had a puzzled expression as if she didn’t quite understand.

“Eh, what-?”

“You talk too much.”

Swish! Swish!

A quick follow-up action with a continuous strike.

The sword strike of the Iron Blood Storm Strike swept over Luna in an instant.

Indeed, there was no instance of limbs being shattered by a single sword strike, even if the human body was tens of times stronger.

Luna, severely injured, fled while bleeding profusely, but eventually fell to the ground.

The flowing blood froze into ice in an instant.

“Why?! If my abilities were sealed, how are you using them?!”

“Upon reflection, your words seem to be correct. Strength is not determined by the number of abilities. Strength originates from within, not the body.”

What determines strength and weakness is neither special nor rare abilities, nor the physical strength of the body.

What is important is a strong inner self.

The readiness to wield powerful strength.

The power trained in this way remains within me forever.

Unlike the illusory power lost when the body is lost.

The Iron Blood Storm Strike I personally realized and mastered will never disappear!

“No! No! I can’t lose to a mere human-!”

Perhaps due to her greatly weakened body.

The power of the sword strike of the Iron Blood Storm Strike seemed to have somewhat diminished.

While being beaten mercilessly, Luna continued to scream without a break.

Luna kept trying to counterattack, but the attacks of a person with no skills or techniques were no match for me.

But finally, my sword strike succeeded in cutting off all of Luna’s limbs.

I reached out to Luna’s transcendental body that was writhing helplessly.

“Now it’s time for you to journey to the afterlife.”

“W-what-?!”

Luna’s expression changed as soon as she saw my hand.

Although she may not know about the afterlife, she seemed to sense something ominous.

Luna, who was about to quickly abandon her physical body and flee, was met by my hand first.

“Thank you for your hard work. I express infinite gratitude for your efforts. When you visit the afterlife, I will repay you greatly.”

“Don’t make such a harsh sound······.”

|Ah?! Ah! Aaaah!!! Why isn’t it working? Why can’t I escape? What’s holding me back? Where am I being dragged to? Aaaah!!!|

|Where you’re being dragged to. It’s the place that will be your new home! Hahaha! You’ve been caught by a big fish! The catch is substantial!|

|Aaaahhhhh!!!|

In an instant, a dark, murky shadow spewed out from my hand and enveloped Luna’s body.

Luna writhed in agony, screaming desperately.

The darkness gradually gathered towards the chest of her body.

Soon, it formed into a sphere containing something shining inside, floating in the air.

Even as Luna was being dragged towards the passage by the Grim Reaper, she was incredibly loud.

|Are you in your right mind? Do you know what will happen if you kill me?! If my soul is dragged and destroyed, my unique dungeon will collapse!|

“And the cold that covered Elvengard will disappear. Winter will pass, and spring will come.”

|You fool! Is that all you care about! The dungeon will collapse! How do you plan to escape from this deep place! You and your woman will be buried under countless rocks and die a miserable death! If you don’t want that, then tear apart this darkness right now and save me-|

“That’s what I desired.”

|······!|

Surprise.

Such determination rose from the entity that formed into a soul.

With a sardonic smile, I quietly murmured.

“A person may not be able to choose the fate they are born with, but they should be able to choose how they die.”

“What nonsense is that!!!”

Luna will never understand me to the end.

Afraid to put an end to her own life, she extended her wretched existence by devouring others.

Luna will never understand the value of a human life that is fleeting yet precious.

“Human beings are creatures burdened with the fate of mortality. Those who are born will inevitably die. I briefly escaped that fate and repeated an endless life······. That’s why I realized. How one lives is important, but how one dies is even more crucial. My fate ends here by erasing you.”

“You bastard!!!!!!”

The writhing entity seemed as if it would devour me.

But the approaching screams were swallowed by the darkness, echoing and disappearing.

Whirling into the gap of dimensions without leaving a trace.

“Is it over······.”

Luna’s body, twisted like a withered mirage, had changed as well.

No longer did I sense any signs of life from her.

The expression of the Grim Reaper within me had also vanished.

Along with it, the dungeon cores embedded in all directions lost their light and went out.

The cold that seemed to kill me had also disappeared.

All the dungeon cores were destroyed due to Luna’s demise.

It’s a success.

It’s all over.

We won.

“Ah······. Dammit······.”

Crash!

The sound of the dungeon collapsing resonated from the entrance.

I need to get out.

I have to get out quickly.

But my body doesn’t listen.

I’m exhausted.

My magic is depleted, my body is weakened, the freezing cold seems to freeze my heart, and on top of that, the damage from facing the Grim Reaper all hit me at once.

“The Celestial Gauntlet······.”

Perhaps due to magic depletion, I can’t even activate the Celestial Gauntlet.

If I draw on Mijung’s magic, I might be able to activate it for about 10 seconds.

But the problem lies beyond that.

It’s an impossible situation.

“Damn it······.”

I tried to put on a brave front, but in reality, I wasn’t prepared to die.

I had planned to leap quickly and escape somehow.

But when I tried to stand up, my body lacked the strength I had anticipated, and the dungeon was collapsing faster than I had expected.

There is no way to avoid death.

But as I mentioned earlier, I have fulfilled my destiny.

This is the path I have chosen for myself, and despite any lingering regrets, I have no room for remorse.

“I’m sorry.”

I embraced Mijeong tightly.

Even as debris continued to rain down from the ceiling without respite.

It was a fleeting thought, wondering if by shielding her, Mijeong could survive.

“I’m really sorry, to the point of death…”

The faces of the heroines flashed before my eyes.

Is this the end?

As death approaches, a myriad of thoughts flood my mind.

Above all, I feel an overwhelming sense of guilt towards the heroines.

I have committed sins, and though I had hoped to atone for them, I am now on the verge of death.

How much pain will I inflict upon them?

It seems that the words of the god of the afterlife, “Let’s meet again someday,” will become a reality.

As I entertain such foolish thoughts, a bitter laugh escapes me.

“Ugh…”

However, amidst all this, Mijeong seemed to be getting increasingly agitated, squirming in my arms.

Perplexed, I looked up, only to see Mijeong pulling something out of my pocket and holding it in her hand.

“This…”

Longinus’s spear.

A device that pierces through dimensions, creating a passage to another realm.

…And without a navigator, it’s a defective item with no way of setting a destination or returning.

“You can’t use that… We can’t set a destination or figure out how to come back…”

“Just… keep it. If you use it, you might survive. It’s a chance to live.”

“…”

I thought it was nonsensical nonsense.

99.99% of the dimensional rifts are empty.

In other words, it’s nothingness.

It’s impossible for a person to survive there.

In other words.

There’s a slim 0.01% chance of survival.

There’s a possibility of landing in a place in another dimension where people can survive.

It’s a very small chance, but it’s not zero.

Staying here means a 100% chance of death, but using Longinus’s spear gives us a chance to survive.

“Let’s go.”

“Ugh… I don’t know! Fine, let’s go! Don’t let go of my hand, Mijeong! If we get separated, we’ll never see each other again!”

“Okay!”

Mijeong and I held onto Longinus’s spear together.

Squeezing out the last bit of magic left in our bodies, we poured it into the spear.

In an instant, the ceiling collapsed completely, rocks tumbling down.

A flash.

The space distorted.

And my vision changed abruptly.