Chapter 574 – SomeiyoShino (13)

Taking a step back, hips thrust forward.

– Whoo!

The heel of my leading foot pivots to the right. My hands come together, garnishing the power of the danjeon.

The dark magical energy, having coursed through the danjeon, responds at the point where my hands and arms meet, exploding forward like a thunderbolt, alongside the stretched palm.

– Kwaah!

An instantaneous burst of wind pressure.

The walls of the dungeon crumble all around. The earth sinks, and the heavens quake.
Standing atop the shattered crust, as if a meteorite had made its impact, I am acutely aware of my deficiency.

“It’s insufficient.”

More, much more, if it were Mugung in his prime,
If it were my master, even more so,

Especially if it were the first Heavenly Demon, the one who passed down this corrupted magic.

The Flower. The World Tree. King Mokryeong of the previous era. Perhaps even the powerful deity who could seize and release everything from above.
The stronger I became, the more I felt a numbing insufficiency.
Even after over two years of relentless training, there were more than a few areas for improvement. The more I recognized this, the more my stance crumbled. There had been a time when I was trapped in a horrific slump, unable to wield the Heavenly Demon’s Art for a while.

‘I must break it down and rebuild.’

I have to refine my skills, and temper my body, so these techniques align perfectly with my form.

All the power I wielded was tailored around the wooden seal.
Being human, the finer aspects didn’t suit me, and now, having transcended the realm, my physical makeup significantly differed from humans and those of the wooden race.

‘It can’t coexist with the power of the King. Using both forces simultaneously might be possible but… the duration is painfully brief.’

Potential at its limit.
There was no one to guide me, the one who had fled under the guise of death.

It began when I agreed to succeed the King.
When my master split his mind to save me. When I accepted the sage’s proposal.

From that moment, I had to become a King, leading the forces, no longer someone who was supported. I couldn’t show weakness to anyone.

‘There has to be a way.’

Without anyone’s advice, without any special opportunity.

I set aside what I had already grasped. Instead of following others, I carve out my own path.
I know it’s difficult.

How did my master clear this congested bloodline? What did my enemies do to possess such power?

On a seemingly endless desert, pushing against the headwind, inching my way forward.
The grains of sand entering the mouth strike the uvula, causing a choking sensation.
The trembling that floods in when I roll my tongue around my mouth. Is this truly the end? With this power, conquering the land is out of reach.

“One more time.”

I squeeze out the magical energy. As blood courses through my body, red sweat trickles across my skin.
My chin slackens. My vision tinges with red due to the engorged vessels.

Every time I escaped the dungeon and returned to the sage’s embrace, I was always on the brink of death.

It was not mighty fiends that shaved my lifespan and whittled my physique, but my own obstinance and tenacity.

—

“Remarkable.”

The memory of three years, so stretched it was nebulous.

Venice, who lent her ears to each of my words, smiled in satisfaction, gently brushing her hand across my forehead.

The hand of the elf was extraordinarily soft and cool, a sensation I found pleasing. Even the thighs of the one who was choking me, upon closer scrutiny, held a rapturous touch.

“So, have you found your answer?”
“I am still breathing, aren’t I?”

I had reached the precipice of enlightenment within less than a year of arriving in this world. If one were to consider the time spent in the past, it is indeed the case.

A year, the span it takes for a tree’s flowers to bloom and wither.
During that year, due to the exhaustive deployment of my intellect, I encountered difficulties in sprouting the next bud.

‘In my perception, a day felt like a month.’

The moment you gather and harness your power, a Hunter can fragment the flow of time and utilize it. An hour, which in the comfort of home, lying on a plush bed while gazing at a throat tube, would flit by, feels like an entire day to a Hunter.

“Holed up in a dungeon all day… you went without sleep for a week.”
“I can understand why you resort to medication.”
“It was time well spent. And you, what about you?”

Venice responded to my query with a bitter smile.

“I couldn’t claim to have experienced such an extraordinary time as you.”

Tell me everything, I implored.
I took the time to divulge to Venice things I had never shared with anyone before, and now it was her turn.

Venice began her tale, her gaze lowered as if she had no intention of obscuring anything. The delicate hand of the elf tapped on the bridge of my nose.

“I was a criminal, a remnant of this dungeon. Slaying spirits. If they revive, I slay again…. Perhaps that was when this dungeon was first created.”

Venice was a woman who caused a triad of disturbances at the second gateway.

Engaging in deeds of questionable quality, and being consumed solely as a resource for trials.
She was an entity that fit the description of an NPC.

Venice let her elongated ears hang low.

“For an elf like me, it was only natural. Owing to my overt movements, I was often slain by those who challenged the dungeon.”
“Then, you suddenly remembered?”

Yes, Venice affirmed with a bitter smile.

“I was initially bewildered. Why does life repeat itself? Why do outsiders keep intruding? Why must I be the one to kill these adorable beings?”
“Did you always think that way?”

She possesses quite the adaptability, it seems.

As I expressed my surprise, Venice flicked her elongated ears and chuckled softly.

“It was somewhat different at the very beginning.”
“How so?”
“Why do these insignificant creatures keep resurrecting, no matter how many times I kill them?”

By the design of the dungeon, Venice had developed a profound hatred for the nymphs. Once Venice came to the realization that the world was caught in a loop, it must have been rather unnerving to see the nymphs spring back to life after each death.

And yet, she is hailed as an elder. I wonder what thoughts crossed her mind when she saw the same nymph she had killed the previous day, alive and speaking.

“I struggled to escape. I tried slaughtering all the nymphs, or drawing my sword against the outsiders. That took thirty years.”
“…”
“It took a century for my senseless fury to subside. However… if I didn’t exterminate the nymphs, the world wouldn’t progress. It felt as if the world was on the brink of collapse.”
“So, you continued the slaughter?”
“Yes. It took two centuries to understand my role in this.”

Venice admitted she used to believe her world was all that existed.

But after hearing the tales of an outsider and realizing that this place was a dungeon, a sense of ineffable emptiness enveloped her.

“Do you understand what it feels like to have your entire lived experience negated?”
“I don’t.”
“An instrument of trials that does nothing but repeat. Merely destined to face death… You have no idea how hard I tried to deny that and find an answer.”

Venice’s thighs, which were strangling me, began to lose their strength. As her playful demeanor vanished, Venice gently pressed her lips to my forehead.

“Hating someone that intensely was a first for me. I despised the woman who created this dungeon, and every individual who set foot in this village. I didn’t leave any stone unturned in trying to change my circumstances.”

Venice began reciting the list of things she had done.

There were instances when she stirred the spirits against the outsiders. She even attempted to use the outsiders to her advantage. She deployed clever and malicious strategies, but trapped in the well, her options were limited.

“What do you think?”

The emotions resonating from the depths of Venice’s heart were not just anger at the world outside.

“An elf who, over thousands of years, only experienced a cycle of death. What might she have felt?”

Merely loneliness. Venice was candid.

The flickering sky. As time passed, everything reset itself, with the nymphs who once remembered her returning to their original state.

It was as if she was a lone individual in a movie, aware of its true nature. In a town where time stood still, Venice, exhausted after days of resistance, must have cried out in despair towards some unknown entity.

“There couldn’t possibly be anyone innocent enough to understand me. This was a dungeon ruled by the nobility… No matter how desperately I cried for help, in their eyes, I was nothing more than a convulsing beast.”

In the strategy guide of the dungeon, Venice is depicted as a monster causing chaos in the village. Regardless of how vehemently she cried out about her unjust treatment, to those who entered the dungeon, she was nothing more than a repulsive criminal, the ultimate adversary.

Generations have passed, altering the narrative in numerous ways, yet we can presume that much of the time was spent in agony, enduring all manner of deplorable acts.

“No one understands me. Due to my complex emotions, I’ve never been able to encounter anyone capable of handling me. I thought I was decaying for a lifetime.”
“Is that why you reacted in that manner when we first met?”

Venice gave a nod of affirmation.

“Simply put, I had given up. I never stepped outside daily, sticking only to my duties… The remainder of my time was spent in slumber.”

She was unashamed to bare her body, resigned to let it pass.

“But…”

Venice abruptly altered the tone of her voice. Her previously somber and deflated tone took on a brighter hue.

“Now, I have someone willing to hear my tale.”
“Me?”
“Who else could exist in my world but you?”

Venice tenderly embraced my head with her hands.

“My eternal companion, Lee Si-heon. The one who first freed me from my village.”

While continuously stroking my head, Venice spoke in a soft, smiling tone that resonated with even maternal affection.

“You’re skillful in bed, but your temperament is foul. Despite being a dominant male, your heart is as small as a knot hole.”
“… What.”
“Still, you’re the only one who understands me.”

Smack.

Even when asked to limit such behavior, the onslaught of affection was unceasing. Venice placed rings on my hands and tightly embraced my neck with her ring-clad hands.

“If you alleviate my solitude, and I soothe your sorrow. At least, within this dungeon… we would be the closest, wouldn’t we?”
“Perhaps.”
“… Am I your dearest friend?”

Jung Si-woo flashes before my eyes. The friendship is too profound to be covered.

“It’s a gray area.”

Venice scowled at my response, leaning her protruded lips towards me, depositing a kiss mark on my cheek.

“Your closest friend?”
“…”

Our elderly elf seemed to be throwing a tantrum, trying in any way to gain recognition. I was taken aback and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I think I can now.”

Venice murmured in a tone brimming with certainty.

“Let’s do it, spiritualization.”

The connection between us intensifies slightly.

Hummm-

The bond of man and spirit, emitting a more vivid color. The vessel of the old days, still clearly existing within me, responded, and she, a spirit that matches my vessel, began to enter.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Somei Yoshino – The Legacy of the King Cherry Tree –

In the furthest recesses of the fourth gateway’s deepest cavern, the family’s final secret tome lies dormant.

The objective of this dungeon quest was to clear it while concurrently acquiring the secret strategy, thus gaining the power to sustain the nation’s existence.

“Huh…”

Saku gathered her wits, standing before the cave that marked her current destination, and summoned her strength.

Fluffy white fur sprouted from Saku’s body. Then, with a pop, bunny ears sprung from atop her head. It was one of the physical responses that occurred during the fusion with a spirit, a common theme in fairy tales. In the case of animal-like spirits, they tend to exhibit some features of their animal counterparts.

In the past, these characteristics had led to such transformations being referred to as anthropomorphisms.

– Swish.

Her ears twitched at the sound of footsteps echoing from the depths of the cave.

‘…Someone’s inside.’

This was unexpected.

She readied herself for a fight while refining her pink-hued magic. Saku’s mask shut tight, and her iridescent eyes shimmered clearly in the sunlight.

– Thump, thump.

Before long, three wooden men emerged from the cave.

“… Wait, what?”

Saku murmured, her face etched with disbelief.

“Sister?”