Chapter 58 – Affairs Within the Dungeon (2)

“A magic stone was discovered?”
“Yes.”

In the Academy professor’s laboratory, the elderly professor lifted his glasses with a weary expression.

“Let me see… Hmm. Uh… Ah.”

The old professor hesitated, glanced around at the empty room, and scratched the back of his neck.

“For now, return the magic stone and go attend your class.”
“Professor, isn’t this a serious matter?”
“No, no, it happens from time to time. Don’t worry.”

The professor waved his hand dismissively. I found myself speechless, leaving the professor’s lab without another word.

‘Is this how it should be?’

Discovering a magic stone in an artificial dungeon was a grave situation. No matter how it had been altered, it wouldn’t be surprising if a small magic stone led to catastrophe. That’s why I had come to report it, but the instructor seemed unconcerned.

‘Could it really be nothing?’

The instructor spoke so confidently that doubting him seemed absurd. After all, what could possibly go wrong at the world’s most prestigious academy? Although I had helped, we had managed to quash the invasion of the fraudulent group at a remarkably swift pace. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared for the possibility of becoming isolated in the dungeon.

– Plod, plod.

As I walked down the corridor, I pulled an airtight container from my bag. Upon opening the semi-transparent lid, a fresh, natural scent wafted out. Inside the container, well-crafted acorn jelly proudly displayed itself.

‘Thank you, ladies of the cafeteria.’

Eating with acorns posed a challenge, so I had casually asked the cafeteria ladies for help while heading to breakfast, and they had graciously obliged. Should a hero’s request be honored? This is where a good reputation comes in handy. I speared a piece of jelly with a starch toothpick and placed it in my mouth.

Following the salty tang of soy sauce, the uniquely addictive bittersweet taste of acorn jelly enveloped my taste buds.

The finely chopped green onions added texture.

It was worth eating.
I consumed it as if disguising a crab’s eye, and finished my meal.

* * * * *

In a pitch-black room with blackout curtains.

Within the dark space encircled by thorny vines, several wooden figures solemnly placed their fists on their hearts.

A black cotton crown, and jade beads engraved with arcane patterns, emitted a heavy sound as they rolled on the floor.

-Degur.

Clad in uniforms that enveloped their entire bodies, they stared with frosty faces at the center of the execution chamber.
In the midst of it all lay a girl with her eyes rolled back.

“Ah. Ah.”

The girl, at a loss for words, gazed at her lower abdomen through blurred vision.
At the sight of the six planes’ traces pouring from there, she wore a desperate expression, but soon gave up and tightly shut her eyes.

“Haa, inhale. Haa.”

A protracted struggle with death.
Beneath the girl who ultimately perished in a fierce skirmish, the form of a black tree materialized.

– Ah hee hee.

Innumerable branches, splitting into dozens, reached up to touch the ceiling. The colossal tree, encircled by fabric, solemnly swayed its limbs after observing its devotees.

A follower approached her.

“Are you prepared?”

– Creak.

The massive tree, shrouding the girl’s lifeless body, extended its boughs over the disciple’s head. The believer’s face flushed with ecstasy, and soon, envious murmurs emerged from the surrounding crowd.

“Ah, the World Tree….”

Hazy eyes appeared to gaze into the distant unknown. In front of the towering tree, a solitary man dressed in ordinary garb stood beside it.

The Saint. Raymond. As the emissary of the World Tree, he addressed the congregation with a stern and resolute voice.

“From this moment forth, I shall convey the will of the World Tree.”

What the World Tree they serve desires.

That is precisely…

“Lee Si-heon, a student at El Academy. The World Tree demands his neck.”

The demise of a worm-like existence that has infiltrated a once intact world.

If left unchecked, he will undoubtedly become a thorn in their side, and lately, even Flower has been concentrating on him.

“Wickedly, he exploited the system.”

Raymond calmly exposed his malevolent acts.

“He deceived the innocent World Tree guardians.”

Taking a step forward, Raymond approached the colossal tree. The black tree spread its branches, denying him access. Raymond’s movements halted. His eyes blazed with hatred.

“He is a deceiver of both humans and wooden beings, disseminating false accomplishments far and wide.”

With a clench, blood spurted from his tightly gritted teeth. His jaw quivered.

Their actions did not necessitate their emotions.

They had to empathize with the World Tree’s stance more fervently than anyone else, and they had to compel themselves to comprehend emotions that eluded their understanding.

Even if it might be morally reprehensible, it mattered not.
If it was the will of the World Tree. They would not care even if they perished and were revived a hundred times over.

At the words of the Raymonds, the followers joined their hands as if in prayer and ignited their hatred.
Brilliant falsehoods were akin to blessings for them.

Raymond dispersed his icy gaze as he surveyed the congregants.

“Divine retribution!”
“Death to Si-heon Lee!”

Those who drooled and shrieked.
The reason behind their transformation was likely a form of brainwashing, but what could they possibly know?
They were merely pawns, destined to be used for a fleeting moment.

Raymond extended his hand to two of his followers, gently caressing their shoulders.
Subsequently, the pair removed the cloth veiling their faces, revealing their countenance to him.

Beautiful girls with brown eyes gazed upon Raymond, their eyes clouded and murky.

“Daughters.”

“Yes.”

“I shall grant you a day for your sister.”

Despite the pressing time, the girls nodded their heads as if it was expected. Raymond finally allowed a faint smile to appear on his face.

Alpha. Beta.
Nameless puppets.

“Bear in mind that being as brutal as possible is the path to please the World Tree.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Understood.”

The two girls bowed their heads, stood up, gathered their instruments, and stormed out of the door.

-Squeak, squeak.

The sound of rusty hinges rattling could be heard. A ray of light seeped through the blackout curtains.

“World Tree. We are finally prepared.”

Raymond let out an ecstatic sigh, unable to contain the venomous smile spreading across his face. For several weeks, he had been diligently preparing. The transcendent power of the World Tree made the realization of his plan possible.

A plan that could only lead to the demise of Lee Si-heon.

Even if he was innocent, the plan remained unchanged.

If the World Tree desired his death,
the man had to die, even if it meant fabricating nonexistent crimes.
No, merely incurring the World Tree’s hatred was akin to committing a transgression greater than murder.

Raymond stood and opened his notebook.
It was filled with the preparations the World Tree had made for him.

How to lure him out,
and how to kill him for a satisfying conclusion.

His thought process already mirrored that of a serial killer.

* * * * *

The center of the cave was narrower than usual.
In the suffocating humidity, we moved through the wall’s crevice, shoulder to shoulder.

“Si-heon, can we go a bit faster? It’s too cramped here.”
“Stop complaining… Navigating is hard enough.”

I responded to Su-yeong’s grumbling with restraint.

Undoubtedly, the more constricted it became, the greater the discomfort grew. A poor condition could have a direct impact on the use of magic or mana. There was a reason why even professional hunters consistently strove to maintain their optimal condition.

– Ugh!

The resounding magical energy spread within a radius of 20 to 30 meters. Despite possessing the ability to wield mana that could typically span at least 50 meters, the collapse of this capacity demonstrated that the influence of the environment was far from negligible. With a keen gaze, I slowly took the lead.

– Kiyiyiik!

A cave snake, coiled between the stalactites of the ceiling, lunged towards us.

“Eri!”

Azalea raised her voice as soon as she observed the snake. Her mana was swiftly drawn out and relayed to the spirits soaring across the ceiling.

– Eririt!

The spirit, taking the form of a small angel, unleashed a burst of light towards the snake.

“Keeck!”

In an instant, its head was severed, and the lifeless body tumbled before us.

The snake’s eyes, still shimmering, were chilling.

“I took care of it.”
“Thank you.”

Azalea smiled at my words. I pulled a dagger from my embrace, stabbed it into the snake’s head, and gathered pebbles to cover it. Every action in this sequence earned additional points.

And so, we dealt with the corpse.

-Degururur.

A large magical gem tumbled down from the snake’s neck. A crimson gem. As I placed my hand on it and imbued it with magic, I realized the gem was already activated. In this urgent situation, I could feel my facial muscles tense up.

“Sooyoung.”
“What?”
“Are normal magical gems typically used to maintain artificial creatures?”
“Huh? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

I turned my head to gaze at Azalea. She too widened her eyes, shaking her head as if the notion was implausible. I took out the seemingly volatile magical gem and showed it to her.

“…Huh? What is that?”
“A magical gem. Judging by its size, it’s high-grade.”

“Is that correct? You didn’t see it wrong?”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“No, it’s not that…”

Azalea lifted her gaze, eyes fixed on the Mana Stone, her face showing surprise.

As expected, this was no ordinary situation.

Somehow, she thought, ‘I didn’t like the professor’s attitude yesterday.’

He had a habit of dealing with tasks carelessly, an annoyed expression on his face. Of all the people to encounter, she had to meet someone like that.

“Let’s hurry.”

They needed to get out as soon as possible. There were seven teams of trainees in this dungeon. They were too far from the entrance to turn back, so they had no choice but to abandon their exploration and head for the exit.

She quickened her pace. Startled, Dallae immediately spoke from behind her.

“Wh-why are you suddenly moving so fast?”
“I have a bad feeling.”
“Is that so? Then let’s run faster.”

Swimming and Azalea sped up one after another. The narrow gaps in the cave gradually widened, and a flood of light washed over their faces.

At the two-thirds mark, an open space with scarce oxygen.

-Flash!

“Krrrr.”

Dozens of monsters were waiting there, ready to ambush us.

“This…”
“It doesn’t look like we can escape.”

Azalea muttered, struggling to catch her breath.

‘It’s beyond my imagination.’

Cave snakes, grizzly bears, kobolds, cave bats, and more. Each monster surrounded us as if they shared a single mind, poised to pounce at the slightest movement.

It was as if they possessed intelligence. They had even set up barriers using pebbles and stones. Upon closer inspection, there were also trap-like contraptions.

These were not actions an artificial monster would take. The situation was becoming increasingly complex.

“Kreuk.”

A kobold stepped closer. In response, the monsters began to hiss, bearing their teeth and claws while breathing heavily.

“Hey, hey. What are we going to do about this?”

Suyeong pulled taut the bow on her back and inquired.

“Indeed.”

Frankly, there wasn’t any other response I could give. If things continued this way, we’d have to resort to a lightning attack. I intended to make the decision to shoot the bow, as I spread magical energy throughout my body.

“First, to deal with these ones—”

– Sting.

A sensation pierced my spine. My battle-ready body rapidly reacted.

A chilling fear, the kind only the vulnerable can experience. I hadn’t felt it for a long time. I hardened my expression and dispersed my mana, surveying the area behind us.

Something was happening. Magic was unfolding in our direction, and it wasn’t just any ordinary spell.

“Siheon…?”

Azalea looked at me with a puzzled expression, and as she caught sight of my face, her eyes widened in shock.

She must have been startled by my pallid complexion. These adversaries were unaware, but I instinctively recognized the impending danger.

– Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Waves of magical power surged toward us from behind, like an onslaught of wedges.

It was a familiar trait, and analyzing it didn’t take long. It was a spatial magic with some variations of telepathy. Given the amount of mana and the complexity of the incantation, it seemed that it wasn’t prepared in just a day or two.

‘This is difficult.’

A bead of sweat fell from the tip of my chin. If I had known it would come to this, I would have pushed harder back then. The lack of knowledge is lamentable. I bit my lower lip and spoke to Dal-rae.

“Hey, if I tie everyone up, will they be able to escape?”
“What do you mean?” “What?”
“Call the instructors. Quickly.”

I compressed the space using the mana coursing throughout my body. It was a weaker version of the spell I had used previously.

“Kick!?”

However, it was enough to subdue the ragtag group here.

“This… no, that’s not it. Are you out of your mind? Staying behind alone?”
“Uh, I think I have to. Something is coming from behind right now.”
“No… it’s an emergency situation.”
“Exactly.”
“Are you going to stay behind alone again?”

I didn’t respond to Azalea and subtly gestured to Sooyoung. Recognizing my intent with just that, Sooyoung nodded, embraced Azalea’s shoulder, and ran.

“Thanks. Let’s meet again if we survive.”
“Wait, let go! Release me!”
“Hey, calm down. Just don’t try to stop someone who’s willing to die in your place.”

Sooyoung spoke coolly and left. Did she mention having real-life experience before? Her ability to handle the situation was impressive. As for Azalea… there’s not much that can be done. We still have that debt from before.

‘Damn it, but I never said I’d die in her place.’

When I see Sooyoung later, I won’t let her off so easily. I shifted my gaze and watched the swarm of light flying toward me from behind.

The light swallowed my body as soon as I spotted it.

– Flash!

My vision inverted, and nausea surged through me.

Adapting to the altered space took a considerable amount of time. As if flung out to some unknown place, I vomited, releasing the pain from my lungs that had been crushed under pressure.

“Kahak, Kolok. Oh, damn.”

Blood spurted from the magic that paid no heed to its subject. The pain that seemed to stab through her entire body was not easily alleviated, even with the use of her powers.

But where on earth was this place?

[What is that?]

At the spine-chilling words that echoed directly into my ears, I slowly lifted my creaking neck.

[…A lewd human.]
[Human?]
[Good heavens.]

A few trees and dozens of Ents. No, they were corrupted, quite literally wooden people, rather than Ents.

[…A man.]
[That scent… It feels like one could get addicted just by smelling it.]

My face stiffened at the low muttering of the trees, their voices laced with sinister intentions.

[He’s a lustful man♡]

Goosebumps.

“Shit.”

I felt utterly screwed.