Chapter 78 – Purgatory (7)

My leg ached as if it were about to fall off.

Limping towards the castle gate, I used a potion to mend the broken bone. My sense of smell must have been dulled, as I couldn’t detect any scents.

“Foolish mortal.”

Upon entering the fortress, a voice echoed through the air. A red carpet stretched from the castle gate to the central throne. A white-haired old man knelt on the carpet, just below the throne.

“A human who has not even seen their own fate, have you truly come here seeking death?”

His voice was heavy with lament. He clicked his tongue repeatedly, as if I were a pitiful creature.

“Did you truly wish to become the spouse of an ancient tree? Fate’s threads are twisted in such a frustrating manner.”

“I… I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“It means you’ll never escape the snares of a meager ancient tree for the rest of your life.”

The old man’s voice grew louder, resolute and determined.

“No matter how hard I think about it, I can’t understand.”

“Why on earth would you claim to be the guardian of the ancient tree?”

– Kkugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugug.

The high-pitched cry pierces the sky, causing the fortress to vibrate. Cracks appear in the surrounding pillars, and pieces of stone fall from the trembling ceiling. I examine his face without saying a word.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”

Can I fight and win? My body is already exhausted.

“I couldn’t care less about the World Tree and its ilk.”

But even if I possessed next to nothing, my mind remained clear.

“I don’t even know who you all are. I don’t like the World Tree either. If I had received the king’s favor or anything like that, I wouldn’t be here like this.”

“I just… want to live a normal life, damn it.”

My daughter Shiba. And my teachers and mentors. Azalea, Cornus. The stars.

I looked at the old man with eyes wide open. His face, reflected in my pupils, was filled with contempt. He seemed to loathe me to the point of wanting to ask why.

For a fleeting moment, the gaze of Alpha and Beta, which I had once seen before, was mirrored on the old man’s visage.

I detested that stare.

A loathed reality. I couldn’t comprehend this situation, for I knew nothing. It was suffocating, driving me to the brink of madness.

“I have no interest in the Knappul. It’s all finished now.”

I exhaled a disheartened breath.

“Please, save my mentor. If you spare them, I’ll resign myself and leave.”

A trial-filled dungeon. Yet, what I encountered was not a trial, but the dungeon’s true nature.

The ancient castle that once served a king, a purgatory maintained by a single loyal retainer awaiting their monarch. I had no curiosity about the identity of the king, nor did I desire to know why the dungeon’s truth had been suddenly unveiled.

“Impossible. I see no necessity to heed your words.”

A sneer emerged at the corner of the old man’s lips. The end of his staff gradually turned toward me.

The undulating azure magic felt familiar, akin to what I had experienced when I had faced death in the past.

“Half-human who has even lost himself, close your eyes here.”

Straightening my back, I gathered the remaining mana, scraping it from the floor.

More, denser.

The black magic swirled between my body and shoulders like a mist. Simultaneously, the old man’s magic resonated.

【 Purgatory 】

Behind the old man’s back, a massive stem extended into dozens of branches. Enveloping the entire castle and swooping in, it was as black as a shadow and as deep as an abyss, giving off an ominous feeling that my body would be sucked in the moment I touched it.

But I could not escape this place.

‘Did he say that I’m someone who has even lost himself?’

I reached out to touch Purgatory. A long, torn black shadow wrapped around my arm.

Bizarre scenes unfolded before my dizzying eyes.

Yesterday at dawn, recalling Cheondo’s words, a smile graced my lips.

* * * * * *

“Perhaps the current phenomenon is due to me.”

As I chew on the dried beef jerky, I gaze at Cheondo.

“What do you mean by that?”
“Perhaps the constraint placed was too powerful.”

The dungeon couldn’t cope, as the existence of Heavenly Demon was bound by constraints. As a result, it seemed unable to provide a trial befitting the constraints.

“Well, since you’re the master, that might be possible.”
“It’s mere speculation. There’s actually a more important matter at hand.”
“What is it?”
“You must be familiar with Simma.”

Simma.

Having heard the term a few times, I nod in recognition. Cheondo then retrieves a piece of sweet-flavored jerky from the bag in her hand and takes a bite as she speaks.

“You haven’t mastered any of the Heavenly Demon’s powers so far, have you?”
“That’s right.”

Handling the Heavenly Demon’s power is challenging. From the outset, it was impossible to mimic it, as the quality of the magic emitted through filtration was different.

Approaching its essence is like plucking stars from the sky. No matter how much I trained, I couldn’t get a good grasp of it.

Of course, it wasn’t strange at all. I hadn’t grown up with the Heavenly Demon’s power since childhood, like Cheondo. At this age, I was learning to use the Heavenly Demon’s power.

So, when I first started training, Cheondo emphasized it several times. It’s not something that can be learned in a day or two.

I already knew.

“There might be a reason for that.”
“Are you referring to Simma?”
“Yes.”

Cheondo swallowed the jerky he was eating.

“You might not understand, but listen carefully. Right now, your soul is a little… No, it’s quite chaotic.”
“What do you mean by ‘chaotic’?”

“Well, the one thing that’s certain is that you might not be yourself right now.”

Could it be that I’m not myself?

“Is there anything to latch onto? Like a sudden change in personality…”

My personality has changed.
As I pondered, resting my chin in my hand, I recalled the amulet and lascivious demon I had encountered when I first arrived in this world.

“There is something, actually.”
“Tell me in detail about what happened back then.”
“Do you really want me to say it?”
“Why? Is it something you can’t speak of?”

I had been hesitant to share this past, fearing it would make the story too long and draw strange looks from others.
In truth, I am not from this world – should I really reveal that?

I closed my mouth and stared intently at Heaven. Her expression was one of concern.

“It seems like it was quite a significant event.”

Hearing those words, my mouth involuntarily fell open. It felt as if my sincere worries had been suddenly alleviated.

After all this turmoil, what more could I hide here?
She is a woman who risked her life for me. What more could I ask for?

If there’s something you wish to know, it’s fitting to retrieve it even if you must traverse through hell.

“In truth… I am not of this world.”

I slowly opened my mouth and candidly revealed my story.

Upon hearing the most shocking truth, Heaven widened her eyes, but she did not feel the need to respond. Instead, she simply gazed at me intently, offering a warm smile as she listened to my tale.

“By some twist of fate, I incurred the wrath of the World Tree, and because of that, I ended up here.”

“You already know that I’ve exploited the prospect of being a husband candidate. Yes, due to that, I found myself navigating a world without magic or anything similar, armed only with a status bar. When I first arrived, I had the chance to choose traits or temperaments… In order to acquire a more significant trait, I added other temperaments.”

All the facts I’m aware of; the unjust and embarrassing experiences I endured until I reached this point.

“Lewd demon or anger control disorder – those are the personalities I adopted at that time.”

“I see. Even so, it doesn’t appear that you have trouble controlling your anger or anything of that sort.”
“…Well, my mental strength has grown considerably since then.”

Cheondo pondered with her arms folded beneath her breasts, then let out an unsatisfied huff.

“It’s not quite what I had in mind.”
“Excuse me?”
“Why don’t you tell me your old stories?”
“From where should I begin?”
“From your most distant memories to the end… Tell me everything about you.”

Though it was an odd request, there was no reason to refuse if it would be helpful. At times, I took long pauses as I began to narrate my past experiences, as if unraveling a bundle.

Reflecting on my life, it was rather embarrassing to disclose my past and present to another person, so it was inevitable that the conversation would grow serious.

Cheondo’s demeanor remained consistent even when I brought up shameful incidents or events that warranted criticism. She only offered me a warm smile, seemingly satisfied by knowing more about me.

“Is that so?”

Once the entire story concluded, Cheondo pulled a pipe from his bosom and placed it in his mouth, as if he had gained some clarity.

*Flick.*

A small plume of smoke rose from the pipe.

“The moment you crossed over from another world, you said you were imbued with an abundance of knowledge.”
“Yes, I believe that might be the action of the World Tree protecting me.”
“And by manipulating the status window, your personality was changed as well.”

Cheondo paused and exhaled another puff of smoke.

“Then, there’s a possibility that your current personality can also be altered by the World Tree.”
“Yes?”
“For the power of the Heavenly Demon to manifest, the body and mind must be wholly unified. It’s absurd to think that you, influenced by the World Tree in every aspect of your personality and judgment, could wield the power of the Heavenly Demon.”

It felt as if a bell was ringing loudly inside her head.
The notion that her current personality wasn’t her true self was unsettling.
As Cheondo spoke with near certainty, she couldn’t help but feel bewildered and taken aback.

There was undoubtedly some truth in his words.

Knowledge. They can even manipulate memories. Changing my personality would be easy for them.

But if that’s the case… what am I now? Can I still be identified as myself? Confusion set in, and my head began to spin.

Cheondo looked at me, seemingly trying to ease my worry.

“Perhaps they didn’t completely change your personality. If that were possible, you wouldn’t have made it to this point. That’s why I used the term ‘influence.’ They might have amplified or diminished certain aspects of your character.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Could you have been someone who could just rape others?”

The first encounter with Lee Se-Young. I shook my head repeatedly. Only a deranged individual, set on committing a crime from the outset, could do such a thing.

However, at that time, there were circumstances that I had no choice but to accept.

“The situation was unavoidable.”

“It’s evident. Aren’t you trying to say it’s the result of combining a lewd demon in the funeral home, and the condition that you have to rape the other person?”

I became as mute as if I had honey in my mouth. That’s because Heaven stole the words I had intended to say.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

She shrugged her shoulders and playfully tapped my forehead with her pipe.

“My eyes are sharp. And when I look at you, you’re not someone who would commit such acts without hesitation.”

I rubbed my reddened forehead from the gentle hit.

“That’s because you’re a humble person, a guy who refers to himself as a nobody.”

Each word pierced my heart like a dagger.

“I shouldn’t have shared my story.”

“Heh, heh, heh. Well, besides that, you’re one of the few decent people. If you were to become twisted, it would likely be because the world made you that way.”

Heavenly Demon stood up from his seat and closed the distance to sit next to me.

“So, I have something to say to you, the one who will inherit the Heavenly Demon title.”
“Yes?”

She said.

“Isn’t it time we find the real you now?”

Heaven revealed her plan, and her eyes widened at the words that escaped her lips.

The plan was far too dangerous. It seemed as if one wrong move could lead to both their deaths.

“Can I really do it?”

Heaven told me,

“Have confidence, for you are my disciple. And this place is purgatory. The power of the one who created this dungeon… It’s the perfect ability for you to reclaim your true self.”
“How can you be certain?”
“I know because I’ve challenged this place myself.”

I let out a short sigh and nodded my head. Indeed, if it’s possible in such a desperate situation, there’s nothing better than that.

It wouldn’t hurt to try anything.

“Alright then, let’s-“

If you’re going to die anyway, wouldn’t it be less unfair to try and then die?

Upon hearing this, my teacher smiled.

* * * * *

Faded memories of the past: a study lamp I had seen before. A boy hunched over a desk beneath it, absorbed in reading a book with dark circles under his eyes.

I tilted my head to see the book the child was reading.

There were no words written in it. Yet, as if he could see something invisible to others, the child was murmuring incessantly, seemingly enraptured by some unseen force.

I noticed the name tag pinned to the boy’s chest.

[Lee Siheon]

As memories came flooding back, I gradually realized I was dreaming.

“Purgatory.”

The most sinister form of mind manipulation magic, which destroys people by trapping them in the past, leaving them floundering until they ultimately perish.

Even if it wasn’t a trial, if the one who created the dungeon had been the king’s servant, then they were certain to employ abilities akin to those used in trials.

It was somewhat of a gamble,
but ultimately, they succeeded.

Everything had gone as planned.