Chapter 80 – Purgatory (Complete)

Fear. Obsession. Actions I wouldn’t normally take.

I remember confronting Lee Se-Young in a fit of rage, attacking her as if to say, “Let things be what they may.”

It was the same when I accepted the quest at the academy. There was a simple alternative of befriending someone else, but oddly enough, only Azalea came to mind.

I told myself I had to do this because my life was on the line. To sprinkle chocolate or to persistently strike up conversations.

Even though I took actions I would never have otherwise, I didn’t feel anything strange about it.

I committed rape against a noblewoman.

I felt the need to befriend someone who had connections to a fraudulent individual.

Lee Se-Young, Azalea. It’s not the case now, but back then, they were individuals who would certainly cause trouble if entangled with improperly.

So, I could see it. Looking back now, the direction of my actions had always been perilously close to disaster.

Of course, the sympathy I felt for Azalea was genuine.
But isn’t it odd? Why did I have to make such a choice?

As my thoughts ventured that far, a headache surfaced.

【 Compulsion is activated! 】

A rising inner monologue. No, don’t think about it.
The doubts intertwined within, it’s better to forget them all. Is it my own voice or a voice implanted by someone else?

I clench my jaw and shatter the thoughts.

【 Compulsion is activated! 】
【 Compulsion is activated! 】
【 Compulsion is activated! 】
【 Compulsion is activated! 】
【 Compulsion is activated- 】

A splitting pain in my head, as if something inside was being torn apart.
The window before me shatters, the fragments scattering and distorting around me.

‘Perhaps.’

I reassemble my scattered thoughts and once more immerse myself in contemplation.

Could the World Tree of Resentment have sought to isolate me from this society? It compelled the assault of nobles, planted the notion that I must befriend women with a history, and caused me to intertwine with countless others. Yet, against all odds, I survived. If the Alpha and Beta it sent were to test me, the story holds together.

But if so, why didn’t the World Tree of Resentment completely ruin me?

Was there a limit to the divine power it possessed?

Soon enough, the answer to that question became clear.

‘Purity.’

The World Tree of Purity, standing in opposition to Resentment, inexplicably supported me, despite the unknown reasons. If the World Tree of Resentment imposed limits on my choices and actions, then the World Tree of Purity must have had the same ability.

Lee Se-Young, who desired violation, and Azalea, who was bound by a friendship that choked her. Their personalities enabled me to escape from the direst of circumstances.

Isn’t this situation overly contrived? At some point, I found myself questioning it.

I don’t believe the World Tree of Resentment can manipulate the personalities or pasts of all those connected to it. If that were possible, there would be no way for beings on the opposite side of the World Tree to exist.

Perhaps it could only manipulate my thoughts as a potential husband.

The World Tree of Resentment had presented me with the worst possible choices in my situation. Thus, it was reasonable to assume there was some interference in the background of overcoming these choices.

When I met Lee Se-Young.
During the entrance exam, sitting near Azalea.

Maybe… or perhaps this connection was orchestrated by the World Tree itself.

I had no intention of shouting about this deterministic theory. One could honestly dismiss it as ridiculous. But now that the manipulated memories have been removed, thinking about it, it wasn’t an impossible occurrence.

Above the head of the World Tree of Resentment, the World Tree that toyed with fate.

“Is that correct?”

I inquired, but no answer came.

The connection to the World Tree of Purity had been severed long ago.

But now, it’s alright.

‘I’m sorry. I disliked it for no reason.’

Now, I must forge my destiny on my own.

I reached into the fissures of the distorted world. The seemingly impenetrable walls of purgatory began to fade. As if inserting my hand into fine-grained sand, the cracks gradually widened to accommodate my body.

– Clank!

【The connection to the World Tree is temporarily suspended.】

* * * * * *

A delicate branch sprouted from the woman’s neck, extending upwards into the sky. The flowers and branches intertwined, creating a tree-like appearance.

Heavenly Demon.

Draped in a gown several sizes larger than her own body, she nonchalantly placed her feet on the carpet with her hands behind her back.

“…Four years.”

An aged roar emanated from behind the tendrils of the darkened purgatory.
Heaven lifted her head haughtily, her face devoid of warmth.

“For one who created this dungeon, he’s rather old.”

A grinding sound echoed as teeth gnashed.

“So, the wench who barely survived now descends beneath the grave.”

The old man clenched his staff tightly, causing fragments to scatter and fall to the ground.

“Are you referring to me, barely surviving?”
“Yes, you wench.”
“I’d say my situation is better than yours, waiting for a king who will never return.”
“…!”

– Hiss!

From behind the old man, the tendrils of purgatory reached toward Heaven.
But upon touching her skin, the purgatory turned to dust, slowly vanishing as though seeping into the ground below.

“King Mokryeong. I’ve learned much from my master.”
“Insolent sapling! He’s not someone for you to speak of so casually!”
“So, he was a man who ruled the World Tree then.”

Heaven cast her gaze upon the tendrils of purgatory.

“What power are you wielding now?”

Purgatory. Cheondo recognized the magic as soon as she witnessed it. The source of the power that trapped the opponent in the past flowed from the World Tree.

“Does the servant of the one who scorned the World Tree now shamelessly use its power?”

“Silence.”

“Instead of honing your own skills to gain power, you resort to such means. How pitiful.”

Cheondo squared her shoulders.

“A disciple’s fortune is innate, just like mine.”

The old man, with a deeply furrowed expression, soon laughed. He clung to his staff pathetically and muttered as he gazed into the purgatory.

“You sure talk a lot for someone destined to die. A disciple… you mean that fragile man who would shatter if stepped on? Preposterous! Absolutely!”

The old man spread his arms wide. His crazed voice filled the royal chamber.

“That shattered soul won’t be able to accomplish anything. You should accept your own death quietly as well!”

“Who-“

Heaven interrupted the old man’s words.

With a mocking smile playing at the corners of her mouth, she uttered a chilling remark that was enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

“Who said it’s a tainted soul? Your eyes are not even as big as a knot-hole.”

“Ha!”

The old man snorted and glanced back.

For some reason, the tumultuous purgatory, seemingly on the verge of explosion, was now melting under the force of a harsh impact. The old man’s eyes widened as if he was witnessing an earthquake.

“Ah.”

Heaven muttered “Oops” as she covered her mouth with a hint of playful freshness.

“I accidentally used vulgar words in front of my dear disciple.”

It didn’t matter. Heaven observed the scene with a relaxed smile.

– Sizzle!

“What…nonsense. It was such a murky soul.”

With the old man standing dumbfounded, his mouth agape, Lee Si-heon emerged, cutting through the black waves.

Siheon slowly lifts his eyelids, as a menacing surge of mana rises above his shoulders.

Formidable power. Why such a phrase comes to mind now is puzzling. His dark magical energy slithered through his body like a dragon.

The elder swallowed a futile breath.

A towering force standing resolute in the world, its source – an undiluted human strength, untainted by any arboreal essence – weighed heavily upon the entire space.

– Thud.

The mask he had been wearing fell to the ground.

With his long, torn eyes and the bloodstained, sinister gaze they held, the elder took a step forward.

A bone pierced the face of the malevolent spirit concealed within.

He absorbed the World Tree’s power in its entirety, drawing himself into a realm beyond its reach. The connection point with the tree was no longer visible.

The elder could scarcely believe it.

The reality that he had caught a fleeting glimpse of regal energy in the man he had thought impossible.

“Oh, no. It can’t be.”

However, Lee Si-heon didn’t even spare a glance at the old man. His gaze remained fixed on Cheondo, his expression seemingly questioning why she was here.

“Master…?”

The face within the mask was untouched, revealing Lee Si-heon’s true countenance from before he entered this world.

“So that’s your real face.”

Cheondo laughed.

“You’re much more handsome.”

The magic burning red on Lee Si-heon’s shoulders blossomed like a flower and vanished as it danced.

Instinctively, it resembled that of a peach tree.

[Black Peach Tree – Black Peach Tree]

Lee Seong-han and the Ent. His ability that never failed him when confronting a major battle ahead. It was the moment when the fragments that Lee Si-heon had independently crafted came together, forming a whole.

* * * * *

I shattered the Purgatory and learned how to temporarily lower the status window.

Could it be called enlightenment?

I sincerely don’t grasp why I can wield such power.
If I’ve broken the status window, shouldn’t the power gained naturally from it be returned?

Yet, in this state… it seems as if I’ve forcibly snatched and consumed the power granted by the World Tree.

– The king of gluttony that devours everything.

A stinging pain beneath my fingertips. The pain itself felt pleasing.

‘Status window.’

No response. Having completely shattered it, I was certain it would take some time to recover.

I see my own reflection in my unobstructed view.

Taller, with broadened shoulders. My face appeared more natural than when I had forcibly elongated it upon arriving here.
If the face I created with the mask was akin to piecing together a sculpture, would this be merely a replica of my true visage?

The vessel of magical power within the body had expanded like a vast ocean, and physical strength had grown considerably more than before.

The quest that had been threatening me up until now,
and the twisted application of common sense.

Feeling detached from everything, I found myself strangely unfamiliar.

“…That’s impossible!”

Upon hearing the old man’s perplexed tone, I turned my head towards him.
He, whom I believed could never be approached, appeared far too small for some reason.

“You, you!”

– Swoosh!

The stretching tendrils of purgatory,
divided into hundreds of branches, they raced wildly down the path and once more ensnared my entire body at a terrifying speed.

– Gasp!

Entwined by brute force, my body ascended above the royal family. The dislodged chandelier fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.

The tendrils of purgatory, mercilessly crushing down upon my body.
As I reached out my hand imbued with magical power, the tendrils were severed in futility.

…Indeed.

Much stronger than before.

“Huh.”

He took a deep breath and unleashed his mana with all his might.

– Quaang!

The stem of purgatory vanished like a burst balloon. His body plummeted and crashed onto the ground.

– Thud.

A heavy sound echoed as he straightened his bent legs. The elderly man before him had his mouth agape, attempting to mutter something.

“You are the king.”

He didn’t care what the old man said. Perhaps now, he could do it.

He clenched his still stiff fingers and wrapped black mana around his arm. The quivering energy swelled, and without any hesitation, he thrust it towards the elder.

‘One.’

A single decisive strike.

‘As the white flowers bloom—’

White energy surged above the black mana, assaulting the old man’s body. Streaking forth like a wild tiger, its momentum seemed unstoppable, and his mana sliced through the air like a blade, permeating the entire fortress.

The training I once deemed colorless now shines brightly.

‘White Peach’

The first flower I have ever brought to bloom.

It shall blossom here.

– Kwagagagagaga!

A thunderous boom echoed through the building, creating a massive hole in the sturdy wall of the fortress. A sight brought about by me, not Heaven or White Peach.

As I staggered from the drained magic, someone caught my shoulder.

“You’ve succeeded, you’ve worked hard… Huh!”

– Wham!

Upon confirming the identity of the voice, I immediately embraced her. Feeling the warmth of her skin through a single layer of cloth, I held her even tighter with all my strength.

My body trembled as the magic had been drained away. The once fluctuating emotions returned.

“…Truly, an irrepressible disciple.”

My master’s slender hand could be felt in my hair. Her gentle touch enveloped my cheeks and neck. I said nothing.

Gradually, the dungeon started to fall apart.