Episode 208
It took Yuria longer than expected to destroy the boundary.
The first wall crumbled without much trouble after about 30 minutes had passed.
However, destroying the second wall took considerably more time, and when it was finally destroyed, Yuria collapsed from exhaustion.
“Haaak… Haa. Haa…”
Yuria placed her hands on her chest and panted heavily. Crimson tears streamed down from her tightly closed eyes.
“Ugh… Hic.”
Black tears. They were the same kind that Hector Cassas and Elfride excreted when they used powerful dark magic.
Why was she shedding black tears? Something must have gone wrong, I thought anxiously.
―It’s the influence of the dark magic boundary. Her body would take a heavy toll with her current capabilities.
Seeing Yuria in anguish, Older Brother Sooho muttered under his breath.
Was it because he saw her as a distant descendant? He often comments on Yuria’s actions more than anyone else’s.
“Sniff…”
And what was I doing while Yuria struggled so hard? I sat cross-legged in a pool of blood and waited patiently.
More accurately, there was nothing for me to do but wait.
“Brother. Since I don’t even know the first thing about magic, what can I do?”
―There’s nothing we can do. Get us some popcorn, Jung Yong.
“…”
Soo-Ho, who was feeling rather disheartened, dismissed me with those words. So there really was nothing to do. However, as Yuria’s temporary employer, I wanted to avoid her overexerting herself.
I placed my hand on her head.
“Let’s take a short break. You’ve worked hard.”
“…Ah.”
Yuria’s cloudy white eyes turned to me. Her attempt to smile despite her fatigue was pitiful.
I roughly wiped away the continuous flow of her black tears with my dark wing. Yuria quietly accepted my gestures, her lips sealed.
“”
“”
Silence fell.
Obviously, given that one of us is mute, this was to be expected.
The sharp, acrid smell of blood filled the area. While I was seated amidst it, wiping Yuria’s tears, I suddenly remembered an event I had forgotten.
I stared blankly at Yuria and suddenly asked,
“Holy Maiden. If, hypothetically speaking—”
“??”
“If, during a fight, you got involved and ended up dying in my place—say, your entire body was fried by lightning, crispy on the outside like Grandmaster Han, but tender on the inside?”
“U-ue??”
Despite being visibly exhausted, Yuria’s expression twisted in confusion as if she’d woken up to the sound of someone pounding a mallet in the middle of the night.
I hastily added, “Hypothetically. If.” I cleared my throat before continuing with a rather serious expression.
“And then, you suddenly apologized to me before dying. You only said ‘I’m sorry’ and that was it.”
“…Hmm.”
“If that were the situation, why do you think you would have apologized?”
I knew my words probably sounded like insane nonsense.
But what could I do? I was curious. When would I have another opportunity to ask, aside from now during a break?
‘Even if I’m treated like a lunatic, I have to resolve this.’
It just wouldn’t sit right with me. I couldn’t let it go—Yuria’s final moment troubled me deeply.
How deeply? Enough to drive me to such a point of darkness.
“…Hmm.”
With a low sigh, Yuria seemed to think for a moment, then broke into a gentle smile despite her tear-streaked face.
I quickly handed her a writing instrument. She swiftly scrawled out her response and passed it to me.
“One of these three, I suspect.”
So, multiple choice question. Thank goodness it wasn’t something ambiguous like ‘I don’t know,’ which might come from Ruci.
I chuckled reflexively.
“Alright. What are the options?”
Yuria continued to write out her answers fluidly.
Three small pieces of notepaper arrived in my hands together.
“Sorry for causing painful experiences.”
“Sorry for not being able to help.”
“Or perhaps, both.”
I was silent for a while.
I originally intended to brush off whatever response she gave with a joke. But I couldn’t find the words; it felt as though my throat was blocked.
Before I could say anything, Yuria furiously jotted down more words and pushed them toward me.
“When we passed the red-haired woman who was dying, I felt sorrow.”
“I could see the warrior was having a hard time, even as he smiled. I felt sorrow for not being able to help.”
“Though it’s tough now, I’m glad—I’m helping.”
Yuria continued to shove note after note towards me.
Starting from when we first met, when she was dragged in a container, when I declared I would kill Zadkiel, and even her thoughts when I burned the monsters expressionlessly, every emotion she couldn’t express due to being mute, she spilled onto the pages. She admitted that I scared her more than the abominations I destroyed.
“But,” she wrote on one note that she handed me when her black tears finally stopped streaming down her face, “I don’t think you’re a bad person.”
The moment I lifted my hand from her head, Yuria offered a faint smile and handed me one final note.
“I guess it’s because you appeared to me like the hero in a fairy tale during my darkest hour.”
After a long pause, I finally snapped back to reality.
A grin crept onto my face.
“… Well, you don’t seem like a bad person either. After all, you’re helping me now.”
I lightly patted her shoulder with a foolish grin.
An inexplicably heartwarming moment took place amidst the blood-soaked sea, interrupted suddenly by a system alert sound.
[Skill Success — Ether Collection (Passive)]
[A certain amount of water ether has been stored in the Ether Condensation Bottle after satisfying the required time.]
[Time remaining until next Ether generation: 3 hours.]
‘What’s this?’
Had it already been 3 hours since I last emptied the ether?
The required attribute of ether arriving when needed was almost a first. I was somewhat surprised.
There was no reason to decline the rare favor from the god of water. I immediately carried the Ether bottle to Yuria’s lips.
“Holy Maiden, open your mouth for a second.”
“E… Eeek.”
Ignoring her protests, I forced the bottle into her mouth.
Uuuwung! A vivid blue energy enveloped Yuria’s entire body. The bewildered look on her face as she experienced the ether for the first time quickly transformed into one of vigor as she sprang to her feet.
“Uw… Waa.”
Energized as if she had never been tired, Yuria stared intently at the ether bottle with a bewildered expression.
Given how lengthy explaining the effect would be, I decided to skip it. Instead, I pointed at Zadkiel’s corpse and raised my eyebrows.
“Just one more. Counting on you.”
“…Ah!”
Realizing her task, Yuria turned back to the boundary destruction work.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated once more. As she slowly extended her hands, the last fiery haze barrier began to reveal its physical structure clearly.
Kwang-chang! The haze barrier began crumbling from the topmost section, disintegrating steadily in a controlled manner.
*
[Condition 1: Boundary “Maze of the Beyond” breach — Satisfied]
Ultimately, it took several more hours for that notification panel to appear.
The sky visible above the pale mist had dimmed visibly, the stars growing faint. It was dawning, casting a light gray hue over everything.
“Hooh. The kid is completely spent, I see.”
Ruci stood supporting a thoroughly exhausted Yuria outside the pool of blood. Jabbing her with her fingers, Ruci abruptly turned her gaze toward me.
I was standing as close as possible to the inside of the boundary, right next to Zadkiel’s corpse.
“Warrior. Be… cau-careful.”
Ruci turned her head away while muttering those words.
If only she were always so adorable, it would save us the trouble of so many arguments. I sighed and turned my back to her, giving her an acknowledging thumbs-up.
“You wait here this time. We’ll wrap this up fast and grab some galbi-tang.”
“…Hmph. Alright.”
With Ruci’s final words, I leaped into the sky using the dark wings, rapidly approaching the cocoon.
As I got closer, what became clearly visible sent me wide-eyed as I quickly scanned the inside of the cocoon.
I followed the streams of blood gushing out from the cocoon.
“Wow, this is really nauseating.”
A pool of bright red blood filled the oval-shaped cocoon. Floating at its center was a colossal orb-like structure.
Orb? Or eye? I have no clue. I mumbled involuntarily, stunned.
“That… what is that?”
In the crimson pool of blood, a massive orb continued to roll around ceaselessly, emitting an overwhelming presence that outshone Zadkiel’s corpse itself.
Visually shocking, I momentarily lost for words. Staring at it for too long inevitably triggered the Eye of Mimir.
[Item Information]
[Name: Nightmare of the Beyond]
[Effect: Ultimate enhancement of any skills reaching the pinnacle of mastery. Obtain the skill ‘Cycle of the Beyond’.]
[Details: A relic of doom infused with a witch’s dreams and memories. It broadcasts the witch’s final nightmare to all. When acquired, it will enhance up to three of the most proficient master-level skills to their ultimate form. Upon acquisition, gain a unique skill ‘Cycle of the Beyond’.]
“That… is the Nightmare of the Beyond?”
This was exactly what the second consciousness quest spoke about.
This was also the name of the relic of doom itself. It was both the reward for completing the ritual and the entrance to the dungeon where it was held.
“But what am I supposed to do…?”
Should I cut it open with a blade? It might be possible given its size, but it wouldn’t make sense.
Unable to get any closer or even flee, I fidgeted restlessly, locked into a staring contest with the giant orb.
A notification panel floated toward me.
[Alert: Invitation to the nightmare]
[Exposed to the powerful magnetic pull of the Nightmare of the Beyond. If not out of range within the next 10 seconds, you will automatically accept the Nightmare’s invitation.]
Dun-dun!
Suddenly, the orb pulsed violently. An unknown suction force pulled me fiercely.
I widened my eyes and tensed my body.
‘This feeling…!’
It wasn’t physical attraction. It felt like my spirit was getting sucked in, similar to falling into a hypnotic trance. Instantly, this overwhelming sensation gripped my body.
A sudden panic overcame me, but I shook my head and chuckled menacingly.
“…Why wait 10 seconds? Let’s go in now.”
Thump. My declaration coincided with my heart stopping momentarily.
The surrounding area was instantly engulfed in pitch black darkness. An unbearable sensation of free-fall overwhelmed my senses.
Was I truly falling? Or was I already dreaming? My perception blurred the lines.
[Condition 2: Entry into the special dungeon “Nightmare of the Beyond” — Satisfied]
At any rate, it was certain that I was properly executing the quest.
Total darkness soon followed. The surroundings were enveloped in an impenetrable blackness that obscured even my own form.
Consciousness faded temporarily.
