Chapter 230

(5)

9.

“Whaaa—!”

Ashen remains swirling in the air.

The three minions that had been rampaging moments ago instantly turned to dust. Sven, who had just landed, stared at the scene with a blank expression.

‘…I didn’t see a thing.’

He had no clue what Ulan was doing with the axe or how the minions met their end.

All he did was leap per instructions, and by the time he landed, the battle was already over.

Questions bubbled up in his mind.

After pondering for a bit, Sven couldn’t hold back his pure curiosity and blurted out, “What the heck just happened?”

“We fought and won,” Ulan replied casually.

Sven frowned at the nonchalant answer. “That’s not what I meant!”

“Then what are you curious about?”

“I want to know how you took down those monsters!”

Sven’s brightly-colored eyes locked onto Ulan, filled with curiosity.

Ulan nodded mutely in response and soon explained.

“It’s simple. I just waited for them to enter my domain and took them out all at once.”

“Domain, as in Master’s Domain?”

He had heard about it while traversing the battlefield.

It was said that when one climbs from High-ranking Knight to Expert, and finally reaches the mastery of a Master, they each have their own “domain.”

And unless you’re a Master yourself, you wouldn’t be able to follow what happens inside someone else’s domain.

‘But…’

That couldn’t be all there was.

Because the benefactor who saved him, Kadel, was also known to be a Master. Unlike Ulan, Kadel had struggled against even a single monster wearing a beast mask. Ulan, on the other hand, had taken out three monsters all at once.

‘There must be some other reason.’

Sven was sure of it.

And his instinct turned out to be spot on.

“Um, it’s a little different,” Ulan said.

“How is it different?”

“What I used is a Transcendent Domain.”

What on earth was that?

Sven looked puzzled at the unfamiliar term. Ulan simply flicked the ash off his axe and replied briefly.

“You can think of it as creating another domain within the Master’s Domain.”

A domain is like a huge circle.

At its center is the owner of the domain, and the distance from that center to the boundary varies depending on skill or experience.

The Transcendent Domain represents a separate circle emerging from the center of this massive circle.

“It’s a technique I created to deal with enemies that can move inside my Master’s Domain.”

“Is that even possible?”

Master’s Domain is already impressive, but there’s something beyond it? Sven asked in disbelief, and Ulan only nodded silently.

It meant it was indeed possible.

“By the way, you can do it too.”

“What? On what basis…?”

“Because I’ve seen it happen.”

What exactly did he see?

Sven shot back with that incredulous look, but once again, Ulan remained silent as he sheathed his axe and turned away.

“We’re moving again.”

It meant resuming the search for Noa to escape the maze. Even though Sven’s expression was still one of unresolved confusion, he followed without further complaint.

‘It doesn’t seem like he’ll give me any answers anyway.’

So, he focused on searching for Noa.

At this moment, escaping here was more urgent than answering his questions.

How much time had passed since then?

Following a scent, Sven stopped repeatedly to recalibrate his direction. Observing this, Ulan casually remarked, “Looks like the smells are mixing.”

“…How did you know that?”

“Just seemed like it.”

How could he know something like that when he didn’t even have a good sense of smell?

Sven was too exhausted to be surprised anymore.

“Yeah, I’ll be honest with you.”

Letting out a short sigh as a cue, he explained why tracking Noa was difficult.

“Noa’s scent is really faint. Plus, the other scent is much stronger.”

“What other scent?”

“That of the one called the Saintess.”

“Ah, Laurea.”

Ulan’s eyes gleamed with focus.

A strong scent meant it would be easier to track. After a moment of thought, he decided to change his search target.

“In that case, let’s join up with her first.”

“Huh? Is that okay?”

“It is.”

“But earlier, you said there was no way to escape without finding Noa…”

“That’s true, but joining with Laurea will at least clear this darkness.”

Then they would have visibility, making it easier to find Noa. Sven, finally grasping the meaning of the statement, nodded quietly.

Not long after that.

The sounds of two footsteps vanished into the darkness.

10.

A place filled with pitch-black darkness.

Laurea, now alone in an unfamiliar space, blinked her eyes. She quickly recalled the events leading up to this moment.

The darkness that had rushed in from the jungle.

Like a beast alive, the darkness had swallowed Shulfern in an instant, covering the arena in the same shadows that enveloped her now.

‘And one more thing.’

There was something different from before.

The ‘voice of the stars’ that had been echoing continuously was abruptly silenced before the darkness engulfed Shulfern.

Laurea remembered a similar time when she had been isolated in a place like this. Recalling that moment, her expression hardened suddenly.

‘…The Abyss.’

Her brows trembled, as if uneasy.

She had experienced a similar feeling when pulled into the Abyss by the Swamp Ruler.

But soon, Laurea was convinced that this place was not the Abyss.

Thanks to a crucial realization.

‘The Abyss has no essence at all.’

In contrast, this place held an essence.

The maze-like scenery reflected in her Reflective Eye served as evidence. Letting out a sigh of relief, she burst into a smile.

‘Well, it couldn’t possibly be the Abyss.’

The only passageway to the Abyss in this world was the Source of Magic, Arsène. Knowing this place wasn’t the Abyss helped her regain her composure swiftly.

‘Then I’ll take a look around first.’

Even if the space twisted and scattered her companions, they couldn’t be too far away. After all, they had all been together in the same location before the darkness consumed Shulfern. Concluding that, Laurea lightly snapped her fingers.

Fwooosh! Fwoooosh!

Holy flames quietly ignited.

The pure white flames quickly dispelled the darkness, and with her visibility restored, she began to move.

However, contrary to her expectations that her companions would be nearby, she saw no sign of anyone at all.

“Please tell me I’m not the only one isolated here.”

Laurea frowned.

Of course, even if she was isolated, she didn’t feel particularly anxious or fearful. Because she knew Ulan was somewhere in this place.

She also recalled a talisman-like saying.

“When the time comes when you no longer hear the voice of the stars and the touch of the divine is absent, do not hesitate to call for me.”

Remembering Ulan’s words, a gentle smile crept across her face.

So, she wasn’t afraid.

“Alright. Let’s look around again.”

She lightly slapped her cheeks and resumed her search, determined to reunite with her scattered companions.

How much time passed?

Suddenly, Laurea paused mid-step.

“Wait, just now…”

She heard a sound.

Quickly honing in on the direction, she dashed towards it. However, awaiting Laurea were not her scattered companions.

“Ugh! Undead, huh?”

Her delicate brow furrowed.

Had the undead heard her voice, or sensed her divine power? Emerging from the ground, the undead screeched at her.

[Aaarrrgh!]

But it didn’t last long.

The holy flames, illuminating the surrounding darkness, burned its rotten body to ashes.

In an instant, the undead was reduced to charcoal.

Barely blinking, Laurea turned away, but she couldn’t move another step.

[Urrrgh!]

[Gruurrggh!]

The sounds of howling came from all directions.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed the undead rising from the ground here and there. There were dozens, easily counting into the hundreds, and Laurea’s expression crumpled.

“Yikes, that’s a bit too many.”

It wouldn’t be hard to handle, though.

Laurea was the Saintess of Eloden.

With just a purification spell, she could wipe out these lowly undead.

However, there was another concern.

‘I need to conserve my divine power as much as possible.’

Not hearing the voice of the stars meant that her prayers weren’t reaching. It meant she couldn’t recover her divine power through praying.

Having been isolated in the Abyss before, Laurea learned that conserving her divine power was the only way to survive for a long time in such a place.

‘If only Ulan were here…’

If he had been here, she could have taken out all the undead just by imbuing his axe with divine spells.

Laurea sighed.

Her expression was one of clear disappointment.

“Ugh, I guess there’s no helping it.”

While conserving divine power was important, putting out the flames right before her was the immediate priority.

Just as she was about to recite her purification prayer—

Bam!

A flash of light burst through the darkness.

The sudden appearance lit up the undead, turning them to ash, and charged rapidly towards her.

‘What…’

A white flash racing through the darkness.

Laurea watched in silence, her eyes widening.

‘No way!’

Could it be that Ulan had come to help her?

Her eyes sparkled with expectation.

But that excitement vanished quickly. The one eliminating the undead with such ease had a voice far more familiar than Ulan’s.

“Saintess, are you alright?”

A knight with deep blue hair.

It was Ian.

Realizing it wasn’t Ulan, Laurea clicked her tongue.

“Tch, what a bummer. It’s just you?”

“…What’s with that reaction?”

“Disappointing.”

“I can tell. I mean, who did you think it was to warrant that expression…?”

“Of course, I thought it was Ulan.”

If she hadn’t been expecting it in the first place, maybe it wouldn’t sting as much. Laurea sighed again.

But that moment didn’t last long.

She regained her composure.

“By the way, have you seen anyone else?”

“No, I tried looking for them, but the path is too complicated, and I kept getting lost.”

Laurea agreed with that.

This dark space, being essentially a maze itself, made finding a way quite challenging.

“Still, wouldn’t wandering around be better than staying put? We might run into someone.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“I really hope to run into my mentor. I feel a bit outmatched just having to protect the Saintess alone.”

Ian voiced his unease.

It was because of the beast-masked monster.

Creatures with the strength to disrupt the Master’s Domain. If they were ambushed in their current situation, he doubted he could win.

As Ian mentioned Kadel, Laurea reflexively voiced her own wish.

“I wish I could see Ulan.”

“Hmm, that might actually be better. He took down a few monsters with beast masks, unlike your mentor.”

Ian nodded as if he got it.

On the other hand, Laurea’s reaction was a bit different.

“While that’s part of it, I also want to have a few words with him since it’s been a while.”

If they were going to meet, it would be best if it were Ulan.

With that conclusion, a shy smile bloomed on Laurea’s face.

But that moment was short-lived when she noticed Ian’s eyes studying her intently. Tilting her head, she asked, “What? Why are you staring?”

“Just a little surprised.”

“Surprised about what?”

“Well, it’s just that the Saintess is more into older guys, right?”

In an instant, Laurea’s body froze.

A quiet tension followed.

After a moment, she stammered, “U-Um, what are you talking about…?”

“I know everything, so there’s no need to hide it. Besides, you let it slip yourself.”

“What? Me?”

“You tend to mention it when you drink too much.”

Ian answered casually.

There was no hint of a lie in that statement. As Laurea’s face began to heat up, Ian continued talking.

“Anyway, back to the point, Ulan is younger than you, isn’t he? Although he does act older than his age.”

“Well, that’s…”

There was nothing she could say.

It wasn’t that she was embarrassed to admit her preference, but to explain it would mean revealing that Ulan remembered his past life.

At that moment.

Suddenly, her eyes widened.

‘Now that I think about it, everyone has gathered.’

With Sven Isaac joining them, all the heroes that Ulan and Noa had mentioned were now in one place.

Months ago.

Ulan, Noa, and Laurea had all agreed to reveal their secrets to everyone when all the heroes were gathered together.

‘Once this is all over…’

She would have to disclose Ulan and Noa’s secrets.

Furthermore, preparing to confront the Abyss would be the crucial task ahead.

‘I wonder what kind of reactions they will have?’

She felt a mix of curiosity and worry.

But what was important right now was not the situation following the revealing of secrets. They had to resolve the immediate situation before that moment would even arrive.

Finishing her thoughts.

While she pondered how to respond to Ian’s question, suddenly he grabbed her arm forcefully.

“Huh?”

She nearly lost her balance.

At that moment, Laurea squished her face in irritation.

“What’s up? What are you doing out of nowhere…?”

Just as she was about to scold him for his sudden action.

A few strands of neatly cut hair fluttered in the air. Teal-colored hair. As Laurea realized the situation, her expression hardened.

【What a sharp one you’ve got there.】

An unsettling voice echoed.

Simultaneously, an unpleasant sound filled the air.

It was the sound of something sharp being dragged against the ground.

【I intended to slice off your head in one go, but it seems you anticipated it and stopped me.】

Another chilling remark resounded.

At that moment, Ian stepped in front of Laurea, raising his shield. With a serious look on his face, he whispered a warning.

“…Step back, Saintess.”

As the silhouette of the foe slowly became visible, he realized his worst fears were coming true.

The creature standing before them was the one wearing a crocodile mask.

It was an Undying Minion.

**Chapter 53: Breakthrough**