Chapter 31

Hyper-Senses (4)

After confirming that the monster had fallen, I lowered my head deeply again.

It really feels like I’m going to die from the pain.

The wound on my side is bubbling and new flesh is growing. It seems that my Hyper-Regeneration is activating to heal the injury.

However, either because the injury is severe or the monster’s magic is hindering the recovery, it feels like the healing is taking longer than usual.

“Guh...”

I eventually recovered from the injury and got up from my spot.

I felt as if all the strength had drained from my body.

Among all the dangers I’ve faced, this one was the most nerve-wracking.

If the attack had hit my head instead of my side, I would have died. No matter how powerful Hyper-Regeneration is, it can’t heal the head.

The light from the magic circle that was illuminating the space disappeared as the monster died.

I stared at the dead monster for a moment, then suddenly remembered Ashel and turned to look at her.

Ashel was lying motionless on the ground, sprawled against the wall.

I approached her, straightening my tattered clothes.

“Hey.”

I wasn’t sure how serious her injuries were or how to wake her up, so I gently tapped her cheeks.

Her eyelids trembled, and then Ashel slowly opened her eyes.

I sighed in relief and asked her, who was blinking blankly.

“Are you okay?”

“...Yes. How long... that monster...?”

“I killed it.”

Ashel, who seemed confused, let out a small sigh as if she understood the situation, then looked dejected.

She was knocked out by a single attack, so it was understandable this time. I can see my level, but she can’t.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t do anything...”

“It was a monster as strong as a Great Duke. Don’t blame yourself, drink this.”

At that, Ashel’s eyes widened as she looked at me.

I took out Scarlet from my coat.

Fortunately, it was unharmed because the attack hit below it.

Ashel shook her head, stood the sword upright, and wobbled to her feet.

“I’m fine.”

“Just drink it.”

“No, I’m really fine.”

She’s so stubborn...

Even when I tried to force it on her, she kept repeating that she was fine, so I pretended to bring it to her mouth.

Ashel was startled and stepped back, tripping and falling again.

I was a bit surprised by her reaction and looked down at her as she fell. What’s she doing?

“You’re not in a normal state, you know.”

“...”

I could sense a mix of embarrassment and resentment in Ashel’s eyes as she looked at me.

Why do you keep being so stubborn?

“It’s an order, drink it.”

In the end, Ashel took Scarlet and drank it.

She is an irreplaceable talent to me. It’s not like a potion like this would be a waste even if I gave her a hundred.

If there’s even a slight problem, I need to solve it immediately to ensure there are no issues.

‘Still...’

I sighed inwardly and turned my head back to the fallen monster.

‘What was that thing, anyway?’

Why was there such a crazy-level monster in this forest all of a sudden?

Even though there were many powerful mages during the Golden Age of Ancient Magic, a 97-level monster would have been one of the strongest on the continent.

‘He said his name was Enphirus Daima.’

I didn’t recognize the name because it was rarely mentioned in the game, which barely covered the ancient figures.

The ancient era was a time when there were almost no records outside of the ruins scattered across the continent.

I moved closer and climbed onto the altar.

Looking around the dead monster, I found a book.

I hesitated to pick it up because it looked like it would crumble at the slightest touch. How old is this thing?

I squatted in front of the book and carefully turned the first page.

“...”

What is this?

I stared blankly at the ancient script written in the book.

So... I can read ancient script fluently.

I had overlooked it earlier because I was focused on surviving, but I had naturally conversed with the monster in ancient language.

I easily concluded that this was similar to what happened when I was possessed.

‘It was the same when I was possessed at first.’

When I was first possessed in the game, I could communicate with the prisoner in the common language of the continent without any issues.

Although I’m not sure of the details, I think a similar phenomenon occurred.

‘Could conversation be the trigger?’

If direct conversation in an unknown language is the trigger, it makes sense.

I decided to check it again later and focused on the content of the book.

- I wished to become an eternal being.

The first sentence of the book started like that.

- All living beings are born with the fate of mortality. Even if you slow down aging with magic or other powers, or abandon your living body and resurrect in a dead body, the end will eventually come. I wanted to overcome this limit. I wished to shed the mortal shell and become an eternal being.

The following content was about his magical research.

I skimmed through it because I couldn’t understand much.

- But despite all my efforts, I could not achieve my wish.

- The end of my body, which had lived for thousands of years, was approaching. I could have lived longer, but the accumulated burden from various researches had reached its limit.

- I could extend my existence by resurrecting in the body of a dead person through necromancy. But if I did that, I would never be able to return to a living being and would have to live the rest of my life in a dead body. That would negate everything I am.

- I decided to meet my end in this place where I spent my life. I don’t want to leave any legacy. The only thing I will leave behind is this diary.

- Loneliness, I never imagined I would feel this emotion. If I had known, it wouldn’t have been bad to raise a few decent disciples.

Up to this point, it seemed like the ordinary life of a mad mage obsessed with magic.

But why didn’t he die and instead remain alive in this state?

The answer was in the next part.

- At the moment of death, when I let go of everything, a new enlightenment came to me.

- I realized a way to extend the lifespan of this body immensely, but it was futile. For that, I needed a body of a higher existence as a sacrifice. With my dying body, I couldn’t even obtain a sacrifice, and I could only barely maintain my life within the boundary I had set up. What a cruel fate.

- A path to become an eternal, perfect being was faintly visible. I cannot end it here. Even if I am bound in this place and cannot move at all, I will wait for someone to find this place someday. I will wait, even if eons pass...

A sacrifice... So that’s why he was so excited when he saw me?

It seems that because of the emperor’s soul, he saw me as a higher existence.

The content that followed became increasingly chaotic.

It seemed that his mind was gradually deteriorating from being locked up alone for so long.

After skimming through the entire content, I closed the book.

‘Nothing special.’

It was just absurd.

So, this place wasn’t the location marked on the map, and this Enphirus wasn’t the creator of the dungeon.

I had accidentally found a sealed place of a mad ancient mage instead of the dungeon I was originally looking for.

‘What a crazy coincidence, this is.’

Did I receive some kind of penalty when I was possessed in the game?

If I could see my stats, would my luck stat be -99?

It felt like every time I tried to find something mysterious, things didn’t go smoothly and crises kept happening.

I cursed inwardly again and stood up.

Since the diary said he wouldn’t leave any legacy, I didn’t expect to find any artifacts.

Still, I decided to check just in case and explored the passages, but found nothing.

I only discovered that this underground space was absurdly large, comparable to the castle I had been staying in. Such a massive space was buried in this forest.

Feeling a sense of futility, I said to Ashel,

“Let’s go out now.”

***

When we emerged outside, for some reason, Railo’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where did she go?’

I waited, thinking she might have gone to take care of something, but she didn’t return even after some time.

There were no signs of a struggle, so it didn’t seem like she was attacked.

After checking the surroundings at my command, Ashel said,

“There are no special traces.”

“...”

I thought for a moment and came to a conclusion.

‘Did she run away?’

It was the only explanation.

She might have been scared by Ashel’s skills and decided to leave.

She might have also thought that we would kill her to keep her quiet after witnessing the ruins.

‘The way back isn’t complicated, so it doesn’t matter...’

I sighed inwardly.

So, where is the real dungeon that Teir discovered?

Feeling reluctant to just go back, I decided to search further.

We continued moving in the direction the branches had pointed.

After quite a while, we found another bioluminescent tree.

The bioluminescent tree was growing close to a large rock, surrounded by thick undergrowth.

I approached it, thinking it was unlikely, and examined it closely.

Upon inspecting the dense undergrowth, I found a small passage between the rock and the ground.

“...”

I stared at the passage for a moment, then turned my head.

Ashel had also approached and was looking down at the passage when our eyes met.

‘Damn...’

The curse rose to my throat but barely subsided.

So, I was looking for something useless while this was here all along.

Bang!

I had Ashel widen the passage and we entered.

After passing through a narrow corridor, we reached a wide space where wooden giants stood motionless in the center.

【Lv. 48】

I clicked my tongue at the pitiful level displayed above their heads.

Yes, this is the right place. The dungeon that Teir discovered.

Soon, the giants’ eyes glowed blue, and ancient script appeared on the side walls.

- Adventurer, face the trial.

- Overcome the trial and claim the legacy hidden in this dungeon.

- Destroy the magic stones at the edges of the room to slow down the guardians, and they will stop when all are destroyed.

I looked around the space.

As it said, magic stones were embedded in the walls at the edges of the room. It seems that destroying all the magic stones is the condition to clear the dungeon.

Rumble.

The guardians started moving and approached us.

I said to Ashel,

“Ashel.”

“Yes.”

“Take care of them.”

Bang!

With Ashel’s single strike, all the guardians were knocked down.