Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Chapter 2-1. Calypso's Nightmare
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Bel-Terza left after saying he would remember. Unlike his threatening arrival, his departure was instantaneous. Freed completely from the oppressive presence that had pinned him down, Judah slumped onto the stairs with a heavy thud and let out a deep sigh. His body was drenched in sweat—had he ever sweated this much recently?
'Things have gotten seriously twisted.'
He had been speechless when Bel-Terza, whom he thought would never be summoned, appeared. This was on a whole different level from the various events triggered by arriving at this dungeon a few months early. He had secured the blessing and descent of two of the seven sovereigns in exchange for handing over a fragment at some unknowable point in the distant future. It was a one-sided deal he couldn't refuse, but with this, Judah now held the blessings of two sovereigns.
'Come to think of it, when does the first sovereign's blessing seal break?'
Even after hitting level 30, he hadn't seen any separate growth message. Curious when it would finally develop, he checked the skill, only to find its rank had mysteriously risen.
[Blessing of the 1st Sovereign (Growth)] - Rank: B
You have received the blessing of the Demon Realm's 1st Sovereign, the Ruler of Space, Xian.
However, due to insufficient qualifications, most of its power is sealed.
-Rank C: Acquisition rate of knowledge and experience increases.
-Rank B: Attack speed, movement speed, reaction speed, and recovery speed increase by 10%. Mana consumption decreases by 20%.
[Blessing of the 6th Sovereign] - Rank: S / Workmanship: Master
You have received the blessing of the Demon Realm's 6th Sovereign, the one accompanied by death, Bel-Terza.
Even if death finds you, you can resurrect.
All status ailments are cured, and HP and mana are instantly restored by 50%.
However, as this power defies the natural order, it requires 30 days before it can activate again after use.
[Descent of the Sixth Sovereign, Bel-Terza] - Rank: SSS / Workmanship: Master
Summons the Demon Realm's sixth sovereign, Bel-Terza, once.
The descended sovereign will aid you in any situation.
Activating this skill deletes it.
Compared to the 6th Sovereign's blessing that revived him from death, the first one seemed lackluster. But with two more seals remaining, it might be worth looking forward to once fully unlocked. The 20% mana cost reduction didn't feel impactful yet, but that would change once he became the owner of the spirit sword. Feeling his drained strength partially return, Judah rose to his feet.
'Oh no, Jeanne!'
He had forgotten about her amid Bel-Terza's presence. Remembering how she had been flung back and crashed into the wall, he hurried down the stairs. His legs buckled momentarily, nearly sending him tumbling.
"Jeanne, are you okay?"
He rushed to her side, helped her up, and checked her condition. Blood soaked the back of her head—had she hit the wall wrong? Panicking at the blood on his hands, Judah immediately checked her status window, but the useless thing showed nothing except her stats, skills, and traits.
"Ungh..."
He patted her shoulder and called her name, but she only groaned, showing no sign of waking. Judah quickly pulled a potion from <Bag>. It was one sold at the temple in Serenia Castle, known for its decent effect. He uncorked it and poured it straight onto the back of her head. Thinking it might not be enough, he took one of the two fragments from the altar and fed it to her.
The fragment felt rough like glass, but the moment it entered her mouth, a red aura flowed through it, melting it away. Perhaps it was his imagination, but her complexion seemed brighter. Unable to leave her in the chamber, Judah hoisted her onto his back and exited the underground area.
Retracing a path he had already taken once was easy.
As soon as he emerged from the underground, he searched for a bedroom in the mansion. Climbing stairs dusted white with accumulation, Judah soon found a well-kept bedroom. Dust covered the bedding too, but shaking it out revealed it to be clean. He laid Jeanne down and fetched a fresh cloth from <Bag> to cover her. Pulling back the curtains at the window, he saw the rain had stopped.
The dust elsewhere in the room worried him a bit, but cleaning now, with her lying there, was impossible. He watched over her for a moment before leaving the room.
The mansion's magical lamps still shone brightly, illuminating everything. With Count Jinmu, the owner, dealt with and no more wraiths in sight, it was time to loot the unclaimed goods.
First, Judah returned underground and rummaged through Count Jinmu's corpse. Unfortunately, nothing salvageable came from the headless body. His clothes and accessories were all imbued with wraith curses, unusable without the necromancer class. The lab equipment on the second underground floor was just ordinary stuff anyone could buy with money.
'Why is there nothing useful?'
He scoured the first, second, and third underground floors thoroughly. Aside from the books on the first floor, there was nothing worth taking. Sighing in disappointment, Judah left the underground and explored the mansion. Fortunately, he hit the jackpot in another study on the first floor.
In a desk drawer were about twenty gold coins alongside some gems, and atop the desk—despite the dust—a high-end fountain pen, unmistakably crafted by a master artisan.
The bottom drawer was locked and wouldn't open. Sensing something inside, Judah pried it open with force. It popped out with a breaking sensation. Inside lay a leather-bound notebook and, beside it, a pendant of unfamiliar design.
A ruby cut into a diamond shape, encircled by silver in a Möbius strip pattern. Judah set the pendant aside after a glance and examined the notebook first. No title—it seemed like an ordinary journal.
"It's a diary."
[xx.06.25]
[The days are starting to get hot. The wraiths won't shut up, chattering endlessly beside me. They don't even get tired.]
[They're already dead, but I want to kill them again.]
[xx.07.21]
[I realized I need a secret place to revive my wife and son.]
[Is it right to trust the wraiths?]
[xx.11.11]
[I summoned the artisans from the Mantium Kingdom who built the mansion. I commissioned them to create a path down to the third underground floor.]
[They seemed troubled at first but soon nodded and agreed to start construction next week.]
[xx.11.17]
[The wraiths are urging me. Hurry and perform the ritual to summon Lord Bel-Terza.]
[I nearly lost my body to them for a moment.]
[One of them is sneering at me as I write this.]
[As long as you behave, they say they won't take your body again.]
Flipping through, it was clearly Count Jinmu's diary.
Dates were skipped here and there, but entries were frequent and lengthy. The wraiths seizing his body during the ritual and massacring the mansion staff; leaving the Baekje Empire to settle in Calypso Kingdom; completing the mansion; dreams of meeting his dead wife and son—mundane daily notes, two or three lines each. It matched what he already knew.
Then he found one entry with a long gap.
[xx.04.21]
[I don't know how much time has passed since the wraiths took my body.]
[Suddenly, they fled and returned my body to me. When I came to, a woman stood before me.]
[She was beautiful. Her rare purple hair was especially striking.]
[She looked down at me with arrogant eyes, and for some reason, the surrounding wraiths cowered, not daring to show themselves.]
[She claimed to be a [Fragment Retriever] and said she would help me avoid being possessed again if I worked for her.]
[But I was too old, too weary, with no will to go on. I refused her offer.]
[She said if I was interested in joining her group, the [Fragment Retrievers], to seek her out, then tossed me this pendant and left.]
[What kind of group is it? Retrieving famous fragments, as the name suggests?]
[...But it's all in the past now, so no need to dwell.]
Fragment Retriever?
Judah racked his brain, but it was a name he'd never heard. His brow furrowed. He had no memory of setting up such a group, nor of delegating it like with Arhil. It had never appeared in the story either. His gaze turned to the pendant.
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[Name: Fragment Retriever]
[Grade: Unique]
[Equipment: Pendant]
[Durability: 30/30]
[Effect]
Unknown.
[Description]
An item symbolizing membership in a group called the Fragment Retrievers.
-Sealed (Passive): It is clearly a special item. But due to the seal, it is nothing more than an ordinary pendant.
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He hoped the item info would yield clues, but it was just a brief description and no options. All he gleaned was its shape. Deciding to keep it in mind, he stored it in <Bag>. Clearing just one dungeon had piled on too many things to worry about.
Searching the mansion further yielded nothing more, regrettably.
It would've been nice to snag some codes too. Shoving aside his regrets, Judah headed to the bedroom where Jeanne slept. She was still out.
He pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat, watching her quiet breathing. Glancing outside, he saw night had fallen. Arms crossed, waiting for her to wake, Judah unknowingly nodded off, head drooping.