Chapter 100
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Demonic Realm
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“Thirty years ago, one of the wells in this old academy building suddenly began to dry up.”
Water drying up was one thing, but the bottom of the well vanishing entirely was something bizarre.
What had originally been a well deep enough to hold maybe ten people standing had strangely transformed into an endlessly deep cavern.
Why? For what reason?
Such questions held no meaning.
Demonic anomalies were born without reason or cause.
Only the result existed.
They threw stones to gauge the depth, but no sound of them hitting bottom came.
They lowered ropes, but even lengths of several hundred feet didn't touch bottom.
The only option left was to send a person down.
The first exploration.
“We gave a sturdy man a lantern and had him descend the well on a ladder.”
He descended all day without reaching the end, so we had him come back up for now.
The explorer testified that, once he was deep enough that the sky was no longer visible above, he felt intense fear and heard strange voices.
The researchers at the time assumed it was natural terror and hallucination from being alone in a narrow, dark space for so long, but since it could be a property of the demonic anomaly, they recorded his words.
The second exploration.
They mobilized a graduate student.
“We had an assistant who could handle far-sight and illumination spells descend while observing the bottom of the well.”
It failed.
The well's walls seemed to absorb light; even with enough luminosity to light up a night street, the light only reached about ten feet.
Naturally, the far-sight spell was useless too, making it impossible to observe the bottom.
However, one peculiarity was that although he descended to the same depth as the first man, he didn't report hearing the strange sounds.
The third exploration.
They mobilized a martial artist.
A peak-level expert who claimed proficiency in wall-climbing technique—a middle-aged warrior.
With a light source at his waist and the spell orb provided by the academy strapped on, he strode down the well wall.
And he never returned.
“...Hoo?”
A glint appeared in So-hyang's eyes as she listened quietly.
“There were several more attempts after that, but none reached the bottom.”
To begin with, it wasn't even clear if a 'bottom' existed.
However, they did discover that the depth of the well-turned anomaly ignored surrounding buildings and geological structures, plunging endlessly.
Below a certain depth, it connected to some kind of otherworld.
A property of a sub-space linking one space to a separate one.
After uncovering this much, exploration below the well was halted.
Because entering the otherworld created by the anomaly was the same as sticking one's head into the anomaly's maw.
“There was no need to approach it in a way that favored it.”
There were no physical threats emerging from above the well.
It occasionally bewitched nearby people to 'want to go down,' but drawing sealing formations to block the well's demonic nature took care of that.
Normally, this would conclude the initial response, after which it would be handed over to the Imperial Demonic Isolation Facility or the Martial Alliance's Demon Seal Cave...
But the academy kept it secret and isolated it within campus.
Apparently because the property of connecting to a sub-space was just too useful for sorcery.
Sorceries and tools that interfered with space had always consumed excessive resources or been limited in use.
But this mutated well?
As long as you didn't explore below it, it only emitted mild mental corruption intermittently, posing no real danger.
Yet its unique property of permanently linking spaces into a sub-space...
Destroying or fully isolating it would waste too much potential utility.
“For example, we use it like this to sever space. We connect spaces, then close the door to cut...”
“Enough.”
So-hyang had no interest in such explanations.
“Can I go down there?”
She simply stared into the well's depths with sparkling eyes.
According to So-hyang's intuition, something quite entertaining lurked below.
Shouldn't she take a look at what had been born?
“Pardon? Couldn't you go down just once after we're done experimenting?”
The professors flinched at So-hyang's pure white eyes, which held an ominous gleam like a cat eyeing an intriguing toy.
Transcendent realm— a stage where one could ignore most affinities or irregularities and destroy anomalies.
What if she went down and broke a tool they still wanted to use?
“-Um, even so, couldn't you enter after the experiment is finished?”
“...Fine. Finish up and then we'll see.”
The three professors chanted their spells in unison, and the surrounding spell formation began to glow and vibrate.
“Connection coordinates set. Fine-tuning position...”
“Infinite depth boundary designated, space leap sustained and waiting.”
“Sample secured, space fusion ready.”
A glowing circle floated in the air; on the opposite side of the shape appeared the well's wall.
The shadowed brick form—a passage linking to a not-so-distant but entirely separate space.
“We'll shave off just the surface of the wood like planing it to collect the sample.”
The created space gate warped slightly and smoothly pressed against the spirit sword's blade.
“Closing space gate, severing the space.”
With a single incantation, the passage linking the surface to the well's depths shut, and the spirit sword caught between smoothly sliced off.
“Ahhh...!”
The sensation of her spirit essence being severed was so dizzying that even So-hyang, unbound by physical pain, involuntarily groaned.
Her hand trembled.
Her eyes welled up.
“Haa, haaa...”
On the other hand, her lips slowly curved upward.
Apart from the information gained by analyzing the severed sample, the novel experience of an indestructible sword being destroyed was valuable in itself...
In other words, the moment of enlightenment approached.
So-hyang trembled from the pain of her spirit sword being severed, yet smiled ecstatically at the approaching enlightenment.
“Success! It worked!”
The professors cheered and eagerly began analyzing the severed spirit sword fragment.
“How's the original sample?”
“Indestructibility intact, no damage outside the cut, and it's trying to reattach itself...? Pull it off now! What kind of sword is this that it even self-repairs...?”
“Wait, the fragment's state!? It's trying to revert to qi! Hey! Bring the sealing box!”
The spirit sword fragment writhed dynamically, emitting pure white light as it pulsed unstably, overlapping material and immaterial states like it might evaporate.
The assistant, kicked in the shin, hurriedly fetched a glass container and trapped the fragment inside.
Only after being cut off from the outside did it stabilize, allowing the professors to finally sigh in relief and wipe their brows.
“...Phew, it's more spirit body than material substance, really.”
“Can something like this really be forged through metallurgy, like hammering metal?”
“I don't know. Even dissecting Mad Forger's masterpiece wasn't like this...”
They clicked their tongues amid such talk, observing the fragment from all angles with eyes gleaming in curiosity.
-Kkiiigiik
And then, the spatial rift that should have been closed quietly tore open the air once more.
The general and First Squadron noticed the anomaly first, having blankly observed the situation.
“...Wait, something's off.”
“The space... it's opening again?”
“Did the spellcasters do something... No, they look too focused to have.”
It wasn't connected via sorcery like before. They were engrossed in examining the severed sword fragment.
So, had the space opened on its own?
“No way. Is the anomaly rampaging...!”
“Threat detected. Intercepting.”
Warriors typically responded to bewildering situations by unleashing their cultivated might.
These two were no different.
Martial force response.
Heavy Strike, Single Shot, Slashing Arrow.
First Squadron instantly unfurled the hornbow worn like a belt, nocked an arrow, infused it with inner power, and loosed.
Golden Thunder Body Art, Plunder Punishment Thunder.
And faster still, the general's gang qi-charged fist reached the rift and detonated lightning.
“...Tch, no effect.”
But what they struck wasn't solid matter, nor even a clearly defined spirit body.
A warped space— a target where applying impact didn't even conceptually apply.
The rift in the air widened unhindered.
The professors, fixated on the gleaming white sword fragment, finally noticed.
“...Hey! The space gate's open again! Did someone restart the ritual!?”
“...What? Wait, it's real...!?”
“Assistant! Check the sealing formation!”
“No damage anywhere! Isolation is perfect...!?”
“-What? Then what's that!?”
“Hell if I know! How should I know what even you professors don't!?”
“Fair enough. Heh, we're screwe-”
Before they could respond, darkness erupted from the spatial fissure, swallowing everything.
Bottomless Well.
A structure reborn as a new existence under the flow of vast providence.
Once a well that held groundwater to quench human thirst, it had now become a bottomless pit devouring people—a grotesque horror.
An evil being that swallowed passersby, animals, and all life nearby to fatten itself.
But unfortunately, the Bottomless Well was born in the heart of the academy.
Had it emerged in some rural village or remote ruin, it could have preyed on unwitting travelers and wild beasts to grow strong...
But it was born in the cradle of sorcerers who pursued anomalies and admired truth.
The Bottomless Well could never become an unknown terror.
It was nothing more or less than a useful tool.
It had thrashed to find gaps and escape restraint, but these sorcerers were thorough and vicious.
They exploited the well's space as a catalyst for various spells while sealing any leaks of interference or mental corruption tight.
All the Bottomless Well could do was secretly lure and devour flying insects or mice scurrying nearby.
Naturally, the power accumulated was minuscule.
So minute that even the graduate students constantly measuring the well's state didn't notice.
At this rate, it would take centuries more to advance to the next stage by eating bugs alone.
But what could it do?
Bound to the earth with no prey crawling into its gaping maw.
It could only crouch and wait.
And the time came.
The detestable sorcerers, as always, sliced off a piece of their body—something pure white.
It felt strangely sturdy, with an eerie, ominous aura, but that wasn't important.
What mattered was the faint but distinct presence of a kindred from the severed thing's interior.
The spirit sword's core—the aura of the Blood Curse melted and crushed into an iron core by blazing karma flames.
Its innate blood qi infinitely degraded, its bewitching demonic nature infinitely debased, yet it was undoubtedly a demonic existence.
Great demons drew demons, devouring each other to grow; the Bottomless Well shared this nature...
Using the vaguely but clearly felt kin as a wedge, it propelled its body toward the surface.
Like ivy climbing a wall.
Like a serpent slithering up a vine.
“Damn it, assistant! External connection possible!?”
“Already isolated! It's a sealed space!”
The otherworld realm spilling through the rift.
Vision twisted; objects flew, collided, shattered everywhere.
No roofs or trees blocked the sun, yet deep shadows draped the space.
Bricks patterned the floor, bricks the sky, darkness filled the between.
The academy's old building was now no different from inside the Bottomless Well.
“This is insane. A demonic realm out of nowhere...”
Conventionally, when a tool used by humans harbored demonic nature, it was called a demon weapon.
A four-legged beast awakening demonic nature to prey on humans became a demonic beast.
Plants rooted in earth, thriving in sunlight, turning demonic became demonic trees.
And rarely, space itself awakened demonic nature, birthing calamity...
This was called a demonic realm.
A phenomenon and disaster where space itself brimmed with killing intent and demonic nature, reborn as a separate entity.
Regardless of circumstances, merely being a demonic realm classed it as at least province-level anomaly.
For within a demonic realm partially recreated the earthly hell of the Demonic Hegemony era.
A world where all things were enemies, life tore at life.
The mere narrow, deep well that was the Bottomless Well had metamorphosed into such.
Had devouring bugs accumulated that much power?
Was it different from birth?
The Bottomless Well, rapidly elevating its rank in real time with intelligence sharpening from vague to clear, didn't care.
Thirty-two years, three months, half a month, fourteen hours, twenty-four minutes, twelve seconds!
An eternity of humiliation and oppression.
-Grooooaaar...!
Now it would exact retribution on these loathsome sorcerers and rightfully devour them to bulk its existence.
An overwhelming omnipotence—as space itself crushing, swallowing, shredding, pulverizing them.
“My, my?”
That certainty was bisected by a laughing voice and a swung slash.
-Gu, groooar...!?
“I was planning to go down anyway, but I didn't expect you to come up instead?”
Joy lit So-hyang's face as she mercilessly swung her spirit sword every which way, shredding the space to ribbons.