Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: The True Demon World (1)
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Elaine seemed even happier than I was.
Well, of course she would be.
She’d volunteered to help me, but I could see her growing weary from the constant failures.
“It’s all thanks to you, Elaine.”
I patted her back as she hugged me, a gesture of thanks for her hard work, when Bio strode toward us.
“Hmm, it could have been a fluke. You should try it one more time…”
I was secretly hoping for some praise…
“B-Bio-nim?”
“Bio. That’s enough. How about we try it on your leg this time…”
“It was a joke. You can’t succeed with the Sword of Vitality by chance. You did well.”
Was that really a joke?
A suspicion crept in that he was just trying to save his own leg.
“At this rate, you should be fine to go back up.”
“Without learning the Sword of Nothingness?”
“Are you planning to train for another ten years?”
Ten years?
“Didn’t you say that if I learned the Sword of Vitality, I could master the Sword of Nothingness quickly?”
“It depends on your talent. Seeing as you’ve grasped the Sword of Vitality, I’d say it would take about ten years if you only train and have no real combat experience.”
…That’s a bit harsh.
Still, the fact that I could go back up was encouraging.
“Will you leave at once?”
If I had come to the labyrinth alone, I would have nodded without hesitation, but I couldn't.
“No. I need to meet Ha-young and the others first. Do you know where they are now?”
“They’re in the northern region.”
As he spoke, Bio snapped his fingers, and my vision shifted.
“You could at least give a warning before teleporting us.”
Just as the name Glacial Valley suggested, we were flanked by ice cliffs of staggering height.
“The view is pretty. It’s a little chilly, though.”
“This is more than a little chilly, isn’t it?”
Heavy snow was falling, and being in a valley, the wind blew with considerable ferocity.
Even the robe I was wearing, which had a temperature control option, wasn't enough to ward off the severe cold.
“Where are Ha-young and the others?”
“Just ahead.”
Walking a short distance in the direction Bio pointed, I saw my companions battling a legion of monsters.
Led by a massive Ice Golem, there were also yetis and monsters resembling penguins and polar bears.
Their numbers were quite large, so I was about to rush in and help, but Bio raised a hand to stop me.
“Wouldn’t it be better to see how much they’ve trained as well?”
There were nearly a hundred of them, but my companions’ faces were relaxed.
“You think so?”
We were close enough to help at a moment’s notice if things got dangerous.
It seemed my companions were also helping Ha-young train, as they were only moderately engaging the monsters that charged at them instead of finishing them off first.
Ha-young didn’t look as composed as the others, but she was by no means flustered.
She moved swiftly, loosing arrows.
*Boom— Boom— Boom—*
With each arrow, a monster fell—no, two or three were swept away in the explosion.
When a monster managed to dodge an arrow and get close, she would instantly draw the sword at her waist, cut it down in a single blow, and create distance again.
Her ability to handle the situation calmly and methodically, no matter the circumstances, was truly impressive.
The battle ended when she melted the last remaining Ice Golem like ice cream with a large sphere of white flame.
For the record, Timi hadn't moved a finger.
The fact that Ha-young had cast the white flame sphere herself was truly amazing.
“What do you think, Bio?”
“She’s far better than you were when you first came to the labyrinth and fought the Gold Lycanthrope.”
Hey, that was my first time.
It seemed that while I had been training hard, Ha-young hadn’t been slacking off either.
“Ha-young!”
“Brother?”
“Hyeon-ung-nim!”
“Mister!”
They all rushed over at once.
“Have you been well?”
“How did you get here…”
“Is your training over?”
“Yes. Elaine was a huge help.”
“I wanted to go…”
Rina shot a glare at Bio.
“More importantly, our Ha-young has improved a lot.”
“Huh? Were you watching just now?”
When I nodded, all my companions stepped forward, puffing out their chests.
“I think she can now say she’s an archer wherever she goes.”
Oh, high praise from the usually stoic Milli.
“She’s pretty good with a sword too, right? She has a knack for swordsmanship, you see.”
“Hyeon-ung-nim! Did you see the white flame magic at the end? Of course, it’s not as good as mine, but it was a pretty decent flame, wasn’t it?”
“Hmph! Who healed her when she got hurt?”
They all seemed to be fishing for compliments, so I patted each of them on the head.
“You come here too, Ha-young.”
Though her companions had taught her diligently, Ha-young must have put in a great deal of effort herself.
No matter how brilliant the teacher, a student’s grades won’t improve without the will to learn.
After patting Ha-young’s head in praise, we moved to their base camp.
I was a little surprised.
They had built an igloo, the kind you only see in movies.
Getting in was a bit awkward, but inside, it was quite spacious and cozy.
They had even made a chimney, so with a bonfire in the center, it was warm enough to take off our robes.
I boiled some tea from my inventory and shared it with everyone as we discussed our plans.
“Please take me with you.”
After defeating the Ice Golem, Ha-young had met her clear condition.
But the place I was heading to wasn’t the 47th floor, but the 66th.
I knew Ha-young’s skills had improved significantly.
She had even gained ten levels, reaching level 70.
But skipping nearly twenty floors seemed a bit risky.
Then again, leaving Ha-young behind on her own didn’t sit well with me either…
I considered taking her to a slightly lower floor, but honestly, I would still be worried.
I had no doubt about Ha-young's skills, but the labyrinth was full of variables.
This time, even my companions seemed conflicted, all of them glancing at me.
“Why is everyone so hesitant? Let’s take her.”
“Bio?”
I was a bit surprised.
I never expected Bio, of all people, to agree.
“The 66th floor is a bit tricky, but it won’t be terribly dangerous. Experiencing how you fight might also serve as further motivation for her.”
“But her safety…”
“It won’t be as dangerous as the 65th floor. If you’re that worried, I’ll personally look after her.”
“Bio-nim, I’m so touched!”
With Bio’s approval, the other companions also chimed in, saying it would be good for her to come along, lending their support to his opinion.
That guy Bio is always so cold to me, but he’s incredibly lenient with Ha-young.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what… Fine. Let’s do that.”
“Shall we leave at once, then?”
“No, wait a moment. Ha-young, have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
“Perfect. Let’s have a meal.”
“Didn’t you eat just a while ago?”
It had only been about an hour since I’d filled up on rations and jerky, but I hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time.
“I want to eat something decent.”
We do all this just to live, after all.
Now that I had learned the Sword of Vitality, I felt there was no need to rush, so I placed a pot over the bonfire.
Since I had been surviving on rations, the food ingredients I’d packed were untouched.
White bread with bacon, scrambled eggs, a salad, and soup—it was a proper meal for the first time in a while, perfectly finished with a can of cola to cleanse the palate.
Phew, now I finally feel alive.
“Alright, now…”
“Isn’t it bad to move right after eating?”
I agreed with Ha-young.
“Right. Let’s rest a little longer.”
“We will rest for another 30 minutes.”
After resting for exactly 30 more minutes, we used Bio’s power to travel to the 66th floor.
A purple sun hung in the sky above a field of red grass.
The air itself felt different.
It wasn’t that it was hard to breathe, but it was thick and heavy, like the scorching air of a desert, or perhaps more like killing intent.
As I tensed up, feeling an atmosphere completely different from any floor I’d visited before, a very long notification window appeared.
[Welcome to the 66th floor, the True Demon World.
Pass the trial of the Demon King who rules the True Demon World.
Quest Reward: Passage to the 67th floor. Random Stat +10
*The True Demon World flows with demonic energy emitted by the Demon King, not mana.
All abilities and stats of races and classes related to the Dark attribute are increased by 200%.
All abilities and stats of races and classes related to the Holy attribute are weakened by 90%.
The effects of all magic using mana and potions using mana are reduced by 50%.
All potions based on divine power are unusable.
High-ranking demons of the True Demon World can inflict damage to the very essence of a soul.
If a companion summoned via Companion Summoning is killed by a high-ranking demon, they cannot be re-summoned, and their summon card will be destroyed.]
I could understand the reduction in magic effectiveness and the restriction on divine power, but the last constraint was far too critical.
The destruction of a companion card…
“Mister, I can’t feel any strength in my body…”
“Hyeon-ung-nim, this place feels so oppressive.”
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
It wasn’t just Rina; the other companions also seemed to be heavily affected.
“What’s wrong with everyone? I’m overflowing with power.”
Elaine, being a demon, was a different story.
“Hey, brother, this place seems incredibly dangerous. If your companions get hurt or die…”
It seemed Ha-young had also read the notification window.
“Alpen and Rina, I think it would be best for both of you to be unsummoned for now.”
“What?”
“You want us to go back? Why just us… I don’t want to!”
“Rina, this isn’t the time to be stubborn.”
“Hey, big sis… they say you can’t use your powers properly here. And if you die here, you really die…”
With Ha-young backing me up and explaining, Rina fell silent.
It wasn't just Rina; I thought it might be better to unsummon all the companions except Bio for now.
“You’re worrying too much. There’s no need for that.”
“See? Bio-nim says it’s fine.”
“What do you mean, fine? Divine power, potions, healing magic, none of it will work properly…”
While Ha-young and I were serious, Bio just smirked.
“Have you already forgotten what you learned before coming here?”
“…The Sword of Vitality?”
“So you’re not a complete fool. Will is not bound by environmental constraints.”
Wow… I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Honestly, the whole time I was learning the Sword of Vitality, I had my doubts.
I knew it was to learn the Sword of Nothingness, but for healing wounds, we had potions and Rina.
“Bio, you had this all planned, didn’t you?”
“I don’t teach you things you don’t need. And aren’t you underestimating your companions too much?”
“Huh?”
“Your companions are not as weak as you think.”
No, I know my companions are skilled.
I had thought that by now, I was ahead of all of them except for Bio.
But they had rarely had a chance to shine on the upper floors.
Of course, they were never a burden.
But this time, there were these restrictions.
“It’s not underestimation, it’s worry.”
“That is underestimation. It was supposed to be a secret, but well, since we’re already marked, there’s no point in hiding it.”
“What?”
“All summoned companions, including myself, have their abilities restricted to match your level.”
Restricted to match my level?
“If you find that hard to believe… Hmm, right. How about you fight Hanna at full power?”
“Um, Bio-nim, I don’t want to fight Hyeon-ung-nim…”
“Then let me rephrase the question. How long would it take you to subdue him?”
Hanna glanced at me.
But Hanna hadn’t even awakened her Will…
“Well… I don’t think it would take more than three minutes…”
I was a little taken aback.
I hadn’t sparred with Hanna recently, but the last time we did, she hadn’t even awakened her Will.
In terms of pure swordsmanship, Hanna was superior to me, but there was a world of difference between someone who had awakened their Will and someone who hadn’t…
“You seem to find it hard to believe. Should we teach him a lesson?”
“No. I don’t want to hurt Hyeon-ung-nim. Hyeon-ung-nim, it’s not a lie.”
There was no way Hanna would lie to me.
“No, I believe you. Okay, even if Hanna is fine, wouldn’t Alpen and Rina be in danger?”
Alpen wasn’t originally a combat-oriented companion, and all of Rina’s abilities were restricted by 90%.
“You just have to protect them well.”
Easy for you to say.
When I glared at him, he scratched his head awkwardly.
“…Well, if a seriously dangerous situation arises, I’ll be here too.”
With Bio putting it like that, I couldn’t object any further.
My companions also looked dead set against being unsummoned.
My worries hadn’t disappeared, but for now, I’d have to trust Bio.
“So, what is this Demon King’s trial?”
“It’s on its way as we speak… It’s here.”
No sooner had Bio finished his sentence than the surrounding atmosphere began to churn, and dark clouds started to gather.