Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Became the Public Enemy of the Martial World (1)
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Why do the angels bring people to Elsia?
And not just from Earth, but from other worlds as well.
“You start with a very difficult question.”
He scratched his head with a troubled expression.
“Weren’t you the one who suggested an exchange of questions?”
“I’m not sure you’d be able to hear it even if I told you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s information you can’t access at the 65th floor’s level. Well, if you insist, the reason we bring the Summoned to Elsia is because of x@#!! @#.”
Was this what he meant?
The rest of our conversation was crystal clear, but the most important part—the reason—sounded like an unknown language.
“Can you write it down?”
“It will be meaningless. But if you wish.”
He sighed once, then flicked his finger. A quill and parchment materialized in the air.
He grabbed the pen, scribbled something down, and handed it to me.
[x$#! @#$$]
As expected, it was a completely indecipherable word.
It felt similar to when I heard information about the 81st floor from Misha, so it seemed some kind of restriction was in place.
“Damn it.”
“It seems you can’t see it. See, didn’t I tell you it would be useless? Now, is it my turn to ask a question?”
The smirk on his face as he replied was infuriating.
“I didn’t get a proper answer.”
“You’re being unreasonable. I gave you an answer. It’s not my fault you lack the ability to see it, is it? I even warned you it would be useless.”
It was a bit unfair since I didn't get a real answer, but the Emperor’s words weren’t entirely without merit.
“Fine. What’s your question?”
“After being confined here for several hundred years, my kin, who never visited, asked me to deal with you. They said you could become a great threat in the future. You don’t look all that impressive to me. Do you know why?”
The angels are wary of me?
That was news to me.
Could it be because of the Boots of Enhancement from before?
I thought that had been resolved smoothly…
“I’m not sure.”
“Isn’t that answer a bit too insincere?”
The words, ‘Says you…’ nearly escaped my lips, but I managed to hold them back.
“I can’t lie and say I know something I don’t, can I?”
“You must have some inkling, though, right? Otherwise, Laiel wouldn’t have gone so far as to mobilize my subordinates without permission to eliminate you.”
Laiel? Mobilize his subordinates?
I had no idea.
“I haven’t been attacked by any angels so far, though?”
I’d only seen angels twice: once when I first arrived in Elsia, and the other time with the Boots of Enhancement.
“That can’t be. Weren’t you attacked a few days ago when you were with the Demonic Cult?”
That attack was aimed at me?
“I thought it was a power struggle between the Demonic Cult and the Imperial Palace. I never thought I was the target.”
An angel hadn’t attacked directly, and Go Hwa-yeon had said as much…
She even got me out of there, saying she couldn’t let her benefactor get caught up in it. I felt a little bad about that now.
“Well then, is it my turn again?”
“You haven’t answered yet. At least give me a guess…”
“He said he doesn’t know! Well, it’s probably because my mister is the strongest among the Summoned!”
Rina, who had been standing beside me, answered for me. To be honest, my thoughts weren’t that different.
My traits themselves were so good they could be considered bugs or cheats.
And I did actually possess a bugged item, the Boots of Enhancement.
“You don’t particularly look it, but fine.”
Oh, I thought he’d cling to it stubbornly, but he was surprisingly cool about it.
“Then it’s my turn again. Why were you confined here?”
The word ‘confined’ itself didn’t have a very good meaning.
It implied being sent somewhere for committing a crime, unable to leave.
Thinking of the Joseon Dynasty, it felt similar to being exiled.
“Are you a specialist in difficult questions? Well, this one isn’t as hard as the last. My thoughts differed from those of my kin.”
His thoughts were different?
“That’s a very vague answer.”
“My kin agreed on bringing the Summoned, but I was against it.”
He was against bringing the Summoned?
“Then I’ll just ask one more. You said you knew nothing about the Demonic Cult attack earlier. How did you know I was an angel?”
That was obviously because Bio…
I glanced at Bio, who had been standing silently this whole time, and he nodded.
It seemed he was saying it was okay to tell him.
“My companion told me.”
“Companion?”
The Emperor, who had been staring at me, began to scan my companions.
“Hmm? They’re all at a decent level, but to know something like that… Hmm?”
While scanning my companions, he suddenly started walking towards Bio.
At the same time, the atmosphere began to tremble violently.
No, it wasn’t the atmosphere.
The wind wasn’t blowing.
My body started to shake uncontrollably.
“Mister, what’s wrong?”
“Hyeon-ung-nim?”
My companions, who couldn’t perceive the will, didn’t seem to feel it, but in the surrounding space, another will was clashing with Bio’s familiar will, scattering fragments of intent.
“So it was you. I don’t intend to fight for real, so let’s stop here.”
Bio didn’t answer, but he withdrew his will, and the Emperor’s will vanished at the same time.
Now I understood why Bio said his judgment had been wrong and why he had warned me.
This man was at least on par with Bio, if not his equal.
“Let’s stop this playful exchange of questions. Why did you call us here?”
Bio, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.
“If you don’t intend to fight me, then withdraw your hostility. I have no intention of fighting either. As I said before, I was merely curious. Why Laiel, who imprisoned me here, is so wary. It was all because of you.”
The angels are wary of me because of Bio?
I was a bit taken aback, but considering what Bio had shown me so far, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
Moving between floors at will, stopping time, seeming to know everything…
“May I ask one last question?”
“I thought we were done with the questions. I have no more, but fine, I’ll do you a special service.”
“You have a very good reputation among the residents of the 65th floor. What is the intention behind your actions?”
The Emperor tilted his head.
“I don’t understand the intent of your question.”
“Just answer the question as it is.”
I had thought he might be conducting human sacrifices or had some sinister plot to escape his confinement.
If that were the case, I had no intention of changing my target.
“Is it not natural for an emperor to care for his people?”
A completely normal answer, entirely different from what I expected, came back.
“I don’t know what you all might think, but I like it here on the 65th floor. Do you perhaps think of the residents here as the same as the monsters on other floors?”
I shook my head.
Everyone I had met on the 65th floor, including Go Hwa-yeon, was not much different from my companions.
In fact, even among monsters, there were cases like those on the 60th floor who were originally human.
“I think of them as people, same as me.”
The Emperor’s eyes widened.
“Oh, I’ve met a Summoned who shares my views for once. Most Summoned treat them like monsters.”
“They talk, think, and act the same. Does it make sense to treat them like monsters?”
The Emperor smiled gently.
“Indeed. I share your sentiments. My kin think a bit differently, though… It seems the reason they are so wary of you isn’t just because of that friend of yours.”
What did he mean by that?
“You may not understand now, but as you descend the Labyrinth, you will naturally come to know. And since I’ve met a Summoned who shares my views for once, I shall give you a gift.”
A gift?
The Emperor flicked his finger once, and a yellow orb appeared in his hand.
“Take it.”
[Orb of Hope (Legendary)
A mysterious orb imbued with the power of the confined angel, Uriel.
-Allows you to defer the choice that appears every 10 floors, starting from the 50th floor.]
Defer the choice…
“Since you’ve come this far, I assume you already know about the choice you can make every 10 floors from the 50th floor onwards.”
“Is this an item that allows me to defer that choice?”
It could be a useful item for someone, but honestly, I didn’t have much need for it.
I was going all the way to the 100th floor, no matter what.
“That’s right. I’d like to give you something better, but this is the best I can do for now.”
Still, since he was giving it to me, I took it and put it in my inventory.
“Before I was confined here, when I was still a manager, I gave one to a Summoned who had similar thoughts to yours.”
Wait a minute, if he gave it to another Summoned, could it be Misha?
I heard she reached the 81st floor and gave up on the Labyrinth after an agreement with an angel.
“By any chance, was that Summoned’s name Misha?”
“Oh, I think that was her name. Do you know her? It was a very long time ago…”
“I’ve met her.”
“I see. She was a very warm-hearted Summoned, just like you.”
Warm-hearted…?
Uh… I didn’t really get that impression…
“Then, could you perhaps tell me a little about the 81st floor?”
“That might be difficult. Just like before, even if I were to speak, you wouldn’t be able to hear it.”
Just in case, I asked once more, but like the angel's purpose, it was indecipherable.
“It’s not much of a substitute, but let me give you one more piece of advice. The Martial Alliance Leader has been causing a lot of trouble lately. Considering your disposition, it would be good to deal with him.”
I was planning to go after the Martial Alliance Leader if not the Emperor anyway.
“If you care for your people, why do you leave the Martial Alliance Leader be?”
“You have many questions. I cannot kill the head of another faction. That is my restriction.”
So he had such a restriction.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“It was nothing difficult. It was a pleasure meeting you today.”
Contrary to my worries, there was no conflict, and I gained quite a lot from this meeting.
“Well then, it was a pleasure meeting you today.”
“It was an informative time for me as well.”
As I was about to turn away, the Emperor stopped me again.
“It would be wise to be a little more careful from now on. My kin can exert their power not only inside the Labyrinth but also outside.”
I told him I’d keep that in mind and left the palace hall the way I came.
After a short walk, we were guided by the eunuchs and boarded the carriage.
“Mister, so you’re not going to fight the Emperor?”
“That’s right.”
Bio had warned me, but more than that, the Emperor’s way of thinking was surprisingly normal.
My image of angels changed a bit after today’s conversation.
“Then are you going for the Martial Alliance Leader?”
“I’ll have to.”
If the Martial Alliance Leader was on a similar level as the Heavenly Demon, it wouldn’t be easy… huh?
[You have been designated a public enemy of the martial world by the Martial Alliance Leader, Sword God Lee Gi-bong.
From now on, all martial artists of the Orthodox Faction will move to hunt down the Summoned, Oh Hyeon-ung.]
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Hubei Province, Martial Alliance.
“Guuuh… What in the world are you?”
The Martial Alliance Leader, Sword God Lee Gi-bong, lay collapsed and battered, unable to believe the situation unfolding before his eyes.
The yellow-haired Westerner standing before him had single-handedly laid waste to the Martial Alliance.
Even Lee Gi-bong himself hadn’t been able to withstand a single strike from the Westerner.
“You should have listened when I asked you nicely to guide me. None of this would have happened if we had just talked from the start, right?”
“Guhk…”
It was blatant mockery, but all Lee Gi-bong could do was groan and clutch his sword.
The Westerner strode over and placed his foot on Lee Gi-bong’s head.
“Honestly, you primitive, inferior lifeforms only come to your senses after seeing some blood. Tsk, tsk.”
“Did… did the Demonic Cult send you? Or the Imperial Palace?”
“Are you in a position to ask questions? I have a job for you. Ah, and of course, you have no right to refuse. First, this is all too messy, so let’s clean up a bit.”
Lee Gi-bong couldn’t believe his eyes.
The moment the words were spoken, the Westerner flicked his finger, and all his wounds vanished.
The corpses scattered around also disappeared.
The destroyed buildings and the gouged-out ground returned to their original state.
It felt as if time had been rewound.
“Were… were you an Outsider?”
“An Outsider? Ah, that’s what they call the Summoned on the 65th floor. Do you want to die for lumping me in with such inferior beings?”
“N-No. Not at all. Please spare…”
“Do you want to live?”
The Westerner smirked and pulled a portrait from his robes, handing it over.
“Who is this man…?”
“That is the face of the Outsider you will now declare a public enemy of the martial world and hunt down. His current location is Beijing. I’ll give you three days.”