Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Barundel's Past
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Slowly, Barundel's tale of the past began.
“To be precise, it wasn’t me who was famous—it was our party.”
“A party... so you had comrades you hunted with together.”
“That’s right. Me, Crison, Daymoot, and... my wife. A party of four in total. I was the leader of that party.”
“...I see.”
For the first time, the word “wife” came from Barundel’s mouth.
Naturally, I couldn’t help but turn serious.
She was probably no longer in this world—that much was clear.
I silently gazed at Barundel, and he continued.
“As I mentioned earlier, our party was quite famous. Unlike most demon hunters who acted alone, we formed a party, but beyond that, every single member was incredibly strong.”
“How strong were they, exactly?”
“You can think of each one as being on my level.”
Four people with combat prowess equal to Barundel’s...
“...No wonder you were famous.”
Hearing it, it made perfect sense.
It wasn’t for nothing that a noble like Edward knew of their fame from ten years ago.
“Thanks to that, our party kept racking up victories. People would rush to entrust us with demon extermination requests the moment they saw us, and our party’s reputation and rumors only grew bigger. Eventually, even the demons learned of our existence.”
Ttak.
Barundel downed the freshly ordered beer in one go and continued.
“That was the beginning.”
“The beginning...?”
“The tragedy of it all.”
Tragedy.
The atmosphere sank once more at that word.
What kind of tragedy had befallen that party of powerhouses?
“It was just like any other day when we took on a hefty request and headed out to hunt. The location was [Enoch’s Tower].”
[Enoch’s Tower].
I knew that place very well.
It was a tower infamous in the dwarf kingdom, the Ajeunda Kingdom.
The world’s sturdiest and tallest tower, personally constructed by the dwarf Enoch, it had the misfortune of being seized by demons after failing to repel their invasion.
I thought it had been sealed off for a while to keep them from getting out...
“It had been opened?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“Oh, I thought it was still sealed.”
“You’re a bit slow on the news, Yoo Han. That was ages ago. [Enoch’s Tower] is like a holy site for hunting in the dwarf kingdom now.”
“Oh... I see.”
For some reason, it seemed the tower had been opened after a hundred years.
Well, that was plausible enough.
With advancements in technology and equipment, they must have decided to reclaim the lost tower.
That aside, what was surprising here was...
“But isn’t that tower in the dwarf kingdom?”
Barundel’s party hadn’t operated in Asteron.
I’d naturally assumed they’d done their demon hunting work there...
“You’re right. I originally operated there. That’s where I made my name. I only came here... after the party disbanded. It’s been a little over ten years now.”
“Oh, I didn’t know. Sorry.”
I hadn’t heard the details yet, but I could roughly guess what had happened.
Perhaps after the tragic event, he’d fled that place.
People who developed trauma from demons often left their hometowns.
Barundel seemed to be one of those types.
Anyway.
“That day, [Enoch’s Tower] was no different from usual. We climbed the tower with practiced ease, cutting down the demons as if exterminating pests. The problem arose when we reached the 60th floor.”
Barundel clenched his fist as if recalling that moment and spoke.
“Suddenly, red lightning struck [Enoch’s Tower]...!”
“Red lightning...?”
At my puzzled question, Barundel nodded.
“You’re thinking of it correctly. The same red lightning that once struck the Aldeon Tower.”
“Huh.”
Red lightning striking here pointed to one situation.
A rift connecting to the demon realm had opened.
Meaning a large-scale invasion by demons led by a single commander.
“To make matters worse, all the doors in the tower sealed shut. We were like rats trapped in a cage.”
“Why on earth... Was it some madman like Dershion? Did the dwarf kingdom have someone like that too?”
Barundel shook his head at my words.
“Not a dwarf. It was the demons’ doing.”
“You mean...”
“Yes. A legion commander intervened in [Enoch’s Tower].”
At this point, I was at a loss for words.
Everything was shrouded in mystery.
Why had the demons opened a rift in [Enoch’s Tower]? Why had the tower’s doors sealed? Who was this legion commander that intervened...?
I couldn’t guess at all.
Barundel said the only answer he had among these many questions was one.
Why they had chosen that day of all days to open the rift.
“I heard it clearly. That bastard’s voice saying, ‘Finally, I can deal with these pesky bugs.’”
“...Wait, so you’re saying they opened the rift to catch Barundel’s party?”
“...I don’t know that far. Whether they opened the rift to kill us, or if we just happened to be there on the day they planned to open it—who can say. But what’s certain is that they knew of our existence and saw us as a nuisance.”
“...A nuisance.”
It showed just how strong Barundel’s party had been.
For a legion commander to personally call them a nuisance meant they were a real thorn in the demons’ side.
If they’d been more than just a nuisance...
‘They would’ve marked them.’
A ‘mark’ was a power only legion commanders and above could wield.
Its effect amplified a demon’s power whenever an intelligent demon fought the marked target.
The moment you received it, it was no exaggeration to say you were in permadeath mode.
But from Barundel’s story so far, it hadn’t reached that point yet.
Not because his party wasn’t strong enough, but because there was no need.
The moment they were trapped in the tower, they were as good as dead.
Anyway.
“So you don’t even know who that legion commander bastard was?”
“...All I know is his voice and the mana he leaked. He never showed his face once, just kept sending demons down from the top of the tower nonstop. And after that...”
I didn’t need to hear the rest to know.
An endless defense battle.
Only powerhouses who could break through the horde with overwhelming superiority could survive that.
In terms of magic, an 8th-circle mage.
In terms of swordsmanship, at least knight order captain level to barely make it out alive.
Kkaddeuk!
I heard Barundel grinding his molars.
The memory of that day still tormented him like this.
I waited until his anger subsided before speaking.
“Did they all die?”
“...Yes. Everyone except me.”
“...How did you survive, Barundel?”
“After three days and nights of nonstop fighting... my wife forced a [Blink Stone] on me. She’d given up completely. She must’ve wanted at least one of us to live.”
“...I get the picture.”
“The regret of not being able to stop her from shoving that Blink Stone into my hand that day still haunts me...”
A hint of choking emotion seeped into Barundel’s voice.
Instead of consoling him, I silently refilled his glass.
Not with beer, but whiskey.
I hoped this strong alcohol would soothe his aching heart, even just a little.
And in one corner of my mind...
‘...Those fucking bastards.’
My hatred for the demons grew ever thicker.
***
After a long while of silently drowning our emotions in drink.
We’d entered the tavern in broad daylight and only emerged as night was falling.
I escorted the thoroughly drunk Barundel home, then headed straight to the library.
To learn more details about the incident he’d described.
It was an event from ten years ago, and one of that scale—there had to be records in books and such.
My guess was spot on, and soon I found a relevant book.
[The Tragedy Brought by Enoch’s Tower]
“This is it.”
The book detailed [Enoch’s Tower]’s history—from its construction, its normal operation period, the demon invasion, the victims, and more. Naturally, it included the incident Barundel mentioned.
[The Red Lightning that Struck Enoch’s Tower]
A table of contents clearly tied to that event, no matter who looked.
Palak-! Palak-!
I steadied my foggy mind and slowly read through the book.
Most of it aligned with what Barundel had said, but it was written from the perspective of those outside the tower, not inside.
The dwarf kingdom’s response right after the incident, the reopening of the sealed doors and what demons emerged, how the battles unfolded.
Such details were recorded.
The frustrating part... was the absence of the information I sought.
“I can’t figure out who the hell it was.”
My sole interest now was one thing.
Who was the legion commander that opened the rift in [Enoch’s Tower]?
But the demons that emerged from the tower were mostly low-tier minions, with no mention whatsoever of the legion commander.
Just rampant speculation from so-called analysts about who it might’ve been.
As Barundel said, no one could pin down what happened or who caused it.
“Damn it.”
I searched a bit longer in case I’d missed something, but closed the book with nothing to show for it.
I closed my eyes tightly and leaned back.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but my head was a total mess.
I couldn’t understand why I was digging into this or what I planned to do with the info.
And yet, my thoughts endlessly churned for answers.
“...Maybe I should ask the intel guild.”
That’s where my mind had reached when...
Suddenly, it all felt pointless.
No— I realized it.
Knowing who was behind it didn’t matter one bit.
It wouldn’t change anything.
It had already happened, and there was only one thing for me to do here.
Kill all the demons and free people from this endless suffering.
It might be too much for someone who couldn’t even fend for himself...
“Who’ll do it if not me?”
It was also a thought only I could have.
My muddled mind cleared up like it had been doused with cold water.
“Just you wait.”
The reason I had to catch Baal.
Now, survival and return were no longer my only motivations.