Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Purgatory (4)
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A long spear shaft hurtled toward his feet and embedded itself there.
Just beyond the gate stood a towering, massive fortress.
"...This is."
The castle gate loomed before him without any additional explanation.
The atmosphere around it was repulsive, almost disgustingly so.
The decayed scenery was far from inviting.
Rusty, foul-smelling water leaked from iron pipes jutting out beneath the stone walls, and bizarre sludge oozed in patches, inducing nausea.
Though the scrap-metal fortress, devoid of any wood, clearly harbored something ominous within, it looked utterly uninhabitable—a barren wasteland unfit for humans.
A trial, sure, but what exactly was he supposed to do?
The sudden question vanished as an unheralded threat erupted.
-Flash!
A long spearhead pierced his thigh.
"...!"
The rusted blade tore through muscle, widening the wound.
Excruciating pain surged through him.
"Ugh, aaaagh!"
By the time he realized it, he was screaming.
He had endured plenty of pain before, but this felt unprecedented... no, even worse than anything prior.
Sweat trickled down his spine. His hands trembled violently.
With severed tendons rendering him helpless, he collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath for a long while.
"Ha, heuk... huuk. Hoo."
His vision turned red.
Warm liquid trickled from beneath his eyes. Any lapse in focus threatened to snap his mind.
Hold on. Endure it.
He had weathered worse several times before.
Only after repeating that thought dozens of times inwardly could he finally turn his gaze to his thigh.
-Spurt, sizzle.
Blood gushed wildly from the wound. With shaking hands, he gripped the spear shaft and slowly pulled it out.
He wanted to yank it free in one go, but his strength failed him.
He paused several times midway, and then the blade caught on the lower part of his thigh. He took a deep breath.
Feeling the agony of flesh tearing, he slowly extracted the blade.
-Pop.
A brief hiss of air escaping. At the same time, he fumbled a potion from his belt.
-Clink. His weakened grip caused the first potion to slip from his hand and roll limply into the pooling blood. He pulled out a second one, twisted off the cap with his teeth, and poured it over the wound.
The pain gradually subsided.
"Ha, ha, heo."
He pictured Cheon-do's face in his mind.
"......"
Using the power of healing once more to mend the wound, he rose from the blood-soaked ground.
He reattached the dropped potion to his belt and downed the half-empty one in his hand.
-Gulp, gulp.
He tossed the empty vial aside and wiped his chin with the back of his hand.
"...This."
was no easy feat.
He shook off the blood staining his body and wiped his face.
His blood-soaked protective suit was beyond ruined.
Should he turn back? The thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly steeled himself and corrected his stance.
"Sseup."
Regulating his breathing, he took in the fortress once more.
It wouldn't matter if it were just him, but those women's lives hung in the balance.
Quitting wasn't an option. He couldn't bail no matter what.
He took one step forward.
-Flash!
A streak of light. A spear throw so swift even his Combat-Type Physique couldn't detect it.
Relying solely on instinct, he hurled his body sideways.
The shaft grazed his shoulder and slammed into the ground behind him.
-Ssssh.
Merciless attacks with no warning or pattern. The thought of one striking a vital spot sent chills down his spine.
He rose from the dirt-covered ground and pressed forward again.
That was when the eerie sound began.
-Greeek, grrrreek, greeeek.
It pierced his ears like a shrill ring. Dissonant, like misaligned gears grinding.
Spear throws from an unknown source, followed by grotesque voices.
The certainty that something lurked within the fortress drove him onward.
-Greeeek, eeeeek, eeeeeek- eee.
-Kek.
-Greeeek.
A mingled laugh. The mere recollection sent shivers; in his mind, it translated naturally.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Foolish seed of the World Tree. Do you claim the roots of a rotten old stump even after receiving the king's grace? -Flash!
Another spear rained down. He dodged by turning his head.
This time, he could react at his full speed.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Do you bully from the base of the tree? "Who are you?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Go back. He got no reply to his words, only a mechanical response.
"The restrictions?"
If they lifted the restrictions, he'd gladly turn back as many times as needed.
From the moment he heard Cheon-do's words, he had been focused solely on saving those women, not perfecting his skills.
[ ...... ]
But it maintained silence.
That was answer enough.
-Step.
With resolve, he took another step forward.
A razor-sharp gust whipped up suddenly, engulfing him.
-Whiiiiiing!
Even as the wind pushed him back, he extended his foot once more. Blood trickled from between his clenched teeth.
He swung his hand diagonally, channeling mana to disrupt the wind's flow and deflect the incoming spear's trajectory from above.
-Thud, plop!
Several spears stabbed into the ground. He clutched his head against the throbbing headache.
Even that minor interference had nearly depleted his mana.
If difficulties scaled with the restrictions' weight—and given Cheon-do's sacrifice—the obstacle before him had to border on the impossible.
He pulled out a mana-concentrated pill and chewed it.
It wasn't ideal, but he had prepared as best he could long ago.
-Fsssh.
Several ents erupted from the ground before him.
"Greeek, grrreek greeek."
Roots and branches formed their elongated, torn legs; their rotten-wood torsos bore no resemblance to the ents he had fought before.
If previous ents had burned with life, these felt like mere empty husks.
'Mistletoe.'
The parasitic plants sprouting from their necks confirmed they had been overtaken.
'Beating those turns you into that.'
Anger flared.
He wanted to probe further, but there was no time.
'Damn things.'
-Crack!
Their forms disintegrated. He cleared his mind and gathered mana in both hands.
He twisted away from an ent's fist aimed at his solar plexus.
"Greeek!"
Its rushed attack threw off its balance. He grabbed its elbow to flip it, but its unexpected rigidity forced him to leap back.
The stems were incredibly tough.
-Bang! Bang!
Tree roots lashed like whips, tearing through the air relentlessly.
After barely dodging, he created distance to gauge their power.
'I can't win.'
These ents possessed senses and strength vastly superior to the ones before.
His own power hadn't advanced much since then.
Woefully insufficient strength and mana. He clicked his tongue in realization.
He pulled a capsule medicine and popped it in his mouth.
The ent refused even that minor action, closing in instantly to swing its fist.
-Kwang!
Crossing both arms to block sent shockwaves through his body.
Thorns on its branches pierced his skin, disrupting his mana flow.
-Splash!
Splattering blood.
He was starting to read the attacks, but victory remained elusive.
The monster showed no mercy.
With killing intent threatening to crush his neck, he kicked off the ground, spinning to boot its throat.
"Greeek."
Target: mistletoe.
His mana-infused kick struck the nape perfectly.
-Bang!
Bark splintered, and a grotesque scream echoed skyward.
"Greeeeeeeeek!!"
The ent thrashed wildly before dissolving into fertilizer-like mulch.
He had found the weakness.
But—
"Greeeek!"
His brief elation ended as reinforcements seized his upper body.
Thick woody hands gripped him tight, spanning from solar plexus to spine. Seeking vengeance for the fallen mistletoe, it slammed him into the ground with all its might.
-Kwang!
Dazed by agony.
A massive crater formed, burying him in dirt.
Long claws pierced his abdomen, blood pouring freely.
"Keheuk!"
His lungs constricted then released in a gasp.
Unfamiliar tinnitus rang in his ears.
As death flickered before his eyes, he slammed his hand to the ground and activated magic.
-Rumble!
A pillar of fire erupted, blinding the ent and generating wind to propel him free.
He flung his floating body as far as possible.
-Roll.
Near death, he tumbled across the field for a while before coughing and staggering up.
"Cough, keheuk......"
Internal injuries; crimson blood trickled from his mouth.
Even the capsule medicine was impossible to chew properly.
He rummaged his belt for potions, splashing them over his body and mending wounds with his power.
"Ha... heo."
His skin slowly knitted.
His breathing finally steadied.
Shuddering, he looked down at his bloodied form with a sneer.
He pictured his master's face.
"...One more time."
He wasn't ready to die yet.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Tattered protective suit, severed belt, blood-drenched body slumped limply. His eyes lost focus.
The purposeless trial left only ugly scars.
It would be tough. Cheon-do's bitter words finally resonated.
Some things you just can't know without experiencing them.
"...Hoo."
Sitting atop the ents' corpses, inhaling the chilly night air, the metallic tang of blood filled his nostrils.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Go back. There is no trial here. Translated phrases echoed in his head.
Surveying the battlefield of his desperate struggle, he healed his half-severed forearm with his power. Dizziness hit with each drip of blood.
No potions left. Cheon-do's supply had run dry long ago.
Artifacts were shattered or broken in the brutal fight.
"Ha."
A bitter sigh.
All he gained today was powerlessness.
What was wrong? Lack of effort?
Or laziness in strategy?
No answers came despite rumination; likely none ever would.
'For now... head back.'
Return to the shelter.
Cheon-do was waiting.
Stepping over corpses, he limped toward the gate.
In the end, he hadn't even crossed the scrap fortress's threshold.
Could he ever reach it?
He swallowed the weak thought forcibly.
Stumbling repeatedly, he reached the gate. Glancing back to etch the fortress in memory, he infused it with mana.
Day 1.
Achievements... none.
-Hum!
His vision inverted.
Upon arriving at the shelter, he collapsed like a felled tree, knees buckling. The fragile thread of consciousness snapped.
"Master... where are you?"
"Right here. I haven't moved a single step since you left."
"I see... I'm sorry. My vision's blurry right now."
"So it seems. Your eyes are pure white. Poison?"
Some ents used that.
A chuckle escaped, followed by the warmth of a palm on his cheek.
The woman's silhouette sharpened in his hazy vision.
"So careless. Falling to poison like this."
Cheon-do was still smiling.
"Come here."
"Master, the results were..."
"No need to say it. Just coming back makes me happy."
Her melting words relaxed him completely, draining his tension.
Cheon-do caught his collapsing body.
His face buried in her ample bosom.
"You've lost a lot of blood."
"...Yes."
"You did well. That's how growth happens."
Perhaps from excessive bleeding in the fight, everything felt pale.
Cheon-do's hand stroking his hair was warm and comforting.