Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Branch Point
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“Is this the destination?”
Eliya said that upon seeing the massive stele right in front of them.
It was proof that they had reached the deepest part of the dungeon where the first trial took place.
The ‘Mystic Heart’ embedded in the deepest chamber of every dungeon.
Normally, you’d touch it to summon the dungeon’s ruler and fight a decisive battle.
In other words, it was a boss summoning device.
“Ah, they said it was an artificial dungeon, but they even implemented something like this, huh?”
Rana approached the stele as she said that, circling around it to inspect it from all angles.
Thanks to all the rough treatment they’d endured getting here, the Holy Kingdom uniform she wore was practically reduced to rags.
As I stared at her absentmindedly, Eliya narrowed her eyes and jabbed my side hard.
The blow was so intense it nearly knocked the breath out of me, making my body sway.
“...Why.”
“No reason. It just felt like you were eyeing the poor girl—who got all torn up because of you—with some lecherous gaze.”
“...”
Don’t slander me.
“...I didn’t.”
“Hmm.”
Eliya let out a deep nasal hum at my words, still eyeing Rana with narrowed eyes.
Even after going through all that hell just moments ago, she didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. No anger or anything.
“Does she not care at all if she gets hurt?”
“...Yeah.”
I rubbed my bruised side and barely managed to agree.
“Teacher.”
Eliya spoke in a feeble voice.
Her tone carried an uncharacteristic heavy sense of guilt.
“...Later, we have to apologize to her for sure.”
“Huh?”
“Even if she didn’t feel any pain and went along with it without complaint... it still feels like we took advantage of her pure goodwill.”
“...”
Well, yeah, that’s exactly what we did.
She clearly wouldn’t care even if we did.
Thanks to that, we’d cleared the dungeon at a speed no one else could even approach.
[Hey.]
Suddenly.
Caliban spoke from within the Soul Linker, accompanied by a sigh.
[You’re acting a bit off, aren’t you?]
‘What?’
[I joke around calling you trash and all, but it feels like it’s getting worse with you.]
‘No, in terms of consequences, she’s actually the safest one—’
[That’s not the point.]
I paused at Caliban’s words.
The vibe was completely different from his usual teasing tone.
[Normally, you wouldn’t even consider a method like this unless it was truly unavoidable. No matter how much she didn’t mind, the Dawood Campbell I knew hated seeing others get hurt and would sell his own body instead.]
‘...’
[You get swept up in urgent situations and do rough stuff often, so it’s easy to confuse, but you never voluntarily sacrificed someone else before.]
Hearing it laid out like that.
It wasn’t wrong.
Normally, even if she couldn’t feel pain and said it was fine, I wouldn’t have resorted to such an extreme method for my goals.
Just as he said, my psychological resistance to ‘hurting others’ had dropped significantly.
[I think I know the reason, and you probably do too.]
He continued with another sigh.
[You changed your entire race with your own hands. It’s a side effect, right?]
‘...’
[It’s not just your body—it’s affecting your mind too.]
Certainly.
This was the first symptom humans showed when starting to get corrupted by a ‘demon.’
An extreme drop in aversion to wielding violence against others.
How do I know?
‘I’ve seen it.’
In the game, it was the initial sign in vessels overtaken by malice.
Their resistance faded as they committed inhuman acts on others under the pretext of ‘necessity.’
Elnor was a prime example.
And that meant.
‘...Am I changing the same way?’
I was clearly not immune now that I was genuinely affected by the Otherworldly Seal.
So.
“...Yeah.”
I nodded seriously in agreement with Eliya’s words.
“Let’s definitely apologize.”
“...Hehe. I knew you’d listen if I said something, Teacher.”
Eliya replied with a silly grin.
Then, I added one more thing.
“And one more.”
“Yes?”
“From now on, I won’t do this to anyone except proper bastards.”
Growing the Otherworldly Seal’s power was essential due to the Foreseer’s existence.
It might influence me to choose methods like this one that I ‘normally’ wouldn’t.
But I can’t let that happen.
Changes come like a drizzle soaking your clothes. If Caliban and Eliya hadn’t both pointed it out, I would’ve just thought using Rana like that was the most efficient and obvious choice.
In that sense.
“If I ever seem about to do something weird again.”
So.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly and said to Eliya.
“You keep me in check.”
“...Pardon?”
“You’re the most reliable for this.”
“...”
At the very least.
Among the humans I knew, she was the most ‘human.’
She could keep me from going astray.
“...Teacher.”
Eliya responded in a low, subdued voice.
Her eyes trembled as if deeply moved by my words.
“Why isn’t quitting the trash behavior altogether an option?”
“...”
“Have you really given up even on redemption now? Is your mindset completely divorced from normal people?”
Must be the sibling resemblance.
Both of them were getting sharper at needling me.
“...No, just.”
It was a hunch.
A gut feeling that I’d inevitably have to do it again.
[Inevitable?]
‘...’
[The guy who’s working on my little sister as naturally as breathing?]
Shut up.
This isn’t flirting.
“...Sigh. I knew what kind of person you were when I got hooked, so no helping it...”
“What?”
“Nothing, you empty-headed idiot.”
Eliya said that and bonked me on the head.
Why hit me.
“...Still.”
She followed up with a beaming smile.
“Thank you for trusting me, Teacher.”
No doubt about it.
“I’ll definitely protect you, no matter what happens.”
The words carried an unmistakable swell of emotion.
She seemed truly, genuinely happy.
[You know what?]
‘...What now.’
[Thinking about it, you really are trash.]
‘...’
[Just die already, please.]
You said calling me trash was a joke.
Why does your voice sound so serious then.
!! Butterfly Effect !!
[ Affinity check with target ‘Eliya’ succeeds! ]
[ Checking the current status of ‘Demon Vessels’! ]
[ All conditions met! Butterfly Effect triggered! ]
[ As a result of all your actions, the ‘First Branch Point’ will occur soon! ]
[ Successfully resolving this event will alter a portion of the ‘Ending’! ]
“...”
I blinked blankly at the sudden window.
What now?
Did Caliban’s words jinx it or something?
Branch point? Special event?
And above all.
‘...Ending?’
I squinted at the unexpected word and scanned the text.
It popped up so abruptly I had no idea what it meant.
But it reeked of something big about to happen.
“Huh?”
Before I could ponder it deeply.
Rana’s troubled voice dropped.
Then.
The stele she’d been examining began vibrating wildly.
Black mana, visibly menacing, billowed threateningly around it—clearly, she’d touched something she shouldn’t have.
“...What did you do?”
“There was a button that said ‘press me’ kinda vibe, so I pressed it hard?”
“...”
Ah, that.
The boss summon button.
“...Why did you press it?”
“...Was I not supposed to?”
“...”
“And it was stiff, so I pressed it three or four times.”
“...”
“...Was pressing it multiple times bad?”
From what I knew, pressing it multiple times.
[ Challenger’s provocative will confirmed. ]
[ Summoning the highest difficulty ‘Dungeon Guardian.’ Good luck! ]
...jacked up the difficulty massively.
“...”
“...Teacher.”
Eliya quietly brushed back her hair.
She looked furious to her core.
“...Guess the apology can wait.”
“...”
Yeah.
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“Intriguing.”
Elnor narrowed her eyes, watching the ‘thing’ being summoned amid the coalescing black mana.
She’d obtained entry permission from Lucien and arrived at the deepest part early to wait, so she got a front-row view.
According to her, with Dawood’s abilities, he’d definitely arrive first, so waiting here was fine.
-...Um, couldn’t Dawood not make first place?
-No way.
Elnor had nodded firmly.
-If not, I’ll make it happen.
-...How?
-That’s a secret. But if it’s what that man wants, I’d stake my life on it.
-...Cheating that hard?!
She was a match made in heaven when it came to risking her life on dirty deeds.
Willing to commit foul play, even in a continent-scale mega-event, for the man she fancied.
Anyway.
“They really embedded a ‘spirit body’ in an artificial dungeon?”
Elnor muttered in disbelief, staring at the target taking form amid the rippling black.
“...Are spirit bodies that threatening?”
“More like ‘impossible to defeat’ than threatening.”
Beings from dimensions other than the material plane were generally rated a step above regular mana beasts in combat power, but thought-forms like spirits were treated as near-catastrophes just by existing.
At least in terms of ‘hard to catch.’
Their nature as entities from another world meant they ignored most material laws.
There was only one way to defeat them.
Endure all attacks they unleashed in the material plane, then use advanced mana or divine power control to invade the ‘mental world’ they harbored, and beat them there too.
In a way, the perfect opponent for hero selection. It tested combat skill, ability control, and mental fortitude all at once.
“...Wonder if they can handle it properly.”
Elnor murmured with narrowed eyes.
Even with Dawood’s exceptional skill, spirit bodies posed huge risks due to their direct link to the ‘mind.’
If something went wrong, she’d have to jump in herself.
“...But isn’t the one who has to face it Eliya, the hero candidate?”
“True, but do you think she looks stronger than Dawood?”
“...”
No countering that.
As Yuria recalled with an awkward smile, Elnor nodded as if she’d expected it and continued.
“Let’s move a bit closer for now. Need to react immediately if something happens.”
“Y-Yes...”
As Elnor stood, Yuria rose from her prone position too.
Her view cleared. She could clearly see Dawood’s tense expression as he faced the spirit body.
“...”
Yeah, definitely.
Perfectly visible.
“...Miss Yuria?”
Elnor sounded puzzled at Yuria suddenly freezing up.
But Yuria’s gaze remained fixed, unblinking, in one spot.
On Dawood’s bare face, maskless.
“...Ah.”
A moan blending awe and ecstasy slipped from Yuria’s lips unbidden.
Then.
“[Found you.]”
She uttered the giddy words.
Along with her ‘white breath.’
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