Chapter 154
Chapter 154
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Rise and Fall (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) relays the status window information to the ‘caster.’]
“Whew!”
It felt like the stuffy pressure in my chest had been completely blown away.
[Elapsed Time – 00:05:01]
Why did these status windows floating in the void feel so comforting?
The ‘Ancient Magic,’ which had barely reconnected with my mind,
immediately visualized all the status windows that had been piling up in my consciousness.
‘Still.’
Had five minutes already passed?
Or rather,
had only five minutes passed?
Subjectively, that suffocating time had dragged on forever.
But not getting eliminated in just five minutes felt utterly unbelievable.
[Ding!]
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) assesses the ‘caster’s’ status.]
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) opens its eyes wide.]
[The great being is astonished that it has increased from one to three in the meantime.]
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) hurriedly bows in reverence.]
‘Ah.’
Besides the essence of fire,
it seems it had seen the essences of water and wood too.
That’s how it turned out.
I just kept clearing dungeons diligently, and they piled up one by one.
[…….]
Even amid Ancient Magic’s prostration,
the essences showed no particular reaction.
Though I think the fire essence had reacted a bit last time.
‘Well.’
Even then, it had basically told me to shut up and get to work.
It didn’t seem like the essences held much fondness for this entity called ‘Ancient Magic.’
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade), who had been bowing, cautiously stands.]
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) assesses the current crisis in accordance with the ‘Ancient Oath.’]
The wording in the emerging messages carried a tone of caution.
Even things it might have glossed over before
now felt like it was putting in its best effort.
‘Definitely got some solid backing.’
Not school ties, regional ties, blood ties, or even smoking buddies.
This was the bond of essences! Essence ties!
[The time the caster must endure is 5 hours.]
[‘Space Separation’ (SSS Grade) has an activation time of 30 minutes, which is unsuitable.]
[Searching for alternatives.]
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) discovers something in the ‘caster’s’ inventory.]
‘Something?’
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) nods.]
[Displays information on the item the ‘caster’ is holding, ‘Officer Calling for Peace’ (S Grade).]
Oh?
That thing?
[Item: Officer Calling for Peace]
[Grade: S]
[Type: Catalyst]
[Description: The root that can uncover the secrets of a hidden ruin.]
[Effect 1: Can open the dungeon, ‘Rise and Fall.’]
[Effect 2: Item bound to Hunter, ‘Joo Dong-hoon.’]
[Effect 3: This item can only be activated by Hunters grade A or higher.]
Yeah, this one.
The catalyst item modeled after a horn pipe.
The item tied to the advanced job after resolving the bond between Eldrin and Demir.
But why this?
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) says it can manipulate the dungeon’s structure.]
[It says there’s no time, so it’ll proceed immediately.]
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) searches for the relevant spell.]
Huh?
What does that mean?
Manipulate the dungeon’s structure?
‘No way.’
This thing.
Is it planning to enter that catalyst dungeon from inside this one?
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) shouts ‘Bingo!’ and laughs.]
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) uses ‘Space Link’ (SSS Grade).]
Whoa?
For real?
What’s Space Link?
[‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade) wishes for good fortune.]
At that moment.
Thud!
The pitch-black world flipped to blinding white.
* * *
“Phew!”
I exhaled first.
“Ooh?”
I could smell.
Could plain empty air taste this good?
“Hoo! Hoo!”
My sense of taste returned too.
The bitter tang lingering on my tongue felt fully alive, and above all.
‘I can see.’
The dirt on the ground, the clouds in the sky.
The bushes scattered around didn’t just reflect the light—they felt tangible.
The soil was soft, the breeze gentle.
The temperature was cool, the ground hard.
Ah.
So this is what human senses are like.
I never noticed when I had them, but losing them made their value clear.
Even though it was just five minutes.
The aftereffects were tremendous.
“Whew.”
I staggered to my feet.
I’d felt enough of my senses returning; now it was time to grasp the situation.
[Elapsed Time – 00:07:40]
First off.
The elapsed time floating in the corner of my vision kept ticking up.
‘Which means.’
If I just stay here, I can naturally fulfill the 5 hours of Theme 5!
“Wow.”
An exclamation escaped me.
‘Ancient Magic’ (SSS Grade), this thing.
It’s incredible?
Just one skill turns the highest-difficulty dungeon into a freebie?
If I just chill here and clear the dungeon leisurely, I can snag the full 5-stage time reward for Theme 5.
‘This is way too OP.’
But what can you do.
Guess SSS Grade is just that broken.
I’d merely made good use of what was given.
‘Anyway.’
I’d suddenly entered a catalyst dungeon.
And so far, all catalyst dungeons had been tied to my skeletons.
‘So who’s it this time.’
Bone 2?
Bone 4?
Bone 5?
Bone 7?
Bone 8?
Five candidates.
Bone 1 became Sun, Bone 3 Eldrin, Bone 6 Demir.
‘Well, whoever it is.’
I still need to clear it.
[Elapsed Time – 00:08:00]
Whether I need to clear it before this hits 5 hours, or right on the dot.
No clue.
One thing’s certain.
As a catalyst dungeon, the difficulty will be insane.
No time to slack off.
I surveyed my surroundings.
The strong forest scent suggested we were midway up a mountain, around the 8th ridge...
Shing!
First, I switched my weapon to the sword.
Spears are great for fighting, but swords are way better for mobility.
‘Let’s go?’
I followed the trail.
When answers aren’t clear, moving and searching is fastest.
How long had I walked?
A groan and a sobbing voice came from afar.
“Ugh, urk! Damn bastards.”
Over there.
My eyes sharpened.
A new lifeform encountered at the start of a new dungeon.
It screamed “clue”!
Ssssh.
I moved quietly.
Shadows rippled naturally from my body.
The natural activation of ‘Soundless’ (S Grade).
“Urk, as expected of the Millennium Empire. Haah, in the end, the Emperor Faction wins, and we all die... Kids, women, everyone without mercy. Three generations wiped out. Maybe that’s better? Better than living in this trash heap of a world?”
A soldier lamenting, an arrow in his gut, blood flowing.
I revealed myself before him.
“Huh? Wh-who are you? Suspicious outfit... Don’t tell me you’re with the Emperor Faction?”
“Hmm.”
He looked foreign, sure.
But we could communicate.
Well, if I could talk to dwarves and elves, this was nothing.
“First, let’s treat that wound.”
I swung my sword to summon Bone 7.
Crunch!
White bones rose from the earth, taking form.
“Huh, h-heok! B-bones? A person summoning skeletons?! Who are you! How do you wield such mystical arts!”
“That’s what I want to say. Who are you, and where are we?”
Vmmm!
[‘Bone7’ uses the skill, Intermediate Healing (Lv.4).]
Dark energy from Bone 7 seeped into the soldier’s gut.
The mystical aura pushed out the embedded arrow and grew new flesh.
It even eased the pain.
“Uh, ugh? Wh-what in the world...?”
The soldier’s eyes went wide.
Guess in this world, skeletons doing healing is weird.
Honestly, it’d be the same in our world.
“Alright, let me ask again. I’m just a traveler from another country. Where is this place, and who are you?”
“You’re really from another country...?”
“Yes.”
Technically another world, but close enough.
“I saw you injured while passing by and healed you. You’re not gonna pretend you didn’t see, right?”
“Ah, I’m Hugo, a commoner soldier.”
“Commoner?”
From his earlier talk of the Emperor Faction,
it seemed like a class-based society.
“Yeah, a commoner. What, did you think I was royalty, nobility, or a priest or something?”
Hugo laughed self-deprecatingly.
Then he looked at me.
“You.”
“Yeah?”
“You said you’re from another country, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm. Hard to believe there’s another country under the Empire, but seeing your arts, it makes sense. The world is vast.”
“…….”
“Whew, you healed me, so I’ll explain roughly.”
Ahem.
Hugo cleared his throat.
“I was a commoner in an empire that’s lasted a thousand years.”
Was?
I focused on his mouth.
“But now, I’m with the revolutionaries. Whew, so here’s how it happened.”
He clenched his fist.
“For a thousand long years, the empire rotted away. While commoners starved and died from recessions or bad harvests, the emperor hunkered in the palace, and nobles and priests stuffed their bellies full. That’s the world, right? No, that’s not the world I want to live in.”
His firm hand trembled.
“Many commoners petitioned. Begged, staking their lives. But they wouldn’t even listen. They just executed us to protect their privileges. People who’d die anyway if left alone—they pushed us off the cliff.”
He trembled with rage.
“Honestly, I was ready to just die. Me and my only daughter. But then someone appeared, gathering soldiers. Well, if I’m dying anyway, why not drag a few more of those trash down? How could I sit still?”
“So you joined the revolutionaries.”
I nodded.
I got the gist of the backstory.
In our world terms...
Like the French or Russian Revolutions.
‘So that’s it.’
Is that why the dungeon’s called Rise and Fall?
No empire under heaven lasts forever.
No matter how solid it seems, it eventually walks the path of decline.
‘Indeed.’
I instinctively realized.
This dungeon’s main thread lies in this war.
The two opposing factions: Emperor Faction and Revolutionaries.
Mentions of nobles and priests too, so the Emperor Faction alliance is probably stronger.
So, which side do I join?
‘Obviously.’
Their ideologies mean nothing to me.
It’s not my world anyway—just a dungeon world.
The side I join
is solely where my skeleton is presumed to be.
In other words, I needed to observe the situation.
That’s when Hugo, the revolutionary, was giving me the rundown.
“Heh, you rat bastard.”
Clang!
A group appeared atop the ridge.
Some drew swords, others nocked arrows.
“Thought the arrow got you, but you were hiding here?”
“Th-those are Emperor Faction soldiers!”
Hugo shouted.
At that moment.
[Ding!]
[Stage: Rise and Fall]
[The waves of war threatening the Millennium Empire—will they end in ‘revolution’ or ‘rebellion’?]
[Choose one of the two factions.]
[1. Emperor Faction]
[2. Revolutionaries]
[Help that faction end the war.]
The system forced a choice on me.