Chapter 205: Strictly Business-Oriented
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 205: Strictly Business-Oriented
In a field of corpses piled high like mountains, a single snake stirred and woke.
A profound hunger gnawed at it the moment it was born.
Having crawled out of the void and opened its eyes to a new life, the snake opened its maw to sate its hunger, devouring the prey that happened to be lingering before it.
Yet, the hunger remained.
This low-grade meat was not enough.
It wanted more.
It craved deeper slaughter.
It desired the death of every human.
It wished for the end of every elf.
However, the chains bound around its neck were too sturdy to allow its bloodlust to run wild. It wanted to kill humans, slaughter elves, and fill the scars etched into its soul with their deaths and corpses.
But the porter’s chains, pulled taut around its neck, suppressed its desires.
The snake stared at the entity that had brought it back to life, seeking to break the chains. It glared at the one attempting to crush its resentment, control its will, and suppress its wishes.
“Why?”
Why was she standing before this man once again?
It was something she couldn't comprehend, but the fact that her newly granted life required her to live as this man’s slave filled her with an indescribable sense of wretchedness.
“You are my sworn enemy.”
Kairan, resurrected as Sion’s summon, spewed venom at the approaching monsters, radiating pure hatred.
Perhaps the threads of causality had become tangled.
She, who should have been dead, had been resurrected with a body stronger than before, and the Snake’s Original Sin clung to her head in the form of a crown.
Sion also looked at the crowned Medusa.
She possessed an appearance, aura, and power entirely different from the Queen of the Snake Nest he had killed.
This was qualitatively different from an ordinary Medusa.
‘It worked.’
The Medusa Sion had summoned now was an evolved specimen.
It was the forbidden art he had learned from the Druid Club President.
Monster Evolution Art.
Sion had used the Monster Evolution Art through the Snake’s Original Sin, and Kairan’s soul had inhabited the body of the strongest evolved specimen he had called forth.
It hadn't been Sion’s intention for Kairan’s soul to inhabit it, but the twisted causality had caused some kind of error.
The Labyrinth’s malice had run wild, creating a small crack.
Through that crack, ‘something’ had shoved the hate-filled soul of the half-elf into Sion’s summon.
The result was spectacular.
“Kieeeeek—!!!”
At the Queen’s cry, the Watchers faltered and retreated.
As the Queen of Snakes—now higher in rank than the master of the Snake Nest on the 5.5th floor—radiated her hatred, the bodies of the charging dungeon crawlers stiffened and shattered where they stood.
“She is like the monsters of Utopia.”
Helena’s assessment was accurate.
The evolved Medusa species Sion had summoned was comparable to the monsters of the 7th floor.
“Shit...!”
Only now did the backlash of the summoning hit Sion.
The Spirit Chain linked to the Medusa pulled taut, and a struggle of wills between Kairan and Sion began.
If he lost his grip here, the snakes he had summoned would turn and attack him instead.
Kairan struggled desperately to break the chains, while Sion clung to them, feeling as if his hands were about to explode.
“Dammit... I am your master. By my command... submit quietly!”
“Kieeeeek!!”
Sion poured even more strength into the hands gripping the iron chains.
Simultaneously, his Spiritual Eye activated regardless of his will, allowing him to look into the entity inhabiting the Medusa Queen’s body.
Sion saw a writhing, pitch-black silhouette.
It was a woman with a somewhat familiar appearance, and Sion soon realized exactly who she was.
Sion approached the struggling Kairan.
Having already entered a spiritual realm separate from reality, Sion ran quickly through the gray-tinted world toward Kairan, who was alone, stained black and thrashing in agony.
“Kairan! What are you doing here? Kairan!”
“Don’t come near me! Stay away! I said, stay away!”
Ignoring her cries, Sion ran to her and pulled her slumped form into his arms.
“Whose doing is this? Who bound your soul to a snake!”
Sion asked as he held the agonizing Kairan.
Why had she been discarded in a place like this?
Who had bound her to the soul of a Gorgon and left her there?
At Sion’s question, Kairan screamed as if in a frenzy.
“It was me! I bound myself! I tried to wear the skin of a snake to kill you all! Are you satisfied now? Is your curiosity sated? I hate you all. I hate you so much I want to kill you. I hate humans!”
“What do you mean...”
Kairan’s words were full of thorns.
Sion gripped her hand and did not let go.
Contact in the spiritual realm meant soul synchronization.
By touching Kairan, Sion became synchronized with her, and he was simultaneously able to read parts of her emotions and memories.
And he realized.
She truly had intended to kill him and his companions—and furthermore, he saw why she had come to hate humans and elves so much.
What should he say?
Should he apologize on behalf of humanity?
Or should he shout at her not to be bound by a miserable past?
Or perhaps he should curse her for trying to kill him?
None of those felt like the right answer.
Her father was a piece of trash who had raped and beaten her elven mother before abandoning them both.
Her mother was a figure of terror who had subjected her to daily abuse, blaming her daughter for her ruined life.
Her childhood was stained with hatred for her father and fear of her mother.
That hatred and fear had transformed into a malice that sought to exterminate both humans and elves.
Only then did Sion realize what he needed to say to her.
It wasn't an apology or forgiveness.
He had to ask about the sins hanging over her soul.
“I see why your soul was entangled with the Snake’s Original Sin. Just how many people have you killed until now?”
Kairan had been murdering humans and elves in the Labyrinth.
She had destroyed more parties than one could count.
In the end, she too had been hunted in the Labyrinth in the same way.
Her soul was stained with sin.
Something residing on the 6th floor had seen this and bound her soul to the Snake’s Original Sin.
“I’m asking you how many people you’ve killed.”
Sion asked again.
At his stern tone, Kairan replied with a sneer.
“I don’t know. I never bothered to count.”
“Do you even remember who you killed?”
“Why should I remember them? Humans and elves are targets to be killed. Both must be erased. Why should I... why should I remember the faces and names of those I was going to kill anyway?”
“...”
Because he was in contact with Kairan, he knew.
She remembered every single person she had killed.
She remembered them all.
“They were all people with problems too, weren't they?”
“What are you talking about? I specifically chose to kill the innocent.”
“A father who beat his daughter. A mother who abandoned her child. A bastard who committed parricide. You only killed those who were problematic. And then you got caught and killed. Am I wrong?”
“You’re wrong. I chose my targets to vent my pleasure and hatred—”
“Shut up. You were just scared. You were trapped in your childhood memories. You were terrified. Because you couldn't escape, you found people similar to those who tormented you and killed them. You did it to try and overcome the nightmares of your past, didn't you?”
“...So what? Are you going to launder my past for me? Don’t give me that bullshit. I’m a murderer. No matter how much you try to change me, it’s meaningless. Some of the people I killed were truly decent people.”
Kairan’s words were true.
She had sought out and killed sinners who hadn't been exposed to society, but when her killings were discovered, she had eliminated the witnesses as well.
For her goals, she had killed without distinguishing the innocent.
The weight of the sin on her soul was heavy.
“I’m not trying to make you have a change of heart. I understand that your hatred for humans and elves is real. I also understand the discrimination you faced as a half-elf.”
“Then what more do you want? Are we filming a sob story? Your own situation isn't exactly great right now, is it? Just leave someone like me here and get back to reality. Leave me alone!”
If Sion left, her soul would once again be enveloped in darkness and burn in the depths of the Labyrinth. Then, she would slowly fade into nothingness.
Kairan didn't care.
Struggling in pain was better than living as someone’s slave.
She had the freedom to suffer.
If she gave up this freedom, she would never live a free life again.
“Look, I’m sorry, but I need your help if I’m going to get out of here alive.”
Of course, Sion had no intention of leaving her behind.
He had learned of her circumstances.
He had learned of her sins.
Having learned everything about the person named Kairan, Sion felt neither hatred nor pity.
To him, Kairan was a complete stranger.
He didn't empathize with her sadness, and he gave up on trying to understand her hatred.
Sion was simply making a request.
He could only control the Medusa Queen in her perfect state if he secured Kairan now.
Regardless of Sion’s will, the Snake’s Original Sin had chosen her as the Queen.
That was why Sion had to persuade Kairan.
Because he had briefly witnessed the power of the Medusa Queen.
“If you help me, I’ll launder your past and send you to heaven. So, please, help me.”
Indeed, he wasn't looking for a relationship based on emotional exchange or mutual understanding.
He simply wanted a business relationship where both parties benefited.
Sion was, after all, a man who prioritized profit over empathizing with others' emotions.
That was why, even after seeing Kairan’s entire past, he could calmly ask for her help.