Chapter 114
Chapter 114
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Warrior, Delivering the Toast
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After his spar with Siren, Balak ended up facing off against other dungeon bosses as well.
There were bosses whose octopus-like bodies let them wield eight swords at once.
Others whose insect heritage gave them rock-hard exoskeletons.
Warriors who extended their weapon reach with their elongated trunks.
He clashed with truly so many warriors.
Of course, every boss who fought Balak ended up in the infirmary, but even after treatment, they all wanted a rematch.
"Ahh… Is this the warriors' paradise, true Valhalla? It's so moving…"
"Hahaha! I never expected everyone to get so fired up!"
As everyone joyfully clashed weapons,
Balak, caught up in the excitement, decided to show off his moves.
He hurled his sparring partner into the air, snatched the warrior mid-flight, and then!!!
"Tombstone Piledriver!!!"
"Graaaah!!!"
With the opponent's head slammed straight into the ground vertically, that valiant warrior headed straight for the infirmary.
Balak's diverse and flashy wrestling techniques left his opponents seeing stars, captivating everyone in the arena with their raw power.
Finally, unable to hold back, Siren approached Balak.
"Um… Lord Balak, what exactly are those techniques?"
"Hm? Are you interested in wrestling?"
"Wrestling?"
"Words alone won't do it justice… Perguson, come here."
"Yes, sir!!!"
The seasoned assistant with a healing factor who could shrug off any injury stood beside Balak.
Soon, Balak tossed Perguson into the air for a powerbomb, driving his back into the floor.
An RKO, yanking the neck and smashing the face first into the ground.
A spear, plunging into the opponent like a lance, and more.
A barrage of techniques exploded with thunderous roars.
And the warriors watching these moves—
""""Oh.""""
That's right!!! Their hearts began to burn hot!
The outside world was a medieval era where barehanded grappling arts were barely developed.
Yet every time Balak unleashed a wrestling move, the shockwaves and booms drilled an overwhelming sense of impact right into the bones of the spectators.
Unlike pro wrestling from his past life—say, WWE—where opponents sell the moves on purpose,
these were executed fully airborne, making them insanely flashy and powerful!!
Seeing the men's eyes blaze with passion, Balak approached them, leaving his briefly knocked-out assistant behind.
"Wanna… try wrestling?"
"""……?!"""
Thump—!!
*************
The Abyss's Depths weren't just home to warrior-type bosses.
Mage-types and others from various classes remained in the banquet hall.
But the warriors learning wrestling from Balak sent massive shockwaves and booms echoing through the entire fortress.
Wondering what the commotion was, everyone headed to the arena.
And what they saw—
"DDT!!!"
"Guhk?!"
—was a bunch of grown men tangled up on the arena floor, thrashing around.
Those unfamiliar with wrestling cringed at the unpolished, subtle techniques.
But in their view stood Balak and Siren.
Suddenly, Balak hurled Siren into the air and leaped up after him.
He hoisted his opponent upside down, locking Siren's neck and legs tight with his arms and shoulders.
As everyone held their breath at the sight,
"Muscle Buster!!!"
Kwaaaaang!!!
Balak plummeted to the ground like a butt-first crash, thunderous roar exploding outward.
The impact amplified through the inverted Siren, leaving him crawling on the floor for a bit.
The female bosses, including Bellesa and Ella, watched the men having their fun—hooks still dangling above their heads.
Then Balak leaped high again toward the crawling Siren, spun in a midair flip, and!!!
"Shooting Star Press!!!"
"Graaaah!!!"
""""Oh.""""
The onlookers, all men, couldn't hide their awe at the insanely powerful moves!
Even among the spectators was Alterion.
"This… is really something."
"Huh? For real, Alterion?"
"You're joking, right?"
"Ella, Bellesa. I've been thinking we need ways to unite all these people here under shared culture. And look—they're all having a blast. It's flashy, stimulating…"
As long as it didn't kill anyone, the city's top facilities allowed instant heals with a snap.
Perfect entertainment, and so on.
Alterion's tongue seemed to grow longer somehow.
Ella and Bellesa just shook their heads.
"Men, huh…"
"Sigh…"
And so, under Alterion and Siren's lead, wrestling became all the rage among the men of the Abyss's Depths.
************
Plenty of spectators remained at the arena.
Those who left cast soundproofing spells and various barriers before departing.
After Balak and his friends worked up a good sweat, they swarmed the banquet hall for drinks during the break.
"Hahaha! Cheers!!"
"""Cheers!!!"""
Yeah!! This is life!
Who knew this gathering would be this fun!
The little bros are mingling fine with the others, so let 'em be.
But then a three-meter-tall human and an octopus-headed guy approached, calling out to Demon.
"Siren, having fun?"
"Best ever!"
Oh ho, figures—as a formal gathering, Demon knows them.
Asked Demon who they were: one was the giant Titanis, the other an ancient being named Ghtula.
"Hm? So your race is called 'Ancient Ones'?"
"Outsiders call us 'Old Ones.' But we hate that name."
"Kukukuku, 'Old Ones' is just a translation of 'ancient beings,' so no wonder. Though your race did have an original name…"
"It was erased. We lost a war against the current gods long ago."
"Lost?"
Ah, so the gods wiped their race name, leaving 'Old Ones.'
Practically a symbol of defeat, no wonder Octopus Head hates it.
"Of course, giants like Titanis here challenged the gods and lost but kept their name."
"The gods played favorites?!"
"Nah. Instead, 'giant' became synonymous with their race."
"There were no Cyclopes, trolls, or ogres back then. Those are byproducts after we giants lost to the gods."
"So what did 'giant' originally mean?"
"Not all giants are huge. It refers to races with vast wisdom, magic, and sturdy bodies—a 'big vessel' encompassing all that."
Are giants like the Jotunn from Norse myth?
They said these two even vied briefly with the gods.
"So your kind must all be close to the gods then."
"In a way… and not."
"The current gods are such monsters…"
Even a rough read of their auras showed they were powerhouses like succubi or demons.
Yet these beings claim they're nothing to the current gods? Just how strong are they?
Thinking of them as a milder Greek-Roman myth version makes it click.
Chatting led to old tales, and he learned something fascinating.
"The Will of the World?"
"Balak, you don't know about the Will of the World?"
"Honestly, no."
"""Hmm…"""
Suddenly, all three exchanged odd glances while listening to me.
W-wait, is this common knowledge like today's date?!
But the gods' info from Anima had no mention of any 'world will.'
No choice then.
Straight ball it is!
"Could you tell me about that entity?"
"Ah… Sorry, we were rude."
"I'll explain right away. First… you know the gods who created countless dimensions, including the Middle Realm, have emotions and personalities."
"Yeah."
"Then do you know that's their biggest flaw?"
In past-life myths, gods' personalities wrecked worlds.
Similarly, I knew the current gods' weakness was their personalities.
"Because the gods can't always make the right choices, beings like us and demons emerged. Back then, the Middle Realm was… total chaos, crudely put."
"Kukukuku, but it was fun. Endless fights over interests every other day."
"Anyway, the gods figured direct interference would worsen things, so they made an artificial god."
"That artificial god is the Will of the World?"
"Yep. Simply put, it's a god stripped of all personality and emotion."
A god with no personality or emotion?
Isn't that just a machine god?
Anyway, now I get how the world ticks.
"So now, gods handle indirect stuff, and the Will of the World does the direct?"
"Spot on. And since the Will isn't that strong, the gods protect it."
This world runs pretty systematically.
But one question.
"How do you know all this in such detail?"
How does Nangong know that?
They met my gaze, looked away sheepishly, and cleared their throats.
"Ahem… just an embarrassing past."
"Well, you challenged the gods, so yeah. But don't you want to rule the world now?"
"Ruling the world… In my youth, I craved that crown, but now…"
Giant and Octopus Head shrugged at my question.
"You view taking a god's seat pretty negatively."
"Why bother with godhood at our age? Just fame, and playing dolls in a model garden?"
"Lord Balak, honestly, the current Middle Realm is just the gods' product of benevolent madness."
"And their workload… whew."
The gods must be massive workaholics.
Plus, these gods aren't faith-ascended; they're just stupidly strong.
So faith-based godhood impossible?
"Possible, but why?"
"Sure, ideologies gathering mass faith and mental energy is powerful. But compared to current gods? Dust to dust."
"Plus, imagine 'becoming a god' by borrowing power from others, not your own. That's not a 'god'—just an 'idol.'"
Faith power's possible?!
But yeah, next to the gods' raw specs, it fades.
"Anyway, Balak, you're not scared hearing about the gods?"
"Honestly, wanna try 'em once."
"Hahaha! Lord Balak! You might actually pull it off!"
Kept chatting till dusk fell.
Drunks started collapsing in the banquet hall.
The mood shifted to wrapping up, then two more approached.
Wasn't one of them the toast guy earlier?
"Hey~ Looks like everyone's having a blast here?"
"Glad you all seem so happy."
"Raihel, Shaiel, come join us."
"Who are they?"
"I'll introduce. Simply put—"
Per Octopus Head, the red-skinned woman Raihel was a demon,
and Shaiel with the deep dark circles was a fallen angel.
One issue: my son killed a demon.
But this demon brought it up first, thanking me.
"Thanks to you, one world trash got purged! Appreciate it!"
"Wasn't me, but got it."
"So humble~"
Demons hate each other, huh.
Asked about the fallen angel next—simple answer.
"My assigned workload's disgustingly huge, so I bolted."
"Ah……"
Yikes… Heaven's a blacker company than imagined.
Anyway, demon and fallen angel explained why they came.
"You want me for the final toast?"
"You're the newbies' leader, right?"
"And everyone's raving about you in the hall."
"Then sure!"
I coolly accepted.
Helmet off, glass raised, the demon clapped to grab attention.
Clap clap clap clap!!!
"Alright~ Everyone focus! Let's end the day with Balak, our star, toasting!"
All eyes in the hall turned to me, so I bellowed.
"Here today, we've clashed our strengths to prove our might and shared our hearts over drinks! Though different races all, let's raise our glasses to this friendship and resolve!"
"""Ha!!!"""""
"May our bonds last forever!"
"""Forever!"""
Thus, with final glasses raised, the gathering's banquet drew to a close.