Chapter 88
Chapter 88
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The Warrior Encounters a Terrifying Existence
-----------------------------------------------------------------
While the outside world was abuzz with the news of Sword Saint Beren's defeat at Balak's hands,
Balak was repairing his boss room.
*Whirrrrr!*
"Ooh... This scroll is truly amazing."
"Even I can see that!"
Who would've thought my boss room would get totally wrecked!
If not for that magic scroll he'd gotten from Karian ages ago,
things would've been disastrous.
Soon, the boss room was spotless again, thanks to the peculiar magic contained in the scroll called 'Return to Original State.'
"Boss, what the heck is this magic anyway?"
"Hm? Dampir, you seeing it for the first time too?"
"It feels like it's based on a high-level 'Restoration' spell or something, but... it's kinda like a patchwork job, y'know?"
"Just think of the dungeon merchants. A mage wielding grand magic like the skeleton merchant is your mid-level manager."
"...That's one massive organization."
It was a truly mysterious group,
but once you got friendly with them,
where else could you find such reliable friends!
But why was Dampir here?
"Hahaha... I, I was just worried, y'see."
"Well, I get why you'd be concerned."
"Never imagined someone as strong as you, Boss, would just show up out of nowhere. And yet... you don't have a single scratch after fighting that monster?"
"Not a one... Look here."
"You got hurt?!"
Dampir hurriedly looked where Balak was pointing with his finger.
But why that face?
"There's nothing wrong!"
"Hm?"
There was definitely a huge gash on the armor from the fight just now, right?
When Balak checked the spot himself, the gash was gone—perfectly pristine.
Th-that means!!
"This armor repairs itself too?!"
Ahh... This is the ultimate armor.
The pinnacle of gear power.
"Why doesn't the owner of this armor know its functions...?"
"No one's ever scratched my armor before now."
"Wow."
Dampir's expression shifted to one of utter disbelief.
But what could he do—it was the truth!
On top of that, Balak always protected his body with his martial armor technique!
"Sigh... At least you're unhurt, Boss. That's a relief."
"Yeah, more importantly... Dampir. Know anything about this new hero who showed up?"
"Honestly, no clue. So young, yet that strong..."
"What about this 'Iron Hero Beren'?"
"Pardon?"
From Dampir's reaction, having lived in the city, it seemed the guy had some real reputation.
Balak soon shared the story of the hero who'd arrived today hiding his identity.
And that's how he learned the hero's true nature.
"Iron Hero Beren? That's the empire's Sword Saint!"
"Sword Saint?"
The one whose sword reaches the heavens...
No wonder he was so strong!
But something was off.
"The hero I just fought is the empress's husband?"
"Uh... yeah?"
"Then why's he here?"
With that title and the power he'd shown, he was a strategic weapon in his own right.
The empress who snagged him must be incredibly capable.
But why was the Sword Saint—who should be at the palace with the empress—here alone?
He'd even met Anima outside,
had a blast in the mini-dungeon,
and after that final clash shattered some power, his appearance changed.
That changed form was probably his real one.
Putting it all together, only one scenario fit!
"Couple's quarrel."
"Yeah, that seems most likely."
"Tch, how's the Sword Saint gonna endure his wife's wrath later... Or wait, maybe she'll back down?"
What other reason would the head of the household have for wandering outside instead of going home?
He'd clearly stormed out after a fight with his wife.
But in the end, the empress would be the one missing him.
Their relationship was sure to patch up quickly.
"Anyway, couple's fights are like water off a duck's back with a sword. No point in outsiders meddling."
"True. But if the Sword Saint challenged you over something that trivial, it feels kinda lame."
"What do you mean lame?"
"It means the Sword Saint came here out of boredom."
Huh? Comparing to his past life...
It's like a husband fights with his wife, then holes up at a PC bang or pool hall!
Ahh... Is this the truth!
Totally lame.
************
Dampir returned to his post after confirming Balak was fine.
The boss room cleanup was done.
But one question lingered in Balak's mind.
This Iron Hero Beren who'd entered...
His sword was unusual, and he seemed completely different from anyone who'd come to the dungeon before.
To compare properly, Balak flicked on the video magic device.
*Beeeep!!!*
*Gyaahhh!!*
Oof.
Eyes instantly ruined.
Yeah, the gap between the young knights and old knights coming into his dungeon now and Beren's skill level was insane.
No in-betweens at all?
Even calling Beren a senior hero and key NPC, that gap...
He wanted to task Anima outside with investigating the difference, but she was busy with the devil worshippers.
No helping it.
If the Sword Saint entered again, he'd take it slow... Huh?
On the video device he'd left on, the Sword Saint—in his original form—had re-entered.
The retry was super fast, but why that panicked face?
Anyway, the Sword Saint glanced at the ascension device before rushing straight to Balak's boss room.
Soon...
*Pat pat pat pat!*
"Hey! Balak!! Here for a rematch!"
"Hahaha! Bring it, Iron Hero! Come at me!"
The Sword Saint drew his battered sword and charged.
Balak shifted straight to phase 3!
*Boom!!*
The freshly repaired boss room got trashed again, but Balak won this fight too.
Something felt off, though.
"Balak!! Here for a rematch!"
"Bring it, Iron Hero!"
Why was this guy's retry so quick?
Balak didn't mind, but seeing the repaired boss room smashed again stung a bit.
Having seen much of his power already, Balak won handily.
And as Balak predicted...
*Pat pat pat pat!*
"Rematch!"
"Come at me, Iron Hero!"
Yup!
Anticipating this, he hadn't repaired the boss room!
And he won!
*Pat pat pat pat!*
"Rematch!!"
"Come at me!!"
Hahaha!! This was the fight Balak craved!
Fighting the Sword Saint nonstop also started revealing Balak's own shortcomings bit by bit.
*Pat pat pat pat!*
"Challenge!!"
"Come at me!!"
They battled without a moment's boredom.
But after around 20 rounds?
Suddenly, the guy holed up in the dungeon rest area, not moving.
Yeah, as an NPC type, dying that much in such a short time had to hurt.
He was clearly struggling now.
Good thing he'd told Ferguson to gather info—no issue there.
Now, only one thing left for Balak!
"Boss, what the hell did you do to the boss room...?"
"Just had some fun fights!"
The boss room was so wrecked he called in the pros.
**************
The dungeon bosses watching Balak and the Sword Saint's endless battles wore nostalgic looks like 'Ah, those were the days~.'
"Who'd have thought the champion would go through that..."
"...Heroes really are like cockroaches."
"Back then it was hopeless, but seeing it now, it's different."
Die in the dungeon, revive outside.
But what happens when mere mortals experience death?
Even now, some quit adventuring after gruesome deaths by spirits in the mini-dungeon.
Mess up, and you get massive mental scars, living in agony forever.
Yet heroes have unbreakable spirits?!
In short, hero parties throw themselves at dungeons until they're out of everything.
A powerhouse like Beren gives no openings, challenging nonstop.
So how did those present survive?
"Ugh... Back then, if the dungeon had us pinned like now, I'd be dead for sure."
"The other dungeons couldn't bind us as tightly—lucky break..."
Right! The moment their hideout was targeted as a dungeon, they bolted!
Like beavers rebuilding smashed homes, the dungeon bosses had frantically relocated.
But now, their homes weren't smashed—they lounged in luxury hotels. How appealing must Balak have seemed!
"Looking at it this way, the current situation's pretty unique."
"Yeah. Who'd guess supplying items on floor 1 would lead to this?"
Floor 1 now had so many internals that dungeon boss-made items triggered wipes if overcrowded.
Plus mental damage from too many deaths, so to maintain order, a law banned re-entry for a week after dying in the dungeon.
Even needed certification to enter!
A bizarre state of affairs.
**************
As the dungeon bosses reminisced, Beren was in a huge panic.
'No way the miracle got smashed!!'
His location was fully exposed now.
And since he wasn't leaving, wouldn't the palace come grab him personally!
Of course, he wanted to stay.
Sky islands and skydiving!
Sea islands and scuba!
Adventure! Romance! Fun!
How could he resist!
But right now, Beren feared his wife's rage more.
Swallowing tears, he started farming coins.
His rank was imperial marshal.
Who'd dare say to the empire's number two—
'Ah, Marshal, you die and wait a week too.'
After 20 challenges over days, coin-farming Beren could finally sigh in relief.
Just buy stuff and sneak back to the palace—
"Th-the Empress is entering Laiter!!!"
"Huh?"
His wife had come 'personally' to drag her husband back.
Walking into the palace willingly vs. being dragged was worlds apart.
And he hadn't even bought gifts to soothe her anger!
Rushing back into the dungeon, Beren slumped at Ferguson's tavern, sighing.
"Wh-what do I do..."
"It's entirely your fault, Hero."
Hearing the rundown, Ferguson eyed Beren with disdain.
But soon shifted to understanding.
"You must've been stifled in the palace, Hero Beren."
"...After marrying Eileen, I haven't stepped outside once."
"The Empress sees you as her weakness, so she took precautions. And you, knowing that, obeyed quietly."
"Hahaha... People don't change."
Empress Eileen was the ultimate doting wife, eyes only for Beren.
But Beren was foolishly kind-hearted.
What if others exploited that?
Especially if Beren made requests in bed—imperial governance would suffer.
"Living so confined, you heard about this place and bolted."
"Regretting it a bit now... Coming for a vacation together wouldn't have been bad."
"But you couldn't relax like this."
Was it Ferguson's companionship?
The reason the Empress kept Beren locked in became clear.
"By the way, Hero Beren, aren't you over 70? How do you stay so young?"
"Ah... My wife's friend brought a mana cultivation technique from the East. 'Yin-Yang Rejuvenation Arts' or something... Hard to explain."
Soon, Beren naively spilled his youth secret to Ferguson.
"N-nightly with your spouse?"
"Yeah... Me and my friends are exhausted every night."
"The East is truly mysterious."
Anyway, Ferguson figured Beren lacked stamina.
So he recommended a great tonic.
"Such a medicine exists?!"
"Originally for heart issues, but side effects made it a... performance enhancer."
Hearing this, Beren dashed to the shop, shocked it was real.
Ophelia's blank stare as she rang it up turned his face beet red.
"The subject wonders why the Hero is so embarrassed."
"N-no need to know!"
With coins, he bought male vitality boosters and elixirs, then entered the tavern feeling relieved.
Planning to brainstorm wife-coping strategies with Ferguson's tales—
*Creeeak...*
"Hm?"
"Huh?"
Someone entered the tavern.
Platinum hair swaying, blue eyes gleaming, even without a fancy dress, her elegance and beauty mesmerized.
Who else could she be?
"Youuuu!!!"
"W-wifee?!"
The utterly pissed Empress Eileen.
Upon arriving in Laiter, she'd learned her husband fled to the dungeon.
And she was Beren's old party member from the Great War!
Fastest to arrive.
Grabbing Beren's ear, the terrifyingly smiling Empress asked Ferguson,
"They say you go straight to the boss from here, right?"
"Y-yes!!"
"And the fastest way out is dying, yeah?"
"Uh... yeah?"
"Then I'm counting on you."
Beren blinked SOS at Ferguson desperately.
But this was karma—Ferguson ignored it.
"Have a great time with my brother."
"Truly grateful."
"F-Ferguson?!"
*Whoosh!*
Now with a short haircut, the furious wife and pitiful husband arrived in the boss room—a vast empty plain.
They approached Balak standing there alone.
"You're Balak, I take it."
"B-Balak! It's like this—"
"........."
Whatever her husband said beside her~
However strong Balak was~
Empress Eileen didn't care.
Smiling, she asked Balak to kill her and Beren.
Seeing that smile, Balak turned away, quietly pointing at one spot with a finger.
*Ping!*
"...Take that portal to the entrance."
"I'll never forget this 'favor.'"
"B-Balak?!"
Ahh, so much untried content!!!
Ascension system!!
Sea exploration!!
More sky islands!!!
*Arrrghhh!!*
Beren's scream faded into the portal. Hidden Karian appeared.
"Marriage is terrifying."
"...Agreed."
An angry wife's face was pure horror, even to outsiders.
Episode 8: Sword Saint's Adventure END.