Chapter 179
Chapter 179
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Resonance World
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Inside the Resonance World.
Leyzon's wide eyes didn't regain their focus.
It was only natural.
Leyzon was tangled up with the Transcendent of Evil through a twisted fate.
And now, Tesa was operating alongside that very Transcendent of Evil.
It was an incredibly bewildering situation.
'Then the fact that Tesa said she'd pass on a message to Eden and left her in the village...'
Was that really Tesa's intention?
Leyzon fell silent.
His mind was a whirlwind of confusion from Tesa's unexpected betrayal.
'It's too early to call it a definite betrayal.'
Tesa might have some other motive.
Jumping to conclusions wouldn't do him any good.
'I should discuss it with the others.'
Leyzon hadn't seen any undead for a hundred years.
But Syria and the others would have spent time with them.
They might know something.
'More importantly, if I keep it hidden for no reason...'
Who knew what Tesa might do to the other undead.
Leyzon wanted to avoid that at all costs.
'Tesa.'
What on earth was her goal?
Leyzon swallowed a bitter sigh as he thought of her, whom he still hadn't found.
"Thanks. So you're saying that to find Tesa, I'll eventually have to approach the Transcendent of Evil."
"Yes, it looks like that's how it'll play out."
Pirsyran looked apologetic.
She had received Leyzon's help but couldn't return the favor.
Leyzon waved it off dismissively.
"It's fine. Getting this hint is more than enough. I'll find her soon."
He pushed the matter of Tesa to the back of his mind.
No point obsessing over something he couldn't resolve right away.
Just then, he spotted Flamehead walking over from afar.
Leyzon realized why Flamehead hadn't come straight over.
Pirsyran had deliberately called him first to have this conversation.
"What's going on?"
Flamehead, arriving late, voiced his curiosity.
"Just some personal talk."
Flamehead eyed him suspiciously, but Leyzon was shameless as ever.
"Fine, whatever."
He hadn't been like that for just a day or two.
Flamehead had gotten used to it by now.
"Rakroden."
At that moment, Pirsyran called Flamehead by his real name.
She bowed her head in greeting.
"Thank you sincerely for helping restore the Resonance World."
"If you're grateful, could you look into one thing I ask?"
Ever the pragmatist, Flamehead cut straight to rewards over thanks.
That was Flamehead for you.
Pirsyran's gaze shifted to Leyzon.
He nodded—it was fine.
Flamehead deserved some compensation.
"Should I step out?"
"No need."
Flamehead saw no reason to bother.
"Earthkeeper. I want to know where he is."
Earthkeeper.
Leyzon had met him in the Resonance World.
The one who went by Beard there.
Interest flickered in Leyzon's eyes.
He wondered why Flamehead was looking for him.
Flamehead read his gaze.
And gave a look that said, I knew it.
"Earthkeeper hails from the oldest of the Earth Beasts."
"What, all these Earth Beasts just pouring in?"
"It's a tale from long ago, back when the Bluebird Knights still existed. The Empire mingled with Earth Beasts then."
That's when Leyzon realized how Earthkeeper knew about the Bluebird Knights.
And why he was so well-versed in the world beyond the walls.
'Earthkeeper, that sly old fox.'
He'd played it off like some story he'd heard, when it was one he'd lived through.
'Plus, according to Carmen, the Black Plague started around three hundred years ago.'
Earthkeeper's era was far older.
So it made sense he hadn't caught the Black Plague, even as an Earth Beast.
"Why are you looking for Earthkeeper?"
"Through him, I'll find the Watchman's relic."
The Watchman, active in Earthkeeper's time.
A unique figure who had sealed away the dungeon.
Flamehead intended to claim what he'd left behind.
"It's connected to the birdcage, isn't it."
Flamehead nodded.
"Pirsyran, can you tell us?"
Leyzon had also pledged to help restore the birdcage.
Pirsyran cleared her throat at his question.
"Normally, sharing someone's info violates Resonance World rules and leads to exile."
She grinned slyly.
"But right now, since the world's only just recovered, the rules aren't fully operational."
With that, she conjured a paper in the air.
And sent it floating to Flamehead.
"As a Soul Necromancer, Rakroden, you should be able to commit this to memory."
"Appreciated."
Flamehead tucked the paper away carefully.
Flamehead's business was done.
Leyzon moved on to the most important matter left.
"Pirsyran, what about the Lizard?"
"I figured you'd ask."
Pirsyran waved her hand in the air.
A rift opened in the sky, and the Lizard descended.
He was as rigid as before.
Pirsyran set him down gently before speaking.
"It seems his Soul Heart was taken."
Flamehead narrowed his eyes.
As a fellow Soul Necromancer, he knew the implications.
The Soul Heart.
The core that formed one's soul.
Leyzon only knew of its existence.
"Do you know how to recover the Soul Heart?"
"It'll take time, but I plan to restore it. However."
Pirsyran glanced at the Lizard.
"His body seems to have died already."
This time, Leyzon's eyes narrowed too.
The Lizard had been captured by the Imperial Family and enslaved.
In the midst of that, he'd tried to relay something to Leyzon.
'No way the Ossuary would let that slide.'
It had been ages since Pirsyran's Resonance World closed.
They would've tracked his body and dealt with it.
And so, the Lizard met his end.
Leyzon's gaze fell on him.
His soul barely clung on in the Resonance World.
No body left to return to.
"Souls are tied to their bodies, so honestly, I don't know how long he can hold out."
Without a body, the soul would eventually fade from exhaustion.
Leyzon stared quietly at the Lizard.
'Could turning him undead solve it?'
Leyzon had seen great results with undead creation lately.
His thoughts leaned that way, but he soon concluded it wouldn't work.
'The Lizard isn't a Soul Necromancer like Pirsyran.'
Soul Necromancers had strong ego in their souls.
Regular ones didn't.
Leyzon had tested Auto-Evolving Undead Creation [EX] plenty.
Without a strong sense of self like a Soul Necromancer's, the soul might just become material, wiping out the original consciousness.
In other words, pointless if the Lizard lost his sense of self.
'And turning him undead...'
His killer was the creeping Ossuary.
They'd surely taken precautions, like with the foreign bug shaman.
As Leyzon pondered his options,
"If the issue is his soul draining without a body, I can handle it."
Flamehead stepped up.
"You can?"
"That's what Soul Necromancers do—anchor souls. The soul's here intact, so yes."
Flamehead replied like it was no big deal.
He then ignited a blue flame on his fingertip.
"I'll get right to it."
Flamehead, you reliable bastard.
Leyzon marveled anew at his utility.
Like a blue raccoon tanuki pulling out any tool on command.
"Then I'll work on restoring the Soul Heart."
"Please do."
As long as the soul held, restoration was possible.
Leyzon entrusted the Lizard to them.
The Lizard had clearly meant to tell him something.
Whatever it was, it'd be a solid blow against the Ossuary.
'Otherwise, why block it so desperately?'
Leyzon had promised to protect the Lizard.
At minimum, he'd return his soul.
And handle his revenge too.
A chilling glint entered Leyzon's eyes.
After Flamehead safely anchored the Lizard's soul,
Leyzon left the Resonance World with him.
Restoring the Soul Heart would take time.
So, waiting was in order.
As Leyzon stepped outside, he saw Flamehead.
He'd already packed up with Moshna.
"Leaving early, huh."
"As I said, things are busy. Plus, I got info this time, so I need to hurry even more."
Flamehead referenced Earthkeeper's info.
Leyzon nodded.
"Yeah, you worked hard. Safe travels."
Thanks to Flamehead, the Resonance World was restored, and Pirsyran saved.
Leyzon saw him off graciously.
"Heading out?"
Moshna appeared right on cue.
She naturally hooked her arm through Flamehead's.
Getting cozy with a beauty like that? Damn show-off.
Then Moshna stared straight at Leyzon.
"Got something you wanna ask?"
Leyzon looked puzzled.
"Moshna."
Flamehead called, and she shrugged before turning away.
"Next time, without the mask."
Moshna waved lightly and exited the building first.
She was pretty shameless herself.
No wonder she claimed the wife spot so quick.
Impressive woman all around.
With Moshna gone, Flamehead spoke up.
He still had a question.
"...Abyss, I still can't grasp your intentions or goals."
Flamehead finally voiced what he'd held back.
To him, Leyzon was always shrouded in mystery.
He pulled off eccentric acts daily.
And those acts were always on a massive scale.
Yet they seemed utterly aimless.
But he was clearly heading somewhere.
This contradiction baffled Flamehead.
"My goal?"
Leyzon slowly turned to him.
Just then, clouds covered the sun, snuffing out the light.
Leyzon's grim mask cast shadows accordingly.
A faint, eerie smile briefly tugged at his lips.
"Going home."
Home.
The word echoed in Flamehead's mind.
The ever-mysterious Abyss.
What did home mean to him?
Wasn't this place Leyzon had built his home?
Or did he, a Half Dark Elf, mean his homeland?
Flamehead couldn't guess.
Leyzon's home wasn't here.
So where was it?
Flamehead's gaze drifted to the window.
It settled on the cloud-shrouded sky.
A home not of this world.
Flamehead slowly turned back to Leyzon.
For some reason, a chill ran through him.
His lips parted and closed repeatedly.
"...Are you aiming to become a Transcendent?"
Or was he already one?
Flamehead left the rest unsaid.
Any answer would've stirred his heart uneasily.
Leyzon fell silent at the question.
Then, as always, he smiled slowly.
"Gotta do whatever it takes to make it happen."
Whether that satisfied Flamehead or not, who could say.
But one thing was clear: Leyzon's danger level skyrocketed in his eyes once more.
The Abyss could never escape being the black curtain.