Chapter 222: The Abyss (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 222: The Abyss (2)
A passage from the Bible I’d read as a child suddenly came to mind.
A prisoner who held both the most brilliant light and the foulest darkness.
A fallen seraph who dared to rebel against God, seeking to become His equal, only to be cast out of Heaven and lose its pure white wings.
The name of that angel was Lucifer.
But wasn’t that just a myth?
Unlike demons, who occasionally descended upon the world, angels had never once appeared in thousands of years of history.
Because of this, even theology considered angels to be imaginary beings that only appeared in myths.
Divine power might prove God’s existence, but it didn’t prove the existence of angels.
An angel…
I was, admittedly, surprised.
But this was another world, not Earth. Just as demons existed on Earth, it wouldn't be strange for angels to exist here.
After all, Iris herself was an elf, a creature of fantasy back on Earth.
But letting my guard down was another matter entirely.
This wasn't just any angel; it was a fallen angel.
It was hard to believe she possessed a normal way of thinking.
Besides, the killing intent from before… it was so intense that it sent shivers down my spine and made me step back instinctively.
It wouldn't be strange if she attacked me right this instant.
Keeping my guard up, I cast a Light spell forward. The darkness beyond slowly began to reveal itself.
“…Oh.”
There, bound in pure white chains, was a beautiful woman.
T-ring—
「You have encountered the Constellation ‘Fallen Star’.」
「…Error, Error, Error, Error!」
「Player qualification not confirmed.」
「Reward distribution has been postponed.」
「Please clear the Tutorial Floor to acquire Player qualification.」
Her deep purple hair was splayed across the floor, and dozens of black wings sprouted from her back. Her appearance was the very definition of a fallen angel.
The killing intent in her eyes, which glared at me as if to tear me apart, was so strong my skin tingled.
Fortunately, the chains seemed to prevent her from attacking me.
As I approached, the woman’s lips curled into a sneer.
“So, Heaven’s livestock have finally come to take my head.”
Her voice was as smooth and sweet as flowing honey.
But the emotions within it were anything but light. It was laced with blatant contempt, scorn, and hatred.
“Too cowardly to bloody your own hands, so you use a Player. Of course. Your hands must always remain clean, so someone else has to shed blood for you. A foolish and hypocritical choice, just like you wretches.”
Her eyes, filled with intense killing intent, glinted quietly.
Clang! Clank!!
She had only moved slightly, but the chains reacted as if on cue, thrashing violently and tightening around her body.
Even as the chains dug deep enough into her skin to leave marks, the woman—no, Lucifer—didn't even flinch.
She merely shot me a cold, mocking smile.
“You machines who do nothing but praise God, you who believe oppression is truth—I will curse you in the flames of Gehenna until the end of this world.”
With those words, Lucifer lowered her head.
She looked like a sinner awaiting the fall of the guillotine.
After staring at her for a moment, I quietly sheathed my sword. It seemed she mistook me for one of the people who had imprisoned her here.
It was ridiculous, but I didn't let it show.
I was getting used to being misunderstood like this.
This reminds me of what happened with Yeo-hwa.
Back then, I was mistaken for a pervert who spied on her while she was bathing and nearly got killed.
An involuntary chuckle escaped me.
Come to think of it, the two people I had met through the app so far had both lived incredibly tragic lives.
Iris was betrayed by the subordinate she trusted most, driven from her throne, and then falsely accused and locked in a dungeon for 200 years.
And Cheon Yeo-hwa was the young lady of the Heavenly Demonic Cult, poisoned and on the run, constantly threatened by her pursuers.
I was just grateful that they had both managed to stay alive until I got the dating app.
The third one is a sealed fallen angel…
Well, it looked like there would be plenty of fighting, just as I’d wanted.
Should I consider this the app taking my preferences into account?
I was so damn grateful I wanted to write them a long, tearful review. It’s a shame I can’t.
“Excuse me.”
I crouched down within arm’s reach, meeting Lucifer’s gaze.
But she didn't lift her head to look at me.
“Kill me.”
“Kill you? What are you talking about?”
What is she, some tragic female knight from a story?
Clink. I stood up and grabbed the chains.
I gave them a light tug, but they didn't even get a scratch, let alone break. Dozens of such chains were tangled together, binding her body.
These were no ordinary chains.
I tried infusing them with magic power, but a fierce repulsion shot back, causing my magic circuits to scream in pain.
At this point, I was getting stubborn.
I’m going to be sore tomorrow.
Creeak—
I drew upon my magic and internal energy, then layered another support spell on top of that.
[Activating Berserk.]
I could feel my stamina draining away.
It was a skill I rarely used because of its heavy stamina cost.
Grrrnd—
I gripped the chains with both hands and tried to snap them, but it was useless.
It seemed I would have to use magic or martial arts.
Just as I was trying to figure out a way to break the chains without bringing down the ceiling…
“You… you…”
My eyes met Lucifer’s.
Her pupils were trembling faintly, as if she were flustered.
“How can a mere Player touch Aethersvine and remain unharmed…?”
“Aether… what?”
T-ring—
[New item information has been collected.]
[Aethersvine
Grade: Holy Relic
A heavenly shackle created by weaving God’s hair into a rope and imbuing it with a primordial star. Its form is without limit, and it possesses the power to bind all darkness and evil. The unqualified are not permitted to even touch it, lest they be consumed by heavenly flames.]
Reading the screen that appeared before me, I was momentarily at a loss for words.
A Holy Relic.
Some said they were items imbued with God’s power, while others claimed they were the highest class of artifacts.
…No wonder it wouldn’t break.
I didn't know much about Holy Relics.
There were very few of them, and rumors abounded that they were kept under strict guard by the Papacy and various governments. They had rarely ever been revealed to the public.
“…What in the world are you?”
Lucifer’s heavy, low voice reached me.
She appeared calm on the surface, but she couldn't hide the bewilderment in her tone.
“What are you talking about?”
Judging by her attitude, there was no need for me to be polite anymore.
“Stop playing dumb! Aethersvine is a Holy Relic that not even the angels of Heaven are permitted to touch. There’s no way a Player, who isn’t even a Constellation, could touch it! Who sent you? Was it Michael?!”
Her voice grew louder with agitation as I pretended to clean my ear.
I thought I understood what she was getting at.
It was probably because of the last line in the item description: ‘The unqualified are not permitted to even touch it, lest they be consumed by heavenly flames.’
“I don’t know what you’ve been misunderstanding this whole time, but first off, I don’t even know who Michael is. And obviously, I have no intention of killing you.”
“Ha! And you expect me to believe that?! In the first place, the Tower’s underground is not open to Players! So how did you get into the Abyss—?”
“Player? What’s that?”
“…What?”
Player.
I had seen and heard that word several times now.
Even now, an unfamiliar screen occupied a corner of my vision.
「Player qualification not confirmed.」
「A penalty will be imposed if you do not leave this area.」
It mentioned ‘Player’ here, too.
I didn't know exactly what it meant, but I had a few guesses.
First, when I initially set foot in the temple, a screen had popped up saying I had entered the 6th basement floor, the Abyss (無底坑).
And a moment ago, a message told me to clear the Tutorial Floor to acquire Player qualification.
At this point, it would be stranger if I didn’t know.
…A tower-climbing story.
It seemed absurd, but Iris’s world was fantasy, and Cheon Yeo-hwa’s was a martial arts story.
There was no guarantee that there weren't other worlds where works of fiction were reality.
“You’re not a Player…?”
A faint light flickered in Lucifer’s eyes, and a look of shock spread across her face.
“A resident who isn’t a Player managed to come to the Abyss… Could it be…? No, that’s impossible. If that were the case, the other Constellations wouldn't have stayed silent. Which means…”
Ignoring her muttering to herself, I walked around, looking for a way to undo the chains.
If I could just take them, I might find a clue to releasing Iris’s sealing device.
But after nearly twenty minutes of searching, I found no such clues.
I tried to break the connection points fixed to the floor, but they were as strong as the chains themselves and impossible to destroy.
The surrounding floor also seemed to be protected by the chains, as I couldn't even scratch it.
At this strength, even a 5th-circle spell would probably just collapse the ceiling instead of breaking the chains.
Guess I was being greedy, thinking I could just take a Holy Relic.
Then again, if it were that easy, this fallen angel wouldn't still be trapped here. I sighed inwardly and returned to Lucifer.
Thump.
I took a chair out of my inventory and sat down.
“Have you cleared up your misunderstanding yet?”
“…”
No answer came.
But her killing intent had noticeably diminished.
“If you’re still suspicious, how about we trade questions? We can ask and answer one at a time.”
Just as she had many questions for me, I had many things I wanted to ask about this world.
“…And what guarantee do I have that you won’t lie?”
“The same goes for me, doesn’t it? Let’s just agree to judge the truth for ourselves.”
“…”
Lucifer seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding.
“You go first. I was the one who suggested it.”
A suspicious gaze fell upon me. It seemed she wasn't fond of unprompted kindness.
“How on earth did you get to the Abyss?”
“With my own abilities.”
“…Are you joking with me?”
A frown creased her brow.
I wanted to press my fingers against it and smooth it out, but doing so would likely ruin our relationship beyond repair.
Or, more likely, I’d get my fingers bitten off.
“To be more specific, I’m not from this world to begin with. I don’t know what this ‘Player’ you’re talking about is, either.”
I had no obligation to tell her the truth, but if I wanted to have a proper conversation, I needed to show my hand first.
“Another world…? You weren’t a resident? Could the system have made an error? No, that can’t be right…?”
“Alright, think about it later. It’s my turn to ask.”
With no information about this world, I had more than a few questions.
As such, I needed to prioritize.
The first, without a doubt, was about those chains called Aethersvine.
With them, I might be able to find a way to release Iris’s sealing device without having to go all the way to the Santala Kingdom.
Of course, I’d have to study them to know for sure, but with Iris’s help, it wasn't entirely impossible.
But there was one thing I needed to know before that.
“Why are you trapped here?”
She probably didn't know how to release the chains herself. If she did, she wouldn't still be here.
Of course, I might be able to get a hint from her.
But was she someone who should be released?
I needed to be sure.
Was she unjustly imprisoned under false accusations like Iris, or was she sealed away for a genuine crime?
“…Why are you curious about that?”
“If you were wrongly imprisoned, I was thinking of helping you.”
“?”
The moment Lucifer’s face twisted into an expression I’d never seen before…
T-ring—
An alert rang inside my head.
The sound was distinctly different from the one I’d heard from the dating app.
A sudden, inexplicable anxiety washed over me.
It was as if my instincts were screaming a warning.
「Time has expired.」
「A penalty will be imposed.」
Get out of here, now.
「The avatar of ‘The First Tempter’ manifests.」
“…What?”
Flinch!
In that instant, an immense killing intent surged through the air.
The suffocating pressure felt like it was crushing my entire body. It was an aura even greater than that of the Minotaur I had faced in the underground labyrinth.
My Light spell vanished, and darkness once again descended. I turned my head toward the stone gate. In the pitch-black darkness where I shouldn't have been able to see a thing, the vertically slit pupils of something were staring right at me.
Hsssss.
The distinct, foul stench of a reptile drifted past my nose.
