Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Darkness's Purification Task
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The woman whom Demon Gaph called Darkness pondered my fate.
"I'm sorry. I'll fix it."
I had no idea where this place was or who this woman was, but I could tell I shouldn't upset her.
"Really? How?"
She said she'd fix it, but the original space was shattered beyond recognition. If not for the roots hanging down haphazardly, it probably would have collapsed entirely. For them to withstand that explosion, they weren't ordinary roots.
"It's because you damaged the roots that the purification isn't happening. The roots will grow back in time, so you purify it in the meantime."
Following her gaze, I saw a mass that stirred up disgust slithering along, forming a black swamp.
"How do I...?"
"You can absorb and release life force, can't you?"
"Yes...."
I had no idea how she knew. Did she sense it while scanning me earlier?
"Absorb the life force until only dregs remain."
Darkness indicated the filth-filled swamp with her chin.
"You mean... all of it?"
The swamp seemed endless.
"Never mind. I'll just kill you...."
"Should I start right now?"
"....Do it."
Ignoring Darkness's gaze, I approached the edge of the swamp.
As I dipped my hand in, it squelched, and something inside poked at my hand like foreign matter. Even sticking my hand in a toilet wouldn't feel this repulsive. It wasn't just dirtiness—it triggered a visceral rejection.
Still, feeling Darkness's gaze from behind, I tried to absorb life force as instructed. But there was nothing left to absorb. Corpses and seawater had life force, but this was like trying to draw life force from desert sand.
I racked my brain for a way not to offend her.
"Stop thinking and absorb."
"....There's nothing to absorb...."
"What? There's so much of it—what are you talking about?"
Darkness extended her hand, and small red grains from the swamp were sucked into her palm. Each grain held faint life force, but countless ones poured out from the vast swamp, briefly illuminating the dim cave.
The gathered grains coalesced into a fist-sized orb on her hand. As she raised it, the floating red sphere was absorbed into the roots hanging from the cavern ceiling.
"Can't you do this?"
"No."
Even a hundred years of training wouldn't get me there.
"A hundred years? Is that so?"
"You read my—"
"Want to bet whether it'll take a hundred years or not?"
"I don't have that much time. Let me go for now, and I'll make it up with proper compensation later...."
"Where do you think you're going? Finish cleaning."
No reasoning with her.
"What are you saying? Who communicates better than I do?"
"....."
I tried to empty my mind as much as possible.
Darkness reached out toward me, and my life force was sucked away.
I tried to contain it within my body, but it was futile. I'd thought of my body as a sturdy iron vessel holding my life force, but now, as it was drawn out, it felt like a colander riddled with holes.
"Replenish from the swamp, or you'll die."
"Urk...."
I tried to flee, but formless energy pressed in from three sides. The only open path was toward the swamp.
With no choice, I dipped my hand back into the swamp.
I focused to absorb, but the real-time drain of my life force made concentration impossible.
I toppled over, slamming my head into the swamp, and lost consciousness.
* * *
When I came to, I felt my body floating above the swamp.
"You're awake."
I'd only opened my eyes without stirring, yet Darkness noticed like a ghost.
"W-Wait a moment!"
I thrust my hand forward as I spoke, but she wordlessly drained my life force.
It sucked out faster than when I'd fainted earlier.
With my whole body submerged, absorption should have been easier, but I still felt nothing from the swamp.
"W-Wait...."
Before I could resist or speak, I blacked out again.
This cycle of waking and passing out repeated.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your Vitality has increased by 1.]
The constant draining raised my Vitality and level. Without Resilient Mind, I might have gone mad from the pain.
[Your Poison Resistance skill level has increased from D to C.]
[Your Poison Resistance skill level has increased from C to B.]
Soaking in the mysterious swamp leveled up my Poison Resistance steadily.
I fainted countless times—dozens, hundreds. My body, unwilling to die, finally absorbed life force from the swamp. A minuscule amount, but it was the first.
"You're slow to learn. Finally getting it, but still too weak. Faster."
What was taken felt like a thick stream, but absorption was like dust—no real change in fainting speed. But after grasping the knack and repeating, the absorbed amount grew from dust-like to more, and the range expanded from skin surface to centimeters, then meters.
Finally, I absorbed from the swamp at the same rate it was taken, avoiding blackout.
"Now you're somewhat usable. Do it alone. Finish purifying, and I'll send you off."
"....You mean all of this?"
The swamp was enormous. And viscous clumps continually dropped from holes in the cavern ceiling, filling it.
"Wouldn't it end sooner if you started instead of talking?"
With that, Darkness moved away from the swamp.
I scanned around for escape.
"If caught fleeing, no second chance."
Her voice rang clearly from afar.
No choice—I submerged myself again.
Now adapted, even the stinging sensation was gone.
Absorbing life force turned the swamp's squelchy sludge to dust, sinking to the bottom.
Thus, the more I absorbed, the lower the water level dropped. Though so minuscule at first I didn't notice.
After a full day, I'd absorbed less than half of half what Darkness took instantly on day one.
"Didn't you say you have no time? At this rate, it'll only grow till you die."
She wouldn't help but sure nagged.
"If I could do it, why ask you? Such a complainer."
"Could you not read my mind?"
"Could you stop breathing? See? Same thing. Can't help what I hear."
"Could I.... rest a bit?"
The repeated blackouts and prolonged absorption left my body and mind wrecked.
"Fine. Sleep."
She extended a finger toward me. Instantly, I lost consciousness.
* * *
I awoke on a bed, clothes changed.
"You're up—get to work."
"Did you change my clothes?"
"Why so shy?"
"...."
"You see my form as female and feel embarrassed. Lewd one. This is mere appearance."
"What exactly are you?"
"I am Darkness."
"What does that mean?"
As if that's an answer.
"Insolent fool. I am primordial. Born when Tellus was created, we came to be. Tellus exists because of me; I exist because of Tellus."
"Then.... you're a god?"
"God means different things, but some worship me as such."
"Then why not stop the gates, the Destruction God? You seem capable."
"....No need to know. Get to work."
Darkness cut off the talk.
"Why make me do this?"
"Getting comfortable, are we? Talking more."
"You'd have killed me already if you wanted. You replenished my life force when I fainted. Someone like you wouldn't kill over questions."
"Hmph.... Arrogant fool. It's filthy—I hate it."
"Pardon?"
"The swamp. Doesn't it stink and dirty?"
"....For that reason alone? No, why absorb this?"
"This is the world's end. Things that lived, died, crumbled in the world flow here. Purified, they return as new life."
"A cycle?"
"No cycle, no world."
"But I can't release it...."
I could shoot it with aura, but not gently infuse like her.
"Utterly useless."
Darkness scowled.
"Hold my hand."
"Yes...."
Reluctantly, I did.
"Infuse life force into me."
"...Understood."
I thought it'd hurt, but she wasn't someone to worry about.
I tried releasing pure life force, but it wouldn't detach from my body.
Compressing made it an attack.
"Slowly dissolve the boundary between us. Think of us as one."
"Hoo...."
Deep breath. I imagined her hand as mine, my body extended.
I felt life force wriggling from my hand.
Soon, my life force transferred to her hand. Start was hard; now easy. I could send it freely.
"Now go work."
As if done, Darkness vanished.
"Whew...."
Knowing the swamp was worldly filth made me loath entering. But I couldn't absorb tiny life force from afar like her yet.
I submerged to my waist and began.
Days of absorption, worry crept in. My sudden disappearance must worry Mom, Nayeong, comrades.
"Your speed drops thinking of your lover. Lewd."
"No.... Just worried—not lewd thoughts."
"Shortening speech now."
"I was worried...."
"Hmph, do as you like. Ignore human pretenses. Miss your lover? Hurry. A horde's coming soon."
No sooner said, the sporadic drips became a waterfall gushing from ceiling holes. Double what I'd absorbed so far.
"What is this?"
"Someone reincarnated, it seems. More deaths then."
Darkness, usually languid and apathetic, showed faint sorrow.
"Help, and it'd end faster."
"No."
She vanished again. No wonder Demon Gaph called her lazy Darkness.
"Damn...."
Cursing inwardly, hoping her promise to release me was true, I kept absorbing.