Chapter 432: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (22)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 432: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (22)
The inside of the dungeon was more complex than I’d expected. I thought it would be a simple, linear structure like in the original game, but the moment I stepped inside, the passages branched out in every direction like a spiderweb. Old traps were visible here and there, and the floor was intermittently littered with the skeletal remains of beasts and rusted weapons.
“Hey, is this the right way?” Bi-yeon grumbled, wrinkling her nose. I glanced around before nodding.
“It is. Hmm, what are the sylphs saying?”
“They don’t want to move in here. I think something’s up. Was there anything here in the game?”
“Based on the game… there’s one boss, but it’s not that strong.”
“Then why are they acting like this?”
As Bi-yeon tilted her head and cautiously took a step forward—click. The floor beneath her foot sank ever so slightly.
Simultaneously.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three volleys of magic-infused arrows shot out from the walls on either side. Bi-yeon waved her arm lightly. A transparent barrier of wind materialized before her, and the arrows were torn to shreds in mid-air.
“Some of the traps still work.”
“So it seems.”
Without letting our guard down, we disarmed the active traps and ventured deeper into the dungeon. About thirty minutes later, we finally found the boss room.
It was completely empty, save for a massive altar.
“Hey, there’s nothing here,” Bi-yeon said, looking around. I also scanned the space slowly.
“This room was empty in the game, too, but there should at least be a treasure chest.”
“You think someone already looted it?”
“Could be. But where’s the boss?”
“Maybe whoever took the chest dealt with it.”
Honestly, as long as the Phoenix’s Egg hadn’t been taken, I didn’t care who got to the treasure chest first.
I walked toward the altar. It looked like an altar, but it was originally the place where the Phoenix rested. I slowly tapped the floor at its center with the tip of my foot, searching for a hollow spot.
‘…Here.’
A subtly different tone echoed. Using that spot as a reference, I infused my foot with Ki and stomped down. The floor cracked like it was splitting apart, revealing a space below.
Inside, a single chest decorated with brilliant jewels rested quietly, tightly bound by red chains.
“Is the Phoenix’s Egg in there?”
I nodded at Bi-yeon’s question.
“That’s right.”
“Hurry up and open it.”
I immediately condensed Ki at my fingertips and grabbed the red chains wrapped around the chest. A solid pulse of magic power traveled up my arm. The moment I applied force to break them—
Sliither…
A chilling sensation slithered down my spine.
A moment later, the air tore open, and a knight in red armor appeared. Floating with his dark red cape fluttering behind him, he spoke in a majestic voice.
“I am the last guardian of this sanctuary. Agrion, the Red Flame Knight who serves the Phoenix.”
“Hmm, so there was a boss after all.”
“Looks like a gimmick where the boss pops out when you open the chest.”
“…Can you not hear me? I am the Red Flame Knight—”
“I heard you just fine, no need to say it twice. Bi-yeon, sword.”
“Haaah, he doesn’t even look that strong. Why don’t you just take care of him?”
Bi-yeon grumbled as she transformed into a sword and flew into my hand. I was about to channel Sword Force into the blade and swing when—
“W-Wait—”
Before he could finish, I lunged forward and swung the sword.
“An Aura Blade? W-Wait! Can’t we talk about this—?!”
“Then just die.”
I brought the sword down.
But he was surprisingly fast. He must have been a skilled knight in his lifetime.
“Wait! You came for the Phoenix’s Egg, did you not?! If one who is unworthy opens the chest… you will gain nothing!”
At his words, I stopped the blade right before his neck.
[…I-I’m alive.]
“What you just said, that wasn’t a lie, was it?”
[I, Agrion, the Red Flame Knight, do not speak lies.]
“Good. What is this ‘worthiness’ you speak of?”
[One who possesses the power of sacred fire. Without that power, the chest will not open, nor will you be able to obtain the Phoenix’s Egg.]
“The power of sacred fire?”
[Yes. A pure and noble authority of fire that can never be wielded by greed or malice.]
Bi-yeon, who had returned to her human form, stood beside me and snickered.
“Ha, then this guy will never have a connection to it. Far from pure, he’s a walking ball of desire.”
“Quiet.”
I shot Bi-yeon a brief glare before turning my attention back to Agrion.
“So, this sacred fire… how do I get it?”
[The sacred flame is likely difficult to obtain. As for an alternative, you could serve Lady Bel Moria of the Ash Covenant and train as her servant to obtain the flame of purification, or you could receive the help of a saintess who serves Lady Bel Moria to borrow that power for a short time.]
“So you’re saying I can’t open it right now.”
As I began to coat my hand in energy again, Agrion spoke urgently.
[However! The nature of the fire energy within your body is quite pure. Though various energies are mixed within you, they are all as pure as nature itself, so you are worthy enough.]
He glanced at Bi-yeon for a moment before continuing slowly.
[As the young spirit lady pointed out… if you harbor impure intentions, the Phoenix will not obey you, even if you manage to hatch it.]
But that didn’t matter. I never planned on controlling the Phoenix in the first place.
My goal was singular: to kill the hatched Phoenix and take its heart.
There was no need to explain that plan to the ghost in front of me.
“I don’t care. Anyway, my fire energy meets the condition, right?”
[Yes. The chest will open for you.]
I immediately channeled fire energy into my hand and grabbed the chains. They began to burn, melting away in the pure white flames.
—Click.
The lock opened on its own, and the chest swung open.
Inside, a red, fist-sized egg lay quietly. Fine golden patterns were etched onto its surface, and from within, a life force pulsed and stirred.
“It’s really here!” Bi-yeon exclaimed, approaching with curiosity.
[That is the Phoenix’s Egg. But be careful. It is highly unstable in its unhatched state.]
“What do I have to do to hatch it?”
[You must continuously supply it with powerful flame energy. It should hatch in about a month.]
I carefully picked up the Phoenix’s Egg. A gentle warmth spread through my hand the moment I touched it.
‘With this, I can get the Phoenix’s heart.’
The Phoenix’s heart was a top-tier alchemy ingredient. It could grant the ability of resurrection, immunity to all mind-related status effects, powerful regeneration, fire immunity, and even resistance to curses, among many other powerful abilities.
[You, what do you plan to do with that egg?]
Agrion watched me with suspicious eyes.
“Well, I’ll think about it after I hatch it.”
[The Phoenix is a sacred being. It must not be treated carelessly.]
“Yeah, I get it.”
I gave a noncommittal nod and placed the egg in my inventory. Agrion’s form began to slowly dissipate like smoke.
[With this… my mission is complete. I am finally free. As a final request, I entrust the Phoenix to you.]
With those last words, he vanished completely.
“He pretended to disappear and just ran away.”
“But are you really going to kill the Phoenix?” Bi-yeon asked, curious.
“Of course. Think about how powerful of a resource this will be if I refine it and bring it back to the real world.”
“…True. It’s not in your nature to raise something as a pet bird.”
Bi-yeon shrugged.
“Anyway… a whole month, huh? That’s longer than I thought. You said you have to supply it with fire energy every day?”
“A month will fly by. We have plenty of time, anyway. Let’s head back for now.”
We quickly returned to the campsite.
I took out the Phoenix’s Egg again, channeled fire energy to my fingertips, and carefully touched its surface. The egg flickered with a faint red light in response, and then, like a heart, it began to beat once, twice, with a weak pulse.
“Oh, it’s reacting! But… I wonder if it would be tasty as a fried egg?”
At Bi-yeon’s absurd comment, I slowly raised my head to look at her. She had a bit of drool at the corner of her mouth, her expression one of genuine curiosity about its taste.
And strangely, I had the illusion that the Phoenix’s Egg in my hand was trembling.
*
Inside the conference room of Rodion Barcheno, Marquis of the Western Border, the minor nobles of the west had all gathered with grim faces.
“…The scale of the goblin and orc forces is larger than we anticipated. According to scout reports, their numbers reach as high as thirty thousand.”
“Thirty thousand?!”
“The problem isn’t just the numbers. They are clearly different from the goblins and orcs we’ve known.”
“Their intelligence is higher than expected… and their rates of reproduction and growth are abnormally fast.”
Rodion Barcheno shot up from his seat. His massive hand slammed down on the trembling table.
—CRACK!
The thick oak table splintered with a groan.
“…With so many of them swarming, why did no one know until now?”
Barcheno’s gaze grew colder as he scanned each of the nobles gathered in the room.
“Answer me. What have you all been doing until now?! How can you sit here calling yourselves nobles when you can’t even keep watch over a single border region!”
The air in the room froze in an instant. The western nobles lowered their gazes and sealed their lips.
“Thirty thousand! Thirty thousand! While that many monsters were hiding, breeding, growing, and forming an army, are you telling me that no one, not a single person, knew?!”
Barcheno’s voice grew louder. His anger was justified. As the marquis responsible for the safety of the entire western region, the emergence of such a large monster horde was a fatal failure on his part.
“Your Excellency…” a middle-aged baron began cautiously.
“We did our best, but they were hidden so cunningly…”
“Cunningly hidden?!”
Barcheno turned toward him.
“You’re telling me that mere monsters were cunningly hidden?” Barcheno shouted, his voice strained with fury.
“Do you think that makes any sense? Thirty thousand! Are you telling me that while a force of thirty thousand was breeding and growing, not a single one of us knew?!”
“W-Well… it’s not that… n-no one knew, but…”
As the flustered baron stammered, Barcheno slammed the table again, making it vibrate.
“You knew and dared not to report it! Do I need to start a sword dance before you all come to your senses?”
“M-My apologies! We tried to stop them on our own, but…”
“Enough with the excuses! What we need now are not excuses, but solutions!”
He raised a hand, silencing the room. The breathless nobles all avoided Barcheno’s gaze.
“How many troops can we mobilize immediately?”
“Even if we combine all the territories… it would be around fifty-five thousand.”
“Raise that number to sixty thousand. Draft the reserves from each territory and mobilize the militia as well.”
No one could object to Barcheno’s resolute command. The meeting thus concluded, and the nobles from all over the west quickly returned to their territories to begin gathering their forces.