Chapter 135
Chapter 135
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Black Opus
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“You……”
Juter looked at Luen.
“An elf?”
Luen flinched—.
Her shoulders trembled lightly at his words.
“No need to be surprised.”
Seeing her reaction, Juter instead waved his hand dismissively and stepped back.
“Sorry, but there's nothing more to do with an elf. You're outside my interests.”
“……Done enough? What exactly have you done?”
“What else.”
He shrugged nonchalantly.
“You…… experimented on elves!!”
Goun shouted at him.
“Not just elves…… I experimented on most other races too. Ah, but don't feel too slighted. Elves were still the second most used after humans.”
“What kind of bullshit is that……!!”
“Hm? Didn't I just say I wasn't going to use you for experiments, and you got upset about that?”
Juter Boas's first impression was…… chatty.
But his natural disposition didn't feel like a talker.
It was like looking at someone high on drugs.
The conversation continued, but it was gradually veering off track.
'Well…… no wonder. A guy doing all sorts of crazy shit wouldn't have a normal head on his shoulders.'
The most important thing right now was figuring out Juter's abilities.
'Summoner classes generally have low base stats.'
The distance to him was about seven steps.
If he used [Dash], he could reach him easily.
But he wasn't certain.
Would his movement speed be faster, or would Juter's casting be quicker?
'Should I take the gamble?'
Woojin's mind was a whirlwind of complexity.
Thud—.
But at that moment, as if reading his dilemma, Juter lightly tapped the floor with the staff he held.
[Grrrrrr…….]
[Grrrr…….]
Then, dragonkin began rising behind him.
There were five in total.
Thud— thud— thud—.
No, six.
With the one they'd met first standing behind the group, the monsters now blocked both ends of the narrow passageway.
'……Damn it.'
He needed time.
“What are you planning to do in a powerless labyrinth?”
To buy time to devise a new plan, Woojin first spoke to him.
“A powerless labyrinth……? Ah, well, I suppose you could see it that way. Since all the monsters in the labyrinth are gone.”
It was a half-hearted remark, but surprisingly, Juter took interest in his question.
“Wow, you guys are really lucky, huh?”
“……What do you mean by that?”
“If I hadn't come here first, you might already be dead.”
He covered his mouth with his hand and giggled, as if he alone knew some grand secret.
“The labyrinth doesn't lose power just because the dragon dies. Who the hell started that nonsense rumor anyway.”
He shook his head.
“A labyrinth is just a dungeon in the end. Created by rifts. This isn't the dragon's dungeon. The dragon just used this place.”
“No way…… If the labyrinth was intact, there should naturally be monsters. But this place hasn't had any living monsters for years now?”
“Of course.”
Even from a distance, he whispered conspiratorially, covering his mouth with his hand.
“I killed them all.”
A chill ran through Woojin's body.
“But…… you seem to know me. I don't know you, though?”
A feeble voice.
Dull, unfocused eyes.
A frail frame.
And yet, every word from his mouth crushed Woojin's mind with terror.
“Shouldn't you at least introduce yourself first?”
Gulp.
Woojin glanced to the side.
Luen and Irurin were also staring at him with tense, rigid faces.
“Right?”
Woojin exhaled.
Six dragonkin.
Each one a monster.
And the one controlling those monsters was an even bigger monster.
So he had to stay calm.
“Fine, whatever. Don't wanna? Don't then. Anyway, I……”
The moment Juter raised his staff,
“I can help you.”
“……What?”
“Be honest. I was just testing you earlier. Needed to check how much you knew about the labyrinth.”
Step— step—.
“W-Wait……!!”
Luen tried to block Woojin as he walked toward Juter in surprise, but he raised his hand in a gesture to stay back.
“And hearing that the dragon used this place confirmed it. If I didn't know that, I'd have left after clearing the labyrinth monsters.”
Woojin stood before Juter.
[Grrrrrr…….]
The dragonkin lowered into attack stances, ready to pounce at any moment.
“You're here for the dragon knight's armament in the labyrinth, right?”
Juter's face twisted oddly at his question.
“You too?”
“Yeah. Me too.”
Drip—.
A bead of sweat trickled down Woojin's temple.
His occasional childlike reactions should never be mistaken for friendliness.
It felt like walking on thin ice.
The madman before him could turn at any moment.
Shing—.
Woojin showed him the sword he held.
“From what I know, there's a dragon knight's armament here. That's what I came for.”
“Dragon knight…… yeah. There's talk of that.”
Juter nodded.
“No way…… you have the tomb key?”
“Don't have it. But I know where it is.”
“Ho……? Where?”
“Can't tell you that. Could be my lifeline.”
“Kekeke—.”
Juter clapped as if agreeing with Woojin's words.
“But what if I'm after the same dragon knight armament as you? We'd be enemies then?”
Gulp.
Woojin swallowed dryly without realizing.
“Lucky, though. We can be allies. What I'm after isn't the dragon knight gear. Why would a staff-wielder want a blade anyway.”
Unlike the tense Woojin, Juter playfully grabbed his arm and linked it with his own, grinning.
'……Did it work somehow.'
All he knew about the labyrinth was what Vensina had said: that there was dragon knight gear.
His gamble—that an alchemist wouldn't be after armament—had thankfully paid off, just as Juter said.
And the real reason he'd said it,
“Dragons possess knowledge surpassing any sage in the world. Not just magic, but alchemy, astronomy, even precognition.”
“So?”
“Guys with that kind of knowledge live ridiculously long lives too? Must get boring holed up in their lairs without showing themselves to the world.”
Juter grinned.
“So they started making toys.”
“……Toys?”
“Among them, there's this really fun thing Vensina made.”
Sniff—.
Like a drug addict, Juter pulled something from his bosom, opened the lid, and inhaled deeply.
Well, not that strange.
In the game decades ago—or what felt like it—he'd already made hallucinogens.
“The Black Dragon was a master mage and alchemist. Ugh…… You should've seen the Dark Zone spell he used…… That's not just simple magic. It's a great work blending alchemy!”
For some reason, he shouted excitedly.
“Mana has no weight, right? But he alchemized it into black mist……”
“So what's in the tomb.”
Juter pouted, displeased at Woojin interrupting his enthusiastic explanation.
Woojin inwardly winced.
It was an unconscious slip amid the guy's rambling he didn't care to hear.
“Black Opus.”
But contrary to his worry, Juter smiled and answered.
“You were dying to know, huh? Kekeke—.”
'……Lucky. He's nuts.'
“It's a ritual that can synthesize anything.”
Juter shivered as he spoke.
“Can produce tens of thousands of results, or just one specific outcome.”
Folding his fingers one by one, he began listing what he could do with this [Black Opus] or whatever.
“Manipulation, growth, decay, revival……”
Then he leaned in close to Woojin's ear and whispered.
“Death.”
Woojin recoiled as his breath tickled him, goosebumps rising.
“Aren't you curious? Just how far dragon alchemy can go.”
“……Not really. I'm only interested in swords.”
“Perfect. Totally perfect. Our goals don't overlap, so no fighting…… We can just split the loot amicably. Right?”
Juter poked Woojin's side playfully.
“Now, time to find the key. Where is it?”
In that instant, his eyes changed.
“Where is it.”
A chill ran down his spine.
The playful face from moments ago was now filled with killing intent.
“……Hold on.”
Woojin strode to the tomb door.
He scraped at some spot on the wall with his sword.
Once a crack formed, he pulled the key from his bosom and showed it to him.
“What? It was really there? I've been here so many times.”
“Don't believe me? You open it.”
Woojin tossed the key to Juter.
Click—.
As the lock on the tomb disengaged, Juter's eyes sparkled.
The dragonkin opened the tomb door.
“Ooh……”
A pure exclamation of awe.
And it wasn't just him.
“This is…… the dragon's hoard?”
Pure white light poured from the dark underground chamber.
One wall was piled with all sorts of armaments, the opposite with dozens, hundreds of books.
And that wasn't all.
There were gems, treasures, and even rune stones.
'If I consume these…….'
Even as everyone else was entranced by the immense wealth,
'Could I take him down.'
Woojin's mind held only one thought.
'Not enough.'
He needed a surer method.
“Come on, look around to your heart's content. No overlap anyway. You don't have an alchemist, right?”
“Don't worry. We don't.”
“Good, good. Swordsman, archer, mage, and one half-cripple. Perfect.”
Goun's face hardened at Juter's words.
Woojin pressed down on his shoulder.
“Goun, prioritize finding potions that can heal wounds.”
“……Understood.”
“You two, grab what you need.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“What else. We're here, might as well browse.”
Woojin casually strode forward.
Following Juter.
He recalled one event from his time in this world.
Something impossible in the game, but possible here.
Magic.
He, who couldn't use magic, had succeeded with the spellbook [Force Nara] from the [Alchemist's Lab].
Why?
Because reality, unlike the game, didn't rigidly define stats and traits.
'In the game, you needed mana stats to cast magic, but here, even without stats, I absorbed Ratan's mana and used it.'
You could use supernatural powers without stats or traits.
That was this world's uniqueness.
But if he hadn't known the [Force Nara] spell itself, even with mana, it would've been impossible.
'Means you need at least one prior experience.'
Woojin slowly inhaled.
Sure enough, the only alchemist here was Juter Boas.
'But I never said I hadn't used alchemy before.'
Woojin had made [Malf ran Juice] in the game.
The minimum condition was met.
Grip—.
Tension gripped him as he clenched his fist tighter.
'Steal the Black Opus.'
That was his real plan.