Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: The Primordial Dragon's Bones
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We arrived in front of the volcano located at the very end of Hell, beyond Satan's Tower—the Dark Vent.
The path up had been so grueling that Yoo Sora was gasping for breath.
In terms of height alone, it was about the size of the little hill behind the neighborhood. But Hell's scorching heat tormented her lungs, leaving her far more exhausted than expected.
"Cheonjae-ssi, are we still not there?"
About halfway up, I set my weapon down for a moment and sat on the ground.
"Looks like we're about halfway. Let's take a short break."
Yoo Sora let out a long sigh and plopped down beside me.
"Aren't you tired, Cheonjae-ssi?"
"I am."
"...You're saying that, but you're not even out of breath."
"I've got high stamina stats, so that's probably why."
"Oh..."
"Sora-ssi, any new entries in the Book of the Lion?"
Yoo Sora slowly scanned the Book of the Lion before answering me.
"Nope. It's the same as when we were at the tower."
"Hmm..."
It seemed fine to start giving her a bit more guidance from here, but the info from the 'Opener's' colleague was more unhelpful than I'd thought.
"Sora-ssi, do you remember all the monsters you saw while working at the game company?"
"Well... I can't say all of them, but I remember every one I drew."
"What about the NPCs?"
"NPCs? I remember all the ones I drew."
"...So, among the NPCs you drew yourself, is there any that hasn't appeared in here yet?"
Yoo Sora tilted her head slightly, lost in thought. It didn't seem like she was hiding anything—just deep in concentration.
"Hmm... Yeah, there's one."
"One?"
"Yeah. Back when I drew it, I only had the concept idea, and the name wasn't set yet..."
It?
"It looked kind of like the Specter that sometimes visited us. The differences were two horns on its head? And eyes that were red, like yours, Cheonjae-ssi."
"..."
Two horns on the head.
Red eyes, like a Necromancer.
An NPC registered in the game but not appeared yet.
"...I see."
"Yeah, but... why the sudden interest in NPCs?"
"Just curious. Thought you might know something I don't."
"Oh! And I just remembered—when that character was finished, the president chuckled and said something."
"The president?"
"'That guy's got a real fighter's look.'"
"..."
"And he added, 'This is what the strongest should be like.'"
Wasn't "strongest" the word that described me in this game?
Why would he utter "strongest" while looking at some NPC? It didn't make sense.
No, from the president's perspective, it might've just been casual praise. Like complimenting the illustrator's hard work.
I nodded and patted her head.
"You've got a lot of ash on your hair."
Yoo Sora looked up at me and replied.
"Thanks."
"..."
-Kieeeek, kieeek, kieeek!
We'd paused for a bit, and now the cries of a demon horde echoed from around us.
Since the angels' reach hadn't extended here yet, there were more of them than I'd anticipated.
'Smelling humans in a place this thick with sulfur stench already...'
After catching my breath, I pulled Yoo Sora back to her feet.
"Let's go."
"Already?"
"Yeah. If the demons catch up, it'll be even tougher. We'd have to fight our way forward."
"...Right."
Yoo Sora bit her lip, stood, and brushed off her butt.
* * * * *
At the volcano summit, I peered into the crater and explained to her.
"This is where we'll melt Lucifer's heart."
"Uh... The liquid looks black."
"That's just the surface, oxidized from friction with the air. The inside's boiling red, so no worries."
"It's not an active volcano, right?"
"According to the lore, no."
"Good."
In the story, it never erupted until Lucifer's heart was placed inside. The calm surface before us felt reassuring.
"Now I need to head down."
"...Where?"
"Inside the crater."
"...?!"
Yoo Sora jumped in shock, her face twisting.
"I-inside? You mean into the lava?"
"Yeah. Well, precisely, down the walls—not into the lava itself."
"Oh..."
"You don't have to come down, so don't worry."
"Really?!"
Yoo Sora's expression brightened again.
"Yeah. I can handle everything alone anyway."
"Oh..."
"You'll be fine up here by yourself, right? Some demons might show up, but they're all mid-level or lower, so you can manage."
Her eyebrows twitched at the mention of demons, but she still flashed a good smile.
"Leave it to me. But you're just going down there with no prep?"
"...What prep? No risk of gas poisoning, so don't worry."
"Oh... Got it!"
After our talk, I carefully stepped down into the crater. It looked like a sheer cliff from above, but protruding rocks served as makeshift stairs.
Plus, I kept stabbing my scythe into the wall to create footholds, so the descent was problem-free.
Thud!
My final step landed in a hole near the lava.
[Welcome to the 'Dark Cave.']
A cave entrance hidden behind rocks—not visible when peering down from above.
I entered slowly.
A pungent sulfur stench assaulted my nose.
A powerful aura seeped from within, strong enough to rattle my armor.
My fingertips tingled.
The health gauge above my head began ticking down bit by bit.
But not much.
If the gauge was 100 total, it was about 1 per minute.
Meaning—I had to finish within 100 minutes or I'd die.
Step. Step.
The cave wasn't dark.
The walls glowed like firefly butts, flickering on and off.
The deeper I went, the brighter the wall lights grew, and the heavier the emanating aura made my steps feel—like increased gravity.
'...Almost there.'
It felt exactly like the text I'd experienced before. My throat felt clogged like with a candy stuck in it, my arms stiffened like iron rods had been jammed in, and my ankles weighed like shackled in irons.
"Hoo..."
I took a deep breath, then pressed onward. Lingering here would just drain more health.
[The wandering soul in the 'Dark Cave' speaks to player Kim Cheonjae.]
A circular white mist appeared before me. I stared straight at it and replied.
"Speak."
[It says you shouldn't be here yet—turn back.]
"I'll decide that."
[It warns that going further could bring great peril.]
"Do what you want."
[The 'wandering soul' clicks its tongue, asking if your life means nothing.]
"...Enough pointless talk. We're done here."
I ignored the soul and kept walking. It darted ahead to block me, trying again.
[It says a terrifying being awaits inside—be careful.]
"Yes."
[It says this being is far stronger than any archdemon.]
"Got it."
I swiped my hand, scattering the gaseous soul.
No point in this dialogue for story progression anyway.
The soul kept speaking to me the whole way deeper into the cave.
Just repeating: don't go further, it's dangerous.
I ignored it and pushed on.
"..."
Seems we'd reached the end.
The narrow passage opened into a vast, circular chamber.
[You witness the bones of the 'Primordial Ancient Dragon'!]
[This ancient dragon with seven heads is a portion separated from a god's body.]
'...As expected.'
[The 'wandering soul' raises its voice, demanding you leave at once!]
"Damn it."
I'd found it: the Necromancer's ultimate goal, the item that would make me the strongest in this game.
Worried someone might've touched it, but thankfully, it looked fine.
I stepped into the circular chamber and touched the massive bones.
"Impressive..."
Bigger than I'd imagined. Five giants stacked together? No, even larger.
Just one of the seven skulls sprawled before me dwarfed a giant.
[The 'wandering soul' issues a final warning: leave now.]
[If you don't comply this time, it says it has no choice but to attack the player.]
I smirked at the soul, slowly lifting one corner of my mouth.
"...Try it if you can. Though it's probably too late."
I crossed my arms, watching its movements. It zoomed toward the dragon's spine at blinding speed, targeting the core inside.
Vroooom—
So fast, it left an afterimage.
[The 'wandering soul' attempts fusion with the Primordial Ancient Dragon.]
'...'
The powerful aura from the dragon's body halted. Successful fusion? Its toes began twitching.
The seven heads jerked, clattering.
"...Awake."
[The fused 'Primordial Ancient Dragon' opens its eyes.]
[The 'wandering soul' expresses fury, vowing severe punishment on player 'Kim Cheonjae' for ignoring its warnings.]
Rumble! With a roar, the dragon rose. Just lifting its head scraped its wings against the walls, showering dirt.
A majestic presence befitting the one called strongest—perfect for me.
'Good...'
I took one more step toward it and said.
"Primordial Ancient Dragon, a portion of Tiamat, father of Hell's king Beelzebub."
The dragon fixed its seven long necks on me.
"...Marduk."
Boom!
It spread its wings, smashing the cave wall. More dirt rained down.
"...Human, do you know of my existence?"
"Of course. I've known for a long time."
Its seven heads tilted at my unwavering response.
"You knew of me... yet ignored the warnings and came here?"
"That's right. Your warnings don't scare me at all."
"..."
It's true.
My odds of losing to it? Zero percent.
Anyone who's played this game would know why.
How strong it was in the past doesn't matter.
Right now, it's a dead dragon—reduced to bones.
'...Cute.'
An undead monster.
"You don't know who I am, do you?"