Chapter 81
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Hell Count's Mansion (2)
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Cha-clang-!
In a single leap, Kang Sa-hu put nearly five meters between himself and the door in an instant. Gripping his great scythe, he summoned the Hell Hounds that had been waiting around him with a mere thought.
-Kkerk-kerk!
-Grrrr!
The moment the idea crossed his mind, Hell Hounds swarmed around him, growling as they bared their mouths spewing crimson flames.
Clank-clunk. Thud.
Finally, the inexplicable noise came to a halt.
Kreeee-
The door—which, just moments ago, hadn't yielded even a fraction despite his full-force efforts—creaked open slightly with a grating screech.
"......"
Though the door now stood ajar, Kang Sa-hu held back from entering right away. He remained on guard, uncertain what traps might lurk inside.
But he couldn't stay vigilant forever like this. With that in mind, Kang Sa-hu summoned five Corpse-Eating Apes.
-Kee!
As the summoned apes turned to look at him, Kang Sa-hu explained the situation with a grave expression, giving them precise instructions on their task.
"Go inside and check for traps. Push through any you can destroy or dodge, but if anything feels too overwhelming or dangerous, return to your soul cores immediately. I'll pull you out with telekinesis."
-Kkiu!
In response to their master's solemn words—and aware of the very real danger he faced—the apes obeyed without a peep, pushing open the door and stepping inside.
Once the apes had entered the mansion, Kang Sa-hu ordered the Hell Hounds around him to stay alert, then closed his eyes.
Beyond his shut eyelids, the apes' vision inside the mansion linked to his own, clear as watching a television screen.
This wasn't an ability inherent to the soul core skill. It had been added later, when Soul Core Creation evolved into his unique (Original) skill, granting him discretion over its functions.
Through the apes' eyes, he focused intently for any traps they might miss, but nothing in the mansion interior suggested one.
Knowing their master's safety hung in the balance, the apes rampaged through the place like vandals—touching everything, stomping around, even bounding about playfully—yet nothing happened.
Watching the scene unfold, Kang Sa-hu willed the apes to press on with their scouting while tightening his grip on [Hell Duke Demadr's Blood-Drinking Scythe].
Activating skill: Weapon Transformation.
Heading deeper into the mansion called for a weapon better suited to tight quarters than a great scythe, which demanded wide swings. Opting for a polearm form like a guan dao, Kang Sa-hu reshaped it.
Before stepping inside, he addressed the Hell Hounds gazing at him with evident concern.
"You lot scout the area thoroughly. Report to me immediately if any enemies show up or anything seems off."
-Woof woof!
The Hell Hounds barked in response, clearly grasping not just his words but the intent behind his will.
Nodding back at them, Kang Sa-hu strode into the mansion.
Fwoosh-
His eyes ignited with inner light as he scanned the surroundings through the spirits' enhanced vision.
Soon confirming no anomalies even through their sight, he began rummaging through the mansion's rooms, checking every nook and cranny.
The defenses had been ironclad—not even windows could be breached—yet the interior was utterly barren, making a mockery of it all.
No essential furniture for inhabitants, no bedrooms, not even a bathroom. Just a desolate shell of a mansion.
Pressing on from the entrance, he reached what appeared to be a room with windows from outside. A thorough search turned up only a lone mattress-like pad, presumably for sleeping.
Taking in the scene, Kang Sa-hu muttered a curt assessment of the mansion.
"How peculiar."
For a place secured so meticulously—not just the door, but every last window—it felt oddly wanting.
And for a mansion occupying an entire B-rank gate—the highest grade seen worldwide so far—it was far too quiet, far too empty.
Then what purpose did this vast structure serve? Why had it manifested here in the gate?
As unease prickled at him and he paused mid-step, a frantic thought from one of the apes pierced his mind.
-Keeek!
"......!"
Sensing it, Kang Sa-hu traced the ape's location and bolted through the sprawling mansion.
The apes had already scouted meticulously for traps, and trusting them fully, he sprinted without a second thought for his own safety.
Skreeech!
Braking hard with friction from his soles produced smoke billowing from his shoes.
"Tch."
He clicked his tongue, feeling the tattered, uneven tread beneath his feet.
He'd been sensing his physical prowess growing by the day, so this was entirely preventable.
Blaming his own carelessness for not preparing durable gear suited to his enhanced capabilities, Kang Sa-hu scanned around for the ape that had reached out to him.
-Kkiu!
As he approached, one ape hopped excitedly, waving its hand high overhead.
Passing through doors flung wide—likely by the apes—he reached the spot and took in the surroundings.
"This is...?"
The space the ape had led him to felt utterly different from everywhere else he'd checked.
The entire room was forged from an unfamiliar black material, through which a subtle yet potent mana pulsed.
If normal mana flowed like water, this felt thick and syrupy, like a viscous elixir.
Tensing at the density, Kang Sa-hu traced the mana's currents, probing where it led and why it coursed through this room.
He gathered the apes to stand guard, shut his eyes, and followed the flow. From the room where he stood, mana circuits spread like roots.
Diving deeper mentally, the circuits split into dozens of branches, each end pooling with concentrated mana.
Like a machine's design, the branches were evenly spaced. Counting them one by one, Kang Sa-hu confirmed there were exactly fifty—and a chill unease twisted his features.
This scenario diverged sharply from routine gate monster hunts. His instincts screamed it.
Yet conversely, it might offer clues to the gates' enduring mysteries.
Rather than retreat, Kang Sa-hu chose to seize the perilous opportunity.
"Search this place top to bottom."
-Kkiik!
At his command, the apes fanned out, prodding every corner—pressing walls, striking them, hunting for hidden seams.
One ape suddenly shot its hand up toward him.
-Ookki!
Heading over, he saw that the ape had pried up a tile, revealing a basketball-sized hidden magic circle beneath.
Yet no mana emanated from it. Even when Kang Sa-hu cautiously infused his own, it lay inert.
"What the...?"
A magic circle in form, unresponsive to mana, and not true magic.
Caught off guard by the unfamiliarity, he quickly steadied himself, ignited his inner light, and shifted his sight to the spirits' otherworldly vision.
Sure enough, phenomena invisible to the naked eye came into view.
A thick, heavy, shadowy energy of unknown nature.
Not mana, not spirit—a novel force that furrowed Kang Sa-hu's brow.
"What is this stuff."
As he probed the power that felt poisonously insidious, the great scythe gripped loosely in his hand began to vibrate lowly.
Bzzz- bzzz-
The tremor strong enough to make his hand quiver drew his gaze to the scythe. Suddenly, he recalled how the stubbornly sealed door had swung open earlier.
He hadn't registered it then, but upon reflection: just as he'd abandoned forcing it and turned away, the scythe's blade had brushed the door—and it had opened.
He didn't deliberate long.
With no other ideas in this bind, Kang Sa-hu unhesitatingly thrust the tip of his weapon—[Hell Duke Demadr's Blood-Drinking Scythe]—into the magic circle.
Ruuuumble-
The instant the blade touched it, the entire room of black material plunged downward like an elevator.
Caught off guard, Kang Sa-hu—who'd braced to sprint for the still-open door—kicked off to escape.
But the descent was blindingly swift, and the room abnormally vast. In a heartbeat, the exit vanished.
"Over here. Now."
Confirming no immediate way out, he rallied the apes and summoned orcs from his soul cores as reinforcements.
-Kuh-heh-heh!
"Back-to-back with the apes. Defensive formation."
At his order, the orcs—clad in the armor they'd worn near death, weapons intact—took up positions with axes, shields, spears, and more, shielding their bodies from potential foes.
Thud-!
Finally, the plummeting room jolted to a stop at its destination with a resounding boom.
He staggered slightly from the impact but quickly regained his footing, eyes blazing as he surveyed the area.
His enhanced vision pierced the sudden darkness without need for adjustment, illuminating everything clearly.
What he saw left him speechless, eyes widening.
A colossal space unfolded—like every upper floor merged into one.
Racks displayed armor and weapons in orderly rows.
Frozen in shock for a moment, he shook it off and examined them closely.
Soon, he spotted the unifying theme.
All armor and weapons were identical in design and type.
The armor resembled Joseon-era Dodeung Gap from Korea but styled like medieval European brigandine.
Weapons: longswords beside longbows of plain, large, round design.
Counting fifty sets of each, Kang Sa-hu realized this was an armory stocking gear for display—or outfitting troops.
"......"
Assuming one suit of armor, one longsword, and one bow per person made fifty in total.
Recalling the fifty mana circuits he'd sensed earlier, a sickening premonition gripped him.
This situation felt all too familiar.
'If I'm right, what they're preparing here is...'
As his thoughts neared a conclusion—
"Impressive."
The voice echoing from both front and rear—and the startlingly clear 'language'—sent chills racing up Kang Sa-hu's spine.
-Ukya!
-Chwiik!
The apes and orcs standing guard around him yelped in alarm and rushed to his side.
But the entity speaking from the shadows didn't flinch—instead, it giggled with evident delight.
"So you're the one controlling them? Puppet mastery, eh? Haven't seen that in ages. You keep surprising me—wielding His noble phantasm wasn't enough; now this rare power too. You're one lucky bastard."
"Who the hell are you."
Tension flared his eyes aglow.
With that extra layer of sight, the darkness parted.
Revealed was a bizarre, never-before-seen being observing him with amused, laughing eyes.