Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Agwi
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When Lee Si-woo brought up Mental Connection out of the blue, Allen frowned.
Mages above a certain level couldn't possibly be unaware of the Tentacle's Talent, Mental Connection.
This was because, among the Talents of the other races, Mental Connection was undoubtedly ranked within the top five most guarded against.
“Why are you suddenly bringing up the Tentacle's Mental Connection?”
Lee Si-woo said with a faint smile playing on his lips.
“I happen to have a special artifact that allows me to use Mental Connection... What do you say? How about we settle this cleanly with a Mental Connection?”
Allen replied in a low, somber voice.
“You want me to beat you with Mental Connection, kill your mind and soul, and take my sister back?”
“That's right.”
“Why should I, who can crush you even without it, choose such an uncertain contest?”
Lee Si-woo sneered with a smirk.
“Are you that lacking in confidence?”
“…This bastard? Do you have any idea who I am?”
“You must know that the outcome of a Mental Connection is decided by the mental strength of the two participants, right? Of course, if you believe your mental strength is inferior to mine, you're free to decline…”
“Enough. That's enough of your pathetic provocations. You think I'd avoid a Mental Connection because I'm scared of the likes of you? I'm reluctant because I'm worried about what kind of trickery a devious person like you has set up.”
Watching Allen, who called the provocation pathetic yet couldn't hide his excitement with a face flushed red, Lee Si-woo smiled brightly.
“What if it's not a fair fight? Lord Allen, don't forget. Your sister is my hostage, and this is a death trap where I can die with you if things go wrong. So considering the situation, I'm making a rather good offer right now. A rather fair one, at that.”
Allen gritted his teeth.
Just as Lee Si-woo said, he had no choice right now.
That's right, not since the moment he chose to come here, toyed with and having lost the initiative to Lee Si-woo.
“But…”
Was it because Allen's anguish was boring? Or was it because he didn't want to give him any more leeway?
Tentacles began to slither out from Lee Si-woo's entire body.
Seeing the swarm of utterly grotesque and repulsive translucent tentacles, Allen unknowingly took a step back.
“If you run, you and your sister will die here.”
“…Then you'll die here too.”
“Well, that would be fine. A shared death with the great 5th Circle Mage and youngest Elder Mage, Allen, would be a great honor for me. Ah, but Lord Allen... while you're worried I've set a trap in the Mental Connection, it seems you haven't considered that I might have prepared a way to survive the explosion. How naive.”
Unable to do anything in response to Lee Si-woo's gentle words, Allen flared up and spat out a curse.
“You, you son of a bitch! Why the hell are you doing this to me? What grudge do I have with you?!”
Lee Si-woo licked his lips to quench his thirst.
“I covet it.”
“What?”
“Your genius, your knowledge, your abilities... Yes. I desire everything you have that I do not. So much that I'm desperate... to take it all.”
Along with the gleam of desire in Lee Si-woo's eyes, the swarm of tentacles swallowed Allen whole.
* * *
Allen stood blankly in the middle of a dark basement.
Pitch-black darkness.
A sour stench that stung the nose.
And a strange atmosphere that tickled the skin and induced goosebumps.
With a tension that felt like his heart would burst, Allen swallowed dryly and stared straight ahead.
“A guest has arrived.”
As the faceless, masked boy standing before a prison of massive iron bars gave an elegant arm-sweeping greeting, Allen asked.
“Who are you? Are you Lee Si-woo?”
“No. I am his servant.”
“…That can't be, only the person themselves can exist in their mental world… Wait.”
Having become a 5th Circle Mage with developed spiritual insight, Allen could partially see through the essence of the faceless butler.
“N-no way. How can a being like you be here? A-and inside Lee Si-woo?”
“There is no need to be surprised. It is not particularly strange for someone like me to exist within Lord Si-woo, the sixth Divine Seed.”
Only then did Allen understand the source of Lee Si-woo's unfathomable potential.
Incomprehensible beings, called the Seeds of Gods.
The Five Divine Seeds.
If a being comparable to them had been newly born, and that being was Lee Si-woo, then an elite mage from a remote continent like himself was no different than an insect before him.
“The sixth… Divine Seed…!”
Allen stumbled backward. If his opponent was one of the Divine Seeds, there wasn't a speck of a chance of winning this fight.
It made sense. His opponent was a Seed of a God, one who held the potential to become a god.
So how could he possibly win with the mental strength of a mere elf?
“This is fraud. This is a scam! Lee Si-woo! You goddamn son of a bitch! Let me out! This isn't right!”
Annoyed by Allen's screams, the boy butler spoke with a faint sigh.
“To be so noisy inside a noble person. What a child with terrible manners. Hmm, an ill-mannered child requires discipline.”
Before the boy butler could finish speaking, a massive arm, sparsely covered in black fur, shot out from within the iron bars and lunged at Allen.
Like a frog's tongue snatching a fly, the massive arm grabbed Allen and dragged him inside the iron bars.
The butler spoke to the being inside the iron bars.
“It would be problematic if you devoured him without leaving a single bone, like last time. That friend has an obligation to serve the Lord from now on. So please be sure to leave a part of him. That way, he can be of use.”
Hearing the butler's voice, Allen clawed at the floor to resist being dragged into the bars. He clawed so fiercely that his nails broke and his fingertips were mangled.
Five long streaks of blood trailed from his fingertips, but it was as meaningless as the struggle of a gazelle with its neck caught in a lion's jaws.
*Snnnff.*
A rough breath tickled the back of Allen's head and his back.
Allen's jaw trembled as he held his breath.
He didn't know what was behind him, but it was clear that it was sniffing his scent as if savoring the aroma of food.
*CRUNCH.*
It was strange.
Even with the horrifying sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing, there was no pain.
Perhaps it was because he was devoured so quickly that he didn't even realize it was gone.
Allen's unfocused eyes turned to the left.
His left arm, which should have been there, had vanished entirely.
“Ah……”
Allen's head turned back.
A green glint, like the eyes of a predator in the dark, was staring at him.
*Chomp, chomp.*
The sound of something being chewed echoed.
Had his eyes adjusted to the darkness?
Or was it a hallucination brought on by loss and pain?
Allen felt as if he could see the shape of the being in the darkness.
‘Ah… I've seen this before. I've seen it in an ancient tome… That's… Agwi.’
In a distant past that could well be called the beginning of time.
Six kings were born in the infinite world.
Known as the Two Demons and Four Calamities, they monopolized the eternally proliferating resources of the infinite world and ruled as dictators in their respective territories.
Then one day.
Someone raised a question.
Who is the strongest among the six kings?
A childish but unavoidable topic of curiosity even for themselves, they began to fight, and after a thousand-year war, the title of king was granted to only one Monstrous Calamity.
Yes, to Agwi alone.
*CRUNCH.*
The being in the darkness that had torn off Allen's right arm moved its jaw greedily.
At its ravenousness, which felt almost violent, Allen drooled and dragged his backside away.
“Ugh-argh……”
Black horns resembling those of a stag.
Massive wings that would more than fill the space behind the iron bars.
A formidable body that looked as if muscle flowed beneath its skin instead of veins.
Eyes like green afterimages floating in the darkness.
A monster that would not be out of place being called a mythical being, beyond legend.
Agwi was smiling before Allen, baring its white fangs.
As if with a smile that said it was satisfied with Allen's taste.
From beyond the bars, the boy butler's languid voice was heard.
“Leave the head and the heart. I repeat, if they are damaged, the Lord will be angry.”
Agwi opened its maw wide.
And that was Allen's last memory in life.
* * *
When Lee Si-woo retracted his tentacles, all that remained were Allen's clothes and his inventory ring.
Lee Si-woo collected Allen's inventory ring and tried to open the inventory, but it wouldn't open due to a password.
‘Tsk, I devoured Allen, but it's a shame I couldn't absorb his memories due to insufficient brain capacity. It can't be helped. I'll have to put aside Allen's knowledge and magic until I increase my brain capacity.’
Although Lee Si-woo had increased his brain capacity with Brain Hunter, it was only enough to update Ixion's knowledge.
At times like this, it was a pity that Barathrum's omnipotence wasn't reflected in reality.
Inside Barathrum, Lee Si-woo could possess infinite mana and infinite brain capacity, but that was a phenomenon limited to within Barathrum.
The moment he came out, all that growth and memory vanished like a mirage.
This was because Barathrum's current, inadequate functions had limits in interfering with Lee Si-woo's physical body.
‘Well, there's no need to rush. As I continue to grow, the day will come when I break through this limit.’
Lee Si-woo approached Lina, who was bound to a chair with a gag in her mouth.
As soon as he removed the gag with an expressionless face, Lina asked in a trembling voice.
“My brother? What happened to my brother?”
“He's dead.”
“…That's impossible. My brother has had an exceptionally strong will since he was young. He constantly strove forward and never stopped working hard for a moment. For someone like him… even if it was a battle of mental strength, to a mere human like you…”
“He died. Like an insect.”
Lina screamed.
“Shut up! There's no way my brother died! Especially not to trash like you! You're insects. An inferior species! Vermin who should be begging us in the slums before dying!”
Lee Si-woo knelt down to meet her gaze.
“But they can walk, while you cannot.”
Did that hit a nerve?
Her eyes wavered precariously.
“I-I'm different. I just have an illness. I'm different from you lot, who are low-born from birth…”
“Were you jealous? Of them, who were perfectly fine, unlike your disabled self? Were you resentful that those you usually looked down on could walk when you couldn't? Is that why you taxidermied them?”
“…You don't know anything.”
Catching a strange nuance in her words, Lee Si-woo retorted.
“What is it?”
“That's right, the reason I enjoy such a hobby is because of my inferiority complex, just as you said. I didn't like that humans could do things I couldn't. But I'm not the only one who enjoys human taxidermy. What about them? Did they also pick up such a hobby because of negative feelings born from an illness like me?”
“Perhaps. They might just enjoy it.”
“Yes, there might be a few who enjoy it like me. However, I can guarantee that the majority of them are not strange enough to enjoy such a disgusting hobby. They do it for a reason and with a purpose.”
“A reason and a purpose…”
Lina clenched her fists and said with a determined expression.
“Lee Si-woo. Let's make a deal. I'm a skilled hacker. I have some interesting information I secured by hacking the Central Continent's server. I'll tell you. In exchange, let me live.”
Lee Si-woo looked with interest at Lina, who was pleading for her life with a pitiful gaze.
Although he didn't have Ogong's Antennae Talent, he could see the deep color of resentment in the eyes of the girl begging her brother's killer to spare her.
Noticing her audacious goal of surviving at all costs to get her revenge, Lee Si-woo smiled with his eyes.
“I am your brother's murderer. And yet you beg me to spare you? Isn't that humiliating?”
“I've persevered and lived on even in this state. Begging you now? It's nothing. I don't care. I just… want to live.”
Lee Si-woo shrugged and said.
“Alright. It's not a difficult task, so I'll let you live. Besides, I don't think someone as physically challenged as you could ever be a threat to me. So, tell me. Why is the culture of human taxidermy spreading among your kind?”
“First, there's no guarantee that the information I've secured is factual. But, you can't be sure it's entirely false either. You… know what I'm trying to say, right?”
“I'll listen and judge for myself, so just speak. I'm starting to get bored.”
Lina glanced at Lee Si-woo's face and carefully opened her mouth.
“First piece of information. There's a massive organization in the Central Continent called Black Night, and they are said to be encouraging this hobby. That's why this vile pastime is trending even on the remote continents, so far away.”
Having already encountered Black Night once, Lee Si-woo found it plausible. If they were opposed to Dawn, the human secret society, they had every reason to popularize a culture of hating humans.
“And the second?”
“This one is a bit absurd... but there's information that some of the species existing in the Main Dimension originated from humans as their matrix.”
His interest piqued, Lee Si-woo's eyes sparkled as he urged her on.
“Matrix? Hmm, interesting. Tell me more.”
“It seems some of us believe the theory that humans were the ancestors of some races, including elves. And there's also a rumor that humans were originally the sole dominant species of this continent…”
“So they're keeping humans in check?”
“That's right. They're afraid. Afraid that if the already numerous humans regain their past glory, their own positions as the established power in the Main Dimension will be shaken. That's why they persecute and despise humans even more. To nip it in the bud entirely.”
Lee Si-woo said in a flat voice.
“I don't know. Regardless of the truth, I'm a bit skeptical. Whatever the past was, isn't the current reality of humans insignificant? I don't think the now-fallen human race can do anything to them, who are so firmly established.”
“Right. Just as you say. But they genuinely believe that day might come. It seems to be because of a line from a prophecy left by the great prophet of the Demon Country before he died.”
“A prophecy?”
“Be prepared. The Human God, Faceless. He will return.”
Lee Si-woo narrowed his eyes and muttered.
“…Faceless.”
Lina watched Lee Si-woo, who had fallen silent after hearing the word "Faceless."
After a moment, Lina cautiously asked the silent Lee Si-woo.
“So? Isn't this enough to be worth sparing my life?”
Lee Si-woo nodded.
“Yes. It's enough. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much... but it was more than I expected.”
Lina said with a brightened expression.
“So you'll let me live?”
Lee Si-woo gazed at her face, filled with hope, with an unreadable expression.
“Alright. A promise is a promise.”
Originally, Lee Si-woo had no intention of keeping his promise.
He was troubled by what she had done, as well as the potential for future repercussions if he let her live.
But he changed his mind.
Aside from her useful ability as a hacker, it was because of Allen's reason for existence.
Lina was the sister Allen cherished more than anyone in the world.
But to kill her and then receive his loyalty?
Even for a man as cold and heartless as him, that was something he couldn't do.
“However, the world you will live in is not this one.”
But, she still had to pay the price.
He knew she had lived an unfortunate life, falling ill at a young age.
But such environmental factors could not be a reason to taxidermy an entire family alive.
A sin was a sin; no reason or excuse was necessary.
Yes, just as the sins Lee Si-woo had committed in the past remained branded in his memory.
“What? What do you mean by that? Another… world?”
Tentacles flowed out from Lee Si-woo's body.
“Don't worry. I will keep my promise. Yes. In my own way.”
Seeing the tentacles, Lina shook her head frantically.
“Lee Si-woo! You devil. You promised to let me live! You promised!”
“Don't be afraid. You will die here, but you will live a new life elsewhere. Well, it won't be bad news for you. You'll be able to live happily with your brother. Forever.”
Finally, the tentacles enveloped Lina.
A moment later, Lee Si-woo, who had been staring down with emotionless eyes at the traces of her disappearance—leaving only the bomb collar and her clothes—turned away.
‘Now, all that's left is to clean up the surroundings, watch how things unfold, and then enter Barathrum?’
Having devoured Allen, a 5th Circle Mage, Barathrum's tier was bound to grow.
It was time to discover Barathrum's new functions.