Chapter 56: The King of the Hungry Ghosts (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 56: The King of the Hungry Ghosts (1)
Alon knew the character Myaon quite well—better than the other mercenaries did, at least.
In Psychedelia, she was a companion character who could be recruited into the protagonist's party after clearing a certain portion of the Labyrinth.
Furthermore, during his early days of playing the game, he had frequently recruited her even in low-level areas because she joined at a high level. He had seen all her personal side-quests, making it impossible for him not to know her.
“…….”
However, her current remark was so unexpected that he remained silent.
“Interested?”
Myaon sent him a subtle, suggestive smile.
“So suddenly……?”
Alon stared at her face for a moment—her beauty unfaded despite the scars—and slowly asked back.
“What do you mean suddenly? This is already the third time we’ve met.”
Myaon continued, her cat-like ears twitching.
“I think that’s enough for us to have figured each other out, don’t you? I’ve certainly figured out that you’re strong.”
“Ah.”
Alon let out a low exclamation, his stalled thoughts finally clicking into place. He realized why she was making such a proposal.
‘……Come to think of it, Myaon’s tribe practiced the Worship of the Strong.’
It was a very old memory, so it hadn't been at the forefront of his mind, but her tribe indeed had a custom of venerating the powerful.
‘Worship of the Strong…… If I recall, it meant they felt a profound attraction to those stronger than themselves.’
Alon looked at the numerous scars covering Myaon’s body—scars that served as proof of her lineage—before finally speaking.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”
“Hm?”
Myaon’s expression shifted to one of slight disappointment.
However.
She soon let out a long sigh, looking nothing like the person who had been making such suggestive faces just a moment ago.
“Well, nothing I can do about it then. Ah—my heart really went thump when you suppressed me in one go, though……”
Despite her disappointed tone, her expression was more like that of a salesperson who had failed to close a deal. Watching her, Alon thought to himself once more.
‘I knew the thought processes of Beastkin and humans were distinctly different, but this part is certainly…… unique.’
As Alon was lost in thought.
“Well, just in case, let me know if you change your mind. I’m told I’m quite charming, you know?”
Like a salesperson promising to follow up later, Myaon said her piece and walked away.
“……Shall I handle her, Godfather?”
As Alon watched her go with a blank stare, he heard Line’s voice. She had been silent until now.
“……Uh, why would you?”
“Because she spoke vulgarly to you.”
Alon fell silent at the sight of Line, who was uttering such chilling words without taking her eyes off the retreating Myaon.
‘Wait…… you want to kill her just for saying that?’
Realizing once again that there was someone even more "unique" right beside him, he quickly replied.
“There is no need for that. She didn’t actually cause any harm.”
“Yes.”
Line immediately nodded and looked away at Alon’s word.
‘……Something feels strange.’
Alon tilted his head, feeling that the treatment he received from Line was somehow even more extreme than what he got from Deus or Seolrang.
“Break’s over. Everyone, move out!”
At Argonia’s sharp shout signaling the end of the rest period, Alon stopped thinking and stood up. He began to walk down into the darkness once more.
* * *
About a day had passed since then.
After spending a night within the abyss-like Labyrinth, the Outer God Subjugation Squad continued their descent and was now making their way through the 4th Layer.
‘……I expected it, but it really is different from the game.’
Alon clicked his tongue inwardly at the current situation. It had been over a full day, yet they had only reached the 4th Layer.
Of course, considering that such a large group couldn't use shortcuts, making the transition between layers slower, the gap between the game and reality was still significant.
In the game, clearing a set number of monsters naturally led to the next layer. Here, however, monsters emerged relentlessly from the abyss, and just dealing with them had taken over a day.
‘……I am never coming back to the Labyrinth.’
With that renewed vow, Alon surveyed his surroundings. The mercenaries, who had traversed the Labyrinth many times, seemed accustomed to this abyssal darkness, even sharing occasional jokes. To Alon, however, it had become a place he never wanted to visit again.
‘……There’s a good item for mages around the 40th Layer, though.’
He briefly recalled information from the game, but he quickly shook his head, deciding to give up on the item entirely.
If it took over a day just to reach the 5th Layer, how long would it take to reach the 40th? He realized all too easily that it would take an immense amount of time.
After some time had passed.
“We’re almost at the 5th Layer.”
As he walked along in a daze, Alon turned his gaze at the mercenary’s words. In the distance, he could see a door glowing like an exit to the Labyrinth.
Before long, they finally reached the 5th Layer.
“……The 5th Layer.”
Alon muttered expressionlessly.
But that was merely his outward appearance; behind that stoic mask, he was genuinely startled. It was as if they weren't inside a Labyrinth at all—he could see the sky.
And a remarkably clear sky at that.
“…….”
Staring at the sight of green meadows and ancient, weathered ruins abandoned beneath that sky, Alon thought.
‘……This, too, is completely different from what I saw in the game.’
To be precise, the scenery was similar to the game, but the feeling of actually being here was different.
In the game, the 5th Layer was merely a save point for resting. Here, it felt truly peaceful.
He felt his weary mind grow calm for a brief moment.
“Alright, we’ll take a short rest and then begin preparations immediately.”
At Argonia’s command, Alon recalled his forgotten purpose and slowly reviewed his plan.
……Hoping that the operation would proceed as intended.
* * *
Immediately after the Outer God Subjugation Squad arrived at the 5th Layer, the mercenaries took a very brief rest before standing up to begin full-scale preparations as Alon had instructed.
And.
“……Tsk.”
Watching their orderly movements, Maverick clicked his tongue and turned his gaze.
He was looking at Alon.
“…….”
To be honest, Maverick still didn't like him very much. No matter how he looked at him, Alon didn't seem particularly strong.
‘I mean, the guy was huffing and puffing just from walking through the Labyrinth. What’s so great about him?’
Maverick looked at Alon and recalled what Argonia and Himan had said a few days ago. Or rather, he recalled their state at the time.
The way they had all broken out in cold sweats and held their breath in silence.
‘What on earth did they see?’
Maverick stared at Alon several more times, but since he couldn't find anything special, he turned away with a look of incomprehension.
“……Hm?”
At that moment, he felt a strange sense of doubt. It was something incredibly trivial.
Yet, it was a doubt tinged with déjà vu.
As Maverick pondered what it could be, he realized the source of the feeling only after he had fully turned his head.
“…….”
It was the noise.
The bustling noise his subordinates should have been making while preparing for Alon’s plan—not a single sound could be heard.
It was as if time had stopped.
Only then did Maverick sense something was wrong. As he looked at the mercenaries, he identified the next source of his déjà vu.
It was the mercenaries themselves.
The men who had been joking and talking just a moment ago were all frozen.
Like dolls.
They were frozen exactly in the middle of their preparations.
Just as Maverick felt an eerie, inexplicable dread and opened his mouth to speak.
The mercenaries’ bodies…… slid apart.
As if in slow motion.
Starting from their lower halves, which remained like pillars, the mercenaries’ upper bodies slid off diagonally and collapsed to the ground.
Splaaaaash!
Crimson blood soaked the ruins and the green meadow.
And.
“!”
Maverick, his eyes wide at the instantaneous slaughter, saw it.
Standing before the fallen mercenaries was a goblin, looking utterly indifferent.
He felt a sense of utter helplessness. As his eyes met the goblin’s—which was staring at him vacantly—he realized several facts.
That the goblin before him had killed his men.
That the goblin before him was the Outer God this subjugation squad had come to kill.
That he had to draw his sword right this instant.
However, despite knowing all these facts.
He couldn't take any action.
He couldn't scream in rage.
He couldn't draw his sword.
He couldn't even call for backup.
He couldn't do anything at all.
The opponent before him was a goblin, a creature he had killed thousands of times.
Yet, paradoxically, he felt instinctively that ‘this’ was no goblin.
The goblin’s—no, the thing’s—intelligent gaze met Maverick’s.
He instantly recognized the emotions contained in that gaze.
Infinite boredom and arrogance.
It was bored, as if it felt no sentiment toward this situation.
It was arrogant, as if looking down on everything from above.
At the end of glimpsing those fragments of emotion.
“Who gave you permission to meet my eyes?”
It delivered its sentence.
A finger was raised.
Slowly.
But surely.
It pointed at Maverick, as if clearly marking his approaching death.
And.
Just as Maverick closed his eyes in terror, seeing that finger about to give a light flick.
“Severe Cold—”
An emotionless voice rang out.
Cr-cr-crack!!!
The earth froze.
Greedy ice crystals, as if intent on devouring the entire world, surged forward like a wave across the grass, freezing everything in their path.
“—Crystallization.”
Crunch!
Accompanied by a bone-chilling sound, like something being crushed.
“Get a hold of yourself.”
Hearing that voice, Maverick opened his eyes.
What he saw was a black coat fluttering in the frosty wind, and a man with ash-gray mana swirling like smoke from his left hand.
Facing the goblin—no, ‘that thing’—which was now twitching its eyebrows behind a crescent-shaped wall of ice, was the back of one man: Count Palatio.
“…….”
……Maverick could only stare at that back in a daze, as if possessed.