Chapter 199
Chapter 199
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Demon-Tainted Temple
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Lee Seo-jun and I equipped the underwater breathing magic tools we had prepared in advance and dove into the sea. Lee Hyun-joo decided to wait on land to replenish her insufficient mana.
Splash!
The moment we entered the water, a chill hit us like our bodies were freezing solid.
I swam through the ocean depths, moving vigorously to generate some heat.
Lee Seo-jun and I kept swimming downward into the deeper parts of the sea.
Before long, the seafloor and seaweed came into view.
I cast a spell to illuminate the dark ocean depths. There were still no signs of the ruins.
Keeping an eye out for the possibility of an ambush by sea monsters, I scanned the surroundings, but nothing dangerous caught my eye.
Turning my gaze, I saw Lee Seo-jun fiddling with the 'ruins detector' in his hand, searching for the ruins.
But with no reaction from the detector, he shook his head at me.
He looked like he wanted to say something, but communication was impossible underwater, which was pretty inconvenient.
Hmm.
The ruins had to be somewhere around here.
I conjured ten magic orbs centered on myself. Then I spread them out wide, brightly lighting up the area.
Now my field of vision finally opened up.
I swam around the seafloor, searching for any unusual traces.
'Found it!'
Amid the green seaweed, a strikingly long blue seaweed stood out.
The fact that the seaweed glowed blue was proof it had grown by absorbing mana.
There were probably ruins beneath that seaweed.
I swam over to the blue seaweed. Brushing away the sand where it was planted with my hand, I felt the mana even stronger.
This was definitely the spot. The ruins were hidden underneath.
'Oh, before that.'
I carefully uprooted the seaweed and stored it in my subspace.
Blue seaweed, having grown by feeding on mana, was an expensive ingredient for elixirs. Especially one this massive.
After securing the seaweed, I waved my hand toward Lee Seo-jun.
"..
Lee Seo-jun looked at me and swam over.
As soon as he approached, I gathered mana in both hands and injected it into the seafloor.
The ground trembled slightly, then with a crunch, it cracked open, forming a narrow crevice.
Lee Seo-jun stared at me in surprise.
I nodded in satisfaction, then used magic to widen the narrow gap and entered.
Slipping through the crevice felt like entering another dimension altogether, revealing a new space.
At the same time, a massive building submerged in the water came into view.
Its temple-like exterior inspired a sense of reverence just by looking at it.
I was awestruck by the magnificent sight, but there was no time to admire it leisurely. I took the lead and swam toward the temple.
Whoooong......
As we drew closer to the temple, I heard something moving rapidly.
Soon, a massive something charged at Lee Seo-jun and me, baring sharp teeth.
I immediately used Instant Acceleration to dodge the attack.
It was hard to move normally underwater, but since Instant Acceleration exploded my physical power, I evaded it easily.
After dodging, I looked at whatever had just attacked me.
A gelatinous form.
But the multiple sharp teeth protruding from the front were chilling just to behold.
That was the guardian monster protecting the ruins. Judging by its size, it was at least A-Rank.
I had to take it down to enter the ruins, so I immediately drew up my magic power and unleashed a spell.
Bang!
The magic orb shot toward it with swift movement, unhindered even underwater.
Boom!
—Kruuuuuh
The spell hit. Without giving it a moment's respite, I conjured a new one.
Lee Seo-jun also charged at it, his sword radiating a blade aura of light.
Even underwater, his speed was no less than on land.
The power of light in Lee Seo-jun's blade aura was so intense that it revealed the monster's silhouette, previously hidden in the darkness.
Slash!
Lee Seo-jun swung his sword wide at the monster's body. At the same time, its red blood dyed the surroundings crimson.
I didn't miss the opening as the monster writhed in pain. I unleashed the spell I had prepared.
The target was its apparent weak point—the gills and eyes, a benefit for outsiders.
Paaang!
The magic orb rocketed toward the target. The monster, already gravely wounded, had no strength left to dodge my attack.
And moments later.
A massive explosion and blinding light filled the water.
Kwaaaang!
['Underwater Combat Victory' achievement unlocked.]
[3,000 points acquired as reward.]
Whew.
I let out a sigh of relief and looked at Lee Seo-jun.
He looked back at me and nodded as if to say good work.
We swam toward the temple again. With the obstacle gone, we arrived quickly.
Lee Seo-jun and I opened the temple doors.
Creaaak......
The temple interior had no water, as if we had surfaced on land.
Looking back, it seemed a magic barrier on the temple prevented seawater from entering.
Lee Seo-jun and I removed our underwater breathing magic tools.
"Whew."
[Entered ruins, 'Demon-Tainted Temple'.]
"Amazing...... What's the principle behind this?" Lee Seo-jun muttered to himself after removing his magic tool.
"Probably some kind of barrier magic."
I shook off my wet hair and looked around.
A long corridor stretching into endless darkness ahead.
From there came eerie cries. There were probably monsters lurking somewhere in there.
"At least we made it inside the ruins without any issues."
"Yeah. So we just head that way?"
Lee Seo-jun said, gazing at the dark end of the corridor.
"Seems like it. There's only one path here."
"Okay. Let's go then."
Lee Seo-jun and I ventured deep into the corridor. Being a temple, ornate decorations caught the eye here and there.
Grrrrrr......
Then, an eerie cry echoed from nearby.
Lee Seo-jun and I halted and assumed combat stances.
-Who goes there?!
Red eyes flashed in the darkness, followed by the eerie voice again.
Lee Seo-jun gripped his sword tightly, radiating his blade aura of light.
The light pierced the darkness, revealing what was hiding.
My face instinctively scowled at the sight.
A bipedal monster with multiple arms.
Gills on its face, skin melted and grotesquely hanging off.
It felt like a grotesque fusion of human and fish.
"......Did that thing just talk?"
Lee Seo-jun muttered, glaring at the monster.
The monster alternated glances between Lee Seo-jun and me with wary eyes.
—Who are you? Reveal yourselves! I am the servant of the god who guides souls...... Grrrk...... Gruuuuk......
The monster hunched over, gurgling, then opened its mouth and spat green liquid at me.
—Kweeeek!
I quickly reacted, deploying a magical barrier.
Sizzle......
The liquid blocked by the barrier dripped to the floor.
Smoke rose immediately, melting the ground.
-Kuh! You blocked it......
That was when it happened.
A white flash streaked, carving a straight line across the monster's midsection.
The monster tilted its head, unaware of what had happened to its body.
Soon, its body slowly split apart and collapsed.
"......Whew. This place doesn't feel like your typical ruins."
Lee Seo-jun said with a slightly tense expression after dispatching the monster in one strike.
"I get the same feeling. Monsters that speak human language aren't normal."
Lee Seo-jun nodded at my words and gazed down the dark corridor.
"Let's keep moving forward for now."
I'd explored countless dungeons and ruins before, but this place felt more ominous and unsettling than anywhere else.
The biggest source of unease was that the monsters spoke human language.
I knew this from the original story, but experiencing it firsthand brought an indescribable dread.
And the second was the monsters' appearances.
Every one that appeared had oozing, melting skin, multiple arms and legs, yet humanoid shapes that induced revulsion.
—Kweeeek!
The good news was, the monsters here weren't that strong.
From what I'd faced, none exceeded B-Grade.
"Whew......"
About 30 minutes passed.
Lee Seo-jun, starting to tire, wiped the sweat from his brow.
"No end in sight. Feels more like a dungeon than ruins......"
"Yeah, they've been finding more places like this lately, so the line between dungeons and ruins is getting blurry."
"Oh. Is that so?"
"Yeah. Come on, let's keep going. Lee Hyun-joo will be waiting too long."
"Yeah, we should."
With that, Lee Seo-jun and I resumed walking.
Before long, we arrived at a certain point.
A massive door covered in various drawings.
"......Is this the guardian's room?"
"Probably."
I looked at the door.
Various star-like shapes were drawn, with a single human figure at the center.
I wasn't even sure if they were drawings.
The original story never mentioned anything about them.
"What are you looking at?"
Lee Seo-jun approached and peered at the door.
"Nothing. Just checking."
With that, I placed my hand on the door.
"Let's head in for now."
"Yeah."
Creeeak.
We opened the door and entered.
Thud!
As the door opened, another vast space came into view.
Countless statues lined the long sides.
Each held a weapon, looking ready to move at any moment.
Without the original story knowledge, I'd have been terrified thinking they were all guardians, but in truth, every statue here was just decoration for the temple.
"Let's go."
Lee Seo-jun took the lead, walking straight down the path. I followed behind him.
That was when it happened.
Whooooong......
Red light emanated from the darkness, black smoke swirling wildly.
Lee Seo-jun immediately assumed a stance and gripped his sword.
The black smoke coalesced into a humanoid form and slowly walked toward us.
—......I've been waiting for this day.
A voice echoed from the darkness.
This voice belonged to the owner of these ruins—the final boss.
But the ruins' master wasn't a mere monster.
It was an apostle created by the 'mystery,' the reward of these ruins.
—Welcome. Human bearing death...... I've been awaiting your arrival for so long.
Step, step.
Something shrouded in darkness stepped forward, revealing itself.
It was a long-haired woman.
Lee Seo-jun met the woman's gaze directed at him and asked in a puzzled voice.
"How did you know I was coming?"
—The flow of destined fate warned me long ago......
Lee Seo-jun frowned at the woman's cryptic words.
Then, as if noticing me behind Lee Seo-jun, the woman turned her gaze.
—......Hm?
The woman stared at me intently for about three seconds before tilting her head.
—Hmm?
"What."
The woman frowned at my words.
—What are you? Why are you here? Who......
As she muttered to herself, her eyes gradually filled with fear. She even started backing away in terror.
—......How?
The woman kept muttering in a panicked voice. But Lee Seo-jun and I were the ones confused.
Especially Lee Seo-jun, who alternated looks between the woman and me in bewilderment.
—......You didn't exist in the flow of destined fate. And that destined fate cannot be altered unless by 'that one.'
I vaguely understood what she was trying to say.
Because I was someone who originally didn't exist in this world.
She was probably referring to that.
The woman's eyes had changed by now.
And then she said.
—......Who the hell are you?