Chapter 329
Chapter 329
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 329
Chapter Title: The Illusory Styx
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Lee Soo-hyuk and Kim Ye-ryeong, who had descended underground, were greeted by a massive door.
A stone gate over ten meters tall. It was bound with thick, dangling chains and secured with what looked like an incredibly sturdy padlock.
And that wasn't all.
In the pitch-black darkness, a single glowing pattern shimmered on the door.
The moment Soo-hyuk laid eyes on it, he knew opening this door wouldn't be easy.
"A magic circle."
One person came to mind in a situation like this.
"Maybe I should have come with Uncle Jin-un."
Formations and magic circles had similarities. In that regard, Jin-un was far more knowledgeable about magic circles than most high-ranking mages.
If he'd been here, figuring out what this magic circle was would have been a breeze.
"Come to think of it, you haven't told Uncle Jin-un yet, have you?"
"I was planning to tell him when we met."
"You're gonna get an earful."
Soo-hyuk nodded at Ye-ryeong's words. Getting just an earful would be lucky.
'Come to think of it, I really should pay him a visit.'
He'd originally planned to meet Si-woo and Ye-ryeong, finish the trial, and head straight to him.
But an unexpected commission had delayed his meeting with Jin-un.
'Gonna get nagged.'
Soo-hyuk gazed at the stone gate and magic circle before him.
It seemed this was karma for neglecting those close to him.
"What kind of magic circle is it?"
"The most dangerous kind that blocks entry through that door."
"Which is?"
"An illusion magic circle close to a formation."
Jin-un had warned him long ago.
"If you see a black mage's illusion magic circle, steer clear."
"Black mages? You want me to avoid them because they're scary?"
"It's not dangerous, but it'll be a hassle. And depending on who made it, it could be really dangerous."
This magic circle was probably Mercian's handiwork.
A prepared archmage's tower was like a tiger's den.
Dismantling the circle, let alone opening the door, wouldn't be easy.
"It's really making me want to turn back."
Ye-ryeong grumbled under her breath.
"That's probably the first stage of that magic circle."
"What the hell is inside to justify all this crap?"
"At least one thing is obvious."
"What?"
"Something capable of capturing an archmage. And the other..."
Soo-hyuk shook his head.
"No. Probably not."
Mercian had hidden two things.
One was the door right in front of them. The other was another space beneath the orphanage.
Si-woo had gone there. Whatever was waiting, Si-woo could handle it.
"Let's go, then."
Hesitating wouldn't change anything. He couldn't decipher the circle, and the solution wasn't out here.
Soo-hyuk and Ye-ryeong walked toward the magic circle together. The initial sense of repulsion didn't faze them much.
Pzzt-.
A repulsive force tried to push them back. Overcoming it and taking a few more steps, the world before their eyes shifted.
Drip-.
A water droplet fell onto Soo-hyuk's shoulder.
A dim cave.
The cave was vast, with a high ceiling. A sizable river flowed through it.
Fortunately, visibility wasn't an issue. Torches lit the walls here and there, and gems embedded in the ceiling artificially illuminated the space.
"Over there."
Ye-ryeong spotted something first and pointed.
"A ferry?"
A ferry boat floated down the river, with a ferryman aboard. From afar, he looked like a skeleton, but up close, they could see dried flesh clinging to his bones.
Soo-hyuk let out a hollow chuckle at the dark river and eerie ferry.
"Trying to imitate the River Styx, huh."
"Right? It looks just like it."
Ye-ryeong chimed in. Neither was fooled by the scene before them.
They had to remember: no matter how real it seemed, this was a fictional world conjured by magic.
That meant everything visible reflected the intent of whoever created it.
The ferry arrived before Soo-hyuk and Ye-ryeong.
"It's been a while since we had visitors."
The ferryman's eyes were hollow black voids. His lips were parched, cracked, with blackened blood trailing from them.
He spoke like a corpse. Up close, the stench of decay assaulted their noses.
"Once you cross this river, you can never return to the land of the living. Are you sure you want to proceed?"
It was a warning.
And a test of the magic circle.
Did they really intend to cross? Or would they turn back?
Even knowing it was fake, the emptiness in the man's black eyes instilled fear. The moment terror took hold, the illusion would become reality.
Soo-hyuk didn't hesitate.
"We're fine."
He stepped boldly onto the ferry approaching them. Ye-ryeong followed, as if she'd expected it.
The ferryman watched them silently before resuming rowing.
Splash-.
The ferry moved slowly forward.
The only sounds in the cave were the lapping water and distant wind.
Then, the ferryman asked,
"What brings you two to the underworld? Is there someone you must meet on the other side?"
Even knowing it was fake, Soo-hyuk answered.
"Yes."
"Who?"
"The people I caused to die."
Ye-ryeong's gaze flicked to Soo-hyuk. That again? But as she opened her mouth to protest, their eyes met.
She fell silent as Soo-hyuk pressed a finger to his lips.
"They must have been truly precious to you."
"They were."
"Congratulations. Cross over, and you'll meet them again."
With that, the ferry reached the opposite shore.
Even after arriving, Soo-hyuk and Ye-ryeong didn't stand.
The ferryman asked curiously,
"Why don't you go?"
"Forgot something."
"What?"
Soo-hyuk looked up at the ferryman.
His yellow eyes pierced the black voids.
"Why haven't you taken the fare?"
To cross the River Styx, boundary between life and death, one had to pay the ferryman.
"You're a fake."
The words ended as—
Flash-.
Ye-ryeong's dagger sliced the ferryman's throat. They moved in perfect sync, as if rehearsed.
Thud.
The ferryman's head hit the deck. His body dissolved into black smoke without falling.
Clank-!
A thick padlock materialized from thin air and dropped before them. Slicing the ferryman's throat had undone the first lock.
Shhh-.
The cave scenery faded away.
Ye-ryeong eyed the head-sized padlock on the floor.
"What if we'd crossed?"
"Who knows. Whatever it was, something much harder would be waiting."
No magic circle was impossible to escape. The same went for formations.
But without finding the solution, escape became far harder.
In that sense, decapitating the ferryman was the easiest way to unlock the first padlock.
The revealed scene was entirely different.
Tall castle walls.
Thousands of soldiers surrounded them. It felt like a scene from a war.
As their heads spun, a voice called from behind.
"You've finally arrived!"
A clear, cheerful voice.
It belonged to a young woman.
Wearing a bright, ornate white dress unfit for the grim battlefield.
"Her face screams 'princess'."
"Shh. Quiet."
Soo-hyuk hushed Ye-ryeong's oblivious whisper. A knight approached with the princess.
"Are you the new mercenaries?"
It felt like entering a test scenario. Agreeing seemed the way forward, so Soo-hyuk nodded.
"Yes."
"No time for details. Those vile rebels are after Her Highness."
Right then—
Gong... gong-.
A massive bell tolled from beyond the walls. Drums followed, and soldiers charged the castle.
Weapons clashed, boulders smashed into the gates. As the siege began, screams and blood sprayed skyward.
"It's started already."
The knight muttered gravely, drawing his sword.
"I beg you. Help us repel these heinous rebels."
"Understood."
Soo-hyuk nodded readily. He and Ye-ryeong, eyes meeting, turned.
The moment they looked away, the princess's skin blackened, her body swelling. The change was quieter than an ant crawling.
The monster princess lunged silently. Saliva dripping, jaws wide for Soo-hyuk's nape—
As if expecting it, Soo-hyuk spun. Their eyes locked.
Time froze for monster and man alike.
But only Soo-hyuk moved.
Stab-.
His sword sank smoothly into the monster's throat. Its bite halted, time resumed.
"Same as before."
"That's the point, right?"
The ferryman they'd "protect," the princess they had to "save"—
Both were tricks of the magic circle. What mustn't be killed was precisely what had to die.
"H... how..."
How did you know?
The doubt in the monster's eyes went unanswered. Soo-hyuk slashed, beheading it.
Splurt-!
The head rolled, black eyes still questioning.
Ye-ryeong provided the answer.
"When have black mages ever made a clean magic circle? It's gotta be filthy."
As her words ended, the wall-top soldiers transformed into monsters en masse.
The nearby knight too. Over a thousand soldiers turned foes.
Soo-hyuk sighed at the tiresome sight.
"Your mouth runs too much."
"Hey! This my fault?"
"They got offended by 'filthy'."
Kyaaah-!
The nearest monster charged. The knight who'd stood by the princess.
Slash-.
It split mid-leap, as if slicing massless air. Smooth motion.
Powerless, it flopped in two pieces to the ground.
Ye-ryeong, who'd swung without looking, quipped back.
"What are these grown-ass things getting mad over words for."
Dozens of daggers danced around her.
"Time to die."