Chapter 102
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Reward
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*CRACK!*
Dion saw it.
At a speed that was nearly invisible.
Appearing in his vision for just a moment.
Then vanishing, leaving only an afterimage.
With every footstep, the wasteland shook. With every exchange of blows, tumbleweeds were sent flying.
It was a battle between two super-Awakened Ones, a clash he would have struggled to even perceive had it not been for his 2nd Awakening Class, the [Ascetic], which maximized his Chakra.
For others, it might have been an unfamiliar sight.
But for Dion, who had lived through the Calamity War, it was a familiar spectacle.
And yet, it was also a foreign one.
Because for the Dion of his second life, at the start of the Calamity War, the wall of the super-Awakened was a hurdle he had long since overcome.
‘…It’s not enough.’
That was why.
As he watched the fight.
Unknowingly, unconsciously.
Dion felt a thirst.
‘Still… my growth is too slow.’
Anyone else would have thought him insane.
It had only been a few months since his first Awakening.
Even for a noble born with a 3-star Class, who consumed mana stones like water, it was a period so short that they would naturally struggle to face even a low-level Awakened.
In that time, Dion had achieved the state of [Completor].
He had matured into a multi-Awakened.
He had already obtained a domain.
And he had even brought down several families. The growth Dion had achieved was nothing short of phenomenal.
It was a monstrous growth rate, one that would have left even the Voice that guided him in his second life speechless, made possible only by betting his life time and time again.
Whether in terms of the power he had amassed.
Or his personal strength.
To say it wasn't enough was pure greed.
It was, by all accounts, an obvious and excessive desire.
Especially since he had crushed the families of the Dogwi Union one after another, acquiring several more 3-star Classes and powerful Unique Traits.
‘Yes, being any greedier at this point could cause problems, but…’
But this objective judgment.
Dion scoffed at it himself.
‘—So what?’
Excessive desire.
Being faster than others is good enough.
He could become stronger than he was in his second life without rushing.
All of it was just a cowardly excuse. The compromise of a coward who had given up on risking his life to become stronger.
‘If it were you, Voice, you would have said it. It’s not the reckless hero who survives, but the cautious coward.’
Yes.
His exceedingly cautious.
And wiser-than-anyone partner.
She would have surely stopped him, and Dion would have ultimately accepted her advice.
After all, the Voice’s counsel was always precise, always showing him the most efficient, optimal path.
‘But Voice. To stop the end and reach the finale, that alone is not enough.’
But he had chosen only the best path.
He had reached the end of it.
He knew just how high the wall he had to overcome was.
And above all else…
‘I cannot tolerate the fact that a mere super-Awakened being dared to harm what is mine.’
A super-Awakened?
A high noble?
The head of the Dogwi Union?
Yes, those names might be fearsome enough to make even nobles tremble.
But for Dion, who had survived to the very end of the Calamity War where countless super-Awakened had perished.
This incident was, for the first time in a long while…
No, perhaps for the very first time since starting his third life, enough to make him feel a chilling rage.
Not so much because he had almost lost what was his to a mere super-Awakened, but because he could not forgive his own weakness in failing to prevent it.
That was why Dion thought.
What method should he use?
To gather more power.
To regain his former strength more quickly.
And to reach an even higher plane.
Of course, the answer had been decided from the start.
‘First, I’ll need to achieve greater merits in this war. To do that…’
Odobaekryeong was the law of the jungle.
The winner takes all.
There was no better opportunity to build strength and gather forces than a great war.
This was especially true since most of the opportunities Dion knew of wouldn't be available for at least a few months.
The problem was that to achieve greater merits, he needed more power and a stronger force than he currently possessed.
To gain power.
He needed power. A paradox.
It was like the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, the very reason it was so incredibly difficult to overcome one’s given station…
‘I was planning to go to the [Tower of Shadows] only after breaking through the super-Awakened wall… but I have no choice.’
Fortunately.
But unfortunately for some.
Dion had a way to solve this paradox.
An opportunity he had to seize, one so dangerous he had planned to pursue it only after becoming a super-Awakened himself.
*Knock, knock.*
“My lord, might I have a moment of your time?”
“Yes, what is it?”
It was around the time Dion had finished organizing his future plans, including the reward he would receive from Urk.
A visitor had arrived.
“—There is something I must ask of you.”
***
“…My lord?”
“What is it, you phony?”
“Well, about that. To be honest, I feel sorry about what happened last time…?”
“Hey, what’s there to be sorry about?”
A grin.
The boy spoke cheerfully from behind the mask covering his eyes.
“It’s not such a big deal that you hid by yourself while the others were dying to that troll geezer.”
“No, I’m telling you I wasn’t pretending to be dead! I just fainted when I fell off the Great Forest Spider and by the time I woke up, it was all over…”
“Right, right. I believe it was all a coincidence.”
“Your deep trust is so touching it brings tears to my eyes.”
Naru’s rabbit ears drooped.
It was bad enough being abandoned during the fight with Lar Arga.
But now he was being ostracized under the false accusation of running away alone.
And his credibility had hit rock bottom for failing to stop the Dogwi Union’s information warfare afterward.
It was only natural for him to feel dejected.
But what truly unsettled Naru at this moment wasn't the scorn directed at him.
It was what Dion had just said.
“Anyway, isn't it a bit much to make a joke like that just to tease me? Especially with everyone gathered like this.”
“Hmm…”
“Indeed, it’s a bit…”
“Even if you are the king’s successor, this girl does not appreciate being mobilized for such a trivial event.”
The others watching with uneasy expressions.
That is, the vassals of Waryongjang, all nodded in agreement.
The envoy of the Guild, or whatever.
Was he actually just a background prop?
Just as they were beginning to have their doubts, Dion’s last joke was so absurd that they had no choice but to side with Naru.
“I wasn’t joking.”
And so.
After Dion tilted his head and uttered that single phrase.
A cold silence fell over the spacious meeting room.
“Pardon?”
“Wait a minute? If it wasn’t a joke… you mean you were serious? About what you just said?”
“…Are you in your right mind, sir?”
“Of course it wasn’t a joke, and yes, I’m in my right mind.”
“…!!!”
After a long silence.
What poured out was a chaotic jumble.
The questions, filled with countless emotions like doubt, bewilderment, confusion, and suspicion, were met with Dion’s calm reply, which in turn brought an even deeper silence.
They had finally realized.
What this boy had said was 100% sincere.
In that sense.
The ensuing explosion was only natural.
“@#%!%#@%!!!”
“W-wait, no, that’s.”
“Ka’el, son of Chavera. I would, of course, follow you to hell, my lord, but…”
“If you truly wish to die, simply ask me.”
“Are you dying to die—*kyak*?!”
Even Ka’el and Laira, who were practically outsiders as vassals.
The dark elf maid who clenched her steel gauntlets, offering to gladly fulfill his wish for suicide as his personal attendant.
The Vault Keeper, who had been kneeling at his feet like a proper slave, leaped as high as her head to protest.
And even the beastkin girl who slammed the Vault Keeper back to the floor with a swing of her tail now lowered it, cautiously observing the situation.
Cutting through the chaos was a single voice.
“Everyone, be silent.”
“No, but…”
“Are you saying you will defy my lord’s decision?”
“…”
Even amidst this turmoil, it was a voice that remained perfectly calm and refined.
Yet it was also a stern voice that permitted no argument, causing everyone to back down.
Only one person raised an objection.
“Yes, I am defying it.”
With her usual expressionless face.
Staring directly at her own mother.
The dark elf maid continued in a voice even more brusque than usual.
“—Or are you suggesting we should docilely accept a mad directive to enter a 3-star labyrinth?”
In Odobaekryeong, most domains only roamed through 1-star labyrinths.
And even then, only in the safe outer zones.
Crawlers, who left the domain to hunt monsters and gather resources, were treated worse than slaves.
The labyrinth was a demonic realm.
Swarming with countless monsters.
A bewildering, unidentified maze.
Above all, it was a living hell overflowing with corrupted mana.
Only life’s bottom-feeders, those with nothing left to lose, became crawlers, where a single mistake could lead to being devoured by monsters or transformed into a mutant.
And a 2-star labyrinth was practically a suicide mission.
Just entering took days, and it was essential to be accompanied by at least one divine beast.
While one could gather precious resources, the risks were so high that it was a gamble only taken by nobles on the verge of bankruptcy.
Indeed, even the monstrous Gwoemokjang, with its numerous fiend-steeds, had nearly been annihilated in the 2-star [Hunter’s Forest] in just a few days.
So, what about a 3-star labyrinth?
It wasn't even worth discussing.
“A 3-star labyrinth means a place where 3-star monsters roam about casually.”
The Blood Seal Queen, Heda.
The King of Hunters, Rashanta.
3-star monsters considered even high-level Awakened as prey.
Although not on the level of a Named monster, the fact that there were hundreds of 3-star monsters comparable to them.
That alone made it easy to understand what a horrific hell a 3-star labyrinth was.
But there was an even more terrifying fact.
3-star labyrinths also had their own separate Named bosses.
Meaning…
“And that even includes 4-star monsters.”
4-star (☆☆☆☆).
A distant realm for Awakened.
And for monsters as well.
Having surpassed the so-called super-Awakened wall.
A monster comparable to a super-Awakened One.
The existence of even one such monster was a nightmare.
Worse, in larger labyrinths, there could be several such Named monsters besides the dungeon boss.
There was a good reason why not only small and medium domains but even high-ranking domains protected by super-Awakened Ones stayed far away from 3-star labyrinths.
“To willingly walk into such a place, it is only natural for anyone in their right mind to object.”
“She’s right…”
“Ahem, this Ka’el, son of Chavera, also wishes to object, purely out of concern for your safety, my lord.”
At Parsha’s cold remark, the others, while still cautious, showed signs of agreement.
Having surpassed the super-Awakened wall.
What kind of monster that signified.
Having learned it firsthand by brushing with death in the fight against Lar Arga, they found the order utterly unacceptable.
But Dion nonchalantly received Parsha’s words.
“Don’t worry about that. That’s why I borrowed Pandora from the orc geezer.”
“Are you saying we should trust her, who couldn't even protect Gwoemokjang in a 2-star labyrinth, and go into a 3-star one?”
“The situation was bad back then. This time, we’re going in prepared.”
“Whether we are prepared or not is irrelevant. The important thing is that there is no need to take such a risk in the first place.”
“There is a need.”
Even if you have a rope tied for a fall, jumping off a cliff is still insane.
To Parsha’s cold point.
Dion replied with a faint smile.
“If we don’t strengthen our forces before the war with the Dogwi Union begins, half of us will die.”
“…!”
“That troll geezer isn’t going to leave us alone, is he?”
Having been disgraced by this incident.
Lar Arga would try to chew up Waryongjang at the first opportunity.
As Dion’s relaxed words made the party realize they were essentially on borrowed time, their faces turned pale.
But Parsha replied instantly, her expression unchanged.
“We can simply run away until the war is over.”
“And abandon the domain?”
“As precious as the domain is, it is cheaper than our lives.”
“And what then? If I abandon everything and return to the family like this, do you think I can survive?”
Parsha fell silent for a moment.
Perhaps in the past, but not now.
Having dealt a blow to Ren, the Iron-Blooded Mad Demon, by wiping out the Soma Knight Order.
Returning to the family after abandoning the very forces he had painstakingly built was tantamount to a death sentence for Dion.
“…Even so, dying later is better than dying now.”
“I don’t like either option. That’s why I’m going to the labyrinth.”
“…”
“This girl still objects. If you truly wish to become the king’s successor, you must not undertake such risks.”
“Oh, by the way, the labyrinth I’m going to is the [Tower of Shadows].”
“—But a great king must sometimes make bold decisions! This girl is in full support!”
“…”
As everyone stared coldly at the Vault Keeper, who had interjected only to suddenly reverse her stance.
Dion continued leisurely.
“So, Parsha, you’ll protect the domain until we return.”
“You mean to leave me behind?”
“Even I’m not crazy enough to take an injured person into a labyrinth.”
Perhaps she hadn’t expected him to go into the labyrinth without her, his personal attendant.
With her arm, broken in the fight with Lar Arga, in a splint.
As Parsha, whose expressionless face now showed a slight arch of her eyebrow, averted her gaze.
Dion continued with a grin.
“I’ve already decided on a substitute to attend to me in the labyrinth in your place.”
“You mean this girl?”
“No, shuttle. You’re good at being a shuttle and a footstool, but you’re not as good at attending to someone as Parsha.”
“Somehow, this is humiliating…”
“Don’t feel too bad. It’s just that Arsha is too exceptional.”
“You praise me too highly.”
“…Why is the Young Mistress’s name coming up now?”
“Why else?”
As Parsha, who had sensed something amiss during the conversation, hardened her face.
The moment Dion replied lightly.
The dark elf maid’s eyes blazed with fury.
“Because the person I’m taking to the labyrinth instead of you is Arsha.”
“—What kind of bullshit is that?”