Chapter 136
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Curse
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Fortunately enough.
Or perhaps, all too obviously.
Lar Arga was ultimately unable to revive again.
No matter how tenacious a troll he was, or how much of a mutant.
He could not regenerate from having all his heads severed and his organs ripped to shreds.
The battle between the Black Fiend Corps and Lar Arga had been just that desperate and horrific.
But naturally, Dion and his domain had not escaped unscathed.
“My lord, the strength I just recovered has already hit rock bottom.”
“Don’t be too disappointed. Thanks to you, we took care of those freeloaders who were just a drain on resources, didn't we?”
“If you are to be the King's successor, you must learn to make use of even such freeloaders.”
First, there was the annihilation of the Black Fiend Corps.
Losing forty-four high-ranking Awakened Ones was a devastating blow, enough to ruin even a high-ranking noble family...
Yet Dion felt no regret.
The King of the Dark Grotto's authority was absolute, but not infinite.
Perhaps later, it would be different.
But for now, even with his seal partially released, forcibly subjugating and maintaining dozens of high-ranking Awakened Ones was too costly.
This was especially true since stronger, more rebellious subordinates consumed more of his power of dominion.
From that perspective.
The Black Fiend Corps had been disposable from the start.
They were a card he had intended to play once and then discard.
For Dion, simply using them to take down Lar Arga was a profitable exchange.
All the more so because the power of [Star of Bloodshed] had allowed him to gain a massive amount of experience, as well as Classes and Traits, from both the Black Fiend Corps and Lar Arga.
However, even Dion could not ignore the other losses.
“Among the slave soldiers, four are seriously injured. Their lives aren't in danger, but they're all too exhausted to fight any more.”
“…My apologies. I, Kael, son of Chavera, did my best, but we've lost sixty percent of the stallions.”
“The Divine Beasts and the domain are in poor condition. Minor injuries and building damage are one thing, but we've used up too much purified water.”
“Hmm... So things are bad all around.”
It was a total mess.
Surveying the state of his domain, where it was now harder to find an undamaged spot, Dion crossed his arms.
To have fought a Transcendent Awakened One and suffered only this much damage with no fatalities was not just good, it was miraculous...
‘Still, it's sloppy.’
No matter when or what kind of powerful enemy he faced.
A proper raid was one where you could strategize and win without taking heavy losses.
By Dion's standards, this battle scored a mere fifty points.
Considering they would have suffered catastrophic losses against the monstrous Lar Arga without the Black Fiend soldiers, even ten points was generous.
‘Well, they'll get better with more experience.’
You can't expect to be full after the first bite.
Thanks to their achievements in this battle, the slave soldiers had power-leveled to the [Adept] level, so he just had to train them to do better next time.
In fact, one of the reasons he hadn't used the Black Fiend Corps from the start was to let his own forces gain raid experience.
Though, of course, there was a bigger reason.
“We'll clean up slowly. Let's get moving before the Malevolent Spirit starts acting up again.”
“…Are you saying the Malevolent Spirit will be quiet for now?”
“Yeah. It hasn't been completely freed from its seal yet.”
No matter how much of a calamity it was.
The Malevolent Spirit was, in the end, a sealed entity.
Even if it had slipped through a crack for a moment, its power was not yet whole.
Having exhausted a great deal of power to forcibly mutate Lar Arga, the Malevolent Spirit wouldn't be able to do much for the time being.
Dion said nonchalantly, then added as if he'd just remembered.
“Ah, right. No matter how busy we are, don't forget to collect 'those things'.”
“Ah…”
“…Yes, I understand.”
With truly strange expressions, they gathered the spoils of war and left the scorched battlefield.
They, too, had no desire to be swept up in the Malevolent Spirit's curse and fight another desperate battle.
* * *
Dion's prediction was correct.
The Malevolent Spirit did not appear again while they tended to the wounded, organized the domain, and moved on.
Moreover, perhaps because all the surrounding monsters had been absorbed by Lar Arga.
The constant monster attacks had ceased, making travel even easier than before.
But a short while later.
They inevitably ran into two problems.
“You mean up there?”
“Yeah, probably the summit.”
The [Crumbling Gorge]☆☆, surrounded by cliffs on both sides.
The boy pointed to a particularly high section of the cliff, so distant that its top was not even visible.
Arsha looked at Dion with a troubled expression.
“The other domains would have trouble, but Waryongjang alone could probably scale the cliff…”
“But it would be hard to push through that curse, right?”
“…Yes, especially since the Basilisk is refusing to go any further.”
As if to prove Pandora was near.
The cursed fog, which had been gradually thickening, was now so dense that one could barely see an inch ahead.
And seeing the curse that had grown just as strong, along with the purified water that was depleting at a frightening rate, Dion nodded.
Purified water was a Divine Beast's blood and life force.
If they went any further and the water dried up, the beasts would fall into a comatose state.
It was only natural that the Divine Beasts, including the Basilisk, would refuse to move, no matter how their drivers pleaded.
*Sulk.*
“Don't be so down. You did your part, Lucky Charm.”
Thus, after patting the head of the dejected Orr Kai, whose tail drooped limply, to console her.
Dion spoke calmly.
“Arsha, you and the others wait here.”
“…Do you intend to go alone?”
“It's just more dangerous if we all go rushing in. Especially for you and Parsha.”
“…”
“Hmm, but going alone is a bit much. Maybe I'll take a few people.”
Arsha wore a worried expression but couldn't bring herself to volunteer to follow Dion.
Without the slave soldiers, she wouldn't be much help.
Not to mention, given their nature of drying up purified water, it was clear that the fairy folk were the most vulnerable in this cursed fog.
“First, Shuttle.”
“Your humble servant is ready.”
In that sense.
It was only natural for Dion to call the Vault Keeper.
Since they couldn't ride the Divine Beasts, she, who could store the purified water and their supplies in her subspace, was essential.
However…
“And you, Bluffer, come with me.”
“Huh?! Me?”
“Yes, let's go.”
“Uhm, I don't think I'll be very helpful. You should take someone else…”
“Let's go.”
“…Yes.”
Why did he have to go?
The boy from the Myoto tribe, whose rabbit ears had perked up, wore an expression that went beyond confusion to outright injustice.
But in Odobaekryeong, strength was everything.
While the others stayed behind to guard the domain, Naru had no choice but to miserably follow Dion up the cliff.
All the while drinking and sprinkling purified water almost every minute to ward off the curse.
“Still, it's a relief there's something like a path.”
“Calling this a path feels like an insult to paths…”
“Don't you think the path would be sad to hear you say that? Thanks to it, we don't have to scale the cliff with our bare hands.”
“How fortunate for us.”
It was so narrow they had to press against the wall and sidle along like crabs just to pass.
At times it was broken, forcing them to make precarious leaps like crossing stepping stones or to hang and climb.
Ascending the winding ledge path along the cliff face in a fog so thick you couldn't see an inch ahead was an arduous task.
Still, Naru of the Myoto tribe managed to keep up reasonably well…
The problem was the Vault Keeper.
“M-My lord. My legs… they won't hold me…”
Where had the imposing figure who had summoned the Black Fiend Corps to butcher Lar Arga gone?
Dion chuckled, looking at the girl who had been panting to keep up and was now practically crawling on the ground.
“Honestly, Shuttle, you're always so endearingly pathetic.”
“Don't tease me! I'm just tired from using too much power earlier!”
“Alright, I get it. Hurry up and get on my back.”
“…You mean for me to get on your back, my lord?”
“I can't just leave you behind, can I?”
Looking back at the girl hesitating behind him, Dion said with a gentle smile.
“You're mine, Shuttle.”
“H-Hmph. You don't have to state the obvious.”
In the end, the Vault Keeper cautiously climbed onto Dion's back.
She flinched and her cheeks reddened at the touch of his hands supporting her thighs, but she tried to act nonchalant as she wrapped her arms around the boy's neck.
With the Vault Keeper on his back, Dion leisurely continued up the cliff.
Or rather, he was about to.
Had the Vault Keeper not suddenly shuddered and tightened her grip on his neck.
“…My lord, I think something is hiding in the shadows, following us.”
“Is that so?”
Even when he sharpened his five senses with chakra, he couldn't feel any presence.
But Dion believed her.
That the Vault Keeper's words were true.
Not only because his first vassal would never lie to him, but also because he had a hunch.
Something that could appear out of nowhere in the middle of a cliff like this.
And could approach undetected by his own senses, which were sharp enough to perceive the weaknesses of a Transcendent Awakened One.
Or rather, *what* it was.
‘I knew it. So this is how you'll play it.’
[Shadow Leopard]☆☆☆☆.
A 4-star monster so skilled in stealth that it had even managed to ambush Urk.
He thought of the best card the Malevolent Spirit could play right now, one that would have already been tainted by the curse.
Dion whispered softly.
And though the Vault Keeper looked puzzled, she did as she was told, taking something out of her subspace and abruptly handing it to Naru, who was following behind.
“Bluffer, here's some purified water.”
“Ah, thank… you?”
Naru, who had reflexively taken the purified water, blinked at its heavy weight.
“…Uh, my lord. Isn't this a bit much purified water?”
“No, that's the right amount.”
“This is enough to take a bath in…?”
“That's why I said it's the right amount. You'll need that much to escape back to Waryongjang by yourself.”
“What?”
What did that mean?
Dion didn't bother explaining to the bewildered Naru, who was hugging the large sack of purified water.
Instead, with a gentle smile, he kicked the Myoto boy—*thwack!*
…Down off the steep ledge path they had worked so hard to climb.
*CRASH!!!*
“WHAAAAAAAT?!”
“Good luck with your role as bait!”
It must have been a powerful kick.
Naru, his eyes wide like a startled rabbit's, went flying into the fog with a long, echoing cry.
Seeing this, the Vault Keeper's jaw dropped.
“W-What have you done?!”
“It would be a pain to get held up now, so I just bought some time to meet Pandora.”
“…Are you saying you threw a person off as bait just to buy some time?”
“Yep.”
“…”
“He's not mine, after all.”
Naru was an envoy from the Guild.
Merely a collaborator they worked with because their interests aligned.
He might feel some obligation to look out for him, but he had no duty to protect him. If he died, he died.
Looking at the boy who said this with a beaming smile, the Vault Keeper unknowingly gulped.
“P-Please don't forget that I am your first vassal.”
“I know.”
“I'm just saying.”
“Hmm… Is that so? Then let's hurry. I don't know how much time that bluffer will buy us.”
For some reason.
With the Vault Keeper, who was now clinging to his neck even tighter than before, on his back, Dion ascended the cliff at high speed.
He even accelerated his chakra.
Becoming a veritable gale.
He went beyond simply running on the ledge.
Kicking off protruding rocks.
At the end of a climb that was more like a vertical dash up the cliff face.
Dion finally reached the summit of the distant gorge and set the Vault Keeper down from his back.
And seeing the ominous witch sitting there all alone, he opened his mouth with a gentle smile.
“Hello, Pandora. Nice weather for a date, isn't it?”
“…”