21
Chapter 21
I was walking, following Luna's guidance.
"Aren't you going to ask?"
Luna spoke up first, as if the silence made her uncomfortable.
"Ask what?"
"How I'm guiding the way."
"There's no need. There are plenty of mysterious spirits, right? If I were going to ask, I'd have asked how you used your ability to let me follow you."
"But then it might not be the right path."
"So what if it's not? I don't know the way either, so I have no clue where we're going."
I had no reason to trust her, but there was nothing to lose by doing so.
"So, how are you feeling? You said you used too much of your power."
Spirits are composed of mana. Using it all doesn't cause them to vanish, but it heavily affects their condition. I'm giving her a little mana now, but without a contract, the efficiency is quite low. Maybe that's why she came to me every time I slept—to gather enough mana to manifest herself.
"I'm feeling a bit better."
"Tell me if you're still not feeling well."
I had thought about making a contract, but I didn't mention it. Unless one possesses a special Stigma, a person can only contract with a single spirit in their lifetime.
There are those who contracted with just one spirit yet earned the title of Spirit King, and the top student of the Spirit Department this year has only contracted with Laevateinn. The exception would be our professor, whom I've seen before. I don't know the exact count, but rumors say he has contracted spirits in the hundreds—the man is a monster.
"I don't know if I'm actually okay...?"
As if sensing the words I held back, Luna's eyes sparkled.
"Stop faking it. Besides, a contract isn't something to enter into lightly. It means you're permanently bound to each other."
"Mmh..."
Her disappointed expression was quite cute.
"It's that way this time."
"Right, thanks."
With that, I opened the door and moved forward.
As I passed through, the colors of the scenery changed. It felt brighter, perhaps? I decided to take it as a sign that I was getting closer to the center from the outer edge.
"This time, it's—"
"Why did you—"
Luna stopped talking, and she cut me off just as I began to question her.
Realizing the meaning of her action, I hurriedly hid behind the stairs.
Creeeeak—
The door opened slowly. A thick scent of blood wafted in from the opening.
"Hyungnim! I've caught one here."
"What is the meaning of this! We must join forces to take down that monster of a woman!"
A familiar way of speaking. He had fled during the fight with the Majins, but since he wasn't particularly dangerous, I'd lost track of him while focusing on the leader. He must have joined the others.
"Which is why we're eating you. We took heavy losses dealing with her. You were just a fragment anyway, right? You were lucky to live this long, so just accept it."
"I was lucky the ruins shifted. Otherwise... ugh, I don't even want to imagine it."
Looking closely, both the ones calling him Hyungnim and the one being called Hyungnim were missing at least one limb.
"Is that so...?"
The suppressed man trembled violently.
"Seems like it. In that case, no more..."
Light slowly began to leak from his body. Seeing that, I immediately understood the situation.
I covered Luna's eyes and closed my own.
"Aagh! My eyes!"
The screams of other Majins followed.
So it was him. I didn't recognize him because his tone was different.
Luminous Majin, Hsalp Geunab, was that man.
"In the original, his way of speaking was more like Quixote's than this formal tone."
I need to recover the artifact before he reaches the center.
Right now it's just light, but it will become incredibly dangerous if he gets his hands on it. He can condense intense light into high-temperature weapons and armor; they aren't the most durable and can be broken with enough force, but they repair themselves infinitely.
"Luna, I don't think we can go that way right now. Is there another path?"
"Wait a moment."
Luna closed her eyes and frowned.
At that moment.
The space rotated once again.
Perhaps because we were closer to the center, the shift was less jarring than the first time.
"There... over there..."
She pointed toward a door amidst the rotating landscape.
"Hyungnim! A human over there!"
One of the Majins flailing in the air spotted me.
I dashed toward the door as soon as I landed. And the moment I crossed the threshold—
Space rotated again.
Twice in a row?
I could feel Luna's condition worsening rapidly in my arms.
"You..."
You're practically blackmailing me into making a contract.
The price of a contract is heavy, but the process is simple.
All that is required is a mutual desire to be bound.
"Do you really want this? We've only known each other for about a month."
Luna groaned and nodded her head.
Why does this child long for it so much?
What made her so miserable that she would entrust everything to someone who had only cared for her for a single month?
"Alright."
I closed my eyes and synchronized with Luna. I didn't consciously know how; I simply followed my instincts.
I felt my senses begin to expand.
The structure of the Ruins felt as if it were a part of my own body.
With this, my suspicion became a certainty.
Luna had used her ability to temporarily link herself with the Ruins.
It seemed she had also used a vast amount of mana to artificially trigger the rotation of the Ruins just now.
In my current state, even if I squeezed every last drop out of myself, once would be the absolute limit.
Luna faded and disappeared, but there was no need to panic.
Because we were now linked by a contract, I knew she had simply fallen asleep for a while.
Someone behind me was trying to open the door.
Without hesitation, I nocked an arrow and drew the bowstring. It felt lighter and easier to pull than usual. The moment the door opened, I released the string.
"Ugh."
Hsalp, an arrow embedded in his shoulder, let out a faint groan.
"This arrow... you're a comrade of that monster."
This bastard's way of speaking had suddenly reverted to the one from the original story.
"Monster? You're more considerate than I thought, buying me a bow."
I calmly analyzed the situation.
I was at a level where I could potentially deal with a Knight-class; the opponent was a Knight-class.
Since my weapon was a bow, I had to keep the fight at a distance, but he could emit light to disrupt my accuracy.
I didn't have much mana left, but the opponent was still missing an arm and covered in minor wounds.
My stamina was preserved, whereas his must have been significantly depleted.
And right now, I could feel the very structure of the Ruins.
Wait.
But how did that guy track me?
One rotation is possible if you're lucky. But two in a row? That's impossible unless you know the way.
"How did he follow me? The ruins just rotated."
And not just his tone—his whole demeanor had changed. He seemed far more arrogant, much closer to the version in the original story.
"Ha! Lowly creatures like you wouldn't understand. The Sage of the Star Sea has looked upon me. He showed me the path—the path I must walk! The layout of these wretched ruins is now perfectly etched in my mind, as if I have a map."
The Sage of the Star Sea. The Librarian who possesses all the knowledge of this world. The leader of the Majins has intervened.
"He told me to correct the twisted flow. He desires my victory. I shall become the Sage's sword and pave the way as he wishes."
His body began to glow brighter and brighter.
My vision was blinded.
I closed my eyes and leaped backward, hiding behind the stairs.
"Since you seem unaware of his greatness, I shall show you."
His voice echoed from a distance.
I felt a door opening somewhere.
He knew exactly where every path led. He was overflowing with confidence, acting like he owned the place, but he was overlooking one thing.
I also knew the way, thanks to Luna.
I could even sense movements inside.
Above.
I fired an arrow into Hsalp as he dropped down from above, leaping aside instantly.
"You lowly creature, how did you...?"
The Majin was baffled. I'd managed to land two arrows, but since they lacked much mana, they didn't seem to cause significant damage. He simply plucked the arrows out with his remaining arm.
"You idiot, do you really think I'd just tell you?"
"You lowly creature!"
"Lowly this, lowly that... you're damn annoying."
The light flared again. I opened a door and stepped through.
Where is he? Which door will open this time?
The door that opened...
...was not the way here.
He had given up on fighting me and was sprinting toward the center of the Ruins.
"If you're going to be an idiot, at least be consistent."
Why the hell did he suddenly get a brain boost?
I focused my mind to find the path.
He had the head start and the speed, but that didn't mean I had no chance.
Having a map doesn't guarantee the shortest route. Even with one, it takes time to calculate the most efficient path through a place you've never been.
He knew where to go, but he hadn't fully mastered the layout.
But I could feel it. As if I had assimilated with the Ruins, I could sense the shortest route.
That door over there is the shortcut.
I dashed forward without hesitation.
If he got the artifact and then pursued me, I'd be finished.
"Huff... huff..."
Gasping for air, I threw open the final door.
"Hah... you're too late."
Hsalp, standing before the ring atop the pedestal, looked at me and spoke. He was also panting heavily, clearly exhausted.
"An artifact that allows one to condense light into weapons... it wouldn't be strange to say this was created specifically for me."
He picked up the ring.
However, putting on a ring with only one hand is no easy task. To prevent himself from dropping it, he attempted to hold the ring in his mouth.
At that moment, I gathered every last shred of mana remaining in my body.
What should I rotate?
The center.
My mana wasn't enough to rotate the entire ruins. However, I could rotate a small part—a tiny, single space.
The moment he tried to put the ring in his mouth, space rotated. The ring flew into the air. The room spun incessantly, and the ring fluttered like a bird.
He emitted light to blind me, but I kept my eyes wide open. With bloodshot eyes, I tracked the movement, determined not to lose sight of it. Thanks to my ability, I felt no pain. Though the light blurred my vision, it wasn't enough to stop me.
Once the rotation stopped, I lunged forward. Toward the ring.
"What the hell is wrong with these ruins!"
Hsalp also squeezed out his remaining strength and charged.
By the time we both reached the ring, it had devolved into a brutal brawl.
He slammed a fist into my stomach. I grabbed his head and drove my knee hard into his face.
"You crazy bastard. How are you staring right into this light?"
He looked at me with utter disgust.
I took another punch but tackled him with my shoulder, knocking him down and pinning him in a mount position.
"Now,"
I slammed my fist into his face.
"just"
I continued to rain down punches.
"stop it!"
Mana—not just light—suddenly erupted from his body, allowing him to break free from my grip.
"You're a persistent one, making me use my very last bit of mana."
He lunged for the ring again.
I pushed off with legs that I could no longer feel and ran.
He reached out to grab the ring.
He was slightly closer.
By the time my hand reached out, there would be nothing left.
So, I pulled out a dagger from my clothes.
And I slammed it down with all my might onto the arm that held the ring.
"Aaaargh! You lowly piece of filth!"
He screamed and dropped the ring once more.
I quickly grabbed it and slipped it onto my right middle finger.
"How dare you touch the Holy Relic guided by the Sage!"
I held up my middle finger toward him.
"I don't give a damn about that, but this light is going to burn you to a crisp!"
The light that had been charging while we fought erupted from the ring, blasting toward him.
"My eyes! My eyes!"
"You've spent the whole time blinding me, so this is a first for you, right?"
I aimed my bow at him as he groaned in pain, clutching his eyes.
Even now, he continued to emit light without pause.
I drew the bowstring, but there was nothing notched.
The light he emitted began to converge.
Light slowly flowed from the ring and gathered in one spot.
Suddenly, an arrow made of pure, brilliant white light appeared on the empty bowstring.
"Let's end this now."
I released the string.
A single beam of light pierced straight through Hsalp's heart.