Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 018
Chapter Title: Hellhound
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Sein opened his eyes to darkness.
This was the place he had arrived at through the sub-space portal Arin had created.
"What...?"
It was a space filled only with thick, impenetrable darkness and a damp aura.
Concentrating mana in his eyes, the heavy darkness began to reveal itself clearly.
"Ruins?"
It resembled ruins.
Traces of an ancient civilization were etched everywhere.
Upon closer inspection, they were quite familiar—the style of the Empire.
"Segmore, alright."
This space was undoubtedly one Arin had prepared for a long time.
The sub-space portal she used was not only difficult to employ but also required countless materials and preparations.
This place was probably...
'The Segmore secret annex.'
A secret the Segmore family had guarded for ages.
Sein continued surveying the space without tensing up.
'The mana density is high.'
In the current world, mana density was extremely low.
But here, it felt like the mana density of past Sanctuaries—no, even higher.
"A magic circle? Or..."
What was boosting the mana density?
-I need to check if you have the skills to fulfill my wish.
-The reward will be ample.
And what else had Arin prepared?
Without a doubt...
He smirked.
It wouldn't be easy.
He could tell from the mana density and the damp air alone.
'High-tier dungeon.'
This space held dangers comparable to at least a high-tier dungeon.
High-tier dungeons required a minimum level of 20 to challenge.
For Sein, who hadn't even reached level 10 yet, it was a realm he shouldn't even dream of.
Yet he was confident.
"She won't push me to die after saying she'll test my skills."
Since Arin wanted something from him, she wouldn't let him die.
No, at least...
'She won't let me die until the test is over.'
Knowing her goal removed all fear.
"Destroyer, huh..."
If she was chasing that cursed name, her desires would be great too.
Sein, who had been advancing, came to a stop.
"Long time no see."
The damp air, the scent of dungeon mana.
Dungeons were spaces he had entered and exited hundreds, thousands of times.
They might differ, but the basics were similar.
He pressed down on his legs.
Sein began stretching.
His heart had stopped, making mana use inefficient, but what he regained wasn't just mana.
The memories and experiences from his past life via the life's lantern.
And because it was a game...
He smirked.
The element called stats.
The more privileges he inherited, the more his past self's stats carried over.
That was why the stat gains from leveling in Sanctuary were modest.
"The start of a dungeon."
Sein drew a dagger and scraped the dungeon wall.
A fist-sized stone chunk peeled off.
The moment he tossed it...
Clang!
Spears shot out, filling the space.
"As expected, traps."
One of his most confident fields.
*
*
*
Sein—no, the original Kim Sein—was a recluse shut away at home, cut off from society.
The only thing he did...
-Sanctuary.
Sanctuary was practically his life itself.
Within the vast life called Sein, countless lives from Sanctuary were laid out.
The sole reason he could sustain his life was Sanctuary.
Pew pew pew!
Arrows shot forth.
Each one carried powerful mana, and...
Pew!
Some even bore deadly poison.
The chain-activated traps seemed to frenzy to drain intruders' souls and lives.
Thud thud thud!
Sein...
Leap!
Was dismantling every single one.
He accelerated to dash past, leaped high and spun his body, but...
Step.
Before he knew it, Sein was strolling leisurely through the traps.
Swoosh!
A flying arrow grazed his cheek.
Falling droplets of blood.
"You avoid the poison ones, but this level you take."
For unavoidable traps, he advanced with minimal damage.
-Sanctuary Trap Guide.
A single video uploaded to YouTube racked up tens of millions of views and spread rapidly.
-Crazy, does this actually work?
-Wow! He's nuts.
That was the starting point.
-Birdman! Birdman!
Nickname: Birdman.
The video that made Sein's name echo across the world.
Sein loved Sanctuary so much that he devoured every single element in it.
To him, traps were as basic as addition and subtraction, graduated long ago.
"It's solid."
From the traps, he could confirm.
"Old Empire ruins."
The trigger conditions.
The components.
Even the dismantling methods.
They were traps encountered in Empire-related stories or quests.
Sometimes...
Grind!
He moved a torch to use shadows to breach a blocked wall.
Thud, thud.
Other times, he gathered small stone fragments to form a perfect pattern, swinging open a hidden door.
He smirked.
A feeling in ages.
Unlike back then, trapped in back alleys pondering life.
"This is it."
Sein now felt insane happiness.
One reason he couldn't help but love Sanctuary.
The traps composing this place.
Of course, he couldn't perfectly dismantle all traps.
"Nearly died there."
Traps impossible with his current stats or skills.
For those, he took the damage and forced through with minimal harm.
After passing traps swarming with thousands of arrows, spears, swords, and axes.
Drip, drip. Drip.
Sein was covered in blood, forced to gasp for breath.
And he had prepared for such times.
Pop!
The glass vial's cap came off cleanly.
Gulp.
Without hesitation, he swallowed it, and his wounds began healing rapidly.
The hundreds, thousands of lives he had passed through.
Not just blacksmiths among them.
"Borfeo is great. Even special potion ingredients."
His special potion, once called Tears of Heaven, exerted its power.
Soon, in perfect condition, Sein dismantled all remaining traps.
"Tch. If only I could use mana properly."
If the Dragon Heart were intact, no waste of precious special potions or needless injuries.
Even the highest Empire traps were basic arithmetic to Sein.
"......"
But he didn't think this was the end.
The atmosphere shifted again.
"She prepared a lot."
Not just Empire traps here.
*
*
*
Sticky, clinging mana.
To be precise, it wasn't mana.
'Magi.'
Corrupted, bearing different properties from mana.
Destructive, ferocious mana was called magi.
Sanctuary had several users of magi, but one race truly owned it.
"Empire ruins with magi."
Now he got it.
"She really did her homework."
Arin, searching for the Destroyer.
Destroyer, Sein Archibald.
This place to verify him.
Step. Step.
Dampness like a monster's womb.
The wriggling walls made it feel like some beast's innards.
And Sein knew its identity.
'Demonization.'
The power manifesting the world of magi's owners.
Then...
Grooooar—!
What appeared was simple.
Magi's owners, they didn't use traps like pathetic Empires.
They relied solely on...
"Whoa, crazy. Where'd she get this?"
Their own bodies and power.
The name for them.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Demons.
By lore, Sanctuary had a Demon Realm, but it didn't exist.
Occasional demons were degraded bloodlines left by true demons.
Only one...
True demon.
"Grrr..."
"Hellhound."
Called the last demon.
"Long time no see."
Sein Demon.
Sein laughed hollowly at the massive hellhound before him.
Once his summoned familiar he commanded.
"But just in case..."
"Grk."
"Do you... remember me...?"
Now, just a ferocious monster spewing magi.
"Graaaar!"
Nothing more.
The charging hellhound.
Sein launched his body to dodge the attack.
Fwoosh!
Blue foxfire bloomed along the hellhound's path, spewing heat.
"Ha. Figures not."
This body had no magi.
Even his mana was half-sealed, so expecting recognition was too much.
But that didn't mean forgiveness.
"Hellpup. Listen well."
Sein took stance; in his hand, a mithril sword he had prepared.
"I don't like dog meat soup, but..."
The hellhound turned, baring fangs.
"I heard dogs that don't recognize their master need a beating."
"Graaaar!"
The charging hellhound—Sein didn't dodge this time, thrusting his sword.
Stab!
The hellhound bit the sword in its mouth, writhing in pain.
"Didn't I tell you people need permission to bite?"
The surging energy.
Drawing mana strained his stopped heart, but no time to be picky.
Aura surged.
Crunch!
The hellhound's jaws pierced through; Sein pulled back sword in hand.
'Lucky.'
Only demons could summon hellhounds.
No idea how it got here, but it wasn't normal.
Weakened from no magi infusions over time.
Normally a raid boss past level 20, but...
"What're you waiting for, hellpup."
Not now.
"When you see your master, show your belly."
"Kyahhh!"