Chapter 62

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 62

Chapter Title: The Blessed One

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The Forest of Life had once been the nest of the Branded Elves, deemed the most vicious pests in the South Kingdom.

After Julius was killed by a peace officer from the South Kingdom, the prevailing theory was that his remaining followers had scattered to the winds.

The naive believed this tale, praising the peace officer as a hero and dismissing the Forest of Life as a worthless patch of woods.

But the Blessed One, Avaloris, who now walked through that very forest, thought differently.

'They said Yuben died here in this forest. And after that, Max, Sinclair's ally, was killed too.'

It would take a close examination of the causal links to know for sure.

Still, she strongly suspected that the Branded Elves' disappearance was tied to a dungeon called Dreamland.

Julius was a meticulous criminal.

He had a record of conquering dungeons, even without being a Blessed One.

No one with a screw loose in the head could have commanded those rough criminals.

For a man like that to die at the hands of a mere peace officer?

Well, it was true that this Restia woman had slain a manticore in the Lowjinrat Mountains.

She'd racked up achievements ever since, earning the king's trust and becoming one of the South Kingdom's premier heroes. But something about it felt off.

A dungeon had appeared in the Forest of Life.

And in that dungeon, his ally and his lord had died.

If they'd perished during the conquest, wouldn't Julius have met the same fate?

According to the info Sinclair posted on the Dungeon Gallery, Dreamland was a newborn dungeon.

Newborn dungeon.

A name she hadn't heard in ages.

She'd thought they'd never see one again.

'Not even listed in the dungeon conquest quests... Hmm. Lots of things nagging at me here.'

Sinclair's party had been shattered by their catastrophic failure at Maharauraba, leaving his mental state in ruins.

Normally, he'd have dug deep and posted everything on the Dungeon Gallery.

Blessed Ones were generally uncooperative with each other, but Sinclair had always been a bit different.

That said, Avaloris figured it was better to handle this herself than pin her hopes on Sinclair holing up in an inn.

She could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠use "phantom vision."

Phantom vision was the ability to read a corpse's memories and glean past information. It wasn't magic.

It was a privilege unique to her alone.

Using this power, Avaloris had earned quite a reputation beyond dungeon conquests.

For instance, identifying culprits behind assassinations of high nobles was a breeze.

The corpses she could read included all intelligent beings and animals alike.

She figured it'd come in handy here too.

Avaloris pressed on diligently.

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She read a dead deer's memories.

From them, she spotted the entrance to the old Dreamland.

And saw the Branded Elves entering it.

This was Julius's voice.

"A newborn dungeon they couldn't conquer even with that lineup..."

The Branded Elves were elites.

Even with Julius, who'd succeeded in dungeon conquests before, they failed.

"It must've been born not long ago, yet here it is killing adults like some prodigy child. Heh, fascinating."

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Phantom vision wasn't omnipotent.

It was useless for dungeon conquests to begin with.

And it couldn't read every memory.

She couldn't cherry-pick the needed parts either, so it took time.

There was a cooldown, after all.

Thus, it took about three days to reach the part about Yuben in the dead deer's memories.

In the memory, Yuben fled.

He must've had a rough time in Dreamland.

He looked a total mess.

His face was grim.

Yet the fire in his eyes showed he was no pushover.

The deer in the memory secretly followed Yuben.

Likely a curious creature.

"Looks like you weren't fated for a long life either, huh."

Avaloris stroked the dead deer.

Yuben steeled his resolve.

His venomous expression suggested he desperately wanted that magic stone.

That was when it happened.

The deer bolted at the voice.

It was so chilling that even Avaloris, merely reliving the memory, felt a shiver.

She narrowed her eyes.

The deer's final memory captured Yuben trembling like a lost child, fleeing into a cave.

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"This must be the place..."

Avaloris headed into the cave.

A starving bear greeted her.

"Grrr..."

A rather rough welcome.

She couldn't read the memories of the living, so her course was simple.

She drew her sword.

She slashed down from above.

The starving bear spewed blood and collapsed.

In the now-quiet cave, Avaloris read its memories.

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Avaloris drew in a sharp breath.

What the hell ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠did I just see?

She rubbed her eyes.

For the first time, she doubted her own ability.

And for good reason.

She'd just witnessed something that shattered everything she knew.

'Dungeon Masters... can leave the dungeon?'

A black-haired man covered in blood.

Human-like, but utterly bizarre.

According to Yuben,

he was Dreamland's Dungeon Master.

His eyes were cold, chilling.

More like restrained, perhaps.

Terror incarnate would look just like that.

Could this really be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠possible?

Or had Yuben hallucinated out of terror?

Dungeon Masters couldn't leave their dungeons, but in exchange, they wielded absolute authority inside.

They conjured hellish realms to unleash calamity.

Sometimes brainwashed people into minions.

Others created plagues to wipe out intruders.

They birthed life and shaped nature.

Like the creator gods from myth.

If such beings could step outside, the world would be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hell.

Dungeon Masters cannot leave their dungeons.

This was common knowledge, an unbreakable law.

'Yuben must've been devoured bones and all by that bear.'

She wanted to verify further, but there was no more info to glean from the Forest of Life.

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"Hmm..."

Avaloris pondered.

Should she just ignore it and move on?

She had mountains of tasks ahead.

Did she really need to fixate on this newborn dungeon?

A Blessed One's life was busy.

The ultimate goal was, naturally, dungeon conquest.

To conquer, she had to raise allies, gather supplies, farm EXP and points—the list went on.

Dreamland wasn't on the conquest quest list.

Sinclair thought it might be a hidden quest, but doubtful.

Oblivion—the System—was pretty straightforward.

She'd never heard of hidden quests in all her years as a Blessed One.

The reason Dreamland wasn't listed was simple: as a newborn dungeon, it was deemed too weak for achievement points.

And only one person could conquer any given dungeon.

That made other Blessed Ones both allies and rivals.

In a race to clear before another did, was there reason to target this newborn dungeon?

"It's nagging at me, though..."

"Blessed One! Lady Avaloris! What's troubling you? Is it tonight's dinner menu!?"

Avaloris blinked, snapping out of her reverie.

She was alone at a quiet tavern in the South Kingdom, nursing a drink, when two people approached with friendly greetings.

They were her party members—her aides.

"Lily, Torus, back from Fire Forge already?"

"Hehe, quicker than expected, right?"

"I thought it'd be at least a fortnight... You didn't cause a scene, did you, Lily?"

"What do you take me for, Blessed One? Hmph. Okay, I wasn't really mad. Truth is, I was excited for the market overseer's funeral, but it was way more low-key than I imagined!"

"Heh, did you at least see him off properly?"

Torus nodded beside the chattering Lily.

Before becoming Avaloris's aide, Torus had ties to Chase, the market overseer of Fire Forge, as a fellow dwarf.

About two months ago,

Torus received a letter.

From Gronak.

To sum it up:

Market Overseer Chase is dead.

Would appreciate your attendance at the funeral.

Torus and Chase had been close.

Until Avaloris's journey pulled him away,

he, Gronak, and Chase had shared a tight bond.

"Um, Blessed One."

"Yes...?"

"I have something to say."

Torus sat, his face grave, signaling serious business.

He was always earnest—Dungeon Gallery lingo would call him "strict dad"—but today felt heavier.

She nodded.

And ordered his favorite beer.

"Take your time."

"It's... I heard my friend died because of a dungeon. And it's really—really—bugging me."

Because of a dungeon.

Had Dino World, which the World Tree faction coveted, somehow shifted to Fire Forge?

Weak Fire Forge had no dungeons it could tackle.

Or wait.

"Dreamland?"

"Y-yes, how did you know?"

"Go on, tell me everything."

Her hunch was spot on.

What were the odds?

Torus relayed what Gronak had told him.

Everything about the dwarves' seventh failed assault on Dreamland.

The more she heard,

the stiffer Avaloris's expression grew.

"This can't be real..."

"I can hardly believe it myself. But that's what I heard."

As a Blessed One who knew dungeons better than anyone, she thought:

Memory erasure.

Information manipulation.

Instant-death traps...

Dungeons didn't have gimmicks that vicious.

She hadn't thought it a normal newborn, but this exceeded imagination.

"Um, Lady Avaloris."

"Yes."

"I want revenge for my friend. If you're okay with it, let's head to Dreamland right now..."

Avaloris mulled it over in silence.

Then decided.

"Kids, sorry, but could you take a vacation here?"

"Pardon...?"

"It's nagging at me too much. I'll head to Fire Forge alone."

This matter was anything but trivial.

She had to see it with her own eyes.