Chapter 059: Doom Fist
I was sinking to the bottom of the deep sea.
Has soone shackled and pushed into the ocean?
My body felt heavy.
The light filtering down faintly illuminated the dark green water.
I kept sinking.
Just how far would I descend?
The faint light that had been seeping through vanished completely at so point.
Now, only darkness surrounded .
Why wasn’t my consciousness returning?
Hiiiiii!
…Who would’ve thought this sound would feel so welcoming?
With the sharp, piercing wail digging into my ears, my vision flipped once.
The scene that unfolded before was a familiar one.
The place I arrived at before entering the Altar of the Abyss.
Kiyaaaa—!
On both sides of stood walls packed with screaming spirits.
I walked between them.
Strange.
This corridor wasn’t this long before.
‘…….’
I stopped walking.
No one had called out to , nor had anything appeared in front of .
Seizing the opportunity, the spirits on either side reached for with their arms and grotesque teeth.
I ignored them.
I shifted my gaze.
Following my instincts.
[…….]
A singular presence, perhaps.
Amid the spirits’ thrashing, which sent off-white ripples of energy in all directions, it crouched quietly.
Its human-like form made it stand out all the more.
Though it had no facial features, I felt its gaze directed at .
I stared back at it.
Our exchange of glances didn’t last long.
When the wails grew particularly loud, it vanished.
…What was that thing?
This was my mind’s world, so it was an uninvited guest.
I scanned left and right as if to catch a thief, but no matter how I looked, I couldn’t find it, so I chalked it up to seeing things.
The wailing stopped abruptly, and silence settled in.
At last, I entered the Altar of the Abyss.
Huuuuung!
I looked up at the altar’s ceiling.
It resembled a sky filled with ink-black clouds.
The vengeful souls I had collected were tangled together, floating in the air.
Shuuuuu!
The souls left long trails as they fell into their respective braziers.
They struck so fiercely that the braziers resounded with deafening crashes one after another.
Clack.
When the commotion subsided slightly, I set foot on the altar’s stone floor.
Even then, sparks of various colors were still flying in all directions.
As expected. Another one had appeared.
I peered into the newly ford brazier.
A fla resembling a red flower bud was quietly burning.
Perhaps because it was small, it remained utterly unfazed by the gusts of wind raging around it.
As I gazed at its noble form, a certain person ca to mind.
Who knows? Perhaps his will had been passed on to .
Fearing I might get sentintal if I looked any longer, I turned my head away.
It struck that the surroundings seed brighter than before.
Indeed, the now-larger flas were vividly illuminating the altar’s darkness.
The purple fla of Benkou Swordsmanship and the gray fla of Imperial Swordsmanship.
The once-small cyan fla of Frost Sword and the ochre fla of Quake Earth had grown in size as well.
That wasn’t all.
The golden specks on the walls surrounding the altar were far denser than before.
And then.
I looked up.
The altar’s ceiling, visible only after the souls had cleared, was also studded with golden specks.
A feeling of ecstasy, perhaps.
These were the traces I had accumulated in this life.
The swordsmanship I had mastered, the will imbued within it, the blood and sweat I had shed, and my resolve and determination.
All of them were shining.
I stood at the center of it all.
Could I still call this place rely dark?
As I watched the space carried over from my past life being filled with the traces of this life, I made a vow once more.
In this life,
I would not waver.
·
·
·
“Boss, this guy’s smirking?”
My mind snapped back as if waking from a dream.
I was still lying down, eyes closed.
The chattering voice ca from right in front of .
“Hmm, let him be. Must be having a good dream or sothing.”
The reply ca from across the room.
A deep, resonant voice.
Was he stoking the fire?
The crackling sound of burning wood gently wrapped around my ears, so much so that even the howling wind outside seed to quiet down.
“Huh, now he’s all serious again? You think this guy’s hearing us?”
I felt a hand approaching my face, so I swung and slapped it hard.
Smack—!
“Ugh…”
Thud.
Amid the flurry of sounds, my groan was buried.
The mont I struck, a searing pain, as if all my ribs were shattering, surged through .
My body crumpled involuntarily.
I barely held back a scream.
“Good heavens. Just how hard did he hit…?”
As I clutched my side, curled up, I heard a tongue click.
“He’s even foaming at the mouth.”
With my forehead pressed to the ground, I glanced up with just my eyes.
A massive figure filled my vision first.
Even from behind, it was overwhelming.
A fra that wouldn’t lose to a bear was hunched over, carefully inspecting the eyes of the sprawled-out guy.
I quickly scanned my surroundings.
It was a cave.
I shut my eyes tightly and opened them again.
I hadn’t misheard earlier.
Beyond the entrance, everything was shrouded in haze.
A relentless flurry of snow whipped through.
A chill hit belatedly.
The small campfire wasn’t enough to fend it off.
As I noticed the thick blanket covering , I heard:
“Hey, kid.”
The mont I saw the giant calling …
I nearly fainted.
This lunatic was wearing nothing but a cloak, bare-chested, despite the freezing cold.
His breath ca out in puffs.
“Hmm, not your average guy, huh?”
He twirled his curled mustache.
The care put into it was so evident it gave chills.
That wasn’t all.
He wore a fluffy fur hat that covered his ears, but it was clearly too small, forcibly cramd onto his head.
The highlight was his eyes.
Beneath deeply set double eyelids, his gleaming pupils scanned with a piercing gaze.
…But why did he seem familiar? I was certain I’d seen that face sowhere.
“You pushed yourself too hard with a body that’s not even healed.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“Ho, quite the spirit! You’d probably faint if you knew who I was. Ahem! Anyway, I’ve got a question for you.”
He plopped down right in front of .
The guy I’d knocked out was now completely ignored.
“Why were you there?”
“What…?”
“Playing dumb? The place you were found collapsed in was a likely stronghold of the Blood Mage.”
A sudden spike of pain made clench my teeth.
Damn it, every breath hurt.
With my head lowered, I let out a silent scream through my open mouth before asking:
“Where is this?”
The giant snorted, clearly displeased that my answer was another question.
He rubbed his chin for a while, then slapped his knees as if making up his mind.
“Let’s talk this through step by step, kid. We’ve got plenty of ti.”
I dragged myself backward until my back hit the wall, securing so distance from him.
I strained to act like I wasn’t in pain.
“Fine. You first.”
* * *
Despite his appearance, the giant’s preamble was long-winded.
Cutting to the chase, it went like this:
They had raided a place known as a stronghold of the Blood Mage—or in their terms, the Blood Devil—to take him down, and found collapsed there.
“No need to thank for saving you. Rescuing lives is my sworn duty, after all.”
He coughed unnecessarily.
His muscles, chiseled like carved stone, twitched grotesquely.
“Why were you chasing the… Blood Devil?”
“Sorry, can’t tell you that. It’s a top-secret mission.”
“Top-secret? Are you a knight? You don’t look like one.”
“Hahaha! No rule says only knights handle top-secret missions.”
His booming laugh echoed through the cave.
Well, knight or not, his identity wasn’t my imdiate concern.
“I just happened to pass out there for a bit. As for the Blood Devil… I don’t know.”
“Passed out for a bit? When I found you, you were on the brink of death. Even my holy magic didn’t work. Still, you were breathing, so I couldn’t just leave you. I carried you on my back for over seven days and nights.”
My jaw dropped.
He carried for a whole week?
Then how long was I lying there?
“Let’s be honest with each other, kid. Want to take a guess?”
He crossed his arms and arched his brow slyly.
“You’re a beast hunter, aren’t you?”
“What? What’s that supposed to an?”
“Hear out. By sheer chance, you got wind of the Blood Devil’s whereabouts. Blinded by the bounty, you recklessly ventured deep into the demonic realm. I get it. Plenty of foolish young guys like you these days.”
“……”
“But, miraculously, luck struck first. The Blood Devil was absent. You only had to deal with his minions, barely clinging to life. Then you t —your second stroke of luck. How’s that? Am I wrong?”
“You’re writing a novel.”
“Heh. Playing tough? Fine, one last offer. Tell honestly where you got that info, and you can walk away to start a new life. I’ll guarantee it.”
He quickly added:
“The Blood Devil vanishes the mont he senses he’s being tracked. He’s beyond elusive. Do you know how much blood and tears have been shed trying to catch him?”
He leaned toward , lowering his voice.
His already intimidating face and bulk felt even more oppressive.
“One reckless move from you, and all that effort went down the drain. Until we track him again, countless innocents will suffer. Thinking about it makes my blood boil—I could grind you to dust and it wouldn’t be enough.”
He took a deep breath and exhaled sharply.
I saw his long eyelashes quiver.
Even his eyelashes were long. Ridiculous.
“…But I can’t bla a clueless fool. The real culprits—those vile bastards who dragged you into this ss and threatened the land’s peace—should pay. Now, tell who they are.”
Finishing his impassioned speech, he closed his eyes and took slow, deep breaths.
I let out a stifled laugh through my nose.
His lodramatic nonsense was so intense I couldn’t laugh outright.
“You keep calling ‘kid,’ but you don’t look that old yourself.”
“Need a good smack to get the situation?”
“Just tell where we are. Is this the Conwell frontier? The weather seems off for Conwell.”
“Why bring up Conwell all of a sudden? Wait, don’t tell …”
“I ca from there.”
I said, looking outside.
A fierce blizzard raged on.
In the sudden silence, only the howling wind lingered for a while.
“Hah, well, damn…”
A disbelieving chuckle broke the quiet.
I glanced at him.
He was staring at the ceiling, muttering.
“Is this truly your will, Lord? Hmm.”
My brow furrowed.
A believer? That makes him even weirder.
He t my gaze again and spoke.
“This is the northernmost edge of the Morundayle Mountains, called the Frozen End. Even for soone like you, surviving alone in your condition is impossible.”
I quickly pulled up the ntal map of the Kingdom I’d morized.
I’d familiarized myself with the Kingdom’s major terrain—mountains, plains, rivers, demonic realms—so it didn’t take long to recall.
The Morundayle Mountains.
A massive range stretching along the northern border of the Kingdom’s continent.
To the north, it borders Wintermire, the Kingdom’s second-largest demonic realm; to the south, it ets the Kingdom’s northernmost territories.
If he’s right, I was lying collapsed in Wintermire, far from Conwell.
Things just got a lot more complicated.
…Scratch that.
Even I thought that sounded ungrateful.
Being alive at all was sothing to thank the heavens for.
With that in mind, I softened my expression a bit.
Despite his rough first impression and imdiate suspicion, he was, after all, my savior.
“My thanks are late. I owe you my life.”
“Hahaha! Finally showing so manners. Reality must’ve hit you hard, huh?”
“…Not quite.”
“As I said, no need for thanks. Besides, this isn’t the ti for warm words.”
“What do you an?”
“I was headed to Conwell myself.”
He stood up and started gathering the scattered gear around us.
“I’ll take you there. You’ll see soon enough whether this is your third stroke of luck—or a divine revelation for .”
I didn’t even know where to begin explaining.
As I watched him bustle about, my gaze drifted to one side.
It was the guy I’d slapped into unconsciousness.
His face was now entirely covered in foam.
Maybe I hit him too hard.
The giant seed to notice my glance.
“Oh, don’t mind him. He’s a scum who assaulted won and was hiding in Wintermire. I picked him up by chance on the way here after saving you. Was debating whether to beat him to death or drop him off a cliff.”
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