Episode 642
Zeke couldn’t help but be taken aback by what Rex Turn had just said.
“Arthur Draker was dead?”
The words were hard to believe, and Zeke wondered if Rex Turn was speaking metaphorically. But it was no metaphor.
“Arthur died right in front of me. His heart was pierced.”
Seeing the sincerity in Rex Turn’s expression, Zeke realized it was no lie.
“If Arthur Draker died then… how is he alive now?”
Rex Turn tried to answer but was overcome by a violent cough.
“Ugh!”
Dark red blood trickled from his mouth. Despite Zeke’s efforts to infuse him with life force, the flame of life quickly flickered out in the shattered vessel of his soul.
With great effort, Rex Turn spoke again.
“Huff, huff. Ramon and I fled the dungeon, leaving Arthur’s body behind. We were just kids, terrified out of our minds. But as we emerged… to our shock, Arthur, who had been dead, walked out as if nothing had happened.”
Zeke’s confusion deepened at Rex Turn’s words.
“The dead can’t just come back to life. I didn’t resurrect on the spot either. So how did Arthur Draker…?”
A thought suddenly crossed Zeke’s mind.
“Dark Matter.”
He wondered if this mysterious substance, known for distorting causality, could be linked to Arthur Draker’s resurrection. But this alone couldn’t unravel the secrets surrounding Arthur Draker.
As he watched the nearly lifeless Rex Turn, Zeke hesitated before speaking.
“Master, I have a request.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Rex Turn nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Zeke was surprised by Rex Turn’s immediate agreement.
“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask.”
“I’m a dying man. What does it matter what you ask?”
Rex Turn looked at Zeke and said, “Stop Arthur… whatever he’s become. I don’t know why he changed, or maybe he was always like this…”
Rex Turn’s voice grew fainter as his life force dwindled.
Seeing this, Zeke quickly pulled out the Chronos Clock.
Whirrr!
Using Overclock, Zeke infused the clock with divine power, opening his unique domain, the “Room of Time.”
Zzzzt―
Time stopped for the dying Rex Turn, freezing everything with a faint life still lingering.
Zeke steadied his breath as he looked at Rex Turn, then reached out his hand.
Crackle!
Zeke intended to use the Akashic Code to delve into Rex Turn’s memories. He needed to uncover how Arthur Draker had resurrected, what the dungeon was like, and the true reason for approaching Laura Agamemnon.
Whirrr!
Zeke’s fingers touched Rex Turn’s forehead.
In an instant, a flash of light burst before his eyes.
“Rex, Rex!”
Zeke’s eyes snapped open at the sound of a voice echoing in his ears.
In front of him stood a young man with large eyes, looking at him with concern.
Zeke felt a strange familiarity with the young man’s face.
“Edward Siemens?”
The notorious second son of the Siemens family. After receiving the baptism of the abyss, his soul had fallen, and he was eventually captured by Zeke and imprisoned in Terra’s underground prison.
The young man, who resembled Edward but seemed gentler, was looking at Zeke with worry.
A low voice resonated from behind.
“Rex, your training is still lacking.”
The voice was devoid of any emotion.
Zeke turned his head to see none other than himself.
“What?”
Startled, Zeke examined the figure closely and noticed subtle differences.
The man had slicked-back gray hair and sharper eyes, creating a different aura from Zeke.
And then Zeke realized who he was.
“Arthur Draker.”
It was Arthur Draker in his younger days.
The large-eyed young man behind them shouted.
“Arthur! Rex jumped in to protect you from that thing!”
Arthur responded with a dismissive expression.
“Ramon, to protect others, you must be stronger than them. Your words are flawed.”
Zeke realized that the young man resembling Edward was Ramon Siemens in his youth.
“Was Ramon Siemens always like this?”
The Ramon Siemens who had tried to embrace the demon king’s power felt much harsher.
Ramon, exasperated by Arthur’s words, retorted.
“Arthur! It’s because you act like this that we’re your only friends!”
Arthur flinched at Ramon’s words.
He remained silent for a moment before turning his head slightly, his sharp expression unchanged but somehow appearing a bit somber.
Zeke’s body, acting on its own, draped a thick arm over the shoulders of Ramon and Arthur, shouting cheerfully.
“Come on, guys! I, Rex Turn, am not fazed by this! Arthur, don’t let Ramon’s words get to you! It’s true you don’t have many friends.”
Arthur replied stiffly, his expression unchanging.
”…I have other friends.”
Ramon scoffed.
“Who, Duke? Or Laura? They both cut ties with you!”
Rex nodded in agreement with Ramon.
“Duke put up with a lot. And Laura, well, that’s a given.”
Arthur had often teamed up with Duke and Laura to explore dungeons when Rex and Ramon were unavailable. But both eventually refused to party with him, exasperated by his indifference and obsession with the sword.
Arthur shook his head.
“Duke is training to become a knight of Draker, so he couldn’t join.”
Ramon, watching Arthur’s excuses, said, “And what about Laura?”
At the mention of Laura, Arthur’s eyebrows twitched, and he turned his head away.
Ramon nodded knowingly.
“Arthur, you’re lucky Laura didn’t stab you in the back. Who in their right mind uses party members as bait?”
“It was the best option at the time.”
“Laura didn’t seem to think so.”
As Arthur and Ramon glared at each other, Rex laughed heartily.
“Come on, let’s not fight. If we work together, we can find a way out of here. We have enough supplies to last until we do!”
Ramon grumbled but nodded in agreement.
Arthur, however, remained silent, his head turned away.
Rex patted Arthur’s shoulder, and Arthur muttered softly.
”…I’m just glad you’re safe.”
Rex grinned widely at Arthur’s words, and Ramon chuckled.
Zeke understood the situation now.
“I’m inside Rex Turn’s memories.”
He was witnessing the past through Rex Turn’s perspective.
The three of them sat in a corner of the cave, tending to their weapons and eating jerky.
After some rest, Ramon spoke again.
“But what was that thing earlier? It was nothing like the monsters or beasts we’ve seen before.”
Rex nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, like Ramon said, it was something we’ve never seen.”
He turned to Arthur.
“Arthur, tell us more about this dungeon. You’re the one who found it. All we know is it’s related to some unknown ancient deity.”
Arthur continued to polish his sword in silence, ignoring Rex’s question.
Ramon shook his head at Arthur’s behavior.
“That sword-obsessed fool probably didn’t even check properly. He must have thought there’d be some ancient sword here and dragged us in blindly.”
Ramon’s words left Rex unable to deny it.
Arthur, among the Draker lineage, had an unusual obsession with swords. His interest extended beyond swordsmanship to the swords themselves, willing to risk any danger to acquire one from an ancient dungeon.
After graduating from the academy and joining Valhalla, he would often drag Ramon and Rex to Argos during breaks, searching for ancient dungeons related to swords in the Giant Mountains.
Even after graduating from Valhalla, it was the same. This time, he had suddenly called Ramon and Rex, claiming to have found a new dungeon and forming a party to explore it.
Despite being busy with their respective family duties after graduating from Valhalla, the proximity to the Duchy of Troy made them join Arthur, thinking it would be a light excursion.
Contrary to expectations, they got lost as soon as they entered the dungeon and encountered a beast unlike anything they had ever seen.
In the midst of panic, they fought desperately to escape.
Yet Arthur maintained his brazen attitude, refusing to reveal anything about the dungeon’s nature.
Arthur, having finished his jerky, stood up.
“Let’s move.”
His tone left no room for disagreement.
Having known Arthur since childhood, Rex and Ramon clicked their tongues but accepted it as usual.
“Arthur, that guy will get stabbed in the back one day. Either by me or by Laura.”
Grumbling under his breath, Ramon brushed away the traces of where he’d been sitting and followed the others.
Arthur led the group, striding confidently into the depths of the cave.
The cave branched off in multiple directions, making it impossible to tell which path led out and which delved deeper.
Yet Arthur moved forward without hesitation, as if he knew exactly where he was going.
Rex called out to him, “Hey, Arthur, we’re looking for the exit, right?”
Arthur raised a hand, signaling them to stop.
Rex and Ramon crouched low, swords at the ready, silencing their movements.
From a distance, they heard something approaching.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Arthur, Rex, and Ramon held their breath, focusing on the vibrations drawing nearer.
Soon, the source of the sound came into view.
Rex clenched his teeth at the sight.
‘It’s that creature from before.’
Zeke, sharing Rex’s mind, could sense his thoughts.
He confirmed the identity of the beast in Rex’s line of sight.
It was an Outsider, a monstrous creature.
A lizard with insect-like legs stood upright, its forelimbs sharp as scythes.
Tentacles writhed across its body, searching for hidden intruders.
The Outsider advanced toward Arthur and his companions.
Hissss—
The tentacles slithered along the walls, reaching toward them.
Arthur signaled to Ramon and Rex not to move.
He planned to unleash his aura and strike the creature down in one swift blow.
But then, Ramon suddenly stood up and tore the scroll he was holding.
Crackle!
As the scroll ripped, the lightning magic inscribed within surged toward the beast.
Roar!
The creature shrieked, halted by the electric assault.
Though the attack seemed effective, Arthur frowned and shouted, “Get back now!”
In an instant, the creature absorbed the lightning, and black electricity erupted in all directions.
Crackle!
The Outsider’s counterattack was more powerful than the original spell, sending bolts toward Rex and Ramon.
Thanks to Arthur’s warning, they managed to retreat and avoid the blast.
Arthur, however, charged at the creature, sword raised high.
Rex shouted after him, “Arthur!”
At that moment, a brilliant aura blade flared from Arthur’s sword.
With a single, clean strike, he cleaved the creature in two.
Slash!
Arthur executed a textbook-perfect dragon-slaying technique.
The creature’s body split diagonally, its upper half collapsing to the ground.
Arthur turned to check on Rex and Ramon.
“Is everyone alri—”
Thud!
A chilling sound cut him off.
A tentacle had pierced through Arthur’s heart.
Rex, witnessing the horror, cried out in shock.
“Arthurrrr!”