The Ancestors’ Tomb (6)
Boom! Crash…!
As the barrier dissipated, boulders the size of houses rained down like a storm.
It was a sight that made one understand, if only a little, the plight of ants seeking refuge underground during a torrential downpour.
Dalen, having narrowly escaped the shower of falling rocks, headed straight for the bubbling lava lake.
Reaching out over the surface, a dark crimson flame flared up.
The flame, stretching out like a dragon’s tail, delved into the lava lake and retrieved a large, bluish-white orb.
“The Essence of Ztank, Duke of the Corpse Swamp.”
The demon, having descended in its true form, left behind its essence and was completely annihilated.
The demon’s hell, having lost its source of power, would soon collapse as well.
With his experience bar halfway filled even after leveling up, Dalen glanced at it with a satisfied look as he retrieved the demon’s essence.
Then his expression twisted.
“What a stench…”
The foul odor had been overwhelming since the hell gate opened, and now the essence reeked of rotting corpses.
Dalen, who prided himself on being unfazed by most stimuli after all he’d been through in this world, was taken aback by the sensation that seemed to taint his very lungs.
He quickly opened a pocket dimension and stashed the essence away.
[Ugh! What… what is this, Master?!]
It was only natural for the resident to be horrified by the sudden assault of stench.
“It’s a demon’s essence. It might be a fragment of the power you lost, like the Essence of Kalkas.”
Dalen said, shaking off the lingering smell from his hand with a flicker of dark crimson flame.
Once known as the Immortal Demon Arbor, he had lost most of his former powers, according to the ever-changing face of Everon Raktala.
Absorbing the Essence of Kalkas, one of the lost powers, had allowed him to wield that power as his own.
Without that power, the battle with the witch and capturing the sanctuary’s guardian would have been much more troublesome.
[Still, there’s no way I left behind something this foul!]
“Just try it. Medicine that’s good for you is always bitter.”
[What kind of logic is that… Are you saying poison is good for you too… Ugh!]
After shoving the essence into the demon’s mouth within the pocket dimension, Dalen dusted off his hands and turned away from the lava pool.
The center of the basin, where the sanctuary once stood, was now a scorched wasteland from the recent battle.
The grand ancient structure was gone, replaced by a chaotic pile of stones resembling a tomb.
Dalen approached one of the boulders that had rolled to the edge of the boundary. There, the body of the great chieftain lay slumped.
“Is he dead?”
”…Not yet.”
The great chieftain chuckled weakly in response.
With a gaping hole in his chest, his breathing and heartbeat had long ceased.
He was moving solely through the ancestral magic of the domain and his own control over mana.
But even that was reaching its limit, as the violet flames in his eyes slowly dimmed.
“You fought well against the high-ranking demon. Thanks to you, I could finish the battle comfortably.”
Dalen said, plopping down on a nearby rock.
In truth, he couldn’t be sure if his final strike would have succeeded without the great chieftain holding the demon in place.
Though he had acquired the dragon heart, reducing the strain on his body and managing to replicate the prowess of the spear master, it was still a far cry from the effortless mastery the spear master had over his power.
In contrast, the great chieftain’s domain power, though individually less impressive than dragon blood, was unmatched in its harmony and skill.
It wasn’t just about distracting the demon; he used dozens of spells to bind its true form, constantly whittling away at its body amidst the tentacles—a true essence of martial arts.
It was somewhat similar to Dalen’s fighting style without dragon blood, and the greatest gain from this battle might have been observing that fight rather than the experience points.
Witnessing a transcendent of the fifth rank wielding dozens of powers in concert was a rare sight indeed.
”…I was foolish.”
After a long silence, the great chieftain spoke.
“I knew destruction was imminent when I grasped the rank of transcendence. But everything started happening much faster than the future I foresaw.”
”…”
“Humans, with their adaptability, seemed to endure. But not the high orcs. I thought we’d end without a proper fight, true to our nature. So… I succumbed to the demon’s whispers.”
His voice was tinged with regret, a bitter smile forming on his lips.
Dalen couldn’t respond. He couldn’t offer words of comfort or encouragement.
The end was indeed approaching, and part of the cause was Dalen himself.
How could he tell someone who had been used by a demon while trying to save his race that they were veering off the path of predetermined destruction?
Amidst the bubbling of the lava lake, another presence approached.
“Great Chieftain Stumpa.”
”…Chieftain Tarum. No, now it’s Great Chieftain Tarum.”
It was Tarum, staggering forward.
His left arm was severed from the upper arm, and his body was covered in wounds of varying sizes.
The great chieftain, his violet eyes dimming, scanned Tarum’s injuries and muttered another word.
“I’m sorry.”
“No need. I heard everything on the way. You did what you had to do.”
“True… but wasn’t I foolish?”
“That’s true. But now you’ve grown wiser, and that’s enough.”
The great chieftain chuckled at Tarum’s response, a laugh devoid of life.
“Chieftain Tarum.”
“What is it?”
“Remember the words of the great ancestor. High orcs fight freely. I didn’t realize freedom was more important than fighting, and that’s why I erred. Don’t make the same mistake.”
“You must be close to death, speaking so cryptically.”
”…It’s fine. You’re smart; you’ll figure it out naturally.”
With that, the great chieftain leaned his head against the rock.
The sky was gradually darkening. The sun set quickly in the mountains.
Under the deepening indigo sky, the red glow of the bubbling lava lake seemed to reach for the heavens, as if heralding its own world.
Amidst the stench of the demon’s remains and the smell of burning, the wind carried the scent of dust, tickling Dalen’s nose. He rubbed it and spoke.
“Any last words?”
”…I crave meat.”
Tarum chuckled softly beside him. It was a fitting answer for a high orc.
“Don’t worry. You’ll feast to your heart’s content in the heavenly sanctuary of the great ancestors.”
The great ancestor did not respond to Tarum’s words.
His black eyes were fixed on some point in the void.
Dalen placed his hands on his knees and stood up.
It was time to leave.
Several days passed.
The high orcs who had gone on the expedition returned to their respective tribes, but the group moved to the tribe closest to the sanctuary.
It was at the request of Tarum, who had become the new great chieftain.
He had asked if the group could join in sending off the former great chieftain, Stumpa.
Of course, tending to the casualties and dealing with the aftermath of the expedition came first, and even after that, preparing for the funeral took time.
As a result, the group ended up taking an unintended break for several days.
The high orcs, having heard of the group’s exploits, invited them to feasts every night, making for a different kind of hectic days.
”…So in the end, the winner of last night’s arm-wrestling contest was me, Bjorn Kaladrakum! No one can beat a dwarf in strength! Not even a high orc or a dragon! Hahaha!”
[Your logic is flawed. Neither Father nor Mother was present. If the chieftain hadn’t invited them separately, I could have flattened your nose.]
“Losers always have a lot to say! I understand, it’s not like I’ve won every battle in my life! Haha… Aaaah!”
[If I were a bit more grown, I could beat you with just one toe. Keep it up, and I’ll make you bald, you old dwarf.]
“Ah! Stop pulling my hair! You cheeky little lizard!”
Dalen chuckled softly, raising his wooden cup.
A dwarf screaming as a dragon hatchling perched on his head pulled at his hair was quite a rare sight.
While Lucia intervened to separate the two, Felber approached Dalen, who was sipping his drink and watching the scene.
“By the way, congratulations are in order. Congratulations on earning the rank of transcendent. How does it feel?”
“There’s not much to say… I’m grateful for the story the old man shared.”
“Heh, even without my words, you would have achieved it eventually. You already had all the qualifications, with just a thin wall left to break through.”
Felber stroked his beard as he raised his cup. Instead of strong liquor, it was filled with steaming tea.
“Seems like just yesterday you achieved a minor domain, and now you’re at the fifth rank. It’s astonishing. Even from afar, I could sense it. The magnitude of your presence surpasses that of other transcendents.”
Dalen shrugged, taking a sip from his cup while glancing at his status window.
――――――――
Name: Dalen
Level: 32
[Strength: 45] [Dexterity: 40] [Stamina: 36]
[Senses: 37] [Intelligence: 36] [Magic: 39]
Skills: Dehama’s Armored Combat (D), Night Vision (E), Leap (E), Flame Arrow (D), Rapantella’s Crushing Sword (C), Hegaleus’s Flame Rain (C), Piercing Lightning (D), Curse Ward Seal (D), Leredonara’s Secret Blade (B), Sacred Fire’s Ember (C), Crimson Dragon’s Blood (A), Key to the Infernal Gate (C), Ackerman’s Diagram (C), Filz’s Wind Barrier (C), Fire Spear Technique (D), Living Roots (D)
*Unique Skills (11)
――――――――
Since leaving the labyrinth city, not only had his level increased, but achieving a major domain had boosted all his stats.
Beyond that, there wasn’t much difference in the numbers or descriptions.
However, reaching the fifth rank meant he could overlay a part of his self-created domain onto the world.
The power to alter reality at will was not something that could be captured by mere stats or skill counts.
His unique skills branched out into dozens of possibilities, offering potential far beyond what was listed.
‘What would happen if I retrieved that martial artist’s remains?’
Just like when he achieved a minor domain, a small notification would pop up when a character reached a major domain.
In the game, it was just one of many random elements, not something heavily emphasized in strategies.
Yet, in hindsight, the characters who endured to the very end all had one thing in common: they had achieved a major domain.
The martial artist character, the reason Dalen had come to the World’s Teeth Mountains, was also a major domain holder.
‘I can’t predict it. In the game, it was just a few random effects and some damage.’
Instead of dwelling on unanswerable questions, Dalen downed his drink and stood up.
Thud, thud, thud.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was Chief Tarum.
Standing at the door with his hood pulled low, he saw everyone gathered and said, “Perfect timing. Let’s go. It’s time to return the great chief to the earth and wind.”