Episode 63: The Dungeon (Part 1)
“Delant, what on earth are you doing? Have you lost your mind?”
“Exposing our location to lure the Order here? That’s nothing short of a death wish!”
The room was shrouded in darkness.
Two men were shouting in anger.
Their eyes were fixed on a gaunt young man standing before them.
The young man was staring blankly at a large mirror that stretched up to the ceiling.
“Delant! Are you even listening to us?”
“Come with us, we need to escape! It’s just the three of us left in Yuran! If we die, Yuran’s legacy ends with us!”
The two men raised their voices again, but the young man continued to gaze into the mirror, unresponsive.
”…I can’t hear it.”
Suddenly, the young man spoke.
“No matter how long I wait, I can’t hear His holy voice…”
He gently caressed the mirror with both hands. The mirror reflected only his face, indifferent to his touch.
“He’s never been silent for this long before. Not once.”
The two men exchanged weary glances at Delant’s words.
“Stop staring at that mirror!”
“The Order is practically at our doorstep. We don’t have time for this nonsense…”
At that moment, the young man snapped his head around.
His once beautiful face twisted into a mask of rage.
“Nonsense? You call the only connection to Him nonsense?”
Dark magic surged from the young man’s body, causing the entire room to tremble.
“How dare you insult Him after all the grace He’s bestowed upon us? It’s clear now! He’s disappointed in us!”
The young man’s fury shook the room even more violently.
“We failed to carry out His orders! We’ve forgotten His grace! He’s cut us off because of our pathetic behavior!”
The two men, cowed by the young man’s overwhelming presence, were too terrified to speak.
Not all of Yuran’s dark mages were equal in power.
These two were high-ranking dark mages in their own right.
But compared to the young man, they were nothing. Not even the leader could match him.
“Why did I bring the Order here? To fulfill His command! If we crush the Order, it will shake not just them but the entire Apple Kingdom! Then He will be pleased!”
A blissful smile spread across the young man’s face, as if the mere thought brought him joy.
“No, that’s not enough! I must prepare a gift for Him! I’ll create a flesh golem from the corpses of the finest paladins! He always loved my creations, so He’ll surely be pleased!”
The young man’s magic subsided as quickly as it had flared. He looked at the two men and smiled slyly.
“Now that I think about it, your bodies might be quite useful too.”
A shiver ran down the spines of the two men. They hastily summoned their dark magic.
Just then, something emerged from the ceiling.
It looked human at first glance, but its body was stitched together from various creatures.
The flesh golem grabbed the two dark mages by the heads and slammed them into the ground.
Their faces were crushed, and they lost consciousness.
“Kite, take them to the sewing room. We’ll begin the procedure immediately.”
The young man ordered the flesh golem.
The golem, resembling a human male, nodded and carried the two away.
“I must find a corpse worthy of His satisfaction… I must prepare a gift that will please Him.”
The young man muttered, biting his nails.
Just then, a round window with bat wings flew in.
Through the window, he could see the Order battling the flesh golems.
“Finally, the materials are arriving.”
A bright smile appeared on the young man’s face.
“Let’s see if they can pass the test I’ve prepared.”
A flesh golem with multiple human faces attacked the Order.
The paladins were helpless against it.
“No, no… Ordinary ones won’t do. The sect’s paladins must step up.”
The flesh golem at the entrance was one the young man had crafted with great care.
It wasn’t something ordinary paladins could handle.
“Come on, show me the sect’s paladins… Prove how exceptional you are as materials!”
The young man stared intently at the window, as if he could pierce through it with his gaze.
Then, a man stepped forward. He dodged the flesh golem’s attacks and drove his sword into its core.
The golem froze, then began to collapse.
”…What?”
The young man blinked in disbelief.
It wasn’t divine power but magic that the man had used, indicating he was an ordinary knight.
An ordinary knight had precisely located and pierced the golem’s core.
“How did he do that…? Was it intuition? Or did he sense the magic?”
The young man was instantly captivated by the knight.
“Amazing… I thought the sect’s paladins were the best… But to think there was such a material…”
The quality of a material wasn’t determined solely by the body’s condition. The creature’s innate talent also played a significant role.
In that sense, this knight was the most outstanding material the young man had ever seen.
“I’ve found it! With him, I can create a puppet that will satisfy Lord Dorgo!”
The young man, known as Delant the Necromancer, spread his arms wide and cheered.
The expedition team ventured deeper into the dungeon.
As they progressed, new flesh golems appeared.
These golems, with human bodies attached to four legs, ambushed the team from all sides.
Damian gripped his holy sword, ready to fight.
“Damian Haxen, stay back. This battle will be handled by us, the Blended Blizzard.”
Gamal spoke in a cold voice.
Sanus chimed in, “Oh my~ Gamal, should our Dazzling Agony lend a hand? We can enhance you~.”
“No need. We are strong enough without relying on Dazzling Agony. You should assist the other paladins.”
Gamal curtly refused and then shouted.
“Blended Blizzard, hear me. For the honor of the sect, let none escape!”
At Gamal’s command, the paladins of Blended Blizzard unleashed their divine power.
A chilling cold spread throughout the cave.
Frost formed on the flesh golems, slowing their advance noticeably.
“Let’s go!”
Led by Dionysio, the paladins of Blended Blizzard charged at the flesh golems.
With each swing of their spears, the golems shattered like ice.
The golems shrieked and retaliated.
But with their bodies frozen, they couldn’t effectively attack the paladins.
‘No matter how many times I see it, it’s a terrifying power.’
The cold of Blended Blizzard could freeze not just objects but magic itself.
For undead powered by dark magic, it was akin to poison.
‘I could never replicate that power.’
Damian was a prodigy, but he wasn’t omnipotent.
The powers wielded by the sect were beyond even Damian’s ability to mimic. They were fundamentally different from magic.
“Quite a sight, isn’t it?”
A voice came from beside him. Turning, Damian saw Sanus had approached.
Her skin was as white as snow, her platinum hair immaculate.
She looked as if she had just stepped out of a holy painting.
“Blended Blizzard is one of the strongest among the sects~ Though their pride is a bit of a flaw~.”
Sanus chuckled softly.
“Do you know why they told you to stay back? It’s because their pride was hurt~ You took down the flesh golem at the entrance all by yourself~.”
To Damian, it was a ridiculous reason. If true, it wasn’t pride but pettiness.
”…Ah, but they’re killing them too easily. Those filthy heretic creations should be gutted and minced before being killed.”
Sanus murmured regretfully as she watched Blended Blizzard fight.
Damian shot her a disgusted look.
‘Light, that crazy woman’s disciple. She’s not sane either.’
Damian had fought all five of the Great Saints.
Among them, the strongest was Blue Flame, but the most troublesome was Light.
Light was a fanatic among fanatics.
Her zeal was so extreme that other paladins seemed like atheists in comparison.
‘Come to think of it, it wasn’t just Light. Everyone in Dazzling Agony was insane.’
During his time as a Death Knight, dozens of Dazzling Agony paladins had once sacrificed themselves just to kill Damian.
“I apologize for doubting you, Sir Damian~.”
“Well, it’s fine. It’s good to be thorough before a big mission.”
Damian replied, feigning indifference.
He was annoyed that Sanus had sided with Blended Blizzard, but he didn’t hold a grudge.
“I’ve never seen anyone fight like you, Sir Damian.”
Sanus gazed at Damian with eyes that sparkled almost uncomfortably. It was a look Damian had seen somewhere before, and a sense of foreboding flickered through his mind.
“So, I was wondering if you might be interested in becoming a holy knight~?”
“No, I’m not.”
Damian replied swiftly.
“Why not~? Becoming a holy knight means acting as an agent of divine wrath. It’s truly an honorable role~.”
“I’m not worthy enough to wield divine wrath.”
“Feeling insecure, are we? But don’t worry~. If you’re lacking, you can always improve. We have a six-month special scripture study course for outsiders at the Temple of Blinding Pain~.”
Sanus wasn’t backing down easily, and Damian was starting to feel weary.
“Plus, becoming a holy knight would solve the issue of your limited magical power.”
That caught Damian’s attention. Sanus had hit the nail on the head—Damian’s weakness was indeed his lack of magical power. Despite consuming elixirs and practicing energy cultivation daily, he was still far from where he needed to be. How could Sanus see through him so clearly?
“Don’t believe me?”
Perhaps Sanus mistook Damian’s gaze for skepticism, as he began to explain.
“Holy knights receive divine power based on their faith. Every time they vanquish a vile heretic, the divine grants them more power.”
Unlike regular knights, holy knights increased their divine power through faith, good deeds, and service. But the most effective way was by eliminating heretics. Offering heretics to the divine increased one’s divine power.
However, this wasn’t an appealing option for Damian. ‘I can’t bind myself to the order just because I’m short on magic.’ Becoming a holy knight would bring too many complications. Besides, the issue of magical power would resolve itself over time. Completing his mana cultivation technique and consuming more elixirs would suffice. Even absorbing the heart of the spirit he possessed would grant him immense power.
“What do you think~? Isn’t it tempting~? If you wish, you could be baptized right now….”
“Sanus, what are you doing! Why are you trying to steal Damian away!”
At that moment, Margata shouted.
“Margata, what does it matter where Sir Damian belongs~? The important thing is that his skills are used to tear apart heretics, right~?”
“Stop talking nonsense. How many holy knights have you lured away like that! Other sects have complained countless times about being short-staffed because of you!”
Margata pushed Sanus away.
“Stop talking and go back to your sect.”
“Sir Damian~ Let’s talk again later~.”
“I said go!”
Margata lifted Sanus and carried him off towards the Temple of Blinding Pain. Once Sanus was gone, Damian let out a sigh of relief.
”…Sir Damian.”
Agnes was looking at Damian with a somber expression.
“When I suggested it, you refused so firmly. Why couldn’t you shake off Sir Sanus?”
Agnes’s voice was filled with disappointment. Damian found the complaint absurd. It wasn’t that he couldn’t shake off Sanus; it was that Sanus had been unrelenting.
“I thought at least you wouldn’t fall for Sir Sanus’s charms….”
“But what do you mean by taking away holy knights? Isn’t it only those who have awakened their powers that can join a sect?”
Trying to change the subject, Damian asked. Agnes, though displeased, answered.
“Under the guise of following their sect’s interpretation of doctrine, even regular holy knights can join. They receive support from the sect but must also assist it.”
No wonder Margata was angry. Sanus had been poaching talented holy knights.
“Sir Damian, Sir Sanus may be charming, but you mustn’t be swayed. True faith is….”
Agnes began a solemn lecture, but something caught Damian’s attention.
He drew his holy sword and swung it wide. The aura it released sliced through the ceiling, walls, and floor, and from the cracks, dark blood gushed out.
-Screeech!
-Screeech!
With a shriek, something burst from the walls. They were flesh golems, clad in thick, insect-like carapaces.
“W-What is that!”
“We’re under attack! Flesh golems have appeared in the rear!”
The soldiers shouted in panic.
‘Creatures with stealth capabilities.’
Damian examined the flesh golems. They had approached unnoticed, likely due to their ability to blend with their surroundings.
‘And they’re not lacking in combat ability either.’
The carapaces covering their bodies looked quite sturdy, making them formidable opponents. Damian prepared to unleash his aura to deal with the flesh golems.
“Sir Damian, please rest.”
Agnes stepped in front of him, growing knuckles on her hands.
“I’ll handle them.”