Episode 171
Vargan and his party arrived at the entrance of the dungeon.
A massive cave that looked like a dungeon.
The dark entrance was covered with a transparent membrane that couldn’t be recognized by the naked eye.
Once they passed through that membrane, they would enter a different space known as the dungeon.
“Lord Vargan, do you feel it? The power emanating from the dungeon is unusual. The waves spreading from the center are inconsistent. It means the internal form of the dungeon is continuously changing.”
The guide with fox ears said so. Vargan nodded vaguely, and the guide continued.
“You probably already know this, but let me remind you one last time before we enter.”
The guide narrowed his eyes, showing a hint of tension.
If it were a standard dungeon, there would be no problem with his guiding, but in dungeons where the starting point can vary for each individual, things could get tricky.
“If we get separated, we need to check if communication through familiars is possible. Sometimes, there are dungeons where communication fails, and in that case, it’s best to gather under the most noticeable large structure.”
Additionally, for Erica, warp magic relies heavily on visibility. If communication between familiars doesn’t work, it’s highly likely that sharing visibility won’t work either, so it was crucial to check.
“I understand.”
Erica was fully aware of this fact.
Vargan glanced at Erica. He tried not to show it, but he could see his eyebrows were slightly tense. He chuckled softly and said.
“Erica, if you’re scared, you can always give up midway….”
“You don’t think I’m going to do that, right?”
Erica’s bold retort.
Vargan shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, that’s true.”
After adding a few more precautions, the guide turned around, swallowing and calming his nerves.
“Alright, let’s go. I wish everyone good luck!”
Without delay, the party moved forward.
The dungeon swallowed them whole.
*
They passed through a sensation like submerging into the surface of water. From the outside, the dungeon looked just like a giant cave.
However, once inside, a completely different space unfolded.
Vargan calmly looked around. There was no one else around him. It seemed that this dungeon indeed had a structure that fell apart upon entry, just as warned.
There’s no martial art here. As expected, this dungeon seems to have a destabilizing structure upon entry.
Communicating with my Familiar is useless as well. Erica’s long-range Warp Magic is likely unusable too.
But can I see any notable structures? Nope. I can’t even confirm anything in this long hallway where the outside scenery is blocked.
‘Well, the one thing I do know is…’
Vargan lightly sprinkled some mana and felt the faint mana energy around him. Centered around himself were Erica, the guide, and….
‘There it is.’
Top-level Bishop Han.
He was also in the same dungeon.
He seems to have noticed our presence too. Han is exceptional at sensing energy, so he might’ve caught on even when we were at the entrance.
Now, quickly regrouping with Erica is a top priority.
We must avoid situations where Erica confronts Han alone, or where I confront him alone.
When assessed without overconfidence,
I need to combine my strength with Erica’s to catch Han.
The odds of defeating him individually are nearly nonexistent.
Also, the partner must be Erica, not anyone else. She’s the optimal figure who can exploit Han’s weaknesses.
After roughly assessing the dungeon, Vargan pulled out a precious elixir of life from his pocket and sprayed it.
A third of the elixir was gone, and because of the unique magic trial, his mana, which had been halved, returned to its original state.
“I get a rough idea of the structure. No wonder monsters aren’t found here.”
Vargan smirked and looked at the opponent in front of him.
A child standing alone in the long hallway.
The child, about ten years old, had sharp eyes that looked unusually mature for his age and exuded a sinister energy.
“Is that my past self? What an interesting dungeon.”
Standing before Vargan is the ten-year-old version of himself.
It doesn’t seem like he’s planning to make way. He’s activating his mana circuits to eliminate the intruder.
Vargan gently relaxed his wrist and prepared himself. With confidence intact, his eyes gleamed.
“We’ve trained together in the Orb Tower, but I didn’t think we’d end up fighting directly like this.”
This one kid can’t be the end of it.
Surely, as I pass through this hallway, I’ll be fighting my own self, growing older.
If I kept up my achievements, or if I hadn’t aged, there’s no way my past self would be stronger than my current self….
The key question is how well I can conserve stamina and mana while engaging in this fight.
When I reach the final gate, can I defeat my past self who put everything into the battle? That will be the case.
If that’s the case, there’s no need to hesitate. After all, the opponent is just a fake created by the dungeon.
Swish⎯.
Through the art of Dark Magic, Vargan zipped past ten-year-old Vargan in an instant.
The ten-year-old Vargan couldn’t react at all.
Not only did he fail to respond, but he didn’t even detect his opponent’s movements.
A red line appeared through the middle of young Vargan’s body. His dilated pupils couldn’t constrict in time as his upper body fell to the ground.
When it hit the cold floor of the hallway, his upper body vanished like smoke. The lower half soon followed suit.
“Well, that was an expected outcome.”
Vargan twisted his right wrist while gripping it tightly.
He was wearing a black suit, complete with dark leather gloves.
“So this is why ‘Han’ has become so brutal…”
Vargan, having guessed the reason roughly, began to walk back.
However, there was one woman on his mind, which made him pick up the pace.
*
Crash⎯!
Erica’s ice magic poured down. Ice pillars shot up from various places through Warp Magic.
Yet, the opponent defended using Warp Magic too. The 13-year-old Erica, dressed in a fluttering black dress, had already become quite adept at using Warp Magic.
“Tch.”
For the first time, Erica found Warp Magic annoying.
Up until now, she had only used it herself; this was her first time facing it head-on.
But what bothered Erica wasn’t so much the Warp Magic.
⎯You know, Vargan is here right now? How has he grown?
After taking care of the 10 and 11-year-olds, the 13-year-old Erica brought up Vargan with a hint of loneliness.
The 10-year-old Erica boasted about dining in luxurious places with Vargan.
By the time the 11-year-old Erica came around, she blushed while mentioning that she had gone out alone with Vargan. The way she awkwardly said they were holding hands made Erica cringe.
Unlike the other Erikas, the 13-year-old showed genuine interest in where Vargan might be in the dungeon right now.
⎯I feel like Vargan hasn’t been in a good mood lately… He keeps acting cold… and he tore up a letter full of memories… Do you know why? Will we be able to be close again when that time comes?
The 13-year-old Erica looked desperate, almost begging for a positive response.
Knowing the fake that the dungeon had created, Erica couldn’t hide her displeasure.
The sight of her past self desperately trying to hold onto hope.
An earnest child desperately searching for problems outside of Schugenhartz and within herself.
It was seriously irritating.
⎯Hey, can you tell me? It’s okay if you kill me. I’m just really anxious… It seems like Vargan must have been hurt deeply, but I don’t know why, so it’s tormenting me.
The 13-year-old Erica placed her hands over her heart. Her expression was precarious, as if she might cry any moment.
⎯If you just tell me, I won’t resist anymore… Please, what happened to Vargan? Have things been mended? Are you two getting along like before?
She continued hurriedly to hide her unease.
⎯I… I prepared a very precious mana stone for Vargan’s birthday. I didn’t get it myself, but they said it’s really expensive and a great item. He will surely like it. Our relationship will get better again, right?
Will he… hold me warmly like before?
Current Erica clenched her teeth at the 13-year-old’s questions.
She had held back until now, but she couldn’t just watch this version of herself anymore.
“Schugenhartz is not the good guy you think he is.”
“He’s not as good as you think.”
13-year-old Erica focused on her words. She dropped her staff and stepped closer, hoping to hear even a little of what her future self had to say.
⎯What do you mean? Saying Vargan isn’t a good person… And why do you call him Schugenharz? You’re engaged, right? I don’t call him that.
Erica revealed the cruel reality to her 13-year-old self.
Her fragile form was grating on her nerves.
It kept bothering her.
“In a few days, you will be betrayed terribly by Schugenharz. That wound will torment you for the rest of your life, and it will never go away.”
⎯…What?
“So, don’t hold on to false hopes and face reality. No matter how much you turn away, the unfamiliar face you saw is the truth and his true self.”
Tears began to tremble at young Erica’s eyes. She let out irregular breaths.
⎯No… That can’t be true… I’ve been with Vargan for five years, and he’s loved me without change. Even after years…
“⎯He killed Laila.”
Erica cut off the words of the past like she didn’t want to hear them.
She scolded herself for being so foolish, eyes burning with unquenchable anger.
“So please, stop being foolish. It will only make things worse.”
That was also a message to her current self.
Don’t wander aimlessly.
Don’t try to defend him.
So that memories with Laila wouldn’t fade.
Young Erica trembled and denied it. Vargan wouldn’t do that, nor would he have a reason to.
However, Erica shook her head. There wasn’t a hint of positivity.
⎯Liar…
Young Erica mumbled blankly. Her steps to approach halted. Instead, the current Erica floated a spear of ice in the air.
Gathering mana at the spear’s tip to send her off without pain. With a single trajectory, it would bring her peace.
The 13-year-old kept muttering sentences.
She looked up at Erica.
⎯Liar… You’re a liar…
“…”
Hearing that, Erica squinted her eyes. The sight of her not giving up faith until the end was pitiful.
⎯Liar. Liar. Liar…!
⎯You’re not my future self. Absolutely not!
⎯Why say such harsh things? Why insult Vargan…?
⎯Why… why…
The 13-year-old’s fists slammed against Erica’s shoulders in frustration. She felt like she might collapse, lacking the strength to properly clench her fists.
Erica manipulated the spear floating in the air. The ice spear charged with mana spun rapidly.
⎯Why couldn’t you trust Vargan…?
Kuhwack!
In an instant, it soared and severed the neck of her tear-streaked young self.
The separated head dissipated first into smoke, followed by the falling tear drops, one after another.
“…”
Erica stared at it for a moment, then walked back into the hallway.
Her final line, filled with resentment, echoed through the hallway like a haunting refrain.
