882

 [Chapter 220]

[Unresolved]

Before regression.

The whole world was stirred when the Southern European Union began to conquer <The Dungeon of the Deep Sea>, one of the black dungeons.

What?

If all the black dungeons are conquered, monsters will no longer appear?

If you conquer a black dungeon, it grants one wish without any cost.

People who were momentarily amazed by the rewards of black dungeons became more focused on the truth through the conquest team members.

The truth that came from across the sea naturally turned the attention of Korean people.

They say that after <The Dungeon of the Deep Sea> was conquered, the frequency of monster occurrences in Southern Europe decreased significantly.

Then if we conquer <The Dungeon of the Abyss>, wouldn't the frequency of monster appearances decrease?

We need to verify the truth. They say you'll know the truth just by entering the black dungeon, so why not deploy a conquest team as a no-lose situation?

Human-made and natural disasters.

Korea continued to develop the northern part of Gyeonggi Province despite experiencing various calamities.

Thus, they were able to reach <The Dungeon of the Abyss> distributed in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province.

And until then, clans had attempted several conquests, but not a single person returned alive.

As a result, the conquest of <The Dungeon of the Abyss> was tacitly suspended.

But with the news from the Southern European Union, the topic of needing to conquer <The Dungeon of the Abyss> gained strength again.

This is the only chance left to turn the tables.

If we conquer <The Dungeon of the Abyss>, no one will be able to touch Baek-yeon.

At the same time, some people planned to purge enemies they had considered thorns in their sides using this topic.

Eun-ha was also caught up in their plans.

But Eun-ha saw it as an opportunity.

An opportunity to overturn everything.

If he conquered the black dungeon and the credit went to Im Baek-yeon, no one would be able to do anything to her.

I have to conquer it.

But there was something worrying.

If the people who supported him and Im Baek-yeon entered the black dungeon, there wouldn't be enough people to protect her.

Even <Star-Counting Witch> Song Yun-seo.

Even <Divine Spear> Ryu Yeon-hwa wasn't enough.

A hero with a reputation that enemies couldn't touch needed to protect Im Baek-yeon.

Among the people I know, there's only one such person.

So Eun-ha went to find Baek Seo-jin.

The core of darkness.

Eun-ha, who went there alone, bowed his head to <King of Darkness> Baek Seo-jin, who had withdrawn from the front lines.

No, he knelt down.

"Like this... I beg you."

"..."

"Baek-yeon... Please protect her."

Even to the point of banging his head on the ground.

Eun-ha took a submissive attitude.

Baek Seo-jin seemed quite surprised by Eun-ha's attitude, which he was seeing for the first time.

Eventually, he responded.

"Alright, leave Baek-yeon to me. I'll protect Baek-yeon well while you're gone, Eun-ha."

☆

He didn't want to think about it.

He wanted to deny it.

Perhaps he intentionally ignored it.

But he could no longer be ignorant.

Evading the eyes of Chang-jin hyung and Twenty-five, he helped prisoners escape from jail?

The incident that happened a few months ago planted a huge question.

As far as Eun-ha knew, there were no longer any people in this country who could evade his surveillance network.

Han Chang-jin and Twenty-five were completely controlling the darkness.

Yet if there was a being who committed such a reckless act while avoiding the eyes of darkness, Eun-ha knew of only one person.

Teacher Baek Seo-jin would be capable of it.

It's not impossible for him.

Moreover, Teacher Baek Seo-jin's whereabouts are currently unknown...

<King of Darkness> Baek Seo-jin, who had escaped from the surveillance network of darkness.

Not only Eun-ha, but Han Chang-jin and Twenty-five also suspected his crime.

But the three dismissed their thoughts as nonsensical.

Why would Teacher Baek Seo-jin?

There's no reason for the teacher to do that.

Baek Seo-jin had no motive.

He was a hero who helped save this country from destruction and contributed to its reconstruction.

Such a person wouldn't act to threaten the Fairy's position.

But it was revealed like this.

"Yes, that's right. I did it."

Leading the Slayers and appearing.

Baek Seo-jin readily admitted it.

Not only that, he shocked the players by confessing that he had been in league with Armageddon.

To think the teacher was the mastermind...

He vaguely felt that he still had enemies remaining.

But he didn't think that enemy would be Baek Seo-jin.

It was shocking.

What was even more shocking was─

─Then in my previous life, did I hand over Baek-yeon to the enemy?

Eun-ha felt great anger towards himself who had trusted Baek Seo-jin without any doubt in his previous life.

Crunch

Eun-ha gritted his teeth.

He clearly recalled how Im Baek-yeon's situation might have changed after he entered the black dungeon.

His mentor would have completely turned Im Baek-yeon into a puppet.

The person he should have killed most was foolishly his own mentor.

Yet he didn't know that and even tried to bridge them closer several times.

"The shock seems quite big."

"Why..."

At that moment, Baek Seo-jin spoke in a regretful tone.

Eun-ha ignored his concern and spoke in as calm a tone as possible.

But his voice was trembling.

"Why did you do this? You... you rebuilt this country by putting forward the Fairy as hope, didn't you?"

A voice filled with emotion.

The Slayers' sneers stopped.

Players and Slayers.

Both sides stood facing each other, keeping their mouths shut.

Only Eun-ha and Baek Seo-jin exchanged words.

"Hope, hope... That's right. The three of us, me, Moon Jun, and Nam Gung Seong-un, asked Im Ga-eul to become the Fairy." "Then why..."

"But Eun-ha."

As if it was now an old story.

Baek Seo-jin revealed his true intentions in a tone recalling the past.

"I asked her to act out hope, not to become hope. What I wanted was just a symbol."

"..." "Let me tell you a special old story."

Baek Seo-jin raised his hand.

Immediately, the Slayers withdrew their aura.

Even the Basilisk stopped moving.

"This country was once destroyed, and then the era of monarchs began." "..."

"I too was once a monarch. Somehow I met the times well and was able to stand in a position equal to a king. So I could live as I wanted in a world where laws and norms had disappeared. Why do you think someone like me would have accepted the proposal of Moon Jun and Nam Gung Seong-un to rebuild this country? Do you think I would have fought for a world with laws and norms that had no benefit for me? I'm not even a righteous person."

Baek Seo-jin rummaged in his chest.

He took out a cigar.

Then a Slayer behind him approached and offered fire.

Baek Seo-jin lit the cigar and took a puff.

Then he exhaled.

"Paradoxically, laws and norms were necessary for people to live."

"..."

"When I became the lord of darkness, people with similar tendencies to me flocked around me. Among them were some even crazier than me. Do you think such a place would have run well?"

Saying it wasn't so.

Baek Seo-jin gave a bitter smile.

He said that darkness without any norms was no different from a world where you had to kill each other when you met.

In such a world, people without power could only die like ants.

"Eventually, it would self-destruct. After enjoying what we wanted to the fullest, someday there would be no more people, no more resources, no more targets to destroy, and we would die boringly. That was the truth I realized as I indulged in debauchery as the lord of darkness."

<King of Darkness> Baek Seo-jin, who wanted a world without laws and norms.

Paradoxically, he had no choice but to create a world with laws and norms for that world.

"In the end, appropriate laws and norms are necessary. And one monarch is enough. So I cooperated with Moon Jun to preserve darkness and eliminated all monarchs except myself. That's how this country was built on darkness." "..."

"Then I realized another truth. If I really wanted to manipulate the world as I wished, I shouldn't stand at the forefront. Let me ask you one thing, Eun-ha. How do you think true domination is achieved?"

Eun-ha didn't answer.

Baek Seo-jin didn't seem to expect an answer from him.

He answered his own question.

"True domination is achieved when the dominated think they are not being dominated." "..."

"The reason you are called players, not awakened ones or transcendents, is related to that. The reason the Academy forces competition on you is also there."

"..."

"Moon Jun feared the existence of monarchs and made it so you couldn't unite, calling you players to lower your value. I too hoped you wouldn't threaten my position."

Let's return to what we were talking about.

We were talking about true domination.

Baek Seo-jin changed the topic while exhaling smoke.

"In the end, I had no choice but to put forward a stand-in to dominate this country. That was the Fairy. When Ga-eul first awakened <White Silver>, I thought I was really lucky." "..." "That child was an actress. She had nothing to do with politics, and a child who only acted was just the right chess piece for me."

At that moment, Baek Seo-jin's tone lowered.

Shadows fell across his face.

He opened his mouth.

"But contrary to my expectations, Ga-eul showed talent in politics. I wanted that child to act out hope, not to really become hope. And when that child said she wanted to create a country where people could live happily and tried to touch the realm of darkness, I realized something was wrong." "..."

"So I decided. You don't need me to tell you what happened after that."

Baek Seo-jin dropped his cigar on the ground.

His gaze turned to Eun-ha.

He asked.

"Now then, Eun-ha. Do you understand why I told you this?"

Baek Seo-jin's question.

It was obvious.

Sure enough─

"─Because I won't let you leave alive."

Eun-ha took a battle stance.

While listening to Baek Seo-jin's story, he had been unconsciously recovering his internal mana.

He compressed mana into his sword blade so he could cast magic at any time.

Then the Slayers also gathered their internal mana that they had withdrawn.

"This is your grave."

Baek Seo-jin waved his hand.

The Slayers moved.

 ☆

A battle broke out.

The skills of each individual Slayer were extraordinary.

There were even Mines mixed among them.

Although they couldn't be compared to the Seven Devils, their abilities couldn't be ignored.

"Kuk...!"

Eun-ha frowned, enduring the pain that grazed his arm.

Baek Seo-jin was just standing there.

He couldn't approach him due to the coordinated attacks of the Slayers.

Thump thump thump

Of course, his Gift had activated.

The principle of Violent Venom awoke and enveloped Eun-ha's body.

The Slayers had attacked with poison applied to their weapons.

It could be said to be an attack highly optimized for killing humans.

At this rate, we'll be annihilated.

He cut down one Slayer.

Although his stamina had decreased, he wasn't about to die to the Slayers who were attacking in groups.

The problem was the clan members and players fighting alongside him.

"Ugh..."

"Min-ho! Stay still... I'll treat you quickly now..."

All of them had depleted stamina.

Moreover, most were not accustomed to fighting against people.

They were poisoned and paralyzed by the Slayers' attacks.

Cha Eun-woo hurriedly tried to treat Mok Min-ho's wounds.

But the poison the Slayers used was extremely rare and strong.

It wasn't something she could treat quickly in the midst of battle.

Above all─

─Kyaaaak!!

There was the Basilisk.

It was breaking down the players' formation.

Players were being devoured by the Basilisk as they tried to avoid the Slayers.

There are too many Slayers.

There's no choice but to retreat.

But with the Basilisk holding the rear like that, we can't do that either...

At this rate, we'll be annihilated.

Han Chang-jin, Jin Pa-rang, Bae Su-bin, and others.

Thanks to some clan members exerting their strength, they were barely holding on.

But even they were running out of strength.

"If you're thinking of dealing with the Basilisk, you'd better give up. That guy doesn't have just two life vessels."

At that moment, Mastema, who was watching the battle, said with a snicker.

He proudly showed the sphere he held in his hand.

"Unless you destroy this simultaneously with the two Basilisks, it won't disappear."

Eun-ha finally realized.

He could understand why the Basilisk hadn't died until now.

Damn, is there really no way?

Eun-ha clicked his tongue.

No news came from <Yama > and <Thunder God> who should be fighting on the other side.

Surely they too must be facing Slayers while fighting the Basilisk.

In such a situation, it was nearly impossible to kill the Basilisk while matching timing.

[No, it's not impossible.]

At that moment.

The Twilight Sword transmitted a thought.

"What do you mean?"

Eun-ha avoided the attack of a Slayer approaching from behind.

Using Ubbo to turn around, he blew off the Slayer's head.

The advantage of facing humans was that no matter how strong they were, it was over if you caught them off guard and beheaded them.

Of course, even he couldn't escape that logic.

[You have the Dawn Sword. That sword should be able to eliminate the Basilisk.]

The Twilight Sword's advice.

Eun-ha thought deeply.

"...I see."

He understood.

It might be possible.

A gleam appeared in Eun-ha's eyes.

<Abyss > Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong seemed to notice Eun-ha's change.

However, he sneered.

"Huh, do you think there's still a way in this situation? Just give up and accept death now. It's useless to struggle anymore."

"The one who should accept death is you. If you're already dead, why don't you just stay dead instead of coming back like a zombie..."

"This is clearly a living body. Now that Armageddon has disappeared, revival is impossible, but I don't need to worry about my life to kill you. After all, you're the ones who will die."

Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong laughed loudly.

Leading dozens of Slayers, he was confident of absolute victory.

All the Slayers were the same.

On the other hand, there weren't many players like Eun-ha looking for a way out.

They were sensing their own deaths.

"You've already reached your limit. Now your internal mana will run out too. What can you do then? Out of my old affection, I might kill you, Noh Eun-ha, miserably, but the others comfortably..."

It was at that moment.

The mana dissolved in the atmosphere shook violently.

Seon Woo-hwa-ryeong's voice was drowned out by the phenomenon that occurred immediately after.

──!!

From behind Eun-ha.

A pillar of light shot up.

The pillar of light that dyed the whole world white gradually widened its radius.

Kyaaaak!!

The Basilisk was swallowed by the pillar of light.

It screamed.

It was facing annihilation.

Gift <Miracle >

At the center of that pillar of light.

Noh Eun-ah was holding a stone staff.

The light spreading from her center eventually dyed Eun-ha's vision completely white.