Purgatory (6)

Second day.

In the still pleasant white room, having woken up early, I began gathering tools from the luggage Cheondo brought.

-Clink.

From small artifacts to potions, I planned to take everything that could facilitate an easy conquest. I was determined to clear this dungeon as quickly as possible, by any means necessary.

"Five potions, two strength buff artifacts. One space teleportation ring, and…"

-Rustle

Was I too noisy? Awakened by the clinking of potion bottles, Hwangdo rubbed her eyes and got up. The mistletoe grown around her neck had significantly increased in size overnight. What had been a sprout was now a small sapling. But even so, Hwangdo smiled sweetly and crawled out of bed into my arms.

"Waking up to find a brother~ Hehe."

Rubbing her cheek against mine, she yawned sleepily. I knew from Cheondo about the exhaustion caused by the life-draining effect of the mistletoe. I asked softly, pulling Hwangdo's cheek.

"Are you sleepy, sister?"

"A bit sleepy, hehe… but I want to see my little brother."

"Get some more sleep. I'll finish it quickly."

Hwangdo smiled faintly, still sleepy, and comforted me.

"…Statue."

"Yes?"

"It's okay to give up if it's too hard. It would sadden sister if her little brother suffers."

Then Hwangdo would die. We hadn't known each other long, but… she was quite amusing. Who wouldn't like her, who offered such concern and comfort? I put on a mask to hide my expression. Hwangdo's hair, dozing off, gradually turned white.

"…Disciple."

"Yes?"

"Get off me."

I pushed her away willingly. Baekdo, appearing sleepy, frowned and then, looking me in the eye, spoke confidently.

"I don't want to die. Especially not for your sake."

A typical response from Baekdo. It was so her that I almost chuckled without realizing it.

"So, succeed."

Her voice, full of the will not to die, was serious. I nodded several times. Baekdo, seemingly reminded of something, smiled broadly, raised a finger, and made a joke.

"I want honey water. Bring me honey water."

"You only make uninteresting jokes. Jokes that nerds can't understand."

"What, what? You really…!"

"Thank you, though. Go to sleep. You're sleepy."

Grateful, I hugged Baekdo tightly. Hwangdo had told me that being hugged helped her sleep soundly.

"…Oh, really."

Baekdo muttered sourly and closed her eyes. Cheondo… maybe she was sleeping because she overdid it yesterday. After placing pillows under the sleeping peach sisters' heads, I took a deep breath.

"Shh-"

It was time to tackle the trials again.

"Haah…"

It was unclear whether the breath I exhaled was a resolution or a sad sigh. But I had mustered enough courage to move forward.

Fight and win. I had to burn everything I had to overcome these trials.

-Whirr!

I placed my hand on the gate.

Holding the tools, outside the gate I reached, only an Ent, sitting on a rock, was gasping for breath.

"...."

The silent, white Knight of the Trees.

Her body was covered in bruises; she slowly lowered her head and emotionlessly captured me in her lifeless eyes.

Thorns protruding all over her body, the white armor, though shattered, perfectly enveloped her chest.

Her deeply sunken eye sockets, darkened, seemed to draw in the surrounding light.

[S-Class Hunter Seren]

Her name was embroidered on her chest. It reminded me of a hunter who once failed to clear a trial. I focused magic in my hands while staring at the motionless Ent.

It was then she spoke.

"…This is the king's domain."

A man's voice, completely mismatching her feminine body, emerged. A voice I had heard before. The voice echoing in my ears made me furrow my brow. It was very similar to the strange voice that threatened me on the first day.

"The insignificant roots of the old tree think this is a place of trial. But it's different-"

"That's none of my concern."

I interrupted him abruptly and posed my question.

"Who are you?"

He didn't respond at first, then seemed to make a decision and slowly began to speak.

"…A servant of the king."

"Waiting for a king who will drive away the rotten old tree someday."

Although the content was unclear, I kept silent and did not ask further. He glanced over my face, seemingly reading my thoughts, and lowered the corners of his mouth.

"I warn you again. Leave this place. The power of the World Tree doesn't work here."

The power of the World Tree. According to him, that must be the power I obtained from the status window since coming to this other world. I began to understand the situation. A servant of the king, a king opposing the divine World Tree. Then, this dungeon must have been built by that king. But why was this dungeon regarded as a place of trial? If it was disguised as a place of trial to hide the king's domain, why had I reached the king's domain?

As my thoughts reached this point, he warned me in a threatening tone.

"Don't think any further. Remember, you are spared because of the king's grace."

"I don't know what the king's grace is, but can you remove the constraints?"

"Impossible."

Then I had to fight.

I pulled out a magic tool hidden in my pocket and shot it at his head.

-Bang!

A streak of flame shot out, aiming for his head. -Boom. But the proudly fired bullet didn't affect his body at all. The Ent in front of me, trembling with anger, emitted a harsh mechanical sound.

[ I have warned you. ]

[ You are a lowly human, unable to escape the roots of the old tree. ]

[ Such a waste of the king's grace. ]

He judged me condescendingly as if he could see right through me. His words about not escaping the roots of the old tree really got under my skin, as if he considered me a mere extension of the World Tree.

-Creak, creak.

The Ent began to move. The movement of its magic made my skin crawl. An S-Class Hunter. She was possessed by a combat-type Ent. Her power was not to be underestimated.

The severed tip of the white knight's spear was aimed at me.

-Whish.

The oppressive force weighing down on me. The pressure of facing a skilled opponent.

My entire body screamed to run away. My blood vessels reddened with the rush, and I took a deep breath, steeling myself.

"Wooden Fist… no."

I shook my head.

Martial arts were unnecessary now.

In this situation, where I lacked in every aspect compared to my opponent, how could I expect to win by relying on my skills alone?

My sole purpose was victory.

By any means necessary, using any method, I had to win.

"Screeeech!"

With a massive spear, the Ent charged at me with terrifying momentum. I tapped the ring I was wearing.

Physical enhancement. The best artifacts were filled with all sorts of buffs.

Still insufficient, I came up with a plan.

All the remaining points from the store.

I used them to draw out weapons and talents, trapping the weapons in artifacts and then summoning them here with space magic-filled artifacts.

-Whirring!

A black magic sword emerged in the air above me. Holding it, with thorn-like veins sprouting, I grimaced in sharp pain.

-Clang!

The spear swung by the Ent collided with the magic sword. A thrilling pain shot through my arm. Sparks flew where they clashed, and my cheek was cut, blood dripping. It felt like I would be overpowered any moment, and indeed, I started losing sensation in my right arm.

I was being pushed back. Continuing this clash of strengths would definitely result in a break somewhere. But even if bones broke, I had no intention of stopping.

-Whirr!

Immediately, a white dagger with a hilt appeared in the air, and I swung it down at the Ent's shoulder.

-Crack!

"Screech!"

The monster let out a strange cry. It extended its hands.

-Crash!

Somehow, both the magic sword and the dagger shattered instantly. Broken pieces rained down like a shower.

[The power of the World Tree doesn't work here.]

"Screech!"

The creature charged again. I pulled out another weapon from the air.

A flaming blade whip.

Only after clashing swords did I realize. Definitely… in any single area, I couldn't beat it.

But with enough weapons and the vast talent to use them appropriately, even my weakened self could stand a chance.

I exploited my luck and potential to the extreme. My eyes turned blood-red as I used various penalized artifacts.

-Crackling!

The whip's blade sliced through the tree trunk. Ignoring it, the creature stepped forward, and the whip shattered again with a sonic boom.

Now, I drew the second magic sword.

"Cackling!"

This time, I let go of the hilt while intercepting its spear. The twisted trajectory of the spear missed me and pierced the air. Reaching into its chest, I planted a magic bomb.

-Boom!

Kicking the creature back, I created distance as the bomb exploded at close range. Shielding my face, I was pushed backward by the blast. Bomb fragments pierced through my armor and muscles.

-Whoosh!

"Screech!"

Yet, it wasn't dead. Restoring severed tendons with potions and powers, I slowly whittled away its armor.

The sixth weapon.

"Screech!"

-Thud!

The ninth weapon.

Broken swords and debris rolled on the ground, my blood painting the earth crimson.

Traps, crossbows, bows, and halberds.

But things didn't go as planned.

All my weapons were eventually destroyed despite dominating the battle and launching sufficient attacks.

My organs and skin were crushed, and I was in a worse state than a torn rag. An hour had passed since the battle began. Whether from the artifact's side effects or exhaustion, my vision began to blur.

"Screech"

The Ent still looked relaxed. The strength of an S-Class Hunter became painfully clear. In this situation, where no one could guarantee victory, my body, still just that of a trainee, had reached its limits.

'Ah.'

My legs were trembling, and I couldn't close my mouth. Seeing my palm unable to make a fist, I forcefully gathered my senses, stepped on the ground, and spat out blood.

"…Aagh!"

Almost screaming, I mustered up energy in my hands.

-Rumble!

The ground vibrated, probably the sound of the creature approaching. Just this once, even if it was just once, I needed to stop it. Lifting my powerless hand, I raised my blurry eyes.

Maybe pushing myself to the limit had exhausted my stamina,

As I momentarily lost consciousness from exhaustion.

'Ah.'

My exhausted body fell. Countless thoughts flashed through my mind. It was dizzying. My heart pounded, and my ears rang. Amidst this, I repeated to myself dozens of times.

Move.

As the creature approached, my mind grew more anxious.

Just a moment was enough. If my body moved…

-Tick.

A slight strength returned to my jaw that hadn't closed.

'Ah.'

In that momentary gap, unable to even sigh,

I bit my tongue without hesitation.

-Crack!

The sound of my biting my tongue rang loudly in my brain. With the pain waking me up, time seemed to speed up, and I quickly manipulated the power of the World Tree.

-Whirr!

A bottle of mineral water appeared in the air above, only to be impaled by the spear.

Faster, my haunting eyes reflected in the creature's black pupils. I tilted my head to its limit, narrowly dodging the spear.

-Whack!

The plastic of the floating water bottle split and water spilled out. Ignoring the blood spewing from my mouth, I used the power of the World Tree again.

-Whirring!

A single dagger emerged from the air.

It was a plain, ordinary dagger, but it was enough.

I gripped the dagger tightly, the bulging veins in my hand painfully twisted.

A flicker of dark magic. With that dagger, I stabbed at the creature's nape.

Just one hit.

-Crack!

The armor burst. Falling twigs and the dying mistletoe flowers.

The white knight on its knees became hollow.

"Cough, choke."

-Clang!

As soon as I was sure of victory, I dropped the dagger. I staggered and fell to the ground. Blood still flowed from my mouth like water.

…I won.

I couldn't see or hear, but for the first time, I had achieved a real victory.

Resting my head on my arms, gathered on my knees, I use the power of healing to treat my injuries.

-Rumble!

The sound of the castle gate opening behind me returned to my newly recovered hearing.

Right… it was not over yet.

The king's servant. I had to face that damn thing.

To clear this dungeon.