Chapter 146: What… how did this happen?

[TL Note: We’re going to change up a few of the terms and we’d like to know whether or not we should keep the new terms or go back to the old ones. The new skill name will appear first and the term previously used will be in parentheses

*Changed Dragon Soldier –> Dragon Troopers

*Changed Soul Steal –> Siphon Soul

*Dead Summoning –> Summon Dead]

“Da… ”

d.a.m.n it.

I listened to the Dwarves until the end but it would have been better if I had just found out myself.

I flew with Talaria’s Wings once more.

I spread my mana aggressively and located Idy.

First, I searched the graveyard that contained the Dragon’s Inheritance, which Idy had been guarding.

Fortunately, Idy was in the vicinity.

I flew towards her after I ascertained her location.

A large group of dwarves was gathered at the entrance of the graveyard.

I pushed them out of my way, one of by one, and went into the graveyard. In a corner of the cemetery, I saw a few dwarves whisper and lay out some thick gruel.

The runts had only been tasked with being on watch, so they were becoming impatient.

I used my Overpower (Coercion) skill.

The once bustling cemetery became silent as the dwarves fell onto the floor face down.

Now it was quiet, since the dwarves were on the floor. At leaves above the knees.

I could finally check on Idy.

She had a warm dressing tied onto her body and there were signs of medicine being applied here and there.

“Keruk. Captain, you’re finally here?” Idy said.

“What… how did this happen?” I said, examining the area around the wound.

“Keruk, keruk. This is… I’m embarra.s.sed.”

After I finished looking over her injury, Idy told me the source of her embarra.s.sment.

I lifted the bandage slightly and I saw a black “something” squirming around the wound.

A squirming black energy.

It was something I’d seen several times on the 9th, 10, and 12th floors.

This was Idy’s skill.

“I guess if I were to give you an excuse, it’d be that I had too much on my mind. Keruk. Plus, the chimeras look repulsive. It was strange that they had four limbs, but they also used strange weapons as well.”

“Strange weapons?”

“Keruk. They should be buried under Chimeras’ bodies. Be careful if you have to fight them later. Keruk.”

Amongst the Chimeras I had fought today, I hadn’t encountered any that used unusual weapons.

The Chimeras mostly charged in barehanded or they simply used standard weapons.

The Elite Chimeras that appeared occasionally likewise did the same, even though they had superior skills

Seriously, I’m really exhausted. This wasn’t really a battle, but an ambush.

“And . . .”

“And?”

“Keruk.”

“Idy?”

“They said that they wouldn’t have to live like beasts anymore if they get that necklace. I don’t know if that’s actually true, but that’s what the Chimeras said. And… they said they were humanity’s enemy. When I heard that… my hands slowed. Keruk.”

So it was complicated.

At the same time, I felt dizzy.

They had hurt Idy this much over such a trifling issue.

By piecing together the Dragon Troops’ complicated story, I figured out that the Chimeras and dwarves sought the necklace because it had the ability to evolve them.

However, that method was a problem.

It wouldn’t simply grant superior strength, but advance their species to a higher level.

If that was possible…

What would a Dwarf, which had a higher cla.s.s existence than a Chimera look like?

What would a Dragon Trooper, which had a lower cla.s.s existence than a human look like?

Would they simply change into the form that they desired?

No, it was a pointless a.s.sumption.

They may gain even greater strength, deeper wisdom, or even a remarkable physical appearance, but in the end, their ident.i.ty wouldn’t change so easily.

Let’s a.s.sume that a chimera regains their human body and blends into society.

It works at their appointed workplace and live a normal life, so n.o.body would be able to tell that that person used to be a chimera.

Everyone except for themselves.

They’ll remember, deep down, that they used to be a Chimera and their own words will act as a painful reminder.

It’s a task too difficult for one person to do, yet they claim that they’ll accomplish the task tens of millions cannot?

That’s impossible.

There are only two solutions.

They either accept that they’re not monsters or they kill themselves.

The Chimeras laughed at the dwarves’ desire to become Dragon Troopers.

It was pointless.

Even I agreed with them.

However, was there really a difference between the dwarvesand the chimeras?One side wanted to become Dragon Troopers, while the other sought to become human.

If a G.o.d saw them, how would we he feel?

If a dragon saw the dwarves, it would likewise feel indifferent.

“Because of that, I got stabbed like an idiot. Maybe I saw myself in them,” Idy said.

I restrained myself from saying what I really wanted to say.

Instead, I asked a different question.

“It’s a skill, right?”

“Yep. Keruk.”

I momentarily cleared my head.

“I’ll remove the bandage now. I’ll need to… examine it a bit.”

I wrapped my fingertips with mana and cut off the bandage. I carefully took it off but Idy seemed to be in pain and groaned.

After that…

What do I do now?

First, I took out a bottle of elixir.

“Keruk. Keruk. Captain.”

“What?”

“Isn’t that expensive? Don’t waste it,” she said, embarra.s.sed.

I felt like I had hit rock bottom.

This was Idy, who had first appeared on the 5th floor.

I had summoned her to the 20th floor and given her an important job because I trusted her.

If I were to give another reason, it would be because I wanted to see her.

She was with me from the start to the end of the stage. The person who was always with me was Idy.

I had cleared several stages with her and I had grown considerably since the 5th floor.

Although the 20th floor was extremely difficult, I thought Idy easily be able to deal with it easily.

Honestly, when she was on the 12th floor, she was pretty relaxed.

Idy had two skills.

One of them she used on the 5th floor; it changed her body into smoke, allowing her to avoid an enemy’s attacks.

The other skill was one couldn’t use on the 5th floor, though it was an attack that she could use on the 9th, 10th, and 12th floors.

She would be enclosed by a black, death energy that would attack her opponent.

However, there was a problem: if the death energy stuck to the body, there was nothing one could do.

While it had its limitations and it took some time compared to the nearly-invincible evasion skill, it had the potential to inflict fatal wounds.

I thought I would continue to get help from Idy even on the higher floors, not just the 20th floor.

But she had been hurt by her own skill.

Idy had already tested it on the 12th floor.

She cut her fingertip and the death energy remained in it.

Elixirs were useless.

I had to cut my own finger to shake off the death energy, but I drank an elixir and my finger grew back.

It might’ve been possible to treat Idy the same way, but it wasn’t her fingertip this time.

She had a long injury that stretched from her heart to her stomach. The wound had definitely reached her inner organs as well.

I raised my hand and took a closer look.

The wound was too deep.

Even if the death energy wasn’t there, it would still be a fatal injury.

An incision wasn’t possible.

“Keruk.No matter how I look at it, there’s no hope,” Idy said.

That’s also how I saw it.

I shook my head and cast out the thoughts deep in my head.

Some time ago, I began to think of only one thing when someone was dying.

Excessive bleeding, shock, difficulty breathing, ruptured inner organs. When I saw those symptoms, I knew the person was simply a corpse.

They’ll die soon, they’re nothing more than a corpse.

Get up and leave. There’s nothing you can do, they’re a corpse.

I swallowed down those thoughts from the depths of my mind.

As I stifled those thoughts, something else came out.

I roughly wiped my tears.

“Does it… hurt?” I asked.

“Keruk. Keruk. Are you worried? You know that this skill doesn’t deliver any pain. I just feel the pain from the cut.”

I went silent for a moment.

I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out.

“Keruk. Anyway, there’re always risks on the battlefield. It was fatal for me to get hit by my own ability like an idiot, but I have a lot of other injuries. It was really close. Then again, if that were true, I would’ve been able to get treatment. But starting tomorrow, I won’t be of much help in the battle.”

‘Then again, if that were true, I would’ve been able to get treatment,’ she had said.

I didn’t just call Idy to fight.

Honestly, calling her for help was just an excuse.

It’s just… when I came back, I thought it would be nice to have someone to eat with and talk to. That’s all I really wanted.

“Keruk. Keruk. Actually, it went well.”

I hid my shaking hands behind me.

“Idy… Idy. Don’t worry too much. I’ll immediately summon you…” I rambled.

Suddenly, my head turned to the side.

When I got ahold of myself, I saw Idy’s rustling tail on the side of my face.

“Keruk. Get ahold of yourself, Captain. I can’t help but worry.”

Although I got smacked by Idy’s tail, I couldn’t understand her intentions.

“Captain. Why are you worrying about me?”

“…What?”

“Captain, are you possibly afraid of me dying?”

I was silent once again.

“Captain, don’t you already know? We sometimes avoided the subject but it doesn’t change the facts.”

I remained silent.

“Captain, I’m already dead.”

I really couldn’t do anything but stay silent.

“How do you feel, Captain?”

During the long silence, Idy began speaking again.

“Keruk. First, take the unconscious dwarves outside. If we leave them like that, they might suffocate.”

Just like she said, I moved the unconscious dwarves outside.

“I moved them all.”

“Keruk. Come back after you put a blanket on the unconscious ones, at the bare minimum.”

Like she said, I draped a blanket over the unconscious ones and laid them outside the cemetery before coming back.

“Keruk. Keruk.”

“I’m done.”

“Good job, Captain. Now… shall we talk? Also, I’ll leave behind a request and some advice at the end of the talk. It looks like I don’t have much time left, so let’s start now.”

I nodded.

“Keruk. How should I start…I kept thinking about it, but it’s a difficult topic.”

Idy ‘keruked’ for a moment, thought about it, and then began to speak.

“Let’s continue our discussion. Keruk. I’m already dead.”

Idy spoke calmly but her words slowly pierced my heart.

“One life, one soul. It’s something that is said in our tribe. However, what about me? I have only one soul but I have many lives. Maybe I don’t have a life or a soul. Keruk.”

“Idy…”

“Captain, you always regretted killing me, even though I told you not to. Keruk. I never died to you. My death happened before then. Keruk.”

It was something she had once talked about on the 10th floor.

“Of course, I don’t know how I died. However, that…”

Idy’s face froze.

Her face went blank.

The system disapproved of her words.

She grinded her teeth and bit on her blood.

“Keruk. I’ll have to pa.s.s over that. Hoo.”

She took a deep breath and continued.

“Captain, I know that you treat everything you meet in the Tutorial as if it were real. You even treat lifeless beings as if they were real and just brush past everything to clear, as if you were in a play. It’s as if this has become the real world to you and we’ve become real people to you. That’s why you feel happiness and sadness from the people you meet here. You feel anguished when you have to kill an enemy. Keruk. But if you were to challenge them again, they’d look exactly the same. Keruk.”

I was silent.

Idy, too, was silent for a moment.

It persisted to the point where we became self-aware of how much time had pa.s.sed in silence. Then, Idy continued.

“It’ll be easier if you ignore it all. They’re not real, so don’t think. Just cut them down, and pa.s.s them. It’ll be easier for you. But you don’t do that, do you, Captain? You feel uneasy, don’t you? Keruk. Captain, you think that, just like us, you might have died, and only your soul is left roaming around.”

She’s right.

As time pa.s.sed, my suspicions lessened somewhat, but lately, my suspicions have returned.

I also feel like I’m a puppet in some kind of play.

“I’ll have the change the topic of discussion first. Keruk.”

Idy raised her hand and grabbed mine.

My hands were still shaking a little.

“Keruk. Captain, I’m sorry to say this but you have to look at reality. I’m just an item.”

An item.

When I heard that, I thought of the unconscious dwarves outside.

“The only Idy you know is me. But how many Idaltarus, who are killing challengers and conversely getting killed, do you think there are on the 5th floor, Captain?”

[PR Note: Just a reminder that Idaltaru is Idy’s real name, or at least the name the system identifies her with. “Idaltarus” is the plural form referring to multiple “hers.”]

I knew.

I thought about it countless times but it was a subject that troubled me.

Idy’s face went blank again.

She would intentionally say things that were restricted and when she was reprimanded by the system, she would experience a piercing headache.

However, Idy didn’t suppress her feelings.

“I was lucky, wasn’t I? Because of you, Captain, I became self-aware of my condition and I was able to spend my time happily with you. I’m really thankful to you, Captain.”

She let go of my hand and raised her own.

She wiped my tears as she ‘keruked’, and laughed.

“I’m sorry, but this is the end. It’s really too bad that I can’t talk to you anymore. Keruk.”

The G.o.ds and the system didn’t want her to talk anymore.

Idy couldn’t even talk about the subject indirectly and couldn’t remind me about it.

The only thing left for me to do is to find out what she wanted to say.

“Now it’s time for me to be a bit shameless, huh. Keruk.” She candidly laughed.

“Captain,” she called.

“What?”

“Captain, I like you.”

She ‘keruked’ and laughed.

“You probably do too. Though it might be a different form of affection, at least you like me as a friend, as a comrade.”

I think of you as family.

“I have a request and some advice. It would seem like… I’ll give you some advice first. I heard about your growth yesterday.”

I nodded.

“Keruk. I think that your growth is lacking. Actually, I think it’s being repressed.”

“What?”

“Keruk. Keruk. Don’t compare yourself to others, Captain. The only one that can compare to you is yourself. Do you think that your growth at its best right now?”

My growth rate is extremely fast.

It’s to the point that the system can’t keep up.

From the very beginning, I couldn’t even be compared to the other challengers. I was at a level that they couldn’t even comprehend.

However, I listened to Idy’s words attentively.

Last night, I had told Idy, in fair detail, about the progress of my growth.

If she was the one saying my growth was lacking, it was definitely lacking.

“Next up is my request. Keruk.”

“Ask me anything,” I spoke calmly, after I had relaxed a bit.

“Sorry about this, but I have two.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s fine if there’re more.”

“Keruk.Keruk.”

I didn’t feel burdened by her requests. Rather, I hated the fact that she felt embarra.s.sed about her requests.

“How many more times can you use the Summon Dead skill?” (Summoning Dead)

“2 more times.”

“You had less remaining than I thought. It looks like my request will be more shameless than I thought. Keruk.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t summon me anymore, Captain.”

I’ve been shocked a lot today but nothing could’ve prepared me for this.

I couldn’t help but ask. What did she mean?

“Idy. What are you talking about?”

Her eyes spun and she bowed her head furtively.

“Idy!”

“Instead, instead… When I become a single Idy, rather than those countless Idaltarus…When I’m freed of all my restraints. When I can exist as just me, as just “Idy”, can you summon me then?”

Now I could finally read her expression.

Due to the shape of their head, when a lizardman bows, it doesn’t hide their face at first.

“Of course, I know it’s impossible. I also know how useful the Summon Dead skill can be…” Idy rambled.

“I got it, Idy. I’ll do as you ask. Don’t worry,” I replied.

Idy cleared her throat and stared at the plain ceiling.

“Keruk. Keruk. I’m not worried. I trust you. You’ll definitely succeed. The only thing you needed, Captain was… No. no, it’s nothing.”

“What is it?”

Idy continuously moved her head side to side and slowly turned her head, avoiding my eyes.

She was really embarra.s.sed.

Now that I think about it, it’s the first time since the 5th floor she’s asked me for a favor.

She had told me all about her tribe’s characteristics, so it was definitely a rare case.

“Keruk. Keruk. I knew that my time was tight, but I still have a little bit of time left. My heart rate is slowing down, though. Captain.”

“What?”

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

“Yeah.”

“You sure are a strange boss. Keruk. So how about talking some more with the time I have left?

“All right, what do you want to talk about?”

“Keruk. Keruk. What do you mean? Anything. Do you not want to?”

“Sounds good.”

It’d be great if we could talk while eating, but Idy wasn’t capable of eating anything in her current condition.

It didn’t matter.

Eating wasn’t important right now.

It wasn’t hard to figure out what Idy had wanted to say.

Because in the end, she had told me everything she wanted to.

It was obvious what Idy wanted.

Her condition to summon her again…

I needed to get her out of the tutorial system completely and free her of her restraints before I could summon her again.

She didn’t simply want me to summon her after clearing the Tutorial.

If I did, then I’d just be summoning an Idaltaru from the 5th floor who was under the Tutorial’s jurisdiction.

I had to completely pull her out of the system. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just have to free everyone in this Tutorial. With that, I satisfy all of her conditions.

But I don’t know how to do it.

There’s far too much I don’t know about the system.

Even if I learned all I could about the system, I still wouldn’t be even be able to comprehend the basics of the system and how it works.

But now, I knew the path that I needed to take.

[All the G.o.ds of the White Holy Temple are watching you.]

Idy said my growth was lacking.

My growth certainly isn’t lacking.

I had already surpa.s.sed the system’s guidelines and I didn’t face many difficulties in the party stages.

It’s probably going to be easy to clear the Tutorial.

However, if I want more, then my growth is definitely lacking.

I expected nothing less of Idy. She knew me well.

Idy’s trial was much more interesting than the Tutorial.

I saw the necklace floating in the center of the cemetery.

I s.n.a.t.c.hed the floating necklace and put it around my neck.

I didn’t have any reason to hide the necklace or face off against any enemies right now.

Besides, it’s safest here. After all, I’m here.

If I take the necklace, I won’t have to continue the mission. I won’t have to split the single necklace and I can draw out the remaining chimeras.

When I went outside, I was met with the confused faces of the dwarves.

As always, I don’t like them.

But when I put myself in their shoes, I don’t feel unpleasant anymore.

I’ve been told many times as to why the G.o.ds brought me here.

To become a disciple of a G.o.d.

That was all.

That wasn’t my intent.

I was reborn here.

The tutorial revitalized me and brought me new life.

It was a misfortune but at the same time, it brought me happiness.

I was thankful for the Tutorial.

I didn’t worry about getting out quickly. Rather, I worried about what I would do after I got out.

I secretly wished that the Tutorial would go on forever.

I hadn’t become self-aware until I had my talk with Idy.

Now there was another common feature between the dwarves and me.

But there was also a clear difference now.

Instead of listening to the dwarves’ stuttering, I flew around with Talaria’s Wings.

I flew away from the mountains and towards the plains.

I flew above the chimeras that filled up the plains.

I wonder how many there are…

[All the G.o.ds of the White Holy Temple are watching you.]

I received a message from the G.o.ds and descended onto the ground.

I fell towards the ground at full speed.

I don’t know what my full power is.

I’ve never tested it before.

That’s why I’ve always felt so uneasy, like I was suffocating.

I never met a suitable opponent and I’ve never been able to wield my full strength.

However, I could gauge my strength in a different way.

[Indomitable]

[Iron wall]

[Heightened Senses]

[Battle Concentration]

I used my skills and drew out mana to protect my body.

Kw.a.n.g!

When I crashed onto the ground, the landscape around me erupted in a cloud of dirt.

I monitored the situation.

My arms and legs, head, inner organs, and magic circuits were all functioning optimally.

Even the durable Talaria’s Wings in my body felt a shock when I exceeded its max speed.

The chimeras around the impact point looked as though they were about to faint from shock.

The other chimeras further away from the impact point couldn’t get a hold of themselves and merely looked on vacantly.

We can’t have that, now can we?

“Uah!”

[Soul Cry]

[Siphon Soul] (Soul Steal)

[Overpower] (Coercion)

Soul Cry aggravated the half-awake chimeras and they started to dash towards me.

Of course, they wouldn’t be able to tell how dangerous I was.

I coated my sword with the largest amount of aura I was capable of.

It was two times longer than even a swordmaster’s aura.

I surrounded my shield and armor with aura as well.

I should discard my previous fighting style.

I fiercely dashed forward.

The chimeras crashed against my shield.

The chimeras attacked me one after another and I was pushed back.

I swung my sword in the largest, longest arcs possible.

I formed an Aura on my longsword three to four times longer than before and immediately severed the chimeras’ huge bodies.

I advanced forward. Only forward.

The chimeras charged at me and I followed suit.

I should save as much mana and stamina as possible and calmly and carefully maintain my distance… I threw away this approach.

I charged boldly without holding back.

I had already prepared plenty of defensive measures.

There’s no way that I’d run out of mana or stamina.

As long as I dealt with my enemies, Siphon Soul would allow me to recover faster than I would expend my mana and stamina.

“Uah!”

I relentlessly used Soul Cry in order to call all the chimeras towards me.

Blood spurted out.

The highly compressed Aura at the edge of my armor and my sword started to swell.

The aura blazed on my bloodied sword.

The burnt smell of flesh stunk.

Amidst the horrid stench of blood and the enemy’s screams of agony…

“Uah!”

… I’m still alive.

[Tutorial, h.e.l.l Difficulty, 20th Floor, Clear.]

[All status effects and injuries are healed.]

[You have received 4000 points for clearing the floor.]

[You have received 4000 points for being the first to clear the floor.]

[Many G.o.ds react positively to you. You have received 3700 points.]

[Many G.o.ds react negatively to you. 6300 points have been deducted.]

[All the G.o.ds of the White Holy Temple are watching you.]

[The G.o.d of Slowness is satisfied.]

[The G.o.d of Adventure is cheering for you.]

[The G.o.d of Dueling is satisfied.]

[The G.o.d of Death is pleased.]

[The G.o.d of Devotion pities someone.]

[The G.o.d of Life is displeased with you.]

[The G.o.d of Pain is delighted.]

[The G.o.d of the Sky is disgusted by you.]

[Based on your play records, additional rewards will be given.]

[The G.o.d of Dueling would like to gift you some of his power instead of an additional reward. Would you like to accept?]

[The G.o.d of Dueling would like you to become his disciple.]

[The G.o.d of Adventure is worried.]

[Tutorial, h.e.l.l Difficulty, 21th Floor, Perfect Clear.]

[All the G.o.ds of the White Holy Temple are watching you.]

[The G.o.d of Death would like you to become his disciple.]

[The G.o.d of Adventure is panicking.]

[The G.o.d of Slowness is making fun of someone.]

[Tutorial, h.e.l.l Difficulty, 22th Floor, Perfect Clear.]

[All the G.o.ds of the White Holy Temple are watching you.]

[The G.o.d of the Sky is showing an interest in you.]

[The G.o.d of Balance is looking at you again.]

[The G.o.d of Adventure is really panicking.]

[The G.o.d of Slowness snorted.]

[Tutorial, h.e.l.l Difficulty, 23th Floor, Clear.]

[Tutorial, h.e.l.l Difficulty, 24th Floor, Perfect Clear.]

[Many G.o.ds react positively to you. You have received 9400 points.]

[Many G.o.ds show a react negatively to you. 600 points have been deducted.]

[All the G.o.ds of the White Holy Temple are watching you.]

[All the G.o.ds of the White Holy Temple have agreed to a few promises regarding you.]

[The G.o.d of Adventure is restless.]

[The G.o.d of Slowness is slightly anxious.]