Chapter 2113 – 2113. The Ascent To Light
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The monster pounded on the entrance of the barrier. There was not a trace of intelligence in its actions. Only murderous intent and instinct could be felt. That was why I was certain it was a monster, not a human.
“Sama Clan Head, is the barrier safe?”
“……”
There was no reply.
Had she given up on life at the appearance of the monster? No. She had her eyes tightly shut, her lips moving as she concentrated. An unknown incantation flowed from her lips. She was probably maintaining the barrier so it wouldn’t break.
Ten minutes passed, then thirty minutes.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The monster continued to pound on the barrier.
The barrier didn’t waver because Sama Ryung continued to chant.
‘That monster bastard is persistent. Let’s see what its face looks like.’
[Opening the Heavenly Eye.]
I looked through the entrance blocked by dirt and rocks.
I could see the monster. It was bigger than a bear. It walked on two legs like a human and used two arms. Its entire body was covered in fur, and green energy flowed from its eyes. Just by its appearance, it was closer to a grotesque humanoid than a monster.
‘…It’s a monster. Looking inside, I can see that dark energy flows instead of blood.’
I was confused whether it was a living thing or not. I couldn’t determine its identity with my knowledge, so I decided to just call it a monster.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
I quietly glared at the entrance. If the monster broke through the barrier, I would have to use Full Recovery. It would be a bit awkward to use it openly, so I would have to keep an eye on Sama Ryung.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
‘Does this bastard never get tired? He’s been pounding for three hours straight.’
More than anything, the noise was the most annoying. I could understand why people got so worked up about noise between floors.
The darkness of the world receded. The black sky turned blue, and the sun rose. The monster, which had been pounding on the barrier all night, ran away somewhere as soon as the sun rose. The restriction that had been binding my body also disappeared.
Sama Ryung, who had been chanting continuously while the monster was pounding on the barrier, let out a small sigh. Her face was damp with sweat.
“Sama Clan Head, are you alright?”
“I am fine.”
Contrary to her words, she looked exhausted.
Even for a superhuman, staying up for several days was difficult. Especially today, she had been chanting all night to protect the barrier. It would be strange if she didn’t feel tired. Unlike me, she didn’t have Full Recovery.
“Great Hero, you are drenched in sweat. It will hinder your recovery, so let me help you.”
Instead of wiping her own sweat, Sama Ryung wiped the sweat from my body with a cloth. Her hand and body were closer than usual. She was definitely exhausted.
She diligently helped me even with my bathroom needs before finally taking care of herself. She changed her undergarments and outer clothes. Unfortunately, she had a cloth floating in the air to cover herself, so I couldn’t see her naked body. She squatted over a chamber pot, did her business, cleaned up, and then came to sit next to me as if nothing had happened.
“Sama Clan Head, this cave has been discovered by that thing. How about leaving and finding a new shelter?”
“That… I don’t think it would be meaningful.”
“Meaningless?”
“This barrier is difficult to find unless one is certain that we are here. And I have perfectly hidden the cave entrance. The fact that other people can’t find it is proof of that. But that monster pounded directly on the barrier. It means it was certain from the beginning that we were here.”
I thought of the real-life killer and survivor game. In the later stages of that game, the killer gets buffs. The most powerful buff is the one that shows the survivor’s location.
‘…Yesterday was the fourth night. It’s not strange that the monster has gained new abilities, like we were under a restriction. Even if one of those abilities is the ability to find humans.’
In the end, the monster’s goal would be to kill all the humans in this space.
In other words, leaving the cave and finding a new hiding place might be meaningless. It would just be a waste of energy.
After that, we ate. Of course, she was the one moving her hands. After eating, we rested and talked.
About the Heavenly Demon Church, the Namgung Clan, the Myriad Tower, and so on. Stories I had experienced in this world. Surprisingly, Sama Ryung seemed to enjoy listening to my stories. On the other hand, her stories were quite boring. Most of them were monotonous stories from the imperial palace.
Thanks to that, I could be certain.
Sama Ryung was a flower in a greenhouse. She had never experienced a real threat before. I could understand why she hadn’t been able to sleep at all. She couldn’t relax even if she wanted to.
Thump, thump, thump!
Around lunchtime, someone hit the cave entrance. The slightly relaxed atmosphere became tense again.
“I know you are inside this barrier! Open the barrier! We must join hands to deal with the monster of the night!”
A man’s voice echoed. The man continued to pound on the cave entrance.
‘A man is trying to enter my and Sama Ryung’s shelter? That bastard deserves to be torn apart and killed!’
I glanced at Sama Ryung. The decision was hers, not mine. There was nothing in her eyes.
“Sama Clan Head, what will you do?”
“He is not someone we can trust. And I don’t think he will be of any help to us.”
Thump, thump, thump!
The man didn’t stop hitting the entrance.
“I am alone! I promise I will not cause you any trouble! Open the barrier! I am ready to listen to your opinions! Let’s talk! If you can’t trust me, I will show my sincerity with the Heavenly Jade I possess!”
He’s giving a Heavenly Jade? That was a bit tempting.
Wouldn’t it be okay to just take the Heavenly Jade from the man and kill him?
But Sama Ryung shook her head without even raising an eyebrow.
“How ridiculous. Trying to buy our favor with mere possessions.”
Sama Ryung ignored him. She didn’t even give a common reply.
The man pleaded while pounding on the barrier. We just remained silent. His frustrated tone changed from pleading to anger.
“Don’t just stay silent!!!”
Thump, thump, bang!
I could feel his will to smash the barrier. Sama Ryung quietly chanted to reinforce the barrier. I could feel a powerful energy. Strong energy struck the barrier. The barrier shook slightly, but that was all. As long as Sama Ryung had her eyes open, the barrier wouldn’t be broken.
“You damned bastard! I’ll see how long you can stay holed up in here! I can already see the monster dragging you out and tearing you limb from limb!”
The man left, leaving behind a curse. He never revealed who he was until the end.
And the fifth night came.
The restriction covered my body without fail.
“Hah…!”
This restriction directly pressed on my dantian. My demonic energy was shaking. If I forced my internal energy in my current state, I could die from internal injuries. It was best to stay still and do nothing.
Thump.
Something hit the barrier.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!
A rhythmic striking sound, like a machine. It was the monster. The monster had come again, without getting tired.
Sama Ryung closed her eyes tightly and began to chant. A time of endurance had begun.
Around midnight, Sama Ryung’s chanting stopped for a moment. I could see her Adam’s apple moving. It was too big of a movement to just be swallowing saliva. It looked like she had forcefully swallowed something. I knew she had swallowed blood.
Was blood trying to come out of her mouth? There could be several reasons. Her throat could have been damaged from continuously chanting, but… it was more likely an internal injury.
She was reaching her limit.
• • •
One hour.
That was the time left until the sun rose.
The problem was that it was difficult to endure that remaining time. Sama Ryung couldn’t hide her internal injuries. Blood was flowing from her mouth and nose. Her clothes were soaked in blood.
“Cough!”
She coughed. A handful of blood fell to the floor. Her upper body was about to fall forward. She barely managed to raise her upper body. She tried to chant again, but…
Crack.
The barrier broke, and an arm covered in black fur entered the cave. Black claws like a crow’s beak scratched the air.
“Ah.”
Sama Ryung sighed. Her eyes were filled with resignation and despair.
The monster’s hand grabbed the gap in the barrier and forcefully tore it open.
“Great Hero. That monster was more persistent than I thought. I do have a method I’ve been saving… but I can’t guarantee it will work properly in my current state. But I will try. This is not the time to be picky…”
Before I could stop her, Sama Ryung staggered to her feet. Just as she was about to take something out of her spatial pouch…
Clang!
The monster suddenly broke the barrier completely and rushed at Sama Ryung, striking her body. Sama Ryung’s body flew backward like a piece of paper, hit the wall, and fell to the floor.
‘Shit!’
[Using Full Recovery.]
My body returned to normal. Strength returned to my broken right arm, and my torn left arm regenerated. The poison that had been eating away at my legs disappeared without a trace, and my blood and energy returned to their proper places.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step.
While the monster flinched at the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step, I closed the distance and threw a punch.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Dragon Fist.
My fist struck the monster’s torso. With a bursting sound, compressed demonic energy pierced through its body. Even so, the monster didn’t fall.
‘If one hit isn’t enough, I’ll hit it several times.’
A barrage of Dragon Fists followed. The monster wasn’t invincible. Its body slowly crumbled and fell to the floor. Soon, it became blurry and disappeared. I had successfully killed the monster.
“Sama Clan Head!!”
I immediately ran to Sama Ryung. Fortunately, Sama Ryung wasn’t dead. She had suffered severe internal injuries, but she was alive.
I let out a sigh of relief. I also felt a bit guilty. If I had acted sooner, this wouldn’t have happened.
‘…But this is also an opportunity.’
An opportunity to seduce Sama Ryung.
