Chapter 59 : Chapter 59

Chapter 059: Doom Fist

I was sinking to the bottom of the deep sea.

Has someone shackled me and pushed me into the ocean?

My body felt heavy.

The light filtering down faintly illuminated the dark green water.

I kept sinking.

Just how far would I descend?

The faint light that had been seeping through vanished completely at some point.

Now, only darkness surrounded me.

Why wasn’t my consciousness returning?

Hiiiiii!

…Who would’ve thought this sound would feel so welcoming?

With the sharp, piercing wail digging into my ears, my vision flipped once.

The scene that unfolded before me was a familiar one.

The place I arrived at before entering the Altar of the Abyss.

Kiyaaaa—!

On both sides of me stood walls packed with screaming spirits.

I walked between them.

Strange.

This corridor wasn’t this long before.

‘…….’

I stopped walking.

No one had called out to me, nor had anything appeared in front of me.

Seizing the opportunity, the spirits on either side reached for me with their arms and grotesque teeth.

I ignored them.

I shifted my gaze.

Following my instincts.

[…….]

A singular presence, perhaps.

Amid the spirits’ thrashing, which sent off-white ripples of energy in all directions, it crouched quietly.

Its human-like form made it stand out all the more.

Though it had no facial features, I felt its gaze directed at me.

I stared back at it.

Our exchange of glances didn’t last long.

When the wails grew particularly loud, it vanished.

…What was that thing?

This was my mind’s world, so it was an uninvited guest.

I scanned left and right as if to catch a thief, but no matter how I looked, I couldn’t find it, so I chalked it up to seeing things.

The wailing stopped abruptly, and silence settled in.

At last, I entered the Altar of the Abyss.

Huuuuung!

I looked up at the altar’s ceiling.

It resembled a sky filled with ink-black clouds.

The vengeful souls I had collected were tangled together, floating in the air.

Shuuuuu!

The souls left long trails as they fell into their respective braziers.

They struck so fiercely that the braziers resounded with deafening crashes one after another.

Clack.

When the commotion subsided slightly, I set foot on the altar’s stone floor.

Even then, sparks of various colors were still flying in all directions.

As expected. Another one had appeared.

I peered into the newly formed brazier.

A flame resembling a red flower bud was quietly burning.

Perhaps because it was small, it remained utterly unfazed by the gusts of wind raging around it.

As I gazed at its noble form, a certain person came to mind.

Who knows? Perhaps his will had been passed on to me.

Fearing I might get sentimental if I looked any longer, I turned my head away.

It struck me that the surroundings seemed brighter than before.

Indeed, the now-larger flames were vividly illuminating the altar’s darkness.

The purple flame of Benkou Swordsmanship and the gray flame of Imperial Swordsmanship.

The once-small cyan flame of Frost Sword and the ochre flame of Quake Earth had grown in size as well.

That wasn’t all.

The golden specks on the walls surrounding the altar were far denser than before.

And then.

I looked up.

The altar’s ceiling, visible only after the souls had cleared, was also studded with golden specks.

A feeling of ecstasy, perhaps.

These were the traces I had accumulated in this life.

The swordsmanship I had mastered, the will imbued within it, the blood and sweat I had shed, and my resolve and determination.

All of them were shining.

I stood at the center of it all.

Could I still call this place merely dark?

As I watched the space carried over from my past life being filled with the traces of this life, I made a vow once more.

In this life,

I would not waver.

·

·

·

“Boss, this guy’s smirking?”

My mind snapped back as if waking from a dream.

I was still lying down, eyes closed.

The chattering voice came from right in front of me.

“Hmm, let him be. Must be having a good dream or something.”

The reply came from across the room.

A deep, resonant voice.

Was he stoking the fire?

The crackling sound of burning wood gently wrapped around my ears, so much so that even the howling wind outside seemed to quiet down.

“Huh, now he’s all serious again? You think this guy’s hearing us?”

I felt a hand approaching my face, so I swung and slapped it hard.

Smack—!

“Ugh…”

Thud.

Amid the flurry of sounds, my groan was buried.

The moment I struck, a searing pain, as if all my ribs were shattering, surged through me.

My body crumpled involuntarily.

I barely held back a scream.

“Good heavens. Just how hard did he hit…?”

As I clutched my side, curled up, I heard a tongue click.

“He’s even foaming at the mouth.”

With my forehead pressed to the ground, I glanced up with just my eyes.

A massive figure filled my vision first.

Even from behind, it was overwhelming.

A frame that wouldn’t lose to a bear was hunched over, carefully inspecting the eyes of the sprawled-out guy.

I quickly scanned my surroundings.

It was a cave.

I shut my eyes tightly and opened them again.

I hadn’t misheard earlier.

Beyond the entrance, everything was shrouded in haze.

A relentless flurry of snow whipped through.

A chill hit me belatedly.

The small campfire wasn’t enough to fend it off.

As I noticed the thick blanket covering me, I heard:

“Hey, kid.”

The moment I saw the giant calling me…

I nearly fainted.

This lunatic was wearing nothing but a cloak, bare-chested, despite the freezing cold.

His breath came out in puffs.

“Hmm, not your average guy, huh?”

He twirled his curled mustache.

The care put into it was so evident it gave me chills.

That wasn’t all.

He wore a fluffy fur hat that covered his ears, but it was clearly too small, forcibly crammed onto his head.

The highlight was his eyes.

Beneath deeply set double eyelids, his gleaming pupils scanned me with a piercing gaze.

…But why did he seem familiar? I was certain I’d seen that face somewhere.

“You pushed yourself too hard with a body that’s not even healed.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Ho, quite the spirit! You’d probably faint if you knew who I was. Ahem! Anyway, I’ve got a question for you.”

He plopped down right in front of me.

The guy I’d knocked out was now completely ignored.

“Why were you there?”

“What…?”

“Playing dumb? The place you were found collapsed in was a likely stronghold of the Blood Mage.”

A sudden spike of pain made me clench my teeth.

Damn it, every breath hurt.

With my head lowered, I let out a silent scream through my open mouth before asking:

“Where is this?”

The giant snorted, clearly displeased that my answer was another question.

He rubbed his chin for a while, then slapped his knees as if making up his mind.

“Let’s talk this through step by step, kid. We’ve got plenty of time.”

I dragged myself backward until my back hit the wall, securing some distance from him.

I strained to act like I wasn’t in pain.

“Fine. You first.”

* * *

Despite his appearance, the giant’s preamble was long-winded.

Cutting to the chase, it went like this:

They had raided a place known as a stronghold of the Blood Mage—or in their terms, the Blood Devil—to take him down, and found me collapsed there.

“No need to thank me for saving you. Rescuing lives is my sworn duty, after all.”

He coughed unnecessarily.

His muscles, chiseled like carved stone, twitched grotesquely.

“Why were you chasing the… Blood Devil?”

“Sorry, can’t tell you that. It’s a top-secret mission.”

“Top-secret? Are you a knight? You don’t look like one.”

“Hahaha! No rule says only knights handle top-secret missions.”

His booming laugh echoed through the cave.

Well, knight or not, his identity wasn’t my immediate concern.

“I just happened to pass out there for a bit. As for the Blood Devil… I don’t know.”

“Passed out for a bit? When I found you, you were on the brink of death. Even my holy magic didn’t work. Still, you were breathing, so I couldn’t just leave you. I carried you on my back for over seven days and nights.”

My jaw dropped.

He carried me for a whole week?

Then how long was I lying there?

“Let’s be honest with each other, kid. Want me to take a guess?”

He crossed his arms and arched his brow slyly.

“You’re a beast hunter, aren’t you?”

“What? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Hear me out. By sheer chance, you got wind of the Blood Devil’s whereabouts. Blinded by the bounty, you recklessly ventured deep into the demonic realm. I get it. Plenty of foolish young guys like you these days.”

“……”

“But, miraculously, luck struck first. The Blood Devil was absent. You only had to deal with his minions, barely clinging to life. Then you met me—your second stroke of luck. How’s that? Am I wrong?”

“You’re writing a novel.”

“Heh. Playing tough? Fine, one last offer. Tell me honestly where you got that info, and you can walk away to start a new life. I’ll guarantee it.”

He quickly added:

“The Blood Devil vanishes the moment he senses he’s being tracked. He’s beyond elusive. Do you know how much blood and tears have been shed trying to catch him?”

He leaned toward me, lowering his voice.

His already intimidating face and bulk felt even more oppressive.

“One reckless move from you, and all that effort went down the drain. Until we track him again, countless innocents will suffer. Thinking about it makes my blood boil—I could grind you to dust and it wouldn’t be enough.”

He took a deep breath and exhaled sharply.

I saw his long eyelashes quiver.

Even his eyelashes were long. Ridiculous.

“…But I can’t blame a clueless fool. The real culprits—those vile bastards who dragged you into this mess and threatened the land’s peace—should pay. Now, tell me who they are.”

Finishing his impassioned speech, he closed his eyes and took slow, deep breaths.

I let out a stifled laugh through my nose.

His melodramatic nonsense was so intense I couldn’t laugh outright.

“You keep calling me ‘kid,’ but you don’t look that old yourself.”

“Need a good smack to get the situation?”

“Just tell me where we are. Is this the Conwell frontier? The weather seems off for Conwell.”

“Why bring up Conwell all of a sudden? Wait, don’t tell me…”

“I came from there.”

I said, looking outside.

A fierce blizzard raged on.

In the sudden silence, only the howling wind lingered for a while.

“Hah, well, damn…”

A disbelieving chuckle broke the quiet.

I glanced at him.

He was staring at the ceiling, muttering.

“Is this truly your will, Lord? Hmm.”

My brow furrowed.

A believer? That makes him even weirder.

He met my gaze again and spoke.

“This is the northernmost edge of the Morundayle Mountains, called the Frozen End. Even for someone like you, surviving alone in your condition is impossible.”

I quickly pulled up the mental map of the Kingdom I’d memorized.

I’d familiarized myself with the Kingdom’s major terrain—mountains, plains, rivers, demonic realms—so it didn’t take long to recall.

The Morundayle Mountains.

A massive range stretching along the northern border of the Kingdom’s continent.

To the north, it borders Wintermire, the Kingdom’s second-largest demonic realm; to the south, it meets the Kingdom’s northernmost territories.

If he’s right, I was lying collapsed in Wintermire, far from Conwell.

Things just got a lot more complicated.

…Scratch that.

Even I thought that sounded ungrateful.

Being alive at all was something to thank the heavens for.

With that in mind, I softened my expression a bit.

Despite his rough first impression and immediate suspicion, he was, after all, my savior.

“My thanks are late. I owe you my life.”

“Hahaha! Finally showing some manners. Reality must’ve hit you hard, huh?”

“…Not quite.”

“As I said, no need for thanks. Besides, this isn’t the time for warm words.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was headed to Conwell myself.”

He stood up and started gathering the scattered gear around us.

“I’ll take you there. You’ll see soon enough whether this is your third stroke of luck—or a divine revelation for me.”

I didn’t even know where to begin explaining.

As I watched him bustle about, my gaze drifted to one side.

It was the guy I’d slapped into unconsciousness.

His face was now entirely covered in foam.

Maybe I hit him too hard.

The giant seemed to notice my glance.

“Oh, don’t mind him. He’s a scum who assaulted women and was hiding in Wintermire. I picked him up by chance on the way here after saving you. Was debating whether to beat him to death or drop him off a cliff.”

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