Chapter 65 – East of Tartaros (２)

[Oh?]

The moment they arrived in the Forest of the Dead, a familiar figure caught his eye.

“Riri?”

It was Riri.

[Lady Libre… and Master Seeker!]

Riri approached them, her face bright with joy.

[What brings you here?]

“It’s about something.”

Gijun glanced at Libre.

Libre pulled out the Irbrium.

[This must be shown to your king.]

[I—I see.]

The moment she saw the Irbrium, Riri flinched and ducked behind Gijun.

She might not know what it was, but instinct told her to recoil.

Understanding Riri’s feelings, Libre quickly stowed the Irbrium back into subspace.

Only then did Riri let out a breath, her expression brightening.

[For now… follow me.]

They followed Riri for a few minutes.

[Hm?]

The King of the Dead, Mahabi.

They stood before him again.

[Libre, and you who chase the light.]

Mahabi greeted them warmly.

[What brings you here?]

Libre brought out the Irbrium once more.

In that instant, Mahabi’s expression hardened.

[That is….]

[Yes. It’s the Monarch’s remnant.]

[Hamal must have told you, no?]

Libre nodded.

[Hmm… yes. That metal can’t be used by an ordinary human, but if it passes through a craftsman’s hands… a Seeker who carries the light should be able to wield it.]

After a moment’s thought, Mahabi spoke.

[Go to the eastern edge of this Underworld. There you will find him.]

He held out something as he spoke.

[This is my token. Show it, and he won’t treat you shabbily.]

Gijun accepted it.

[You have acquired the Token of Mahabi.]

A circular token.

At its center, a ghostly figure was engraved.

‘Treat us shabbily, huh.’

The craftsman must have quite a temper.

[Never lose that token. Without it, you won’t even get close….]

He trailed off and shook his head.

[In any case, good luck.]

‘He even wished me good luck.’

Somehow, this felt more nerve-racking than facing a General of the Underworld.

Gijun exchanged another round of farewells before returning to the Temple of the Warrior.

He stepped out of the temple and emerged from the cave without delay.

Amalta was still far from fully recovered.

Which meant, once again, Gijun would have to move alone.

It would be a bit risky, but he felt certain the gamble was worth taking.

“The eastern edge, she said…”

And then.

The Compass of the Underworld spun—then locked onto a single direction.

With a soft whir, it pointed unerringly ahead.

“At least I won’t have to worry about getting lost.”

*

Around that same time.

‘This is….’

Hera.

She arrived at the site of the massive explosion, breathless and wary.

But now, not a trace of life lingered here.

Only scattered Demon Beast carcasses and the rubble of a collapsed wall remained.

‘There was definitely a battle here.’

That much was certain.

‘Which means someone was inside it.’

She was hunting for a Player—the one who had entered Tartaros before her.

Until now, she hadn’t found a single clue.

But finally, she’d stumbled onto something she could call a trace.

A real trail.

‘But what the hell is this….’

The sight stunned her.

‘This wasn’t some small skirmish.’

From the wreckage alone, it was clear a fight on the scale of a major guild clash had taken place.

‘What happened here?’

According to the reports she’d heard, only a single Player had set foot inside.

Was she supposed to believe that one person had taken down all these enemies alone?

‘Who the hell is it?’

She knew of no Player among her acquaintances who had entered Tartaros.

That meant they were someone she didn’t know.

‘Among the ranked Players… there’s almost no one I haven’t heard of.’

No matter how she turned it over, she couldn’t guess.

A Player with specs this strong—there was no way she wouldn’t know them.

And yet, nothing came to mind.

‘First, I need to….’

She refocused on the trail.

Then.

‘Ah.’

She spotted two sets of footprints leading away in a single direction.

‘Two people moved this way.’

Tracks of two people.

‘And there’s blood.’

One of them was injured, leaving a trail of blood.

She followed the marks without pause.

And finally, she reached the mouth of a cave.

‘…A cave.’

The moment she stepped toward it.

Crackle!

“…Kh.”

The cave rejected her.

A message flashed before her eyes.

[You lack the qualifications to enter.]

No entry.

‘But the tracks clearly lead inside…’

The footprints unmistakably continued into this cave.

No, wait.

‘It looks like they came out….’

That was it.

There were definitely footprints leading back outside.

‘East….’

The direction was east.

‘Who the hell is that person?’

She narrowed her brow.

And the curiosity began to gnaw at her, more and more.

This mysterious Player.

‘First….’

She started moving.

‘Let’s follow.’

Her judgment was that following the footprints was the right call.

And as she moved, she thought:

‘I hope they’re cooperative….’

She prayed the Player who’d set foot here first wasn’t a bad person, at least.

‘If someone with this much influence had bad intentions….’

That might turn into a real headache.

*

‘So a place like this existed.’

The east of Tartaros.

This place gave off a completely different atmosphere from the Tartaros Jun had been fighting in until now.

‘It’s kind of fascinating.’

From the moment he’d entered the east, Magi was no longer perceptible — not a trace.

It really felt like he’d stepped into an entirely different world.

‘I can see villages.’

Unlike the place that had been filled only with endless darkness and swarming Demon Beasts and Underworld warriors, small villages began to appear as he moved east.

And people — well, beings he was hesitant to call people — were living there.

‘They look a bit like beastfolk….’

Outwardly, they resembled beastfolk.

Quite alien in appearance.

But as much as Jun found them strange, they found him just as alien.

They averted their gazes or hid to watch him secretly at the sight of his appearance.

“What race is that?” he asked.

[They are a race of the Underworld. Called the Svihas.]

“Sviha….”

[I don’t know them well, but I’ve heard they’ve existed since the creation of the world. A race that originally dwelt in the Upper Realm when the God created the world. But I recall a tale that they were hated by the Upper Realm races and eventually descended to this Underworld.]

“…I see.”

Hearing that, Mahabi’s words came to mind.

Talk about possible mistreatment, or wishing him luck.

After all, from their perspective, Jun was a being of the Upper Realm — the human world.

And if they truly were beings driven out by the Upper Realm and forced into this Underworld,

It wouldn’t be so strange for them to radiate hostility toward him.

That was when it happened.

Thud!

“…Ugh.”

A pebble, flying from somewhere, struck Jun’s head.

“Get lost! You evil human!” shouted a small child, glaring at Jun with a furious face.

The kid looked up at him, utterly enraged.

“Come here!” a voice called out.

Just then, a Sviha who seemed to be the child’s mother grabbed him and vanished somewhere.

“Hmph… I ended up the villain without expecting it.”

[It appears that way.]

‘Can’t be helped.’

He didn’t really feel any ill will.

And so Jun and Libre crossed through the village, continuing eastward.

*

A little further on,

they finally left the village behind.

‘It seems to be that way….’

The moment he left the village, a massive mountain came into view in the distance.

But it was no ordinary mountain.

A black mountain, entirely bathed in a dark sheen.

What’s more, it was a volcano.

Even now, at this very moment, lava was flowing from its peak.

Gruesome.

Even watching from afar, he could feel an ominous presence.

The black sky and the eerily matched black mountain gave off a desolate atmosphere so thick it reached him all the way out here.

But then—

Kraaaaaaah!

A beast’s sudden roar erupted from that direction, followed by a plume of thick smoke.

“W-What the hell?!”

The roar closed in an instant, and before he knew it, over a dozen beasts emerged from the haze.

Huge black wolves.

But they had three pairs of eyes and six legs.

On top of that, their tails split into three, writhing like living snakes.

Grruh, grrrr…

The dozen beasts circled Gijun.

Their message was clear: make one move, and they’d pounce.

This is dangerous.

Those bastards were a whopping Level 280.

If over a dozen Level-280 beasts charged him at once, even Gijun would be in serious trouble.

And Amalta isn’t here either.

If Amalta were around, he might have found a way to fight back… but.

No, to be honest, even with Amalta, this would be a moment of crisis with no guarantees.

But then—

Thud!

Another heavy footstep sounded from ahead, and something emerged.

What is that?

At a glance, it looked like a minotaur.

Its head was bovine, with two massive horns thrusting toward the sky.

But its body was unmistakably human.

Of course, its height and those bulging muscles were far beyond any human limit.

“Who are you?”

The mysterious figure who appeared spoke.

But Gijun realized something.

That man might just be the craftsman Hamal and Mahabi had mentioned.

[Show him that token, quickly.]

Libre seemed to feel the same way and urged Gijun.

Gijun hurriedly pulled out the token he’d received from Mahabi.

The moment he saw it, the man’s eyes narrowed.

“That is… the Token of Mahabi.”

“That’s right.”

“…Hmph…”

The man let out a whistle as soon as he confirmed the token.

Grruh, grrrr…

At the signal, the beasts encircling Gijun slunk back toward the man.

“I take it you’re the Monarch of the Upper Realm.”

The man recognized Libre as well.

But he showed her no respect or awe.

Instead, he just shot her a contemptuous glance.

“Don’t think being the Monarch of the Upper Realm means you can pressure me. Even the Monarchs of the Underworld don’t dare to touch me lightly.”

“…”

Arrogant—no, brimming with confidence.

But those words were no bluff.

That man’s domain—and the fact that the villages we’d passed hadn’t fallen into the Monarchs’ grasp—was clear proof of his immense influence.

“I don’t know how a human came to possess that, but you’d best put it away. I have no fondness for beings of the Upper Realm.”

“…But…”

Gijun didn’t back down.

Of course, retreat was never an option.

Not when the man before him was a craftsman who could work Irbrium.

“I won’t warn you again. Get lost now. If you ignore my warning one more time…”

And then it happened.

“…!”

Libre had already drawn the Irbrium, holding it up.

The man’s eyes widened at the sight.

“That is…?”