Chapter 68 – East of Tartaros (５)

What in the world was she saying?

Instead of explaining further, she just gave a faint smile and turned around.

“Shall we go? Head toward the next destination?”

“Ah… ah, yes.”

Tilting his head in bewilderment, Gijun started moving again.

“Follow me.”

Gijun moved.

Toward where Tubaku was.

*

‘I wonder if they’ll even make it back.’

Tubaku thought to himself.

‘His spirit was admirable, I’ll give him that.’

Bask was no easy prey.

What made the creature truly fearsome wasn’t its raw strength.

‘It’s that horrific venom.’

Even most of the underworld’s Demon Beasts would tuck tail and flee at the sight of it.

Larger, stronger beasts were no different.

Without neutralizing its poison, they wouldn’t last an hour inside that lair.

And if it landed a direct poison strike, even he wasn’t confident he could bring it down.

‘I can’t deny the kid’s got potential.’

Libre, the Flame Monarch — famous for her pride — had chosen that human.

Of course he’d have remarkable potential.

But potential and actual power were two very different things.

So the odds of that human coming back converged on zero.

‘Still a shame, though.’

At the same time, he felt regret.

The Monarch’s thought-form flickered before his eyes.

‘I wanted to work that metal myself.’

As a smith, his greed for rare metals was something he could never shake.

The joy of forging a weapon from a difficult, magnificent metal — no words could capture it.

‘But I can’t leave this place.’

As much as I want to, even risking the poison, I’d love to take that creature’s venom sac for myself…

But reality won’t let me.

‘Damn it.’

At the same time, rage at the Monarchs of the Underworld surges up again, burning hot.

Those wretched bastards who, even after being cast out of the Upper Realm, shoved us into this corner of the Underworld.

I held this ground with everything I had, barely scraping by to defend it.

But if those things stir awake again, I can’t be sure I’d hold this land a second time.

‘No.’

Yet he shakes his head, casting the doubt aside.

‘I will protect it — no matter what.’

This last sanctuary.

Driven back and back until there’s nowhere left to go, still he has a duty to guard this land.

Just then—

Keo-heong! Keong! Keong!

The wolves began to howl.

“Mm…?”

Tubaku’s gaze shifted.

And there…

“How?”

That mage from earlier was walking toward him now.

For an instant, he wondered.

Could it be…?

A fleeting hope crossed his mind — that the mage had brought Bask’s venom sac.

*

“I brought it.”

Gijun held out the venom sac in front of Tubaku.

“No way… I never thought you’d actually retrieve it.”

Tubaku looked back and forth between the venom sac and Gijun, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Truth is, I didn’t get it alone.”

“Mm…?”

“This person helped me.”

Gijun glanced at Hera as he spoke.

He had no desire to lie.

Lying wouldn’t get him anything anyway.

“…Hm.”

Tubaku’s brow furrowed slightly as he looked at Hera, a human.

“…No.”

But he shook his head again, dismissing the thought.

My enemy right now is clear.

He knew exactly who threatened him at this moment.

The beings of the Upper Realm driving them out — that was a story from ages past.

Hardly any of those from that era remained now.

But here, right now, the ones directly threatening him were unmistakable.

The Monarchs of the Underworld.

Then this was no time to waste on meaningless resentment.

Thinking this, Tubaku spoke.

“I’m grateful.”

Hera smiled lightly and nodded, and Tubaku turned his gaze back to Gijun.

“You, wait a while. It may take some time.”

“Understood.”

Gijun answered readily.

What was a little time, after all?

With that, Tubaku carried the venom sac and the Irbrium and headed toward his workshop.

“Thanks, Hera.”

“Not at all, Master Jun. Helping you in this moment is my joy.”

“…”

Gijun fell silent.

No doubt about it — this woman was far from ordinary.

[A suspicious woman. I didn’t notice at first, but I’m starting to feel a strange madness from her.]

Libre crept close to Gijun’s ear and whispered as much.

Still… it’s not like I’m losing out here.

Right.

It was impossible to guess what she was thinking, but at least she didn’t seem like someone who would bring harm to Gijun.

This could be a good opportunity.

If a massive guild like Saint was willing to help him,

then Gijun would surely be able to grow faster from here on out.

*

“Hmm.”

Tubaku.

He stared at the metal in his hands.

To an outsider, it would look like nothing more than a hunk of pitch-black metal.

But he could feel it.

No — more precisely, he could see it.

The colossal malice writhing inside this metal.

You.

Inside it, he saw a Monarch.

A Monarch of the Underworld.

That dark, vile soul.

Even now, the Monarch seemed to be speaking to Tubaku.

Threatening to devour him soon.

Don’t make me laugh.

But Tubaku just snorted.

In the end, I’ll forge with my own hands a future where you stab your own body.

A weapon that stabs its wielder.

Yes. That was exactly it.

Tubaku was using the Monarch’s own will against it, planning to create a weapon that would pierce the Monarch itself.

The very thought made it impossible to contain his excitement.

Be consumed by your own arrogance and writhe in agony.

Having placed the Irbrium on the anvil, Tubaku then poured Bask’s deadly venom over it.

At that moment—

Fsssshhh!

The virulent poison of Bask began to suppress the Monarch’s will.

Then Tubaku lifted his massive hammer and brought it down on the Irbrium with all his might.

Kraaaang!

*

“Amazing. I can’t believe a world like this exists.”

Hera had been surveying the surroundings for a long while.

“So you’re saying all these people were driven out by beings called the Monarchs of the Underworld?”

“At least, as far as I know.”

“That’s extremely interesting. So what happens if we drive out the Monarchs?”

“…Hmm, I wonder?”

That much, Gijun didn’t know.

“I see. Well, isn’t that something we can find out together?”

“Haha, I suppose so…”

“If we join forces, I’m sure we can do it.”

It was a little burdensome, but also reassuring.

Especially after seeing her fight Bask with her own eyes.

And now.

Klang! Clang! Kraaang!

The thunderous noise rolling in from the distance kept growing in intensity.

The flames surging alongside it blazed so bright they lit up the world like a rising sun.

*

[He’s coming.]

Several days had already passed.

During that time, the sound of hammering metal and the roar of violent flames had never ceased for a single moment.

But finally, Tubaku emerged.

The once massive and powerful-looking Tubaku appeared greatly exhausted.

And yet, his eyes still burned with a sharp, fierce light.

So that’s…

In Tubaku’s hands was a long staff.

A staff that radiated a pitch-black gleam.

“Ahem…“

Tubaku had already closed the distance, now standing directly before Gijun.

He extended the staff toward Gijun.

“Take it. This rod will let you combine with that Orb you’re holding.”

“!!”

Only then did Gijun grasp Tubaku’s intent.

A staff designed to fuse with the Orb of Earth he carried, creating a complete weapon.

True to the being’s words, the staff’s tip bore a carefully shaped cavity, sized to cradle an Orb.

Gijun took the offered staff in his hand and brought the Orb to its tip.

In that instant,

the staff’s end opened like a living mouth, wrapping around the Orb and merging with it of its own accord, a soft whisper of metal against stone.

//

At the same moment, a message flashed before him.

[Staff of Thought]

-Equip Requirement: Level 500

-Additional Condition: A Player below the requirement level may equip this once, with the creator’s permission.

-Grade: Transcendent

>Physical Attack: 2000

>Magical Attack: 5500

>Magic Power +250

>All Stats +50

>Magical Attack +700%

>Casting Speed +200%

>Mana Recovery +50%

>MP Recovery Rate +150%

>Maximum MP +500%

>Blessing of the Earth

-Physical Defense +200%

-Elemental Resistance +70%

-Shield Capacity +2000

>Impulse of Thought

-Dark Attribute Attack +1000

-Dark Attribute Resistance +1200

-Bonus Damage to Dark-Attribute Enemies +350%

>The Blade That Pierces Itself

-Monarch’s Soul Body (0)

-Additional Effect: –

Huh…

The item’s options were so staggering his jaw nearly dropped.

The Orb of Earth he’d been using suddenly felt pathetically inadequate by comparison.

But with such incredible options came a level requirement just as daunting.

Level 500.

At his current level, he couldn’t even dream of equipping it.

Yet, there was the additional condition.

The creator’s permission.

A clause that allowed him to wear the item with the maker’s consent.

Of course, only once.

Meaning if he unequipped it after putting it on with that permission, he could never don it again.

To re-equip it, he’d have to reach Level 500 legitimately.

At that precise moment,

[The will of Tubaku—creator of the Staff of Thought—permits you to equip this item.]

A message like that appeared.

[Temporarily lifting the item’s equip restriction.]

[You have equipped the Staff of Thought.]

And so, Gijun found himself wielding the Staff of Thought.

The staff stood over two meters tall, yet felt utterly weightless in his hands.

He could hardly believe it was forged from metal.

That aside…

He stared, mouth agape, at the endless cascade of options.

It’s like the Orb of Earth got an upgrade.

That was exactly it.

The Staff of Thought preserved most of the Orb of Earth’s effects and amplified them.

On top of that, entirely new functions had been added.

Thought-Eruption.

These were all options tied to the Dark attribute.

Each one was nothing short of monstrous.

And then, below them, something else had been added…

A blade that stabs itself…?

He couldn’t make sense of what that meant.

Right then, Tubaku spoke.

“That staff carries my earnest wish.”

“Your earnest wish, sir?”

“Yes. A wish to slay the monarch who threatens us. Though I cannot do it myself, I poured that wish into the weapon.”

Tubaku was utterly spent, his breaths ragged as he steadied himself.

After a moment to catch his breath, he continued.

“The staff’s body is made from the monarch’s own thoughts. But now those very thoughts have become a blade that stabs itself. Use that weapon to bring down the monarch. Once the monarch’s own thoughts enshroud its soul-body, that staff will grow even stronger.”

“…!”

Only then did Gijun grasp the meaning of that final added option—the blade that stabs its own self.

And it showed just how deeply Tubaku had buried his hatred for the Monarchs in his heart.

“I will make sure of it.”

“…Good.”

Tubaku didn’t add another word.

Instead, he turned silently, his body moving without a sound.

[You must be exhausted.]

Tubaku staggered as if he might collapse at any moment.

Watching his retreating back, Gijun let out a deep breath.

“Alright.”

Then Gijun turned around himself.

“Let’s head back for now.”

It was time to go meet Hamal again.

And…

‘I still need to take down the rest.’

Two generals remained.

It was their turn to fall.