chapter 18
Yet Sain did not stop approaching.
“Let’s get to the point.”
Suddenly, right in front of her.
Arin was undoubtedly the strong one.
“Why did you seek me out? For revenge?”
Sain looked down at Arin as if he were the stronger one.
“No, if that were the case, you wouldn’t have spared me.”
Three shadows once called the protectors of the old empire.
Among them, Seymour might have harbored thoughts of revenge against Sain, who brought down the empire.
“I don’t know if that’s possible. Anyway.”
Sain said.
“Don’t you have something you want from me?”
Arin sought something from the harbinger of doom, that was Sain’s conclusion.
“Tell me what you want. I will decide whether to listen or not.”
“…Hah.”
In the end, Arin let out a sigh.
“I heard the stories, but it’s really you. Sain Archipald.”
“I am Sain Demorus now.”
“Right. You have something you want.”
Even the title had changed imperceptibly.
“My father instructed me to find the harbinger and make them pay for the empire’s sins, but I have a different opinion.”
“Don’t talk about things you don’t know.”
It has been a hundred years.
And only the head of the family is granted the right to support the royal family.
“All I know is Jiran, that person.”
“Is that so?”
“What?”
“That person is my father.”
Jiran Seymour.
A man who had also been his mentor.
-Your Highness, I hope for the day when my blade will always be there to support you.
It seems like a story that has been told before.
“My age…?”
“Even for the Hwang family, it seems there were talks of being too lacking in manners.”
Boom!
Magical power began pouring out from Arin.
“Hey! Why are you like this! Just because of age!”
Kwaaaah!
With a stronger surge, Sein took a step back unconsciously.
He might have prepared for this moment just in case, but he never imagined it would be solely because of his age.
“Let’s get to the point as we agreed.”
Boom!
Sein’s body was thrown back by the bursting energy.
“I will confirm that you are the harbinger of destruction.”
“…This should be enough!”
“And if you are the harbinger of destruction….”
Arin, floating in the air.
It seemed like every moonlight existed to illuminate her body.
When she gestured with her hand.
Wooong!
The entrance of the iron mine began to resonate and emit light.
‘That’s…’
A magic Sein was familiar with.
A kind of space magic, the highest level magic that connected spaces.
“I need to confirm if you have the power to fulfill my purpose.”
“…You’re testing me?”
Sein, who seemed about to be pushed back, was now resisting Arin’s energy.
“It’s a deal.”
Arin said.
“The harbinger of destruction does not tolerate being tested.”
“…You seem to have heard quite a bit about me from Jiran.”
Roar!
The entrance of the iron mine, bathed in moonlight, opened its mouth wide and began to suck Sein in.
“The price is….”
Sein, being swept in.
He smiled and said,
“It should be sufficient.”
“Promise.”
When Sein opened his eyes, he was met with darkness.
Through the spatial portal created by Arin, the place they arrived at was…
“What…?”
It was a place where only a dense darkness and a damp aura could be felt.
As Sein focused their magical energy, the thick darkness began to reveal itself clearly.
“Ruins?”
It resembled ruins.
Traces of a civilization etched everywhere.
Upon closer inspection, the quite familiar style was that of the Empire.
“I hope it’s not Seymour’s doing.”
This space was clearly one Arin had prepared for a long time.
Especially the spatial portal she used was not only difficult to use easily but also required numerous materials and preparations.
This place probably was…
‘Seymour’s Secret Chamber.’
A secret that the Seymour family had kept for a long time.
Sein continued to observe the space without tension.
‘The density of magical energy is high.’
In the current world, the density of magical energy was very low.
However, in this place, the density of magical energy was felt to be higher than the current Chutwerry, or even higher than that.
“Magic circles? Or…”
What could be increasing the density of magical energy?
-I should check if I have the ability to match my opponent.
-The price will be sufficient.
What exactly had Arin prepared?
One thing was certain.
Sneer.
It wouldn’t be easy.
The density of magical energy, the dampness of the air, could be seen.
‘A high-level dungeon.’
This space had a danger comparable to at least a high-level dungeon.
If it was a high-level dungeon, it was a dungeon with a challenging level that required at least level 20 to attempt.
For Sein, who hadn’t even reached level 10 yet, it was a level that shouldn’t even be dreamt of.
But they were confident.
“I won’t be thrown into a situation where they say they’ll check my abilities and then push me to my death.”
As long as Arin had something she wanted, she wouldn’t let Sein die.
No, at least…
‘Until the check is complete, they won’t just leave me to die.’
As long as the purpose is known, there is nothing to fear.
“Perdition…”
If they are pursuing a name fitting for being cursed, then their wish must also be grand.
Sein, who had been moving forward unconsciously, suddenly stopped.
“It’s been a while.”
The dense air, the magical scent of the dungeon.
Hundreds, thousands of times, the space that had been explored countless times was none other than the dungeon.
Different, yet fundamentally similar.
Sigh.
Sein began stretching, pressing on his legs.
Although his heart wasn’t keeping up with the smooth usage of magic, what Sein had regained wasn’t just magic.
The memories and experiences of past lives gained through the reincarnation lamp.
And because it was a game.
Grin.
Stats were the key.
The more special abilities inherited, the more one’s previous stats carried over.
Hence, the reason why the increase in stats through leveling up for a reincarnator was minimal.
“The beginning of the dungeon is.”
Sein drew his dagger and scratched the dungeon wall.
A chunk of rock the size of a fist was torn off.
The moment he threw it.
Boom!
A barrage of spears filled the space.
“Indeed, a trap.”
Sein was most confident in this area.
*
*
*
Sein, or rather the original Kim Sein, was a sort of recluse loner living shut away in his house, isolated from society.
Only one thing he did.
-Reincarnation.
In fact, reincarnation could be considered Sein’s entire life.
Amidst the vast life of Sein, countless lives of reincarnation were lined up.
The reason Sein could sustain life was solely due to reincarnation.
Papapapat!
Arrows shot out.
Each carrying potent magic, some even containing deadly venom.
The traps triggering in succession seemed to be viciously intent on draining the intruder’s spirit and snuffing out their life.
Tatatat!
Sein.
Tatat!
Was dismantling all those traps.
Accelerating speed, leaping high and spinning in the air.
Thud.
Before he knew it, Sein was casually walking through the traps.
Swoosh!
An arrow flew by, barely grazing Sein’s cheek.
Dripping blood.
“You have to avoid poison, but sometimes you just have to take a hit.”
Unavoidable traps were navigated with minimal damage.
– Guide to Sanctuary Traps.
A video that had been uploaded to YouTube quickly spread, reaching millions of views.
– Crazy, is this for real?
– Wow, he’s insane.
That was the starting point.
– Birdman! Birdman!
Nickname: Birdman.
The video that would make Sein’s name echo throughout the world.
Due to his deep love for Sanctuary, Sein dissected every element of the game.
To him, traps were nothing more than simple math problems he had long mastered.
“Absolutely.”
He could also be certain because of the traps.
“Remnants of the ancient empire.”
The conditions for trap activation.
The elements making up the traps.
Even the methods to bypass them.
These were the traps encountered when progressing through empire-related stories or quests.
At times.
Whoosh!
Moving torches to utilize shadows to pierce through blocked walls.
Tock, tick.
Sometimes, gathering small stone pieces to create intricate patterns and unlock hidden doors.
Creak.
It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Different from the days when he pondered life trapped in a back alley.
“This is it.”
Sein was feeling a rush of happiness like never before.
The reason he couldn’t help but love Sanctuary.
One of the reasons being the traps that made up this place.
Of course, he couldn’t perfectly bypass every trap.
“Almost bit the dust there.”
Traps that couldn’t be breached with his current stats and skills.
Enduring the damage, he pushed forward with minimal losses.
Passing through traps filled with thousands of arrows, spears, swords, and axes.
Thud, thud. Thud.
Sein was covered in blood, gasping for breath as he had no choice but to push on.
And he had something prepared for moments like this.
Embrace!
The clean pop of a glass bottle being uncorked.
Plop.
Without a moment of hesitation, Sein swallowed what was inside, and his wounds began to heal at a rapid pace.
Hundreds, thousands of lives left behind.
There were not only blacksmiths there.
“Borfeo is good. I can get special potion ingredients.”
Once known as the Tears of Heaven, Sein’s special potion was proving its effectiveness.
In no time, the perfected Sein could easily navigate through all traps.
“Tsk. If only I could use magic.”
If only the Dragon Heart was intact, he wouldn’t waste his precious potion or suffer unnecessary injuries.
The most challenging imperial trap was merely basic arithmetic for Sein.
“….”
But he didn’t think this was the end.
The atmosphere shifted once again.
“You’ve prepared a lot.”
It seemed there were more than just empire traps here.
*
*
*
A dense magic that clung like a leech.
To be precise, it wasn’t magic.
‘Magia.’
Corrupted, possessing qualities different from magic.
Destructive and ferocious, this magic was referred to as Magia.
While many beings in the Sanctuary used Magia, there were some who could truly be called the masters of Magia.
“Magia in the Empire’s ruins.”
Now he understood.
“You seem to have really studied a lot.”