Genius Corpse-Collecting Warrior - Chapter 43
Jeongsan (1)
Kurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtur-
The old stone chamber door opened with a rough noise. Dust falls in a hazy haze.
Dallen entered the stone chamber, fanning the dust with his hand.
The dark stone room without a single torch is the devil’s secret place leading from the cavity.
It was a place where the devil stored his treasures.
“…Tsk.”
However, after looking around the spacious stone room, Dallon briefly clicked his tongue.
There was too much without anything.
Originally, this place should have been filled with shiny armor, weapons, chests of gold coins, and prisoners selected by the devil to be used as sacrifices.
The original order was to rescue the living prisoners, hold a funeral for the dead prisoners, and then divide the treasure according to the contribution of the punitive force.
However, what was in front of me now was not magnificent treasures or unconscious prisoners.
‘This is my first time seeing such a poor devil while playing this game.’
Most of the space is filled with dust that has accumulated over many years.
The only thing in the place was a pile of corpses in one corner and a pile of magic stones next to it.
Even the few weapons and armor lying next to the magic stone did not seem to be of very high value.
They were all items taken from the corpses of explorers, and most of the explorers who came to slay the demons at this point were in confusion.
‘A few years later, it would have become a treasure trove overflowing with gold coins, top-quality magic stones, high-quality armor and weapons, etc.’
A feeling of disappointment creeping up.
But Dallon shook his head.
The fact that the devil has amassed so much wealth means that many explorers will eventually lose their lives at his hands.
And unlike ordinary people, Dallen is in a position where he must prevent the end of the world by looking into the distant future.
Preventing the loss of explorers who could one day become humanity’s power was a more profitable business than earning a few handfuls of gold coins.
Dallen shook off some regret and approached the pile of corpses.
“Ugh…”
At that time, the groans of dying people came from the pile of corpses.
They were survivors.
“Lord…kill me…give me…”
one survivor asked with slurred pronunciation. The brain could be seen sticking out of the broken skull.
Even though they were survivors, they were not alive with normal appearance.
In fact, he was so mortally wounded that it would not be surprising if he died right away, and was only continuing his life with the help of the devil’s magic.
‘It’s like the soul was roughly sewn onto a body that was practically dead.’
The explorers, with their limbs torn off and their internal organs mangled, were left unattended for as little as a few days or as long as several weeks.
Because what the devil wanted was the soul of a fresh victim who died after terrible pain.
Of course, the probability of them surviving converges to 0.
These people have reached a point where they cannot be saved even if they are hit with a regeneration potion right now.
Ending a long period of pain was the greatest favor a fellow human being could do.
Sreung –
Dallon drew his sword.
Some of the lifeless and glaring eyes looked relieved when they saw Dallan with his sword drawn.
Feeling bitterness in his mouth for no reason, Dallon lowered his sword.
Kwazijic!
The pile of corpses was torn apart in an instant. Lapantella’s Crushing Sword could crush rocks of the same size.
After confirming that no one survived, Dallon walked into the pile of collapsed corpses.
Two ashen corpses remained among the torn pieces of flesh and internal organs.
[I found the corpse of a wizard who had been preserved by the devil.]
[I found the corpse of an assassin who had been preserved by the devil.]
“…Fuck.”
Preserved food. Your naming sense is really crazy.
Dallen grunted and reached for the corpse. The gray corpse turned into a halo of light and seeped into his hands, adding strength.
[The corpse of the wizard that was preserved by the devil has been recovered. The ability is inherited.]
[Inheritance Reward: Magic +1 Hegaleus’ Rain of Flame (D)]
[The assassin’s body, which became the devil’s preserved food, was recovered. I inherit the ability.]
[Inheritance reward: Strength +1 Stamina +2]
A familiar feeling of elation covers my entire body. After a long time, my strength also increased.
Fortunately, there was no muscle twisting like before.
I just felt a strange sensation, as if some energy was seeping into the space between my muscle fibers.
‘Is it because my physical strength is on track? Or by forming a territory?’
It’s something we don’t know right now.
Dallen opened the status window. The level was 12.
Even at the lowest level, a devil is a devil.
The level that I had barely raised by slaying a group of labyrinth bandits and corpse giants from the Frogman tribe went up another level with just one demon.
After investing additional abilities into stamina, the stamina value has now reached 25.
At this size, it would not be hit by a truck traveling at full speed or injected into the bloodstream by a poisonous snake.
“He’s almost not a person, but a monster.”
When I returned to the group, shaking my shoulders, I saw Lucia trimming a small burial mound.
A tomb built with a broken flagstone as a tombstone and engraved with the name of Paladin Barrett.
Inside, his wounded armor was buried in place of his body that had turned to ashes.
“People are going to miss Barrett Streeman.”
Lucia said in front of the grave.
“The fallen man will be buried here with his armor, and people will remember him as a paladin who fought against the devil and died a heroic death.”
I would like you to keep his last appearance a secret. Dallon quietly nodded at Lucia’s request.
As someone who works for money, I have to do that.
Lucia spent about thirty more minutes in front of the tomb.
In the meantime, Dallen found the devil’s essence from the corpse, which had been cut into pieces, and wrapped the holy sword and Halman’s chain in thick cloth.
It didn’t take long.
After some time, the two went out again.
***
There is a huge monument in the center of the first floor of the labyrinth.
A monument that activates the magic to transfer to the labyrinth city of Falcion once a day.
This monument, commonly called the Return Monument, also served as the only safe zone in the labyrinth.
This was because the wide protective shield spread around the monument completely blocked the access of monsters.
It was exactly ten days after departing from Magul that Dallon and Lucia arrived at the safe zone.
The two stayed in the safe zone for a day and returned to Falcion through transfer magic at noon the next day.
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-u too –
contrary to the feeling of falling when going down, the transfer magic returning to the barrier tower was accompanied by the sensation of gravity being momentarily reversed.
“Ugh…”
Lucia made a disgusted expression, but quickly shook her head and followed Dallen outside.
“Would you like to go straight to the Holy Knights branch?”
Lucia asked when they arrived at the central square. Dallen shook his head.
“Go first. “I’ll stop by tomorrow or the day after.”
Since I hadn’t relaxed for over 15 days, I needed to get a good rest for about a day.
Although the increased stamina ability offset much of it, the aftereffects of regenerating the body with dragon blood while using the area still remain.
Lucia nodded and said.
“Then I will first report to the branch with the holy sword and Halman’s chain. In addition, since Dallan worked hard on this request, let’s suggest more than the compensation promised.”
“I would appreciate it if you did.”
Dallen grinned. The original request was to retrieve the Holy Sword. The story goes that killing the devil was not a necessary goal.
However, Dallen not only completed both, but also retrieved the relic that the Knights had lost a long time ago.
It was enough to receive double the originally promised compensation.
“Speaking of which, do you have anything in mind to receive in return?”
“Can I get a divinity tattoo?”
Dallen spoke without hesitation.
Holy tattoo of the Holy Knights.
The reason I chose the Holy Knights’ request among the numerous requests was because I had considered it as a reward from the beginning.
‘One of the main functions of the sacred tattoo in the game is to increase various abilities.’
Leveling up is not the only way to increase your abilities.
It was also possible to artificially increase abilities through various elixirs or spell rituals.
However, like the herbs dug up in the labyrinth, most methods had extreme side effects or various negative benefits.
The sacred tattoos of the Holy Knights were unique among them in that they had no side effects and were clean.
‘The conditions for receiving it are very strict, though.’
Originally, sacred tattoos were the exclusive property of the Holy Knights and were not tattooed on outsiders.
From the beginning, the essence was to use the divine power bestowed from the God of War with greater efficiency through tattoos.
However, there were some cases where sacred tattoos were engraved on outsiders.
A typical example is when a high-ranking noble or equivalent person visits the Holy Knights, donates a large amount of money, and politely asks for a sacred tattoo.
Lucia thought about Dallen’s words for a moment and then answered.
“It might be possible. But I wonder if Dallen can use the power of that tattoo…”
“That doesn’t matter.”
Her concerns made sense.
Although there were a few nobles who received sacred tattoos, they were unable to use the tattoo’s power.
In the first place, without the sacred power bestowed by the God of War, a sacred tattoo is not much different from an ordinary decorative tattoo.
Nobles who donate large sums of money and get sacred tattoos also consider them merely as good luck charms.
‘Items related to the god of war are considered talismans that save lives on the battlefield.’
Of course, Dallon thought differently.
You can’t just use the quest reward you get from defeating the devil on something like a lucky charm.
If sacred power was needed to use the sacred tattoo, all you had to do was obtain it somehow.
And Dallen knew exactly where to obtain that divine power.
‘The deep part of the rift, a passage leading to the labyrinth inside the valley guarded by the Holy Knights.’
The corpse that will be sleeping there will be overflowing with the divine power that he desires.
“If you want to get a sacred tattoo, you will have to go to the main altar. The power to engrave tattoos is inherited only by the Knight Commander and Deputy Knight Commander.”
“I guess I can stop by sometime.”
There was no need to rush.
Unlike before entering the labyrinth, Dallen’s physical strength had caught up to his strength by a significant amount.
Now, there is no need to lie down for days after using the area once.
Now that the main body’s abilities were barely balanced, there were other things to focus on.
‘First of all, rest comes first.’
If you keep running without stopping, one day you will collapse from exhaustion.
From the standpoint of looking ahead and preparing for the future in several years, adequate rest was not a simple option.
After promising to visit the Holy Knights branch within two days, Dallon headed to the Elgaia Tower where he was staying in the Pure Silver District.
“…What is that behind your back?”
“I came back after taking a bite. “I’ll take care of you.”
“……Wait a moment. “If you put it down in the room, the floor will sink.”
And when he saw him carrying a safe the size of a man, Felber Valentino shook his head and had to strengthen the floor of the room he was staying in with magic.
***
The next day, Dallon visited the central square again.
A 10-story building, a rare sight even in the sterling silver area on the north side of the square, had a sign reading “Labyrinth Management Office.”
The Labyrinth Management Office is a city agency that is in charge of virtually all administrative tasks related to the Labyrinth.
The reason Dallen visited this place was to formally report on the subjugation of demons.
‘The Geumgang Palace pays a significant reward in cash to the explorer who defeats the demon in the labyrinth.’
The reason Dallen recovered the essence from the devil’s corpse was to receive the reward.
Since the reward was paid directly by Geumgang Palace, which serves as the city’s government, the reward was unique from the start.
No matter how much you do, it’s only a hundred gold coins. Depending on the strength of the demon, there were cases where several chests of gold coins were exchanged.
Moreover, since Lucia vehemently refused, saying that she had never swung a sword at the devil, the reward money was entirely hers.
“This is the Labyrinth Management Office. How can I help you?”
“I brought you the essence of the devil.”
When he said that to the employee in charge of reception, the employee was shocked and took him to a higher-ranking supervisor.
This is the end of a long journey where we were guided from one superior to another.
After saying that he would bring someone in charge of subjugating demons, Dallon waited for a while in a luxurious living room.
‘I didn’t know it when I saw it on the game screen, but they really spent a lot of money on just one living room.’
Dallon thought as he sipped the coffee in his cup.
Every piece of furniture is not covered with gold leaf, and tea cups and plates are richly decorated with small jewels.
The chandelier on the ceiling shattered the sunlight coming from outside the window and scattered it throughout the room.
To add a little bit of exaggeration, the Bronze District branch of the Magic Tower Alliance looks like a local shanty town.
Whoop.
As I was enjoying coffee made from high-quality coffee beans that I could only taste on Earth, not long after, the door opened and a young man came into the living room.
Facial features with clear lines. Fine, white skin. Her hair was tied up short and neatly arranged.
The man, who looked as if he was saying, “I am a nobleman,” naturally walked over to Dallen and sat down across from him.
“Nice to meet you. “My name is Evan from the Labyrinth Management Agency.”
A man with a neat smile offers to shake Dallen’s hand.
The energy felt in the gesture and posture is so ordinary that it is difficult to find it in the pure silver area crowded with superhumans.
But Dallon knew.
This man was just born into an aristocratic family, but his abilities seem no different from any other criminal.
In fact, he was one of the transcendental people who lived in the deepest and highest part of the Diamond Palace, who had already approached him once.
‘When he appeared in the form of an old man, I was late to notice because I had never seen him in the game, but if he appeared in this designated order, the story would be different.’
When you defeat the demon in the labyrinth for the first time in the game and report it to the management office.
The player has his first encounter with the Transcendent.
And that transcendent person is the man in front of you.
The identity of the man who appears disguised as a high-ranking official of the management office is one of the twenty-six transcendents of the Geumgang Palace.
Because it was Eberron Raktala, known as ‘the face of a world of comics.’
“The great warrior who captured the attention of the gods is indeed different, as he exterminated demons on his first journey into the labyrinth.”
That’s why he laughed at the man’s words and looked at him playfully.
“I was lucky. And it seems like that luck is still following me.”
This time, Dallon was also able to answer with a smile.
“Who would have thought that I would encounter one of the Transcendents of the Twenty-Six Halls, the highest in the Diamond Palace, twice in this sterling silver area?”