novelraw Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Ch.53 I Really Thought I was Dying
Dark night.
I trudged through the forest, my body slathered in holy magic.
The reason I was doing this now was because a woman named Selena had gotten me kicked out of Edward’s house.
Though darkness blanketed everything, the holy magic made it as bright as day for me.
—Hoo, hooo.
An owl’s hoot echoed from far away.
—Sssshhk!
A wolf hidden in the grass lowered its body, eyeing me as if ready to hunt.
You’re completely visible, you know?
Thinking that, I drew Equality…
—Bang!
I strode past the wolf, which instantly collapsed, and pushed deeper into the forest.
Ahead loomed a cliff.
“Huh? Because it’s real, does it feel scarier?”
I pulled out climbing gear from my spatial bag and descended the cliffside.
After a long descent, another forest unfolded below.
This basin-like terrain was inaccessible unless one climbed down the cliff, so even players rarely found it.
When the developers first announced the existence of Concept Artifacts, players scoured even the hardest-to-reach heavenly and hellish realms—but Kirke’s Staff, hidden here, was the last to be discovered.
“If things go well, I might retrieve it by lunchtime today.”
Gazing at the forest before me, I recalled the tower’s former location.
Sssshhk, sssshhk.
“Ugh, look at that snake.”
A massive python nearby flicked its tongue, staring right at me.
—Bang!
Annoyed, I shot it once with Equality and kept walking.
After a long trek, a ruined building came into view.
I’d finally found it.
Externally, it looked like a three-story structure, but inside, it stretched far beyond imagination.
Gently pushing the entrance with my hand, a brilliant light enveloped the surroundings.
The space revealed itself:
A pure white marble path floated in midair.
Beneath it lay a pitch-black void studded with stars in every direction—like the cosmos itself.
According to the lore, this was a pocket dimension, essentially something akin to outer space.
This vast expanse seemed endless. What would happen if I fell down there?
Glancing back, I saw the original forest through the gate.
“Better finish this quickly and head back.”
As I walked down the path, golems began appearing ahead.
It’s starting now.
I swiftly eliminated the foremost golem with Equality.
—Bang!
—Bang!
The golems crumpled lifelessly.
Ignoring them, I pressed forward.
From here on, I couldn’t afford any mistakes.
The dungeon housing Kirke’s Staff boasted overwhelmingly higher difficulty than others.
There were several reasons for this…
—Whiiish! Boom!
A meteor crashed right before me, exploding on impact.
“Guh!”
Scorching heat grazed my cheek—hotter than expected.
“If that hit me… it’d be instant death.”
Burning meteor fragments littered the ground.
It was precisely because of such merciless attacks and traps that players’ lives were constantly at risk.
Ignoring the spine-chilling spectacle, I sprinted ahead.
—Woooo!
Another wave of golems surged forward.
Unlike the earlier ones that fell helplessly, these golems now radiated multicolored lights from their hands.
In that instant, fireballs, ice spears, and other nameless spells came hurtling toward me.
I rolled swiftly to dodge the barrage.
Before their next attack could launch, I unleashed rapid shots from Equality.
—Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Haah… haah… I almost died there.”
My Sage’s Pendant couldn’t block such high-tier magic.
At moments like this, the memory of my sunken ship left a bitter taste in my mouth.
If only the ship hadn’t sunk, I could’ve easily cleared this with my artifacts—but now they all lay submerged at the ocean’s bottom.
I’d give this a try; if the Goddess’s Wedding Ring’s protection broke, I’d retreat immediately.
That ring saved me once per day from a lethal blow.
If it shattered, retreat would be my first priority.
“For now, let’s keep going.”
Taking a deep breath, I advanced once more.
***
—Chirp! Chirp!
Selena awoke to the sound of morning birds.
Her mood was quite refreshed.
It had been a long time since she’d slept safely and soundly in a proper bed.
Given how often she’d lost sleep to midnight beast attacks, she couldn’t even recall the last time she’d slept this peacefully.
‘Probably… before I failed to recover the Goddess’s Wedding Ring.’
After Selena’s failure to retrieve the ring, pressure from her organization’s leadership had intensified, and guilt over her perceived incompetence had kept her from deep sleep.
Though her organization operated in the shadows, it meant everything to her.
‘Alright… better get ready to leave quickly.’
After a quick wash, she cautiously asked Edward’s mother while eating breakfast,
“Um… could you possibly make me a simple lunchbox?”
Edward’s mother frowned at Selena’s soft-spoken request.
Edward, utterly smitten by Selena’s beauty, had infuriated his mother by refusing payment for lodging—but since Selena was already a guest, it felt awkward to demand money afterward, so she’d held her tongue.
‘That shameless hussy’s got my son wrapped around her finger?’
Now, on top of that, Selena was even asking for a lunchbox. Furious, she snapped back,
“Miss, if you’ve got any conscience, why don’t you pay first before making requests?”
“Oh! I’m so sorry! I completely forgot! I’m really sorry, ma’am.”
Selena’s apologetic expression came with a hurried fumble for her purse—but Edward’s mother, already offended, curtly refused.
“Never mind. I already decided not to charge you for lodging.”
Seeing Selena’s crestfallen face, however, she relented slightly.
“I’ll just make the lunchbox anyway.”
“Oh… you really don’t have to. I’ve already caused enough trouble. At least tell me the price so I can pay.”
Her mother gave a short reply:
“Hmph! Fine. Take it before I change my mind again.”
Watching her mother head to the kitchen to start cooking, Selena felt uneasy.
‘Man, what’s wrong with me? I really should’ve paid the lodging fee.’
Just then, Edward descended the stairs, impeccably dressed.
“Oh? Edward. I haven’t paid my lodging fee yet—let me settle it now.”
But Edward declined with an overly earnest expression.
“No, no. I already decided not to accept payment.”
‘What’s wrong with him? Is he crazy?!’
His attitude shattered her good mood, and Selena inwardly panicked—but forced herself to stay calm.
Meanwhile, Edward’s mother, watching her son from the kitchen, thought to herself:
‘No wonder he can’t get married. Ugh, I’m going to die. Seriously, I’m going to die.’
Not being able to smack her son’s back right in front of a guest was her eternal regret.
After somehow finishing breakfast, Selena received a neatly packed lunchbox from Edward’s mother.
“Here you go. Eat well and travel safely.”
“Yes, thank you so much, ma’am!”
Selena replied with a bright, fresh smile.
Resuming her journey, Selena followed the deciphered Prophecy Scroll to locate where Kirke’s Staff lay hidden.
Along the way, she discovered a beast’s corpse.
“A wolf?”
A small hole pierced the large creature’s head.
‘Shot by a crossbow?’
But there were no arrows nearby—her suspicion grew.
‘What killed it?’
Clearly, something had shot it, yet Selena couldn’t identify the weapon.
Suddenly, a realization struck her.
“This… this is Equality?!”
Equality’s owner—Hans.
He’d been here.
And since the corpse hadn’t decayed yet, he must still be nearby.
“That bastard!”
Selena quickly set off down the path.
***
Combat within the pocket dimension.
—Kyaaahk!
Chimeras charged at me—leopard legs, lion torsos, crocodile heads, and three venomous serpents coiled around their tails.
“Tch!”
I switched Equality’s bullets to shotgun shells…
—Bang! Bang! Bang!
…and fired wildly.
—Gwaaahk!
—Gwek!
The chimeras collapsed mid-charge, sliding limply to the ground, while golems behind them launched spells at me.
I rolled to dodge the incoming magic and kept firing.
As the golems hit by Equality froze, my legs weakened slightly, and I sank to the floor.
“Haah… haah… damn, this is fucking hard.”
I usually tried my best to speak politely, but at this moment, cursing was unavoidable.
The labyrinthine pocket dimension seemed endless.
I’d lost track of how long I’d been inside—but subjectively, at least five or six hours had passed.
With my current artifact setup offering low magic resistance, even a glancing blow from the golems’ blind spells would inflict severe pain or critical injury—sweat beaded on my forehead.
Still, it was fortunate that chimeras were finally appearing.
After catching my breath, I drew Levi’s Dagger and slashed the air.
Crimson blood flowed across the floor.
The blood reversed course, flowing back into the chimera corpses.
Their wounds began closing…
and their eyes snapped open.
—Kyaaah…!
The undead chimeras rose.
When resurrected as undead, their stats dropped below their living capabilities.
So, I prepared buffs specifically for them.
A sinister, crimson aura oozed from the dagger.
Once the ominous, malevolent blessing concluded, I commanded,
“Protect me and eliminate my enemies.”
Forcing strength into my weary legs, I stood and walked on.
Time to clear this quickly.
For now, the chimeras would intercept threatening spells, making things slightly easier.
Plus, the chimera’s appearance was encouraging—
This dungeon’s defining trait was endless waves of enemies.
Early on, only golems appeared, leaving Equality as my sole reliable weapon—but the moment chimeras showed up…
—Kreeeek!
Unlike the stone golems I’d faced earlier, these newcomers had sleek, platinum-colored metallic bodies.
I wiped sweat from my brow and smiled.
Now I could truly unleash Levi’s Dagger.
I mentally ordered the chimeras.
They darted nimbly between the golems.
Using Levi’s Dagger, I triggered Corpse Explosion.
—Kabooom!
Watching the golems shatter as if hit by artillery shells sent a thrill through me.
“Alright! Now let’s do this properly!”
I blew up every golem that emerged.
Each new chimera I encountered was promptly turned into an undead chimera, until I’d amassed a sizable army.
At this point, things should be easy.
—Grrrk!
—Krarrrk!
Dozens of undead chimeras trailed behind me.
Incredibly reassuring.
Clearing the dungeon this way, I finally reached the boss room.
A massive altar stood there, with a marble statue of a beautiful woman behind it.
According to lore, stepping onto the altar would awaken the statue as a guardian—a grand mage’s guardian capable of casting dragon-tier magic.
I extended my foot onto the altar.
The statue’s pristine white marble transformed into human-like skin, and its amethyst eyes snapped open.
I pulled the trigger instantly.
—Bang!
“Ugh!”
Ignoring the guardian collapsing in a spray of blood, I seized the long wooden staff resting on the altar.
Its black-wood shaft held a deep crimson orb at the tip.
This was Kirke’s Staff—a broken item that enabled the user to cast every spell except dragon-exclusive breath attacks.
Among Concept Artifacts, none surpassed Kirke’s Staff in raw magical firepower.
“Ah, that was exhausting. Seriously thought I’d die.”
All that walking, rolling, running—and staying up all night—left me utterly drained.
“But I’ll sleep outside.”
I stood up, summoned one undead chimera, and climbed onto its back.
“Just take me to the entrance.”
With that, I drifted off into unconsciousness.
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