The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 137

"I, Mairiph, the temporary clan master leading the [Red Hammer], greet the great being."

Mairiph, who had barely managed to calm his mind after a long time, said with great tension, his head bowed to the ground.

Irhegue looked at Mairiph and said in a voice that suppressed his emotions as much as possible.

-Yes, if it were the old days, I would have played with you for a bit since you came here, but it seems you've come with something to do, so I'll let you go.

It wasn't a lie.

If it were Irhegue in his baby dragon days before he had grown, he would have clung to Mairiph and bothered him in many ways.

"Th-thank you! Great being!"

However, Mairiph, who didn't know such detailed circumstances, bowed his head as if he had overcome a near-death experience at Irhegue's single remark.

Heejuk-

It's a bonus that Irhegue, seeing that, did his best to hold back his laughter by holding the corners of his mouth.

Of course, even though he tried with all his might, his body was so large and it was his first time controlling his emotions, so it was obvious that he was happy.

'I must not make eye contact. I might die in an instant for being impudent.'

Mairiph was able to get away with it because he was just swallowing his saliva and looking at the ground.

Mairiph looked at the ground and felt various questions rising.

He had heard that in the consciousness of those commonly called multiple personalities, there was another personality, and it was possible to have a conversation like this, but he had never heard of a dragon suddenly appearing in a human's mind.

That's why Mairiph suppressed those questions even more.

Those who learn a secret for whatever reason must bear the weight of that secret, and Mairiph had no desire to be involved in it.

-Follow me.

Irhegue, who had been watching Mairiph quietly kneeling, felt a sense of satisfaction as his previously empty arrogance was quickly filled, and then he got up from his seat and declared to Mairiph.

At that, Mairiph, without any particular complaint, followed Irhegue, moving his short legs diligently.

It was a bonus that he was only looking at the ground to avoid making eye contact.

-Here it is.

And so, the place they arrived at was in front of the Flame Lightning Tree.

"Ooh…"

Mairiph, who was staring blankly at the Flame Lightning Tree from the front, inadvertently let out a sound of admiration.

Even from a distance, it was hard to take his eyes off its captivating charm, but up close, it felt as if this tree was the only thing that existed in this world.

-Not there. Look down.

"Yes, yes!"

But as if it were nothing in the face of a life-threatening crisis, Mairiph quickly bowed his head according to Irhegue's words.

At that, he saw a dark red door near the base of the Flame Lightning Tree, as if guiding him to a basement.

-This place where you are now is the end of this guy's surface consciousness. Below this is the unconsciousness you were trying to go to.

At Irhegue's words, Mairiph asked without realizing it.

"What's… down there?"

If it were the Mairiph from a moment ago, he would never have said such a thing.

But Mairiph, who had seen the door leading to the basement, couldn't help but ask this question.

Because as he just looked at the door, a strange sense of anxiety enveloped his body.

At that, Irhegue, who was in a good mood, said quietly, as if granting mercy.

-You'd rather throw yourself into it. If you crawl carefully, the time of suffering will only be prolonged.

Kkiiik-

Simultaneously with Irhegue's words, the door on the floor opened.

Mairiph thought for a moment, then threw himself at the door with all his might, as if skydiving.

And in the place he entered, Mairiph faced a new world again.

A fresh, vibrant red and a dark, blood-red color that seemed to have been robbed of everything.

A world where two colors intersected and mixed, like a drop of blood falling from someone's body slowly turning black.

That world violently shook Mairiph's mind and screamed.

But Mairiph couldn't pay attention to it.

Because his five senses, including his two eyes, were already firmly fixed on something in the center of the dark red world.

The guy was the only pitch-black in this blood-red world and the being that had painted this world with blood.

A monster that tore everything apart and moved without end.

Mairiph, without realizing it, tried to reach out his hand towards that monster, and at that moment.

"Heo-eok!!!"

Mairiph, as if waking up from a nightmare, gasped for breath and came to his senses on the bed.

As he was catching his breath with a cold sweat, Mairiph reflexively turned his head at the presence he felt next to him.

"How was it, I was right, wasn't I? Then I won the bet."

There, Lee Shin was looking at Mairiph, smiling widely just as he had when he first saw him.

But for some reason?

Even though it was the same wide, annoying smile as before, in Mairiph's eyes, Lee Shin's smile.

"…You monster."

It looked so endlessly twisted that it didn't even look like a smile.

***

"…Ahjussi, will he be okay?"

"…I don't know."

Lee Hyunyoung and Lee Sieun nibbled on the cookies they had bought on the street on their way here and looked at Lee Shin.

The two, who had been having a subtle war of nerves since they first met, were now in perfect sync.

Because both of them had similar feelings of worry for Lee Shin.

The two, who had tacitly agreed to stay quiet for now so as not to cause any harm to Lee Shin, looked at Mairiph's house, which was surrounded by dwarf guards, with worried eyes.

The bet between Lee Shin and Mairiph, which had seemed like it would be decided in a short time, was still ongoing.

After grabbing Lee Shin's hand and entering his mind, Mairiph had convulsed as if he had malaria not long after, and then fainted and collapsed on the floor.

"Wh-what! Mairiph-nim has collapsed!!!"

"Emergency! Emergeeeency!!!"

"It's an attack! Call the others!!!"

At that, the dwarf guards, who had been watching the situation from outside the tent, were surprised and rushed into the tent.

It was a natural flow for them to aim their hammers and axes at Lee Shin, who was smiling as if he found it amusing in front of Mairiph.

"Hah, damn it."

"I thought this might happen…"

"Sigh…"

Watching the dwarves take out their weapons, Eun Yeonwoo and the others took out their weapons with a sigh and prepared for battle.

Knowing well how much Lee Shin liked to fight, they thought that he had come here with this in mind.

It was a sudden situation, and they hadn't said anything separately, but their opinions were all the same.

And that was the same for Lee Hyunyoung, who had only ever fought in the Pantheon.

Although Lee Hyunseok looked at Lee Hyunyoung with an anxious gaze, Lee Hyunyoung, in order not to be a hindrance at the very least, took out her reagents and raised her staff to cast a spell.

With the thought of proving what she had received from Lee Shin so far and doing her part.

"Ah, it's fine. There's no problem, and I don't particularly have any intention of fighting, so both sides, put down your weapons."

"What?"

"Yes?"

But Lee Shin, who was at the center of the situation where a fight was about to break out at any moment, just waved his hand as if there were no problem.

And then, as if he were a superior, Lee Shin said to the dwarves.

"You guys have ears too, so you heard what kind of bet this guy and I made, right? I know what you're worried about, but I didn't do anything. This guy just couldn't handle my mind and fainted."

"How can we believe…!"

"Of course you can't believe me. So I'll follow you. So put away your weapons."

As Lee Shin came out like this, the dwarves thought for a moment and then put away their weapons.

The image of Mairiph shouting at the top of his lungs to make a bet was still vivid to them.

Seeing that, Lee Shin looked at those behind him and said.

"You heard, right? I'll be resting, so you guys look around the village and gather some information. It would be good to think about the weapons you'll use in the future too."

At Lee Shin's words, they thought for a moment and then nodded their heads.

And so, the situation was settled for now.

The dwarves, who had confirmed that there was nothing wrong with Mairiph, decided to just watch Lee Shin for now, and the three, including Eun Yeonwoo, followed Lee Shin's words and went around the dwarf village to gather information.

And Lee Hyunyoung and Lee Sieun, in preparation for a 'just in case' situation, volunteered to stay here.

Although the two expressed it differently, the meaning of Lee Shin's existence was similar to both of them.

A father they didn't have, a guardian who filled that empty space and poured out the affection and attention they lacked.

Both of them had an older brother and someone who could be called an older brother, but the existence of a father was something else.

Usually playful, but when a problem arose, he would solve it as if it were nothing and give them his unsparing support; that was the father they thought of.

That's why the two naturally thought of a father when they saw Lee Shin and followed him.

So originally, the two had planned on going with Lee Shin.

But Lee Shin had refused.

He had said that he had things to talk about with Mairiph, so they should just go look around the village instead of chattering annoyingly next to him.

Pout-

Knowing Lee Shin's personality roughly, it wasn't that they hadn't thought he would come out like that, but hearing those words right in front of them, they couldn't help but feel bad.

While the two were passing the time with pouting lips.

"Get oooout-!!"

A loud shout came from inside Mairiph's house, and the dwarf guards inside poured out like rats with their tails on fire.

At that, the two, who had been chewing on cookies with a sullen expression, hurriedly got up from their seats.

"Um, um, did he wake up?"

"Huh? Ah, are you the human who was with that human?"

"Ah, yes."

Lee Hyunyoung's fist trembled for a moment at the sight of a child who looked like an elementary schooler looking up at her and speaking informally, but she calmed her fist by reminding herself that the child in front of her was older than he looked.

"Well… Mairiph-nim, who had fainted, has woken up. But we don't know what the situation is either. We went in urgently, but we were chased out like this before we could say anything."

"Ah, that from a moment ago was…"

At Lee Hyunyoung's words, the dwarf nodded his head.

"Yes, I've known him for a long time, but this is the first time he's been so serious and shouted like that. I don't know what kind of conversation will go on inside, but it doesn't seem like it will be a good atmosphere."

At the dwarf's words, Lee Hyunyoung and Lee Sieun simultaneously touched their weapons.

Thinking that now might be the chance to step up, repay the debt they owed to Lee Shin, and show their growth.

Of course.

Kkiik-

That didn't happen.

"Hah, I don't know how I got involved with a monster like this."

"Right, it would have been fine if you had just listened to me."

"Kkeung… I shouldn't even bother talking."

Before the two could do anything, Lee Shin and Mairiph walked out of Mairiph's house.

Lee Hyunyoung and Lee Sieun looked at the two with dazed eyes.

Mairiph, who was walking out with heavy sighs, and Lee Shin, who was teasing him with a wide smile.

No matter who looked, it was not a sight that needed help.

(End of Chapter)