Chapter 39 - Moving On

 

Midnight had long since passed, but as the 'day' that only seemed to endlessly drag on gradually moved towards the next, so did Jae’s brief stay in Bahgwud Village.

“......”

Donning a blank, indecipherable expression on his face, Jae stared down at his left arm, feeling as if something was missing now that it no longer had the fur blanket wrapped around it.

...Dad... Huh.

The only thing on his mind was the bizarre string of events that filled the day―namely, the matter of the ‘lost child’ he couldn’t seem to rid his conscience of; Rena. Trudging through the dark and desolate forest where no creature dared to approach him, Jae paid the wary animals and weak monsters no mind as he only contemplated something in silence.

[Are you sure you should’ve left so haphazardly? As that man said, you could have stayed the night to guarantee the child’s safety, no?]

“......”

―Or at least, as much silence as he could achieve, which, granted, wasn’t much.

[Your reasoning was something along the lines of, ‘This is what is best for her’, correct? However, despite saying something about responsibility, you went and left her there anyway, knowing that she was in a vulnerable state. Isn’t that rather hypocritical?]

“What do you want? Don’t think you guys can judge me. Of all people, none of you can talk shit about anything I do.”

What’s even the problem with what I did, huh? Your entire existence is based on sin, so you’re one to talk.

“If you don’t understand or don’t like it, just shut up and watch.”

[Hm. I didn’t say I didn’t understand or like it. I merely pointed out an inconsistency I observed.]

“Yeah? Well, nobody asked.”

There shouldn’t be any problems now that she doesn’t remember me, and sticking around defeats the purpose of doing it entirely. Besides, I trust Gadeun to do a good job of taking care of her while I’m out searching.

For starters, Gadeun’s “solution” to the issue of Jae being seen as Rena’s father was simple―Magic... Well, sort of. Truthfully, it was a little more complicated than that. As he explained it, Bahgwud was originally founded by the king in order to safeguard a potentially dangerous magical artefact left behind by the Great Sage of old; by hiding it from the rest of the world in the middle of the uninhabited Great Forest, they ensured utmost security.

The reason why Gadeun was spared by the king was for the safe keeping of this item, known as a relic. It was also why there were no other villages in the vicinity of Bahgwud; to reinforce the isolation of the village and lower the chance that someone of unsavoury character might wind up there.

And, this relic in particular was special because it was said to have the power of manipulating the mind.

I’m lucky Gadeun trusted me enough to reveal the secret to me... I guess it helped a ton that we’re both against the royal family. Although, shouldn’t the king have been more willing to execute him since he knew the secret? What would he do if Gadeun leaked the relic’s existence to avenge his son...? Wait, that’s exactly what happened.

It took a while to figure out how to use the stubborn relic that didn't like to activate for anyone, but with it, Jae was eventually able to erase all memories of himself from Rena's subconscious; and, for better or worse, he had to be the one to use it thanks to his abnormally high degree of Mana Manipulation.

Of course, it didn’t feel good, but it had to be done. She warmed up to Gadeun in the end, so she should be fine when she wakes up. She's got his new kid to be friends with, too, so there's that.

Recalling the bizarre spherical object stored in a dark room beneath the chief’s house, Jae wondered the extent of its power. The way Gadeun described it, it didn’t seem like he even knew for sure what it did. I managed to get it to work in the end, but its magical presence was huge... Well, that’s probably why it's being locked away in a magic energy-suppressive room in the first place.

Just as he had gotten used to a period of tranquillity, the mood was immediately disrupted once again.

[Fuck, when are you gonna do something other than walking through the same damn forest all day.]

“Haa. Do you have some way for me to get out of here right now? No? Then stop whining.”

[Ugh. What’s this runt going around playing house for, anyway? What happened to teaching me a lesson, huh? You’re gonna need a hell of a lot more time than a million years if you wanna do that while continuing this kind of behaviour.]

“...It was a thousand years.”

[What?]

“You said one thousand years originally, not one million.”

[Really? Hah. You sure it wasn’t ten thousand?]

“Well, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter; you’ll get what’s coming soon enough.”

[Oh? Think you’re big shit after being pampered by that fat lizard for a couple years, huh? Just try it and you’ll see.]

“You f--... I will.”

Tsk. This bastard gives me more motivation to train than Aphy, all to teach him a simple lesson... I don’t like it, but he’s right that I wasted a lot more time than I expected today. When am I gonna find the other Dungeons...?

Although Jae had already ‘found’ one of seven, the gateway he entered through was not the intentional portal, and so it couldn’t really be said that he knew where to find it.

Well, we’ll see.

Currently, instead of heading east towards the Demon Continent, he was retracing his steps with Charting.

When I first exited the Dungeon, the portal persisted.

Jae wanted to check if that was still the case; as the possibility of the alternative floated menacingly in his mind, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Please still be there.

He wanted to return to the cabin and see her loafing around like always.

He wanted to tell her about what crazy thing happened outside the Dungeon.

He wanted guidance on what to do next.

I want to see how she’s doing... I also need to prepare some things before I search for Rena’s family.

Gradually, the sun began to rise on the horizon hidden behind the endless trees. More time had passed than Jae had thought, but that was fine. The odd rays of light―coming from both sun and moon―pierced through the leaves, highlighting a thin layer of white, icy fog that enshrouded the forest floor.

Ignoring the cold of dawn, easily brushed off thanks to the invisible magic barrier, what was on his mind was of far greater importance.

Time appeared to slow as he entered the small clearing he found himself in right after exiting the Dungeon.

“......”

A flawless depiction of her blank, intimidating expression flashed in his mind.

Her intentions were obvious.

...It’s gone...

There would be no returning to the Pride Dungeon.

Not for a long time.

 

---

 

Jae knew it was for the best that he wasn’t allowed back in the Pride Dungeon.

More than anyone else, he was aware that going back to that peaceful(?) lifestyle would only make him not want to leave. And perhaps it was understandable, being the place he had spent the last few years.

So, being faced with Aphy’s indirect message that he was not to return, he knew that what must be done was not wallow in the fact they had to part without a proper goodbye, but look past it and move on to the future.

And since there were many things he had to cover, moving on was exactly what he did.

“Hm... If I suppress my mana, can I test it on that thing?”

I’ll make sure to use Sneak too, just in case.

When Envy was unlocked and reached Level 5, something called the 「Power Imitation」 System was acquired.

The way this new ability worked, it seems, turned out to be rather simple.

“Oh, wow...”

Not copied, but stolen? That’s insane.

“Krieeee-- Slice, thud-!”

“Oh wow! I get to keep it even after the target dies? That’s incredible.”

Even if it only lasts for an hour, I can’t imagine many fights lasting longer than that―and besides, it’s stealing, not copying; meaning the opponent won’t be able to use the skill I take for an entire hour.

“This skill is crazy broken, right...?”

Looks like I can only take one skill at the moment, but I’m sure it’ll improve even more when it levels up.

[Looks like you picked the correct choice. Aren’t you thinking that?]

“Ha. Right.”

[As if! Mine is far superior! But, I suppose missing out is what you get for not respecting me, weak brat.]

“Yeah, yeah. Cry me a river.”

That said, if Envy’s is this good, then I wonder what the other’s will be like... Hm, I also need to do some experimenting to see if I can steal from multiple targets at once... It’s only Level 5 at the moment. The difference between Soul Discernment Level 1 and Soul Discernment Level 5 is like Heaven and Earth, so I wonder how much better this one will get...

Belatedly realising an exhilarated grin had formed on his face, Jae remembered something.

“Ah, that’s right. Speaking of Soul Discernment--”

There was still one thing he needed to try out.

“Let’s see. Last time I used it on myself, it said Envy’s Level wasn’t high enough...”

But now?

Envy.

“...Oh, it does work!”

Surpassing his expectations, Jae’s Soul State appeared.

 

“...Why is everything always an anomaly?”

Fuuh. There’s a lot to unpack...

Going through it slowly in order like he has always done, even the very first thing on the menu was questionable.

“Undead. Well, that’s to be expected. ‘Unknown’, though... Huh. Is it not sure what exactly I am? Else, why would it be like that? I guess it makes sense...?”

After that was the Curse, but he already knew about the details of that thanks to Aphy.

“Then, Level 100. It makes sense that’s the max level, but it feels strange... Am I missing out on something? Not to mention any of the monsters in the Pride Dungeon, I’m pretty sure even the Goblin Lord was over Level 100, so why am I capped out? I can’t imagine a goblin would have a higher limit than a human or even an Undead...”

It did say something about extending the level limit when I gained exp, right? So, there must be a way to do it somehow... Well, I’ll deal with that later since it isn’t totally necessary right now.

No matter how small or big of a deal the matter of Jae’s level was, it wasn’t something urgent. He was already more than strong enough to handle anything that would appear in this area of the forest, and exceeding Level 100 was something he could research later.

For now, what came next was far more concerning.

“...What the hell does this even mean?”

His Title.

“This... Something has to be wrong here, right...? It’s just a load of nonsense...”

He wanted to ask the others what they thought, even just for a second opinion, but he already knew they wouldn’t be of any help.

I knew it from the moment I first arrived in this world, but something seriously fishy is going on with this ‘apostle’ shit.

It was all so obviously suspicious and ‘not right’ that it was painful, but Jae didn’t know what he could even do about it.

Was there truly no choice but to submit and play along?

“Haa, I never signed up for this...”

At some point, he thought, the one behind it all would have to show his face. Whether the perpetrator was the so-called ‘Sinful God’ or something else, it certainly wasn’t for nothing that Jae had to deal with all of this, and he knew it.

Aphy always said I would find out when the time comes... But does it even matter? Even if I find out what the reason for all of this is, what difference does it make? I won’t be able to resist something that has the power to bestow these kinds of powers on someone...

Jae still knew next to nothing about the wider world. Even still, he knew that nothing was greater than Aphy.

And yet, even she was ‘not permitted’ to say too much.

What did that mean?

To Jae, the answer was clear.

If even the Ruler of Dragons was nothing but a pawn to the one above, then what chance did someone like him have?

“...Well. Thinking too hard about it isn’t going to do me any favours. I’ll just continue with what I’m doing, and... What’s going to happen, will happen; I’ll deal with it when the time comes to deal with it.”

Simply push the matter aside, and all of a sudden, your worries are no more!

Until the time comes that they come knocking, that is.

“Anyway, Age... Well, that’s interesting. Oh, I didn’t know I was 20...? I’m pretty sure it wasn’t four years in the Dungeon... No, wait. Because my birthday was not long after I entered, it’s probably more along the lines of three-and-a-half years, or something. Oh, no, it’s saying four years have passed since I first died, right? Damn...”

I don’t really know what to think about it, but... I can’t lie, the thought of seeing everyone again, if I do see them... It makes me anxious for some reason. Maybe ‘cause it’s been so long. And, Emi... I don’t know if it’s possible, but seeing her again... I want to, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea. I’ve changed too much, and it’s not like we’d be able to go back to our old relationship...

“......”

Truthfully, it’s not the first time Jae has gone down this trail of thought since meeting Aphy, but each time still made him sad. He knew more than anyone else that things would never be the same.

Ah, just forget about it... This isn’t the time.

Forcing himself to move on, Jae stopped moping and returned his eyes to the Soul State.

“Health and Magic Energy... I don’t know. Both are very big. Is this good? It seems good...”

I thought I figured out that Health just meant estimated lifespan or something, but looking at this, that can’t be right.

Unless the number meant days, it just didn’t make sense. After all, Jae couldn’t imagine living for ten-thousand years, but if that wasn’t what it was, then what else could it mean?

Excluding exceptions like the Goblin Lord or the big lizards of the Pride Dungeon, the Health value of everything I’ve seen until now has rarely been higher than 100; that’s why I thought it meant something along the lines of lifespan, but... I guess it’s just vitality or something? I have no clue.

In any case, it didn’t really matter what it was. In a similar boat was Magic Energy.

“This doesn’t make any sense at all.”

The value differential of Jae’s Health and Magic Energy was, in a word, phenomenal.

“I thought my Health was high, but this? This is just insane.”

664,770. For reference, the largest value Jae has ever seen until this point was some bizarre dragon-type monster in the Pride Dungeon called a Young Kirimu, with just over 80,000 Magic Energy.

“Aphy said I naturally absorbed a lot of magic energy from the environment and was managing to survive retaining it only thanks to being an Undead, but I didn’t know it made this big a difference...”

There were bound to be additional factors at play that he wasn’t aware of, but Jae knew the primary reason was the extreme mana-rich environment of the Dungeon, living off air from the atmosphere that contained more magical energy in a single breath than ten-thousand breaths in the outside world.

Combined with the fact he ate the meat of monsters that also lived in that environment every day, it was only inevitable that Jae’s mana capacity would increase so dramatically.

“Hah, I can’t imagine I’ll ever be running out of mana now.”

Although, it’s not like I even use my own mana to cast spells in the first place, so all it really affects is my ability to use skills for an extended period.

Next up were Jae’s “Soul Stats”, though for the most part, they weren’t that interesting.

“Hm... Actually, it’s a bit disappointing. I thought I would be a bit stronger considering I’m max level, but... Well, it’s fine I guess. Now, Karma on the other hand...”

Glancing to the final noteworthy thing on the Soul State, Jae placed a hand on his chin.

Karma.

Jae never once had an idea of what it could mean, and that remained true even now. All he knew is that it must be important somehow.

It’s got that freaky gibberish again... At least it’s somewhat understandable this time. “God’s Apostle”, huh...

Unlike the other values, Karma’s value was limited to only 999. But, seeing as Jae had hit that limit, he knew it must have something to do with the parentheses that followed.

I don’t know if I’ll ever know what this means. I can only make half-hearted guesses, but I would imagine it’s something with a deep implication. My Title is probably the only reason it’s this high, judging by the word ‘apostle’ again.

Until now, the Karma value of most of everything Jae had seen was pretty low, never rising to more than 100 except for two cases―the Goblin Lord, and, more recently, Rena.

Rena’s Karma in particular was high at 485, though maybe that’s just because I don’t remember anything about the Goblin Lord’s stats...

It was an interesting thing to note, but either way, there wasn’t a whole lot to think about in regards to it since he didn’t even know what it meant.

“Faah, anyway. Seeing my own Condition could be useful, but it’s nothing interesting right now. Let’s just keep going.”

Seeing his Soul State made Jae naturally want to check out the Status for the first time in a long while, but he was already feeling tired from everything else, and besides, getting a move on was the most important thing.

Seriously, the Status was already getting way too long before; it’d probably take over an hour to just go through everything now... I can do all that another time, so let’s put that aside for now.

Stretching his limbs, Jae raised his gaze to the sun up high. That, in combination with Charting, he knew roughly which direction was east, and so there was no need to worry about getting lost.

“Now then...”

Arousing Fighting Spirit and activating Power Burst, Jae felt his body explode with energy and strength. Adding to that, he roused his mana and used it to empower his muscles.

Woah~ This is one hell of a buff.

From now on, he would not be wasting any time.

Pushing his foot against the ground, an explosion of wind occurred and Jae vanished.

Wooosh~!

Flying seamlessly through the trees of the great forest, enhancing his speed with expert manipulation of wind magic, he travelled at an absurd pace like never before.

“Woooo, ahahaha...!!”

An exhilarating rush filled his body as the wind slid off his face and through his hair; holding back an exclamation of excitement was impossible, and his voice echoed throughout the empty forest as he soared.

Jae kept going for a while, not needing to slow down for anything, until eventually he sensed something strange.

Hm?! Hold on...

There was a twisted distortion of magic energy nearby that was strangely familiar despite being something Jae thought incredibly unnatural.

As he approached closer and closer, he could only compare it to one thing.

...Aphy...?

Did she open up the entrance of the Dungeon once more?

Did something happen that required her to contact him?

Or perhaps, did she feel sorry for locking him out of the house without warning?

Not knowing anything except the fact the distortion was undoubtedly a portal, Jae mindlessly followed the trail until he located its origin.

“......”

No way...

Feeling all emotion drain from his body in an instant, Jae stared at what he found.

Hidden deep within a damp cave beneath the forest floor, then further concealed behind an illusory wall, it was not a rift to the Pride Dungeon, but a rift it was.

Light blue in hue compared to Pride’s vivid purple, this portal was significantly smaller in stature and presence.

“This...”

What were the chances? It wasn’t what he expected, or even what he had hoped for, but the reality was far better.

“...Jackpot...?”

He gazed vacuously towards the thing for a minute before suddenly smiling.

“Nice...”

Not hesitating for even a moment, Jae moved his feet.