Chapter 125: A worthy adversary

"Meooooooow!"

"I know. I know that."

"Meoooooooow!"

"Calm down now. It’s fine now, right? Look, we don’t have to worry about anything."

We have defeated the monster. We have survived. We are mostly fine aside from a few bruises here and there, but aside from that, it’s all good.

{ "Masterrrrrr!" }

But Felix was still crying right now. Crying over how scared she was when all that happened.

’I don’t blame her though.’

It’s not something you can take lightly in the first place.

The creature that we were fighting just now was so strong that it could have killed us even with a fraction of its powers.

’She’s (SSR-rank) now.’

Felix has evolved and her essence card now has an upgraded rank. And still, she is not at the level where we could have been able to deal with a legendary mystique like this one.

The only reason we were able to do so was because of the Legacy that she obtained from the unique treasure of the fallen kingdoms.

’Thanks to that necklace, she got to access a completely different world left by a powerful mystique from the past.’

She inherited the castle and while she can only use it with many constraints, it has now become a power that will be effective especially against the powerful mystique creatures like these.

’Anyways...’

Felix was emotional right now but she soon stopped crying.

As I lifted her up, she seemed like the biggest kitten I have ever held. She was much bigger now, but her lush fur was still dense and pretty.

Both of us need a good bath when all of this is done, so I now that it’s all done, I want to leave this place.

{ "Oh adversary..." }

But it doesn’t seem like that will be possible with how the Imugi is looking at us right now.

’I sense another lore drop.’

The creature wasn’t angry at us anymore. It had accepted defeat and now that it knew we were the winner, it honored the rules of the battle and was more respectful towards us.

It called us adversaries because, perhaps, it considered us worthy adversaries.

Whatever the case may be, we were the winners of the battle that was already over and now that it is over, we just want to get out of this place.

{ "My foremasters assigned me a great duty." }

The creature was most likely talking about the ancient people who created this dungeon.

{ "I was to find the right person who does not only carry a curious heart but is also smart and accompanied by the strong." }

The trials until now were meant to test someone’s survival instincts, one’s motor responses against slimy snakes, and one’s ability to ask questions.

The trials were never about strength. Even when we were facing the Imugi, I knew it wasn’t trying to defeat us but to test the limits of our powers.

In fact, when it fell into that castle, it did not surrender because it had exhausted all means of killing us.

It could have released its domain that was holding this place as we would all be dead already. But it did not do any such thing.

It knew we were strong enough to defeat the limits it had set for us and it gave up because it had lost.

We had passed its test and the test of the people that had left it behind. And since we had passed their test, we were eligible.

{ "It was my task to protect this and find the one who would inherit it." }

The creature looked up at the only exit from this place and from that exit, a red sword descended down slowly, carrying a unique glow that not all unique weapons hold.

It was a strange weapon, but it also had a life of its own.

"A weapon beast?" It wasn’t a simple piece of metal but a being that was the reason behind the existence of this entire dungeon.

{ "Indeed." }

The sword slowly descended and landed on my hands.

The beings who made this sword were, however, asleep.

I tried feeling the sword, holding it, using my red string to attempt taming, however, the creature did not respond.

{ "Ah..." }

After a moment of trying, both the Imugi and I realised why that was.

"I am not the one."

I did not have the required affinity to awaken this being.

{ "No. You aren’t the one." }

The Imugi seemed down but it wasn’t upset. In fact, it seemed happy.

{ "But it doesn’t reject you. Which means you are still eligible to find the right one." }

What I was holding right now, as I could instinctively tell, was something similar to Nyx. A being that was beyond the ranks and power levels.

Just like how Nyx doesn’t have a rank that defines it, this being also did not have a limiting rank.

Essentially, I am holding a myth in my hands right now.

And, I am not the one who would wield this myth.

{ "I have fulfilled my duty." }

The Imugi smiled and its body started turning into particles of green light.

{ "All that is left here is yours." }

It had lived longer than it was supposed to, bound to this world only by the power of an existential oath.

And now that its watch had ended, it was returning to the crossroad of life, death, and rebirth.

It would also find a boat that leads him up to one of the three rivers, and then, its life as an Imugi would come to an end.

"Meow...?"

"Yes. He’s dying."

The creature’s body became translucent as a green essence card with the marking of (SSS-rank) appeared in the air.

It was already cracked beyond help, but as its body scattered in a green light as well, the cracks became more visible.

At its final parting, the creature extended its head toward me, and I extended my hand towards it.

It wasn’t the same hand as the one that had Art’s bond markings, so, as my hand touched the fading body of the Imugi, the winds that had held this entire dungeon together all this time flowed into the hand.

{ "I hope it is of help to you... oh great Adversary." }

Six distinct markings resembling the fangs of the Imugi appeared on my hand, each one containing a ’use’ of its powers.

This... was a parting gift.

And perhaps the payment for his defeat as well.

-Zaaaaaaaaa...

Whatever the case, the creature was entrusting me with more burden on top of what I already had on my shoulders.

"Thank you..."

But I could not complain right now.

I don’t want to send this beautiful creature off with complaints.

So, I smiled.

"Meow..."

It smiled at Felix in its last moments, telling her she did well.

And as its essence card shattered and vanished along with the green particles, the winds that filled this hall vanished alongside it.

’The stage endured.’

The dungeon did not fall on itself even though the one holding it together was gone.

’It bound it all together.’

The creature returned the dungeon to a healed state before it vanished, and thanks to that, we survived.

Pressure of water that could have destroyed the underground dungeon did not harm us. So, I sat down.

"We did it."

Holding Felix in my hands, I sighed deeply with tears sliding down my eyes.

"We survived."

"Meow~!"

Somehow, we made it to this point.

And just like this, we should be able to make it out of this entire dungeon as well.