Chapter 211: Welcome to… The Hero’s Resting Place!

“Damn it!!!”

The Magma Sea blazed, its heat so intense it threatened to incinerate everything within sight. Even the mightiest Transcendents—if left submerged for long—would meet only one end: utter annihilation.

Pressed relentlessly by three Transcendents, even the Hero, after burning through every last reserve and unleashing his True Name, could do nothing but plummet helplessly into the Magma Sea, sinking at a terrifying speed toward its searing depths.

Sploosh—

Krulu, too, was pinned down, unable to shake free of the Headless Horseman. Even before his wounds, he’d been half a tier weaker than that monster. Now, battered and far from recovered, what hope did he have?

He was seconds away from being swallowed by the churning magma when—at the critical moment—a mysterious force yanked him out of the suppression zone and hurled him toward the distant shore.

“Tell the Human Camp you’re cooperating with Honor Knight Lin Wei.”

“Protect those adventurers—especially Iresha… Wait for me.”

A familiar voice whispered in his ear, utterly emotionless, yet brooking no argument.

“Demon Lord…”

Krulu, who had been dazed only a moment before, fell silent. Staring at the receding Magma Sea, a new resolve kindled in his amber eyes.

A mission from Master?

He had no inkling what the Demon Lord—what Master—intended, but obedience was never in doubt.

“I understand!”

Twisting midair with an unnatural grace, Krulu nodded fiercely, then shot straight toward Iresha’s location.

“That should settle things.”

The demon elites and Evil God cultists who hadn’t managed to escape tumbled into the magma, their agony erupting in shrill, violent screams.

Lin Wei, however, felt not a shred of pity. He watched without emotion, his gaze fixed on the molten depths.

Everyone who needed to leave was gone. The rest would never get another chance.

“Magma Sea…”

He caught a glimpse of golden radiance plunging into the depths. By all rights, even a Hero—once exhausted—should perish here, unable to break free.

And yet, remembering the disaster with the last subjugation squad, he knew that what should have been a certain ending often proved anything but.

Honestly, by now, Lin Wei trusted nothing.

“With that bizarre luck—like the Goddess’s own favor—it’s a real pain to deal with. I’ve buried my share of subjugation squads over the years…”

“But just to avoid some hot-blooded friendship plot, I’ve never pushed these idiots to true annihilation.”

“Now, with the demons and the Cult of the Evil God moving, it’s the perfect chance to observe.”

Either way, he had nothing to lose. If the Hero died, perfect. If not… he’d just have to kill them all and freeze the Hero for good measure.

“Judging by the environment, this should be the eleventh floor. We’re close—very close—to the Resting Place.”

A cold, razor-sharp smile tugged at Lin Wei’s lips as his thoughts plunged into the magma, sinking ever deeper.

◇

A bottomless, blazing sea.

Biting cold, nearly freezing, clung to the Evil God Cultists and demon Liches, insulating them—just barely—from the Magma Sea long enough to survive.

Watching the Hero Oshu struggle against the magma’s onslaught, his body shielded by the last remnants of Alicia’s power, Eileen’s eyes flickered with relief.

“Lady Sabela’s contingency finally paid off. Even a Hero can’t withstand the Magma Sea.”

Monsters adapted to this hellish place surged toward them at impossible speeds. But Eileen, unhurried, grabbed Rein and wrapped him in frost, shielding them both as they drifted slowly toward the bottom.

Meanwhile, the legacy-level Transcendents who’d been suppressing the Hero all retreated, wary eyes fixed on one another—no one wanted to risk the Hero’s last desperate counterattack.

They’d blown the platform with pre-set spatial traps, driving their target into the depths—a foolproof backup, in case they faced an enemy they couldn’t defeat.

At first, it had seemed unnecessary—why worry, with such a vast power gap? But now, only that contingency had turned the tables.

“Losing those elite soldiers hurts, but if we can kill the Hero, any price is worth it!”

And Honor Knight Lin Wei hadn’t escaped, either.

That terrifying figure stood apart, calmly surveying the scene—the same man who’d crushed three legacy-level cultists with a flick of his hand, a force beyond comprehension.

Yet he did nothing, simply watching the Hero.

A faint aura shielded him from the magma, as if he were simply waiting for the Hero’s power to run out and for the magma to do the rest.

“Even now, they’re fighting among themselves… They’re making this so much easier for us!”

For Eileen, the situation couldn’t be better.

Once the Hero died, only Lin Wei would remain. What could he do against three legacy-level Transcendents—and a demon Four Heavenly King?

That was a force equal to the Holy See’s three great knights—enough to crush any Vice Commander.

In recent years, this armored general had trampled human armies and won countless victories.

Even Lady Sabela had praised him more than once—a born warlord, a force Lin Wei could never hope to defeat.

His name was Headless Horseman Morteir.

“When Lord Morteir moves, everything will fall into place. Four against one, the advantage is ours—and Rein can join in at any moment!”

“Looks like, Oshu, your time’s just about up.”

Eileen glanced at her former lover, now cornered and desperate, victory already within her grasp. She smiled, trailing her finger almost mockingly along Rein’s arm.

“Damn it!!!”

Meanwhile, Oshu, the Hero, could only rage helplessly at the scene unfolding around him.

The Divine Radiance—his last shield—was fading fast, its power draining away.

He faced a bottomless sea of magma and a wall of legacy-level Transcendents barring every escape.

A terror beyond imagining seized his heart. Even headless, the Headless Horseman’s presence seemed to pierce him, flooding him with despair.

Is this how I die?

Even the Blessing was at its limit—was this really the end?

There was no way out. Nothing but death. Against so many legacy-level Transcendents, escape was impossible.

“Unwilling… I can’t accept this—why do I have to die here, with no one even knowing?”

“This is a bug’s death! The most pathetic end imaginable!!!”

Oshu’s scream was torn between terror and rage. A Hero might have many blessings, but he was not immortal.

Otherwise, all those subjugation squads wouldn’t have perished—and the Holy See would never have chosen someone like him, who’d never even dreamed of being a Hero.

He’d been so close—just a little farther, and he could have escaped the Labyrinth.

Damn you, Lin Wei!

You just stood by and let the Cult of the Evil God attack me, instead of helping your fellow Honor Knight?

Aren’t you supposed to be the Holy See’s champion? The sword of justice and light, slaying evil?

Don’t you understand what I represent? I’m the world’s hope—the great Hero who will save us all!

You shortsighted bastards!!!

“If I survive this, I’ll tear every last one of you to pieces!!!”

But that chance would never come.

“Five seconds…”

Lin Wei silently counted down, watching the Hero’s energy ebb away, ignoring his impotent fury.

If he could drown the Hero this way, all the better. Yet instinct warned him it wouldn’t be so simple—he couldn’t shake the feeling he was missing something crucial.

“Four seconds…”

The Hero’s energy barrier flickered violently, then—crack—shattered, despair overtaking his already twisted features.

“Three seconds…”

Stripped of the goddess’s power, Oshu desperately raised his hand, burning every last reserve to keep the magma at bay.

The scorching heat gnawed at his flesh, pain flaring as he began to burn—he couldn’t last much longer.

“Two seconds…”

The legacy-level Transcendents all retreated, wary of a final, desperate self-destruction.

They’d seen plenty of brave humans, and this one was the Holy See’s chosen Hero.

Even if he was an idiot and a bastard, he was still a Hero—there was always a risk he might drag them down with him.

They’d come too far to risk everything now.

“One second…”

Eileen and Rein’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

The Hero’s final barrier shattered. Despair was etched across Oshu’s face as the magma swallowed him whole—there was no chance of survival.

Everyone could sense it: his energy was utterly wiped out in that instant.

In this hellish world, with nothing but scorching heat, there was no way to replenish energy—the very air was stripped of elements.

“This time it’s really goodbye, Oshu.”

All that remained was to finish off Honor Knight Lin Wei and return to the surface.

As for the adventurers who’d escaped, the demonfolk could hunt them down with ease—Krulu wasn’t even present now.

As for Lin Wei… his death sentence could be announced in advance.

“…Hm?”

Just as victory seemed certain—

Lin Wei, standing at a distance and awaiting the Hero’s end, suddenly frowned.

A faint ripple of spatial anomaly erupted below—at first the barest seed, then, without warning, blossomed into a raging storm.

A powerful spatial distortion swept everyone up, expelling magma and all lifeless matter from the area.

“What the hell—?!”

Lin Wei was stunned.

He stared in disbelief at the expanding anomaly beneath his feet. Several hundred meters below, the spatial energy grew larger by the second—and suddenly, he understood.

“The chain reaction from destroying the magma platform triggered a portal at the sea bottom?”

There had always been a portal on the eleventh floor’s seabed—a hidden passage to the twelfth floor.

But it was so well concealed that even legacy-level spatial mages couldn’t find it easily.

And now, it had been activated by pure accident?

Worse yet… the usual portal he used was several kilometers away!

“How many damn ways are there to reach the lower floors?”

Too late for regrets now.

The spatial distortion devoured everyone—Lin Wei hesitated only an instant, then abandoned resistance.

It was done. They’d all been sent to the twelfth floor.

All he could hope was that the portal exit wasn’t right at the Resting Place, but somewhere farther off.

“Surely my luck isn’t that bad…”

All around, monsters howled in frustration, their prey lost.

Lin Wei tensed, silently praying—even he could do nothing but hope at this point.

◇

“Gah… cough, cough…”

The burning, suffocating pain in Oshu’s chest faded as cool, clean air rushed in.

Almost in disbelief, the Hero looked around him. As the last traces of spatial energy dissipated, the searing Magma Sea was gone—replaced by a place he had never seen before.

“This is…”

Massive stone doors, like the sealed gates of ancient chambers, stood all around, radiating a sense of overwhelming weight.

The ground was marked by deliberate, man-made steps—like the final treasure room after clearing a labyrinth.

“I… I made it out?”

No burns, no monsters.

Just the fading ache in his body, proof of how close he’d come to dying in the flames.

“This is it—this is the Blessing of the Hero, the power the goddess gave me!”

He’d nearly given up hope.

And yet, at the very last moment, he’d escaped in a way no one could have predicted.

“Ha ha ha ha—this is my destiny!!!”

The euphoria of survival filled his chest.

Oshu snatched up his greatsword, grinning as if fate itself had chosen him, utterly fearless—even with the Evil God Cultists nearby.

“This can’t be…”

Eileen, also dumped onto the twelfth floor, stared in disbelief.

Even she hadn’t expected an escape this absurd.

Killing the Hero by plunging him into magma had been Lady Sabela’s true backup plan.

With so many legacy-level Transcendents working together, even a Hero—without his full inheritance—should have been dead for certain.

Yet not only was he unharmed, he’d even escaped the trap meant to be a final safeguard.

How did such luck even exist?

That was a 100% certain death trap—yet he’d slipped away through a spatial anomaly?

“Think you’re safe? The goddess’s power is spent—you’re out of Blessings, aren’t you?”

There was no way she’d let Oshu go now.

Eileen recovered quickly from her shock, her seductive features twisting in frustration—three escapes in a row had wrung out her last ounce of patience.

“First, you used the goddess’s Legacy to hold off all your enemies.”

“Second, a spatial anomaly sent you to this godforsaken place.”

“And now… we have three legacy-level Transcendents, plus Lord Morteir, and Rein and me!”

Luck might save Oshu once, maybe twice. But a third time? Impossible.

Smirking coldly, she locked eyes with him. As the Hero scrambled for his sword, the legacy-level Transcendents closed in, ready to finish the depleted, desperate Hero.

“After we kill you, we’ll go for Honor Knight Lin Wei. With the Holy See suffering losses like this, not even Selena the Pope will stand for it. The Empire will seize the chance to demand the Church return more power.”

This was no longer just about killing the Hero.

Every faction involved would gain what they wanted—this, after all, was the very foundation of Lady Sabela’s alliance.

Her words drifted with chilling certainty—there was no way out for him.

“You really think killing me won’t trigger a reaction from the goddess’s power?”

The joy of survival drained from Oshu’s face as his enemies closed in. He gritted his teeth, gripping his greatsword, eyes blazing.

He might believe in his own luck, but as they’d said—he was out of cards.

He’d even escaped the Magma Sea by sheer fortune—could he really expect another miracle?

“You’re absolutely right. Which is why we have to try and see.”

Without hesitation, Eileen loosed an arrow, mana coiling around the bowstring in a vortex of elemental power.

Even with her burns unhealed, her attack was blisteringly fast.

“Shit!?”

A blazing arrow shot toward Oshu—he barely dodged in time.

Boom!

The arrow collided with a stone door, unleashing a violent explosion that rippled through the entire chamber.

“He dodged again?”

She’d fired so quickly even she was surprised—yet the Hero’s luck held, dodging perfectly.

“Lord Morteir, if you’d be so kind—let’s take him together. There’s no way he can dodge all of us.”

“Even if the Demon Lord himself were here, he wouldn’t escape. Today’s the day you—wait, what’s happening?”

An impossible scene unfolded before their eyes.

“Eileen, look at the doors!!”

Rein, who hadn’t needed to fight yet, was the first to notice. The energy unleashed by the explosion rippled out, as if unlocking a hidden mechanism.

With a grinding of ancient gears, the heavy stone doors began to open—like locks finally triggered after centuries.

“Is this… is this the Control Room you mentioned?”

From the start of their assault to this sudden twist, every event had exceeded Rein’s expectations.

And now, seeing this, he remembered what Eileen had said when they’d joined the adventurers.

But her answer stunned him.

“I don’t know.”

Even if she’d once thought him the perfect man, Eileen had no patience for mysteries now.

“I only said that to lure Oshu into the trap. There’s nothing in the elf records about this being a sanctuary.”

“Back then, the Nature Goddess, Night Goddess, and Light Goddess were famous as the Three Sisters. The elves were the dominant force in the war.”

“Why build a sanctuary? Just to waste resources?”

So the elf-modified labyrinth was a lie? Eileen had never controlled it at all? And here he’d thought, as both Hero and Dungeon Lord, he’d have endless resources—even if he couldn’t defeat the Demon Lord, he could live in luxury for life. And now, it was all a sham?

“So what the hell is this place?!”

But the answer no longer mattered. As the stone doors opened in a chain reaction, the sight that met their eyes chilled everyone to the core.

Dozens of glass coffins stood upright behind the heavy doors.

It was a nightmare: inside those coffins, not corpses—but living bodies, each radiating powerful energy.

Every one of them slumbered in a coffin sealed only by a feeble magical array. Their faces, lifelike and faintly flushed, looked as if they might awaken at any moment.

“They’re not dead—they’re alive, under a spell-induced sleep?”

“No… I’ve seen these faces before. They’re the missing subjugation squads!!!”

Oshu, closest to the coffins, recognized the man inside at a glance—adventurer’s uniform, signature cloak.

Even with eyes closed, the man’s face radiated heroic confidence.

“That’s… Great Adventurer Weiss, missing for four months!!!”

He’d been the last of the prodigies to set out without further training—a legendary adventurer, chosen as a Hero candidate and everyone’s hope.

“This can’t be.”

Eileen, certain of victory, was now utterly shaken. Even now, he survived? How was this man so hard to kill?

How much damn luck had Alicia given him?

“They’re all sleeping—not dead. Someone sealed them here, never expecting we’d find them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have left them unguarded.”

“In other words…!!!”

“ROAR!!!”

Headless Horseman Morteir, realizing the truth, charged Oshu, bone blade raised. The stench of death flooded the chamber—but it was already too late.

“We can wake them!!!”

Pouring every last drop of power into a golden shield at his side, Oshu blocked Morteir’s blow—barely buying a final chance.

His greatsword burst with dazzling radiance as he howled, slamming it against the crystal coffin.

Light exploded out, holy and vast, shattering the stone.

With every ounce of strength, clutching his last hope, he struck at the sleeping legend.

“Wake up—now!!!”