Return of the Usurper, a Legendary Trait

Chapter 68 of 75

Chapter 68

Meanwhile, at that same time.

At the border between the eastern and southern regions, inside a dark cave, someone asked a question.

"Meiren, how is everything progressing?"

The voice was cold.

And strangely familiar.

Its owner was none other than Taeo.

"We placed the curse on both the 10th and 20th floors exactly as you instructed."

The woman speaking had long white hair.

"And the gate leading to ‘that place’ has also been prepared."

Her name was Meiren.

Then she asked,

"But are you certain this is all right?"

Taeo casually placed one hand on her shoulder.

"Of course."

"This isn't something you need to worry about, Meiren."

Then he smiled.

"Ah. If you're concerned about our agreement, don't be."

"I'll hand over authority over the 50th floor as soon as everything is finished."

Meiren, the Administrator of the 40th floor, removed his hand from her shoulder and answered expressionlessly.

"I'll say this again."

"Even if this plan fails, it has nothing to do with me."

"Naturally."

Taeo smiled.

"Everything is progressing smoothly, one step at a time."

Meiren soon disappeared somewhere.

Left alone, Taeo turned around and looked into empty space.

Then he asked,

"Isn't that right, King of the Underworld?"

As though responding to him, a message appeared.

[‘Father of the Wealthy Night’ says he will be waiting.]

"To be honest, I was surprised."

Taeo's smile deepened.

"I never expected you to be the one who approached me with such an offer."

He shrugged.

"Still, it doesn't matter."

"As long as I can accomplish my goal."

[He asks what you will do if things go according to his wishes.]

"That would be entertaining in its own way."

Taeo chuckled.

"But I'll be doing my best not to lose either."

Their cryptic conversation continued.

Then...

A tremendous presence could suddenly be felt from outside the cave.

Taeo looked toward the entrance and smiled with interest.

"Oh-ho."

"To think you've grown this much."

Then his eyes narrowed.

"More importantly..."

"Are the Tower's rules no longer applying to you?"

He stared faintly in Suhyeok's direction.

"Really..."

"Just what are you, Lee Suhyeok?"

His lips curved upward.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Let's see what ‘choice’ you make."

"Hyagyagyak!"

Leon tumbled onto the ground after coming through the portal.

I ignored him and stood before the entrance of a cave.

"This is the place."

[Warning! An overwhelming energy is raging throughout this area.]

[Channel chat is temporarily disabled.]

[Those below a certain resistance level will suffer a powerful curse.]

[You have successfully resisted.]

An ominous aura poured from the cave entrance.

Even though most of my stats had already reached 100, my fingertips trembled faintly.

More importantly...

There was an alien presence coming from deep inside.

Something about it seemed to pull me toward it.

[ A-Are you really sure this is okay, nya...? If that ominous bastard went this far to summon you, then it's definitely a trap, nya...! ]

Leon sounded worried.

I didn't stop walking.

"It doesn't matter."

"I had to meet him eventually anyway."

I passed through the cave entrance and continued deeper inside.

Before long, I saw a familiar silhouette in the distance.

A man in a black suit.

"Welcome, Player Lee Suhyeok."

His gaze shifted toward Leon.

Leon immediately hid behind my shoulder.

"Oh?"

Taeo smiled.

"You hide the moment you see me."

"Leon, it's been a while."

He looked him over.

"You seem to have put on some weight since the last time we met."

"Still, you look better than before."

"Haha."

[ Grrr.... ]

His words sounded casual.

But the situation was anything but.

His presence filled the entire cave.

It rolled through the space like a tide.

"Oh my."

Taeo smiled.

"Did you notice?"

Rrrrrrumble!

In the next instant, the same crushing pressure as before slammed down on my shoulders.

But...

[Mana is being converted into Divine Power.]

[Trait ‘Divine Protection (S)’ activates.]

[The hostile energy is repelled.]

"...!"

For the briefest moment, Taeo's eyes widened.

Then they returned to normal.

He slowly walked toward me.

"...You've grown considerably since we last met."

His smile faded slightly.

"Even if my Rank has fallen, I should still be far beyond what a mere Player can resist."

Now that I'd become an Apostle...

I could see it.

The energy surrounding Taeo's body.

Rank.

It's definitely weaker.

Was he demoted like Uji?

Then...

Crack!

"Keugh...!"

One of my knees suddenly buckled.

His Rank itself was pressing me down.

Taeo casually placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I've always wondered about you."

His voice lowered.

"Why are you the only one who seems to exist outside the rules of this Tower...?"

Crackle!

[Several Constellations spend Intervention Power to interfere with the area.]

[The majority of the Constellations strongly warn him to withdraw his energy.]

[They warn that further contact will come with consequences.]

Taeo glanced upward.

"Still the same, I see."

Then he laughed lightly.

"Your channel is even larger now, and there are far more Constellations watching."

He removed his hand.

"At this point, even I would hesitate to touch you carelessly."

The oppressive pressure disappeared.

I stood back up and looked directly at him.

"...The 10th and 20th floors."

"You did this, didn't you?"

"Yes."

He answered without hesitation.

"I did."

"I thought this would be the most effective way to draw you here."

He smiled.

"Though I would've done it even without that reason."

There was no guarantee he'd acted alone.

Just like last time, he probably had help.

"Enough pointless chatter."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Get to the point. You went this far because you want something from me, so-"

I froze.

Whoooooosh.

An enormous murderous intent suddenly surged toward me.

Then it vanished instantly.

"...Ah."

Taeo smiled falsely.

"I lost my temper for a moment."

"My apologies."

He tilted his head.

"I can't kill you this easily here, after all."

Then he turned and began walking away.

"Follow me."

Leon, who was still hiding behind my back, whispered with a horrified expression.

[ H-He's seriously creepy, nya. He could attack us at any moment, nya...! What if we run away now instead? ]

We didn't have time.

The plague outside came first.

In the end, I have no choice but to follow his plan for now.

After following him for some time, we entered another chamber.

A massive gate stood there.

"W-What is that, nya? It's huge...."

This is....

It resembled a portal.

But the energy swirling inside was black and unnatural.

More importantly...

A familiar, ominous smell entered my nose.

It reminded me of a place I'd visited once before.

I froze.

"...Don't tell me."

"Is that a gate to the Underworld?"

Taeo smiled.

"You noticed immediately."

"Well, you've stepped on its threshold once before."

"I suppose that makes the sensation easier to recognize."

[Most of the Constellations in the channel glare at ‘God of Death’.]

[‘God of Death’ protests that he truly knows nothing about this.]

[Other Underworld Constellations also claim they know nothing.]

I checked the chat.

Hades wasn't there.

Right.

Taeo wouldn't have done this on his own.

Which meant this had happened with Hades's tacit approval.

"You have..."

Taeo pretended to calculate.

"About five hours remaining."

He smiled.

"Player Lee Suhyeok, meet the King of the Underworld within that time."

"Then everything currently happening will be resolved immediately."

He spread his hands.

"Simple, isn't it?"

[Several Constellations ask what happens if he fails to return within five days.]

"What happens...?"

Taeo rested his chin on one hand and pretended to think.

Then his grin widened.

"Naturally, he dies."

He looked at me.

"Not as one of the dead, nor as one of the living."

"He'll become discarded soul matter."

Then he waved casually.

"Ah, don't worry."

"If he tries hard enough, he should be able to return."

Leon immediately jumped in front of me.

[ Don't listen to him, nya! Do you think the Underworld is some casual place you can stroll through, nya?! Five days or not, he's basically telling you to go there and die, nya! ]

"Perhaps."

Taeo didn't deny it.

"But one thing is certain."

He looked toward the invisible audience.

"Constellations."

"Wouldn't it be entertaining?"

His smile sharpened.

"Will he return alive from the Underworld..."

"Or will he become one of the dead?"

[ D-Don't be ridiculous, nya! What's supposed to be entertaining about tha... huh? ]

[Many Constellations agree with Mid-Level Administrator Taeo's statement.]

[Several others silently allow it.]

Leon froze.

The reaction was completely different from what he'd expected.

Of course it was.

They weren't mortals like me.

They were Constellations.

Appealing to their emotions wasn't going to work.

No matter how much some of them favored me...

To them, I was still a piece on a chessboard.

Their ultimate goal was entertainment.

That's exactly why Taeo added that final line.

"Then it seems the decision has been made."

Taeo smiled.

"What will you do, Player Lee Suhyeok?"

Step. Step.

Without answering, I walked toward the portal to the Underworld.

Then I stopped before it.

I glanced back at Taeo.

"You'd better keep your promise too."

Taeo finally laughed as though he'd been waiting to hear those words.

He spread both arms wide.

"Of course."

Then his smile turned vicious.

"Assuming you return alive."

I stepped forward.

Even as I entered the gate, his ominous smile never disappeared.

"Then I sincerely hope you die a painful death there."

"Player Lee Suhyeok."

Whoosh.

My vision went black.

I could hear Leon desperately trying to wake me.

[ Wake... up, nya! Wake... up.... ]

When I finally regained consciousness, Leon was pulling hard on both my cheeks.

His face brightened immediately.

[ You're awake, nya?! You scared me! I thought you were dead, nya! ]

I pushed Leon aside and first examined the noisy surroundings.

It resembled a dark cavern.

Four mysterious gates stood in the north, south, east, and west.

Hundreds of people had gathered throughout the enormous chamber.

I looked down.

For some reason, I was wearing shabby cloth clothing.

The Anubis Mask was gone.

So was Seong-a from my waist.

[You have entered the Underworld.]

[Current Location: Underworld, Uppermost Layer, 5th Floor.]

[Items cannot be equipped within the Underworld.]

[Chat and sponsorship messages are reactivated.]

Hoo, finally we can talk again.
So this is the Olympus guys' Underworld? Not bad.
Never thought I'd live to see a Player actually enter this place.
And he's not even dead. He's alive lol
Escaping from here is hard to even imagine ;;
Is it actually possible to reach the lowest layer of the Underworld within five days...?

This was different from when I'd met Thanatos.

Back then, I had only entered the boundary between the living world and the Underworld.

This place...

Was the true Underworld.

Fortunately, only my items were unusable.

My stats and Traits remained intact.

Leon. Do you know anything about the Underworld?

[ ...Not much, nya. I've only been here once during practical training when I was a Lower Administrator, nya. ]

Even small details are fine. Tell me anything you know.

[ Ugh... first, the Underworld is divided into five floors, nya. The lighter someone's sins, the higher they're placed. The worse they were, the lower they go, nya. ]

The message earlier had said this was the uppermost layer.

The fifth floor.

Most of the people here had probably died during the Tutorial.

Judging by the fact that only a few hundred people were present, this floor itself must be divided into numerous separate spaces.

But the thing I was most concerned about...

Was Yoo Taeseong.

He should exist somewhere within the Underworld too.

[ Lee Suhyeok? Is something wrong, nya? Your expression suddenly got worse.... ]

It's nothing. Ignore it.

More importantly, is the King of the Underworld on the first floor?

[ No, nya. The King of the Underworld should be one floor below the first, nya. I heard that's where his office is, nya. I heard it directly, so you can trust me on that, nya. ]

Five days.

Considering all the variables that could arise, I needed to escape this place as quickly as possible.

I was about to move and search for an exit when...

I felt several gazes from afar.

They seemed to recognize me.

"...Well, look who it is."

A man sneered.

"Don't tell me you died too?"

"Wow. Haven't seen that face in forever."

Another laughed.

"Actually, you look a little better than you did back then."

"Guess you ate pretty well after we died, huh?"