—
Chapter 62
—
Crackle-!
The broadcast screen suddenly experienced interference.
“Oh no…! It seems there’s a problem! We’ll fix it right away!”
Clona raised her hand to her ear, communicating with the transmission team.
“Hurry up and fix this! We’re at the climax!”
The four relics had gathered in one place.
The grand finale of this tournament, the ultimate chaos, was about to begin, but suddenly the transmission went haywire.
“If necessary, pull one of the other birds into action…!”
The broadcasts used the eyes of special birds, enchanted with magic.
The birds stationed throughout the dungeon shared their vision, which was transmitted to the central screen.
“Hurry up! Time is of the essence!”
-There’s… a problem…!
“What?!”
The voice on the other end of the line was filled with panic.
-All connections to the dungeon have been severed!
It wasn’t just a simple communication issue.
The magic enabling shared vision, tracking movements, and pinpointing coordinates had all failed simultaneously.
The very magical network connecting the locations had been damaged.
-Something has happened in the dungeon…!
“What are you talking about?!”
Magic isn’t so fragile.
Well-crafted spells can last thousands of years without losing their potency.
But dozens of such spells had all been severed at once?
-I’ll contact the emergency response and rescue teams immediately!
“Then what am I supposed to tell everyone?!”
-Until the situation is confirmed, try to calm the audience as much as possible!
“As if that’s possible… Hey?! Hey!! Ugh!!”
The line went dead.
“What’s going on?”
“Did something happen?”
“Oh… It was just getting interesting.”
“They said this year’s participants are talented.”
“I wanted to see the end before deciding whom to recruit….”
Grumble grumble!
As the screen failed to return for an extended period, complaints of varying intensity erupted from the audience.
“Ugh…! Professor Karen…!”
That’s it!
If Karen, the continent’s star, stepped in to mediate, this crowd might calm down!
Clona, filled with hope, turned her head.
“…Professor Karen?”
Only an empty chair greeted her.
When had she vanished? Clona hadn’t even noticed.
***
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
“Kyahhh?!”
“The ground, suddenly…!”
The participants all screamed in unison.
The forest floor began to tremble violently as if an earthquake had struck.
Crack!
The ground rippled like waves, splitting apart with deep fissures.
Even the strongest tree roots were torn to shreds, powerless against the mysterious quake.
And then—
Boom!
The forest collapsed.
.
.
.
“Ugh… Oh man.”
The surroundings were a mess.
I brushed off the dirt clinging to me as I checked my condition.
“Hiss!”
Thanks to Black Lotus, which had coiled snugly inside my sleeve, I hadn’t suffered any injuries—or even gotten dirty.
How annoyingly perfect.
“Lan?! Lan!!”
As I regained my bearings, I heard someone calling for me from a short distance away.
“I’m here, senior.”
“Ah!”
Elma sprinted over to me, anxiously looking me over.
“Are you hurt anywhere?!”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“Thank goodness…”
Only after confirming I was safe did she begin scanning the area to assess the situation.
“What is this place…?”
We had been heading toward the source of the relic’s pulse when the sudden quake struck.
The ground had caved in, collapsing an entire floor downward.
It was like a massive sinkhole had appeared out of nowhere.
“This isn’t part of the tournament… is it?”
Elma quickly gave up that notion.
Even a large-scale event like Polaris wouldn’t dare collapse an entire floor of the Ten-Thousand Demon War dungeon as part of a competition.
“This must be an accident.”
Despite her words, hesitation lingered in Elma’s tone.
A dungeon collapse.
It was an unprecedented event.
“It’s baffling. For an entire floor to just cave in like that.”
“Indeed.”
“…You’re surprisingly calm.”
Elma frowned slightly as she noticed my expression, seemingly perturbed by my lack of reaction.
“The more chaotic the situation, the more important it is to stay composed.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
She muttered something softly as if hoping I’d lean on her a bit.
“Sorry, what?”
“It’s nothing. But this place….”
A vast space reminiscent of a temple unfolded before us.
White stone structures, dense shadows, and eerie statues of monsters filled the area.
The third floor of the Ten-Thousand Demon War dungeon: White Coffin.
“Third floor…! This is serious.”
It was obvious, but the deeper the dungeon, the greater the difficulty.
Especially the third floor of the Ten-Thousand Demon War dungeon: White Coffin.
Rattle!
Clink!
Screech!
The floor was home to countless “statue-type” monsters.
“Graaaahhh!”
“Screeeeech!”
The statues, which had been motionless, screamed as they began to move.
Gargoyles.
They had appeared on the first floor as well, but only as solitary entities.
Seeing them hunting in packs like this was unique to this floor.
“Craaaahhh!”
A flock of gargoyles swooped in from all directions, flapping their wings furiously.
Just as their sharp teeth were about to reach us—
“Be careful.”
Fwoosh!
Elma unsheathed her sword, scattering embers around us.
Hissss!
The gargoyle flock, struck by the embers, screeched as they disintegrated into dust.
“I’ll clear a path.”
Elma swung her sword tirelessly, scattering embers in chaotic patterns, breaking apart the gargoyles’ bodies.
“This way!”
Taking advantage of the opening she created, we quickly exchanged words while retreating.
“I suppose the tournament is suspended for now?”
“Indeed. For now, rescuing the other cadets before the rescue team and the professors arrive is the top priority.”
Not everyone could decimate a swarm of gargoyles like Elma just did.
Most of the cadets were probably barely escaping with their lives.
‘Besides.’
The real chaos hadn’t even begun yet.
‘Before that thing appears, we need to evacuate as many cadets as possible.’
***
“So, it begins.”
Fernia gazed impassively at the scene on the third floor.
“Or perhaps, this is the end.”
Just before the second floor collapsed—
She had carefully driven a dagger into Angela’s heart.
Gahh…!
No matter how skilled one might be, survival was impossible with a knife through the heart.
Angela’s death would be written off as an accident.
The sudden dungeon collapse, combined with the rampage of deformed monsters, would account for the Second Princess’s demise.
It wasn’t a perfectly natural story, but—
“Details like that don’t matter.”
After all, the world would soon turn its attention elsewhere.
“Before becoming an emperor, I will become a hero.”
With that, she would become flawless.
Heroes required a narrative.
“Go on, run wild.”
Fernia loosened the knot she had been holding.
“The cause of the dungeon collapse—deformed monsters. Their rampage resulted in numerous casualties, including the Second Princess.”
Like an author reciting her script, Fernia smiled in satisfaction.
“The survivors were rescued, and the monsters were defeated by none other than Fernia, the student council president and next emperor candidate.”
This incident would bring the phenomenon known as “Distortion” to the forefront.
The world would descend into chaos, desperately seeking a pillar of strength to rely on.
“And when that time comes…”
She would consume the world.
“Hehehe…”
A glint of dark ambition shone in her eyes.
No one else but her would emerge victorious from this game.
Her certainty filled her completely.
***
Cough, cough!
Someone stirred amidst the dust and dirt.
“This place… Ugh!”
Angela, barely opening her eyes, hurriedly removed the relics constraining her.
Her body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, but with the headache and nausea fading, she could breathe again.
“Ah!”
After regaining some composure, she frantically checked her chest.
“Goodbye, little sister.”
Just before she lost consciousness, she remembered Fernia driving the dagger into her heart.
“Huh? I’m… fine…?”
But Angela’s heart was perfectly intact.
There wasn’t even a scratch.
“How…?”
Hiss!
“Ahhh?!”
At that moment, a small black thread-like snake slithered out from her chest.
Hiss! Hiss!
“Who… are you?!”
Hisssss!
The snake flicked its tongue and stretched out its body, pulling out a small dagger from its tail.
“This is… the dagger Fernia used to stab me.”
Hiss~!
“You saved me, didn’t you?”
Angela didn’t understand how, but the snake had undoubtedly blocked the dagger.
A delicate snake, as beautiful as the night sky.
“Thank you… You saved my life.”
Hiss! Hiss!
Her gratitude was short-lived.
The snake tapped her wrist with its tail, tugging insistently.
“Huh? You want me to go this way?”
Hiss!
“Alright, alright! Stop pulling so hard!”
Though it was small, its strength was immense.
It left red marks on her wrist where it had wrapped itself.
‘I guess I’ll follow it for now.’
Things had gotten complicated, but Angela’s goal remained unchanged.
She no longer had any reason to cling to personal feelings.
Fernia had tried to kill her.
‘I didn’t want to believe it.’
Watching Fernia stab the dagger into her chest without hesitation erased all doubt.
Angela steeled herself.
“Let’s go.”
‘I will defeat my sister.’
She gathered the relics she had discarded and stood up.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment