Chapter 236. Guardian (6)

Sion Empire was Sylon continent’s centermost nation worthy of being called an empire. With its great power, it ceaselessly received tributes from the surrounding nations, and possessed a powerful army of knights and magicians that could protect the empire from humans and monsters that threatened its safety. Of course, most citizens of the Sion Empire were human.

“Before the Book Walkers’ invasion, they were Selone Empire’s enemy.”

“Why?”

“Grey elves, beautiful appearances, mesmerizing figures.”

“Then why are you short and un— Kuhuk!”

“Empire’s people, adored grey elves... as sex slaves.”

Daisy smacked my head and continued normally. I gritted my teeth and glared at her. Lin then spoke with a bitter smile.

“So the Book Walkers’ invasion forced them to become allies.”

“Even so, they continued to fight. Those annoying bastards, got what they deserved.”

Daisy expressed her irritation by kicking the air with her enamel boots. Pockets of exploding air showed just how much she disliked Hydelcyon.

“Lodert Hydelcyon, especially annoying. Creepy eyes. Thinking about him, even more annoying. Cancer, pervert.”

“Then why is this Sipua woman in love with him?”

“Humans aren’t born evil, he must have changed. Plus, if couples only looked at each other’s personality, wouldn’t all married couples be sages?”

“Tsk.”

I only said asked a simple question and I was showing off my inexperience with dating...! Between Daisy and Lin, isn’t my position looking weak!?

At the moment, we were in the galloping on Iana’s back. Iana was as fast as Lotte who had evolved into a Blaze Queen. I was curious how such a small boar could be so fast, but it was actually quite simple. Daisy was focusing all of her magic power on Iana.

As I said before, there wasn’t much space on Iana’s back. Thus, the three of us had to stick close together. Lin was in the front, I was in the middle, and Daisy was behind me holding onto my back.

“Kang Shin, don’t stick so close to me. You’re giving off a weird scent and it’s annoying me.”

“You’re saying this too, Lin!? I’ve been trying to control this thing too!”

“Did you eat an air freshener or something?”

“Don’t make the same joke as my father!”

While I was yelling at Lin, Daisy spoke in a murmuring voice.

“I want to, take out Laki.”

“Laki? What’s that?”

“It’s a world’s enemy we turned into an undead.”

Lin shouted, almost freaking out.

“Don’t! If you do, they’ll notice us immediately!”

“Even though it’s a weak one?”

“Weak one my ass! There is no such thing when it comes to worlds’ enemies! You, it looks like I need to give you another Hero training!”

“When did you ever teach me!?”

Wait, now that I think of it, he may or may not have given me some good advice here and there... As I didn’t want to admit it, I just chucked it to the back of my mind. At that moment, Daisy cut in.

“Book Walkers, appear in groups. My information, already known. Will come to capture me.”

“Capture you?”

“Book Walkers, few females. Mating with other races, able to reproduce.”

“Ugek.”

“They have my data. Will assume, easy capture.”

Daisy’s expression was extremely calm as she said that. She told me not to use my power. Was she relying on Lin’s unconfirmed strength? I tilted my head, and Daisy continued.

“Data renewal, did not happen. Even with one level difference, it takes while, to adapt. From back then, I grew a lot.”

“Ah, I get it now.”

“Evil Eyes, god’s true name, hard to calculate and adapt. True name holder, Evil Eye holder, I’m only one in this continent.”

“So even if they know about god’s true names and Evil Eyes, it’s hard to record them in their books and come up with a countermeasure?”

“Yes. That’s why, I can hold out for a long time.”

That seemed to be a common point between world’s enemies. Although it was comparatively easy to counter the dungeon’s system, powers that originated from the dungeon yet surpassed its control, god’s true names, Evil Eyes, and Enigma were hard for them to counter... Although I had another question in mind, there was something else I wanted to ask.

“Daisy, can I ask you something?”

“If I know the answer, sure... My breasts are big too.”

“I’m not curious about your chest size! And I already know its big!”

“... How did you know?”

“You better answer well, Kang Shin. Where my bullet will go in will depend on your answer.”

“It’s already decided that you’ll shoot me!?”

I dug my own grave...! I was just referring to the first time I saw Daisy! Damn, if Loretta found out about this, my eyes will be in danger again...! I desperately changed the topic.

“That’s not what’s important! My question is, are god’s true names and Evil Eyes part of the dungeon’s system?”

Daisy tilted her head at my question and answered slowly.

“Evil Eyes and true names, similar principle. An outside support, borrowing the dungeon’s system.”

“Can you be more detailed?”

“As expected of a Beyond explorer, she knows her stuff. I’ll explain the rest though.”

Lin spoke as he took out a handgun. I was worried that he’d shoot it at me, but thankfully, he aimed it up and shot empty air.

“There’s nothing there, righ... Ah.”

“Oh, you can feel it now? Right, there was a sentry.”

Iana accelerated the moment Lin’s words left his mouth. From far away, a menacing killing intent was surging towards us. I could even feel magic. Lin shot bullet after bullet, annihilating each killing intent and spoke as if nothing was wrong.

“Gods from myths have once existed. We don’t know the meaning of the divinity they obtained, but we know that they know many things, see many things, and exist at the same time in many eras. The only strange thing is that even though they can do all these things, they cannot appear with their real bodies.”

“Real existences, real bodies...”

“Even before the dungeon existed, there were those who obtained gods’ true names. What the dungeon calls achievements, when one built them up until they reached a god’s domain, the god bestowed that person with his name. When the dungeon was created... the Lord and the gods came to an agreement.”

“Did the gods agree to accept achievements from the dungeon?”

“Precisely. The gods agreed to accept them, but they also set harsh requirements. After all, they couldn’t give out their names to just anyone. People befitting their existences have to take their names for them to raise their divinity.”

“You mean they’re lending out their names to people who deserve them so they can spread their names far and wide?”

“Looks like your intelligence stat isn’t just for show. That’s right.”

Lin reloaded his gun in a smooth motion and continued to shoot. Daisy whispered in my ear.

“Can’t come up with, countermeasure. Can’t see his attacks. If they die before writing on their books, it’s meaningless.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Just like that, it became easy for dungeon explorers to obtain gods’ true names. But, they aren’t part of the dungeon’s power. A god’s true name is a god’s true name. Nothing more, nothing less. The dungeon’s titles are lower grade copies of gods’ true names.”

“I see...”

I was shocked to hear that titles were lesser copies of gods’ true names. However, Lin wasn’t finished yet.

“Evil Eyes are by-products of myths. For example, let’s see... Who does your world have known for its Evil Eyes of Petrification?”

“Um, the basilisk from European legends, the Medusa from the more famous Greek mythology... Ah.”

“There’s also Irish mythology’s Balor of the Evil Eye, Judaism’s Sariel... Do you get it now? Why Evil Eyes are treated so specially. Obtaining an Evil Eye is the same as obtaining a god’s true name. Although there are other rewards in the dungeon that originates from myths or legends, other than Evil Eyes, most are lesser copies like the dungeon’s titles. Some even say Evil Eyes are even harder to obtain than gods’ true names.”

“Then, Evil Eyes also...”

“They also carry bountiful divine power. They’re different from the dungeon’s objects. Even I don’t have Evil Eyes.”

There was no way I would miss this chance.

“I have them!”

“You bastard...!”

Daisy also joined in.

“I have them too, huhu.”

“This girl!”

Lin’s gunshots stopped and Iana stopped running so quickly. Before I even noticed, we had arrived in front of crumbled castle walls.

“Ellian City. Resistance Army, if alive, all here.”

“There are still survivors in this world controlled by Book Walkers?”

“Underground base, sturdy. The greatest magic power left to humanity, all here... Lodert Hydelcyon, saw here last.”

Her words were like a finishing blow. Lin grinned.

“Well done. Bringing you along was the right choice, Grey Elf.”

“Call me, Ectradion.”

“Right, Ectradion. Sipua is here, I can feel it. It looks like we’ll get things over with today.”

“That’s great!”

Rather than that, didn’t that mean Lodert Hydelcyon is alive? He really was harder to kill than a cockroach. While I was feeling exhausted, Lin took out another handgun, held it in his right hand, and tensed up his shoulder. I couldn’t help but ask.

“Are there that many?”

“Like a nest of cockroaches. It’s going to get annoying.”

“Let me participate too. Kang Shin, just watch.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

In case I decided to fight, Daisy made a frightening expression, shoving her face up to mine and insisting solemnly. I quickly took a step back and nodded. I was being treated like a burden! While I shook my head, Daisy opened her inventory and took out a giant mantis. It was Meki.

“Meki will handle the front. You can go wild.”

“Perfect. Let’s go!”

Lin immediately jumped over the crumbled castle wall and charged into the city. From all sides, Book Walkers began to make their appearance.

“The human we’ve been waiting for!”

“The human who killed many of our kin is laughing!”

“It will take a long time to analyze his data!”

“The female who escaped last time came back!”

“Our data says that she’s an excellent female. It looks like she grew even more!”

Lin couldn’t hold himself back and burst their heads open as he shouted.

“Aaaaaak! These guys’ way of talking irritates me!”

Lin’s shots never missed their targets and had terrifying destructive power. No more than a single bullet was needed to kill a Book Walker. Since they were gathered here to find and kill the Resistance Army, they must have been elites amongst the Book Walkers, but Lin still only needed a single bullet to kill each one.

“We cannot allow attacks and take down the damage! We must watch from afar and record!”

“Data remembers that a kin has established a safe distance!”

“Dead! Already dead!”

“Sounds good! More kin are coming out! We can analyze his data by writing down small pieces!”

“I won’t let you! Meki!”

[Guoooooooooo!]

Meki, the Mantis Queen that had been reborn as an undead, roared furiously and spread her wings open. At the same time, the aura of wind Meki shot out sliced apart a few of the weaker Book Walkers. The Mantis Queen also had gotten stronger after becoming an undead!

“Meki, kill the recorders!”

[Guooooo!]

Meki roared in confirmation and charged towards the Book Walkers. Every time Meki’s giant scythe sliced through the air, the buildings left standing were cut down along with the heads of Book Walkers.

“That one’s strong too! A form we had no record of!”

“A powerful cutting power! We require resistance to cutting power!”

“We require a special entity! Resistance won’t cut it!”

“We don’t know when new kin will be born! We don’t know if any kin knows when that is!”

“It’s two days later! We must input new data!”

“Time, I won’t give you!”

After Daisy’s shout, Meki got even faster. Meki swung her scythes almost as quickly as Lin fired his guns. No, perhaps, Meki was even quicker. While I watched the Book Walkers being torn apart, Daisy spoke.

“The moment they record, everyone obtains resistance. What’s scarier is, newly born entities. Transcends resistance, an ability akin to total immunity.”

“So the ones born later are stronger.’

“Un. They learn, they evolve, in the blink of an eye.”

“There’s no end to them, damn it!”

“Prevent them from taking records, defeat a suitable amount. Then, move to underground passageway.”

“Got it!”

Lin became faster. The Book Walkers, who were on the defensive trying to write down Lin’s and Meki’s movements, quickly had their heads cut off.

“Observation recording, not accurate, but still forms resistance. If possible, eliminate all.”

“Let’s break through first!”

We cut down all the Book Walkers blocking our way and charged into the city. The Book Walkers’ endless appearances made me reminisce the Panan continent’s nightmare, but none of them could do anything against Lin’s bullets and Meki’s scythe. However, it was frightening that more and more of them were beginning to dodge Meki’s attacks.

“Resistance, beginning to build up. Meki’s movement pattern, must change.”

“Is this the observation recording you mentioned?”

“Un. Abilities used even a little bit, Book Walkers will write down. Impossible to prevent.”

Daisy spoke as she gritted her teeth.

“To prevent it, an ability transcending ordinary comprehension is needed.”

“Gods’ true names and Evil Eyes...”

“And Kang Shin’s power, Enigma. Or that Dragon Horn’s power.”

“Dragon Horn!? Did you just call me Dragon Horn!?”

At that moment, Meki, who had just shot out two aura blades with her scythes and completely decimated the Book Walkers in the front, unexpectedly charged towards us. While the Book Walkers assumed their observation recording stance, Daisy rolled on the ground. Meki had disappeared into her inventory...

And we had unknowingly entered underground.