Chapter 31 : The Delicious Curse

As Yuseong and Jang Dojin chased after the Golden-Horned Fowl, the Red Eye Guild members, including Go Byeong Jae, looked on with envy.

“Could you teach us how to set those traps too, hyung?”

“The Golden-Horned Fowl is blind enough to fall into the traps you set?”

“But you caught Baek Yuseong.”

“That dog was just a dog. I saw him myself; he’s no ordinary guy. Byeong Jae, he looks almost ten years younger than you but is incredibly sharp.”

“Hah, seriously. I’ve never seen a Golden-Horned Fowl in my life…”

“Enough talk. Let’s hurry to the next Layer.”

They set off again right after Yuseong left.

They had been searching Layer Seven for several days already but found no trace of the Parama Camellia.

In the end, they decided to return to the Entry Gate via the path they had come.

“Let’s just clear it out completely instead of going slowly.”

“It’ll take ages to climb all the way there again. We don’t have climbing gear either.”

In front of the Red Eye stood the massive roots of the World Tree.

Many explorers were using climbing equipment to scale those roots.

At the very top was the Clear Gate.

“Yeah, last time it took a whole day. It’s better to return comfortably to the Entry Gate.”

“The clear condition is the climb itself.”

Climbing those roots required tremendous effort.

It was faster for them to go back to the Entry Gate they had used to descend to Layer Seven.

“How about skipping Layer Eight and starting to search from Layer Nine? It feels like that’s where it’ll be.”

“We still have to visit the Sun Sanctuary in Layer Eight. Searching Layer Nine won’t be easy either.”

Their search for the Parama Camellia Colony still had no success.

To keep spirits from sinking, they made an effort to stay upbeat.

“Hey, you guys! Don’t fall apart like drenched rats. Cheer up!”

“Yes, hyung!”

Suppressing his frustration, he turned away.

At that moment, someone recognized approaching figures in the distance.

“Hey… isn’t that Baek Yuseong?”

A cloud of dust rose as Baek Yuseong approached.

“He’s already caught up to us… but what on earth is that?”

Yuseong was riding something, and whatever it was was charging forward with an overwhelming presence like a war machine.

“Damn, did he bring a tank into the Abyss?”

Baek Yuseong amazed the Red Eye Guild members for the second time today.

First, by capturing the rare Golden-Horned Fowl.

And now by appearing riding a tank—nothing less than a robot gorilla.

Thud thud thud thud.

The earth trembled as the armored Jang Dojin came into view.

Perhaps because Yuseong’s magical power had increased, Jang Dojin’s Blessing had become even stronger.

Now he was big enough to carry two people comfortably on his back while running.

Everyone could recognize Jang Dojin covered in armor because they heard Yuseong shouting.

“Dojin, keep riding it straight up.”

“The Blessing only lasts ten more minutes!”

“If you don’t want to fall to your death, you better get up there within ten minutes.”

“Ugh!”

Yuseong and his group passed the Red Eye Guild members without stopping.

Dust and wind blew directly into the open mouths of Go Byeong Jae and the others.

“Kooluk, com, damn. What’s that, climbing up with bare hands?”

Jang Dojin started making his way toward the World Tree’s root.

Cheon Younghun and his subordinates gawked, mouths wide open, watching his every move.

Boom.

A roar echoed.

Like a hawk clutching a gargantuan prey, Jang Dojin grabbed hold of the World Tree root.

“He’s got a grip!”

Then Jang Dojin began climbing the World Tree root.

Even the unflappable Cheon Younghun couldn’t help but gape in admiration.

“Totally… King Kong.”

That World Tree root climbing clear route was a famous landmark of Layer Seven.

All the Red Eye Guild members had climbed the gate through this route before, so they were even more amazed.

Jang Dojin’s climbing speed was beyond imagination.

Maybe because he had grown bigger, he was much faster than others climbing the root.

“That’s just like the scene from the movies.”

A homage to King Kong climbing the Empire State Building in New York.

“Jealous…”

From the Red Eye’s perspective, who had to return to the Entry Gate again, it was enviable.

“Well, it’s a gorilla, so it’s gotta be good at climbing trees.”

Cheon Younghun muttered to himself, but Go Byeong Jae responded in a dazed voice,

“But can gorillas really climb trees?”

“Hmm.”

“Isn’t climbing trees something monkeys do well?”

“Look here, you idiot, gorillas are similar to monkeys.”

No matter how much they argued, Yuseong and Jang Dojin began climbing at high speed.

***

[General Achievement: Clear Seventh Level achieved]

[From now on, the purity of Masok obtained in Layer Seven will increase slightly.]

“Ugh!”

“Man, this is exhausting.”

“Exhausting? We almost died!”

“I saved you, didn’t I?”

Jang Dojin and Yuseong collapsed as soon as they passed through the gate.

Even with the Blessing of the Armor Great Ape, climbing the World Tree root in ten minutes was impossible.

Among the many roots of the World Tree, this one was unique—it was climbed from the ground up. Its size rivaled that of a skyscraper.

At one point, the Armor Great Ape Blessing wore off, and they nearly fell.

If Yuseong hadn’t quickly sheathed his Rose Knife and grabbed Jang Dojin’s wrist, Jang Dojin would have fallen to his death.

Fortunately, they had already climbed more than half.

It took them ten minutes to climb half of the root, but the remaining half took a full four hours.

That was possible only because they climbed continuously without rest.

“Ugh, my arms feel like they’re about to fall off.”

“The old explorers came only with climbing gear, no footholds to step on.”

“That must have been horrifying.”

There were metal footholds embedded by pioneers along the World Tree root.

Without those, the climb would have taken even longer.

[Descending to Layer Eight]

[Wishing you success in pioneering.]

The gate closed, and they gradually felt themselves descending to the eighth Layer.

“Ugh, but isn’t this different from what you usually say, hyung?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Abyss is always dangerous no matter when or where, so you have to manage your stamina properly.”

That was Jang Dojin’s philosophy.

Yuseong had forced a relentless pace to this point, but even then, thorough stamina management was embedded in his strategy.

That was why Jang Dojin always stopped just before exhaustion and turned back.

“But right now it feels like I’m about to die. If I close my eyes here, I think I’d wake up in a hospital.”

But this time, they had crossed the limit and were using all their strength.

Normally, Yuseong would have ascended to the surface and rested here.

“It’s okay, there’s a rest stop in Layer Eight too.”

“…Is it like the rest stop we saw yesterday?”

“It’s even lower than that.”

And so, they reached Layer Eight.

[Arrived at Layer Eight]

[May the Blessing of the World Tree be with you.]

As they stepped out of the gate, bright light shone upon them.

Jang Dojin frowned as he looked at the revealed scene and opened his mouth.

“…Machupicchu?”

“Kind of similar.”

Several stone buildings stood right in front of the gate.

Their ancient, weathered appearance reminded one of the ruins of Machupicchu in Peru.

“What is this? A shrine?”

“It’s not a shrine. It’s called the Sun Sanctuary.”

Looking closely, all the stone buildings had at least one wall missing or half-collapsed.

They hadn’t been built directly by explorers.

Ruins had existed here since the first humans set foot in this place.

Since similar places exist in other countries’ Abysses, it’s likely a common characteristic of Layer Eight.

“We’ll camp here and rest.”

“Yes, sir.”

Not only Yuseong’s group but many other explorers had set up camps in the stone buildings to rest.

While the rest stop in Layer Seven had many people, this place had far more.

“I’ll pitch my tent and get ready. I’ll be back soon.”

“Where are you going?”

Yuseong pointed to a place where many people were lined up.

“Are there snakes here too?”

The line to buy snake repellent was just as long in Layer Seven.

When Jang Dojin showed unease, Yuseong nodded.

“I wish the snake repellent was as cheap as this.”

“Huh?”

“Anyway, just wait.”

Yuseong hoisted his backpack, full of Masok and various materials, onto his shoulders.

This place wasn’t a shrine, but it was similar.

Unlike Layers Seven and Eight, Layer Nine was a night layer without daylight.

To enter it, one had to pass through the Sun Sanctuary.

***

Inside the Sun Sanctuary stood a statue that bestowed blessings.

A long queue stretched before it, and Yuseong stood in line, waiting for his turn.

He overheard two explorers in front of him chatting.

“Senior, what grade of Masok did you bring?”

“You?”

“I brought Grade Seven Masok.”

“That must be pretty expensive.”

“Still, without a proper blessing, Layer Nine is really tough. So what did you bring, senior?”

“Hehe, look at this.”

“…Isn’t that monster meat?”

The male explorer pulled out dripping meat from his backpack.

Yuseong was quietly surprised.

There weren’t many brave enough to pay with something other than Masok.

At the Sun Sanctuary, explorers offered sacrifices and received Blessings in return.

Even in the dark, the Blessing could be clearly seen and could protect against the dangerous monsters in Layer Nine—the Sun’s Blessing.

So explorers going to Layer Nine sacrificed Masok here to receive the Blessing before venturing further.

“Masok isn’t cheap; it’s a shame to just give it away.”

The problem was that the statue’s required Masok value was quite high.

Explorers who failed to conquer Layer Nine often returned several times to pay more Masok.

“But still, can something like that be an offering?”

“You’ve heard the rumors, right? That they accept offerings other than Masok.”

“Yeah, though I haven’t seen it myself.”

“A senior I know once offered this monster meat and got two weeks’ worth of Blessing.”

“Two weeks? No way…”

“Alright, it’s your turn. Hurry up.”

Then it was the turn of a female explorer behind Yuseong.

She nervously approached the statue.

The statue, despite its solemn name ‘Sun Sanctuary,’ took the form of a rat.

The solemnly dressed rat held a Light Staff symbolizing the sun and had its mouth wide open.

『Sizzle, crackle, those seeking the Sun’s Blessing, offer your sacrifice.』

A voice rang out from the statue.

This was the first intelligent, non-human being the explorers met inside the Abyss.

Yuseong had been startled the first time the statue spoke.

The female explorer seemed experienced and, unfazed, placed the prepared Masok into the statue’s mouth.

Crunch.

The statue’s mouth closed tightly.

When it opened again, nothing remained inside.

『Sizzle! Tastes good! I shall bestow ten days’ worth of Blessing.』

The female explorer’s face lit up.

The Light Staff in the statue shone brightly.

That light poured onto the explorer, granting the Blessing.

“Yeah! Did you see that, senior?”

“Heh, heh, let me try too.”

The male explorer confidently approached the statue.

The statue said the same lines as before, and the man stuffed the dripping monster meat into its mouth.

“Heh heh, it’s strong monster meat, so just give me two weeks’ worth of Blessing.”

The statue’s mouth closed.

Crunch.

Unlike before, the statue did not open its mouth immediately.

After several seconds, it opened wide, and the monster meat inside suddenly sprang out.

“Ugh!”

The explorer’s face was struck by the flying chunk of meat, and he stumbled backward.

『Sizzle! That’s terrible! You’re punished for that!』

This time, a misty, gloomy fog emerged from the Light Staff.

Ts ts ts ts.

It swept over the fallen man.

“Argh! It burns!”

Painful red welts broke out all over his body.

He writhed madly and hurriedly left the statue.

The faces of the waiting explorers turned pale.

Offering something other than Masok resulted in immediate punishment.

It was a reminder that this place was still a dangerous Abyss.

Those who tried to offer something else hurriedly left the queue.

“Is it my turn now?”

Yet Yuseong was not afraid at all.

He strode forward to the statue.

『Sizzle, crackle, those seeking the Sun’s Blessing, offer your sacrifice.』

The same voice echoed as he approached.

Yuseong held what he had prepared in his hand.

“Young man, be careful!”

Suddenly, someone behind him shouted.

It was an explorer standing in line behind Yuseong.

“Didn’t you see what happened earlier? You could get seriously hurt.”

“A friend of mine tried offering a monster egg and got into big trouble.”

They cared, in their own way.

When they saw Yuseong hold a Monster Egg instead of Masok, they worried for him.

But Yuseong barely paid them any mind.

He placed the Golden-Horned Fowl Egg into the statue’s mouth.

Crunch.

The statue’s mouth closed.

“Oh no, this is going to be bad.”

“Step back for now. It’s dangerous.”

Yuseong remained calm, but the explorers behind him were in an uproar.

Then the statue’s mouth opened again.

『Sizzle, damn!』

The statue’s tone was agitated, and everyone expected Yuseong to be scolded harshly.

But what came next surprised them all.

『…Why, why is this so delicious! Sizzle sizzle!』