Chapter 139: First Act 10: Setting

In the vast expanse of darkness, the beautiful lady sitting on the throne gazed at the doll's porcelain-like eye.

Questions swirled in her mind as she pondered why she could feel a foreign god's divinity all over her daughter's body.

'Did she spend time with a god?' the lady thought, considering her daughter's personality.

She shook her head; there was no way her aloof daughter would go out of her way to interact with gods.

'It must be the friend Proctharn was talking about' she speculated.

One of her sons, Proctharn, had informed her of a grand play planned for the sector that took Ian.

For that, they needed a certain god's help.

The lady took a moment to think about why she wasn't informed about the situation and why she hadn't met the god they were talking about.

After some contemplation, she concluded that it was probably for the best they didn't meet, as only the rulers of an entire pantheon had a hope of withstanding her presence.

As the lady cleared her thoughts, she swallowed the eye.

The lady closed her eyes and slept.

She dreamt of all the memories and things her daughter saw or heard, like a grand play playing in her dreams.

As she stroked her daughter's head, the lifeless form couldn't even do anything about the invading energy entering her body.

Her expressions changed with all the situations her dear son was put in—sometimes her face expressed anger, happiness, sadness, longingness, and, above all, love.

Well, that was until she saw certain scenes.

She could tolerate the first ones, but when the number of ladies increased, sleeping with her son, she couldn't take it anymore and woke up.

She knew it was for the best to allow her son to experience these things before he would spend eternity with her.

But actually, understanding and seeing it are two different things; her heart beat wildly, and her jealousy ran wild.

"Hmm."

"Haha—"

"HAHAHAHA!"

With the lady's laughter, the dark space cracked, and all the monstrosities ceased their actions.

Some fled, some hid, and some downright started to prostrate themselves in front of the gigantic floating black throne.

The lady's hair flew into the air, and her once beautiful face turned into pure darkness itself; pale dark hands spread forth from her back. As she gently stroked Nyarla's head.

"You certainly allowed him to do something absurd, my dear," the lady uttered with a tone that carried both annoyance and madness.

An eerie purplish aura manifested around her palms, swirling with otherworldly energy. The ethereal mist seeped into Nyarla, rousing her from an unexpected slumber.

"Nyarla...." The lady's voice cut through the awakening, and Nyarla, surprised by the abruptness of her consciousness, responded.

"Mother?" She couldn't recall when she had succumbed to sleep; the sudden transition left her disoriented.

"Nyarla, how long until I meet Ian again?" The question, delivered in a whisper that resonated directly into Nyarla's ear, sent shivers down her spine.

In an instant, she found herself latched on her mother's arms, the grip tightening as if trying to anchor her essence.

Her mother's closeness made Nyarla's soul quiver, an unusual reaction for the seemingly lifeless doll.

The aura of power that enveloped her mother created an atmosphere of tension, the weight of an unspoken demand hanging in the air.

This unexpected confrontation led Nyarla to grapple with the reality of her situation.

The closeness, the intense gaze, and the direct inquiry pressed her for answers she may not possess.

She doesn't even know what memories her mother saw, but if those certain memories were also shown, then she was in deep trouble for not preventing it.

There was a reason why no woman lasted more than a year of being together with Ian.

And that was all because of the woman Nyarla was staring at right now.

Ian can't even realize how much influence her mother had over his life, or he just chooses to ignore it.

But one thing was a fact: her mother's obsession with Ian was more than any other thing Nyarla had ever felt.

It was so intense that it even rivaled some gods' peculiarity for obsession.

Not even gods who wielded divinity of obsession probably beat her mother.

The grip on her tightened, and a sense of unease settled in her very core.

'Please prevent mom from lashing out onto the girls, Sis.'

Nyarla remembered Ian's request and sighed.

For the first time, Nyarla felt a genuine surge of anger directed at Ian for getting her into this situation.

"S-soon?"

Nyarla replied while staring at the cosmic horror in front of her

This phenomenon involved a bunch of monsters rushing out of the dungeon.

The novel didn't specify the cause, only mentioning an assailant planting a mana bomb near the dungeon's core.

I pondered whether the assailant was truly responsible.

Maybe he already planted the bomb here?

The novel mentioned the assailant being seen escaping right after the outflow, so perhaps they haven't planted it yet?

'Hmm?'

I looked above me as I noticed someone staring, but all I saw were rock formations and glowing crystals.

I expanded my mana to make sure, but I could sense nothing.

'Did I sense wrong?'

.....

"Fuck, who is that guy?"

I muttered to myself, eyes narrowing as I observed the mysterious figure below.

The academy had explicitly barred adventurers from entering due to the impending exams.

Was he a scout or a tester sent to evaluate the dungeon?

'Shit, this makes things complicated' I thought, weighing my options in the dim light.

The idea of eliminating him crossed my mind. After all, I had been tailing him since the beginning, but the notion was quickly dismissed.

Whatever he did to dispatch the monsters that ambushed him showcased a level of skill I couldn't contend with.

A swipe of his hands cut through them effortlessly, making it clear that a direct confrontation would be suicidal.

Survival in our organization wasn't solely determined by strength, intelligence, or luck.

I had managed to endure because of a keen instinct to discern what to engage with and what to avoid. Instincts that were now warning me not to approach this enigmatic figure.

However, if he was indeed a scout or tester, allowing him to reach the dungeon's core without interference wasn't an option.

My gaze remained fixed on him as I assessed his trajectory.

He seemed intent on reaching the bottom.

"From the direction he's going, he'll probably reach the hydra's area soon" I deduced, my mind already strategizing the next moves.

Suddenly, he looked back, his gaze piercing through the shadows and locking onto my position.

"Shit!" Panic surged within me as I held my breath, desperately relying on the artifact around my neck to erase my presence.

As he turned away, relief washed over me.

I swiftly darted behind the cover of the large crystal beside me, my heart pounding in my chest.

'FUUWAAH, Fuck! That was really scary! What was up with that keen sense? I'm about a hundred meters away from you, you know?'

I muttered to myself, struggling to comprehend the intensity of the situation.

In the midst of my racing thoughts, a straight purple flash disrupted the dim surroundings.

Boom!

The unexpected intrusion and the subsequent explosion had caught me off guard.

The stone wall in front of me erupted into fragments, and I felt the searing heat on my left ear.

Glancing to the side, I saw a hole in the crystal, the edges burning and melting.

A pang of pain shot through me as I realized a part of my ear had been caught in the blast.

Holding my breath, I strained my senses, aware that someone was approaching.

"Hmm? I was pretty sure I sensed something here" a voice remarked, echoing beside me.

I cautiously looked to my side and found the cloaked man, his presence looming dangerously close.

"Did I really sense it wrong?" he pondered aloud.

Panic welled up within me as I grappled with the perilous reality of the situation.

Unwillingly, I found myself contemplating the danger posed by the man mere inches away.

In a moment of desperation, I offered a silent prayer.

'Ahh, dear goddess, please forgive this lost child of yours. I'm still a virgin. Please, at least let me get a taste of heaven before I die'

The sincerity of my plea surprised even myself, as I sensed the overwhelming threat emanating from the man beside me.

This was the first time in my entire life that I prayed sincerely.

'I shouldn't have joined this fucking organization!!!'