WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 186: Floor 17 Hidden (3)
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“How... did you do that?!”
After confirming that it really was Carlos’s head, Gakhil asked in a trembling voice.
“I told you. I’m quite strong.”
“...”
“Please tell me which way the dragon is. I’ll be right back.”
I urged Gakhil on.
Still looking dazed, he pointed in one direction.
“South... It is an extremely long distance. You would have to pass through human territory and travel all the way to the southernmost end of the land...”
“The distance doesn’t matter. I can teleport.”
“Such long-distance teleportation magic exists...? Who exactly are you?”
Enough already. Just tell me roughly how far it is, old man.
The farther away the destination was, the harder it was to travel there precisely, so I needed to estimate the direction and distance as accurately as possible.
“Do you happen to have a map? A map?”
At my words, Heillin hurried off and returned with a map.
Gakhil spread the large map across the table and explained.
“...This is the Land of Fire. I have never been there myself, so I do not know the exact distance. But judging by the distance from here to the central continent... it would take at least half a year on foot to reach the southernmost end.”
On the map, a vast area at the southern tip was painted red, with a drawing of a mountain in the middle.
Half a year on foot.
Would that be over ten thousand kilometers?
At that distance, I could probably warp the maximum distance first and see what happened.
“I have heard that the Red Dragon nests in an enormous volcano at the center of the Land of Fire. But the story of the Red Dragon is little more than a legendary rumor, not certain information. We do not even know whether a dragon is truly there, and as for the wager...”
“I understand. I still have to try.”
There was no other way, after all. I had to give it a shot.
Gakhil spoke, still seeming unable to keep up with the situation.
“Do you truly intend to go? Even if you really meet a dragon, your life will be in danger. No matter how strong you are, a dragon is...”
“R-Right! It’s far too dangerous! Father, is there really no other way?”
Heillin anxiously chimed in.
Regardless, I activated the warp device.
A dragon would surely be strong.
Is it stronger than me?
I didn’t know, but I wasn’t worried.
Unless it was a monster stronger than the Demon King, my life wouldn’t be in danger.
[0:01]
When the time ran out, I warped.
An endless expanse of dark crimson land stretched in every direction.
Even the sky was entirely red, as though it were burning.
Was this the Land of Fire?
At least I seemed to have arrived safely within its territory.
I rose high into the sky.
As I surveyed as wide an area as possible in search of the volcano where the Red Dragon lived...
Is that it?
I spotted a mountain rising in the distance.
It was incredibly far away, but the mountain was so enormous, and my superhuman eyesight was so sharp, that I could see it.
After charging the warp device, I warped toward it once again.
I traveled the remaining distance myself.
At the crater atop a volcano that looked even taller than Everest, I saw an enormous red creature sleeping with its body curled up.
It really is here.
It was the Red Dragon.
Tap.
I landed in front of the dragon.
Only then did it open its eyes and stare at me with vertically slit pupils.
Strong.
My Sixth Sense told me...
This dragon was indeed extremely strong.
It didn’t seem impossible to defeat, but it would be a real struggle.
If I had to put a level on it, it was probably around 250.
Crrrack.
Then, the dragon’s body suddenly shrank and gradually transformed into a human shape.
A red-haired human man dressed like someone out of Greek and Roman mythology.
...Was this polymorph?
As I stared at him in surprise, the dragon spoke.
“It has been a long time since a human came all the way here.”
I greeted him politely.
“Hello. My name is Kim Seo-hyeon.”
Since I was here to ask for a favor, I needed to mind my manners.
The dragon asked.
“Tell me why you have come to my nest. Do you seek treasure, a magical tool, or power?”
“Oh, it’s nothing like that... I came to ask whether you could polymorph me into a demon.”
“Polymorph?”
The dragon raised a corner of his mouth and crossed his arms.
“Very well. If you win a wager against me, I will grant that wish.”
Hmm, just as Gakhil had said.
In any case, it seemed I could polymorph if I won the wager.
“But if you lose, you will not leave this place alive. Will you wager with me?”
“What is the wager?”
“I will give you three questions to test your wisdom. If you answer them all correctly, you win. If you get even one wrong, I win.”
Like with the Demon of the Scales, there were three rounds this time too.
“I’ll do it.”
With a chuckle, the dragon gave the first question.
“There are three closed boxes. Two contain venomous snakes, while one contains gold and silver treasures. You choose one box, and then one of the other two boxes containing a venomous snake is opened.
“You are given the chance to change your choice. To choose the box with the gold and silver treasures, would it be more advantageous to change your choice, or not change it?”
I had planned to stop time and think if he gave me a difficult question...
But there was no need to think about this.
This was the famous Monty Hall problem.
“It’s advantageous to switch.”
“...Why?”
The dragon seemed slightly flustered by my immediate answer.
“Do I have to explain the reason for it to count as correct?”
“Of course.”
“When you first choose a box, there is a two-thirds chance that you chose a venomous snake. Once one snake box is removed and two boxes remain, there is a two-thirds chance that the other box contains the gold and silver treasures. Therefore, it is advantageous to switch.”
At a glance, it was easy to think that the odds were the same whether I changed my choice or not, but it was a problem designed to deceive that intuition.
The dragon’s expression stiffened slightly, and he nodded.
“Correct. Here is the second question.”
When the dragon extended his hand, a balance scale appeared before me.
Scales again?
Eight small iron balls sat beside it.
“Of these eight iron balls, seven weigh exactly the same, while one is slightly heavier. Identify the heavier ball using the scale only twice. You have three minutes.”
Hmm.
Once again, I moved without hesitation.
This wasn’t a difficult logic problem either.
I placed three balls on each side of the scale.
The left side was slightly heavier.
I placed two of the balls from the left side on opposite sides of the scale once again. They weighed the same.
I picked up the one ball I had not placed on the scale and held it out to the dragon.
“This is the heavier ball.”
“...”
The dragon stared at me as though he was quite flustered.
Was he surprised that I answered so well?
On Earth, anyone who liked quizzes knew problems like these.
“...Correct. This is the third and final question.”
The dragon glared at me as he spoke.
“There is a mirror that can reflect everything in the world, but cannot reflect me. What is this mirror? Answer within three minutes.”
Huh?
This wasn’t a logic puzzle. Was it a riddle?
The answer didn’t immediately come to mind, so I stopped time.
A mirror that could reflect everything in the world but not me... What was it?
The Demon King spoke.
- Isn’t it the eye?
Ah.
Right. It was the eye.
You could see any object in the world with your eyes, but you couldn’t directly see your own appearance.
Thanks, Demon King.
I resumed time and gave my answer.
“The answer is the eye.”
I thought it had ended easily, but...
The dragon, who had been staring at me, suddenly raised a corner of his mouth.
“Wrong.”
“...What?”
“The answer is the magic mirror I possess.”
The dragon pulled something out of thin air.
A full-length mirror appeared in front of me.
However, it did not reflect the dragon’s appearance.
“As you can see, this magic mirror does not reflect my appearance.”
What the fuck...
That was complete bullshit.
I spoke in disbelief.
“Isn’t the eye also a correct answer? You can’t see your own appearance with your eyes either.”
“You can. If you wish, I can personally pluck out your eyes and use them to reflect your appearance, proving that your answer is wrong.”
“...”
“And in the first place, eyes are not mirrors. Do you not even know what a mirror is?”
Hearing that absurd statement, I realized.
This bastard had never intended to let me win the wager from the start. He only wanted to play with me.
Even if I had answered that it was a magic mirror, he would have said the eye was correct.
The dragon sneered.
“It is impressive that you answered two questions correctly. As promised, I will take your life.”
“Sigh...”
I let out a sigh.
If this was how he wanted to play it, I had no choice but to move on to Plan B.
I would overpower him and threaten him.
If I used the Demon King’s power at full strength, overpowering him would be easier than blinking.
But I didn’t want to waste time waiting for Radiant Manifestation’s cooldown, so I decided to use another method.
Of course, fighting him directly would be difficult too, so I had no intention of fighting in reality.
Flash!
I put on Pankera’s Crown and used Phantom Shift.
I abruptly approached the smiling dragon and reached out.
“...!”
The dragon was dragged into the Mindscape without warning.
His smiling face was tinged with bewilderment.
“...What is this? What have you done?”
He transformed from his human form back into his true lizard-like form.
After stopping time outside, I spoke.
“Don’t kill him, Demon King. Just beat him senseless.”
“Very well.”
Then miserable screams rang out without end.
The Demon King’s ice magic ruthlessly pierced and destroyed the dragon’s body.
Even Seri had been no match for him, so naturally, the dragon could not offer even the slightest resistance.
“S-Stop! Please, stooop...!”
Only after quite some time did the dragon begin to beg in surrender.
He must have truly felt his soul nearing collapse.
I stopped the Demon King and spoke.
“That’s what you get for not keeping your promise. Honestly, that last question was bullshit, right?”
“R-Right! I’m sorry! I was being unreasonable!”
“Then I won, correct?”
I returned to reality.
“Gasp...”
Perhaps his soul had taken considerable damage, because the exhausted dragon sank to the ground.
Looking down at him, I spoke.
“Polymorph me as promised. Make it permanent. Don’t tell me it’s impossible now, or...”
“I-It is possible!”
Nodding fearfully, he hurriedly pulled something from thin air.
It was a red bracelet engraved with glowing patterns.
[Special Item: Red Dragon’s Polymorph Bracelet]
A bracelet imbued with polymorph magic that can perfectly transform the wearer into any race. You can transform into the same race as a target within a 10-meter radius. Maintaining the transformation consumes 50 Willpower per second.
“Oh?”
So he gave it to me in the form of a special item?
“Y-You have what you wanted, so please leave now...”
The dragon spoke as though begging.
Of course I would leave. I was done here.
I put on the bracelet and took out the warp device.
“I’ll put it to good use. Thank you.”
After charging the warp device, I returned to the reception room.
The two of them were startled when they saw me.
“A-Already? What happened...?”
Let’s see.
I selected Gakhil as my target and used polymorph.
Crrrack.
With an unfamiliar sensation, my body began to change.
My skin turned pale, and two horns rose from my head.
Gakhil and Heillin stared blankly at me.
Did it work?
I approached the mirror hanging on one side of the reception room and checked my reflection.
My original face was somewhat preserved, but I looked exactly like a demon.
Good. Perfect.
Turning to the two, who were still stunned, I spoke.
“Let’s go. To Kagolak.”
* * *
Preparation did not take long.
With only three days remaining, Gakhil decided to immediately leave for Kagolak with me.
Kyaaaa!
In front of the castle gate, Gakhil summoned a familiar.
It was a pterosaur as large as a building.
“Are we flying on that?”
“We should have enough time.”
Kagolak was quite far away.
However, I could not take other people with me through my warp, so we had no choice but to use his means of transportation.
I climbed onto the familiar’s back with Gakhil.
Two knights accompanied us, riding other flying creatures.
They were large birds that looked somewhat like ridiculous seagulls.
It seemed demons tamed monsters like that and rode them through the sky.
“Travel safely! Kim Seohyon, please take care of yourself too...!”
With tears in her eyes, Heillin waved a handkerchief as she saw us off.
She had insisted on coming too, but Gakhil had firmly talked her out of it.
Flap!
The familiar spread its wings and rose into the sky.
The flight to Kagolak began.
Gakhil did not ask me much.
Of course, he was still curious about my identity and wary of me.
He had no choice but to be. I had taken Carlos’s head in an instant, obtained a polymorph item from a dragon, and done things beyond common sense.
So I had made my position clear beforehand.
I had no intention of harming the Dapriya Family. If they simply granted my request, I would quietly leave afterward.
In any case, since I had shown him the family’s ring, he seemed obligated to grant my request.
We flew across the continent for a long time.
I casually asked Gakhil.
“What exactly does it mean that you are deciding whether to resurrect the Fighting Demon God?”
There was no harm in learning as much as I could before we arrived.
Gakhil answered.
“It means exactly what it sounds like. The heads of all 26 Families will gather and decide whether to perform the resurrection ritual for the Fighting Demon God.”
“Hmm... What exactly is the Fighting Demon God?”
I didn’t even know what it was.
Gakhil looked back at me in disbelief.
“Are you joking? You don’t know the Fighting Demon God?”
“I’m lacking in knowledge.”
When I smiled awkwardly, Gakhil began to explain.
“Fighting Demon God Bahel. The Demon King who led the demons during their greatest age 1,500 years ago. Bahel was the first and last among all Demon Kings to be called a Demon God.”
“Bahel must have been incredibly strong.”
“...Do you know no history at all? How could you not know the Fighting Demon God?”
“That’s about right.”
Gakhil let out a disbelieving sigh and continued his history lesson.
“During the age of the Fighting Demon God, when demons were on the verge of ruling the entire continent, the Sword Saint of the humans barely succeeded in killing the Demon God. The Sword Saint stabbed the Demon God’s heart with the ancient divine artifact, the God-Slaying Sword Ryuon.”
“What is a divine artifact?”
“...It is an object that contains the power of a god.”
The power of a god.
Gakhil spoke in an even more subdued voice.
“As you know, humans and demons are currently at war. As human nations began to unite one by one, the demons gradually fell at a disadvantage. Not long ago, the Demon King was finally killed by the Knight King.
“That is why the families feel a great sense of crisis. The God-Slaying Sword is currently in demon hands, so they intend to use it to perform the ritual and resurrect the Fighting Demon God.”
“How?”
“I don’t know either. Grand Duke Keilteir’s family would know the details. Resurrecting their ancestor, the Fighting Demon God, has long been Keilteir’s cherished wish.”
I asked.
“But deciding whether to resurrect the Fighting Demon God or not means... the demons are divided on the matter too?”
“That is right. It is uncertain whether the resurrection ritual for the Fighting Demon God will even succeed. And even if it does, there is no telling what disaster may occur.”
To summarize Gakhil’s long explanation, the demon faction was currently split in two.
The faction of Grand Duke Keilteir, and the opposing faction of Grand Duke Bilford.
Keilteir supported the resurrection of the Fighting Demon God, while Bilford opposed it.
Demons were a race governed completely by the logic of strength, and ordinarily the Demon King held the authority to decide all matters.
However, the Demon King had suddenly died not long ago, leaving the throne vacant.
Normally, they would have held a Demon King Selection Tournament to choose a new Demon King...
But they could not do that while at war with humans.
The Demon King Selection Tournament traditionally required the family heads to fight until one side died, and they could not afford such an internal loss of power.
Instead, the family heads would each bring one Great Warrior to duel.
The winning family would then gain the right to use the God-Slaying Sword needed for the resurrection ritual.
And there was a reason the demons were rushing this.
“The remains of the Fighting Demon God are still at the center of the Demon Realm.”
“The Demon Realm? The Demon Realm where the demons are?”
“There are magical beasts and demons there as well.”
The remains of the Fighting Demon God, whose heart had supposedly been pierced by the God-Slaying Sword 1,500 years ago, were apparently still located at the center of the Demon Realm.
It seemed to be the same Demon Realm where I had wagered against the Demon of the Scales.
In any case, the Demon Realm could not normally be entered. But at regular intervals, there came a period when the dimensional barrier between it and the present world weakened.
Apparently, that period was now.
In about one more month, the gate to the Demon Realm would close, making it impossible to perform the ritual to resurrect the Fighting Demon God.
After that, they would have to wait several more decades.
I roughly understand now.
After hearing the whole explanation, I had a general grasp of the situation.
Then did I need to act to prevent the resurrection of the Fighting Demon God after all?
Demon King, are you confident you could win if the Fighting Demon God is resurrected? They say Bahel was a Demon God stronger than a Demon King.
I asked half-jokingly.
But instead of getting angry, the Demon King answered seriously.
- If the Fighting Demon God is truly a god, I cannot win.
What?
- If this Fighting Demon God is a genuine god, then I absolutely cannot win.
The Demon King’s usual arrogance was nowhere to be found. He even said absolutely.
...Was the Fighting Demon God really that strong?
Come to think of it, the Demon King had spoken of gods before.
He had said something about becoming a god if I wanted to overcome my lifespan.
How exactly does one become a god?
- Three conditions are required.
Three?
The Demon King spoke.
- The first is faith. Whether that emotion is praise or fear, at least hundreds of millions of insignificant beings must recognize and revere your existence.
- The second is a vessel. A vessel capable of holding divinity. It is an element that must be inborn. If you are not born with the vessel, you can never become a god.
So it was basically raw talent.
Then what is the last one?
- The third is divinity. Literally, the status of a god.
...How does one obtain divinity?
- It differs for every individual. Some gain divinity by reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Some gain it by reaching the pinnacle of magic. Some gain divinity at the end of spiritual training without doing anything at all.
The Demon King continued.
- If you lack even one of the three elements, you cannot become a god. I gained faith by receiving the reverence of all my people, and I also gained divinity by reaching the pinnacle of magic. But because I was not born with a vessel, I ultimately could not become a god. Even if one reaches divinity, without a vessel, the limit is holding only a speck of divinity. With such a small amount of divinity, one cannot become a god.
Come to think of it, the Demon King had once said he had barely set one foot into godhood.
Was that why he said it?
Vessels, divinity... It sure sounds grand.
In any case, based on the Demon King’s explanation, there was no way I could fulfill all those grand conditions.
I needed to quickly find a way to restore my lifespan.
Well, for now, I needed to focus on clearing the Hidden Route.
A full day passed as we repeatedly descended to the ground to rest, then flew again.
Black, desolate land.
A massive castle began to come into view in the distance.
“We have arrived.”
“Is that the castle?”
Gakhil nodded.
“It is the Demon King’s Castle.”
Ah, so Kagolak referred to the Demon King’s Castle.
I had finally reached my destination.
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