The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound - Chapter 348: The Key (1)

Chapter 348: The Key (1)

In the darkness.

Amidst the unfathomable void, Figgy stood alone.

“Leave.”

A voice of a middle-aged man echoed.

The moment he heard that voice, Figgy sensed it.

“Is it that dream again?”

The illusion he saw when he was almost crushed by the golems during midterms.

It was the nightmare he barely survived with Vikir’s help.

“This trash is not of my bloodline.”

A chillingly cold voice.

Followed by his mother’s sorrowful sobbing.

“Where do you think you can go, you ignorant fool.”

“Get out of here right now.”

“…Dispose of it.”

Murmurs surrounded him, trailing behind the sobs.

And then it was the same as always.

His fleeing mother, the forest and mountains, the pursuers, steep cliffs, rough rivers, hungry wolves, the astonished faces of passing merchants and mercenaries, his mother gradually regaining her smile, the always affectionate stepfather, the challenging yet fulfilling exam period, the difficult and trying times at the school dormitory but enduring it with friends.

The illusion continued to progress along the flow of time like a river.

Eventually, Figgy realized that his body was somehow covered in something sticky like a thread.

“…Hughh!?”

The surroundings, once filled with only darkness and emptiness, were suddenly filled with unpleasant walls.

A sensation akin to being trapped in the esophagus of a gigantic monster.

Desperately, Figgy writhed his body forward.

His limbs were being torn apart.

Eventually, he saw a door ahead.

A large circular door. Around it, flames were burning.

[Entrance to the Gate of Destruction ‘Serpent’s tounge’’]

The ends of the fiery columns were split into two like the tongue of a serpent.

Countless ominous columns of fire endlessly circled around the door.

In an instant, Figgy felt a very strong desire.

A desire so immense and primal to enter that door, something he couldn’t resist.

‘Why… why am I like this?’

Ordinary people wouldn’t even dare to walk towards that door.

Yet, Figgy found himself walking towards it in a state he couldn’t even comprehend.

Then.

“Hey, Figgy.”

A familiar voice came from behind. It was Tudor’s.

“Don’t go that way. We’re Humans.”

Figgy paused for a moment at Tudor’s words.

Immediately after, Sancho’s voice also reached him.

“That door is for demons and the damned. You mustn’t go.”

“Are you insane? Come back immediately!”

Bianca also called out to Figgy.

In addition, familiar voices echoed behind him.

“Come back, Figgy.”

“This way is safer.”

“Absolutely do not go there!”

“Here! Come over here!”

“Look this way! Turn your head!”

His mother, stepfather, hometown friends… all those he missed called out to him.

Figgy suddenly found himself standing still, his eyes unfocused.

And then.

Slowly-

His head turned back.

Figgy seemed to be leaning towards the door.

…Right at that moment.

‘Never look back.’

A voice that sounded as if it was speaking directly to his heart echoed.

That heartbeat reignited his stopped heart and cleared his foggy mind in an instant.

“Haggh!?”

Even though Figgy regained his senses, the shouts from behind persisted.

“Figgy! Look here! Please!”

“Behind you! Look behind you!”

“Run, Figgy! Right now!”

“Hurry, Figgy! Come this way!”

Voices of family and friends pleading him to look back.

However, every time Figgy unconsciously tried to turn his head, a hot and fierce voice, almost like a growl of a beast, echoed in his chest.

‘Never look back, keep moving forward.’

It sounded like the groan of an old man with deep wisdom.

With tightly closed eyes, Figgy took a step forward.

“Figgy! Are you out of your mind!? Come back!”

“Why are you ignoring us!”

“Come back immediately!”

“Look here, Figgy! It’s your mother!”

“You ungrateful brat! If you don’t look back now…!”

At that moment, Figgy’s face also turned into a grimace.

How could he not turn back when the people he longed to see, those he cherished so dearly, cried out with such urgency?

“Ughhh…”

Figgy stopped in his tracks, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Then, with closed eyes, he attempted to turn his head.

That’s when…

…Thunk!

There was a hand holding Figgy’s face.

“Eek!?”

Figgy was startled and opened his eyes.

But just before Figgy could look back, the hand gripping his cheeks turned his head back to the front.

Figgy looked down at the hand holding his face.

A rough hand wrinkled and covered in sticky blood and scars.

The owner of the hand was standing right next to Figgy.

“Keep walking forward.”

It was the same gruff voice from earlier.

Trembling, Figgy moved his feet.

Glancing sideways along the hand, he saw someone tall walking beside him.

A middle-aged man.

Though his features were hard to discern at the edge of his vision, Figgy could see that his hand and face were covered in burns and knife marks.

Even as he limped, he supported Figgy as if guiding him forward.

With a firm grip on hiss neck, shoulders, and chin, ensuring he couldn’t look back.

Eventually, Figgy found himself facing a large door.

Glowing flames and heavy steel. It was a door that involuntarily made one feel small.

Yet Figgy, for some reason, felt no fear of the door.

The only thing bothering him was the shouting voices from behind.

Even that concern faded away, thanks to the mysterious man walking beside him who had brought him this far.

There was a sense of unknown accomplishment and pride. For some reason, it felt imperative to cross this door.

Just as Figgy was about to express his gratitude.

The man beside him released Figgy’s body.

“Never look back. From now on, go alone.”

Simultaneously, the man’s figure and voice vanished from Figgy’s sight.

Even without seeing, Figgy knew.

He was never meant to be here, and he had just been taken away to a far-off place.

“…He’s a good person.”

With all his strength, Figgy pushed against the door in front of him.

And he threw himself into the darkness beyond.

Creeeak-

Leaving behind only the dull sound of the closing door.

* * *

“Gaaahhh!?”

Figgy jolted awake, his body drenched in sweat.

As he lifted his head, the first thing he saw reflected in the puddle of water was his own face.

“I… I’m back?”

Running his fingers over his face, he found his teenage skin intact.

All the years he spent by the river seemed to have reset his age completely.

Slowly, Figgy looked up towards the ceiling.

“Gah!”

What he saw there was even more astonishing than before.

Roots of plants protruding from the pitch-black, deep ceiling like the night sky.

The deep roots extending from the core of the Abyss tree were passing through there.

And hanging beneath the countless minor roots were fruit-like objects.

Inside the fruit’s outer shell, human forms were nestled, with only their faces poking out, making it clear who they were.

Tudor, Sancho, Bianca, and the warriors of Ballak were all tightly bound and hanging there.

Each one of them asleep with closed eyes.

Figgy sensed that these enormous roots were the core maintaining the power of the Abyssal Abyss.

Sure enough, as he looked down at the connected main root, he could see the veins inside sucking in water and fire from below the abyss.

From there, various seeds of aquatic plants, such as the Bloodsoaked jade flower, and jellyfish species like the Shadowless king of the black sea, were being drawn along.

‘…I see. They were using our emotions as fuel to connect the human world and the abyss.’

Figgy spoke with a trembling voice.

With just his current strength, Figgy couldn’t do anything about the massive main root in front of him.

…But there was something he could do right now with his own power alone.

Swish-

He drew the sword hanging from his waist.

The levels and stats he had accumulated through training by the river remained the same.

Though his age had reverted, his experiences from that time were still ingrained in Figgy’s hands.

“Hah!”

With all his might, Figgy swung the sword.

The sweeping blow knocked down each of his friends hanging beneath the minor roots one by one.

Figgy first approached Tudor, peeled off the fruit’s shell, and began slapping Tudor’s cheeks.

“Tudor! Wake up! Sancho and Bianca too!”

As Figgy vigorously slapped their cheeks, Tudor, Sancho, and Bianca began to awaken one by one.

“Huh? What’s going on? I distinctly remember Father calling me to look back…”

“Hmm? Mother? Where did she call me to… Uhg! Where is this?”

“Ugh! My head hurts. What’s happening? My face has returned to its original age!”

They awoke in the order of their deaths.

Figgy then pulled down all the remaining fruits.

Even the natives of Ballak who had been trapped inside also began to open their eyes one by one.

Those who had died before, those who had killed before, all were now alive.

“Huh? Look at that! Isn’t that Ballak members?”

“What? There all kids…”

“HAaa! No, no way. That face… it’s hers! And they’re all just children!”

Tudor, Sancho, and Bianca were shocked to see the youthful face of the girl before them.

She was none other than Ahul.

Overwhelming power, levels, and the expertise of seasoned warriors had been flaunted by the female warrior, who in reality was just a young girl. Everyone was astonished by this fact. Indeed, most of the Ballak warriors who woke up from the fruits were young children, so Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed. However, with the experience points, levels, and stats they had accumulated from their time by the river, they couldn’t underestimate these children.

They were already warriors of Ballak who had lived for decades. Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca, who had spent seven years by the river, were well aware of this fact.

Meanwhile, as Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca looked at the main root of the Abyss tree, each of them muttered something.

“…So that’s it. Our hatred, violence, anxiety, restlessness, and longing for life turned out to be the nutrients that sustained this Abyss tree.”

“The source of power heading towards the demons seems to be this. It’s a pathway of nutrients connecting their world and the human world.”

“So, is this what brought the flames and waters of hell here? To be used as a power source for the tower?”

“All those unfortunate demons we encountered before must have crawled up through these roots.”

Just then.

“Th-there!”

Ahul shouted in a timid imperial language.

Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca turned their heads in the direction Ahul was pointing.

“Gasp!”

There hung a large fruit.

It looked much larger and heavier than the others.

Inside it, was Vikir, trapped.

“We’ll get you out!”

Figgy swung his sword with a cautious expression.

Immediately, Figgy’s expertly emitted aura, shot out in a crescent shape from the tip of his sword.

…Thud!

The fruit containing Vikir fell to the ground.

Everyone rushed to Vikir.

“Vikir! Wake up!”

“Open your eyes, Vikir!”

“He’s… he’s breathing!”

“Perhaps he’s just in a deep sleep.”

Suddenly, a realization dawned upon everyone.

“Vikir knew about it. He knew that those who died first in the order would awaken from the illusion quicker.”

“Indeed. It seems like it was an advantage to die early in this mission.”

“To make it this far, everyone must have been strong and experienced enough not to die easily.”

Eventually, everything became clear.

– Kill or be Kill!

※ Each participant possesses formidable strength! Life is tough, isn’t it?

※ Recognition is granted only if everyone clears the mission!

The mission “Kill” or “Be Kill”. It wasn’t just about killing others.

It was also about one’s own demise.

Moreover, in this mission, the final survivor becomes the ultimate loser.

It meant that inevitably, as one became more malicious and betrayed others, they would bear the consequences in full circle.

As the one who died first would exit the illusion first, the one who was discarded and betrayed first would not simply let the sleeping competitors live.

Furthermore, with the constraint that everyone had to clear the mission, the difficulty level was truly beyond imagination.

It was a scheme where the roles of oppressor and victim could quickly reverse, thus creating new oppressors and victims. It was indeed a diabolical idea.

Just then.

Vikir opened his eyes. Tuder, Sanchu, Figgy, Bianca, and the other Ballak warriors crowded around to assess Vikir’s condition.

“Vikir! Are you okay?”

“Any injuries?”

“Hey, how many fingers can you see, Vikir?”

“No, seriously, what were you doing all alone in the River of time?”

Vikir blinked his eyes for a moment, then looked down at his hands.

“…The wrinkles and fungus are gone. Seems I reverted to my original age upon waking up.”

Everyone was astonished. If there were wrinkles and fungus on his hands… just how long had Vikir been enduring in the River of time?

Vikir didn’t offer any answer to that question. However…

[Vikir]

-Level: 1 (%)

-Titles: ‘Rat Hunter’, ‘Hell’s Dogmaster’, ‘Bloodsoaked Jade flower Lumberjack’, ‘Majin Killerr’, ‘Executioner of the Shadowless king of the Black Sea’, ‘Demonic Dragon’s Escapee’, ‘Boatman of the River of time’

-Stats

↳Strength: 798

↳Agility: 798

↳Stamina: 798

↳Physical Resistance: 798

↳Magical Resistance: 798

↳Reflexes: 798

Level 1.

Total of 6 stats: 4,788.

Having maxed out three special stats at 798 each was an incredible achievement.

After a moment of silence, Vikir turned his head to look at Figgy beside him, then chuckled softly.

“…You did well.”

Was he still groggy? Vikir’s voice sounded strained and rough, a stark contrast to his usual tone. Though he quickly returned to normal, that moment felt remarkably elderly.

Then, Figgy’s expression changed.

“This… this voice!”

As everyone looked puzzled, Figgy spoke again.

“The voice that rescued me from the hallucination! It was this voice!”

Figgy was convinced that the voice that guided him out and prevented him from looking back was Vikir’s. It made sense; the scars, freckles, and even the shape of the nails on Vikir’s hands perfectly matched the ones from that moment.

‘Never look back. From now on, go alone.’

Recalling that voice, Figgy tightly held Vikir’s hand.

“Vikir, I owe you my life. If I had looked back then, I wouldn’t have woken up. I couldn’t have woken up the others either.”

Touched by Figgy’s sincere gratitude, Vikir nodded his head briefly.

“What’s going on? I don’t remember any of that.”

After a moment of contemplation, Vikir formulated a hypothesis. He recalled his old comrades from when they reached the ’10th Floor Paradise.’ Could it be that something similar had happened again this time? Vikir thought that perhaps his residual memories from past regressions somehow materialized to aid his friends, just like before.

At that moment, an announcement came:

[Mission Complete] – Kill or Be Killed!

※ The deathmatch has finally ended!

※ What did it feel like to die once?

※ As the latecomers clear the mission, the early arrivals will be teleported out of the tower.

※ Teleportation applies only to those who have cleared the mission.

With a noisy alert, rewards began pouring in.

Rustle –

A heap of golden candies fell in front of everyone. Simultaneously, the gate leading to the depths of the Abyss also appeared.

…And the same alert that Vikir had been most wary of:

[Teleportation of early arrivals is in progress]

[Do you agree to teleportation?]

As Vikir had warned beforehand, Ahul refused the teleportation.

“Good call,” Vikir nodded, patting Ahul’s head. It was better to remain inside the tower, considering they didn’t know the fate of the insect kings they met in the Black Sea. “I’ll clear the tower. You guys will leave and return to the jungle. We need to rebuild Ballak tribe.”

In response to Vikir’s words, the young ballak warriors, including Ahul, nodded resolutely. Having developed remarkable talents within the tower, they would one day become great warriors and revive their tribe.

At that moment…

“Vikir.”

Tuder, Sanchu, Figgy, and Bianca almost simultaneously spoke up, turning to Vikir with questioning looks.

“Do you know? Why could only Figgy wake up?”

Their inquiry was valid. Frankly speaking, Figgy was the weakest among them in terms of both physical prowess and mental strength. His determination and perseverance were also the lowest among them. Yet somehow, despite being the least likely, he was the first to wake up and save them all.

“……”

Vikir quietly stroked his chin, his gaze fixed on Figgy’s forearm, where a small scar with a black freckle stuck out.

“Listen well, Figgy.”

It was the result of Vikir’s endless pondering during his decades-long stay in the River of time.

“Perhaps you might be the key for our escape from Amdusias Abyss tree.”