VIP Chapter 298: Born of “Death” (3k)
In the two days since leaving “Zero Demon City,” Shuna had questioned herself…
Why did she need to see Will?
Why did she return to his side even when he repeatedly told her to leave?
Why did she still have to be responsible for pulling him out, even after he had dug himself into pits time and again and been tormented by various women?
Once was understandable, twice could be forgiven, but shouldn’t it be enough with three times?
Indeed, while walking through Will’s completely white “memories,” she had thought as much—
It seemed those three women wouldn’t do anything to Will, letting him be toyed with. Perhaps in the end, he would realize that the most stable person was herself.
But…
What lingered in her mind were the BOSSes encountered in Will’s memories, and even… someone who seemed like “herself.”
He claimed to be Xiu, possessing the rare black hair and black eyes she had, similar techniques, a similar scent, and similar eyes.
However, they were different.
Shuna was certain that the moment he tossed the coin, only willing to decide victory or defeat with it, she knew…
In Xiu’s heart, “Will,” who was equivalent to his place in her own heart, had been completely “lost.” No, perhaps he hadn’t just lost one person, but even his past hope.
She didn’t know why this person appeared in Will’s memories, why he was so similar to her, or if he was somewhere in this world right now…
However, she thought that if that person were still alive somewhere in this world, they would probably be living by the “pain” after “loss” and the inertia of “being alive.”
She didn’t want to become like that.
Too…
Too ugly.
Like a candle with its wick removed, like a machine without its gears, like a rabbit with its heart gouged out…
The body still stood there, as if nothing had happened, even able to twitch a couple of times, but it was already empty.
Shuna looked out the carriage window.
The scenery outside was not beautiful at all. As winter set in, the leaves of even the most beautiful and well-kept trees would fall off.
Beside the meticulously cleaned road lay piles of dirty, frozen snow. Although she hadn’t experienced the past few days, it had probably been snowing here for a long time.
The sky gradually darkened.
Yes.
After a brief rest, she had finally decided to head to the secluded residence of the Hysterm Family—the last place she saw in the memory.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too far from the capital. Though she would likely arrive in the evening.
The person she saw in Will’s memory was like her “future,” or who she “might become under certain circumstances.”
She didn’t want to become that ugly.
“There’s still some time. It’s been a while since I last slept… Although I’m not sleepy, perhaps I can close my eyes and think.”
Sitting in the carriage, Shuna slowly closed her eyes.
What had Xiu gone through?
If he was “the same” as her…
A person with black hair and black eyes, born in a dungeon, was probably a child born in a dungeon with no past, a child who had killed the Emperor of the dungeon?
Then, let’s start from the first memory of her arrival here—
Just as she faced her fear directly in Lucifer’s dungeon, she closed her eyes, able to easily “recreate” her first memory in this world.
As her vision slowly opened, she saw blood-stained hands clutching a dagger.
As if not obeying her commands, mechanically… time and again, she swung at the monster on the ground. The wounds, already pierced too deeply by her blade, seemed to have even the gushing blood flow less smoothly.
—Who am I?
—Where am I?
—What am I doing?
It was as if she had regained control of her body at that moment. Her movements slowed, gradually becoming the kind of strength a 13-year-old child should possess.
Following this action came the ultimate questions that filled her entire brain.
But what was more terrifying was that, in an instant, she didn’t “not get an answer”—if it were just not getting an answer, it might be a good thing, but…
—Kill…
—Kill everything in the dungeon…
—Kill everything in the dungeon that you can see…
—Go, go, go, good child.
She picked up the dagger tip that had just pierced the dungeon BOSS, her fingers trembling, and slowly turned it, pointing it at her own throat.
—That’s right.
—You are an existence born in the dungeon.
—Therefore, you are also a part of the dungeon.
—Take action. Everything in the dungeon should die by your hand.
She followed the “answer,” gazing at the flickering tip of the knife due to her trembling. She knew very well that the answer she heard was not “someone else’s reply,” but her own.
Who am I? —You are a monster born in the dungeon.
Where am I? —You are inside the dungeon.
What am I doing? —You are God-Attuned, so you need to continuously kill the dungeon’s life to explore deeper. Take action.
A smooth answer, a closed logic. It was full of loopholes yet perfectly sealed.
Every time she thought of that scene, what Shuna feared was never the blood flowing on the ground, nor the merciless way she swung her blade at the dungeon BOSS again and again. What she feared was…
It was herself, who could, with a blank expression, no emotion, and extreme decisiveness, point the blade at her own throat.
But she didn’t succeed. Despite having no intention, the moment the tip of the knife was pointed at her throat, a team that had come to “clear the dungeon” appeared.
It was very urgent and coincidental. She couldn’t clearly remember the leader, only that it should have been a very kind uncle.
They were “good people” who rescued this mysterious “orphan” found inside the dungeon.
They told her, sitting on the bed, that she should be human. Not only because she bore the mark of God-Attuned, which, according to human records, was a “blessing” bestowed by the Goddess Reviers upon humans, but also because her blood and magic circuits showed no trace of the dungeon.
They said they would send her to the Polol Orphanage and her name would be “Shuna Polol.” There, she would receive a good education. Moreover, children from Polol could enroll in Entak Second Academy unconditionally, becoming excellent fighters for entering dungeons in the future.
They said if she wished, she could completely start exploring dungeons, but for a child like her, finding a reliable team would be necessary if she wanted to enter a dungeon.
…
They said many things.
Although Shuna didn’t know why… she, who was born in the dungeon, could understand their language. They thought she was “human,” believed she would be very capable, and had even arranged her future…
“That child is not quite right.”
“Yes. We found no records of her thirteen years ago. It seems she wasn’t left by adventurer parents at all.”
“Are you foolish? What adventurer parents would… would go to a dungeon over fifty layers deep to challenge it and bring a child, and not even leave behind bodies?!”
“What you say makes sense. But didn’t this child just kill the BOSS directly with a dagger? She has potential, it’s not impossible.”
“Alas, let’s hope she can live well. Such a difficult child right from birth.”
…
“So… that…”
She interrupted the conversation between two orphanage aunties, raised her head, and saw fear in their eyes, as if they were afraid of “death.”
“I’m strange…”
“To live, is… what does that mean?”
Yes, they—whether the adventurers who picked her up from the dungeon, the aunties at the orphanage who took care of her, or seemingly just the investors of this orphanage—had given her a lot of information about the world outside the dungeon.
But they had never told her.
Something that seemed so obvious in everyone’s eyes…
What was “death,” what was “living.”
But…
She could understand death.
When she pointed the knife at her own throat, the approaching blade was the approaching “death.”
She feared death.
But her heart yearned for death.
Was it because the first thing she did upon being born into this world was to kill someone, and the second was to kill herself? Or was she simply destined to pursue death, especially the death found in dungeons?
The colorful illustrations they showed her held no interest.
The toys they let her play with, like those children loved, were just a pile of boring building blocks.
The nature and blooming flowers they showed her seemed like lives that would eventually wither and dissipate.
From her birth, she understood “death.”
She was born amidst “death.” Born alongside the death of the Emperor.
Furthermore, due to the “blessing” on her body, the moment she wielded a knife against herself, her first memory here was the fear of death.
She was indeed a blank slate concerning her first thirteen years, but this blank slate was filled with death.
She could understand it from birth.
But she couldn’t understand “survival” at all.
Until…
Until she picked up that plea for help.
…
“Miss? Miss?”
Hearing the coachman’s call, she opened her eyes and took a shallow breath.
Now, that memory which constantly pushed her towards death was no longer something she feared. Waking from this memory, she only needed to take a breath to return to her “desire for survival.”
“Miss, are you really going to that secluded residence of the Hysterm Family?”
“Yes. I know no one should be there anymore. However… an old friend asked me to help him collect some things.”
“Alright. But… I don’t think it’s a good place.”
“Oh? Why?”
“We’ve reached the extreme distance. Miss, why don’t you… get down and take a look?”
Shuna got off the carriage.
Before her stood an ice and snow castle covered in a thick layer of snow, the kind that could be found in children’s fairy tale books—oh, to add, dungeons could also have them.
The former Hysterm Family, from the eaves to the trees, was laden with snow.
Oh, of course, with winter having arrived, this seemed commonplace? After all, it was already the snowy season—not really!
Shuna sighed.
She glanced at the bright sunlight and the melted snow around.
It seemed…
Only this secluded residence of the Hysterm Family and its surroundings were still immersed in the severe winter of a few days ago, when heavy snow had fallen like goose feathers.
