Chapter 125: Quasi-Deity Nekraksia (2)
“Tell me more in detail. How exactly do you recognize that this place is a ‘dungeon’?”
At Jin-young’s question, Nekraksia answered without even pausing to choose his words.
『It is embarrassing to say with my own mouth, but if one possesses power close to that of a quasi-deity, it is something one can recognize without difficulty.』
“Then are you the ‘real’ one, or a ‘copy’?”
『Naturally a copy. To be precise, you could call it a separated ego. At least that is how I perceive myself.』
“A separated ego… So after you were killed by the Demon King, you were fossilized inside this dungeon?”
Even at the word ‘Demon King’, Nekraksia showed no disturbance and answered.
『Demon King. Among the titles for that evil god, it is the most powerful one. You are the first human I have seen who can speak that word and remain unscathed.』
“I’ve fought him before. Well, I barely escaped right before dying.”
Jin-young shrugged.
『I will hear that story later. First, let me answer your question. To put it simply, the dungeon system has little to do with that evil god. It is the work of a deity who enjoys entertainment.』
“But after failing to clear a dungeon, the gate outburst that occurs releases Creep containing the Demon King’s power.”
Nekraksia paused for a moment as if organizing his thoughts.
『Hmm… My guess is this. That evil god either made an agreement with the ‘Lord of Pleasure’ or subdued and subjugated him. In any case, he has stolen control of the dungeons and is using them as tools for dimensional predation.』
At the title ‘Lord of Pleasure’, Jin-young felt a slight dizziness in his head.
But that was all. There was no greater shock.
It was either not a deity as strong as the Demon King, or not the proper title.
Similar to how one might refer to the Demon King as the ‘Ruler of the Void’ or ‘Lord of the Abyss’.
“I roughly understand how things work… but even if I get more information now, it probably won’t help much.”
『You are wiser than you appear.』
Jin-young thought that unless he met the deity called the ‘Lord of Pleasure’, he wouldn’t be able to learn more about the relationship with the Demon King.
He also had no intention of digging deeper into the origin of dungeons here.
What he was more curious about was information regarding the Demon King.
“I want simple but important information about the Demon King.”
『You are a practical one. That evil god, for some reason, seems to want to devour all dimensions. He is the being that almost all deities fear and dread the most. His boundless ferocity, wickedness, and the overwhelming power that supports them.』
Nekraksia spoke endlessly about the tyranny of the deity called the Demon King.
The number of dimensions he had devoured was countless.
It wasn’t about conquest or domination — his goal seemed to be the destruction of all civilizations and the extermination of all living beings.
He could not provide any further information.
Nekraksia explained the reason.
『From the moment I faced that evil god, I have no memory. It must have been something so dangerous and horrifying that my separated ego cannot recall it.』
“…….”
Jin-young understood what he meant.
Even he, when he had encountered the Demon King from a great distance, had been lucky not to have his head explode and die on the spot.
That was enough talk about the Demon King, so he moved on to another question.
“By the way, why did the dragons build this labyrinth?”
『A very sharp question. Normally, dungeons are created by replicating a portion of that dimension. But we have no connection to this labyrinth. We were forcibly placed inside an already constructed place. Yes, it is entirely at the whim of a deity.』
“Then you probably don’t know about the strange power flowing through the labyrinth either.”
The unidentified power that interfered with watch signals and helped with Jin-young’s energy training.
Jin-young hadn’t experienced it himself because he had broken through the walls, but he had heard that following the paths caused spatial distortion and hallucinations.
『Only the ‘Lord of Pleasure’ who designed the dungeon would know that.』
“Have you ever talked to the other dragons in the labyrinth about the fact that this place is a dungeon?”
Nekraksia slowly shook his massive head.
『It could be called a divine punishment given only to those who have looked upon a deity but have not quite reached it. I cannot help but know even if I don’t want to, but the other children fossilized together with the labyrinth can never reach that level. Until the moment they die to you, they will only recognize this labyrinth as a place that must be protected at all costs.』
“Hmm, I understand.”
In the end, all dragons except the ancient dragon Nekraksia could not recognize that this place was a dungeon.
Just like the demons in the Nine City dungeon.
But Nekraksia, as a being called a ‘quasi-deity’ who had come one step closer to deity level, could recognize it.
He was truly the strongest being Jin-young had met so far, excluding the Demon King.
『If you had not appeared, I would have had to spend an eternal boring life, fossilized inside this dungeon without ever dying.』
Ironically, not even a trace of sorrow showed in Nekraksia’s brilliantly glowing blue eyes.
Perhaps because he had lived for too many years, and because he had been fossilized inside the dungeon for so long, he had even forgotten how to show emotion.
“Killing you seems like it would take quite a long time.”
Saying it would take a long time meant that even if Jin-young went all out, it wouldn’t be easy.
If all quasi-deities were at this level, then the beings called Archangels among the angels would also be quite strong.
Come to think of it, the guy called Galomah from Gehenna also possessed tremendous power.
『Heh heh heh. Of course killing me won’t be easy. But if you simply escape the labyrinth, this dungeon will disappear. In other words, this separated ego of mine will be able to enter eternal sleep.』
It was clear that without Jin-young, no Hunter on Earth would have been able to reach this place.
Nekraksia seemed willing to gladly help Jin-young’s party escape and clear the dungeon.
When he thought about it, there had never been an objective to kill Nekraksia, the ruler of the labyrinth.
The dungeon simply ended once they escaped the labyrinth.
Jin-young thought there was probably an exit behind Nekraksia’s massive body.
But there was no need to leave right away.
More than 50 hours still remained, and there was a lot to talk about.
“What is the name of the energy you handle?”
『This thing?』
Tzzzzz—
A deep blue energy poured out from Nekraksia’s body.
It seemed he had been hiding his true power until now; an overwhelmingly vast force could be felt.
It wasn’t surging wildly like high waves, nor was it still like a calm lake—yet Jin-young felt genuinely overwhelmed for the first time in a long while.
『It’s called Mystic Energy.』
“Mystic Energy… Do you think the ones I sent outside could use it too?”
『In the end, it depends on one’s will… but ordinarily, no matter how strong a human becomes, it’s not something they can easily handle. As you saw, even dragons find it difficult to wield.』
“Well, that makes sense.”
Jin-young had no choice but to accept it.
None of the dragons he had seen in Renard had ever handled Mystic Energy. If they could, he would have known about it long ago.
They truly deserved to be called old lizards who had only wasted their years.
『I also have something I’d like to ask.』
“Go ahead.”
Jin-young had already taken a liking to the wise and intelligent Ancient Dragon before him.
He was more than willing to return the favor for what he had received.
『I’m curious how you ended up with a fragment of an Evil God. Did something happen during that battle with the Evil God you mentioned earlier?』
“It’s a long story…”
Jin-young recalled the last day in Renard and explained.
Around the time he had subdued the entire Demon King’s army that was sweeping across the continent, the Demon King had descended.
He had unleashed psionic energy beyond his limits, prepared to die—only to return 33 years into the past along with the Demon King’s hand.
『Regression… That truly is an extraordinary experience. It seems your psionic energy and that Evil God’s hand created a strange synergy.』
“I think so too.”
『And Renard… even I, who have traveled through countless dimensions, have never heard of that world before. Is that why the psionic succession was able to take place without the Evil God’s eyes noticing? In the end, though, he still found out.』
Nekraksia was surprised by Jin-young’s regression, but he seemed even more astonished by the very existence of a dimension called Renard.
“Do you know much about Psionic Successors?”
『That depends on what you consider “knowing well.”』
“Have you heard of someone named Rokmond?”
『Rokmond… Rokmond… I don’t recall. Who is he?』
“The mentor who passed on psionic energy to me.”
Jin-young spoke his mentor’s name aloud for the first time in a very long while.
Unfortunately, even Nekraksia, who had lived for eons, didn’t seem to know him.
Well, since he had never even heard of Renard, it was only natural he wouldn’t know Rokmond either.
『I see. However, I do know the founder of Psionics.』
“Who is it?”
Jin-young wasn’t particularly curious, but he figured there was no harm in knowing.
『Since you are a Psionic Successor yourself, it should be fine for you to hear this. He is known by the title “Sculptor of Time and Space.”』
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The only divine being Jin-young originally knew of was the Demon King.
Today, thanks to Nekraksia, he had learned about the “Lord of Pleasure” and the “Sculptor of Time and Space,” but he had no idea when—or if—he would ever meet them.
Still, knowing in advance couldn’t hurt.
『Is there anything else you’re curious about, Psionic Successor? It seems the fragment of the Evil God has something to say as well.』
At that, a tentacle flowed out from Jin-young’s chest and spoke directly.
『Do you know about the relationship between the Demon King and the Heavenly Demon?』
Heavenly Demon. It was the name that the now self-aware Heavenly Thunder Divine Sword kept repeating endlessly.
Jin-young had wondered if there might be some connection with the Demon King.
『Heavenly Demon… That Evil God was called that before he attained divinity. It was in a dimension called the “Lower Realm,” which has now been destroyed.』
『Looks like that’s the dimension the damn chatterbox sword was yapping about.』
『You have an Ego Sword that knows about the Lower Realm and the Heavenly Demon?』
Nekraksia showed a level of curiosity he hadn’t displayed until now.
『That cursed blabbermouth…』
The tentacle, as if overcome with emotion, withdrew, and Jin-young continued in its place.
“Right now it’s left behind in our dimension so I can’t show it to you, but it calls itself the ‘Heavenly Thunder Divine Sword.’ It kept going on about the Heavenly Thunder Sect, its sect leader, and all that…”
『Yes… I’ve heard of it. It was the demonic sword that Evil God wielded during his human days. Because that dimension was destroyed long ago, I couldn’t track its whereabouts. It’s fortunate that it’s with you.』
“Will that sword be useful?”
『Useful? Anything’s usefulness depends on how the wielder uses it. No matter how outstanding something is, if you don’t know how to use it, it’s useless. And no matter how trivial it may seem, if you can use it well, then it has value.』
“…….”
Jin-young gave up on responding to the sudden burst of philosophy.
Still, now that he knew the Heavenly Demon was the Demon King, the Heavenly Thunder Divine Sword might prove useful depending on how he used it.
Jin-young continued his conversation with Nekraksia about Hell, Gehenna, the Hell God Religion, and more.
The Demon King was indeed the master of the hell dimension, but it had been a long time since he directly managed it.
However, in Hell, they steadily worshipped the Demon King and prepared armies for his dimensional predation.
After hearing that, Jin-young clearly set his goal.
Gehenna must be destroyed.
After exchanging various stories, Jin-young and Nekraksia reached the end.
『It seems it is time for you to leave. There is a door behind me, so take your companions and go. It was enjoyable to meet and talk like this.』
At Nekraksia’s final greeting, Jin-young thought for a moment before speaking.
“You seem like you would be a great help in the battle against the Demon King. How about coming out with me and fighting together?”
『Heh heh heh. Through that subspace? It is an interesting idea, but impossible.』
『If that ancient dragon enters, the subspace won’t be able to endure it.』
The tentacle interrupted.
“Even for a short time would be fine, right?”
Before the tentacle could answer Jin-young, Nekraksia continued.
『Moreover, my ego and this copied body are bound to the dungeon system. The moment I leave this place, I will be unable to defy the passage of time and will turn to dust, returning to nature.』
“The demons from Nine City had no problem being taken out.”
『They still had a long life ahead of them. I have lived so long that dying right now would not be strange. The dungeon system is merely forcibly holding onto my lifespan.』
“…That’s unfortunate.”
Jin-young decided to give up.
It was true that Nekraksia could not leave this place, but it also sounded like he was politely saying he did not want to leave.
He took it as a final show of respect toward a quasi-deity who had lived for tens of thousands of years and stepped back.
It was an emotion he hadn’t felt in a long time since his master in Renard, who had saved and taught him.
Even though they had met for a much shorter time, he had grown quite fond of Nekraksia.
『Instead, I have a gift for you.』
“……?”
Kugugugugu…
When Nekraksia barely moved his massive body, the entire room shook violently.
From within his curled tail, something like a large jewel slowly rose.
It was a Dragon Egg, shining with a brilliant blue light.
『This child should be able to leave with you.』
“I heard that Dragon Eggs take a very long time to hatch.”
『Doesn’t your subspace allow you to adjust the flow of time?』
“You really know everything.”
Jin-young let out a small, dumbfounded laugh.
It seemed that once one reached quasi-deity level, there was nothing they didn’t know.
Shuu—
The Dragon Egg was sucked into Jin-young’s subspace.
Nekraksia slowly closed his eyes and said,
『One last thing. Do not recklessly face that evil god again. The path you must walk is still long, but you will reach it faster than you think.』
“…….”
Instead of replying, Jin-young simply nodded.
Kududududu…
Behind him, a massive door opened.
The companion Hunters who had been thrown outside opened their eyes wide.
“You’re safe, Psycho sunbae!”
“I thought we had failed.”
“We still don’t know. That giant dragon is still alive.”
The Hunters were happy about Jin-young’s survival, but they remained wary as they looked at Nekraksia, who was still standing tall.
Jin-young turned to them and said,
“The raid is successful. Let’s return to Earth.”
_____________________________________________
TL Note:
This novel is fully completed.
You can either:
- Unlock this novel individually through its Collection "Transcendent Psychic Regressor" and access all remaining 76 Chapters for only $3
- Or join the Premium Tier ($7) for access to all 6 novels and ongoing updates
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/Vritratls
____________________________________________