Chapter 237
It was a cramped room.
How long had he been unconscious?
His last memory had been on the battlefield.
“Ugh…”
As he tried to sit up, his bones screamed in protest.
Taking a deep breath, he felt thick dark energy stab into his lungs.
The stifling, damp air made him grimace.
He instinctively knew where he was.
This was Abaddon’s stronghold, likely a basement somewhere within the NGC region.
He had spent years desperately trying to find this place.
And now, he was here.
As a captive.
“How the hell did I get dragged here?”
It felt eerily similar to the spatial distortions of Archant.
He had been seized by Abaddon’s hand, yanked away without even a chance to resist.
Since the Void Cube was still with him, it couldn’t have been the Cube’s power.
“Was it time distortion?”
Had Abaddon rewound time to deceive Han taesu’s eyes and snatch him up in the confusion?
It was the only explanation that made sense.
“That’s even worse.”
He sighed, clutching his throbbing head.
If Abaddon had used the Cube’s time distortion ability…
It meant Abaddon had learned to wield the Cube’s powers, making the situation even more hopeless.
Of course, the more immediate despair lay in the fact that he was here, captured.
“Damn it.”
He raised his eyes blankly to the ceiling.
Just then, his foot nudged against something.
“Kik…!”
There was a sound.
Startled, he pulled back, but then he heard a familiar whimper.
“Kuu…”
Han Siha frowned, scanning the darkness around him.
He hadn’t noticed before due to the gloom, but now he could see a massive shape trembling and crying.
It was Basilus.
“Basilus!”
He crawled towards him.
His last clear memory was of Abaddon grabbing him while Basilus had charged at Abaddon. How they both ended up here, though, he couldn’t recall.
From the sound of Basilus’ whimpers, his condition was far from good.
Worried, Han Siha spoke gently.
“Are you okay?”
“Kuu…”
Basilus only whimpered and didn’t respond.
“Basilus.”
Han Siha reached out to stroke Basilus’ head, but it felt wet and slick.
Lifting his damp hand into the dim light, he realized it was covered in blood.
“You…”
Han Siha’s frown deepened as he looked down at Basilus.
Basilus groaned, rubbing his head against Han Siha’s chest.
The command he had given Basilus flashed through his mind.
‘No matter what happens, you have one job. Kill Abaddon.’
Even as Han Siha was being dragged away, Basilus had fought until the bitter end.
Basilus must have known he couldn’t stand against Abaddon, but stubbornly, he hadn’t given up.
It was his magic, and Basilus had tried to obey his command.
Basilus had held Abaddon off until he was in this state.
With a trembling voice, Han Siha asked him.
“Did you… do what I told you?”
Basilus let out a low whine.
His labored breathing was uneven, and he had already lost far too much blood.
“You should have run.”
Of course, it was Han Siha’s fault for giving such an order.
“You knew he wasn’t an opponent you could beat.”
The reason Han Siha was trapped here, too, was because of his reckless commands.
He hadn’t wanted to encounter Basilus in Abaddon’s basement.
Meeting him here brought no comfort at all.
Gritting his teeth, Han Siha tore a piece of fabric from his clothes.
Half of his long-sleeved shirt was ripped away, but he didn’t care.
He muttered a low incantation, straining to bring some light into his obscured vision.
But—
“Damn it.”
It wasn’t working.
It wasn’t that he had no magic.
He just couldn’t use any.
There was no doubt that the entire room was under a barrier that blocked magic.
“Haa…”
The thick dark energy made breathing increasingly difficult.
Han Siha reached out and examined Basilus as best he could.
It seemed Abaddon had stabbed him with a spear; blood was gushing from a wound near his chest.
If the bleeding wasn’t stopped, it would be fatal.
“Kiiing…”
Basilus twisted in pain, banging his head against the floor.
Han Siha pressed his hands firmly against the wound, tying it with the torn fabric.
It was a makeshift treatment, but he hoped it would buy them some time.
Dragons had a healing ability far superior to humans.
He had no choice but to cling to that hope.
“Don’t move.”
“Kuu…”
Basilus seemed anxious, so Han Siha gently patted his head, trying to calm him.
Basilus blinked and looked up at him.
“We can… get out…”
Basilus mumbled, and for a moment, Han Siha was at a loss for words.
With no magic, and no knowledge of where they were…
“Believe…”
“….”
“Siha… believe…”
Basilus’ words, urging him to believe, left Han Siha speechless.
All of this had happened because his Tamer was incompetent.
Knowing this fact was more painful than anyone else, the situation felt utterly hopeless.
Just then—
Footsteps echoed from the hallway.
“Grrrr…”
Basilus instinctively growled and rose to his feet.
Despite his injuries, he tried to protectively position himself against whoever was approaching the door.
Basilus’ glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness.
But before Basilus’ threat could have any effect—
The door swung open with a bang—
And the basement lights flickered on.
* * *
“What a pathetic sight.”
Abaddon entered the room, sneering.
The first thing he saw was Han Siha, covered in blood, and Basilus, in terrible condition.
Of course, Abaddon wasn’t in perfect shape either.
What should have been a simple abduction had turned difficult when Basilus had relentlessly attacked, leaving Abaddon bruised and bitten in several places.
Abaddon was in a foul mood.
Basilus, filled with vengeance, snarled.
The moment Basilus saw Abaddon, he lunged forward.
“Grrrr…”
Despite the barrier preventing magic, Basilus tried to sink his teeth into Abaddon.
But—
Thud.
Abaddon kicked Basilus with all his strength.
He was not a mage who would fall to a dragon that had already been impaled multiple times and was barely standing.
Abaddon spoke in a frustrated tone.
“You raised a tenacious beast.”
Even that didn’t satisfy his anger.
Abaddon turned his head and stepped closer to Basilus.
“Like a master, like a pet! Neither of you knows your place, charging in like moths to a flame!”
Thud—
Thud—
Abaddon’s relentless kicks sent Basilus, bloodied and battered, sprawling across the floor.
“Kiiieee….”
Han Siha’s eyes blazed with fury at the sight.
Basilus, barely breathing and drenched in blood.
‘Kicking a creature in that condition?’
Grinding his teeth, Han Siha lunged forward without a second thought.
“You bastard. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Han Siha grabbed Abaddon by the collar, his gaze burning with anger.
Abaddon looked down at Han Siha, letting him cling to his clothes in silence.
Then—
Thwack—
Han Siha’s vision exploded with pain.
“Gah!”
Abaddon’s fist, infused with dark energy, crashed into Han Siha without mercy.
With no barrier to protect him, Abaddon drove his fist into Han Siha’s jaw with unforgiving force.
“Ugh…”
Abaddon, who had been bitten several times by Han Siha’s dragon, sneered as he glared at him.
“You’re standing awfully tall when you should be begging me for mercy.”
He had entertained the child’s antics enough.
Abaddon slowly approached Han Siha, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
“Is it because you were raised so sheltered? The heir of Castica.”
Han Siha rubbed his stinging cheek, staring daggers at Abaddon.
Abaddon smirked as he spoke.
“You don’t seem to understand your situation.”
One step. Another.
Instinctively, Han Siha stepped back, but Abaddon was quicker.
He turned his gaze toward the dark sorcerer standing behind him and gestured with a nod.
“Tie him up.”
* * *
It had been two days since Han Siha was abducted.
Adela hadn’t slept a wink during those two days.
The fear that something might happen during that time kept her on edge, making her restless day and night.
Adela had ridden non-stop to reach the Odryse Mountains, far from Castica.
Standing at the entrance of the NGC region, Adela spoke calmly.
“This is the place.”
She had climbed the rugged Odryse Mountains for hours, reaching a hidden cave.
Beside it stood a boulder as tall as a person.
Without the map, they would have never found it; it was a path no one traveled.
Pushing the boulder would reveal the entrance.
Below lay their enemies’ stronghold.
This decision would seal her fate.
Adela nodded resolutely.
“I’ll go in first.”
Lee Han, watching her closely, looked conflicted.
He had so much left unsaid, but he couldn’t oppose Adela’s resolve.
The same went for the others.
Yoon Haul, Solia, Seymour, and Won.
They all knew this was a reckless plan, but they followed her anyway.
At that moment, Seymour frowned as he glanced at Won.
“Hey, are you seriously going in?”
He had followed reluctantly, feeling like he was being dragged into a tiger’s den.
Had it not been for Han Siha, Seymour would have rotted away in Ardel’s underground prison, so he had come along out of a sense of debt.
But seeing that even Won, who usually lazed around in Castica’s camp without doing much, had come along was surprising.
“Why are you here? If it were me, I’d have bolted long ago.”
Won shot back with a curse.
“We’ve been roommates for years. If I leave him behind, I’m not a decent human being.”
“…You’re not going to stay human for long. Once you go in there, we’re all dead.”
“Seymour!”
“What? What did I say?”
Seymour grumbled and turned to Yoon Haul.
Next to her was a small kitten.
“Have you switched jobs to a Tamer now?”
“….”
“Why does everyone ignore me?”
Yoon Haul blatantly ignored Seymour’s words and stared straight ahead.
“At this rate, I’ll be talking to myself even in the afterlife.”
Seymour sighed and focused on the path ahead.
His opinion that this was a crazy plan hadn’t changed, but all they could do now was support Adela.
Adela, who had finished her preparations, opened the entrance and pulled out her smartphone.
“Come back safely.”
Seymour called out to Adela, and understanding his sentiment, she nodded in response.
Adela would go in first, and once she confirmed it was safe, the five would follow.
Crrrkkk.
Finally, the heavy boulder moved, revealing a dark staircase descending underground.
Adela swallowed hard and muttered softly.
With things as they were—
“I’ll do my best.”
* * *
Deep underground.
Adela moved quietly, suppressing the sound of her footsteps.
Visibility was poor in this place.
Maybe it would get better once she reached the bottom of the stairs.
One step. Then another.
Adela cautiously descended, her senses alert to every direction.
Sublevel 1.
Now likely Sublevel 2.
It was too late to turn back now.
As she continued down the seemingly endless stairs, she finally saw faint lights flickering in what seemed to be a hallway.
Adela held her breath.
No one in the NGC region knew yet that an outsider had infiltrated.
To find Han Siha and rescue him safely, she needed to keep her presence hidden for as long as possible.
Thump, thump.
Adela leaned against the wall, trying to calm her racing heart.
Then—
She heard footsteps from the other side.
Dark sorcerers.
She hadn’t expected to encounter them this soon.
Adela pressed herself against the wall, erasing her presence.
She was skilled at detecting and hiding her presence; unless her opponent was highly proficient, they wouldn’t notice her.
Keeping herself hidden, Adela listened closely to their conversation.
A sorcerer, with his head completely covered by a robe, was muttering.
“I heard that the heir of Castica was captured?”
They began whispering among themselves.
“Han Siha? That kid?”
“Yeah, they say he’s locked up on the fifth floor.”
“Heh… To think the stuck-up heir is trapped down here… It’s a sight I’d love to see.”
“Bet he’s begging for his life.”
“Not that it’ll help him. Our leader despises anything Castica-related….”
News of Han Siha’s capture had already spread throughout the NGC region.
‘Bastards.’
Adela ground her teeth as she watched the dark sorcerers gossip about Han Siha.
The only silver lining was that, judging by their words, Han Siha was still alive.
Adela stayed hidden, carefully observing the sorcerers.
There were three of them.
To reach Han Siha, she would have to get past these three.
She would need to take them all out at once, but finding the right angle of attack was proving difficult.
The answer, however, was simple.
“I just need to bury them all.”
Adela’s eyes glinted with determination.