Dark Fantasy Guide for the Summoner - Chapter 63

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 63.
Royal Tomb Ⅱ
The Pashu Clan.
A beastfolk tribe that operated a shelter underground, and one of the rare forest natives who harbored no hostility toward Delvers.
The information I’d known before was limited to that much, but not anymore.
[Pashu……]
Rahos murmured to himself.
[That’s what they call us these days……. But it isn’t so……. We are not the Pashu, but rather……]
“The Gray-Moon tribe? Or perhaps descendants of Baekeun-hyang?”
Baekeun-hyang—that ancient kingdom.
They were the true masters of the Forest of Eternity and among the first to recognize the danger that the Shadow posed.
And the Pashu Clan were nothing more than slaves or subordinates who had served those people of Baekeun-hyang.
[……You.]
Rahos paused, studying me with an intensity that made his gaze feel like a physical weight.
[Surely you aren’t a survivor of the bloodline……]
“No.”
[……]
I felt his attention bearing down on me.
Eyes burning like dying embers bored into my frame, piercing and relentless.
After a moment, his voice returned, deeper still.
[But to possess such knowledge means you have the right……. I have been discourteous……]
As Rahos swept his hand through the air, a gust of wind tore through the space.
The mist dispersed, and the crowd of Gravekeepers dissolved like vapor.
‘As I thought.’
Not all the Gravekeepers had gathered at all—it had been nothing but an illusion.
[I am called Rahos……]
Ding.
[Lv.▓▓ ‘One Who Seeks Rest, Rahos’]
The name changed, and the oppressive weight that had been clawing at my entire body vanished completely.
‘The hostility value has disappeared?’
If so, then in this moment Rahos—no longer the Grim Reaper—had been reclassified from monster to NPC.
Had a health bar been visible, I would have witnessed in real time the transition from red to green.
[There is one matter……. a proposal I wish to make to you……]
And I understood what was happening in this moment.
I had already experienced something similar at the Forest Shelter.
“What kind of proposal?”
This was a quest.
* * *
[You will have no choice……. but to set foot into the Royal Tomb……. to save your companion……]
I nodded at Rahos’s words.
“Yes. And if the opportunity arises to claim some artifact while I’m in there, I have no intention of letting it slip away.”
[I see……]
“Does that trouble you?”
[It does not……. Once one becomes deceased……. one must relinquish all that one possessed……. Everything within the Royal Tomb now stands without an owner……]
Surprisingly pragmatic in his ethics.
[I shall show you the way to enter the Royal Tomb……. However, in exchange, you must grant me two favors……]
“Two favors?”
[It will not be a poor bargain for you either……]
“……”
Something about it felt unsettling.
Of course, he wouldn’t suddenly start wielding that scythe at me for refusing now.
“……Let me hear them first.”
[First, you must bring down the Royal Tomb……]
What was he talking about?
“Bring it down?”
[Exactly as I say……. Reduce the Royal Tomb to ruin……. and use the shattered remains of that structure……. as a monument to this land……. steeped in agony……]
“And your reason for this?”
Rahos’s gaze suddenly turned toward something distant.
As if he were surveying this entire cemetery.
[The dead of this land……. have been suffering for a long time……. Even if they fall……. they will rise again as time passes……]
“…….”
[I still have enough reason to hold a conversation right now…… but there’s no guarantee it’ll last. Before I lose myself completely, I want to free the Vengeful Spirits bound to this forest…….]
Suddenly, I recalled the countless corpses scattered beneath the Black Tree.
The place where I’d encountered the Flame Mage’s Vengeful Spirit.
‘The souls of those who die in the forest belong to the forest.’
And in the case of the Abandoned Cemetery, it seemed they were resurrected as Undead eternally, condemned to endless suffering.
“Does that mean if I destroy the Royal Tomb, they’ll be freed?”
[Yes…….]
“But I’m not sure if that’s even possible.”
I pictured the Royal Tomb, the final section of the cemetery.
A massive structure reminiscent of a pyramid…… it’s simply impossible for me to topple it with raw physical strength alone.
[There will be a sword within the Royal Tomb…….]
“A sword?”
[A sword bound in chains is both key and pillar…… should you draw it, the Royal Tomb shall crumble…….]
“Ah.”
It clicked into place.
There was definitely a chamber you’d pass through after defeating the final boss—one with exactly that kind of backdrop.
“Are you talking about the Awl Sword?”
[A learned one, I see…….]
Rahos murmured, a note of surprise in his voice.
“But that sword can’t be drawn by ordinary means, can it?”
[Have no fear…….]
In the next moment, he swept his hand through the air.
A lantern’s light flickered to life in the distance, then drifted slowly toward me.
As it drew closer, I realized it wasn’t some ghost-fire—it was an actual lantern.
[The interior of the Royal Tomb is a labyrinth unto itself…… that lantern shall serve as your guide…… and when its light falls upon the Awl Sword’s seal, the binding shall break…….]
I reached out and took the lantern.
Lamaier’s Lantern
A mystical lantern that shines only within darkness. It burns without need of fuel, and the deeper the shadows, the clearer its flame becomes. When used, it illuminates the surrounding area for a set duration and increases the probability of discovering hidden passages or clues.
「……In your darkest hour, this small flame will light the way forward.」
My mind sharpened instantly.
‘An item that can replace the role of a guide?’
For a Delver, that’s exactly the kind of thing worth its weight in gold.
Of course, there are certain conditions I’ll have to meet, no doubt.
[Lamaier’s Lantern shall light your path…….]
“Good. What’s the second condition?”
[There are trespassers in the Royal Tomb…… those who force their way in through unholy means, trampling the sacred resting place underfoot…….]
His already grim voice dropped even lower.
Rahos fixed me with eyes that burned like embers as he spoke.
[Deal with them…… it aligns with your own purpose…….]
“The ones who took my party members?”
[Indeed…….]
It was certainly a reasonable proposal.
Destroying the Royal Tomb is possible once I satisfy the Gimmick…… and
the trespassers—likely the Necromancer—I’d have to defeat them anyway if I want to save my party members.
[What say you……?]
Eternal Rest
Grade: B
The Gravekeeper Rahos has tended to the dead, bound to cursed soil for countless ages. The endless wails of Vengeful Spirits, repetitive burials and entombments, and duties that never cease—all of it slowly erodes the scant reason he has left. Before he loses himself entirely, please grant him release from this long torment.
Rewards
Spirit-Binding Rope, Soul Eater
Spirit-Binding Rope.
An item that, when used, dramatically increases a Necromancer’s chances of summoning a Named Undead.
‘The downside is that it’s consumable.’
Still, being able to reliably secure at least one Named Undead makes it an extremely valuable item.
Soul Eater, on the other hand, I’d never heard of.
It’s likely a weapon of some kind, though the scythe I’d originally obtained from defeating the Hidden Boss Grim Reaper was called Death Scythe.
‘The quest grade is B.’
That suggests Soul Eater is probably a higher-tier version of Death Scythe.
If so, I’d want to secure both weapons by any means necessary.
“…Could you possibly give me that lantern?”
This lantern, even held briefly in my hands, was no ordinary reward.
If I could, I’d be willing to forfeit both prizes just to keep it.
[That cannot be…….]
So there’s no getting something for nothing, then.
“Understood. I accept.”
[Thank you……. Honored guest from the outer world…….]
Rahos spoke in a tone that had grown somewhat gentler.
[Then I shall guide you to the passage leading to the Royal Tomb…….]
* * *
I followed Rahos down the corridor.
After a short walk, mist poured in from somewhere again, and pale luminescence gathered once more—a detail that told me something unmistakably.
‘I’m back at the Burial Grounds.’
I couldn’t say where Rahos’s location had been…….
In the game, there was a brief loading screen each time you traveled between them, so it was likely an entirely separate space from the Burial Grounds.
After not much distance, Rahos stopped moving and spoke.
[This is the place…….]
A single parched well sat solitary in the space.
[Through here, you should be able to enter the Royal Tomb…….]
I hadn’t expected a route like this to exist.
Without Rahos’s guidance, discovering this well would have been nearly impossible.
It appeared to be a Hidden Route that only opened after accepting the quest.
[From here on, you may proceed on your own…….]
With those words, Rahos’s form gradually grew translucent before vanishing entirely.
I went to the well and peered down.
It looked quite deep, but with my current physical capabilities, it should pose no problem.
‘I’ve fallen from hundreds of meters in the air before—what’s this?’
Though I did use an eagle chick as a cushion then.
“Can you jump down in full armor?”
As Laurent pondered briefly before stripping off his armor and tossing it aside, I jumped down first.
It seemed more advantageous for me to descend first, holding the lantern.
Thud.
As expected, my body took no real damage.
Holding the lantern while stepping back slightly from the landing point, Laurent soon finished his own descent.
‘Is this a waterway connected to the Royal Tomb?’
I didn’t know why such a facility existed in a tomb, but given the scale of the Royal Tomb, the laborers who constructed it may have used this when building.
At least years of labor must have gone into it.
“Let’s move.”
I walked through the dim waterway with Laurent.
The groundwater had apparently dried up long ago—there was almost no moisture in the air…….
Fortunately the path didn’t fork, though it did have curves.
At times we climbed an incline, at others we descended.
After walking that way for a while, Laurent spoke up.
“What about this?”
Curious, I saw he held the Soul Hunter’s Potion in his hand.
“What do you mean?”
“Whether I should return it—it seems we won’t need it anymore.”
Well, that much was true.
It was a bitter development, in my heart.
I’d mustered up the courage to spend 400,000 points buying it, only not to use it in my fight with Rahos.
But.
“It’s not without use.”
“What?”
“Just keep holding it for now. Don’t consume it.”
“All right.”
Laurent placed the potion back in his pocket without complaint.
That was one of his strengths.
Not pestering me with annoying questions every time.
‘Though I can’t say for certain what he’s thinking either.’
Like why he didn’t ask anything, even having heard the conversation between Rahos and me.
Whether he simply had no interest.
Or whether he was playing ignorant.
‘……I’ll find out soon enough.’
That was the moment it happened.
Laurent, who had been leading the way, stopped dead.
“Kaindel.”
“I know.”
No words were needed. I understood.
A presence stirred from somewhere distant ahead.
‘Screams and explosions, curses.’
No doubt about it.
Not far from here, a battle was raging.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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