ushernet Chapter 372
Chapter 372
Chapter 372
Lucia suddenly appeared and caught Seol off guard.@@@@
"You killed them...?"
"Ah, yes! They were annoying me."
Seol glared at her.
It wasn't hostility but more like a wariness.
'She killed them?'
He wasn't really interested in them, but since they could become a variable in breaking through the gate, he decided to gather some information.
However, to think he would hear that she had killed them outright.
"Don't misunderstand. They were devoured."
"I see..."
Lucia's explanation quickly clarified the situation.
'So it would be best to assume that the Federation's forces were annihilated as soon as they entered.'
Perhaps their abilities were considerably inferior to those of the Conquerors. Or maybe they had underestimated the labyrinth and hadn't properly prepared.
'But how can she look ahead?'
Seol looked at her seal.
Her ring, which had the combined Blood and Plague seal, radiated light.
'It seems it grants her some favorable effect.'
If that were the case, it was understandable how she was able to adapt to the labyrinth so smoothly.
"Take me with you beyond this."
"The next gate is..."
"I know. That's why I'm asking. I promise I won't be a burden!"
Seol looked at Shin Rip.
He wanted to hear his opinion.
Originally, he intended to enter the gate by himself.
"If more souls enter the gate, it could become better or worse."
Although it was an obvious statement, he was curious about its reasoning.
"Why is that?"
"Because the dreams could intertwine."
"Intertwine...?"
"Yes. When the dreams of the souls intertwine and someone experiences a nightmare, they could face dangers far beyond what they originally would. However, if even one person realizes they're in a dream and escapes, the entire dream would collapse immediately."
"..."
"In other words, you could experience greater risks, but you'll also be given a greater opportunity in return. The power you receive will obviously increase, too. Additionally, based on my insight, the gate's success seems to be tied to the quantity and quality of the souls entering it."
Seol thought about it deeply.
If the number of souls affected the gate’s success, it might benefit Shin Rip and Shin Hyun to enter with him.
"Don't be overconfident. No one can fully wield their strength in a dream. You start from nothing and need to climb your way up. If you do well, you might achieve tremendous success. However, do you think that will come easily?"
He wasn't wrong.
" If you go in, there are still plenty of others who will follow. Look over there."
Flinch...
The masked sisters were leaning against a pillar, watching cautiously. It was Beldre and Belian, who the Artifact Association sent.
"W-We're going in too."
"..."
"It's a temporary truce... After all, we have to get out of the labyrinth..."
There was no point in explaining that it would be dangerous since they wouldn't listen anyway, so he didn’t bother.
He wasn't too concerned if the number of souls increased if it were them.
Shin Hyun asked.
"Hihihi... Are you going to take all of them? The dream world is vast—you might never run into them. However, they could bring nightmares even worse than yours."
Seol smirked.
"There's nothing worse than my dreams."
"Are you sure...?"
"Yes."
If a dream tied to the Gods came out, it would make the gate's difficulty incomprehensibly high.
'However... since I've overcome that, I'm sure it won't appear.'
The chance of a dream related to the Gods was low. After all, he had already overcome a nightmare during the process of obtaining Night Crow.
'I would rather deal with someone else's dream... Huh?'
Paf...
Someone pulled his cape.
This feeling... it was him.
"Shin Yu..."
Rustle...
"..."
"..."
The surveillance here was strict—perhaps it was even stricter than a prison.
This place was Melton's harbor, a place where getting whipped was a normal occurrence and law was something distant.
Both Yurim and I were abandoned by our parents, captured by slave traders, and then sold as slaves in the harbor.
Melton had prohibited using children for labor.
Even when employing slaves, they weren't supposed to start working until they were older.
'Well, although not everyone follows those rules...'
Because things were legally that way, we would receive some level of protection if we got out of this place.
From the unloading docks to the gambling dens and brothels, Melton's Smiling Face ruled over all of them.
Surprisingly, 'Smiling Face' was how people called him.
'If that guy wasn't here...'
If only he didn't exist, would Yurim and I have had different lives?
Perhaps we would have lived better lives as slaves.
No one knows the true identity of Smiling Face. How he looked wasn't known by the public.
PLAF—!
The crack of a whip could be heard. Someone had made a mistake while unloading a dock.
'Who... Ah!'
Usually, in situations like this, Yurim was the one being targeted.
"Who told you to slack off?!"
"I-I wasn't slacking. I-It's just that it's too heavy..."
"Shut your mouth!
Plaf—!
"Agh—!"
The whip brushed past Yurim's body.
Whoosh...
Once again, the whip was raised to strike the helpless Yurim.
"Yurim!"
PLAF—!
"Ugh..."
"S-Seol..."
"You brat. What are you doing?!"
"P-Please stop... Yurim is..."
"How dare you shield someone!"
The overseer rolled up his sleeves and swung the whip.
Whoosh...
Plaf—!
"Agh—!"
A dreadful sensation spread across my back.
"Aah..."
Fresh scars formed over the old ones.
"You insolent wretch..."
Whoosh...
Paf—!
"Huh...?"
"Don't hit Seol."
Today, one astonishing event happened after another.
Yurim had caught the whip with her bare hands.
Although her palms were torn, thanks to an exquisite balance of strength, her fingers weren't severed.
'How did she do that?'
The overseer glared at her in shock. At that moment, someone approached him.
'Ah... That guy...'
The person standing next to the overseer appeared to be kind to others.
But to me...
"What's going on?"
"Karuna, th-these brats were slacking off..."
A glance swept over me.
I recognized that look...