Dungeon Hunter - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Episode 9. Krathra and Krithli (4)

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Dungeon Master!” Julium cried immediately.

He looked up hurriedly and came to me, dragging his knees to the floor.

He indeed acted like a slave. However, I still gave him a hard look.

“Who gave you permission to speak?”

“I will tell you everything, so please give us one more chance!”

Bang! Bang!

Juliam banged his head on the floor until his forehead broke.

Blood came out and wet his face, but Julium did not stop.

It is a desperate act of struggle to survive somehow.

Julium realized that I was not lying or bluffing.

I meant every single word that I said.

Krathra and Krithli would survive, but they would be badly beaten. As for the lives of other Dark Elves…I did not care much. If not needed, I did not mean to spare them.

The Dark Elves looked at Julium sadly.

Krathra, who seemed unconscious, reached out for Julium.

“No…”

Thump!

I kicked Krathra in the stomach with no mercy.

Krathra flew in the air and rolled on the ground.

He fainted and lost consciousness without saying a word.

At the same time, there was a short moment of silence.

The Dark Elves must have felt that short moment, only a few seconds, to be a very long time, perhaps even few minutes.

“Whatever you are going to tell me– it better be worth my time. If it is not interesting or useless to me, I will not spare all of you, including Krathra and Krithli.” I spoke coldly without expressing any emotions.

I rarely treated someone this harshly without any mercy.

I allowed Julium to talk because as I came back, I did become a little bit more understanding. At the same time, another reason was that I was also interested in the story about Krithli, which might be related to the Jinma dragon.

The Jinma dragon Ahojin was a legendary figure.

It was said that he ate the witch king.

Whether the story was true or not, it was clear that Ahojin the Jinma dragon was in a similar league to the witch king.

Julium looked at me cautiously and started to talk. “Well, let me ask you one thing before I tell you everything. Please.”

“I grant you. Speak briefly.”

“What I am going to tell you now will be extremely helpful to you, my Dungeon Master. So can you please take Krithli as a partner for eternity?”

I thought about a partner for eternity.

I had heard about such a ceremony before.

A partner for eternity was a ceremony like a wedding in general, but only special and chosen Dark Elves could participate in this ritual.

The ritual began with the male and the female going into a closed space shed by moonlight on the day of the full moon. The male and the female could only consume water until the next full moon. During that time, they engrave signs with blood on each other’s body.

They were not allowed to have any sexual intercourse during this time. Only when their bodies were fully purified and did not have the slightest waste, the male and the female could get together under the next moonlight and bear fruit.

The Dark Elves were strong and they could fast for a month for this ritual. To me, fasting for a month was a piece of cake.

However, I did not understand why I needed to participate the ceremony with Krithli.

I did not want to go through such an annoying ceremony unless I had a convincing reason to do so.

“You still do not know what is going on.”

When I spoke coldly, Juliam hastily shook his head. The blood on his forehead, which he could not finish wiping, spattered everywhere.

“Of course I do! But…I said this because I thought that this ritual could be a great help to Dungeon Master.”

“Is the ritual going to be helpful to me?”

“You are correct. And before I explain this ritual, I want to tell you Krithli’s ancestors and her lineage.”

“Speak.”

“Krithli is a child of Ahojin the King of Sun and Sheila the Queen of Moon. The blood of Jinma dragon and Dark Elf Hayer flow deep in her veins and she is the true incarnation of both.”

I knew from Krithli’s titles that she succeeded the blood of Ahojin, a Jinma dragon.

However, I did not expect the blood of Dark Elf Hayer to flow in Krithli’s veins.

Dark Elf Hayer was a Dark Elf, but her abilities were beyond those of other normal Dark Elves.

I never imagined that I would run into the name of a top ranked monster here.

“Then what about Krathra? Did he not share the same blood?”

“Strictly speaking, no he does not. He did receive the blood of Ahojin, but that is all. He is like a bodyguard for Krithli. Well, Krithli herself does not know this, but…….”

I nodded slightly.

Krathra’s title was indeed a little bit awkward from the first place.

His title was ‘The One with the Blood of Dragons.’

His grade was also very low for a descendant of Ahojin.

Everything made sense if Krathra was simply injected with the blood of Jinma dragon.

It seemed that he was finally going to tell the truth.

Juliam continued, “But the blood of Krathra and Krithli were very different. Furthermore, both were not well balanced. The blood of King of Sun was more dominant, and the blood of queen did not come out. It only remained as a curse.”

Indeed, the Jinma dragon was special and powerful. Its blood suppressed the blood of Dark Elf Hayer and did not allow it to come out at all.

I also had some wild guess about the curse, so I spoke.

“Is that the Curse of the Ice Dragon?”

“You are correct. The only cure for the curse and improve Krithli’s conditions was Elixir. However, Elixir was the drink of gods and I could not get it easily. If Ahojin or Sheila were alive, one of them could have gotten Elixir, but they both passed away after Krithli was born.”

For sure, the Jinma dragon was too old and it was no surprise that it would die any moment. I was rather surprised that it was alive until recently.

“So was that the reason you entrusted yourself to the Spirit of Dark?”

“That was the only option that I had, so…everything happened because of our lack of strength. We wanted to get Elixir by using only ourselves as guarantees, but the Spirits of Dark were not easygoing. Instead, they taught me the way to get Elixir. The Spirit of Dark told me that a Dungeon Master could get Elixir using his or her points…”

“You were reckless.”

It was a rather ridiculous game.

On top of that, Elixir was only a temporary solution. It would only restore health points a little bit. It could not remove Krithli’s curse for good.

Julium must have not known of these facts. He only saw Elixir and proceeded the contract. In that respect, it was fair to call him reckless.

When I looked at him as if he were stupid, Juliam clenched his teeth.

“It was that desperate. I was so helpless that I could not do anything! We could not easily let go of the child who would be the incarnation of the Dark Elves. Krithli is only few months from its end anyways. It was indeed a gamble that the entire village bet on. So…Dungeon Master! Please sympathize us and spare us. Dark Elves are loyal to those whom they go through the ceremony with. Krithli will therefore be a great help in your future endeavors. We do not care about ourselves, but please do spare her, please!”

Boom!

Julia hit his head hard on the floor.

‘Let me think about the ceremony…’

The gist of Julium’s words was that Krithli was a bright child and that I should spare her life with the ceremony.

Julium wanted me to be bonded to Krithli so that I could not dare do any harm to her. At the same time, he wanted to be prepared for the situation where Elixir did not work. Despite his strategies, if his words were all true, the ceremony would not be too bad.

As Julium said, a Dark Elf could happily die for his or her other half whom he or she went through the ceremony with.

I was lost in thought for a moment.

I could not believe that Krithli had such a history. It was a lot more than what I had expected.

‘If I could solve the imbalance between the forces coming from the two different bloods, Krithli could perhaps make use of the characteristics of both Jinma dragon and Dark Elf Hayer. It sure is very interesting.’

I thought of simply burning the yin mana and piercing the veins of Krithli’s.

However, it seemed that that was not enough.

‘If I burn the yin mana, the blood of Jinma dragon will burst. On the other hand, if I burn the yang mana from Jinma dragon’s blood, unless I perfectly balance the two bloods, Krithli’s body will be a battlefield of the two bloods. It is impossible. Harmony…yes, harmony is what I need. Was the harmony of yin and yang called Taeguk?’

I was thinking about Taeguk, the fundamental essence of everything in the universe.

If I did not separate yin and yang and simply mixed them together, everything would work out.

It was easier said than done, but mixing yin and yang seemed possible.

‘If I use Lightning God Power well, I may be able to create a harmony of manas. Furthermore, I can perhaps bring the manas of Jinma dragon and Dark Elf Hayer, which will be in harmony, to my side. I need to do some more research on how to do this.’

I thought about the lightning god inside of me.

The thought just popped into my head.

This snake, or the lightning god, transformed my mana, which did not have any type, into the mana of lightning.

It may be possible to absorb and neutralize the mana of two different kinds.

Perhaps I might be able to absorb the neutralized mana that would be escaping.

The results would depend on how well I used the lightning god power.

Of course, even if I succeeded, the mana that I would gain would only be about 10 percent of the mana that Krithli possessed, but even that much of mana would certainly help.

‘I cannot do that now. I need time.’

However, my skills were not on that level yet.

Anyway, what Julium told me would be a great help to me.

I was glad that I remained patient and listened.

I looked away. “That is not a bad suggestion. If what your words are true, Krithli can be a tremendous help if she recovers. It is also worth considering holding the ceremony.”

Julium looked at me with some hope. I shook my head as though I betrayed his expectations.

“I keep my words. I already declared that you will die, so I must keep the promise. So.”

The hearts of the Dark Elves began to throb.

Their lives were at the hands of mine.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“You were four-legged, barking dogs form this very hour. This means that you should forget that you are Dark Elves. I will watch for a month. During that time, if there is anyone who fails to act like a dog, there will be no ceremony, and all of you shall die as I promised. On the other hand, if you do well, I will hold the ceremony and cure Krithli according to your wishes.”

For a month, I wanted them to forget the traits as Dark Elves and act like dogs.

What I offered was a great improvement in status for them.

At least dogs showed absolute loyalty to their masters.

No monster would be as merciful as I was.

Juliam looked up at me with a queer look.

I said with a cold smile, “Shout, a dog cannot speak.”

<hr />

Two weeks passed by.

It was on the 15th floor of the dungeon.

“Bark! Bark!”

“Huff huff huff.”

Surprisingly, the Dark Elves adjusted to acting like dogs. It was spectacular to watch fifty Dark Elves, all of them, crawling with their hands and feet.

The Dark Elves even replicated dogs eating and doing business. They were desperate for life, which led to such a surprising result.

Krithli was not with them and was an exception. She was very sick and could not walk at all, so she was excused.

On the other hand, Krathra was there with other Dark Elves and he had to behave like a dog. Out of all Dark Elves, Krathra was most enthusiastic in acting like a dog.

“It is time to eat. Lyhee has brought dog food.”

Lyhee brought some sort of dog food, which she made from mixing multiple random dishes.

Lyhee oversaw and kept eyes on them. At first, Lyhee liked Julium’s polite attitude. However, she could not disobey the orders of her master. The Dungeon Master commanded her to keep watching the Dark Elves, and she followed the command diligently, day and night.

“Bark!”

Juliam was the first to take the lead.

He had to set an example. To be honest, if he had not stepped up and mimicked a dog at first, others would not be acting dogs like they were at that moment.

Juliam put his mouth on the bowl and ate the dog food, and then Krathra took the next spot.

“I am so happy to see you eat well. Next time, I will get you a live chicken as a special treat. Eating it will taste like biting off its neck.”

Lyhee’s attitude changed as though she was treating a real pet.

The Dark Elves surely did not like it and it was easy to tell from their faces. However, they could not frown in front of Lyhee.

They shook their asses instead of tails.

<hr />

A month passed by.

The Dark Elves faithfully followed what I said.

I was surprised at their following my command.

I did not think that Lyhee was delinquent in her surveillance of the Dark Elves. I was confident that she would try to do her best to follow my words.

If any of the Dark Elves made a small mistake, I would use that as an excuse to kick their asses. However, their diligence moved me.

Although they were not the best servants as Dark Elves, they showed their worth as dogs. I could probably make use of these dogs.

Of course, I was not only surprised for a month. I did my homework.

I had honed the skill of Lightning God Power and it was now level seven. I concluded that I could look inside of Krithli at this level.

Exactly a month later, I made Krithli drink a bottle of Elixir. A few days later, she got better. I thought it was the right time, so I brought her to where the moonlight shed light.

Today is the full moon.

The yin mana was abundant.

Krithli was nervous and her body was stiff.

She was mixed and she did not have a dark skin. She had a rich brown skin and white hair in contrast to her skin color. Her eyes looked special and were light purple…Krithli got thin because of illness but she had a pretty face. She also had curves. Krithli was indeed very attractive.

I took off my clothes.

I must hold the ceremony naked.

The partners would engrave signs with blood for a month. On the last day, they would come together and that would be the end of it.

Such rituals were necessary not only for the ceremony but also for calming the bursting mana inside of Krithli.

After being completely nude, I looked straight at Krithli and spoke.

“Take off your clothes.”