Chapter 10 — Guild Dungeon (3)

“So it’s you. The child who carries the fate of the ‘Adversary’.”

JaeHyun stared at the woman who had suddenly appeared right in front of him.

She, who was wearing an enchanting black dress, looked both beautiful and hideous at the same time.

Half had decayed into a skeleton, while the remaining half was a woman of indescribable beauty.

He truthfully couldn’t describe it as anything but an eerie appearance.

‘Who the fuck… is this woman?’

He was losing consciousness due to the bleeding.

The demonic creature’s fist was paused in front of him as if it was a scene in a movie.

“…did you do this?”

Although it was asked after he’d overcome his fear, the woman didn’t answer.

She merely looked at JaeHyun with interest and laughed softly.

The woman pointed at his neck with a long, black fingernail and then crouched in front of him. The cloying scent of blood spread from her as she tilted her head.

Soon after, her enchanting purple lips slowly opened, and JaeHyun leaned his body a little more forward to hear her words.

“Hmm…… To think you are the ‘Adversary’ who will kill him. But aren’t you just a greenhorn? Your build is also normal…… although your magic is okay, it’s not enough to fight against the Aesir gods.”

The woman lightly propped her chin with her hand as she complained.

“Why did Loki choose such a kid as the ‘Adversary’?”

It was a chilly tone of voice. JaeHyun’s whole body was covered in goosebumps. At the same time, his head was filled with all types of questions.

Is this woman…… an enemy?

If so, why did she save him from the Night Shade?

And the term Adversary…… he thought he had heard it somewhere……

‘……Damn. Is it because I bled too much? I can’t remember anything.’

Whoooosh……

A wind was blowing.

The woman poked his neck with the nail she was pointing with.

A thin line of fresh blood flowed from his neck and went into the skeleton.

Looking at the line deeply pooled with blood, the woman’s lips started to go up slowly.

At the dizzying scent, he controlled himself with difficulty, feeling he might lose his consciousness otherwise.

Wanting to hold on no matter what, JaeHyun put more force onto the staff piercing his thigh.

If he fell here, all of his plans would collapse.

His revenge against his father as well as his wish to succeed as a Magician.

All of it would collapse.

So he had to endure.

“Even so.”

With a subtle smile, the woman brought her face closer to JaeHyun’s face.

“I like that look in your eyes.”

The woman chuckled as she looked at him.

Even as JaeHyun was in a desperate situation where he might lose his life,
instead of being petrified, his will to survive was shining more brightly.

Not becoming interested in such a human — that would be the stranger thing.

“But child. You are too weak. ‘Ragnarok’ is approaching faster than you think. You have to become stronger more quickly. If you don’t, you will fall back into that hell.”

JaeHyun wanted to ask something, but his voice wouldn’t come out.

The woman took back the finger that poked his throat, then she grabbed his neck as she smiled slightly.

“I will kill you first.”

“Keuheuk!”

JaeHyun, who had already bled a lot, didn’t have the strength to resist against the woman’s overwhelming strength.

He was merely trying his best not to lose consciousness.

‘Damn……’

JaeHyun was in the middle of stopping himself from being petrified.

‘What? What the hell? This woman is……!’

“Kuheuk!”

Around the time he felt a pain so great he couldn’t breathe, the woman released the hand clenched around his neck.

She spoke with a face showing mercy as she smiled at JaeHyun.

“You are an important pawn to us. So I will give you a chance.”

The woman continued with a terrifying smile.

“Become strong. Become stronger than you are now, and defeat this Night Shade. If you do, I will give you a very special gift. However—as I said before, you don’t have a lot of time. Two months. Defeat this guy in that time.”

一 The first Main Quest has arrived.

一 Main Quest 《 Hel’s Trial 》 has been accepted.

[Main Quest]

Hel’s Trial

Hel, the Ruler of Helheim, has given you a trial. Get Hel’s recognition by defeating the Night Shade within the time limit.

Difficulty: C

Reward: Hel’s Gift (the content can be checked after clearing the quest)

Remaining Time: 59 days 23 hours 59 minutes

Failure Penalty: Death

JaeHyun felt bewildered at the system alerts that came even as he was dying.

At a single word from the woman, the system gave him a new quest. It was even one called a main quest, which was something he hadn’t heard before.

‘Are this system and this woman…… related somehow?’

It was a reasonable deduction.

But he didn’t have the time to think about it deeply.

Ssssss……

Together with the woman’s slight smile, countless black hands came up from below JaeHyun’s body, grabbed him and started to slowly drag him down.

JaeHyun’s eyes narrowed.

‘Wh-what…… the hell?!’

JaeHyun felt an intense fear at the appearance of the hideous and grotesque black hands. Every time a hand came to wrap around him, his mind gradually drifted farther away from reality.

At the same time, the woman’s hazy voice rang out as he was losing consciousness.

“Remember. If you can’t show me that you have grown in that time, you will die by my hands.”

In the dark and bottomless shadow,
looking at JaeHyun being dragged into the abyss, the woman turned around.

“Child chosen by the Nornir. I will kindly pray that you succeed in your battle.”

Pzzzzzt 一 Crash!

A high-pitched explosive sound rang out as magic collided again and again. Almost at the same time, as an enormous wooden door closed with a bang, cries like the throes of death rang from the dungeon entrance.

“Keuheuk!”

Together with a slightly ridiculous sound, JaeHyun unexpectedly opened his eyes.

“Haa…… haa……”

His whole body was wet. He was also out of breath.

Like a diver who had spent too long underwater, there was pressure in his ears that made it difficult to hear, and his sight was blurry.

Although he was dizzy and unable to understand his current circumstances, one thing was clear.

“This is…… the dungeon entrance?”

As he narrowed his eyes, his consciousness started to return.

JaeHyun looked at the huge, blue gate in front of his eyes, patted his abdomen and smoothed down his shirt a couple of times.

Soon, he uttered shakily.

“This is……..”

The wounds he had gotten from the Night Shade a while ago had completely disappeared.

‘The injuries have been healed as if they were wiped away. Was it that woman’s doing?’

His injuries were so horrible that it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had died at any moment.

The Night Shade’s fist had accurately pierced through JaeHyun’s soft flesh, and he had to bleed a lot when he didn’t even have much vitality left.

‘What the hell was that? That woman……’

JaeHyun furrowed his brow.

Then—

The clear sound of the system’s notification rang.

一 You have accepted the first Main Quest. Showing the details.

[Main Quest]

Hel’s Trial

Hel, the Ruler of Helheim, has given you a trial. Get Hel’s recognition by defeating the Night Shade within the time limit.

Difficulty: C

Reward: Hel’s Gift (the content can be checked after clearing the quest)

Remaining Time: 59 days 23 hours 34 minutes

Failure Penalty: Death

Looking at the quest window, JaeHyun’s body started to shake.

“……it wasn’t a dream.”

JaeHyun mumbled self-mockingly.

A moment ago, he realized that the woman he had encountered was related to this ‘Nornir System’ and, as such, was related to his return to the past.

<At the same time>

The part JaeHyun’s eyes remained on was none other than the name of the Main Quest.

一 Hel’s Trial.
Hel. It was a familiar name.

The ruler of Helheim, one of the 9 worlds of mythology, and the end of everything.

“Does that mean…… I just met a god?”

Although it sounded preposterous, he thought it wouldn’t be too strange if it were true.

In the current world that overlapped with mythology, that is.

Additionally, the myths belonged to the Aesir gods led by Odin. That meant that the main characters of this story were not humans, the weak creatures of Midgard.

If so, it was correct to assume that gods existed in this world as well.

‘Of course, everything so far is a guess, but there is a high possibility it’s true.’

In the midst of unclear circumstances, JaeHyun started trying to organize his situation.

‘A moment ago… with the help of the Nornir System, I was transported not to an E-ranked dungeon but to Helheim. And there, I almost died after an attack from a Night Shade.

The one who appeared and saved me was Hel.’

Then, wouldn’t that mean that Hel at least judged that he was worth using?

She had called JaeHyun ‘Adversary’.

And she said that ‘Loki’ had chosen him as the adversary of the Aesir gods.

“Before I returned to the past…… Right after I got the Nornir System, I heard something similar.”

一 From now on, you are the 《 Adversary 》 of the high-and-mighty Aesir.
“Everything is unclear. For what reason I was returned to the past. What the ‘Adversary’ that Hel had mentioned means. And what they want from me. However—”

Even in the midst of confusion, JaeHyun clenched his fist and decided.

“I’m sure about one thing.”

He had to get stronger.

JaeHyun echoed his words.

“If everything Hel said was true…… I must defeat the Night Shade in two months. If I don’t, I will surely be killed by her.”

Hel had clearly given him a chance by saving him.

But this meant nothing if JaeHyun couldn’t defeat the Night Shade during the two-month grace period.

JaeHyun immediately stood up.

“A Night Shade in two months…… it won’t be easy, but it’s nice to have a goal.”

With a slight smile, he mumbled.

As he calmly analyzed his current situation, JaeHyun realized his weaknesses.

“Everything from my basic fighting form is a problem. I’m not yet used to fighting as a Magician, and I haven’t learned all the low-ranked skills yet. To improve from this point, there’s nothing more important than the basics.”

After nodding slightly, JaeHyun took out his smartphone and turned it on.

And the moment he was about to send a message,

the other person sent one just in time.

<<Hello. This is Park SungJae.

<<If it’s ok, Guildmaster Yoo Sung-Eun would like to personally meet you. Would tomorrow be alright?

<<She would also like to hear your thoughts about the suggested contract.

“Isn’t this just the perfect timing?”

A greedy smile spread across JaeHyun’s face.

He quickly typed a reply and sent it.

>>Then I’ll see you tomorrow.

>>I am considering the contract with a positive mindset. If only you wouldn’t mind listening to just one more condition.