Chapter 66: The Watcher
Silently, time dragged on.
One... two... five...
Amon explored eleven dungeons throughout the day before finally arriving at the last one.
At this moment, he was already slightly exhausted after the constant battles.
And without fail, all the kings and queens had been killed the moment they wanted to speak about whoever sent them to this world or whenever they wanted to discuss anything further about their mission.
"I can recognise the familiar pressure. This has to be the dungeon!" the president’s eyes lit up despite his haggard look as he felt the familiar presence of the S-rank dungeon, Aleron.
Amon nodded and stepped inside...
Here, it was a ruined battlefield.
He could also sense a few presences that were similar to the president.
If his guess wasn’t wrong, they were the hunters that had been regulating this place with him.
Blood stained the battlefield, and the bodies of countless monsters could be seen.
Amon narrowed his eyes vaguely and sensed a unique presence within the dungeon.
After having encountered the other eleven, he was already familiar with the aura.
Without any further hesitation, he took a light step and appeared at the location of the king.
Boom!
The earth beneath Amon’s feet shattered.
The surrounding landscape collapsed inward as an overwhelming pressure swept across the dungeon.
Amon’s gaze landed on a lone figure seated atop a ruined throne.
It was a tall, broad-shouldered man.
His body was covered in countless scars that seemed to have accumulated through endless battles.
The moment Amon appeared, the man slowly opened his eyes.
"So another one has come."
His voice was calm, almost indifferent.
Amon studied him briefly.
Unlike the previous kings and queens, this one didn’t seem surprised by his appearance.
Amon lingered briefly, then said in a calm tone, "I have a question to ask you before I kill you."
The man seated on the throne laughed loudly in amusement. After calming himself moments later, he finally said, "Go ahead."
Amon didn’t delay any longer and immediately asked him the question.
"Who imprisoned you?"
For the first time, the man’s expression changed slightly, and a trace of sorrow flashed through his eyes.
He opened his mouth and spoke after some silence.
"How did you know that?"
Amon paused slightly, then, thinking about how the man was going to die anyway, he decided to be plain with him.
"I went to the other eleven dungeons before coming here and didn’t obtain anything useful."
Amon noticed the man’s eyes widen in shock, alarm, and finally terror.
After a while, the man collapsed onto his chair, and a strained smile appeared on his face.
"No wonder you were confident in saying you will kill me."
Amon nodded and continued staring at the man, seeing that he was about to continue.
"However, it won’t matter."
Amon’s eyes grew colder as soon as he heard those words.
"The kings and queens of the other dungeons died every time they attempted to reveal information concerning this. Is there a way to escape that fate?"
A flicker appeared in the man’s eyes.
"So you’ve already discovered that."
"Tell me anyway."
The man slowly shook his head.
"It won’t help you."
Instantly, a terrifying pressure erupted from Amon’s body.
The ruined battlefield trembled violently.
"If you refuse to answer, I’ll kill you."
The threat echoed throughout the entire dungeon.
Yet Aleron’s expression remained unchanged.
"If you kill me, you’ll gain nothing."
"Perhaps."
Amon’s grip tightened around his sword.
"But you’ll die regardless."
The man laughed softly.
There was no fear in his voice, only resignation.
"You still don’t understand."
His gaze slowly lifted toward the sky.
"We are all prisoners."
"The kings."
"The queens."
"The monsters."
"The worlds."
"We were doomed from the beginning."
Amon took a step forward.
"Who imprisoned you?"
The man hesitated for some time before, after coming to a final decision, he opened his mouth.
"I-"
BOOM!
Suddenly, the world shook, and a horrifying force descended from above.
The man’s body instantly froze, and blood began flowing from every pore on his body.
The man laughed bitterly.
"I didn’t even say anything, but it seems my time is up."
Amon’s eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he activated Close Yet So Far and appeared directly before him.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Cracks spread across the man’s body.
His flesh began collapsing, and his soul was being erased.
The man looked directly into Amon’s eyes.
For the first time, genuine seriousness appeared on his face.
"Leave this place."
"Grow stronger."
"And when you finally see the truth..."
His voice gradually weakened.
"...don’t hesitate."
BOOM!
His body exploded into countless fragments.
The throne shattered, and the battlefield fell silent.
Amon stood motionless, staring silently at the place where the man had been killed.
Another lead.
Gone.
Just like the others.
Several moments later, he turned around and began walking toward the dungeon exit.
The president silently followed behind him.
Neither of them spoke.
The atmosphere was heavy and filled with oppressive tension.
Eventually, they stepped outside.
The moment Amon emerged from the dungeon-
Space suddenly distorted, and ripples spread through the air.
The sky itself appeared to crack apart.
Amon immediately stopped walking.
His eyes narrowed.
Someone had arrived.
An old man slowly stepped out from the distorted space.
His white hair flowed down to his waist.
Ancient robes covered his body.
His eyes contained an indescribable depth.
It was as though countless ages had passed before those eyes.
The old man studied Amon quietly.
Then he smiled.
"It seems you’re the one I’ve been looking for."
Amon’s grip tightened around his sword.
The old man appeared completely unconcerned.
"They call me the Watcher."
His calm voice echoed through the surroundings.
"The eyes that have seen through countless eons."
Silence followed, but the old man’s gaze still remained fixed on Amon.
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
"And after all this time..."
"It seems the game has finally begun."
...
Author’s note: Thoughts on this Chapter? Did you enjoy it?
