A Regressor's Bucket List Chapter 98

Day and night did not exist in the Darkest Dungeon. That was meant in the most literal sense. It was an unknown space, not pitch black, yet not bright either, where the faintness of dawn's twilight was stained a dark red and lingered all day long. The mysterious atmosphere born from these unique conditions evoked a certain nostalgia in U-jin. Faint, yet not something he missed. “……” The first thing U-jin did upon arriving in the Darkest Dungeon was to grip the key the Executioner had left in the lock with his teeth, turn it, and finish unlocking the restraints on his hands. *Cheolkeok—* Following the dissonant sound of metal engaging, a heavy thud echoed, shaking the ground. Kuuung- kung- kung… Having removed the restraints, U-jin took a deep breath and took out the map Louis had given him in the pouch. Seueuk— As expected, the map showed U-jin’s location as the First Sector of the Darkest Dungeon. It wasn't hard to tell, as the entrance's location was clearly marked. After glancing back and forth between the map and the surrounding scenery a few times, as if comparing them, U-jin let out a *pfft—* as the corners of his mouth curled up. Then, he muttered something incomprehensible. “…Why did he even prepare this? I don't need something like this.” It was a statement that would make anyone who heard it tilt their head in confusion. Not only was it a map that someone had gone to the trouble of providing, but being able to grasp the surrounding terrain in an area where survival couldn't be guaranteed was a massive advantage. Information was especially scarce in the Darkest Dungeon, a place notorious for its strangeness. U-jin’s mutter that he didn’t need a map was, objectively speaking, completely incomprehensible. …But. As always, U-jin's muttering was not born of arrogance. “……” The reason U-jin said he didn't need the map was simple. …Because he already knew. To the point that he could recall every detail of what was where, without even needing to look at a map. “…It’s been a while.” It was because he knew this place so well. * * * First run. The Order Alliance was ultimately defeated by the Demon King. The endless offensive of the Demon King's Allied Forces overloaded the Order's front lines, and the Anti-Demon Front, which had been retreating inch by inch, began to collapse rapidly at a certain point. The retreat of the front meant that the Order's Constellations, who had held their positions for a long time, were being hunted down one by one at the hands of the Demon King. The Demon King's Army, which had been tightening its encirclement, eventually invaded the holy land where the Order's headquarters was located, the ‘Vatican.’ The strong bond of the Order Alliance shattered in an instant. The Murim Empire, the Olympus Republic, Alfheim, and others. The large and small factions that made up the Order Alliance sensed their defeat the moment the Demon King invaded the Vatican and bolted their gates, pursuing their own survival instead of joining forces as they had before. And that moment. That was the moment the continent effectively fell into the Demon King's grasp. What had suppressed the powerful enemy known as the Demon King during the long War against Demons was the ‘Order Alliance,’ not the singular organization of the Order. The moment the organization capable of opposing the Demon King's Alliance disintegrated due to their individual interests, defeat was an inevitable conclusion. The Vatican, which gathered its remaining strength to resist the Demon King's Army's offensive, eventually fell in less than a month. The Demon King came to sit on the throne of God, which had been vacant for thousands of years. But. Even so. The War against Demons did not end the moment the Vatican fell. As the Anti-Demon Front began to crumble rapidly, a few Heroes who foresaw the future collapse of the Order Alliance formed small groups, independent of the Order's control, and struck at the Demon King's Army. These small groups, waging guerrilla warfare across the continent, eventually formed a new resistance army called the ‘Suicide Squad’ centered around the Hero ‘Kim Satgat.’ While the disbanded allied nations were picked off one by one under the Demon King's command, the Suicide Squad, which had grown its power in the shadows, began to disrupt the Demon King's plans after establishing a certain degree of structure. And so, the War against Demons continued even after the Order had effectively collapsed. And. …The reason I could read this ‘Darkest Dungeon’ like the back of my hand was ultimately because of that. 『What did you say??』 『Aish… I said we’re going to the Darkest Dungeon.』 『But—that’s the prison beneath the Order. Why there, all of a sudden…?』 『It’s the only place on the continent right now where we can avoid the Demon King’s gaze, so we have no choice… If you don’t like it, try suggesting an alternative, you punk.』 At the time of the Order Alliance's defeat, I was a member of the Suicide Squad. And the final base camp where the Suicide Squad, fleeing from the tightening encirclement, settled to escape the Demon King's reach was none other than this Darkest Dungeon. The Darkest Dungeon took up a significant portion of my life in the Suicide Squad. From my perspective, it wasn't just an empty phrase; it was truly a place where I lived as if it were my own home. “……” Of course, that didn't mean this place was a pushover for the 'current me.' Although I was confident that no one at this point in time understood this place better than I did, it was an undeniable fact that, regardless of 'how familiar I was,' the Darkest Dungeon was a dangerous place for me at my current level. The unique Mutants of the Darkest Dungeon. The numerous felons imprisoned for their crimes. The mind-contaminating Quark. And finally, the mana turbulence phenomenon that grew stronger the further one went toward the outskirts. Dangers that could not be taken lightly lurked in every corner of the dungeon. The only reason I was given this moment to catch my breath was because this was the entrance to the Darkest Dungeon. To be more precise, it was because this area was a kind of Green Zone that wasn't actually considered part of the dungeon's domain. Wuuung— ‘…….’ A translucent mana barrier surrounded the area near the entrance. The moment I stepped beyond that space, it was the wild, where nothing was guaranteed. Seueuk— “Hmm……” After glancing at the barrier for a moment, I looked down again at the map that Louis had packed for me. As he had said, the terrain drawn on it was closer to a sketch map than a proper map. It was drawn with a focus on pointing out what was where, rather than accurately scaling the actual distances. A simple map of the terrain was drawn from the entrance to the outermost explored regions, and small pictures, whose meanings could be roughly guessed, were scattered here and there. The only color on the monochrome map was the red X's drawn over a few of the pictures, likely meant as a warning. Flipping— Turning it over, I saw a page filled with brief explanations for each area and footnotes detailing the meaning of each picture from the front. [The ‘Forest of Beginnings,’ where the entrance is located, is a place with a relatively low frequency of Mutant appearances. Therefore, it is mainly where ordinary felons, not Hero-level personnel, live. They frequently form groups, so you should be more wary of the felons than the Mutants.] Pfft— Looking at it now, this seemed less like a simple ‘sketch map’ and more like an ‘instruction manual.’ It was organized with a variety of core information that would have been quite helpful if this had been my first time here. It seemed he had put quite a bit of thought into it. Well. “…For now, shall I go?” …Since it wasn't my first time, it didn't really matter to the current me. Saaat— As I passed through the translucent mana barrier, a gloomy and dense violet forest unfolded before me. The Forest of Beginnings. It was like a tutorial zone for this bizarre Darkest Dungeon. As Louis had mentioned, there weren't many Mutants here. But that also meant that they did, in fact, exist. Of course, compared to the 'real deals,' they were just low-level 'derivatives' influenced by mutants. “……” Paseuseuseu— The desolate sound of dry leaves rustling against each other. It was a different kind of gloom from a battlefield simply teeming with magical beasts. A silence where it wouldn't be strange for something to pop out from anywhere at any time. The occasional cry of an unknown creature and a silence that wasn't truly silent, heard from afar, filled the surroundings. Kkureureureuk— A half-rotten tree, visible as soon as I emerged, twisted its branches grotesquely and made an unpleasant sound. It was a Mutant. “…Talk about rotten luck. A mutant right in my face as soon as I get out.” An ordinary felon would have been in for a rough time right from the start. A normal person unable to wield mana would have died on the spot here. T-ring—! [ has been activated.] [Would you like to check the target's information? Y/N] [Target selected] ■Name: [Contaminated Verber Tree] ■Grade: [☆] ■Description: [It was an ordinary tree but became contaminated by an unknown influence. It has gained the ability to feed and uses the blood of living creatures as nutrients instead of water.] ■Special Ability: [Raw Feed] Tok— I threw a nearby stone at the tree's trunk. Wageujak— Ujeok ujeok— The part of the trunk hit by the stone suddenly gaped open into a maw and snapped at the stone. Then, with a motion like it was chewing, it rippled horizontally before closing its maw and falling silent again. The sight of a tree opening its mouth was so bizarre that a hundred out of a hundred people seeing it for the first time would have had their eyes stolen by it. But that would be falling for its trick. That was the creature's ploy to draw one's gaze. Paaat— …The real attack was this. A vine that had been stealthily creeping along the ground shot toward my body, and I snatched the incoming vine with my right hand. [Warning! The ‘Contaminated Verber Tree’ is absorbing your blood.] In truth, making contact like this was playing right into its trap. The Verber Tree's vine was covered in microscopic thorns, and its method of attack was to use its unique mechanism to suck blood from the scratches created when I grabbed it. However, the reason I willingly played along was that this method was also more convenient for me to deal with it. Buuuuk— Along with the blood being sucked from my body, I poured a massive amount of mana into its vine. The vine, which had been greedily sucking my blood as if it were delicious, soon sensed something was wrong and began to struggle. Kkwaeeeaek— Kkwaek— The tree opened its closed maw again and screamed. “You should have been more careful about what you eat. You can't just gobble up anything you find like that.” T-ring—! [A small amount of Mana is consumed.] [A small amount of Mana is consumed.] It may have become a Mutant, but at its core, it was still a plant. It was more accurate to call something of this level a ‘derivative influenced by the mutant phenomenon’ rather than a ‘Mutant.’ An ordinary person might have struggled a bit, but for me, it wasn't an opponent I found difficult. Just injecting a little mana like this was enough to make it writhe, unable to digest it. Kkwae— Kkwaae… Ulkeok- ulkeok— As time passed, the screaming tree's maw sputtered and spat out a blood-like fluid. It let out a few hoarse groans and then went limp. And. Jeobeok- jeobeok— As if waiting for that very moment, the sound of footsteps approached, and a voice called out to me from somewhere. “H-Hey, newbie—.” 『H-Hey, you—.』 A sense of déjà vu washed over me at that moment. I couldn't help but smile. Pfft— “…Right,” Because this was the same development I had experienced when I first entered the Darkest Dungeon as part of the vanguard. “…Now ‘this’ is the Darkest Dungeon.”