The contentes from the Inferno section of the epic poem「The Divine Comedy」,pleted in 1320 by the Italian author Dante Alighieri.


    The deepest part of hell was an icyke called “Cocytus”, formed by the convergence of hell’s rivers.


    There reside figures such as Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, and Marcus Junius Brutus, who assassinated Julius Caesar of ancient Rome.


    It is said that the Archdemon Lucifer resided there.


    Remember, the representative name of the gamepany ?Magic Knight of M?rchen? was Dante.


    Could it be that he adopted the name Dante because he knew thendscape of the farthest ce in the world?


    <em>I wonder who he is</em>


    “Haah…!”


    I quickly regained my senses. For a moment, I lost consciousness and wandered into my memories. I nearly lost my life.


    “<em>Cough</em>! Haah, haah…!”I breathed heavily as if gasping for stopped breath, repeatedly coughing and looking around.


    The inside of the elevator boasted the most beautiful interior I had ever seen. Perhaps I felt that way because I was on the brink of death.


    Red blood was sttered across the white Jade floor. In my haste to board the elevator, I tumbled inside with a body that had already lost its left arm and both legs.


    The bleeding was severe. It was hard to muster strength.


    Drowsiness swept over me. But it was all too easy to predict that closing my eyes there would have meant death.


    <em>Why did you…</em>


    Judging there was no hope, I was about to give up everything while resenting Ste and Ozma.


    <em>Why… did you help me…?</em>


    I thought of the Candy House Witch.


    <em>What am I?</em>


    <em>I don’t know why my story of striving to protect people became a reason for you to burn yourself.</em>


    But… none of that mattered at all.


    She dispelled the doubts in my heart and stirred up a desire to grasp life once more.


    <em>I will survive.</em>


    And I will make sure to repay the price you paid to sacrifice yourself for me.


    “Ah, agh…!”


    <em>I have to move. Move. Move.</em>


    With eyes straining until veins bulge and an almost bloodless voice, I moved my frozen cheek pressed against the cold floor.


    “Ugh, agh…!”


    As I barely mustered the strength to lift my head, my cheek, stuck to the floor, tore offpletely with a ripping sound.


    The biting cold swept over the now-exposed cheek and seeped into my mouth.


    It was fine. Compared to the pain of losing my limbs, it was nothing.


    In the inner pocket of my jacket was a magic pouch. Inside it was the Blood of the Evanescant. I had to drink it.


    First, I had to turn over my copsed body.


    I raised a simple ice wall from the floor to push half of my body, flipping it over.


    “Haah, haah…”


    My breathing was rapid, yet my heart was gradually slowing down.


    Due to the unbearable drowsiness, my mind felt hazy.


    I must not fall asleep. I lifted my head and repeatedly mmed the back of it against the floor to keep myself conscious.


    “Eden…”


    A cluster of rock mana formed in the air, taking on the shape of a small golem.


    Eden the rock golem. It trembled as it looked at me.


    I gave Eden a smile. I wanted to reassure him.


    “It’s okay… In the inner pocket of my jacket… take out the magic pouch… Inside it, there’s a small… ss bottle… with red blood in it…”


    <strong>[Kyuuu…!]</strong>


    “Pour it into my mouth…”


    Eden responded in a trembling voice, then took out the magic pouch from the inner pocket of my jacket and retrieved the small bottle containing the Blood of the Evanescant. ?á????è?


    “You did well…”


    Eden opened the lid and poured the Blood of the Evanescant into my mouth.


    I had intended to use this if Ian ever faced danger…


    <em>Nothing ever goes as nned.</em>


    There was no time to taste it. The Blood of the Evanescant trickled down my throat.


    “Ugh!”


    <em>Thump</em>.


    My heart started pounding rapidly.


    Bones and flesh rapidly grew back on my vanished left arm and legs. For a moment, I had to endure the zing agony that engulfed my limbs.


    My ruptured and damaged organs and bones, which had shattered into powder, werepletely regenerated. Even my external injuries were fully healed.


    It worked.


    I repeatedly coughed dryly and gasped for air as I raised my upper body.


    An immense thirst surged over me.


    I quickly took out a water bottle from the magic pouch and poured the water into my parched mouth.


    “Ah, I feel alive…!”


    <em>Has water ever tasted so sweet?</em>


    It was the best taste ever.


    The pain that had enveloped my entire bodypletely subsided, and some of my strength returned.


    As expected, the Blood of the Evanescant. It had a dramatic effect befitting ast resort.


    <strong>[Kyuuu…]</strong>


    Eden looked at me with an extremely shocked expression, and when I smiled at him in my healed state, he teared up.


    I patted his head.


    “Thank you for worrying about me.”


    <strong>[Kyuu…!]</strong>


    I reversed-summoned Eden and lifted my head.


    On the ceiling of the elevator, which exuded an overwhelming sense of aesthetic beauty, was arge, round face.


    It was a frightening face with eyes and a mouth haphazardly stuck to it, but it no longer surprised me.


    As our eyes met, it spoke to me.


    <strong>[I will ensure a safe journey. I will ensure a safe journey. Is there anything that is inconvenient for you?]</strong>


    “No, there isn’t.”


    <strong>[That’s a relief. That’s a relief.]</strong>


    How polite.


    I didn’t know what the being was, but it certainly seemed to be a guide for the icyke. It didn’t seem like it would harm me.


    <em>Anyway…</em>


    My chest ached.


    I wouldn’t even be able to offer a prayer for the soul of the Candy House Witch.


    For the time being, all I could say was.


    “Thank you…”


    Though ovee with helplessness, it was precisely why I needed to press forward toward the destination.


    It wasn’t long before I realized that the back of the elevator was transparent.


    I thought it was just darkness, but as I descended a bit further, ake stretching to the horizon came into view.


    I didn’t know how fast the elevator was moving, but the ride was pleasant.


    In the distance, a grand gate filled the sky and thendscape. It looked like a boundary. It was an incredibly beautiful gate.


    <em>Rain…</em>


    Rain was pouring from the sky. It wasn’t ordinary rain. Its hue was deep.


    A pale red.


    I recalled the records left by Dorothy.


    Didn’t she say that when someone fell, the blood they shed was so great that it formed clouds and fell without end?


    <em>Is it the rain of blood?</em>


    Every time the raindrops hit the ground, ripples spread out, proving that the ce was ake.@@novelbin@@


    However, theke was not tinged with blood but kept its pale blue hue.


    The icyke.


    I had reached the deepest part of the Nether, the ce furthest from the world.


    “What’s beyond that gate?”


    <strong>[I cannot tell you. I cannot tell you.]</strong>


    “Is that so.”


    Whatever it was, it was clear where I needed to go.


    I had heard that I needed to defeat the Gatekeeper of the icyke.


    If that’s the gate. I know my next destination.


    I had to see Dorothy soon. If possible, I didn’t want her to see me in a pitiful state.


    I took out the clothing restoration kit from the magic pouch. It was a magic tool that would automatically restore clothes as long as there was fabric material.


    <em>Shrrriick.</em>


    When I activated it, the thread began mending the missing parts of my uniform on its own.


    Just like that, the uniform returned to its original state.


    <em>Good.</em>


    I put the clothing restoration kit and the magic pouch back inside.


    I exhaled deeply.


    I had managed to ovee the most formidable threat, the Nether King, with the help of Om and the Candy House Witch.


    Next was the Primordial Ice Sovereign, Veronica Aslius.


    I must defeat her.


    [Status]


    Mana: 146,100 / 701,300


    <em>The Status Window is disying just fine.</em>


    <em>Is it because Ozma has no need to provoke me in this situation?</em>


    <em>Or has she not given up on her n to possess my body?</em>


    <em>Or could she have made some sort of covenant with Ste?</em>


    In any case, the Status Window’s function was still active.


    <em>I used up a lot of mana.</em>


    I needed to recover enough mana to face Veronica by the time I reached that massive gate.


    But there wasn’t time to leisurely wait for my mana to fully recover.


    I had to move as quickly as possible to confront Vuel, the Winged Heavenly Being.


    <strong>[We are arriving at the icyke. We are arriving at the icyke.]</strong>


    Eventually, the elevator reached theke, and the door opened.


    The cold air seeped into my lungs and wrapped around my skin. It was an extreme cold that would have killed an ordinary person the moment the elevator doors opened.


    I, too, exuded cold, so I could bear it.


    Despite the downpour of blood rain, the icyke remained remarkably pristine.


    I carefully conjured a long rock rod and extended it outside the elevator.


    There was no particr issue even when it was hit by the blood rain.


    It seems the rain isn’t harmful.


    Next, I dipped the rock rod into theke.


    The floor of the ce was ake. I didn’t know whether the entirend was like that or if there were ces where it wasn’t, but I had to tap the stone bridge and cross carefully nheless.


    <em>It doesn’t go in.</em>


    It felt as if there was an invisible floor blocking it.


    It felt like the water was very shallow, perhaps only enough to wet the insoles of my shoes a bit


    However, the blood rain dispersed and sank below the surface of theke as soon as it touched it. In reality, theke must have been very deep.


    I stepped onto theke. It supported my weight as ripples spread out from my step.


    <em>There must be conditions for submerging.</em>


    Whatever those conditions were, it seemed I didn’t meet them for now.


    I stepped off the elevator and ced both feet fully onto the icyke.


    <strong>[Please use our service again. Please use our service again. Farewell.]</strong>


    The face inside the elevator bid farewell in that manner before the doors closed on their own.


    The elevator ascended with a rumbling sound. Once it disappeared beyond the reddish clouds, it was out of sight.


    <em>Let’s go.</em>


    I took a step forward.