Chapter 307: The Memories Of The Sorrowful Heart, Conquering The Crimson Marsh

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"..."

Riven was left speechless as he opened his eyes again and gazed at the notifications while thinking about what he just saw.

Those memories... that man.

He stayed still for a moment, going back over the images that had flooded his mind. The tall figure with the long red hair, the endless travels, and the woman who had loved him so deeply all remained clear.

"This Dungeon... it was born from the Asura Blood Sea Emperor’s Heart that Genesis tore from his chest in their last battle..." he muttered in disbelief. "He... he loved her?"

He couldn’t believe it.

The idea that someone so powerful had carried that kind of regret felt strange to him. It was all so sad.

No wonder the dungeon boss was named "Sorrowful Heart".

It was the embodiment of the Asura Blood Sea Emperor’s endless regrets, for never loving her enough, for never taking care of her enough, for always traveling and leaving her behind. Every part of the dungeon seemed to carry that same feeling of something left unfinished.

Ding!

[Congratulations, Ascendant. As the one who carries the {Sovereign Codex}, you have been chosen as a Lord.]

[Using your Authority of Pride as a Lord, you have taken over the D/C-Rank Gate "The Crimson Marsh."]

[The Former Gate Ruler "Sorrowful Heart" has been slain and is unable to wrestle control over it. You have won over the Gate.]

[Former Gate Ruler C-Rank "Sorrowful Heart" now serves you. Once he respawns, you can issue special commands to him.]

[You can now Summon the Believer Race "Crimson Frogman".]

[You gained +500 GP.]

"It’s done..."

The moment Riven took over the Dungeon, everything within it stopped from one moment to another.

The constant noise of fighting, the movement of soldiers, and even the flow of mana in the air all came to a sudden halt. The battle between Guinevere and Rose came to a halt, and so every soldier within the vicinity, who stopped moving entirely.

Space itself warped around them. Without them being able to even fight back against it, they were all kicked out of the dungeon’s gate, which then closed immediately behind them. One second they stood inside the Crimson Marsh, and the next they found themselves standing on ordinary ground outside.

"W-What the...!" Guinevere gasped, looking around in confusion.

"HAH?!" Rose screamed. "My son’s remains...! THEY’RE STILL THERE!!!"

She took a few steps forward as if she could still reach the gate, but it was already gone.

Guinevere was left speechless as she saw the entire Dungeon completely disappear with a sudden blink, the gate closing before she could touch it again.

With her very eyes, she had witnessed the closure of yet another gate, the same shocking event that’s been happening for all these days. She stood there for several seconds, trying to make sense of what had just occurred.

"Unbelievable..." she muttered. "There’s someone... someone who can take them? That person... was it that girl? That little Pierrot and her black dog?"

Of course, she was completely wrong about that.

She kept turning the idea over in her head, searching for any other explanation, until she suddenly realized a terrible mistake.

"My Weapon...! My Spear stayed in the Dungeon?!"

Her precious golden divine spear, Cagliostro, was gone, left behind in the dungeon when it got stuck on the walls after Rose dodged one of her deadly javelin throws. The thought that the weapon was now sealed inside a closed gate made her face tighten with worry.

Meanwhile, inside the Crimson Marsh Dungeon, Riven’s palm remained pressed against the crystalline core as the crimson light flooded the chamber, then slowly receded into a soft, steady pulse. The dungeon itself seemed to exhale. The blood that had flooded the floor drained into the walls like obedient rivers, the residual tremors ceased, and a deep, almost respectful silence settled over the newly claimed territory. The air grew still, and the walls stopped shifting as if the place had finally accepted its new owner.

Daniela staggered back, still holding his hand, eyes wide and shining with tears of relief. "You’re awake... you’re actually awake!" She threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him over. "I thought you were going to stay dead forever and leave me alone with Vladimir’s corpse and that blonde woman and the vampire woman and... why were they even fighting?! It was way too much for me! And they were both SSS-Rank!!!"

Riven blinked a few times, trying to catch up with everything she was saying at once. He could feel how tightly she was holding on.

Noir padded closer, tongue lolling, and gave Riven’s cheek a wet, affectionate lick before collapsing on his side with an exhausted huff. The wolf’s shadow still held Vladimir’s limp body, though the werewolf’s chest rose and fell in shallow, stubborn breaths. It looked like the man was still alive, just barely.

Riven gently patted Daniela’s back, then carefully set her down. His voice was still rough, but steadier now. "I’m here. Thanks to you... and Noir." He glanced at the floating core, now marked with a faint golden sigil of his Authority of Pride. "And I’m sorry for not being able to wake up sooner... I was going through a lot myself, in that dream- Wait, did you say two SSS Ranks?!"

"YES!!!" Daniela screamed angrily. "Someone called Guinevere and Rose! I think Rose was Elias’s mother...! The Vampire guy you... you killed." She waved her hands as she spoke, still worked up from everything that had happened while he was unconscious.

"..." Riven nodded quietly as he digested everything that had happened, and what he’d seen in that dream as well. The name Guinevere stuck with him more than the rest. "To think my own elder sister would appear here... Damn it, next time we encounter a settlement like this inside a dungeon we’re trying to conquer, we have to take it down quicker.... Elias and Willheim delayed us too much."

He looked at the core again, then back at Daniela, already thinking about how different the fight might have gone if they had moved faster.

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