Chapter 100: Cha.100 The Line

Author’s Note:

We finally reached Chapter 100! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Thank you for supporting the story this far, and enjoy the Chapter~

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As the stone slab moved aside, the team finally saw what had been hidden behind it.

A chamber.

A faint green light illuminated the darkness, revealing roots spreading across the walls and floor. Unlike the dead-looking roots outside, these were healthy, covered in a vibrant green color.

Valen looked at Qasim in surprise.

"How did you do that?"

Qasim shrugged, answering with the same confused voice.

"I really don’t know. I just... felt it."

Valen placed a hand under his chin and thought.

*Is this related to the warning my power gave me? Telling me not to look at this boy?*

He then clapped his hands together.

"Well, my boy, let’s hope those feelings of yours can open the path to some secrets."

He looked toward the others and motioned for them to follow before stepping inside.

One by one, they entered.

And what they saw left them stunned.

The walls were covered in red drawings.

They depicted humanoid figures with horns performing what appeared to be some kind of dance in front of a gigantic tree that covered almost the entire wall and ceiling.

The team moved deeper into the structure.

They entered another chamber.

This time, the drawings showed the same horned figures killing other humanoid figures.

"Are those... humans?" Levia asked, pointing at the figures being killed.

No one answered.

But they all had the same feeling.

In the next chamber, they found another set of drawings.

The horned figures were throwing human bodies in front of the giant tree.

"I don’t like where this is going. Let’s go back, Valen."

Valen nodded seriously.

"Yeah. I agree. We should turn back. Come on, everyone."

Qasim heard Valen’s command and was about to follow them.

But then...

Something deep inside him refused.

He looked toward the next chamber.

The urge to move forward was overwhelming.

"Boy, what are you waiting for?"

Valen initially asked calmly, but then he noticed Qasim standing strangely still, staring ahead.

Suddenly, Qasim started running toward the next chamber.

"Hey! Get back, Qasim!"

Valen shouted.

But the boy didn’t stop.

"Fuck!"

Valen turned toward his team.

"You three go back. I’ll get him."

He immediately ran after Qasim.

But after hearing footsteps behind him, he looked back.

The others were following.

Valen bit his lip but didn’t argue.

They all continued after the boy.

My child.

The farther Qasim ran, the more clearly he began hearing whispers inside his head.

He didn’t know why.

He didn’t know how.

But he had the overwhelming feeling that something incredibly important was missing.

He had forgotten something.

And those whispers were going to remind him.

So he kept running toward them.

Chamber after chamber, the team passed through the strange drawings.

Their concern grew with every passing second.

Then they saw something ahead.

A tree.

A gigantic tree.

A colossal plant whose end couldn’t be seen and whose beginning was impossible to find.

Its enormous body supported the entire temple and seemed to extend even beyond it.

It radiated a dark, dangerous aura.

And something even worse.

Hatred.

A horrifying sense of hatred directed toward them.

Their eyes widened.

Their faces went pale.

Their bodies suddenly stopped moving.

A line of roots stretched across the ground in front of them, as if the tree itself refused to let them go any farther.

But Qasim was already beyond that line.

He stood directly in front of the tree.

Blood flowed from his eyes and ears.

Yet he didn’t seem to care.

His entire focus remained fixed on the tree.

A small root extended toward him.

It reached his hand.

The moment they touched—

Qasim collapsed.

"AAAAAAAH!"

He screamed in agony.

The left side of his body began twitching.

Then it started growing.

Bigger.

And bigger.

Until it became a flesh-colored balloon roughly the size of a baby.

The tree’s roots suddenly pierced into it.

Qasim screamed even louder.

Multiple roots began moving inside the grotesque mass.

Then—

They tore it open.

Blood exploded across the ground.

But it wasn’t red.

It was purple.

A disgusting smell filled the chamber, like rotten vegetables.

Qasim’s screaming suddenly stopped.

He remained on the ground, breathing heavily, unable to move.

The roots began pulling something out of his side.

The team watched in horror.

A strange baby-shaped creature emerged.

Purple roots wrapped around its body like vines, while two small horns protruded from its head.

The roots carefully carried the creature toward the tree.

Then they began merging with it.

Qasim remained on the ground, bleeding from the open wound in his side.

Valen saw everything.

But he couldn’t move.

None of them could.

He gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.

His eyes widened.

*Move... damn it! Move! Cross that fucking line!*

Valen screamed internally.

Then he deliberately broke one of his own fingers.

The pain shattered the fear holding his body in place.

He started running toward Qasim.

But the moment he crossed the line—

The entire platform began collapsing.

Valen looked back.

The ground beneath them was falling into an unknown abyss.

He increased his speed using his powers.

He forced his body into a state where he couldn’t stop for five seconds.

He became faster than anyone he had ever known.

The moment he reached Qasim, the roots began chasing him.

One pierced through his eye.

Another tore into his leg.

Valen turned back with the boy between his arms.

The platform was already destroyed, so he began jumping from one floating piece to another.

He could feel his body decaying faster.

His mind was losing focus as his body continued dying.

But he kept moving.

The green light washed over his face, eating away at his rotten flesh.

He didn’t care.

He simply held Qasim tighter and ran faster.

He looked back and saw his team trying to move.

Yasmin was barely beginning to regain control of her body.

"Don’t come here!"

Valen shouted.

"Trust me and stay where you are!"

"But your body!" Yasmin shouted, her eyes wide.

*My body...? Ah... I see.*

*I’ve already reached the final point.*

Valen looked at himself.

His hair is falling out.

Part of his jaw was gone.

The skin on his hand was falling away.

His leg was filled with holes.

His bones were turning yellow.

Then brown.

And finally, they began crumbling into dust.

He fell to the ground several times.

Every time, the roots struck him.

But he kept pushing forward.

He didn’t care anymore.

He continued running with Qasim held tightly in his arms.

Then he heard a weak voice.

Valen looked down.

Qasim had opened his eyes.

"Valen... leave me to die. I’ll be okay."

He raised his head.

Tears filled his eyes.

"I’m sorry..."

His voice trembled.

"I’m sorry, Valen. All of this happened because of me."

Valen lowered his head.

One of his eyes had already fallen from its socket.

Yet he still managed to give Qasim a warm smile.

"No, my boy. It isn’t."

He tightened his grip around him.

"I’ll fix everything. Don’t worry. I have a plan."

He raised his head and looked toward his team.

"Stay where you are! I have a plan!"

Doran had finally managed to move.

"No! You need help!"

He tried to move forward.

"Doran!"

Valen’s voice stopped him.

Doran froze and looked at him.

Valen gave him a faint smile.

"Keep your eyes on the team."

He paused.

"My friend... you’re the captain now."

His smile weakened.

"Please forgive me."

*Please keep the memories of who I was before...*

*Please remember the old Valen.*

Doran’s eyes filled with tears.

"No! You have to stay with us!"

His voice cracked.

"I’m sorry for what I said! I’m coming to help!"

Doran began preparing Light Dash.

*Fuck all these roots blocking my way.*

Before he could move, he heard a burst of fire beside him.

Levia had begun casting fireballs, burning away the roots blocking his path.

"Valen!"

She shouted as tears rolled down her face.

Yasmin used her cloud to pull herself closer to Valen.

*Oh God...That’s why I didn’t want them to see me like this.*

*They already know...They know there’s almost nothing left of me.*

Valen felt his grip on Qasim weakening.

He quickly tore a piece of cloth from his clothes and wrapped it around his hand before continuing forward.

*I can feel their love.*

*I can see the light coming from them.*

He looked toward his team.

Tears filled his remaining eye.

"Would you still go this far for me... even after I disappointed you?"

His voice trembled.

"Will you ever be able to forgive me if I cross that line?"

Yasmin finally closed the distance.

She stretched out her hand toward Valen.

But at that exact moment—

The platform beneath his feet began collapsing.

The team’s eyes widened.

Valen and Qasim began falling into the darkness.

"No!"

Yasmin tried to reach them.

But she couldn’t.

Valen, however, wasn’t afraid.

He wasn’t scared.

Instead, he wore a small smile as he watched them desperately trying to save him.

"Thank you..."

His voice was barely a whisper.

"I love you."

With the last bit of strength left in his body, he threw Qasim toward Yasmin.

She managed to catch him.

And for the last time, she saw her captain close his one remaining eye before falling into the darkness.

Yasmin bit her lip.

She immediately used her power to turn back.

But she was stunned.

The platform was collapsing from every direction.

There was nowhere to escape.

Then Doran appeared beside her.

He used Light Dash once again, carrying her and Qasim away.

Levia created an earth pillar to help the three of them return.

They barely made it across the line.

Doran grabbed Qasim, and the three of them began running back.

The roots followed closely behind.

Chamber after chamber, they continued running.

Until finally—

They saw sunlight.

They were almost at the entrance.

One of the goblins was waiting there.

His face was pale.

The moment he saw them, he screamed in a trembling voice.

"We’re surrounded!"

He pointed outside.

"The monsters..."

His entire body shook.

"The monsters are all around us!"