Beyond the Eternity

We climbed down to the Entrance Hall, located on the First Floor.

There were no enemies or traps, so it was rather a smooth stride.

I was almost carefree.

Even if a trap were set, Soo Jinyoung could easily detect it with her Dragon Demon Eyes. It must be really good to be the protagonist.

But sometimes, It feels like she was staring at me. Was it my imagination? No, she was definitely staring at me.

It was understandable.

The SSS-Class Dragon Demon Eyes couldn't read my information, so it was only natural that she remains on guard around me. But the situation felt somewhat disheartening for some reason.

"Ughh..."

I sighed.

This was the reality of the situation. I had to accept this.

Before long, we reached the First Floor and made our way to the portrait located at the intersection of the stairs.

My gaze was captured instantly.

The assailant was the huge portrait Infront of me.

It was unavoidable. Minerva's piercing eyes in the massive portrait seemed to irresistibly draw the gaze of anyone who passed by.

The Evernight Witch. The embodiment of both breathtaking beauty and unparalleled malice.

Was there anyone that wouldn't be mesmerized?

But It would be dangerous if I became too mesmerised. It was possible that I would receive a curse if I stared at the portrait for too long.

Ughh. I don't want to think about that possibility.

The last time I was cursed, the pain was so excruciating I was convinced I wouldn't survive. I couldn't afford to experience that again.

My gaze shifted down.

There was a large object resting beneath the portrait.

At first glance, it resembled an epitaph, engraved with the name of the figure in the painting.

Or so I thought.

As we moved closer and closed the distance, everything became more clear.

Several markings and inscriptions covered the surface of the epitaph, but the text was written in a foreign language.

Ryu Yeji frowned.

"What is this? It's not in Korean."

"Of course not," My lips twisted with disinterest, "The story is set in England, but It doesn't seem to be written in English, either."

"I don't understand. Didn't that fairy mention something about a World Translation ability?"

"That only works for voice communication. Written communication is another story."

"That makes no sense."

I smirked. "Have you ever played an RPG made by a lazy development team?"

"Obviously. But what does that have to do with anything? Wait.... You don't mean..."

"That's right. «Soul Link» is managed by a similar group of greedy people."

In an RPG, there would additional packages that allowed players to unlock features like advanced translation or rare item drops. Of course, that didn't mean those items were free.

You must purchase them using money.

But in this scenario, the currency wasn't ordinary money. It was the hard-earned coins players fought to the brink of exhaustion and bled for.

Though there were a few exceptional languages that couldn't be brought with coins. Regardless, It couldn't be denied that the «Administration Buseau», who were in charge of the «Soul Link» management, were exactly like those lazy and greedy development team.
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Ryu Yeji sighed and rubbed his temple.

"So you're saying they didn't even bother to include written translation as a basic feature? What kind of scam is this?"

"Welcome to the world of microtransactions. They make it deliberately inconvenient so people feel compelled to pay up."

Moon Jiyeon crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed. "Well, that's useless to us now. Unless you're hiding some kind of premium pass, we're stuck."

"That's not the case."

I crouched in front of the epitaph, and studied the foreign inscriptions. "Even without translation, there's usually a way to figure things out."

"How exactly are you going to figure that out?"

"Hehe! I bought some cheap language packages before we entered the Fable! If I use them as a reference, then I should be able to figure it out somewhat."

Needless to say, It was good to be prepared for every scenario.

The information regarding the Sixth Fable was limited. In other words, anything could go wrong and the chances of running into a huccip was high.

If the details remained unclear, then I had no choice but to prepare for everything.

Some might argue that it's impossible to prepare for every eventuality.

While that may be true, the solution was simple:

If your first plan fails, turn to your backup. And if that fails, use the backup to your backup, and so on, until there's no option left but to adapt.

Therefore, make sure to count your toes before you take a step.

Shifting my focus back to the Epitaph, I began analyzing the words with the help of the language packages I had purchased.

A few minutes later, I furrowed my brows, and the group members noticed my tense expression.

Moon Jiyeon asked, "What's wrong?"

"Translating this is proving more difficult than I expected. It seems to be a mix of Ancient Chinese and Greek, with some unfamiliar elements thrown in."

"So, it's an unknown language?"

"Yeah, it seems that way. At this rate, I don't think I'll be able to fully decipher it."

Soo Jinyoung, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke.

"Move aside."

She stepped forward. At the same time, her eyes gleamed faintly as she examined the markings.

I stood and gave her space. "Can you decipher It?"

"It's not that difficult."

Soo Jinyoung said those words so casually that you would think she had already deciphered the entire epitaph with a single glance.

If it had been anyone else, I might have dismissed her words as a joke, but I knew better. She wasn't joking—she was completely serious.

She had effortlessly deciphered the entire inscription, as if it were nothing more than a simple puzzle.

The «Dragon Demon Eyes» had the ability to perceive all "Errors" in the world and reveal the hidden truths. Deciphering a mysterious language, one that humanity had never discovered, was nothing more than child's play to her.

Damnit. I was so envious.

Perhaps I should save up enough coins and purchase the «SSS Eye of the One-Eyed Dokkaebi»

Soo Jinyoung knelt down in front of the inscriptions, and narrowed as she traced the foreign symbols with her fingers. The faint glow from her Dragon Demon Eyes intensified, and a low hum filled the air, as if the markings themselves were reacting to those very eyes.

I asked impatiently.

"Well? What does it say?"

Soo Jinyoung didn't respond immediately. She straightened up and began to read the inscription with an unreasonable expression:

"Behold the Endless Night that drapes my cherished realm.

You, who seek the heart of the Evernight, follow its shadow through the void, in search of what is lost.

As you walk through the darkness, you will find the Ruins of the Hollow Keep.

In that keep, seek the stone where the shadow of the moon touches the earth.

There lies the heart of the Evernight Witch.

The one who claims the heart must then journey into the abyss following these commands.

On the First Dawn, offer the firstborn of the forsaken lands as a tribute.

On the Second Dawn, the chosen will break the ties of blood and soul.

On the Third Dawn, those who remain will call upon the name of the Witch in reverence.

On the Fourth Dawn, let the hands be severed and the bones broken.

On the Fifth Dawn, tear asunder the breath of the living.

On the Sixth Dawn, rend the mind and crush the will.

On the Seventh Dawn, bind the heart and silence the voice.

On the Eighth Dawn, spill the blood of the innocent, and in their stead, give life to none.

On the Nineth Dawn, the Witch shall return from the void, and the world shall be undone.

On the Tenth Dawn, the Witch shall be reborn, and the curse shall finally break.

The Witch shall bless the worthy and grant three gifts;

One shall be the power to bind all shadows of the realm.

One shall be the ability to call back all those who have perished.

One shall be the eternal sleep of the Evernight, forever hidden beneath the moon's watchful eye.

Sleep forever, my eternal beloved, the Evernight Witch."

Upon finishing the inscription, Soo Jinyoung paused, and an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

It was the kind of silence that clung to the air in a crowded elevator full of strangers or the unsettling sensation of stepping into unfamiliar territory for the first time.

The latter seemed more fitting for this moment. Everything felt surreal and out of place.

What was I supposed to say? My mind swirled with questions, but deep down, I knew asking them was pointless. No answer would come, at least not yet.

Even so, I couldn't hold back and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"I don't know," Soo Jinyoung replied sharply.

It was the response I'd expected, yet she wasn't finished.

"There doesn't seem to be any hidden code in the letters. Even if I rearrange them, the conclusion remains the same. What kind of puzzle is this? There's no hint, no clue—nothing to work with."

Her frown deepened. Even Soo Jinyoung, with all her sharp intellect, looked utterly baffled.

That was how absurd the inscription truly was.

Moon Jiyeon, with a serious expression, broke the silence and offered her own thoughts.

"This doesn't feel like something meant to be solved. Maybe it was deliberately designed to be impossible. Honestly, I can't imagine any rational person creating something like this."

I frowned. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I've considered a lot of theories, but right now, they're all just speculation. For all we know, Reginald may not have even written this epitaph—or perhaps he did. It's impossible to draw any solid conclusions without a significant lead."

"Can't you use Divination?" I suggested.

Her brows furrowed slightly as she responded, "That's not how Divination works. Don't you remember? Divination relies on analyzing existing data to predict outcomes. How am I supposed to use it when there's no reliable information or clues to work with?"

She wasn't wrong.

Divination was simply the art of analyzing existing data and information to predict specific outcomes. However, it was far from infallible. Without a foundation of reliable data, it was completely useless. For instance, trying to divine the location of a hidden artifact without any prior clues or leads would be as futile as attempting to navigate a maze blindfolded.

Damn it. I thought investigating the First Murder would at least provide some important clues to solve the House Mystery. Instead, It only brought us right back to square one.

It felt as though we hadn't made any progress at all—like we were still stuck at the starting line.

We haven't taken the first step.