Chapter 141: Bat’s Memory

Two women sat facing each other in front of a crackling bonfire.

The one with a sturdy, 180cm build and a wolf-cut hairstyle was from Earth—Elliot Middlerunner.

The one with a fragile frame, barely reaching 160cm, wearing a wizard’s robe was from Idea—Seimir Sion.

Upon entering the dungeon, the two realized that the terrain was a maze and soon after, discovered that the person they were dropped with was from a different world.

At first, they approached each other warmly.

–Hello. Are you from Earth?– (Idean)

–Hmm. An Idean? You look exactly like us.– (English)

–Nice to meet you. You don’t seem to know Idean, but I can speak the language of Earth, so it’s okay.– (Korean)

–That sounds like Korean…? I’m sorry, but I don’t know Korean.– (English)

–Can you not understand me?– (Korean)

–This is trouble. I should have learned at least a little. It’s frustrating not being able to communicate.– (English)

–Ah, you don’t use the language Dam Daon taught me. I didn’t expect this situation… How frustrating….– (Idean)

After that series of exchanges… they arrived at the current awkward silence.

This situation occurred because the two people dropped together were both naturally taciturn.

After sitting like that for a long while, Elliot slightly lifted her head. At that moment, Semil raised her head at the exact same time, and their eyes met.

“…….”

“…….”

The two pulled the corners of their mouths up into awkward smiles and lowered their heads again. Semil focused on polishing her staff, while Elliot pointlessly pushed more firewood into the bonfire.

There was no conversation between them.

However, the atmosphere wasn’t hostile.

They were simply awkward and embarrassed… but well-disposed toward each other. If the other person made a request, they were ready to provide as much convenience and consideration as possible.

“……Um. Sleep now. I’ll stand watch.”

Elliot used body language, putting her hands together against her cheek, yawning, and closing her eyes.

“Ah. You’re saying you want to sleep. Yes, please sleep. I will stand watch.”

Semil nodded and opened her eyes even wider. She gripped her staff tightly with both hands as if ready to use magic at any moment.

Meanwhile, Elliot realized the Idean had understood her words in the opposite way. However, she didn’t have the courage to clear up the misunderstanding, so she just turned away.

While the two women were in the middle of a storm of awkwardness, not too far away.

“Khhh. Earth liquor is sweet, like fruit wine. I wouldn’t get drunk even if I drank a whole crate of this.” (Idean)

“I know, right? Daon and Minji said Idean liquor was tastier, but Earth liquor is much better! They tricked us!” (Idean)

Haidian Heroi and Zeke Prizzen were pouring wine down their throats straight from the bottle.

According to Canadian regulations, bringing alcohol into dungeons was prohibited, so this was wine that hunters had smuggled in.

“Hey. What are you saying? Speak so I can understand. Kaa, but Idean liquor has a high alcohol content. It feels like my throat is burning.” (English)

“Exactly. If they’ve lived drinking only this kind of stuff, they’ll go crazy if we give them Earth liquor. Once trade with Idea officially opens, maybe I should monopolize the liquor industry first.” (English)

“Let’s go into business together. We’ll be filthy rich even without hunter activities. Hey, Ideans. You guys work as advertisement models.” (English)

The Canadian hunters laughed loudly, happy just imagining it. Everyone’s faces were flushed from the alcohol.

It was inevitable; the hunters were all women, and only Haidian and Zeke were men, both possessing exceptionally handsome looks.

With such good faces to feast their eyes on, the alcohol went down smoothly even without snacks.

“What’s so funny? Let’s laugh together.” (Idean)

“Their voices are great too~ You have to do business with us. You can’t be models for anywhere else.” (English)

“I have no idea what you’re saying.” (Idean)

“Looking at them laugh, it probably isn’t anything bad. Just nod. Nod, nod. Hahaha!” (Idean)

They all laughed together seeing the handsome men nodding without knowing what was being said.

Though their words didn’t translate, they had become quite close through the universal language of alcohol.

Soon, once they ran into Elliot and Semil, a harsh scolding would fall and their backs would be slapped, but regardless, they were happy for now.

And…….

Here, one person who fell alone.

‘It’s the hallucination attribute. If it’s a maze terrain and you fall alone, Mr. Blan, absolutely do not move from that spot. Others can move.’

‘Hey! Why am I the only one who can’t move?’

‘You’re a non-awakened person. Since you can’t see the system window, it’s safest to stay right there. Wait at that spot until someone else comes to rescue you.’

‘…Ha, d*mn it.’

Because he had heard such earnest requests, Blan had not moved from his spot for several days after entering the field.

Normally, his personality would be to let such words go in one ear and out the other and roam around as he pleased.

But…….

“I want to meet Damion and Sanse soon.”

“Just endure a little. We’ll meet them soon.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Ah, really. I told you we’ll meet them in a few days.”

“Blan live here. I go to Damion!”

“Hey, hey, Mr. Baba. No!”

Because his companion bat was so anxious, Blan ended up behaving himself while trying to stop the creature.

“Blan can’t see system window. I can see system window. So I can move.”

“So what? If the system window shows a trap, how are you going to avoid it alone? What will you do if a monster comes out?”

“I can fight well. Look at my sharp claws.”

“Ha…… please just wait here quietly. If you don’t, I’ll tell Ion that Mr. Baba didn’t listen when we meet him?”

“Blan is mean.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m mean, so just wait. Instead, when Ion comes later, I’ll tell him you waited bravely and get him to praise you.”

“Mm… Okay. I be a brave bat.”

In fact… even after that, Baba wasn’t exactly brave.

Every time the wind blew, or every time an explosion or a roar was heard from somewhere, he pricked up his ears. Fearing he might fly off alone, Blan was practically holding Baba in his arms. However, there were limits to that as well.

As days passed, Blan’s patience began to wear thin.

‘Why do I have to follow instructions from a mere human?’

‘Isn’t this enough waiting?’

‘No, at this point, shouldn’t I be the one going to rescue them?’

‘Even if they are awakened, except for Sarah Harundas, they’re all insignificant bastards….’

Just as those thoughts were surfacing.

“Blan! I smell Damion!”

“What?”

“This is Damion. Damion is nearby. He coming from over there!”

Baba flapped his wings and escaped from Blan’s arms. Blan tried to catch him late, but Baba dodged with nimble movements and flew away with a whoosh.

‘What? Since when was this d*mn bat so fast?’

Blan, who had frozen for a moment, snapped to his senses seeing Baba turn a corner. To let him fly off alone like that!

It would be a disaster if Baba flew off alone and got caught in a maze trap.

“Ah, I don’t know. F*ck. Just move!”

Blan leaped from his spot.

“Damion!”

A bat so roundly fat that it was a wonder how it could fly slammed right onto Ion’s face.

Ion peeled the bat off his face.

A small head with a tiny nose, round eyes, and ears like a rabbit.

Soft grey down… and…….

“Why did you get so fat?”

He had truly become chubby. Ion knew this from seeing him through the ‘Mirror of the Sage,’ but seeing him in person, he looked even rounder. Ion held Baba in his hand and gave him a quick squeeze.

Yeah…. This was it. This warm, squishy, yet solid feeling.

It felt as though his cluttered mind was clearing up. Just like when he leaned his forehead against Sanse’s leaves.

“I fat? Not good to touch?”

“No. You’re squishy.”

“Damion is the same. I missed Damion. What about Damion?”

“…Not really.”

“Damion same as always.”

Baba continuously rubbed his tiny head against Ion’s finger.

Ion didn’t notice the smile that had spread across his own lips, nor did he notice that Saon was watching the scene with a strange expression.

“You should say hello to Sanse too.”

“Yes!”

When Ion placed Baba on the flowerpot, Baba roamed around burying his fur in Sanse’s leaves.

“Sanse, you been well? You got prettier!”

“…….”

“Really? I want to go see the house too.”

“…….”

“It’s okay. I scold Damion instead!”

What kind of conversation are they having….

“Hey. Is it just you two? You haven’t met the others yet?”

“Yes. We were tied up in the same place for a while. We have a long way to go. Let’s keep moving.”

After a brief reunion, the three people and one bat hurried their steps again.

Considering they were held back for a day by the secret-spilling that gave them no choice, they had to move diligently.

While moving, they heard about the situation in Idea from Blan.

In Idea, the war with the giants had completely ended. All the giants had returned to the mainland. However, it was said that the issue of idol worship had now surfaced.

“The war with System Age has begun. Whether in Idea or Earth.”

“It’s not enough to be called a war. Since the Holy See bastards stepped in, it’ll be suppressed soon.”

“Will it be that easy?”

“Of course. First of all, the vast majority of Idea follows the Main God Religion, so those who fall into weird idol-worshipping groups like Age are just social misfits anyway… no, wait. Should I take this chance to spread the Demon God Religion?”

“You said they don’t even fall for Age, would they be seduced by the Demon God Religion?”

“Oh, of course they won’t be seduced. But I can make those Holy See sons of b*tches twice as annoyed. Kehehehe.”

Despite the long time since they last met, Blan’s personality remained unchanged.

As Ion unconsciously let out a small smile at his appearance, Saon, who was watching from the side, wore a slightly displeased look.

“By the way, what happened to our On-on’s pet bat’s memory? Did you find any clues related to the Demon King’s seal?”

This was also something Ion was curious about.

Baba answered brightly.

“I found memory. But didn’t find. They say I have no memory!”

“What does that mean?”

“They say I found the memory but that memory disappeared!”

“So, I wonder what that means.”

“You don’t understand? You grew up with Damion, why you stupid?”

Baba tilted his head as if he were purely curious.

“I am quite a bit lacking compared to our youngest. Would you mind explaining kindly again?”

“Hey. Do you expect a kind explanation from Mr. Baba? I’ll do it. Actually, explaining was a hassle, so I was going to reveal it all at once after meeting that Jin Seongha guy… anyway. You explain to the others, Damion.”

“Yes.”

Blan stopped in his tracks.

As if it wasn’t a topic to talk about while moving, Ion and Saon also stopped walking.

Blan spoke with a slightly serious expression.

“Mr. Baba’s memories from before he met you are gone. As if someone carved them out. There’s a hybrid who has lived longer than me, and according to him, it’s a Memory Sealing Magic. They carved out the memory and sealed it somewhere.”

“Why would they seal a bat’s memory?”

“I don’t know the reason. But the Holy See bastards gave some information. The Demon King’s bat was reportedly sealed along with the Demon King when he was sealed. It was information even we didn’t know.”

“What?”

Ion blinked in bewilderment.

“That makes no sense. The Demon King was sealed ten thousand years ago, and if the bat was sealed then too, how could he have produced offspring?”

“Right. It makes no sense. For this to be possible, there’s only one assumption.”

That was right.

Combining all the information, there was only one rational explanation.

“Could it be…….”

Saon seemed to have reached the same assumption as well.

Instead of the two who couldn’t bring themselves to finish the sentence, Baba summarized the situation.

“Yes, right. The Demon King’s seal was already broken a long time ago!”