UHNA 21

Chapter 21

Baridegi’s Domain

The figure standing ahead wasn’t clear.

Only a flowing robe was visible, and the face was hidden in mist.

“You can take a short rest if you want.”

When had I heard that voice before? Maybe during the possession transfer.

It wasn’t that long ago, but why couldn’t I remember clearly?

I tried to step back, but my knees wouldn’t move.

It felt like my body was sinking downward.

Even though I knew sitting down meant the end, I still wanted to sit.

‘The great potion maker.’

I recalled the words, but my heart didn’t react.

That was strange.

Those words had been the direction I had chosen, but now they couldn’t hold me.

Scenes floated in the mist.

A laboratory.

Sick people lying in bed.

Faces catching their breath after drinking potions.

The scenes felt familiar, as if I had seen them before, and safe.

They became an excuse to not move forward.

“You’re doing fine even now.”

The figure reached a hand toward me.

It looked warm.

If I grabbed it, I felt my thoughts would stop.

If I stopped, I wouldn’t have to worry anymore.

I clenched my teeth.

I didn’t take the hand.

Instead, I shook my head.

“No.”

My voice trembled, but it was firm.

“That isn’t enough.”

The mist rippled for a moment.

The figure’s hand touched my wrist.

The moment it did, memories poured in.

The school’s training grounds.

A dungeon alarm that had suddenly sounded.

Screams.

Scenes that had repeated endlessly in the original story overlapped.

Many people had died in this school.

That tragedy was meant to awaken the protagonist.

I knew that.

That’s why it hurt even more.

‘Do that many people really have to die?’

The question pierced my chest.

My breath caught.

My vision blurred.

Then, another wish came to mind.

It was intense.

More direct and heavier than becoming a great potion maker.

The students had to live.

The people in this school had to survive.

I wanted the tragedy not to be fuel for awakening, but a wall to overcome.

“I wish to save more people.”

At that moment, the mist changed.

The softness vanished, and the path became clear.

The figure gripped my wrist tightly.

“You’re in danger.”

For the first time, I sensed emotion in that voice.

I shook off the hand.

“I still have to go.”

When my hand was free, the figure didn’t follow anymore.

I walked toward the place my wish had reached.

My steps were heavy, but my direction was certain.

The mist parted, and a door appeared.

This time, it was an exit.

This time, I didn’t hesitate.

As I passed through, the space changed.

It was the dungeon boss’s room.

A low hum filled the room.

Voices overlapped and echoed.

Grievances.

Resentment.

Abandonment.

Stories that vanished without names seeped into the walls.

Even while hearing them, I didn’t let go of my wish.

I wished to save more people.

That wish didn’t waver.

In the center of the room, the figure waited.

Only then did I realize it was just a shadow. Whose shadow, though?

Before I could ask, the shadow spoke.

“You have passed the test.”

The voice was low and calm.

The figure raised its hand and offered something.

It looked like a simple bowl.

No decoration, no light.

“It is the Bowl of the Nameless.”

As the words ended, the bowl rested in my hands.

It was neither cold nor warm.

Only an empty feeling remained.

At that moment, a cheer burst from my earring.

[It’s mine! Say it’s mine!]

Erich was cheering.

I couldn’t help but smile at the sound.

The muscles in my face, stiff from tension, relaxed.

“Okay, okay.”

[Really? It’s a promise! A real promise!]

Erich repeated the same words several times.

It was rare for a magic sword to show greed so openly.

It meant this bowl was important to Erich. I knew why. That was the reason I had come here in the first place.

‘Even an ego-soul grows heavy with resentment, right?’

The boss’s figure watched the scene quietly.

The echoes of grievance and resentment in the space gradually settled.

The figure looked at the bowl in my hands and spoke.

“This is not for the living.”

The words sounded like both a warning and an explanation.

“This bowl is meant to hold the names of the dead.”

“It has no effect for the living.”

I nodded.

And I smiled.

My lips lifted naturally.

“I never intended to keep it anyway.”

The figure paused briefly.

That silence felt like surprise.

I touched the earring.

Always cold, and colored like blood.

Erich’s place.

“Erich.”

When I called the name, I felt excitement from inside the earring.

[Go on. Hurry.]

I brought the Nameless Bowl to the earring.

At that moment, the bowl vanished without a sound.

It didn’t break, didn’t melt.

As if it had never existed, it disappeared without a trace.

At the same time, the earring’s color changed.

The blood-red glow slowly faded, replaced by purple.

A deep, dark purple.

I held my breath, watching the change.

[Done.]

Erich’s voice was calmer than before.

The excitement had faded, leaving satisfaction.

[Feels like I could fly.]

The boss’s figure nodded quietly.

“The final room must remain.”

As I nodded, the figure seemed to smile briefly.

“Do you know? We have been waiting for you.”

What?

Before I could reply, the edges of the room began to blur.

The echoes of grievance and resentment faded completely, and the space seemed to settle.

I didn’t stay any longer.

No matter the meaning of that last message, I had obtained what I came for.

The next moment, I was outside the dungeon.

Cold night air brushed my face.

The moonlight was still dim, and the open space looked the same as before.

I looked at my hands, but held nothing.

Hyun Iseo and Lee Hae-sol looked at me in surprise.

Both exhaled a moment later.

Seeing their expressions, I smiled lightly.

“Nothing.”

I said it casually, as if I had gained nothing at all.

Hyun Iseo pressed her forehead and sighed.

“You’re really reckless.”

Lee Hae-sol exhaled deeply too.

“But at least you came back safely.”

She meant it sincerely.

We returned together.

The further we moved from the dungeon, the weaker the sense of darkness became.

When the dorms came into view, Lee Hae-sol asked cautiously,

“Will you go again?”

I thought for a moment.

I felt the stable presence of purple from the earring.

“Probably.”

I nodded.

“It feels like the last one. I’ll try it.”

For reference, the three golden coin skills this time were one-time-use teleportation.

Transferable teleportation.

“I don’t think I’ll need to use it though.”

“Huh? What?”

“Nothing, Hae-sol.”

Having a teleport skill makes you feel like an event needing it will happen.

But it was probably just a feeling.

The third visit was different from the start.

According to the plan, only Hyun Iseo, Lee Hae-sol, and I should move.

But just before leaving, Yoo Han-seong said he wanted to come along.

“I heard from Hae-sol. Using my skill to hold onto you will be safer than the rope.”

Strangely, I couldn’t refuse. When he offered to come, a sense of calm came before any burden.

“Thanks.”

On top of that, another unexpected person joined.

Gong Seo-yoon.

He was a cheerful type who lightened the mood around anyone.

Seeing us together, he smiled and walked over.

“What, a night walk?”

His tone was so natural that no one could deny it immediately.

“Can I come too?”

It sounded more like a declaration than a request.

Hyun Iseo frowned, and Lee Hae-sol glanced at me.

I shrugged.

I couldn’t think of a reason to stop him.

Actually, having more people might be less dangerous this time.

Gong Seo-yoon seemed to sense the subtle mood and joined without asking more.

Quietly, Yoo Hee followed behind.

No one noticed him.

His presence was so faint that even I only realized it much later through Erich.

True to his original role of always lingering nearby, he didn’t stand out.

Our eyes met briefly, and he smiled lightly before looking away.