Chapter 32
CHAPTER 32
The City of Dionysus (2)
“Who used it?”
[...]
“I asked who used the Nile.”
“You said the Nile was a transportation relic.”
After a brief hesitation, the Rulebook answered.
Ju-Heon's eyes were ice-cold.
“So my daughter was transported through it too.”
...Yes.
[The Nile is an Egyptian Civilization Relic.]
[Its user serves Lord Ra.]
[One of the Twelve Executors.]
The Rulebook answered shortly.
Ju-Heon said nothing for a moment.
Then he asked quietly.
At those words, Majesty Yu Jae-ha's body stiffened ever so slightly.
Ju-Heon noticed the reaction.
Not now.
He decided not to ask about it yet.
“Rulebook.”
[Yes?]
“Why did they take my daughter?”
...There was a prophecy.
The Rulebook suddenly screamed.
[Aaaagh!! Why did I just blurt that out?!]
An icy silence followed.
[It foretold the birth of a child with unprecedented talent—someone capable of ruling over every relic.]
[Lord Ra's relic user wants to turn that child into a relic.]
Ju-Heon said nothing.
He simply stood there.
That silence was heavier than any outburst.
Majesty Yu Jae-ha quietly watched him.
...He wasn't hiding his anger.
Then—
Crunch!
He was suppressing it.
Ju-Heon let out a quiet chuckle.
His Dominion exploded outward.
“So... they're going to turn my child into a relic.”
...Yes.
“How familiar.”
Ju-Heon's eyes narrowed.
“Figures.”
“The world of Dionysus.”
“A vineyard that produces wine.”
“So this Majesty is working together with him.”
[That's right! So please don't destroy this world! He'll be furious!]
“So he's the Majesty who created Julian.”
...Well... yes.
“I see.”
Ju-Heon's eyes flashed.
“So...”
He looked back at the transport vehicle.
People lay unconscious inside, bound hand and foot.
The brands burned into their wrists.
Ju-Heon immediately understood what it all meant.
A savage smile spread across his lips.
“So if I completely destroy this place...”
“I'll get to meet him here?”
[W-Wait! That's not what I meant... Ugh! Damn it!]
“So this is where he gathers his raw materials?”
[T-That's...!]
As if it had finally reached its limit, the Rulebook's voice disappeared once again.
Majesty Yu Jae-ha quietly watched Ju-Heon.
He had just learned that someone intended to turn his daughter into a relic.
Yet...
He wasn't raging.
Or rather—
Yeah...
He's insane.
I already thought he was crazy...
BOOM!!
...But he's holding himself back.
“This goes way beyond ordinary insanity.”
And even in that state...
He was already calculating his next move.
Ju-Heon continued destroying the city with even greater intensity.
Finally, Cup Ramen Yu Jae-ha shouted anxiously,
“...He's really insane.”
This time...
It wasn't an insult.
[Hey! Other me! Stop him already! At this rate, Captain's seriously going to become a terrorist!]
Yet even then, Majesty Yu Jae-ha remained as cynical as ever.
He pointed toward a statue beside a streetlamp.
Meanwhile, city guards rushed over at full speed.
They leveled relic firearms at Ju-Heon.
“…The statue on the left is two grades higher than the one you destroyed.”
“If you're going to smash something... at least do it efficiently.”
[Hey!! That's not the important part right now!!]
But Ju-Heon's eyes were already gleaming.
“Stop! Freeze! Hands where I can see them!”
“Huh. Fast response.”
“I thought this city was full of nothing but drunks.”
“Guess somebody actually does their job.”
“Don't even think about running!”
“Right.”
“Thanks for the useful information.”
The very next instant—
He slammed the fire extinguisher into a golden wine-jar statue.
Craaash!
“Gyaaaah!!”
BOOM!
Ju-Heon discharged the extinguisher.
A colossal torrent of white powder engulfed everything in front of him.
The guards' armor and relic weapons instantly dissolved.
In their place remained nothing but crude cloth garments and wooden clubs.
“Oh?”
“So combat equipment counts as civilization too.”
“They've all regressed.”
The streets, which moments ago had echoed with cheers and drunken madness...
Were now filled with screams of reality.
People stared at the destroyed structures as strange smoke poured out of them.
Then several citizens suddenly realized what that smoke was.
Ju-Heon continued spraying the extinguisher everywhere.
Near the areas touched by the powder...
Several drunken citizens suddenly inhaled sharply.
Their eyes cleared.
Their limp, staggering bodies froze.
“What...?”
“Those structures... they were relics that made people act like this?”
“But those were decorations installed by the Majesty!”
“Wait...”
“So those weren't decorations at all...”
“They were hallucinogens?”
“...W-What have I... been doing all this time...?”
“Wasn't this... all just a dream...?”
Watching the scene unfold, Ju-Heon curled his lips into a grin.
The people collapsed to the ground, clutching themselves in confusion.
“I knew it.”
Gripping the handle of the fire extinguisher once more, Ju-Heon said,
“So this city wasn't insane.”
“It was made insane.”
“Those structures... they're the Majesty's relics!”
“How are they even being destroyed?”
“They should be protected by the Majesty's power...!”
How?
Ju-Heon simply walked toward another structure.
A giant golden grapevine standing in the center of the park.
The tree was beautiful, but it radiated an unnaturally intoxicating brilliance.
Ju-Heon swung the fire extinguisher again.
Because my Madness is 99.
BOOM!
Majesty Yu Jae-ha let out a sigh.
The city's rules...
The relics' protective barriers...
They were nothing but empty decorations before him.
A giant electronic billboard above the city flashed crimson.
At that moment, more citizens nearby suddenly opened their eyes.
Clutching their heads, they slowly regained their senses.
The security forces watching them fell into confusion.
[WARNING]
[Damage to city infrastructure detected.]
[Majesty-Class Destroyer Identified: Seo Ju-Heon]
[Emergency Wanted Notice.]
[Emergency Lockdown.]
[All exits sealed.]
[Combat drones deployed.]
Ju-Heon slung the extinguisher over his shoulder.
Even after hearing about my daughter...
He's still trying to restore Julian's relic.
So he's preparing for the coming fight.
Sure enough...
Ju-Heon placed the parts he had collected beside Julian's law book.
“Good.”
“This should be enough materials.”
“Now it's your turn.”
“I'll save you.”
Ju-Heon took out Julian, still in the form of a law book.
[Activating the Restoration ability stolen from the Majesty of Creation.]
“You said I could restore it as long as I had the materials.”
Flash!
Majesty Yu Jae-ha stared at him in surprise.
The power finally activated.
And just as Julian's silhouette began to reform within the crimson energy—
I thought he'd act emotionally...
But he's surprisingly rational.
“…What's wrong with this?”
“You need higher-grade materials.”
“For someone like Julian...”
“You'll need the Dionysus relic that's serving as this city's foundation.”
The law book suddenly warped.
Instead of a law book...
It became a poop-shaped children's picture book.
“…What the hell?”
Ju-Heon stared blankly at the transformed book.
That bastard knew...
And never told me.
“Still.”
“I'm impressed.”
“You're not even a real Restorer, yet you managed this much.”
“This is what you call restoration?”
“Hey.”
“Where's my law book?”
“You stingy bastard...”
I'm definitely killing him later.
As though he'd predicted this outcome from the beginning, Majesty Yu Jae-ha chuckled mischievously.
“Well.”
“That actually makes things simpler.”
“I was wondering what would come out.”
“That's pretty amazing.”
“No, tell me how to fix it!”
“The material quality is too low.”
“For someone like Julian...”
“You'll need the Core relic of this city.”
Ju-Heon looked toward the massive skyscraper known as the Majesty Castle.
“The Core relic should be inside the main building.”
“Perfect.”
Naturally, security systems were everywhere.
But that didn't matter.
Hissss—
As soon as he sprayed the relic fire extinguisher...
Every product of civilization regressed into useless scrap metal.
“Good.”
“If I wreck this city...”
“That relic user serving Ra will eventually come here too.”
“Perfect.”
“It's open.”
They slipped into the alleyways behind the building, hidden beneath heavy darkness.
Security drones patrolled the perimeter.
But—
[Stealth]
Cup Ramen Yu Jae-ha's ability activated.
Their very existence seemed to disappear as they melted into the shadows.
The guards protecting the entrance never even realized someone had passed by.
Together they descended a narrow staircase leading underground.
The deeper they went...
The heavier and damper the air became.
The scent of mold mixed with old metal—the unmistakable smell of ancient industrial facilities.
At last...
They reached the very bottom.
And there—
An unexpected sight awaited them.
“…That's...”
An enormous water tank stretched across the underground chamber, as vast as a lake.
Surrounding it stood dozens of transparent capsules.
Inside them...
People.
Or rather...
NPCs.
Their eyes remained closed.
Only faint breathing proved they were alive.
They looked like frozen merchandise awaiting shipment.
Yu Jae-ha slowly narrowed his eyes.
He pointed toward the blue seals attached to each capsule.
In the center of every seal was a familiar recipient code.
Large rank labels and price tags were attached to each pod.
[C]
[B]
[A]
Each one priced according to rank.
Ju-Heon frowned.
“…This is the code used by the Majesty who created Julian Miller.”
“…You've got to be kidding me.”
“What is this?”
“Beef grading?”
At that moment, Majesty Yu Jae-ha quietly spoke.
Ju-Heon's eyes sharpened.
The one who created Julian.
The same mad Majesty who wanted to turn his daughter into a relic.
Looking around this place...
Their suspicions appeared to have been correct.
“This ranking system...”
“Looks awfully familiar.”
“…?”
“So the Majesty here was working together with that psychopath.”
“Looks that way.”
“Good.”
“Then let's rob the place.”
At that very moment—
Thunk.
A heavy sound echoed through the chamber.
The ceiling at the center slowly opened.
Someone descended.
A woman wearing a crimson overcoat.
A face adorned with an intoxicating smile.
“You'll pay dearly...”
“For throwing my city into chaos.”
Dionysus.
The Majesty who ruled this city of madness.
Tilting a wine glass in her hand, she smiled.
“I'll turn you...”
“Into my finest-selling product.”