Level Up Machine

Chapter 89 Clue to the Truth (1)

A day had passed since Yeong-sik and Tiria rejoined the guild members.

Having camped in front of the entrance to the lowest level to recover their strength, they now stood ready for battle before the massive door.

“Then… let’s begin.”

Tiria, with a tense expression, stood in front of the giant door. The guild members, also looking slightly nervous, nodded in agreement.

The Tomb of the Forgotten. Tiria placed her hand on the door leading to the lowest level.

– Rumble.

– “To those who carry the noble bloodline, bring the light of glory back to the fallen…”

As the inscription on the wall glowed, a solemn voice echoed out.

The massive door, which neither Yeong-sik nor the Leviathan Guild could budge, began to open slowly.

“Noble bloodline… glory?”

At the ominous words that came from the opening door, the summoners’ faces showed confusion.

All eyes turned to Tiria.

“I-I don’t really know what it means either.”

Tiria looked just as puzzled, not understanding the words.

The strange phenomena in this dungeon—such as their direct arrival at the lowest level, and the Guardians initially not attacking her—had been numerous.

‘What connection does this have with our family…?’

As far as Tiria knew, the Erman Duchy was not a particularly old family compared to others.

Founded only about 100 years ago, the Erman Duchy had received its title through the strong influence of the former king, a so-called ‘meteoric rise.’

“Is it related to the angelic power passed down through the Erman family?”

Yeong-sik, standing beside Tiria, asked while tilting his head in curiosity. Tiria, with a complicated expression, shook her head.

“I don’t know. My father was very reluctant to talk about our family’s history, so I haven’t heard much about it.”

“Hmm…”

Yeong-sik and Tiria looked at the enormous door, their expressions indicating their uncertainty.

“…Tiria, may I have a word with you?”

Park Si-a, deep in thought after hearing the words from the opening door, approached them. Tiria, still bewildered, nodded.

“Yes, please.”

“You mentioned before that you had a hunch when you directly moved to the lowest level, right?”

Park Si-a asked, looking at the now fully opened giant door.

“Yes…”

“After hearing those words, I’m certain now. It’s about the secret of your family, Tiria.”

“The secret of my family?”

Tiria looked at Park Si-a with a confused expression. Park Si-a nodded slowly and continued.

“I once read a document discovered in the Ingrim Empire’s royal archives. It was hastily written before the empire fell after the Great War.”

At Park Si-a’s words, the members of the Salvator Guild looked at her with tense expressions.

“The document stated that the Erman family is the only remaining bloodline of the Ingrim royal family.”

“…What did you say?”

Tiria’s expression hardened at the unexpected revelation. Park Si-a continued speaking in a calm voice.

“A hundred years ago, there was a fierce power struggle among the royals of the Ingrim Empire. During that time, a prince lost the battle and was exiled from the empire.”

“No way…”

“Yes. The family founded by that royal is the Erman family.”

Short gasps escaped from the guild members’ mouths at her words.

“It’s said that the first emperor of the Ingrim Empire was a hybrid of the archangel Seraphim and a human. I believe the reason Tiria can wield the power of an angel is that she carries that angel’s blood.”

Hearing Park Si-a’s words, Tiria tightly shut her mouth. She grasped the pendant hanging around her neck. The angelic power passed down through her family…

She had never imagined it originated from the Ingrim Empire.

“…So that’s why the former king of Elnote granted the title of duke.”

Listening to their conversation, Yeong-sik spoke sharply, his eyes gleaming. Tiria let out a short gasp at his words.

“I always thought it was suspicious that someone without any significant achievements suddenly received a duke’s title, but to think it was for such a reason…”

Han Seong, feeling the pieces of a complicated puzzle coming together, trailed off with a trembling voice.

“What, what does this mean? Does that make her a princess of a great empire?”

Yu-na, still not fully understanding, looked around and asked. Yeong-sik shook his head slowly at her question.

“The empire has already fallen, so it doesn’t really mean that. But… what connection is there between Tiria’s angelic power and this dungeon? Why does it require angelic power to enter the lowest level in the first place?”

Yeong-sik asked Park Si-a sharply. He was so bewildered by the shocking revelation that he didn’t realize he wasn’t using an honorific when addressing Tiria.

Park Si-a answered his question in a calm voice.

“That’s because this dungeon was created by survivors of the Ingrim Empire who lived through the ‘Great War.'”

A murmur spread among the guild members at her words. Survivors of the Ingrim Empire… They hadn’t expected such an existence to come up.

“That information is…”

“It was written in the document we found earlier. The location of this dungeon was discovered through that document.”

Hearing Park Si-a’s words, Yeong-sik swallowed hard.

‘So that’s what it was.’

Yeong-sik could now understand why Tiria had instantly moved to the front of the lowest level when she touched the symbol on the first floor, and why the Guardians didn’t initially perceive her as an intruder.

This place was a dungeon created by the survivors of the Ingrim Empire who survived the ‘Great War’ with the hope of reviving the empire.

‘So this dungeon was made specifically for Tiria.’

Yeong-sik, with a complex expression, nodded as he looked at Tiria, who had her hand on her chest.

“That’s all I have to say. Let’s proceed to the lowest level now.”

Park Si-a turned away from Tiria as she spoke.

Watching her retreating figure, Chae-rin tilted her head and asked.

“Yeong-sik oppa, if we go in with Tiria unnie, will the lowest level be safe?”

“No. Only Tiria won’t be attacked. The rest of us will still be considered intruders.”

Yeong-sik recalled his battle with the Guardians as he replied.

In fact, if this dungeon was truly made only for Tiria as Park Si-a said, it would be best for her to enter the lowest level alone.

As long as she didn’t initiate an attack, they wouldn’t attack her.

‘…It’s too dangerous.’

Yeong-sik shook his head, rejecting the thought. Sending Tiria alone into the unknown of the lowest level was too risky.

“Let’s go.”

Yeong-sik followed behind the Leviathan Guild, who had already headed to the lowest level. Hearing his words, Tiria, who was still dazed, hurriedly moved her feet.

“S-Sorry, Yeong-sik. I was so out of it…”

“It’s fine. If I were in your situation, I would’ve felt the same.”

The hidden secret of her family had just been revealed. And that secret was shockingly significant from her perspective, not something she could easily overlook.

Not being shocked would be the abnormal reaction.

“Honestly, it doesn’t feel real.”

Walking beside Yeong-sik, Tiria spoke up. Her voice still carried confusion.

“I think it’s fine not to worry too much about it. Regardless of your family, you are still you, Tiria.”

Yeong-sik spoke in a calm voice to the confused Tiria.

“But…”

“There’s no reason to feel responsible for the fallen Ingrim Empire just because of your bloodline. I think it’s best for you to continue doing your best for the guild, just as you have been.”

“…You’re right.”

At his calm words, Tiria smiled gently. Just as he said, it was ‘just’ a bloodline connection.

Besides that, there was no other link between her and the Ingrim Empire.

“Hehe, listening to Yeong-sik has calmed me down a bit.”

Tiria let out a light laugh, seeming to have cleared her confused mind.

The lowest level of the dungeon was eerily empty, exuding an unsettling atmosphere.

The Leviathan Guild and the Salvator Guild proceeded cautiously, constantly on guard, but for hours, there was no sign of Guardians or monsters.

“…Are there no Guardians at all?”

Yeong-sik murmured as he scanned the surroundings with narrowed eyes. Hwang-hyeon, who heard his murmur, nodded in agreement.

“They keep using detection skills, but… nothing is being sensed.”

“Nothing is detected by my mana sense either.”

Ara, who was following beside Hwang-hyeon while using her mana detection skill, spoke up.

“Hmm… This is kind of a letdown.”

Park Cheol-tae murmured as he gripped the hilt of his giant sword. Jeong So-rim, walking next to him, replied while trembling like a frightened animal.

“It’s, it’s good that there are no Guardians. If the Guardians had appeared like before, it would have been terrifying.”

She closed her eyes tightly, recalling the Guardians they encountered while forcing their way to the lowest level.

“Hmm? For someone who claims to be scared, you always rushed to the front, So-rim unnie. And you were laughing joyfully while doing it.”

“N-no, I was scared inside.”

“You didn’t look scared at all.”

As they walked for hours without sensing any danger, the tension began to ease, and casual chatter started among the guild members.

Yeong-sik watched the back of the Leviathan Guild members walking ahead, lost in thought.

‘There has to be something here…’

This dungeon was built by the survivors of the Ingrim Empire as their last stronghold.

So, it was unlikely there was nothing here.

The problem was that he couldn’t even guess what it might be.

‘The Leviathan Guild Master seems to know something…’

Yeong-sik thought sharply about Park Si-a, who seemed to have extensive knowledge about this dungeon.

She had paid the Salvator Guild an astonishing amount of 300,000 gold to reach this lowest level. The fact that she invested such a large sum without hesitation suggested she knew something valuable was here.

‘What could it be…?’

He couldn’t guess what could be valuable enough to justify paying 300,000 gold so casually.

-Murmur, murmur.

“Wh-what is that?”

There was a stir from the Leviathan Guild members ahead. Yeong-sik’s group tilted their heads in curiosity and approached where the Leviathan Guild was gathered.

There, they saw…