Free Web NovelWhen the electric barrier vanished, the silver-plated six-winged angel statue returned to normal.
Jasmine threw herself against Vieya with a soft pa, saying nothing—but the worry she felt spilled out completely.
As if the moment she loosened her grip, her mother would become a kite with a snapped string, floating up into the sky and never returning. freёweɓnovel.com
Vieya smiled faintly, brushing her daughter’s hair. “It’s okay.”
“Mm.” Jasmine answered dully, but her tiny claws still refused to let go.
“Are we continuing forward?” Anna asked from the side.
Although she was extremely curious what the slime woman had discussed with that so-called ancient god-spirit inside the barrier, she did not ask directly.
Instead, she steered the topic back to their original goal.
Vieya gently massaged her daughter’s head while recalling, “This underground city has thirty floors. But the next ten floors are Tartaros and His deceased wife’s graveyard.”
“The earliest Tartaros was the firstborn of the gods, the Archangel of the heavens. Later, because He brought famine to the land and countless deaths to humanity, the god stripped His wings and exiled Him from the divine realm.”
“So, Tartaros touched the world’s root—the core of what later became the Seven Authorities of the Demon Kings. But originally, He didn’t know how to control that power. So He chose a region on the surface and began attempting to master it—and to defy His father.”
“As a result, people gathered around Him, seeking His power. Thus the earliest human tribes were formed. The being who once caused boundless death... was worshipped by humans again.”
“But His research on the Authorities did not progress—until a prodigious high priestess was born among humans. One day, He disguised Himself as a mortal and walked among His tribe, trying to find new perspectives. But He still found nothing.”
“Later... in mortal form, He met the high priestess. Hearing she was the wisest among humans... well, in the end, not only did He find His answer from her, He also discovered the opportunity to conquer the Authority.”
Vieya paused, wanting to stop—but Anna and the others were staring at her expectantly.
She let out a sigh and continued, “He not only abandoned His prejudice against humans, but also developed feelings He shouldn’t have for the priestess. After completely mastering the foremost Authority—Pride—the very first Demon King in history was born.”
“Or rather, He should be called a Demon God.”
“After that, He wanted to accompany the priestess through her short human life, and only afterward fulfill His original wish—to defy the father in the heavens.”
“But His corruption by Demon King power was discovered. During the divine war, the priestess died and His tribe was destroyed. The Primordial God attempted to seal the Demon King’s power back into the world’s root—but was stabbed in the back by Tartaros, who feigned repentance.”
“The Demon King’s power was fully unsealed; the entire world fell into ruin and darkness. The Primordial God’s divine body shattered and became the stars of blessing scattered in the sky... What followed is what the history books record.”
“Tartaros said that the current gods are merely fake gods—拾ing up fragments of the Primordial God’s shattered authority.”
Vieya looked toward Elizabeth and Jiele Xiyin and said faintly, “Even Demon Kings today are pitifully weak. Only that Great Demon King ever touched even a sliver of ancient Demon King might.”
“...”
Elizabeth was silent for a moment, then rolled her eyes. “That’s not our fault. The harder humans push, the more feedback we Demon Kings get.”
“Back then the Great Demon King was also tangled with that damn Chief Hero—mmph!”
Thud!
Vieya took a couple steps forward and punched Elizabeth in the stomach. Watching the vampire turn pale, she said threateningly, “I didn’t use much force. Stop faking. Later, protect those two kids for me. If someone goes missing, I’ll pull out two of your fangs.”
Damn white fur... pray you never fall into my hands. Otherwise Mommy will love you to death, Elizabeth cursed internally before speaking sweetly, “I understand, Master~” ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
“So, we’re stopping here?” Anna reconfirmed.
Vieya shook her head. “I’m going to the nineteenth floor to take something. You can either wait for me or head up first.”
“Let’s go together,” Anna answered.
...
“How many students still haven’t come out of the dungeon?”
Sheltered under an outpost, several old magicians grumbled as they checked lists.
Only half the original ten-day evaluation period had passed, yet the higher-ups had already ordered the assessment to end early.
“I wonder how many junior magicians will qualify for mid-rank this time,” someone said hopefully.
“The Northern Frontier is recruiting right now. For us magicians, as long as you’re eighteen or reach mid-rank, that’s enough. But how many who go to the Northern Front actually return with honors?” another sighed.
...
Rumble!
The entire underground city trembled like a dragon twisting beneath the earth.
Several high-ranking magician squads still hunting monsters on the fifth floor stopped, looking toward the pitch-black depths. A sense of dread rose in their hearts.
This was a zone where all life should be forbidden—yet humans continuously came to explore the unknown and the mysterious.
A top noble family’s advanced magician squad from the Royal Capital did the same.
Their captain was a red-haired girl, slender and beautiful.
“Something is happening down there... Captain Yuelong, we’ve already exceeded our expected points. We should leave,” the blonde girl said.
“Leave. To the sixth floor.”
“But, Captain...”
“I have a special pass. As long as we don’t go below the tenth floor, no one will stop us.”
The red-haired captain slowly put on her deerskin gloves and fastened the buckles on her gear.
“Opportunities to quickly raise experience and strength are rare—cherish it. The era of peace is ending.”
Her teammates stared at the girl who burned like flame. Through the faint misty air, none of them could see her true expression.
...
Nineteenth floor.
Vieya stood alone before a golden pool, a black demon behind her.
“We meet again, Miss Vieya. Never thought you could convince that old fossil to hand over this floor’s core treasure. You’re acting like his long-lost clone,” the demon said teasingly.
Vieya ignored him. All her attention was on the mysterious golden liquid constantly flowing within the pool.
After a moment of silence, she asked carefully, “How do I take it? Is there anything I should be careful about?”
“Sigh, this entire Golden City is the container made to hold it. Just contract the city and take it into your personal divine realm,” the demon said while digging his nose. “But once you take it, the nineteenth floor will vanish. Later explorers will think this dungeon only has nineteen floors. That old geezer can continue hiding.”
“How do I form the contract?” Vieya asked.
“Really... what kind of era is this? Even someone of your level doesn’t know?” The demon sighed. “Have all ancient divine arts been forgotten? Come, I’ll take you. It’s simple—just noisy. We’ll need a monster tide to distract those people outside.”
...
At the same time.
After sending Jasmine’s team back to the first floor, Anna and the others concealed themselves, slipped past the magicians guarding the entrance, and left with their full harvest.
They originally wanted to move with Vieya, but an unexpected situation forced them to split.
Left on the first floor, Jasmine and her teammates exchanged glances, gathered their things, and prepared to exit the dungeon early.
They returned through the main entrance, passed through the teachers’ inspection, and completed the procedure.
Jasmine told herself firmly—she must complete the task her mother gave her.
“Captain Jasmine... can I still come to your house for tutoring?” Maixi asked in a small voice.
Jasmine immediately shook her head. “No. This exam may have been messy, but it’s done. You don’t need tutoring at my place. Besides—you hate studying, don’t you?”
“I like studying now,” Maixi smiled.
That’s not liking studying.
I don’t even want to expose you.
Jasmine continued refusing, completing the task of bringing her teammates back to the surface and handing them over to the academy’s exam supervisors.
“Huh? Your... your points... hiss.”
The teacher checking them sucked in a breath, rubbed his eyes, then stared at the three girls.
“W-What is it?” Jasmine asked, guilty.
“Nothing... You’re Anna’s student, right?”
The teacher looked closely at timid little Jasmine, then nodded with satisfaction.
“Excellent results. Very excellent. As long as you pass next month’s exam for the academy’s mid-rank certification, you’ll become the youngest mid-rank magician in the entire Southern Region.”
Jasmine’s eyes drifted away.
Receiving praise for achievements earned with her ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ mother’s help made her ashamed—yet filled her with longing.
If one day... she could become mature and strong like her mother...
—Rumble!!
The violent tremor from underground shattered her thoughts.
“M-Monsters escaped from the dungeon!”
The scream exploded through the crowd like a bomb, and panic spread like wildfire among students and teachers.
Jasmine stiffened, looking around nervously, terrified someone would notice something was off.
She knew—
this disturbance was caused by her mother contracting the Golden City below.
