Chapter 151

“Be cautious of the Keeper of the Crypt?”

“Yes.”

“…So, it was you, O’d, who leaked the location of this place to Troivan.”

“It seems you’ve suspected it all along.”

“A little.”

Before Theo set out to rescue his companions, Cassandra had given him a brief warning:

"Be wary of O’d."

“The ancient Sword Manuscript that the elders spoke of was never completely lost,” Cassandra explained. “Some of its basic principles survived, though they weren’t entirely intact. Nevertheless, fragments were passed down.”

“Then… the inheritors of those fragments?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

Theo sensed a tinge of regret in Cassandra’s voice. It was the kind of feeling only someone who had glimpsed the full tapestry of past, present, and future could experience.

“They’re the ones known as the Keepers of the Crypt.”

“The Captain did have a pupil once.”

“Yes, a very small child.”

“But they couldn’t fully inherit the vision… and so they remain, like that, as a Keeper. What a pitiful existence.”

The ghosts looked at O’d with somber eyes. They weren’t unaware of the tragic story tied to the Keeper of the Crypt. However, they hadn’t intervened because they couldn’t physically communicate their voices to O’d or the successive inheritors.

Only the Chosen One could truly connect with them.

“Do you deny it?” Theo asked sharply.

O’d bit her lower lip hard, as if she had been caught in a truth she wished to conceal. The other members of Theo’s party turned to him in alarm.

“Theo, we can’t follow what you’re saying. Explain it clearly! What’s the Sword Manuscript, and what’s this inheritance? Are you saying O’d isn’t just a Keeper of the Crypt?”

Selpard glanced at Theo, gauging O’d’s reactions.

Rumble—

The ceiling shook violently, but Theo spoke quickly. There was still some time before the next wave of enemies arrived.

“The people buried in this crypt sacrificed themselves to block the monsters beyond the Great Wall.”

“Yes, we know that. But so what?”

“Do you know that these heroes had a master they were never able to find?”

“A… master?”

“Yes. He was the patriarch of Ragnar during that era. He is the owner of the 300th tomb, which remains empty to this day.”

“The 300th tomb…”

“Unfortunately, the ultimate vision he carried was lost as well. Troivan is after that very technique.”

Theo briefly explained why Troivan sought Cassandra and aimed to take control of the crypt. For ordinary swordsmen, the events Theo described were nearly impossible to comprehend.

“Wait, wait! So, to summarize, Troivan is going through all this trouble to get that Sword Manuscript. Then what about O’d? Didn’t Elder Deungryong say O’d was a righteous person, guarding this forgotten tomb alone?”

“Yes, that’s true. O’d is righteous. Where else would you find someone who has protected this crypt for countless generations?”

“Then why…?”

“The problem is that the Keepers of the Crypt have another duty beyond guarding it: the restoration of the Sword Manuscript.”

O’d remained silent.

Theo continued to watch her closely as he spoke.

“The Keepers are descendants of the patriarch who sacrificed himself. They bear the responsibility of restoring the lost art.”

“…”

“And Troivan must have realized this. They approached Keeper O’d in advance. Isn’t that right?”

O’d clenched her fists tightly, veins bulging as her knuckles trembled.

“But wait, if O’d was already in league with Troivan, wouldn’t they have known the exact location of the crypt much sooner?”

Indeed, Troivan only arrived after Theo’s party had taken a brief respite. If this had been a trap, the enemy would have struck much earlier.

“Perhaps O’d had suspicions about Troivan?”

“Ah…”

“If Troivan claimed they could restore the Sword Manuscript, O’d might have demanded proof. Maybe she refused to open the crypt until she could confirm it for herself…”

“Enough.”

“And so, she brought us here to verify their claims, reaching out to Troivan only after confirming the truth herself.”

“Enough!”

“That makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“I said, ENOUGH!”

At last, O’d roared, her voice echoing throughout the crypt.

“Fine! You’re right! Troivan proposed restoring the Sword Manuscript and sharing it. I brought you here to see if you had the means to restore it, to confirm Troivan’s claims. So what? Was that so wrong?!”

Her gaze, burning with anger, locked onto Theo.

“Look at you! In the end, you’ve already restored the Sword Manuscript, haven’t you? Something that rightfully should have been mine! Something I’ve pursued my entire life, stolen by the likes of you!”

“If you had simply asked me, I would have gladly shared it.”

“Shared? With you? A mere branch family descendant?”

O’d’s lips twisted into a sneer.

“Listen closely. The rightful heirs of Ragnar aren’t you. It’s me—O’d Ragnar! You’re just thieves who snuck into the main house while we were at a low point!”

The Keepers of the Crypt had always believed themselves to be the true heirs of Ragnar. For generations, they guarded the tomb, driven by the hope that one day they would restore the lost art and reclaim the stolen throne.

But now, that dream had been shattered.

“Pity, isn’t it?” one ghost murmured.

“What’s there to pity? If they truly believed they were rightful heirs, they should’ve come to claim it themselves! Relying on expectations is unworthy of Ragnar!” another scoffed.

Most of the ghosts looked at O’d with disapproval. They had long understood the Keeper’s misguided attachment. For this reason, they hadn’t informed Theo of the Keepers’ existence when passing on the Sword Manuscript.

“And now, a mere branch family descendant thinks to hand over what’s mine as if it were charity? How dare you!” O’d snarled.

“So you turned to Troivan? You think taking lessons from them is less disgraceful?”

“You’re mistaken. Who said anything about Troivan teaching me?”

Theo’s expression shifted.

“Then… you told Troivan the secret of the Sword Manuscript?”

“That’s right. I brought them here and set the stage. There’s no better tool for restoring the Sword Manuscript than them.”

Theo’s face hardened.

“What…?”

“That lunatic!”

“She dragged outsiders into Ragnar’s affairs?!”

Even the ghosts were shocked, their outrage erupting as some drew their swords. Yet, their wrath could not touch O’d.

“You broke Ragnar’s sacred rule: ‘Ragnar’s affairs are resolved within Ragnar.’ You invited outsiders into this!”

“Broke the rule? Me?”

“You admitted to involving Troivan yourself! How is that not breaking the rule?!”

“And why would that be against the rules?”

“…What are you saying?”

Theo felt as if there was something he had overlooked.

“Could it be… Troivan isn’t considered outsiders?”

“You really know nothing, child.”

O’d’s mocking laughter deepened.

“I don’t care if you’ve come close to the throne, inherited the Sword Manuscript, or become the Chosen One. You still know nothing.”

Fwoosh—

Power surged from O’d, creating a vortex of cold wind that began forming a dark sphere above her head.

The dark orb resembled the moon more than the sun, radiating a chilling aura.

The dark sphere hovering above O’d radiated an eerie chill—completely devoid of heat.

It was a manifestation of her inability to awaken the black flames. The cold emanating from the orb was proof that the once-legendary technique had been partially preserved but never fully realized.

Crackle—

Theo was not to be outdone. Gathering his mana, he forged his signature Thunder Sphere. Time was of the essence—his buffs would only last for about four more minutes. Within that window, he had to defeat O’d and stop the advancing Cheongak Corps.

「Selpard, take Arin and head with Ray to the central area. Check the ceiling there—you should find a passage leading to the surface. Cassandra will assist you. Move now.」

「What about you?」

「I’ll follow shortly.」

Selpard didn’t waste time questioning Theo’s intentions. He had already recognized Theo as the leader of their group.

Flash—

Following Theo’s orders, Selpard hoisted Arin onto his back and sprinted alongside Ray deeper into the crypt.

O’d didn’t make any move to stop them. Her sole focus was on recovering the Sword Manuscript from Theo.

“My ancestors could not restore the Sun technique. In its place, they created the Moon. Without the flames that could burn everything, they imbued it with cold instead.”

As O’d spoke, she raised her sword, pointing it toward the black sphere. Her stance resembled that of the legendary Ragnar patriarch Theo had seen in his visions—though it lacked the same grandeur.

“All my efforts and those of my ancestors to reach the progenitor… Do you think you can bear the weight of that legacy?”

At that moment, the Cheongak Corps stormed into the chamber.

Simultaneously, O’d swung her blade with precision, slicing the air.

Slash!

The Moon split into two crescent shapes, sending a flurry of ice and snowstorm-like hail cascading in all directions.

Crash! Boom!

Theo watched it unfold and smirked coldly.

“Bear it? Why should I?”

“What…?”

Realizing something was amiss, O’d turned her attention back to Theo. But by then, he had already deployed the Yeoiju Sun’s Eclipse.

“Whatever your reasons may be, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re a traitor. I have no reason to understand the blade of a betrayer.”

Crack!

The Thunder Sphere shattered, unleashing lightning that struck the cave walls and ground.

‘The walls?’

O’d realized, to her shock, that the bolts weren’t targeting her. Instead, they were striking specific points around the chamber.

‘Could it be?!’

But by the time she understood Theo’s intent, it was already too late.

BOOM!

The accumulated damage to the cave had reached its limit. With a thunderous roar, the structure began to collapse.

The areas Theo’s lightning struck had been precisely chosen, using his [Spiritual Insight] to identify weak points in the crypt’s foundation.

Rumble—

Before O’d or the Cheongak Corps could react, they were buried under a torrent of rubble.

"That brat turned our crypt into a literal tomb!"

「I’ll have it restored soon enough.」

"You’d better make it much better than before!"

"I want a new coffin! Seeing the same one every day is driving me insane!"

"I want murals! Add murals to the walls!"

「I’ll take care of all your requests.」

Theo casually bantered with the ghosts as he mounted Umbra, his shadowy steed, and rode out of the collapsing crypt with ease.