IPUAVNP Chapter 132

Episode 132

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At the time when Roden’s valley was in chaos due to the war with the lions, an unusual movement was beginning in the Elders’ Canyon, the land of the Tiger Tribe, far to the east of Roden.

Late at night, in an underground cave beneath the Arkan Mountains in the northern part of Elders’ Canyon, a group of men moved swiftly through the dark passageways, holding torches.

Among them, there was one young man cloaked in black robes, and the men surrounded him, shielding him as they walked.

The young man limped slightly as he moved, his gait uneven.

Occasionally, he would come across the carcasses of small animals on the ground, wrinkling his nose in disgust and expressing his irritation.

His thin, pale hand covered his nose to block out the stench.

Having lived in this underground cave for over a month without seeing a single ray of sunlight, his body had grown frail. But even before that, he had always been weak—an unusual trait for a member of the Tiger Tribe.

His subordinates, sensing his growing irritation the longer they walked, quickened their pace, nervous about his temper.

This underground cave was no ordinary cave. It was a labyrinth, a maze of tangled passageways, each leading to numerous chambers.

Before long, they arrived at one of these chambers—a small room with a wooden door.

A man holding a torch stopped in front of it.

“This is the room, Leader.”

The young man in the black robe stepped forward.

His name was Simon Elders—the new leader of the Tiger Tribe, a title he had been forced to take after his father and older brothers were slaughtered by the wolves a month ago.

This place was the Elders family’s secret hideout, where he had been hiding ever since the war.

Before entering the room, Simon pulled back his hood, revealing his tawny hair and yellow eyes in the flickering torchlight.

Inside, a figure sat at a worn wooden table illuminated by candlelight.

Like Simon, the figure was clad in a black robe, but their frame was unnaturally small—almost childlike.

However, the hands that peeked out from the robe’s sleeves were those of an elderly, and a few strands of stark white hair escaped from beneath the hood, which covered their face down to the nose.

The old figure’s back was grotesquely hunched, like a curled shrimp. Beneath the robe, their skeletal frame was so gaunt that it looked as though cloth had been draped over bones.

Simon eyed them warily.

The Black Witch, Amidal.

The decrepit woman sitting before him, the one who had requested this meeting, was none other than the infamous witch who had lived for centuries by devouring human souls.

Amidal looked at Simon and spoke, her voice eerie and hollow, like the sound of the wind.

“Hehehe… I knew you would come, Leader of Elders.”

Her laughter was unsettling, like the chittering of insects gnawing on something.

Despite his curiosity about this ominous figure, Simon remained on guard and asked,

“Why did you call me here?”

Amidal’s lips curled into a sinister grin.

“Because you wanted me.”

Simon’s expression twisted at her cryptic response.

But then she continued, and his face turned cold and rigid.

“I only come to those who seek me—those who burn with anger, envy, jealousy… Those who hate, who resent, who dream of revenge… those who are filled with the desire to kill.”

Though her eyes were hidden, it felt as if she could see straight into his soul.

“And you… you hate someone right now, don’t you? You dream of revenge. Perhaps against the wolves of Roden, the ones who slaughtered your father and brothers… the ones who turned you into a miserable fugitive… Hehehe.”

Simon’s pupils trembled—his heart wavered.

Because she was right.

He did dream of revenge against the wolves of Roden, the ones who had wiped out his family and massacred the Tigers of Elders.

But at the same time, he was frustrated—because revenge was just a dream, something beyond his reach.

Simon Elders was not like his father or brothers. He was neither strong nor charismatic.

As a child, he had once dreamed of surpassing his brothers to become the leader of the tribe. He had been intelligent, ambitious.

But after his leg was injured, his life had taken a downward spiral. He had abandoned his ambitions, stopped training, withdrawn into seclusion, and grown weak.

And while he had been living in obscurity, his family had been slaughtered.

Then, simply because he was the last remaining bloodline, he had been forced into the position of leader—unprepared and unworthy.

He had no idea how to rule.

He had no idea how to take revenge on the wolves of Roden.

So all he could do was hide in this cave, seething with frustration.

And now, just when he was at his lowest, Amidal had appeared before him.

Simon could think of only one reason for her arrival.

“You’re saying… you’ll help me get my revenge?”

Amidal grinned, revealing her blackened teeth.

That chilling smile was her answer.

Simon felt a surge of exhilaration at the thought of finally having a way to avenge his family.

But at the same time, he was afraid.

To use Amidal’s power, he would have to make a contract with her.

And once that contract was sealed, his life would forever be bound to her.

That was something Simon Elders was not willing to accept.

“I have no intention of making a contract that will destroy my soul.”

It was a firm statement.

Amidal, however, continued to smile that unsettling grin as she spoke.

“You need not worry about that, Leader of Elders. Such contracts are only for those who can withstand them. A weakling like you wouldn’t be able to handle my power anyway.”

She deliberately spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, clicking her tongue as she sneered.

“Of all people, the weakest son had to survive…”

Simon Elders clenched his fists tightly beneath the table.

The fact that he couldn’t even refute her words made him feel all the more miserable. But since it was the truth, he had no right to be angry.

With a voice sharper than before, he asked,

“Then how exactly do you intend to help me get my revenge?”

Amidal let out a cackling laugh, her shoulders shaking.

“Heh… Unfortunately, you will never be able to take revenge on the wolves of Roden. Your father, on the other hand, might have…”

Simon scoffed in irritation.

“Are you telling me to bring my father back to life so he can take revenge instead?”

But before he could react further, Amidal suddenly leaned toward him, her voice filled with ecstatic excitement as she shouted.

“The only thing that can revive the dead is the blood and soul of the living!”

“!?”

“If you give me your blood and soul, I can bring your father back to life! Kekekeke!”

Simon recoiled in shock, stumbling backward to escape her grasp.

But Amidal, seemingly lost in her own world, kept repeating, “The blood and soul of the living!” over and over until, as if regaining her senses, she lowered her head slightly and spoke in that same empty, hollow tone.

“But you won’t do that, will you? Because you do not love your father that much.”

Simon let out a shaky breath, his hand over his chest.

His shock was not only due to her sudden outburst—it was also because, once again, she had seen straight through him.

He did want revenge, but not out of love for his dead family.

He had no intention of sacrificing himself to bring his father back.

What he truly wanted was to reclaim the peaceful life he had lost.

As he stood there, pale with a mix of horror and awe, the old witch simply chuckled to herself, as if amused by toying with him.

And when Simon finally regained his composure, Amidal posed a question.

“Have you heard of the one who turns back time?”

The unexpected question made Simon furrow his brows.

“Are you talking about the legend?”

“Indeed. The ‘Clock Rabbits’ of Asgar. They possess the ability to rewind time by three minutes in moments of crisis, and if one offers their life as collateral, they can turn the clock back to any point in the past they desire.”

Simon knew of this legend.

But why was she bringing it up now?

Before he could voice his irritation, Amidal continued.

“However, I wonder if you know this: if a magic stone imbued with dark sorcery is embedded in the heart of a Clock Rabbit, the one who holds that stone can manipulate time as they wish.”

Simon’s eyes widened.

It wasn’t the power of the magic stone that shocked him.

It was that, as she spoke, he realized why she was telling him this.

Until moments ago, they had been discussing how he could take revenge on the wolves of Roden.

Amidal had told him, ‘You cannot take revenge, only your father could.’

And immediately afterward, she had brought up the existence of a creature that could turn back time.

In other words, what she was suggesting was—

“You want me to go back in time, revive my father, and have him take revenge on the wolves of Roden?”

Amidal smirked.

“You’re quicker than I expected.”

The fact that he had even understood her plan stunned him.

If what she said was true—if he could truly turn back time—then he could return to the days before the war.

He could prepare for Kyle Roden’s attack, lead his tribe to victory, and prevent his family’s deaths.

But the idea was so far-fetched, so beyond belief, that he struggled to accept it.

Not to mention, there was a massive obstacle in the way.

“But to turn back time, I’d have to go to Asgar and find a Clock Rabbit, wouldn’t I?”

Finding a single rabbit in a vast land was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

He let out a bitter laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Amidal, however, only chuckled in response.

“Oh, no, Leader of Elders. You don’t need to go that far.”

Her smile became even more enigmatic.

“Because a Clock Rabbit is already here.”

Simon’s eyebrows knitted together.

He stared at her, disbelief written all over his face.

“…A Clock Rabbit is here?”

“Yes.”

Amidal replied, her tone laced with amusement.

“Kyle Roden, the exiled heir of Roden, brought that rabbit here.”

“Kyle Roden…?”

Simon couldn’t hide his shock.

Amidal let out a cruel laugh at his dumbfounded reaction.

“Indeed. So, if you wish to reclaim your old life through revenge, find that rabbit.”

She then added, in a warning tone,

“If you don’t hurry, it may escape.”

Simon, momentarily dazed, snapped back to reality and quickly asked,

“Wait. Even if I do find the Clock Rabbit, I don’t have a magic stone. Without one, I can’t turn back time, can I?”

Amidal, watching his flustered state, bared her grotesque, blackened teeth in a grin.

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

She leaned in, her voice dripping with amusement.

“Because I have the magic stone.”