Chapter 124: 23rd Floor, World of Faith (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124: 23rd Floor, World of Faith (3)
Kang Jun-hyeok drew his sword and approached the knights. Two of them, noticing him a moment too late, hurriedly scrambled into defensive stances.
“Who goes there!”
“Outsiders are not permit—”
[Charge.]
Crunch.
His blade ran through a knight’s chest. As the second knight, paralyzed by terror, tried to blow his whistle, a dagger in Jun-hyeok’s other hand slashed his throat.
The two knights collapsed in an instant. Messi, watching from behind, stammered in disbelief.
“The knights… taken down so easily…”
They weren't weak. Judging by their instantaneous reactions, they were reasonably strong warriors capable of wielding Aura. They simply couldn't touch Kang Jun-hyeok.
“Let’s keep moving.”
“C-Could I perhaps go back now? I’ve guided you all the way here.”
“No. Keep following.”
Messi’s face fell, looking utterly miserable.
Kang Jun-hyeok stepped into the forest. On the path ahead, more knights appeared to block his way.
“Wait!”
“How did an outsider get in here!”
They raised their weapons and charged. Their movements suggested they were guarding the Demonic Realm with their lives. Jun-hyeok moved with fluid grace.
Crack, thud.
The knights were slammed into the ground, collapsing one after another. Striking down every guard that appeared, Kang Jun-hyeok walked toward the center of the forest.
There stood a single cave.
Found it.
Jun-hyeok smiled and entered.
“Ugh, u-uh… Huh?”
Messi, who had been following Jun-hyeok while trembling, saw the man's expression gradually change. Light was visible inside the cave, which should have been pitch black—an infinitely bright, powerful golden energy.
It was divinity.
[Hmm?]
[…Wait?]
Both the Master of All Weapons and Eldiria noticed it and were struck with surprise.
[…A god is here?]
[Something is strange. It cannot be described simply as that.]
It was a light of infinite purity, seemingly composed of raw divinity untainted by any other force. Kang Jun-hyeok arrived at the source of the light.
A glowing sphere was floating there.
“Ah.”
Messi sank to his knees without realizing it. He bowed his head in a posture of worship. That glowing sphere deserved the reverence of mortals.
It’s been a while.
A nostalgic expression crossed Jun-hyeok’s face. What was the entity before him? The answer appeared in a system window.
[The Lost God has appeared.]
* * *
In his past life, Kang Jun-hyeok had agonized over the 23rd floor.
How could he achieve a higher completion rate? What must he do to leave a greater mark?
To find the answer, he had traveled the world. He moved between kingdoms, gathering information and searching for secrets. During a journey that lasted over a month, he learned one crucial fact: in this world, places called Demonic Realms existed. They were sealed locations where no one was allowed to approach.
However, the more he looked into it, the stranger it seemed. Despite being "forbidden" places, he found evidence that knights from each kingdom were secretly moving to guard them.
There is something inside the Demonic Realm.
And that something must be what I am looking for.
Following his intuition, Jun-hyeok had moved toward the Demonic Realm. He avoided the knights who blocked him, and if he couldn't avoid them, he struck them down. At the end of that path, he had entered the cave and encountered the being before him.
[What is this?] the Master of All Weapons muttered in confusion.
Divinity could clearly be felt from the sphere, but it was not the form of a god they knew. It was simply pure. It contained only an infinitely deep purity—a sight both the Master of All Weapons and Eldiria were seeing for the first time.
[Lost God.]
The phrase 'Loser of the Great War' was absent. It meant this was a being that had not participated in the Great War at all.
Amidst the surprise and confusion, Kang Jun-hyeok greeted the being with courtesy.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Great One.”
Messi had completely lost his mind, bowing his head and muttering incoherently. In contrast, Jun-hyeok, while polite, looked at the god without wavering. As if finding that attitude unexpected, the Lost God showed interest.
The space vibrated.
Who are you? the Lost God asked.
Kang Jun-hyeok replied, “I am a traveler. I came here to satisfy my curiosity.”
From here on, it would be just like his past life. Recalling his memories, he spoke.
“I have one question for you.”
The space vibrated again, signaling him to proceed.
“The reason the kings of this world are fighting is because of you, isn't it?”
“What?” Messi raised his head in shock. He slammed it back down after being blinded by the light, but his eyes were filled with agitation.
Jun-hyeok continued, “The knights of each nation were guarding this place. That means the kings also know about this place—and about you. Based on that, I will make a deduction.”
The kings had discovered this being existing inside the cave—a being of divinity that was nothing but pure.
“You likely made a proposal to the kings: that if they ruled this world, you would bestow your divinity upon them.”
The kings were given the chance to receive great divinity. They moved immediately for the sake of their own greed. The war between the five kingdoms that had lasted for twenty years—that was exactly what had started from the divinity before his eyes.
The space trembled. It was a sign of affirmation. Messi gasped.
Jun-hyeok asked calmly, “Then, what is it that you desire at the end of all this? I don't believe you incited the kings to fight for no reason.”
Instead of answering, the Lost God showed him through action. A book floated up and appeared before Kang Jun-hyeok.
Flip, flip.
The book opened. An almost infinite number of pages turned incessantly, but every single page was blank. There was nothing written on them.
Jun-hyeok said quietly, “You want your scripture to be filled.”
The space vibrated. It was the correct answer. Jun-hyeok made a low-voiced proposal.
“Then, if I can fill your scripture, will you bestow your divinity upon me?”
The sphere’s emotions momentarily hesitated. Jun-hyeok smiled.
“This is a contract. I will fill your empty scripture with my footsteps. In return, I ask that you bestow the divinity you possess upon me.”
The space, silent for a moment, trembled once more—as if it were amused, as if it were delighted. At the same time, a quest window appeared.
[Hidden Quest]
• Condition: Kill all the kings of the five kingdoms.
• Upon Success: Obtain the Scripture of the Lost God, the Glory of the Lost God, and the Divine Power of the Lost God.
• Upon Failure: The Lost God will be enraged and place a curse upon you.
Jun-hyeok’s eyebrows twitched slightly upon seeing the conditions.
The conditions have changed.
The clear condition in his past life had been to kill one king. Perhaps because his strength was greater than in his past life, it had changed to killing all five.
But it wasn't a problem. He just had to do it. Jun-hyeok nodded.
“I accept.”
The space trembled as if the Lost God were pleased. An intense light enveloped them. When they came to their senses, they were back at the entrance of the cave.
[…What was that?] Eldiria, who had been quiet, let out a groan. [I felt a powerful divinity. But I felt absolutely nothing else. It was as if everything else had been lost.]
[Did it lose the domain it governed?] the Master of All Weapons mused.
Losing the domain it governed as a god, leaving only divinity behind—that was the only way to explain it. But even that was incomprehensible.
[If it lost its domain, how can divinity still remain?]
“It seems strange, doesn't it?”
[You likely don't know much about gods, so an explanation is needed,] the Master of All Weapons began. Although Jun-hyeok already knew everything from his past life, it was only natural for his current self to be ignorant. Jun-hyeok listened silently.
[I told you before. A mortal being can never truly become a god. A god exists only if there is a domain to govern, and that domain is exclusively bound to them.]
“I remember.”
[The reason is simple: a god is determined from the very beginning. At the dawn of the universe's creation, concepts were born into this world. And the gods who possess those concepts were also born.]
A god was not simply someone strong or of a high rank. The God of Jealousy governed jealousy. The Master of All Weapons governed weapons. The God of Law governed laws. They were beings who governed the concepts of the universe itself. Because they were such beings, mortals could not become gods.
[Therefore, if the gods perish, those concepts also disappear. During the Great War, quite a few concepts vanished in that manner. It is just that you mortals cannot even perceive their absence.]
Gods and their domains were inseparable. They could only exist if both were present. That was why the Lost God was utterly bizarre from their perspective.
[I felt no domain being governed by that entity. Yet, divinity remained. How is that possible?]
Even the great Master of All Weapons and Eldiria could not understand. Above all, there was one more strange point.
[Why is such a being stuck in a place like this? It could simply walk out and fill the scripture itself, yet it is asking a human.]
[It is as if… it is sealed.]
Jun-hyeok shrugged at their questions. “I don't know either.”
The existence of the Lost God had been a mystery in his past life as well. He had searched for various pieces of information but found nothing. He only knew two things: that the Lost God wanted its scripture to be filled, and that if he succeeded in the quest, he could use its power freely.
Divine Power. It was a very useful power.
First, all sorts of fatigue could be recovered with Divine Power. Considering how often Jun-hyeok had been in danger due to accumulating fatigue during battles, it was a massive advantage. Though he didn't strictly need it, it could also counter mental attacks. It possessed strong resistance against Demonic Energy and could create various barriers to block external enemies, even if only temporarily.
Most of all, it wasn't difficult to handle. As long as one had faith, no particular talent was required. It was a power that suited him better than anyone.
However, the penalty for it was usually enormous. One had to believe in and serve the god. It meant following that god’s laws and scripture. One’s actions would be restricted, and if the god gave an order, it could not be refused. That was why he hadn't served a god in his past life.
In contrast, the Lost God was different. What it wanted was only one thing: to fill its scripture. That was all. Since it had no domain to govern, it didn't demand faith or impose laws.
It was thanks to that very fact that Kang Jun-hyeok could use Divine Power in his past life without serving a god. And the biggest prize was something else entirely.
The Glory of the Lost God—a very special Unique Skill.
So, I have to clear the quest.
Kang Jun-hyeok looked at the dazed Messi and asked kindly, “The road to the royal castle of the Luktosan Kingdom. Can you guide me there?”