Chapter 58
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Guard Sandbag Operation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Gonghyeok stepped out of Azazel's barrier and activated a skill beyond a hill devoid of reinforcements.
"Spirit Harvest."
[Harvesting spirituality from the surrounding souls.]
[Acquired 6,943 shards of malevolent spirituality, 4,446 shards of turbid spirituality, 8,424 shards of wandering spirituality, and 7,388 shards of innocent spirituality.]
[While harvesting spirituality, discovered a rare virtuous soul.]
[Righteous Spirituality Aggregate (A)
Names in life - Raoul Fontana and 19 others
This soul despises violating one's conscience or self-imposed values.]
[The 2nd Sephirah, Yesod, has reached 100% completion with the Righteous Spirituality Aggregate.]
[Yesod's completion strengthens resistance to holy and dark attributes.]
[The completed Yesod roots spirituality throughout your body.
All stats increase by 20 without coin consumption.]
[Sephirot advances to Stage 3: Hod.]
[Fill at least 50% with purified spirituality to use the power of Archangel Michael.]
[Nathaniel's rank rises to 8th-tier angel.]
The palm-sized Nathaniel grew to about a handspan tall, his form becoming clearer.
- Now I can finally do something.
"Guardian Angel Miniaturization."
[Nathaniel, the Sephirot guardian angel, has returned to his previous size.]
- ...What are you doing?
"I like you small and cute."
Nathaniel shot him a look like he was staring at human trash, but Gonghyeok neatly ignored it.
"How much longer for the B holy knights' repairs?"
- You forced their summons and dragged it out this time, so it reset back to 1%. It'll take five days. Plus, the original six holy beasts are in tatters... Four of them can't be repaired.
"Hmm."
It was unfortunate, but expected.
Even limited celestial knights were near 40th or 50th floor boss-level monsters. Having two repairable ones was lucky.
- Still cheaper than their lives, though.
"Of course."
- A human scum who lifts angel skirts should just die quick. The world would be better off.
Gonghyeok stared intently at Nathaniel, who narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue.
Like that, for a full minute...
The uneasy little angel broke into a sweat and spoke up.
- Look, if you're gonna torment me, just get it over with. Or if you have something to say, spit it out...
"Yeah."
He nodded quietly and stroked the ring on his left hand.
"Fix it up fix it up magic fix, come forth. Gardsand at 0.001%."
Woooong—
The ring trembled, and the vampire sealed inside an hour ago burst out with a flushed face.
"How dare you..."
"Three seconds. Raise your guard."
"Guard? What are you..."
"3, 2, 1, time's up."
A clean straight punch slammed into the guy's jaw.
"Kuhk."
No longer having a physical body, no teeth flew or blood sprayed.
His face just caved in the shape of the fist before popping back.
Thud! Thwack! Thwack!
"Ugh!"
Three hits to the solar plexus bent Gardsand's waist like a shrimp.
Naturally, Gonghyeok grabbed the lowered head and drove a knee into his face.
Crack.
"Graaaah—"
"I told you to raise your guard."
Even in his fading mind, Gardsand seemed to grasp the need and hastily raised his arms.
"...Low kick."
Crack.
"Argh! You bastard..."
"Yeah, low kick."
Crack.
The barrage of murderous low kicks dropped Gardsand to his knees.
"Wait, why me..."
"Yeah, uppercut."
Splat.
"Why hit me..."
"Yeah, liver shot."
Thud thud.
"Please, stop..."
His plea to stop barely escaping his lips made Gonghyeok's fist halt abruptly.
"Explain yourself. Why this unjust violence against me..."
"You seriously asking when you know?"
Gonghyeok shook his head in genuine disappointment.
"Nathaniel over there just said scum like me should die quick, didn't he?"
"And? What does that have to..."
"So you take the hits."
"What does that have to do with beating me!"
Gardsand's scream drew a look of sincere shock from Gonghyeok.
"Then should I beat up that tiny angel girl with no place to hit?"
"Th-that's..."
"Have you ever seen such an outrage! You need a beating to straighten up!"
"Wait, that's different! You bastard..."
Smack!
A razor-sharp hook spun Gardsand's head like a windmill.
"I'll show you what true discipline looks like, you rotten coward."
"No need..."
Gonghyeok, with 300 years of single-minded corporal punishment expertise, cut off the words like a blade and moved nimbly.
"Cobra Twist of Chastisement!"
"Graaaah!"
"Shrimp Bend of Judgment!"
"Uwaaa! My back! It's bending 180 degrees!"
"Tombstone Piledriver of Remorse!"
Crunch.
Gardsand's body hit the ground with an ominous sound.
- Um, Summoner Ju Gonghyeok? My bad. So please, no more...
Unable to watch, Nathaniel tried to intervene, but Gonghyeok tsked, unsatisfied.
"Count Gardsand. Be grateful. This lovely angel is stopping me, so we'll end it here."
"......"
With his waist buried in the sand, Gardsand said nothing.
"No reply?"
"Puhah! Puh!"
He barely yanked his head from the sand and rasped near death.
"Got it. No more... beating..."
"Good, good. Anyway, let's move on."
Gonghyeok pulled an item in front of the slumped Gardsand.
The 'Indeterminate Black Box (S)' from him.
"Our dear Count Sand. What's in this surprise box?"
"D-don't know..."
Thud!
"Khek."
A precise soccer kick to the gut made Gardsand vomit something stomach-acid-like.
"One more coming up."
Gonghyeok raised his fist blankly, prompting Gardsand to throw up both hands.
"Wait! I'll talk! I'll talk!"
"Already?"
"Damn it, you'd beat me till I spill anyway!"
"Hm, fine."
Gonghyeok crossed his arms.
At once, a whip-like kick snapped into Gardsand's neck.
Crack.
"Kyaah! I'll talk! Talking!"
"You'd talk after a few more anyway, right? Let's do a couple."
"You bastard! What's the reason!"
Isn't it more fun hitting without knowing the reason than knowing?
Thinking that, he brutally pummeled Gardsand—the guy he'd killed once before.
＊＊＊
"The password is '1234567890'."
Somehow, the utterly insecure password made him want to smack the kneeling Gardsand once more, but Ju Gonghyeok, merciful after thirteen regressions, calmed himself.
The box alone was S-rank.
Whatever was inside was surely worth more.
'At least SS-rank. Why carry something this precious without using it? Whatever.'
He couldn't fathom the sneaky glances from Gardsand as he opened the black box.
With a smooth slide, it split in half, revealing a forehead circlet inside.
Lifting the circlet brought up its info.
[Somewhat Lacking Wooden Circlet (S)]
[A circlet made from a divine world tree. Seems made to see unseen other worlds. Currently missing a key component.
- Grants special skill Clairvoyance (B-).
- Increases resistance to mental magic.
- Allows sight of invisible beings.
- Various other functions hidden.]
Item description and shape felt familiar.
Gonghyeok muttered in disbelief.
"Why's this here?"
Gardsand flinched beside him.
Different color, central gem gone.
But it was unmistakably the 'Transcendent Eye Circlet' he'd seen multiple times.
Main drop from Four Heavenly King Hildegaard, one of four keys to the Demon King path.
As he slowly admired the circlet, he casually asked,
"This. From Heinrich?"
"About that..."
"I'm in a good mood now. Take a hit and tell me? Or just say it?"
"Duke Balbarus of the demon race gave it."
"Good boy."
Gonghyeok patted the blond vampire in baroque attire.
'By coincidence, it ended up here.'
Heinrich planned to leave under Demon King Bel Marduk.
Two plans.
Build merits to split the 100th floor Babel upon reaching it, becoming new Babel lord.
Or stage a coup to oust Bel Marduk.
The first fizzled when outdone in merits by fellow Heavenly King Cluesti; lately, he plotted the latter in secret.
Secret to anyone but this human who knew full well.
'And this circlet is central to that plan.'
Gonghyeok sensed an amusing yet slightly tricky situation.
'Could use it well, but it'll draw massive demon scrutiny from lower floors.'
He'd expected heavy backlash after blasting the celestial knights, but this item would set Heinrich's side ablaze.
'Joining Heinrich's plan outright ain't bad. Infiltrate the demons...'
As he pondered, a mechanical voice rang in his ear.
[Master. Someone approaching this location.]
At the Game Master's warning, he reverse-summoned Gardsand and looked up the dune.
A lone woman atop the hill descended joyfully.
"Ju Gonghyeok, is that you, Gonghyeok?"
Only one in Babel could address him so casually.
"Nice to see you, Teacher Chris."
Reinforcements from the 4th floor, head of top raiding guild 'Deus Ex Machina'.
Christina C. Mahadeva.
Kicking up sand as she rushed down the dune, she hugged him tightly.
"Thank goodness. Really. I worried sick leaving you all fifteen years ago. You made it here safe."
She'd ascended to Babel in the first Great Summoning; only two and a half years had passed for him, but she remembered fifteen.
Just as everyone from the ark escape on the 3rd arrived together on the 4th regardless of order, time flowed differently per floor.
"Yeonsi's doing well? Your exclusive city 'Deus' is at the 5th floor 'Recruitment Plaza.' You're safe now that you're here. Let's go together."
Her spotless bright smile welcomed him.
She'd gathered orphans like Gonghyeok—who lost his parents to monsters in 3rd year middle school—and filled the parental role devotedly.
'The end for a brave hunter can't be death.'
'Hunters who return from Babel are just like you. Every hunter—no, every person—has the right to pursue happiness from birth.'
After his third life, she...
Always died by his hand.
Those with grand ideals always met their end there.
The warmth of her embrace now.
Matched the scorching blood on his hands.
"I'm back. Mother."
He gave her the greeting repeated across past loops.
She gasped as if hearing it first, then stroked his back with a happy face.
[All surviving 4th floor personnel transferred to the 5th floor.]
The ceiling's massive magic circle glowed, and Gonghyeok and Christina's bodies dissolved into blue light.
[End of Chapter 58 - Guard Sandbag Operation]