Chapter 34
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 034
Chapter Title: Purification
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For his achievement in discovering the secret passage, the snake's corpse became Kim Woojin's spoils of war. Once back on the surface, Woojin promptly handed its inner core to Rex.
"Eat this one all by yourself. Don't share it with the others."
After that heads-up, Rex snatched it up and devoured it, clearly sensing it was something rare.
Crunch, munch—
Rex savored the inner core with relish. Soon enough, he chewed it up and swallowed. Confirming this, Woojin sneakily reached out and pinched Rex's side.
"Kiing?!"
Rex yelped in surprise, startling upright. Seeing the reaction, Woojin felt a twinge of disappointment.
'No inherited trait this time.'
It was disappointing but hardly unexpected. The odds of inheriting a trait from an inner core were always slim.
Still, it wasn't entirely pointless.
The more inner cores from beasts with the same trait you consumed, the higher the chance of inheriting it. If they kept hunting stone-skinned beasts, Rex would eventually pick it up too.
The problem was how rare stone-skinned beasts were. It would likely take quite some time for Rex and the wolves to acquire it.
As that thought crossed his mind...
'...Hold on.'
A sudden sense of wrongness hit him.
Woojin examined the wolves closely. Their aura had changed noticeably. They felt more imposing as beasts, like they'd leveled up a notch.
"Did you guys eat something good while I was gone?"
Someone else answered the question.
"Take a look around at the corpses nearby."
Bow had approached without a sound and nodded toward a kobold corpse sprawled on the dirt. Woojin toed it over obligingly.
There was a gouge in the kobold's chest. Looked like a wolf had dug out its inner core.
A quick scan revealed this wasn't an isolated case. The wolves had prowled the rocky hills, claiming every inner core from the kobolds slain by the soldiers.
Their growth was welcome news, but it also raised a slight concern...
"Aren't these Church Alliance spoils? Isn't it a problem for the wolves to help themselves?"
"No issue at all. We were just going to burn those corpses anyway."
Bow shrugged it off casually.
Processing all those bodies for spoils and hauling them back to the Church Alliance was a hassle. To the expedition force, the kobold corpses were nothing but trash.
Dumping them risked attracting other beasts with the blood scent, letting them eat the cores and grow stronger. That's why the force planned to incinerate them.
Waste was waste, so Bow had turned a blind eye to the wolves scavenging. Thanks to that, Rex and the pack had gorged themselves silly on inner cores.
An unexpected windfall.
'If I play this right... I could supercharge the wolves' growth in no time.'
The expedition ignored weak beast corpses. That meant hordes of unclaimed inner cores would be discarded.
Tail the army, scoop up the leftovers, and the wolves would get stronger. Of course, this only worked for pack beasts like kobolds, so opportunities might be scarce...
Either way, it was a golden chance.
"Glad I joined the expedition."
"The Church Alliance rewards contributions fairly. The Holy Knights have been singing your praises."
The expedition had barely begun, yet they'd already notched multiple wins.
They'd located the Rift Core, uncovered a hidden underground ruin, and slain the boss beast. Results far exceeding expectations—all thanks to Woojin finding that secret door.
But Woojin had no intention of making a fuss. It didn't feel like he'd done much.
"You would've found that secret door eventually without me. It was well-made, but not enough to fool Bow's keen eyes."
"No need to downplay it like that. The credit's yours—you got it done."
In the midst of their exchange, Woojin grew curious about the underground ruin behind the secret door.
"Do you know anything about the ruins?"
"I've never set foot in the ones you mentioned. Heading there now, actually."
Bow had been scanning the area with his keen eyes, watching for approaching beasts.
"Perfect timing—let's go together."
"Suits me fine."
Woojin and Bow headed for the rocky hills. They soon entered the underground ruins.
Soldiers were hauling out the Bigfoot's byproducts. Its hide would be tanned and dried, while organs, bones, and inner core steeped in clear solution for transport to the barrier.
'Shame about sending that core off.'
Word was, it'd fuel the Mage Tower's research. Seemed a waste to squander it on uncertain experiments when feeding it to a wolf could yield massive growth.
But demanding it would be cheeky, so he just watched. Meanwhile, Bow approached Roland, who was overseeing the site.
"Roland. Anything noteworthy?"
"We searched the interior, but no artifacts or anything. Shelves were empty too. Still, murals remained intact, so the priests interpreted them."
"And the verdict?"
Roland glanced around before murmuring softly.
"...Looks like an old Dark Cultist temple."
The Church Alliance burned every spotted Dark Cultist on sight. To survive, they built hidden underground temples to carry on their faith. This ruin was one such site.
Bow didn't seem surprised. He'd probably suspected as much.
"Expedition just started, and we've already stumbled on trouble... Any signs of recent human activity?"
"None. Feels abandoned for ages. Could be one the Church Alliance quietly purged. Anyway, investigation's done—time to purify that Rift Core."
"Proceed."
With Bow's approval, Roland evacuated all soldiers from the ruins. Precautions against accidents.
Woojin stayed put beside Bow. Such spectacles were rare. Confident in his self-preservation, he planned to witness the purification firsthand.
He scanned the Rift Core and surrounding murals.
A mural of a woman with eyes closed, arms spread wide. The Rift Core resembled a heart swathed in black slime, embedded squarely in the painting's chest.
The woman and core blended seamlessly, like a single artwork...
Roland and the priests stepped up to ruin it.
"...Beginning now."
The priests uncorked vials, splashing holy water onto the Rift Core. The blessed liquid melted the black slime.
Szzzz—
Roland played his violin. Unlike last time, the melody was serene and gentle. Priests and nuns began singing in harmony.
The Choir of Harmony.
Those who channeled divine power through song and music gathered, amplifying their strength via chorus. Pure white divinity beaded like dew around the Rift Core.
Sizzle...
Where white divinity met black slime, smoke rose with a burning hiss. The heart within grayed over.
Woojin sensed something odd.
'The Demonic Realm's aura is fading.'
The divine assault seemed to uproot the core's foundation. The Demonic Realm energy ebbed away. Pressing the momentum, the choir raised their voices higher.
The black slime burned off, the Demonic heart's pulsing slowed to a stop. Drenched in dull gray, the Rift Core plummeted.
Crack.
It shattered on impact, fragile as a snowball. As onlookers stirred with joy...
...Blink.
The mural woman opened her eyes.
Malevolence hidden beneath her lids swept the room. Dozens of pupils crammed her irises. Priests meeting that gaze froze in terror.
Suddenly, bonfires and torches snuffed out. Shadows cloaked everything. A scream pierced the dark. Roland snapped to and bellowed.
"Draw swords!!"
Holy Knights drew blades.
Whoosh!
White divinity flared like flames along the swords—radiant as divine grace. The woman mimed blowing air.
Fwoosh—
Like candles on a birthday cake, the sword lights winked out. Pitch blackness returned, impenetrable.
Knights panicked, priests despaired. The mural woman cackled madly.
Her frenzied laughter echoed like raven cries. Agonizing headaches bloomed, mocking jeers filling minds in chaotic reverberation. Endless noise...
Boom!!
A deafening explosion erupted.
The laughter cut off abruptly. As confusion reigned, a spark ignited in the gloom.
Woojin lit a magical flame. It caught on the doused bonfire, flooding the ruins with light once more.
Now they saw: a hammer embedded in the woman's head.
"She was messing with my head, so I smashed her. Hope that's not an issue later."
Woojin muttered. Bow, regaining his wits, sighed in relief.
"...Well done. That's you all over."
"What the hell was that?"
"A Rift Curse. First time experiencing one myself."
Sometimes, a destroyed Rift Core unleashed eerie curses in its death throes. Rare enough that Alliance records barely mentioned it.
"Bad luck, huh."
"With your help, we can call it fortune... But how did you shake it off and move?"
Bow eyed him curiously. Woojin shared his trick without hesitation.
"You just get used to it. Plenty of bastards attack that way."
"So it's all about enduring."
Bow sighed again. He prided himself on mental fortitude, but surviving that hadn't been easy.
He replayed the scene through his keen eyes.
As the Rift Core shattered, its linked entity recoiled in disgust. An indescribably ominous, colossal presence...
'...An Old One.'
The term for beings from beyond the rifts. Sovereigns who'd lived eons beyond mortal ken. If the Church Alliance kept pushing expeditions, they'd face one eventually.
Holy Knight Yurgis had become legend by slaying one. Could modern man repeat the feat?
Mid-thought, Bow turned. Woojin was yanking the hammer free. Masonry crumbled, obliterating the mural's upper half.
'...Maybe this guy could.'
The conviction welled up inexplicably.