Chapter 40: O Lonely Silence!
Chapter 40: O Lonely Silence!
I stood near the entrance of the temple and briefly scanned my surroundings.
In the middle of the street stood a majestic cobra statue, flames curling from its mouth.
Even though the sculpture clearly obstructed the path, the labyrinth phantoms—passing citizens—walked by as if nothing were wrong, even offering prayers.
“Oh? There’s a temple for an Evil God here?”
“But what’s the name… Le—what? I’ve never heard of it.”
“Same.”
The irreverent chatter of passing explorers could be ignored.
Meanwhile, the Evil Gods seemed to have already guessed my purpose before I even spoke.
《The Wise One says it’s fine to worship Leria as well! I approve too. :>》
Crackle!
Lidni showed unusual generosity, while Sue’je burst into laughter.
Since both of them were welcoming the addition of a new deity, there was no reason to hesitate.
I asked my companions to wait outside and entered the temple.
“Welcome to the mortal hall where lonely silence lurks.”
A cultist wearing an elegant robe with a hood and a sun motif approached and spoke in a gloomy tone.
“You appear to be a companion who has already knelt before a dark star dwelling beyond the distant night sky. Why have you stepped into the mournful domain of death?”
In other words:
Why had a cultist of another Evil God come here?
Matching his eerie atmosphere, I answered with a dark smile.
“I have long heard of Leria’s great name. I wished to keep her idol close and receive even a fragment of her dark blessing.”
“O Lonely Silence! Even within brilliance, you perceive the spark of flame clearly. Very well. I shall grant you the blessing of approaching one step closer to the dignity of death.”
After waiting quietly for a moment, the priest returned holding a cobra idol breathing fire.
The statue looked so vivid it might move at any moment.
Compared to the standard cultist starter item—the Blind Crow Idol—its craftsmanship was on an entirely different level.
《An idol embodying the terror and awe bestowed by Leria, the Watcher of Lonely Silence. If shown to another Evil God, it will reliably provoke laughter. What a remarkable treasure!》
Ignoring the subtle mockery from Eye That Perceives Truth, I placed the idol into the subspace of Radiant Faith.
I could hardly wait.
The moment I would officially become a cultist of Lonely Silence.
Finally obtained.
The Mystery granted by Leria was the core of the Immortal Cultist Build.
“All solitude has its order.”
Just as I prepared to leave, the priest stopped me.
“To grasp even a fragment of the ember held by the Silent One, you must first witness the quietest law in the world with your ears, eyes, and mind.”
He meant to recite scripture.
Ignoring him would only make him follow me around, so listening was unavoidable.
With a solemn expression, I waited.
The priest began recounting Leria’s brutal history of slaying the Benevolent Gods.
“The first sacrifice was the hypocrite Arteine. Protection and wisdom were nothing more than shields for cowards trembling before inevitable death. Next came Talendros. Ha! A vulgar miser obsessed only with luck and wealth was merely a lamb sinking beneath a tranquil lake before true solitude.”
“Incredible.”
“The third to bear the agony of the abyss was Metherd. Nature itself became nothing but kindling before the dead. Even Solmiran and Selbaran, raised under his care, turned to ash and scattered!”
“Amazing.”
The vocabulary was so eccentric—and his voice so low—that understanding him was nearly impossible.
So I simply nodded along politely.
“Now I shall spread the dark words of the quiet footsteps that the Silent One awaits from her riders.”
Now it was time for devotional doctrine.
I was starting to lose patience when my right eye kindly displayed a translation.
《Devotional Practice 1 — Blindly burn all living beings.》
《Devotional Practice 2 — Join the dead in turning the world into a silent land of death.》
《Humor Point: The phrase “devotional practice” could also be replaced with “reason the cult collapsed.”》
I had already known all this.
Yet somehow it had been delivered in the most incomprehensible way possible.
A valuable lesson in why language needed social clarity.
“…It is finished. You may now withdraw from the domain of death.”
“Thank you for the wisdom.”
After bowing politely, I stepped outside.
Pendrick stood there waving.
He was wearing rabbit-ear headbands.
“Finished?”
“Yes. It was a bit overwhelming, but I managed. But what’s that?”
“They were selling them nearby. I thought they were cute.”
When I glanced to the side, Rosalia was staring at Pendrick’s headband with narrowed eyes.
I immediately understood.
“Two rabbit-ear headbands, please.”
Clearly, she meant: Buy one for me too.
I purchased identical ones from a street stall and put one on myself.
Then I handed the other to the elf glaring at me.
“Let’s wear them together. They’re necessary for the strategy.”
“….”
After a moment of hesitation, Rosalia obeyed.
“The Rabbit-Beast Trio. Excellent.”
If I had a camera, I would have taken a commemorative photo.
Smiling proudly, I announced our next destination.
“We’re going to the casino.”
—Just asking… are we going there for fun?
“Please don’t doubt me. Kar is a half-elf who gets upset easily.”
—…Then why are we going?
“To loot the prizes.”
As far as I knew, casinos were designed so customers inevitably lost money.
That was only natural.
Their rules were structured to ensure profit.
The same was true here in Pleasure Metropolis.
“You may enter.”
After a brief inspection, we stepped inside.
The interior was dazzling.
Everything was gold.
Clink.
Clink.
The sound of chips echoed everywhere.
If Marilyn—who loved money more than anything—were here, she would probably lose her mind.
I led the group to the Prize Exchange Counter.
“Take a look. See if anything interests you.”
Every prize was exploration-related.
[Exchangeable Prizes]
“…Wait. Is one coin equal to one gold?”
“That’s correct.”
“The prices are outrageous.”
The coin values reflected absolute worth.
The most expensive item—Miracle of the Soul—allowed immortality by transferring one’s soul into new bodies.
Such absurd prices made sense.
“Captain, how much money do we have?”
“About two hundred gold remains from the young master’s allowance.”
“Then there’s no way we can win the good prizes.”
True.
The prizes existed only to tempt players into gambling.
Meanwhile, countless explorers nearby were losing everything in real time.
“But that’s fine. I only need a prize from the lower section.”
“What do you want?”
“That.”
Relatively cheap.
Still equivalent to 100 million won in value.
But in this casino, it was actually a realistic target.
“I’ll go earn coins.”
After exchanging 50 gold for coins, I headed to the easiest place to win.
A card table where players faced the dealer.
“Welcome.”
The dealer was a rabbit-beastman.
He shuffled cards while smiling elegantly.
“I see you’re wearing cute ears. Care to play?”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Please sit.”
Just as I sat down, someone approached.
The goblin from earlier.
Mek Invincible.
He puffed on a cigar.
“Friend. You should quit while you can. You won’t win a single coin. I didn’t.”
“But didn’t you say you came to conquer the dungeon?”
“…That’s not important.”
He glared at the dealer.
“That guy’s a professional. Over ten explorers tried already. They all lost badly.”
“I’m more curious why you came to the casino if you wanted fame.”
“….”
The goblin stared silently.
The dealer interrupted.
“Please stop interfering with business. I will call security.”
“…Fine. Do what you want.”
Once Mek stepped aside, the dealer explained.
“Very simple rules. Sixty cards. Six classes. Levels 1 through 10.”
Shuffle.
Ten cards were laid out.
The dealer revealed one.
Level 5 Artisan.
“Place your bet. If your card matches the level or class, you win double. If it’s the same class but exactly one level higher—you win five times.”
“Can Mysteries be used?”
“Of course.”
Not favorable for me.
Open-book exams meant impossible questions.
“Oh, and I can use Mysteries too.”
The dealer widened his eyes.
Fwoosh!
Flames burst from them.
All the cards became covered in fire.
“See?” Mek said. “You can’t read them.”
“You’ll probably lose everything.”
“Maybe even your equipment.”
“Exactly!”
Mek warned me.
“You’ll end up betting everything.”
I stroked the rabbit ears on my head.
“Mr. Mek… forgive me.”
“…What?”
“I’m already excited.”
A gamble where I could lose everything.
“How could I possibly resist?”