Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Logos
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Of course, sleep wouldn't come.
He wondered if there had been some other way to part. That thought circled in his mind before fading away. Regardless of what Yuri thought, it was Elena who had ended the relationship.
It was true that Yuri wasn't the real Yuri, and it was true that it had all started with a lie and continued with more lies. It was inevitable that Elena felt betrayed by that, and Yuri had no room for excuses.
It had simply come to an end. Yuri wanted to cling to this fundamentally twisted relationship, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
“...”
What should he do now? He could no longer return to Lutran.
The silver lining was that there was nothing he absolutely needed to retrieve from what he'd left behind in Lutran. He'd packed essentials like spare clothes into his backpack for the journey, and he'd taken all his martial arts manuals.
All that remained in the room where Yuri had stayed for half a year were the letters he'd brought from Oldor... the ones exchanged with Elena. And his diary.
“Ah.”
The thought of the diary made Yuri bolt up from his seat. There was nothing remarkable written in it. It only contained the negative emotions felt by the dead Yuri.
Among them was an inferiority complex toward Elena. An inferiority complex toward Elena, who was acknowledged by Heavenly Thunder Orca and favored as a mage of the Derusia Magic Tower. Whenever a letter from her arrived, the dead Yuri would pour his unvoiced inferiority and other feelings into the diary instead of replying.
Honestly, he didn't want Elena to see it. But going back to her to ask her to burn the diary would be ridiculous, and Yuri had no right to demand it now anyway.
Regardless of the content, it was the real Yuri's diary. A memento left by Elena's real childhood friend.
“Whew.”
Yuri let out a deep sigh and lay back down on the bed. He wanted to sneak into the mansion and retrieve it... but he lacked the confidence to infiltrate that mansion protected by multiple spells. If he got caught, Elena would truly despise him.
She'll handle it herself.
It felt unresolved, and he was worried about Elena, but right now, Yuri's own situation was the priority.
‘Heavenly Demon Divine Art...’
The muttering left by Blood Fiend Ghost before dying. Whether Ha-ryeong truly hadn't heard it was unknowable, but the name "Heavenly Demon Divine Art" stirred great confusion in Yuri.
First off, there was no skill called "Heavenly Demon Divine Art" in the game.
Because killing the final boss, the "Heavenly Demon," ended the game. Once the Heavenly Demon was slain, the character was deleted, and it returned to the title screen.
Nor could it be obtained through other routes. Even killing Demonic Cult-related NPCs, grinding in related fields, or completing quests yielded no Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
There might have been undiscovered events, but honestly, the possibility was extremely slim.
‘If it's Heavenly Demon Divine Art, it must be the Heavenly Demon's martial art.’
But Yuri had never met the Heavenly Demon. The art he cultivated was the "Heavenly Principle Annihilating Evil Art," taught to him by Lorellia, the priestess of the Order Church.
‘Is Lorellia the Heavenly Demon...?’
No way. The Heavenly Demon was the most infamous of the Peerless Sovereigns, and everyone knew he was male. Moreover, the Peerless Sovereigns distinctly listed the Heavenly Demon and Blood Star separately.
‘Lorellia must be connected to the Heavenly Demon. Maybe from the Demonic Cult?’
He'd suspected the Heavenly Principle Annihilating Evil Art was a demonic art, but he'd never imagined it could be the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
‘Still, not just anyone would recognize it.’
Blood Fiend Ghost was an expert who had joined the Demonic Cult's Seven Evils ten years ago. Even that old man only recognized Yuri's internal energy at the moment his chest exploded from the Holy Flame Force Emission-infused strike.
Even so, he couldn't let his guard down completely. He should probably only use Holy Flame Force Emission in situations where it was absolutely necessary. After all, it wasn't a technique meant for frequent use. Being a one-strike kill, it consumed a lot of internal energy, and failure would put him at risk.
Thinking back, the fight with Blood Fiend Ghost... had been lucky.
“...”
Yuri stared blankly out the window.
What should he do now? The thought returned. Maybe he should head to the Demonic Cult. Having learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, he might receive good treatment there.
‘No way.’
He didn't even know the exact connection between the Heavenly Demon and Lorellia, and they might just kick him out like a stray stone rolling in. Plus, in the Demonic Cult, might made right. Even if he'd learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art or some great technique, it didn't guarantee good treatment. Instead, fiends like Blood Fiend Ghost might swarm to capture him alive and extract his arts.
‘Righteous Heavenly Alliance... Black Dragon Society...’
Joining the Righteous Heavenly Alliance after learning the Heavenly Demon Divine Art would be near suicide, and if he had to choose, the Black Dragon Society appealed more. But picking one from hundreds of black path sects was daunting.
Truthfully, he didn't need to join a sect. At the heart of Dark Sheep stood the Black Dragon Society's fortress, and with enough skill, he could join anytime.
‘4th Tier...’
Considering his age, it was impressively high. If he went to the Black Dragon Society now, he'd be treated well as a promising young talent.
But his heart wasn't fully set on it. After all, the Black Dragon Society was unknown territory to Yuri, and no matter how he spun it, he was still a nobody.
A fundamental question arose.
‘How strong am I, really?’
He'd killed Blood Fiend Ghost. Strictly speaking, it wasn't solo; the old man wasn't at full strength and had let his guard down, so luck played a part.
Even accounting for that, objectively, Yuri was strong. Though 4th Tier, he could wield sword aura, easily dominating peers in the same tier.
‘Really?’
Yuri's fatal flaw was his lack of experience.
As dawn deepened, Yuri reached a conclusion.
He decided to become a wanderer.
He didn't know for how long, but he'd roam without settling in any faction.
It suited his situation—someone not born in this world, with nowhere to return.
Like most wanderers, he'd travel the world first. Experience would naturally accumulate that way.
Like Kwon Rang, who ultimately hadn't taken him as a disciple, he could wander and challenge others to spars.
Gain experience, grow stronger.
And kill the evil god at the root of all this chaos.
Restore this chaos-dominated world to its former state, awaken the Goddess of Order from her long slumber.
Kill the evil god, and the Goddess of Order would grant one wish. Yuri hadn't thought specifically about his wish yet, but after this ordeal, its outline began to form vaguely.
‘Something good for me and everyone.’
"Bring back the dead Yuri~" wouldn't do. Wishing that might erase the currently living Lee Soo-hyuk instead. What about reincarnating Yuri? Wouldn't that make everyone happy?
‘Age... the age is the issue?’
Reincarnating too late would make Elena a grandmother. Were there other options besides reincarnation...?
Clinging to such thoughts, he sought the sleep that wouldn't come.
When he opened his eyes, it was morning.
He waited a bit, but no one came to his room.
He went downstairs and had a simple breakfast. When he paid, he asked, and learned Elena and Ha-ryeong had left the inn last night.
“That's just like you.”
Once Elena made up her mind, she acted swiftly.
Yuri muttered with a wry smile.
Just sleeping one day wouldn't heal his wrist. He could rest longer in the village until the wound recovered, but he didn't want to.
He was just ignoring it. Idly killing time here would torment him too. It wasn't like he'd stayed long, but being here brought back too many memories.
Elena strutting around like she owned the place despite never having been here, Ha-ryeong dropping silly jokes with a serious face. With them gone from his side, they kept coming to mind, and he didn't want to stay in the village.
On his wrist was the adventurer's guild bracelet he hadn't returned yet. Unable to take it, he finished preparing to leave and visited the guild.
“A companion who left first ahead of you left this to pass on.”
As he collected his reward and tried to leave, the receptionist stopped him.
“...”
What he received was a small bag for the back. A magic bag smaller than Yuri's large backpack but with more storage space.
It was the bag Elena carried inside her robe. Yuri hesitated before taking it.
He sat in an empty chair and opened the bag.
No letter, but it contained various items. Bandages for wounds, several kinds of medicines. A fair amount of money. One book.
The burn ointment caught his eye first, then the book.
It was the book Elena always carried and wrote in during the trip to Logos.
With trembling hands, Yuri opened it.
[Haiderga Magic Formulas.]
Seeing the title on the first page, Yuri unconsciously bit his lip to calm his emotions. This book compiled the three unique magic formulas Elena had submitted for the Derusia Magic Tower's second branch evaluation.
1. Lightning Chain.
2. Explosive Thunder Orb.
3. Thunderbolt Pierce.
A few days ago, when they first entered Logos and hunted monsters. Her voice boasting while brushing her static-messed hair after zapping all the surrounding monsters echoed in his ears.
‘It's called Lightning Chain. What do you think?’
Staring at the book for a long while, Yuri muttered in a feeble voice.
“You should have left me with more resentment instead.”
The final kindness left a heaviness in his chest.
*
“You could have stayed a few more days.”
Ha-ryeong, seated at the coachman's spot, glanced back and asked.
As expected, no reply came. It had been like this since yesterday. Elena had declared they'd leave the village at night and forcibly dragged Ha-ryeong to the coachman's seat.
She'd grumbled it was unfair treatment several times, but Elena kept her mouth shut.
Before leaving, Elena had entrusted her used backpack to the adventurer's guild. Ha-ryeong didn't know exactly what was inside, but she could guess without looking.
For Yuri. For that possessor.
‘If she's going to waver like that, why cut it off?’
Scream, yell, push away.
She thought it, but couldn't say it aloud. She grumbled here and there, but Ha-ryeong worried for Elena too.
Normally, she'd terminate the bodyguard contract the moment they returned to Lutran.
Not because she disliked staking her life unexpectedly. As a "bodyguard," she'd contracted with Elena. Thus, she had a duty to protect her in any situation.
But in this incident, Ha-ryeong had failed to protect Elena. The outcome was good, but even that wouldn't have been reached without Yuri.
Contract termination due to the bodyguard's incompetence. That's how it should be, but it felt wrong. Leaving this unstable girl alone now—who knew what might happen?
‘If my former charge commits suicide, the Killing Guard Sect's reputation would suffer.’
She probably wouldn't go that far, but one never knew. Ha-ryeong drew White Fang from her waist and examined it, smacking her lips.
‘Both need time, I suppose.’
There's a saying that the ground hardens after rain.
Whether it truly would or turn to mud entirely was unknown... but Ha-ryeong hoped it would harden.
If they met again someday, she wanted that possessor to be stronger and more solid than yesterday.
‘Possessor... huh.’
Yuri. Ha-ryeong had never imagined that man was a possessor. She lacked basis since she didn't know the old Yuri, but the "Yuri" she'd seen lacked typical possessor traits.
‘Talent for mana. That's not something you can hide even if you want to...’
Yet Yuri had hidden it. Given the internal energy shown in yesterday's fight, he'd concealed it from the start. It wasn't something achievable just from the Azure Heaven Pill.
‘It wasn't just me he fooled. He fooled everyone. How?’
Fooling 6th Tier Kwon Rang, and Heavenly Thunder and Moonlit Night Dance, who were at least 7th Tier. She didn't know the exact method, but it was impressive.
‘Heavenly Thunder...’
She thought of the Derusia Magic Tower Lord. It was Heavenly Thunder who first grabbed his wrist and confirmed no internal energy or related talent. Later, she'd even called Yuri for a private interview.
Had Heavenly Thunder truly not known Yuri was a possessor? Hadn't she at least suspected?
Elena had stopped being blindly devoted to magic since Yuri came to the mansion.
Heavenly Thunder had grown wary and summoned him, and after that interview, Elena refocused on magic.
With this incident, the biggest variable in young mage "Elena Haiderga's" growth had vanished completely.
His absence now plunged Elena into turmoil. Where would her tangled emotions lead?
The possessor Yuri? Her own powerlessness? The evil god who summoned possessors to this world? Whatever it was, few catalysts matched emotions for immersion.
Heavenly Thunder, with decades as a mage, could adeptly guide the young mage's emotional direction.
‘Maybe Heavenly Thunder is glad about the young lady's state now.’
What Elena needed now was a goal to avoid drowning in emotions.
‘How did he fool Heavenly Thunder's eyes? Was that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's special ability? Nothing's known about that art.’
Yesterday, Ha-ryeong had lied to Yuri.
She had heard Blood Fiend Ghost's dying mutter.
She felt no guilt for the lie. Yuri the possessor had lied plenty first.
She had no intention of telling others about the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, so this was a very moral lie.
“Hmm.”
White Fang, caressed by her hand, trembled faintly.
Yuri was finally on the move.
A mischievous curve formed on her expressionless face.