Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Witch's House
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The priests of the church perform miracles through divine power. They can heal the sick, make the lame walk, restore sight to the blind, and mend wounds.
But even those priests can't resurrect the dead. The fate of the corpses, dismantled and trapped in glass jars on display, was truly pitiful, but there was no way to save them.
"These must be the missing people from this district who are everywhere."
They surely wouldn't have risked kidnapping innocent citizens from outside the district. The Sword Dragon scanned the room without hiding his displeasure and disgust.
"There sure are a lot. No wonder that old witch had so many spirits at her command."
Grumbling, the Sword Dragon stepped inside and began inspecting things.
"I'll go poke around a bit too."
"If you find any information on the cultists, let me know."
"Anything else?"
When Yuri probed lightly, the Sword Dragon turned back with a puzzled look.
"Anything else? What do you mean?"
"Money or jewels? Grimoires maybe."
"Ah."
Only then did the Sword Dragon catch on and nod.
"Brain Cloud, are you properly learning magic too?"
"Not as much as martial arts, but if I can learn it, I do. Magic's convenient."
The Sword Dragon recalled Yuri flying through the sky like the Heavenly Emperor or Empty Sky.
"Planning to learn Ludelra magic too?"
"This stuff is so disgusting I don't even want to do it."
Yuri broached the subject while looking at the densely packed jars.
"But magic depends on how you use it."
"Do you need my permission?"
The Sword Dragon grinned.
"Old Hag. I didn't kill that old witch alone. You and I, the Young Cult Leader, and Ha-ryeong... did it together."
It was hard to call her "sister." When the Sword Dragon glanced at Ha-ryeong, she emotionlessly raised a finger to make a V-sign.
"I wasn't any help in killing that old witch."
"Is that something to brag about?"
Yuri muttered, but the Sword Dragon and Ha-ryeong ignored him.
"You have the right to the spoils too."
The Sword Dragon, who had been born with so much that he had no greed for such things, spoke.
"What I want from this unpleasant mansion is just the roster of cultists in this district and information on the church. Of course, if you want it, I'll share."
"Is that okay?"
"I didn't hear the details, but you're hostile to the cultists too, aren't you?"
"Hardly anyone in this world isn't."
"Exactly. The cultists are scum that need to be wiped out."
The Sword Dragon replied, twisting his smile.
"So, Brain Cloud. If you want it, I'll share the cultists' info. If someone with your skills wants to exterminate them, it'd be good for the world. If the Young Cult Leader had come along, we'd have to split the spoils with her, but she didn't. So, Brain Cloud, take whatever you want from this mansion."
Yuri grinned at the straightforward answer.
"Thanks."
He left the display-filled room with Ha-ryeong.
"The kid's really nice. A real gem."
"For a young master from a prestigious family, he does seem pretty straightforward."
After that, they searched the building together, and the other rooms on the ground floor had similar display cases.
Not all contained dismantled corpses. There were rooms packed with unknown reagents too.
"Poison."
Ha-ryeong said after pulling out various reagent bottles, shaking them, and sniffing.
"There are quite a few potions too, but better not use them. They don't seem properly alchemized."
From midway, Ha-ryeong took the lead in searching the building instead of Yuri. She examined rooms, stroking walls and floors, tapping them, and checking behind furniture.
She was looking for hidden rooms. Yuri left the hidden room search to Ha-ryeong and moved between floors to explore rooms.
Finding the obvious study was easy. Yuri holed up in the study, pulling out and flipping through books one by one.
Most were on magic research. Research on immortality, what the Ludelra Magic Tower pursued and the Old Hag desired. Not just suppressing aging, but methods for magical rejuvenation at the 6th Tier. Transcending the extension of mortal lifespan to eliminate lifespan itself, denying not just aging but all death...
An obsession with immortality where even killing wouldn't mean death.
'Not helpful.'
It was nearly impossible. The Old Hag's level was too low to accurately target and research this goal. In the end, the research tomes filling the study were just the Old Hag's delusions that didn't even qualify as magic.
That's why the Old Hag became a cultist. She tried adding miracles to magic she couldn't achieve. Her ten years of activities were enough to gain the church's recognition, making her a bishop.
'No info on her church connections.'
He'd hoped for Ludelra grimoires, but even those were absent.
'Well, she was already 6th Tier when she fled. No need to take basic grimoires.'
The spells were already in her head, so no need for physical books. Yuri sighed in disappointment and looked around the study. In the end, there was nothing worth salvaging from this vast study.
"Ahem."
Sighing deeply as he exited, he saw Ha-ryeong with hands on her hips.
"What is it."
It was a question that didn't need asking. The slight upward curve on her usually expressionless face. Hands ostentatiously on her hips. Chest and shoulders proudly thrust out. Chin subtly raised.
"Ahem."
Ha-ryeong cleared her throat again. Yuri stared at her face quietly, then clapped his hands together.
"As expected of Ha-ryeong. Impressive."
"Insufficient."
"What?"
"Praise me more."
"As expected of Ha-ryeong. Ruthless, merciless, terrifying assassin, yet sometimes with a warm heart."
"A bit more."
"Proficient in daggers and all hidden weapons, an assassin excelling in frontal combat martial arts too."
"And?"
"Beautiful appearance as well."
"Pass."
Ha-ryeong nodded, turned, and beckoned Yuri with a finger.
"Follow me."
Ha-ryeong led him to the first-floor stairs. Tap, tap, tap. She tapped the stairs in order, pulled the handrail, and there was a click.
Creak. The floor under the stairs opened, revealing stairs to the basement.
"How did you know?"
"A true assassin knows how to kill those hiding in secret rooms."
Ha-ryeong boasted.
Down the stairs was a small room.
"What's this?"
In the center of the room on the desk was a large crystal orb. Holding it and turning it around, small red dots appeared and vanished within.
"Hmm..."
After pondering briefly, Yuri turned with the orb toward where the cult gathering had been and where the Old Hag died. Gray dots appeared.
"Seems like a tool to track cultists in this area."
Dead ones showed as gray dots, living as red. Exactly what the Sword Dragon desperately needed to hunt down the escaped cultists.
"Now, anything else..."
No way to contact other bishops or the Chaos Church headquarters? He didn't expect much. They were cell-structured. If catching one bishop could net all others and HQ, they'd have been hunted long ago.
"..."
He found some paper.
It looked like an order from church HQ.
How to manage this district parish. How many converts to make, build forces for what purpose.
'Riot?'
Not unexpected, but the order blatantly called for riots. Increase converts enough, advance to other districts, ultimately riot against Pantheon.
Of course, riots wouldn't succeed. No matter how united the parish, if the Orsia Knights and Selvis Magic Tower got serious, it'd be a one-sided massacre.
From the church's view, success didn't matter. The chaos itself disrupted the continent's order.
'Crazy bastards.'
They'd suicide bomb for their evil god. Yuri chuckled dryly and flipped the order.
"..."
It mentioned Possessors. Maximize inducting Possessors. If they refuse, force them. If still refuse, capture, torture for info.
The last page prioritized info on the church's saint, 'Padrip Immunity.'
'Really?'
He'd heard from the directive speaker that Padrip Immunity was treated as a saint, but an official order from Chaos HQ?
'Do these fuckers really think I'm the evil god's apostle?'
One doubt arose. The Goddess of Order was in deep sleep, unable to communicate with priests, but the evil god was fine, right? Why didn't he correct the misunderstanding about innocent Padrip Immunity?
'...No reason to?'
The evil god was mad. His domain was chaos. True to name, he'd sown chaos for decades, and his followers did the same.
Misunderstanding about Padrip Immunity? Why would he bother correcting it? Everything tied to it was chaos.
'Maybe the evil god bastard is targeting me too.'
Self-praise, but Yuri seriously considered it. If talent was judged by Hall of Fame clear times, Yuri—Lee Soo-hyuk—had the superior talent among all Possessors so far.
Lorellia stubbornly assigning him Heavenly Principle Annihilating Evil Art and Holy Flame Force Emission was probably why. The evil god summoned Possessors to this world, so he might target the exceptional Lee Soo-hyuk.
"What's it say?"
"Nothing much."
"Your face says otherwise."
"I'll tell you later."
He couldn't show the Sword Dragon the whole order. Yuri summoned qi to his hand, incinerating the last page mentioning 'Padrip Immunity.'
"Gasp..."
Searching more, he found a book.
[Corpse Liberation Convergence]
First time hearing it. No such skill in the game.
[Withered Thirst Spirit Plain]
Flipping past the front, seeing the spell name, Yuri muttered unwittingly.
"Madness."
Didn't know Corpse Liberation Convergence, but Withered Thirst Spirit Plain, he knew.
[The Necromancer Herein Ludelra uses Withered Thirst Spirit Plain curse.]
Mid-boss before Heavenly Demon, Necromancer's opening debuff turning HP/MP regen negative. Fail to dodge, and just standing drains health and mana.
Thick book, but only one spell: Withered Thirst Spirit Plain. The understanding and incantation needed surpassed imagination. No 'comprehension' like common spells.
Insanely high-level spell. Yuri swallowed and read again. Withered Thirst Spirit Plain drained life force from a designated area. Not just natural qi, but vital energy from living things. High Tier could resist, but trees or grass without would wither instantly.
The drained life became the caster's.
'Insane spell.'
Highest Yuri learned was Elena's Haiderga formula, aiming for 6th Tier+, but incomparable to this.
True archmage spell. Not learned to become archmage, but created at that level.
'The Old Hag couldn't use Withered Thirst Spirit Plain.'
Obvious. Even straining at 6th Tier, impossible. Her battle spells started from Ludelra, mimicking Corpse Liberation Convergence at best. None surpassed it.
Even genius Yuri couldn't comprehend and use it now. But with sufficient Tier, someday.
'Never thought I'd get the Necromancer's spell.'
Corpse arts too grotesque to learn, necro arts tempting. Controlling spirits repulsive, but consuming them for health recovery appealing.
As bare-handed fighter, needed durability boosts.
Fitted [Padrip Immunity] concept.
Build around penalty skills ditching armor.
Stacked extra stats. Blessings from combat flow. Evasion beyond system limits. High-damage HP-draining skills.
Maintained by near-death berserk's HP regen and lifesteal. Ludelra necro arts could substitute.
No need for necro now. Necromancer's Corpse Liberation Convergence was superior. Couldn't use yet, but later, drain life widely. Wouldn't die easily even hit.
"Yuri, your face is creepy."
Grinning with the book, Ha-ryeong spoke. Yuri schooled his face and memorized contents.
Thick book, much to memorize. But must, in case Sword Dragon reneged on spoils for this value. Worst case, memorize to recreate if taken.
Luckily, memorization possible without comprehension. Head spinning, Yuri grinned. Incantation sinking into brain. Thankful for Possessor talent, he closed Corpse Liberation Convergence.
"That good?"
Schooled expression cracked into grin again. Ha-ryeong put hands on hips again.
"Thanks to whom?"
"Love you."
Too thrilled, it slipped. Ha-ryeong's eyes widened. Lips parted, staring, then short cough, step back.
"Problematic."
"Yes?"
"I have loyalty to the young lady. Forbidden love, immoral love, fruit barring calling her 'young lady.' If I get with you, she'll go from lightning to light-years mad. Hmm... intriguing and attractive though."
"Th-that love's not that love."
"Love is love. What other love? Do you toss love lightly, bastard?"
"No..."
"Of course, I'm not fool woman swayed by words, giving all, then suffering alone unkempt, uncared. So I reject your insincere confession."
"Sorry."
Yuri apologized again.
"I get it's good enough for sudden confession. So, thanks to whom?"
"Thanks to Ha-ryeong."
"You're welcome."
Ha-ryeong nodded, lowering hands.
Searched more. Got epic skill not in game, hoped for more.
'Maybe elixir?'
35 billion man, luck talk never good, but this made him think luck real.
No elixir despite search. But found Old Hag's jewels and money.
"This is it."
Yuri swallowed regret, stuffed jewels/money in bag, held orb and orders. Sword Dragon would love just these two.
'Where is he?'
Still checking displays? Found all, left basement to first floor.
"Sword Dragon?"
No answer. Yuri tilted head, searched rooms.
"..."
Room full of unknown potions and poison reagents.
Sword Dragon collapsed in center.
"Idiot..."
Ha-ryeong, who usually thought such internally, muttered aloud.
Reagent bottles rolled near fallen Sword Dragon.