Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Fervent Devotee of the Terror Devourer, Aftermath - 1
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After ushering Lee Jia inside.
Yoo Euisul suddenly had nothing to do.
Over the course of her ten long years of life.
Yoo Euisul could confidently say she'd never once lived passively.
Whenever it came time to resolve an Anomalous Phenomenon, no matter her compatibility with it, she always charged ahead ahead of everyone else to deal with it.
And that was precisely why.
This situation—where all she could do after letting Lee Jia in was stamp her feet in frustration—irked her to no end.
She was worried about Lee Jia, who'd gone inside alone.
But there was nothing Yoo Euisul could do about it.
It was impossible not to be irritated.
In the end, with the faint hope of finding even the tiniest clue, Yoo Euisul retraced her steps along the path they'd taken.
Who knew? Maybe there was some clue they'd overlooked.
She figured it was better to move and do something than just sit around waiting.
Yoo Euisul thought to herself.
'First off, this dogshit lump of flesh. Definitely an Anomalous Phenomenon.'
The wiki didn't lie.
The Omnia Wiki had confirmed that this haunted house they'd entered with Ahn Soohee and Lee Jia was an Anomalous Phenomenon.
The details were censored, but it was definitely one anyway.
...Though it seemed like Yoo Euisul had become an Omnia Wiki believer without realizing it.
With a 100% accuracy rate, it would be ridiculous not to trust it now.
'Fine, the location makes sense. But mental attacks... those aren't from an Anomalous Phenomenon.'
Yoo Euisul held great fondness for Lee Jia.
So she didn't doubt the girl's serious claims.
Lee Jia had checked the info on the 'fake Yoo Euisul corpse.'
And from that, she'd deduced that the source of the mental attacks was another Fervent Devotee like herself, not an Anomalous Phenomenon.
Yoo Euisul, who'd received the wiki details from Lee Jia, agreed with her assessment.
Anomalous Phenomena and items were somehow connected to Fervent Devotees.
Take the Iron Sword No. 3 she carried—it was made by a Fervent Devotee called 'Iron.'
It wasn't a baseless guess.
In a situation with limited info, constant pondering and speculation were invaluable for resolving Anomalous Phenomena.
Based on what she knew so far, Yoo Euisul reached one conclusion.
'A Fervent Devotee came down to this world with an Anomalous Phenomenon they created themselves.'
Her head throbbed.
As far as she knew, this was the first time a Fervent Devotee and an Anomalous Phenomenon had appeared simultaneously.
The spawn cycle shortening from two weeks to one was bad enough.
The Fervent Devotees showing up was even worse.
This was no good omen.
Of course, back before Lee Jia, distinguishing between Anomalous Phenomena and Fervent Devotees had been impossible.
The reason was simple.
'Their patterns are identical.'
Without Lee Jia, Yoo Euisul would've assumed without question that the mental attacks came from an Anomalous Phenomenon.
Only Lee Jia in all the heavens could differentiate them.
So among the targets she'd previously slain thinking they were Anomalous Phenomena, maybe one or two had been Fervent Devotees mixed in.
'There are a few suspects. That tentacle thing in Yeosu was too intense for an Anomalous Phenomenon... and that bastard too.'
She shook her head vigorously.
Forcing the filthy memories from her mind, Yoo Euisul pressed on.
Anyway, this Anomalous Phenomenon would make the Awakener Association even busier.
'If I tell Scheduled Hwan, he'll lose his shit.'
She was already looking forward to his rotting expression in real time.
As she scanned her surroundings intently while backtracking.
Yoo Euisul ran into Ahn Soohee again.
A bit flustered, she called out to her.
"Auntie."
"Oh, Euisul. Did you meet up with Jia?"
"Wasn't she already losing it? Why's she standing there fine instead of passed out?"
According to Lee Jia, Ahn Soohee had planned to wipe her entire memory of the day.
That meant the mental strain had been immense.
That meant the Anomalous Phenomenon—no.
The Fervent Devotee's mental attacks had been overwhelmingly powerful.
However.
"I'm fine now."
Ahn Soohee looked perfectly okay.
Yoo Euisul was the strongest Awakener.
Her judgment was lightning-fast, beyond compare.
She might be flustered, but her thinking hadn't slowed.
"Auntie. Tell me everything you remember."
"Hmm. First fear: heard some creepy noises. Second fear: ran into zombies and got scratched. Third fear... dunno, I don't remember."
"Why."
"No idea. I know for sure I knocked myself out with my own ability. But I can't recall what I actually saw."
"..."
"Looks like you two handled it while I was out, so I wasn't affected. Lucky me—no need to bother deleting memories."
"Wasn't me."
"Huh?"
"She handled it herself."
A grin.
Yoo Euisul smiled at Ahn Soohee's words.
A reflexive reaction to hearing Lee Jia had taken down a Fervent Devotee.
Ahn Soohee stared at her in disbelief.
"You're insane."
"What. Why are you staring like that."
"I-I-I've never seen you smile since the day I was born!"
Smile?
Who?
"Me?"
"Yeah, just now."
"Bullshit, Auntie. I didn't smile."
"You did! I saw it clear as day!"
Ignoring Ahn Soohee's nonsense.
Yoo Euisul pondered.
Good thing Lee Jia caught the Fervent Devotee.
But now.
How do they get out of this haunted house Anomalous Phenomenon?
Deciding to regroup with Lee Jia alongside Ahn Soohee, they headed forward again.
Suddenly.
Pop.
In the blink of an eye, their surroundings changed completely.
It was an afternoon beach with the sun high overhead.
Looking around.
Thud.
"Mmph! Mmmph! Ugggh!"
They spotted Lee Jia with her head buried in the sand.
...Why the hell was she doing that?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Blink.
Blink blink.
I stared blankly at the spot where the Fervent Devotee of the Terror Devourer had met its end.
No.
I'd been corrected not to say 'died.'
Better to call it 'disposed of' after paying the price for blasphemy.
Following the Fervent Devotee of the Distorted Constellation, Anum-Jihad.
Now the Fervent Devotee of the Terror Devourer, Nameless (Glutton), had also been disposed of for blasphemy.
It was making me overthink things.
Apparently, other Fervent Devotees didn't have mental fortitude like mine.
When I paid the price for blasphemy, it just ended with my face in the dirt.
But these guys' eyes exploded, their bodies burst, and they got fully disposed.
Before disposal, Nameless had told me.
That my blasphemy—fearing a Great Being as a mere Fervent Devotee—was far greater than his, impersonating a Great Being.
Something was off.
If Nameless was right, I should've been long gone.
I'd encountered the black smoke.
From the moment I became a Fervent Devotee of Reflecting Myriad Stars, I'd consistently feared Her.
Time for a test.
"Ah, Reflecting Myriad Stars is so freaking scary!"
...
"I'm gonna lose my mind from fear! She's scarier than any horror game!"
...
Perfectly fine.
One of three possibilities.
My mental strength is way tougher than other Fervent Devotees'.
Or Reflecting Myriad Stars favors me specially, giving me only mild blasphemy penalties.
Or Nameless lied to me.
Whatever the case, good is good.
No matter which, I lose nothing.
Still.
A tiny pang of guilt.
Sure, Nameless was the ultimate bastard for replaying Yoo Euisul's death on loop for me, and an obvious evil devouring other beings' fear regardless.
But it was a sapient being.
Watching a sapient perish wasn't pleasant.
Sigh.
Should've just accepted my terms from the start.
Get off Earth, I said.
If it'd left quietly, I'd resolve the Anomalous Phenomenon for free.
It lives, I win.
Win-win.
Anyway.
Reflecting Myriad Stars.
I kept the promise.
Didn't spill the true name.
The crazy guy was gone, but the crazy place wasn't.
This squishy flesh pile was still here.
...A bit problematic.
How do I get out?
I didn't resolve the Anomalous Phenomenon; I just caught one Fervent Devotee.
The haunted house Anomalous Phenomenon remained unsolved.
On a whim, I touched the ground.
"Urgh..."
The flesh wriggled under my palm.
Suppressing the nausea, I checked the wiki again.
⚙ OMNIA WIKI ⚙ [Sanctum of the Fear Devourer (Anomalous Phenomenon)] 1. Overview 2. Characteristics 3. Containment Class (Danger Level) 4. Resolution Method 1. Overview A Cosmos (κόσμος)-class Anomalous Phenomenon, directly created by Nameless (Glutton), the Fervent Devotee of the Terror Devourer. Its internal structure, composed of combined flesh lumps, is its most prominent feature... What.
The censorship was gone.
All the info was visible.
Maybe because I created the wiki entry for 'Nameless (Glutton)' who made this?
Either way, relief.
Now I can escape this damn place.
I skipped everything else and went straight to the resolution method.
⚙ RESOLUTION METHOD ⚙ Fervent Devotees can cancel the Sanctum summoning by reciting the following incantation: "Hunger is a blessing, and fear an infinite resource; thus is the grace of the Terror Devourer." ⟨ Dismissal Incantation ⟩
Non-Fervent Devotees can resolve it via the following steps: 1. Induce a state of hunger. Not mere hunger, but extreme starvation severe enough to impair brain function. 2. ... Whoa.
Different methods for Fervent Devotees vs. non-Fervent Devotees.
First time seeing this.
Anyway, as a Fervent Devotee, I can ignore that tedious, pretentious non-Devotee method.
Just recite one phrase, and the summoning cancels.
Problem is.
That incantation.
Isn't it blasphemy against Reflecting Myriad Stars?
Me, Her devoted servant, praising another Great Being's grace? Straight-up blasphemy.
Uh.
Um.
She'll let it slide, right?
H-Honestly, it's the only way out.
Believing She will.
"Uh, well, y'know... Hunger is a blessing, and fear an infinite resource; thus is the grace of the Terror Devourer."
The moment I finished.
In a blink, I was standing on a beach.
Immediately.
Thud!
Face-planted into the sand.
The price for blasphemy.