Chapter 40
Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Warrior Meets the Priest
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After Bellesa finished her business on the first floor with Karian and returned to the Elder Council where everyone had gathered.
The old men there were also chatting about the Mecha Luminous Tyranno.
Even—
"Cough… She was quite the fine lady."
"Pardon?"
The women's expressions turned utterly bizarre as they stared at the men, including Zarkan who had encountered something truly novel, engaging in this bizarre topic.
The outside world was no different from inside the dungeon.
"Th-Think about it—if we had created beings like that, wouldn't the Midplane have become a better world?"
"Cough… Even now, if we secretly made some…"
"Everyone!! What in the world is this nonsense you're talking about!!"
"""I-Ilesia?!"""
Soon after, the Heavenly Deity smashed all her foolish younger brothers who weren't doing their jobs and were up to no good.
A great many things happened.
And the dungeon's first floor!
"If we do this just like the manual says…! Skeleton Merchant! Handle this part as I instructed!"
"Understood, Master Balak."
"Brother Balak. With this layout, won't it overlap with the mid-boss room's concept?"
"Heh heh heh… Not at all!"
"M-My goodness, the space?!"
Everyone except Orek, who was seeing space expand arbitrarily for the first time.
Before the dimensional rift incident outside was fully resolved, they succeeded in rearranging the latter rooms and adding new ones.
**************
After the heroes and others rushed to the Abyssal Pit, in Laiter, the vested interests gathered in one place to discuss the beings swarming outside the city and future plans.
Among them—
"Is the Abyssal Pit truly 100 floors?"
"According to the hero parties, the first floor of the dungeon is dozens of times harder than that dangerous dimensional rift."
"Common sense says it can't be the first floor."
"Could there be an error in the records?"
"C-Cough… The Heavenly Deity has been silent on the matter."
Indeed! Even they were growing suspicious of the dungeon's interior!
Honestly, could the currently open Abyssal Pit be that different from the one opened in the Mythical Age?
Moreover, the Heavenly Deity had only informed the church that the Abyssal Pit would open.
She hadn't provided detailed internal information.
And with Balak still expanding rooms in real time, the vested interests even thought the first floor might actually be a madhouse.
And Balak's very existence was a problem!
"What?! That boss called Balak might be the Spirit Lord, ancestor of the elves?"
"Of course, it's not certain. However… if he is our ancestor, it fits various hypotheses."
"Selling spirit tree seeds inside the dungeon, and spirits that vanished from the Midplane after the Great War being there—it's highly plausible."
"But… it's just a hypothesis."
What on earth was the identity of that powerful being who freely commanded all spirits!
And the merchants wandering the dungeon were a problem too.
"What does it mean that the dungeon's goods were brought by merchants from above?"
"Since Hero Lowell heard it directly from the werewolf in the rest area, this merchant probably isn't lying."
Just as those in the conference room felt confusion over the dungeon's events seeming disconnected, the dwarves present scowled discontentedly at them.
Bang!!!
"Why complicate it so much!"
"Just think simply!"
"Do the dwarves know who these beings are?"
"Tch, as ignorant as your height… Shut your long ears and listen. So, our thinking is—"
The dwarves then plainly explained their thoughts on the beings from above and the merchants.
"So, the merchants you speak of are literally 'gods.'"
"How's that? Even if materials exist for those catalog items, we can't make them in the Midplane. But if they're gods who rule all creation?"
"It's… possible!"
"Plus, the Heavenly Deity informed us of the Abyssal Pit's opening, so it lines up somewhat."
"Heavens… Was this another grace from the Heavenly Deity?"
"But then the boss Balak's identity becomes weird again?"
Bang!!!
"Why agonize over it!! Just meet him directly and ask him to remove his helmet! And later, ask those merchants too!!"
"Th-That's true, but."
"As the dwarves say, we can confirm later, so let's move past this issue."
"Agreed. Now, about those knights outside…"
"If we mess up, won't the city be seized by force?"
"C-Cough… Surely not?"
Once talk turned to the beings outside Laiter, the vested interests in the conference room clutched their heads in despair.
And rightly so…
Because the dimensional rift incident had ended too quickly, leaving plenty of time, various knight orders swarmed to Laiter to enter the abyssal dungeon.
*******************
While Laiter was racking its brains over the knight orders surrounding the city.
In the dungeon, Orek and Balak were quietly conversing in the boss room.
"I-Is it true that spirits of nature roam this place?!"
"Fact."
"No way…"
What was this? Orek's shoulders suddenly slumped.
To prove my words, I showed him the mini-dungeon interior.
"Ahh…"
Orek, seeing the little ones scampering around the repaired mini-dungeon, plopped down on the spot and buried his head in the ground.
Tsk… Come to think of it, Orek wasn't originally a druid but a shaman who used spirit powers.
Imagine getting fired from your company, switching jobs, then hearing your old company skyrocketed.
An enormous wave of emptiness would crash over you.
So, to comfort this dejected guy—
"Sniff…!"
"Hm?"
Why was he suddenly crying?!
Was the forced job change that unjust?!
Men are supposed to cry three times in life as a rule, so I tried to scold Orek for bursting into tears out of nowhere.
But his full-on bawling made it awkward to touch him.
So, I patiently waited until he stopped crying.
After some time, he finally came to his senses and slowly stood.
"S-Sorry… sniff! Master Balak."
"No need to worry. More importantly… never mind."
Usually, when someone cries that pitifully, it's best not to ask why until they volunteer.
So I stayed silently by Orek's side until he calmed.
Soon, his flushed face scratched his head in apology to me.
"Orek. Why apologize?"
"W-Well…"
"It's natural I don't know why you cried. But I'm sure there was a good reason, so no need to apologize."
"…Thank you."
As I calmly addressed Orek, I finally learned the reason for his emotional breakdown.
"To you, those little ones were objects of faith."
"Yes."
Orek said he was a shaman in the past.
And this world's shamans seemed based on spirit-worshipping shamanism.
"The spirits of nature were always with shamans like me. Friends and parents. The darkness that embraced us, the light that guided us."
"But when they vanished in an instant—"
"We completely lost our way."
Gods clearly existed in this world.
But if an existing god abandoned their priests who followed them, what would happen?
"Most shamans ended their lives right then."
"…You're fortunate to have endured."
"I didn't endure well either. I just left my tribe and wandered aimlessly."
A priest abandoned by the god he served…
Orek had lived a truly sad life.
"Do you feel no hatred toward the spirits who abandoned you?"
"Hatred…? I just miss the pure past."
Afterward, Orek told me stories of his childhood, frolicking with spirits in verdant fields, and how they were always with the shamans.
"Back then, I knew little of the world. I didn't understand the Great War or why the spirits left."
"So now you know? Why the spirits left this place."
"I know the World Tree that sustained the world burned. And the long-eared fairies used the spirits as weapons. As tools for killing only…"
"Using those little ones like that—even I think the knife-ears did something horrific. And when you were young, some spirits still lingered?"
"A little, yes. But they all left on the orders of nature's masters."
As expected, knife-ears were trouble everywhere.
Peering into Orek's eyes as he blankly watched the spirits play on the screen, I saw a lonely light yearning for the distant past.
In that case…
"Orek. Shall we go meet them?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said—go meet your old friends."
"I-Is that real?!"
"Of course. You deserve it."
Even though Orek trashed my boss room, he endured my mental reprogramming to the end.
I could afford this much kindness.
Patting Orek's back, I used the teleport device the skeleton merchant gave me, and we instantly entered the mini-dungeon.
The little ones who knew me swarmed over upon seeing me.
"Huh?! Uncle!!"
"Hello!"
"Hahaha! Been well?"
These kids looked healthier every time—truly a relief!
And Orek beside me!
"Ahh… Spirits of nature…"
Seeing me talk with the kids, deeply moved, he knelt and spread his arms.
From his perspective, it was no different than his god returning, so it was natural… Huh?
A pure energy suddenly flowed from Orek's body.
"Kids! Uncle's here!"
"Really?! It's him!"
"Uncle!!!"
Even as the kids spotted me and gathered, that pure energy grew stronger!
What was going on?!
As countless little ones crowded around me, something in Orek resonated, unleashing even greater energy, accompanied by a massive gale of light.
In response, the kids rode the winds, giggling and playing.
Th-That means!
I realized!
His potential!
Orek, now the eye of the shining storm, was currently a mage.
But originally a shamanism-based shaman—essentially a priest!!
What happens if such a priest, who harbors no hatred for gods who left him,
And whose faith remains firm, reunites with them!
Plus, as the second closest dungeon boss to me after my blood-related little sister who could come straight here, he clearly had immense talent!
Finally, just as players can become all-rounders, I went from fighter to weapon master using all weapons.
Meaning he too could use both druid and shaman skills.
Thus, Orek—summoning brilliant lights and massive storms with the colorful little ones!
Had the qualifications to be my dungeon's 'second' hidden boss.