Chapter 241: Jealousy (12)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 241: Jealousy (12)
Will of the Saint.
This artifact was modeled after a saint who was killed by goblins while trying to save people. It was the first ring-type artifact Kang So-hyun ever obtained.
Its effect was simple, yet powerful because of that simplicity: it was a versatile artifact that granted necessary buffs to “good people”—or more accurately, to those recognized by the artifact itself.
In truth, Kang So-hyun treated it as a mere byproduct of his quest to obtain Resurrection. Combined with the fact that his innate talent was Reinforcement, he considered it just a “decent enough” item. Objectively speaking, however, the Will of the Saint was an exceptional artifact.
The lack of restrictions on the types of buffs it could grant, and its ability to think for itself to provide the most needed buff to its master, were features rarely found in ordinary artifacts.
Furthermore, the fact that it possessed a clear narrative and an ego capable of judging its own master meant it was a rare treasure that most people would never even lay eyes on.
Perhaps its only misfortune was the company it kept.
The other artifacts So-hyun possessed were simply too extraordinary.
There was the replica of the Ruyi Jingu Bang, which contained the residual thoughts of Sun Wukong.
There was the sealed Shadow of the Dragon King.
And then there was that dagger—the one that exuded a massive, wicked energy that couldn’t even be compared to the divine power of the Will of the Saint.
Lately, the Will of the Saint had been thinking: He’s changed since he started collecting all these other artifacts.
The self-sacrificing, devoted figure it had once recognized was nowhere to be found. Now, he just spent his time charming women! It was enough to make one frown!
…Not that it was saying this because it felt forgotten lately, or because it felt its treatment was strangely poor despite being the first artifact to devote itself to him.
In fact, the preparations to mold him into a fitting successor to the Saint had been completed long ago.
The groundwork had been laid the day he returned from the dead, right after the “Donut Incident” involving him and Cathy.
On that day, when he gained an understanding of death, the Will of the Saint had etched a new power into Resurrection to aid him.
The problem was that he hadn’t fully understood death enough to grasp this new power, and even when the artifact tried to fully awaken the power on his behalf, the opportunity never arose.
Since then, far from drawing closer to the divine, he had continued to accumulate things like demonic energy in his body. Honestly, the artifact had begun to think all was lost.
However.
The opportunity had finally arrived.
It would have been better if there were a holy relic with permanent divine power, but asking for that would be greedy. A bit of holy water infused with high-purity divine power wasn’t a bad substitute for an emergency.
Even if it was only a one-time thing, it would be enough to make him realize his own power!
Let there be light!
* * *
[-The Will of the Saint declares: ‘Let there be light!’]
Ah, uh…
Right. So, you’re going to explain what’s happening now, right? You’re not seriously trying to brush this off with just “Let there be light,” are you…?
[-The Will of the Saint has consumed high-grade holy water to temporarily draw out your potential.]
[-Additional functions of Resurrection are temporarily revealed.]
[-Your soul will maintain a state of purity as long as your heart does not break.]
[-You are now temporarily able to convert life force into divine power.]
[-You can forcibly receive divine power from other entities.]
[-Due to the revelation of information, all divine power within the holy water has been exhausted.]
I see.
I remember getting a notification a while back saying new functions had been added to Resurrection, but since nothing seemed to change, I wondered what it was. It turns out they were abilities related to divine power.
And, well… I’m happy about this, I really am.
But listen, Will of the Saint.
Did you have to do this in the middle of a church?
To put what just happened bluntly: the moment I grabbed the holy water Lee Yu-na handed me, its blinding light transferred to me, and then my entire body began to radiate a divine glow.
By the time the light—which wouldn’t go out no matter what I did—finally subsided, I had already become the center of everyone’s attention.
And I mean everyone. Without a hint of exaggeration, every single person in the vicinity was staring at me.
Well, of course they were.
Some random guy touches holy water in the middle of a church and starts glowing like a deity; how could that not draw aggro?
If I were them, I’d want to see the face of the guy who was so damn holy, too.
[-The Will of the Saint puffs out its chest, declaring that you are now clearly the Successor of the Saint.]
[-The Touch of the Devil glares at the Will of the Saint.]
[-The Will of the Saint taunts: ‘What are you going to do about it? What can you even do besides glare?~’ and bursts into laughter.]
“Li…”
“Li?”
“Light.”
The murmurs I overheard made me feel like I was losing my mind, so I turned tail and bolted.
As I ran, I made a firm resolution.
I am never going back to that church again.
* * *
After calling Lee Yu-na to apologize for ditching her and running away, I found an empty lot to test my new power, unable to withstand the Will of the Saint’s nagging.
“…This actually works?”
As a result, a soft, shimmering energy was currently gathered in my hand—something far more delicate and ethereal than demonic energy or the power of reinforcement.
Yes. It was unmistakably divine power.
Fortunately, using it wasn’t much different from how I usually handled reinforcement or trade.
It felt as though when I set my mind to using life force, the Will of the Saint helped me convert it into divine power.
[-The Will of the Saint boasts that you no longer need to rely on wicked powers.]
I mean, I hate to say this, but… isn’t this kind of useless compared to reinforcement or demonic energy?
[-The Will of the Saint is indignant, claiming that’s impossible!]
Well, divine power itself is a very specialized resource, and the number of people who can handle it is limited, so I’m sure it’s not completely useless. But the exchange rate is terrible.
Setting aside reinforcement—which is already an absurd ability that raises the very grade of a target—this isn’t even as useful as demonic energy, which can solve almost anything with a single portion of life force. And yet, the fuel efficiency is even worse than demonic energy.
To create this little shimmer in my hand, I had to consume enough life force to make an ordinary person faint. I just don’t see how this could lead to anything grand.
[-Even with that much power, you can perform simple miracles!]
Like what?
[-You can heal a needle prick or a wound from accidentally biting your tongue.]
…After dumping enough life force to make a normal person pass out?
[-It is a fair price for imitating a miracle of God.]
Didn’t you tell me to value my life force more every time I tried to use demonic energy?
[-…One must not compare divine power to something like demonic energy.]
Look at this double standard. Even you think that’s ridiculous, don’t you? I saw you hesitate before you spoke.
I mean, look. I have life force to spare, so I could use it if I wanted to, but there’s no merit in doing so.
[-That is not true! It is too early to reach a conclusion! In the first place, consuming your own life force is not the correct way to use this power!]
“Then how?”
[-From now on, you can forcibly receive divine power from those who possess it!]
Ah, that?
I was actually curious about that.
What exactly does “forcibly receive” mean?
In my common sense, the words “receive” and “forcibly” are quite far apart. What on earth does it mean to forcibly receive something?
[-It’s simple once you get the hang of it. Once you use this power, you won’t even look at demonic energy again!]
…I highly doubt that.
[-Just trust me! Just once! You handle that ominous demonic energy well enough! Don’t be so stingy!]
…Fine. It did help me a lot in the beginning, so I’ll give it one shot.
If I don’t try it, it’ll probably just nag me all day and then sulk.
[-I feel like you just had a very rude thought, but I’ll let it slide.]
[-First, it is important to understand what divine power is.]
[-People perceive divine power as a very special force, but in truth, everything that makes up the world possesses a little bit of it.]
I closed my eyes and listened to the artifact’s voice.
[-What is generally thought of as divine power is a system where everyone offers the resources they possess to God through prayer, and in exchange, He grants miracles.]
…Huh? This sounds familiar.
“Hey, wait a minute. How is that any different from a deal with a devil?”
[-How dare you! To compare a sublime miracle—which changes based on the depth and sincerity of one’s faith—to selling one’s soul to a devil!]
…So, to put it in cruder terms, it’s like a butcher shop. One owner weighs the meat and gives you exactly twenty dollars’ worth, while the other owner gives you extra depending on his mood or if you’re a regular. Is that it?
That’s kind of off-putting.
[-Silence…! To lose one’s faith is to…!!!!!]
“No, don’t get mad. Just explain the difference between a god and a devil then.”
[-That is something to be felt with the heart, not explained with logic. However, while those devil bastards are always full of intent to betray their contractors, it is certain that God will never abandon you.]
Oh? Is there actually something plausible here?
[-Even when I was being hacked to pieces by goblins in place of others, He was surely within my heart! God watched over my end until the very last moment!]
…Wait. I never doubted it until now, but could it be that the artifact I’ve spent the most time with is actually a total lunatic?
I could feel it.
My intuition—honed by being a transmigrator in an academy novel and even undergoing regression—was sending me a warning: This thing might be a complete nutjob.
[-Ha! If you truly cannot believe it, I shall let you experience a miracle of God firsthand! A miracle that cannot be compared to a mere ‘trade’!]
Honestly, I wanted to back out right then, but unfortunately, it seemed the artifact had no intention of giving up until I experienced this so-called miracle.
[-Now, place your hand on the ground and wish slowly. With the mindset that you are merely borrowing a little bit of the precious things they possess.]
When I did as I was told, something shimmering began to flow from the ground into me through my hand.
It was a very warm and soft sensation, as if it were circulating freely through my body and warming me up.
It wasn’t just the ground.
The surrounding trees, rocks, flowers, and even animals were lending me a bit of their strength.
[-Behold! This great miracle of borrowing strength from nature…! From now on, they will always willingly lend you their strength whenever you wish!]
…Yeah, it certainly is an incredible power.
The sensation of receiving life force from all the surrounding natural objects was so wondrous and soft that I almost fell for the madman’s words.
[-A madman? I find that highly insulting.]
No, I mean… you’re wrapping it up in fancy words like “miracle of God” and trying to blur the essence by calling it “receiving,” but…
“…I have eyes. Do you think I’m blind?”
Indeed.
As a price for performing that “miracle” for just a brief moment, my surroundings were a complete mess.
The ground I had directly touched to “drain” its energy was cracked and parched. The ordinary weeds in the lot had withered and died, and the trees that had been vibrant with summer life were now shedding leaves as if autumn had suddenly arrived.
Even the animals were looking at me with eyes that begged me to stop, showing signs of total submission.
So, the point is this.
“Receiving” my ass—this is just life force extortion.
This is basically the Star-Absorbing Method or Energy Drain.
[-It is not Energy Drain! It is a miracle of God!]
Wow, has it finally lost it? Do you know that even the Touch of the Devil respected bioethics more than you when it explained how to take power from other demons?
[-It’s just borrowing a little. Is it really a problem just because it was done forcibly?]
To be honest, I used to feel a bit guilty whenever I brushed off the Will of the Saint’s opinions.
I wondered if I was being too dismissive of the one artifact I had with the most “normal” sensibilities.
[-Please tell me your thoughts on experiencing this great miracle!]
…Turns out, this one wasn’t sane either.