Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Empire (5)
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We arrived at the heart of the Imperial Palace, where the Dormant Blood was located.
The Empress was waiting in front of the massive gate connected to the Dormant Blood.
She wore a wide-sleeved robe and a veil that covered his face.
Through the veil, faintly visible golden eyes caught my attention.
"Then let's go."
The Empire's report, the Dormant Blood.
A vast sub-space warehouse created by applying shamanistic techniques to the overflowing demonic energy within a Great Beast's body.
Here, shamanism referred to the Eastern technique of manipulating divine power.
Separate from demonic energy, it involved controlling the divine power flowing through the atmosphere to produce mystical phenomena.
Shamanism wasn't particularly efficient or destructive.
There were two main reasons for this.
1. Unlike the abundant divine power in the Eastern atmosphere, the central region had very sparse divine power, making it unsuitable for practical use.
2. Unlike Aura Energy or Aura, divine power was an energy that couldn't be stored within the body.
To wield it, one had to manipulate it indirectly through incantations, formations, or catalysts.
Sometimes, it took over a week to perform a single shamanistic ritual.
Even if successful, the lack of divine power on the central continent reduced its destructive power.
Thus, the Empire adapted by using the abundant demonic energy in place of scarce divine power.
The herald vanishing like a shadow was one such application.
However, switching the energy source made casting even slower and more dangerous.
Ultimately, shamanism using demonic energy was deemed unsuitable for frontline deployment.
The gate sealing the Dormant Blood could only be opened by the Empress's bloodline.
The Empress sliced her palm with a short dagger in front of the gate.
She scattered blue blood toward it.
With a tremendous vibration, the gate began to open slowly.
Inside, things resembling human hearts were piled up like mountains.
Even after a long time since extraction, they pulsed as if still alive.
At their center was a hole that seemed to concentrate all the darkness of this world.
No light escaped it, trapped within—like a prison. Nothing could be seen beyond.
"Are you prepared?"
The Empress gazed at my face intently, as if gauging my reaction.
A chilling golden glow peeked through the veil.
There was no need for preparation; I already remembered visiting this place two or three times before.
Even if it was just a game, experience was experience.
The Empress extended her hand into the hole first.
The moment his hand touched what looked like a black hole, his figure flipped and vanished.
I reached out as well.
The instant my hand touched the darkness, my vision compressed and vanished, and my body flipped over.
When I opened my closed eyes, I saw a white marble floor.
Above the pristine space, weapons adorned in transparent cases caught my eye.
All were Rigid Body Armaments crafted from Great Beasts.
It felt less like a warehouse and more like a museum displaying artworks.
The Empress, who had arrived first and was waiting, spoke.
"In my reign, you are the first to visit this place."
"I am deeply honored."
"Feel free to stay as long as you like. Choose carefully and take what you desire."
Before that.
"How many can I take?"
The Empress turned to me, as if the question was truly unexpected.
"Hm...? I thought someone coming here would first marvel in awe. You're asking that right away?"
After a brief moment of thought, the Empress continued.
"Two. Any ones you like. I permit you to take two armaments."
I'd thought one would be the maximum.
The Empress was truly generous.
To the point where I was convinced there must be some ulterior motive.
But even if there was, it didn't change what I had to do.
I just had to crush the seeds of apocalypse in the South, the Red Star, and the East.
And if that helped the Empire's prosperity rather than hindered it, there was even less reason to hesitate.
'Two near-endgame parts. Let's go.'
Time to shop.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In the game, ways to enter the Empire's Dormant Blood were limited.
Either receive permission during the Empress's lifetime for notable achievements,
or when the Empress's bloodline remained after subjugating Enoa Blackwind, who had infiltrated the Empire.
Excluding the Empress, it was a late-game location.
Some items here were viable even until the ending.
I gazed at the large scythe displayed before me.
A weapon named 'Scythe of the Great One's Sacrifice.'
It increased attack range by 40% and scaled damage with the player's current health.
I had no idea how it would manifest now that reality had set in.
'Swords and spears are out anyway.'
I already had Radiata's Rigid Body Armament, a gift from Irena.
A weapon that gained bonuses to strength, regeneration, and Aura Energy when fed blood.
Not quite endgame tier, but solid enough to carry to the ending.
Besides, I had no intention of using armaments in forms other than longswords.
I'd trained only in swordsmanship for eleven years; nothing else.
I could learn others, but efficiency would suffer.
As I turned to head elsewhere, the Empress following behind spoke up.
"Ho, the Sacrifice Scythe."
"Does Your Imperial Majesty know what this great scythe is?"
"A divine armament whose blade expands the moment it's swung. They say the spilled blood clings to the body, aiding movement."
With trembling anticipation, I asked the Empress in return.
"By any chance, do you know the abilities of all the armaments here?"
"I don't know every single one. But I might know what you're seeking."
What? He knows them all.
"May I ask for your guidance?"
"That would be fine."
With the Empress's help, I moved around, admiring various armaments.
There were accessories, potions, and shamanistic tomes, not just long weapons.
Things I'd seen in the game at least once, but seeing them in reality felt profoundly different.
Narrowing it down, I had five final candidates.
Mostly based on in-game options and the Empress's explanations as he followed me.
I focused on accessories and armor.
'Rosario of the Beast Slayer'
An accessory that increased physical damage against all enemies by 35%.
Against Beast-type enemies, physical damage increased by an additional 35%.
No extra increase against fusion entities.
The Empress said it boosted strength.
'Thousand Strands of Specters'
An armor that created a specter clone on hit with 30% chance.
Each clone reduced incoming damage by 7%.
Up to five clones, for a total 35% damage reduction.
The Empress's description: clones appear when hit.
Specific numbers and functions recalled from the game.
'Eye of the Fallen Saint'
An accessory boosting critical hit chance by 80%.
In this reality, critical hits weren't probabilistic damage spikes on normal attacks.
It simply revealed enemies' weak points visually; useless if not targeted.
'Meteor Chain'
An accessory reducing physical damage taken by 60%.
But fall damage increased by 800%, and the accessory broke on fatal falls.
'Ring of the Goddess of Decay'
An accessory restoring 9% health on enemy kills and granting immunity to all poisons.
Enemies in the Twilight Alliance region were strengthened, but vulnerable to shamanism.
Excluding one armor from the five, the rest were accessories.
Armor was consumable, while accessories rarely broke.
On the Northern Frontline, armor was among the most frequently replaced gear.
A few Beast attacks wore it down quickly.
After brief deliberation, I chose two.
The Rosario of the Beast Slayer and the Ring of the Goddess of Decay.
The reasons were simple.
70% increased physical damage and immunity to all poisons in this world.
Plus 9% health recovery on kills.
This holy trinity of options made me practically immortal—how could I pass?
"All your choices are for facing Beasts... I understand your intent."
The Empress opened the securely locked glass case.
No overwhelming aura or dramatic atmosphere emerged when it opened.
They just looked like ordinary rings and a rosario.
Luxurious, yet so ordinarily that it felt strangely off-putting.
Grasping them should trigger a dramatic change—
—but nothing happened.
Perhaps noticing my reaction, the Empress chuckled lowly.
"These only reveal their true power when properly worn and facing a Beast. Without one before you, they won't respond fully."
So the rosario reacts to Beasts.
The damage increase probably meant strength surged in their presence.
'Maybe it could double as a radar.'
Beasts usually roamed openly, but some moved stealthily.
Like the semi-transparent Great Beast during the Radiata subjugation.
I hung the rosario around my neck and slipped the ring onto my finger.
Thick veins bulged then faded on my skin.
I felt my physical specs surge dramatically.
This enhancement doubled against Monsters.
My pectorals swelled massively, nearly bursting.
As I clenched and unclenched my fist to test my grip,
the Empress suddenly spoke.
"Subjugating the first Great Beast drastically reduced Monster and Beast threats in the North. It's all your achievement."
"It's thanks to Your Imperial Majesty's command."
"My command? No. This needs to be clear: it's entirely your merit."
The Empress chuckled lowly.
"Come to think of it, you have no dukedom."
As the words implied, the Empress had granted only the ducal title.
Nobles with titles but no lands existed, though rare.
High prestige, but no real influence.
I'd never expected a dukedom as a reward, so I'd let it slide.
Titles and lands weren't what I needed.
The Empress tilted his head and continued.
"The nobles' movements are unusual. You, toiling on the frontlines, might not feel it yet, but strange rumors circulate in the capital."
The Empress averted his gaze briefly.
A subtle ripple stirred in his serene golden eyes.
The longer the silence, the heavier the air grew.
"Red Star. Have you heard of it?"