Chapter 85
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: The Temple (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There was nothing between Jeong Hyeon-seong’s severed arm and his body.
It wasn’t completely empty; the cross-section was stained pitch black.
It looked less like cutting a human and more like severing a doll's arm.
Instead of the blood that should have gushed out, a black, mucus-like substance trickled down his shoulder.
Jeong Hyeon-seong merely glanced down at his fallen arm, letting out no scream or groan.
It was definitely strange.
Did Ji-han swing his sword expecting this?
“You knew, didn’t you?”
“No idea.”
Unlike the expectant Eun-young, Ji-han’s reaction was nonchalant.
Before entering the temple, Jeong Hyeon-seong had been injured.
Unless he was a Hunter like Yoo Ji-han who carried elixirs, it was impossible for him to heal so perfectly in such a short time.
He just thought it was suspicious, so he took a swing.
“You! What would you have done if that was the real Hyeon-seong?”
“Losing an arm won’t kill him.”
“Well, that’s true, but… that is Hyeon-seong, right? He’s not a fake or something?”
Ji-han pointed at the still-standing Jeong Hyeon-seong.
That thing could hardly be called human anymore.
But just because he wasn't human didn't mean he wasn't ‘Jeong Hyeon-seong.’
“It’s the real Jeong Hyeon-seong.”
“What do you mean?”
“Woman, what did I say this place was?”
“Stop calling me ‘woman.’ My name is Song Eun-young.”
Eun-young sighed.
Where is this place?
Hadn't Ji-han himself just said this was a ‘temple’ a moment ago?
The question itself was absurd.
“You said it’s a temple.”
“And who is the master of a temple?”
“Who else? A god, obviously.”
“Gods have substance, but no form. That’s why they can’t interfere in the mortal world. But that doesn't mean they don't have their ways.”
The tip of his scabbard pointed at Jeong Hyeon-seong.
“He’s a demigod. You can think of it as possession, but strictly speaking, it’s a little different.”
The primary ways a god can interfere in the mortal world are possession and advent.
Possession is the act of borrowing a target's body to convey consciousness and words.
Advent allows a god to lend a portion of their power to a target, but it doesn't allow for the same level of conscious intervention as possession.
Finally, becoming a demigod was a means to bring both a god's power and consciousness into the world.
Of course, this wasn't something just anyone could do.
The right conditions and circumstances had to be met.
He hadn't told Eun-young, but by the time Ji-han had entered the temple, he was already too late.
The eyeball had already taken Jeong Hyeon-seong, leaving Eun-young behind.
It was an ambiguous situation, not one where you could say he'd chosen between Jeong Hyeon-seong and Song Eun-young.
“A demigod? Hyeon-seong is?”
“Didn’t you say yourself that the original Jeong Hyeon-seong served no god? If he serves no god, he’s a suitable vessel. Though even among vessels, there’s a difference between a paper cup and a mug.”
In Ji-han's judgment, Jeong Hyeon-seong was closer to the former.
Before he could finish, a black whip shot out and struck Ji-han.
“Hey!”
*CRASH.*
Hit by the whip, Ji-han was sent flying into a wall.
It had come from none other than Jeong Hyeon-seong's direction.
Jeong Hyeon-seong's severed arm melted into the floor.
The black whip that had attacked Ji-han now extended from the cross-section of Jeong Hyeon-seong's arm.
Eun-young stared at Hyeon-seong.
Ji-han was right.
That thing was Jeong Hyeon-seong, and at the same time, it was something else.
“Who… who are you?”
“I am Jeong Hyeon-seong.”
“Are you really Hyeon-seong?”
“Woman, don’t waste your breath.”
Ji-han spat out the blood that had pooled in his mouth.
The whips coiled around Ji-han's body, pinning him to the wall.
Seeing Ji-han scowl, he didn't seem to be seriously injured.
Hyeon-seong extended his uncut hand toward Eun-young.
“Eun-young, you said it, didn’t you? That if I waited, a god who recognized me would surely appear someday.”
“Uh, yeah. I did.”
Eun-young answered hesitantly.
Though she hadn't imagined it would be in this manner, as a demigod or whatever.
“It was wrong. That’s not how it works! Things like that don’t come just by waiting. It’s not about gods! We… Let’s go together. I’m sure you’ll understand, Eun-young.”
“Are you asking me to serve the god you’re serving now?”
Though she said the words, it still didn't feel real to Eun-young that Hyeon-seong had found a god.
Even with the explanation of him being a demigod, she had no experience with it, so she couldn't grasp what it truly meant.
“Something like that.”
“I refuse.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re too late.”
There was no grand reason for her refusal.
If she had heard this before meeting Kang Han-gyeol and the god Soter, she might have taken his hand.
She couldn't deny that she had desperately wanted someone to reach out to her.
But now?
From her perspective, both Kang Han-gyeol, who had made her a follower of Soter only to leave her to rot in a dungeon for over a month, and Choi Soo-hyun, who wasn't even a follower of Soter yet interfered like a guardian, were utterly absurd.
Even so.
Eun-young wanted to trust these two selfish men.
If Choi Soo-hyun hadn't grabbed her by the collar and stopped her, she might have been seriously injured or even killed fighting monsters.
Even if she had survived through some ordeal, she wouldn't have been able to let go of her lingering attachment to being a Hunter and would have surely caused trouble somewhere else.
It was by no means a method she liked, but because of what Choi Soo-hyun had done, she was able to endure the remaining time.
Because Han-gyeol had reached out his hand, she was able to start over.
It was as simple as that.
At Eun-young's answer, Hyeon-seong's face turned pale.
“Why… why does someone like you exist? This shouldn’t be possible! If only I had known of your existence sooner!!”
It was speaking through Jeong Hyeon-seong's throat, but the tone wasn't his.
It was clearly another personality inside Jeong Hyeon-seong.
“I already serve a god.”
Jeong Hyeon-seong tilted his head at an odd angle and looked at Eun-young.
The unnatural angle sent a shiver down her spine.
Within Eun-young, there was the aura of an unknown god.
“That little god, you mean?”
His tone had changed.
“Severing a bond like that is hardly a difficult task.”
Eun-young broke out in a cold sweat.
She realized it after talking to him. This being was a completely different entity wearing Jeong Hyeon-seong's shell.
As Jeong Hyeon-seong reached out, a large shadow appeared and lunged at Eun-young.
All it needed was Eun-young's vessel; her ego didn't matter.
Ji-han was captured.
Thinking she had to do this herself, Eun-young clenched her fists.
At that moment, something flew toward Eun-young.
She reflexively caught the object that flew at her just before the shadow reached her.
*‘This is?’*
The large shadow completely bound Eun-young's body.
Having captured Eun-young, Jeong Hyeon-seong slowly raised his head.
Ji-han, having cut through the things binding him, stood before him.
An unusual aura emanated from around Ji-han.
Jeong Hyeon-seong. No, the god Veritas, who had entered Hyeon-seong's body, furrowed his brow.
“I thought you were a mere nuisance, but it seems I was wrong.”
“Who knows.”
“I sense the same aura from you as from the woman. How strange. How could such a minor god create a monster like you?”
“Me and you. Why don’t you grab a passerby and ask who looks more like a monster.”
Jeong Hyeon-seong's form, which was beginning to distort, could hardly be considered a normal human shape anymore.
Jeong Hyeon-seong's vessel was not sufficient to contain the god Veritas.
His blackened arm was slowly melting away.
[You. Intend. To interfere?]
A voice, too grotesque to be human, echoed in her mind.
Instead of answering, Ji-han simply shrugged.
At that moment.
The mass of shadows that held Eun-young began to waver.
“Wh-what…!”
*BOOM.*
A powerful explosion, too strong to be contained, erupted from within, and the mass burst in all directions.
Unyielding flames spread through the gaps.
“Agh! What is this?!”
The flames that had flared up from her feet died down, revealing Eun-young.
Her body was covered in sticky black lumps, as if she had been doused in ink.
Just before Jeong Hyeon-seong attacked, Ji-han had thrown the Ring of Ishtar to Eun-young.
Eun-young had seen this ring before.
The ring Han-gyeol had borrowed from Choi Soo-hyun.
And it was the Ring of Ishtar, known as Choi Soo-hyun's signature item.
The flames from the ring melted away the black liquid clinging to Eun-young's body.
“You… you, *cough*. Where did you get this?”
“I was just returning something a nasty bastard left behind.”
“What are you talking about? This is that scumbag’s ring…”
Eun-young finally understood why Ji-han had let her go.
There were other reasons Ji-han had spared her, but that wasn't all.
The Ring of Ishtar was an item Choi Soo-hyun treasured.
Though for a treasure, it seemed to be treated rather poorly.
Whether Ji-han took it or threw it away, the fact remained that Choi Soo-hyun had handed the ring over to Ji-han.
If Eun-young died, Choi Soo-hyun would have a plausible excuse to go after Yoo Ji-han.
The thief who stole his ring.
If Yoo Ji-han killed Song Eun-young, Choi Soo-hyun would surely try to kill him using the ring as a pretext.
Even if she hadn't died at Yoo Ji-han's hands inside the temple, Choi Soo-hyun would never believe it.
Having no reason to fight Choi Soo-hyun over Song Eun-young's death, Yoo Ji-han had no choice but to save her.
In the end, things had gone exactly as Choi Soo-hyun intended.
To calculate that far in a split second and throw the ring… it was a very Choi Soo-hyun thing to do.
Eun-young clenched her fist, the ring on her finger.
This was Choi Soo-hyun's ring.
Even if Choi Soo-hyun had thrown it at Yoo Ji-han, it wasn't a ring Ji-han should possess.
Eun-young felt she had simply reclaimed what was rightfully hers.
*‘That aside, what kind of ring is this?’*
Even Eun-young, who had never used any special items before, could tell this ring was extraordinary the moment she channeled her mana into it.
To be honest, she was reluctant to give it back, and she felt like grabbing Choi Soo-hyun by the collar for carelessly tossing around such an insane item.
“Kukuk, hahahaha! Do you think that will change anything? This is my temple!”
As the killing intent grew thicker, Eun-young clenched her fists.
A faint aura flowed from the mana-infused ring, protecting Eun-young.
Eun-young took a deep breath.
“I’ll save you.”
“Save me? Who is saving whom?! Foolish mortal! You are…”
“She’s right.”
“Huh?”
“Stay out of it.”
Yoo Ji-han twisted his body slightly and kicked Eun-young.
She blocked his foot with both arms, but her body was sent flying into the wall.
“This crazy bastard…”
“Don’t get cocky just because you have that measly ring.”
Yoo Ji-han raised a hand above his head, and a sword materialized in it.
Drawing the sword, Yoo Ji-han blocked the black substance that shot out from Jeong Hyeon-seong's arm.
A noise like clashing steel rang out.
[Why. Do you. Interfere! You have no reason to!]
Ji-han exhaled.
He spun his body, moving his sword.
A violet afterimage trailed behind Ji-han's blade.
It wasn't just an afterimage.
It was a powerful killing intent, an aura bordering on resentment.
Jeong Hyeon-seong retreated and placed a hand on the ground.
The narrow space wavered and instantly expanded.
Black forms shaped like snakes emerged.
What she thought was skin was actually thousands of eyes, large and small.
At Hyeon-seong's signal, they opened their mouths in unison and descended upon Ji-han.
Ji-han lowered the tip of his sword to the ground and took his stance.
He raised the sword slightly above his head.
He swung his sword at the approaching snake-like figures.
One by one. They were sliced cleanly, as if cutting through paper.
Eun-young, having come to her senses, took in the sight.
Ji-han's attack was less like swordsmanship and more like a sword dance.
The swiftly moving sword appeared slow, each movement distinct and beautiful.
The tip of Ji-han's sword drew violet petals.
The petals scattered in all directions, mercilessly tearing the snakes' bodies apart.
Time seemed to slow down.
Perhaps it wasn't slowing down at all.
This very space and time were being overwhelmed by Ji-han.
It was an incredibly fast sword.
Ji-han lowered his sword and exhaled.
Time, which had felt slow, returned to its normal pace.
The eyes on their skin shed black blood, screaming as if crying tears of blood.
They shattered into hundreds of pieces, scattering everywhere.
Ji-han spat out a piece that had gotten into his mouth and wiped his cheek.
“Interfere?”
“…”
“You’re the one who got in the way first, you bastard. And you're complaining about me? You got a death wish?”