The Birth of Prophetic Art

"What?"

Both Tae-hyun and Carbanog were completely taken aback. Was... was that actually true?

Just like with Count Besgo, the exact same quest window popped up for the painters here. A bizarre phenomenon where a player with a low Art skill assists NPCs with high Art skills! This was a miracle that could only occur within the Archisus Church.

Well, they are my church, so I should help them as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠much as possible.

Tae-hyun prepared his Archisus Authority skills. The ultimate Archisus Authority combo chain: Blessing, Divine Domain, and Dice!

"I shall assist you."

"Pardon?"

"No... Your Holiness. Pfft. What do you know about art...?"

The painters burst into laughter. They believed in Archisus, but how could someone who had never even held a brush assist in the creation of great art?

"Your Holiness. Art is..."

These guys don't exactly look artistic either, Tae-hyun thought to himself as he looked at the paintings hanging nearby. No matter how he looked at them, they were completely incomprehensible!

Moreover, the effects they granted were so bizarre and strange that he could see why this art form was unpopular. No wonder players didn't bother learning this branch of art!

In the first place, "Random Art" is...

In short, wasn't it just splashing paint all over the place?

"Hmph. What a bunch of arrogant fools. I shall show you the power of Archisus," Tae-hyun said solemnly. It was time to show these novices the true power of Archisus!

Flash!

As Tae-hyun unleashed his Authority skills in rapid succession, the painters' eyes widened. What... what was this surging wave of luck?

"Now! Paint!"

"Ah! Yes! Right away!"

The painters scrambled into action. Cain, who had been thoroughly dunked in paint, was dragged back and forth across the canvas, leaving chaotic streaks.

"Faster! Pick up the pace!"

Tae-hyun urged the painters forward, following the path illuminated by his Divine Foresight skill.

Swish, swish, swish, swish—

Then, miraculously, a painting began to take shape. It was a depiction of a massive Demon Duke threatening the continent.

"???"

Tae-hyun and Carbanog, who had assisted, were the most shocked of all. No... they had literally just grabbed Cain and shaken him around, so how did a painting like this turn out?? Was this a scam?

Tae-hyun was dumbfounded by the message stating that this garbage skill was actually the precursor to a powerful skill called Prophetic Art. Honestly, he had thought everyone here was just a life-loser like Pelmas...!

To think they were actually incredible people preserving a grand tradition passed down since ancient times!

Even players had dismissed this guild, wondering, 'Wouldn't Fire Art or Frost Art be better?' Who would have thought such a secret was hidden here?

But the quest wasn't over. The next quest immediately appeared.

Oh? Really?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Tae-hyun was surprised. He knew the Archisus Church was often feared by other denominations, but he had assumed it was because of their schemes and underhanded tricks, not their pure abilities. Did that mean their prophecies were truly that accurate and powerful?

...Let's just read the rest of the quest window.

"A-Ah!"

"We made a masterpiece like this!"

"Prophetic Art! We actually created a real piece of art! It's not garbage!"

"But why is a Demon Duke threatening the continent?"

"Who knows? Aren't those guys always invading the continent whenever they get bored?"

"Anyway, that's not what's important right now! Look! We've completed our first proper piece of art!"

If they hadn't made a single painting, weren't they just self-proclaimed painters?

But the painters were completely drunk on their own achievement, running wild with excitement.

"Your Holiness! This is all thanks to you! Archisus must have sent you to us!"

"Praise Archisus!"

"I'm so glad I stuck with this faith after the Demer Church rejected my application to convert!"

"......"

Tae-hyun felt a strange sense of familiarity in their words. Ah, these guys were truly fitting of Archisus!

If this were any other church, they would have been screaming, 'How blasphemous!' but Tae-hyun wasn't shocked or disappointed at all. He hadn't expected anything from them in the first place.

Carbanog was once again impressed by Tae-hyun's patience. The Avatar had many talents, but perhaps his greatest talent of all was his sheer endurance.

"Listen, painters. I require your assistance."

"We will do whatever you command!"

"You must use the Prophetic Art skill to locate the hidden temple of Archisus. Can you do it?"

The painters grinned. They were no longer the troublemakers of the guild. They were great artists who had discovered the true form of the skill they had been searching for! That was who they were.

"Your Holiness. When was the greatest moment of your life?"

"I don't know about the greatest, but the worst was when I was forced to change classes to the Avatar of Archisus..."

"For us, it is right now! Please, take a seat! We shall repay your grace!"

The painters spoke with sudden, dignified confidence, as if they had become entirely different people. Even Cain flinched at the imposing aura radiating from these men who had looked so shabby and pathetic just moments ago.

"Now, Slave! Come here!"

"...What did you say, you bastards?!"

"A-Ah, no. Why are you getting so angry?"

"I'm only a slave in name! My status within the church is actually very high!"

"Oh. Is that so?"

Flustered by Cain's outburst, the painters bowed their heads. Cain looked thoroughly pleased and satisfied with their reaction.

"Well then, esteemed Slave. Please step this way."

"Please step into the paint bucket."

"......"

Their tone had become polite, but what they were actually doing hadn't changed one bit.

"...The Sadiq Church was destroyed a long time ago, and its roots were completely pulverized. There's no way it's resurrecting."

"W-We will try again!"

Damiano II. He was the king of the Atali Kingdom who had already died a long time ago.

At this point, Tae-hyun's face began to sour.

This... is incredibly inaccurate!

Yeah, I figured.

Only when Tae-hyun poured in his Authority skills like before would they barely manage to produce one decent result! He could see exactly why this church had gone bankrupt. No matter how useful prophecy was, this was just too much.

"What a waste of cooldowns. Wait a moment. ...Alright, they're ready. Here I go. Make sure you paint it properly this time, okay?"

"Trust us!"

"This might look like a failure, but it actually holds a deep, profound meaning..."

"Shut up. Alright, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'm using the skills!"

Tae-hyun decided to go for quantity over quality. He would have them paint as much as possible first, and then sift through the chaff to find the gold!

"Hmm..."

Tae-hyun fell into deep thought. Actually, there wasn't much to think about. Out of all of these, only one looked like a temple!

"This The Hidden Temple of Archisus seems useful."

"Hehe. As expected of the Pope. You certainly have an eye for art."

"Your artistic talent is..."

Tae-hyun checked the painting. The surroundings were depicted in quite high detail, making it look easy enough to follow.

Oh.

It was detailed enough to add map information!

This should be good enough.

Tae-hyun checked the other two paintings as well.

"Well, the fall of the Auston Kingdom... that seems highly unlikely."

The Guild Alliance or the Midas Guild. Although they were always getting beaten up by Tae-hyun, they were still massive, top-tier guilds in Pandemonium Online. Considering their sheer power, they wouldn't fall easily, even if the Erangs Kingdom and the newly formed Guild Coalition attacked them.

"And the resurrection of a dead dragon... that's something that absolutely must not happen."

A dead dragon. To Tae-hyun, who had earned the Dragon Slayer title, those words were incredibly chilling.

"...Heuk-heuk. Just in case, let me ask you. The dragon in this painting... it doesn't look like a Black Dragon, does it? Right?"

Tae-hyun suddenly thought of Hakkaras! Since he was the only player in Pandemonium Online who had ever slain a dragon, he couldn't help but feel a prick of guilt.

- Master. Looking at the color, it appears to be a Black Dragon?

- Heuk-heuk. This is a black-and-white painting to begin with.

- Ah. Ah.

- Master. From what I can see... this looks like a Red Dragon.

- How can you tell?!

- It literally says "Red Dragon" written at the bottom.

- ......

Listening to the pathetic conversation between the two dragons, Tae-hyun fell into deep thought.

Had he ever slain a Red Dragon?

I haven't, right? I didn't kill Nitinger either. Phew. Good thing I didn't. I already have more than enough enemies; I almost added another one to the list. Carbanog. Archisus didn't scam the Red Dragon tribe too, did he?

Tae-hyun felt somewhat relieved by Carbanog's words. Right. Prophecies were inherently uncertain, so these were highly likely to be wrong anyway!

"Your Holiness. By any chance, would it be alright if we went outside and used Prophetic Art on the general public?"

"Are you planning to train your skill to raise its level? What a commendable thought. Yes, as your skill level rises, your accuracy will surely improve as well."

"...N-No. We just wanted to charge them money for it..."

"......"