Chapter 867
Chapter 867
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 867
Chapter Title: God's Atlantis
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I checked the notification windows popping up one after another. The curse's effect seemed real enough—my body suddenly felt much heavier.
10%.
Some might think that's nothing much, but the higher your stats, the more that 10% drop hits like a truck. It felt closer to 20% or more, and my overall condition was crumbling.
Joo Seo-hyun and I quickly changed clothes and burst out of the storage room. I could just summon my weapon, but she had none on hand right now, so she grabbed a decent tree branch. Thanks to her unique trait, Sword Emperor (S), even a branch would be fairly useful in her hands.
Bang!
We smashed open the chapel doors and charged inside. Chaos reigned within. People were venting their anxiety in every direction.
"W-what the hell?! A special hidden zone? Never even heard of it!"
"Everyone, calm down first and let's act rationally. Does anyone know what seat the Lion of Prophecy holds?"
"Fuck. If I'd known this would happen, I would've scraped together the cash for a carriage no matter what."
It was pandemonium.
They drew their weapons and huddled in their groups, eyeing each other warily.
"Kyaaaaaah!"
One woman let out a scream that drowned out the noise. Everyone's gazes snapped to her, then followed where she was staring.
The chapel ceiling.
A man dangled there like a pendulum. Blood dripped steadily from his half-torn neck. Next to him, there was a hole punched through the ceiling.
The chapel fell silent as if doused in water. No one here was some pushover civilian. A single corpse wouldn't make them gasp or retch—their experience wouldn't allow it. The screaming woman was the outlier here.
"Komin!"
"Komin was right next to me just a minute ago!"
"F-first, let's get Komin down!"
A group cautiously began lowering the body.
Joo Seo-hyun and I approached our party with hardened expressions. Thankfully, everyone was unharmed. Lee Min-jeong was trembling in fear, Yoo Seo-hee looked outright pissed and in poor condition. Rilsne gripped her bow, eyes calmly lowered as she spread her senses around. Yoo In-ha was primed to cast magic at any moment, and Ji Young-bin held his weapon at the ready, on guard.
"Yoo In-ha, Ji Young-bin. What the hell happened? Explain."
"……."
Yoo In-ha rolled her eyes toward Ji Young-bin. I recalled that Yoo In-ha had been dozing off before Joo Seo-hyun and I left the chapel.
"Sung Yu-jin-ssi. I'll explain. So, about a minute ago, the ceiling suddenly exploded. We thought lightning had struck, but on closer inspection, there were no traces of it."
"…It felt like something heavy fell from the ceiling. Though all that hit the floor was debris from it."
Rilsne followed up. According to her, some unidentified something had come through the ceiling and hidden itself somewhere in the chapel.
I extended my senses. Scanning every corner of the chapel. Nothing came up.
'…Either it's too strong for my senses to detect, or it doesn't exist.'
I clicked my tongue. If Kang Myung-jin were here, things would be different. He had Dragon Eye (S). Finding the hidden was his specialty.
"For now, don't move rashly and keep on guard. Yoo In-ha. Can you put up a barrier spell?"
"…I've been trying since earlier, but the barrier won't activate at all. Some special power in this place is interfering."
"What a pain. Got it. Everyone, stick closer together. Don't let your guard down just because there's a wall behind you. Some monsters hide in walls too. Especially evil spirits—walls are more dangerous with them."
They moved according to my instructions.
"Evil spirits… Just thinking about it is horrifying."
Ji Young-bin recoiled. The ex-Marine feared ghosts.
"…In that case, can't we just run out of the church?"
Joo Seo-hyun said. She tossed the branch and drew her sword. As tension built, the blade hummed ominously. Pure swordsmanship alone—even excluding stats and skills—Joo Seo-hyun had already surpassed me.
"This is a special hidden zone."
"…What's that mean?"
"It's like a moving disaster. Normal zones don't move. You have to find and conquer them. But special hidden zones wander around and swallow people whole. Like right now."
Special hidden zones were like storms—natural disasters. But with luck, they could be a jackpot. Clearing one granted rewards.
Crash!
Four men shattered a chapel window. Rain and wind poured in not just from the ceiling, but the windows too.
"Going out the front door is suicide. Let's use the windows!"
"Damn it… Talk about bad luck."
They stepped toward the window. And stopped. Blocked by something invisible, unable to exit.
"M-my body won't mo—hngh?!"
Something pitch-black appeared outside. I focused my eyes on it. A pastor's robes… on a lion. No—human body, but the head was a lion.
The lion gaped its jaws and chomped the man demonstratively.
"So the Lion of Prophecy is that bastard. Rilsne!"
"Yes!"
Joo Seo-hyun and I attacked the lion simultaneously. Lightning and arrows sliced the air, but couldn't pass the window—blocked by something unseen.
"Kehhehehel!"
The lion-headed pastor, having swiftly devoured two men's heads, let out a creepy laugh. It scanned the people left inside the chapel, then vanished like dust in the wind.
"That pastor, Domenico?"
"Yes. Probably."
The most suspicious guy here. Had to be Domenico. I clicked my tongue, reignited the doused bonfire with lightning amid the storm. Rilsne perked her ears, vigilance sharpening even further.
"Sub-Master."
Ji Young-bin called to me.
"What now?"
"What should we do?"
"Wait. Until the hidden zone's rules reveal themselves. I'll say it upfront: Follow the zone's rules to the letter. Sticking to the rules is the easiest and safest way to clear these."
Everyone nodded solemnly. People from other groups overheard and started murmuring among themselves.
"Lee Min-jeong. You okay? You look pale."
Lee Min-jeong's face was ashen. Sweating coldly, she gripped two short swords tightly. Her trembling body looked unstable.
"I-I'm fine. I can fight."
This won't do. Lee Min-jeong was more unstable than usual. I had Absolute Mind, so I couldn't tell, but maybe the special hidden zone was affecting her badly.
The others seemed to think the same.
"Yoo Seo-hee. How about you?"
"…I feel off. But not enough to keep me from fighting."
Not as bad as Lee Min-jeong, but Yoo Seo-hee's complexion was pale too. Poor condition.
I checked the notifications again.
Survive and eliminate enemies. That was probably the clear condition. The enemy was the pastor. Meaning survival was priority one for now.
Over 30 minutes passed. With nothing happening, the taut tension loosened. Humans adapt, even to this.
"S-sub-Master."
I turned from watching Lee Min-jeong to Ji Young-bin.
"What is it?"
"How about cooperating with the others? I talked briefly with the Anrei Legion group over there—they didn't seem bad. Wouldn't grouping up improve our survival odds?"
I smirked. No need to reply. Ji Young-bin got the hint and frowned. Kang Myung-jin might've persuaded nicely, but not me. I had zero interest in coddling Ji Young-bin.
Everyone's faces hardened at the notifications.
I stood and approached two men in the corner. Originally four, but half had been eaten by the lion-headed pastor Domenico.
"W-what do you want."
"Stay back. Come any closer and we won't hold back."
They raised their swords. Pathetic. Too weak to drive me off. Ignoring their warnings, I closed in. They swung, but the blades never touched me.
My hands seized their faces.
'Lightning.'
A surge bright enough to light the chapel coursed through them. It didn't take long for them to crumple as corpses.
I ignored the King of Demonic Sky. He wanted me to abandon my party, but I couldn't ditch my lovely pussies.
"A-Plan Legion's Sub-Master. Stop right there."
Gazes turned to me.
"What?"
"Got nothing to say to us?"
"Nope."
"…You decided the sacrifices without consulting us. No, you murdered them. We see you as the second biggest threat after the pastor."
"You all planning to gang up on me?"
Crackle.
Lightning sparked in my hand, and the bold-talking man faltered.
"I-I'm giving you a chance. Hand over the selection right."
"You saw the notifications too. It's a reward given to me, expires in 10 minutes. And only one can escape. Who among you?"
"……."
They eyed each other, hesitating. 27 people in the chapel now, split into 6 groups. No loyalty to yield their lifeline.
"Sell it to me. I'll give you this fine sword in exchange."
One man showed me his blade.
"Trash."
I sneered and returned to my party. Reactions varied—not great. Joo Seo-hyun eyed me disapprovingly, even Rilsne looked conflicted. Ji Young-bin openly scowled. Only Yoo Seo-hee smiled at me.
"Sub-Master. Did you have to kill them right away?"
"If I hadn't killed two, four would've died. Or do you think we should've voted nicely?"
"…That's… Sorry."
Ji Young-bin sighed an apology.
I looked around and said,
"I'll choose Yoo Seo-hee. Any objections?"
Ji Young-bin spoke up.
"Sub-Master. Wouldn't picking Min-jeong be better?"
"Leaving Min-jeong alone outside? In her current state, that seems riskier."
"……."
Everyone fell silent, agreeing.
Yoo Seo-hee's direct combat power was low in our group, and she was in bad shape. Logically, her.
"Y-Yu-jin-ssi. I can fight!"
"I know. Still, wait outside."
I gripped her shoulder firmly.
"…If that's what you want, Yu-jin-ssi… Okay."
Yoo Seo-hee vanished without a trace.