Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Final Settlement
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Lee Hyuk-soo stared blankly at the 'miracle' pouring from Park Chan-woo's hand.
He heard talk of mana or divine power, but in Lee Hyuk-soo's eyes, that destructive force couldn't be explained by anything other than the word 'miracle'.
Something that defied common sense.
A phenomenon one could only believe was wrought by a god.
Yes. That was it.
'The power of a god.'
Thus, Park Chan-woo, who wielded that miracle, was a god.
The Prophet had clearly lost his power.
He had exhausted his mana, spat blood, and fallen into the worst possible situation.
But in an instant, as if it had never happened, he turned the tables.
He summoned another shadow and unleashed the miracle.
... No limits.
The Prophet's abilities knew no end.
Thump! Thump!
Lee Hyuk-soo gazed at the scene of destruction.
Everywhere the black particles passed evaporated as if they had never existed.
And with that, the Great Conqueror Khan's body was crumbling away.
The monster that wouldn't die even with its head severed.
Now falling alongside the palace.
'A new path. Trials entirely different.'
Lee Hyuk-soo took in every step the Prophet took.
The road he walked was clearly different from the predetermined path.
It had started as a fight between pursuers and fugitives.
Yet the Prophet didn't join their battle. Instead, he sought out entirely different trials.
He found Khan's palace, conquered the ten trials, and even took down Khan himself.
And every part of that process had been entirely new.
He shattered common sense, ignored the easy path, created additional events and situations, and forged his own route.
The result was something beyond imagination.
Lee Hyuk-soo's eyes widened hugely.
The messages that popped up the moment Khan vanished with the palace.
Each line far exceeded his expectations.
And it wasn't just the messages.
Changes were happening in reality too.
'Goddess of the Battlefield!'
A goddess materialized above his head.
A massive illusory figure crossing the heavens.
Holy wings of light scattering feathers.
The Goddess of the Battlefield, hands clasped, bestowed blessings and protection upon Lee Hyuk-soo.
Emitting light vast enough to be seen across the entire second night battlefield.
'Why me and not the Prophet?'
But it was a mystery.
Lee Hyuk-soo hadn't done much of anything.
He hadn't been able to properly demonstrate his skills in any of these trials and ordeals.
The foes that appeared were simply too powerful for that.
So why had the 'Goddess of the Battlefield' chosen him, who had fought alongside the Prophet, over the Prophet himself? He couldn't fathom it.
Lee Hyuk-soo looked up at the goddess.
The goddess offered no answer.
She didn't even twitch.
She was merely a form made of light.
Lee Hyuk-soo lowered his gaze to Park Chan-woo.
As the release of divine power ended, 'Tsarpham' was reverse-summoned.
His mana was completely depleted, not a speck remaining.
He looked utterly spent, as if he might collapse at any moment.
"You did well. Thanks to you, we could kill Khan."
Yet he quietly expressed his gratitude.
Lee Hyuk-soo's eyes wavered.
"I didn't do anything..."
"Lee Hyuk-soo. If you hadn't stepped up and drawn Khan's attention, it would've been dangerous."
Was that true?
Really?
Because Lee Hyuk-soo had distracted Khan, had the Prophet bought time to recover his mana and unleash the miracle?
At that moment, the Prophet looked up at the sky.
"Anyway, congratulations. Looks like the 'Goddess of the Battlefield' is with you now."
"...I don't know why she chose me."
"You have the qualifications."
"...?"
Qualifications.
He didn't possess anything particularly worthy of being called a qualification.
There was nothing the goddess would covet.
Yet why did the Prophet speak as if it were the most natural thing?
'Forcibly bound to Khan's land.'
Park Chan-woo nodded inwardly.
He had a rough idea why the 'Goddess of the Battlefield' had chosen Lee Hyuk-soo.
She had likely been forcibly bound by 'Khan'.
She preferred Lee Hyuk-soo over himself, who dominated Khan's territory.
Such entities existed occasionally.
Objects worshipped for long periods or imbued with special powers could attain a sort of 'divinity'.
The Holy Grail of the Demon-Sealing God and the God of Offerings were like that.
If the Goddess of the Battlefield had chosen Lee Hyuk-soo, he had no regrets.
One could only possess one such divinity anyway.
He already held the 'Holy Grail of the Demon-Sealing God', so it was only natural he couldn't receive the goddess's blessing.
Unaware of this, Lee Hyuk-soo looked at him with eyes tinged with respect.
He seemed utterly without regret.
'I need to follow him, even a little. Before he vanishes completely from sight.'
Ambition stirred.
Not mere desire to grow stronger.
But a desire to follow the Prophet, even a step.
To dip even a foot into his world.
Though the gap was so vast now he couldn't even perceive it.
He wanted to earn the qualifications to taste that world, even a little.
To do that, he had to move quickly.
No time to rest.
The Prophet's grace wouldn't last forever.
To repay it even a little, to become of use, he couldn't afford to slack.
But he wasn't worried.
What you don't know, you can't attain. But he had seen it with his own eyes.
Heaven beyond heaven.
The heavens above the heavens.
His horizons broadened, knowledge gained—what remained was to follow.
Of course, in his own way.
Lee Hyuk-soo intended to become a 'path-maker' as well.
"...Thank you."
Lee Hyuk-soo bowed his head.
With all his heart.
"...You have nothing to thank me for."
Park Chan-woo cleared his throat awkwardly and turned away.
Lee Hyuk-soo using formal speech was awkward enough, but that attitude felt utterly unfamiliar.
Whether he minded or not, Lee Hyuk-soo kept his head down for a while.
...Until other 'messages' appeared before his eyes.
Levels were rising.
Madly, steeply.
To a degree he could scarcely believe even seeing it with his own eyes.
This was insane. Utterly mad.
Ten levels at once.
Was this even possible?
"Cough!"
Lee Hyuk-soo let out a startled cough.
He hadn't done much, yet ten million points!
Dashing through Khan's palace back and forth, he'd racked up a total of thirty million contribution points.
Probably no other participant had reached even a million.
Lee Hyuk-soo looked at the Prophet once more.
'How many did he get?'
...So how many had the Prophet, who slew Khan alone, earned?
One thing was certain: even if all participants combined their points, they wouldn't match what the Prophet had alone.
His feats were that extraordinary.
Just being able to witness them was an honor.
"Well then, see you next time."
The Prophet shrugged and spoke.
As if it were time to part.
The 'second night' was nearing its end.
Khan's death had advanced the termination time.
Soon, Park Chan-woo turned away.
Without a hint of regret.
Having completed all he set out to do, he looked refreshed.
Lee Hyuk-soo watched his retreating back with wistful eyes and opened his mouth.
"...Yes. Until next time."
As he departed, Park Chan-woo looked up at the sky with a satisfied smile.
'The settlement turned out better than expected.'
He had received more than he imagined.
And it wasn't just contribution points.
His levels had risen nicely too.
'A whole five levels up.'
From -89 to -84.
Seeing his stalled levels rise brought a sense of leeway.
Still a long way from -99 to level 1—about 510 days or so before death if he didn't make it—but he'd confirmed it wasn't zero possibility.
'Definitely needs more experience than others.'
Didn't matter.
Minus levels brought positive effects too.
The gains from them were staggering.
In fact, being at minus levels yielded more benefits than normal ones.
Park Chan-woo reviewed the floating messages again.
It was right then that cries of 'Thank you!' began erupting across the 'second night' domain.