Chapter 269
Chapter 269
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 269
Chapter Title: The Followers
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ialdagols summoned the followers scattered across the entire Abyss.
As a result, they swarmed into the "Land of Valhalla" like a tidal wave, turning the place into a bustling hub.
'Ants?'
It looked just like a horde of massive soldier ants.
These ants, each the size of an adult wild boar, marched in perfect rows and columns.
The procession was so long it created the illusion of a black wave crashing toward them.
And if they were just oversized ants, they might have been dismissed as mutated monsters. But that wasn't the only difference.
Their entire exoskeletons were encased in a bluish ore.
As if it had been hardened into something unbreakable.
Soon, the antennae of the largest ant—twice the size of the others at the front—began to twitch.
A voice emanated through the antennae, broadcasting to all.
"We have gathered here after hearing the revelation of our god, Ialdagols. Guardians of the holy land, is Lord Ialdagols truly here?"
They had come by warping after receiving the revelation.
From the looks of it, these ants saw Park Chan-woo and Adora as mere gatekeepers of the holy site.
Adora spoke up.
"A species I've never seen before."
"We are the 'Crystal Ant' tribe. We are the only followers of Lord Ialdagols who have maintained our lineage until now."
Crystal Ants.
They were a race that lived deep underground in the Abyss.
By burrowing into the earth and nesting near special crystals, they had survived even the fall of the Abyss.
Moreover, they had spread out across countless Abysses, forming colonies.
But no matter how far apart they were, they could share memories through the power of those special crystals. That was how they had remained fervent followers of Ialdagols even after eons.
'Impressive.'
Park Chan-woo was inwardly astonished.
There seemed to be no small number of Crystal Ants.
Just what he could see numbered over 100,000.
Considering not all had arrived yet, the total was undoubtedly far greater.
For an unknown 'undiscovered species,' that was far too many.
Besides, if their very bodies were made of jewels, they should have been famous long ago.
"Have you been hiding all this time?"
When Park Chan-woo asked, the lead Crystal Ant replied.
"We were gathering our strength. Preparing for the glorious day when our god, Lord Ialdagols, would resurrect."
"How many years have you waited?"
"7,831 years."
...It was a span of time that left him speechless.
However, even followers of an evil god had finite lifespans as living beings. Over generations, the 'devotion' would naturally fade.
"Your entire race waited solely for Ialdagols' resurrection all that time?"
"We Crystal Ants exist alongside the 'Mother Crystal.' Through it, we share all thoughts, souls, and memories. The other beings of the Abyss call it 'spirit stones.'"
Spirit stones!
The treasure of treasures occasionally found in ruined worlds.
A gem rarer than magic stones, coveted by all.
Did that mean these ants were deeply connected to spirit stones?
Without high-grade spirit stones, the primordial god Arcana wouldn't have taken its current form.
At best, it would have been limited to an ordinary giant deity.
"Anyway, I believe our explanation suffices. Where is Lord Ialdagols...?"
"That tree over there is your god."
"...?"
For a moment, unrest rippled through the ants.
Park Chan-woo was pointing precisely at the "Inexplicable Tree" visible across the land.
In an instant.
As Ialdagols spoke, every ant's antennae shot straight up in unison.
"Lord Ialdagols!"
"Why have you become a giant tree?" "Does this mean you haven't fully resurrected?"
The ants sighed in unison.
They had firmly believed that the moment Ialdagols resurrected, the days of former glory would return.
But Ialdagols had become a tree.
Though its divinity was palpable at last, the form of the "Devourer" that once terrified the cosmos was nowhere to be seen.
Brrrr!
The ants' antennae trembled wildly at the powerful divine command.
Regardless, Ialdagols was their lord and god.
No one could defy the word of a god.
Besides, the 'Mother Crystal' revered by the Crystal Ants preserved intact the memories and spirits of ancestors utterly loyal to Ialdagols.
"We obey the word of our god!"
"We obey!"
Over 100,000 ants shouted in unison.
Then, the large ant at the front turned to Park Chan-woo.
"Our god has spoken. We are to treat you as his equal. My name is 'Necta.' If it's not too rude, may I ask your name?"
"Park Chan-woo."
"Park Chan-woo! Will you permit us to relocate our 'Mother Crystal' here so our tribe may remain on this land?"
They were a race that lived near crystals.
Without the Mother Crystal, they couldn't stay in this holy land.
Park Chan-woo glanced at Adora.
She was the nominal owner of this place, after all.
Seeing her nod, he replied.
"I permit it."
"Thank you! We will place the 'Mother Crystal' beneath Lord Ialdagols' roots. It won't disrupt the holy land's appearance, so rest assured."
Honestly, he was curious too.
If their 'spirit stone' was the real deal, it might unravel the secrets of spirit stones.
And the next day.
Park Chan-woo and everyone else could only gape in shock.
...A mountain-sized 'spirit stone' had entered the Land of Valhalla.
Ataraxia's eyes wavered.
Even though she prided herself on having seen plenty of spirit stones, this was a size she'd never encountered before.
'Is that really a spirit stone?'
It felt like confronting a transcendental energy source.
If something like that were buried underground, the dragonkin would have detected it.
Yet neither the Crystal Ant tribe nor this colossal spirit stone had ever been known to them.
How had they hidden for thousands of years without detection?
Soon, the reason revealed itself.
Srrrr!
The ants' bodies melted away as if assimilating with the earth.
The 'Mother Crystal' then shrank slightly and vanished underground along with them.
That was it.
Afterward, no presence or trace of mana could be felt.
"...It has perfectly merged with the earth."
"Yes. Our Crystal Ant tribe can become one with the land."
Necta answered.
It was flawless camouflage that no one could detect.
Not even Adora, the master of the land, could sense it.
"And this is a gift."
Necta offered several small, transparent gems.
Seeing them, Park Chan-woo was inwardly surprised.
"...Spirit stones?"
"Yes. When our Crystal Ant tribe molts, we produce small crystals... spirit stones."
"Is that why spirit stones are only found in ruined worlds?"
"Yes. Likely, our shed exoskeletons and other 'Mother Crystals' we leave behind are what get discovered. In any case, we'll gift them every time our kin molts."
This must be what they meant by treasure coming with the vine.
Thanks to Ialdagols, he'd gained an unknown race that automatically produced spirit stones.
"Park Chan-woo. For a while, we must remain here to select our 'queen.' Until then, may we quietly settle on this land? We won't cause any harm."
"Selecting a queen?"
"We are workers. We can repair and create crystals, hide perfectly, but we lack combat ability. All must gather to elect a 'queen' to produce 'warriors.' We've nurtured the 'Mother Crystal' all this time solely for this moment..."
"I understand."
Park Chan-woo nodded.
Their ways weren't much different from ants or bees.
The queen ant would use the Mother Crystal's power to create soldier ants.
With such an unprecedentedly massive and radiant Mother Crystal, just how powerful would the warriors be?
Plus, periodic 'free spirit stones' as a bonus. It was a win-win.
'Crystal Ants. So they are the spirit stones themselves.'
The mystery of spirit stones that had puzzled him for so long was solved.
Now he knew why they only appeared sporadically in ruined worlds.
A race with perfect stealth, living hidden on others' lands.
Only when the Abyss fell would their corpses emerge as spirit stones.
'Now, all that's left is preparing for the fourth night.'
In two days.
The fourth night would open.
Not opened by the Moon's Lord Aheta, but by the 'Demon King of Karmic Flames' for the first time.
Since it was the demon king's first move, thorough preparation was essential.
Moreover, there was a high chance he was searching for the one who bankrupted Aheta.
Park Chan-woo pondered briefly.
How to approach the 'fourth night.'
He couldn't drag Adora and Ataraxia along.
They had demolished over 300 Abysses and were somewhat exposed.
They probably couldn't even enter the 'fourth night' anyway.
With everything sorted, Park Chan-woo gathered the two whose identities remained hidden and who could potentially enter the fourth night.
"Chiu, Hanmir."
"Yes. Command us as you will."
"... ."
Chiu's eyes gleamed, while Hanmir still looked dazed.
Having moved from the practitioner's mountain, the two had been too stunned by the miracles unfolding in the Land of Valhalla to regain their composure.
They were freshly reminded of just how extraordinary and great he was.
Looking at the two with their starkly different attitudes, Park Chan-woo said,
"I need you to come with me."
"To the ends of hell itself!"
"... ."
"Huff, huff, huuuff...!"
Lee Hyuk-soo gasped for breath after finishing his training.
His body was covered in throbbing wounds, but he ignored them.
'In two days, the fourth night opens.'
He had to get even a little stronger.
Soon, a young man at the training ground entrance cried out in shock.
"Master! Your wounds haven't even healed yet, and you're at it again...!"
It was Han Min-oh.
The injuries covering Lee Hyuk-soo's body showed no sign of healing.
Whenever they seemed about to mend, he pushed too hard, reopening and worsening them.
"What if you suddenly get 'sniped' like this?"
"...I'm fine. The 'snipes' have become much less frequent lately. It must be connected to the Abysses vanishing from Korea."
A month ago, Lee Hyuk-soo had endured a barrage of 'indiscriminate snipes.'
Countless creators had unleashed snipe Abysses targeting him.
The relentless assaults had nearly killed him several times.
But in the last week, no more 'snipe Abysses' had opened.
Lee Hyuk-soo believed it was linked to the mass disappearance of creator Abysses in Korea.
Strange things kept happening.
He couldn't just sit idle.
'Thanks to the continuous snipes, I've grown a lot stronger.'
Besides, compared to a month ago, he'd grown to an absurd degree.
Level, gear, skills—all of it.
Even if the fourth night's host had changed, he was confident he wouldn't go down easily.
'...No contact from the 'Prophet' all this time.'
The worrying part was the absence of the 'Prophet.'
Over a month with no outreach.
He worried something might have happened.
But Lee Hyuk-soo shook his head firmly.
He couldn't rely on the 'Prophet' forever.
"Time to head out."
"Uh, where to?"
"Halla Mountain."
"...To the 'Black Hole'?"
Black Hole.
The anomaly that had suddenly appeared on Baekdu Mountain.
For some reason, he had a strong hunch it was connected to the fourth night.
"I heard no one who's gone there has come back alive. Isn't it too dangerous?"
"You don't have to follow."
"What kind of talk is that! If the needle goes where the thread does!"
As Lee Hyuk-soo moved immediately, Han Min-oh hurried after him.
But even as he joked, Han Min-oh's expression remained grim.
'I heard Jeju Island and Halla Mountain are hell right now...'