Chapter 234
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 234
Chapter Title: Imaginary Barrier
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It was around the time Eleanor was deep into learning advanced holy magic at the holy site of the Ariclotos Church.
Having finally succeeded in harboring divinity within her body for an extended period, Eleanor flashed a grin at Pope Elahim.
"How about it? This should be good enough, right?"
"Hmm..."
Even as Eleanor asked, the Pope silently observed the divinity flowing from her body.
Unsure of what he meant, Eleanor pressed again.
"So, what do you think? This is plenty, isn't it? Right?"
"Tsk, tsk..."
All that came back was the sound of him clicking his tongue.
"You're still a long way off."
"What?! Come on, I've done this much already—what more do you want? The other priests can't even manage this much!"
"Tsk, tsk. How can a novice who can't even sense the changes in the energy flowing from their own body claim it's 'enough'?"
"What? Changes in the flowing energy? It's the same as always... Huh?"
The holy power was different from usual.
"This... it's hard to put into words, but something's off."
"Figure out what that difference is. That'll be your next assignment."
"Figure out the difference...?"
What could it be?
Elahim offered no further explanation before leaving the sanctuary. Left alone, Eleanor spent the entire day focusing on the golden holy power enveloping her hands.
The holy power felt no different from before.
The effects of her holy magic were the same.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, as always.
But... something was definitely different.
"Ah..."
The sudden realization hit her while gazing at the night sky filled with stars and moonlight.
A sensation of being utterly alone in the vast cosmos.
Whenever her gaze drifted upward, her eyes—covered by black bandages—would throb faintly.
It was probably her unconscious sensing the outer gods beyond the universe.
Those moments always brought a profound loneliness and endless void.
"...So that's it."
But not now.
No sense of isolation.
Even in this moment, she belonged to this world, and a powerful energy affirmed it.
Holy power.
When had this force she's wielded her whole life ever filled her with such fulfillment?
"It's like... the energy itself is alive. As if it's just awakened from a long slumber."
No other changes.
Her holy magic still performed no better than before.
Yet Eleanor sensed something in this holy power.
A premonition, almost.
Not far in the future.
This holy power, now merely stirring slightly from its deep sleep and revealing a hint of its presence.
It would save her and her comrades from great peril.
The golden holy power settled into his body.
Jun opened his eyes.
His rigidly frozen body regained its freedom.
"Holy power..."
Eleanor's holy power was pushing back the black hand of the God of Death.
How could mere human divinity accomplish such a feat?
"That's no ordinary holy power..."
Yet even against this surging divinity, the God of Death refused to relent.
-You crave that woman so badly?
As if prompted by something, Pommel stepped forward with a puzzled look.
Though in a spectral state unable to exert physical influence, it still pressed down on Jun's body once more.
"Guh... What kind of energy is this...!"
Was Eleanor affected too? The golden holy power began to recede, and the black hand advanced further.
Just as it was about to reach Jun's throat, 'Monghwan' stirred.
[Fire Ball]
[Suppressed output at limit]
Monghwan was equally suppressed by the phenomenon, so this was its limit—but it was enough.
The explosion's shockwave hurled Jun's body backward.
The distance opened up again.
-Tch.
Pommel clicked his tongue in annoyance.
As if manifesting here wasn't easy for him either, just as he moved to step forward slowly...
"Too late, asshole."
Jun's hand touched Eleanor's staff, the End of Lamentations.
[Word of Command: Reduces the influence of 'Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim' by 50%.]
The End of Lamentations reacted to the swirling mana, sucking in Jun's magic power like a whale gulping water.
"Hah...!"
In response, Eleanor unleashed the converted holy power in all directions and opened her enchantment tome.
Shhhrrk—!
The tome absorbed the spreading holy power and began forming a single holy spell.
[Dominion of Light]
[Light domain enveloping two]
A shimmering domain of light barely large enough to cover the two flickered into existence.
Yet the black hand dared not advance further, as if terrified of it.
-Quite intriguing.
-Has Ariclotos, who should have been deep in slumber, lent you his power? Or did you awaken him?
-No, that's not it... In his prime, no outer god could have dared manifest its domain here.
Muttering incomprehensibly, Pommel began channeling spiritual power.
Then, not the God of Death's energy, but Pommel's own pure aura pushed back the holy power.
"What the hell is this now...!"
Eleanor, deep in her spellcasting, whipped her head toward Jun.
Her desperate gaze pierced him, but Jun had to desperately rack his brain just to grasp the situation.
'Calm down, calm down. There has to be a way—some way!'
Face the phenomenon head-on and reanalyze how it occurred.
First, understand the power of the outer god—the God of Death—that manifested here.
'When it first appeared, why couldn't I use my strength?'
Just overwhelming presence pinning me down?
'Half right. Half wrong.'
His body truly couldn't resist the outer god's energy at all.
But his mind held firm.
Jun had remained fully conscious even then.
At first, he thought it was some binding skill.
'It was Pommel. That bastard looked at me and said it.'
-You're no being of this world.
-You bear the soul of Reverse Heaven. The death throes of gods who entered the realm of death? Or another outer god's trick? Unclear.
Pommel had seen through that Jun didn't belong to this world.
How had he discerned it so quickly?
'He noticed my soul wasn't shaken.'
Thus, the God of Death's influence targets 'things of this world.'
Reverse Heaven's soul.
Indeed, Jun's soul is immune to outer god influence.
But Blackout was different.
The mechanical entity in the ancient tower—also something divine.
Yet facing it had dealt mental damage.
'What's the difference? Location. That was Blackout; this is the surface.'
That seemingly minor distinction plunged Jun into thought.
To counter it, he needed to draw on the power dwelling in his soul.
'I need to use spiritual power—spiritual power...'
But what even was spiritual power?
Unlike Maya, Jun didn't accumulate mana in his mind, so he couldn't sense souls.
Nor did he have Eleanor's special eyes to see them.
No founding emperor's bloodline like Aiden to wield soul power.
Opening the spirit realm like before? Spirits are beings from another dimension, severed from this world.
Their power might resist adequately.
An ifrit. If such a being descended again...
But without a massive spell like [Plundering Volcano], opening the spirit realm was impossible.
No time to cast, and no other mages present.
Monghwan's power?
Impossible.
Monghwan too was suppressed, unable to exert full strength.
'Every option's blocked.'
That was when it hit.
Clang—!
A sword's ring echoed in his mind.
Not from reality.
His memories were replaying a past scene on their own.
The blond, blue-eyed man swung his sword.
At first, struggling against even Outer Wolves, but in just two years, he'd grown dazzlingly.
From level 1 to 6 in a mere two years.
Repeated near-death brushes, facing formidable foes, yet never halting growth.
Kagak—!
Again, the sword sparked through the darkness, asserting its presence.
'A way... it's not nonexistent.'
Just that he hadn't used it yet.
There was surely a method to break this impasse.
The one way Jun could deploy spiritual power.
The heartscape world.
The sole conduit where Jun—not a soul of this world—could wield spiritual power freely.
'If, like Aiden, I could grow to level 7 right now, maybe.'
But Jun knew he wasn't some manga or game protagonist.
No talent to surge in power during crises like this world's hero, Aiden.
To survive crises, he had to think ruthlessly, always assuming the worst and preparing.
Analyze, then pour every resource into it.
That was his forte: relentless effort.
But now, he needed talent.
Talent to surpass 6th circle into 7th.
'Face it realistically, Lee Jung-jun. You don't have that kind of gift.'
Miraculous growth in crisis?
Not without a growth potion.
But...
'I've got one specialty.'
Can't squeeze blood from a stone, but he was damn good at wringing every drop from what he had.
'Everything I have...'
Pour it into manifesting the heartscape.
How to make the impossible possible?
'Full heartscape manifestation is impossible. But...'
Partial is feasible.
He'd theorized it plenty.
Analyzed others' techniques too.
Sergei's [Imaginary Barrier: Active Volcano].
Kiwoong Nopa's [Sorcery: Dimensional Descent - Forest of Annihilation].
Butcher Monk's [Bloodsea of Corpses].
Black Guard Knight Captain Tairdin's [Conceptualization: Iron Path].
He'd witnessed and dissected countless strong ones' heartscape domains.
Initially overwhelming to even comprehend, but analyzing Chimera Sergei’s orb yielded progress.
Yet Jun hadn't thought of it immediately for one reason.
'What the hell even is my heartscape?'
Hardest part: grasping one's own essence.
Something he'd never pondered.
What was the core of his being?
Nothing came to mind.
So he reflected on his life.
The life of Lee Jung-jun.
'My life...'
Was one of constant loss.
Family taken by fire.
A normal life stolen too.
He wanted family, a decent life like others.
But even that was tough.
The world wasn't kind to orphans.
He wanted everything.
Something of his own.
Even after coming here, same story.
This body nearly lost its heart.
He thrashed to survive.
Fled the Mage Tower, emerged into the world. First taste of freedom.
Just live normally, like everyone else, he thought.
Vowed to stay detached, merely observe this world.
Wasn't easy.
'Why did I do that back then?'
First learning Aiden's identity.
Didn't kill him.
Spared the world's protagonist, greatest threat to normalcy.
Excuses aplenty.
Didn't know what chaos killing the hero would bring.
Feared losing the normal life he craved.
Yet he took Aiden as comrade, recruited Maya, and game-ending disaster Eleanor joined the mercenaries.
Why those choices?
Shhh...
A breeze brushed his nose.
Like the earlier hallucinated voice, now a phantom scent.
He recalled what that wind carried.
Forest breeze.
The forest where he barely escaped the collapsing Mage Tower.
The freedom that wind brought.
He wanted to keep that first-felt freedom, protect it, never lose it.
Probably started then.
'Greed was born.'
Maybe, knowing the future like a manga protag, he could be special.
Expected to grasp more than freedom.
Pretended otherwise while accepting comrades.
Pulled them into his fold.
Only then did Jun grasp his essence.
'So my essence is.'
Greed. Or avarice.
One who'd never held anything, finally clutching freedom, realized:
No more losses, no surrendering what he had.
Proof abundant.
Two attributes orbiting his circles now.
Plundering Flame and Soul Drain.
Perfectly embodying his essence, manifesting through his mana circuits into reality.
"Guh...!"
Immediate rejection from his body.
Warning: can't handle this power.
He bit his lip.
Hwoooosh...!!
Crackle!
Pushed mutant transformation to protect his flesh, ignored the warnings.
Even his sturdy dragon heart warned it couldn't endure.
A greater crisis than forcibly casting in alchemist city He Dravan.
'Damn, no dice...!'
Unlike then, this felt like true 'death.'
Death.
The word that terrified Jun most.
But he hadn't exhausted everything yet.
'If it's just deploying spiritual power...!'
A flash of insight.
What he needed now wasn't raw firepower.
Just spiritual power.
So, did it have to be the 'real' thing?
[Mirror of Mosilas]
He cast an illusion spell and projected his heartscape into it.
[Imaginary Barrier: Maw of the Ravenous Wolf]