Chapter 273
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 273
Chapter Title: Level 7 (3)
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"What the hell did you do to it?"
Unlike the original plan, issues arose with the White Whale Mercenary Corps' growth before even a week had passed.
The orb, which had once gleamed with a vivid crimson hue, was now cracked all over. No one could look at it and call it intact.
"You didn't drop it or anything, did you...?"
"It seems like it overloaded while trying to accept our mana."
Shylock, who had come to inspect the artifact, clicked his tongue at Jun's supplementary explanation.
"Well, even just you alone must have been a burden on it. I did account for that when making it, but still."
Shylock clicked his tongue repeatedly, pulled a monocle from his pocket, and closely examined the deeply fissured orb.
"I think I know why this happened. Tsk, you greenhorn. You're right. What kind of ridiculous party did you assemble?"
Though Shylock could no longer sense mana directly, he could discern what had happened to the orb just from the traces left behind.
"You greenhorn go without saying..."
Shylock's gaze shifted sequentially to Aiden, Maya, and Eleanor.
Aiden, who had strongly inherited the emperor's bloodline.
Maya, who carried countless spirits with her.
And finally...
"Divine power even broader than that of the Sun Church's saintess. It's a miracle the artifact held up."
Eleanor, who had been lost in deep thought, spoke up.
"Um... does that mean it's completely unusable now?"
"No, that's not the case. Anything that passes through my hands doesn't boast such shoddy durability."
"Hey, old timer. Doesn't that mean we'll have to stick right by it in real-time to handle this thing?"
Those were the words of Mershar, who had arrived with Shylock.
"What kind of obvious nonsense is that?"
"What's gotten into you? You usually don't even glance at artifacts you've worked on once."
"You ignorant fool!"
"What?"
"Do you think I'll get another chance to gather data like this? Are your eyes in your asshole? Even a blind man passing by would have better judgment than you!"
"That old man's temper is really something!"
Their banter continued like a comedy routine, but in the end, the orb's use was postponed until the next day.
In the meantime, the group gathered once more.
"Hmm, everyone's faces look pretty heavy."
The expressions of those who had visited the Acha Dimension carried a weight of solemnity.
It seemed each had witnessed something.
"Haha! Jun, you're clueless at times like this."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"Look at everyone's faces—they're all grim! As captain, you should pull them aside for a private talk."
"Ah..."
Having spent so much time together, such considerations had slipped their minds.
"Alright, let's start with Aiden."
"Yes, Senior. Thank you for your thoughtfulness."
"Save that for Bern."
"Of course! Now that I'm a mercenary with you all, giving advice like this as the elder is no trouble at all!"
And so, Jun and Aiden stepped out of the basement for a moment.
Inside the shabby hut, Jun asked in a light tone,
"Looks like what you saw inside was quite the shock, huh?"
"Yes."
"What did you see?"
"You might not believe me, but... I saw the Founding Emperor."
"Ah-ha."
"...You're not surprised?"
"Well, uh."
Suddenly, the events from a few days ago came to mind.
When Crown Prince Dexter revealed the identity of the Heavenly Dragon Knight Order's captain.
"Actually, I already knew."
"Pardon?"
"I knew. About the Founding Emperor residing in your body."
"How long have you known...?"
"From the beginning."
"Then why...?"
"You needed time to process it yourself. And also..."
Jun's gaze turned toward the basement.
"It wouldn't have been good for Maya."
"Ah..."
"Though I didn't expect you'd actually encounter the Founding Emperor directly in the Acha Dimension."
The independent space of the Acha Dimension had probably manifested the emperor's will.
'Thinking about it now, Shylock's skill is even more impressive.'
An artifact that could manifest the Founding Emperor's spirit body without breaking.
Since Aiden had experienced that, the others must have witnessed even more extraordinary things in the Acha Dimension.
"It's surprising in many ways. Or maybe some other force intervened?"
It was unknowable.
"Anyway, back to the main point."
"Yes."
"Actually, you're not the only one who's seen the Founding Emperor's soul."
"Other imperial family members too?"
"Yeah. Not everyone, of course. It's a phenomenon that appears to those who've strongly inherited the Founding Emperor's blood. By the way, this is a story that circulates quietly within the imperial family."
"I see..."
It made sense that Aiden wouldn't know.
Such tales would be useless to a discarded imperial scion.
"The Imperial Nether Sword granted to you is the same. One of the previous emperors witnessed the Founding Emperor's apparition and forged it himself."
A sword made to withstand the overwhelming presence of the Founding Emperor.
Thus, it was also crafted to familiarize its wielder with that power more than anyone else.
"Though some get devoured by that power in the process."
"...So, what should I do from now on?"
"You need to break the Founding Emperor's will. In a way, the imperial blood can be seen as a curse."
"A curse... That doesn't sound wrong."
Aiden smiled bitterly.
Inheriting the emperor's blood didn't mean everything was rosy.
History proved it, and Aiden's current situation did too.
"I hear a voice. It looks down at me arrogantly and demands I prove myself."
"Some kind of trial..."
"Why impose such a trial?"
"If I knew that, I'd be the Founding Emperor."
"Ah! Haha, sorry. That was a foolish question."
"Still, I can make some guesses."
"..."
Jun recalled the 'ending' he'd seen in the game.
"First off, the Founding Emperor tries to possess those who've strongly inherited his blood."
"Yes... That's right."
"Wanting to take over a body naturally means he desires something."
"Could it be he wants to return from death?"
"Something like that, maybe. But I doubt it's just a simple craving for immortality."
Records showed the Founding Emperor met his end in this Blackout.
No one had witnessed his death, but he had sought to conquer Blackout and then vanished abruptly.
It was truly mysterious.
The death of the Founding Emperor—who even dragons couldn't match—had never been revealed to the world in any form.
One seeking immortality wouldn't have set foot in Blackout, the place closest to death.
"He's probably after something greater. They say he reached the level of a demigod."
"Indeed..."
Nothing was set in stone yet, but what Aiden had to do was clear.
"I'll definitely win."
"Good. This is all just my speculation, though."
"Yes."
"The Founding Emperor probably hopes for that too."
"...?"
For someone to defeat him.
At least, the 'ending' Jun had seen in the game took that form.
In the end, he was just one human.
"This feels just like those future career counseling sessions with our homeroom teacher..."
"What's that?"
"You know, when they ask kids not even twenty yet what they want to do in the future for no good reason."
"Hmm? Isn't twenty already way adult?"
Maya, raised among the tribesfolk, didn't have a firm grasp on modern concepts of adulthood.
"Anyway. So, what did you see?"
"What a crude sword you are. Is that how you ask?"
"I overheard what Aiden saw. So I have a rough idea what you encountered too."
Ancestral spirits.
Especially recalling how Maya had clutched her throat and chest, barely breathing after emerging from the Acha Dimension...
"The Three Gates. You faced the spirits there?"
"...Are you really seeing the future, Leader?"
"...What future?"
"Never mind. Leader's right. Those old spirits were filthy strong."
"Figured as much. How many were there?"
"At least dozens, from what I remember."
Not all of the Jokyung Tribe become ancestral spirits upon death.
They must each achieve a certain realm of power.
Especially powerhouses lingering at the Three Gates—far beyond what current Maya could handle alone.
"This is turning out more complicated than I thought. The Acha Dimension I imagined wasn't like this."
"What did Leader imagine?"
"Normally, it's a space where you can sense mana more delicately. The Acha Dimension is inherently an empty one. So it absorbs anything and amplifies that power."
"...Complicated stuff."
"But in your cases... it seems the power manifested differently. Amplifying something other than mana."
"So you're saying the old spirits' souls filled that space?"
"For those who shouldn't exist in the world anymore, it gave them a brief chance to manifest, even as illusions. The space itself permitted it."
But the burden of that would have fallen entirely on the artifact.
"So, what should I do?"
"If Shylock can fully sustain the artifact, you can keep doing what you've been doing."
"Die inside again?"
"You're not going in there to die, are you?"
"Well... true."
She had experienced death in the holy land too, but facing death was never pleasant.
Rather, each time made the next one more dreadful.
Because she knew the pain.
"For combat-related stuff, consult Aiden and Bern."
"Mm. Got it. No point putting off what has to be done."
Maya, momentarily down from her death in the Acha Dimension, regained her spirit and stood tall with determination.
"I saw a god."
"Cryptic."
"Isn't this the part where you freak out a bit?"
"No, just hear me out first."
Aiden had seen the Founding Emperor's soul.
Maya, the ancestral spirits from centuries past.
And finally, Eleanor claimed to have seen a god.
"Put yourself in my shoes, hearing this out of nowhere. Think it'd feel real?"
"Can't deny it, which pisses me off more."
"So, what was it like seeing a god up close?"
"...Not great."
It wasn't funny at all.
Priests overflowed with those desperate to face a god, to etch even a glimpse into their eyes.
"At first... yeah. I was mostly wondering what it was."
"And then?"
"...It felt unpleasant."
"In what way?"
"Like a truly dead person, pale and lying in a cradle."
"Hmm."
Was the god truly dead?
Whenever they gleaned info on gods, it was always 'fallen into deep slumber' or 'from a human perspective, it's akin to death.'
So conversely, from other beings' views, wasn't it just 'asleep'?
Eleanor shook her head at Jun's opinion.
"No... It wasn't like mere sleep. Hmm... Hard to put into words."
Suddenly, Maya's words to Jun flashed in Eleanor's mind.
Calling him a 'being from the future'—somewhat far-fetched at the time.
"It felt like looking at a being whose death was predetermined."
"Predetermined death..."
Hard to grasp even hearing it.
To Jun, it just sounded like the god was a terminal patient.
But that wasn't what Eleanor meant.
"So, what do you think you can do there?"
At Jun's question, Eleanor shook her head gravely.
"I probably can't enter the same space again."
"Why not?"
"Call it a certainty. The reason the god called me... was something else."
"Hired you as a mercenary or what?"
Jun said it jokingly, but surprisingly, Eleanor nodded.
"Exactly. The God of Death. That bastard's coming back down. Soon."