Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Dragon Armor
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Shan.
A familiar face.
The last lord of the North and the pagan who had tormented the empire for the longest time.
When the northern conquest ended and the slave trade boomed, he had joined forces with the rebels to enact slave liberation.
'Our fates are intertwined.'
He was one of the ringleaders behind countless assassination attempts on the emperor, the palace fire, and even rallying 200,000 citizens for rebellion.
When Isabella was revered as a saintess and the rebels formed, he was the first northern savage to join. The 'northern slaves' spread across the entire empire gathered around Shan.
Shan had greatly contributed to the rebels' numbers swelling in an instant.
'With such a memorable face.'
A face that would make monsters weep and flee.
When his corpse was hung up, the imperial family used it as a joke, calling it the 'ugly Bigfoot.'
It became a trendy phrase in the palace for a while.
How could I forget?
There had even been a detailed report on the investigation into him.
'The only pagan among the northern lords. Curing Shan would make for massive publicity.'
When his corpse was hung up, the imperial family used it as a joke, calling it the 'ugly Bigfoot.'
'The only pagan among the northern lords. Curing Shan would make for massive publicity.'
It became a trendy phrase in the palace for a while.
Of course, it wouldn't be a complete cure.
All I could do was remove the radioactive material through gluttony.
There had even been a detailed report on the investigation into him.
If he'd been infected with radioactive material for so long, even removing it wouldn't guarantee the nanomachines in his body would function properly.
How could I forget?
'The only pagan among the northern lords. Curing Shan would make for massive publicity.'
There had even been a detailed report on the investigation into him.
Of course, it wouldn't be a complete cure.
All I could do was remove the radioactive material through gluttony.
If he'd been infected with radioactive material for so long, even removing it wouldn't guarantee the nanomachines in his body would function properly.
The nanomachines in the body grow and die alongside the human.
The stronger the human, the stronger the nanomachines.
There had even been a detailed report on the investigation into him.
His survival odds would be higher than other pagans, and the massive publicity made it worth trying.
"Your faith is lacking."
I didn't like his attitude.
We'd been enemies from the start anyway.
To put on a proper 'act,' I couldn't just blindly agree.
Shan's expression darkened.
"Faith? Did you just say faith?"
He dared to question faith before a lord.
Not even the true sole lord of the North—a self-proclaimed lord with no legitimacy—his threats were laughable to me.
To claim lordship before me, he needed to be at least on par with Gaf.
I nodded lightly.
"You're not ready to accept me yet."
"Hah. Do you know how many in the North have called themselves 'god' over the years?"
There had been plenty who'd wrapped themselves as divine messengers or gods.
But they were all fakes.
Just plausible sophistry or flashy magic to deceive.
"Then why did you come here?"
The lord of the world.
One of the seven lords in the North.
He'd come all this way on mere 'rumors.'
Proof of how desperate he was.
Shan turned his head.
'The saintess.'
The reason he'd come was simple.
The saintess and Yung vouched for me.
The saintess's face was grim. But she didn't deny it. She didn't seem forced into this play either.
'Yung...'
The great warrior.
One of the five warriors like himself.
Yung especially belonged nowhere, preferring to live solitarily like a proud crane.
But he valued honor more than anyone.
He was famous for always keeping promises and words spoken.
And now, that Yung was looking at the con artist before him with genuine eyes.
Not submission to foreign powers, but true belief.
The warriors and other pagans were the same.
They revered the man before them like a god.
The man who appeared with the divine at the end of the holy land.
The savior of pagans!
'They're all going mad.'
Like they were under mass hypnosis.
How could this frail-looking human be a god?
This guy who couldn't even take a punch.
"...If you truly want to become the god of the North, you must prove it. With force."
The god of the North must be strong.
The weak could never be gods.
Simple displays wouldn't earn everyone's recognition or respect.
The people of the North were born with warriors' blood.
Following the strong was natural for them.
"I'll do it, Your Highness."
It was then.
The blond man with no presence.
I hadn't even noticed him beside me, but he suddenly stepped forward.
Shan laughed in disbelief.
'Not a northerner. And he looks weak. You fell for these sloppy humans?'
His senses, sharpened to the extreme as a pagan.
Those senses could even detect flowing mana.
Yet the mana from this blond man was pathetically meager.
He was weak.
Why had the saintess and Yung fallen for trash like this?
They had to be con artists sent from the continent to sow chaos in the North.
"No, Croft. This could be fun."
I stopped Croft and stood up.
Three days since entering the holy land.
In that time, Croft had fully recovered.
He looked younger, but oddly more ordinary.
The sharpness and heavy aura from before had vanished completely.
However, the amount of nanomachines stored in his body had more than doubled compared to before.
He'd already had an absurd amount, and now double that.
'Even Zero said it was hard to measure his level.'
In augmented reality, Croft's level was pegged around 110.
After the mana shower, it was impossible to even measure.
Naturally, Croft could easily subdue Shan.
But to earn their true respect, I had to prove it myself.
The holy land's saintess and warriors had seen me enter the holy land myself. They'd witnessed the healing of Croft and all the miracles, so they had no choice but to believe.
But not Shan.
Shan and the other lords would demand 'proof' from me.
It was a process I had to go through anyway.
In fact, it was fortunate the opponent was Shan.
"You want to fight to prove it?"
"If you defeat me, the other lords will believe too."
Shan was the only pagan among the seven lords.
One of the five pagans hailed as great warriors.
'A great pagan rivals a Sword Master.'
They couldn't be less, though they could be more.
I'd seen Yung personally bite out Crowe's throat.
Crowe was top-tier among Sword Masters under Grand Duke Carlos.
Shan possessed similar power to such a Yung.
A head-on fight offered no chance of victory.
"Fine. You want proof? I'll give it."
I was curious too.
'Gluttony evolved after eating the dragon.'
Now it clung to my skin.
Like acquiring dragon skin.
Since it coexisted but wasn't controlled, even Zero couldn't confirm gluttony's full capabilities.
All that was verified was that it autonomously protected the user.
I'd been pondering its limits and how to use it.
"...What are you planning right now?"
Shan, wielding his massive spear, scowled.
I held no weapon.
I just stood there, hands behind my back.
"A god does not move."
"You're completely insane."
Shan's demeanor shifted in an instant as he shook his head.
He raised his spear, aiming precisely at me.
Kurrrung!
The ground cracked under his step with immense force.
No one could survive taking this spear head-on.
'No one survived my spear throws.'
Not a single one.
Archmages and empire knights called Sword Masters all died to this spear.
If he begged for mercy now, I'd stop.
'He doesn't even flinch.'
Hah. That arrogance will be his end.
Splaaat.
Shan gathered all his mana and hurled it in one go.
A spear throw confident enough to kill even a god.
Kwarrrrng!
The ground shook. The sky trembled.
Cleaving the wind at tremendous speed, the spear flew.
And the moment it reached me.
Kwaaaa!
It was blocked. It couldn't pierce, locked in standoff.
'A wall?'
An invisible wall clashed with the spear.
The collision point formed a dense net-like shape, deeply dented but trapping the spear like a fish in a net, unable to escape.
Ting.
Finally, the spear, out of momentum, fell pitifully to the ground.
"......"
It was his full-powered throw.
Blocked without a single move.
A mage would need incantation—there wasn't even a sign.
And no mage's barrier could ever block his spear throw.
'What is this.'
Impossible.
An inexplicable phenomenon.
To block his spear throw without any prelude.
Unless he truly was a god...
'Hm. Blocks it with room to spare.'
As everyone was stunned, I stroked my chin.
The new dragon skin, boasting absolute defense like armor.
If it autonomously blocked even Shan's spear throw, I wouldn't have to worry about assassination in my sleep.
However, the problem with this dragon skin—conveniently called 'Dragon Armor'—was its autonomous defense function's massive energy consumption.
[20% energy consumed.]
[Autonomous defense function 'Dragon Armor' has high energy consumption.]
Moreover, when Dragon Armor activated, it couldn't release psionic energy.
It minimized impact through transparent spiderweb-like particles and completely blocked energy.
No offense possible, but in pure defense, it granted invincible protection.
'And gluttony doesn't eat just anything.'
Surprisingly, it hadn't eaten the spear.
It devoured radiation and dragons, but picky now?
"Got anything else to show?"
"......I lost."
His best attack was blocked.
It wasn't half-hearted.
He had to admit it.
But his eyes still held incomprehension.
"Kill me. Show my head to the other lords, and they'll believe."
He'd lost the fight.
A warrior's fight ends only by taking the opponent's life.
'Interesting.'
A lord offering his neck after one blocked throw.
Such simple folk. All the better for it.
If we'd kept fighting, I'd have lost.
"I'm no warrior. Cutting your head off would be pointless anyway."
Killing Shan would only harden the other lords' resistance.
There were far more useful ways to employ him.
I walked slowly over and placed a hand on Shan's shoulder.
Gluttony's nanomachines flowed in, devouring the radioactive material simultaneously.
Fortunately, his internal nanomachines weren't completely ruined, producing some changes.
"What are you doing right now......"
Realizing it wasn't to kill him, Shan voiced doubt, then shut his mouth.
"Ah......!"
Because regeneration was happening.
The wound on his wrist was healing, new flesh sprouting.
Seeing it, Shan was speechless.
Though minimal, it was a miracle for him, who had lost the 'right of regeneration' upon becoming a pagan.
I looked at the dumbstruck Shan and spoke softly.
"Build your faith. Faith in me will free you from all suffering."
Greater faith will heal you completely.
Shan's eyes began to tremble violently.
***
He regretted becoming a pagan. Regretted entering the holy land.
If he could turn back time, he never would have gone there.
That day, when he became a monster.
He'd saved his family from slavers, but right after becoming a pagan, he couldn't even speak.
"D-don't come closer, monster!"
"I'd rather die human than be eaten by you."
His face and body were far more horrific than other pagans.
Seeing it, his family took their own lives before he could react.
He didn't know how long he wept, clutching their corpses.
That's why he hated the holy land.
He wanted to destroy the place that made him this way.
That's why he ignored it even during the empire's invasion.
"What an ugly mug."
"If you fuss, Bigfoot will get you!"
Bigfoot—that's what they called him.
The legendary yeti, a monster that made viewers scream.
In the North, he was spoken of like a joke. People literally pissed themselves seeing him, so he usually wore a black bear mask.
'It hurts.'
Living itself was pain.
Some pagans even took their own lives from the agony.
The gods gave power but took everything else.
But he had a goal: become a lord and wipe out the slavers.
'I want to live.'
There was no cure.
No turning back.
Once a pagan, humbly accept death.
All pagans said that.
They all 'pretended' to accept death.
Shan was no different.
But the moment the self-proclaimed god placed his hand on him.
'No pain.'
The torment that had plagued him since becoming a pagan vanished like a lie.
'Regeneration.'
New flesh was growing.
Impossible.
The miracle pagans couldn't achieve despite every method over years.
Just from a hand on him?
Not full-body, but still.
"Ah."
His vision blurred.
When he'd given up everything, a sliver of hope appeared suddenly.
'Believe one more time?'
The holy land's god took everything from him.
Yet that god now offered another chance.
Only faith would save him.
But the lost couldn't return.
He couldn't retrieve his dead wife and children.
"Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault."
What do you know?
You.
What do you know to spout that?
Yet strength drained from him.
He collapsed to his knees.
The secret no one should know—the man before him seemed to know it all.
Knowing, he still said it.
Don't blame yourself. Not your fault.
Selfish.
There was a limit to mocking people with empty words.
But it was what he'd desperately wanted to hear most.
He'd lived his life in guilt.
Forcing himself to live without forgiveness.
In the end, those final words made Shan burst into tears.
"Aaah."
Right now, he was saved.
[Dragon Armor] End