Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Temple of Gawain
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Up close, the Temple of Gawain was rustic and majestic, yet its overall beige hue gave it a warm feeling.
Inside the low wall surrounding the temple was a spacious courtyard with small vegetable patches and several storehouses. It seemed they were self-sufficient, much like the monasteries of the Middle Ages.
Kang-seok's party followed the crowd heading into the temple, but they stopped just before the entrance. It wasn't just because of the cart Alphonse was pulling.
“You must be the Players. I am Jade, a priest who serves Lord Gawain. I have been waiting for you.”
A man in beige priestly robes approached Kang-seok’s party with a gentle smile.
He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Tall with strong facial features, he had more the air of a warrior than a priest.
At Jade's words, "I have been waiting for you," Park Hyeong-sik's eyes lit up for a moment, and he asked cautiously.
“Ah, was there perhaps an oracle about us…?”
“No, it’s just that Players tend to have vibrant hair colors. Blue hair, in particular, cannot exist naturally. I saw you coming up the hill and waited.”
Jade replied with a gentle smile. Having completely missed the mark, Park Hyeong-sik laughed awkwardly to hide his embarrassment. Choi Yu-ra quickly whispered to Kang-seok.
“That guy’s pretty blunt.”
Gawain, the god of honor, was also the god of oaths and truth. Kang-seok, who had already heard this from Iris, simply shrugged once before approaching Jade.
“I’m Choi Kang-seok. There are a few things I’d like to ask, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course. It’s not ideal to stand here and talk, so let’s go inside. You can leave the horse and cart outside. I’ll have an acolyte watch over your belongings.”
Jade answered as if he had prepared for this, gesturing gracefully toward the temple's interior.
“Thank you.”
Kang-seok replied immediately and started walking. Soon, the entire party followed him and Jade into the temple.
* * *
“Regarding the Great Summoning, we don’t have any clear answers ourselves. However, we did know that ‘the Great Summoning would happen.’ Not just our order, but every religious order on the continent received an oracle three months ago, stating that the Great Summoning was coming.”
After guiding the party to a modest reception room near the temple entrance and finishing introductions, Jade brought up the topic that Kang-seok and the others were most curious about.
There had been an oracle about the Great Summoning.
This was not something they could take lightly.
Jade took a sip of the tea brought by young acolytes before looking at the party. He offered a slightly troubled smile at their tense gazes.
“Your reactions are the same as the others who came before. But unfortunately, what I just told you is all there is. The oracle only contained the fact that the Great Summoning would occur. We know nothing more than that.”
It was a clue about the Great Summoning they had finally found, but it was far too simple.
Seong Yu-jin cautiously raised her hand and asked.
“Then does that mean the gods of this world summoned us Players?”
The very existence of gods was a difficult concept for modern people like Kang-seok’s party, but since there was an ‘oracle,’ it was easier to proceed with their reasoning by accepting the gods’ existence for now.
“I’m sorry, but that is a question I cannot answer. It is because I truly do not know.”
Jade replied in an apologetic tone. As a priest of Gawain, he could only tell them the truth as he knew it.
Kang-seok asked again.
“Could you perhaps tell us the exact wording of the oracle?”
“Of course. The one who received the oracle was our High Priest. The other orders also reported that their High Priests received it.”
Jade began with a brief explanation, then took a deep breath. He straightened his posture and recited the divine words in a reverent tone.
“Beings from another world shall come to this land. They will call themselves Players.”
It was exactly as he had described.
A look of disappointment crossed Park Hyeong-sik’s face.
Jade continued.
“It was the first oracle our order had received in nearly a hundred years, so it caused quite a stir. Moreover, this oracle was identical, down to the last word, to the ones received by the other orders.”
All the gods that humans believed in had delivered the same oracle.
It was certainly a major event. And as if to prove the oracle true, Players had indeed been summoned to this world.
“Ahem.”
A cough cut through the group. Daniel Kim, who had been silent until now, looked up at Jade and spoke.
“I heard that monsters have been flocking to this area recently. Could you tell us about that as well?”
There was nothing more to learn about the oracle. The logical next step was to ask about the next most important thing.
This was a matter Jade could answer in more detail, so he nodded with a bright expression.
“Of course. We are already indebted to the seven Players who arrived before you for their help with that matter.”
Jade’s attitude was exceptionally favorable. It was partly because he was a priest, but it seemed the Players who had arrived earlier had made a great impression.
“As you saw on your way here, there is a vast forest surrounding this area. In a way, we are somewhat isolated. However, because so many people come and go, monsters never used to flock around the temple. At least, not until two months ago.”
Jade let out a weary sigh before continuing.
“At first, it was just Rat Scavengers appearing from deep within the forest… but it grew worse day by day. A month ago, even man-eating Ogres appeared. We were on the verge of being isolated by the monsters, a situation that would have forced us to request troops from the Knights Templar or the lord of a nearby city. But right at that moment, you Players appeared. Thanks to you, so many of our faithful can now visit the temple without worry.”
“Oh?”
As Daniel Kim, who had asked the question, made an appreciative sound, Jade gave a bright smile. He seemed genuinely happy, a hint of excitement in his voice.
“The other Players have all gone to scout the nearby forest. They will likely return tonight.”
It seemed they had formed a party and were hunting in earnest.
Kang-seok glanced at Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra before speaking.
“If it’s alright with you, the three of us would like to lend our strength as well.”
“U-Us too.”
As soon as Kang-seok finished, Park Hyeong-sik quickly chimed in. A wide smile spread across Jade’s face, as if he had been waiting for those very words.
“Oh, thank you. Please don’t worry about lodging and meals. We will provide you with fine rooms.”
After that, everything proceeded smoothly.
Inside the traveler’s quarters in a separate wing of the temple.
Jade was taken aback when Kang-seok, Seong Yu-jin, and Choi Yu-ra said they would share a room, but it was a choice made for the sake of ‘safety.’
There were still seven Players they hadn't met, and they couldn't predict what unexpected situations might arise. It was too risky to be separated carelessly.
“It’s nice to be treated so well, with a good meal and a bath and all, but are you planning to farm some Kron here?”
Choi Yu-ra asked as she plopped down on one of the four single beds lined up in the room.
Gawain, the god of honor, was one of the three great gods of war in the Kingdom of Britain, so his priests did not neglect their martial training.
Naturally, meat was served at their table, and thanks to that, the party had eaten a hearty meal.
They had also bathed in hot water, so just as Choi Yu-ra said, it was quite a luxury.
Kang-seok sat on the edge of his bed and nodded.
“For now. And I’m also a little interested in the seven Players who came before us.”
Acquiring Kron was a crucial matter directly tied to their survival. Although he had received a generous MVP bonus and a fair amount of Kron from the monsters they had defeated, he couldn’t let his guard down.
He had to collect Kron whenever he had the chance.
And then there were the seven Players who had arrived earlier.
If they had been summoned to this world before Kang-seok’s party, there was a chance they possessed different information.
Instead of sitting on her own bed, Seong Yu-jin sat next to Choi Yu-ra. She sighed deeply as she stroked her still slightly damp hair.
“I wonder if Mr. Kang-san and Ms. Han-yeong ended up somewhere completely different…”
She had really been hoping to reunite with the two of them.
Kang-seok felt the same disappointment. But now was not the time to reminisce.
“More importantly, there’s something we need to talk about amongst ourselves.”
When Kang-seok suddenly lowered his voice, Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra blinked. Seong Yu-jin nodded with wide eyes, while Choi Yu-ra moved to sit next to Kang-seok.
Kang-seok said.
“Iris.”
“Iris?”
“You know the voice we hear when the letters of light appear? That’s the name of the voice’s owner. I had a brief conversation with her on the way up to the temple.”
As Kang-seok answered Seong Yu-jin’s question, Choi Yu-ra frowned slightly. She tilted her head as if trying to remember, then spoke.
“You mean when you were spacing out earlier?”
“You have a way with words.”
“Anyway, a conversation? Did she talk to you first?”
Even during the fight with the Abomination, Kang-seok was the only one who had been able to converse with Iris.
Kang-seok nodded.
“She told me about the Temple of Gawain in advance. She said that since we cleared difficult quests back-to-back without getting a hefty reward, she was providing a little service on her end.”
“Ha, you’re really something else. Now you’re charming women who are just a voice?”
Choi Yu-ra remarked. Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin glared at her simultaneously. Feeling embarrassed, Choi Yu-ra pouted.
“Well… was I wrong?”
After that last bit of defiance, Choi Yu-ra sulked quietly. Seong Yu-jin asked Kang-seok.
“Did you only talk about the Temple of Gawain?”
“For now. Like I said before, she seems to be on our side.”
The fact that she was concerned about the quest rewards given to their party was proof of that. Even if they couldn't get information about the Great Summoning from her, she could potentially become a reliable ‘ally.’
“Iris… that’s a pretty name.”
Seong Yu-jin murmured softly. Choi Yu-ra chimed in again.
“But how did you find out her name? Did this Iris person tell you first?”
For some reason, her tone was slightly interrogative. Kang-seok shrugged.
“No, I asked…”
He didn't finish. Kang-seok abruptly closed his mouth, and both Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra looked not at him, but into the empty air.
An urgent voice rang out.
[Quest: Defend the Temple of Gawain, God of Honor.]
[A horde of monsters is targeting the Temple of Gawain. A large-scale attack is anticipated, unlike the sporadic assaults seen thus far.]
[It is believed that various types of monsters have banded together. You may need to prepare for at least six, and at most nine, successive waves of attack… This is an emergency!]
[Players returning from the forest have encountered the first wave of monsters! Please hurry!]
The last part was almost a scream.
Choi Yu-ra shot up from her seat.
“Hey, you! Yeah, Iris! What is this all of a sudden?! Why are you only telling us this now?!”
If they had known a massive horde of monsters was about to attack, they never would have come to the temple.
The quest felt like a trap, so it was only natural for Choi Yu-ra to be furious.
The letters of light—Iris—replied instantly.
[I-I just found out myself! I can only observe events happening around you Players! I didn't do it on purpose! Quests are meant to provide guidance and rewards for situations as they occur, not to be prepared in advance!]
[Anyway, this is no time for idle chat. The monsters have begun to surround the temple. You must prepare your defenses at once!]
Choi Yu-ra was still fuming, gritting her teeth with a growl. Seong Yu-jin, instead of wasting words, quickly donned her chainmail and grabbed her sword and shield.
A horde of monsters surrounding the temple.
Successive attacks.
‘A defense game?’
Kang-seok reached for Durandal.