Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Morning Glory
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“You don’t need to worry about your companions. The priests should be explaining everything to them right now. The Dark Destiny Lord—hm, you don’t seem to like being called that. It’s such a wonderful name. But I digress. To get back to the point, don’t worry about your companions, as the priests are explaining things to them. They’re telling them, ‘Her Holiness the Pope is having a private audience with Sir Choi Kang-seok.’”
Kang-seok and Tehenut sat side by side on a long bench under the shade.
Tehenut chirped like a little bird, while Kang-seok struggled to keep his wits about him. Looking down, he saw Tehenut’s bare feet. She wiggled her toes a few times, then tilted her head to look up at the side of his face.
Kang-seok turned his gaze to meet hers.
It was different from when he had faced Vivian.
It wasn’t simply because Tehenut was more beautiful than Vivian.
The Witch of the Lake, Vivian, possessed an air of mystery. Facing her in the Ash Tree Forest felt like coming face to face with a goddess or a fairy.
Tehenut gave off no such feeling. Yet, it didn’t feel like he was merely facing a beautiful woman either.
Naturalness.
Yes. It was the same sensation one felt when admiring the beauty of a natural landscape.
She didn’t feel human. Not a goddess or a fairy, but as if a part of the world itself had taken human form and was speaking to him.
“May I take a little peek into your thoughts? I won’t look at much. Just a tiny bit. You seem to keep thinking of another woman while looking at me, so just the memory of her.”
Kang-seok hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded. Tehenut smiled brightly and leaned her head forward. For a brief moment, their foreheads touched.
“The Witch of the Lake, Vivian. I knew it was her. She is a remarkable mage. Perhaps, aside from Kalein of the Extreme Blaze, who is beloved by Morgana, the goddess of magic, there is no mage in our world who can overwhelm her. She and I have something in common. Within her magical domain, the Ash Tree Forest, the Witch of the Lake can become something more than human. Sir Choi Kang-seok—you’ve taken a liking to the fact that Vivian never once called you the Dark Destiny Lord, but always used your name. Hmm, I called you that because I thought it was a truly wonderful title, so I feel like I’ve lost out a little. In any case, it’s not strange that you associated Vivian with a goddess or a fairy. The Ash Tree Forest is ‘her world,’ after all.”
Tehenut was very talkative.
But her voice, too, resembled nature.
Like the sound of rain outside a window or the murmur of a babbling brook, it was delivered softly, without grating on the nerves.
“The moment the Witch of the Lake leaves the Ash Tree Forest, she returns to being ‘human.’ Though she has lived for over a hundred years, she is, in the end, human. She has her worries about the Britannian royal family, her affection for her king, Galahad, and her concerns about the sudden Great Summoning. And I am no different in that regard.”
“Are you saying that when you leave this space… Your Holiness also returns to being human?”
Kang-seok spoke, and Tehenut’s eyes widened. She looked utterly surprised, both by the fact that he had replied and by the content of his words.
“That’s right. I am the same. In this garden, located in the center of the Grand Temple, I undergo a slight transformation, just as the Witch of the Lake Vivian did. Among the Popes of the past, there were some like me, and some who were not. The moment I leave this garden, I return to being the human Tehenut. An ordinary person, foolish, full of worries, and trembling with anxiety.”
Tehenut rose from her seat. She moved as naturally as the wind, stepping onto the soil with her bare feet before spinning around to face Kang-seok.
“The reason I am facing you in this form, and not as the human Tehenut, is for the same reason as the Witch of the Lake, Vivian. Dark Destiny Lord—oh dear, I’ve said it again. Please don’t hate me for it, I just think it’s truly wonderful. I wanted to know what kind of person Sir Choi Kang-seok is. While it would be nice to meet as human to human, talk, and get to know each other, I thought we were a bit short on time for that.”
Tehenut could see Kang-seok’s soul. Every time their eyes met, she could feel him more than if they had exchanged a hundred words.
“I believe the Four Great Gods caused the Great Summoning. Lord Goto, the Pope of the Red God Cult, seems to think differently, but that is what I believe.”
*There will be a Great Summoning*—that was the last oracle delivered to the human world.
The Great Summoning had brought over 370,000 Players to this world.
Of them, only about 9,000 had emerged into the world, but even that was a number that defied common sense.
And the transcendent abilities the Players possessed.
Who but the great Four Great Gods could accomplish such a feat of history?
It was not a deed that a human mage could achieve. One or two might be possible, but a staggering 9,000—or 370,000 if you included those first summoned.
Tehenut’s belief that the Great Summoning was the work of the Four Great Gods was not born of faith. It was the result of rational judgment.
“But.”
It was Kang-seok who spoke. He rose from his seat. Staring directly into Tehenut’s eyes, he said.
“A colleague of mine was told by someone from this world about the Great Summoning. ‘I don’t think the Four Great Gods would have done something so cruel.’”
The words of the five-star adventurer, Abigail.
The Great Summoning had stolen the lives of over 370,000 people.
Among them, over 360,000 had already lost their lives, and the remaining 9,000, perhaps even fewer, were forced to fight for their lives in this world, shackled by their remaining survival time.
Tehenut smiled sorrowfully.
“The Four Great Gods are certainly benevolent beings. I can sympathize with the thoughts of the person who spoke with your colleague. But at the same time, I have had this thought.”
Tehenut was the Pope of the Yellow God Cult. Her belief in the benevolence of the Four Great Gods was in no way inferior to Abigail’s.
And because she was who she was, she was able to think it.
“What if there was something so dire that They had to plan something as cruel as the Great Summoning? What if there was something that required the sacrifice of 370,000 people, a number so frightening to even imagine?”
370,000 was certainly an enormous number.
But over 200 million humans lived in this world.
370,000 was a small number compared to 200 million.
Of course, human lives could not be counted by numbers.
The moment one spoke of sacrificing the few for the sake of the many, ‘value’ was bound to begin an endless descent.
But still, she thought so. She could think of nothing else.
The reason for summoning the Players to this world through the Great Summoning.
The reason for granting power to the Players, beings from another world, instead of granting it to the natives of this world.
She didn’t know. But Tehenut believed it. That was why she faced Kang-seok’s anger head-on.
Kang-seok did not roar in fury. He did not throw a punch at Tehenut for shamelessly discussing the acceptance of sacrifice.
But Tehenut could see it. Kang-seok’s soul was ablaze.
From the deaths of Kim Nam-yeong and Ahn Jae-min, who had been with him during the tutorial, to the death of Kim Ha-neul, whom he had met in Raum’s Tower.
A third party had no right to discuss sacrifice. To speak of shouldering the karma while sacrificing the lives of others as if it were a numbers game was nothing but an extremely arrogant notion.
Kang-seok controlled his anger. It wasn’t because Tehenut was a beautiful woman. She had simply interpreted the event of the Great Summoning as the will of the Four Great Gods.
“Are you saying that event is the World Quest?”
He asked in a suppressed voice. Tehenut shook her head.
“I do not know. Only two World Quests have been revealed so far. Perhaps all of this is nothing more than my delusion.”
Instead of stepping back, Tehenut took a step forward. Facing the fierce flames—Kang-seok’s soul, burning as it devoured the darkness—she continued to speak.
“In the prophecy of the second World Quest that you Players have witnessed, two Divine Artifacts appear. One of them is the hammer Thunderclap, the first divine object the Red God bestowed upon this world. And the other is the divine object bestowed by the Yellow God, ‘Morning Glory.’”
One of the reasons Kang-seok had sought out the Temple of the Yellow God was naturally resolved.
“As I said, I believe the Four Great Gods caused the Great Summoning. Therefore, I believe that Their will is also embedded in the prophecy of the upcoming World Quest. If two Divine Artifacts are needed, then so be it. I have decided to entrust Morning Glory to the Player who will participate in the World Quest. And now, I have decided who to give it to.”
Kang-seok shifted his gaze to his lower left.
A small, lovely girl, who could have passed for a younger version of Tehenut, carefully took Kang-seok’s hand. When their eyes met, the girl smiled shyly.
“The child’s name is Sekhmet. She has been chosen as the carrier of the Divine Artifact Morning Glory. I will entrust that child and Morning Glory to you, Sir Choi Kang-seok.”
Unlike Tehenut, the girl dressed in white wore a golden bracelet on her arm. It looked exactly like the Divine Artifact seen in the World Quest preview.
“If my thoughts are not mistaken, in the second World Quest, Morning Glory will surely unleash its power by your side, Sir Choi Kang-seok.”
Tehenut’s business in summoning Kang-seok was all finished.
She had looked directly into his soul and had decided to entrust Morning Glory to him.
But Kang-seok’s business was not yet finished.
“There is one thing I would like to ask.”
After taking a deep breath, Kang-seok took out the Hero’s Necklace from inside his clothes.
Tehenut approached him. She examined the Hero’s Necklace from what could be called point-blank range, then looked up at Kang-seok again.
“Would it be alright if I peeked into your memories again?”
Kang-seok nodded his assent. As he lowered his head slightly, Tehenut gently touched her forehead to his.
The lowest floor of the Dungeon Labyrinthos.
The nameless hero who had perished with the Demonic Beast Barbatos.
Tehenut gently took the Hero’s Necklace from Kang-seok’s hand. She caressed it lightly and said.
“The Yellow God has left behind a great many divine objects. There are over twenty Divine Artifacts of this form alone. But as the Witch of the Lake, Vivian, said, a Divine Artifact with this much power is certainly not common.”
The Divine Artifact had saved Kang-seok’s life in Raum’s Tower and lost its power. But the remnants of it had not disappeared.
“The first holy warrior acknowledged by the Yellow God… It is a divine object passed down through the lineage of the Ancient Elder, Great General Black Bear, but it has been lost to the Black Bear family for a very long time.”
“Does that mean… you don’t know who the owner of this necklace is?”
“Yes, and we do not know the exact time the Black Bear family lost it either. But there is one thing I can say for certain.”
Pausing for a moment, Tehenut opened the locket necklace.
Snow-white hair, green eyes, long ears, and a beautiful face.
“The owner of the portrait that the nameless hero held in his heart. It is someone whose name you already know, Sir Choi Kang-seok.”
Kang-seok blinked. And without realizing it, a name suddenly came to mind.
“Green Meteor.”
The last Elder.
The foremost among the Eight Great Superhumans of the World.
Tehenut nodded. She answered Kang-seok’s unspoken question.
“Yes, it is her.”
***
When he raised his head, Kang-seok was standing at the entrance of the Grand Temple of the Yellow God.
Countless pilgrims came and went through the massive, towering entrance of the Grand Temple, and the smell of everyday life was everywhere. It was different from the space that had been nature itself, where he had just been.
“Kang-seok?!”
Seong Yu-jin’s voice flew like an arrow and struck his ear. Kang-seok reflexively turned and saw Seong Yu-jin, Choi Yu-ra, and Go Min-gu running toward him.
“What happened? Are you okay? Did that Pope woman do anything weird?”
As soon as she stood in front of him, Choi Yu-ra quickly looked him over and asked urgently. Startled by her words, Go Min-gu shushed her quietly.
“Hey, Choi Yu-ra. Lower your voice. The priests will hear.”
“So what if they hear!”
Not content with just being annoyed, Choi Yu-ra growled as she glared at the priests standing near the entrance of the Grand Temple.
Somehow reassured by her unchanging demeanor, Kang-seok let his shoulders relax slightly. He asked Seong Yu-jin.
“Where are Christian and Ha-na?”
“They went to see if regeneration is possible. Ha-na followed Christian. Did things go well for you?”
“More or less. I got some clues.”
In the end, he couldn’t find out who the owner of the Hero’s Necklace was. But he had learned a great deal more than before visiting the Grand Temple.
The one who possessed the black sword Durandal and the locket of the Black Bear family containing a portrait of Green Meteor.
The scope had narrowed considerably.
And one more thing.
The reason Kang-seok had to find the Grand Temple of the Yellow God.
“When are you going to introduce me?”
At the slightly sullen voice of a young girl, the entire group was startled and turned their gazes to Kang-seok’s left.
Even though a girl, pretty enough to be called the most beautiful in the world, was standing there holding his hand, they had been completely unaware of her existence until she spoke.
Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra looked back and forth between Kang-seok and the girl, while Go Min-gu couldn’t take his eyes off the girl’s face.
Kang-seok said with a bitter smile.
“This is Sekhmet. She’s the carrier of the Yellow God’s Divine Artifact, Morning Glory. Sekhmet, these are my companions, Seong Yu-jin, Choi Yu-ra, and Go Min-gu.”
At the brief introduction, Sekhmet looked at each member of the party and nodded. It was as if she were engraving their faces and names through her eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Sekhmet.”
The explanation was still a bit lacking, but they could get to know each other gradually.
When Seong Yu-jin affably extended her hand first, Sekhmet stared at her face for a moment before lightly taking her hand.
Watching this, Go Min-gu made a strange noise and clutched his chest, and Choi Yu-ra hit him hard in the side. Looking down at Sekhmet, she muttered under her breath.
“Our Jun-gyu’s heart is going to explode.”
***
“Keuk, my heart!”
At the sight of Sekhmet appearing while holding Seong Yu-jin’s hand instead of Kang-seok’s, Yang Jun-gyu clutched his chest and collapsed. Just looking at her face felt like his heart would burst.
Sekhmet looked at Yang Jun-gyu as if he were strange, then asked Seong Yu-jin.
“Is he sick?”
“Uh… well…”
Seong Yu-jin could only scratch her cheek awkwardly, unable to give a proper answer, while Choi Yu-ra, seeing her prediction come true, just burst out laughing.
With about three weeks left until the second World Quest.
Sekhmet, a priestess of the Yellow God, joined the Adamas guild.