Chapter 159: Why Is He So Strong? (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 159: Why Is He So Strong? (3)
The next stage after a Exam Question: the Strange Gate.
This refers to a state where the dimensional distortion has become significantly larger than that of a Exam Question.
Strange Gates are divided into two types: Internal Strange Gates and External Strange Gates. The criterion for this classification is the 'time since creation.'
If the time since creation is short, it is classified as an 'Internal Strange Gate.'
If the time since creation is long, it is classified as an 'External Strange Gate.'
The degree of 'Overload' also differs depending on this time difference.
In the form of an Internal Strange Gate, where the creation time is short, monsters do not emerge from the gate. In other words, as long as one enters and clears the gate, it can be closed without any external damage.
However, if a Strange Gate is left neglected for a certain period, an 'Overload' phenomenon occurs, and monsters begin to pour out of the gate.
Depending on the type of Strange Gate, specific 'races' or 'monsters' emerge and carry out a massacre, designating every living creature on the continent as an enemy until someone closes the gate.
'...Come to think of it, I believe a principality was destroyed because of this, and depending on the choices made, even the Ashtalon Kingdom fell...'
Recalling various pieces of information, Alon let out a low, internal sigh.
'...Looking at it this way, the world of Psychedelia becomes a total mess by the time the original story begins. The Five Great Sins, the Outer Gods, and the Four Major Factions are all tangled up in a complex web.'
Of course, even so, the most important factor in the end was the Five Great Sins.
'They said Exam Questions and Strange Gates occur because of the Five Great Sins... I wonder what the actual mechanism is?'
Alon pondered for a moment, trying to recall the settings he had seen in the game, but eventually shook his head. He couldn't deduce the exact correlation between the Strange Gates and the Five Great Sins.
'Well, Elivan will be the one handling the Strange Gate anyway.'
Alon looked at the man in front of him.
Talking with his companions while maintaining a constant smile, he looked like a very decent person. In other words, he looked exactly like a protagonist.
"Marquis? Did you have something to say...?"
"Ah."
Before he knew it, Elivan had turned his head toward Alon, and their eyes met.
Hmm, I suppose I was staring too intently.
After a moment's thought, Alon decided to ask something he had been curious about, since the opportunity had presented itself.
"I had something I was curious about. May I ask?"
"If it's a question from the Marquis, then of course."
Elivan even adjusted his posture as he sat. Alon was slightly taken aback by the excessive reaction.
"There's no need to go that far."
"Not at all! Please, speak freely."
"Hmm—"
He really is polite, Alon thought briefly before beginning his question in earnest.
"As far as I know, you've become a Chosen One. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
"It might sound a bit odd to ask this, but what is it that drives you?"
In truth, this was born of Alon's pure curiosity.
Fundamentally, in Psychedelia, once a player becomes a Chosen One, they move autonomously and choose their own story path. Although there is a primary mission given to the Chosen One—'Clear the Strange Gates'—and a set of minimum guidelines, most players do not follow them.
Not only are the guidelines sparse, but as time passes, Strange Gate phenomena occur in multiple places simultaneously, forcing the player to make choices about which ones to handle.
Therefore, Alon was curious. What drove Elivan, and what criteria did he use to make his choices?
"Hmm—"
Elivan pondered for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled upward.
"I must move for the sake of 'That Person.'"
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I believe I must act for That Person's sake. After all, I have received That Person's blessing."
Alon nodded instinctively.
'It seems he moves according to the original purpose of a Chosen One... Though his level of piety is a bit unexpected—no, actually, maybe it's not that surprising?'
Of course, Elivan's talent was already at an absurd level even without Sironia's blessing. However, it was also true that he became even stronger after receiving it, so Alon simply nodded in acceptance.
'I should take this chance to build a rapport with Elivan's other companions as well.'
He shifted his gaze to those standing beside Elivan. The three companions currently following him were all exceptionally talented—enough to make names for themselves in this world later on. There was no harm in getting acquainted with future celebrities now.
The only problem was—
'...Why is she looking at me with such wary eyes?'
—One of them, Yan, was looking at him with a strangely sharp gaze.
It wasn't overtly obvious, but Alon, who was used to receiving such looks every time he attended a ball, was puzzled. He hadn't even had a proper conversation with her yet.
...It was an early summer day, and the weather was gradually growing warmer.
* * *
The Holy Kingdom Rosario, which serves the Goddess Sironia, had been flowing along peacefully without much trouble since the last Outer God incident.
However, that was only how it appeared from the outside.
Currently, two significant and unsettling events were occurring within Rosario.
The first was the Pope's seclusion.
The Pope of the Holy Kingdom had not shown his face at all since the appearance of the Artificial Outer God. In other words, he had not left his prayer room for over a year.
Since there had never been a case in history where a Pope remained in the prayer room for more than a year, the Cardinals had attempted to fetch him several times, but unfortunately, they had all failed.
It was physically impossible.
From the moment the Artificial Outer God appeared until now, a Golden Barrier had been continuously maintained around the prayer room where the Pope resided. As a result, no one had seen him since he entered.
However, the second issue was even more problematic than the Pope's absence.
The voice of the Goddess Sironia had gone completely silent, starting from the time of the Artificial Outer God incident.
"Sigh—"
In the Room of the Holy Spirit.
Yuman let out a deep sigh as he gazed at the statue of the Goddess Sironia. The statue, which used to emit a pure white light whenever he prayed, was now utterly silent.
And it had been that way for over a year.
'Why, exactly...?'
Anxiety and bewilderment clouded Yuman's face. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't fathom why he could no longer reach the Goddess Sironia.
'...Did I commit some sacrilege against the Goddess? No, my Divine Power is functioning perfectly.'
Yuman looked at the golden Divine Power flowing through his fingertips. Indeed, his Divine Power had not vanished. If anything, it had become even denser than it was a year ago.
Yet, despite this, the Goddess Sironia remained silent to his words.
And it wasn't just him. The Goddess was not responding to anyone.
Furthermore, since the Goddess went silent, no new individuals capable of wielding Divine Power had emerged. It was as if the Goddess had withdrawn the blessing she bestowed upon the faithful.
There had been times before when contact from the Goddess was cut off for over six months, but there had never been a time when the number of priests stopped increasing like this.
'...Has something happened to the Goddess?'
Repeating the same worries he had felt countless times, he left the Room of the Holy Spirit.
"Oh, Saint. Good day to you."
"...Cardinal Yutia."
"Yes."
He soon ran into Yutia. Looking at her, as she wore her usual inscrutable smile, Yuman asked:
"...So. Did you have a successful meeting with the Chosen One?"
"Yes."
"Was he truly one who received the blessing of the Goddess Sironia?"
"Of course. That's why I acknowledged him, isn't it?"
Yuman spoke slowly.
"...That is a lie."
"Why do you think so?"
"It is a matter handled with extreme secrecy even among the Cardinals, so it hasn't spread outside, but you know, don't you? Currently, That Person's voice is heard by no one. Furthermore—no one else is receiving her blessing."
Despite Yuman's logical point, the smile on Yutia's lips did not waver. She merely narrowed her eyes, which had been curved like crescent moons.
"Well now, Saint—Sironia might be looking after only the Chosen One specially. Just like she does with you."
"...You know well that such a thing is impossible when the connection to the Room of the Holy Spirit, which is closest to the Goddess, has been severed."
It was a sound argument. Yutia did not answer. She simply stared at Yuman with narrowed eyes for a moment before speaking.
"Let's save this conversation for next time. Shouldn't we be heading into the meeting soon?"
"Are you avoiding the question?"
"Of course not. I'm simply moving because it's time."
"..."
She walked past him.
"..."
Yuman watched Yutia with a wary gaze for a while before quietly following behind her.
'...Elivan, was it?'
He thought of the Chosen One Yutia had selected—the one whose authenticity remained uncertain.
* * *
About a week and a few days passed after that.
Alon arrived at the Strange Gate located near the Altia Family estate in the northern part of Asteria.
'The Duke of Altia asked me to stop by, so I should visit once the Strange Gate is handled. And—I should try using this, too.'
Alon glanced at 'Rumielle's Oath,' which he had obtained through a deal with Perion in Lartania. Then, he shifted his gaze to the entrance of the Strange Gate, which was turning purple.
'It's huge.'
He had seen it in the game, but the entrance to the Strange Gate was larger than Alon had expected.
'...Was it always this big?'
He felt a bit suspicious, but—
"Well then, let's head in."
"Let's."
Following Elivan, Alon began to walk into the Strange Gate.
"Is it... really okay to just walk in?"
Evan looked anxious. Alon continued forward without hesitation. After a moment of wavering, Evan squeezed his eyes shut and pushed himself into the Strange Gate.
Soon.
"Wow—"
He let out a deep exclamation of awe. The scenery inside the Strange Gate was incredibly impressive.
'...It is quite something.'
Alon also admired the scenery behind his expressionless face. An atmosphere more alien and dreamlike than he had imagined wafted toward him.
The purple sky was a characteristic of the Strange Gate. Beneath it, a purple fortress was built amidst deep, overlapping mountains.
'Is this the Iron Blood Fortress?'
The moment the name of the Strange Gate crossed his mind—
Thwack!
Alon realized something had struck the ground not far away and looked toward it.
"W-what are those?"
"...Living Armors."
He identified the Living Armors that had begun to charge to eliminate the intruders, their backs to the fortress. There were at least several hundred of them.
'In the game, their level is only around 10, so at this point, you're supposed to avoid fighting and immediately escape through a side path to enter the fortress—'
Alon smiled inwardly. Since he knew the Iron Blood Fortress well, he didn't necessarily need to run.
'If we wipe out the ones here, there aren't many Living Armors inside the fortress. Besides, Elivan's party needs to handle these guys to grow.'
From Alon's perspective, this was a good opportunity to cast magic without worrying about mana consumption, so he thought the situation wasn't bad and began to form a seal. He wanted to test the byproduct of his research over the past two months.
Creeeeeak!
He saw the Living Armors beginning to draw their bowstrings to counter him, but he didn't panic. He already knew that Living Armors prioritized their targets and that their movements were slow.
Just as Alon was about to leisurely chant the Phrase—
Zip!
Elivan suddenly dashed forward. He moved with incredible speed.
And then.
"Hup—!"
Reaching the Living Armors who had drawn their bows, Elivan unhesitatingly drew the sword at his waist and struck.
K-boom! Screeeech!
Dozens of Living Armors in front of him were instantly turned into heaps of scrap metal. They were completely powerless.
"Are you alright, Marquis!?"
Looking at Elivan, who had immediately turned around to ask with a sense of urgency.
"...Huh?"
Countless question marks popped up over Alon's head.
Among them, one thought in particular flashed through his mind.
'...Level 10... weren't they?'