Chapter 277
Chapter 277
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 278
Chapter Title: The Sealed Great Spirit
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[Hold on, I think you're misunderstanding something. Can't you distinguish between virtual and reality?]
Shinbi spoke in a flustered voice at the command to guide him to the Seed of Origin's location.
[This world is built based on Kwak Moo-jin's experiences. I'm not sure if the Seed of Origin is actually implemented here.]
A world created based on Kwak Moo-jin's experiences.
Half right, half wrong.
If this world were truly made solely from Kwak Moo-jin's experiences, detailed things like the Predator's Fortress wouldn't be implemented.
"What are you talking about? I already know your experiences are included too. If it were just made from Kwak Moo-jin's experiences, it couldn't have created such a vast world, right?"
[…….]
Shinbi fell silent, as if struck at the core.
[Ahem. Your deductive skills are sharp, huh?]
I shrugged.
"That's just basic deduction."
[Fine, I'll tell you the truth. You're not wrong. This virtual world was created by combining my authority as 'Shinbi.']
Shinbi muttered that, then opened its mouth again.
[But this world is still just virtual. Even if you find the Seed of Origin, it doesn't exist in 'reality,' so it's meaningless.]
"That doesn't matter. I just want to confirm the location anyway."
The Seed of Origin.
This material for the [Holy Grail] was a mystery in the original story, with no detailed acquisition process described.
The reason was simple.
The one who acquired the Seed of Origin wasn't some organization, but Ja-un.
In the original story, Ja-un entered the Boundary World to find the Seed of Origin, a material for the Holy Grail.
The process wasn't depicted, but there was mention that Sca was seriously injured during acquisition.
I needed to check in advance what dangers were there that could seriously injure Sca.
[……You're not thinking of actually acquiring the real Seed of Origin, are you?]
"Yeah, so what?"
[You're really insane? Do you know what it means to drop into the Boundary World?]
"I do."
Still, I had no other choice.
The value of the 'Holy Grail' was beyond words.
And now that the Chalice of Life was in my hands, I had to complete the Holy Grail by any means necessary.
[Well, you're a bit different from ordinary humans, so maybe. Hehe.]
That's when Shinbi spoke to me.
[Alright. I'll guide you to where the Seed of Origin is hidden. But first, a quick explanation of the Boundary regions. The Boundary regions are divided into four main areas.]
Shinbi began explaining.
In summary:
North: [City of the Living]
East: [Temple]
West: [Predator's Fortress]
South: [Frozen Valley]
[Among these, the Seed of Origin is hidden in the south— the Frozen Valley.]
Whiiiiiing!
A fierce, biting wind blew.
A massive white blizzard blanketed the world, obscuring my vision.
A cold that no ordinary person could endure.
An extreme chill that pierced even [Cold Resistance].
Two days after sending everyone back to reality.
I arrived in the southern land, [Frozen Valley], through the ancient gate Shinbi guided me to.
"Ugh......"
Shivering from the cold, I opened my subspace to retrieve the padded jacket enchanted with [Warmth] magic.
That's when Shinbi spoke to me in an amazed tone.
[Whoa, what was that just now? It wasn't magic?]
"My ability."
I pulled out the long padded jacket from the subspace and put it on as I answered.
As I zipped it up, the warming effect activated.
Now I could finally breathe.
[Really? That's an interesting ability~ How does it work?]
Shinbi asked in a voice full of curiosity.
Then, I suddenly recalled the necromancy Shinbi's shocked reaction when it saw my subspace ability.
That guy had made a fuss, asking if it was an ability gained from the 'Shard of Causality'...
"Hey, do you happen to know what the Shard of Causality is?"
[……Shard of Causality?]
Shinbi murmured quietly.
[Ohhh~ So that's an ability from the Shard of Causality?!]
Shinbi exclaimed in a delighted, enlightened voice.
"Y-Yeah, so what is the Shard of Causality?"
[……Huh? What did I just say? I forgot!]
It's suddenly playing dumb.
"Even if I offer a trade, you won't tell me?"
[Trade? What's that~?]
"......Fine?"
I pulled out the Shinbi crystal from my pocket. Then, I infused a bit of mana into my hand and applied pressure.
[Hey? Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Stop! No violence!]
At those words, I briefly relaxed my grip.
[Seriously, that's too much! Don't you know this violates our contract?!]
"What are you talking about? I never limited the number of questions."
[I did say there are some things I can't answer! You'd understand if you were me, right?]
Shinbi yelled indignantly.
"Then at least give me a simple hint."
As I looked down at the orb, it fell silent for a moment.
[……Sigh. Fine. I don't know much about that ability either. It's an authority even we can't handle.]
"Even you can't handle it?"
[Yeah, you know too. The laws of the world are mysteries even we Shinbi can't meddle with......]
That's when Shinbi stopped mid-sentence.
[Forget what I just said.]
"What? Why stop? Is the Shard of Causality related to the world's laws?"
[Oh dear! It's getting dark. Monsters will wake up soon, so let's hurry~ Okay, keep going straight, then turn right at the cave ahead and climb the mountain.]
It's suddenly changing the subject.
This time, it really didn't seem like it would answer, so I gave up.
And so, I moved according to Shinbi's guidance.
The ground was slippery and treacherous, but thanks to [Unreality's Grace], my body overflowed with strength, making it easy to climb the mountain.
"But I don't see any living creatures here."
I muttered while looking around.
I hadn't sensed any signs of life or presences for a while.
That's when Shinbi spoke.
[The south is a place even Boundary Predators don't touch easily. It's too cold, but there are also many dangerous ones.]
"Dangerous ones?"
[The hidden monsters of the Boundary.]
Hidden monsters of the Boundary.
Predators were already strong, but hearing there were even stronger ones made me a bit tense.
That was when.
—Kraaaaaargh!
A massive roar echoed like thunder.
It wasn't far.
At that moment, thud! Thud! Along with approaching footsteps, something appeared before me.
"......Yeti?"
It was a yeti.
The monster commonly seen in real-world snowy mountains.
But it was different from the ones I knew.
First, its size was enormous. Easily over 4 meters.
It felt like looking up at a building.
Then, the yeti let out a roar and swung its fist at me.
Whoosh!
I used mana to leap high, dodging the attack.
While airborne, I manifested an electric attribute orb.
In 1v1 situations against biological monsters like this, nothing beat lightning attributes. Plus, with lightning now at rank 2, I wanted to test its power.
Zzzzt—
Sparks flew above my hand as the electric orb formed.
With the rank up, it could hold more lightning power than usual.
I kept injecting electric mana into the orb.
As expected, it held more than before.
Zzzt, zzzzt!
"Hup!"
I swung my hand, releasing the orb.
Baaaaang—!
With a sound tearing through the air, the electric orb shot toward it, leaving an afterimage.
It held more lightning, making control trickier, but the increased destructive power and range made it no issue.
Zzzzzzt!
—Kraaaaaargh!
Blue lightning left trails as it pierced the yeti's shoulder.
Soon, zzzzt, the lightning coursed through its entire body, and it convulsed before collapsing.
Thud!
[Lightning attribute proficiency has increased.]
['Blessing of Great Nature' effect grants additional lightning attribute proficiency.]
"Whew."
The current capacity in the orb had definitely increased.
Manifestation and release speeds were faster, and more precise movements were possible.
I looked down at the faint current flowing over my palm.
Zzzt, zzzzt—.
Lightning resistance had risen too.
Before, using lightning caused stinging pain, but now even that was reduced.
A bit more practice, and maybe I could partially 'attribute-ize' my body for short times, like Lee Seo-jun or Bert.
[Wow~ That was clean.]
Shinbi laughed as if praising me.
I shook off my hand nonchalantly.
"This is nothing. Anyway, keep guiding."
And so, I continued climbing the snowy mountain under Shinbi's guidance.
After about 50 minutes, Shinbi spoke.
[We're here.]
"......Huh? Where?"
I looked around at Shinbi's words. Nothing special stood out.
[Under your feet.]
I looked down.
"Under my feet?"
[Yeah, sweep the ground and it'll appear.]
I nodded, squatted, and brushed away the snow covering the ground.
The snow was so thick I ended up using wind attribute magic to blow it away.
[Oh. Wind attribute too? You're really versatile.]
Once I cleared the ground, Outsider's Benefit activated, revealing something hidden beneath.
"......A ritual."
The ritual resembled a barrier. The difference was it was made in an ancient style.
It felt different from modern magic.
And...... it seemed to include a summoning ritual.
No, was this a sealing ritual?
Then, a sudden curiosity struck.
"Hey, Shinbi. Can you interpret this?"
[Of course I can. There's no ritual we can't interpret.]
Shinbi said confidently.
It seemed proud of its expertise.
"Yeah?"
[But I can only interpret it.]
Shinbi laughed.
"What does that mean?"
[Exactly what it sounds like. I can only read it; I can't dispel or modify it. Humans know this now too, right? That everything in the world is made of 'rituals.']
"Well, yeah."
It was drilled into us in Ritual Studies class.
[If we could modify every ritual at will, we could ignore the world's laws and reshape it however we wanted. That wouldn't be a Shinbi; it'd be a god, right?]
"......Hmm."
Thinking about it, that made sense.
The ability to freely reshape the world would indeed be 'godlike.'
......The 'god' Jin Cheon-woo wanted to become.
Was what he ultimately sought the power to edit the world?
Then, a primal curiosity arose.
"But do gods actually exist?"
[God? Hmm~]
Shinbi made an intrigued sound.
[I don't know either.]
From its tone, it really didn't.
"Fine. I need to dispel this anyway."
[Hehe. Can you do it?]
"I'll see."
I immediately began dispelling the ritual.
I unraveled the ritual flooding into my mind and modified it step by step.
Naturally, no matter how complex, without special conditions, I could dispel it.
Wooooong!
As I unraveled it, one thing I sensed.
As expected, this ritual wasn't a barrier or summoning— it was a massive 'sealing ritual.'
I felt vague dread not knowing what was sealed, but I thought maybe the Seed of Origin.
Even if something else dangerous was sealed, I could escape to reality if needed.
......As long as I didn't die.
[Hehe. Heeheeheehee!]
And as intense light burst from the ritual, right when the seal was about to break.
Shinbi laughed creepily and loudly.
[The sealed 'Great Spirit of the Snowy Mountain' has been released.]
At the same time, an enormous mana wave shook the surroundings.
Caught off guard by the sudden event, my body was flung backward.
"Urk!"
I stared at the massive 'something' before me. Simultaneously, powerful mana crushed my body, choking me.
"......What the hell is that."
A mountain-sized black silhouette appeared.
It was so huge I couldn't see its full form at once.
I traced the silhouette's outline. Long ears......?
"......A rabbit?"
It was a rabbit with pure white fur. But it emanated an intense mana presence unlike any rabbit.
At the same time, the thought in my head: If this weren't the virtual world, I'd definitely be dead right now.
That thing was a calamity-grade mana beast.
"Hey. Hey. Send me back to reality quick."
[Heeheeheehee……]
As I spoke urgently, Shinbi's laughter echoed.
[I need time to prepare, so hold on a bit. Oh, by the way, regular magic doesn't work on spirits, so keep that in mind. Hehe.]
......Is it joking right now?
Right then, a massive ice block began manifesting above the giant rabbit's head.
Moments later, it shot toward me.
It felt like a meteor falling from the sky.
The range was so wide I thought I couldn't dodge.
It was a crisis, but Hero's Blessing and Overimmersion kept me calm and rational.
"Tch!"
I activated Instant Acceleration.
Perceived time slowed, making the incoming meteor's movement seem sluggish.
I reached out and focused my mind.
Above my hand, the invincible defense magic, the Reflection Counter magic circle, unfolded.
As the massive ice block touched the magic circle.
I activated it.
Wooooong!
Kaaaaaaaabooom---
['Success!']
The ice block reversed, hurtling back at it with all its original energy intact.
But the thing dodged the reflected attack with quick movement.
It wasn't a perfect evasion, though, so I succeeded in wounding it.
—Kreeeeeargh!
As the rabbit cried in pain, Shinbi's dumbfounded voice came.
[......What? What was that magic?]
Then it started chattering excitedly.
[What kind of magic is that? It's amazing! Did you create it?!]
"Shut up and send me back to reality quick!"
I shouted impatiently, watching the rabbit prepare for another attack.
[Hehe. Got it. It's ready, so infuse mana.]
I immediately gripped the orb and injected mana.
[Time to say goodbye. It was fun meeting you.]
At the same time, a strong light flashed from the orb.
"Hah...... Hah......"
When I came to, the scenery had changed.
Feeling deep relief, I collapsed onto the floor.
Going to find the 'Seed of Origin' in the virtual world first was truly a blessing.
If this had been real, I'd definitely be dead.
Regaining my composure, I slowly looked around.
A small room.
Familiar faces were gathered nearby.
"......Sunbae-nim?"