Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Things to Do
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"..."
I pondered the Saintess's words with a serious expression.
'Doom...'
According to her, once the 'King of the Undying' appeared, it would be too late for everything.
Its mere existence would massively empower all undead, making the war itself grueling. And as long as it wasn't destroyed, the undead wouldn't truly die.
Unless you poured out an immense amount of holy power to obliterate it, it would just lead to pointless battles of attrition.
And even if you managed to destroy it in the end, failing to block the curse it left behind meant victory was no victory at all.
It would ensure no new life could ever be born in that world again.
'...Does that mean I'd die too?'
I wasn't fully a part of this world, but I was still a man all the same.
Considering what had happened in the Saintess's world, I couldn't comfortably assume I'd be safe.
"...Is there no way to stop his resurrection?"
[If you completely destroy the legion commander active in that world before he revives—the Vampire Lord Barshutan—then yes, it might be possible.]
"Then..."
[But he's a cunning one. Having suffered defeat in this world once already, he's surely made every preparation to avoid being destroyed again. In fact, we had to sever his soul into eight pieces before we could finally drive him out. We thought we'd destroyed him back then... but in light of the current situation, even calling it 'destruction' feels off now.]
"...Sigh."
Why couldn't he just fade away nicely after one destruction? Why come rampaging into another world?
Of course, I knew full well.
This world—this murim—had overwhelming combat prowess.
If pure fighting power was all that mattered, there was no need to worry that the murim couldn't repel an undead army that even a fantasy world had held off.
But the problem was...
This world had no holy power.
[The saintess of that world seems to be struggling on her own for now, but she can't keep blocking that endless horde of undead forever by herself. The moment she breaks, the Vampire Lord will fully commit to resurrecting their king... and that's when...]
"...The entire Central Plains will be dyed in death."
Most of the power in this world came from internal energy.
There was no holy power like in fantasy worlds.
"...Hold on. There's a saintess in this world?"
[Yes? You just met her.]
"Just now...?"
Her words brought one person to mind.
Yeo So-cheon.
"...She's the saintess?"
No matter how I looked at her, she didn't seem like one.
Her image didn't match the fantasy saintess in my imagination at all.
[Naturally, since the worlds differ, she'll be far from the atmosphere you have in mind. But the title of saintess or saint refers to a body that serves a god and also acts as the vessel for that god's descent to the mortal plane. In that sense, yes, she qualifies as a saintess.]
"Ah..."
If that was the definition, it made sense.
Thinking back to how the heavens had possessed her body earlier, her explanation fit perfectly.
[It's thanks to her that I can even have this conversation. The interference from that world's saintess and god has built up quite a reserve, allowing me to connect this channel.]
'...Is that a good thing...?'
I wondered if the channel connecting was truly fortunate, but since I'd learned of the crisis looming over this world, I decided to see it as a good thing.
"...So, what should I do?"
Having heard that this world might soon face doom, my options boiled down to two.
1. Stop the doom.
2. Escape this world before it happens.
Option one meant preventing the Demon King's resurrection. Option two meant scraping together 10,000 points as fast as possible.
But neither was easy.
I had no idea how to stop the resurrection, and gathering 10,000 points right now only meant making a fortune overnight.
An absurd sum of 10,000 gold nyang, no less.
Both were impossible for me at the moment.
For now, I had no choice but to rely on her side.
[Ahem. I'm glad you're relying on me. Then let me tell you what the hero needs to do going forward. First...]
That was when it happened.
-Rumble
Familiar dark clouds began gathering in the empty air.
Very slowly. Right now, they were just specks of dust, but I knew exactly what kind of clouds they were.
And it seemed the Saintess knew too.
[Oh, looks like we have to cut it short today! Listen well! Use that world's saintess! Spend as much time with her as possible...]
-Boom!
Was it that urgent?
Before the dark clouds even grew to palm-sized, a bolt of blue lightning struck directly where her voice had been coming from.
-Zzzzt... Zzzzt...
"Hello?"
I called out to the spot making noises like a broken TV, but as expected, no reply came.
I cautiously lifted my head to gaze at the dark clouds in the sky.
'...You're not going to punish me too, are you?'
I worried I'd suffer just for talking to the Saintess, but...
-Swoosh
"Phew..."
Thankfully, it wasn't the case. They quickly dispersed and vanished.
I patted my still-racing heart and reflected on the day's events.
Yeo So-cheon had suddenly attacked, the heavens had done something weird to her, and just as I tried to rest, a saintess from another world contacted me to warn that this world might end.
To survive, I needed to use Yeo So-cheon.
'But that's just their side's claim...'
I'd only heard one perspective, so I couldn't tell which side benefited me more.
Honestly, from my standpoint, both sides were just kidnappers.
At least this side didn't plan to turn me into a breeding stud, which was a relief—but survival would be tough.
The other side clearly intended to keep me alive as long as possible for exactly that purpose.
'I just want to go back to Earth...'
How did I end up tangled in this mess?
What had I done wrong to deserve this absurd ultimatum?
"Haa..."
I sighed and flopped onto the bed.
My head was too cluttered; I just wanted a comfortable position.
'If this world really dooms, what should I do?'
Assuming the Saintess's words were all true, I could envision the world facing destruction or equivalent devastation.
Surviving that as someone without special powers seemed hopeless, and even if I miraculously lasted to the end, death was still likely.
Of course, I had to consider she might be lying to lure me over.
But for now, under the assumption her words were true and doom was coming—what could I do?
If the world ended, it wouldn't just be me; countless others would die.
The first person who came to mind was my Master.
If the world ended and Master died...?
'...'
I always thought of her as prickly, but she was my only family in this world.
She'd cared for and raised me for a full decade.
If she died... what would I do?
Even if I scraped together 10,000 points somehow and fled alone to another world... what about Master left behind?
What would I say when I left?
This world is about to end, so I'm bailing?
'No way I could say that...'
In that case, there was only one option left.
Stop the doom.
And the only clue I had toward that, without knowing the first thing about how...
Was approaching Yeo So-cheon.
"...Disciple."
"Yes, Master."
"I have a question. Can you answer honestly?"
It was a sudden question.
Master often did odd things, so I was about to reply casually, but when I looked up, her expression was quite serious.
This didn't feel like a casual question.
"...Yes. Go ahead."
Of course, I couldn't refuse anyway, so that's what I said.
I held my breath, wondering what kind of question she'd ask, but surprisingly, it was a deflating one.
"...Have you ever dated back in your original world?"
"...Pardon?"
Dated? What were we, kids?
I thought she was joking like usual, but her face remained serious.
Her eyes demanded honesty.
"...No."
"...Then, have you ever been intimate with someone?"
"From dating to intercourse? No, that too."
I might sound old-fashioned, but I believed sex required love.
No dating meant no intimacy.
"...I see."
"But why ask something like this?"
"None of your business."
Her voice sounded cold as usual,
but somehow, I felt like she was smiling behind her fan.