Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Chapter 11.
The battlefield was engulfed in shocking silence.
The Guild Leader and his Daughter, who had come outside at some point.
The Guild Members and Mercenaries who had been steeling themselves to fight.
Not to mention the Holy Army who had placed their unwavering faith solely in the Paladin.
All of them, mouths agape, could only stare at the Paladin's falling head and Gunter's smile.
"Now!"
At that moment, Ryan's sudden shout broke the silence.
"Attack!"
He was naturally flustered too, but at the same time, he realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Eddie, who had been stunned, followed suit.
"Push them! Their leader is dead!"
Eddie charged forward, activating 'Unconditional Affection'.
It was a truly timely charge.
At the appearance of another contractor, a portion of the panicked Holy Army turned their backs.
"...R-run!"
"Demons, demons are coming!"
As a few began to flee, the entire formation quickly collapsed, and the Guild guards and Mercenaries, gaining momentum, pursued them.
"……."
However, instead of joining the pursuit, Gunter stood still, gazing down at the corpse at his feet.
The sword he had used for the past few months crumbled into dust in his hand.
'...It's over.'
He repeated it once more.
'It's the end.'
Before the Paladin's corpse,
Gunter suddenly remembered why he liked <Forgotten God>.
He had completely forgotten it since being reincarnated as an extra.
It was okay to fail multiple times.
As long as you don't give up, you can win.
A game where effort leads to deserved rewards, and those rewards allow you to overcome extremely difficult challenges.
Karma and Death Return... had breathed such gamification back into the reality of an extra.
"Ha, haha..."
Gunter laughed out loud.
Ting-!
The backlog of notifications flooded in simultaneously.
[You have defeated a formidable enemy that was normally impossible to face. Bonus experience points will be awarded.]
[Level Up! / Lv.36]
[Level Up! / Lv.37]
[Divine Possession is ending.]
[The temporarily elevated rank will return to its original position.]
[Stigma will shrink.]
[Divine Possession cooldown, one month, will be applied.]
The god departed his body.
At the same time, the sense of omnipotence that had enveloped his entire being faded.
But Gunter's expression remained bright.
There were two reasons why Divine Possession was overpowered.
One was the transcendent power that could be wielded momentarily.
The other was-
[Although the divine power has left, its trace has been etched into your soul. Would you like to check the Remnant?]
Remnant.
These were the changes that occurred in a human body that had contained a god.
[Remnant: Physical Shock]
-
Your body has sustained significant damage from the aftereffects of Divine Possession.
-
Strength, Stamina, Agility -50% (lasts 24 hours).
[Remnant: Molting]
-
Your muscles and nerves have been newly tempered while enduring the weight of divinity.
-
Strength +3, Agility +3, Stamina +4, Magic Power +1.
[Remnant: Enlightenment]
-
You have performed swordsmanship incomprehensible to humans.
-
Proficiency in swordsmanship-related skills will greatly increase.
[Knight's Swordsmanship]
-
Level: 2
-
Proficiency: 87.7%
The Remnant was not merely a aftereffect.
While there were penalties, it also offered an immense opportunity for growth.
'Just like now.'
A whopping 11 additional stats.
Knight's Swordsmanship was already nearing Level 3.
Honestly, even this much was satisfying.
However, the real prize still remained.
[One of the skills possessed by the divinity that resided within you will be randomly inherited.]
Random skill lottery.
It was impossible to know which skill would be granted from the numerous skills possessed by the Knight King.
It could be a skill so trivial it was meaningless.
Or it could be a mighty divine power that made 500 Karma seem laughable.
The result depended purely on luck.
[Initiating random skill lottery!]
It was the moment Gunter's eyes locked onto the status window.
'...Huh?'
Suddenly, his vision spun, and the world turned black.
His body lost strength as if he hadn't eaten for days.
He barely registered that he was losing consciousness-
[The Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King states that Divine Possession leaves minor aftereffects.]
He remembered the conversation from a few minutes ago.
'...You called it a minor aftereffect?'
[The Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King tuts, saying modern kids lack spirit.]
Damn it.
Gunter's body tilted forward as if falling.
[You have been granted one of the divine powers of the divinity 'Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King'.]
.
.
.
[You have acquired the Active Skill, 'Overlord's Eye'.
[Overlord's Eye]
-
Rank: Epic
-
Level: 1
-
Type: Active
-
Proficiency: 0.00%
An eye born from countless defeats and frustrations, and the will to overcome them.
Upon activation, cognitive abilities increase dramatically, and it analyzes the opponent's movements and habits to automatically pinpoint the most critical weakness.
It strongly intimidates the opponent.
Activation Duration: 3 seconds (Cooldown: 1 day)
* Activation time and cooldown are determined by the user's capabilities.
* * *
"……."
Everything was dark.
A place where the very concept of light seemed to have vanished.
Only darkness, dampness, and an unbearable stuffiness permeated deeply.
An ordinary human would have quickly gone mad from this silence and eeriness.
"Well, how was your outing after so long?"
However, the voice that echoed from the deepest part was cheerful.
High-pitched.
But it didn't feel frivolous or light at all.
Instead, it conveyed a liveliness that made one want to laugh along.
"It was good. More than good."
In contrast, the voice that responded was immensely heavy and cold.
If an ancient, fine sword could speak, it would sound like this.
"Kyah, I'm jealous. When will I get to go out? I feel like I'll cry if even a breath of wind touches my skin."
"It won't be long now."
"It better not be. The moment I need to step in will come soon."
Thus, the conversation between the 'Pillar Servant' and the 'Knight King' continued naturally.
"By the way, it was unexpected."
"What was?"
"That you suggested Divine Possession at this timing. It was clearly pushing it."
"Gunter could handle it..."
"No, you."
"……."
"You can't afford the price of Divine Possession with just that much Karma... You know that best, right? It's a huge loss."
A moment of silence.
The Pillar Servant chuckled as if he could see the Knight King's expression.
"You really like Gunter, don't you."
"Wouldn't you?"
"Yes, he's truly unique and commendable."
Setting aside his astonishing mental fortitude, fighting spirit, perseverance, and surprisingly vast knowledge, Gunter was undeniably 'unique'.
To end up merely fainting after experiencing Divine Possession, was that even possible?
An ordinary person would have had their mind and body shattered, leading to death.
'As expected... his talent remains.'
Divine Resistance.
In this world where countless myths breathed life, the talent to withstand the mental and physical pressure exerted by transcendent beings was exceptionally rare.
It would undoubtedly be of great help in the dangers that would come crashing down in the future.
...If he grows well, he might even be able to strike a blow against those cowardly monsters.
"Truly a successor. I can't help but have expectations."
The 'Pillar Servant', muttering to himself, called out to someone else beside him.
"But why are you so quiet? Say something. Did your meds wear off?"
In a corner of the darkness.
A very faint, delicate voice, like that of a small bird, could be heard.
"Me, me? Sniffle W-what should I say?"
"Hmm... perhaps your thoughts on recent events?"
"I'm glad our Gunter doesn't have to hurt anymore. Watching him over the past few lives was too painful, too painful... sob sob sob."
The Saintess couldn't continue and burst into tears.
The Pillar Servant clicked his tongue.
"Oh dear, she's like this even when she was human, hasn't changed a bit."
"Innate nature is hard to change."
"Right, that's why you've been just striking poses for hundreds of years."
"Shut up."
As they had such conversations, they suddenly recalled a distant past.
Their human days.
The days they lived brilliant lives.
Then they looked at the abyss-like darkness that tightly surrounded them.
"Damn it..."
"……."
It was the moment the Knight King and the Pillar Servant let out deep sighs.
"Huh?"
The Saintess's crying stopped.
"...He's awake!"
In a corner of the dim space.
Something began to be felt.
"Gunter's awake!"
[Ugh...]
Gunter's tightly shut eyelids were beginning to open.
* * *
Clatter-
The rocking of the carriage jolted him awake from his hazy consciousness.
He lay there blankly for a moment, feeling the pain throbbing through his entire body.
His limbs ached as if it were his first day doing manual labor.
[The Addict Saintess waves, saying she waited a long time.]
[The Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King advises you to survey your surroundings now that you are awake.]
...That's right.
He rolled his stiff eyes around.
The first thing he saw was the luxurious interior of the carriage.
Kalian Ladenbach, the Guild Leader, was seated in the opposite seat.
Kalian must have put me, who had lost consciousness, into the carriage.
Yor was nowhere to be seen; there were only the two of them in the carriage.
...It was then that their eyes met.
"You're awake? Are you feeling any better?"
"I'm fine."
As he sat up, the wet cloth placed on his forehead fell to the floor with a thud.
"Yor asked me to be sure to tell you she took good care of you."
"...Where did she go?"
"I sent her away because I wanted to speak with you alone."
Kalian smiled affably.
I calmly gazed at his friendly face.
...Talking alone.
"But before we get to the main point, I must say this."
Kalian paused, then bowed his head deeply.
"Thanks to you, my Daughter, my loyal subordinates, and myself were able to survive. I will never forget this debt of gratitude."
He then handed me a small, ornately decorated leather pouch.
"A merchant never offers free greetings. Please accept this small token."
I accepted the pouch without refusal.
It was lighter than I expected... but it was too early to be disappointed.
The contents were three platinum coins.
Their value was 300 gold.
Converted to Korean Won, it would be around 300 million.
Kalian grinned.
"You look pleased."
"Have you ever seen a Mercenary who dislikes money?"
Considering the money needed to play the protagonist from now on, it was like rain in a drought.
And the amount was more than I expected.
In the game, it was definitely...
"Your friend was quite insistent."
"...Friend?"
"'Pay up properly,' he said, 'if it weren't for you, we'd all be crow droppings.' He wasn't wrong, so I emptied my pockets."
Ryan really pulled his weight.
It was the moment I chuckled.
Ting-!
[Additional rewards are being given based on Affinity.]
This time, Kalian unbuckled the sword at his waist, scabbard and all, and handed it over.
"……."
This was a development that didn't even exist in the game.
It seemed the 'Affinity' that had risen as an Easter egg had an effect.
I accepted the sword without refusal.
The pattern engraved on the scabbard looked extraordinary.
It was at least 'Magic' grade.
[Item Acquired! 'Ladenbach's Resilience']
"You... accept things so readily."
"……?"
"I'm complimenting you."
Kalian glanced at the sword with a hint of regret and said,
"You used a rather unremarkable sword for your skill level, but this one won't break easily."
...At this point, I couldn't help but feel extremely pleased.
Kalian glanced at my expression and continued,
"Well, now that the accounts are settled, shall I state my business?"
"Please do."
A moment of silence fell.
Kalian's smile remained, but his gaze was different from the casualness of moments before.
'Here it comes.'
I waited for the words that would soon follow, signaling the true beginning of the main scenario.
"...Would you be willing to take on my business one more time?"
Ting-!
[Your choices and actions have altered the course of the scenario.]
[Branching Event!]
[Entering a New Branch]
[Branch: Under the Crow's Wings]
-
Codenamed 'Golden Fox', Kalian Ladenbach is considering you as a new member of the Night Crow.
-
The Night Crow is a Secret Society that fights against the conspiracies of the Rutian Theocracy.
-
Will you be able to become their member and change the fate of this world?
1.
The secret society Night Crow is a group that accepts new members very cautiously.
2.
Resolve Kalian's additional request in the border city to build trust.