The Second Divine Trial (1)
The Black Bone Sword Master.
Weeks ago, he had been summoned to the Holy City to verify whether Gaon possessed the qualifications of a Seeker.
The "test" he had presented to Gaon was simple.
It was a demand to prove that Gaon could slay him—an immortal being.
Recalling this, Jacques fell deep into thought.
'Although I didn't witness it myself because I was visiting the Sky Ocean Forest...'
According to the testimonies of the priests who were in the temple at the time, the Sword Master's test had ended rather anticlimactically.
Apparently, Gaon and Heukgol had simply stared each other down, and then it was over.
Of course, Jacques knew exactly what that meant.
'...It must have been a battle of the mindscape.'
A battle of the mindscape.
It was a phenomenon visible only to those who had reached the absolute pinnacle of martial prowess.
By reading their opponent's breathing, gaze, and the minutest shifts in the environment, they could see through each other and predict the outcome of a clash before a single blow was struck.
To the onlookers in the temple, it would have seemed as though nothing had happened. But within the mindscapes of Gaon and Heukgol, a fierce duel of blades must have raged.
'In other words, Heukgol is the one Seeker who knows the true extent of Gaon's strength better than anyone.'
Yet, if even Heukgol was pointing out that three Sword Masters would not be enough to stop Gaon...
'Could it be?'
Jacques's face instantly stiffened.
'...Those words weren't just an empty bluff?'
It was utterly shocking.
He had assumed it was a lie meant to intimidate him, but it turned out to be a statement of absolute, sincere conviction.
Just as Jacques's pupils began to tremble at this unimaginable truth—
"Ha!"
At that very moment, Pokryong, who was walking alongside them, burst into a scoffing laugh.
Spinning around to face Heukgol, Pokryong barked out.
"You coward. You've been completely terrified by Gaon, haven't you?"
"...What?"
"Three Sword Masters can't handle a single person?"
Pokryong snorted.
"Nonsense. No such powerhouse exists on this continent."
"Hey, wait a minute,"
Heukgol immediately shot back.
"This is ridiculous. What do you even know about Gaon to spout such nonsense?"
"Well, because I've fought Gaon myself back in the Labyrinth Village."
"Are you kidding me? I heard Gaon was under a seal back then!"
"That is still the case now."
"Oh, is that so?"
Heukgol sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"And yet, you failed to realize that Gaon is one of your own kind?"
Pokryong's eyes widened.
"That..."
"You admit that Gaon's seal has been partially released, don't you?"
"..."
Pokryong bit his lip.
He opened his mouth to argue, but quickly shut it.
Heukgol wasn't wrong.
Compared to when they had first met in the Labyrinth Village, Gaon's condition was visibly improved.
His once-frail body was now packed with lean muscle, and the draconic energy that had been completely imperceptible before now radiated from him clearly.
He had to give credit where it was due. Just as Heukgol said, it was obvious that Gaon's seal had been partially undone.
What was even more astonishing was that even when Gaon's physical state was at its worst, he had displayed incomprehensible, bizarre movements.
"..."
In that case, how strong would Gaon be now that his body had recovered to this extent?
Pokryong could not even begin to fathom it.
Having reached this conclusion, Pokryong slowly nodded.
"Fine. You're right."
"..."
"It's highly uncertain whether the three of us can stop the current Gaon."
Since they couldn't even gauge how much power Gaon was hiding,
Pokryong had no choice but to view Gaon's strength as a complete wildcard.
With Pokryong agreeing with him, Heukgol nodded, his expression softening considerably.
"See? I told you so."
And...
Jacques von Heibrun froze in his tracks.
Overhearing the conversation between the two Sword Masters, he couldn't help but stop dead.
'What did they just say?'
His mind instantly descended into chaos.
Several questions arose from their exchange, but the one that bewildered Jacques the most was...
...the mention of Gaon's "race."
'...Pokryong's kin? Gaon?'
The Dragon Race.
Gaon was a dragon?
He looked like an ordinary human in every possible way, so what on earth did this mean?
While Jacques was drowning in confusion, Pokryong, who had already walked ahead, scratched the back of his neck and continued.
"But it really is a mystery."
"..."
"He was definitely a human when I saw him in the Labyrinth Village... How did he hide his draconic energy so flawlessly? Even with the seal, it doesn't make sense."
Pokryong whipped around to look at Adelia.
"Hey, Adel... whatever-your-name-is."
"It's Adelia."
"Right. You're his disciple, so you must know."
"..."
"What the hell is Gaon's true identity?"
Adelia fell into silent contemplation at Pokryong's question.
"..."
What was Gaon's true identity?
Well.
That was a question even Adelia, who had stayed by Gaon's side for the past few months, could not easily answer.
"Lord Gaon is..."
After a long pause, Adelia carefully offered her response.
"A transcendent being for whom even a physical vessel is meaningless."
"...?"
"...?"
The Sword Masters looked bewildered by her rather profound, abstract answer. Pokryong and Heukgol exchanged frowns.
"Heukgol."
"Yeah?"
"Did you understand a single word of that?"
"Hmm, let's see."
Heukgol scratched his skull as he replied.
"If his vessel is meaningless, does that mean he can alter his racial traits at will? Like, being a human at one moment, and a dragon the next... something like that?"
"What! Really?!"
Pokryong's eyes went wide.
"Hey, Adel-whatever! Speak clearly! Is Gaon really capable of changing his racial traits at will?"
"That wasn't exactly what I meant, but..."
Adelia trailed off. Lowering her gaze in thought, she eventually gave a quiet nod.
"If it is Lord Gaon, it might indeed be possible."
"..."
"..."
Indeed.
At least in Adelia's eyes, nothing was impossible for Gaon.
...Of course, Gaon possessed no such ability in reality, but there was no one present to correct the misunderstanding.
Hearing Adelia's confirmation, Pokryong and Heukgol stared at each other in speechless disbelief before shaking their heads.
"Damn. The world is a vast place. What kind of freak is he?"
"No kidding. Maybe his ancestors intermingled with all sorts of races, and it manifested as some ridiculous trait?"
"So, Heukgol, what you're saying is..."
Pokryong paused briefly before continuing.
"Gaon comes from a family of absolute degenerates who bred with anything that moved, making him a hybrid monster born from a massive clusterfuck of different species?"
"Lord Pokryong!"
Unable to listen any longer, Adelia snapped.
"Mind your vulgar tongue! Even if you are Seekers who follow the will of the Great Ones, I will not tolerate you insulting my master's honor in my presence!"
"Hey, kid. Did I insult him? The theory that Gaon is a hybrid from a family of perverts was Heukgol's idea!"
"What? When did I say that! You're framing me again!"
"Why would you even imagine such absurdities! My master would never do such... such...!"
Ultimately, Adelia hung her head, her face as red as a beetroot, utterly scandalized by Heukgol and Pokryong's indecent remarks.
Pean, who had been watching the spectacle in silence, let out a weary sigh.
"...Why has the level of this conversation deteriorated so drastically?"
A few paces away from this farce, Jacques, who still hadn't moved, dragged a hand down his face in sheer exhaustion.
'This is driving me mad.'
Jacques shook his head, thinking to himself.
'To think these fools are the Seekers of the Sword.'
The Divine Trial was postponed.
An emergency meeting had been convened to discuss whether the trial should even proceed.
With three Sword Masters deemed insufficient to restrain Gaon, concerns had been raised about moving forward with the scheduled trial.
"I do not believe this is a simple matter of 'reinforcements,'"
a middle-aged council member sitting in the assembly spoke up cautiously.
"Even if we hastily summon more Sword Masters, it will take time for them to arrive... and in the meantime, it will be difficult to keep the Seekers who are already here bound to the Holy City."
Jacques von Heibrun let out a heavy sigh.
"Then what do you propose we do? If Gaon is indeed powerful enough to overwhelm three Sword Masters as everyone fears, the outcome of him running amok is as clear as day."
"Indeed. Surely you haven't already forgotten the tragedy of Cedric being murdered right inside the temple just a few months ago."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
As the council member sitting next to him added his piece, every eye in the hall turned toward Heukgol.
Unbothered by the attention, Heukgol merely hummed a tune, feigning complete ignorance.
"If we recklessly force the trial to proceed under these circumstances and another disaster occurs..."
"I have a question."
The murmurs cut off instantly.
At that moment, Pean's voice echoed through the chamber.
The commotion died down as all eyes shifted to the blindfolded elf.
"Even if Gaon were to run amok in the temple... wouldn't that also be an action to prevent the apocalypse, in accordance with the 'Sacred Covenant' he made with the Great Ones?"
"..."
"If so, is there any reason we should try to stop him?"
Pean's single remark struck the council members dumb.
The point he raised was not a mere query; it was a question that shook the very foundation of Midtemple's existence.
"What is the purpose of Midtemple's existence?"
"..."
"As we all know, the purpose of this Holy City is to protect the world. To uphold the will of the Great Ones and prevent the apocalypse."
Indeed.
Midtemple's sole reason for being was to maintain the stability of the world.
That was why they spent astronomical sums to maintain the barrier protecting the Silk Road.
"Think about Gaon's covenant again. His covenant is not a simple promise; it is a contract with the Great Ones."
"..."
"If he causes a disturbance in the temple, it would not be a mere act of violence, but a necessary step to avert the end of the world."
Pean wore a meaningful smile.
He shrugged, feigning genuine ignorance.
"In that case, if Midtemple and the Sword Masters oppose Gaon's actions... whose side are we actually on?"
Step, step.
Just like during the first Divine Trial, I walked down the corridor wearing a blindfold.
Surrounded by paladins, I walked through the dimly lit hallway for quite some time.
Finally, I arrived in front of the temple.
And...
I ended up waiting in front of the door for about an hour.
"..."
What's going on?
Why aren't they starting the trial?