A Sacred Covenant (4)
Heukgol was slightly taken aback.
It was because Pokryong's reaction was completely different from what he had expected.
'W-what...?'
He had assumed Pokryong had hidden the fact that Gaon was a dragon-kin just to tease him.
But seeing Pokryong growl in displeasure, that didn't seem to be the case.
"Did you seriously not know he was a dragon-kin? For real?"
"Huuu."
Sighing, Pokryong replied in an irritated voice.
"Make sense, will you? Gaon, that bastard was definitely a human."
"What? But...!"
"Are you trying to spout some nonsense about me not recognizing my own kind?"
"……."
Heukgol froze.
He shut his mouth. He had no way to refute that.
Just as Pokryong said, when it came to anything related to the dragon-kin, Pokryong would know far better than him.
But that only made the current situation even more confusing.
'It was faint, but I definitely felt the energy of a dragon-kin from Gaon.'
...Had his senses completely deceived him, then?
"Ugh."
Heukgol scratched his skull with a conflicted expression.
"It's really weird. That energy is something that can never leak out unless you possess a dragon's body..."
"……."
By this point, even Pokryong couldn't help but feel a sense of incongruity.
Sword Masters were beings with incredibly heightened senses.
In other words, there was no way Heukgol would mistake Gaon for a dragon-kin without any basis.
Besides, why would he keep insisting on such an absurd claim at the risk of provoking Pokryong's anger?
'Wait a minute.'
He froze.
It was at that exact moment.
The words Gaon had casually tossed out the day they crossed paths in Labyrinth Village flashed through his mind.
—I guess even half-breeds are considered dragon-kin these days.
The insult of being called a half-breed.
And the sheer arrogance of repeatedly calling him a lizard.
'Could it be...?'
Suddenly, a single possibility occurred to him.
'...Is this also the effect of the restriction?'
What if Gaon had been freed from various unfavorable conditions as his restriction was lifted?
And what if racial traits that Pokryong couldn't sense before had now manifested?
Finally, it all made sense.
It also explained why Gaon had looked down on him so much in Labyrinth Village.
"Ha!"
Having reached that conclusion, Pokryong burst into laughter.
"He really is an enigmatic bastard."
Heukgol quickly nodded in agreement.
"Exactly, exactly. If he wanted to, he could have easily killed someone like me during this test."
"……?"
"He was a real monster. I simulated the fight in my mindscape dozens of times, but I couldn't win even once."
Hearing this, Pokryong's eyes flashed.
It seemed certain that Gaon's restriction had been partially lifted.
In that case, he couldn't help but be curious about the strength Heukgol had witnessed.
"You couldn't win even once in a mindscape battle?"
"Yeah."
"Explain it in detail."
"Hmm..."
Mindscape battles between those of high realms were usually complex and abstract.
Because a high-level battle of wits took place in a split second.
However, Heukgol's answer was surprisingly simple.
"0.01 seconds."
"……What?"
"Every single fight ended in 0.01 seconds."
Hearing that, Pokryong could only let out another hollow laugh.
"Is that true?"
"Yeah."
0.01 seconds.
To subdue a Sword Master who had reached the absolute peak of martial prowess in a mere instant.
Even if it was just a mindscape battle, the moment he heard those words, Pokryong's blood began to boil with heat.
'...He did say he would let me know once the restriction was completely lifted.'
A smirk.
A chilling smile slowly spread across Pokryong's face.
He was looking forward to the day of their eventual showdown.
"I'm leaving now."
"What? Already?"
"……Yeah."
Rising from his seat, Pokryong picked up his giant flame sword, Pokyeomdo.
"I need to train. Incredibly hard."
For the battle that would come soon, Pokryong resolved to prepare himself thoroughly.
"……."
Slowly...
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a familiar ceiling.
Intricate golden patterns traced along the walls, with murals of patients receiving healing from priests visible between them.
It was the infirmary of the Midtemple cathedral, a place I had seen to the point of sickness in the game.
"You're awake."
Right on cue, Almond's voice drifted over.
Turning my head, I saw him standing right next to the bed.
For some reason, he looked a bit pouty.
"Didn't I tell you to pay close attention to the time?"
"……?"
"You would have died if you were even a little later. The curse of those evil gods was rotting your internal organs!"
Six minutes.
That time limit hadn't been set for no reason.
It was because the "dimensional rift" separating this world from the space where the deity resided could not hold out any longer than that.
If the rift weakened, there was a risk that not only the ancient god Elder but also the evil gods would infiltrate the Saintess's chamber.
'And the evil gods will always try to kill anyone who comes to meet the Saintess.'
That was the reason I had collapsed as soon as I stepped out of the chamber.
The various curses inflicted by the evil gods had ravaged my body.
Ah, of course...
"I didn't die, so it's fine."
Since I had survived somehow, it didn't matter anymore.
"Sigh."
Almond looked dumbfounded by my response, then shook his head.
"I should probably make the hourglass five minutes from now on."
...Suddenly, because of me, everyone else's meeting time was about to be cut by a minute.
"Well, I'm just glad you made it out alive. How is your body feeling?"
"Fine."
I nodded.
"Aside from a bit of dizziness, I'm perfectly fine."
"Of course you are. Look who healed you."
Almond shrugged.
As I've mentioned before, despite being a mere "apprentice priest," he possessed a genius talent for healing.
If I recalled correctly, even at this point in time, he was ranked among the top five healers in Midtemple.
That was likely why he was granted access to the Saintess's chamber—so he could treat visitors in emergencies like this.
"How much time has passed?"
Almond checked his wristwatch.
"It's 11:00 AM."
"……."
"It's been about seven hours since you left the chamber."
Wait.
Only seven hours?
'That's much shorter than I expected...'
In the first place, it was rare to wake up in such a normal state after meeting the Saintess.
Usually, players would be bedridden for several days.
I should have suffered far greater damage, so it was a huge relief that it ended with just this.
Of course, Almond's exceptional healing ability played a big part in my rapid recovery.
"Seeker."
Almond spoke up again.
"You must never exceed the time limit during your next meeting. Understood?"
"……I understand."
I replied meekly to Almond's nagging as I sat up.
"My belongings?"
"I put them in the basket under the table over there."
Almond pointed to the table next to the bed.
Inside the basket lay the Feather Sword, the subdimensional pouch I received from Karayan, and the Easter Egg.
As I picked up the egg, which glowed with a faint rainbow hue, Almond asked a question.
"Is that egg the reward for the Sacred Covenant?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
Almond's eyes narrowed.
"……For a grand covenant to save the world, the reward seems a bit lacking, don't you think?"
It was a brutally honest impression, typical of a child.
"In the first place, receiving a physical reward from the Sacred Covenant is extremely rare. Usually, they grant a new trait or an authority skill."
"……."
"Even if they do give an item, I heard they usually gift a divine relic that matches the Seeker's disposition... I've never seen a reward like this. It's quite strange."
Well, yeah.
It was only natural for him to think that way.
After all, not a single trace of energy could be felt from the Easter Egg.
To be honest, aside from its slightly flashy appearance, it didn't look much different from a regular egg.
'But...'
I knew.
That the Easter Egg was an item harboring infinite potential.
No energy could be felt?
Of course. This Easter Egg was still in a blank state.
'Depending on what I draw on this blank canvas, the reward I obtain upon hatching will vary wildly.'
And...
—Since you are wise, you must know exactly what to do with this wonderful reward. I won't give you any more clues.
...Just as the Saintess said, I knew exactly what to do with this item.
'But there is one problem.'
—Don't think it strange. I gave you two abilities.
The first reward, the Easter Egg.
I knew exactly how to utilize this.
However, I had absolutely no information regarding the second ability the Saintess had granted me.
'She said I wouldn't be able to perceive this ability right now.'
Various questions swirled in my head.
Was that hidden ability active even now?
Or would it only unlock once certain conditions were met?
After making various conjectures, I eventually cast the complicated thoughts aside.
'Sigh, whatever.'
There was too little information.
Pondering it right now wouldn't yield any answers.
It was better to forget about the second ability for now.
Since the Saintess said I would naturally come to know it anyway, there was no need to obsess over it.
'That aside...'
I recalled the final warning the Saintess had given me.
It was a single sentence that might have been the most crucial piece of information from this meeting.
—Be careful, transmigrator. You are the only one for now, but in the future, the number of □???■?????th????□???s will gradually increase...
'It's the worst-case scenario, but...'
I bit the inside of my lip.
Although I couldn't fully comprehend her words because some of the keywords were censored, I could vaguely grasp what the Saintess was trying to say.
Anxious thoughts began to swirl. I had felt things were going a bit too smoothly lately.
'...Could it be that I'm not the only transmigrator?'
"This is ridiculous, seriously."
Inside a pitch-black room.
With a large monitor casting the only light, a young man clicked away on his keyboard and mouse.
Quickly skipping past the customization screen he had seen to the point of exhaustion, the young man muttered to himself in irritation.
"I mean, just how fun is it to mess around with a hidden skill that you go completely off the grid for half a year...?"
Click, click.
It wasn't anything new. That person had always gone out of contact from time to time.
But the timing of this disappearance was far too coincidental.
Indeed, he had vanished for half a year immediately after obtaining the 12-star skill.
Honestly, it was a bit frustrating. Would it have killed him to leave at least a brief review?
"Tsk, whatever."
The young man clicked his tongue and started a new game.
"I need to hurry up, gather points, and get a hidden skill myself..."
Player Strawberry Latte has started their 199th playthrough.
Playthroughs remaining until world entry: 1
Preparing #??????%??????@?????????$...