Chapter 120
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: The Lighthouse of Faith
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The lodging that Park Chang-sik had arranged for Kang Seol exceeded all expectations.
"Wow! It's huge!"
It wasn't as grand as his old chambers back in the Empire, but Karen was making a huge fuss anyway.
The place was definitely oversized for a single occupant.
Karen had something to say about it.
"That guy seems pretty serious, huh?"
"He is."
Kang Seol, having experienced the Labyrinth of Penance firsthand, could somewhat understand Park Chang-sik's mindset now.
A sudden curiosity struck Kang Seol, and he glanced at Karen.
"...What?"
"Did your era have labyrinths too?"
"Yeah, but they went by a different name."
"Different name?"
"We called them tombs. There were even rumors they were actual graves someone built. No one who went in ever came back out."
"Not a single one?"
"Nope. After that, the elves basically threatened everyone to stay away, so interest died down. Of course, there were always a few lunatics who snuck in anyway—grave robbers, mostly. They never came back either."
Kang Seol nodded.
'So the labyrinths have existed for ages.'
They weren't recent creations, which made it unlikely anyone had tampered with them intentionally. And if they were that ancient, any original intent would have faded into obscurity anyway.
'Who built the labyrinths in the first place? And why?'
Those were questions he couldn't answer yet. Nor were they the priority right now.
The real issue at hand was that he had to conquer the Labyrinth of Penance.
'At least it's one of the more manageable ones compared to the others.'
The other labyrinths had such notorious reputations among players that no one even needed to mention their difficulties.
Of course, "manageable" was relative—it didn't mean the Labyrinth of Penance was easy.
'Especially if you dive in this early...'
It would be a nightmare.
In a normal scenario, no one would even attempt it at this stage. There was no way anyone could clear a labyrinth so soon.
'But.'
Kang Seol knew everything there was to know, so he'd made up his mind to enter the Labyrinth of Penance.
The labyrinth tested everything.
Strength, wisdom, unbreakable will.
He had a few reasons for heading there now.
First off, he had confidence.
Two players had already challenged it before, accumulating a ton of intel along the way. As long as nothing unexpected cropped up, he was sure he could clear it.
Another reason was the Blood Saint, the first to conquer it.
'Am I stronger now than he was back then?'
If his memories were accurate, the Blood Saint had cleared it fairly early too—later than now, but still.
So it was only natural for Kang Seol to wonder.
'Walking the same path as the Blood Saint.'
The thrill and inspiration from that fact were immense.
Even if he was facing it a bit sooner than ideal, it was the perfect chance to test something that had long nagged at him.
How far had he come?
He couldn't afford to lose to his past selves in wisdom or strength.
"Master, that Labyrinth of Penance place... it's not gonna be easy, right?"
"...Probably not."
"The name alone sounds rough."
The Labyrinth of Penance weighed more on mental fortitude than raw power.
Even Kang Seol's mighty final Ten had all failed to ascend because of it.
And failing here meant no need to worry about ascension—his future would be set in stone anyway.
But
'I can do it. I'm stronger than the Ten from back then!'
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone rapped on the door.
"Who's there?"
A voice came from the other side.
"It's Park Chang-sik."
"Yes. Coming right up."
Creeeak...
Park Chang-sik's complexion was poor.
"A bit... of a sticky situation has come up."
A few days later, early in the morning.
Kang Seol straightened his posture and headed out with Karen.
Audenin was a city ruled by five massive guilds leading the transmigrators.
Which meant the local transmigrators' influence couldn't be ignored either.
The Lighthouse of Faith towering over Audenin symbolized that perfectly.
Despite the name, it wasn't a real lighthouse—just a lavish building of fine stone. Still, no one could deny its imposing presence.
Now, Kang Seol and Karen, cloaked in robes, were stepping inside.
Step.
Step.
Eyes followed their every footfall.
The owners belonged to members of the five guilds, already waiting.
"That's the secret guy? Looks totally average."
"How'd Park Chang-sik rope him in?"
"That coward still thinks he's the boss. Ugh..."
Suspicion and sniping filled the Lighthouse of Faith.
Was enduring this nonsense the only way for transmigrators to unite?
Kang Seol wanted no part of it, but Park Chang-sik's visit to his lodging days ago had dragged him here.
A round table sat squarely before them.
"Come on in... uh, Mr. Anonymous?"
The four guild masters—rivals of Park Chang-sik—were already seated.
- In truth, there's been debate over the final token.
Since they held what was presumed to be the last one, failure wasn't an option—that was the alliance's consensus.
Park Chang-sik had already botched it once, losing the alliance's trust.
Current opinion favored sending the most capable challenger into the Labyrinth of Penance.
Even as alliance leader, Park Chang-sik couldn't hog the chance.
But his faction had reasons not to yield either.
- They don't know much about the labyrinth. The transmigrators who entered second time around refused to go back in. It's that terrifying. They're just weighing pros and cons... This isn't about who's best to send. It's about who can actually survive it.
The guild masters surely knew that.
Anyone reflecting on that squandered second chance would realize the labyrinth's difficulty defied imagination.
- So we decided to go with the candidate summoned by whoever found the most suitable final penitent. Clearing it hinges on that last one anyway. The other four spots? Anyone on the shortlist could fill them.
Thus, Park Chang-sik's final penitent candidate became Kang Seol.
- But... they brought their own candidate too. We'll need to verify somehow. You okay with that?
Park Chang-sik had checked Kang Seol's feelings.
Kang Seol's reply?
"Got it."
To him, this was no test of feasibility.
Just an annoyance.
One extra hurdle on the way to the labyrinth, nothing more.
That's why he was here.
One guild master, a woman named Son Joo-yeon, glared at him and snapped.
"...Are you even listening to me?"
"...Ah, yes."
- (Picking his ear)
- (Messing with his phone)
- Honestly, zero interest lol
Son Joo-yeon. A name he'd forget once this was over.
No reason to bother memorizing it.
"We have no choice for a fair selection of labyrinth entrants. I hope you understand."
"Yes, I do."
"Chang-sik, you're really not revealing your nickname?"
"Do I have to? No way. He wasn't recruited under those terms."
That answer fueled the guild members' gripes.
"Come on, we just wanna know who we're trusting our lives with!"
"What is he, an idol? Some mysterious aura gimmick?"
"But is that guy for real?"
"What?"
"His score's over 3 million, right? Around here, over a million is rare as hell."
"That's the word... Guess we'll see."
Son Joo-yeon and Park Chang-sik kept bickering under the guise of discussion.
Finally, a worn-out Son Joo-yeon said to him.
"This isn't getting us anywhere. We'll put up our candidate."
"Should've done that sooner... You just wasted energy."
"If we go in, we'll split the rewards fair and square... You're making this exhausting."
"Haha... Easy for you to say after getting burned more than once. We'll split fair, so just let us in?"
"Can't do that. We don't trust each other."
"I've said it a million times: Send in an amateur, and they don't come out."
"Hah! That's your opinion. Jewel!"
Creeeak...
A man in a billowing black robe entered.
He looked bored as he spoke.
"Still not done?"
"Looks like we need you to step up, Jewel. You know the deal, right?"
"Of course."
Guild members in the back started whispering.
"Wait, that's... him, right?"
"Yeah... The Black Pilgrim transmigrator."
"Kang Boseok. Whoa, why's he here?"
"Isn't he over 1.5 million points by now?"
Kang Seol's head tilted.
'Black Pilgrim? One of them's here?'
Black Pilgrims were dispatched from the holy nation Baranoa.
Always in black combat vestments—that, and their surprisingly worldly nature, were trademarks.
'And they're pretty strong... Dirty fighters too.'
Far from holy, they handled the sordid, filthy jobs—like Baranoa's janitors.
'Nicknamed maggots.'
Baranoa talked holy but pulled every dirty trick.
Kang Seol couldn't fathom how a Black Pilgrim from beyond the great forest got involved here.
The mystery cleared quickly.
"Name's Kang Boseok. Skipped the formal investiture, but as you see, I'm a Black Pilgrim. Oh, my group's unrelated to the labyrinth business. But... do we really need this hassle? Just yield the labyrinth rights. Would look better if you did. No need to make enemies, right?"
Now it clicked for Kang Seol.
A group in similar garb lurked nearby.
'They were here on other business... He sniffed opportunity and jumped in solo?'
His words rang true, probably.
Kang Seol relaxed a bit—no official Pilgrim backing.
All Pilgrims bore teardrop tattoos in a T-shape under their eyes.
Kang Boseok had one too.
Kang Seol spoke up.
"Neither side's yielding, so let's settle it with a quick match."
"Hmph... No need to fight to know. You think higher score means automatic win? After all I've—"
"Do I have the higher score? News to me."
"......Fine. Then—"
"Karen."
Scrape...
Karen shoved her chair back and stood.
"This woman will fight in my stead."
"...You messing with me?"
"Dead serious."
"Fine. Let's do it right here!"
Listening Son Joo-yeon panicked.
"H-Here? You'll damage the building—"
Kang Seol asked Karen.
"No breaking stuff. Can you manage?"
"Yeah. No problem."
His gaze shifted to Kang Boseok.
"You?"
"...Obviously."
Kang Boseok drew a massive warhammer.
Whoooosh...
[Jewelry Kang uses Piercing Faith.]
[Strength rises slightly for an extended duration.]
In truth, Kang Boseok had no confidence in not wrecking the place. Hammers were made to smash, after all.
He buffed himself repeatedly.
Shhh...
[Jewelry Kang uses Pain Tolerance.]
[You won't flinch from damage below a certain threshold for an extended duration.]
[Jewelry Kang uses Prayer of Purpose.]
[All stats increase by 10% for a short time when focusing on a single target.]
"Hah!"
Bwooom—!
Kang Boseok swung the massive warhammer sideways as he charged. Karen's body barely entered its range.
"W-Watch out!"
"Oh no..."
One glance, and it looked like Karen would get swept away.
But.
Karen slipped effortlessly into his guard.
"Tch..."
Whoosh!
[Jewelry Kang uses Repulsion Force.]
[Repels everything that collides for 2 seconds.]
Swoosh—!
Karen halted her fist right at his nose, then flipped backward as the hammer swung back.
Pop—!
Kang Boseok faltered briefly but quickly regained composure.
Land one hit, and victory was his—or so he thought.
But that was a grave miscalculation.