Chapter 131
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: The Penitent's Final Wish
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[Record of Pain: Defeated Finn Modria.]
[The Final Penance has been completed.]
[All surviving penitents have been granted 'Qualification'.]
[The qualified one alone may claim their desire from the labyrinth.]
[The adventure ends when the time limit expires or a reward is selected.]
Shrrrk...
The soul puppets standing on the battlefield began to crumble away like dust.
The replicas born from Finn's ruby mirror had long since vanished. Only four remained on the field.
Kang Seol and his summons. And Park Chang-sik, limping on his wounded leg.
"Ughhh... bleeech..."
Kang Seol clutched the shattered railing and retched.
[Mana is below 5%.]
[Mana deficiency has arrived.]
[Mana recovery speed reduced by 50% for 5 minutes.]
[Excessive mana used at once.]
[Status ailment for one day: Suffering from dizziness.]
[Ability cooldowns increased by 10%.]
"Haa... haa..."
Park Chang-sik staggered over.
"Is... everything... over now?"
"......"
"Can we... finally leave this place?"
Thud...
Kang Seol, who had lost one arm, chewed and swallowed a hemostatic agent and painkiller from his inventory, then handed some to Park Chang-sik.
He nodded.
"Yes... it's over."
Kang Seol's quiet pieces summed up the situation in one line. The viewers who had been waiting for it erupted in cheers.
'Labyrinth of Penance' has sponsored 1,000 Madness!
[Whoa! Brutal, so brutal! You cleared it like this?!]
- Sorryyyyyyyy!
- I believed in you! (I unsubbed for a bit)
- He cleared it?
- How?!
- Lemme check... it's been 4 months already?
- Insane;; Took forever!
- No wonder he got mental issues in there.
'These Traitors' has sponsored 1,200 Madness!
[You all ran from the Trial of Patience! Came back now that it's cleared?]
- Haha... my heart was always with you (lie)
- It's the thought that counts! (No thoughts either)
- You're the crazy one for watching someone suffer for 4 months?
- Fr hahaha No need for me to suffer too
- But during Snowman's off-season, subs went to other streams and trolled hard hahaha
- Ex) Ah... Snowman didn't do it that way... What Snowman did was...
- Ex) Sigh... Snowman did it first... Did you get Snowman's permission?
- Viewers are starving for their own hahaha
- They're back now hahaha Watch your pieces
'Real Time' has sponsored 800 Madness!
[Viewers returning this fast... king's comeback real]
- Numbers rising opposite my stocks lol
- Makes me proud too... you guys... thought you'd forgotten Snowman!
- Teacher... why are you proud...?
- Viewer influx is legendary hehehe Like migrating birds
- Just a month ago: All viewers turned away!
- Donations pouring in hahaha Hot streams' monthly = Snowman's daily!
- 6:32 AM and donations lagging hahaha
'Toki' has sponsored 1,000 Madness!
[What now ㅠㅠ Just suffering till the end...]
- He's dead, so it's done?
- Death ends it? But looks otherwise; that reaper sucked up all the souls?
- What's Finn Modria? Insane difficulty;; Random no-name that strong?
- Zero info. Spill some, pls!
'Eye Knicks!' has sponsored 500 Madness!
[Ar... arm...]
- (Predicting new era blah blah)
- Wrong prediction.
- Snowman tenacious af. Arm flies off and he grits teeth and swings !
- But failed fr;;
- Aftermath... lost an arm...
- Cleared but bad fight;
- Won but fought poorly. Damn! No arm means Night Raven sealed.
- Snowman win legendary, boss spamming ults legendary; even took Snowman's arm haha
- That's Snowman's adventure. Next week: Retired Adventurer's Isekai Farming Diary.
- Ooh... sounds tasty...
The chat overflowed with their varied reactions, turning into a marketplace frenzy for a while.
Oblivious to all this, Kang Seol waited for the hemostatic to take effect on Park Chang-sik.
"Your wound matters more than mine..."
"Ah..."
Kang Seol's right arm was completely gone from around the shoulder.
A thigh gash could heal with rest and temple priest treatment back at base, but the missing arm was hopeless.
Kang Seol grimaced in pain and said,
"The painkillers are making me... a bit drowsy."
"L-Let's cross first."
The bridge, shattered once during the fierce battle, was restored exactly as before. The labyrinth's power at work.
Thud... thud...
They looked wretched. No, pathetic.
One standing before the statue with a grim face, arm gone. The other limping, having lost all comrades in the labyrinth.
Anyone unaware of their ordeal would laugh heartily.
- Legendary mudfight fr.
- Gotta struggle like this for first clear title, folks!
- Skill, summons, grit... what doesn't Snowman have!
- Right arm
- Ah!
- You...
Kang Seol and Park Chang-sik crossed the battlefield and gazed at the statues.
All five statues.
Voices emanated from them.
"You have proven it. Your worth, your qualification."
"You shall receive a fitting reward."
"Qualified ones..."
"Observe the order."
"State your desires."
The knight, mage, shepherd, beast, and reaper each spoke.
Park Chang-sik looked at Kang Seol, questioning the order.
Kang Seol nodded slightly in response, gesturing for Park to choose first.
"Then..."
Park Chang-sik limped to the knight statue.
"Do you pursue strength? Do you desire honor and honest violence? Speak your wish."
He hesitated, then headed to another: the mage statue.
"Qualified one, I have nothing to give you."
Next, the shepherd.
"I hear the bleating of the lamb. Do you wish to escape suffering?"
The beast.
"If you seek wealth and treasure, choose me. I shall fill your hands with it all."
And the reaper.
"Aspiring one, do you wish to know death?"
Park Chang-sik's eyes were dull.
No spark of desire in them.
"I..."
He stood before the beast statue holding the treasure chest.
"Treasure... I want the labyrinth's treasure."
[Carry Machine selects the Beast's Wish.]
The beast statue's eyes flashed.
"You shall have what you desire."
Boom!
The treasure chest tumbled down from the beast statue's grasp. Park Chang-sik approached cautiously and opened it.
Clank-!
"......"
Bright lights, ominous glows, and multicolored shines rippled inside. Even from over his shoulder, Kang Seol could tell the reward was substantial.
- Whoa damn; insane amount !
- Treasures and junk haha No legendaries? They look different anyway
- Still looks like a dozen!
- Info) Union fee takes half lol
Yet Park Chang-sik's stony face didn't soften at the massive haul.
- Why's he like that?
- All comrades dead, sane?
- Tsk, I'd crash too.
- You'd be in that lantern already?
- Wanna fight?
With a hollow expression, Park Chang-sik bowed his head and stared into the chest for a long time.
Thud. Thud.
Since deciding to enter the Penance Labyrinth, Kang Seol had one sole desire.
He stood before the knight statue.
"Speak your desire! One who knows honor."
[The Labyrinth Knight Statue demands you state your desire. How will you reply?]
1. I want a very sharp sword.
2. I desire unbreakable swordsmanship.
3. Teachings leading to the great path!
4. Give me what I need most from what you can offer.
...
Whoosh-
Kang Seol ignored it and moved to another statue.
"What do you desire, child of shadow?"
[The Labyrinth Mage Statue demands you state your desire. How will you reply?]
1. I want to learn dimensional magic.
2. I desire much wisdom.
3. A powerful magic tool!
4. I wish to glimpse beyond the wall of enlightenment.
...
Swish...
Kang Seol skipped the mage and shepherd too, arriving at the beast statue Park had chosen.
- Treasure! Treasure!
- Show me the money!
- Minerals 10000! Gas 10000!
- After hard work, treasure time !
- Treasure...
Kang Seol passed the beast statue before it could finish speaking.
- ...Huh?
- No treasure?
- Beast confused;;
- ???: Same everywhere else, cheap deal. Huh?
When he stood before the reaper statue, it spoke.
"Do you seek death from me?"
[The Labyrinth Reaper Statue demands you state your desire. How will you reply?]
1. I want to know about death.
2. I covet only its power.
3. I wish to wield powerful souls.
4. Tell me the labyrinth's secrets.
...
Kang Seol closely examined the options and let out an involuntary chuckle.
Pfft...
"In the end... it all circles back to the same choices."
"What do you desire?"
The one reward he'd wanted from the start, a mad choice by others' standards.
Kang Seol stated it clearly.
"I desire the liberation of all souls bound to the labyrinth."
"......Choices are but once, penitent."
Oddly, the reaper statue didn't register it immediately.
Kang Seol nodded with conviction.
"I know... that's why..."
He gritted his teeth.
"...give them back."
My pieces.
The chat fell silent for a moment.
- Wait;; What're you doing?!
- After all that suffering?!
- Backpedaling on reward?
- Crazy...
- No!
Vwoooooong...
Clatter... clatter...
Light poured from the reaper's lantern.
Fwoooosh!
Misty souls spilled out, swirling toward the ceiling. Then they cried out.
Whiiiiiing-!
The souls descended one by one to the floor.
One soul approached Kang Seol for an embrace.
Poof...
But it passed through him, turning to smoke and vanishing.
[Received a soul's gift.]
[Agility +1.]
The souls passed through Kang Seol's body, each leaving a piece.
"Truly... you walked a arduous path."
[Received a soul's gift.]
[Strength +2.]
"Deep gratitude for your selfless kindness..."
[Received a soul's gift.]
[Wisdom +1.]
Poof... poof...
The endless procession of souls continued.
As it neared its end, a message appeared.
[Received the souls' blessing.]
[Special Achievement: 'What Kind of Bullshit Is This, All of It' achieved.]
[Special Title Acquired: 「Godfather」.]
Most souls departed, leaving one facing Kang Seol.
"...Toki."
Toki's soul, now on the ground, stared blankly at Kang Seol.
[Toki's succession begins.]
Endless desert, body burning, mind crumbling.
Rumble...!
For days, the same dream.
From beyond the sandstorm, a massive being's voice.
"Please... just let me die! You damn bastard!"
Rumble-!
The damn god beyond the storm rebuked him again today.
"Do you not know death cannot save you?"
"I know! I do! But... but... sob..."
Toki buried his tear-streaked face in the sand.
"No... hope..."
"Do you desire hope?"
"Haha... hope? You mean what I've always craved? Hey, god."
Despair-filled eyes glowed red.
"I've... tried so hard..."
"......"
"Shitty birth, weak body, frail mind... I tried to change it all with effort. But... right? My end is drying up alone in obscurity? Can't I complain fate's cruel?"
Rumble...
"What do you desire?"
A mystical, heart-piercing question.
One sentence Toki had longed for. Fate had only taken from him till now.
Toki wept.
"I want... to be remembered too. M-Maybe all my actions were hypocrisy! Even so... at the end..."
He pleaded.
"I want to be remembered! As a good man... a good life. That the world was slightly better because of me."
The turned-back being spoke.
"Toki, your wish shall be granted."
"...What?"
"One day in the desert, you will meet a man. He is your fate... and your clumsy god."
"My god...?"
"When he comes to you, what will you do?"
"......"
"Ponder your answer, Toki. Virtuous one. The right answer will make you remembered by all, through one person's memory. Your small acts... will change the world."
Rumble!
Toki's recalled memory didn't transmit to Kang Seol. He only felt the suffering Toki endured.
No turned back, no pieces heard.
Yet the succession completed smoothly.
[Inherited 'Toki's' Will.]
[Inherit the deceased's abilities.]
Vwoooooong...
Kang Seol's body glowed brightly.
Ragged as it was, ecstatic light enveloped him.
[Inherited rare ability.]
[Tenacity: Inherited.]
[You inherit Tenacity.]
[Proficiency gain for all abilities and talents increased by 10%.]
[Vocation: Things to Reclaim content changed.]
Toki's soul looked exhausted after it all.
"...My god."
"......"
Kang Seol didn't know he was the god Toki addressed, assuming it was his usual deity.
"One last thing... I want to ask."
"...Toki."
With fading eyes, he gazed at Kang Seol.
"This... inept monk's end... no, even the end..."
"......"
"Was it pathetic?"
For Toki's departing soul, Kang Seol gave the pieces he most wanted to hear.
"I will remember you, Toki."
Toki's eyes widened at that, staring at Kang Seol.
"Then, this Toki, at the last..."
He spoke to his god.
"...will smile."
He smiled.
His jagged teeth made it shine brighter.
Poof...
Toki's soul passed through Kang Seol and scattered.
[Chose liberation of all souls as Labyrinth Clear Reward.]
[Great Achievement! 'True Penance' achieved.]
[Epic Title Acquired! 「Penitent」.]
The piece saved the god, and the god saved the piece.
A fresh period stamped beside the worn comma. And...
Clunk-!
A sudden sound from the reaper turned Kang Seol's head.
Precisely, from the lantern's base, which opened, dropping something.
Pop-!
Kang Seol snatched it mid-fall.
A mysterious cloth stained with blood, wrapping a small item.
Obtainable only when the reaper's lantern emptied by freeing the labyrinth's souls.
Kang Seol unwrapped the cloth's edge. pieces were written on it.
- Finn Modria leaves this to the penitent. This...
This cloth was a letter from the Saint of Blood. And the item within...
Slosh...
A crystal vial sloshing with faint red liquid.
One comma still lingered in the labyrinth.