Despairer Gate (1)
The Stigma was a divine miracle that had appeared only once throughout the Church’s long history—the mark of the Lord that only Saint Francis of Assisi was said to have borne. And yet that legendary stigma had manifested in a small land far to the east.
“Ohhh.”
Cardinal Francis wept as he fell to his knees and began to pray. Archbishop Ambrosio did the same.
Of course, Jeanne’s stigma wasn’t the genuine article they believed it to be. It was nothing more than an imitation. The current Cardinal Francis appeared completely unaware that the Church had once manufactured fake stigmas to mimic God’s miracles. With its long history, the Church had committed that many sins and hidden just as many secrets.
But is it really just an imitation?
Now even I wasn’t sure. In the past, Jeanne’s stigma had bled; it had never emitted radiance like this. It had given off light, yes, but never anything so brilliant and warm. It was no wonder the two bishops mistook it for the real thing.
Once the glow of the stigma faded and his prayer ended, Cardinal Francis rose to his feet. His expression was calm—completely different from the flustered man who had reacted to my request for essence.
“Exactly what I said before. I want essence and holy relics.”
“Understood.”
“…Cardinal.”
When Archbishop Ambrosio tried to speak, Cardinal Francis simply shook his head. Handing over holy relics normally required the Pope’s personal approval. It was not a decision a cardinal could make alone. The essence was even more restricted. Yet Francis accepted every part of my proposal without conditions.
He removed the ring from his own finger and handed it to Jeanne on the spot, then retrieved a glass bottle containing the essence from his quarters. As a Vatican Cardinal, he had been keeping both the essence and the holy relics himself.
“Is there anything else you require?”
“Make sure we can pass through the gate quietly so we can focus on the raid. I don’t want to get tangled up with the Church or exposed to the media. If that condition isn’t met, the deal is off.”
“And this is only support. If I decide the raid is too difficult, I will withdraw immediately.”
After we concluded our transaction, we returned to Seojun's General Store. Construction was limited to the living quarters during daylight hours, so the shop was quiet in the late night.
“How’s the holy relic?”
“It’s a ring of healing. Its ability itself is meaningless, but it should be useful for replenishing holy power.”
Holy power was originally an energy specialized in healing. The fact that Jeanne called the effect meaningless suggested the ring’s healing fell short of true holy power. It didn’t matter. The relic was only meant to supplement Jeanne’s insufficient holy power; I hadn’t requested it for its abilities.
The important thing is the essence.
I gazed at the transparent liquid inside the glass bottle. It was only about a single mouthful, but if this was the essence I knew, it would be more than enough. Essence was a substance that gathered only the purest core of mana.
It would be nice if I could consume it myself, but…
Unfortunately, my body’s potential was low. Essence was an astonishing item that strengthened mana, yet it couldn’t suddenly elevate an E-class hunter to A-class. That would require being reborn. Without talent, pouring mana in was like pouring water into a bottomless bucket.
So I chose a different approach.
I’ll raise the Seolhwaseok and absorb it with my own power.
The Seolhwaseok was a stone that grew on its own. Unlike me, its potential was limitless. I would cultivate it and merge it with my ‘Transcender’s Connector.’ If it was a ‘slot,’ that was possible. I had already confirmed that slots were not merely spaces for storing items from other worlds.
Saving Seolhwaseok to the General Catalog.
— Napoleon's Table
— Seolhwaseok
The Seolhwaseok vanished from my hand and appeared in the catalog. Yet it hadn’t truly disappeared. Because the catalog was linked to me, I could still feel the stone completely and draw out its mana whenever I wished. Still, this was only a half-merge. The transmission of mana felt unstable, and the sensation seemed somehow distant.
To fully synchronize the Seolhwaseok with me, I would need to store it in a higher catalog—the relic catalog. I couldn’t physically embed the stone into my body, but placing it in the relic catalog was practically the same. The relic catalog felt as if it existed inside my own body.
That was impossible for now, however.
To enter the Relic Catalog, your rank must be raised.
Even when I tried to place Napoleon’s Rifle inside, it was rejected with a warning. The current Seolhwaseok still did not meet the requirements. It needed to grow further.
I opened the glass bottle and poured every last drop of essence onto the Seolhwaseok. The clear liquid fell onto the stone and was absorbed instantly.
Then—
Uwoong—!
The once-quiet Seolhwaseok began to resonate. Flames and ice swelled and shrank repeatedly, competing as they intertwined. And then the transformation occurred.
The red flames turned blue, brightly illuminating the interior of the store. Soon the flames were drawn into the transparent ice and coiled within it.
Mana Capacity: 12500 / 12500
Amplification: Amplifies the mana exerted by the user.
“Perfect.”
A smile rose to my lips. The Seolhwaseok, which had been capped and forced to expel mana, had broken through its limit and grown. Its mana capacity had more than doubled. On top of that, the stone itself had gained the ‘Amplification’ property—an ability that let five points of mana exert more than five points of power. The visible 12,500 mana was not the full story.
How much influence it would have remained to be tested, but at the very least—
I could use it as a lantern at night.
I was having that silly thought while staring at the bright blue flames when another message arrived.
The re-summon waiting time has decreased by 3 minutes.
Re-summon Waiting Time: 01:57
“Oh.”
It had finally gone down. Only three minutes, yet the fact that the previously immovable timer had decreased was a huge achievement. My ultimate goal in raising mana was to bring the re-summon waiting time to zero. Only then could Jeanne escape the incomplete state of summoning and truly become part of this world. She would also be able to use artifacts freely.
But the changes did not end there.
The holy power of the Stigma has increased.
Suddenly, a bright light flowed from Jeanne’s back.
“Jeanne, let me see your stigma for a moment.”
“Yes.”
With her permission I examined the stigma and my eyes widened. One line among the blood-red marks had turned pure white.
Is it becoming a real stigma?
It was only a guess, but the change had clearly appeared alongside the increase in holy power. The reason holy power had risen was probably because my own mana capacity had grown. Jeanne’s holy power, bound to me, was proportional to my mana. The stronger I became, the stronger she became as well.
In any case—
Summon Slots: 3/4
With this, I could now welcome a new Transcender.
The summon slot could be opened and closed at will, like a game host adjusting the number of players in a room. For now I left it closed. Opening it wouldn’t make a Transcender appear instantly, and I had no idea how much time would pass in the other world. Even if time flowed differently there, only four days remained until the Despairer Gate went into a rampage. Considering travel time, the schedule was extremely tight.
Dear passengers, our aircraft is now preparing for takeoff. Please check once more to ensure your seatbelts are fastened.
“Jeanne, did you fasten your seatbelt?”
“Yes.”
Her voice sounded normal, but her actions told a different story. The way she gripped the armrest tightly with her small, delicate hands showed just how nervous she was. I couldn’t help smiling. After all, how could a fifteenth-century French girl have ever ridden an airplane that flew through the sky? In her era, the heavens were considered the domain of God.
We had boarded a flight from Incheon Airport bound for the Vatican, where the Despairer Gate had appeared.
“Do I just have to sit still?”
“That’s right. Stay still and the pilot will take us to our destination.”
Booooong—
The plane shook as it lifted into the air. Startled by the sudden sensation of floating, Jeanne instinctively grabbed my arm. The way she curled into herself was incredibly cute. It was rare to see the usually composed Jeanne so flustered.
Click—
I took a photo on pure instinct. Jeanne looked up at me with a puzzled expression.
“What did you just do?”
“I took a picture.”
When I showed her the photo, Jeanne puffed her cheeks slightly. She seemed unhappy with how tense she looked. It was adorable, though.
Once she had calmed down a little, I pointed toward the window.
“Take a look outside, Jeanne.”
Following my hand, Jeanne turned her gaze to the window. Beyond the glass stretched an endless clear sky. A vast sea of white clouds spread out like a carpet. Warm sunlight poured down. Her eyes widened into perfect circles.
“It’s amazing. The clouds are right in front of me.”
When she looked down, the ground appeared like tiny dots. Gray buildings clustered together like ants.
“We won’t fall, right?”
“It’s rare, but it does happen occasionally.”
Jeanne clasped her hands together as if in prayer. It was so cute I almost laughed, but it wasn’t really a laughing matter. Since it was a human endeavor, tragic crashes did occur from time to time.
Click—
Still, I took the photo anyway.
When we arrived at the Vatican it was already late at night. Jeanne’s summon had ended once during the journey, but we managed to get through without incident. Guided by a bishop, we headed to our lodging.
“See you tomorrow, Jeanne.”
“Yes.”
I entered the room and released her summon. It was far too late to do anything else. The next morning I began preparing in earnest.
“Before we go, let’s loosen up a bit first.”
Even though the Despairer Gate’s rampage was only days away, I refused to rush. I needed to check my condition before heading in.
The Vatican had many religious structures, so naturally all the gates there were dark-attribute. A dark cave. Ehehehe— Pale figures drifted through the air, laughing. Specters—monsters born when humans died and became ghosts. Physical attacks didn’t work on them. They could only be erased with mana, and light mana worked best.
Thud. Thud!
The specters’ attacks pounded against my barrier of protection.
The medal is finally useful.
Napoleon’s medal, which had been inefficient before, became much easier to use after the Seolhwaseok grew. Thanks to the Amplification property, it no longer devoured mana so ravenously.
Bang—!
Napoleon's Rifle spat fire, and the specter hovering near the barrier shattered into pieces. Efficiency: a full 8%. The result of my increased mana combined with the Seolhwaseok’s amplification.
Let’s try catching that one.
I walked toward a specter phasing through the cave wall. The moment I took a step—
Whoosh—
Using Shadow Step, my body was already in front of the specter.
Slash!
The Twin Dragon Sword I gripped swung, erasing the specter completely.
Hmm.
The swing was clumsy due to my strength issue, but the power was excellent. Mana consumption was also far lower than before. At this level, further testing seemed unnecessary.
More than a dozen ghosts still floated in the air, but I turned away.
“Jeanne.”
Whoosh—!
Sacred light filled the cave.
The Despairer Gate had once been a church used by the Russian Eastern Orthodox Church. The building that had once been a holy place of worship was now overgrown with weeds, radiating an eerie atmosphere. The door leading into the chapel served as the gate’s entrance.
Solomon’s seventy-two demons—Astaroth. A demon who considered his fall to Hell unjust and spat out despair. From within the Despairer Gate, unknowable voices of resentment whispered endlessly.
“Church hunters have already entered. Please provide them with support.”
“I understand.”
“I will pray that the Lord’s protection is with you.”
Receiving the bishop’s blessing as he made the sign of the cross, Jeanne and I stepped toward the Despairer Gate.
Endless darkness welcomed us.