Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 117
>Chapter Title: The Holy King's Mark
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>“Crazy…….”
The words slipped from Do-hyun’s mouth before he could stop them.
- Crazy……
- Liza……
Jihard and Eliza, standing beside him, echoed the sentiment.
Charlie didn’t say a word, but his trembling pupils betrayed the same shock.
It was that staggering a sight.
“Oh…… Goddess above.”
“The Goddess has descended to grant us salvation……!”
Over a hundred priests gazed up at the ceiling in worship.
Swaaa—
As the light touched them, the abyssal monsters gradually retreated.
Every single one was a miracle in itself, but what was truly astonishing was that one person had brought it all about.
The young woman hovering above the ceiling.
[You encounter the will of Seras, the Holy King of ancient humanity.]
‘Seras? Holy King?’
It was a name none of them had ever heard.
Do-hyun glanced at Gamillion, half hoping, but he looked just as stunned.
“Unbelievable…….”
He seemed to know of her existence, though.
“Why would the ancient Holy King……? Did even the Holy King leave behind a will?”
From the way he muttered under his breath, as if no one might overhear, it appeared even he hadn’t anticipated this turn.
The fact that Gamillion knew of her, and the fragment of fate had reacted……
All signs pointed to a connection with Kashyar.
‘Ah.’
In that instant, a hypothesis flashed through Do-hyun’s mind.
He nodded as it crystallized.
‘I see.’
Now it all made sense.
This hadn’t been an event for players to clear from the start.
In RPGs, there are those scenes that unfold on an enormous scale beyond player control, playing out like cutscenes.
The kind that trigger during story progression—event scenes.
‘This was the event for acquiring the second fragment of fate.’
That was exactly the situation now.
Just like when he’d obtained the first fragment of fate in Raven and encountered Kashyar, this was the mandatory event scene that played upon getting the second one.
‘Whoa…… Yeah, no wonder it seemed impossible.’
Sure, he could chalk up catching Destroyer Geymon to some miracle, but sending the entire abyssal legion packing? That had been too much.
Even accounting for the main quest being content originally cleared three years from now, this was over the top.
Now, he could just sit back and watch like an outsider enjoying the show from across the river.
-……My gut’s telling me that woman’s totally badass.
- Liza Liza.
- Such immense holy power……. It’s as if a true goddess has descended…… Marvelous.
Perhaps sensing their instinct to grab popcorn.
The Guardians, who had been tense moments ago, had fully switched to spectator mode, looking far more relaxed.
Do-hyun focused on the unfolding event scene as well.
Aaaaaah—
That was when a beautiful melody drifted in from somewhere.
No, it was a voice.
An ethereal voice and melody, so heavenly it seemed unreal, filled the auditorium, and the receding darkness brightened in an instant.
“……It’s returning to normal.”
“Oh…… The Goddess bestows her mercy upon us.”
The ground, corrupted by the abyss, reverted to its original state, and the darkness writhing like insects on the walls vanished.
[The Eye of the Abyss is closing.]
Dazzled by the brilliant light, the massive eye began to shut as well.
The passages receded, and the paths of darkness snapped one by one.
The abyssal monsters, approaching in their horrific forms, plummeted into the chasm, returning to the abyss’s embrace.
- Heavenly harmony……
- ……This makes it too risky to push further.
From behind those monsters, their two masters—who had been observing—clicked their tongues.
Even for them, reopening a closed eye would demand too great a cost.
- Is now not the time……?
- The Holy King appearing…… Still, we got some good intel.
In the end, they chose retreat without hesitation.
- Vessel…… I’ll remember you……. Until we meet again…… in ancient times…….
Beyond the closing eye.
With the fading, laughter-laced voice of the Immortal Lord, the Eye of the Abyss sealed shut.
[The Eye of the Abyss has closed.]
[A powerful presence has vanished. Physical abilities return to normal.]
Just like that, the monsters from moments ago vanished without a trace, as if it had all been a dream.
The bizarre eye with its overwhelming presence, the abyssal entities—all dissolved like a mirage, and everyday normalcy greeted them once more.
Paaat.
That was when a change came over the woman’s form.
The massive figure hovering high on the ceiling flashed, then shrank to the size of an ordinary woman.
She descended slowly, meeting Do-hyun’s eyes.
[It’s you. The one he chose…….]
A clear, jade-like voice rang in Do-hyun’s mind.
Her lips hadn’t moved, yet he heard her—a bizarre phenomenon that made his eyes widen. She gave a small smile.
[Since I’m sending my will, no one else can hear. It’s our first meeting, so I wanted a private chat.]
“Ah…….”
[I’d prepared a script in case you felt awkward talking alone…… but sadly, no time left. I used too much power.]
“…….”
Do-hyun closed his mouth as she smiled brightly.
‘……Not what I expected.’
Seras’s personality, experienced firsthand, differed greatly from her appearance.
Her sacred looks, porcelain skin, elegant aura—like a graceful swan—yet she was surprisingly chatty, almost whimsically otherworldly.
As those thoughts crossed his mind, Seras suddenly leaned in and pressed her lips to his forehead.
“??”
- Eek!?
- L-Liza……!
Do-hyun, Eliza, and Jihard’s eyes bulged in surprise at the unexpected contact. Seras met their gazes and chuckled softly.
As he blinked in confusion over her intent, disappointingly(?), her kiss wasn’t for the reason he imagined.
[You have obtained the Mark of the Holy King.]
It was to bestow something upon him.
Do-hyun instinctively checked its details, letting out an exclamation.
His eyes doubled in size from before.
[Mark of the Holy King]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Description: The mark left personally by Seras, Holy King of ancient humanity. It contains immense power of faith, and those who recognize her sigil may exist.]
[Merciful Light: Life force and mana recovery rates increase by 200%. This effect can additionally be applied to one target of choice.]
[Power of Faith: Upon use, reduces cooldown time on all skills by 65%. (Cooldown: 90 minutes)]
- Effect applies permanently while equipped; it disappears upon unequipping.
‘Legendary!?’
Not just Heroic or Heroic+, but straight-up Legendary grade!
Legendary held special meaning for Do-hyun.
Back in his Demlock days, he hadn’t owned even a single Legendary skill, and the few items or titles he scraped together haunted his dreams with regret.
- Man……. At this point, doesn’t “Legendary” just not exist in your dictionary?
- No way, how is everything you get Legendary or Heroic? At worst Rare? And she only gets junk? We seriously need to do a luck ritual or something.
- ……Hang in there.
Even his teammates pitied him when he alone drew trash from raid bosses they’d all downed together.
While others got five drops, he’d snag one or two—that was Legendary.
To obtain one after just a few days? How could he not be thrilled?
His heart swelled at options true to that thrill.
‘Cooldown reduction and recovery boost.’
The cooldown reduction on all skills by 65% was the real gem.
A cheat effect worthy of the Legendary label. He could already picture how to exploit it.
‘The recovery option can be shared with a target too, so that solves Jihard’s issue to some extent.’
He could give the mana-starved goblin the rain in his drought.
It’d feel like holy water to the poor guy.
‘Disappears on unequip, so no swapping.’
Sometimes options backfire, so players swap gear to maximize—Do-hyun’s go-to in his low-grade Demlock days.
‘That’s just greedy thief thinking.’
Strictly speaking, this wasn’t an item, but a mark.
Like a shaman’s talisman, unbound by slots, granting extra effects.
Usually not overwhelmingly powerful, but the unique bonus made them cheat-tier……
‘Jackpot. Yeah, total jackpot.’
The moment former swordsman Do-hyun—who’d cursed them most—tasted worldly bliss.
Seras gazed fondly at the thoroughly hooked Do-hyun, then quietly reached out.
As her hand touched his cheek.
[This is all I can give you now. It will guide you to the right path.]
With those words, Seras’s form scattered and vanished.
[The will of Holy King Seras disappears.]
A brief moment, yet she left a lingering aftertaste.
As he stared at the empty space where she’d faded.
“Oh…… The hero has received the Goddess’s blessing.”
A trembling voice sounded, followed by thunderous cheers.
“A hero chosen by the Goddess! The true qualities of a legend etched in history!”
“We are the fortunate ones! A hero favored by the Goddess has saved our city!”
“Hero chosen by the divine!!”
“Oh……!”
The ecstatic priests dropped to their knees in worship, one after another.
Do-hyun flinched at their fervent zeal, stepping back.
‘What the…….’
They’d apparently mistaken Seras’s holy form for a goddess.
Puzzled over how to handle it.
“……Successor, did you meet the Holy King?”
“Ah, Gamillion.”
Gamillion approached, whispering cautiously.
Unable to use Silence Room here, Do-hyun nodded to his quiet query.
“My god…… For her to appear.”
Gamillion’s face grew grave as he murmured.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Do-hyun asked.
“Who’s this Holy King?”
“Ah, you wouldn’t know, Successor. If you’ve received her blessing, this too is fate…….”
True to his fatalistic nature, Gamillion steeled himself and continued.
“Holy King Seras, a saint born with divine power despite being human—one of the five radiant kings of humanity.”
“…….”
“Though gifted with godly might, fated as a rebel against the gods, she was once Kashyar’s comrade in defying the divine.”