Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 98
>Chapter Title: Suspicious Gazes
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Chapter 98
>98.
>The gazes weren't normal.
>Eyes filled with hostility and eyes brimming with disgust intertwined, stabbing at Do-hyun.
>In their eyes, Do-hyun was already the enemy.
>It was a natural reaction.
>"……Only Kaiser remains."
>Before long, everyone had finished their measurements, leaving only Do-hyun.
>"See? I told you the outsider was suspicious."
>"But it's strange. For that guy to have that much divine power?"
>"The apostles have all sorts of tricks beyond appearances. You can't judge by looks."
>"Everyone, stay alert. He could turn on us at any moment."
>Do-hyun clenched his fists as they spread out, slowly encircling him like a net.
>He couldn't even run now.
>He glanced ahead and locked eyes with Gildeti, who was watching intently.
>Her impassive gaze gave no hint of her thoughts.
>Did Gildeti suspect him too?
>"……You're the last one."
>In the meantime, Jerdic approached.
>With each step closer, emotions flashed in his eyes—anger, suspicion, doubt… countless feelings.
>By the time he reached Do-hyun, Jerdic's gaze had turned utterly cold.
>"Place your hand on it."
>Why did the phrase "rat in a trap" come to mind?
>The quest name was spot-on. No proverb could fit this situation better.
>Do-hyun racked his brain before blurting out,
>"Don't we only need to check the high priests? It detected divine power, right?"
>"I've heard outsiders are different from us. Even non-high priests can wield pure divine power."
>"……."
>"There's no harm in proving it, so just place your hand. It's not difficult, is it?"
>"Haa……."
>He sighed as if annoyed, but inside, he was burning up.
>It was an irrefutable argument.
>Stubbornly refusing here would only fuel their suspicions.
>'I don't know.'
>In the end, Do-hyun extended his hand.
>He couldn't stay silent anyway. With things as they were, he'd leave it to fate.
>Ziiing-.
>Click. Clap.
>As the detection orb sucked in mana, the high priests tensed, gripping their staves and books.
>They were ready to attack the moment black appeared.
>Jerdic wasn't even looking at the orb, his eyes fixed solely on Do-hyun.
>Mana flowed into the orb,
>And wooong-.
>It glowed white before returning to normal, letting out a deflating sound.
>At the same time, a gasp echoed from somewhere, and the murmurs grew louder.
>They'd all assumed Do-hyun was the contractor, so this unexpected result left them flustered.
>Some even rubbed their eyes in disbelief. But that reaction was fleeting. Soon, their arrows turned toward Jihard.
>"……Then it must be him?"
>Everyone from the priests to Do-hyun had been cleared, leaving only Jihard.
>Soon, their eyes narrowed suspiciously.
>"Hiding his face is suspicious too……."
>"Please test him quickly, Sir Jerdic."
>As if he'd planned to anyway, Jerdic thrust the detection orb toward him without needing prompting.
>'……Master, what do I do?'
>Jihard's sidelong glance clearly pleaded as much.
>At this rate, he'd be wrongly accused for sure.
>Black mana emerging in this atmosphere?
>He'd become the common enemy with no time to explain, hunted down without mercy.
>He needed to think. A way out of this situation.
>'……Damn, as if there'd be one.'
>Escape routes were blocked, and force was against him.
>He'd scanned around hoping Truth's Eye might activate, but nothing appeared.
>Things had gone too smoothly since starting God Ose.
>To hit such a sudden major crisis—who knew if this was Demlock's sequel style or just bad luck……
>"……Are you refusing?"
>A chilling voice cut through his thoughts.
>Lifting his head, Do-hyun met Jerdic's eyes, glinting cold as moonlight. Holding his breath, Do-hyun subtly nudged Jihard's side.
>'……Master?'
>'Just do it. We're going straight through now.'
>Hostile relations?
>Who cared. Do-hyun wasn't a god's apostle anyway.
>The one in hostility with the gods was humanity's successor, Kashiar. In a way, they were fundamentally enemies from the start.
>'As long as I don't die.'
>The alert said failure on death.
>If he didn't die, he might salvage it somehow.
>Maybe not, but nothing to lose.
>For now, he'd fight tooth and nail.
>'…….'
>After that brief eye contact, Jihard squeezed his eyes shut.
>Do-hyun's intent had fully transmitted.
>Circulating mana in preparation to summon undead if needed, Jihard reached out.
>Swish.
>At the same time, Do-hyun discreetly gripped Thousand Transformations.
>Over a hundred gazes focused, yet an eerie silence hung.
>In the suffocating tension, just as Jihard's hand neared the orb—
>Ziiiiiing-.
>Do-hyun froze mid-activation of Thousand Transformations.
>The orb had reacted.
>'……Huh?'
>Not the detection orb—another one.
>The unexpected turn deflated the taut tension into bewilderment.
>A dazed atmosphere swirled among the spectators.
>Gildeti, eyeing the communication orb vibrating on the central table, spoke up.
>"……My apologies. Please wait a moment."
>She bowed slightly in apology, then cautiously connected the communication.
>After listening silently for a while, her face grew icy.
>"Are you certain? ……Understood. Disconnecting for now."
>A curt conversation.
>But when it ended, Gildeti's expression was starkly different—profoundly serious, even somewhat troubled.
>Unable to hold back, the elders asked.
>"What is it, Vice High Priest Gildeti?"
>"Your face looks troubled."
>Lips twitching without immediate reply, Gildeti finally let out a long sigh.
>Anyone could see something had happened.
>The crowd's attention shifted from Jihard to Gildeti—including Do-hyun's.
>'What the hell is going on?'
>Tense in the crisis, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.
>And this wasn't the end of the surprises.
>Bewildered by the inexplicable situation, Gildeti waved her hand.
>"It seems further measurements are pointless now."
>"What do you mean?"
>"……I can't agree. Could you explain?"
>It was a golden opportunity for Do-hyun.
>'……This kind of luck?'
>He'd braced for all-out war, yet it halted on its own—couldn't get better.
>No reason to refuse.
>Though it was puzzling.
>'Right when it's Jihard's turn?'
>Coincidence?
>The timing was too perfect……
>Ding-.
>[You have safely completed the measurement.]
>[You have cleared the forced linked quest 'Rat in a Trap.']
>At that moment, the confirmatory message popped up, and Do-hyun nodded.
>'Ah, so that's it.'
>Now it made sense.
>This wasn't coincidence—it was an inevitable event.
>The measurement quest was a hidden piece only for top graduates fulfilling secret conditions.
>It was designed from the start for users proceeding with high priest-level priests and beyond.
>Having finished, the predetermined event triggered.
>'Yeah, that fits.'
>A quest impossible for two or more, so naturally.
>An event inserted for story progression had become dynamic thanks to Jihard, the god disguised as human.
>Normally, they wouldn't bother checking guardians.
>'……Somehow anticlimactic.'
>'Huu…… Feels like I lost 5kg, Master.'
>'Lizaliza…….'
>Tension released, Jihard slumped.
>Eliza, too, sighed deeply from the anxiety. Do-hyun shared their sentiments this time.
>'That was really dangerous.'
>Truly the biggest crisis since God Ose.
>Luck had held until now, and he'd expected danger eventually, but not like this.
>Still, escaping by luck, he could now watch from a step back.
>Of course, he couldn't fully relax.
>He still didn't know what was coming.
>"Then what about him? We can't measure in this situation."
>"We need a detailed explanation, Vice High Priest."
>The elders felt the same.
>Not everyone spoke, but their silent looks conveyed agreement.
>Urged by the hundred-plus, Gildeti finally spoke.
>"Do you remember the traces those bastards left earlier?"
>"Of course. How could we forget such horrific marks?"
>"……Just in case, even after gathering you all, I had the forensic team do a detailed analysis. Told them to report anything new—no room for error."
>Pausing briefly, she continued.
>"And just now, contact came."
>"……What did they say?"
>Why this chilling sensation?
>Tense high priests swallowed hard, awaiting the answer.
>After a few seconds, Gildeti replied.
>"They compared it to the last trace found before. It's an exact match."
>"Pardon?"
>"What does that……."
>Suddenly, traces from before?
>Puzzlement lasted briefly. Faces paled as understanding dawned.
>Nailing it down, Gildeti added,
>"In 30 years in Brion, abyss contractors appeared three times total. Two were executed."
>Gildeti's expression was deadly serious.
>No—beyond serious, tense fit better.
>The others' faces soon matched.
>"……You don't mean?"
>"My god."
>"No way, him……?"
>High priests anxious with disbelief, elders gaping, vice high priests leaping up—
>Actions varied, but expressions mirrored shock.
>Jerdic and Taxinel were no different.
>Their icy glares screamed fury.
>'……What's got them like that?'
>Only Do-hyun here couldn't grasp it.
>-Liza?
>-What's happening……?
>……Precisely, only Do-hyun's group.
>Bemused by the exclamation marks over their heads, clarity came soon.
>"……Yes. Exactly as you're thinking."
>Gildeti's cracked voice revealed the wrapped truth.
>"The Destroyer Gaimon—it seems he's appeared again."
>[You have heard the name of the abyss contractor who broke taboo, 'Destroyer Gaimon.']
>[The forced linked quest '…….' progresses.]
>The culprit behind Do-hyun's alert and the finale of this linked quest.
>The moment the Destroyer Gaimon appeared.