Episode 76
76. Episode 76
As they headed towards the sanctuary, parting the sea with Sharks, Seun could tell by the Sharks raising their fins and generating mana.
‘This kid seems to have a competitive spirit.’
Although he told me to speed up, it looks like he’s going as fast as he can.
If it had been someone else, I would have changed my words and said let’s go slowly, but Se-Woon was different.
‘Wouldn’t that be fun?’
I was thinking of taking my time and looking at the ocean. If it was Gyeongju, I thought I could have a lot of fun until I got to the sanctuary.
Thanks to the jewelry around her neck and the wrath of the sea, she feels almost unrestricted even though she is underwater.
As we were moving so quickly, we were finally able to overtake the sharks in the reef area.
“I’m glad you’re safe. Are you here?”
“……you’re right.”
Was it because he had lost? In the cold sea water, Shax’s face turned red.
Se-Woon looked ahead with a slight smile on his face.
Shhhhhhh!
Dozens of vortices that perfectly block the front, as if they were a barrier.
The currents around it were moving wildly as if they were ready to tear apart anything that came near.
With this level of current, it would be expected to affect the surroundings. But just a little bit away from the whirlpool, the current flowed calmly, almost as if it were a lie.
That means.
‘I guess this is the destination.’
This means that this whirlpool is guarding the sanctuary of Leviathan.
“I hope you follow along!”
“Is it okay to just pass by there?”
“Yes! If you just follow me, there will be no problem… … .”
Bam!
Knock knock!
Se-un didn’t listen to Shax’s words until the end.
To protect himself in the whirlpool, he raised his ‘Lizardman Scales’ to protect himself.
To minimize water resistance, the windows were placed forward.
Choaaaah!
Seun’s body was shot towards the whirlpool.
I thought I could hear Shax’s panicked scream from behind me, but I just let it go with one ear.
‘Since I’ve already started, I have to win.’
Sharks wasn’t the only one with a competitive spirit.
Seun was not satisfied with getting out of the reef area first and wanted to get to the sanctuary first.
Kwaaaaah!
The rough currents around the whirlpool beat against the armor. As if that weren’t enough, they dug into the armor’s flesh to gnaw away at the soft flesh.
If it weren’t for the Lizardman’s scales, my flesh would have been torn off before I even entered the whirlpool.
Phew!
After passing through the rough current in an instant, he dove into the whirlpool with the spearhead in the lead.
In a whirlpool so strong that it was difficult to open his eyes, Se-Woon closed his eyes and gave direction to the wind as he swung his legs.
Since there was some acceleration coming in, I thought I would be able to get out of the vortex easily.
However, there was one case that Se-Woon had not anticipated.
-The power of jealousy surges from all sides.
– Strength is temporarily reduced by 5 due to the power of jealousy.
– Agility is reduced by 5.
– Stamina decreases by 4.
-Wisdom decreases by 4.
…
‘The power of jealousy?’
This vortex. I thought it was just a barrier to keep out outsiders, but it contained the power of Leviathan.
I don’t know what kind of power the power of jealousy has, but… … .
-Strength decreases by 3.
– Agility is reduced by 3.
…
The important point is that even at this moment, your abilities are rapidly decreasing.
It wasn’t just the system that was visible to the eye, but the strength in my hand holding the spear was gradually draining away. My body, which had been moving quickly, was also clearly slowing down.
The scales fell off, unable to withstand the rough waves of the whirlpool, and the mana in the circle rippled uneasily.
– The constellation, ‘The Crow with its Head Down’, watches the situation with interest, thinking that if you die like this, the ownership of Durandal will be his.
-The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’, savors the remaining eggs slowly, deeply and sweetly, as if regretting it.
Given the circumstances, it seemed impossible to get help from the two demons.
I had to get out of the vortex before all my abilities went down and I lost my strength.
‘But how?’
Acceleration had already completely disappeared. Even if I tried to exert force, it was difficult to gain speed with the ability value already reduced by more than 1/3.
Even if you tried to use magic, it was difficult to manifest magic with a circle that had low wisdom and low control.
then.
‘I have no choice but to use my power.’
-The Treasure Trove of Greed has been opened.
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[ Serpent of the Underworld, Reverse Heavenly Goddess ]
– A spear used by the famous Southern Song general Yue Fei. It is said to be the form of a spear that the snake monster that Yue Fei defeated in Yeokcheon-dong took.
Now that his abilities have been lowered, it is difficult to use physical or magical powers even if he manifests his powers.
That’s why I chose this. It’s about giving ‘self’ to weapons.
Wiggle!
I felt smooth scales on the spear that was imbued with the power of the Heavenly Mother.
The once strong and thin spear expanded in size and became brittle, and its tip became two sharp fangs.
snake.
The snake monster of Yeokcheon-dong that Akbi had defeated had transformed into its original form.
“Get out of here!”
“Shaaaaa-!”
The monster, having understood Seun’s command, stretched its body forward.
By swaying his body from side to side like a water snake swimming, he was able to move steadily forward even in the rough whirlpool.
Se-Woon held on to the scales with all his might to avoid being left by that guy.
My strength level dropped below half and my hands were shaking, but I knew that if I let go of the scales, I would be eaten by the whirlpool and torn to pieces, so I squeezed out every bit of strength I had.
Swish!
However, unfortunately, the lack of physical strength has gone beyond what can be overcome with mental strength.
-Strength decreases by 3.
-Strength decreases by 2.
…
Seun’s strength has already fallen to less than 1/5 of its original strength.
Too weak to hold on to the slippery scales in the rough whirlpool.
‘Damn, it’s almost here… … .’
As I stared at the edge of the whirlpool, foaming whitely, I couldn’t help but lose sight of the scales.
While quickly thinking of the next move.
Bam!
Sharp fangs like the tip of a spear attacked Seun.
Like a mother beast biting her young, carefully so as not to injure them.
“Shaa-”
Reverse Heavenly Mother.
The spear that had turned into a snake realized that Seun had fallen and quickly turned its head to bite its owner.
Then, he quickly turned his head and threw himself outside the whirlpool.
Quaaaat!
The violent whirlpool tore at the snake’s scales and tore at its hide, but the creature never opened its mouth to the end.
Could this simply be seen as a ‘weapon’?
The vortex didn’t stop at the guy’s scales and hide, it started to look down at his muscles, and the moment his muscles were torn, his mouth was forced open.
Wow.
As if by magic, the whirlpool became quiet.
No, the whirlpool didn’t calm down. We just passed through that turbulent vortex.
“……thanks.”
“Shaa-”
Se-Woon placed his hand on the head of the guy who was completely battered.
It’s just a monster that resides in a treasure called the Reverse Heavenly Godmother, but it risks its life to protect its master.
I used to think of treasures as mere ‘tools’, but then I started to think that maybe there was some kind of will in them.
The goddess of the reverse sky flickered her tongue as she felt Se-un’s hand, then returned to her original form as a spear.
Even that, as soon as it returned to the window, its durability depleted and it turned into a bubble and disappeared.
-Freed from the power of jealousy.
– Abilities that were temporarily reduced are quickly restored.
Fortunately, the decrease in ability value due to the power of jealousy was temporary.
Soon, all of Seun’s abilities were restored, and he could feel his abilities returning as he clenched his fist.
-The constellation, ‘The Crow with its Head Down’, feels sorry for your appearance.
-The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’, laments that there seems to be nothing to eat here.
And let’s raise our heads.
“Is this the sanctuary of Leviathan?”
Finally, the destination came into view.
A sanctuary that looks completely different from the temples Seun knows.
The skeleton of a giant monster lay half-buried in the ground, its mouth open.
Perhaps, that is the sanctuary that Shax spoke of.
In front of him, what appeared to be female figures were looking at Seun with their eyes wide open.
“human……?”
“It has gills and fins, but it’s not human. Who is it?”
“More than that, didn’t he just come out of the whirlpool?”
“Even Lord Shax can’t get through the whirlpool, so how on earth… … .”
Everyone was confused by the sudden appearance of an outsider.
In the first place, most of the fish that were capable of fighting were still in the spawning grounds and restoring the site, so the fish here were those that were unable to fight.
The male fishmen were also small in size and appeared to be difficult to fight due to their shape. Among them, there were quite a few that looked like children.
I was hesitating as to how to explain it… … .
From a distance, a fisherman with a shark fin approached quickly.
“Are you okay?”
“You came quickly?”
“What are you doing all of a sudden! You’re breaking through the vortex of jealousy!”
“It was more dangerous than I thought. Let me tell you in advance.”
“I told you to just follow me! No, but more importantly, how did you get through the whirlpool?”
Sharks. They arrived so quickly that they were gasping for breath through the gills on either side of their necks.
“I used my power. Even if it was the power of jealousy, I have two other powers from other demons.”
“… … I see. I regret having unconsciously looked down on you.”
“So, I won?”
“I lost. It was definitely a power worthy of the two demons’ contract. If it’s you, I can definitely trust you.”
Since he had used his power to pass through the vortex, there was no way he would not have noticed the presence of Leviathan.
However, Leviathan’s message did not appear in front of Seun.
The reason was quickly made clear by Shax.
“Once you enter the sanctuary, you will be able to hear the words of the Holy See. Since you have been pushed outside the tower, the range of interference from the system is limited.”
“That’s what it was.”
“If you’re tired, why don’t you take a rest? I don’t know much about human tastes, but our cooking was considered a delicacy even back when we were in the tower.”
-The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’ reacts to the word delicacy and immediately grabs the cutlery.
“no.”
Since all the abilities that were lowered by the power of jealousy were restored, there was no need to rest.
After quickly making a contract with Leviathan, I had to go up to the ground, finish the tutorial, and enter the tower.
Because we don’t know what the tower system will do to players who don’t enter the tower even after completing the tutorial.
We need to resolve this quickly and return to the surface as quickly as possible.
“Go straight there.”
“Huh… … . Okay. Follow me.”
After taking a moment to catch his breath, Shax straightened his posture and walked towards Leviathan’s sanctuary.
Episode 77
77. Episode 77
“By the way, why did you make this place a sanctuary?”
“Do you know of a monster called the Black Whale?”
“No. I’ve heard of Baekgyeong, but this is the first time I’ve heard of Heukgyeong.”
trillion.
A monster in the shape of a whale, it is so big that it can easily swallow one or two ships. It is called the tyrant of the sea, destroying everything but not conquering it.
“It was a monster similar to that. No, its ferocity and size were even greater than that of Baekgyeong.”
“There was a monster like that outside the tower?”
“The outside of the tower was a total dark zone. It was a hellish place where everything was decided by the survival of the fittest, outside the control of the system.”
“How did you catch that guy?”
“The Constellation dealt with him personally. Thanks to him, we were able to stay in the realm of the Black Mirror, and as a token of our gratitude, we turned the Black Mirror’s corpse into His sanctuary.”
“… … So that’s what happened.”
Leviathan.
Contrary to its name, it may be a better being than expected.
He killed the queen and was kicked out of the tower with her for the sake of the fishermen who were suffering under the queen of the deep sea, and he personally hunted black magic and gave them a place to live.
“Master Shax, you’re back early!”
“It seems like the other fishermen haven’t returned yet. Is there a problem?”
“And that human… … .”
Upon reaching the entrance to the sanctuary, two fishermen greeted Shax by striking the floor with their spears.
It seemed that only the minimum number of people needed to guard the sanctuary were left behind.
“I am a guest who has come to see the Constellation.”
“West, Your Majesty!”
“But… … Are you okay? We’re humans! Don’t you know what the humans who entered the tower did?”
“I know. However, this is a choice for the Constellation. Get out of the way.”
“……All right.”
“If it’s Shax’s decision, there must be a reason.”
The two guards stepped back to the left and right to make way for him.
The Sanctuary of Jealousy. That is, when you enter the mouth of the dead black mirror, the light completely disappears as if it were a lie.
“The black mirror had the characteristic of swallowing light. It is the same even after death. If you are anxious, just hold on to me and follow me.”
“are you okay.”
The night owl’s eyes became active, and the extremely rare light inside the sanctuary gathered into Seun’s eyes.
Perhaps because of the nature of the black light that Shax had mentioned, it was so faint that it was possible to see the faint outlines of the floor and walls.
“… … You are truly amazing. Not only were you chosen by the two gods, but you also wield your power so well.”
“Can’t you use the power too?”
“However, the level at which I can handle it is extremely limited. If I use it excessively, I will end up falling victim to the power of jealousy.”
“Well, it’s on a different level from the power of lower-level gods.”
The power of the constellation is enormous. Even if you are appointed as an apostle, it usually takes a very long time to properly use the power.
Even the power of the higher level gods is impossible to fully exert with the player’s body.
Compared to that, how is Seun?
The power of greed and the power of gluttony. He was able to freely control both powers.
‘Well, this is for a slightly different reason.’
The power of greed that Seun used was a power that had lost its master and remained in the world before the return.
Thanks to that, I was able to make it completely my own.
And the power of gluttony is… … .
-The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’, wonders what it would taste like if he ate the bones of the Black Mirror.
… … After all, it was possible because Seun was treating Beelzebub well. Even so, he was not able to handle the power 100% perfectly.
“So, is the main body of Leviathan inside here?”
“No. He is so huge that he can encompass the entire ocean, so he rests in the deepest part of the sea.”
“Is that all? Still, if it’s a constellation, it shouldn’t be difficult to reduce its body size.”
“Shrinking down in size alone requires continuous power consumption. He lost a lot of power when he came out of the tower, so he is sleeping in the deep sea in his original form.”
Leviathan. A constellation known as the demon of jealousy and the serpent of destruction.
According to literature, its size was so large that it could almost wrap around the outside of the tower.
I thought it was a bit of an exaggeration, but if we go by Shax’s words, it seems like the content written in the literature was an underestimation.
“I see. Then where are you going now?”
“This is the heart of the Black Mirror. It is the only place where communication with him is permitted.”
“Should I go there in person?”
“The depths of the sea where he resides are so deep that even we fishermen cannot endure it. Before we can even see him, our bodies will be crushed by the water pressure.”
“… … Is that it?”
Indeed, one of the Seven Great Demons. Although he was kicked out of the tower and lost most of his power, his status as a constellation remains intact.
We walked for a while, talking to Sharks like that.
As they moved, even the subtle light disappeared, and the faint outline became even fainter.
The size of the interior of the Black Mirror was as enormous as it looked from the outside.
As even the extremely faint outlines began to disappear, I began to wonder how Sharks was guiding the way.
“It’s over there.”
Thump, thump-
Far away, in the dark, a faint vitality began to be felt.
A ‘heartbeat’, a sound that should never be heard here, could be heard, and as I got closer, a deep blue light flowed out.
“That’s… … .”
“The Heart of the Black Mirror. It is the remnant of the Black Mirror that the Constellation has preserved.”
-The constellation, ‘The Crow with its Head Down’, has sparkling eyes.
-The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’, gulps down the fresh whale’s heart.
It wasn’t just a simple heart shape. It was a treasure that Mamon could clearly see why he coveted.
Since it was imbued with the power of Leviathan, it could be called a proper holy relic.
Even the bones of the black mirror that swallowed light could not swallow the blue light flowing from the heart.
The moment it reached the front of the heart, a blue light engulfed the surroundings, creating the illusion that this was not inside the Black Mirror’s body, but some other space.
Thump, thump-
A heart the size of a human head.
Considering the original size of the black mirror, it was incredibly small, but it seemed to have shrunk in size as it became a sacred object imbued with the power of Leviathan.
However, the power contained within it was not small at all. Rather, it seemed that even the original Black Mirror’s heart would not be able to keep up with the power of the current heart.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“… … That’s right.”
Beautiful. That was exactly the right expression.
Originally, it would have been the right time for Mammon or Beelzebub to send a message asking for a holy relic to be offered to him, but since they both knew that this was Leviathan’s holy relic, they only coveted it and did not say anything rashly.
“What should I do now?”
“Just put your hand over your heart.”
Thump, thump!
As I put my hand on my heart according to Shax’s words, the beating became more vivid.
I just raised my hand, but I felt like my heart and my hand were connected and something was flowing into my body.
“However, the light in your heart has decreased a lot recently, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to contact you… … .”
Shax continued to speak anxiously, but Se-un could not hear any more of Shax’s words.
The blue energy coming from my heart. That energy was telling me.
The existence of Leviathan, the god of jealousy.
And soon after, a majestic voice began to appear in Se-un’s mind.
-You broke through my authority. You’re quite a useful person.
It’s not something that comes through your ears. It’s like the voice has turned into something sharp and is poking your temporal lobe.
“Ugh… … .”
I was struck with an unbearable headache.
A woman’s voice as sharp as a stabbing headache.
It was the first time I heard it, but I could tell. This was the voice of Leviathan, the god of jealousy.
‘You have to endure it.’
It’s such a blow, even though I’m not even facing the real thing, and just hearing the voice of a constellation that has lost its power.
It was a moment that truly made me realize the ‘difference in class’.
However, I couldn’t back down like this. In order to continue with my future plans, it was absolutely necessary to recruit Leviathan.
The moment Seun took up his position with that thought in mind.
Hwaaaat!
A faint light began to flow from Se-un’s right hand.
-The Satyr’s stigmata (seal) react to the god’s rank.
-Some of the constellations that were sealed in the stigmata awaken and resist external forces.
-Huh?
The stigmata of the satyr.
Since most of his abilities were sealed, he thought he would have to climb at least to the middle floor of the tower to draw out his power, but the seal on the stigmata was awakened much earlier than expected.
As the dark brown light flowing from the stigmata enveloped Se-un’s body, the blue light flowing from his heart weakened slightly and his headache gradually subsided.
-You’re just a player in the tutorial, but you have stigmata. So there was a reason why the crow and the pig were interested.
-The constellation, ‘The Crow with its Head Down’ frowns at the snake’s harsh words.
– The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’ drools, asking where the pig is and asking for some for himself.
Even though I could still hear Leviathan’s voice, I no longer had a headache. However, my mana and internal energy were quickly draining through the stigmata.
The time I can endure like this is at most about ten minutes.
In it, I had to finish the conversation with Leviathan.
“I am Jeong Se-woon, the player of the tutorial.”
-You probably already know about me, so I don’t need an introduction.
“yes.”
-Then tell me, why did you come to me and take on such a reckless challenge?
There was no need for private matters.
Perhaps, just like Seun, Leviathan might not have much time to have a conversation like this.
According to Shax, Leviathan was driven out of the tower and became weaker.
Even so, as the name suggests, it is a strong being that can easily kill the Black Mirror.
“I have come to ask for the cooperation of the God of Jealousy.”
-Cooperation. Does that mean you will become my apostle?
“Similar. In order to climb the tower, I want to obtain the power of the Demon God.”
-Similar? How arrogant. Those two idiots seem to have given you power without a proper contract, but I’m not that stupid.
-The constellation, ‘The Crow with its Head Down’, glares at the snake as if it is about to peck at it.
-The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’, makes excuses saying that he couldn’t help it because that human was so good at cooking.
Indeed, it was the expected reaction.
To be honest, it was a normal reaction. It was an absurdly bold proposal to just borrow power, without even a contract as an apostle, during our first meeting.
If Se-un hadn’t had the two demons attached to him, he might have lightly laughed and immediately raised his level, destroying Se-un’s spirit.
But, up until this point, it was already expected.
“instead.”
Seun took something out of his subspace pocket.
-that……!
The Jewel of the Deep. In other words, when I took out Leviathan’s Orb, I felt a trembling in Leviathan’s voice that had been digging into my head.
“I will return the demon and the fishermen to the tower.”
“… … !”
The first suggestion that came to Seun’s mind as soon as he obtained the jewel.
At that suggestion, Shax’s face lit up with surprise.
Although it was not visible, it seemed that Leviathan had the same reaction, judging by the lack of response.