Episode 1306
“Waaaaaaaaaah!”
A fantastic sight unfolded that could almost be called a ‘paradise’.
The primeval nature. The old trees that had grown neatly stood tall toward the sky, and the sunlight filtered in softly between them, brightening up the scenery.
The fields were filled with colorful, fragrant flowers, and deer and horses were peacefully grazing.
The lake, whose interior was completely transparent, was as clear and transparent as a mirror, reflecting the surrounding trees and the sky. Over the oddly shaped rocks that stood out here and there, several waterfalls were pouring down, and every time the water droplets collided and scattered, sunlight was reflected, creating a rainbow.
“Look over there! There are people there!”
When I looked in the direction Hamiel pointed, there really were people there.
Their attire was a little different from that of ordinary people. They were spending their leisurely time walking freely through nature wearing loose-fitting clothes like dobok.
Some people lay on the grass and gazed blankly at the clouds, while others sat under a waterfall and calmly practiced while being splashed with water.
People who drink with nature as their friend, and people who enjoy chatting while dipping their feet in the stream.
‘amazing.’
This is truly a new kind of play.
It really seemed like a place where gods resided. Simon was overwhelmed by the mysterious scenery that seemed to be out of reality.
‘Now that I think about it, I feel similar to Professor Parahan.’
Kizen’s sacred defense professor, Pharahan, was a priest, but he had a god-like aura, such as carrying a fan on his back and waving it around. For a moment, I thought that he might be from here.
“Rouse. Are you from the secular world?”
At that moment, a man wearing a dobok greeted them with both hands clasped together. Hamiel followed the gesture and greeted them.
“Rouse! Hello, brother! We are staying here to practice divinity… … .”
“Get out of the way.”
Moje appeared, pushing Hamiel’s face aside. Hamiel jumped up in anger, saying, “Profit!”, but Moje ignored him and opened his mouth.
“I want to meet the Eternal Saint, Asperia.”
It was a mother who got straight to the point.
Although it would have been understandable to be embarrassed by his rude attitude, the man smiled calmly and placed both hands neatly on his belly button.
“I am Arok’s guide who welcomes Arok’s guests. What business do you have for me, Saintess?”
“We come from Sky Island.”
thud!
Mother opened the sacred space and took out a large metal instrument and placed it on the floor.
“This is the great relic, ‘Elsair’s Bell.’ I recently completed the interpretation, and it is an item to be presented to the saintess. So, show me around.”
Mother had already submitted a request to meet Asperia, the Eternal Saintess who rules this place. And to present her with the holy relic that every priest dreams of possessing.
In the Holy Federation, the value of the holy relics is extremely high. If anyone hears that someone has come to offer the holy relics, they will rush out and try to take the items, and even a saint would be no exception. In the meantime, in order to offer the holy relics, he meets Asperia.
‘Contact the saint and obtain the remnants of the essence.’
Simon waited for the man’s next words, his eyes shining.
The man spoke in a calm voice.
“You are priests of the Sky Island. May I ask when you sent word to the Saintess?”
“It’s been about a month.”
“I see. Perhaps the letter you sent hasn’t reached the saint yet.”
The mother’s expression distorted.
“still……?”
Arok is a place that is extremely isolated from the outside world.
The place where the group is now looks beautiful, but in fact it is only the outskirts of Arok, and is not ‘Arok’ in the true sense of the word.
Arok is only open to permitted secular people on certain days, and news and letters from the secular world are also delivered during these times.
“Just two days ago, a messenger with a letter entered Arok.”
The man smiled.
“I’ll be back with the answer tonight, so please wait patiently in the meantime.”
“The procedure is so cumbersome! How dare you keep me waiting while I’m waiting… …!”
Snap!
Simon smiled, covering Moses’ mouth.
“Rouse, I don’t know what to do with myself because of your consideration.”
“Follow me. I’ll show you where to rest.”* * *
Of course, I couldn’t meet the saint right away.
Still, I heard positive news that the messenger who went into Arok with the letter will return this evening, and that I will be able to receive his reply.
The three decided to be satisfied with that for the time being and followed the guide to their lodgings.
“You can sleep here.”
“… … .”
The three of them just stood there with their mouths open.
The place I was guided to was simply a simple space in the middle of a forest shaded by trees, with three hammocks and a piece of cloth spread on the floor.
“This, this is too much!”
Hamiel screamed.
“No matter how badly that person behaved, we are still guests! It’s too much to make guests sleep outside from day one! Is this harassment of an outsider? Is this territoriality?”
“No way!”
The guide waved his hands urgently.
“In Arok, there is no concept of ‘home’.”
“yes?”
“That sounds right.”
Simon looked around and said.
Unlike the fields and lakesides I had seen before, there were traces of people staying here and there under the shade of the forest. There were laundry and dishes strewn all over the forest.
It really did seem like they were just sleeping outside. I actually saw people lying on the grass or on the rocks, snoring and falling asleep.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“Arok has a mild climate all year round. It is warm even at night, so there is no need for shelter.”
The guide spoke softly. Hamiel raised his voice as if he still did not understand.
“What if a thief comes in?”
“The Arok people do not touch other people’s belongings.”
“What if it rains?”
“You can take refuge in the shade of the trees for a moment.”
“Who would steal a glance at me changing clothes!”
“The people of Arok are not driven by lust.”
“Everyone’s privacy!”
“This might be a major issue for those who live in a densely populated city, but there are no secrets in Arok. Everyone shares the truth and lives in peace.”
The moment Hamiel was about to ask something more, his face turned pale.
“Then the bathroom is… … .”
The guide pointed to a dark area of the forest in the distance with a bright expression.
“This is a place where people sleep, so if possible, please dig and solve the problem in a dark and distant place.”
thud!
Hamiel slumped down, hitting his forehead against a nearby tree.
“It hasn’t even been a day yet, but I want to get out of here quickly… … .”
Simon smiled awkwardly, understanding her feelings.
Cool! Cool cool!
Next to him, I could already see Moje lying on a hammock, taking a nap without a care in the world. It seemed like she would be able to adapt to life here faster than anyone else.
“And in Arok, please change into this outfit.”
Flutter!
The guide who had put down the three large suits that the people in the valley were wearing earlier smiled with his hands folded. Simon asked while collecting the suits.
“Don’t you have any shoes?”
“You must walk barefoot in Arok. After you change and finish unpacking, you can come back to the place where we first met. I will prepare dinner for you.”
So the guide stepped aside and the three changed into their dobok.
‘hmm!’
Simon liked this uniform quite a bit, so he turned around several times to look at it. The natural fabric felt cool and had a strong feel of what a practitioner would wear.
“ha.”
Likewise, Hamiel, who had come back from changing clothes in the dark, already looked exhausted. Simon spoke to her.
“Was Arok originally like this?”
“I heard rumors about Sogwando, but they were underestimated. I didn’t think it would be this bad… … .”
As they moved to dinner, Simon heard additional information about Arok from Hamiel.
The four sanctuaries, Arok.
This place is said to be rich in divine energy, and thanks to the mild weather, nutritious fruits grow in abundance even when left alone. It is literally the closest place to paradise, with no hunger or illness.
Arok was living the life of the people of Paradise who came to the temple more than anyone else, as if protesting to the Sky Island that took the title of ‘Paradise’. They say that they live like immortals, without worries, concerns, or fears.
However, not just anyone can enter Arok.
The family of the Eternal Saint who rules this place.
Direct descendants.
And only those who attained enlightenment and were qualified to enter Arok could meet the Eternal Saint and receive permission to live in Arok.
“You said this wasn’t the real Arok, but the outskirts? And yet people still live like this?”
“yes.”
People living on the outskirts of Arok admire the Arok people and train to refine their bodies and minds in order to enter Arok themselves.
“The fact that people here do not have residential homes, eat vegetarian food, and wear dobok and move around freely is all because they are imitating the Arok people. It seems like they want to assimilate into the Arok and enter the Arok.”
Simon asked as he walked along with Hamiel.
“What qualifies you to enter Arok?”
“God’s water.”
She answered, raising her fingertips.
“You become their master by being recognized by the gods living in Arok. The gods of Arok are extremely cautious and sensitive, and only serve the purest divine users as their masters. Only those humans recognized as masters by the gods of Arok with such high standards are eligible to enter Arok.”
“oh.”
A light sparkled in Simon’s eyes.
“I’m not interested in living in Arok, but I’d like to have one too.”
“It won’t be easy.”
Hamiel shrugged his shoulders, the corners of his mouth raised.
“If it were easy, so many people wouldn’t be practicing now.”
Simon looked around.
Swaaaaaaah!
Swish!
People sit around the waterfall, sitting in a sitting position, receiving water and emptying their minds.
Knock knock!
A person who moves a huge rock as big as his body.
Gooooo!
People who sit on heated rocks and become literally frozen like stone, etc.
Each had a different method of training utilizing nature. Simon looked around with interest, his eyes shining like a tourist.
‘Is it true that only those who have a clean mind, a clean body, and pure divinity through training will be visited by the divine beasts of Arok?’
“Oh, everyone! This way.”
The guide, who had just finished preparing, came to pick up the three people.* * *
Our first meal at Arok. It was dinner time, but the sky was still blue.
The guide led them up the rocks where the waterfall gushed down.
“That’s cool!”
Swaaaaaaaaaah!
A meal in this beautiful natural setting with a waterfall cascading down. I thought that no matter what I ate here, it would be delicious.
Next, the guide unwrapped a bundle of woven grass stems, took out various wild greens and vegetables from it, and placed them carefully on top of the leaves.
“Ugh.”
Hamiel reacted with a start.
“As expected, it’s all vegetarian… … . Do you have any meat?”
The guide smiled faintly and clasped his hands together.
“None. A clean mind begins with clean food.”
The vegetables and greens were bland and tasteless, and there were no utensils so I had to eat them with my bare hands, but even so, thanks to the beautiful scenery around me, even the taste felt fresh and invigorating.
Simon thought he knew what the mind of a god meant. Hamiel also grumbled at first, but he liked it, saying that his body was getting healthier and that he felt like he was on a diet.
Then, Simon, who was watching people practicing in the waterfall, started crying.
“Do you also want to go to Arok, sir?”
“Of course.”
The guide smiled.
“I am also training while working at the federal level. Someday, I will receive the approval of the divine being-”
His gaze turned into the distance.
“We will go to where our parents are.”
Moje, who had been eating her food in silence, suddenly spoke as if she had become curious.
“So your parents entered Arok with the approval of the divine being? I heard that direct descendants can stay in Arok.”
The guide smiled wryly and shook his head.
“I was born here, not in Arok. Both of you were practitioners. And soon after I was born, you became the owners of a pair of divine beasts and went to Arok.”
“Unlike the parents who gave birth to you, you are an ordinary person.”
“Brother Moa!”
Hamiel suddenly got angry. Moje shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “What should I do?”
“If I had majored in new mathematics, I could have gotten my degree here in a week.”
Hamiel tried to say something sharp to Moze, but the guide surprisingly nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. It’s because my training is still lacking.”
“… … .”
People who are trying to enter Arok.
And the guide who blames everything on his own lack of training.
Simon was concerned about such appearances, but right now he had to focus on the mission.
“It will soon be dark and the messenger will return. If you go into Arok and see my parents-”
He smiled.
“Please say hello.”
and.
An incident occurred in Arok.
