BXBX NOVEL Chapter 207: Elite (3)
「Return Ticket (Rank F) is used.」
「Returning to Seheranbad.」
Unlike before, he only tore a one-day ticket and went to Seheranbad. Following Lee Su-yeon’s advice, he stocked dozens of one-day tickets in his bag in case he needed to stay longer.
‘It’s funny to think about the price as only worth hundreds of points now.’
Yoon-seok checked his surroundings first. His starting point was Lee Su-yeon’s hideout in the Katlan Empire, that basement with only one chair. Nothing had changed…
‘What’s this?’
Yoon-seok, examining the restraints on the chair, tilted his head. She said she would stay to watch the empire’s situation, but did she do something else here? There was a relatively fresh bloodstain.
“…”
He smiled wryly, recalling his mother’s words about how such a pretty lady could do such a rough job.
‘…Let’s leave for now.’
Yoon-seok left the basement and went up above ground to Rapine, the empire’s capital. Out on the road, workers were busy moving building materials. All the workers’ were queued up, starting from the gate and continuing up to the destroyed palace.
‘Are they reconstructing?’
He heard from Lee Su-yeon after the Crown Prince died, as expected, the Third Prince, Empress Orlene’s brother, took over.
‘I think I should just pass.’
Yoon-seok smacked his lips as he watched the palace restoration. Yoon-seok killed the Crown Prince, so he wondered if he should at least demand the royal treasures. Wouldn’t there be a stamp, a royal seal, a crown, or something like that? Even gold and silver coins would do. Destruction seemed to bring in several points. But…
For some reason, it seemed that the empire, which had been barely holding out, would follow down the path of destruction.
‘Well, I can come back next time.’
Yoon-seok decided to wait. Even if it weren’t now, it wouldn’t be too late to come to harvest if the empire rebuilt its power. Well, he wanted to meet the Princess or the Third Prince in person and chat a little too, but…
‘I don’t want to bump into that kid, Aren.’
Feeling that something troubling would happen, Yoon-seok changed his mind and took out the Seheranbad map from his bag. The map itself was ordinary, but unlike on Earth, his current location was marked with a red dot. It was thanks to a ring named Whale Lighthouse given to him by Ashton. He felt uncomfortable about navigation the last time he visited, so Ashton procured this for him.
‘If it weren’t for this, I would have to bring Su-yeon here.’
Lee Su-yeon did not follow this time by her own decision. Did she feel a limit on the 21st-floor duel? Lee Su-yeon decided to spend time at the Tower while Yoon-seok was in Seheranbad. It was a well-needed mentality for a tower-climbing challenger.
‘Then where should I start…’
Yoon-seok skimmed over the wide-open map. The distance didn’t matter; he could reach anywhere if he ran for a day.
‘Anyway, it’s a pain that Sword Country Bernille has no diplomatic relations and the King of Steel is there, so… is that the easiest place?’
Yoon Seok decided on his destination: the Demon Kingdom, Geronian. The only country on the continent that served evil gods. Although he found out later, it was also where the challenger who owned b Torturer Technician} belonged. They developed black magic, and biological experiments on humans were prevalent. It was also a place where the slave trade was legally practiced.
‘Well, it’s just what I heard, so it’s right to confirm it for myself.’
The moment when he was about to move-
“He’s here!”
A man pointed at Yoon-seok. At the same time, armored knights began to approach quickly. It appeared that he reported to the guards he was suspiciously spreading a map out in the middle of the boulevard… Well, his business here ended anyway.
Whoosh-!
Yoon-seok stepped off the ground and jumped. It was like running on clouds; people often used that expression to feel indescribable happiness or ecstasy. However, Yoon-seok could understand it.
‘In reality, it’s not much different on the ground or in the clouds.’
If you look down, you only see the sea, and if you look up, your eyes will be blinded by the light. At first, there was a time when he felt refreshed by the sky’s view, but it was only once or twice. He felt nothing now. Yoon-seok ran while checking the map from time to time. It was morning when he started in the capital, but the sky darkened after a few hours.
‘Hmm, should I make a stop?’
Yoon-seok, who was checking his current position, felt conflicted. At first thought of going straight to Geronian, the Demon Kingdom, but he kept noticing the Law Country Saintrion next to it every time he looked at the map. That was a huge religious country and the headquarters of the Holy Trinity Cult, whose path he had crossed a few times through the missions. They also occupied about half of the targets in the databook that Ashton gave him as reference.
‘It’s too tempting to pass by.’
Before coming here, Yoon-seok made up his mind not to act pleased because of his power. While that might not be the case for those who weren’t worth making a deal with, for others, he was going to receive their precious items in return for a deal. However, the problem was…
Perhaps it didn’t happen to other countries, but why did the faithful Saintrion ignore Yoon-seok’s consequences?
‘It’s right next door. Let’s just go once.’
Yoon-seok turned his direction slightly and headed for Saintrion. It was good if it worked, but if it didn’t, then whatever. It wouldn’t be a big waste of time anyway because it was within reach of his original destination.
Whoooosh-!
The dark sky gradually brightened. At the same time, he could see the land on the horizon. Saintrion’s flag was flying majestically at the top of a lighthouse at the port.
‘Capital Vantale. Their church is there too.’
Yoon-seok passed through the unnamed port city and went straight to the capital, the heart of Saintrion. It was a city that even Yoon-seok thought was beautiful as soon as he saw it.
‘It seems like a religious country.’
Should he say it was like the whole city had mysophobia? From the marbled buildings to even clothing worn by people. All he could see was white. Once Invisibility was activated, Yoon-seok quietly came down to the ground in a desolated outer part of the city. Then, he took a black robe out from his subspace bag, pulled it on over his clothes, and headed toward the city’s center after lifting Invisibility.
‘I don’t know when I’ll come back, so let’s look around first.’
Experiencing the culture and life of a new city was one of the few hobbies that Yoon-seok enjoyed. Since it was a city filled with white, he thought the black robe might stand out, but it didn’t. There were quite a few in the city that wore black robes; he noticed now that he was enjoying a closer look. However, if there was a difference from Yoon-seok, was it that their faces looked tired and their clothes were soiled with grime and dust?
Whenever he passed by, they all made their way, regardless of whether they were merchants, clerks, or officials.
“May the Lord be with the pilgrim.”
Yoon-seok split through the crowds parting like the Red Sea, amazed by the exotic culture for a moment. He was wandering around however he pleased when a man approached. He probably thought he was lost, but…
“Where are you headed to? The church is that way.”
“…It’s my first time here, but thank you.”
“May the Lord be with the pilgrim.”
When Yoon-seok bowed his head and thanked him, the man-made across smiled nicely and disappeared. If he knew what Yoon-seok would do from now on, he would’ve cursed instead of offering a blessing… Well, even so. He received dozens of blessings on the way here, so even a curse would be okay.
‘Should I get going?’
Originally, he planned to look around the city a little more, but Yoon-seok walked in the direction the man kindly told him to the church. Yoon-seok wasn’t a real pilgrim, but his destination was the same. There was a miracle stone that could heal wounds and disease just by touching your lips to it.
‘Ten stars were given in the databook that Ashton gave me, right?’
Should he say that it was the origin of the Holy Trinity Cult? According to the data, the stone was the first miracle recorded in history. People built buildings in honor of God (the current church), and believers gathered until it developed into a huge religious organization. Yoon-seok smiled.
‘At this point, it’s not a miracle stone, but a miracle made by a stone…’
Well, to be honest, a complete recovery from one’s wounds didn’t feel like a miracle anymore when the store sold something similar for 8 million AP. However, competency values and religious values were different. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visited every year to kiss the stone, so if he could destroy it, he would receive a hefty amount of WP.
‘I hope it goes well.’
Soon, Yoon-seok arrived at the Vatican. In front of him, pilgrims dressed in similar black robes swarmed the area, though they looked a little discouraged. As Yoon-seok approached, a pilgrim caught his attention.
“Where are you from?”
“I’m from the Katlan Empire.”
“…You came from quite far. It’s rare for pilgrims to come from the empire.”
Strictly speaking, he took less than a day to arrive, but it was long-distance for normal people.
“Did you come here by boat?”
“No. I ran here.”
“…Ran?”
The friendly pilgrim tilted his head. But as if he accepted the expression running to show how hard he walked here, his expression changed. He looked proud.
“Of course, a pilgrimage is meaningful only when you walk on the land full of miracles. You look young, but you’re very religious.”
“Yes. Well, that’s right.”
“But, unfortunately, you have to go back today. It is said that the pilgrims are prohibited due to internal affairs of the church.”
“Then why are people gathered there?”
“Everyone took at least dozens if not hundreds of days to arrive here. So, they want to feel God’s presence a little closer and pray. Myself as well.”
“I see.”
Yoon-seok nodded as if he understood, though it was hard to sympathize with how religious people thought. Soon, the man even informed him where the church’s accommodation for pilgrims was located, but Yoon-seok didn’t leave and stood there.
Then, the man laughed as if he’d expected it.
“Young friend, you are sincere. It has not been announced by the church yet, but since I trust you, I’ll tell you.”
They talked for less than five minutes, though? Anyway, Yoon-seok decided to listen quietly since they were going to tell him a secret. The man lowered his voice to a whisper.
“The reason why they aren’t accepting pilgrims today is that the trust has decreased. Isn’t that a great thing? That’s what they just visited. Right here!”
As he said so, perhaps feeling euphoric, the man suddenly knelt and began to pray. Yoon-seok was speechless. If he did that suddenly while they were talking, no matter how he looked at it, he didn’t look normal.
‘Is this what all religious people here are like…?’
Yoon-seok felt uncomfortable as he walked ahead of the praying man. He was curious what the trust meant. Soon after, he activated Invisibility, and phrases flooded his eyes as he entered the church.
「Sanctuary: You have entered Trinity.」
「You have six evil attribute abilities. All stats decrease by 12 levels.」
「You don’t believe in God. The amount of strength and magic recovery decreases by 99%.」
「You have harmed many lives. The amount of inflicted damage decreases by 99%.」
Yoon-seok stiffened. If a normal person were in this state, it would feel like they were smacked over the head, but Yoon-seok was delighted. It seemed that he could now understand the heart of the pilgrim who was praying in ecstasy.
「Body adapts to the new environment.」
「All environmental penalties are 100% reflected.」
Wasn’t this a miracle!