Chapter 208: Elite (4)
But what if this was applied the other way around?
“Crazy…”
Without the need to calculate, the result was unfolding before his eyes.
「Actual stat of strength has reached MAX.」
「Actual stat of agility has reached MAX.」
「Actual stat of endurance has reached MAX.」
「Actual stat of durability has reached MAX.」
「Due to the power Transcendence, the limitation disappears.」
There might not be a connection between Last Command and King of All Swords, but the vitality pulsing through him made it feel like he could do anything. In addition, considering that the recovery and damage infliction rate was applied in reverse, he became several times stronger than before. Yoon-seok thought, what if Last Command was activated in this state? Who knew, but even if he was opposed by God, he didn’t think he would be afraid.
‘If that’s the case, that would be worth following.’
He could finally understand the believers’ worship of God. If this power were a given, even the atheist Yoon-seok would have given up everything, his property or land. Perhaps the Holy Trinity Cult believers were crowded in Seheranbad because of that reward based on faith.
—…What do you think we are?
“…?”
Yoon-seok suddenly paused at the voice inside his head. His vast magic, which was close to infinity, spread like a net from all directions, but it didn’t catch a thing. Then, who talked?
—We are three that became one. You have nothing to fear.
Yoon-seok smiled. He wasn’t afraid from the start; he just thought it was a little funny they introduced themselves as the God of the Holy Trinity Cult. It also felt a little ironic that they couldn’t read his exact thoughts while reading his mind.
—…Do you know who we are?
He knew as soon as he heard the voice because he felt something similar to Trejan, whom he met in heaven during a previous exploration.
—Then why…
‘I was curious how far you could read me.’
When he met Trejan back then, Yoon-seok was spread out like an open book. And since then, he had been practicing little by little to distinguish between his conscious mind and subconsciousness. Was it because of that? This God was right in front of him, but he couldn’t read his thoughts accurately.
—…We are not your enemies.
‘But it’s foolish not to prepare for the worst.’
Were they speechless at his logical answer? God was silent, so Yoon-seok asked.
‘So how much do you know?’
—You suddenly became polite.
It was natural since he was the one asking questions. Most might not know, but Yoon-seok liked to chat. He could get his opponent’s information without having to draw his sword.
—How did a person like you come to have such power…
As he waited for an answer, a lamenting voice replied. Was he thinking too much? It looked like they would catch on to his intentions… But since this happened, he decided to act a little brazen.
‘What’s your answer?’
—I already know why you are here.
‘Is that why you went all the way here to stop me?’
—Not really.
The most curious part of his answer was solved. The corners of Yoon-seok’s mouth slowly tilted up. He thought so from the moment they tried to converse with him peacefully, but it wasn’t that they wouldn’t stop him; they couldn’t.
—Your guess is right. But there was one part you got wrong. Even if we could stop you, we wouldn’t.
‘Why?’
—Because I know what you’re suggesting to my children.
‘Hmm, I didn’t expect this.’
Yoon-seok’s deal was simple: the {Planet Guardian}’s Unique Power Last Ark. It was a promise that could help Earth someday when they faced a crisis.
‘…You’re going to accept this?’
Not just Ragna Hambledon. He knew when the Third Prince asked Lee Su-yeon whether they could move too. Survival had reached its highest value. Those who could be called leaders of a country moved by assuming the worst. Therefore, he assumed that one or two places might accept the deal. However, Saintrion here was an exception.
Although he came just in case, his expectations disappeared as he saw how devout the people were. So why would a man called God appear and approve his proposal?
—We’re not accepting this. We only advised them in the form of an oracle. The final choice is up to the children.
‘In the end, it’s up to you to persuade me no matter what we agree on.’
—It’s fun to talk to you. It’s been a very long time since I felt this.
Aside from the fact that a cooped up old man would say, he thought it all depended on him if a vision was given.
‘…Then what’s in it for you?’
—There’s nothing to worry about. I don’t think it’s bad for you either.
It looked like they didn’t want to tell him the reason. Even considering that, it was pretty appealing. He could get a huge amount of WP right away, even if they moved to Earth in the future. That itself was beneficial in a big way, and he was a little curious about what would happen if they met with the Earth’s religious people who believed in one God. However, he felt iffy because he didn’t know their intentions.
‘What should I do?’
Yoon-seok thought for a while. God waited silently to see what he would decide. After a little more time, Yoon-seok asked.
‘What’s your name?’
—You’re asking something unexpected. Why?
‘I can’t just keep calling you God.’
—Originally, we were nameless. There is a name given to us by the children, but it was for convenience. Nothing can mean us, but nothing can’t mean us…
Did they fall into a few bad habits after talking only to the believers in that small room? They were irritating. In short, Yoon-seok hated it.
‘So, do I just call you God?’
—…Call me as you please.
‘Since three gods were combined into one, God Triple. In short, God Tri. it’s boring without a surname, so you’ll be named Kim God-Tri…’
—Please call me Britzmann. It’s a name that the children call us.
Kim God-Tri. No, Britzmann hurriedly revealed his name. They should’ve done this in the first place.
‘I think Britzmann is a little long, too. It doesn’t stick to my mouth. Let’s shorten it to Bman.’
—…What do you want?
Was it because they were God? Their attitude changed drastically, but they were quick-witted. As soon as he arrived at the church, he wanted something else other than WP.
‘The field-effect here is pretty good… did you do it?’
—It was a sacrifice to protect our children. But why are you asking? I’m getting nervous for no reason.
Their voice was full of pride. Thanks to this, it became difficult to speak for some reason, but Yoon-seok asked questions regardless.
‘How do I take it off?’
—…What?
‘Oh, don’t get me wrong. I have a conscience, too. If you just do this, I’ll take care of the believers on my own…’
—You can’t.
Yoon-seok flinched at the firm voice, but he asked back without being pushed.
‘You can’t? Or you won’t?’
—…I can’t.
‘Is that true?’
—…We can’t lie.
Britzmann sounded slightly hurt. It did look like they were only telling the truth, so Yoon-seok smiled. God was not almighty. They had limitations in their abilities and felt emotion. The question remained whether they could still be referred to as God…
‘If it’s like this, I think it’s worth trying?’
The world followed the law of equivalent exchange. What could he get if he killed God? It made him a little curious. Yoon-seok, having reached an agreement(?) with Britzmann, stepped forward again. It was a bit unfortunate that he couldn’t leave the sanctuary…
But, Yoon-seok abandoned his greed. He didn’t come here hoping for something big in the first place. He had nothing to lose; he just came here to test the waters. However, the possibility of establishing a deal had risen dramatically. This by itself was a huge gain.
‘…Well, it’s up to me afterward.’
Britzmann said, eventually, the final choice would be made by them. In other words, if Yoon-seok could only persuade them, he would be able to get a huge amount of WP through this visit.
The interior of the Vatican was wide and complex, but Yoon-seok moved to his exact destination without wandering around. With his widespread senses, he could sense the crowds gathered in one place with powerful magic.
‘Is it here?’
After arriving in front of the chapel, he noticed two armed holy warriors standing guard. Yoon-seok stopped for a moment.
‘…What should I say?’
His father, who ran a factory, said that first impressions were very important for business. Then, what was the ideal thing to say here? As he was contemplating, one holy warrior took out his mace and shouted.
“…Who’s there!”
Come to think of it; all guards had a skill that detected cloak-type skills from his experience. Well, best to strike while the iron’s hot. It was Yoon-seok’s mistake to hesitate in front of them.
“I don’t intend to fight. If the person in charge is inside, can you tell him that I want to talk to him?”
First of all, Yoon-seok, lifting Invisibility, spoke as politely as possible. However, they couldn’t respond to his demands. They remained full of alertness.
“Temurgh, check his magic.”
“Yes.”
Was one of the two superior? The holy warrior called Temurgh stared at Yoon-seok. It seemed like he was using a detection skill by gathering magic in his eyes…
“N-no way…”
“What are you talking about?”
“T-the numbers keep rising. 50, 80, 100, 120…!”
Come to think of it; there was a person with this skill on Earth too. Was her name Maria Hopkins? She could quantify other people’s power, like a walking combat power meter. Looking at their conversation, he wondered if they were measuring his magic power instead…
‘Well, that’s great.’
Yoon-seok waited. He wasn’t here to fight. If he didn’t try to hide something, their conversation would be smoother. With that in mind, he thought about what the estimation he got last time was.
‘Oh? Wait a minute.’
No estimations were made at that time because the owner of that ability couldn’t hold out and fainted. Of course, this time, it was a holy warrior of the church, and the ability itself may not have such restrictions…
‘Don’t tell me it’s going to happen again?’
He grew nervous. Yoon-seok looked at the holy warrior with anxious eyes as he read the figures in real-time. It wasn’t his imagination; the warrior looked pale.
“Well, why don’t we stop here…”
He had to stop him now. But by the time he made up his mind, it was already too late.
“15…”
“1.5 million? Why are you fussing…?”
“Hundred million!”
In the end, when the holy warrior collapsed after yelling a hundred million, his companion’s expression became solemn.
“…Raiding this holy place, aren’t you afraid of God!”
Yoon-seok was speechless. He couldn’t dare think what to say to resolve this misunderstanding. So, he knocked him out by slapping his neck.
Plop-!
Unlike his junior holy warrior, the man collapsed without a sound. However, did he lose control because his body was filled with energy? His neck was twisted into a deformed shape. Growing scared, Yoon-seok quickly approached and instilled him with Skywrath Energy. Fortunately, his neck returned to normal.
However, the problem was that the mental confusion of {Dark Knight} was triggered.
“Hehehehe! It’s a festival! It’s a festival!”
It seemed like he was dreaming of a happy festival…
“What are you doing? Bring more firewood! We need to burn the heathens to purify them!”
“…”
Yoon-seok, feeling a headache forming, ignored it, pretending he didn’t hear a thing. Then, he opened the door as gently as possible. Although he was off to a bad start, the holy warriors didn’t hold much authority anyway. He just needed to make a good impression on the authority inside…
‘Huh?’
Boom-!
The chapel doors slammed open wide, drawing attention from the hundreds of believers kneeling on the floor. Some were surprised, and some were angry.
…He didn’t mean to do this, so why did it keep happening?
“…Who are you?”
The High Priest, lying face down right in front of the podium, stood up and looked at Yoon-seok. Seeing that he was wearing a brilliant crown on his head, he wondered if this person was the Pope. His eyes scanned the room vigilantly. It was natural when a mysterious man barged in during a sacred service.
‘Isn’t it too much to persuade them nicely?’
Yoon-seok decided to admit it. His plan to reach a final agreement through conversation was out of the question. Since it turned out this way, it was time for Plan B.
“I’m here to make a deal with you guys.”
Yoon-seok did not hesitate to draw his swords and let his magic flow to the fullest. He learned from many experiences, so he knew. No matter how brutal the atmosphere was, they were bound to turn friendly.
—…Didn’t I tell you to persuade them?
Despite Britzmann’s sarcastic remark, Yoon-seok proudly straightened his shoulders. There was a reason why the word persuasiveness has the character for power in it.
‘…Just watch. Because I’m like an elite when it comes to this.’
Words. Strength. To get something out with words, strength was needed.