Chapter 16: Star, Home (1)
[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ says that, although it is good to live fiercely, it is also fine to relax and enjoy the sky all night.]
[The Celestial ‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’ awaits your answer.]
‘I never thought just having one moon in the sky would be so unfamiliar to me,’?Chang-Sun thought as he quietly observed the night sky.
After completing all the quests and returning to Earth, Chang-Sun had begun aimlessly walking around in less crowded places. Since it had been a long time, he wanted to breathe Earth’s air as much as possible.
Of course, the air was not as fresh as he thought. Unlike Arcadia’s air, which was full of mana, the air of the city he was standing in was full of fine dust and smoke, without a trace of mana. Despite that, he still felt good.
Chang-Sun thought ‘Gramps. I used a completely different way than the ones you thought of, but I returned home.’
Only one being gave him a reason to live in Arcadia, where he had no family or friends. He thought of ‘Gramps’ for a moment, but soon, a bitter smile spread across his face.
No matter how much Chang-Sun missed that being, he would never come back. ‘Gramps’ had died long ago. Besides, Chang-Sun had returned to earth, so he would have to adjust to his life on Earth again.
In the distance, the light of dawn dyed the gently lapping waters of the Hangang River red. The sight evoked old memories in Chang-Sun.
* * *
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ displays strong hostility against the Celestials who show interest in you!]
[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ smiles, flicking his tongue.]
[The Celestial ‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’ does not even pretend to listen. He awaits your answer.]
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ practically hits the ceiling, telling other Celestials to listen to her!]
[In total, nine Celestials have expressed their determination to make you their apostle.]
Pabilsag had been busy sending messages to Chang-Sun even after he left the Dungeon. She had disappeared for a while to sulk, but after the number of deities coveting Chang-Sun increased, she no doubt felt that she had made a mistake.
It seemed almost as if she had been playing her own little ‘push-and-pull’ game with Chang-Sun, thinking that if she ‘pushed’ hard, Chang-Sun would chase after her and kneel.
And yet… Since when did the world always work in a person’s favor?
Now, not only was Pabilsag running amok, she was also picking fights with J?rmungandr and Mephistopheles to attract Chang-Sun’s attention. She was like a child crying and rolling on the floor, wanting to have a treasure she had her eyes on.
However, the situation did not look too bad. In truth, J?rmungandr, one of the most rational deities, seemed to consider Pabilsag’s rampage cute. Meanwhile, Mephistopheles continued to ignore Pabilsag, not even looking in her direction.
Their reactions only fueled Pabilsag’s fury, so she continued to cause trouble.
‘Nine deities… I hooked quite a few deities. I guess it’s because I handled the Tutorial pretty well.’
Ever since the Dungeons and Gates had opened up on Earth, had there ever been a time when so many deities became interested in a single person?
Of course not. Chang-Sun could say that with a hundred percent certainty.
[Scenario Quest (Choose a Guardian) has been created.]
[Choose a Guardian]
Type: Scenario.
Explanation: Every Player in the world must begin their long journey as a hero. As such, they must choose a Guardian who will bless them on their journey.
In total, nine Celestials have revealed their desire to become your Guardian. Review their proposals in detail and choose a Guardian with whom you will spend the rest of your life.
· ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ confidently states that, as you are proficient in hunting and handling daggers, she will be the best Guardian for you.
*The Celestial has promised you the seat of ‘First Arrow.’
· ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ suggests that he will be the best Guardian for you, one whose black heart seeks destructive power.
*The Celestial has promised you the seat of ‘Prophet of Wisdom.’
· ‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’ silently awaits your answer.
*The Celestial has promised you the seat of ‘Final Observer.’
...
Time limit: Five minutes.
Benefit: You will be able to receive a Celestial’s blessing.
Warning: Celestials who have been rejected may act hostile toward you.
First Arrow, Prophet of Wisdom, Final Observer… The Celestials had used different words, but they all meant the same thing—’apostle’.
They were proposing to appoint Chang-Sun as their first apostle, who would serve them right by their side.
An apostle was completely different from a mere believer or a priest: A believer was an ordinary follower of a Celestial. Although a priest was at a higher level than a believer, the only thing they could do was deliver the words of a Celestial.
An apostle, on the other hand, could manifest a Celestial’s body and soul in order to execute that Celestial’s will. Apostles were truly in a different league to begin with.
Chang-Sun had just barely unlocked some notable achievements and had just gotten his first class, and yet nine Celestials were promising him such an important seat. That was simply how impressed they were with him.
‘No matter how well I did in clearing the Tutorial, I thought it would already be a big success if I attracted two to three deities’ attention, but I see I got nine.’
However, it was too soon for Chang-Sun to celebrate. There were many deities who would not be particularly helpful to him. As such, he paid little attention to their messages, except those of Pabilsag, J?rmungandr, and Mephistopheles.
The other deities were no doubt prominent in their own right and had generously offered Chang-Sun an apostle seat of their own… but what could they do? The other three were much better known than most deities.
‘No, there is one more deity who can be compared to these three.’
Aside from the three deities, Chang-Sun had not looked at the other six deities’ messages in detail, but he did not miss a message from a deity who otherwise remained unusually quiet.
[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ feels very friendly toward you.]
Minerva—the brand’s real owner, whom Mephistopheles had impersonated, had finally appeared!
Strangely, however, she did not vent her anger against Mephistopheles. She usually pursued evil beings to the very depths of hell in order to kill them. Perhaps, however, it was more accurate to say that she was ignoring him. She seemed to be cautious around Mephistopheles because of his divine class. Thus, instead of dealing with him, she devoted all her attention to Chang-Sun.
‘How I overcame the brand’s temptation and saved other people must have caught her eye. She always cries out for justice.’?
To be honest, Chang-Sun had meant for that to happen. He had intended to reject Mephistopheles’ offer of control over the brands to begin with, but he had also expected that Minerva would be interested in him if he did, considering her personality.
Fortunately for him, his prediction had turned out to be true.
‘The aforementioned three are all evil-aligned deities. Thanks to Minerva, the imbalanced scale is now finally balanced. My Alignment won’t change too much in the future.’
[Scales of Good and Evil]
Good: 40% | Evil: 60%
Chang-Sun had no intention of tilting the scale too far to one side. If he played an active role in one faction, he would surely get a lot of support, but that also meant he would make many enemies in the other faction.
‘I made enough enemies in the past. This time, I’m going to walk a fine line,’?Chang-Sun thought as he finally came to a conclusion.
[Four minutes have passed.]
[Nine Celestials keep their eyes and ears open to see which Celestial will be chosen to become your Guardian.]
[If you do not have a Guardian, you will lag behind other Players of your level, as you will be unable to receive blessings. You are strongly recommended to make a choice as soon as possible.]
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ awaits your answer.]
[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ awaits your decision.]
[The Celestial ‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’ awaits your response.]
[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ awaits your choice.]
...
Of course, Chang-Sun had no intention to choose one of them.
[Five minutes have now elapsed.]
[You have not chosen a Guardian!]
...
[Your current status is ‘No Guardian.’]
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ lets out a very long sigh once again.]
[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent' observes you with his sharp gaze, wondering about the reason for your choice.]
[The Celestial ‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’ is waiting for your response.]
[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ advises you that it would be good to think about this matter for a long time, although she adds that it is a shame that you have not chosen anyone.]
...
[??? Celestials who are interested in you retain their false hopes.]
[?? Celestials who desire you have become angry, fed up with your endless greed.]
Each deity’s reaction was different, whether they were the deities who had offered Chang-Sun an apostle seat, or the ones who had just been watching him through the Dungeon Channel. Some became angry; others gave up, including Pabilsag. They were undoubtedly dumbstruck, as Chang-Sun had refused no less than nine offers to be an apostle.
However, Chang-Sun did not give them any explanation, allowing the deities to leave if they wanted to.
In fact, nobody left.
[Achievement Unlocked!]
“The Deities’ Man Who Rejected Many Deities’ Wooing.”
Reward: All stats +5. Fame +20.
[A rumor about you is now spreading throughout Heaven.]
[?? Deities are watching you to determine whether or not the rumor is true.]
[??? Deities are calling the <Management Bureau> to access your records.]
[Fame increased. 100,000 Karma has been accumulated.]
[Fame increased.]
...
In the future, Chang-Sun would continue to attract the attention of many deities.
‘The more Celestials continue to covet me, the more they will compete. When that happens, they’ll try to give me various gifts to win my favor, which is good news for me. As they try, they’ll fight more among themselves. They’ll drift apart in no time.’
Creating discord among Celestials, and acquiring as many abilities and relics as possible, were Chang-Sun’s primary goals.
‘Of course, before doing any of that…’?Chang-Sun thought, his footsteps coming to a halt. When he looked up, he found himself in front of a tall apartment complex built out of gray concrete.
‘...I’ll have to meet my family.’
Chang-Sun somehow felt that it would be more difficult to meet his family than it had been to finish the Tutorial.
* * *
The World Player Council for Freedom, or WPCFF for short, was an international organization affiliated with the UN Safety Management Bureau. It was often referred to simply as ‘The Council.’
When Dungeons and Gates had suddenly appeared a few decades prior, they had completely changed all of human society. The Council had been established to better manage them. It was a powerful organization; its status and jurisdiction superseded that of any nation from the time of its founding.
Naturally, however, that only applied to the ‘bigwigs’ who ruled the Council. Meanwhile, field agents were like ants, to be stomped on at any time.
Cha Ye-Eun was one such agent. She was a Class 3 agent, a manager-level operative who had some power. However, she simply thought of it as a mere fancy title. She viewed herself as ‘a punching bag; her superiors punched her from one side, and her subordinates punched her from the other.
At present, her thoughts remained the same.
“What is this?” Ye-Eun asked, frowning in annoyance. She had been busy writing a report on the ‘Jamsil Gate’ incident, but her junior partner Jin Seok-Tae had suddenly dropped a pile of newspapers on her desk.
Seok-Tae replied, “What do you think? They’re the work of muckraking journalists who are busy lighting a fire under our asses.”
<The Jamsil Break, which has caused a worldwide uproar over the past 15 days, has ended in Closure!>
<A Council representative says “The Jamsil Break is not a major issue, as we were making thorough preparations.”>
<Dungeon Breaks—Is it okay to do nothing?>
<Experts say that the Council’s excessive power plays have made people more nervous about the incident.>
Every article was hell-bent on criticizing the Council. Naturally, Ye-Eun was extremely annoyed as she read them; more than that, she thought it was unfair.
As a field supervisor, she had worked to death over the past fifteen days. She had evacuated the residents who lived within a five-kilometer radius of Jamsil Saenae Station, where the Gate had opened. In preparation for a monster wave, a phenomenon that could occur right after a Dungeon Break, she had cordoned off the area with military and police.
The Council executives had tried to back out, saying they did not want to get entangled in such a big incident. With great difficulty, Ye-Eun had managed to grab the executives by their collars to stop them from running away. She had even finished the paperwork needed to receive backup from nearby countries for possible contingencies.
And yet, after going through all that struggle, the only response she and the Council received was criticism.
‘Sons of bitches,’?Ye-Eun thought, gritting her teeth.
What had they been saying? It was that she had been making a fuss over nothing, right? That was precisely why the phrase ‘muckraking journalists’ existed.
“So why are you giving me this?” Ye-Eun asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance. She still had to sort out the incident, so she was swamped with work; and yet, her so-called partner was still showing her such trash. Naturally, she was frustrated.
What kept her especially busy was organizing the data about the ‘Tyrant’; out of all the information related to the Jamsil Gate, that was classified as ‘Top Secret’.
“Look at the newspaper at the bottom of the pile,” Seok-Tae said, gesturing to Ye-Eun with his chin.
Ye-Eun glared at Seok-Tae as if she would kill him if he made a fuss over nothing. Then, she pulled out the newspaper from the bottom of the pile. When she read the headline, she laughed dryly.
<Who is Mysterious Man L?>
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