END OF THE MONTH BONUS CHAPTERS!
Jaena’s body trembled at the temperature that had become so cool it was hard to believe when the heat had devoured the earth. Even from his own perspective, calling himself a believer was questionable—it was difficult to say he had truly served Orma until now. But right now, this was…
“You not coming?”
“I, I heard it, Ban-gong! Just now, those birds imitated Orma-nim’s voice.”
The awe that rose in this moment of directly experiencing the divine authority was something that humans ultimately couldn’t help. The birds densely covering the sky and the shadow they created formed an eerie landscape.
Of course, since Orma had been the final boss in the game, Ban also knew that he had never properly used the power of a god until now, but still, this was the first time seeing this kind of power. Only after raising his head and looking around to discover Orma standing askew and staring at him could Ban come to his senses.
“So this kind of power is possible…”
“…”
Seeing how he narrowed his eyes and kept his mouth tightly shut, it seemed he didn’t particularly want to talk about his power as a god. Ban smiled awkwardly and glanced at the birds staring intently at him with unfocused golden eyes before opening his status window. Somehow he had a feeling there would be changes in things like his Faith Level or faith.
[Current Status: Apostle of ‘Orma’ / Faith: 27 (Your god has temporarily used his divine authority.)
Faith Level: 2
Faith Gauge: 1/12
▷ Witnessed divine authority +1]
Sure enough, his faith had been a mere 8 but had jumped up to 27. The Faith Gauge had also risen, though only by 1.
Until now, Ban had understood that faith was a numerical expression of his and Jaena’s belief in Orma. To fervently believe in and follow Orma, who cursed everyone to die at every opportunity and consistently took a detached attitude of “what does it matter to me whether the world perishes or not”… Well, honestly, even Ban thought it was difficult. But seeing how his faith had exploded this much just from witnessing Orma directly wielding his divine authority…
‘Maybe the method to mass-produce believers and maximize faith isn’t that difficult?’
Since any Korean gamer naturally prioritized “optimization” no matter what game they played, Ban also momentarily found himself thinking about how to raise faith most easily and quickly. Still, if there existed something called levels and a means to become somewhat more comfortable and stronger, wasn’t it natural to obsess over it?
“I don’t know what you’re thinking so hard about, but hurry up and guide the way. Using this power feels unpleasant.”
“Yes.”
Ban moved forward, fumblingly tracing the location of the underground waterway entrance he had seen in the game. They had taken this detour because all kinds of moss and bizarrely mutated flora and fauna affected by the Blue Tears were blocking the sanctuary building entrance…
At the end of this path existed a crossroads connecting the underground waterway and the city’s other waterways. In the game, because it hadn’t been maintained for a long time, the stone wall had collapsed and this crossroads was clearly visible, but at the current point in time, the still-intact stone wall was hiding and concealing the crossroads. Ban slowly drew his sword from its sheath and began slicing through the gaps between the stones.
“B-Ban-gong?”
“Ah, my apologies. It’ll be done soon.”
Compared to the god Orma, Ban was merely human, but due to the system’s influence, he possessed a body that far exceeded the limits of an ordinary human. So cutting and piercing through stone with his sword to create a path wasn’t that difficult. Ah, and controlling his strength so that only a space leading to the underground waterway appeared without completely collapsing the stone wall wasn’t either.
“Eek!”
“My apologies. Did water splash on you?”
“I dodged it, so I’m fine! But anyway… Ban-gong, how on earth did you come to know this path?”
Isn’t it strange to say he came to know it? Just now, anyone could see he had carved it open with force.
Orma looked at Ban and Jaena with an indifferent face, then grabbed and lifted Jaena up by the scruff of his neck. Before he started whining and clinging to Ban about water splashing again or about falling, it seemed better to just carry him himself.
“O-Orma… You can’t drop me!”
“When you say that, it makes me want to drop you. Right into that…”
“Ahhh! Ahhh! Ban-gong! Ban-gong!”
Good grief, didn’t he know that screaming like that made him want to immediately throw him into that black pool of water shrouded in darkness? Orma clicked his tongue and lifted the shrieking Jaena up a bit higher.
Ban had already taken the lead and was striding fearlessly through the dim path. One was excessively timid, and the other was excessively fearless.
Orma shook his head and flicked his other hand that wasn’t holding Jaena to summon one of the birds adorning the sky. The black bird with golden eyes sparkling from containing his power picked up in its beak a Vanellas that had been playing in a corner of the sanctuary garden.
As the softly glowing Vanellas dimly illuminated the underground waterway, Ban, who had been walking ahead, guided the direction relying on that faint light.
“It seems to be this way.”
“Do you have a map or something? How do you know so well?”
“Didn’t we come yesterday?”
What does coming yesterday have to do with moving around like this? It was absurd, but through his travel experience so far, Orma had realized that Ban had no talent whatsoever for explaining.
Moreover, because he fell silent about things like the reason for his resurrection or how he had seen through all of his attack patterns on first sight, even though he was always respectful, devoted, and considerate toward him, Orma couldn’t possibly know what Ban wouldn’t answer.
Perhaps this was also that kind of thing… Well, he didn’t particularly like that even he had secrets, but strangely he wasn’t very angry. Perhaps it was because, unlike that Herna from long ago, it didn’t seem like he intended to deceive him.
“But are the birds covering the sky to block out the sunlight?”
“That’s part of it, and to make them absorb lots of sunlight like that one. Once we completely go inside, I’ll summon all those birds and use that sunlight to burn those disgusting flowers.”
Ah, so that’s the method he mentioned last night? Ban’s eyes lit up as he alternately looked at the bird flying one step ahead as if guiding the way and at Orma.
“…Why?”
“Because you’re cool.”
He had been about to say “You finally look like a god” but hastily changed his words. However, Orma frowned as if hearing all sorts of strange things and turned his head away. Still, seeing his lips twitch, it seemed he wasn’t entirely displeased with Ban’s praise.
“Hmm, I think I’ve come to believe that Orma-nim is truly a god as well.”
“Don’t believe it before I throw you.”
“How can I not believe after seeing that? But was the waterway this deep…?”
“That’s what I’m saying. It seems like we’re gradually approaching the central part.”
Ban answered while looking at the part of the waterway wall within his sight that sparkled reflecting the soft light emitted by the Vanellas. Was this moisture? Well, since the city had filled with water in just one day, it wouldn’t be strange if a few drops had splashed while draining water from here to the outside, but wasn’t it quite drenched to be considered just a few splashes?
Marks that looked as if someone had thrown an enormously large rock made Ban’s mind busily turn with various speculations. At the same time, their view finally opened up and the central part where the waterway’s core was located revealed itself.
“…tell… won’t… give…”
A faint voice was heard. At the woman’s voice presumed to be Banan’s, Jaena gasped in surprise and covered his mouth with both hands. His yellow eyes moving busily seemed to be asking “What on earth is happening?” and Ban tensed up as well.
Only Orma showed no change in expression, extending his left hand that wasn’t holding Jaena to summon back the bird that had been illuminating the path ahead and perched it on his forearm.
“We… good… dream. Hush now…”
Only Banan’s voice could be heard. Though she sang a lullaby slowly and drawlingly as if putting someone to sleep, it rather amplified the uneasiness. Who on earth was she putting to sleep alone in this dim underground waterway? Just imagining it painted a grotesque image that made him gulp.
Ban was the first to carefully move forward. The closer he got, the more he could hear sounds like splash, splash… as if something with a heavy body was swimming in the waterway.
How strange, there shouldn’t be anything living in the waterway. Even if it really was a fish, that would be a problem. All this time, Banan had trapped water in the underground waterway because she was worried the water contaminated by the Seeds of Calamity might affect humans or other life forms outside. Then… what on earth was that? Where did it come from?
As Ban carefully walked forward, Orma also followed behind him, walking slowly.
Because he had opened his divine authority, there was less of the chilling energy or smell than before, but he couldn’t help but notice that there was something affected by it beneath that water.
Just as he was vigilantly watching in case it might attack Ban, Ban, who had been walking ahead, stopped. Orma, who had stopped as well, raised his head, and at that moment, his eyes met with Banan’s as she held the waterway’s round, massive core with both arms spread wide, carefully caressing and soothing it like a baby.
“Hush now… my baby…”
“…”
“Don’t worry. This time, I absolutely won’t let you hurt… I’ll protect you…”
Banan’s eyes flashed gold as she faced the enemy threatening her baby. Soon, something that had been swimming freely through the black water like the sea cut through the current and leaped high to reveal its form.
Though it had a bloated body from receiving plenty of Banan’s life force and a twisted form from being affected by the Blue Tears, it was unmistakably the mystical flower-fish that had beautifully swum through the sky—a Vanellas.
The Vanellas, having received its god’s command, opened wide its mouth packed with sharp teeth and lunged at the intruders threatening the “baby.”
