Chapter 136

Tenth Floor, in Front of the Bonfire

Burble!

Blood poured out so much it made me doubt if it was okay for that amount to come out of such a small wound. It was gushing out like water would from a broken faucet.

'Damn, from the god of magic to the god of life... Why do the gods make such a fuss whenever they see me anyway?!'

The current situation was even nastier because not only did I not have control to stop the situation, but I didn't even have an infinite reserve of blood in my body.

'As expected, Auto-Heal's not working!'

The snake bracelet wrapped around my wrist failed to activate the magic. Perhaps it would be useless even if I drank a potion.

'Is it going to bleed me to death if I don't listen?'

I had my past and present life. However, I never would've imagined my end would be because too much blood was coming out of my fingers. I was sweating like a log. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't.

'Anyways, those things called gods are of no help to me!'

I thought I would wake up and have seizures if someone mentioned the gods in my sleep. While I was trying to think with a sense of urgency in my head... The bloodstream was no longer a thin solid line. Instead, it had turned thick and rough as it made another sentence.

-Thee, this is my last offer.

And then-

Boosh!

Instinctively, I felt it.

"...!"

Something was approaching me.

- It may not be possible because of the presence of traces left by 'magic' in the body... but the traces of 'time' left in the soul are relatively blurry. All right, I'll leave it there, too.

'Leave it? What? Don't!'

But what it wanted to do started before I could say anything. Something like an invisible storm collided with me.

Splash!

I had a hunch. There was no way for me to detect divine power except for the pain in my finger, but somehow I could tell. 'Rom,' the god of life, had given me something right at that moment. I barely composed myself to pay respect by swallowing the profanities. At that moment, I realized that the idol wasn't like a sacred beast. Rather, the god itself was delivering its will on its own.

"Great being. God of life. I dare ask you a question. Just now, what have you done upon me...? -It's my proposal. "What?"

I wanted to start a fundamental discussion about the meaning of the word 'proposal' in the Archid language. After imbuing something to my soul without asking for permission, it had the guts to say that it was nothing but a proposal?

-Yes. That's my proposal. Take a look.

I focused my attention on a trace that made me feel itchy. As I did so-

Paht!

[Orb of Immortality (Rank: ???)] -Item Description: It is a spiritual artifact that deviates from the constraints of the material world. If it's coupled with the user's soul, forced separation can cause severe damage to the astral body. - The more the user reaps another life with its own hands, the more energy one charges inside the Orb. After charging it 100%, the user will be able to activate the item at any time. - From the moment the item is activated, the user is freed from the circle of death. - Beware that if the user dies while the item is not activated, this Orb will disappear naturally. -Current Spiritual Power Charged: 0%

"..."

It was also an item that I had never heard of before. It felt like it was a type of sacred item. The explanation was also unusual.

'Immortality, is it?'

Aging was indeed delayed as one gained more active Mana, but through the cases of other worlds, it became evident that the limit was only several times the original life span. But looking at the description of the item, it boldly stated... That one could be free from the circle of death.

'Does those words mean that there would be no more aging? Or will it grant the user the unprecedented ability to regenerate even when their head explodes, and their heart shatters?'

Whatever it was, the more important fact was that...

'It just combined that item with my soul!'

I couldn't figure out what kind of immortality I would get if I 'activated' the item, but one thing was clear. The moment I activated it, the god would enslave me. It was the same case as using all three of the sacred scars that Igras-Sho, the magical god, gave me. The god of life, Rom, was seducing me in a different way than the spider god.

"By any chance, this item's rank is..."

There was only one reason why the rank was marked '???'. The drop of blood answered me as if my guess was true.

- Don't worry. The system won't notice. "Is this perhaps an EX-Class?"

Then it was a big problem. What if the item, which was prohibited in the tutorial world, were integrated with my soul? I remembered a nightmarish supposition that I wouldn't be able to go back to Earth. However, the blood droplets made bold letters as if to emphasize it.

- Words of the control cognition who talk like a parrot about this item cannot be communicated to the person who manages and regulates it. "... But 'they' can see my soul."

Although the ministry spirit that I met when I Awakened couldn't see my unique skill, it knew that the insignia of Awakening was engraved in my soul.

- There's nothing to worry about. Many parts that compose the system... are also the result of borrowing our powers for an extended period of time. This degree of intervention is easy to be bypassed. "?!"

I tried to ask more about it, but the blood drops did not allow it.

-This is my last suggestion. I have planted the Orb in your soul. The more you kill the living in the future, the more spiritual power you shall gain.

The sentence was followed by drawing a word meaning 'and.'

- Filling it up to its maximum will not rigger it immediately. You can choose when to activate it at any time you want. The Orb will forever suspend the coming of your death from the moment you had made a decision.

And the suspension period would be exactly the same as the period of slavery.

- My suggestion is for me to return with this Orb embedded in your soul.

As if to give me time to think, it went silent for a while.

- By any chance, if you don't want to, I can 'rip' the Orb off of your soul again. What is your choice?

I had no choice but to pour out curses and swear inwardly. That treacherous bastard!

"...!"

In the end, I had no choice but to choose to accept the proposal that was not, in any way, a proposal.

*

"And, you accepted it?!"

Hibiki asked with a pale face. We decided, in the end, to rest on the 10th floor and to move on as initially planned. We lit an artifact that acted as a bonfire and finished our meals while sitting by it.

"Yes, I couldn't help it."

I nodded in front of the frightened party members. Everyone's vivid expressions were seen beyond the shade created by the bonfire. In the hidden room on the 10th floor, before coming back there, I conveyed my will to accept the Orb. Blood droplets made large letters as if they were very satisfied.

- You have made the right choice.

And my blood droplets, which gave me directions and spelled sentences, were scattered in the air. Heart vines that covered the floors, walls, and ceilings had also withered. The pain in my fingers completely disappeared. When I returned, as I held the devil's sword, it spoke the following words:

'The sacred power that filled the surrounding area has completely disappeared.'

Afterward, as it heard the explanation together with my colleagues, it added:

'It fused the Orb in your soul?'

It sent a mental wave in a shocked and wondering tone.

'I don't know if it's fortunate or not, but I can't feel anything. There is no indication of an increase in sacred power or an increase in one layer of other properties.'

Indeed, it didn't even feel the trace of the 'god of time' from the beginning. The god of life seemed to have left a similar level of trace in my soul. It was clear that it was harder to detect than the one that recklessly engraved three holy scars on my body.

"Hmm."

Nate murmured with a serious look.

"... Isn't this a good thing? If Jin-Wook died first, I was going to make him into my subordinate, but this is much better than that."

"I'm pretty sure I told you I don't like that offer, didn't I? Anyway, this is not a good thing either. I did get my hands on immortality, but I'll be a slave to a god forever in return. There will be no instance that I will use this."

The devil's sword on my back muttered sarcastically.

'I think someone said that when he got three holy wounds from the god of magic.'

Ignoring the echo, I thought about it. I couldn't say it in front of them, but there was a decisive reason to refuse immortality. If I didn't die in that life, it meant that I would be blocked from reincarnation and regression as a successor. Even if I considered the pros and cons, there was no reason for me to activate the Orb.

"Mmmm."

Euclid, who was listening to the conversation, thought hard before speaking.

"I'm for it, too. The gods of this age, anyway... are those that don't benefit anyone by being involved with them."

I suddenly got curious when I heard that.

"To the dragon kind, how is the nature of the entities called gods regarded?"

She said as she fumbled through her memory.

"As I said, we were also in the tutorial stage. The gods couldn't interfere properly, but... The long-lived ancient dragons came in and out of other dimensions even before the Gates were opened. Thanks to that, they gained information to some degree."

Euclid continued in a tone that seemed to tell an old tale.

"In the distant past... They said that space was not as divided as it is now. There was only one dimension in the world."

A phrase came to mind among the words of 'Rom' that I heard in front of the idol.

'Space has split into numerous debris and scattered.'

The dragon locked her glance on each one of us.

"It was a world where ideas and materials were not completely distinguished, was it? When emotions flowed like mud and thought had mass. Anyway, we call it the mythological era. And the gods were, of course, the rulers of the mythological era."

She also said that the end of the mythological era was due to the war between the enemies of unknown identity and the gods. I remembered something similar to the tale I knew from her story.

'It is similar to the story of the Sebrarian Empire... which collapsed after the final war with unknown beings.'

However, it was different in a way that the end of the mythological era was a distant past, and the collapse of the empire was a distant future. Although for those who didn't know the truth, the former must be in a distant past, and the latter was a past closer than that.

"Forcing to end the mythical era, they exiled the gods."

Since then, the deities had been prohibited from directly interfering with the world.

"And then what was created was the current world, the material world; the place where we live. Something must have happened at the end that caused the dimension to be broken into countless pieces. The mortals were scattered in each dimension as well."

From Nate's perspective, it seemed to be a fascinating story. He even asked a question with sparkling eyes.

"So, where are those gods? What about the enemies that fought and won?" "I don't know about either of them."

She stammered through her memory and continued.

"What is certain about the gods is that, at the same time as when they were exiled, most of their 'true power' and 'memory' had been taken away. Due to that, in order to spread influence in the physical world we live in, they have no choice but to use indirect methods."

They did that by increasing the number of mortals who devoted their faith to them or by creating incarnations. Hibiki, who was quietly listening to the story, spoke in a strange manner.

"However, considering what Mr. Jin-Wook just told us, as well as what happened in that incident with the magic god... I think nothing good ever comes out of serving the god from a mortal perspective. Rather than protecting and guiding the living, I think they're regarded as tools."

Euclid nodded.

"Yes, I understand that. I'm on the same page. However, after finishing the tutorial, the divine power seems to come quite handy. Just as gods see the mortal as a tool, should I say, it is also a symbiotic relationship that the mortal uses that power as a tool?"

Then I tried to choose my words for a while.

"Of course, I think that's dangerous, too. It would be perfect if the process of devoting faith and gaining divine power were just and reasonable. But... what if the transaction subjects are not trustworthy?" "Why don't you believe them?"

The dragon answered Nate's question.

"The gods perceived by us dragon kind... well, simply put it..."

She kept trying to figure out the words before finally continuing, clapping her hand.

"Yeah, like an old person with dementia!"

Our faces were distorted in unison. What? God's got Alzheimer's?

"I told you earlier, right? The divine beings lost most of their true self and memories when they were exiled. As a result, the only memory fragments left are thought to be very intense and distant. But when the true nature was broken, the ability to build new memories also became problematic."

She must be saying that the new memories earned from that point on had become volatile.

"In the end, they keep forgetting. Of course, that memory span isn't comparable to the mortal standard."

They must've been in a state that although the old person didn't forget his or her childhood memories, they were still unable to recognize the people around them then.

"This point has been proven through numerous scriptures produced by the species that entered the main quest."

She gave an example.

"From what I heard, they seem to be on and off a lot. They confuse those who devoted a prayer thousands of years ago with those who prayed now... and others deny what they said hundreds of years ago. Anyway, I don't think the gods should be too trusted or be too dependent on them."

I was looking at the bonfire, and I solidified a decision that I had already made. Neither Igras-Sho's Stain nor Rom's Orb should ever be touched. Of course, the Orb would inevitably be charged by itself as a result of future battles.

'Oh, come to think of it.'

I suddenly wondered.

'What's the standard for taking life with my hands? Does it mean that even if I unconsciously evaporate a single microorganism, the count goes in?'

The answer to that question was confirmed the very next day.