Chapter 168

Servants of Magic (3)

Earlier, the god of life, 'Rom,' said...

'The magic has lost its most powerful leg.'

Even by checking the memory engraved and left after the god of time had borrowed my brain to reason, I could confirm the same knowledge.

As the old world collapsed and the material world was created, the gods lost the memory and the essence of their abilities. Igras-Sho lost the most powerful element among the original eight elements of magic.

No mortal knew what that magic was.

'If it's possible, it's an event that affects every dimension!'

If successful, there would be a new magic element that had never been known to exist before.

'But, how?'

I hadn't yet heard why they needed my power to complete that process.

And was that even possible in the first place with just the power of a mortal?

How could a mortal recover something that a god lost?

"I think I'm going to need a little more detailed explanation."

The archbishop forwarded me what the god told him in his dream.

"The great one resides in a place that we can't reach."

It was an indirect expression that he was exiled to an unknown place.

I knew that the place was the void beyond the Red Gate at that point, but I didn't bother to add anything. Instead, I nodded silently.

"When the old world collapsed, the god lost the most powerful spell... the leg, and it was sealed in a different place from where the god resides. That is, in the world we live in."

That's a reasonable story.

It meant that the leg was cut off by the "enemies" that exiled the gods and sealed it somewhere else in our world instead of sealing it together in the void where they were exiled.

"The god has pointed us the location."

I asked, pretending not to know.

"Has he never given such an oracle before?"

"There was none. This is the first time. In fact, it's been a long time since Igras-Sho appeared in the form of a dream."

"That's strange timing. Why would it be only now?"

A reply returned as if to wonder why I was asking such a shallow question.

"Wouldn't that be obvious?"

He looked at me with faithful eyes.

"This is because the chosen one who deserves the god's will has appeared!"

He stared at me so hard that I was worried my face would wear out.

"It had waited until now because it is impossible to achieve only with the power of the congregation alone. Now that it has finally found a legitimate vessel, it wishes to actualize its long-cherished desire!"

Afterward, he confessed why he secretly delivered the message to me, not through the Union.

"It's because of the place where the leg is sealed."

The planet was said to have been taken over by monsters from the Red Gate in the distant past.

However, the identity of those who still claimed ownership in that place was surprising.

"The Adgons, you say?"

It was the species the supreme commissioner that was persistent in arguing against me originated from.

It was even more strange to hear the words that followed.

It's said that not only were there no residents on that planet, but they also prevented other races from entering the area.

"When we looked at the old records, there were many things that were doubtful about how the planet became the land of death in the first place."

Usually, when a Red Gate occurred, the system would issue a quest and respond by conscripting it from the Union.

However, when the Red Gate occurred on the planet, the Union's reaction was said to be very slow.

That was still the case even though it was a planet owned by the Adgon species, who were in charge as one of the main pillars.

'Isn't it supposed to be the opposite? If the land of the species in power were in danger, it would be common sense to respond and move faster.'

Not only was such occurrence repeated several times, but the Adgons also gave up on the planet's defense, recovery and evacuated residents to another dimension all too early.

The congregation's analysis was that the worst-case scenario could have been avoided if they had responded properly in the first place.

One distinct intention was felt due to such behavior.

"They may have made that land a planet of death on purpose. It might be so that nobody can go, and nobody has to go."

"Yes, so was our guess."

"To work on a bit more of wild reasoning... They might know something."

Of all places, there was a part of a god's lost body in such land?

"If this is made known to the Union, it will naturally have to go to the Adgon's ears. That's why our congregation contacted you as carefully as possible."

Although the charges weren't clear, they intended to cross the stone bridge as safely as possible.

Having explained to that point, the archbishop raised his head and begged me with an earnest face.

"Please, I plead you. My lord, give us a helping hand in response to the divine call and request!"

I thought for a moment.

In the long run, the growing influence of a god was good news for the mortals.

The gods' fluctuating minds seemed to be gradually clearing up. Sooner or later, they would be able to help the mortals prevent damnation.

Additionally, the release of the eighth spell was good for the congregation, and it would increase my power as well.

Even unlearned magic could be cast with the power of the god.

'Will the system add the eighth magic to the skill cards scattered? I can't determine that far.'

I agreed in the end.

"Okay, I'll help you as much as I can."

Then, the archbishop and all the priests gathered busied themselves by lying on the floor, praising me and expressing their gratitude.

*

I didn't think the congregation had any intention of sending me there alone from the beginning.

The priests who greeted me secretly in the conference room were said to be aces gathered from each dimension, and all of them moved with me.

They were ready to leave as soon as I accepted, so we teleported over space and over a few Gates without further delay to get to our target location.

The Adgon guards defending the Gate leading to the planet didn't even notice us when we passed through it.

Swoosh!

A dry wind blew.

The place was a desolate desert that, as heard, had no trace of any intellectual entity.

The atmosphere was crunching, and the hot heat was burning on the skin.

"The god told me to find a black hole that would engulf everything."

In the process of searching for the place he saw in his dream, we had to encounter the interrupters several times.

They weren't the Adgon species. They hadn't sent anyone to the place that had become a dead land.

There was a reason for such.

Gwoooooo!

The monsters that eradicated the life on the planet-

They were different from Dungeon monsters, even in ecology.

What did the monsters do after they crossed the Red Gate, arrived, killed the Awakened beings, and then killed even the civilians?

Never was a case that they would eat each other like dungeon monsters.

They, having achieved their goals, quietly froze like a rock on that spot.

It was the complete suspension of life activities.

Then, when the creatures they perceived as intelligent entities moved nearby, they regained the energy of life and resumed the slaughter.

It seemed to have been programmed with a particular purpose.

In any case, due to the Adgons not dispatching anyone to aggravate the monster in there needlessly, the monsters had become pillars of rock for a long time since they first ceased moving.

In such a place, we appeared.

Kyaaa!

Unlike the Adgon species, who let us pass without noticing us, some monsters chased us.

They did so even though we had thoroughly cast stealth magic.

Among them, some had the ability to find hidden creatures with transcendent senses mixed in.

In that manner, when one charged in, even monsters without such ability woke up and flocked, and the cycle was repeated.

"Here it comes!"

What looked like a mountain moved, flying up into the sky.

The winged monsters that had hardened and crouched on the floor quickly regained their lives and covered the sky by spreading their vast blood membrane.

Kyaaaa!

In their eyes, unreasonable hostility towards their opponent frighteningly flashed.

"Stop them!"

When the priests prayed in unison, the response blossomed through various magic.

An enormous flame shot up into the sky and intercepted the monsters.

Boosh!

Boom! Boom!

The magic created by priests selected and collected from numerous dimensions was comparable to the SSS-Class magic learned through cards.

The monsters were scorched and burst and were driven away. Several crashed, but more flocked in after that.

"Our god!"

With prayers close to a battle cry, spells were fired like anti-aircraft guns once again.

Elite priests performed miracles with sweat dripping down their faces following the high priest's gestures and command.

I also fought against the monsters.

Swish!

Holding my sword, I flew up into the sky.

Each of them had the size and attack power comparable to a dragon.

I passed through the monsters quickly and swung my sword.

Within the penetrated spaces, the sound of the atmosphere exploding could be heard.

Their flesh was crushed.

Ripping screams reverberated around, and blood poured out like waterfalls.

I could hear someone's admiration on the ground.

"Ah! As I have heard, the chosen one... has also received the choice of a deity other than magic!"

They could also sense and discern other divine powers.

"Indeed. This is unprecedented."

Number-wise, we were at a disadvantage, but the monsters' level at the dimension wasn't enough to threaten me, and the power of the priests was more than I expected.

Regardless of Mana, if such power could be gained only through deep faith and talent, it was to the point that it wasn't strange that the recent missionary works were going on at a fast pace lately.

If Choi Seung-Hyun of my previous life had passed the tutorial alive, he might have been devoted to religion.

As we went on a monster-slaughtering rampage, a priest finally found the target.

"I can see it! It's sensed under detection magic!"

"Can we teleport to it?"

"If we take turns to use our powers..."

"Okay, lead the way. I'll aid you, my lord."

After a few teleports, A scene I had never seen before unfolded before my eyes.

"Oh, that's right. That's it. That's the sight that the great being in my dreams has shown!"

I murmured inwardly.

'What kind of power is that?'

Wu-oooooooh!

There was no Mana in sight.

I couldn't even feel any divine force.

There was just a thick, black swirling darkness.

"It feels different from what Igras-Sho used to spill.'

Darkness flowed like a cloud, like a river, suddenly blazing and boiling.

There were many shapes in it. Instead of being fixed in a single form, it constantly changed and made eddy.

Stiff tension lingered around the faces of the priests that had been advancing without showing fear until that moment.

"What in the world is...."

At that moment...

Drip!

Two more streams of blood trickled down from the holy wound on my finger.

It was as if it was hurrying me to go in there already.

'It must be getting impatient.'

The high priest spoke as if to calm their agitation.

"It is a path that the god led us to. What would be there to be afraid of?! We are only to go straight for the resurrection of its great glory!"

... Somehow, it felt like he was talking to me.

Regardless, I didn't mean to come all the way there just to go back without achieving anything.

As I approached the black vortex, the sound of space tearing echoed and pulled us in.

I felt like my body was falling into zero gravity, and the surrounding environment changed drastically.

'Underground?'

There were many unfamiliar rocks all around me.

The underground space evidently had been tempered with by artificial touches.

I felt a certain force that gravitated my nerves before I could look around more.

The priests seemed to feel it at the same time as I did.

"In that place... I sense melancholic and cozy energy from that location!"

The archbishop's voice trembled as he pointed at the deep space.

He had the conviction that that place was our goal.

But I was starting to get a strange feeling.

'Is this all of it? This easily?'

So why didn't Igras-Sho send the mortal men that served him to regain his legs earlier on?

Just because he lost his memory?

'That's strange.'

I felt that I would only be relieved if I saw the identity of what was waiting for me in that place.