novelraw Chapter 154 : The Master of Wishes (3)
Chapter 154 : The Master of Wishes (3)
The Master of Wishes (3)
Cardinal Benadic.
He was a fervent follower of the Goddess of Wishes.
More than anyone else, he worshipped Estella, so he wanted to live a life like hers.
'But it cannot be fulfilled within the Church.'
Everyone in the Church were ignorant people who only craved the Goddess's authority.
Those who could learn divine arts were ones who could not master magic, who had no mana hall.
Estella herself did not have a mana hall, so she could not wield magic power, and that was why she longed for magic.
The divine arts might have been remnants and a salvation left by her, for those unable to use magic.
In the world Benadic lived in, beings without a mana hall were exceedingly rare, so those able to learn the divine arts were also extremely few.
In some ways, the divine arts were a force superior to magic.
Because they used life force, the power of an individual might fall short of that of a mage, but if numerous people gathered their lives to manifest the same 'wishes', they could even produce miracles greater than magic.
That birthed madness and created overwhelming authority.
It did not take long for the Goddess's Church to become one of the pillars of the world.
'Everyone just pursues their own desires.'
Benadic sneered at such people and only followed the footsteps of the Goddess.
He yearned to become like the Saintess who was nobler than anyone.
But he could not.
Because the power of wishes that an individual could wield was all too insignificant.
'I need the power of the Goddess.'
What he needed was not simply the divine arts, but the very authority over wishes that the Goddess herself possessed.
Only then could he become like her, and save countless lives.
If he could have the authority of wishes, he could purify and newly resurrect the Church that had gathered those greedy for divine arts.
So, he coveted the relic of the Saintess that was stored in the sanctuary.
That bracelet contained the power of wishes left behind by the Saintess.
The only wishes she left behind.
If it was that noble Saintess, she must have either left her authority or prayed for peace of the world.
The power she left in the bracelet was that earnest and powerful, which was why he tried to make it his own.
And the result was this.
"The Goddess must have sent me here for a reason."
He ran away with the relic, constructed a temple, and gathered countless souls there.
Then, as he was besieged by the Church's pursuers, Benadic unleashed the authority of the bracelet.
Using the Goddess's power to overcome this crisis, but for some reason, a massive rift opened.
A rift so enormous that it swallowed not only Benadic, but also his newly built temple and the pursuers who chased him.
When he came to his senses, he was in a completely different world.
He had lost his body, remaining only as a soul.
Benadic's strong longing was manifested through divine arts, and so his existence dramatically did not vanish.
"Finally, the Goddess has answered my call."
Even for a very brief moment, he felt the presence of the Goddess.
Surely, she must have been moved by the countless benedictions he had gathered so far.
"Therefore, I must reclaim the bracelet quickly."
When he first realized he had fallen into this strange world, he despaired.
But now, he thought of it as a blessing.
This world had no Church, nor did a Goddess like Estella exist.
If he obtained the authority of wishes in such a world?
Surely, becoming the god of this world was possible.
That's why Benadic gathered the souls lingering in the temple, hoarded life by collecting the corpses of humans from this world, and waited patiently for the time to come.
And as if in answer to that long wait, he briefly felt the presence of the Goddess.
If he could find out who that presence belonged to—
If he could become the master of wishes—
He would finally be able to fulfill his long-cherished wish.
***
Upon arriving at the island, a constant, heavy vibration trembled through the air.
Moreover, I could feel some force filling the island, different from either magic power or demonic energy.
It was similar to Estella's power, but much more unpleasant.
"Ah, what is this, really."
Perhaps feeling it more strongly, Shin Ah-yeon's face was deeply contorted.
"Everyone, hurry up and get on the boat!"
As soon as the boat arrived, Shin Ah-yeon shouted to the gathering hunters.
Given the circumstances, it seemed unreasonable for her to just wait and quietly watch everyone board.
"The magic will last for about an hour, so we have to get out of here quickly in the meantime!"
At Shin Ah-yeon's shout, a hunter named Ahn Tae-seok, who was leading the others, hurriedly asked,
"H-hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim, aren't you coming with us?"
"No, I can't leave things as they are."
Ahn Tae-seok showed a complicated expression at Shin Ah-yeon's words.
He looked as if he was wondering whether it was really okay for them to leave the island first.
I looked at Ahn Tae-seok for a moment before I spoke.
"Hunter Ahn Tae-seok, if you don't mind, could you come with us into the dungeon?"
"Pardon?"
PD Do claimed he knew almost all the paths within the dungeon, but that was only if this was an ordinary dungeon.
'According to Alencia, it seems as if part of the dungeon could be manipulated.'
Whether that was a mere device or a manifestation of some power, I did not know.
But it was clear it wasn't on a scale of altering the whole dungeon.
Even Alencia had said that the 'divine arts' only affected the space with the monster and its immediate surroundings.
"Certainly... It would be best to have one of the hunters who has already explored the dungeon come with us. It'll be easier to notice any changes in the path."
"Yes, you're right."
"But isn't Hunter Alencia with you as well?"
Ahn Tae-seok asked in genuine curiosity, but I shook my head.
"She probably doesn't remember very well."
Regrettably, Alencia wasn't smart enough to memorize the dungeon's topography in detail.
But Ahn Tae-seok, with his experience in dungeon raids, would likely have accurately remembered the path he took.
"Understood. In that case, of course I'll help. How could I, as a hunter, refuse when even Manager Park and PD Do, both civilians, are going in?"
Having grasped the situation, Ahn Tae-seok readily agreed to help.
This was rather fortunate since I was uneasy relying on PD Do alone.
"But... Still, it's unnecessary for Manager Park to go, isn't it, since you're a civilian?"
"Well, I..."
At Ahn Tae-seok's words, PD Do glanced at me.
His eyes seemed to hesitate—unsure whether to call me a civilian.
"Wouldn't it be best for us to hurry and leave?"
Shin Ah-yeon interjected while we were dithering about how to explain.
Perhaps it was the uncomfortable energy around us, but her words were edged with irritation.
In any case, there would be nothing helpful gained by having the hunters stay here.
"Ah, understood. Let's hurry then."
Cowled by Shin Ah-yeon's sharp demeanor, Ahn Tae-seok hastily answered and turned toward the dungeon.
"But... Are you sure you're okay, PD Do?"
"O-of course! L-let's go quickly!"
"No, really, I think you should turn back..."
"W-with Hunter Shin Ah-yeon here, what could possibly happen? If I don't at least film something..."
Honestly, it'd probably have been better to send a cameraman if he was so desperate, but likely, no one else wanted to go.
So that was why he insisted on guiding us himself.
"This way!"
At Ahn Tae-seok's shout, PD Do quickly hurried after him.
Maybe it was desperation from the failed filming project, but the camera in his hands radiated urgency.
"If we just go past that big tree, the dungeon's just ahead."
Perhaps because he'd been there already once, Ahn Tae-seok led us without hesitation.
As we hastened in the direction he pointed, the unpleasant aura grew even stronger.
"... Are you all right?"
"Yes, I don't know what this messed-up power is, but it's just downright unpleasant."
Shin Ah-yeon replied, glaring fiercely.
Her pupils gave off a peculiarly golden gleam as she spoke.
'Could it be, she's reacting to this power?'
It was not exactly a welcome development, but we needed Shin Ah-yeon's power to resolve the current situation.
If it were something that could be settled by simply physical strength, Alencia and I would suffice, but there was clearly a chance it wouldn't be that simple.
"The entrance to the dungeon hasn't changed," said PD Do, swallowing nervously.
Its appearance hadn't changed much, but the growing quakes inspired fear.
"PD Do, you still have what I gave you earlier, right?"
"Huh? Oh, yes."
"If you use it in an emergency, you'll be teleported straight to the Taean Association."
When I explained with an example of 'emergency', PD Do gulped and nodded.
Currently, a ring-type artifact capable of performing a teleportation spell in case of emergencies was on his finger.
It was a fairly common artifact among high-level adventurers attacking dangerous dungeons in the other world.
'The monster probably had a similar artifact.'
Most likely that dagger he was using was also such an artifact.
It wasn't rare, so it wouldn't be odd for him to have picked it up in a random dungeon.
"For now, since there may be differences between the path you and Hunter Ahn Tae-seok took, it'd be best to compare as we go."
Both Ahn Tae-seok and PD Do nodded at my words.
With Shin Ah-yeon in the lead, we carefully entered the dungeon.
Everyone's faces froze from the ominous air lingering inside the dungeon.
'This is less like a dungeon and more like a building buried underground.'
It looked just like a temple.
The letters engraved on the walls were familiar to me from the other world, and most were filled with a kind of madness, calling out to the Goddess.
'It seems the demons aren't involved in this incident.'
I had briefly wondered if demons were behind this as well, but saw no signs of them.
Still, the very fact that things like this had appeared in this world meant we were a step closer to 'demonification,' so there was no room to feel relieved.
"The path has changed. It's completely different from before."
When Ahn Tae-seok spoke, PD Do—his face pale as he followed—added, "I-I know this path. If we go this way, there was a small room. And there were monsters there..."
As PD Do said, following the path further led us to a large room, but there were no monsters present.
"... It's a dead end."
"T-that's strange, there should have been another path here."
"Which direction?"
To Shin Ah-yeon's question, PD Do pointed at one wall.
Immediately, Shin Ah-yeon aimed her staff at that wall.
Kwa-kwa-kwang!!
Before anyone could say a word, she smashed the wall and strode right through.
Everyone was left speechless by her audacity.
"There it is. Let's go."
"......"
It was aggressive, but there was no other way.
As the paths kept shifting, our only option was to compare our memories and break through where things had changed.
'So, not the space itself shifting, but paths changing by moving outer walls.'
It was a method of alteration using a device, not some special power.
As a result, every time a wall was destroyed, new spaces were revealed.
Countless corpses gathered by the monster and inexplicable magic arrays drawn on the walls.
There was nothing about any of this that wasn't unpleasant.
Naturally, Shin Ah-yeon's face grew more and more fierce.
The remnants of some force utterly different from magic power also thickened around her body.
As if resonating with the surrounding energy.
"Hunter Shin Ah-"
Just as I was about to address Shin Ah-yeon—
KWA-A-A-ANG!!
At that moment, a pitch-black hand burst through the outer wall and lunged at me.
Its eyes shone red, glaring at me with an inexplicable hatred.
"Manager Park!!"
Ahn Tae-seok shouted in panic at the sudden attack.
I was just as startled.
That's why my hand shot out reflexively.
KWA-A-ANG!!
The monster that had attacked was sent flying back the direction it came, smashing through the wall even more violently.
"... Huh?"
Ahn Tae-seok stared at me, blinking.
As if completely unable to believe what had just happened.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
More and more people are learning how strong Manager Park is.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】