novelraw Chapter 29 : Requiem Cult (1)
Chapter 29 : Requiem Cult (1)
Chapter 29: Requiem Cult (1)
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Stone slabs and marble were ground apart.
The ground surged upward, forming a massive path right through the center of the graveyard.
[Uaaagh! My dwelling!]
A desperate scream echoed from somewhere, but he ignored it without hesitation.
Well, you should’ve taken better care of your kin’s corpses.
Instead of trying to wake them up.
If you had just let them rest peacefully, this tragedy could have been avoided.
Still, the fact that he even used a soundproof barrier in the midst of this chaos showed just how much Rakshama despised the Broken Axe Tribe.
It was as if he was saying, “Don’t get caught. Smash them to pieces.”
Only then could their descendants reclaim the throne once more.
“Now it looks a bit cleaner.”
Scarlet closed her parasol with a cheerful smile.
Chiieek!
Smoke rose along the ground.
The aftermath of a battle that was hard to believe had been caused by a single person.
Hmm.
He might need to revise what he said earlier.
Perhaps she was more useful than most ancient species or divine beasts.
Yohan began checking through various possibilities and scenarios in which he could make use of Scarlet.
He was deeply engrossed in thoughts of reinforcing his combat power when—
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwaang!
Kwaaaang!
“Grooaaah!”
“Enemy! It’s a human!”
Suddenly, the sound of battle echoed from outside.
Someone had entered this tomb.
And they were coming straight in, head-on.
But what bothered him more than the fact that they had chosen this place and this timing…
was that among the intruders, there was someone he recognized.
“No way. This aura…”
Yohan’s eyes narrowed.
＊＊＊
Pachchutss—
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Clashing mana and colliding weapons.
A fierce battle was raging at the entrance of the tomb.
“About fifteen people in total, maybe?”
They had at least the minimum number to be called a raiding party, but… hmm.
At that level, there was no way they could ever break through the tomb’s main gate.
No sooner had that thought ended than panicked voices erupted all around.
“It’s no use anymore! My mana—my mana’s all gone!”
“Damn it, what is this place…? There are too many Orcs!”
“Fall back! Regroup and re-form the line!”
As expected, the raiding team soon chose to retreat.
The Orcs didn’t pursue.
Their goal was simply to guard the tomb.
Normally, I wouldn’t care what other people were doing…
But that particular aura he had sensed made it impossible to just let it go.
If he ignored this, something as troublesome as an Outbreak might occur.
More importantly—
If that person possessed “that thing”, then he wouldn’t have to waste time searching for the remaining Hidden Pieces.
“From here on, we’ll be joining them.”
“This is outside the Tower. Outside the Tower! Oh my, wow. Woooow.”
Yohan spoke, but Scarlet was too busy darting her eyes around in awe.
She seemed genuinely thrilled to have stepped into the once-forbidden world.
“Then, um, is this where that… ‘Mint Chocolate’ I’ve only heard about exists?”
That’s what she’s curious about?
Sigh. She didn’t even know what it tasted like.
This was exactly why newbies couldn’t be trusted.
“Yes, there is.”
If she didn’t behave, he was already planning to make her eat it himself.
She’d probably end up begging to be put back inside the Tower afterward.
Throwing the pampered noble’s youngest daughter into a pit of despair might’ve been amusing— but in this case, it was better to offer a carrot rather than a whip.
“If you help me properly from now on, I can let you experience many things outside the Tower.”
“Really? Then I’ll do my absolute best!”
Scarlet put on a determined expression.
A little while later, Yohan and Scarlet began heading toward where the raiding team was.
“Uh… you’re alive? You made it out?”
The one who looked most surprised was the ranger standing guard.
It was none other than Jung Seongtae, an A-rank Hunter from the Monarch Guild.
“Hunter Jung Seongtae, do you know this person?”
“Yes. He was one of the members who joined the advance party. Things were so chaotic back then that I couldn’t check on everyone…”
He trailed off—likely because he had assumed Yohan was dead.
“I barely escaped with my life. I was running from the Orcs so desperately that I ended up all the way here.”
Yohan provided a reasonable excuse.
Then he politely introduced himself.
“My name is Kang Yohan. And this here is…”
“…….”
Scarlet looked like she had just bitten into a bug instead of offering a greeting.
Her expression clearly said, ‘Why must I bother exchanging pleasantries with these pathetic humans?’
Squeeze!
“Aaagh!”
Only after Yohan mercilessly pinched her side did her tone shift slightly.
“I am Scar…let. Ow! I mean, Scarlet.”
“I’m glad. It’s a relief you both came here instead of heading outside.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well… there were Orcs waiting near the Gate. They were targeting anyone trying to escape.”
At Jung Seongtae’s words, the surrounding Hunters each voiced their own frustration.
“Kaak! Tch! Those cunning bastards.”
“They had our escape route all figured out from the start.”
“I even heard that some Hunters were captured and dragged outside the Gate. Ilsan and Gwanghwamun have both been breached… and there’ve been dozens of similar reports overseas.”
It seemed the damage was substantial.
He hadn’t expected them to know a loophole that allowed passage beyond the Gate without triggering an Outbreak.
As expected of the Broken Axe Tribe. They weren’t to be taken lightly from the very beginning.
“So they’re already trying to shake up the board, huh.”
However, for now, the Orcs weren’t the real problem.
Just then—
Someone approached Yohan.
Speak of the devil.
“Hahaha. The more allies, the better. Let us overcome this adversity together. Ah, I am Kim Geunsik, a priest of the Church of the Moon.”
A man with a sturdy build and a kind face.
Anyone would find his friendly demeanor likable.
But Yohan knew.
This man—or rather, the organization he belonged to—would cause massive turmoil in the early episodes.
‘Eye of the Prophet’ observes the target.
[Kim Geunsik]
Occupation: Dark Priest
Star Rank: 1st Moon (月), 1st Star (星)
Unique Ability: Ashen Grace
Trait: [Missionary]
Description: A Dark Priest of the Requiem Cult, possessing a cruel disposition and a dark creed.
His combat ability and judgment are outstanding, and his potential cannot be assessed with his current star rank.
Currently in possession of a Knight’s Token.
[‘You may access Special Information. However, due to level restrictions, if you choose to access this information, you will be unable to use the ‘Eye of the Prophet’ for the next 8 hours.’]
‘Requiem Cult.’
An organization formed by those who worship the Evil God.
In short…
…they were leeches one would never want to encounter as enemies.
It was because of those Evil God followers belonging to that Requiem Cult that the Priests of the Sun and other sects had turned into fanatics.
Offering humans as sacrifices, conducting live experiments—
Their acts of cruelty were enough to instill fear in anyone who witnessed them.
Anyway.
He had already changed his class, and even obtained a Knight’s Token.
‘A talented fellow indeed.’
A Dark Priest could change class simply by offering sacrifices, so that part was understandable.
But the Knight’s Token was not something easily acquired.
It meant that, in some way, he had been acknowledged for his talent by a lower-ranked administrator.
Of course, the most interesting part was yet to come.
[Accessing ‘Special Information’.]
[Currently, Kim Geunsik is preparing for a ritual through the ‘Egg of Darkness’.]
‘Egg of Darkness.’
An incredible Sacred Relic had appeared.
‘Jackpot.’
Yohan swallowed his saliva.
After reaching Lv2 through the Seed of Living Spirit, an additional effect had been unlocked.
That was what made the Eye of the Prophet so exceptional.
The higher the level, the more special information about the target could be revealed.
Though it came with an 8-hour restriction, the gain was more than worth it.
“It’s a pleasure to work with you.”
Yohan smiled smoothly and joined the raiding party.
＊＊＊
“From now on, trust no one. Especially that priest from the Church of the Moon—you must stay extremely cautious around him.”
“Yohan, aren’t you being a bit too suspicious?”
Scarlet asked with an innocent expression.
Haah.
Try going through the Apocalypse a few hundred times.
With the number of backstabbers out there, it’s impossible not to develop chronic distrust.
Eventually, you come to realize that humans are far more dangerous than monsters.
Anyway.
“You always talk about how lowly humans are, yet suddenly you’re taking their side. Why the change?”
“W-Well, you know, being nice is nice!”
Nice is nice, my ass.
The reason Scarlet had softened up was…
Right. Because of that half-eaten chocolate bar clenched in her hand.
A Snickers.
A devil’s snack that had significantly contributed to America’s obesity rate had even bought her soul.
Even a noble vampire couldn’t resist the taste of capitalism.
Still, to fall for a single Snickers bar… that was just sad.
Maybe two would’ve been acceptable.
In any case, it seemed she wouldn’t be sleeping soundly for a while.
A little later, they arrived at a place where tall stone towers stood in rows.
At the center of the stone towers, inscribed with unfamiliar letters, lay a rather large lake.
“Not bad.”
The ranger, Jung Seongtae, nodded.
For those wielding glaives or axes, the towers would be a hindrance.
Conversely, for their side, they provided excellent cover for casting spells or shooting arrows.
The open surroundings also made it easier to detect approaching enemies.
“What do you think we should do, Priest?”
“Let’s set up here. As you said, the terrain isn’t bad at all.”
Kim Geunsik gave the final decision.
‘Having a large team sure makes things convenient.’
As expected of a raid-experienced group, everything from setting camp to preparing food proceeded smoothly.
Yohan picked out various colored herbs growing in the cave.
“Red and blue~.”
He hummed as he gathered ingredients.
As expected of a mana-rich region, the plants here were extraordinary.
“Yohan.”
At some point, Scarlet had come up beside him.
“Hm? What is it?”
For the record, they had dropped formal speech already.
She had insisted that after being overwhelmingly defeated during her Coming-of-Age Ceremony, she couldn’t possibly speak formally to her superior.
Since she found it more comfortable that way, he allowed it.
“As someone noble like me, I can’t possibly eat that kind of food, can I? So, I decided to show off a bit of my cooking skills.”
A proud smile.
Flushed cheeks.
The confidence in her clenched fist alone made it seem as though a banner reading ‘Master Chef’ fluttered proudly from her waist.
However, reality was rarely so kind.
Bubble, bubble—
Something was boiling.
Boiling… but its nature was impossible to determine.
The only thing clear was that his instincts were screaming danger.
Hmm.
Could nobility dull the sense of taste or something?
Even Orcs wouldn’t eat that.
Then, a dreadful thought flashed through his mind.
“You… have cooked before, right?”
The House of Juliard was known for its wealth.
And letting their precious youngest daughter—raised like a jewel—get her hands wet?
Highly unlikely. Practically zero chance.
“I-It’s my first time. But I made it based on a secret recipe passed down in my family, so it should taste fine. P-Probably?”
As expected.
“Can’t you just eat what everyone else is eating?”
Right next to them, someone was boiling ramen with thick ham and dumplings. There was even some cold rice on the side.
He’d never actually tasted such things before—and it was driving him crazy wanting to.
“I… I tried my best…”
Scarlet drooped her head, dejected.
Thud.
Her parasol, once a symbol of her confidence, rolled across the ground.
It seemed the greatest crisis since the start of the Apocalypse had arrived.
Resigned, Yohan sat in front of the pot containing the unidentifiable food.
Chomp, chomp.
He grabbed a spoon and devoured everything inside.
“Does it… taste good?”
“It’s better than I expected. If you’ve got the recipe, teach me sometime.”
“Yes! Of course!”
He fully intended to write down every single ingredient that went into this so-called dish.
With this knowledge, he could mass-produce the most perfect, trace-free poison in existence.
If need be, he could even sell it later to the Four Heavenly Sects or the Empire.
After barely quelling his hunger, his surroundings gradually darkened.
The sun had set, and night had fallen.
“You don’t have to take night watch duty. Just rest comfortably. We’ve prepared sleeping bags, and for light sleepers, we even have sleep masks and earplugs.”
“Tomorrow will be the day of actual travel and combat, so please conserve your strength as much as possible.”
Several Hunters approached, offering kind words and even wishing them a good night.
How touching.
His body and heart both felt warm.
So warm, it felt like his very bones might burst into flames.