Chapter 366: 366
[In the name of Gula, I bestow Seol Jihu the title of Level 7 Star Seeker!]
[I expect great feats befitting a Unique Ranker and one who seeks out stars to obtain enlightenment!]
Finally, Seol Jihu’s Level 7 class name was revealed .
One who seeks out stars to obtain enlightenment .
Thus, Star Seeker .
For the first time ever, there was no mention of ‘spear’ or ‘lance’ in his class name .
Seol Jihu was taken aback as he hadn’t expected this at all .
Still, he understood where the meaning of the name came from .
It was from the vow he made after he met Ian on Earth .
The vow to become the Sun, a star .
But he wasn’t a star yet and was still at the stage of a cultivator who was seeking to reach enlightenment .
Gula had sensed his determination and named him appropriately .
[Do you like the name?]
‘Yes… it’s a cool name . ’
[Fufu, you must have been worried that it would have ‘mana’ in it . ]
‘Ah… actually, it didn’t really matter . ’
[?]
‘No, rather than that… I guess it’s more correct to say I was prepared for it . ’
Seol Jihu scratched his head .
‘I thought about it carefully . Why is she so intent on using the word ‘mana’ when it’s just a name? And when I did… there was something that caught my attention . ’
Seol Jihu placed his hand on his heart .
‘It means that I still mainly use mana, right?’
[… . ]
Gula didn’t answer .
Taking her silence as an affirmation, Seol Jihu smiled bitterly .
‘Then I should blame myself for such a name, not you . ’
[It isn’t a bad thing to specialize in using mana . ]
‘I know . But using something and relying on it are different things . ’
Seol Jihu sighed and lowered his hand .
‘So I was resolved for my fate . If I failed this time, I swore I would get rid of the word when I reached Level 8… Thankfully, I don’t have to worry about that anymore . ’
He grinned .
‘Thank you . I will try to achieve feats befitting a seeker of stars as you said . ’
This time, Gula was struck speechless .
She unknowingly reached out toward Seol Jihu and caressed his face . Only when he flinched slightly from surprise did she do a doubletake and retract her hand .
[That is a truly commendable thought . I must admit I was worried whether you will pass the trials, but with such determination, it looks like I can breathe a sigh of relief . ]
Seol Jihu clenched his hands at Gula’s encouragement .
He opened his status window and stared into the air .
[Your Status Window]
[1 . General Information]
Summoned Date: 2017 . 03 . 16
Marking Grade: Gold
Sex/Age: Male/ 26
Height/ Weight: 180 . 5cm/ 74 . 2kg
Current Condition: Healthy
Class: Lv 7 . Star Seeker
Nationality: Korea (Area 1)
Affiliation: Valhalla
Alias: The Adversary, Top Graduate, Savior of the Federation, First Star, Prankster, Jinah’s Dad, Titty-Loonie, Haramark’s War Hero, Training Masochist
[2 . Traits]
1 . Temperament
—Self-command (Suppresses emotions, greed, and impulses with the rational will)
—Tenacity (A deeply rooted temper of wanting to endure pain and struggles)
—Short-tempered (Impatient and hasty)
—Competitive (A desire to win)
2 . Aptitude
—Effort (Endeavors with both body and mind to achieve a goal)
—Average (Normal in every way; possesses no particular talent)
[3 . Physical Level]
Strength: Intermediate (Intermediate)
Endurance: Intermediate (Low)
Agility: Intermediate (High)
Stamina: Intermediate (High)
Mana: High (High)
Luck: Intermediate (Intermediate)
Remaining Ability Points: 19
[4 . Abilities]
1 . Innate Abilities (2)
—Future-Gauging Nine Eyes (Grade Unknown)
2 . Class Abilities (4)
—Basic Spear Techniques: Thrust (High), Strike (High), Cut (High)
—Mana Spear - Multiple (High)
—Flash Thunder [Intermediate (High)]
—Righteous Heart (Intermediate)
3 . Other Abilities (3)
—Reinforced Circuit (High)
—Floral Substitution [Intermediate (High)]
—Intuition [Intermediate (High)]
[5 . Level of Cognition]
Manchild (Actions and thoughts are like that of a child) / Enthusiastic / Golden Rule (To treat others as they have treated you)
Finally .
Finally, he became a Level 7 .
He managed to become a Unique Ranker, which numbered less than ten in all of Paradise .
Seol Jihu felt proud of how far he had come, but he cleared his mind and looked straight at the reality of the situation .
He was having trouble grasping even High Ranker skills, so was there even a need to say anything about the skills unlocked at Level 6 and 7?
Seol Jihu carefully checked out the newly unlocked abilities before asking Gula for holy power .
Once Little Chick ate its fill, Seol Jihu rubbed its bloated belly and said goodbye .
Then, he looked up at the statue .
Noticing his readied gaze, Gula slowly roused her energy .
Soon, an orb emitting a purple light slowly floated up from Seol Jihu’s pocket .
[I probably won’t need to repeat myself . ]
Gula had already affirmed Seol Jihu’s will multiple times . All that was left to do was to patiently wait .
[I hereby grant Seol Jihu’s use of the Divine Stigmata . ]
Suddenly, an isolation barrier formed around Seol Jihu .
A wind, fierce enough to send his hair fluttering, blew .
Then, Gula’s voice echoed out .
[In the name of Gula, I permit Seol Jihu to enter the Path of the Soul . ]
What Seol Jihu saw in the next moment was darkness spreading out from the purple orb, like a pair of wings .
By the time he noticed this, the darkness had already engulfed half of his field of vision .
The world simultaneously warped and rushed toward him .
What Seol Jihu heard and saw before his consciousness faded away was the Divine Stigmata that transformed into total darkness, and…
[I look forward to the day I see you again…!]
Gula’s loud laughter .
Flash!
Seol Jihu disappeared at the same time that the darkness exploded .
No, the correct expression would be to say that he was swallowed .
Though Seol Jihu didn’t see it well, Little Chick saw it clearly — the darkness belched out by the stigmata opening up like the jaws of a beast and devouring Seol Jihu .
Tak . The pendant that usually hung around Seol Jihu’s neck fell to the ground, having lost its owner .
[Huh? What happened?]
A cloud of black smoke came out in a fluster .
[Why was I left behind?]
“Because the Path of the Soul is not a place just anyone can enter . ”
Little Chick murmured as it rubbed its belly .
[What do you mean?]
“Plainly put, only those with a divine vestige or an item inscribed with divine stigmata can enter it . ”
[I’m a Saintess too… though that happened after I died…]
“Don’t whine . The Divine Stigmata is a token personally inscribed by a god . It is different from receiving a god’s blessing or borrowing a god’s power . This is a matter of qualification . Even among saints and saintesses, not many have ever obtained this qualification . ”
[I don’t know what that means… but he left me behind again…]
Flone dropped her head . Her shoulders drooped down, and she spiritlessly returned to the pendant .
Little Chick clicked its tongue and glanced at the stone statue .
“Now that I think about it… I remember hearing about this . Though it was a long time ago, I heard that the goddesses of the Seven Sins created a special isolated space to raise their apostles…”
[Hoh, you have an excellent memory . ]
“How would I not know? I still remember receiving my master’s order and personally eliminating some of them with my partner . Apostle of Gluttony included . ”
[Damned bird, you’re bringing up a painful memory . ]
Gula chuckled .
[Ah, how things have changed . The phoenix that once served Castitas is now worrying about its human partner who serves the Seven Sins . ]
“That’s natural given the situation of this world . Anyway—”
[You don’t have to worry . ]
Gula cut off Little Chick .
[The world changed as you said, so we must change our ways as well . ]
“You mean…”
[You should know if you read the explanation . The Path of the Soul is no longer a place that binds the apostles’ soul to us and gives them power in return . It has been recreated as a place that tests our children’s limits and bestows tribulation befitting the power they desire . ]
“Let me ask again . You are saying that this tribulation is disconnected from the process of birthing apostles?”
[Yes, they’re two totally different processes . We have selected Executors to combat the Parasite Army Commanders, but that wasn’t enough . This space was created for children who had talent but did not choose us or were not chosen by us . Seol Jihu would be the first exception… but that is it . I swear upon my name . ]
“Oho, a divine oath . Well, I have no reason to suspect you if you’re going so far as to make a vow . Fine, it seems I can be at ease . I will wait patiently . ”
[…I don’t know about that . ]
Gula said in a low voice .
[I let him go since he strongly desired to do so, but even then, I cannot help but worry . Perhaps doing things the old way would have been better for that child…]
“My partner is the one who asked for this . He will bear the consequences . ”
Little Chick ignored Gula’s lamentation and turned around .
After picking up the sobbing pendant with its beak, it left the temple in short, quick steps .
*
When Seol Jihu opened his eyes, he noticed that he was in an unfamiliar place .
There wasn’t much worth noting, contrary to his expectations .
All he could see was an empty field filled with overgrown weeds and an endless horizon that stretched out wherever he looked .
Then, a cool breeze suddenly blew .
‘What was that?’
The first change happened as the wind swayed his bangs to tickle his forehead .
Dududududu!
The earth suddenly rumbled like there was an earthquake .
Startled, Seol Jihu roused his mana in a hurry . But contrary to his expectations, there was no direct harm done to him .
Cracks formed across the land and the earth split . The epicenter of the earthquake seemed to be far away, but the cracks, which had multiplied to thousands in number, quickly reached the spot where Seol Jihu stood .
Kwaaaaaaa!
Next, the earth shot up .
The new piece of land that broke through the shattered earth expanded its size at an exponential rate . In the blink of an eye, what started out as a small hill became a mountain .
That wasn’t all . The top of the mountain sunk in and formed a crater before another earthquake took place and lava shot up from the earth .
Then, it happened again .
As a result of the earth rising up three times in succession, the mountain in front of him had become large to the point that it pierced through the sky .
“Uwoah…”
Seol Jihu grunted quietly before looking up .
But he couldn’t see the peak of the mountain even after tilting his head all the way back .
He had never seen such a large mountain in his life .
Both Huge Stone Rocky Mountain and Eva’s volcano seemed like a child’s toy compared to this mountain .
“Ah . ”
Realizing that he had fallen on his butt, Seol Jihu hopped up and dusted his butt .
‘A mountain was suddenly formed… but what am I supposed to do? Climb it?’
Speaking of which, Gula said there were three trials that he needed to pass .
The earth had also shot up three times .
Were these two phenomena related?
Dududu, dududu…!
While Seol Jihu was deep in thought, he suddenly heard the sound of something rolling toward him .
Looking up reflexively, Seol Jihu furrowed his brows .
“…A boulder?”
He could see a brown boulder rolling down from the mountain with a terrifying force .
Seol Jihu tried to dodge it in fright, but the boulder came to a sudden stop about ten meters in front of him .
A mountain suddenly formed, and now a boulder had rolled down and stopped in front of him .
Seol Jihu tilted his head .
Just as he took a careful step toward the boulder—
[The Path of the Soul, the tribulation to receive a divine vestige, will now start . ]
A familiar alert rang out and a message popped up in front of him .
[Follow the route of pilgrimage and place the ‘mountain boulder’ on the peak of the first mountain . ]
[The use of external help or shortcuts is strictly prohibited in the process of placing the mountain boulder on the peak . You must step on the peak solely with your own strength to be considered as having passed the trial . ]
‘…I just need to place the boulder on the top of the mountain?’
It was then .
As soon as he read the last message, more alerts popped up in front of him .
[Innate Ability, ‘Future-Gauging Nine Eyes’, will vanish temporarily . ]
[The use of class and miscellaneous abilities will be restricted . ]
[The use of mana will be restricted . ]
[All artifacts will be sealed . ]
“… . ”
Seol Jihu stood in a daze as he watched the messages pop up one after the other .
He was wondering what this meant exactly .
He tried to rouse his mana, but it didn’t budge .
Even without the additional restrictions, his abilities didn’t activate and his artifacts became useless since he couldn’t use mana .
“…Shit . ”
Seol Jihu let out a deep sigh .
He was prepared for the worst, but he couldn’t help but get a little dispirited with his mana suddenly disappearing .
‘Just what good does this do?’
It wasn’t that he didn’t have doubts, but he still walked up to the boulder .
The message said to place the boulder on the first mountain’s peak .
The colossal mountain range in front of him had three equally spaced out peaks . If all he had to do was take the boulder up to the peak, it didn’t seem like such an impossible task .
After all, he had experienced similar training under Jang Maldong .
‘No, no . ’
Seol Jihu shook his head, recalling the Special Tutorial .
He had suffered unnecessary difficulties just because he looked down on it for being a Tutorial .
This was a trial bestowed by a god .
There had to be something beyond his understanding .
‘Let’s not underestimate this trial . ’
Soon, Seol Jihu steeled his resolve and placed his hands on the boulder .
Putting strength into his arms, he slowly began to push it .
*
“So . ”
Chohong said unenthusiastically as she stared at Kim Hannah .
“You want me to deliver this to Haramark?”
“You’re the only one I can ask, Miss Chung Chohong . ”
Kim Hannah replied with a thin smile .
“What do you mean I’m the only one? Everyone’s still around . ”
“Team Leader Kazuki is busy planning an exploration with his team members . On the other hand, Miss Chung Chohong’s team has more free time . ”
She was saying that the representative’s team had little to do with Seol Jihu being gone .
Though she wasn’t wrong, Chohong was still discontent .
“But I’m not the only one in my team . ”
“That is true, but Miss Eun Yuri still lacks experience and is low-leveled . Miss Hoshino Urara is a little, no, a lot of a worrisome person to be asked to deliver this important item . ”
Kim Hannah tapped on a pouch on the table .
It was a pouch containing four high-grade enhancement stones .
Chohong sighed and dropped her head .
“So you’re really gonna make me work . ”
“Please know that I’m not the one making you work . Representative Seol asked me to give you this job . ”
“Seol did?”
Rather than replying to Chohong’s question, Kim Hannah pushed a document toward her .
Chohong’s frown subsided once she confirmed Seol Jihu’s signature on it .
“Okay… so I just have to deliver this?”
“Yes, and a separate gift that Representative Seol prepared . I will give that to you when you set off . ”
“Jeez, I can’t even remember the last time I went on a delivery mission . ”
Chohong grumbled but did not say no .
In fact, she left Eva that very day .
She stopped by Sicilia as soon as she arrived in Haramark and delivered two enhancement stones as well as a gift Seol Jihu brought from Earth .
“This is the first time I’ve seen them in person . ”
The value of an enhancement stone was something she knew well, and it was enough to intrigue the usually unperturbed Cinzia .
“They look like high-quality goods too…”
After carefully examining the stones, Cinzia threw a glance at Chohong .
“Have you used it before?”
Chohong raised her mace .
“+3 Thorn of Steel . ”
“+3?”
“It was +2 when Seol gave it to me . I used an enhancement stone to get it to +3, so now its power is octupled . ”
Chohong laughed as she swung the mace around .
Cinzia marveled .
“An eightfold amplification… I find that hard to believe . ”
“I can show you if you want . ”
“No thanks . I would rather not test out the power of such a hard-headed weapon . ”
Cinzia chuckled before picking up the pouch .
“I was wondering what to give Agnes as her Unique Ranker advancement gift . These should be good enough . Send Representative Seol my regards . Tell him the enhancement stones and the gift are well received . ”
“Got it… Hmm? Unique Ranker?”
Chohong turned to Agnes who was standing next to Cinzia .
“You’re Level 7 now, Noonim?”
Agnes nodded silently .
Chohong gasped .
“Then Sicilia has two Unique Rankers now… Well, Hoshino Urara became Level 7 too, so I guess it isn’t too strange . ”
Agnes pushed her glasses up .
“That woman became a Unique Ranker too?”
“Uh, that’s what she said . She’s not the only one . Seol should have become a Unique Ranker by now . ”
“By now…?”
“Probably . I mean, considering what he’s achieved in this war, leveling up twice probably won’t make a dent in his contribution points . Or I might be wrong . Who knows?”
“Did Representative Seol not tell you what his level was?”
“Well, he’s been busy with a lot of stuff recently, mostly with reforming the teams and all . He left immediately afterward . ”
Chohong shrugged .
‘He left?’ Cinzia’s eyes narrowed .
“Ah, since you’re here, there’s a message I’d like you to deliver . ”
Cinzia spoke quietly .
“I would like to meet Representative Seol soon . Officially . ”
“Hmm? For what?”
“It’s not something for you to know at the moment . ”
“Alright… but that’s not gonna be easy . ”
Chohong shook her head .
“As I said before, he left . ”
“Did he go on a training trip? If he’s in Eva’s volcanic region, we can easily pay him a visit . It would be even better if he’s in Huge Stone Rocky Mountain . ”
“It’s true that he went to train, but unfortunately, he’s not in either of those places . ”
Chohong spoke .
“Well, I don’t know the exact place either . He said he was going to the temple and just told us that he won’t be able to come back for a while . ”
At that moment, Agnes and Cinzia exchanged glances .
“I see… It can’t be helped then . ”
“Also, don’t ask me about these things . Talk to the fox at our organization . ”
Chohong got up, grumbling .
“Why don’t you stay a little longer? We’re quite curious about different things . ”
“No thanks . I have to visit the palace too . Besides, I’m a Level 6 too now . I have a ton of things I need to do . ”
Chohong picked up her mace and trudged out of the room .
As soon as the door closed behind her, Cinzia made a bored expression .
“He suddenly disappeared…? The position of Gula’s Executor is currently empty, but it’s unlikely that a new Star will be appointed at the moment . ”
“I think so too . The trial needed to become an Executor is equivalent to a class advancement examination . And since it happens inside Paradise, there should be no reason for him to hide or disappear . ”
“We’ll have to stay open-minded, but the fact that he went to the temple… Such a thing happened only once before, no?”
“If you’re talking about Baek Haeju, you are right . ”
The corner of Cinzia’s mouth curled up at Agnes’ affirmation .
“If that is true, Paradise might flip upside down once again . ”
“Of course . It is hard to believe that Valhalla’s representative was not chosen by Gula . We would have to check the Neutral Zone’s VIP shop inventory, but it’s likely that he used the Divine Stigmata . ”
“Tsk, must be nice . Normally you’d have to choose between one, but to be able to have both… Not even Sung Shihyun had such a fortune . ”
Cinzia rummaged through her pocket with a sincerely envious expression .
Then suddenly, she flicked her arm .
Tak! At the same time that Agnes covered her face with her hand, a stone hit her palm .
“Use it well . ”
“Thank you . ”
Agnes bowed respectfully .
“And keep silent about what you heard today . We received such a precious gift . We can’t go around blabbering about it now, can we?”
“Of course, especially considering our future relationship with Valhalla . ”
“Paradise has too many old-timers now . It’s about time for a change of power… Anyway, what did Valhalla’s representative give us?”
Cinzia held up the shopping bags with a curious face and handed one over to Agnes .
Chung Chohong said that Seol Jihu personally prepared these gifts .
Agnes seemed to be curious too after receiving an enhancement stone as she carefully unwrapped the packaging .
Next…
“… . ”
Cinzia dazedly stared at the gift as she held it up . She looked like she received a huge shock .
“…This is . ”
A leopard-print brassiere was dangling between her fingers .
It was underwear no matter how she looked at it .
Cinzia turned to Agnes at the unexpected gift .
Agnes was frozen solid .
Looking down, Cinzia saw light-purple underwear . More importantly, a bear with a ribbon on its head was printed in the middle .
“Pftt . ”
Cinzia’s head turned back .
“What is… pfft… that… pfft… a bear… pfft…”
She tried her best to hold her laughter in .
“Puhat!”
But she exploded in the end .
“Uhahahaha!”
She must have found it quite hilarious as she laughed without a care for her position .
She even slammed the table in front of her .
The unexpected gift had caused her to crack up .
“Y-Your taste in underwear…! How!? When did you two develop such a relationship?”
Agnes’ neck turned red from Cinzia’s ridicule .
“…I respectfully ask for some time off . ”
“Kekeke… why?”
“I need to go to Eva . ”
“For what?”
Cinzia cackled as she wiped her eyes .
“If our prediction is correct, only one person is capable of meeting Valhalla’s representative right now . ”
“Keuk,” Agnes grunted as she squeezed the underwear in her hand .
Knowing that this was true, she could only grit her teeth .
*
After Seol Jihu left, Kim Hannah shouldered the administrative duties of the representative .
To be more precise, she had to take care of work that Seol Jihu left behind without making a mistake .
Although it wasn’t easy, what troubled Kim Hannah was holding a person down .
It wasn’t the Halep siblings .
“What do you mean?”
Kim Hannah swallowed hard as a woman wearing a white ceremonial robe asked coldly .
Baek Haeju had returned to Paradise in the morning .
Kim Hannah ran to meet her as soon as she heard the news, but she couldn’t think of any ways to keep her in Eva .
After all, she was one of the few legends of Paradise .
Naturally, she was able to dismantle any schemes Kim Hannah might set up with ease .
“Jihu… Valhalla’s representative isn’t here?”
“Well…”
Kim Hannah realized how absurd the situation was since she used Seol Jihu’s name to bring her to Valhalla .
To make matters worse, Seo Yuhui wasn’t around either, making Baek Haeju an uncontrollable titan .
‘He said we could reveal the truth to her, right?’
After much consideration, Kim Hannah decided to reveal the partial truth to her .
The problem was that Baek Haeju’s expression turned worse after hearing about it .
“Divine Stigmata…? He left to take the trials to receive a divine vestige?”
“Y-Yes . I don’t know the details, but that is what I heard . But before he left…”
“How long has it been?”
Baek Haeju cut her off .
“How many days has it been since he left?”
She asked again in a hurry .
“I-It’s been a week at least…”
Baek Haeju bit her lower lip at Kim Hannah’s answer .
Baek Haeju .
She was Paradise’s first Level 8 and one who refused the gods’ selection, receiving a divine vestige in its place .
In other words, she was an Earthling who had tread the Path of the Soul before Seol Jihu .
That was how she knew how absurdly difficult the trials of the Path of the Soul were and what kind of a place the trials took place in .
For one, the flow of time was different in that place .
There was a stark difference that was incomparable to the difference in time between Earth and Paradise .
“I think it’s been ten days . ”
Baek Haeju’s eyes widened at Kim Hannah’s answer .
“Ten… days?”
“Yes . He left around this time of the day after finishing up his work… It’s been about ten days exactly . ”
“And he hasn’t come back yet?”
Kim Hannah made a confused face at Baek Haeju repeatedly asking the same question .
She then did a doubletake and asked .
“Ah, Miss Baek Haeju also…”
But before she could finish, Baek Haeju quickly turned back . Kim Hannah called her, but she didn’t listen .
An hour in the Path of the Soul was only six minutes in Paradise’s time .
The time difference was exactly ten times .
In other words, with ten days having passed in Paradise meant that Seol Jihu was in the Path of the Soul for 100 days .
Baek Haeju had taken seven days in Paradise’s time to finish her trials in the Path of the Soul . That was 70 days in that place’s time .
She almost became mentally disabled from her mind breaking down, so she couldn’t sit still after hearing how long Seol Jihu had stayed in that place .
And so, she ran swiftly to the temple of Gula .
*
Same time .
“Huk… huk…”
Seol Jihu was climbing a mountain accompanied by rough panting .
He pushed hard with his hands, but the boulder refused to budge . If anything, his feet were being pushed back .
“Damn it…!”
Seol Jihu shouted and turned back .
Then he looked back up and frowned .
He was not even halfway to his destination .
Right .
Seol Jihu had not even reached the one-third point of the mountain .
Even after 100 days went by .
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