Chapter 77 - The Snow Mountain Wyvern Hunt (2)

The inner sanctum, managed by the Church of Knights, was as intact as the territory of the Royal Knights. However, the atmosphere inside was completely different.

“Oh, the priests...”

“How long will this life continue...”

“If this goes on, we...”

The citizens murmured. The voices heard on the way to the cathedral were filled with anxiety. This was especially true as they were in the process of moving the priests who had fallen victim to the fallen knight.

- The knights are tough, but the people weren't like this.

- It's a difference in power, isn't it?

- Power difference.

- There are many people who would become the undead without the protection.

- Looking at it this way, the knights might be doing a good job.

The viewers also felt this way. As they left the street and approached the cathedral, the control disappeared.

“Oh! Hero!”

A priest with wrinkled skin rushed forward and bowed deeply.

- Wow lol, he just bowed.

- Isn't this high-ranking priest a different character?

- lol, he's usually a character who maintains his dignity and comforts the protagonist.

- Since there are no victims, he's coming in a low posture lol.

The viewers expressed satisfaction with the high-ranking priest's changed attitude. The high-ranking priest repeatedly bowed in gratitude.

“If the hero had not come, more blood would have been shed. Thank you, and thank you again.”

“That's enough. More importantly, I wish to see the Holy Maiden.”

“Ah, of course. The Holy Maiden also heard the news and wanted to express her gratitude. Please come this way.”

In response to the protagonist's words, the high-ranking priest immediately offered to guide him. As he followed, they were about to enter the cathedral when suddenly, a popping sound filled the air, and the witch golem on his shoulder was flung backward.

“Huh?”

- ?????

- What is it?

- Wow? What happened?

- Mini Yuna!

Both the viewers and the protagonist were taken aback. The protagonist quickly tended to the flung golem.

Geometric runes were drawn on the golem's body.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“What, what is it!?”

The high-ranking priest was also shocked and hurried over. His face soon turned as hard as stone.

“Oh, hero. I apologize, but that cannot enter the cathedral.”

“What...”

Before the protagonist could ask for an explanation, the witch golem stood up.

“No, it's okay. As the high-ranking priest said...”

Her words made the protagonist turn his gaze back to her. The witch golem, carefully descending from his palm, looked up at him.

“This rune is etched into my soul.”

“A rune on your soul?”

“Yes. This rune means ‘Outcast.’ I thought it would be okay now...”

The witch spoke with a bitter tone. Her words stirred the chat room.

- Wow? Is Yuna an outcast?

- How did this happen? How did this happen?

- Is this a new plot twist?

- Elbun, start your brain!

- Is the witch the mastermind?

- Is Yuna the final boss?

- Spoiler alert!

- Since Godpago didn't catch it, it's probably wrong lol.

Lee Kyungbok couldn't agree with such theories.

‘I didn't feel any unpleasantness from the villains. The witch is definitely a supporting character.’

Then, why was she an outcast? There was no way to know yet, so Lee Kyungbok focused on the cutscene.

“Broken one, I didn't hide it on purpose. But... now it just sounds like an excuse.”

The witch seemed ready to argue but then resignedly bowed her head. The protagonist looked at her for a moment before cautiously extending his hand.

“I only believe what I see.”

The witch's bowed head was lifted by his hand.

“Didn't you say that a name is just a fragment of existence? The mark of an outcast is the same.”

“What do you mean...?”

“I believe in what I see of you more than a mark left by someone unknown.”

A smile appeared on the witch's face. She firmly held the protagonist's fingers and buried her face in his palm.

“...Thank you.”

The chat room's atmosphere changed again.

- Are you being sarcastic at this moment?

- Mini Yuna is so cute!

- No way lol, how can such a cute Yuna be the mastermind?

- This is the protective instinct.

- Every household needs a mini Yuna.

- Ah lol, if you go to a shrine, Yuna will self-exile.

- ??? : Ugh, is this the broken one? Is his face just broken?

- Manager, ban the troll!

While the viewers were in an uproar, the witch carefully stepped back from the protagonist's hand.

“Go on. I... will wait for you here.”

“...I'll be back soon.”

The protagonist turned around. The high-ranking priest, subtly checking the situation, stepped forward again.

“Oh...”

As they entered the cathedral, Lee Kyungbok couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. As soon as they entered, a large corridor came into view.

The interior, reminiscent of Gothic and Baroque styles, was grand, and the walls of the corridor were filled with elaborate murals.

- Admiration level 999

- Ah lol, this is invincible.

- It's not that the grandeur is fake, it's that From does this well.

- This is art.

The viewers were satisfied with Lee Kyungbok's admiration. The high-ranking priest, walking down the corridor, turned his head.

“These murals depict the history of our Church of Knights.”

“History?”

“Yes. It is also the history of humanity.”

The high-ranking priest revealed a sense of pride while maintaining a reverent attitude as he looked up at the murals.

“At the beginning, humans were nothing more than prey for other beings. Life was filled with death and fear, a life that was not truly life.”

The protagonist's gaze followed his. The murals showed humans being caught and eaten by monsters.

“But a savior appeared to free us from that oppression. He was the ancient knight, ‘Elden Knights.’ He fought against the monsters for humanity and opened the age of humans.”

The murals depicted a knight in resplendent gold.

- This is the story of Elden Series 1 lol.

- lol, From does a great job with these references.

- But when you look inside, it was Elbun lol.

- Don't apply real-world logic to games!

The chat room was filled with laughter thanks to viewers who had played the previous game.

“However, even with the age of humans, we were still weak.”

The high-ranking priest shook his head and looked at another mural.

“Thanks to his help, humans flourished, but threats still lurked. No matter how great a savior, he couldn't be everywhere at once.”

The contrast between people rejoicing by the golden knight, who shone like the sun, and those dying in the shadows where his light didn't reach was striking.

Lee Kyungbok couldn't help but admire the detail of the murals.

“Ultimately, he made a noble decision.”

“Decision?”

“Yes. For humanity, he sacrificed his soul. His precious soul, which possessed the power of ‘immortality.’”

In the next mural, the knight no longer shone with gold. Instead, humans, not as brilliant as the knight but still radiating light, were depicted.

“Thanks to this, those who received a share of Elden Knight's soul were born. Though not as powerful as he was, they were ‘saviors of humanity’ who repeatedly fought and defeated monsters.”

They had reached the last mural.

The golden knights were lined up in front of a towering castle.

“The age of humans was fully established, and the kingdom of ‘Elden Kingdom’ was founded.”

Lee Kyungbok immediately understood.

“This is the story of the second game, right?”

- Yes, that's right.

- That's why Elden Kingdom had a lot of cooperative content.

- But it was full of trolls because it was Elbun.

- lol, there were so many betrayers in a cooperative game.

- From trusted humans too much...

- So, in the third game, the kingdom is destroyed, right? lol.

- Ah lol, From had a realization.

The viewers eagerly shared their memories of the previous game. But that didn't last long.

“This is the chapel. The Holy Maiden is inside. I will...”

The high-ranking priest bowed deeply and finished his guidance. As the protagonist entered, a faint fragrance filled the air.

The reason was soon clear.

The spacious chapel was filled with numerous incense sticks. In the center was a woman.

Her attire, white with golden embroidery, and her long, golden hair, brighter than the gold, stood out.

“Ah, you've come. I am Sophia, the Holy Maiden of the Church of Knights.”

With a clear voice, she turned around. She was a woman with fair skin and a beauty that anyone would call stunning.

- Church Yuna!

- Church Yuna, hurry up and come out lol.

- Church Yuna is so pretty.

- The Church of Knights must select the Holy Maiden based on appearance.

- If Godpago had more screen time, she would have been more popular than the witch Yuna.

- But if mini Yuna appears?

- lol, this time, mini Yuna will definitely fail.

The viewers cheered and praised Sophia's appearance. But Lee Kyungbok couldn't join in.

‘What is this?’

Characters in the game convey various feelings. Lee Kyungbok distinguished friends from foes based on the sensations conveyed by his intuition and divine sense.

But the Holy Maiden was different.

‘Why do I feel nothing?’

It wasn't positive or negative.

It felt like dealing with an inanimate object.

“I was... mourning the victims. I hoped there wouldn't be more, but they've already filled up.”

Sophia looked around the chapel and sighed deeply.

“Today was the same. But thanks to you, we prevented greater loss. I sincerely thank you.”

She raised her hands demurely and bowed. The protagonist nodded calmly.

“I've already received enough thanks. I came to see you for another reason.”

“Another reason?”

“Yes.”

As the protagonist spoke, the screen briefly went dark and then brightened.

“To observe the castle's situation, I need the Holy Relic...”

Sophia's face hardened as she muttered. Lee Kyungbok added a short comment.

“He must have explained the situation.”

It was clear that he had relayed the conversation with the knight commander Blondo. Sophia slowly shook her head.

“I understand the situation, but I cannot give you the Holy Relic.”

“Is it because of the conflict with the knights?”

“No, I don't doubt Commander Blondo's intentions. There's another issue.”

“Another issue...?”

Sophia pointed upward with her finger.

“The protective barrier that guards the sanctuary comes from the Holy Relic. If I give it to you now... I won't be able to protect the residents of the sanctuary.”

Her words stirred the chat room.

- Ah! This is the plot point mini Yuna mentioned.

- Yes, the Holy Maiden said she couldn't create such a barrier.

- The barrier is powered by the Holy Relic lol.

Lee Kyungbok, observing the chat room, felt a sense of unease again.

‘This is strange. If it's an item with such functionality, I should feel something...’

His intuition could detect helpful items. But he still felt nothing from the Holy Maiden.

‘Is the Holy Relic somewhere else?’

Perhaps it was out of his detection range.

- Wow? Then what do we do?

- Originally, the Holy Relic was given in exchange for the protagonist occupying the knight territory.

- Ah, they moved people to a new location.

- But this time, it might be different?

- lol, the knight alliance route is definitely different.

- Is this a reconciliation route between the church and the knights?

The answer to the viewers' questions came quickly.

“Impossible?”

“...Not entirely impossible.”

“What do you mean?”

“The reason for the protective barrier over the sanctuary is not just the knights. There's a bigger reason.”

“Bigger? Another threat?”

“Yes. There's a snow mountain behind us. At its peak lives a wyvern.”

The protagonist frowned.

“A wyvern?”

Sophia took out a blue jewel. A small sword was embedded in the blue sphere in a cross shape.

‘Is this the Holy Relic?’

Lee Kyungbok felt strange again.

He couldn't detect anything from the Holy Relic she took out.

“Yes. If... you defeat the wyvern, it would be safe to give you the Holy Relic.”

As she spoke, Sophia continued.

Instead of the knights, the condition she proposed was the wyvern hunt. The chat room was filled with question marks.

- Eh?

- No way;; This is how it turns out?

- The snow mountain wyvern was originally an optional boss.

- In this development, it's become a mandatory boss.

- They made the spirit golem optional but made the snow mountain wyvern mandatory lol.

- The difficulty is insane lol.

The viewers couldn't hide their surprise at the changed development. Lee Kyungbok, observing their reactions, tilted his head.

‘The chat room only mentions the wyvern. So, is the Holy Relic correct?’

Meanwhile, the protagonist turned around.

“I'll come back after the job is done.”

“Yes, I'll wait for you. May the blessing of the Elden Knights be with you in your battle.”

As Sophia left the chapel, control returned.

The cutscene ended.

He could leave the cathedral now, but...

‘...Something feels off.’

Lee Kyungbok couldn't easily move. The conversation with Sophia left him with a stifling feeling.

Ignoring such a feeling never led to good outcomes.

‘But I can't just cast a divination during a broadcast.’

While he was pondering, an object caught his eye.

‘This...’

It was a container filled with thin incense sticks in the chapel. Lee Kyungbok's eyes lit up.

‘I can use this to read the situation.’

Divination with incense sticks (算筒占).

A method of divination used mainly by the blind, involving drawing sticks from a container and interpreting the marks on them. The expression “breaking the stick” comes from this method.

Lee Kyungbok drew a few incense sticks. Using them as divination sticks, he gauged the texture on their surfaces instead of marks.

‘Hmm...?’

The divination for dealing with the wyvern as suggested by Sophia resulted in “Minor Misfortune.” But that wasn't all.

‘Warding off misfortune and seeking good fortune.’

The additional result was “Great Auspiciousness.”

After confirming the divination, Lee Kyungbok lit one of the incense sticks.

- ???

- Why light the incense stick suddenly?

- What is it?

- Ah lol, don't interrupt Godpago's immersion!

The viewers expressed their confusion. Lee Kyungbok laughed lightly and replied.

“This is for the wyvern that will be sacrificed for the Holy Relic.”

- Here it is! The killing smile!

- Lol, this time it's the wyvern-killing smile.

- Ah lol, I guess sacrifice is still a sacrifice.

- Sacrifice (forced)

- Humans are so cruel!

- Yudahee: You're introducing someone? No, it's a wyvern.

- Ah lol, Yudahee is now a matchmaker.

Lee Kyungbok smoothly ad-libbed to move past the situation. No one in the chat room suspected he had cast a divination.

“Shall we go?”

* * *

Lee Kyungbok arrived at the snow mountain with the witch golem.

“Wow, the atmosphere is definitely strong.”

The eternal snow covered the mountain, and intermittent gusts of wind created snowstorms. The view was dominated by a rocky mountain with almost no vegetation due to the cold.

“If it were really cold, we'd freeze to death before we could fight.”

Lee Kyungbok shivered dramatically and joked.

- If it were really cold, no one would try to clear this area lol.

- lol, even the undead would wear long down jackets.

- What's an undead long down jacket? lol

- Is Elden Goose coming out?

Fortunately, the actual cold was just a bit chilly.

“Still, it will take some time to reach the peak...”

Lee Kyungbok looked up at the peak. The steep height and slope made the hiking trail wind around the mountain.

- Yes, enemies guard the path, making it hard to avoid.

- Plus, a gust of wind can easily knock you off the mountain lol.

- The trail around the mountain is quite long.

- The trail is ridiculous lol.

- No