Chapter: 648
Just as I expressed my confusion about how to use the Power of Purification that I gained, my grandfather let out an audible sigh.
[You should know how to wield it considering you’ve previously acquired the Power of Embrace. They may occupy different realms, but they are essentially the same power.]
“R-really?”
Thinking back to the first time I used the Power of Embrace, it felt more intuitive. The moment I resolved to embrace even the resentment and lamentation of my opponent, I instinctively knew what to do.
In contrast, the Purification Miracle is completely baffling. I have no clue what I’m supposed to do!
[Didn’t you handle the miracles well before? ]
“That was just a simple skill! Honestly, I didn’t do anything at all.”
When the Purification Miracle appeared, there were prayers and divine energy flowing within me, but none of it truly reflected my will.
I wondered if my intentions even factored in at all. Trying to perform a miracle like this while lacking clarity is like pulling a trigger on a crossbow and trying to aim with it at the same time.
[Then just be specific. Say you’re going to purify Agra’s power. ]
“Right! That could work!”
After nodding at grandfather’s words, I placed my hands toward the fairies again.
Upon resolving to purify Agra’s power, the divine energy within me stirred, but I couldn’t produce any effect in the outside world.
Agra’s power blocked my Purification Power. To be exact, it was my power being suppressed by the portion of Agra’s strength that the Pope wielded.
“Grandpa?”
[It can’t be helped. The Pope possesses a fragment of Agra’s power, after all. The force he wields is effectively that of an evil god.]
“That’s not what I asked! What should I do now?”
It’s normally expected that a boss is stronger than a player. It just wouldn’t make sense if the Pope were somehow my equal—or weaker.
Even stepping outside of the game, it feels right to say that I shouldn’t be stronger than that lunatic who’s lived for hundreds of years since the Age of Mythology.
But there has to be a way! As Erginius mentioned, ability is something broader in nature. If I can properly wield the Power of Purification, surely I could find a way.
[If you’re outmatched in strength, then you need to think of a more detailed approach. Even the mightiest thing can crumble if you target its weak point.]
“Detailed, huh…”
After sitting down in the snow and continuing to ponder, I eventually sprawled out on the ground.
To put it bluntly, I felt utterly lost.
The dictionary definition of purification is “to cleanse something that is dirty or impure.”
I’d looked it up before when I first received the Purification Miracle, so I definitely remember.
It’s not a complicated word.
Purification means restoring the original cleanliness of a polluted lake, or cleaning a messy area would also fall under purification activities. Even giving a wicked person with impure thoughts a pure heart counts as purification. In movies, bombing a location occupied by aliens could be called a purification operation.
So, if someone thinks something is dirty, just making it clean is purification!
Thus, the Power of Purification should technically be capable of all sorts of amazing things.
[Then why is there a problem with understanding it?]
“It’s too broad!”
So, what exactly are the criteria for something being dirty or impure? This needs to be clarified!
Of course, I know what is dirty or impure.
Beast droppings, or my room after three days of not cleaning? Those can be firmly categorized as filthy!
A clueless fox lurking just under my bed, or someone who rushes to steal another’s husband when called—it’s accurate to say that those are impure.
But that’s not what I’m talking about!
For example, the fairies above my head who aren’t moving at all.
These guys are sound asleep, likely influenced by Agra’s power.
Precisely where is the impurity in them?
What exactly do I need to purify to dispel Agra’s power?
[You’re really thinking about useless stuff.]
“Useless? Are you kidding me!? This stuff is important! Figuring out these specifics is how you can find the loopholes!”
Of course, you can’t just stop thinking at “that’s the way it is.” If you do, you’ll be left behind by others.
To secure first place in the realm of speedrunning, you need exceptional physical ability and luck, and this kind of out-of-the-box thinking!
Initially, people praise you for your mind-blowing ideas, but later they all just copy it so it loses its meaning. But what matters is that it becomes part of history!
Anyway, from my perspective, the Power of Purification seems far too vague.
[You should just focus on Agra’s power. If you keep pondering impurity, you won’t find an answer.]
“But finding a way to distinguish what’s impure is necessary to drill down deeper! Think about it! Some people even deny the very existence of fairies! For such people, they might purify fairies!”
While I made that statement half-jokingly, a part of me was serious. I have no idea what could happen if I used the Purification Power carelessly.
For someone who is an old-timer, even a fairy’s playfulness might be seen as impure. If I’m not careful, I could end up purifying even that playfulness.
“To avert the worst-case scenario, I must deeply consider what to purify! I need to figure out exactly how the evil god’s power operates, and also what my powers are truly capable of!”
After hearing my fervent outburst, grandfather chuckled as if he found it amusing.
[Isn’t that something you have to decide for yourself? ]
“…Huh?”
[Didn’t you yell out what your embrace was back then? If you want to argue, tell the god that bestowed the power upon you. ]
“Did I?”
[It’s the same. The fact that the god lent you the Power of Purification implies that it’s left to your discretion. What you see as impure is impure, and what you consider dirty is dirty.]
At the realization that I was the one who set the standards, I lifted my head slightly and then flopped back down.
In the end, I was the one without conviction, which renders everything pointless.
Aaugh! My confidence has tanked! At this rate, I doubt I can accomplish anything with the Power of Purification!
[Looks like I’m doomed to wander this snowy plain until it ends.]
“If I just sprint along, something will come up, right?”
[I hope it’s a beast, then. That way, we can eat!]
“Wait! Why do we need to hunt? If it’s food, we’ve got plenty.”
Right now, my inventory has enough food to last a month for five people.
I stocked that up just in case we got pulled into a medium or large dungeon.
According to the game text, there are even instances where adventurers cook and eat monsters inside dungeons. Yikes! I couldn’t even fathom touching that!
[You really should’ve been a hero.]
“Have you ever been stranded in a dungeon, grandpa?”
[Didn’t I tell you? That hero can’t seem to map out his way. It’s a given that if he can’t navigate a few floors down, good luck in a dungeon that spans dozens of floors!]
From grandfather’s words, tinged with evident bitterness, I understood that I needed to distinguish between what made me sick before eating and what was okay.
As I heard grandfather’s painful story and came down from the snowy mountain, I followed my instincts and took my steps unthinkingly.
I was someone who had stubbornly felt the weight of luck before.
I had no reason to doubt my instincts this time.
Walking through the snow was something I’m well accustomed to. Marching in snow was part of my extensive training with the Alrn family.
Stumbling now and then was no big deal.
But then I started to think, “Why do I need to do this?” If I took a step with the grace of a fairy, I wouldn’t sink in at all.
When I tried it out, it worked!
From that point on, I dashed as if I were walking on solid ground.
Yet at some point, an unsettling feeling crept in.
I’m running faster than most horses, yet why is nothing happening? It doesn’t add up!
[Is this really the original world?]
“At the very least, it doesn’t seem like a normal place.”
I had a firm grasp of the terrain of the continent.
Yet, out of all the terrains I knew, there was no terrain where I could sprint until sunset without encountering anything.
Something is off here.
“Grandpa, is there a dungeon similar to this one among the places we’ve encountered Agra?”
[No. To be precise, it’s impossible. Just how much power would it take to create a snowy expanse of this magnitude?]
“That is true. I’ve never seen a dungeon like this before. Which is why I’m feeling so giddy.”
If this place has been stretched endlessly by the evil god’s power, it’s not entirely impossible.
Does that even make sense? It’s the kind of power that grants someone immortality after escaping death, so removing the end of a dungeon would be easy-peasy for it!
For someone looking to mess with others, this area would serve as an incredibly efficient dungeon.
With no prep required, you could torment anyone trapped inside endlessly.
But it’s not that strategies don’t exist, so it’s not completely far-fetched from the definition of a dungeon.
“I’ve never felt so thrilled that my heart is pounding fast.”
Yeah. It’s too effective and just nauseating enough.
As I let out a dry laugh while watching the sun set, I felt a strange sense that I could restore the end of this place.
It was a completely different feeling than when I’d tried to purify the fairies.
I truly believed that this was wrong, that places like this shouldn’t exist.
The moment I poured my heart into hoping this place would revert to its rightful form, the scarlet expanse of snow began to vanish, revealing a land tinged with a soft brown hue.
I can’t say I completely understand it, but this has to be the rightful world.
The scent of grass tickling my nose in the wind was my answer.
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