Chapter 49. Contract Established (1)
Golruwa had slipped away once more, still not giving up. Yet, the sellers pointed to where Golruwa had run off to, leading Isaac that way. No one tried to stop him. After all, the creature wasn’t in any shape to run far.
Isaac walked into a market alley.
He felt like Golruwa wasn’t too far away, following the clues of someone dragging themselves along the wall. Isaac strolled through the market alley, thinking about how to take down Golruwa once and for all. And then he paused.
Right in front of him was Hesabel Gullmar. It wasn’t to stop him; quite the opposite. She was holding the severed head of Yukhar. Isaac carefully watched Golruwa’s spirit screaming within the head. As he approached, Hesabel swiftly knelt down and offered the head to him.
Isaac reached out his left hand and consumed Yukhar’s head with his tendrils. The crunch of bones and brain matter filled the dark alley briefly. While this gruesome act unfolded, Hesabel stayed bowed, never lifting her head.
Isaac looked down at her and questioned, “Why did you come back?”
“I’m here to serve you… the real prophet,” she replied.
Hesabel herself didn’t quite understand her return. Kneeling before Isaac, she pondered this strange fact. She had vowed never to see him again when she fled from him. But she couldn’t resist. Roaming through the filthy underbelly of the sewers, she still felt Isaac’s presence and his touch on her neck.
It dawned on her that she could never escape from him, not because he chased her, but because she couldn’t rid her mind of him. Struggling with her thoughts, Hesabel held on to one hope: that Isaac truly was the prophet of the red flesh. With that flicker of hope, she came back.
“I believe… I believe you are the prophet of the red flesh,” she confessed. Isaac burst out laughing, teasing her.
“What if I’m not?” Hesabel had no response.
But ultimately, it didn’t matter to her. Unable to break free from Isaac, she resigned herself to be his follower, believing in him as the prophet of the red flesh provided her with a sense of comfort amidst her act of apostasy. She cautiously met Isaac’s gaze.
“You manipulate unfamiliar flesh and control creatures of chaos. That’s beyond what the gods of light or the world’s order can do.”
The faiths she mentioned belonged to the White Empire and its allies.
“But you’ve also earned the approval of the paladin order and used your powers to make others submit,” she continued.
“So?” Isaac questioned.
“This indicates your expertise in deception and chaos, proving you’re the prophet of the red flesh,” she reasoned.
Hesabel had solidified her allegiance to Isaac through sound logic. Isaac, with a look of chaos, was taken aback by her unwavering conviction. ‘She’s serious about this.’ Hesabel didn’t return with mere determination.
Even if the true prophet of the red flesh appeared, she was ready to reject him as false and worship Isaac as the true angel. The intensity of her faith was somewhat chilling. Unlike Heinkel, who faltered in fear, Hesabel believed Isaac was the only way and had entirely convinced herself. ‘She got scared, but this level of commitment?’
Isaac was deep in thought about why he did what he did when he realized his charm had bumped up significantly. Especially when a Nephilim showed up, the Red Chalice followers were even more drawn to him. He figured her fear-induced submission also had something to do with his charm.
Out of the blue, a strange pop-up appeared in front of Isaac: “[Will you make Hesabel Gullmar (A) your Apostle?]” Becoming an Apostle meant tapping into divinity for miracles or power-ups, a message he never saw while trying to preach to other clans.
An Apostle, not just a regular follower? Even though he wasn’t the most religious guy, Isaac knew that was a big deal.
Then it hit him – it was because of his role in the Nameless Chaos faith. ‘Could turning someone who learned directly from me into an Apostle really be a thing?’ Isaac couldn’t believe it.
On second thought, Hesabel hadn’t really learned any of the faith teachings. But somehow, making her an Apostle felt right.
Hesabel wasn’t bowing to Nameless Chaos, but to Isaac specifically. In a faith with no clear rules, that distinction might be key.
Isaac gently touched her head as she shuddered. Lost in his thoughts, he whispered, “You’re my first Apostle.”
Hesabel lifted her head cautiously at the title.
A cold vibe surrounded Isaac, giving him an ominous air. “Your first task as Apostle starts now.”
***
Isaac headed back to the sewer to finish what he left hanging.
‘Eating those divine beings didn’t change much after all.’ Like with Golruwa, consuming Zihilrat was underwhelming; just a heavy meal feeling remained. But, their divinity had other effects.
Focusing on Hesabel in his mind, her details popped up.
“[Hesabel Gullmar (S)]”
“[Position: Apostle]”
“[Status: Blind Fanaticism]”
“[Red Prayer, Parasite Beyond, Vampirism]”
‘Divinity boosts a follower or Apostle…’ Consuming divinity added strength and new tricks. Isaac upped Hesabel from A to S, giving her the power to create and wield parasites. Though it used a lot of divinity, this move shifted her loyalty from just submission to pure fanaticism.
Plus, the stronger the faith bond, the easier to track the followers. Even if Hesabel went off-grid, Isaac would know.
‘Betrayal-proof now.’ And a little gift for Zihilrat too.
“[Zihilrat (S)]”
“[Position: Divine Beast]”
“[Status: Absolute Submission]”
“[Constant Camouflage, Predation, Under the Hide, Touch of Chaos, Minor Domination]”
Zihilrat’s status had shot up from just a chaotic offspring to a Divine Beast. Part of it was because of its divine nature, but also thanks to its unexpected trick called ‘Under the Hide’. This cool ability, one of the choices when Isaac first made this character, let Zihilrat munch on a target and use their skin as a disguise. Yep, Zihilrat could now look like critters or even humans to some degree.
***
Isaac was back on his real mission. In front of him was the sanctuary ruled by Golruwa.
[“This place is full of the ‘God of Wealth’.]
[You can clean up the tainted sanctuary.]
[Will you dedicate this place to the ‘Nameless Chaos’?]
He also thought about giving the sanctuary back to the Golden Idol. But it seemed like the Golden Idol’s crew had forgotten about this place for a long time. Maybe Yukhar was secretly handling it, or maybe it wasn’t a big deal to them. It’s hard to judge how important a sanctuary is just by looking at it.
‘Well, might as well make something of what’s been abandoned.’
Isaac plopped his hand on the altar and said, “I dedicate this sanctuary to the Nameless Chaos.” Just like with Zihilrat’s place, tentacles spread out from his hand and planted a beating heart in the sanctuary. With the steady heartbeats, Isaac felt super calm and recharged, physically and mentally. The energy he used up with the Lighthouse of the Watcher quickly came back.
[A reward for ‘Sanctuary Purification’ by Chaos has been given.]
[Pick one of these three rewards.]
[Scythe of the Perimeter / Turns tentacle edges into saw blades, ripping through everything.]
[The Caller from the Abyss / Makes the target go crazy, slowing them down.]
[Color Beyond / Spreads darkness, messing with vision and causing chaos.]
“Hmm…”
Isaac made a soft noise, not because he was confused but because all the choices looked useful. During the fight with Golruwa, Isaac saw enemies that were tough to hurt. If the Scythe of the Perimeter could slice through ‘everything’, it could be handy against those enemies.
‘But I don’t really need more attack power right now and probably won’t face many of those enemies… So, let’s skip that.’
Next up was The Caller from the Abyss. It seemed like a stronger and faster debuff for one target compared to Color Beyond, which affected a bunch of targets.
‘The Caller from the Abyss sounds better.’
These skills are also boosted by charisma. If a big baddie like Hesabel goes nuts and starts attacking friends or gets stuck, it could be a big help.
But in the end, Isaac went with Color Beyond. What sealed the deal for him was the part about ‘covering the area in darkness to mess with vision.’
‘Right now, standing out limits my moves.’
With this skill that brings darkness, he could hide himself a bit even in daylight. If he could use his sword skills or tentacles under the cover of darkness, it’d be way easier to handle tough spots.
Besides, Isaac didn’t just have to deal with one tough enemy – he was up against a whole bunch of them. The Nephilim race he was up against didn’t have the stamina for long fights, so he had to make a smart choice and go with Color Beyond.
As he soaked in the sanctuary’s effects, Seor suddenly seemed more alive and vibrant to him. Even the greed that lingered from those not directly touched by the Lighthouse of the Watcher was starting to fade thanks to the sanctuary’s influence. Tomorrow, everyone would wake up with clearer heads and face reality head-on.
Isaac could sense the tension and unease spreading through the Seor market. Golruwa was right – getting rid of their greed wasn’t going to happen overnight. For many, their lives and livelihoods were on the line. But for those who could read the room and act fast, it was time to address the issue at hand.
Seeing the worry on the face of Caitlin, the branch manager of the Golden Idol’s Seor location, Isaac grinned. “Let’s start collecting those dues, shall we?”
