“A person… are you saying a human?”
“Of course.”
“But your lineage…”
“Shall I prove it?”
Clang!
A hammer naturally finds its way into my hand.
Nokju glanced at the hammer and nodded quietly.
“I understand. If that’s the will of the Ascendant.”
“It’s not just the will; it’s the truth.”
“……”
[LOL]
[Proof (Physical)]
[Why does Lily hate angels so much?]
[Human Lily]
[Ha, if you’re upset, let’s throw down!]
[Lily is indeed an angel.]
[What drops if you defeat the old dragon?]
“Anyway, since the Ascendant has defeated Jeokhye, you will receive recognition from the Main Temple. You can stay here as long as you like.”
“Is it really impossible to go to the Main Temple?”
“That requires a Holy Seal. It’s a law of the Heavenly Realm, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
So it’s impossible without the Holy Seal, huh?
I hadn’t planned to go to the Main Temple right away, but since I’m here, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stop by.
But without the Holy Seal, I’ll have to stick to my original plan and visit Ertarn first.
“How can I obtain a Holy Seal?”
“The ownership of the Holy Seal is not under our jurisdiction. Therefore, you must find it yourself.”
“…Hmmm.”
I’m not very knowledgeable about how to obtain a Holy Seal, since I got mine through a job change.
I wonder if there’s a separate linked quest in the continent?
“Oh, and earlier, when Lady Jeokhye was collapsing, she referred to me as a Supreme Human. Is she talking about Teshiniria?”
“That’s correct. They account for about 20% of the domains in the Heavenly Realm. They possess exceptional techniques and strong bodies capable of containing them.”
“About what rank is the leader of Teshiniria?”
“The ranking will be similar to mine. They’re among the few active leaders, known as Interra.”
So about rank 4 or 5, huh?
If Nokju is at a similar level, tackling Teshiniria shouldn’t be too difficult.
Nokju is undoubtedly strong, but we can communicate, and now that I’m level 4, it shouldn’t be impossible to win against.
‘The techniques might differ a bit, though.’
The moment I learned that the blunt technique I acquired is from Teshiniria, I must push the assault on Teshiniria as far back as possible.
Thud.
I placed my empty teacup on the table and stood up.
“If I ever find the Holy Seal, I’ll drop by.”
“Are you planning to head to the land of the Celestial Being?”
“For now, it’s the only place I can go.”
Having already faced off against the mid-boss Jeokhye and gathered valuable information from the final boss, Nokju, I couldn’t go to the ‘real’ Main Temple without the Holy Seal, but I achieved progress in my own way.
It’s time to head towards Ertarn, the original purpose.
Nokju stroked his long beard, seeming to ponder for a moment before breaking into a smile.
A face full of mischievous thoughts.
And the target of this mischief wasn’t me.
“Do you need a guide?”
“…What did you just say?”
“It’s as I said.”
Jeokhye, now fully recovered, struck a pose and raised her eyebrow in confusion.
Meanwhile, a grin was plastered across Nokju’s face, which prompted Jeokhye to look at him in utter disbelief.
“Go with Lily, the chosen one, to the land of giants.”
“Why should I?”
“Because you lost, didn’t you? Are you just going to brush this off like it never happened?”
“Um, well…”
“It’ll help with your training, which you need badly. It’s a great opportunity.”
“…What if that person doesn’t want to?”
“Doesn’t want to?”
Nokju turned to look at me.
The two of them were having this conversation right in front of Jeokhye, who was recovering in a side room, while I quietly watched.
Jeokhye finally realized my presence and jumped back in surprise.
I gotta admit, she really did look like a frog.
“I’m fine with it!”
If they’re helping me, that’s a bonus.
I barely know the geography here, and apart from scant information, I’m pretty much clueless.
There’s no guarantee that other beings from different worlds will be as friendly as Nokju, so it’d be great to have someone familiar with the area accompany me.
[Slave No. 3?]
[Frog croak]
[Lolololololol]
[I kinda need a guide]
[A man is a bit…]
[It’s a free slave~]
[You’re okay with a frog]
Jeokhye’s expression turned mysterious.
She didn’t seem to absolutely hate the idea, but she didn’t seem thrilled about it either.
With that ambiguous expression…
“It seems you don’t want your true intentions to be revealed. In my thousands of years, I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman—”
“Don’t spout nonsense, old man!”
“Hahaha. You’ve grown rude.”
“Ugh…”
“Don’t worry. I’m not bothered.”
Yena, now and forever, has garnered countless gazes and attention due to her absurd beauty.
I’ve seen all sorts of human types, and I’ve come across many like Jeokhye, so it doesn’t faze me.
“It’ll be fine. It’s just guiding, after all.”
“……”
[Oh]
[Lily, lolololol]
[Just kill me]
[Lolololololololol]
[This?]
[Lily, Lily…]
[0Confession 1Time ㄷㄷ]
[Lily, take it easy;;]
[Reminds me of the Devil…]
[Lololol]
[It’s hilarious how you hit without realizing it, lol]
“Getting hit without even a rank is just hilarious, lol.”
“😢”
Jeokhye shakes her head with a face that looks like she might die.
“Can’t we just not go?”
“They said you can’t say it was a heartbreak.”
“What are you talking about…?!”
Jeokhye’s shouting suddenly stops as Nokju’s magic envelops her body.
In an instant, the transformation magic surrounding Jeokhye is dispelled and she returns to the appearance of the red frog I had brought.
A round and adorable frog that could fill both of my hands.
“???”
“From now on, walk around in that form.”
“What? In the form of a lowly creature?”
“Yeah, you’re a lowly creature. But…”
Swish.
Nokju looks at me.
“Honestly, a frog is cuter than a human form.”
More precisely, it’s me looking at Jeokhye.
“For someone, a lowly creature’s appearance seems better.”
“That’s true.”
Grab.
“Ugh.”
“I’ll return it to you later.”
“Sure. Please say hello to the God for Jeokhye.”
It’s uncertain if she’ll wake up…
“Since there’s an ascendant, anything could happen.”
“Um, elder?”
“Interest isn’t limited to just one kind. This is your only path.”
“Elder!”
[Treating her like a pet, lol]
“😢”
[She is cute though]
[That frog is really cute]
[Oh my, oh my, oh my]
[But that frog is adorable]
[Look at those limbs popping out, haha]
[Is she cuddling with Lily?]
[So jealous]
Whooosh!
A cloud that looks like a mix of gray and green rises, and Jeokhye’s and my bodies swiftly descend beneath the Main Temple.
I set Jeokhye, who was dangling in my arms, down.
Her face is even more pouty than before.
“Shall we set off now?”
“…Let me say one thing first. Even though I lost to you, I am still one of the esteemed ones of the Main Temple and a celestial being who has reached the highest realm, so please refrain from treating me like a puppy…”
Stretch.
“Oh. It’s growing.”
“Eugh.”
■
Giant God.
A transcendent being known as the god of giants, in the world of Ertarn, and a natural phenomenon.
He has lived much longer than other monsters or celestial beings who have lived for thousands of years.
He is literally a living history, having lived through such an immense amount of time, but he hasn’t spent the entirety of that long, unfathomable duration awake.
Once the Giant God falls asleep, he sleeps for nearly a thousand years and upon waking, does not take long before he seeks sleep again.
Being not a creature by birth, he does not feel the need to be active.
Therefore, the days the Giant God awakens are akin to the descent of a god.
The day of awakening felt as though a god had descended.
“And when the god descends, it brings changes to the world.”
“What kind of changes?”
“From small changes with the giants and their lands to grand changes that affect the entire heavenly realm. The whole world turns upside down.”
“Seems like not much is happening, though.”
“Giants can’t help it; it’s in their nature…”
Swoosh.
“Ugh! Explain it better!”
“It’s squishy.”
“Damn it…”
[Hahahahahaha]
[Frog lol]
[Is Leo just a substitute?]
[Jealous]
[Can we not kill the frog?]
[Cute lol]
[Damn it lol]
Jeokhye and I were flying towards Ertarn on a giant, expanded crane.
Normally, we could reach it by walking directly west, but there’s territory of other races in between, so we had to take the crane route.
Strong beings above the level of each world have vows not to invade each other’s territories, so it can’t be helped.
But the Celestial Being side was an exception.
Thwack!
“Ouch.”
“…Cough! Anyway, to continue my question, giants don’t care about territories in the heavenly realm apart from their own world. Their nature comes from the environment, so they aren’t overly attached to land.”
“So it won’t be a problem to go together?”
“Yes. In fact, more than half of the Celestial Being’s land is occupied by other races. The reason we’re taking this detour is that the territory was originally Celestial Being land but was taken over by others.”
“Ah, I see.”
It looks like the Celestial Being side appears to be taken advantage of, but it’s brushed off as a natural occurrence due to their nature.
However, considering the overwhelming level of the Celestial Beings compared to other races, they wouldn’t be ignored entirely.
If they were, they would have devoured it all, not half.
“So, what kind of change is supposed to happen?”
“No one knows. The awakening intervals are long, and every time the changes differ.”
However.
“But?”
“At least, it seems that it won’t be good for us.”
The Celestial Being is the god of giants, after all.
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