Dealing with an invasion from another world is tough enough, but now there’s a being stirring up trouble? This is lethal.
– The Goddess of Water Irmana can’t hide her joy.
“When did you arrive?”
After being blocked, Irmana is finally making her presence known again. It seems she’s quite pleased to have safely protected the Beastmen and the Precious Gem.
– The Goddess of Water Irmana hopes to speak with ‘Mura,’ Ryun’s follower.
“Of course.”
I requested Sang-gun to return to our world quickly and combine our powers, and he said he would tidy things up here as fast as he could and then return.
“Are you already leaving?!”
Arang dashed over, startled to see me trying to leave. She fidgeted with her lips several times but finally nodded weakly and cleared a path for me.
As I was leaving, she quietly whispered behind me, “I’ll definitely repay you… if it’s okay with you, anytime…”
After saying something so out of the blue, she turned beet red and scampered away.
“I’ve never been hit with such a straight line before. She must know I’m not a normal human.”
I didn’t feel bad about it, but the first thing that popped into my head was Yeon-hee’s angry face.
“Don’t worry. The only place I’m heading back to is right next to you.”
Before heading back to the shelter, I went to meet ‘Mura’ as per Irmana’s request.
“Reward, reward!”
Honestly, if I managed to block things this cleanly, shouldn’t there be an amazing reward?
[I’m sorry… All my power is sealed in the Precious Gem… .]
But Mura, the treant, looked gloomy, saying there was nothing they could offer.
“Wait… you mean you have nothing?”
[I’m sorry… but using even just a bit of the Precious Gem’s power must have been a huge help for your future! It’s an amazing orb containing the essence of Goddess Ryun! It could help you gain new possibilities… .]
“Well, that’s true…”
Without this Precious Gem, I wouldn’t have been able to create miracles like today.
As I remained quiet, as if agreeing, Mura seemed to find their confidence again and added,
[Moreover, the fact that Goddess Irmana continues to support you is astonishing. You’ve already fused three attributes! That’s truly miraculous!]
“Huh… is that so?”
I had no logical counter to that. Come to think of it, having Irmana by my side seemed so natural now.
Maybe that’s why I’ve adapted quickly to using the power of ‘Cheongwol’ to unleash the possibilities of magic and attributes. That must be thanks to the goddess’ support, right?
– The Goddess of Water Irmana nods vigorously.
[Of course, it’s extremely rare to have a vessel capable of handling a divine being like Irmana… Thanks to you, Irmana’s strength is also recovering, so we’re helping each other—]
“Ah, so that’s how it is?”
Not entirely purely helping me?
– The Goddess of Water Irmana glares at ‘Mura.’
Mura quickly dodged her gaze and nervously shuffled their feet.
[…Ahem. Anyway, please hand over the Precious Gem to me. It’s my mission to protect it.]
“Well, I guess there’s no choice. Take it.”
There was something concerning in between, but since I didn’t particularly dislike having Irmana around, I let it slide.
But how do I detach this Precious Gem?
“The part inside me wasn’t under my will, so I frankly don’t know how to separate it.”
I laid out the situation, but Mura confidently approached me, insisting they could remove it.
[Leave this to me!]
However.
[…Why, why isn’t it working?]
Mura was so flustered they began to bend like a slime, losing shape.
[Irmana? Could you possibly lend me a hand?]
– The Goddess of Water Irmana joins Mura to try removing ‘Ryun’s Pearl!’
[One, two, heave! Ugggh! Why isn’t this coming off…! Goddess Ryun!! You need to come here! The hero has to head out again, so why won’t you let go?!]
Despite their combined efforts, the orb infused with ‘Ryun’s’ power stubbornly clung to my body.
– ‘Ryun’s Pearl’ strongly resists external forces!
– ‘Ryun’s’ will indicates they want to stay here!
– The Goddess of Water Irmana glares at ‘Ryun’!
– The curled-up Goddess of Water ‘Ryun’ desperately averts her gaze!
“No… what are all of you trying to do with me…?”
Watching the scene, it felt like the Goddess ‘Ryun’ was wanting to stay a bit longer attached to my body.
Since Irmana said she was recovering strength while staying with me, maybe Ryun was wanting to see the effects as well.
“I can’t tell… Is it because I’m holding a Life Potion? That’s the only reason I can think of.”
I wonder if being close to me will get her in trouble with the goddess.
[I’m giving up…]
In the end, ‘Mura,’ Ryun’s ardent follower, declared defeat.
There’s no way to go against the will of the goddess they serve.
[Waaah… I’ll now have to lonely guard this tree—]
As Mura pretended to wipe away tears that wouldn’t come out, a small giggle began echoing.
[What’s this?]
“It’s the Beastmen. They said a few would stay, but this is more than a few.”
Severely injured Beastmen needing healing and their caregivers. It seems the scholars from their kind about this world have already returned to the tree.
[I… better go. As a guest has arrived, I can’t just sit here.]
Mura was unstable since we first met, but it was only when the Beastmen returned to the tree that their form became stable.
“No idea how that works, but having the Beastmen nearby is positively affecting Mura.”
Regardless, it seems everything’s tied up nicely, so I should make my exit now.
“Are you already leaving?”
“Our world is in shambles too… it seems the Seven-headed Dragon has also vanished.”
“Is that so? Do you feel it?”
“Yes, when I used the potion earlier, I opened a rift and disappeared alone.”
“I’m afraid they might come again.”
“I doubt it. That guy knows I have the Precious Gem. Unless he intends to attack me.”
“W-what?! That makes it a huge problem!”
“Well, I think it’ll be safe for a while.”
When I turned to see the Seven-headed Dragon looking dazed as it stares up at the sky, it seemed like it wouldn’t recover easily.
“Regardless, it’s certain they don’t plan to harm me until they deal with the blue-eyed one.”
Having said my goodbyes to the Beastmen and Mura, I had to retrace my steps back to where I came from.
“Is it necessary to go there to return?”
– The Goddess of Water Irmana informs that she cannot perform dimensional travel from anywhere.
“I see.”
– ….
An awkward silence fell during our travel.
Usually, when there are no events, Irmana would avert her gaze, but now she’s openly staring at me, creating atmosphere.
“If you have something to say, go ahead.”
– The Goddess of Water Irmana expresses her gratitude to the summoner ‘Il-wol.’
– To the darkness that clears away the darkness. I grant Irmana’s brilliant blessing upon you, who shines brighter than light.
– Irmana’s blessing effect greatly increases!
– Irmana’s Brilliant Blessing: Strength, Agility, Health, Magic Power, Recovery +200
“──?!! Awesome!!”
Considering the original blessing effect jumped by 20, Irmana clearly decided to give me a significant reward.
[Thank you…]
Irmana softly whispered that and momentarily left my side.
“I hope you didn’t overdo it?”
Soon, I arrived at the exact spot I first came to. There, a pillar of blue light was surging towards the sky as if flowing upstream.
I jumped into it without much thought and found myself on top of an unknown building quite a distance from the shelter once I regained my senses.
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
For some reason, the air felt different.
Boom- Boom- Boom-
Is it because ‘Ryun’s Pearl’ is pulsing?
Or is it because my level jumped three stages and I stole many of Jo Gi-man’s abilities?
“No… it’s due to those guys.”
There was a monster giving off a presence unlike anything I had felt before, now extending up to 60km away.
“Orc Legion Commander Por?!”
I’m sure Irmana said he wouldn’t show up just yet; has a variable arisen in the meantime?
Waaaaarrrr!!!
He roared from the roof of a building several kilometers away, parallel to my height, proclaiming his emergence into this world.
Chingg-!!
KWA-BOOM-!!
His roar was so loud that the glass windows from the building he stood on started shattering one after another, creating a wave of glass fragments heading towards where I was.
“Have I ever seen such a crazy monster?!”
Yet, the Orc Legion Commander Por suddenly turned his head and fixed his gaze directly on me.
“Did he sense me from that distance?! That can’t be?!”
Could he have felt the energy generated when I dimension-traveled?
That was entirely plausible. The energy Irmana had arranged was still shimmering behind me.
“First, let’s return to the shelter.”
I made eye contact with Por while returning to the shelter at a steady pace.
He was still fixated on me, as if his purpose for being here was to find me.
“Will he remember our previous encounter?”
From afar, he seemed in control of his senses, but could he have regained his wits after coming here?
As I struggled with those futile expectations, I dropped down beneath the shelter.
Boom—!
“Ow, what a mistake.”
With my stats shooting up so rapidly, I found myself struggling to control my body.
“Il-wol!!”
As expected, Yeon-hee dashed toward me.
Her violet eyes remained as sincere and devoid of deception as ever.
“You’ve grown your hair a lot longer since the last time I saw you.”
Now, it felt like her black hair reached her shoulders, and she seemed a little taller too.
Seeing Yeon-hee run toward me with a bright smile made my heart feel heavy.
The Orc Legion Commander, who killed Yeon-hee in my past life, was still watching me.
Many obstacles still lay between us, but his eyes were undoubtedly tracking me.
“This time, I won’t let it happen.”
Next was the Orc Legion Commander Por after Jo Gi-man.
Killing him wouldn’t feel satisfying enough.
“I’ll make him kneel before me. He will live to serve me forever.”
But at that moment, a man clad in full black armor, shrouded in utter darkness, descended gracefully beside the Orc Legion Commander Por.
“…That guy?!”
Corrupted Knight Dnarr Panijial.
The overwhelming powerhouse that had nearly taken Jo Gi-man’s life was now looking down upon me alongside the Orc Legion Commander.
“Il-wol… there’s something over there, isn’t there?”
Yeon-hee could also feel the tremendous aura.
Two monsters that rival Jo Gi-man were now gathered in one place, so this had to be serious.
Yeon-hee, standing beside me, extended her hand forward, ready to summon our creatures at any moment.
At the same time, Orc Legion Commander Por and Corrupted Knight Dnarr Panijial raised one arm to signal their troops to advance.
A vast army of orcs, mysterious eyed grotesques, and Chimera warriors were waiting for the drop of their arms.
“Phew…”
I had only just captured Jo Gi-man not too long ago, and it felt overwhelming with the non-stop wave of battles.
But it was clear that this moment would become a significant turning point for this world’s future, so I drew ‘Cheongwol’ again.
I summoned skeletons.
I called forth my lingering traces and minions.
In response, a powerful aura erupted from bases formed around a large guild.
We weren’t the only ones fighting.
Invisible strong beings were raising their sharpened swords and igniting their fighting spirit toward the orcs.
“The orcs… are coming. Il-wol! How about we fight together this time? It feels like it’s been ages since we’ve coordinated our moves.”
Gripping Yeon-hee’s hand, filled with a slew of emotions, I spoke normally as always.
“Clap, Clap, Clap!!”
“Come on…! Let’s make sure they don’t step one foot into the shelter!”
At this moment─
The battle that wagers fate was about to begin.
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