Chapter 40
Revelation.
A truth taught by the gods that human wisdom cannot know.
They interpret “revelation” like that.
But.
‘Why make it sound fancy?’
It’s just doping.
And with seriously nasty side effects.
“I—I gave it all. Eyes, ears, thoughts. There’s nothing left… huh? You—why? You’re still you…?”
Look at that.
He can’t even speak properly.
Still, there’s a reason his followers can’t stop taking that drug.
‘High risk, high return….’
The effect is lethal, no doubt about it.
Anyway, from the moment Sible received the revelation, I had to consider him a “bishop” and fight him with everything I had.
“…….”
Kra-zzzt—!
The instant Sible set his right foot forward, a two-meter radius of the magnetic field collapsed.
And through that gap some kind of “will” rushed in.
Ding— ding— ding—
[Warning! High-dimensional will, undetectable by system rules, interference detected.]
‘…gulp.’
I swallowed.
Like an invisible threat licking my ear, a cold current ran down the back of my neck.
Dangerous.
“Hee-hee… ho, hope… power!”
—You can see it. Is this… the 100th floor?
Two voices flowed simultaneously from Sible’s mouth.
At that moment his silhouette began to separate.
‘Like a torn shadow….’
My eyes saw one person, but the magnetic-phase felt like two existences.
‘There’s no time.’
No more words were needed.
I had to cut him down quickly.
If I didn’t, who wins or loses would stop mattering.
Swoosh—
I drew my sword.
‘I’ll stab.’
My body reacted first.
My thoughts came afterward.
Pushing off the ground, the latent magnetic field warped.
‘An opening.’
Just before he could react—
No, half a beat faster—I pierced his side.
Blood spurted.
“Ughhk!”
Pazzz—!
An electric current grazed me immediately.
And then the system message responded belatedly.
[Relic, used the power of ‘Silver Mask of the Leper King’.]
[Seongsik’s grade has risen from 【S+ → SS】.]
For a moment my body had been filled with Seongsik’s enhanced power.
Of course, because such excessive force surged into me suddenly, my whole body screamed…
‘Complaining is a luxury.’
[Stat corrections are being recalculated.]
[User’s stats have increased to 【Strength +36, Agility +51, Stamina +66】.]
Blood flowed through my body.
Muscles tightened and relaxed rapidly.
The second strike that followed—
Shhaaaar—!
“Arrgh! …Why! Why!”
—Oh-ho….
Following Sible’s bent waist, I sliced up to his armpit.
His form wavered wildly.
The recoil, just before fully realizing the revelation.
‘Push harder… push harder.’
My nerves buzzed like sparking wires.
My joints creaked as if they might dislocate at any moment.
But I couldn’t stop, nor should I.
The third blade cut.
Brilliant sword-light lit the surroundings and drew a crescent.
Screech—
Sible’s left leg hit the ground.
‘…He dodged.’
In that instant he twisted his body.
To be precise, his ‘outer self’ did.
“Falspera! Why are you….”
—Interesting, you.
Unlike the voice that screamed, his red eyes looked at me coldly.
‘…Not much time left.’
His synchronization was coming together.
I raised the sword higher.
Seongsik’s current seeped through my body, heightening my senses to the extreme.
[Skill, 【Transform — Copper】 effect increased.]
[User’s neural conduction rate exceeds limits.]
[Warning! Nervous system fatigue at maximum.]
“…….”
Sshh——
Everything slowed.
I could even clearly see the trajectories of the blood droplets.
The time this heightened sensation would be allowed was short.
‘Now.’
Fourth. Fifth. Sixth slash.
Faster, even faster.
“Aaah—!! Ah, no! The flame of the lamp is—”
—Imperfect vessel… I will remember you. See you again.
Sible, and the outer self beyond him.
Distorted hope, Falspera.
He stared right at me and babbled.
So what?
“Sorry, but you… won’t remember me.”
—……?
“I’ll burn you away.”
Thud—!
My final strike pierced his heart.
And at that instant.
[Attempting ‘Limit Break’!]
[Seongsik’s latent ability, ‘Flame of Calamity’, resonates.]
[User’s talent, ‘Annihilation Attunement’ is changing into a new talent!]
[Created a new talent.]
[Achievement points: 4,500 coins acquired.]
Flare—
Flames rose from my body.
Not Seongsik’s fire, but my fire.
“Damn you, die.”
Once lit it wouldn’t go out.
A fire that burns all corrupt things: ‘Annihilation Flame’.
[Talent, ‘Annihilating Flame Body’ will be maintained for 30 seconds.]
His flesh was instantly sucked into the writhing blaze.
There was no resistance, no scream.
“…….”
Fsssss—
All that remained were unrecognizable ash and the irregularly pulsing remnants of the revelation.
[Sif, Sible—13 (Lv.75) has been killed.]
[Ownership of the loot has been acquired.]
[Skill, ‘Talent Devour’…… devours it.]
[Digesting…….]
“……phew.”
I sheathed my sword and exhaled a long breath.
One corner of my heart ached as if burned.
But it wasn’t regret or guilt—it was the smoldering heat of anger aimed at those who made things like this happen.
Lower levels of the tower.
The sanctum interior of the Falspera Order.
The shadows of candles danced along the corridor walls like swaying flames.
Below them.
“…….”
Tap. tap. tap.
A hooded man briskly walked somewhere.
Only his forearm was visible.
On it, a blue lamp tattoo glowed like the corridor candles.
“Ruby-17… to have grown enough to need a relic.”
He muttered lowly.
He was uneasy about the subordinates and the ‘rogue’ he’d left on the 100th floor.
It was just a feeling.
And it wasn’t only a feeling.
“……!?”
Sss——
One of the three dolls wrapped around his wrist—the one with a black eyepatch—smoldered and burned to black.
Without any warning or sound.
“……Sible?”
His pupils trembled.
Sible had been the priest he kept closest and most valued.
Faith, combat skill, ambition.
He lacked nothing as a devotee.
“He even received revelations—yet he was taken….”
Sible had been assigned a special mission different from the other two priests.
To meet the “imperfect vessel” and preach the gospel.
Yet that Sible was dead.
“The vessel’s level was that low?”
On the 100th floor of the tower, on Earth, they called that vessel by a name.
Kang Siwoo.
Because it contained ‘that existence,’ the vessel might be special; he’d expected that.
But this was beyond his expectations.
Was that why he kept feeling uneasy?
‘We must revise the plan immediately.’
Ruby-17 was no longer the main problem.
The rogue could be brought in later.
Assuming, of course, they still had the relic they were going to fetch now…
‘Still, a priest who received revelation being martyred is a different matter entirely.’
The main pillar of the mission, Sible, was dead.
That meant the operation had already gone awry.
Whether the other two priests completed their tasks or not, it was already screwed.
“In any case, any card that deviates from the plan must be removed….”
After all, they were only dolls.
Use them and discard them.
“…….”
The man stared into the void.
His blue eyes calmly sank.
‘A shift in thinking….’
Suddenly his mouth split into a toothy grin that reached his ears.
A grotesque, chilling smile.
“No… rather, this is good. As always, what He says is right.”
Where there is ritual, there are sacrifices; hope is built on the bones of the trampled.
The vessel he’d deemed imperfect.
It was trampling his dolls and quickly completing itself.
‘This is, in fact, good news.’
The man, who had been briefly lost in thought, took a communicator from his chest.
The ‘child’ even he had difficulty controlling.
It was time to contact that side.
“Move to Ark Korea branch.”
[…….]
“Okay. Track and observe the vessel’s movements.”
[…….]
“Killing it… do it as you see fit. You probably can’t do it exactly as you wish anyway.”
Click.
The line on the other end cut off first.
The man frowned slightly and muttered.
“……Efficient, but rude.”
Seed of the fang of hope.
A next-generation apostle nurtured within the order.
[Lin-00]
As the order’s top talent, she would handle things reliably.
“Now then, it’s time for me to do what I must.”
The man—the Archbishop—stopped and turned back.
Crunch—
The charred remains of the burned doll at his toes crumbled in the wind.
I took out [Silkwood Spider Fluid] from extradimensional space.
Then I spread it evenly over my body.
‘Phew, I’ll survive for now.’
An emergency item that temporarily reduces fatigue of all bodily ‘fibers.’
This bought me thirty minutes.
‘Then quickly pack what I need and go.’
I swiftly gathered the loot.
Two pieces of equipment in total.
The dagger Sible had used.
And a relic shaped like a lens.
“It briefly shows part of the opponent’s status window…?”
I checked and found it was an item that couldn’t be upgraded with [Sealing Wax Release].
So I didn’t need it.
‘Because I know a better one than this.’
I couldn’t get it now, but once I entered the tower I planned to obtain it.
With that I could see everything—from the enemy’s talents to skill levels.
‘I’ll either sell this later or something.’
I shoved the rare relic into extradimensional space.
Then immediately checked the system log for earlier messages I hadn’t fully read.
Because there was a message I’d missed.
“Earlier it said the ‘Faded Talent’ was digesting the talent, didn’t it?”
If it had truly devoured them, it should say so—seeing “digesting” was new, so I read the logs carefully.
And I couldn’t help but be surprised.
“……!? What, did the system error…?”
Until I’d killed Sible, the talents I’d devoured were twenty-eight.
[Skill, ‘Talent Devour’ devours two eroded talents and one revelation.]
[Digesting…….]
[…]
[…]
[‘Faded Talent’ rubs its belly with satisfaction. (60/100)]
But now it showed a full sixty.
An increase of thirty-two talents!
“Follower hunting….”
Moments ago my head had been full of rage and irritation, but now—
“I’ll start right now.”
My mood lightened subtly.
A feeling of fullness filled me.
‘If I kill just a few more like Sible, I can upgrade immediately.’
Right now Seongsik had pushed himself to grade-up and was back at the nest.
So I had to kill them myself like just now—and for that a weapon was important.
In that sense, the dagger I’d just gained from Sible was like an oasis in the desert.
“Perfect timing.”
I discarded the short sword that had been worn out by the fight and picked up the dagger he’d used.
[Flame Etching]
—Grade: Legendary
—Info: A dagger reborn after purification in the annihilating flame.
Leaves the ‘indelible pain’ on those it consumes.
· Strength +22, Agility +35, Stamina -18, Magic +40
· Deals additional fire damage to corrupt beings
· 20~100% chance to paralyze one of the target’s five senses for 2 seconds
“…Oh? This is the best thing I’ve gotten so far?!”
With this, even without Seongsik’s help, I could cut through the rest.
I immediately sheathed the dagger at my back.
Then I stamped off the ground to hurry to help my comrades.
