Chapter 96 …
Do-hyun, momentarily stunned by the unexpected situation, let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha.”
He’d been radiating loneliness while burning with vengeance against the gods—so he’d actually been interacting with the outside world too?
He didn’t look the type at all, yet he was an extrovert… How absurd.
Still, when he thought about it, it wasn’t that strange.
No matter what, he’d need to know what was going on in the world, and NPCs were residents of this place. He might have urgent business.
There were even certain NPCs who disappeared for two whole days in extreme cases, so this was mild by comparison.
‘Let’s just go to Gildeti first.’
It seemed better to clear this side first.
Waiting around for an hour would be a waste of time.
After walking for about another fifteen minutes, Do-hyun’s party arrived at the Grand Temple of Lyre. A guard who recognized them hurried over.
“You’ve arrived. Please go right in.”
At those words, Do-hyun glanced around, and the guard quickly added:
“If Sir Kaiser arrives, we were ordered to let him in with top priority. You don’t need to worry about the line.”
“Understood.”
Some kind of special treatment given only to those clearing the quest, it seemed.
Since they were telling him not to line up, there was no reason to insist. Do-hyun accepted without hesitation.
He could feel piercing stares at his back, but he tried to ignore them.
‘Can’t blame them.’
Just from the line he’d glimpsed earlier, it was dizzying.
Because it was the weekend, the Grand Temple was even more crowded than usual.
From their perspective, how annoying must Do-hyun look, walking in like he had an amusement park fast pass?
However, when he glanced sideways, their reactions were quite different from what he expected.
“He’s going to meet the High Priest, right?”
“So that’s the thing Kaiser’s working on… I’m curious. What kind of quest is it?”
“Will he upload a video? I hope he does.”
Most of them looked expectant rather than jealous.
There were some negative looks, but the hopeful reactions were far more common.
‘Is this the influence of NewTube?’
He was openly advertising that he was clearing a special quest, yet instead of greed, they were anticipating the results.
The reaction was so different from what he’d experienced before that some of his tension eased.
Receiving the crowd’s attention, he headed inside, where a priest greeted him.
“This way, please.”
“Yes.”
—Ahem.
Clearly pleased with the different treatment compared to last time, Jihad puffed up his shoulders.
Do-hyun subtly jabbed his side in warning, but there was nothing he could do about that annoyingly smug expression.
After walking for several minutes under escort—
“Please enter. Everyone is inside.”
True to the enormous scale of the Grand Temple, it took quite a while to reach the doors. The priest bowed and stepped back.
‘This is a different room than last time.’
Just the size of the doors felt majestic.
Last time had felt like the High Priest’s office. This time, it felt more like an auditorium than a room.
As he stepped inside, an even larger interior than expected greeted Do-hyun.
It wasn’t an exaggeration—it looked about the size of a school field.
Seats filled the area in all directions like a baseball stadium, and at the center stood a circular table and a massive divine statue.
‘Wow…’
As he was silently impressed by the overwhelming grandeur, Gildeti—who looked somewhat tired—welcomed him.
“You’ve come at just the right time. You’ve completed the investigation? We’re still in the middle of a meeting… but this works out. Please come in.”
“…You’re here.”
“Hm. Finished already? Faster than expected.”
Beside Gildeti stood the same handsome hot-headed knight and the vice-captain from before.
Up to this point, the members were the same—but today it didn’t end there.
“Oh… so that is the honored guest.”
“As expected, an outsider… Can we truly trust him?”
“They are apostles of the gods. Show some courtesy.”
“Hmph. Apostles in name only. There are far too many worthless ones…”
“Don’t be too harsh. Even we know little about the Abyss. The fact that an outsider not only knows of it but was entrusted with an investigation—skepticism is only natural.”
Behind them, numerous priests filled the surrounding seats.
At a glance, it wasn’t just dozens.
Well over a hundred priests surrounded him, looking down as if observing some rare animal—not exactly a pleasant feeling.
‘…Master, I’m uncomfortable.’
‘Riz…’
Even Jihad, who usually loved attention, looked uneasy.
Do-hyun gently pushed Eliza—who had peeked her head out—back into his pocket and followed Gildeti while glancing around.
‘There are a lot… and none of them look like ordinary priests.’
Among them, those seated in the very front row stood out the most.
Their outfits varied wildly, clearly different from the priests seen in the corridors.
They even exuded an air of nobility.
Those elders’ gazes never left Do-hyun, even as he reached the central round table and sat down.
One stare in particular was especially persistent.
‘What is it?’
It was noticeable even among so many people.
As he frowned slightly and turned—
“Huh?”
His brows relaxed.
No—more than that, they shot upward in shock.
It couldn’t be helped.
‘…Gamilion?’
‘Greetings, Successor.’
Sitting boldly alone in worn, tattered priestly robes was none other than Gamilion Adran.
When their eyes met, Gamilion subtly lifted the corners of his lips and gave a small bow.
That gesture confirmed Do-hyun wasn’t mistaken.
‘…Why are you here of all places?’
He said he had urgent business—so why show up here?
Was this a coincidence?
Since he was supposed to return in an hour, it didn’t seem like he’d followed Do-hyun…
Still confused, Do-hyun took his seat as guided. Gildeti, seated opposite him, spoke carefully.
“These are the elders and High Priests. Among the senior clergy, they are the most devout.”
“…Then is that person also a high-ranking priest?”
“If you mean… ah, that person.”
Gildeti glanced over and smiled kindly, shaking his head.
“That is High Priest Herti. We invited not only priests from our order but also high priests and elders from nearby denominations, and they all graciously accepted.”
“…High Priest Herti.”
“Yes. Due to unspoken doctrine, we cannot disclose the specific order. We ask for your understanding.”
“That’s fine.”
Because that man is actually our cult leader who wants to smash the gods.
Do-hyun swallowed the words and rubbed his throbbing temple.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gamilion was grinning like he was having the time of his life. Then his lips moved slightly in a whisper.
‘Let’s speak after the meeting.’
‘…Sure.’
If he was even hiding his name, he must be deliberately engaging with them.
Whatever questions he had could wait until after the meeting.
‘This actually works out.’
Instead of running back and forth, he could clear two quests in one place.
Thinking positively, Do-hyun focused on the present.
‘The front row were the elders, right… There are over ten just from Lyre.’
That meant they had at least thirty high-ranking priests.
Considering other places usually had only six to ten, it was an enormous number.
And on top of that, the Lyre Holy Knights—their strongest force…
It was hard to believe this was just one temple’s military power.
‘No wonder people say the Grand Temple of Lyre rivals even the Empire.’
Normally, NPCs grew stronger the higher the city tier.
As player levels rose, it was natural for sufficiently powerful NPCs to exist to control them.
But occasionally there were NPCs that broke that pattern…
In Raven, it had been the alchemist Kalde.
In Brion, it was the Grand Temple of Lyre.
Because of their nature as servants of the gods, they resided in Brion—the most developed holy city—but public opinion held that their true power belonged in the Empire.
‘Seeing it like this really drives it home.’
He had felt it vaguely when he saw Vice-Captain Taksinel and that annoying knight before, but today it was even clearer.
The aura from the fully armed Taksinel alone was completely different from before.
Do-hyun couldn’t even gauge whether he could win.
Compared to Jerdik, who also had a red nameplate, the difference in strength was on another level.
At this point, he was curious just how strong the captain, Rebed, must be.
“Since this is an extremely important matter, we summoned everyone who needed to know. It would have been nice if Sir Rebed were here as well… but he is currently out on a mission with the Holy Knights.”
“…That’s unfortunate.”
He meant it.
He had missed the chance to see Rebed, who always ranked near the top in NPC combat power.
“He is always burdened with many responsibilities. So this matter—we intend to handle it ourselves.”
“I see.”
So Rebed was conveniently absent to prevent balance collapse.
That’s how it sounded to Do-hyun.
In RPGs, it was common for powerful NPCs to be excluded for some reason to maintain balance.
Anyway, enough preamble.
“So, what were the results of your investigation?”
As Gildeti got to the point, the noisy chatter fell silent.
It was an unspoken demand.
Everyone waited for Do-hyun to speak.
After a few seconds, Do-hyun slowly shook his head.
“There was nothing. Not even from the Death Orc Warrior.”
“What do you mean—!”
“That makes no sense!”
The room erupted instantly.
“Did you truly investigate properly, outsider?!”
“Traces of the Abyss cannot be disguised or fabricated. The evidence was clearly there—how can there be nothing?!”
“High Priest of Lyre! If you permit it, I will assemble a team and investigate immediately!”
Some even questioned Do-hyun’s abilities.
Reactions varied, but one thing was clear—they were intense.
The noise alone was enough to hurt his ears.
It showed just how seriously they regarded the Abyss.
At this rate, meaningful conversation would be impossible.
Swish.
At that moment, Gildeti raised his hand.
Like magic, the uproar ceased.
Not just the elders—even the high priests of other orders fell silent.
‘So this is the authority of Lyre’s High Priest?’
Gildeti looked like nothing more than a gentle old man, yet this showed his absolute standing.
As expected of a High Priest.
Having calmed the room, Gildeti’s eyes turned unusually serious.
“…Are you certain?”
A sharp gaze that would tolerate no falsehood.
It carried enough weight to crush an ordinary person.
Do-hyun met it head-on and answered clearly.
“Yes. I’m certain.”
“…I see.”
Gildeti closed his eyes.
The earlier pressure vanished, but something deeper and heavier replaced it.
Only Do-hyun, sitting directly across from him, could feel it.
Coldness.
‘All of a sudden?’
Just as he flinched at the drastic shift—
Gildeti, still bowing his head, raised his hand again.
Ding—
The cheerful notification sound rang out.
And Do-hyun froze.
[Quest ‘Searching for the Trace of the Abyss’ has been cleared.]
[Reward: Gildeti’s Favorability, Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket, Large EXP.]
[Level Up.]
[Hidden Condition ‘Time Limit’ has been satisfied. The linked quest changes into a Forced Chain Quest.]
[Forced Chain Quest ‘Rat in a Jar’ begins.]
[Warning! You may lose your life during this forced chain quest.]
[If you die, the quest fails.]
‘Hidden condition… cleared?’
The notification was completely unexpected.
Apparently, clearing it before the meeting ended had been the hidden piece.
Since Gamilion was supposed to return in an hour, if Do-hyun had logged in even a little later, he would have missed it.
Thinking about that gave him chills.
The early bird really does catch the worm.
Thanks to waking up early and logging in, he’d secured the hidden piece.
‘…Forced chain quest? Warning?’
This hidden piece, however, puzzled even Do-hyun.
‘What is all this? There wasn’t anything like this in Demrock…’
Was this a new system in GodOS?
He wasn’t sure—but one thing was clear.
Something unusual was about to happen.
Just as he sharpened his focus—
Click.
As expected, the anomaly began.
