Chapter 112

Shortly after that, with their breaths bursting out of the would-be gods’ mouths, they looked frightened.

They were greatly shocked by the godhood that Vulcan had showed.

Of course, although they had guessed that he was strong since the first portal held, there was a difference between guessing and revealing that it was a clear fact.

Watching Vulcan sheathing the blade in a neat posture, they exchanged words.

“That’s impressive…”

“I’ve heard Vulcan is a swordmage… he wields the blade as sharply as those who have wielded for life,”

“I wonder what level of his power is,”

“Um…”

The duel ended in an instant, but the impression lingered quite long and led to excitement.

Clutus, who saw the expression, raised the corner of his mouth, invisibly to others.

A laugh with mixed emotions of joy and bitterness.

He disguised himself with an expressionless face and looked in the direction of Vulcan.

‘Even I, who had seen him often, was a little surprised, how surprised would others be,’

Clutus’s eyes burned like fire.

He was also one of the would-be gods who got excited over the duel.

He got even more excited than others.

Each of the would-be gods fought a duel, but as a result of winning by default, he did not.

‘It was not something to get excited over,’

His body shook with disappointment and turned away in the direction to the black portal.

He still felt fear, but his desire for a big battle was bigger and had been absorbed in his body.

He could not wait any longer.

“Hm,”

It seemed Clutus’s mind was peeped into.

Honus, who affixed Karugos’s cut-off arms by using his godly power, cleared his throat.

Like that, he gathered all the would-be gods’ attention and slowly began to speak.

“It seems it has been all decided,”

“…”

Karugos left the place with a depressed look, but no one turned their head in the direction of him.

Everyone focused their gaze only on Honus.

15 of would-be gods remained silent, hoping that his speech would not be long.

Honus’s speech happened not to be long.

“As I said earlier, you are able to leave at any time, but not able to re-enter. Unlike the past, there are a lot of beings who want to enter… It is to give a chance to as many beings as possible. If you think you can’t stand long, give it up now. Well, of course, it looks like no one wants to give it up, hm.”

After saying this far, Honus clapped once, then paused.

And after taking a few steps away from the portal, finally he spoke to the would-be gods.

“I will give 15 of you, who are gathered here, access to the Light inside the Darkness,”

Even as he finished speaking, the would-be gods started to move their bodies.

Because, after seeing Vulcan’s duel earlier, they got a big stimulus.

They wanted to enter the portal quickly, in order to start training.

Before long, a man stood in front of the portal first.

He was holding a shield and a spear with a determined look.

It was Clutus.

‘Although I’m behind others…’

Just before entering the portal, he took one look at Vulcan standing at the back.

Vulcan’s face, as if looking somewhere far away, came into his eyes.

He gently bit his lower lip.

‘By the time you leave, the story will be quite different,’

After finishing the thought, he threw his body toward the portal.

The black portal that capriciously bobbed up and down swallowed him up like an anglerfish.

It looked like the mouth of a monster that wanted more food.

However, that had little affect the would-be gods who entered with iron will.

They went into the final trial like a row of sausages.

Each face was full of courage, hope, and passion.

Vulcan, who entered lastly, was no different from them.

For a time, he was lost in thought in front of the blackish, circular portal.

‘By the time I leave, I’d feel confident enough to take Hokulrus’s test,’

He wouldn’t know what the test was about, but it didn’t matter.

No test was a problem as long as he could reach the four-digit level.

After finishing his thoughts, he went into the Light inside the Darkness.

Then, ‘Shuuuuc,’ the black portal shrunk and disappeared without trace.

Honus stood speechless, as he watched it, stroking his long beard.

It looked like a huge tree that had put down its roots for a long time.

Honus, who had been deep in thought for a long while, muttered.

“The most promising being of this period is Vulcan,”

He thought it was not bad.

He heard of Vulcan from his brother Hokulrus.

Though being only a Demi-god, Vulcan was directly mentioned by the Greatest God.

However, he was told that Hokulrus was not sure how Vulcan could obtain the Greatest God’s interest.

He seemed to agree with that.

Vulcan was showing a tremendous growth rate, but that was all.

It was not so impressive for him who was a god from day one.

Of course, he was not to disparage Vulcan as a being.

Except for ‘the Greatest God’s interest’, he must have powerful calibers.

He thought about Powell, who had been here before.

He compared Powell’s growth rate to Vulcan’s.

‘If Act 2 is cleared within 150 years from now, Vulkan will achieve the shortest period ever… If he passes the period, Powell will still stay in the first place. Um’

It seemed possible enough to set a new record.

Inwardly, he cheere Vulcan on.

‘Rather than Dragonians, it would be better for the Demi-gods to set a record. Um. But Lumitus said that he was a human, not a Demi-god… was that bastard mistaken,’

Honus raised his gaze slightly and recalled Vulcan who had been with him just before.

Obviously, he was not a human, but a Demi-god.

He deemed that Lumitus had had a stupid misunderstanding, then left quickly, frowning.

He was still planning to go to see Lumitus, who was a novice helper, because the period of punishment was not over.

So everyone left, quietness came to the fields that had been in turmoil until now.

Due to the aftermath of the duel, only the damaged landscapes were telling that many beings had come and gone.

So again, time went on without hesitation.

***

“Yawwwn,”

Hokulrus’s temple located in the center of the Espo City.

In one of the many rooms of the huge temple, Honus, who was taking a nap, woke up with a stretch.

He looked at a cat crying out loud at his bedside.

-Meow! Meoooow! Purrrrrrrrrr…

“Okay. Stop it now. I’m up,”

Even Honus’s soothing voice couldn’t stop the black cat crying out.

He opened his pocket as if he could not help it, and threw the chicken breast.

“Here you go. Eat up.”

-Meow!

Honus laughed as he watched the cat dashing forward, purring and tearing the chicken breast.

Like that, watching his cat for a moment, he dressed in clothes, then walked leisurely in the direction of the portal inside the temple.

When his cat woke him up, it meant that he got something to do.

It looked likely that one of the beings in the Light inside the Darkness had come out.

‘Abandonment? Or did he make his own accomplishment and come out? Hm,’

He was not sure until he went to check it out.

Of course, he hoped for the latter.

As the manager of Act 2, he had seen so many of those beings who were obstructed by a huge wall and got depressed.

As a believer with respect for all beings, every time he saw them suffering, his heart hurt.

Of course, Honus was not so weak as to have a mental breakdown.

He was the one who had ruled over numerous beings and witnessed numerous sufferings and unhappiness.

However…

‘Even so, that’s sad,’

He just did not get sad in front of Act 2’s residents.

Indulging in various thoughts, he bent his steps, and quickly reached for the portal.

The blue, mysterious dimensional gate connected to the place where he was managing.

Once he entered, he would know.

Whether the being who came out of  the Light inside the darkness, gave up the midway or got a good achievement enough to take Hokulrus’s test.

He entered the portal with a nonchalant look.

Shuuuuuuc.

Scenery changed in an instant.

Honus went into the center of the fields where there were a few of tall trees growing here and there.

A smile bloomed on his face.

He could feel it without seeing.

As if he had no intention of exposing his power, he was able to suppress his forces as much as possible, but he could not fool his eyes.

It was clear.

The being, who came out now, was not an abandoner.

He moved his body with a smile that grew bigger than earlier.

‘It looks like It can be easy to take brother’s test. There should be something procedural to go through anyway… a new god could be born in a very long time. Who would that be…’

He recalled several candidates.

Would it be Parosil who had not come out since entered 700 years ago?

Or Pahalrum who got all the Dragonians’ expectations and entered 420 years ago?

He approached the regressor at a rather slow pace to relish the thought.

However, since he walked much faster than the regressor’s leisurely walking speed, after a little while, he couldn’t help but to face him.

Honus finally saw the regressor.

But he had no choice but to look at the being in front of him with a look that was quite different from the earlier one.

“…”

A hard, firm face.

The smile on his lips vanished, shock replaced it.

The serious atmosphere made him unable to think that this was a moment of seeing a godly being born in 300 years. The being, who just returned the Light inside the Darkness, awkwardly said.

“Honus…? Did I do something wrong?”

“…”

“Honus?”

“Ah, no. Excuse me,”

Honus then turned around and stroked his beard with an embarrassed look.

He resolved his complicated array of emotions, then turned his back again.

He was embarrassed by the being that doubted his eyes, but he did not look as unseemly as earlier.

His normal, solemn face returned.

However, he was not able to suppress his curiosity that filled his head.

Aside from praising his work, giving him warnings and guiding in the right direction, he threw a question.

“You… didn’t you enter here 15 years ago?”

“… Yes. Something wrong?”

The being, dressed in the armor with a dark red-colored aura exuding and the opposite Demi-god’s power shedding, Vulcan cautiously answered.

The exterior that had not changed at all, compared to the time when he first arrived here.

However, it was Vulcan who finally achieved comparable growth and was finally approved by God.

Beyond the Blue Dragon, the fielder, and the stage of Yur Dong-bin, it was a sublime stage.

The time required to achieve it was only 15 years.

Honus swallowed saliva.

Looking at Vulcan without speaking for a moment, he said to Vulcan in a low voice with a blunt look.

“Congratulations… on your accomplishment.”

Honus couldn’t think of any other word.