Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Divinity (1)

Murim Alliance.

I’d heard about this organization once from the Iron-blooded Monarch.

That it was a large moderatist group in the Murim dimension, and at the same time, it’s said to be related to Namgung Hyuk, the Sword Dragon of the Blue Sky.

Of course, I hadn’t heard about them other than that, nor had I ever tried to find some information.

Finding out about another dimension right away came with restrictions and conditions in many ways, and there was no guarantee that I’d benefit from it even if I attained the information through hard work.

I didn’t have any good feelings about them from the fact that they’d made the Namgung family, the family of Namgung Hyuk, to be the pillar of the Alliance, and I almost got killed by Baek Sunhak, the elder of the Murim Alliance.

However.

-I’ll give you some period of grace. But fooling around will only lead you to an annihilation.

My self in the mirror went beyond that level of emotion and was even saying words such as annihilation.

-If the leader of the Murim Alliance doesn’t come, everyone here will die.

I even went so far as to intimidate them, spewing formless bloodthirst at those around me.

However, the level of that bloodthirst… was wilder and more violent than I could’ve imagined.

A level that could easily kill a person just by pressuring the person.

「The proficiency of skill ‘Mana Circuit’ is decreasing by 0.04% due to the status effect of Ki-Overflow.」

But… I also felt that the overheating of my mana circuit was getting worse due to that violent bloodthirst.

This was because emotions were shared with me in the mirror to some extent by the current assimilation rate.

Although the loss of proficiency is still continuing to decline from 0.01% to 0.07%…

If this small loss accumulates, it may turn into a big snowball and turn into a failure.

-K-Kuhuuugh… S-Somebody has to… Somebody has to call the leader…!

-D-Don’t be fooled! It’s no use listening to what the wicked demon is saying…!

-D-Do you think you can return intact even after turning the Murim Alliance into an enemy…!

Of course, even in the midst of this, the screen in the mirror didn’t stop, and a commotion was uproaring.

But it wasn’t bad to the point where I couldn’t take my eyes off it like a while ago.

‘I need to come up with a solution before it’s too late.’

Due to the Trial of Proof, all skills and powers that interfere with the spirit were sealed.

I had to remove the state of Ki-Overflow through other means.

As I was thinking of a solution, I suddenly remembered the existence of a mirror in my pocket.

Come to think of it…

It’s not like there was no way out of this situation at all.

「Mirror with the Divinity of the High Priest」

「Rank: C+」

「The mirror that high priest ‘Johann’ placed his divine power into, without missing a single day.」  

「You can spread a divine shield only once by consuming the divine power of the God of Proof.」

「When you spread the divine shield, mind contamination is also restored to some extent.」

If the skills and powers are sealed off, then I just have to use the items.

「…Perhaps the divine power of the God of Proof filled in the mirror may lead the bearer to prove their fate by themselves.」

I felt relieved as I took out the mirror from my pocket and immediately activated the item.

「The exclusive effect of the Mirror with the Divinity of the High Priest(C+) is activated.」

「A holy shield surrounds you and removes all mind contamination of a certain level.」

Woooosh…!

In an instant, the mirror I held in my hand formed a protective barrier and then expanded its size.

After a while, the size of the shield became large to the point where it could envelop me.

And—

「Status effect ‘Ki-Overflow’ is removed.」

I felt the overheating of the mana circuit stop as the Ki-Overflow that was gnawing my whole body was lifted.

「 ‘Steel Spirit’ achievement unlocked. 」 

「Stamina increased by 1.」

An achievement was unlocked by lifting up the Ki-Overflow.

However, this wonderful chain reaction didn’t end there and continued one more time.

「The user of this item is a challenger who’s undergoing the trials given by the God of Proof.」

「Due to the hidden exclusive effect, the trial is being adjusted to make the proving easier in trials.」

「The rate of assimilation with you in the mirror won’t increase anymore.」

A hidden exclusive effect…

‘Don’t tell me, is this the effect of the hidden message that I saw with the Fire Dragon’s Eyes?’

-…Perhaps the divine power of the God of Proof filled in the mirror may lead the bearer to prove their fate by themselves.

The hidden message seen through the Fire Dragon’s Eyes was clearly written so.

Since it was said to be a hidden exclusive effect, it was probably the effect of the message I saw.

The mirror obtained from the pocket of the first priest I encountered gave me more than I could’ve imagined.

‘The assimilation rate that has risen so far isn’t that high.’

Of course, even with this number, I felt quite mentally shaken, but…

The assimilation rate, now up to 30%, couldn’t have a greater impact on me.

It’s just that I was also quite shocked when myself in the mirror caused a large-scale massacre a while ago.

This level of assimilation can be said to be similar to a sense of empathy or immersion.

In fact, while myself in the mirror was frantically exuding bloodthirst, I was completely unaffected by it.

‘If the assimilation rate won’t rise, that much of a dangerous situation shouldn’t be happening.’

Perhaps my guess was correct. The messages from the administrators came up.

「 Administrator ‘Iron-blooded Monarch’ feels a sense of relief that her contractor has passed a critical hurdle.」 

「 Administrator ‘The Hero of the Collapsed World’ laughs, saying that they couldn’t have even imagined the expedient that you’ve used..」

「 Administrator ‘White Crane Sword Saint’ rejoices that the condition of the contractor has stabilized.」 

Maybe most of them realized that I had escaped from a dangerous situation…?

‘I guess the administrators really feel that I’ve escaped from danger.’

Since the administrators felt that danger had passed, it was time to focus on one thing.

-…Recently, I heard that there’s a madman called Ghostblade in Murim.

Those who were wavering at the bloodthirst that my self in the mirror was emitting made a way to those words.

A middle-aged man with a disquieting expression in a gray martial arts uniform walked through the divided crowd.

It’s like he was holding back his irritation, or he’s barely restraining some kind of urge.

The middle-aged man continued with a smile on his disquieting and precarious face.

-Looking at you like this, I can feel that you can really be called a Ghost of the Sword.

And—

-Nice to meet you. I’m the leader of the Murim Alliance, Lee Jin-hwan. So, what is your na…

At that moment when those words were about to be finished, my self in the mirror kicked off the ground without opening my mouth anymore.

***

[Translator – Ramen ]

[Proofreader – DVN-L ]

***

Through the screen in the mirror, the scene where Kim Seunghoon and myself in the future fought was repeated again.

This time, not a duel with a strong person from the earth, but from another strong man in another dimension called Murim.

He was a head of a group that even the Namgung family, which is said to be the family of Namgung Hyuk, the Sword Dragon of the Blue Sky, is nothing but a pillar.

He would never be weak, and his strength was felt even in the insane battles that took place inside the mirror.

However, it wasn’t only the process that was repeated but also the result.

-…Cough. I don’t think even the Heavenly Demon was this strong, But you, you’re truly a monster.

At the end of the battle that wiped out the whole area, the Murim leader Lee Jin-hwan fell flat on one’s face and puked out blood.

On the other hand, my self in the mirror casually brushed off the blood on the two swords.

There was no sign of injury nor a disturbance in breathing.

Of course, my self in the mirror was strong, but he didn’t have the pure skills to corner Lee Jin-hwan to the point of not getting tired at all.

However, not showing signs of injury at all was another matter.

“…”

My self in the mirror once mentioned that I’d spare the members of the Murim Alliance.

But it was a lie.

As soon as the Murim leader Lee Jin-hwan arrived, my self in the mirror killed all the members around him.

After that, I retrieved all the marks of soul absorption with my fingertips and used them in battle.

So, despite the identical skill level, it led to a one-sided victory.

-…How absurd. Killing even the members that you said you’d spare. Are you not even conscious of what you said?

The Murim leader Lee Jin-hwan, who was lying on the floor and bleeding, also said so as if he was dumbfounded, but—

-If the people who listened to it disappear, you’ll be able to take back what you said needlessly.

On the contrary, my self in the mirror responded with a smirk.

And—

-All my sickening ill-fated relationship with the sect of Heavenly Demon, Heishehui, and the Murim Alliance. It all ends here.

-What? What do you…. D-Don’t tell me, the mad beast who killed the Heavenly Demon and the Lord of Heishehui was…!

Slaaash!

Then, the neck of the Murim leader Lee Jin-hwan, who distorted his face in shock, soared into the sky.

It was a monster-like move that didn’t show any humanity, but…

Even then, as if my self in the mirror was used to it, I turned around after absorbing the soul of the leader of the Murim Alliance.

As though this level of genocide wouldn’t stir up my emotions.

Bzzzt.

Immediately after that, the perspective of the screen in the mirror changed, and I saw myself fighting in countless dimensions.

Slashing down dozens, hundreds, and thousands of enemies and growing stronger without end, I was in a state like a monster, soaked in madness, yearning only for growth.

Over dozens of times, the screen in the mirror changed, and appearance also changed in the mirror.

But there was one thing that didn’t change.

“He’s a damn insanely strong bastard…”

In the mirror, my self in the future, who commits an endless massacre, was never defeated.

It didn’t just apply to fights between individuals.

Religion.

-…I’ll curse you! To all the Gods of Ares, I, the Pope, will pray for your death!

Nation.

-P-Please stop already… Didn’t you kill all the people of mine, the King…? Please, spare me at least…

Dimension.

-N-No way… Why is a bastard who has conquered the Murim dimension coming to such a small dimension like th….!

The stronger the opponent, the stronger I’d become after defeating them.

But as time passed, the madness my self in the mirror felt grew thicker and deeper.

Before I knew it, seeing the scene of endless battles and massacres made me feel goosebumps from the fact that such an insane slayer was my future, and I somehow understood the purpose of the trial.

“If it was the way it was originally, does that mean I should’ve completely assimilated with this madman’s spirit…?”

I could see why this was a trial with the grandiose title of proof of spirit.

Even just the assimilation that had only risen to 30% made me feel great pain welling up.

And if this assimilation rate increased as time passed, at the end…

‘I’d go insane.’

I’d never be able to face the end of the trial in a normal state.

Perhaps it could be called worse than the trial of fighting for one’s life.

Because it meant that what remained at the end of this trial was either the death of the physical body or the death of the spirit.

However, I escaped the Ki-Overflow and even suppressed the rise of the assimilation rate by using the ‘Mirror with the Divinity of the High Priest(C+)’

What’s painful is painful, but either way, I was able to endure this much to some extent.

「 Administrator ‘Seeker of Divinity’ is bewildered that you’ve passed the trial in an expedient way that they never thought of.」 

「 Administrator ‘Priest of Confession’ expresses surprise at the fact that you’re maintaining the state of not becoming insane.」

「 Administrator ‘Gluttony’ complains and expresses frustration, saying he wants to see what you’re looking at in the mirror.」

It looks like even the administrators didn’t imagine that I’d pass the trial like this.

And on top of that, the administrators didn’t seem to be able to see what I was seeing in the mirror.

‘Unexpectedly, looks like the administrators have a lot of limitations in observing the trials, too.’

Of course, I wouldn’t want to show all of this scene, so it was to my advantage that it wasn’t revealed.

I collected myself, ignoring the administrators’ messages, and glared at the scene in the mirror.

Because I thought maybe I could find out why I became such an insane bastard.

However, as time passed, perhaps the stimulating content ran out already, it only showed evil deeds that seemed insignificant, unlike a while ago.

Such as killing an unknown street delinquent and absorbing their soul…

As such impactless killing scenes continued, it became easier to collect myself.

Now, the key would be how well I can manage my mental strength and endure it.

However…

‘If the sights the trial show is just at this level now, there wouldn’t be any big surprises.’

As a matter of fact, the outcome of this endurance battle was pretty obvious.

***

I wonder how many trivial scenes have been played on the screen in the mirror?

「You’ve proven that your beliefs didn’t change.」

The trial was over as I was looking at the screen in the mirror, trying to remain calm.

「The proof of the spirit ends now」

For a trial that caused alarm in regard to my life, it ended more blandly than I expected.

It’s not like I wasn’t suspicious if it’s actually over or not, but…

This time around, I passed because I was really lucky, so the fact that I passed didn’t feel completely unrealistic.

‘If I hadn’t picked up the mirror in the beginning, I’d have died abruptly, honestly.’

I only survived because I brought the mirror of the dead priest at the beginning of the trial.

If I had met the proof of the spirit without any preparation, I would’ve died in all probability.

It was then that I slowly forced my body to stand up from my seat, which had reached its limit.

「The God of Proof feels satisfied with the Proof of challenger Han Sungyeun.」

「The God of Proof wants to see the challenger Han Sungyeun in person.」

「The God of Proof forcibly summons the challenger Han Sungyeun to the Divine Sanctuary.」

“…!?”

Instead of the message saying that I’d cleared the trial, the message that the God of Proof was summoning me came up.

I went to the point of death just by making eye contact once, and now I wa being summoned to the realm of God?

‘What kind of nonsense is this…’

I felt a strong reluctance and immediately readied myself, but…

「The God of Proof consumes divine power on the Tower of Trials to obtain temporary authority.」

「Observation of the trials by all administrators related to challenger Han Sungyeun will be forcibly stopped.」

As if all of that were meaningless, I immediately felt my body floating up.

I tried to resist it, but soon the divine shield that was spread around me tightened me, as though pressuring me.

Yes.

This entire shield of Divinity was created by the divine power bestowed by the God of Proof. 

Since I didn’t create it myself, I obviously couldn’t control it.

“Huff.”

It was when I was feeling a sense of despair at that fact—

「The Tower of Trials permits the summoning of challenger Han Sungyeun as long as his personal safety is secured.」

I opened my eyes widely as I saw a message I hadn’t even thought of.

‘Personal safety?’

Could it be that they can ensure my safety against a God?

Not to mention that I saw the message that the God of Proof just obtained temporary authority…

As of now, there were not many messages that I could understand properly.

But.

「The Tower of Trial delivers its will that it’s looking forward to the challenger Han Sugnyeun. 」

From the message that followed up, I realized one thing for sure.

‘The Tower of Trials… recognizes me…!??’

The Tower of Trials wasn’t something that even Gods could easily deal with.

And now that I was the one that the Tower of Trials was paying attention to.

「Entering the Divine Sanctuary of the Proving One.」

With that thought in my mind, the surrounding environment changed in an instant as if it was spinning.

[Hmm…? What? Are you? Why do I feel Divinity in you?]

And soon, I felt my throat burn at the majestic voice that resounded in my head.

There was no pressure, and unlike before, it wasn’t conveying the meaning through system messages, but—

‘I can feel it… This is the God of Proof.’

I could see that it was the God of Proof that was talking to me right now.

…I was really forcibly summoned to the realm of God.

Dammit.

——