Chapter 24
Chapter 24: Creation (4)
Everything in life comes down to luck.
“Th-that’s… You need good luck to find the second Hidden Piece on the 1st floor.”
According to Nishida Ryo’s explanation.
You need luck to find the second Hidden Piece.
“It can be obtained from special terrain that randomly appears at the six-way crossroads… I-I also discovered this Hidden Piece after countless repetitions…”
And that’s only possible with incredibly good luck.
As Nishida Ryo stammered through his lengthy explanation, Erik raised his eyebrows.
“So how long did it take you?”
“A-about 200 times before I found it.”
“200 times?”
There’s something that doesn’t add up here.
Listening to Nishida Ryo’s words, Erik had a question.
So he asked.
“Nishida Ryo, didn’t you say you only raised one Max Level character?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
At Erik’s probing question, Nishida Ryo stepped backward.
‘What did I say wrong this time?’
Torches were blazing on the Labyrinth walls.
Accordingly, Erik’s shadow also twisted, taking on a demonic shape.
As the orange light source in the dark cave cast a giant shadow.
Nishida Ryo was terrified.
“So.”
“Eh? Yes? No, yes sir!”
The moment Erik opened his mouth, Nishida Ryo quickly straightened his body.
His belly jiggled.
Erik, who would normally have frowned, ignored this and spoke.
“Then Nishida Ryo, are you saying you died hundreds of times while conquering the Labyrinth’s 1st floor in the game?”
Erik thought he understood why Nishida Ryo was so knowledgeable about Hidden Pieces.
‘He learned through dying.‘
Recalling his memories from his Park Ji-hun days, it became clear.
The secret to Hidden Pieces is experience.
However, it’s not experience that can be gained normally.
It must be Nishida Ryo’s special uniqueness.
“Yes. I-I have rather large fists… I mean, hands…”
In reality, 2-meter Goblins might appear…
But in the game, they’re small monsters less than 1 meter tall, and up to the 5th floor of the Labyrinth is considered tutorial and beginner territory.
In other words, even if you wanted to die, you ordinarily couldn’t.
‘And yet he died over 200 times.’
In a way, he truly was quite remarkable.
“Even so, isn’t it the 1st floor? I heard that in the game the Possessors played, there was almost no chance of dying.”
Erik paused and fell into thought for a moment.
The body Nishida Ryo possessed had the appearance of a common Central Continental person, similar to Earth’s white race.
Looking closely.
His plump belly, chubby face full of fat, and pale white skin stood out.
‘Was his original body even fatter?’
Erik thought of Nishida Ryo’s true appearance that he’d learned about during the [Possessor Appearance Change Ticket] incident.
He nodded involuntarily.
If his hands were chubbier than that, he could make mistakes even clicking a mouse.
“Ahem, that could be possible.”
Anyway.
The secret to Hidden Pieces was the blessing of being able to repeat the boring tutorial section hundreds of times.
Yet he only discovered it once out of all that…
‘So luck is the issue after all?’
Erik knows the simplest answer.
“The luck you encountered once after experiencing it over 200 times?”
“Y-yes. The-the thing is, in reality you can only enter the Labyrinth once per week…”
Nishida Ryo trailed off, but his meaning was clear.
The Labyrinth opens on the first day of each week.
Assuming you really need 200 attempts to find the Hidden Piece, it would take about 200 weeks.
Roughly speaking, it means you need time measured in ‘years.’
‘Funny?’
Yet a deep smile hung on Erik’s lips.
The feeling that he knew some answer.
“If I bestow a blessing on Jang Du-sik, once would be enough.”
“B-Boss, you’re going to do that tingly thing again?”
Jang Du-sik was startled and scratched his head vigorously.
Seeing this, Park Chang-ho felt strangely cold.
‘This feels ominous?’
As Park Chang-ho retreated to a corner of the Labyrinth, Kang Pung-ho scurried after him.
Nishida Ryo stared blankly at Erik and Jang Du-sik without concern.
What did it mean to bestow a blessing on that chunk and solve the problem…
He had a blank expression.
“Du-sik, it’s not going to be tingly, I’m thinking of doing something sparkling.”
Erik added to Jang Du-sik while leaving the Possessors alone.
Jang Du-sik’s face contorted greatly, and accordingly Erik’s eyebrows twitched.
“Huh. I-I don’t really like that…”
“Du-sik?”
“Ahem. Well, since it’s Boss’s order, I’ll follow it.”
Once Jang Du-sik accepted, Erik looked at the Possessors cheerfully.
He said.
“I’ll show you the power of consecrated Jang Du-sik.”
***
‘Consecration…’
Consecration (祝聖) is the act of a Cleric who handles Divine Power imbuing an ‘object’ with massive divinity.
It could be a sword, armor, clothing, or even cursed land.
Whatever it is, consecrating a living being is virtually impossible.
Because a human body would burst if it received Divine Power it cannot handle.
‘But consecrating a person?’
Park Chang-ho had never heard of consecrating a human before.
Even as Possessors, veteran Possessors understand the local common sense.
No, even in the game, Cleric NPCs only consecrated items…
“Du-sik, are you ready?”
What on earth is that scene supposed to be?
The giant Paladin Erik placed his crude iron sword over Jang Du-sik’s head and asked.
‘He’s really going to do that?’
Seeing this, a famous saying came to Park Chang-ho’s mind.
Those who covet excessive divinity, their flesh shall burn and perish.
It’s one principle upheld by the continent’s three religions.
Excessive blessings and divinity are poison to the human body. Since calling this ‘poison’ would be blasphemy.
They spread such sayings to prevent overuse of Divine Power.
‘And yet he’s going to consecrate with a Sacred Relic?’
In Possessor Park Chang-ho’s eyes, the name tag floating above the old sword was clearly visible.
[Sacred Relic (聖遺物): Blade of Creation]
“Whoa…”
As Park Chang-ho watched the situation, he felt a slimy sensation beside him.
Gulp.
He saw Nishida Ryo drooling and coveting the item.
Then thud – a soft sensation touched his elbow.
Park Chang-ho was startled and turned his head.
“Chang-ho, that’s graduation gear, right? I was too scared to look closely last time…”
A beautiful short-haired beauty linked arms with Park Chang-ho and asked.
Park Chang-ho politely unlinked their arms and nodded.
Internally, he cursed with all sorts of profanity.
‘Crazy bastards.’
Nishida Ryo coveting an item that would burn him to death if he got close.
And Kang Pung-ho acting like a woman just because he became one.
Park Chang-ho’s forehead wrinkled at the fact that he had to party with such trash.
Impossible to rank them…
No wait.
‘Still, Kang Pung-ho is better.’
“Huh, Sa-Sacred Relic…”
He would be obliterated the moment he touched it, yet unable to abandon his game-like thinking and coveting the item – Park Chang-ho naturally clicked his tongue at Nishida Ryo’s appearance.
That’s when it happened.
Thud.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done consecration.”
Jang Du-sik sat cross-legged in the center of the Labyrinth.
The torches surrounding the cave walls spread shadows in all directions, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
“Phew. I’m ready.”
Jang Du-sik stuck a large wooden club between his legs and squeezed his eyes shut.
Erik strode toward Jang Du-sik.
He placed the iron sword over his buzz-cut head.
“Consecration.”
Thud! He uttered the two-syllable word.
A perfunctory attitude and casual speech.
‘Wh-what kind of prayer is that… Huh?’
But wasn’t massive divinity responding to such a prayer?
Kuuuung.
The Labyrinth’s torches flickered as sacred golden waves surged in all directions.
The wind of divinity whooshed – extinguishing the torches and replacing them with brilliant radiance.
It was as if a tremendous blessing was being performed centered on Jang Du-sik.
“Krrr-.”
Jang Du-sik’s head began to sparkle.
The golden divinity surrounding Erik flowed down the Sacred blade onto his buzz-cut head.
‘It’s really consecration?’
Park Chang-ho got goosebumps.
Before being dragged to the Empire, Park Chang-ho was an adventurer.
Back then, he had watched an adventurer having his weapon consecrated by a Priest before entering the Labyrinth.
“Father, Lord Astia has said. Evil things have cast darkness upon the world, so a torch is needed to overcome this.”
Even after all that, the prayer continued for about ten minutes.
It was the same consecration, but from start to finish, everything was absurdly different.
To accomplish consecration with just a two-syllable prayer.
“It’s finished.”
As Erik removed the iron sword and muttered, Park Chang-ho’s mouth gaped open.
‘That would have taken 30 minutes…’
Even the time taken for consecration was ridiculous.
Then what about the result?
“Ugh! I’m drunk.”
Jang Du-sik rose from the center of the Labyrinth…
‘Why does that work? Wasn’t he supposed to burst and die?’
As if the consecration had really worked, his buzz-cut head was sparkling.
‘Really putting divinity on a person…’
Like the consecrated sword he’d seen in his adventurer days, Jang Du-sik’s head held a golden glow.
What kind of game possession is this?
Not just Park Chang-ho, but the other two Possessors looked similar.
“Crazy, Chang-ho! It seems you can consecrate people in reality!”
‘It must be because Director Erik is such a great being.’
Contrary to his thoughts, Park Chang-ho answered briefly and indifferently.
“I guess so.”
As if responding to that indifferent tone, Jang Du-sik stood up.
“B-Boss. Should I just pick anywhere?”
“Yeah.”
Then he tapped his head with the club and moved toward the first passage.
“This looks good.”
***
The six-way crossroads of Labyrinth’s 1st floor.
Depending on which path you choose from the initial starting cave, the distance to reach the 2nd floor varies.
Usually you need good luck, and according to in-game statistics, the central passage was considered the safe choice.
“Huh. Nishida Ryo was right.”
Erik’s eyes widened.
The place they arrived at following Jang Du-sik was completely different from the existing 1st floor.
The special terrain that Possessor Nishida Ryo had described where Hidden Pieces appear.
Saaaaa!
The wind carried the sweet scent of flowers to greet Erik’s party.
Wildflowers in full bloom on all sides, and the sky filled with clear blue.
A Labyrinth yet not quite a Labyrinth feeling.
‘How mystical.’
Everyone couldn’t help but be amazed by the sight.
“B-Boss, is this really the Labyrinth? Isn’t that the sky?”
Caves, forests, lakes, etc.
The lower floors of the Labyrinth are built around a single theme.
Whether forest, lake, or sea, the sky of the Labyrinth’s lower floors always shows a ceiling made of crude rock.
“Yes. This is also the Labyrinth. However, it feels similar to the upper floors.”
But the upper floors are different.
Sky over the sea.
Stars within the sky.
A place where water drops flow down from clouds.
The upper floors have worlds of their own.
“Each floor of the Labyrinth’s upper levels has its own unique world.”
Just like in the game.
Now it’s not simply a concept to heighten interest, but reality.
Erik spread his Divine Power to understand this space.
Colorful wildflowers swayed and bright yellow pollen floated high into the sky.
‘The space is small.’
What appeared to be a world was actually a small village-sized area when properly assessed.
From Erik’s perspective, he had never seen such a place even in the game.
So he looked at the Possessors.
“Wow… Chang-ho, can you see this?”
He saw Park Chang-ho with his face greatly contorted and Kang Pung-ho linking arms with him.
Seeing them in the fresh space.
“You suit each other quite well.”
When Erik said this matter-of-factly, Park Chang-ho quickly created distance.
‘Ah.’ As Kang Pung-ho looked at Erik as if disappointed, Erik subtly turned his gaze and spoke to Nishida Ryo.
“So where is this Hidden Piece supposed to be?”
“We-we need to dig the ground…”
Nishida Ryo trailed off while looking at the vast horizon.
“I-in the game it wasn’t this wide. No, when on earth will we finish all this!”
He seemed quite displeased about having to do labor.
He could instill some vigilance in the Possessor who complained whenever he got a little lax.
But Erik showed magnanimity.
He waved his hands at the Possessors and raised his divinity.
“Hieek-!”
Kugugugugugugung-!!!
The earth shook and the ground shot up.
As if only the soil had been neatly scooped out without harming the blooming wildflowers, the beautiful flower bed floated in the air.
A scene of colorful flowers embroidering the sky.
‘It’s like God creating the world.’
At the sight of magnificent golden divinity supporting the earth, the miracle of God naturally came to mind.
As Jang Du-sik was admiring the majestic spectacle.
“This is maddening.”
Erik swept his hair back and let out a single exclamation.
A broad smile hung on his lips – the kind of smile he’d make when earning big money.
Jang Du-sik carefully examined among the piles of earth.
“Wh-what’s so special about those bottle fragments that he’s acting like that?”
Thud–thu-du-du-duk.
Below the cascading earth from the raised ground, glass bottles with brilliant purple glow were visible.
“Le-Level Up!”
The Possessors also noticed the items.
Shouting ‘Crazy!’ in surprise, their eyes went wide.
The three people could see the item name tags.
“Tw-twenty bottles?”
“That in reality…”
Erik could also clearly see the name tag.
[Level Up Elixir]
One curiosity arose.
‘What would happen if I, who has no level, drank this?’
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