— Volume 10, Issue 1
226. The darkness that creates the black world
(1)
“…So Odin, who had been hiding his identity, revealed his identity and punished those who persecuted him and rewarded those who showed mercy.”
“Wow!”
Minerva’s eyes sparkled.
Minerva, probably tired from playing ball for days, begged Taesan
to tell her a story. So Mount Tai told the story of Odin, the protagonist of Norse mythology, who went down to earth disguised as an ugly old man.
“fun!”
“Are you satisfied?”
“yes!”
Minerva smiled and put her head on the lap of Mount Taesan. She fiddled with the hem of Taishan’s clothes.
“It’s almost over already.”
It’s been a week since Taesan met Minerva. During that time, Minerva’s appearance and personality did not change, but
the power within her gradually increased.
It was now slowly coming to an end. Perhaps in a day or two, Minerva would be the perfect elemental king.
“It is over now.”
Minerva stood up with a forlorn face.
“I will become the king who protects this place. And when he becomes king, he is bound to this place and cannot leave. And you are an adventurer going down the labyrinth. I will leave here.”
Minerva laughed hard.
“But it’s okay. Because I
have a duty to protect them. I can hold on even if you leave.”
[There is a way,]
said the ghost.
[You just need to sign a contract with this guy.]
“A contract with the real one?”
[It doesn’t mean that you can’t make a contract because you’re the King of Spirits, right? If you sign a contract, you’ll be able to come when you’re called?]
Minerva’s face instantly brightened at the ghost’s story. But I got depressed again.
“…no. When I make a contract with a being from another world,
my power goes out. It’s not impossible to protect, but it’s still dangerous. I must protect this world.”
Taesan said to Minerva who was hiding her depression.
“Do you like the people of this world?”
“huh. They are the people I have to protect and the world I will live in.”
“And that guy outside?”
“A human contracted with a higher spirit?”
“okay.”
Hasak, who had been disconnected by Taesan, came knocking on the barrier every day. Asking for his power back, it’s mine.
It was funny. It wasn’t his strength in the first place. It was the power of the spirit that had contracted with him.
Taesan ignored it.
And there was no one to look after Hasak. Realizing that Hasak had lost his power in the process, they quickly opened up their distance.
Above all, because of the power Taesan showed,
he was not approaching. Rather, they were even making offerings to him from afar.
[The proficiency of the divine power increased by 1%.]
Thanks to that, the undesirable proficiency of the divine power was rising.
Minerva nodded.
“Even so, he is a child I have to protect. As long as he is with me, I will protect him.”
“okay?”
Taesan spoke briefly.
“Then I will go to bed. look at my
work again.”
The white space has moved away.
Taesan returned to the sphere again.
“How will it end?”
[It’s strange,]
Taesan murmured.
What he did after coming to this world was to find Minerva and protect her. For a quest given directly by God, it was too simple. Even if Taesan didn’t protect Minerva, there was no problem.
The reason could be guessed. Maybe it’s gathering strength. To kill Taishan in order to bring down the world for their own purposes.
So, slowly, they will move.
“How am I going to approach this time?”
Taesan murmured with anticipation.
Like in the time of the God of Magic, he couldn’t let the monster go down. In the world of giants, it was possible because the old god had already created a rift, but Arulia
was firmly blocked by the spirit god.
You can’t let the monster down. So I’ll use another method.
Taesan waited patiently.
The day was so bright. King Jeongryeong did not call Taesan. Inside the sphere, I could feel the enormous power slowly engulfing it.
This was the last time.
And then, Akien came to Taesan.
“hello.”
She bowed her head with a shaking face
. Taesan nodded in greeting.
Akienne opened her mouth.
“We are leaving now.”
“Have you given up?”
“I gave up a long time ago. I was forced to stay because of Hasak, but I think everyone is tired now. In the end, it was decided that those who would stay would stay and those who would leave would leave.”
Having dominated them and imposed his will, Hasak lost his power and became an ordinary human.
Then there was no reason to stay here any longer. Half of those who came here were forcibly brought there by Hasak.
The other half were interested in the sphere itself or wanted to study it, but as long as Taesan protected the sphere, they couldn’t help it either.
There, they were also slowly guessing. The energy of nature felt in the sphere was getting stronger day by day, and there were very few beings who could have such power.
A person who made a contract with the highest level spirit with overwhelming power to protect such a sphere .
A person who can interfere with the contract itself with a higher spirit.
I don’t know exactly, but I couldn’t help but know that they weren’t something I could touch.
And Akienne knew exactly who it was. She bowed her head.
“Thank you very much, Taesan.”
That was Akienne’s sincerity.
Akien did not know exactly how much power the Spirit King had, but it
was not difficult to guess that their world would be greatly shaken if the Spirit King harbored ill feelings towards them.
Even if it is not, they are those who have lived with the spirits. Since the spirit king was an object of worship to them, it was the most desired ending for Akienne seeking harmony with the spirits.
Taesan replied.
“I am just doing my job.”
“Still, I am still grateful. thank you For stopping us from going down the wrong path.”
She said in a voice full of sincerity.
The moment Taesan tried to answer, power flowed from the sphere.
The power coming out of it began to take shape. Soon, a girl with blue hair appeared.
“hi?”
She smiled and reached out to Akien. Akienne stared blankly at her and held her hand.
“…hi?”
“Nice to meet you! He is the child I must protect
!”
Minerva smiled and waved. Akienne’s pupils widened at her words.
“You can’t be yourself.”
“I am the spirit king of the wind. Minerva! You are the one who will protect this world!”
Akien was frightened. She quickly pressed herself to the floor.
“Wow, my king! A lowly body meets a great being! Please forgive the rudeness…
“It’s okay. are you okay.”
Minerva waved her hand. Taesan, who had been watching, said.
“Was it possible to come out like this?”
“It didn’t work at first, but it’s coming to an end soon, right? This amount of power transfer is fine.”
Minerva chuckled.
Akienne seemed to be losing her mind. To think that the great spirit king would show himself and face him. It was something I couldn’t even think of.
Minerva looked down at her with an amused gaze.
“I was born to protect you. It’s my duty… but it’s nice to see a human like you in person. A human with a good heart, worthy of being protected.”
“Thank you…
“Wake up.”
Minerva himself raised her up. Akien stood up with a sad face.
“Please continue to like me.”
“Yes yes…
Akien nodded.
It was when Minerva was laughing and about to say something.
Suddenly darkness came to the world.
A purple light was painted in the sky. And there was a huge clash of forces.
Light and darkness sway and collide with each other.
A collision of mighty beings that even beings on the ground can understand.
Minerva’s eyes twinkled.
“dad?”
The powers of the spirit god and the god god were colliding.
And at that moment, a shadow covered the earth.
The light of the approaching dawn has disappeared into the darkness.
A jet-black shadow, like a deep abyss, devours everything and runs at full speed. A foreign power is trying to eat the spirit king.
[The King!]
Barkaza hurriedly clapped. A barrier forms and encloses them.
Barkaza’s Barrier. The power of the highest level spirit that even Taesan couldn’t easily penetrate.
Quadduk.
The moment it collides with the shadow, it is swallowed.
It is overlaid with shadows as if the barrier never existed in the first place.
[This!]
Barkaza is stunned and spreads the barrier even harder, but even that is meaninglessly smashed.
The shadow aims at Minerva.
“iced coffee!”
Akienne hurriedly wrapped around Minerva. Taesan took out his sword and drove it into the ground.
ugh
Taesan’s power spreads out to the earth riding the sword.
The shadow collides with the sword.
The shadow that met like that started to swallow the sword. Taesan shook his sword roughly as he saw the sword slowly turning black from the tip.
Faaaaang!
The air explodes and the shadows become thin.
Shattered shadows begin to encroach on the land.
“This.”
Taesan frowned.
It was dark.
I’ve dealt with many monsters of the Gods so far, but it was different from him.
It was different in the essential part. this shadow.
“There.”
Minerva’s face hardened. Taesan grabbed Akien by the scruff of the neck.
“I’m sorry, but I need to clear my seat. Barkaza.”
[Okay.]
“Yes yes?”
Taesan threw Akien far away. Barkaza clapped his hands and a barrier was formed for the flying Akien.
[It’s a perfect throw. It will probably fall in the middle of the forest.]
[Oh… this again.]
The ghost laughed.
[I didn’t expect this…]
“You.”
Minerva’s face contorted.
From the other side, Hasak, dyed black, appeared.
“Hee hee hee! Hee hee hee!”
Hasak burst into laughter with a mad face. His entire body was half-immersed in darkness, making it difficult to see his true form.
“I got my strength!”
Hasak exclaimed.
There was darkness in his voice.
“The labyrinth is no longer the subject of my interest! I am great!”
“Can being swallowed up by power be regarded as becoming great?”
It wasn’t by Taesan’s standards.
“You…
Minerva’s face was furious.
“you! dare! dare! As a member of my world! While being the object I have to protect! Sever your ties with the spirits! dare!
Power of the bad guys!”
A voice full of rage resounds. Nature roars and rises wildly.
Nature, aroused by the spirit king’s wrath, rushes at the blackened Hasak. The earth is shattered, fragments fly, and the wind becomes a storm.
Hasak shows a twisted smile.
“It’s insignificant!”
Shadows spread in all directions.
A spreading shadow arises and swallows everything. The fragments of the earth
are swallowed up by the storm-like wind.
“ha ha ha! It was barely this strong! How can you be so obsessed with power!”
“You you…
Minerva gnashed her teeth. Taesan pulled Minerva, who was gathering more strength.
“Don’t stop! Taesan! That bastard betrayed us!”
Minerva shouted harshly.
“Break the contract your dad made himself and dare to hold their hands!”
“Calm down for now. Can I draw
that much power now ?”
Minerva trembled at Taesan’s words.
The sphere was not only a shield to protect her, but also a supportive role to help her become perfect. It was almost over, but there was nothing good about drawing power from outside the sphere.
“Go in. Because this is what I have to do.”
The quest he received from the spirit god is to protect the spirit king. Even if the King of Spirits stepped forward, it would have been a jeonju-gaekjeon.
[My king. Please keep yourself in the sphere. You are imperfect now.]
Barkaza also helped. Minerva bit her lip.
Taesan laughed.
“I wondered how it came, and it was like this. This is something new.”
At his words, Minerva’s face turned white.
When
I asked him
not to
kill me
, he said, “No.”
Taesan dismissed her words.
Since he did not kill Hasak, it is not something that Gosin can interfere with. It’s just that Hasak was chosen because he was the closest to Taesan and harbored great enmity.
There are many people who aim for the sphere. Had it not been for Hasak, someone else would have been chosen by the old god.
“Stop worrying and go in. I will finish it soon.”
“…okay. Sorry.”
Minerva’s body slowly began to dissipate.
“But be careful. That will be very different from the ones you’ve dealt with.
“I know that well enough.”
Scattered Minerva returned to the sphere.
“Hee hee hee!”
Hasak laughed.
“Your strength! Nothing! You are nothing!”
Taesan did not respond to Hasak’s words. To be precise, there was no need to react.
It was swallowed up by the force.
The ego was no longer whole, buried in madness, anger and power. There was no point in talking to a guy like that.
grow up
The darkness hidden inside Hasak’s body smiled at Taesan.
The gigantic being gave Taesan his gaze.
Taesan relaxed all the muscles in his body.
The darkness that lurks within Hasak’s body.
A bottomless pit that swallows everything. Darkness in all its forms.
That’s not a monster. Only that kind of being can’t have that kind of power.
A being exiled from the world now in a higher place than other transcendent mortals.
that was a god
[master. That’s dangerous.]
[Oh. Ohh. I’ve heard about it, but it’s the first time I’ve actually seen a guy for a contract.]
“Do you know what it is?”
[Gosin wants to trample the world. They use all kinds of means. The
one I use most often is to send monsters down, just like you did in your world… Where that’s impossible, you use the locals.]
“A contract with the Gods.”
[that’s right. The inhabitants of the world make a contract with the gods, forsake the protection of the gods, and become their followers. If that happens, God’s protection will have no meaning. Because the inhabitants of the world directly accepted Kosin. Because they acknowledged their existence. That’s why it can pierce through and interfere with the protection of spirits.]
The ghost clicked its tongue.
[Why are you accepting such a contract? The soul, body, and mind are all shattered.]
Making a contract with God is not easy. From the outside, even those who have unmatchable power cannot be chosen by them.
It was a matter of conditions rather than the difficulty of the contract itself.
The Apostle’s Covenant is the descending of a god to a human being.
In other words, those who do not meet the conditions of the weak will collapse and lose their ego even if they accept the contract
.
That is why the gods are picky about the humans with whom they make contracts. It was to see if the man was to his liking and if he had the strength to bear the title of an apostle.
But Gosin is not like that. To them, mortals were just toys, so it was not uncommon for mortals who only pursued power to be treated as disposable words.
[Originally, it would have been impossible… but since the spirit king, the guardian of the world, was also empty, it seems Hasak sent the power of the contract aiming for the gap. It wasn’t that he didn’t have talent either .
I understand why the spirit king was angry.]
The spirit king is the one who protects this world. I protect everyone in Arulia.
But to think that the existence he would protect denies himself and made a contract with the old god. It was like being denied her very existence.
[This… I can’t even say something.]
The ghost swallowed.
[They said they made a contract with the god, but humans couldn’t stand a proper contract, so they
probably didn’t even have a piece of that power. But it’s still a contract with the transcendent. It has a completely different power from the monsters you’ve seen so far.]
“I got a rough idea.”
The shadow stretches out.
Dark colors turn everything black.
The space that had changed like that was no longer Arulia.
A dark space where everything is covered.
Taishan had seen that space from Earth.
A huge crack in the sky. It was like the power I felt there. That’s the existence that made a direct contract with the old god. In other words, the power it handles
is the power of the old god.
“It will be a good experience.”
[The opponent is an enemy impossible to win
.] [You
activated
Apostleization [Mixed Spirituality] .]
Level up with skills.
