Published at 26th of January 2024 10:48 am

Chapter 291: Forsaken Believers (2)

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Translator/Editor: Ryuu

-Hmm? Followers...? Ah, yes, there were some.

Hamusutra spoke through the communicator.

I heard the sound of exertion, "Eutcha, eutcha," likely from moving boxes in the cafe.

"There were some?"

I leaned closer to the communicator.

"You have followers. Isn't that a bit negligent?"

-Oh, that's a harsh accusation.

Hamusutra replied indifferently.

-Gong-Ja, I never asked them to become my followers. They chose to be followers themselves. They called themselves Librarians and volunteered to be my hands and feet, but honestly, it was bothersome.

Hamusutra's tone carried a strong sense of annoyance, like trying to shoo a persistent fly buzzing around a dining table. It starkly contrasted how he addressed the Constellation Killer or me.

-More importantly, are you sure you want to chat with me with this precious one-time communicator? As far as I know, this is one of the secret tools the [Wide-Area Communicator] made. Of course, I'd be very pleased if you think a conversation with me is worth that much, but...

"No, it's not like that. Let's get back to the main topic."

-It’s not that then... Hmm, about the followers, why bring them up now?

I explained the current situation. Initially, Hamusutra listened nonchalantly, but his tone became more rigid as the story progressed.

-Uhhuhm.

The noise from the other side of the communicator ceased. He had stopped moving boxes to focus on my story.

-Indeed, this is a bit troubling, even for me. Certainly, when I joined hands with you to fall, I didn’t pay even a speck of attention to the Librarians...

That statement could make his followers cry.

"I'm also very troubled. It feels like I inadvertently caused harm to innocent people because I dragged you into becoming human."

-Uuuuum... As I said, the Librarians chose to be my followers themselves... If they abandon their faith in me now and switch to another Constellation, there shouldn't be any problem. It's a burden they should carry themselves...

Hamusutra sighed, resigned.

-But knowing your character, you won't just let this pass. Alright. Although embarrassing and shameful, can I entrust you to handle what I neglected?

"Of course."

I nodded.

"I didn't contact you to blame you. It's about Hamusutra's followers, after all. I just wanted to seek your consent and permission. I'll handle it myself, so just keep a note of this debt in your heart."

-Damn. It’s a pity! If I were still a Constellation, I would have sent the message [Your favorability with the Great Librarian of All Knowledge has significantly increased] right now!

Why is he regretting such a thing...

Moreover, Constellations actually enjoy sending messages...

"Never mind the message. Is there some kind of token?"

-Token? Sorry, I don't understand. What kind of token do you mean?

"If I go to rescue the Librarians trapped in the Magic Tower. It would be easier if I had something that clearly shows I'm on the same side. Like a mark of Hamusutra. A password or something."

-Ah, I see, I see...

Hamusutra pondered.

-There’s no convenient item like that... But there is a way that might work.

"What is it?"

-Among the Librarians trapped in the Magic Tower, there might be a Hunter you know.

Hamusutra said.

-His alias is [Assistant Writer].

"......."

What kind of life must one lead to earn the alias [Assistant Writer]?

I was dying to dig into this person's life and history, but the communicator I was using was time-limited. I reluctantly held back.

-[Assistant Writer] is a Librarian who quit climbing the tower on the 50th floor and is renowned among them. He must be over 600 years old. If the Magic Tower spiders started capturing Librarians, they wouldn't have left [Assistant Writer] alone. Among the followers, he was as revered as my Apostle...

So he's like the leader of Hamusutra's followers. I nodded.

"So if I gain the trust of this Hunter, that's the key."

-Exactly. [Assistant Writer] has entered Revelations twice for quests. I remember the ending of the first Revelation. It was a solo quest... Only [Assistant Writer] entered.

Hamusutra continued.

-Only I and [Assistant Writer] know the whole story of that quest. It's a secret shared between the two of us. All scenes and dialogues were unseen and unheard by the audience.

"......."

-I’ll now tell you a line from that secret story.

A line that only Hamusutra could know in this world.

I listened intently to the words Hamusutra uttered.

The next day, I immediately put the plan into action.

The reason for staying overnight was to save a [Save Point]. In case I died, I wanted to return on the 50th floor, not the 1st.

"Alright. Let's get moving."

I headed out into the streets.

The chase had happened yesterday.

Although only a night had passed, several things had occurred in that time.

[‘Warhorse of the Eternal Plains’ encourages quests among the followers.]

[‘Warhorse of the Eternal Plains’ emphasizes the danger of the evil heretic cult leader!]

First, Mahos hadn't given up on me. Instead, he increased the quest rewards, desperately trying to catch me.

'How cute.'

I smiled slightly.

By now, Mahos's followers must be vigorously expanding their search network. Sorry, but it'll only get harder as time goes on. The teachings of the Demonic Cult aren't called the doctrine of shadows for nothing.

And it wasn't just Mahos who was anxious.

[‘The Lonely Seeker’ offers you a one-shot quest.]

[‘The Eyes Dwelling in the Labyrinth’ offers you a one-shot quest.]

[‘The Lotus Reflected on Water’ is paying attention to your faith.]

[‘The Incarnation of Love and Lust’ offers you a one-shot quest.]

Almost all the Constellations with some power on the 50th floor had sent me messages. They seemed intrigued by how easily I had evaded Mahos's followers yesterday.

-The strength of a follower directly affects the reputation of the Constellation.

Watching my rising popularity, the Guardian Spirit snorted.

-Zombie, you’re indeed a highly desirable recruitment candidate.

"That’s nice to hear. But what’s a [One-shot Quest]?"

-Well, as the name implies, it's short. It’s a simple quest.

Explained the Guardian Spirit.

-Constellations don’t just randomly invite someone to be their follower. They consider compatibility, personality, level, etc. Only after assessing all that do they usually send an offer. A [One-shot Quest] is like a trial to see if you’re a good match.

"Huh."

-But a Constellation personally offering a one-shot indicates deep interest in you. Anyway, no need to choose right away. It doesn't matter if you never choose.

Hmm.

What should I do?

As I pondered, the Guardian Spirit started talking about the old days.

-Actually, I never chose one forever! Kyaa. It felt so good to ignore the love calls from numerous Constellations right in front of them. You don't know how satisfying that is. Sure, the Constellations treated me like a thug afterward, but so what? To serve a noble, they should send a thoroughbred, right?

"Good day, esteemed Constellations. I sincerely appreciate your invitation to the quests."

Right after hearing the Guardian Spirit's words, I decided on my approach.

-Huh..?

"Currently, I believe some of you might be secretly observing me. I'm a bit occupied at the moment. I'll carefully review all the one-shot quests you've suggested and then respond respectfully."

-Hey, why are you doing that? I told you to ignore them!

The Guardian Spirit was puzzled, but my proactive approach immediately elicited responses.

[‘The Lonely Seeker’ is satisfied with your response.]

[‘The Eyes Dwelling in the Labyrinth’ is surprised to find you're more normal than expected.]

[‘The Lotus Reflected on Water’ smiles.]

[‘The Incarnation of Love and Lust’ increases the rewards for the one-shot quest!]

As expected.

"Thank you very much."

I expressed my gratitude again.

-You're strange. Hey, I told you. Constellations are all perverted lunatics. Why are you being polite to them?

'Sir Sword Emperor, I've learned something while living as a hunter.'

-What's that?

'First, no matter what I do, as long as it's the opposite of what Yoo Soo-Ha does, I score a hundred points.'

-I've heard that several times. I wonder how that guy is doing... But you said first, so what’s the rest?

'Second, no matter what I do, as long as it's the opposite of what you do, I score fifty points.'

-This damn kid?

'Thank you for being my second role model.'

The Constellations were clearly cautious about me.

As soon as I responded with a bit of courtesy, proving I wasn't a psycho or an old fogey, they shot messages my way.

[‘The Lonely Seeker’ asks if you're genuinely planning to oppose the Magic Tower.]

"Yes, I am."

[‘The Eyes Dwelling in the Labyrinth’ is curious about your relationship with Hamusutra.]

"Well, that’s hard to say right away. I know what kind of being Hamusutra is. I'll tell you more about it once we get to know each other better."

[‘The Lotus Reflected on Water’ asks if it's okay to continue observing you confronting the Magic Tower.]

"Yes, of course. When it's time for me to act alone, I'll ask you to divert your attention then, but until that moment, feel free to watch as much as you want."

[‘The Incarnation of Love and Lust’ wonders if the person you've been talking to yourself since yesterday is your imaginary lover!]

"What? What the hell... No, sorry. I'm married. I have my love."

The messages in my head instantly became a cacophony of noise.

At least one of the Constellations turned out to be an extraordinary lunatic, but regardless, they were excitedly chatting among themselves, using me as a medium.

Compared to yesterday, their attitude towards me was much lighter.

[‘The Lonely Seeker’ complains that the Magic Tower is blocking all quests on the 50th floor.]

Amid the small talk, there were useful pieces of information.

[‘The Eyes Dwelling in the Labyrinth’ agrees.]

[‘The Incarnation of Love and Lust’ laments that many followers can’t progress beyond the 50th floor due to the Magic Tower, even with extensive campaign quests.]

[‘The Lotus Reflected on Water’ neither agrees nor disagrees.]

[‘The Lonely Seeker’ advises that infiltrating the Magic Tower is almost impossible.]

Indeed.

The Constellations seemed not too friendly towards the Magic Tower.

'I remember the Guardian Spirit mentioning that a Constellation is imprisoned under each of the five spires of the Magic Tower.'

There was a time when the Guardian Spirit explained this about the Magic Tower.

'The Constellations are captured alive and their energy is extracted.'

If that's true, it's no wonder the Magic Tower isn't on good terms with the Constellations.

I moved closer to the Magic Tower, pondering in my mind.

-Now, zombie.

Before me lay ruins.

-Listen carefully to what I say.

It looked like a giant made of stone and wood had fallen and decayed. Moss and mushrooms covered the heaped rocks, and unidentified insects scuttled among the debris. Hunters swarmed the 50th floor, but this place was deserted and rarely visited.

-This is where the sixth spire of the Magic Tower once stood.

About 150 years ago.

The remnants of the old spire that the Sword Emperor himself had toppled.

-Only fools would try to infiltrate the Magic Tower directly. It's been famous for its ironclad security since old times. Even if you just [watch] the Magic Tower, you'd be detected in 23 seconds. After I wreaked havoc, the security must have become even tighter.

However, the Guardian Spirit added.

-That's only true for the other five spires I didn't destroy.

Thud.

I followed the direction indicated by the Guardian Spirit.

-Even those perverted Magic Tower folks wouldn't bother securing [an already destroyed spire]. Don’t you think so?

Navigating through the debris was challenging. But the Guardian Spirit remembered this ancient event as if it just happened.

Following his instructions, I cleared away large rocks.

[‘The Lonely Seeker’ is puzzled by your enigmatic actions.]

I kept clearing, but the debris piled up like a mountain.

Non-stop, I wielded my aura, digging like a mole.

-The spires of the Magic Tower are connected by secret passages.

Gradually, I was below ground level.

-Ordinary hunters obviously don't know, and even the Magic Tower's own spiders usually don't. Only the real top brass know about these passages. I deliberately didn't touch the secret passages when I caused havoc in the old days. I planned to use them again when I came back to destroy more. Sadly, I died on the 99th floor before I could complete the big picture.

The Guardian Spirit chuckled.

-How about that? Hitching a ride with you for my comeback?

Crack!

The ground I had focused my aura on split in two. Instead of solid ground, a loosely gaping crevice appeared.

I concentrated my aura further, widening the gap enough for a person to fit through.

-Then let's take advantage of it.

I readied my blade.

Before crawling into the underground entrance, I carved something into the rock.

The Sword Emperor has returned.

Until just 150 years ago, this was the dominion of an absolute powerhouse who had conquered the tower.

At that moment, my mind was bombarded with messages.

[‘The Lonely Seeker’ is shocked by the characters you carved!]

[‘The Eyes Dwelling in the Labyrinth’ is surprised by the area it didn't know about.]

[‘The Lotus Reflected on Water’ probes your intentions.]

Good.

I stored my aura.

The underground passage was dark, but it brightened easily when I shone Shiny.

-Zombie. You might be a bit lacking, but you're something like my disciple, aren't you?

'Let's assume that's the case.'

-Then, having reached the 50th floor, shouldn't you at least demolish one tower, just like me?

'What are you talking about?'

I grinned.

'At least two should be demolished to uphold the name of the Demonic Cult.'

Then, I leaped into the underground passage.

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