Chapter 269: Seventy-First Floor, The Crimson Wilderness (7)

[Complete a contract. Time remaining: 86 hours 24 minutes.]

Tunyak screamed and dropped flat to the ground before Doppy, seemingly bowing in reverence. He pressed his forehead to the earth, both palms raised toward the sky.

I couldn’t immediately grasp what was happening. Wide-eyed and confused, I glanced back and forth between Tunyak and Doppy.

On one side, Tunyak was in the midst of worshiping his god. On the other side, Doppy stood still with his eyes closed, while a crimson glow gathered around him.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

What? Don’t tell me the Forgotten God actually descended.

There was no other explanation.

The power now radiating from Doppy was unlike anything I had sensed from him before. Though the golden light was familiar, it was interspersed with something wholly different.

The red light and golden radiance enveloping Doppy slowly intermingled, forming a swelling orb at his fingertips before shooting toward the fallen divine beast. The conjoined light settled softly over the divine beast and shimmered faintly as it spread across the corrupted beast’s hide.

A quiet wave of divine energy pulsed through the air, resonating gently from where the beast lay.

“———!”

Doppy’s chanting caught me off guard—he was speaking in an entirely unfamiliar language. Moreover, it wasn’t his voice.

At the same moment, the divine beast flared with a brilliant light. Within that radiance, blackish-red smoke crackled and began to fade, as if burning away.

So this is the power of the Forgotten God?

Unlike the sacred incantations Doppy usually chanted, this one carried a deeper, more solemn reverence.

Within the glow, I could see the beast’s enormous form slowly beginning to shrink.

He did say that divine beasts would return to their original form when they died.

That had to be what I was witnessing.

Soon, the light began to dim, revealing a transformed creature.

The shallow wounds had vanished. The arrows once lodged in its flesh now lay scattered on the ground, most of them shattered, some still intact.

Fascinating.

The divine beast had shrunk to nearly half its former size. Its slick, black skin had been replaced by a luminous coat of reddish-brown fur.

Aside from that, its overall appearance hadn’t changed too drastically. Now, instead of resembling a dragon, it looked more like a qilin with the face of a bull. The antlers atop its head remained the same.

While I was still observing it, the divine beast’s eyes snapped open with a soft pop. A spark of strength gleamed within its gaze.

“

Whoooong—

”

Letting out a low cry, the beast slowly rose to its feet.

Tunyak, who had been bowing to Doppy, now turned and prostrated himself before the divine beast. “Oh divine beast!”

The beast responded with another sacred cry as if acknowledging his reverence.

“

Whoooong—

”

The sound resonated deep within my chest—holy, rich in timbre—almost like the mournful call of a sky whale.

It was a stark contrast to the feral roars—that had grated like claws against the air—it had unleashed previously.

Then, the beast furrowed its brow. I sensed discomfort in its expression.

What now?

Before I could ponder further, it began to contract and then stretch over and over, its neck curling into an arc with each motion like it was trying to retch.

Worried something was wrong, I turned toward Doppy, when—

Hack, hack—

The divine beast coughed.

Plop.

Something dark and wet dropped from its mouth, landing heavily on the ground. It was a mechanical device, coated in thick, black sludge. Within it, a faint black flame flickered and burned.

A machine, but it feels alive.

There was something deeply unsettling about it. Its very presence evoked a visceral discomfort.

I immediately realized that this was the root cause of the divine beast’s corruption.

I turned my head toward Tunyak. He, still kneeling, met my gaze. Neither of us spoke a word, but I could tell we were thinking the same thing. We didn’t have time to exchange more than that.

“

Whoooong—

”

The beast let out a gentle cry and stepped toward me, pressing its head close.

Um. It is a divine beast, so can I pet it?

I glanced at Tunyak out of the corner of my eye.

He smiled faintly at me as if reading my thoughts. “Seems the divine beast has taken a liking to you.”

That was all the permission I needed.

I bobbed my head quickly in acknowledgment and reached out, placing my hand atop its head. “Hey there.”

“

Whoooong—

”

Before I could even touch it properly, the beast leaned in and nudged its head against my palm. It began rubbing up against me on its own, and to my surprise, it was downright adorable.

From beneath the divine beast’s hooves, something began to bloom. Starting from where they touched the earth, green sprouts suddenly burst forth from the barren, red soil, spreading outward with incredible speed.

“W-what?” I stared, wide-eyed, but the divine beast remained beside me, its head resting peacefully in my hand.

The green spread further and spilled across the once-barren land. Even the blackened pool nearby was instantly purified, its murky surface replaced by a clear sky-blue sheen.

Stunned, I gaped at the miraculous sight. The wasteland had transformed into a living sea of green. In practically the blink of an eye, everything within view had been overtaken by vibrant life.

I turned back toward the divine beast. “Was that you?”

It cried out once more as if replying.

“

Whoooong—

”

“Seriously?”

“

Whoooong—

”

By then, Tunyak had risen to his feet, eyes wide in astonishment. “You?”

“What?” I asked, but he didn’t respond.

The divine beast, having touched my hand once more, now turned its attention to him. Tunyak immediately dropped to his knees, unable to even meet its gaze.

The beast let out a small, gentle cry—almost as if praising him.

“

Whoong—

”

It lowered its antlers toward his bowed head. A soft, red light, rich with divine energy, flowed from the tip of its antlers and seeped into Tunyak.

At that moment, I could feel Tunyak’s strength had grown, even if only slightly.

“Oh, Returned God... I offer you my deepest thanks.”

The divine beast gave a low rumble, then passed him by and approached Doppy.

While Tunyak remained composed despite his surprise, Doppy looked like he could faint at any moment. To an onlooker, he would have even seemed afraid. His gaze darted between the expanding field of green and the approaching beast, his expression caught between awe and panic.

Tunyak walked over to me. “So? What do you think of the divine beast’s true form?”

“It’s incredible. Sacred. Feels like I just witnessed a miracle.”

Tunyak nodded calmly and turned his gaze toward the lush landscape. “Honestly, even among us, it’s rare to see a sight like this. Something that you would be lucky to see once in your lifetime. Although before the pioneers arrived, it was said you could witness it two or three times if you were more fortunate...”

“With something like this, it’s no wonder people worship them. I get where you’re coming from now.”

“Right?” Tunyak chuckled quietly.

“The Forgotten God has truly returned. No longer forgotten as They have risen once more, unwilling to endure the oppression upon this land any longer,” he praised dramatically, almost like he was delivering a line from a play.

I didn’t feel the need to join in his prayer. Besides, there was something far more pressing at the moment.

I shrugged and asked, “That machine. Any idea what it is? Ever seen one before?”

“No. Probably something the pioneers planted.”

“You haven’t seen it, either? Even though you said you’ve sent divine beasts to rest before.”

“Well, it’s not like I ever cut open those divine beasts. I simply burned them and returned them to nature.”

Fair enough.

Even back on Earth, some people refused to perform autopsies, discomforted by the thought of tampering with the dead, and this was a divine beast. His hesitation made sense.

Tunyak shrugged and stepped forward. “It gives off a foul feeling. Let’s destroy it right away.”

“No.” I reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

He turned to me, puzzled. “Why not?”

“I want to examine it. That thing was made by them, wasn’t it?”

“Still, isn’t it safer to smash it now?”

“No. I have something in mind.”

Even so, Tunyak’s expression didn’t relax. “What are you thinking?”

“Can you just trust me for now?”

He stared at me in silence.

I had a feeling that if I said more, he would only grow more suspicious, so I changed the subject. “Anyway, we’ve completed the purification. So, what now?”

Although I had shifted the conversation, my question had been sincere.

Despite completing a contract, a message hadn’t appeared. I wondered if the next floor would connect directly to the seventy-second floor, or if I was going to return to the waiting room first.

In situations like this, I could usually find answers from nearby individuals.

If Tunyak declared that he would move the divine beast to safety—alone—we would likely be sent back to the waiting room. However, if he invited me to follow him, it probably meant the trial would continue immediately.

“I’ll stick with you for now. That worked out well just a moment ago, so moving forward...” Tunyak trailed off, then gave a slow nod after some thought. “How about we find what they were looking for through the divine beast?”

“

Huh?

”

“Earlier, it seemed like you could communicate with the divine beast.”

“Wasn’t it just crying?”

Tunyak shook his head firmly. “Divine beasts have never responded to our prayers before. Even when we worshipped them, they would simply pass us by.”

“Really?”

“Occasionally, one would place a horn on chosen individuals, like me, but never has it responded to someone’s words.”

So that is why he looked so shocked earlier and muttered “you.”

His reaction finally made sense to me. Moreover, it seemed like this floor would automatically transition to the next at some point.

Honestly, his idea didn’t seem half bad. It was essentially leading into another hidden mission—one that seemed tied to divine beings.

“Not a bad direction. But, will this count as a contract, too?”

“Didn’t I already state it would be a contract?”

Somehow, I felt like I was growing more familiar with Tunyak.

The divine beast had now turned its gaze from Doppy and was looking in our direction.

I nudged Tunyak with my elbow. “You know, we can’t go anywhere unless the divine beast leads us, right?”

“It’ll guide us.”

“Well, that’d be ideal.”

I carefully stepped forward and approached the beast.

“

Whoooong—

”

It let out a soft cry and gazed at me with its luminous eyes.

The moment our eyes met, I felt something. These weren’t the same eyes I had seen before. Through them, I could feel the gaze of a god.

For a moment, I simply stared into those eyes. They said nothing, but I felt a strong sense of warmth, even friendliness.

Soon, its eyes returned to normal.

What? Why me?

The thought passed, but before I could dwell on it, the beast nudged me with its head as if to ask what I was doing.

Right. That can wait.

“Can you take us to the place the pioneers told you to find?”

The divine beast cried out, as if answering.

“

Whoooong—

”

Though I couldn’t understand what it had said, I had a feeling that it had agreed.

I turned to Tunyak. “That means ‘yes,’ right?”

Tunyak smiled. “Of course.”

“

Huh?

”

As I glanced at him, the beast pushed its head between my legs. It hadn’t done it threateningly, but it still caught me off guard.

Before I knew it, the beast had lifted me gently onto its back. I could’ve resisted, but I had a feeling this was its way of offering a ride. Relaxing, I soon found myself seated atop its back.

“I think that was its way of saying it’ll take us now.”

“I’d better go get Kalem, then.” Tunyak spun around and hurried off to fetch the strange bull he had left behind.

I turned to Doppy. “Come on.”

“N-no! I-I don’t want to!” Doppy shook his head, looking visibly frightened.

That was odd because he wasn’t usually this easily scared.

“What’s wrong?”

“I-I’ll ride something else!”

“Like what? Oh, the mechanical horse?”

“Yes! I’ll go get it!”

Before I could even respond, Doppy had already darted away.

Seriously, what was that about?

It had been a while since I had seen Doppy this shaken. One possibility came to mind, however: the divine being I had sensed through the beast’s eyes. If Fenrike had offered Doppy help, then perhaps there was a connection.

Did he sense another god?

Considering how far we were in the tower, that other god likely outranked Fenrike. The most plausible explanation I could think of was that Doppy felt overwhelmed by the divine being’s presence.

Still, will it be ok for the mechanical horse to ride alongside the divine beast? Hard to say without testing it first.

I waited for Tunyak and Doppy to return with the bull and the horse. In the distance, I could already sense the two of them bickering.

Well, they will figure it out.

I turned my gaze back to the divine beast. We didn’t have a saddle for it, but its reddish-brown fur was soft enough that sitting atop it felt perfectly comfortable.

As always, Tunyak skillfully brought Kalem under control. Doppy, having started a bit later, was still on his way.

“What were you talking about?”

“The horse.”

“Are you worried it will re-corrupt the divine beast?”

“Yeah. We figured it was something the pioneers created, but still, just in case. If the divine beast shows any signs of discomfort, we’ll remove it immediately.”

“Good call.”

Doppy soon arrived on the mechanical horse. Thankfully, the divine beast showed no sign of displeasure. If anything, it was the horse that seemed uneasy. Unlike the bull, it backed away nervously.

Seeing that, the divine beast calmly approached and gently tapped the horse with its horn. It didn’t utilize mana, nor did it transfer any sort of energy, but the horse calmed almost immediately, and I could tell its breathing had steadied.

I exchanged a glance with Tunyak. Both he and Doppy looked relieved.

“Looks like it’s okay.”

“Yeah. The horse itself isn’t a problem. It was those damn pioneers who corrupted things.”

“True enough.” I softly stroked the divine beast’s neck. “All right, let’s go. To the place the pioneers wanted you to find.”

“

Whoong—!

”

The divine beast surged forward, full of energy.

I looked back to make sure Tunyak and Doppy were following, then focused behind them.

Tunyak hadn’t noticed yet—and I hadn’t mentioned it either—but something was approaching. Whoever had turned the beast into a monster had to have done it for a reason. If they had a goal in doing so, then surely they had a way to track it.

Like a locator.

That device I had picked up earlier was likely the key.

Whoever was after it could be trailing us, giving us some space before they closed in.

Tunyak had mentioned that warriors often went missing while putting the corrupted divine beasts to rest. They had probably been caught while alone, then ambushed by the pioneers’ forces.

We weren’t running from them out of fear. No, we were luring them in.

If we didn’t reach the place they were after, it was possible that they would never show themselves—they could even slip away entirely. If we wanted to take them all down at once, we had to look like bait.

I don’t know who, or where you are yet, but come on. Keep following.

I turned forward.

At that very moment, a message appeared.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden mission ‘Divine Beast Purification.’ All stats increased by 2.」