Chapter 299: Seventy-Fifth Floor, The Old Man and the Spirits (5)

[Resolve the old man’s regrets. Time remaining: 11 hours 2 minutes.]

The battle had effectively ended the moment I slew the Screaming Parasite. Fear began to surface in the eyes of the monsters who had been controlled by its maddening cry.

What followed was straightforward.

Lightning continued to rain down from the sky. The monsters, no longer mindlessly advancing, scattered in panic across the battlefield now that their leader was gone.

There was no need for me to lift another finger.

If the Screaming Parasite had gathered them, then it made sense that even the distant stragglers would gradually vanish. A few of the more powerful-looking ones did rush in without hesitation, but they were swiftly crushed by either the shadow spears or a well-placed swing of my axe.

Battle complete.

That wasn’t my biggest problem, however.

Damn it, when is this going to end?

As I ran across the open plains, I glanced behind me.

The princess and her entourage were urging their horses forward at full speed. With the monsters now gone, nothing impeded their pace. The horses, clearly of fine stock, showed signs of fatigue, and their speed hadn’t dropped in the slightest.

I was running ahead of them, faint lightning crackling around me.

Unfortunately, without anyone to fight to reinforce my image, I had to admit that I didn’t look particularly cool.

Ideally, I would only appear at the moment of crisis, resolve everything with flair, and vanish like a storm. Now that would leave an impact.

To make matters worse, I was running bare-legged, which definitely didn’t help the aesthetic.

There were still a few monsters lingering nearby, but none of them dared approach me. This left me with no opportunity to swing my axe or unleash lightning.

Yeah, this isn’t good.

“Esteemed god! Please, wait just a moment!”

“Divine Grace!”

“Please, stop for a moment!”

Their comments caused me to frown. They had been saying the same thing for over fifteen minutes now.

At first, the princess had quietly followed behind. Once the monsters vanished, however, she began calling out to me.

I hadn’t responded as I wanted to maintain an air of mystery.

Now, even the knights escorting her had joined in, shouting with her.

It was a strange sight. I was running silently ahead while the princess’s entourage chased after me on horseback, calling out as if in pursuit of a runaway miracle.

Frankly, the whole scene was a little ridiculous, and the atmosphere didn’t suit me at all.

“D-div-vine Grace!” The princess’s voice was beginning to crack.

I shook my head subtly, hoping she wouldn’t notice. At this point, it was reasonable to assume that she would give up, but she didn’t, repeating the same thing with unwavering devotion. I couldn’t tell if she was foolish or simply loyal.

Well, to be honest...

I was rather pleased. I had acted so conspicuously precisely because I wanted to elicit this kind of reaction.

This long, awkward chase was becoming an issue.

The longer this goes on, the more it chips away at my mystique.

The monsters had been defeated. By all rights, this was the perfect moment to disappear.

Maybe there are more enemies?

Regardless, the chances of anything major occurring felt slim. There probably wouldn’t be a second divine being waiting nearby.

I ignored the princess’s increasingly strained calls and turned my thoughts elsewhere.

My divine energy was recovering more quickly than I expected. Despite using up nearly ninety percent of it while taking down the Screaming Parasite, I had already replenished it to its previous level, and it was continuing to rise.

Such a rate of increase suggested that my total capacity had grown.

It can’t just be because the princess’s group thinks I am a god.

There were only about a hundred of them, hardly enough belief to cause such a rapid increase.

If I had to guess, it was likely due to killing the Screaming Parasite, which had been tainted with corrupted divinity.

Or maybe word of my feats has started spreading somewhere.

It wouldn’t be unprecedented. Even in the waiting rooms, my divinity had occasionally surged without warning. I always assumed it was due to the trials I had completed.

There were times I had saved entire worlds while climbing the tower, usually through decisive victories in large-scale wars. It wasn’t far-fetched that my exploits had begun to spread.

Most likely, news of me defeating Endless Furnace’s apostle has made its way around Tunyak’s world.

Wait.

Thinking about divinity led me to realize why the Spirit Stone’s time hadn’t run out yet.

From the beginning, I had misunderstood something. Hyun had told me that a single Spirit Stone allowed me to spend four hours in the past. I had assumed I would return the moment the battle ended, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Three things come to mind.

First, Hyun wasn’t necessarily able to observe what was happening in this world. Even if he had the ability to send someone into the past, that didn’t necessarily mean he could see what occurred there.

Second, Hyun lacked divinity. When he sent me into the past through the Spirit Stone, he used my divine energy, not his own. Even if he knew the task was complete, he couldn’t retrieve me.

Third, there could still be enemies, though that seemed highly unlikely.

So it is probably the first or second.

Whichever it was, the bottom line remained the same—I would be stuck here for the full four hours.

At this rate, my air of mystery would be completely gone.

I glanced up at the sky. Though still overcast, the lightning had long since ceased.

Should I disappear with a final lightning strike? Yeah. That is probably best.

Even if I wasn’t physically present, I could still protect them from afar. I didn’t even know their exact destination, so perhaps it made more sense to follow from behind.

Wait. Are they calling out at me because I am going the wrong way? Maybe they didn’t feel like they could leave without me?

“Divine One! Please, I beg you! Stop!”

The princess was still calling out to me, her voice desperate and sincere.

That does seem plausible.

In that case, it was time to vanish, quickly.

Raising my hand discreetly, I reached toward the sky. A bolt of lightning tore through the overcast clouds.

Thud!

The singular bolt struck the earth with a brilliant flash, and in that very instant, I used Shadow Veil to vanish from sight. I suppressed all traces of my presence and swiftly changed positions, watching the princess’s group from afar.

“

Ah!

”

“The god has vanished!”

They seemed genuinely startled by my sudden disappearance.

The princess rushed ahead, halting her horse where I had last stood. She dismounted and inspected the scorched ground with growing concern.

Nothing would turn up, of course.

Still, watching dozens of them dismount to scour the ground while a handful remained on alert was oddly endearing.

They can take it down a notch, though.

They likely didn’t have much time to waste.

Just then, the princess straightened with a determined look and mounted her horse once more. “We were granted our lives by God. We cannot afford to waste them. Everyone, back on your horses!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The soldiers scrambled back onto their steeds. Without delay, the princess yanked her reins and changed direction, veering sharply to the left.

So I definitely went the wrong way, oh well.

It was a bit embarrassing in hindsight. Still, I hoped they would at least think I had guided them to safety.

Scratching the side of my nose, I quietly followed behind them.

Even if it isn’t likely, there can still be enemies lurking along the way.

The princess’s entourage wasn’t directly within my line of sight, but I planned to shadow them and keep watch. Not that I could leave anyway, and besides, I had more than enough stamina to spare.

Running on foot in front of mounted riders wasn’t exactly graceful, but from the shadows? That I could manage.

Both my divine energy and mana had nearly recovered. In about forty minutes, I would be back at full strength. Strengthening my legs with mana, I continued running behind the princess’s party.

***

[Resolve the old man’s regrets. Time remaining: 10 hours 22 minutes.]

After running for over forty minutes, a thought occurred to me.

The Spirit Stone had used my divine energy to send me to the past. Therefore, I wondered if Divine Power alone was enough to end the trip.

I still clearly remembered how my divine energy had circulated during the Spirit Stone’s activation.

It wouldn’t hurt to try, but I decided to wait a little longer.

The fighting may be over, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

After all, an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure. If I returned to Hyun, only for something to happen to the princess, I would never forgive myself.

Besides, finishing the trial early didn’t exactly guarantee I would be granted a bonus reward. It was wiser to proceed with care.

It isn’t like I need to rest, either, so there isn’t a reason to rush back anyway.

My mana and divinity had fully recovered by now. Moreover, just like I had suspected, my total divine energy had increased as well.

Despite all the running, I wasn’t fatigued in the least. My stamina wasn’t so lackluster that a bit of jogging would wear me down. Despite that, the repetitive movement of moving my legs back and forth was starting to become rather tedious.

I kept going.

How far have I run?

Eventually, I spotted a cavalry unit through a break in the forest. Approximately two hundred soldiers had gathered at the edge of the plains.

The moment they saw the princess’s group, they blew their horns and galloped over.

An elderly cavalry commander approached with reddened eyes, as if he would burst into tears at any moment. “Your Highness! We've been waiting! Thank the heavens you're safe!”

The princess hoarsely answered, “Hyeon-Seol, have you been well?”

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

“I-I haven’t been able to sleep, Your Highness.

“The Screaming Parasite was reported to be nearby, and we feared the worst. Thankfully, it seems you managed to safely avoid it.”

“No, we encountered it.”

The commander blinked, confused. “Pardon?”

“We came face-to-face with the Screaming Parasite, and it’s been killed.”

Hyeon-Seol’s jaw dropped. “W-what?”

His eyes were so wide, he looked like a cartoon character. “H-how... How is that even possible?”

“We met a god.”

Hyeon-Seol frowned in disbelief. “A god?”

Leaving them to their conversation, I turned away, pondering.

Judging by the timing and result, this was the end of the event. Though I had slain the Screaming Parasite fairly quickly, under normal circumstances, someone could have been stuck there much longer.

Seeing the princess’s bright smile, I figured I didn’t need to worry about her mentioning me in detail.

Let me see. Is it like this?

I activated Divine Power and recalled the sensation of the Spirit Stone’s energy flowing into me.

To be precise, I reversed that process, expelling the divinity stored in me in the opposite direction from before. The moment I did, my divine energy rippled.

I felt a thread connecting my divinity to the Spirit Stone, although it existed somewhere outside the scope of my comprehension. This had to be it.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, light covered my vision.

***

[Resolve the old man’s regrets. Time remaining: 10 hours 5 minutes.]

The ritual circle, the weathered hut, and the blackened land.

I was once again greeted by the same scenery I had seen just a few hours ago.

Hyun stood before me, just as he had been, smiling in clear relief. “You’ve returned!”

“Yes.”

“I’ve confirmed that everything has been resolved. I offer my deepest gratitude.”

“It was nothing.”

Though Hyun immediately began speaking as if he knew what had happened, I didn’t find it strange enough to press him for answers. Whether or not he had actually seen my actions didn’t matter. I could tell at a glance that he was aware.

I looked up toward the distant sky. The scorched black earth from just hours ago now appeared slightly lighter.

Kind of strange that saving one princess can cause a visible change in the land.

The altered past already seemed to be reshaping the future.

Hyun took a step closer as he watched me gaze into the distance. “I didn’t expect you to return before the time limit. You possess considerable strength.”

“

Haha.

Actually, I finished a bit earlier, but I took a little time to figure out how to get back.”

“I see.” Hyun offered a satisfied smile, then cautiously asked, “Would you care to rest before continuing?”

I shook my head without hesitation. “No.”

Though my legs felt a bit weary from nearly two hours of running, it wasn’t enough to be a problem. More than that, I simply didn’t want to take a half-hearted break.

My fight with the Screaming Parasite and forcing a path through the battlefield had drenched my clothes in sweat. Moreover, blood had splattered all over me. Since I couldn’t expect a proper bath during the trial, it made more sense to proceed to the next event immediately.

“I would like to head out right away.”

Hyun nodded solemnly. “Thank you.”

I turned my gaze to Doppy, who stood nearby. From the look of things, nothing had happened in my absence.

Noticing my attention, Doppy called out, “Su-Yeok! Do you need me to cast anything?”

“I’m good.”

“Got it!” Doppy turned away with a faintly sulky expression.

Maybe I should have accepted something, just to humor him.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t really had a chance to do much lately. The next time I returned from the past, I would make sure to ask for a buff or two.

I stepped onto the ritual circle once again. It was time to move forward.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has defeated the Screaming Parasite in a single blow, completing the hidden mission ‘One Strike, One Kill.’」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s skill has leveled up. Illusion Resistance is now lvl 11. All stats increased by 3.」