Chapter 26. The Forgotten Name

A familiar light suddenly filled the dimly lit chapel. Just as he had seen in the memories, the divine revelation manifested as a curtain of light.

“

Ah

,

aah

—”

The ghoul let out cries reminiscent of metals grinding against each other as the flames blazed stronger than ever before. However, the blue tears streaming from her eyes were not tears of pain; they were tears of joy.

Is it... finally over?

Although none of the ritual tools that she had created had been enough, Kim Do-Joon was able to sacrifice all of them to create a new divine artifact that finally let her prayers reach the heavens. As an undead, Laoha would never truly accept her again, but this made the god glance her way for a moment.

Whoosh—!

A powerful, life-giving force surged through the chapel, causing green shoots to erupt from the floor. Flowers of all colors bloomed, transforming the once decrepit building into a blooming garden.

"

Ugh, ah...

"

To top it all off, the ghoul also began to regenerate. Her rotten flesh crumbled away, replaced by new skin; her beautiful white hair grew back; and her lips regained their color.

"

Ah...

"

Only her right eye, the cause of her death, didn’t heal. Instead, an amapola, the white lily said to symbolize Laoha, bloomed from her empty eye socket.

Amidst this miracle, she gazed at Kim Do-Joon.

"..."

Kim Do-Joon retrieved the cape that he had put away earlier and draped it around her. Though she had healed, her clothes were still in tatters.

[The item effect of the Corroded Cape of Faith can be copied and pasted onto ???.]

[Item effect available for copy-pasting:]

1. Unrepairable

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Kim Do-Joon ignored the system window. There was no need to pay attention to it anymore.

"A-ah... Oooh...”

She tried to speak to Kim Do-Joon but struggled to form words. Perhaps her vocal cords, like her right eye, had not regenerated.

The mirror she held began to disintegrate, followed by her entire body turning to ash. A normal person would have been terrified, but her expression remained calm, almost as if she had been waiting for this moment. Finally, the cape that he had put around her fell to the ground, leaving only a pile of gray ash.

Right after, a system message confirmed her death and the labyrinth’s completion.

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points(EXP).]

[Your Compatibility has increased.]

[Your Compatibility has increased.]

[Your Compatibility has increased.]

...

[You have defeated a ???.]

[You have gained rewards for successfully clearing the labyrinth.]

[Rewards List]

1. Teleportation Stone

2. Tier 4 Labyrinth Key (Random)

3. Item Box (Selectable, Epic)

4. Coin

Kim Do-Joon had expected the first and second rewards, but the third and fourth rewards took him by surprise.

I’ll check these out later.

He still had unfinished business.

Bzzz— Bzzz—

The temple and the rest of the labyrinth began to tremble as if an earthquake was about to bring it down.

With a determined expression, Kim Do-Joon quickly put the cape back in his inventory and then used a nearby wooden box to collect her ashes. Carrying the wooden box, he ran to a corner of the chapel.

Is it this way?

Recalling the Saintess’ actions after she died, he located the statue in his memories and pushed it aside with all his strength, revealing a hidden door.

Thud—!

Without hesitation, Kim Do-Joon opened the door and went down the staircase that it had concealed. He descended almost two stories amid the cool and damp atmosphere before finally reaching the communal graveyard of the temple residents.

The Saintess had cremated all their bodies and buried them here one by one, giving each their own grave and headstone. In the far corner, he found an empty grave, marked only by a headstone with a hole dug beside it.

Here it is.

The Saintess had prepared this burial site for herself while she still had her senses. She had wished to be buried here with her people when she died. Despite knowing that it was impossible because no one would be around to bury her, she made it anyway.

Kim Do-Joon placed the box containing her remains in the grave, covered it with soil, and set the headstone upright.

“...”

Despite watching her memory, he still did not know her name. No one in the Temple ever used it. To them, she was simply the Saintess. Even Sir Polman, the old knight who commanded the battlefield; Sir Aham, the young knight who secretly loved her; and Sue, the maidservant who always attended to her, only ever called her Saintess.

Kim Do-Joon did not know how she felt about this. Perhaps it made her feel slighted, but it was just as probable that it did not bother her at all.

When Kim Do-Joon looked at the inscription written on the headstone in unfamiliar characters, knowledge once more poured into his mind, as it had when viewing her memories, allowing him to read the inscription.

“Siwelin,” he whispered, saying her name for the first time in centuries.

Seemingly in response, a system message appeared, and a cheerful voice echoed unfittingly amid the solemn atmosphere.

[The forgotten name has been discovered.]

[A hidden quest has been completed! You have gained additional rewards.]

A light enveloped Kim Do-Joon as the temple finally collapsed.

***

Using his return skill, Kim Do-Joon escaped from the collapsing temple in the nick of time and made it back home. He had already cleared two other labyrinths, yet this was the first time the entire structure had crumbled after defeating the boss.

It felt more like an actual dungeon.

Dungeons that could be accessed from the roots of the World Tree also behaved this way. After defeating the boss, the dungeon would tremble for a while before collapsing entirely.

Setting the thought aside for now, Kim Do-Joon checked his skills with a hopeful heart.

[Additional Effect]

- Skill: Grants entry to the Tier 3 labyrinth Collapsed Temple.

*Inactive

The entire skill description had turned gray, and it was now labeled inactive. Kim Do-Joon tried to use the skill, but there was no response. It looked like he could never enter the Collapsed Temple again.

Well... I did find it strange when the ghouls didn't respawn.

This labyrinth had always felt special. Unlike the others, which felt as if they were part of a game, the Collapsed Temple felt more like a real place.

Thinking back, the unrepairable items in the yard were more like traps than arrangements. If he had used their effect to defeat the boss right away, he never would’ve had the chance to learn her name.

It's all in the past now.

Shaking off the lingering thoughts, Kim Do-Joon checked his rewards.

First, there was the Coin. It was a golden coin with a hammer and a fan engraved on it. Its name rang a bell, though, eventually reminding him of the message that appeared when he first used his ability in the Catacomb.

[Caution! The item used as material will be destroyed! A certain amount of Coins is required to preserve it.]

It clearly stated that Coins could protect equipment.

[You currently have 1 Coin.]

[One Coin can protect equipment up to the Epic rarity.]

Wait, only up to the Epic rarity?

This implied that Legendary items would require more Coins. Although slightly disappointing, Coins would still be very useful. Epic items were already top-tier, used by both A-rank and S-rank Hunters.

This means I can now copy an item’s effect without destroying it.

Alternatively, if an Epic item had two item effects, he could copy-paste both. The first instance would consume a coin, and the second would finally destroy the item.

I’ll just save it for now.

Coins were clearly rare and should be used judiciously. After safely storing the coin, Kim Do-Joon turned to the item box.

[Item Box (Selectable, Epic)]

What? It’s an Epic item?

Not only were Epic items usable by Hunters of all ranks, but they were also hard to come across, making them quite expensive. The divine element weapon he saw in the Flea Market for 120 million won was only a rare weapon!

I can choose the item too instead of receiving a random one.

Kim Do-Joon had been looking forward to this the most. Would a list of hundreds of items pop up when he opened this item box? If so, then how could he choose just one?

However, when he finally opened it, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

"Seriously?" Kim Do-Joon muttered.

[Ice Jade Sword Gwendol]

[Exigar's Lightning Spear]

[Elfos Spirit Armor]

I only have three items to choose from?

He had expected hundreds, if not thousands, of options. Instead, he only got three. It felt almost no different from a random item box since luck still played a significant role.

Nevertheless, he soon perked up, grateful that he at least had a choice. He examined and pondered the three options before him.

Which one should I choose?

Kim Do-Joon looked at the various effects of each item to get a general sense of what they offered. He quickly ruled out the Spirit Armor.

Hmm... The armor mainly boosts resistance. I don’t need it right now.

Having gained almost complete elemental resistance from the Elemental Island, the Spirit Armor would not offer much benefit. It could still be sold, but he intended to use whichever item he chose.

It’s between the sword and the spear.

Both were quite tempting. The sword was a one-handed weapon, like his axe, which was long overdue for a replacement. Despite the several effects that had been imbued into it, the axe was still just a Common weapon, diminishing its performance. Therefore, switching to a sword right now, especially one with an ice element that matched his mana, would significantly boost his combat capabilities.

Then there was the Lightning Spear. Unlike a typical spear, this one was smaller and lighter; it was clearly designed for throwing. It even had a special effect that returned it to its wielder after hitting its target. Moreover, its second effect would make the spear release a burst of lighting upon impact, causing additional damage.

This is a tough decision.

I either choose the sword to maximize close combat or choose the javelin to increase combat variation...

Kim Do-Joon mused, crossing his arms in deep contemplation. After a while, he finally made his choice.

[Exigar's Lightning Spear]

Kim Do-Joon picked the javelin, not the sword, for one reason. In dangerous situations, he concluded that having a variety of ways to deal with threats would be more valuable than just raw power.

Pzzz—

With a crackle, the item box emitted a bright light before vanishing, leaving a spear with a lightning motif in Kim Do-Joon's hand. Though short for a spear, it was still quite long.

Kim Do-Joon looked at his first Epic item with pride before carefully storing it in his inventory.

Now that I’ve checked all the basic rewards...

He still had one more reward left.

[An additional reward is available. Would you like to check it?]

Kim Do-Joon had earned an extra reward for completing the Collapsed Temple’s hidden quest. Considering he had gained the Insight skill for completing the Catacomb’s hidden quest, he couldn’t help but wonder what he’d receive this time. Kim Do-Joon pressed the confirm button.

[The additional reward has been granted.]

[Title - The One Who Remembers]

Kim Do-Joon blinked in surprise.