Chapter 138: Star, The Stigmata (3)

「There is a star called ‘Divine Twilight.’」

When the Elfin Root first mentioned the name, Chang-Sun subconsciously flinched, but it seemed no one noticed. Immediately realizing his mistake, he tried not to reveal his shock. Well, technically, the Elfin Root starting the story by mentioning him was a given since it seemed something had happened to Kali and Xerxes after Chang-Sun had gone through the . Still, he couldn’t help feeling frustrated when he found out that his speculation turned out to be true.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ wonders with interest about what story your subordinate will be telling.]

Heoju was the first deity to show a reaction. He appeared to be having a lot of fun as he looked forward to seeing how the dead deity’s priest was going to weep and tell the story.

‘He has a sick hobby,’?

Chang-Sun thought, feeling disgusted.

Even though he was a monster deity, how could he have such a sick temper—no, Heoju wouldn’t be the only one with a sick temper. Many Celestials considered mortals their toys, which was also why Chang-Sun didn’t take anyone’s side in the and made countless Celestials plummet.

‘Why isn’t the ‘Geminus’ showing any reaction, though?’?

Chang-Sun narrowed his eyes.

Meanwhile, the Elfin Root continued.

「He was a fiend that competed and fought the Zodiacs and other stars, but he went through the divine trial in the end and died. Most Celestials agreed to put him through the trial, but some opposed the idea.」

‘No way.’?

Chang-Sun clenched his fists.

「One of those Celestials was my Guardian, the ‘Goddess of Massacre and Destruction.’」

‘…!’?

Chang-Sun’s eyes widened.

“Fin,”

Kali said, sitting on the altar.

“Yes, my goddess.”?

The Elfin Root went down on one knee before her.

“That Celestial is indeed my foolish friend who left me, but he did not deserve to die like that.”?

Kali gently patted the head of the Elfin Root, who was quietly listening.

“But…!”?

Fin tried to refute.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“I know what you want to say, but I cannot condone this. After all, everything started because of the twelve constellations on the ecliptic.”?

Kali bitterly smiled.

The Elfin Root closed its eyes, still remembering the moment.

「I’m not sure if it was a blessing in disguise, but she wasn’t alone. Others joined in on her fight, although she didn’t tell me who they were.」

Chang-Sun could vaguely tell who those ‘colleagues’ were. They would probably have been his old colleagues like Xerxes.

‘You fools… I was the one who abandoned all of you, so why would you make such a ridiculous and futile attempt…’

Chang-Sun’s face darkened. He subconsciously clenched his teeth.

No matter how great a goddess of destruction Kali was, defying the Zodiacs and members meant she was already fighting a losing battle right from the start. After all, they were up against the supreme and oldest Celestials who practically ruled Heaven.

「And…」

Just like Chang-Sun’s face, the Elfin Root’s voice became grim.

「Everything fell apart.」

“Fin, you should go now,”?

Kali urged.

“No, I can fight too…!”?

The Elfin Root insisted.

“Go, now!”?

Kali pushed it away.

Her temple had been destroyed, her divine ground reduced to ruins, and their world broken apart… Amidst the chaos, the Elfin Root desperately called Kali, but she had firmly shut it—no, she had ‘dismissed’ all of her priests, sending them out to different planes.

「I don’t know what my goddess and her colleagues had done, but they had angered many stars in the sky, which eventually led to her death. The Celestials who fought with her likely also suffered.」

The Elfin Root bitterly shook its head. Chang-Sun’s foolish friend, Xerxes, had left Baek Gyeo-Ul alone on Earth and disappeared somewhere. Did he meet a similar end as Kali?

「With my goddess’ help, I hid in the broken planes’ fragments and wandered around until I reached a certain place. That was—」

“The Dungeon?” Chang-Sun asked.

「That’s what you call that place, huh? I could feel abundant mana in it, so I thought it was a good place to reawaken.」

Chang-Sun nodded. His subordinate had a point. ‘Blue Jewel Island’ was a [Mana Ore] quarry, so it was an ideal place to replenish the Elfin Root’s strength, especially since it was in critical condition.

‘That was when the Parasitic Tree started to grow, trapping the miners in the process.’?

Chang-Sun narrowed his eyes.

Even after listening to the Elfin Root’s story and getting more accurate information about the misfortune that had happened to Kali and Xerxes, Chang-Sun’s plan did not change much. The only things that changed were that his grudge against the Zodiacs deepened and that he now had to find all of his foolish colleagues who could have scattered to different planes or died.

“What’s your goal?” Chang-Sun asked.

「Isn’t it obvious?」

The Elfin’s face hardened.

“Revenge?” Chang-Sun tilted his head.

「That’s certainly one of my plans, but I have to resurrect my goddess before any of that.」

The Elfin solemnly swore.

Chang-Sun curled up one end of his mouth. “Is it possible?”

「Whether it is or isn’t does not matter. All that does is that I try!」The Elfin shouted.

In theory, it wasn’t impossible to resurrect a deity. All one had to do was restore the deity’s divinity by gathering up the shattered divinity’s fragments and piecing them together to recreate the deity’s divine class. A deity was based on nature’s law, so they could certainly resurrect if they had followers to give them faith and a priest who would gather up the divinity on their behalf. In fact, there were several similar precedents in the long history of the universe.

‘That’s why the Underworld goes through the trouble of making Celestials plummet and sealing them instead of killing them. When they’re sealed, they can’t wreak havoc anymore even if they resurrect,’?

Chang-Sun thought.

The Elfin Root seemed to be planning on using that theory to resurrect Kali. It would gather up the shattered fragments of her divinity and restore her divine class, ultimately reviving Kali. A true priest would definitely want and should do so, but…

‘It’s not as easy as it sounds.’?

Chang-Sun stroked his chin.

The divinity of a deity would lose power if their divine class had been destroyed and their divine essence had been taken away from the deity. A deity was supposed to grant their followers favors. However, without their power, the followers would look for another deity to believe in, causing the deity to lose more faith and their entire group to lose influence. Although Chang-Sun couldn’t tell for sure, Kali likely had almost zero faith right now. Since she was the famous goddess of destruction who had overpowered other Celestials, her myth would have been ruined after she ‘lost’ as well, resulting in more damage being sustained.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ snorts, saying your subordinate is planning something really futile.]

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ sneers and says it will still be fun to watch.]

Heoju just sarcastically laughed at the Elfin Root’s plan, thinking it wouldn’t be able to do anything meaningful. Even if it were to successfully revive Kali, there was no telling if Kali would resurrect as the same great deity. After all, there was a chance she would not be as great a deity as she had been. Either way, Heoju could just interrupt the process before that actually happened.

「You said you don’t have a Guardian, but many Celestials are interested in you, right?」the Elfin Root asked.

As its connection to Chang-Sun’s mind and body strengthened, the Elfin Root started feeling many Celestials’ presences around him. The answer to its question was actually already a given. After all, Celestials would never leave a man of talent like Chang-Sun alone.

「I won’t ask you to help me, but please do not stop me. I’ll have my revenge on my own. You said all you wanted was power, so it’s not a bad deal—!」

The Elfin desperately pleaded, but Chang-Sun interrupted it. “You would get stronger if you gather more of the deceased deity’s divinity, am I right? ”

The Elfin dumbfoundedly nodded.

「My goal is to slowly gather her divinity fragments and become as strong an apostle as possible.」

The Elfin thought it could somehow revive Kali once it had become an apostle. Since many of Kali’s priests had scattered to many universes and planes, it shouldn’t be impossible.

“Fine. I’ll help you until you become an apostle, but I want your absolute loyalty in return.” Chang-Sun offered.

「You’ll… help me?」

The Elfin gasped.

“Why not? I’m not directly involved in the incident anyway.” Chang-Sun shrugged.

「That’s…!」

The Elfin tried to refute.

“What are you going to do? I suggest you swear your loyalty to me since you can’t run away from me or do anything without my permission anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to ask for my help and wait until the right moment?”

The Elfin opened and closed its mouth multiple times, trying to say something, but it only nodded in the end. Chang-Sun was right—the only thing it could do right now was to bow down before him and slowly proceed with its plan.

「… The one hundred twenty-sixth branch of the ‘Goddess of Massacre and Destruction…」

The Elfin went down on one knee and bowed.

「... greets its new master.」

[Your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has sworn loyalty to you!]

[Your relationship with your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has strengthened.]

[Your relationship with your death-sworn soldier relationship has strengthened.]

[The Loyalty of your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has increased by 15.]

[Your Control over your Subordinate ‘Elfin Root’ has increased by 10.]

…

[Acquired the ‘Right to Absolute Command’!]

The Right to Absolute Command was a master’s right to control their subordinate’s soul and body however they wanted to. Among Chang-Sun’s group, Jin was the one who had that right since he was the one who resuscitated his subordinates using [Changgwi Resuscitation], but Chang-Sun now had that right too. Hence, the Elfin could no longer escape from Chang-Sun’s control or have desires to kill or betray him. However, it also obligated Chang-Sun to help the Elfin in fulfilling its wish, making it practically a bilateral contract.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ bursts into laughter, saying you are certainly greedy!]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ is really excited about getting another talented subordinate.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ tilts his head and wonders if your subordinate will be helpful or detrimental to you.]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ is looking at you with a warm smile.]

And…

[The Celestial ‘Geminus’ looks at you, who recruited a traitor that dared defy him, and smiles intimidatingly!]

The ‘Geminus,’ who had shown no reaction until now, had finally sent a message. Since the connection between Chang-Sun and the Elfin had become stronger, the Elfin also noticed the presence of ‘Geminus,’ causing it to raise its head up with a tense expression.

A new message popped up.

[The Celestial ‘Geminus’ bestows you a new Scenario Quest!]

[Choose a Guardian Ⅲ]

Type: Scenario.

Description: The Celestial ‘Geminus’ has been watching you very carefully over the past several days. You dared harm his apostle and recruited the pagan who defied him, so he should be and was angry. However, instead of remaining mad, he began to want you.

As such, the ‘Geminus’ offers you the seat of his apostle. If you accept this offer, you will become the most famous figure that represents the Zodiacs in the Saha World, ultimately allowing you to achieve anything you want. However, the ‘Geminus ’ who has made the offer is very prideful, so he warns you that if you reject his offer, he will punish you for harming his apostle.

Quest Acceptance Reward: Become the apostle of ‘Gemini.’

Quest Rejection Penalty: Death.

“…!” Chang-Sun looked at the message in shock. A Zodiac had offered him to become his apostle? Although Chang-Sun had thought the Zodiacs would take interest in him someday, he had never expected one of them would want to turn him into their apostle. Hence, he couldn’t help but be surprised.

「Huh!」

「Unbelievable…!」

The ‘Geminus’ used the Dungeon Message system to make his offer instead of doing it privately, so Jin Prezia also saw it. He dumbfoundedly laughed.

The Zodiacs were far from ordinary. They were the most supreme Celestials, the , and led one of the biggest orders in Arcadia, so they were technically the closest to ‘Emperor-Level.’ If Chang-Sun became the apostle of one of those Celestials, he would instantly go beyond the limits he had as a human, becoming supernaturally powerful regardless of his level. He could even become stronger than most demigods and low-level deities. That was how absurd the offer of the ‘Geminus’ was.

The Elfin was also naturally shocked. Its new master becoming the subordinate of the deity whom it had been picking fights with would be a big problem. Maybe the ‘Gemini’ was trying to put Kali under his command once Chang-Sun and the Elfin had revived her.

[The declaration of the Celestial ‘Geminus’ has spread throughout Heaven!]

[Many deities are surprised.]

[Most stars are interested. ]

…

[The name of the Player ‘Lee Chang-Sun’ has spread throughout Heaven.]

[Your Fame has increased by 1,000.]

[Accumulated 150,000 Karma.]

[Accumulated an additional…]

…

[The screams upon seeing how many Celestials are asking for information that is related to the Player ‘Lee Chang-Sun’!]

…

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ is so surprised that she points an arrow at the constellations, warning them not to covet you, whom she had called dips!]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ looks at the constellations with his mouth agape!]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ is on high alert!]

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ bares his fangs with his tail up!]

Of course, many other Celestials reacted against the ‘Geminus,’ worrying he would take Chang-Sun away from them.

[The Celestial ‘Geminus’ is ignoring all opposition!]

[The Channeling of the Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ has been temporarily disconnected.]

[The Channeling of the Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ has been temporarily disconnected.]

…

[The Celestial ‘Geminus’ is urging you to answer quickly!]

‘He’s nuts.’?

Chang-Sun laughed dumbfoundedly upon noticing that the ‘Geminus’ was the one who had blocked all the messages from the other Celestials like Pabilsag.

He seemed worried about the other Celestials stopping Chang-Sun from accepting the offer.

‘I thought it was Castor, but is he Pollux?’?

The ‘Gemini’ were twin brothers considered as one deity. Until now, he had been acting civil, so Chang-Sun thought it was Castor, the older twin, who had been watching him. However, it seemed it was Pollux, the twin with the hotter temper, all along, considering the offer he was making.

How should Chang-Sun answer the offer of the growling ‘Geminus’? He had said he was going to give Chang-Sun capital punishment if he refused to become the apostle of the ‘Geminus.’ Of course, Chang-Sun had no intention to be swayed by the proposal, so he pondered for a good answer. When an idea suddenly came to mind, he pulled out something from his inventory. At that moment, the eyes of the Elfin, who had been nervously watching Chang-Sun, lost focus.

「Th-that’s…?」

“I kept it because it looked good, but judging from your reaction, I guess it’s valuable.” Chang-Sun faintly smiled after pulling out the [Goddess Crown]. Although it was definitely a replica that Kali had made, it was still a relic that the Elfin Root had received from her after it became her ‘branch.’ Hence, it contained a part of Kali’s divinity. Chang-Sun infused it with his mana.

[You have bestowed the ‘Gemini’s Divinity,’ your reward, on the ‘Goddess Crown (Replica)’!]

[The grade of the ‘Goddess Crown (Replica)’ has been upgraded from ‘relic’ to ‘divine relic’.]

Woosh!

The moment Chang-Sun infused the divinity fragment of the ‘Gemini,’ which he had acquired by killing the Birdfolk man, the [Goddess Crown] began to shine brilliantly. Chang-Sun wore the divine relic that simultaneously held the divinity of two opposing deities who could never exist together.

[The Celestial ‘Geminus’ frowns and angrily asks what you are doing.]

[The Celestial ‘Geminus’ angrily tells you to answer him immediately…!]

“Great Devil,” Chang-Sun quietly said as he looked in the other direction instead of at the ‘Geminus.’ “Is it really okay if you let them take me away like this, sir?”

[The Celestial ‘Geminus’ froze up upon finally realizing your plan.]

Woosh!

At that moment, pitch-black darkness descended on the world around Chang-Sun.

[The ‘Pale Divine Ground’ has opened!]

Two sapphire-colored flames showed up behind Chang-Sun, blazing up brilliantly.

[The Celestial ‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’ raises his head.]

1. Chang-Sun isn’t exactly Pabilsag’s subordinate, but she endears him so much that she already considers Chang-Sun as her subordinate. Therefore she also considers the Elfin Root as her subordinate.

2. The author used Holy Relic but we went with divine relic to be more consistent with the other systems we have in the novel