Chapter 275: Monster Arena (2)

“

Pffft!

”

The Solarian God, who took pride in being the mightiest god in the continent, was actually praying to the divine just to get more candy and snacks.

That situation was unbearably funny, so Kai ended up laughing without realizing it. And the reaction to his laughter came immediately.

“

H-huh?!

”

Startled by the sudden burst of laughter in the Celestial Garden, Helik wore a terrified expression. Her body tensed as she grabbed the stick of her lollipop with both hands and looked around.

“W-who...”

“Boo!”

As Kai, who had been hiding in the bushes, stood up and shouted to startle her, Helik screamed.

“

Ahhhhh!

”

She tightly shut her eyes and swung her lollipop wildly in the air.

Overwhelmed by her unbearable cuteness, Kai burst into laughter. “

Hahahaha!”

As Kai clutched his stomach, laughing, Helik looked at him with a face on the verge of tears.

“K-Kai...?” She looked up at him, her eyes shaking as if there had been an earthquake, and asked, “

Th-Thats

...

Uh

... S-since when have you been there...?”

“

Hmm

.” Kai stroked his chin and said in a playful voice, “Well, who knows? But don’t worry, I didn’t see the part where you were praying to the divine.”

“D-did you really not see it? Really?”

Helik’s face brightened as a look of relief appeared.

“Yes. However...”

With Kai’s large hands squishing her cheeks, Helik tilted her head, looking up at him.

“

Uhh...

W-wha areh youh doin’ righth nowh (What are you doing right now)?”

“I don’t remember giving you that lollipop you’re holding. Where did you get it?”

“

Huuh?!

”

Helik quickly hid the candy behind her back. Her anxious eyes darted downward, as she stared at the ground.

Even in that moment, Kai continued pressing her cheeks.

Huh? This feels strangely soothing...

It was like touching freshly baked bread, or a warm, steamed sticky rice cake. Moreover, if he pinched and stretched her cheeks just a little, they extended by about five centimeters, which was far too amusing.

At first, he grabbed her cheeks intending to scold her. However, as he got lost in their mysterious softness, he became completely immersed, using both hands to stretch them even more.

“C-can youh pleaseh sthop? (Can you please stop?)”

“Th-this is your punishment.

Um...

yeah, it’s punishment.”

Kai continued playing with Helik’s cheeks to his heart’s content, but he stopped when she looked like she was about to burst into tears.

What a shame.

Even though he had stretched them for at least ten minutes, the soft sensation still lingered at his fingertips, making him reluctant to stop.

“

Hm

. Since you’ve received your punishment, I’ll let you keep that candy.”

“Th-thanks...”

Helik hugged the lollipop, which was nearly the size of her face, as if it were the greatest treasure of her life.

Finding her adorable again, Kai stroked her abundant golden hair and asked, “So, where did you get that candy?”

“

Hehe

...” Slightly biting her lower lip, Helik wriggled her body with a cute expression. “You know the gift bundles you handed out to the other gods during the last banquet?”

“I do.”

There certainly had been such bundles. Each departing god had received one, containing various kinds of food, including candies, chocolates, and snacks.

“I helped clean up the gardens of other gods here and there, and I received candy and snacks as a reward,” Helik said with a proud voice.

Of course, hearing that, Kai was utterly shocked.

From the other gods...? Then, could it be that since back then...?

Kai recalled a past memory. Back when Paval had knelt before him, his Benevolence stat had increased, showing a certain message.

It had said: Helik smiles brightly as she receives snacks from the other gods...

My goodness. So my adorable Solarian God has been...

Cleaning up other gods’ homes just to get candy.

“Helik, you shouldn’t do that anymore.”

“B-but...” Helik kicked the ground lightly with the tip of her small foot and fidgeted. “I... want to eat candy...”

Kai sighed. What was he supposed to do with this sugar-addicted god? Just as parents could never win against their children, a devotee could never truly win against their god.

Eventually, Kai gave in. “I give up. Alright, from today on, the ban on snacks is lifted.”

“R-really?!” Helik’s eyes sparkled as she asked in an excited voice.

Golden light burst like fireworks over her head.

“Yes. Originally, I was only going to give you a little, but...” Feeling his resolve weakened, Kai began taking out her snacks from his inventory. “Today, you may eat as much as you want.”

“

Ohh

... Kai! You’re the best!”

Helik dove into Kai’s embrace, clinging to him as she wept, finally letting out all the pent-up sorrow she had felt.

***

“Do you like cake that much?”

“Yes!”

“Do you like it more than me?”

“

Uhh

...” Helik’s gaze darted around, as she lifted a piece of cake with her fork. “O-of course, you’re more...”

“Are you sure about that?”

“

Uh-huh

.”

Her tone lacked confidence.

If I want to beat cake, I’ll have to earn more points.

Shrugging, Kai suddenly remembered something and asked her, “Oh, right. Helik, do you happen to know about a technique called Memory Dive?”

“...Memory Dive?” Helik’s gaze darkened. She put down the cake she had been enjoying so much and looked at Kai. “How do you know about that?”

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

She spoke in a serious tone that was unlike her.

Caught off guard, Kai instinctively began explaining. “Well... I took down a vampire lord recently, and I got it from him.”

“Memory Dive,

huh.

” Closing her eyes for a moment, she said, “Kai, do you truly intend to use that power?”

“I’ve learned it for now, but...”

“I see. Then there is one thing you must always remember.”

“I’m listening.”

“Memories, thoughts gained from past experiences, knowledge and wisdom—even personality itself... Memory Dive possesses the terrifying ability to alter them all.”

“I read the description. It’s the technique that corrupted Lucifer, right?”

“The memories you alter, and how they will affect the target’s present state should be considered twice, thrice, even ten times over, and still, that may not be enough.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Showing the dignity befitting the Solarian God for the first time in a while, Helik solemnly nodded and then added, “And this cake is delicious. Bring another one next time.”

“Alright.”

Kai unknowingly smiled like a proud father.

***

“Memory Dive... I don’t think I’ve ever seen Helik with such a serious expression before...”

Just what kind of skill was it?

Kai, who had also become serious, shook his head and let out a soft sigh.

Well, no point in worrying about it now.

It was already late in the night. Deciding to call it a day, Kai logged out. Just then, the doorbell rang.

“It can’t be a post delivery...”

There was no way a courier would be delivering packages in the middle of the night.

Han Jung-Woo walked to the front door and checked the intercom to see who his late-night visitor was.

Seol Eun-Yeong?

She really had a habit of showing up unexpectedly at the most unpredictable moments.

“What brings you here?”

As he opened the door and asked, Seol Eun-Yeong lifted the canned beers she held in both hands.

“I wanted to talk. If you have time, would you like to chat in the corridor for a bit?”

“...Alright.”

Slipping on his slippers, Han Jung-Woo stepped out into the hallway, where Seol Eun-Yeong handed him a can of beer.

“Bavarian Weihenstephan. It’s a beer with quite the reputation,” Han Jung-Woo said.

“You know this?” Seol Eun-Yeong asked with a slightly surprised expression.

Han Jung-Woo let out a quiet chuckle and nodded. “Yes. I had to research beers a little while ago.”

It was one of the world-renowned beers he had learned about while searching for the perfect chicken-and-beer pairing for Horn.

“You must like drinking.”

“I wouldn’t say I particularly enjoy it. I can drink, though.” Han Jung-Woo took a sip of the cold, refreshing beer and leaned against the railing in the outdoor corridor, gazing at the night sky. “The sky is beautiful.”

“Whenever I feel suffocated, I drink beer in the corridor like this. The combination of the night breeze, the moon, and beer is the best.”

"That’s a rather modest hobby for the guild master of Cheonhwa."

“I’m not any different from anyone else.” Seol Eun-Yeong relaxes her eyes, looking down at a stray cat lying on the alley wall. “We’re all the same. Struggling to obtain what we don’t have, fighting desperately to not lose what we do...”

“You didn’t say that in your interviews, did you?”

“

Pfft

. Fortunately, I have enough sense to avoid that.” She took a deep gulp of beer before speaking again. “Let me get to the point since we both don’t like beating around the bush. Even if the Warriors guild sends you an offer regarding the Fritz siege battle, please don’t participate.”

“By Fritz, you mean...”

It was the large city that both Warriors and Cheonhwa were eyeing.

Come to think of it, the Warriors' siege battle is coming up soon.

Han Jung-Woo took a sip of beer, analyzing the situation.

I see. The siege rights for Fritz was what the Warriors handed over in exchange for the right to attack Zatan.

Understanding the situation, Kai nodded. “If that’s the case, you don’t have to worry.”

“...That easily?” Seol Eun-Yeong asked, taken aback.

She hadn’t expected Han Jung-Woo to agree so readily.

However, Han Jung-Woo remained nonchalant and shrugged. “

Yeah

, honestly, siege battles are a hassle.”

“...Thank you.” With a bewildered expression, Seol Eun-Yeong offered her thanks and then took something out from inside her pocket. “In fact, if you refused the offer, I was planning to give you this as a gift before making my request again.”

“What is this?”

What she handed him was a photograph—or more accurately, a printed screenshot from the game.

Han Jung-Woo looked at the photo without much thought and suddenly furrowed his brows. “What is this?”

His voice was noticeably lower. Moreover, he looked at her with a slightly mad expression, as if questioning her.

Seol Eun-Yeong quickly took a step back and raised both hands. “Don’t get me wrong. This has nothing to do with us.”

“I didn’t think Cheonhwa would resort to such dirty tricks.”

The image in the photo was of Blizzard. Locked behind iron bars, wearing a thick collar like a dog.

“I saw it during the Black Bee hunt. That’s your summon, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Where is this place?”

“Do you know a city called Haran?”

“Haran? I’ve never heard of it.”

He knew the geography of the Kingdom of Rashion off the top of his head, yet he had never heard of that name.

“It’s the largest entertainment city in the Caldaren Empire. A hub for gambling and auctions. But recently, a new business has been gaining the most traction.”

“And he's gotten himself tangled in that?”

“Yes. Traditional gladiator fights—where people fight each other—have become repetitive and are slowly losing popularity. So, the city of Haran launched a new business, the Monster Arena. It’s an entertainment industry where monsters are made to fight against each other.”

“...I see.”

That was all the explanation he needed. There was no way Blizzard, a proud warrior of the Lizardmen, would willingly participate in such a filthy battlefield.

“Thanks for the information. I’ll repay you later.”

“Just in case, let me warn you—Haran is filled with knights from the Caldaren Empire. It would be best to resolve things through conversation. The Caldaren Empire is one of the two most powerful nations on the continent.”

“I like convo.” Han Jung-Woo downed the rest of his beer in one go and unknowingly smiled. “Of course, that’s only if the other party is willing to talk. Thanks for the beer.”

As Han Jung-Woo bid farewell and stepped back into his home, Seol Eun-Yeong let out a quiet sigh. Tonight, the night breeze felt particularly cold.