Chapter 428: Transcendent (2)
The eyes of the two girls looking at Kai were filled with curiosity and wonder.
The first to say something was Rashya. “Congratulations, Kai.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s interesting. How many hundreds, no, thousands of years has it been since I last saw a Transcendent...?”
As she tilted her head and pondered, Helik finally came to her senses and shouted, “W-what?!”
Surprised, Helik shot up from her seat and circled around Kai like a squirrel.
Kai looked down at her and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Well... you’ve changed so much.” Helik slumped into her chair with a sulky expression and drooped her shoulders. “Once you become a Transcendent, you don’t really need to be someone’s Apostle anymore.”
“But I’m still going to be.”
When Kai said that in a tone that made it sound completely obvious, Helik’s ears twitched like a rabbit’s. Her eyes sparkled like grains of sand on a sunny beach as she lifted her head.
“R-really? Even though you’re no longer someone that can be called human?”
“Yes.”
“You may not have achieved divinity due to species limits, but as a Transcendent you’re already qualified to be a resident of the Celestial Realm. In some cases, you could even lead those who believe in you... You’ve become such a being, and still?”
“What does it matter? I want to be your Apostle.”
Helik shed tears at Kai’s loyal declaration. “My dear! I never doubted you!”
She clung to Kai’s leg like a koala as tears dripped down her face.
Wait, didn’t she just get sulky because she didn’t believe me just now?
Kai shrugged and stroked Helik’s head as he sat down.
“To be honest, the Transcendent rank is only temporary.”
“Temporary? What do you mean by that?” Rashya, who was calm unlike Helik, asked.
In response, Kai canceled his Bless state.
Ding!
[The dignity of a transcendent being disappears.]
[A slight imbalance occurs in the body.]
[All physical senses become slightly dulled.]
As his Holiness stat dropped below 6000, the Transcendent rank vanished, just as expected.
Hmm, even the title too?
Even the special title Transcendent he had been granted was now locked. In other words, he hadn’t lost the title, but he could no longer receive its effects.
“Ohh...!”
One action was worth more than a hundred words.
Rashya, who had been observing Kai carefully, let out an exclamation. “You raised your divinity temporarily through blessings. That’s how you reached the realm of the Transcendent.”
“That’s right. If I had to put it simply... I’m more of a half-Transcendent.”
“A half... Still, I think that’s incredible in itself. I truly do,” Rashya smiled and said genuinely.
“Thank you for thinking that way. But it’s probably not enough to face Muldine. Not in this state.”
Helik immediately stopped crying at the mention of Muldin’s name. Letting go of Kai’s leg without hesitation, she quietly sat in her chair and puffed out her cheeks.
“He specializes in tormenting others. He may even know how to weaken your holy power.”
“Yes, I thought that as well. That’s why I’m planning to leave for training.”
“You’re going again?! How long will you be gone this time...”
“Two weeks. After that... I’ll face Muldine one way or another.”
“Two weeks...” Helik repeatedly mumbled that several times, her eyes showing a hint of worry. “You still plan to fight him? It’s going to be dangerous.”
Kai stared directly into her eyes and asked, “Are you seriously saying that?”
Taken aback, Helik rushed to explain herself, “To be honest, what Muldine ultimately wants is... power. I don’t really understand power and I’ve never wanted much of it. If we can just talk... if he doesn’t resort to indiscriminate destruction, maybe there’s a peaceful way to settle this...”
Kai let out a deep sigh without realizing it. It was the kind of sigh he had never once released in front of Helik before.
Dr. Jim was right.
He had said Helik would never be able to defeat Muldine. It came out of nowhere, but now Kai finally understood what that meant. His brows furrowed on their own.
She’s too soft.
Helik always left room when dealing with others. Perhaps it was a kind of expectation, a hope that things could be resolved through conversation.
But that only works when the other person is someone you can reason with.
There was no such thing as peace in Muldine’s mind. If he had ever intended to talk, he wouldn’t have spent the last 10,000 years planning to stab Helik in the back. He would have coaxed her long ago and taken what he wanted through conversation.
But his greed is too significant.
Not everything could be drawn out through negotiation. At best, one could get some kind of compromise from the other side. That was why Muldine never tried to talk, because he already knew that wouldn’t be enough to satisfy him. What he wanted was all or nothing. Everything or zero. He was the kind of man who bet everything he had on a single gamble.
Having a conversation now? Having peace?
Kai firmly shook his head. “Muldine will never attempt to negotiate.”
Rashya fully agreed with that statement.
With a worried glance toward Helik, she carefully continued, “Kai is right. I don’t think Muldine would ever choose a peaceful way either.”
“Are my hopes too unrealistic...?”
“Yes. Hopes should be based on who you’re dealing with. Muldine isn’t someone suited for that kind of hope.”
“But... my precious people will get hurt. I don’t want that...” Helik looked at Kai, then at Rashya. She also thought of her followers and the many living beings across the land. “Your plan is to bring Muldine down to the Middle Realm, isn’t it?”
“Yes. A fight wouldn’t be possible in the Celestial Realm.”
“A lot of blood will be spilled on this land...”
“I have to bear that,” Kai replied without a trace of hesitation. “And minimizing that bloodshed is also my responsibility.”
“I’m used to it, but what about you? Are you really okay with this? Losing to Muldine would mean everything you’ve built so far could collapse like a sandcastle.”
Who was worrying about whom right now?
Kai smiled and gently patted the top of Helik’s head. “Don’t worry. I’m not the rookie you first met.”
Much time had passed, and he had gained much experience.
“What Muldine wants is the top seat of the Celestial Realm, and beyond that... probably the position of the Supreme God’s successor.”
“Yeah.”
“The top seat of the Celestial Realm currently belongs to you, right?”
“Mmhm...” Helik answered with a slightly guilty expression.
She probably believed all this had happened because she hadn’t done enough in the role she was given.
“You haven’t done anything wrong, Helik. But these days, the world is strange. It’s the victims who spend more time agonizing over what they did wrong than the ones who caused the harm.”
Everything had been twisted beyond reason. The perpetrators walked with their heads held high while the victims kept theirs down. At a glance, one couldn’t even tell who was right or wrong anymore.
“Please don’t be like that. Always keep your head up with confidence.”
“But if I had been just a little wiser god...”
“Nothing would’ve changed. If that were possible, your father, the Supreme God, would have solved it long ago.”
Changing someone’s heart. That was something almost impossible. No matter how much effort one made for someone, thoughts and convictions had to change from within.
“And don’t feel sorry toward me either. If anything, I should be the one apologizing.”
Using Helik as bait to draw out Muldine was Kai’s plan. In a way, it meant exposing Helik to danger.
But looking at it another way, this is probably Muldine’s last chance too.
Most of the plans Muldine had laid out had already been ruined by Kai. Muldine had forces in the Middle Realm. He had wished for the extinction of the other races that could threaten the Church of Muldine, but in the end, Kai had saved every last one of them.
I even managed to win over the dragons, who were supposed to be Muldine’s trump card.
From Muldine’s perspective, the current situation must feel suffocating. The fruit he had waited 10,000 years for wasn’t just refusing to fall, it wasn’t even ripe.
So all I need to do is give him a little push.
Stop hiding behind pawns and handle it yourself. If Kai sent that message using Helik, Muldine would respond one way or another.
Of course, I’ll have to create a situation where he has no choice but to act.
The plan was already set.
“Don’t worry so much. Everything will be fine.”
Kai smiled at Helik as she looked at him with worried eyes.
***
“I see, so you're going off to train again?”
“Yes, so I probably won’t be able to meet you in-game for a while.”
Ever since Kai started dating Yoo Ha-Rin, the two of them had often eaten together in real life. It wasn’t just about cooking meals at home. They would go out to restaurants with a decent atmosphere, just like now.
This must be what people call a date...
Jung-Woo had lived his whole life single, but he still knew at least that much.
“I’m fine with that. We can just see each other in real life.”
Yoo Ha-Rin was someone who was very considerate. Jung-Woo was grateful for that, but at the same time he felt a little guilty.
You’re supposed to go on lots of dates in the early stages of a relationship...
Because of everything happening in the game, he couldn’t give her his full attention.
“Once everything’s over, I really have to do better...”
“Hm?”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Jung-Woo mumbled and took a sip of wine.
“But have you decided where to go for training? Your level’s so high it must be hard to hunt anywhere normal... and if you go back to the Demon Realm, you might end up stuck there for another month.”
“Yeah, that’s why I have a different place in mind.”
“Can I ask where it is?”
As Yoo Ha-Rin asked with widened eyes, Jung-Woo let out a quiet laugh. “Do you remember the Church of Muldine temple that was in the Dark Zone?”
“Oh, the one we visited before going to the Demon Realm?”
“Yes. That place was probably a fairly important base for the Church of Muldine. That’s why there were so many followers nearby, and why the temple was so big.”
“Hmm... but there probably aren’t many enemies left there now.”
“I’m not interested in the clerics or paladins still living there anyway.”
A temple of that size would definitely have a person in charge.
The main base of the Church of Muldine. I just need to find out where it is.
The Church of Muldine hid deep in the shadows, but as a single organization it had more power than most nations.
Naturally, there would be many living in the main base, and would be high in level.
On top of that, Cardinal Atroc was there.
If I wipe all of them out, Muldine won’t be able to just sit back and watch anymore.
Because if someone hit a dog, the owner always came out.