Chapter 181 – Dream of the Demon God (1)

This ruin had clearly stood for a very long time.

The warehouse in the temple basement where they cheerfully descended had almost no intact items remaining.

Moreover, since it was a temple that worshipped the forest god, most items were made using wood, so they couldn’t withstand the passage of time.

The paintings and sculptures that must have been beautiful had all decayed with the flow of time.

They only found a few staffs with powerful preservation magic cast on them and several bottles containing holy water.

“The goddess just made empty gestures.”

The Prince was very disappointed after checking the remaining items.

“According to the goddess’s words, there seems to be more than one ruin.”

“Ah, that’s right! Let’s move quickly!”

The Prince regained his energy from Daniel’s comfort and urged the group on.

“You seem to enjoy this kind of adventure.”

At the Prince’s energetic appearance, Sun-woo casually spoke to him.

“Well, I didn’t like fighting with my brother, and my dream since childhood was originally to be an adventurer, so I stormed out of the royal palace. In the middle, while helping people, those around me praised me and went on about being a hero, but I retired from that hero nonsense, so I should be faithful to my main job.”

As expected, this Prince didn’t seem to be a proper royal.

‘Is he a dreamy chuunibyou?’

Since he had the background to achieve those dreams, it was difficult to call him chuunibyou.

He was actually a prince, so he couldn’t be called a prince disease either.

In the end, Van Shingwan took the holy waters, and Van Shingwan and Yeonhwa each took one staff.

“The efficacy of holy water differs by god. There are also gods who don’t make holy water.”

That was his answer when he asked a question about Van Shingwan’s appearance of collecting holy water when he already had some.

[Holy Water of xxx]
[Heals anger and clears the mind.]

‘What kind of caffeine drink is this?’

The skill of the holy water checked on his phone was not much different from coffee or vitamin drink advertisements.

Fortunately, the staffs were quite useful to the two priests. As staffs blessed by a god, they amplified divine power considerably.

“Hmm, since it’s a staff, I should research ‘staff dance’.”

“No!”

At Van Shingwan’s words, Sun-woo broke out in cold sweat and strongly opposed. This was something that shouldn’t even be imagined.

There was a small commotion, but they received a lot of information and help from this ruin.

The group finally looked at the wall paintings of the ruin with dried vines hanging on them and left the ruin.

***

According to what the forest goddess said, the ruins were lined up in a formation surrounding the island’s center.

Following her words, the group moved sideways along the island’s center and could discover ruins in order.

According to what they confirmed from each wall painting, ruins worshipping the god of gems, god of fish, god of iron, and so on continued in succession.

Unfortunately, among the ruins they found next, there were almost no gods with reason like the first ruin they discovered.

Many ruin magic circles had their seals released, and when they opened some magic circles, there were no gods inside, only divine power scattering in all directions. (The moment the divine power scattered, the total number of gods in Sun-woo’s quest window decreased by one.)

During their visit to more than ten ruins, they could barely see gods in only two magic circles.

However, even those gods only regained consciousness, realized the situation, and calmly disappeared.

Meanwhile, Sun-woo intermittently left the group and moved separately.

Kuguuuung.

This opponent seemed like a giant black serpent. The smooth black giant long mass crossed between underground and above ground like a snake or earthworm.

Moreover, it didn’t move by digging through the earth but moved as if swimming in water, so if it were other people, they would likely be hit without knowing.

But Sun-woo also had expertise when it came to earth.

Although it passed through the ground at tremendous speed without causing vibrations, Sun-woo knew exactly how the god’s fragment moved.

The moment it popped up above ground, he sliced its body without error.

Of course, even if god’s fragments were cut off, some could recover and divide, but the demonic energy Sun-woo wrapped around his sword sealed such divine abilities.

Kiiiik!

The god’s fragment cut in half tried to burrow underground while screaming, but the earth rippled and interfered with the god’s fragment burrowing underground.

With the wound from demonic energy and the earth spirit Sun-woo used, the god’s fragment couldn’t dive back underground and was annihilated by Sun-woo.

[That makes four. Good work.]

When the god’s fragment disappeared, the bracelet spoke again.

Sun-woo looked at the bracelet and tilted his head. Even its personality seemed to have changed since waking from sleep.

It was quiet during battles and only opened its mouth after fights ended like this or when not talking with others, so he just left it alone, but increasingly he doubted whether this was the same spirit as before.

[It’s regrettable. When I clashed bodies with the enemy we met before, my body thrilled with excitement…]

Ah, it was the bracelet’s spirit. Though it didn’t moan, Sun-woo could also feel the spirit flinch each time it blocked attacks with the bracelet.

[Use me more. I have new abilities too, so I’ll really be helpful.]

As expected. Moving together with an object possessing reason capable of self-promotion was quite a troublesome problem.

‘Later.’

When Sun-woo answered in his head, the bracelet became quiet.

It had certainly changed for the better.

[Breakthrough Limits Quest]
Receive authentication from the gods.
[25 / 93]

After meeting the forest goddess, the god authentication increased to 25 after finding other gods, and the number of gods decreased after annihilating four god fragments.

“Still, it won’t be easy.”

At this rate, he felt a bit overwhelmed about when he would fill it all.

When possibility wasn’t visible at all, he could set it aside, but since possibility was visible, he became slightly impatient.

“I need to talk with the group and find another method.”

They had been systematically clearing from the outskirts since they didn’t know what was in the center, but it might be better to go to the island’s center first instead.

Thinking such thoughts, Sun-woo heading to the ruin where the group was avoiding saw an unexpected sight.

The group was confronting people they were seeing for the first time in front of the ruin.

Actually seeing them for the first time, but they were people wearing robes that were in his memory from seeing them through the ruins.

They were mages (?) from the ancient Magic Empire wearing robes embroidered with various patterns.

The reason Sun-woo couldn’t be certain even seeing their attire was because unlike their clothes, he could only feel a rat’s tail worth of magic power from them.

They were eight male and female mages of various generations, and looking closely, even the patterns engraved on the robes had no magic power felt at all.

The patterns engraved on those robes had no magical power whatsoever and were really just patterns.

“Wicked ones! Won’t you quickly come out of the temple! Do you not realize what you are doing now!”

“No, who would go out if you’re going to attack when we do!”

At the old mage’s cry, the Prince was talking back from the ruin.

“Do you want to receive the gods’ wrath and the Magic Empire’s curse and stay in an eternal pit of fire! You should come outside, pay for your sins, and think about saving at least your soul!”

Sun-woo, who had been approaching, blinked at the mage’s words. That was something a priest should say, not a mage.

Sun-woo approached behind the mages and whispered into the ear of one restless mage.

“Can they just talk like that?”

“Really. These are people from outside the wall that only came down in stories, but if we attack first like that… Hik! Who are you!”

The young female mage who had thoughtlessly answered Sun-woo’s words was startled upon seeing Sun-woo and fell on her bottom.

“Who’s that!”

“Attack!”

“Everyone avoid!”

“It’s an enemy!”

“Waah!”

The mages scattered in all directions in confusion at Sun-woo’s sudden appearance.

Meanwhile, the mage who had fallen on her bottom ended up crying, perhaps because her legs gave out.

“Do you think we’ll forgive you for taking a hostage! Attack!”

“But… if we do that, big sister will get hurt!”

“Let’s negotiate. If you send her away, we’ll spare your lives!”

Sun-woo, who had been watching the mages shouting in confusion with an absurd expression, let out a sigh.

“What a mess.”

Sun-woo raised his hand and sent a breeze toward the mages, and the mages could finally become quiet.

Of course, not only couldn’t they speak, but they couldn’t move either.

“It’s sorted out. Come out.”

Sun-woo immediately waved his hand toward the ruin, and the group came out.

“What happened?”

At Sun-woo’s question, Daniel shrugged.

“As you can see. We were checking the ruin when they suddenly shouted from outside, so we went out and received one attack before hiding inside the ruin. We were about to counterattack with formation, but they wouldn’t come inside. We could win if we fought, but it seemed like someone would die or get hurt, so we waited for you, Sun-woo.”

Finishing his words, Daniel pointed at the mages who had stiffened with pressure points pressed.

In the end, it was a story that the group didn’t know what had happened either.

“Then shall we find out?”

Sun-woo looked over the stiffened people and looked down at the female mage covered in tears.

When Sun-woo looked, the mage’s face turned pale, and Sun-woo reached his hand toward that mage.

***

“They’re descendants of Magic Empire mages who managed this island.”

Having experienced the mage’s memory, Sun-woo learned who they were.

They were descendants of mages who had been made to manage the facilities the ancient Magic Empire created on this island.

During the Magic Empire era, this island had a barrier cast to avoid the demon kings’ eyes, cutting off access to the outside.

However, mages were needed to manage the internal facilities, so low-class mages remained and managed the facilities for a long time.

And after time passed and contact with the Magic Empire was cut off, leaving the island alone, the mages continued generations with the island’s natives while protecting the facilities.

And even after the island was isolated by a new god, a long time passed, magic was lost, and past stories became legends.

These mages had become a group similar to shamans using magic with only traces remaining.

“Is this a Galapagos story?”

Sun-woo briefly recalled a story he had heard somewhere.

“Anyway, they seem to live gathered in the island’s center. They can’t come out to the outskirts since god’s fragments wander around. Right now, they came here risking their lives. After confirming signals of magic circles that had no response for a long time continuing to open, they dispatched a suicide squad.”

At Sun-woo’s explanation, the eyes of the mages with pressure points pressed widened. Their expressions felt like seeing demons.

“Let’s go to the island’s center. If we can check the opening signals, it seems we won’t need to open them one by one.”

At Sun-woo’s words, the group nodded.

And the mages had expressions like they heard demons were invading the village.

Sun-woo smiled at the mages as if to reassure them.

“Don’t worry, I know the way.”