Chapter 750: Chapter 750: Guide (7)
A greatsword swings.
A shield blocks an enemy’s strike.
Sometimes, he even ends up pathetically rolling across the ground trying to dodge a flying blade.
"Aaagh!"
And when a blade full of murderous intent pierces his skin, he inevitably screams in a pitiful voice.
Thus, Sven Parab thought:
There’s no way this story will ever be passed down to future generations.
Because the protagonists in stories are always heroic, cool, and strong.
They’re not weak like him.
And above all—
"Kehaha! Hey, Holy Knight! That face says you're ready to die, huh?"
"Why’d you bother staying behind alone then?"
—They always win.
They survive to return and tell the tale.
Yeah, and so...
"Come on now, just fall down and take a nap already!"
His story would never be passed down.
And because of that—
"...Aaaaaagh!"
He could afford to be pathetic.
Ptoo!
He spat blood-tinged phlegm in an enemy’s face.
Clatterclatterclatter!
He stumbled backward on weakening legs and flung furniture he’d used as a barricade toward the enemy.
At the same time—
"Ah! Over there!"
"...Huh? Aaack!!"
Using a childish feint in the middle of it all, he jammed a blade into the enemy’s throat.
"You cowardly bastard!"
"Look who’s talking, swarming like bugs."
Surprisingly, the trick worked well.
Maybe because it was that stupid?
Well, after one or two tries, they all stopped falling for it.
Heh.
Being alone had unexpected advantages.
Of all of them, there was one he liked best.
Thump—
Even if it wasn’t courage but fear that surged—
"Ha, I really don’t wanna die like this..."
He could voice that fear out loud without worrying what anyone thought.
It wasn’t something a hero in a story would ever say, but—so what?
He wasn’t that kind of hero.
"Die clean, you bastard!"
Death terrified him more than anyone.
"But what can you do? If I’m dying anyway—"
"What’re you muttering about—?!"
"I’ll take you bastards with me."
He was the kind of small-minded man who hated dying alone even more.
"Aaagh!!"
It was kind of funny.
More than when he fought to protect others, he felt stronger when driven by the thought, I don’t wanna die alone.
He didn’t know why—and it didn’t matter.
"From now on, I’m your damn guide, bastards!"
He simply swung his sword.
「Sven Parab has cast [Twilight Compass].」
「All damage dealt is increased, but damage taken from behind is also increased.」
Not caring how much divine power he had left, he hurled divine spells without restraint.
「Sven Parab has cast [Unquenchable Flame].」
He even lit fires inside the temple without hesitation.
The divine enchantments on the temple only blocked external flames. They were vulnerable to fire from within.
Ah, of course, a Holy Knight shouldn’t be doing this.
But—
‘I’m not a Holy Knight anymore anyway.’
Even less to hold him back.
Therefore—
"Aaagh! Th-this bastard...!"
He used every dirty move banned in combat sports to his heart’s content.
"...Bite his ear off!"
That thought suddenly came to him.
When he first entered the labyrinth, a goblin had bitten him on the neck like that.
"Shit, that’s so dirty."
How the hell did they do that so naturally?
Ah, to survive.
Just like him.
Ptoo!
As his thoughts drifted like a stream of consciousness, he began to wonder—what was the difference between himself and a goblin?
Goblin.
The humanoid monster most often killed by beginner explorers—and that killed them just as often. Grade 9.
Goblins walk on two legs.
Goblins use tools.
Goblins fight to survive.
Goblins act on instinct.
And...
‘Ah, this part’s different now.’
Goblins abandon their comrades and run when things go south.
Fwoooosh—!
The temple interior was engulfed in white flame before he knew it.
Thunk!
A blunt weapon struck Sven Parab on the head—one he couldn’t avoid—and he collapsed.
Then—
Crunch—!
A second blow landed on his defenseless body.
"You tough bastard...!"
His mind went blank from the hit.
"Gotta... finish him..."
The sound cut out.
‘...It’s over.’
The moment he thought it was the end—
Between the enemy soldiers’ legs and the dancing flames, he saw it.
A half-shattered statue of the goddess amidst the chaos.
And he suddenly wondered:
‘Where will my soul go?’
Earth?
The afterlife they speak of here in Lafdonia?
If it’s Earth—would it be hell?
Or reincarnation, like in Buddhism?
What would guide a soul like his, with no faith?
Thump—
His dying heart gave one last ripple.
[......I shall give you power.]
What the hell now?
“......”
“......”
He realized, belatedly.
Everything around him had stopped.
It wasn’t like the slowed perception from entering hyperfocus.
The roaring fire no longer flickered.
The floating ashes were frozen midair, and the enemy who had been swinging a weapon at him wasn’t moving at all.
[......I shall give you the power to slaughter those who torment you, and survive to achieve anything.]
He instinctively knew.
Whoever this voice belonged to—if he accepted, it would truly happen.
But—
‘I’d become a monster.’
Whoever was saying this was a wicked being.
A good entity wouldn’t tell him to abandon comrades and live alone.
And in fact, the voice didn’t deny it.
It simply replied:
[How amusing. What is a monster?]
Hmm...
[If killing others makes you a monster, then surely this world is full of them.]
That... sort of made sense.
[Listen well. You are too weak to be called a monster, and too wicked to be called a man.]
There was power in that voice.
And thus—
[Listen well. You wish to move forward, yet want someone to guide you.]
Sven Parab gave a faint laugh at the words that followed.
[I shall be your guide.]
No matter how powerful the voice was—it no longer held any allure.
For a very simple reason.
[I shall show you the path you were meant to walk.]
Because he had realized.
Who this voice belonged to.
Karuie.
The ancient evil god did not deny it.
[......Take my hand.]
It simply spoke again, with a deeper resonance.
And Sven Parab answered in his heart:
‘Nope.’
Shorter than any other rejection—therefore, even more forceful.
[......There is no path to survival but to become my servant.]
Yeah, probably.
Realistically, that’s most likely true.
[Then why?]
Again, the reason was simple.
‘Because I’ve got a damn strong hunch right now.’
That even if he refused, he wasn’t going to die here.
Thump—
A powerful intuition pulsed from his chest.
This time, however, it wasn’t some “divine” instinct bestowed by another.
Just like how normal people’s gut feelings come from accumulated experience and memory—so too did this one.
If you listen closely to what your enemies say and do the opposite, at least half the time it works out—
That was something his clan leader once said at a drinking party.
And—
‘An ancient evil god who’s never helped anyone without screwing them over, versus a hero of this city writing living myths and always putting his comrades first.’
Whose words should he trust?
The answer was obvious.
Yeah, so—
‘Get lost. Out of my life.’
Sven Parab said.
The ancient evil god fell silent.
Everything was still frozen in time, so he couldn’t tell how long the silence lasted—but it wasn’t long.
Crack!
Across the frozen world—
Like a pane of glass shattering, cracks spread through the fabric of space.
Shhhhhhhhhhhh—
Through those cracks, a warm silver light began to shine.
「The deep twilight dawn shines upon you.」
A starlight wrapped his entire body in gentle warmth.
Sven Parab instinctively knew.
「The mark of the evil god engraved upon your soul is completely erased.」
That presence was no longer here.
And the moment he realized it, a voice of grace—opposite to Karuie’s—echoed in his head.
[May it help the path my knight wishes to walk.]
The same voice he had once heard in a dream.
As it resonated in his mind, vitality surged into a body that hadn’t even been able to twitch a finger.
「Due to Recovery (EX-grade), your body is completely healed.」
「The character has acquired a new divine authority.」
「You can now use 0-grade divine spell [Agent of the Stars].」
「The divine power of a god has temporarily infused your physical body.」
「Divine Power permanently increases by +500.」
「The character permanently acquires the ‘Saintblood’ bonus.」
Uh...
He didn’t really get it, but—
‘Feels like I got insanely strong all of a sudden—’
‘Ah, but first I gotta dodge this.’
Time suddenly began moving again.
Whoosh—!
Sven Parab rolled to the side, dodging a blunt weapon coming for his head.
And then—
"What the—?!"
"How did he...?"
"What was that light just now...?!"
The prey they thought they’d finished stood up just fine, leaving the enemies in shock.
Sven Parab smiled leisurely.
‘...See? It really pays to live «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» a decent life.’
Holy Knights and clerics receive divine spells based on their accumulated “merit.”
So unlike mages, where anyone can learn any spell, there are often situations where one person can use a spell while another can’t.
Anyway, that wasn’t the point.
‘A new divine spell...’
When a Holy Knight or cleric is granted a spell, they instinctively understand it.
Even its name.
‘...[Agent of the Stars], huh.’
What kind of spell is that?
He’d never heard of it before.
But it came directly from a god, voice and all—so it had to be the real deal.
Which is why Sven Parab could smile even with countless enemies before him.
"Puhuhuhu..."
"...?"
Most of the enemies looked at him like he’d lost it, while a few sharp ones started getting wary.
‘Smarter than the rest, but...’
Heh.
"You must atone."
Then Sven Parab activated the divine spell.
Since it was his first time using it, he even recited the incantation aloud.
"The star of twilight shall guide us..."
"..."
"[Agent of the Stars]."
The moment he spoke with firm intent, a torrent of silver light burst from his body.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—
Brilliant, divine light.
The Noark troops all recoiled in fear at its splendor.
And then—
‘...Huh?’
That was it.
Whooooooooom—
The blinding light faded quickly, and the enemies were still standing there.
His body didn’t feel particularly stronger either.
So... what happened?
「Usage conditions not met.」
「Casting of 0-grade divine spell [Agent of the Stars] has been canceled.」
Sven Parab had no idea.
He only knew one thing.
‘...Yeah I’m screwed.’
Fortunately, the enemies looked just as confused.
"...?"
"...?"
Sweating quietly, Sven snapped to attention.
Then awkwardly stretched his sword forward with a grin.
"Hahaha... foul beings, listen well."
"...?"
"I shall show you mercy and spare you this once. Now, b-begone from my sight immediately!"
He tried to sound dignified, but the enemies just looked confused—not afraid.
...Maybe because he stuttered at the end?
He regretted it, but it was too late.
The enemies had figured it out.
"...Guess it didn’t work out for him?"
"Hah... had me scared there for a sec. Thought something big was coming."
"No idea how he recovered, but it’s just one guy, right?"
"Kill him again!!"
Having reached a swift conclusion, they all rushed him at once.
‘...Now what?’
Could he run?
Technically possible, but unlikely.
If he tried the exit on the first floor, it was swarming with enemies. Reaching a second-floor window meant breaking through all of them.
‘No fucking way...’
You get chosen by a god, only to die here?
Then why not let me die dramatically earlier!
Those complaints were swirling in his head when—
KABOOOOOM—!
An explosion shattered the goddess statue and revealed an underground passage.
And then—
[GRAAAAAAAAAAH—!!]
A massive something shot out from below, roared, and landed beside him.
THUD—!
Uh...
What... is this?
It seemed to be here to help, at least?
‘A bear (beastkin)... riding a giant bear...?’
His mind blanked from the confusion, and the bear-riding beastman perked up his ears and said:
"My wife owed a debt. I’ve come to repay it."
"...Ah."
"Ah, don’t be modest. Even if it weren’t for my wife, anyone who’s Yandel’s comrade is mine as well."
He still didn’t understand what that meant.
But one thing was certain.
"Come, let’s go. I’ll clear the path."
...He was saved.
***
「Avman Urikfrit has cast [Overcharge].」
「The effects of the next active skill will greatly increase based on Soul Power.」
「Avman Urikfrit has cast [Pierce].」
「The penetration of the next attack is increased tenfold.」
「Avman Urikfrit has cast [Giant Arrow].」
「The size of the next ranged projectile greatly increases.」
「Chulwoong Iradoon has cast [Firebear Stance].」
「All attacks now apply Knockback (Advanced).」
「Avman Urikfrit has cast [Lord of the Jungle].」
「Chulwoong Iradoon’s stats are greatly enhanced, and...」
「...」
***
He didn’t speak to himself.
Most self-talk tends to dwell on depressing topics—and voicing them doesn’t change reality.
No, it only makes you darker and more miserable.
So he never talked to himself.
At least, until now.
"This is insane."
But just this once, he muttered aloud.
Before him was a man coughing up blood, yet still clinging to life.
"I’d love for you to wake up now... but realistically, that’s not likely."
"Even knowing that, I can’t help but feel a little bitter."
"I thought..."
"I thought I’d been granted more storytime than you..."
"But it turns out that wasn’t the case. Fate’s a cruel thing, isn’t it?"
"Heh... whenever I stand in front of you, I feel like such a lousy man."
He apologized to the man lying there.
"Sorry. I’m not like you after all. You’d never hesitate like I am now, and I know that. Still, I can’t make up my mind."
"But..."
The man quietly blinked once.
And then—
"Still, I guess I have no choice."
He knew the man couldn’t hear him.
But he said it anyway.
"Let’s go."
So that he wouldn’t back out halfway.
So that his resolve wouldn’t waver in the final moment.
And also so that he could be sure of it himself.
"This’ll be the first time I’m making the path instead of walking it, huh... well, what choice do I have."
"......"
"I’m your guide, after all."
When the right path is clear, you can’t take another.
"Twilight stars shall guide us..."
With that, Brown Rotmiller made his decision.