NOVEL NEXT Chapter 47
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“Don’t you have anything to say?”
“……”
At the bishop’s question, the priest could only shiver in fear.
“So, is that a no?”
“B-bishop! There seems to have been a misunderstanding. I only…!”
“But the evidence is right in front of us.”
The bishop waved the papers. They were documents found during the search of Gu Ma-jun’s house, who had been a first-class believer. Normally, the temple wouldn’t have the duty to investigate that far, but they had joined the investigation in hopes of gathering at least a hint about how Gu Ma-jun became a flesh-eating monster.
And some documents were discovered, definitely in the priest’s handwriting. There was further evidence found in the priest’s room as well. It was an undeniable situation.
“You stole temple documents? How entertaining this is.”
The old woman’s gentle smile felt more chilling to the priest than that of the Grim Reaper.
“I only needed money! Please, please, Bishop!”
“The shepherd who should guide the flock has fallen into gambling? Do you even know how shameful that is?”
A sharp rebuke that left the priest swallowing hard under the cold gazes of the crowd.
‘I never thought it would come to this.’
It was a mistake to nonchalantly hide the documents in the priest’s office. Just imagining what punishment awaited him made everything dark before his eyes. While this was technically his place, this “Temple of War”…
“But haven’t you always said we must forgive?”
The priest looked up at the suddenly changing bishop with a blank expression.
“You said we must forgive, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
“O-oh! Bishop! Bishop!”
At that moment, the bishop felt like a beacon of light to the priest. It was as if a ray of sunshine broke through the clouds. The bishop, seeing the priest weeping, spoke soothingly.
“So, will you tell me? About Gu Ma-jun. And what you know.”
“O-of course.”
In front of the gathered crowd, the priest spilled everything. How Gu Ma-jun had reached out to him when he was short on money due to his gambling. What he had asked for was temple documents, and he also wanted to be accepted as a member of the temple…
“So, you don’t know where he was belonging to?”
“I-I was just following orders! W-well, I did ask, but he didn’t answer!”
It was only natural. The bishop nodded as if he understood, and the priest continued with a quivering voice. Before long, his story ended, and a suffocating silence filled the chapel.
“……”
After a long moment of thought, the bishop slowly opened his eyes.
“Y-you’re forgiving me?”
“Of course.”
With a gentle touch, the bishop took the priest’s hand and lifted him up. Under the statue of the Lord, the priest wept like a lost sheep in the chapel.
“Ooh! Lord! Thank you! Thank you!”
He cried that he would become a new person. That he would atone for his past mistakes. That he swore before God. As if moved by his words — all the believers stood up from their seats.
“So, are you repenting your sins…?”
The priest looked bewildered, sensing something strange.
“…Brothers?”
Clank. Clank.
The praying priest turned to the entrance of the chapel where a stocky monk was chaining the doorknob.
“I will forgive you.”
The bishop’s calm voice echoed throughout the chapel. Cold sweat dripped from the priest’s forehead.
Indeed, the gentle tone of the bishop’s voice sounded chilling for some reason.
“However…”
With a pause, the bishop smiled brighter than ever.
“I don’t know if that’s the kind of forgiveness you were hoping for.”
***
[Destruction Probability 99.8% -> 99.78%]
[You gain 0.02% of merit]
‘So clearing the fantasy dungeon changes the destruction probability?’
It increased by 0.02%, bringing my merit to a total of 0.12%. Even though it’s called dungeon clearing, isn’t that separate from destruction? The fantasy world shouldn’t be able to affect the real world, right?
“Kyu-ru-ru-k!”
Just when I was lost in thought, the Fairy Dragon pulled my attention. It had discovered a strange hole.
‘What is that?’
It looked like an unknown hole… not a cave, but a hole in space itself.
As I watched, some of the dense magic from the dungeon was being sucked into the hole, like osmosis.
“Could it be…?”
“Indeed, it’s the real world.”
“So, the fantasy world and the real world connect?”
“How much do you know about dungeons?”
At Baek-rok’s question, I recalled briefly. The reason dungeons manifest in novels was not mentioned, but simply put, dungeons are…
“Infiltration.”
“Oh, so you do know?”
Infiltration. The very existence of a dungeon eats away at the world.
Think of the Lee Hyeon Park. The park had transformed into a massive circular dungeon over 30 km in diameter. Thus, space had been distorted. Until the dungeon collapsed due to running out of magic, the space that should have existed was effectively gone.
“That’s correct. Then what about the fantasy world?”
“A mirror?”
“You’re well-informed. A world of illusions and phantoms. Ordinarily, events in the fantasy realm do not affect the real world.”
Just as I thought.
But if events in the fantasy world don’t affect the real world, then why did the destruction probability lower? —I instinctively realized the answer and turned to look at the hole.
The fairy blinked, asking, “What are you talking about?” but Baek-rok and I ignored her and continued our conversation.
“Though it is an illusion, it’s a connected world. What happens when the infiltration of dungeons appears in the fantasy realm?”
“It affects the real world?”
“Exactly.”
The two connected worlds. If a dungeon appeared in the fantasy realm, a hole leading to the real world would form. What if there were more dungeons created in the fantasy realm? What if that led to more holes?
“The boundaries disappear?”
“Correct. You’re truly sharp.”
So that’s why the destruction probability had decreased.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable under Baek-rok’s gaze, I feigned an air of nonchalance. The one advantage of sporting nothing but a skull for a face was that emotions couldn’t be readily seen.
Then, naturally continuing the line of thought, I stared at Baek-rok.
“Truly impressive.”
“…Answer me.”
Baek-rok slowly shook his head.
“Leaving the dungeon neglected isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
“……”
“The dense magic from the dungeons would be burdensome for spirits, if not for familiars.”
Before I knew it, the hole — the infiltration was gone.
If the dungeon were to collapse, of course, the magic from it would remain in the fantasy world. The magic was so intense it even weighed down on me — what if weak monsters, or rather spirits, like the Dragon Worm were exposed to this?
“…You were controlling that?”
“Yes.”
So he had been deliberately neglecting the dungeon to regulate the magic in the fantasy realm.
“Was the misunderstanding cleared?”
“Yeah.”
I fumbled over that.
To think he had a plausible reason for ignoring the impending collapse of the world — I felt a bit flustered and quickened my pace.
“Oh? Wolf! Come with me!”
Just as I was leaving the dungeon with the fairy mounted on my shoulder, the dungeon began to collapse slowly.
“The dungeon is…”
The flow of magic was so strong it could be felt even outside the boundaries. The distorted space was slowly regaining its original form.
“Is this your first time seeing a dungeon collapse?”
“…Yeah.”
I had cleared dungeons before, but this was my first time witnessing one collapse. Just as Baek-rok had said, the dense magic from the dungeon flowed out into the fantasy world.
‘Magic…’
I accepted the magic without resistance, just like Baek-rok had taught me.
[Magic increased by 2]
Seeing that message made me a bit greedy.
‘Is there more to be had?’
What was it the queen was trying to show me? The dungeon’s infiltration? Or something else? I didn’t know. But…
‘After all, I still have some time left before the narrative begins.’
I gave a warning, though I was unsure if Dawn would take it to heart, but at the very least she would likely make an attempt to look into it.
‘That’s all that matters.’
At the very least, I could keep the unruly ones in check — for now, it seemed better to gather strength in the fantasy realm… Just then, as if reading my thoughts, a message appeared.
[Condition to achieve Lv.20: Escape the fantasy realm]
‘……’
I let out a small sigh. The requirement to reach level 20 was surprisingly simple, but the system’s intent was too clear.
【The being you call the system is not a part of the truth】
I didn’t know what truth the queen had spoken of, but at the very least, the system didn’t want me to remain in the fantasy realm.
‘Did I not hear the conversation with the queen?’
If I had, I would not have been so recklessly alarmed with unreasonable conditions.
‘I’m still not sure who to believe.’
It could be the queen or the system. In the worst-case scenario, both could be untrustworthy entities.
‘I still need more clues.’
But for now, I had no choice but to comply. Even if the system was a malevolent entity, I still needed it for the time being.
‘…I need to return to the real world.’
I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts. It felt frustrating, but it was unavoidable.
“Baek-rok. How do I return to the real world?”
“Hmm. Do you wish to go?”
“…Yeah.”
“Desire it strongly.”
In other words, it seems just thinking about it would be enough to leave. I smirked at the unexpectedly simple method.
“Oh? Are you leaving already?”
The fairy whimpered at Baek-rok’s words.
“Don’t! Can’t you stay here with us?”
“……”
“Huh? Wolfy~! Stay here with us…”
As I pushed the whimpering fairy away, her eyes went wide. Looking as if she had been hurt made me feel unnecessarily guilty, but sometimes you have to do what you must.
‘There’s no choice.’
I couldn’t take the fairy with me.
It wasn’t just because she was a fairy and I was a monster. It was because I couldn’t guarantee her safety. Baek-rok nodded, as if agreeing with me.
“When will you return?”
“In a little while.”
Still, the path I was taking — I planned to go to the capital eventually, so it would be easier to go through the fantasy world than directly back to the real world. Reassuring the whimpering fairy, I decided to ask, with a desperate hope.
“Is there a way to come back?”
“You can’t come to the fantasy realm.”
I expected it, but it was a resolute answer.
The fantasy realm, true to its name, was the world of fairies and familiars, not a place for monsters. Even if it were possible, this was not where I belonged.
‘At least the system got that part right.’
There was an overwhelming amount of work to be done outside. I couldn’t spend my time here forever.
“But… Hmm. It’s nothing.”
Baek-rok’s meaningful gaze suggested he had something to say, but he didn’t finish his thoughts.
“Why are you leaving~? Why?! Are you dissatisfied with the fantasy realm? Do you not like us anymore?! Take me with you!”
‘Pestering.’
Seeing my feelings understood, Baek-rok called out to the whining fairy.
“Child of the Third Winter.”
The fairy shook her head vehemently, as if she didn’t want to hear that.
“Don’t make it hard for him.”
It had only been a day, yet she had grown on me. Despite being a bit of a nuisance, I didn’t dislike the innocent and lively fairy.
‘Though she could be a bit noisy.’
Pure kindness… I shook my head. But still, no means no.
‘This time, the answer is still no.’
If Baek-rok hadn’t been there, both the fairy and the Fairy Dragon would have been goners. No, they probably wouldn’t have even been brought along.
‘Tch.’
True to Baek-rok’s words, the fairy was innocent. The reason I could open my heart to her so quickly was surely that. After calming her down for a while with Baek-rok’s help…
“So, how many nights until you come back?”
‘Such a kid.’
When I shot her a look with that in mind, Baek-rok awkwardly cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Anyway, I’m glad you understand.”
It would have been quick if Baek-rok had helped, but we walked slowly to the capital.
“This should be good.”
“Is that so? Look around.”
“Sure.”
I shook off the Fairy Dragon that was hovering above me. I thought she would cling again, but…
“Kyu-ru-k?”
She tilted her head for a moment before moving onto Baek-rok’s head.
‘A bittersweet feeling.’
The fairy and the Fairy Dragon took off like a farewell, and I stared blankly at the scene where sparkles of light fell.
‘Did I ask for trust?’
“Kyu-ru-k~”
“Wolfy! You must come back!”
Baek-rok didn’t say anything until the end. He seemed to convey with his eyes ‘Don’t forget’.
I knew well what I was being told to remember. I nodded slightly.
‘Now, back to the real world.’
It had been a short time, but I had gained the most valuable thing in the fantasy realm — no, I had received it.
‘And.’
I had gained certainty.
I was no longer just a timid slime who shivered in the woods.
I was strong and had the power to act as I wished.
‘So.’
It was now time to take action.
Chasing after the unruly ones’ tails — I fervently wished in my heart, ‘I will return to the real world.’
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