Chapter 136 – LV.Twelve Priest Seo Yun – [Two]

Before leaving the village, Seo Yun looked for Arnold but couldn’t find him.

“Do you know where Arnold is?”

She stopped a passerby and asked, receiving this reply.

“He went hunting.”

“Alone?”

“Yes, he said some giant had been spotted and he’d go take it down… He did tell us which direction he left in and to call him if anything happened in the village. Should I send someone to fetch him?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s not urgent anyway.”

Then Seo Yun clicked her tongue.

He went off hunting alone? Considering Arnold had been riddled with bullets all over his body during that day’s battle, this likely meant he’d gone hunting as soon as he’d roughly dug out the bullets.

She could guess his state of mind. After all, he had witnessed the Kingdom of Immortals nearly raze Happy Village to the ground. That Barbarian Warrior must have felt an even stronger need to ascend to the Sun God.

‘He probably thinks the world will only stabilize once he ascends as soon as possible, right? And now that he’s also gained the experience of defeating a powerful monster, it seems even his hesitation to take action has vanished.’

So, while that Barbarian Warrior finally possessed both the will and the capability, the need for him to recklessly challenge ascension had now disappeared. The responsibility and duty he was supposed to bear had, in fact, all turned out to belong to the troll.

‘Why did he have to awaken at this timing? Seriously, how absurd.’

Seo Yun clicked her tongue and left Happy Village.

She had several things to do, but decided to handle what she could first.

Passing through the Dimensional Gate and walking across the Ashen Snowfield, the French Village came into view. And surrounding that village was a group of figures.

The moment she saw the bone-white Skeletons armed with bows, the skeletal troops forming the army, Seo Yun’s eyes widened.

Just like when she first saw that village, its fortress walls were now under attack.

Countless skeletons and robed skeletons that seemed to be commanding them relentlessly poured attacks into the fortress walls… Numerous arrows and Fireballs rained down inside the walls.

In response, there was retaliation from atop the walls as well.

A thick, golden ray of light shot across the center of the Undead forces. Not only the skeletons directly hit by the ray, but also the troops around where the light spread collapsed as if crumbling—it was clearly the Paladin’s Solar Ray spell.

A fierce siege battle was underway. The moment she confirmed this, Seo Yun immediately turned around.

She hurriedly ran back through the Dimensional Gate, then blew Oh Haengbok’s Horn Trumpet to gather the warriors of Happy Village. After briefly explaining the situation, she shouted.

“Everyone who can fight right now, arm yourselves and follow me!”

Seo Yun led twenty combat slaves and passed through the Dimensional Gate once more. With the most powerful slaves—Oh Haengun’s Combat Golem and the Gargoyles—taking the lead, she charged with the warriors towards the Undead forces besieging the village.

“Long live Happy Village—!”

Seo Yun, too, from behind them, launched various Attack Spells or conjured Waves of Fire to sweep through the Undead forces. As she did, feeling a surge of intense pleasure rising in her mind, Seo Yun felt puzzled.

Am I gaining Experience Points right now? The Skeletons’ Levels are low, so even if I defeat them, I shouldn’t be able to get Experience Points.

She continued fighting like that, and when she even gained a Level, her suspicion that she was earning Experience Points became a certainty. She had to struggle to focus on the battle, fighting against the intense pleasure.

Thus, as Happy Village struck the rear of the Undead forces, the fortress gates burst open, and troops rushed out from inside to respond.

“Praise the Sun!”

Among them, leading the charge, was an ash-gray armored knight.

William, clad in all sorts of resplendent auras, charged. His figure, swinging a gleaming blade, stood out even amidst this chaotic battle, confirming here and now the setting that Paladins are the natural enemies of the Undead. Each flash of his blade striking down nine skeletons at once evoked not a realistic battle, but an unrealistic game-like combat.

Anyway, it was an effective joint attack.

The sounds of shattering bones echoed from all around, but no human screams were heard. Bolstered by attacks from both sides, the Undead forces were swiftly annihilated.

After the battle ended, Seo Yun treated the wounded and asked.

“Did you also earn Experience Points from this battle?”

“Yes, did you too, Seo Yun?”

Originally, that warrior shouldn’t have been able to gain Experience Points when with Seo Yun. If Party Members’ Levels differed by 3 or more, Experience Point acquisition would differ. That didn’t seem to be the case anymore. It was clear the changed GM was applying new rules….

Then, a familiar voice was heard.

“Seo Yun?”

Seo Yun looked that way and greeted him happily.

“Yes, William. Long time no see?”

William, who had removed his helm, replied.

“In front of people, it would be better to call me Sir William. Anyway, it was help I hadn’t even hoped for, but thanks to you, we survived. I’m so grateful…”

Then, Oh Haengun stepped forward and said humbly.

“It was only what we should do, so please don’t mention it. We couldn’t just turn away when we saw you in crisis, could we?”

As evident from Oh Haengun making such a ‘diplomatic statement,’ this assistance was also beneficial from Happy Village’s perspective. By putting them in their debt, it became easier to request help from the Crusaders later.

Thus, the Happy Village warriors were also feeling a sense of accomplishment and enjoying the afterglow of victory.

William approached Seo Yun, bowed his head, and expressed his gratitude once more.

“Anyway, you’re an excessively good disciple to me. I’ve received your help multiple times now.”

Seo Yun thought. Multiple times?

“Besides now, did I help you with something before? If you mean taking care of you when you were captured in the village…”

“No, not that. Your prophecy was correct.”

“Prophecy?”

“The prophecy that Pygma Mule would lead an army and invade. Not long ago, he landed in Western Europe, and his forces began sweeping through various places. To prevent villages from being annihilated, the Crusaders have also dispatched troops to confront them, but…”

At this sudden news, Seo Yun’s eyes widened.

What on earth was he talking about all of a sudden? Pygma Mule sweeping through various places?

It was certainly written in the Rulebook. A fanatical Lich aiming to wipe out all intelligent life in the Mortal Realm, a prophecy of doom commonly prepared to heighten tension in a bleak worldview.

However, according to the Rulebook, that powerful ancient Lich couldn’t run rampant wherever he pleased as he wished.”Won’t the Vampire Lords stop them? They should have led their forces to block Pygma Mule’s army.”

“They did lead their own troops to confront them, but I heard they were effortlessly broken through.”

“Broken through?”

“Yes, they were defeated and scattered in an instant, without even putting up a proper resistance.”

This was another absurdity.

According to the world setting written in the Rulebook, the Vampire Lords had blocked Pygma Mule’s advance. Although Pygma Mule’s forces were overwhelmingly powerful, the united Vampire Lords, while pushed back, were said to have managed to hold the line enough to prevent the advance.

That setting couldn’t just disappear. Unless they were going to suddenly devastate the world setting, overturn everything, and start over, the foretold destruction needed to be delayed as much as possible. That’s how the world setting could be maintained to keep selling products.

Yet, William was saying that the Vampire Lords, who were supposed to be the world’s mechanism for delaying that destruction, had been defeated so pitifully.

When Seo Yun asked what had happened, an absurd answer came back.

“Flying aircraft carriers and fighter jets swept through the Vampire Lords’ forces?”

“That’s what I heard. The Vampire Lords had just gathered their powerful Warriors when a bombing raid poured from the sky and burned them all to ashes.”

She couldn’t understand what kind of insane talk this was. As Seo Yun stood dumbfounded, William asked.

“So, do you have a purpose for coming to this village? I heard you originally came to see me.”

“Well…”

When Seo Yun hesitantly brought up her purpose for coming here—that she needed the Crusaders’ support—the expected answer came back.

William spoke with great difficulty.

“I’m sorry to say this right after receiving help myself, but it seems unlikely. The reason is… you probably have a rough idea after what you just saw?”

“The Crusaders are busy right now, I suppose.”

William nodded with a grimace.

“It’s a true state of war. A Holy War… Villages everywhere are being devastated by Undead forces. The Crusaders are fighting their hardest, attacking and eliminating separate Undead troops so people can survive as much as possible… and evacuating people.

We absolutely cannot directly confront Pygma Mule’s main force, but we’re still fighting by dispatching troops here and there. Doing whatever we can, Guerrilla tactics or whatever, to save people. We’re swamped to death, but honestly, I’ve never felt the Crusaders were more worthwhile than now.”

Seo Yun let out an unconscious sigh. A lament for the unexpectedly severe situation, and a lament that it seemed she likely wouldn’t get the help she hoped for.

“But can you at least relay the message?”

“I should, of course. I’ll do my best. But let me say again, don’t get your hopes up too much. Anyway, let me contact them now.”

“Right now?”

“I have a Magical Communicator.”

William pulled an object from his pocket. Not shortening the name of the object to ‘Walkie-Talkie’ showed William’s thorough Roleplaying. Holding it, William said he would make the call in a quiet place and stepped away for a moment.

Oh Haengun muttered.

“This seems pretty fucked.”

“It looks difficult for them to help, right?”

“Probably…”

It seemed Oh Haengun was already half giving up. Seo Yun felt the same, but she couldn’t possibly demand they abandon everything and come to help here when they were being swept up in calls everywhere.

The Troll, who was slated to become the Sun God and had promised the Crusaders’ help, probably hadn’t anticipated this situation either.

So, Seo Yun was waiting as William had said, without any expectations.

A short while later, William returned and relayed what he had been instructed by the Crusader main force.

“Sir Marshall said you should wait here.”

At those words, Oh Haengun, who had been slumped, sprang up from his seat. An expectant gaze turned toward William. They wouldn’t tell them to wait just to say they couldn’t help and express regret, right?

“What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure, but it seems the people on the Sun Ship received some kind of Oracle. They said the Sun God gave some instructions… and this order was also handed down.”

“What order?”

Before answering, William looked at Seo Yun. Then, with a very peculiar gaze, he stared intently at her face and said.

“The order was to serve that Angel Seo Yun with utmost reverence…”

When Oh Haengun translated those words, the gazes of the Happy Village Warriors converged on Seo Yun.

As everyone looked at her, Seo Yun felt extreme absurdity and asked.

“Why serve me with utmost reverence?”

And William said.

“Well, there was an explanation of sorts. Seo Yun, you… no, you…”

At the address ‘you,’ Seo Yun’s eyes widened. William continued.

“…were originally the Cherubim Seraphim in the Celestial Realm, the right hand of the Hearth Goddess in the Celestial Hearth, directly delivering her commands to the Angels under her, and that you willingly abandoned all your Divine Power and Authority to fall to the Mortal Realm to carry out the Goddess’s will to aid the Mortal Realm. Is that true?”

What kind of cringe-inducing nonsense was that? Seo Yun was shocked by the absurdly lengthy and dazzling enumeration of settings.

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“The Sun God explained it as the reason for finding and treating an Angel of the Hearth that way…”

“The Sun God?”

“Yes. The Sun God.”

Seo Yun clenched her fist in terrible rage. She was certain that damn Troll had been deeply impressed by some Diablo series video and that he had played with settings like that, causing the Party Members to leave to go play some role.