Chapter 162 – LV.? Goddess of Beauty – [Three]

Seo Yun saw the woman beyond the flames.

The Goddess of the Hearth. The woman with hair as red as fire spoke.

「Fulfill your role, Angel」

As Seo Yun stared blankly, the Goddess commanded once more.

「Fulfill your role」

And then Seo Yun opened her mouth.

“That’s what I intend to do. But… is what I’m about to do now truly my role?”

「What is it you intend to do now?」

“To become the Goddess of Beauty. Isn’t that the task you bestowed upon me?”

In response to Seo Yun’s question, the Goddess of the Hearth fell silent for a moment. Her expression contorted, and a trembling voice flowed from her lips.

「You…」

The Hearth Goddess’s face wavered like a heat haze, and the scenery reflected in Seo Yun’s eyes changed.

Seo Yun realized that the flames and smoke that had filled her vision were gone, replaced by a purple mist, and that it was not the Goddess of the Hearth but Gaeulbi looking at her.

“Are you okay? Seo Yun, you were just charmed by a Succubus…!”

Though her mind was still hazy, true to her Spirit score of 9, Seo Yun quickly grasped the situation. A Succubus is a Dream Demon monster, a magical creature with a body composed of mist and a Challenge Rating of 8 or higher. It seemed she had inhaled part of the Succubus’s body by breathing in the purple mist while walking.

Seo Yun coughed dryly and muttered, feigning composure.

“Did we take care of it? Hmm, looks like we did. I see the Experience Points came in.”

Even though they had only defeated a single monster that used Mental Attacks, they had gained a considerable amount of Experience Points. It was fitting for a High-Level Dungeon. Considering they needed to reach Level 15 upon clearing the dungeon, it was a welcome development.

In fact, there probably wasn’t much need to worry excessively about not reaching that darn level. Everyone had fought skeletons numerous times on the way here, gaining bits of Experience Points, and they had defeated every monster that seemed to offer Experience Points on sight.

None of them were low-level anymore.

Take Seo Yun herself, she was now Level 14, and even Seo Rayeon, who had the lowest level in the party, was already Level 13 thanks to being decked out in items that increased Experience Point gain. Moreover, Rayeon had said she was in a situation where she could Level Up once more with just a little more.

‘I hope they get to brag about the levels they gained this time when they go back. They’ve suffered a lot too, so they should get something out of it…’

Last time they cleared a dungeon, didn’t everyone’s levels shoot up a lot? Probably a similar level of growth would happen this time too.

And judging immediately, it didn’t seem like they would fail to clear the dungeon.

“Shouldn’t we rest a bit?”

“No, it’s fine. My Spirit is 9, what’s the big deal. Let’s go.”

Despite Gaeulbi’s attempt to dissuade her, Seo Yun walked through the purple mist and thought.

‘Breaking through this dungeon is not just smooth, it’s almost excessively easy.’

It truly was.

“Is going this way correct?”

When she muttered into the air, the guide even responded.

「It is. So please hurry」

Everyone continued advancing in the direction guided by the Prophet Angel, and they hardly encountered any puzzles or enemies that would typically block progress in a dungeon.

If this were a Tabletop Role-Playing Game in progress, it would be boring to the point of absurdity, but for Seo Yun, it was a good thing. Wasn’t this an urgent situation where every moment counted?

The faster they reached their destination, the better. The more they advanced, the more her heart pounded, but regardless.

And Gaeulbi seemed to view this situation, where the end was approaching even faster, unfavorably. She muttered in a voice full of unease.

“Why is it going so fast…!”

Seo Yun pretended not to hear that. The four of them continued pushing through the mist.

And after walking for about an hour, Seo Yun finally reached the destination.

A beautiful woman stood waiting to greet them within the purple mist.

“I have been waiting. My Goddess.”

It was the Prophet Angel. She looked their way and bowed respectfully, and Seo Yun quickly asked.

“To ascend to the Celestial Realm and free you?”

The Prophet Angel did not deny it.

“Of course, if you would do that for me, I would be endlessly grateful.”

Seo Yun stared intently at the Prophet Angel.

According to the setting of the Immortal Kingdom, that Angel failed to properly prophesy that the world would end up in this state due to the aftermath of the Meteorite’s fall. As a result, she angered the Goddess of Beauty and was exiled here.

There was a subsequent story: she bestowed prophecies upon people, not only to receive the Souls she needed to consume to survive but also to lure capable individuals to this Prison. She guided their adventures to rescue her.

One Scenario in the Immortal Kingdom involves that Angel bringing an Adventurer Party to this dungeon to aid in her escape.

And at the end of the Scenario, said Adventurer Party realizes that rescuing this Angel is impossible. This Prison binds not only the Angel’s physical body but also her Soul, so freeing her is impossible unless it’s the Goddess of Beauty herself, who holds the key to the Prison.

Ultimately, when the Adventurer Party tries to leave the dungeon, the Prophet Angel criticizes them for already giving up on her Salvation, and the adventurers could retort, asking why she pretends to have shown them grace when she was merely using them all along?

Perhaps this time too, that Angel had led her, the adventurer, here. To facilitate the birth of the Goddess of Beauty who would free her, she might have designed all sorts of unpleasant situations through various prophecies… If so, should she also condemn that woman?

“I’ll do it. So acknowledge the dungeon clear, please. Hurry up.”

She decided not to. She didn’t have the leisure for that right now, and besides, that woman was merely a Creation within a game. Whatever schemes that Angel had concocted, however sinister her intentions, it was merely a result of her Creation by American nerds and a Meteorite. It wasn’t worth getting genuinely angry over.

“I shall gladly do so.”

Joy and relief simultaneously flickered across the Prophet Angel’s face. She bowed deeply, then turned her back.

Seo Yun’s heart began to pound even more fiercely….

And the next moment, Gaeulbi suddenly grabbed her wrist. Seo Yun glanced at her, then looked forward again and asked.

“Why?”

And Gaeulbi said.

“It’s not too late even now, so let’s turn back. Okay?”

There she was again, making that unreasonable suggestion. As Seo Yun kept her mouth shut, Gaeulbi continued to speak.”I’m not saying we should just drop everything without any plan. I have a plan I prepared for you, Seo Yun! That plan is…”

Only then did Seo Yun open her mouth.

“Whatever that plan is, the fact that you’re bringing it up now makes it seem like it either doesn’t exist or isn’t a very good plan, right?”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s a plan that’s a bit… awkward to use in this situation! But still—”

“I’ll just accept the sentiment.”

Seo Yun smiled slightly. It wasn’t a forced smile, but one that came from the heart.

It should have been annoying for him to pester her to give up everything after coming this far, but somehow it wasn’t. Why?

Maybe because deep down, she actually wanted to follow his words too…

Gaeulbi asked.

“Are you really going to go through with this?”

Seo Yun answered without turning back.

“I have to, of course.”

“Seo Yun, are you going to abandon me too and leave?”

“You know what I’ve been doing all this time, hunting monsters.”

Then Gaeulbi shouted.

“Yeah, I know why you’ve been suffering like a dog all this time! But you know what? You don’t become happy just because you somehow manage to do what you wanted to do! Look at me…”

A sob was heard. When Seo Yun finally turned around, Gaeulbi was crying. With a tearful voice, Gaeulbi continued.

“You should have listened to me back then! Killing all those soldiers just for some stupid reunion… If I could turn back time, I wouldn’t have done it. So Seo Yun, you listen to me too, okay?”

It was an emotional appeal with no logic, but Seo Yun listened quietly. Then, when Gaeulbi stopped talking and started crying again, she approached and gave her a light hug.

As Gaeulbi cried in her embrace, Seo Yun thought. Although it was a situation where she needed to achieve her goal as quickly as possible, spending this much time for a farewell should be okay.

On the other hand, she didn’t particularly feel the need to persuade Gaeulbi. She must also understand the necessity of what they were about to do now.

Gaeulbi had been actively expressing her reluctance to part since earlier, and she even pulled a pointless stunt when entering here, but that was probably just an impulsive act.

Gaeulbi is a chimpanzee, but she’s not a fool. She’s a smart girl in her own way, just not as capable as me. That girl has the ability to discern right from wrong and must obviously know how serious the situation is.

So, in the final moment soon to come, it’s unlikely that girl will interfere with my Ascension. If she really wanted to stop it, she would have rushed at me like an angry chimpanzee and tied me up in some cave somewhere, not whine with words only now, belatedly.

In the end, all of Gaeulbi’s stubbornness is probably just an expression of guilt. Gaeulbi must have felt guilty about helping a friend who is trying to leave the Mortal Realm, and she’s probably rambling incoherently because of that guilt.

It was a psychological speculation based on closely observing Gaeulbi during this journey.

Seo Yun understood that girl, and thus also guessed that her feelings were complicated. Whatever those feelings were, she decided to be grateful that she had come to help until the end.

She whispered into her ear.

“I’m sorry.”

Gaeulbi cried even louder. A little later, after finishing the hug, Seo Yun gestured to Han Siwoo.

“Siwoo, you come here too… Bend over.”

Han Siwoo hesitantly approached and did as told. Seo Yun placed her elbows on both his shoulders, patted his back, and said.

“This is so embarrassing… Thank you for everything until now, really.”

“Thank you… I…”

When Seo Yun finished the brief hug and looked at Han Siwoo, his mouth was opening and closing. He seemed to want to say something but couldn’t muster the courage.

She roughly guessed what he wanted to say. Because she didn’t want to hear it, Seo Yun turned away just like that.

When she looked at the Prophet Angel, she was walking towards a crystal.

That large crystal was, according to the setting, an object where the souls collected by the Prophet Angel were stored. The amount of souls contained there seemed considerable. Well, she must have collected a massive number of souls through the lamps spread all over this world while bestowing prophecies. Just thinking about the Experience Points written in the Gamebook, these were souls enough to raise everyone here’s Level by 1 or 2 and still have leftovers.

“Well then, please prepare.”

The Angel shattered the crystal. The souls contained within surged like a wave and flooded into the minds of the four present.

Seo Yun savored the fullness in her mind that would make her forget even the sadness of moments ago and the fear of this moment…

When she regained her senses and checked her Level, it was 15.

Seo Yun paused for a moment. She felt her soul, having reached a higher realm, crafting something from another dimension.

A moment later, it was complete. Something swirling and shining within her heart.

‘Divinity…’

Yes, Divinity. Now, according to the game rules, she was a Demigod, and with the innate Divinity of 1 point from the Lesser Angel Race plus the newly gained Divinity this time, she could be reborn as a deity.

Seo Yun briefly considered investing her Divinity Score into her Intelligence Stat but ultimately invested it into her Health Stat. Then, she tried to give them a splendid farewell speech so they wouldn’t forget her, but gave up.

She had previously written a full A4 sheet to make the farewell cool, but she decided to just crumple up that content in a corner of her heart. When you don’t want to do something, you shouldn’t hesitate; you should hurry up and get it over with. That way, it hurts less.

Seo Yun shouted towards the purple mist.

“I am an Immortal who has acquired my own Divinity, one who has reached Demigod status beyond Quasi-Deity, and I possess all the materials needed to challenge for the Divine Throne by gaining the Faith of many! So Cherubim, descend now and verify whether I possess the Divine Qualification!”

In response to that demand, a Cluster of Light appeared in this place.

The Cluster of Light blinked several times, then soon took the form of an Angel with six pairs of wings.

It was the Angel she had met before.

A Seraphim who guides Ascendants. The reason she chose this Dungeon was that, fitting for the final destination of a Scenario, it not only offered considerable Experience Points but was also filled with the Divinity of the Goddess of Beauty, making it easy for Celestial Beings to descend without any grand Ritual.

The Seraphim asked.

「Immortal who seeks to become a deity, upon which Divine Throne do you wish to sit?」

Just as Seo Yun was about to answer.

A voice that should have been hers, but because it came from a different mouth, sounded different from her own familiar voice, echoed.

“The Goddess of Beauty!”Seo Yun looked in the direction of the voice and saw Seo Rayeon shouting.

“I am the god lurking in the darkness, the purple temptation beyond death! I rule both Heaven and Hell for my own devotees!”

The moment Rayeon made that declaration, Seo Yun realized what that girl was trying to do. Why is she—?

Gaeulbi seemed to have realized it immediately as well.

“Seo Rayeon, you—”

Before Seo Yun could say anything to stop her, Gaeulbi stomped the ground with Martial Artist-like speed. Seo Yun, who was tackled by her, fell forward. Gaeulbi climbed on top of her body, preventing her from moving.

Seo Yun barely lifted her head to look ahead. Seo Rayeon continued to shout.

“I too possess all the qualifications, and the Faith I’ve gathered so far is sufficient. Confirm it now!”

Though it was another declaration of becoming a god that exists within the setting, unlike the case with the Troll, the Seraphim did not put up much of a struggle with Seo Rayeon. Perhaps even in that Angel’s eyes, this face appeared as that of the Goddess of Beauty, and the declaration to become the Goddess of Beauty was considered too natural a claim?

「The qualifications are indeed sufficient.」

“Then hurry, send me to where I rightfully belong!”

The Seraphim knelt on one knee and folded its six wings in a gesture of respect.

「As you wish.」

And then, Seo Rayeon’s body became enveloped in light. It was a purple light like the surrounding mist.

Seo Rayeon, who began transforming into purple particles from her toes, looked this way. She said:

“There might be survivors from my village. If you happen to find them, deliver a message.”

Han Siwoo asked.

“What…?”

“Tell them their Angel will be waiting at the gates of Heaven, holding the doorknob. Or perhaps at the gates of Hell. Death is not the end… Tell them that wherever you go after death, I will generously let you in. Tell them your Angel kept her promise!”

Having finished what she had to say, Seo Rayeon looked at Seo Yun.

Seo Yun, who met her eyes, bit her lip. Although their dispositions were different, she was still her clone, so she could understand what she wanted to say now. ‘I’ll leave that bastard to Unni.’

She probably didn’t feel the need to say it, and she didn’t bother to reply either. She only gave a slight nod.

As if satisfied that their minds were in sync, Seo Rayeon smiled faintly.

Seo Rayeon’s figure disappeared into the purple mist.