전생검신 97권 14화

I dove straight into the ancient lightning pond.

Splash!

Normally, I would have gotten fried by the terrifying Thunder Spirit Technique as soon as I jumped in, but since I resisted with my internal power, it didn’t bother me at all. Now that I’d received the [Key], the power of this lake couldn’t affect me, and I was immune to all harm. Maybe that’s why, unlike before, the visibility in the lake was crystal clear, and I could easily see the locations of the treasure in the shape of the Three Talents at the bottom of the lake.

I was the first to place my hand on the Ice Demon Sword and pulled it out.

Swish!

The Ice Demon Sword slid out of the water effortlessly and into my hand. Previously, when I forcibly broke the ancient god’s barrier, I felt some chill and resistance, but this time it was as quiet as a regular weapon.

‘So this is the effect of receiving the [Key].’

I stored the Ice Demon Sword in my wooden armor and swam straight to the lightning hammer, Mjolnir. I held Mjolnir briefly and thought.

‘Mjolnir is indeed a top-notch treasure as a lightning hammer, but… it still seems a bit lacking compared to Zeus’s Keraunos. It’s not bad, though.’

No matter how top-notch an artifact it is, there seems to be a difference between an otherworldly item and the source of high-level divinity. I pondered that difference for a moment before also storing Mjolnir into my wooden armor.

Finally, when I reached the spear of the fighting god, Odin—Gungnir—I felt a powerful aura wash over me as soon as I grabbed the spear’s shaft.

Boom!

‘…!’

Hmm!

That’s some overwhelming energy!

The pure white spirit energy emanating from Gungnir formed a white spirit nearby, taking the shape of an old warrior with glimmering eyes. The old warrior, holding a spear in one hand, stared at me for quite a while before speaking in a confused voice.

[The masked one… looks the same… no, wait… who are you…?]

“……”

[Why are you trying to take Gungnir…?]

I gazed at Odin’s apparition, letting my intent flow to respond. It was hard to speak underwater, so I opened my mouth with difficulty.

[I’m here to take down a guy named Loki.]

[…!]

Odin seemed startled by my words. It felt just as I had expected.

‘It seems I was previously mistaken for that masked Loki… so I do have a grudge against him!’

After a moment, Odin spoke again.

[Certainly… do that… if you bring me his head… I will surely reward you… .]

Swoosh!

Odin’s apparition disappeared. In that moment, I felt countless dots and lines within me reacting intensely, and I recognized the boiling chaos overflowing in the spiritual world.

‘Hmm!’

No, the Law of Cause and Effect hasn’t been fulfilled yet.

This is probably… an indirect display of the cause and effect that would be fulfilled when I grant Odin’s [wish]?

And the fact that this phenomenon occurred suggests that Odin’s [wish] is such an intense event and is quite complex.

‘Completing the task of beheading the god Loki will grant me immense cause and effect, but… Just how difficult is it to take him down?’

At the same time, I became curious.

So far, such phenomena haven’t happened with the [wishes] of ordinary humans, so just how remarkable is this guy Loki to trigger this?

Realizing that this task might be the onset of a significant event made me more cautious.

‘The more difficult it is, the more blood I might spill if I dig too deep. I need to discuss this with my companions.’

Swish!

Having retrieved all three treasures, I emerged from the pond. At that moment, I glanced at Merlin, who had been waiting expectedly outside the pond.

“Merlin. I never told you to follow me. Why have you been waiting for me?”

“I have something important to tell you.”

“If you’re gonna say it, hurry up. I’m a busy person.”

Hesitating for a moment, Merlin finally spoke.

“As you know, I act as a messenger representing many ancient gods. Since you negotiated with the Three Great Gods, many ancient deities wish to contact you.”

“Eh?”

“You’ve become quite a famous figure in the divine realm. A deity taking you as a vessel could easily dominate the mortal world…”

“……”

Merlin looked at me with an intense gaze.

“If you’re considering a contract with the ancient gods, would you follow me? I will use all my abilities to ensure every contract is successful.”

I was flabbergasted by Merlin’s words. To think that just by showing my power, the ancient gods would easily reveal their true forms! I felt silly for overthinking how to summon them.

With a slight chuckle, I replied.

“Sorry, but I told you I’m busy. In reality, I’m doing just fine without the blessing of an ancient god.”

Merlin’s face turned a shade red.

“But… just think about it. There are many things that can’t be achieved solely through power, but with the wisdom of the ancient gods, it might be possible.”

“Hmph.”

Could it be that Merlin is this persistent?

Are the ancient gods really pressuring him?

I scratched my chin thoughtfully while pretending to be troubled.

“W-well then, could you gather some information on Loki? That’s the information I need the most, so I want to talk to whoever has it first.”

“Oh, is that so? I’ll definitely find out.”

“Well then, I’ll be on my way…”

“Very well. Here, take this.”

Suddenly, Merlin handed me a staff embedded with a blue crystal.

“What’s this?”

“If you gather the information, contact me through that crystal. It’s a powerful demon artifact that you should be able to use well.”

“Hmph. That seems useful.”

This crystal staff seemed to belong to the realm of [high-level demon artifacts] that Saint Germain had mentioned before. I thought I could share it with a companion, so I quickly tucked it away and turned to leave.

“See you next time.”

Swoosh!

I returned to where Mangnyang was, showing him the treasures and recounting what had happened. Mangnyang seemed impressed.

“Impressive! All these artifacts are legendary!”

Then he glared at the crystal staff.

“Can I use this?”

“Go ahead.”

I had no qualms about giving it to Mangnyang. I quickly handed the staff over and asked.

“Since I’ve recovered the artifacts from the West, what should we do next?”

“Hmmm…”

Mangnyang pondered for a moment before answering.

“Well, before anything else, how about we recruit Saint Germain?”

“Saint Germain?”

“He’s a master of demon artifacts and a top-notch alchemist capable of creating homunculi. Whether he’s with us or not will significantly alter our future capabilities.”

Mangnyang said with a smile.

“While we’re at it, we might as well go fetch the Golden Crow from Paliyas as well.”

“Got it.”

Swoosh!

I immediately headed for the location where Saint Germain was. An old man, deeply engrossed in his research at his desk, looked at me with shock.

“Who, who are you?!”

Was it because I had previously captured the spirit of Mauritz, the local spirit of Nassau, through Heavenly Secret Technique and absorbed some knowledge? I could somewhat understand his foreign language now. I slightly awkwardly replied in his language.

“The homunculus you missed decades ago is causing a ruckus in our nation’s imperial palace.”

“……?!”

“Now, let me explain in detail.”

“Why do you speak our language so poorly?”

“……”

Oh crap!

I couldn’t talk like a native just from the indirect knowledge obtained by summoning one spirit with Heavenly Secret Technique!

I felt irritated, scratching my head, and searched for a more intellectual spirit using Heavenly Secret Technique nearby. After some searching, I managed to drag the most scholarly-looking spirit down.

“The homunculus has the same appearance as you and has been committing cruel acts of human sacrifice in the Ming Dynasty imperial palace. Do you really have no sympathy for the subjects of a foreign land?”

“Hmph! What’s with the sudden eloquence…?”

“I cannot contain my pity and, uh, I sincerely hope for your honorable and wise decision.”

“……”

It seemed that instead of feeling intimidated, Saint Germain fell silent. I also felt a bit flustered by the overly formal expressions flowing from my mouth.

‘Geez… this spirit is so scholarly and aristocratic that its vocabulary is imposing itself on me!’

Did such a dominant spirit even exist?

After a moment, Saint Germain sighed and said.

“…Let me hear you out. It’s quite clear you are some powerful figure from the East.”

I desperately explained the situation. Saint Germain nodded in response.

“Alright. If your words are true, and you give me the chance to deal with the homunculus myself, then I will follow you.”

“That’s a relief.”

“However… that spirit residing within you, what’s its name?”

“It claims to be Thomas Aquinas.”

“Ha! A legendary theologian’s spirit from centuries ago. No wonder it sounds pretentious…”

Saint Germain chuckled as if it was absurd and rolled his sleeves up.

“Well, if you’re in need of my power, then I’ll do my best.”

“Ah, before heading east, I plan to visit the sacred site, Paliyas.”

At that, Saint Germain looked flustered.

“…What on earth? Paliyas is not a place just anyone can go!”

“I didn’t intend to, but I received an invitation from there.”

“Absolutely not! It’s a sacred ground where I only briefly saw while carrying out the sacred mission of subduing the [Old Ruler].”

“Won’t you find out once you go?”

Swoosh!

I headed towards the entrance of Paliyas that I remembered. As I arrived, Vivian was already waiting there and came out to greet me.

“Welcome, noble one. Please, do come in.”

“Got it.”

“…?!”

Saint Germain looked utterly flabbergasted. Vivian smiled softly at him.

“It’s been a while, Saint Germain. How have you been?”

Boom!

Saint Germain immediately knelt before Vivian, showing utmost respect.

“To think you inquire about my well-being. It’s an honor to see the great demigod spirit again.”

“Please, rise.”

“Yes.”

“It seems the noble one needs your help. Do your utmost to assist him.”

“…! Understood.”

Then Saint Germain looked at me with an utterly bewildered expression. Even though they were both servitors of the same ancient deity, there appeared to be quite a significant difference in status between Vivian and Saint Germain. Given the courtesy he showed, there must be at least a two-level gap.

Seeing Saint Germain’s bewildered reaction, I couldn’t help but smirk.

“I wasn’t lying.”

Finally, I entered the interior of Paliyas. As I walked into the temple, I saw the statues of thirteen ancient magicians, awakened to fight for humanity in the age of destruction. I began to reminisce about everything I knew about Paliyas and suddenly realized I had arrived at a narrow, dark room with nothing inside.

A moment later, the presence of ‘something’ in that room spoke to my mind.

[Who are you…?]

This being was undoubtedly the Guardian of the West.

I voiced my response out loud.

“I am Baek Woong.”

Suddenly, the presence seemed surprised and exclaimed.

[…No… aren’t you the World Tree…?]

“……”

[Ah… what a familiar wave! How can I not feel hope…!]

Huh? It feels a bit different from what the Guardian of the West used to say…?

He seemed very pleased to see me.

I tilted my head but replied.

“Well, can I take the Golden Crow?”

[……]

The Guardian of the West fell silent for a moment before unexpectedly speaking.

[I wish to make a wish to you.]

“……?!”

Huh?!

The Guardian of the West is making a wish to me?!

And judging by his tone, he seems to understand that wishing upon the World Tree carries some weight?!

I felt a bit flustered and caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events. I thought it would just be about taking the Golden Crow, but something beyond my imagination was happening. However, it didn’t seem negative, so I tried to stay calm and said.

“Umm… if you let me take the Golden Crow, I’ll grant your wish as much as I can.”

[Thank you.]

After a moment, the Guardian of the West spoke.

[Please summon Metatron to this world.]

“……?”

I froze for a moment, wondering if I misheard.

What did he just ask for?

So, I asked again for clarification.

“What… what did you say?”

[Please summon Metatron.]

“……!”

I wasn’t mistaken.

The Guardian of the West was indeed asking me to summon Metatron, the highest of the otherworldly beings, the King of Angels!

I went wide-eyed, trembling as I realized I had never expected that Metatron would appear here.

“That’s a being beyond the [Great Cycle]. How could I possibly summon Metatron?!”

[Indeed… you already know what kind of being Metatron is… then this should make our conversation easier.]

“……”

[My power is quite weak at the moment… but my original power is not this feeble. I’ve become so diminished that I’ve lost even my name… that’s me now.]

From the Guardian of the West’s continued words, I understood why he wanted to summon Metatron.

[On the day Metatron is summoned to this land, I will find my original power and name again.]

“Umm…”

What exactly is this Guardian of the West?

What is it that he believes he can reclaim his name through Metatron?

Now that I think about it, even until the 31st chapter, I haven’t managed to uncover his true identity!

Feeling confused, I spoke up.

“Alright… If the price is sufficient, I’m willing to grant your wish. However, you need to tell me how to do it.”

This is an incident and variable I’ve never experienced in my 31 lives. It would be wise to accept it and think again later.

As soon as I accepted the wish of the Guardian of the West, a swirling sensation surged through me.

Wow!

Just as I experienced with Odin, an immense cause and effect began to brew within me!

The scope was so vast that for a moment my perspective expanded greatly, making me feel like the range of cause and effect I had perceived until now shrank in comparison.

I could instinctively tell that this wish to summon Metatron was more than ten times the size of the one Odin had granted!

‘This is… surely something that could alter the balance of the world!’

At the same time, a hint of fear stirred in me. If my instincts as the World Tree reacted so intensely, what on earth would happen if Metatron were summoned?

[Don’t worry. I’ll explain it to you.]

After a short pause, the Guardian of the West slowly continued.

[You may take the Golden Crow. In that case, I will soon send Hecate to inform you of how to summon Metatron.]

“Got it.”

Boom!

With those words, the intangible presence of the Guardian of the West faded away. I felt him disappear, but my mind was in turmoil.

‘What on earth is his true identity…?’

Once outside, I soon received the Golden Crow from Vivian. Once I stored it in my wooden armor, I turned to Saint Germain beside me and asked.

“Saint Germain, do you know who Hecate is?”

“Whoa! Why do you suddenly mention her…?”

“The Guardian of the West has decided to send Hecate to me.”

“……!”

Saint Germain’s eyes widened as if he was too shocked to keep staring. After some time, he sighed.

“Hah… You seem to be a being beyond imagination. To be valued so highly by the ancient gods and the Guardian…”

“Then who exactly is Hecate?”

“Hecate is my teacher, Saint Germain. Also, she is the founder of the Freemasons. You could say she’s essentially the progenitor of all Western alchemists.”

Saint Germain looked at me with a hint of fear.

“She’s the goddess of witches from the Greek pantheon and freed the Western sorcerers who were dominated by Hermes Trismegistus. She fought directly to repel Hermes.”

“……”

“To think that great Hecate would be sent as a mere messenger? I can’t believe the current situation…”

Once again, I felt that the circumstances were peculiar.

If what Saint Germain said was true, it meant that the divine status wanted to visit me to teach me how to summon Metatron. This also implied the Guardian of the West viewed this matter as significant.