Chapter 45: The First Law of the Hunt (8)

– Cale.

The Super Rock called out to Cale in a low voice.

"Human! I never expected the secrets to be written on the safe! The safe itself is the treasure!"

"I didn't know."

Raon spoke in an excited voice while Aphei spoke in a sullen voice, but Cale did not hear them.

"…It was weird because this safe had reflected my aura, but it was an extraordinary item."

Choi Han had thought that the safe was not normal because it had reflected his aura and a Dragon's magic. Honestly speaking, even Eruhaben would not have been able to find the text on this safe.

"But I don't think the patriarch would have expected the safe to melt because of a thunderbolt?"

Choi Han used silence to show his agreement to Sui Khan's comment. It was highly likely that the Huayans patriarch would think that thieves would not be able to read the text written on the safe.

Cale, who had been quiet, raised his hand at that moment.

"Nobody move."

His hand then moved through the air.

Crackle. Crack!

A splendid rose gold light cut through the air and spread out around them.

It only didn't touch the black shield that Raon had made.

Siiiiiiiiiiiizzle- Siiiiiiiiiiiiiizzle-

The wall that the safe was on melted away.

Crack. Crackle!

Then black smoke rose up as the cube-shaped black safe's surface melted away.

The dead mana smoke spread throughout the air but they perished the moment they touched the rose gold light surrounding the area.

Shhhh—

No, grey ashes fell to the ground.

Slam!

"What is going on-?!"

Inside the Church of the Fire of Purification's secret safe house in the capital…

The Pope ran into the room in shock after suddenly sensing the god's power and stumbled after seeing inside. She clenched the doorknob and leaned against the door.

"Ah..."

There was an eccentric look of fervor in her eyes as well as the eyes of Durst and the other core members of the Church who came in behind her, but Cale had no idea.

He didn't even look back as he spoke.

"Pope-nim, I will explain it to you later so please give us some privacy right now."

"…As you wish, oh esteemed Purifier."

An extremely reverent voice came out of the Pope's mouth. Shawn and On flinched a bit while looking at her but the Pope quietly closed the door and disappeared.

"Pfft."

The black hawk chuckled and motioned to Raon, who was looking around the room that no longer had the black smoke, with his eyes.

Raon canceled his shield and Sui Khan walked next to Cale.

To be more specific, he approached the black safe that was now a white safe.

There were red letters written on the now white safe.

"Team leader."

"Yeah."

"Do you know about this omnipotent god thing?"

Sui Khan observed Cale's eyes. They were full of eccentric fervor. Kim Rok Soo was currently recording the text on this safe.

"An omnipotent god does not exist."

"Really?"

"Yes. Gods do not have a superior and inferior relationship. However, there is a difference in the power level."

"More."

Sui Khan looked at Cale, who was asking for more explanation in an extremely short and rude manner, and chuckled again.

There was no reason he could not explain more.

The hawk's red eyes had sunken down at some point.

"Furthermore, there are gods who have not chosen an heir for a very long time and have maintained their positions without passing it on. They are called the Ancient Gods and they are extremely powerful."

However…

"However, there is no omnipotent god. That punk, the God of Death, often said this. Omnipotence does not exist."

Cale closed his eyes. The text on the safe floated in his mind.

< Offer a world in order to create an omnipotent god. >

He suddenly thought about the illusion test he faced in the temple imprisoning the sealed god.

That test was where he returned to his life as Kim Rok Soo in the past and met Choi Jung Gun.

He was Choi Han's ancestor, the author of 'The Birth of a Hero,' and someone who, as a single-lifer, worked with the God of Death.

That guy had said the following to Cale.

'A long time ago, there were some households that were called the Bridle of Karma at the center of the Hunters.'

There had been seven Hunter households to start.

Of them, the Red Bloods household had perished while the White Bloods household had betrayed them. Choi Jung Gun had told Cale to find the Red Bloods household.

'There are currently five families and the person leading each of the five families is the 'patriarch' and, based on what I know, they are responsible for planning most of the hunts.'

'Then I guess your goal is the patriarchs, sunbae?'

'No.'

Cale recalled his conversation with Choi Jung Gun in the illusion.

'The King's Successor. The five patriarchs protect the King's Successor and await the grand vision for after the successor has grown.'

'What is the grand vision they are trying to achieve with the King's Successor?'

'I'm not sure yet.'

Cale then recalled a conversation he had, not with Choi Jung Gun, but with the sealed god whom he had no idea what happened to since the incident.

The sealed god was originally the God of Despair.

Cale had asked him a question.

'The White Star was basically a sacrifice the Hunters prepared for you.'

The sealed god had responded.

'He was a sacrifice for me but I doubt they did it for me.'

The sealed god had been a hunter before he became a god.

The Hunters were trying to turn him into a god again.

The grand vision they would achieve with the King's Successor…

"…And an omnipotent god."

Cale could at least tell what the Hunter households were aiming for as a goal right now.

'Create an omnipotent god.'

Of course, he had no way of knowing the reason behind it.

Why did they want an omnipotent god and what were they trying to do with one?

He could not tell just yet.

'But there is no need for me to know.

What good will it do me to know the inner thoughts of the bastards doing such stinky things?

'The thoughts of the bastards who are trying to offer a world in order to create a single god… I don't even want to hear it.'

The corners of Cale's lips curled up.

– Choi Han, doesn't the human look angry?

Raon, who was watching, stealthily asked in a way that only Choi Han could hear in his mind.

Choi Han kept his mouth and just nodded his head. He knew that this was Cale's special smile that he put on when he was quite annoyed.

Cale started to read through the text again.

[Each family's target dimension coordinates]

Sui Khan looked over the names of the planets listed on the coordinates before speaking in a calm voice.

"This is information that even I am seeing for the first time."

There were easily over a dozen target dimensions.

Although Sui Khan was not shocked at the scale, the corners of his lips twisted at one point.

'It looks like all dimensions with the name of Earth are target dimensions. Earth 1, 2, and 3 are all on here."

Cale asked in a calm voice.

"…Team leader, what do you think is the likelihood that the cataclysm we experienced was caused by the Hunters?"

"Quite high."

Cale opened his mouth again.

"Team leader."

"Yeah."

"What are the colors of the other four Hunter households aside from the Black Bloods household?"

Sui Khan looked around.

It should be okay for the people here to hear.

It was not because he trusted them.

There were a few that he obviously did not trust yet.

'I can handle them if needed.'

He was just confident that he could handle the mouths of the people he did not trust. He could even make a Dragon like Aphei shut her mouth if he channeled all of his strength.

"Blue Bloods, Purple Bloods, Five Colors Bloods, Transparent Bloods."

Cale looked stupefied.

"…Five Colors Bloods and Transparent Bloods?"

"Five Colors Bloods should mean there are five colors. Transparent Bloods should mean it is transparent."

"Is that even an answer?"

Sui Khan gently shrugged his shoulders at Cale who was acting oddly rude.

"I've never seen the blood colors."

"Ah, of course."

Raon interjected into their conversation.

"What is Transparent Blood?! I'm curious about that for some reason!"

"Hmm."

Cale ignored Raon's comment as he looked at the target dimensions. Xiaolen was naturally on the list.

"We could probably mess with the five households one at a time if we go through these dimensions."

Cale shook his head at Sui Khan's comments.

"Not five households. Just four. We're going to destroy the Black Bloods household here."

Sui Khan did not agree or disagree with the correcting comments. He just took it as Cale being himself.

However, Aphei, who had been quietly snooping around to take peeks at the safe, had her cheeks turn red and On shook her head a bit after seeing her reaction.

Aphei was fidgeting as she thought to herself.

'By the looks of it, if they are going in and out of dimensions… They will leave here soon too. They are going to travel to those dimensions listed there?'

Aphei did her best to memorize the things written on the safe.

"Team leader, what is the name of the dimension I live in?"

"Nameless 1."

"...?"

Cale turned to look at the team leader.

"There's no name?"

"Yes. No name."

"Why?"

"I don't know?"

Cale frowned at the team leader's irresponsible response but the team leader immediately continued to speak as if to show that it was true.

He was quickly speaking because he didn't want to deal with Kim Rok Soo's annoyance.

"Not all dimensions get names. And I really don't know the reason behind why a dimension has a name or not."

"…I understand."

Sui Khan smiled after seeing that Cale was willing to let it slide. Cale felt iffy because Sui Khan looked extremely cheeky doing that, but he moved on because this guy was not the type to lie.

Instead, the corners of his lips oddly curled up and twisted.

"…It's not here."

Cale's dimension, the one with the Roan Kingdom, was not on the list of target dimensions.

'That's odd.'

Cale felt an unexplainable sense of anxiety.

Something always happened when he ignored such feelings.

'Why are all sorts of things happening in the place I live when it is not even a target dimension?'

The ancient White Star, the White Star, the sealed god, the explosion at the palace, the missing King, etc. All sorts of things related to the Hunters were happening there but they were not a target dimension.

'Mm. At least it is a relief that it is not a target dimension.'

It at least meant that the Hunters were not going to destroy Cale's world for this so-called 'omnipotent god.'

"Anyway."

Cale looked around the safe before speaking.

"This is quite useful information."

There was a lot of useful information here. That was why he was sure.

"The patriarch is going to return to the capital immediately."

This safe was a bigger issue for the patriarch than Precinct 9.

There was a moment of silence before Cale responded to the gazes of the group with two words.

"Let's run."

They launched a hit so now it was time to run.

Cale gave the Pope a few short commands that were disguised as requests and then the group left the capital.

They returned to a small and simple residence located within Precinct 9.

While that was going on…

"Patriarch-nim."

Patriarch Reddock Huayans moved his hand while looking at the approaching butler.

Chhhhhhhhh!

"Ugh!"

The butler's heart was pierced. The patriarch didn't even look at him while looking at the wall that was missing a piece and the completely destroyed roof.

"Did you say rose gold thunderbolts?"

The Knight Captain, who was silently looking at the butler, knelt down and responded to his question.

"Yes, Patriarch-nim. It was a person using rose gold thunderbolts and he made all of the black mages' dead mana perish!"

The patriarch closed his eyes.

"…Made the dead mana perish…"

The Knight Captain warily continued to speak.

"They all had some red crest on their shirts and the shape was truly strange."

"A red crest… Are you sure it was not the crest of the Church of the Fire of Purification?"

"It was completely different from the crest that I remember, sir."

Shh.

The kneeling Knight Captain's eyes started to shake. He urgently lowered his head.

Drip. Drip.

Blood was dripping down to the floor.

The Knight Captain had seen the blood flowing out of the patriarch's tightly clenched fists.

"You said that all of the Grade 1 Hunters scattered around the continent were told to gather?"

"Ugh, ugh."

"Yes, Patriarch-nim."

The knight listened to the dying butler's breathing as he urgently responded.

Reddock Huayans opened his eyes. He looked at the blood flowing down to his palm as he opened his mouth.

"We will pull things up a bit."

"…Then-"

The patriarch did not look at the cautiously speaking knight as he indifferently spoke.

"The final test. We will destroy this world once the host of the sacrifice has been chosen."

* * *

"They are going to continue the test?"

"That is correct, oh esteemed purifier. It looks like the test will continue."

Cale did his best to ignore Marquis Helson's extremely respectful demeanor that was to the point where it was excessive.

An odd smile appeared on his face at the same time.

– Human, what is it?

All sorts of chatter were supposedly going around the capital regarding what happened at the House of Huayans.

Furthermore, the Church of the Fire of Purification informed people about the deaths of many candidates as well, so the capital was swept up in this storm of chaos.

'But they are going to continue the test?'

Cale looked at the safe located in a corner of the room.

< The moment the final host is born, we will complete this great work of 300 years. >

< We will offer up all of the living creatures, land, and sea on Xiaolen as an offering of karma. >

Cale inadvertently looked away from the safe and made eye contact with someone. This person had purple eyes. Mary spoke lightheartedly.

"I will get first place in the test. I will smack the patriarch in the back before I can become a host."

Raon added on.

"Human, are we heading to loot the Imperial Palace next? Are we going to leave the Emperor alone?"

Aphei asked quietly in a timid voice.

"…You are not going to destroy more?"

The silent Marquis Helson let out a fake cough before adding on.

"…What about purifying the whole world white, oh esteemed purifier."

Cale could see a laughing Sui Khan past Mary's shoulder, Eruhaben, who was looking at him with pity, and Choi Han who solemnly lowered his head.

Cale debated for a moment before starting to speak.

"…Let's head to the capital for now."

The second and third tests had changed.

Everything was going to take place in the capital now.

Cale suddenly said something that came to his mind now that the direction of their movements had been set.

"…But isn't a few mines of magic stones or whatever too little as a reward? Especially when its own life is on the line?"

Cale stared at the divine item mirror that the God of Death gave him. It was as if Xiaolen was on the other side of the screen.

Buuzz-

"Hmm? Human, the mirror is vibrating!"

Smile.

The corners of Cale's lips curled up.

—
Translator's Comments

Sui just laughing at Cale's terrible fortune hahahaha….

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]