Chapter 333: Me? (4)

Choi Jung Gun.

The last trace of him was his arm, which had been left behind in the destroyed temple of the God of Chaos. Alongside that arm was a letter that seemed like a magic circle or something even strange.

"The owner of this arm, I'm taking him. Don't worry, I'll leave him alive. Since the arm was cut off, I thought of leaving it behind. How else would you find any trace? If you're worried, come find me.”

The Great Thief of the Night.

That was what the leader of an organization called "Mediators," to which Cotton belonged, had left behind.

Cale asked Cotton again.

"Me?"

Are you telling me to go to the Demon World?

"Yes. You."

Cotton responded lightly. And Cale also responded lightly.

"No."

He was very firm.

"But shouldn't you at least think about it for a minute?"

"No."

Cale's response was simply "No." It couldn't be otherwise.

‘The Great Thief of the Night. This leader is a demon. And not just any demon but the only direct descendant of the former demon king who ruled the Demon World!’

"And the current demon king is doing shady stuff with those Hunters, right?"

The Demon World is now somewhat distant, even from the Gods and the Wanderers.

"But it's still the same, right?"

Under those circumstances, going to the Demon World?

- Cale. It's ominous.

Yes. Just as Super Rock said.

- You…

Super Rock couldn't continue speaking. Instead, the Glutton Priestess spoke calmly.

- If you set foot in the Demon World, based on what's happened so far, it seems you'll end up fighting the current demon king.

‘...You've been quite quiet lately, haven’t you?’

Cale wondered, but the priestess didn't respond.

Super Rock spoke in a somewhat bitter tone.

- Um. And then you could go beyond the Demon World to the Heavenly World and the Divine World. Looking at the pattern of trouble you've caused so far, I mean.

And again, the Glutton Priestess spoke.

- You've already visited the office of the God of Death in the Divine World, haven't you? Besides, you've already met many Gods. The Divine World is hard to avoid.

- Hey… Since when did you start saying only correct things?

- I always say correct things.

Super Rock couldn't continue speaking after the response of the Glutton Priestess. Meanwhile, someone else joined the conversation.

- Hehe. If you’re going to destroy a god, what better place than the Divine World? That God of War—yeah, you definitely need to take him down.

Sky Eating Water.

No one responded to her clear voice.

They acted as if they hadn't heard her.

- Cale.

After a brief silence, Super Rock spoke.

- You were supposed to only deal with the hunter families and be done. Your target is the Hunters and the Absolute God.

Yes. It's the truth.

- You don't need to take care of other things, like the Demon World or the Divine World. That's something they should resolve.

It’s true. Yes. Take it seriously.
Here… shouldn’t you avoid going to the Demon World?
His years of experience warned him.

This could lead to another problem. Therefore, you must resist.

That's why Cale firmly told Cotton.

"I have no intention of going, so I'd prefer we meet somewhere else or have your leader come to me."

But another person joined the conversation.

"It seems I should go to the Demon World."

Cale stopped and turned his head.

The one who had spoken was Choi Jung Soo. He let out a deep sigh and collapsed onto the sofa.

"Ancestor, I mean, Choi Jung Gun, how should I address him?"

Cale's expression immediately turned bitter. Choi Jung Soo met his gaze firmly.

"I'll call him grandfather! Grandfather! I don't know if he's my great-great-grandfather or great-grandfather, but either way, he’s, my grandfather!"

"And?"

A soft voice resonated.

Choi Jung Soo paused.

Cale was also startled.

Only Cotton blinked quietly, looking toward the place where the sound came from.

Choi Han.

He was looking at Choi Jung Soo with a calm smile.

"......"

Choi Jung Soo avoided Choi Han's gaze and then looked at Cale.

"Um."

He couldn't continue and finally sighed.

"My grandfather still hasn't regained consciousness, it seems."

"Choi Jung Gun?"

Cale asked, and Choi Jung Soo nodded.

"Yes. But wait."

Choi Jung Soo's face crumpled.

"You can address our ancestor like that?"

"I called him that last time."

Of course, that was during the meeting with Choi Jung Gun in the Sealed God's Trial.

"Oh, really?"

Choi Jung Soo let the comment slide without further words and still couldn't look at Choi Han. Moreover, it seemed like the temperature around Choi Jung Soo was dropping. His face hardened.

"If he were only unconscious, there would be no problem...”

Ah, damn it.

Cotton spoke in place of the stunned Choi Jung Soo.

"According to the leader, the contamination is progressing."

"Contamination?"

“What does that mean?”

Cale's gaze darkened, and Cotton quickly explained.

"The leader tried to save Choi Jung Gun's body. After all, he was a Wanderer who opposed the Five-Colored Blood, so she thought he'd be useful to us. She also left a letter saying she would save him."

But problems arose.

"His body started to turn gray."

Gray?

Suddenly, the expressions of Cale, Choi Han, and On changed.

"The gray contamination started near the shoulder, where the arm was cut off, and has been spreading throughout the body. The leader figured out the cause since we've encountered this several times before."

Cotton's and Cale's gazes met.

"Chaos Contamination."

Choi Han finally spoke.

"The God of Chaos?"

"Yes."

The place where Choi Jung Gun was found was the Temple of the God of Chaos.

"So far, we, the 'Mediators,' have faced enemies and experienced Chaos Contamination several times. That's why we've developed a method to delay this contamination."

Cale spoke after Cotton finished.

"Delaying doesn't mean cure, right?"

"...That's right."

Cotton's expression hardened.

"We've lost several comrades to this contamination over the years."

Even for the sole descendant of the former demon king, Chaos Contamination is incurable.

"The reason we asked you to come to the Demon World is that we can't remove Choi Jung Gun from the magic circle we've created to slow the contamination."

"That magic circle is in the Demon World?"

"Yes. If Choi Jung Gun leaves that place, the contamination will advance quickly, and his life will be in danger."

Silence fell.

"Damn..."

Choi Jung Soo muttered softly, filling the room.

"Choi Jung Soo."

"Yes."

Cale looked at Choi Jung Soo and asked.

"Have you contacted the God of Death?"

Chaos Contamination.

If it's related to the power of the God of Chaos, perhaps the God of Death, being a God as well, could help.

"The God of Death said he doesn’t know what it is, but he’ll look into it."

Choi Jung Soo responded as if sighing.

"The God of Chaos, as you heard last time, is such a recluse in the Divine World that he’s rarely ever seen, leaving very little information about his power."

Cale looked thoughtfully at Choi Jung Soo and then spoke.

"But it seems you found some information."

To which Choi Jung Soo shrugged.

"I can't hide anything from you."

Cale spoke.

"It seems the team leader found something."

Clearly, Choi Jung Soo had said.

"The team leader also contacted me. It seems they found something in the basement of the Temple of the God of Chaos."

Cale asked.

"What did they find in the basement?"

And the answer came from another place.

"They uncovered information about the powers of the God of Chaos."

Cale's gaze shifted toward the door. There, Sui Khan was entering.

Pat, Pat.

He dusted off his shoulder, unconcerned about where the dust came from. A backpack was slung over his shoulder.

Sui Khan had explored the basement of the temple along with the dragon Zopf.

"In a secret underground space, we obtained information about the Book of Chaos and the God of Chaos."

"Is it the information we need now?"

In response to Cale’s question, Sui Khan replied smoothly.

"It is said that those who follow the God of Chaos can receive various kinds of divinity."

Sui Khan put down his backpack.

"It seems that the type of divinity affects specific powers, but they can be categorized into three major branches."

With a dull thud, he opened the backpack, revealing some tablets inside.

"The first power, contamination."

There were three images drawn on the tablets.

"The second power, pleasure."

The creation of chaos begins with contamination, followed by pleasure.

"And the last is....”

"The third power, fear."

Cale recalled an ability he had acquired.

[Skill: Chaos Fear (Inactive)]

An aura of domination acquired through the Saint of the God of Chaos.

Sui Khan continued.

"The basement was already quite collapsed, so not much information could be retrieved. The writings were almost burned, and very little was left. Probably...”

He looked at Cotton as he spoke.

"Probably, Choi Jung Gun made a raid while the Hunters were destroying the temple of the God of Chaos, and then the Mediators launched an attack. The Hunters fled, and that allowed us to obtain the information we have. Correct?"

"Mm, more or less correct," Cotton replied.

Then, she turned to Cale.

"Through the magic circle, we can stop the contamination from progressing for a maximum of five months."

What she meant was simple. If they didn’t find a solution, after five months, Choi Jung Gun's body would be completely contaminated.

"If we don't find a way, Choi Jung Gun will die in five months."

As Choi Jung Soo and Choi Han’s eyes darkened deeply...

"It seems there is a way."

Cale looked at Sui Khan and extended his hand.

Swish.

The tablets that were visible when he put down the backpack. The white marble tablets were placed there. On the nearest tablet, there was a strange drawing that Cale had seen before. He looked at Sui Khan and gave a twisted smile.

"Team leader, does this look like a purification ritual?"

Then Choi Jung Soo and Choi Han also looked at the tablet.

Gray waves enveloping a human body. In those waves, there were numerous eyes embedded.

Sui Khan silently reached out and showed the tablet behind the first one. It was half-broken, but one was clearly visible. Cotton murmured without realizing it.

"He was cured….”

In the image, the human wrapped in the gray wave had returned to his normal skin color.

Cale knew what to say and expressed it.

"The contamination is not incurable after all."

There is a method.

"If we dig deep enough about the God of Chaos, we'll find a way."

"That…”

Cotton spoke cautiously.

"How are you going to investigate the God of Chaos?"

"We have a method."

The Saint of the God of Chaos. When the dominating aura of that power was absorbed…

"Connection to the game."

Cale had entered a virtual reality game in his attempt to acquire that power. Although that led him to encounter Count Lupe and several incidents…

"The Saint of the God of Chaos is closely related to the game."

Just as the Hunters inside the game did what they did, the Saint would also be operating somewhere within the game.

"By finding him through the game."

Dealing with Transparent Blood, they would inevitably have to face the enemies who entered the game through them.

"Is there a method? What is it?"

Urgency shone in Cotton's eyes. She had lost several comrades due to the contamination. Even if it wasn’t the exact method to eliminate the contamination, she wanted to know the process to find a solution.

"Why should I tell you now?"

"Huh?"

At his perplexed response, Cale said, "I'm going to the Demon World."

He needed to check Choi Jung Gun’s condition.

"Tell your leader to make time."

And he had to speak with the leader of the Mediators, the sole descendant of the former Demon King.

"I’ll tell you everything about the new world you seek and the plan to resolve the contamination."

Cotton’s eyes gleamed.

Cale looked at her and added, “But in exchange, you should also think about what you can do for us."

Gulp.

Cotton swallowed hard and nodded with a tense face.

'Those eyes...’

Cale’s threatening gaze held a warning not to pull any tricks.

"Alright. I’ll convey your message to the leader. But going to the Demon World immediately will be difficult."

She hurriedly continued before Cale could speak.

"It’s not easy for me to go to the Demon World either! I’m human! If a human goes to the Demon World and moves around there, we need to prepare a lot on our side. So, I’ll need at least three or four days. I’ll prepare everything as quickly as possible!"

As she spoke hurriedly, Cale nodded in understanding.

"Alright. Got it."

Just as Cotton’s face seemed to brighten, Cale brusquely commented.

"Then go and get to work."

"Huh?"

"Hurry up and prepare. Isn't that what you should be doing right now?"

"Huh?"

"Do you think this is the time to sit and relax?"

"Ah, no?"

"Then?"

"I’m going!"

Cotton jumped up and moved quickly.
Cale watched her leave, a twisted smile on his face.
On knew that beneath that smile was anger.

"On."

On lifted her head onto Cale’s lap.

"Go with the fierce Dark Bear and thoroughly search for any information about the God of Chaos in New World. Work together with the Third Evils on that as well."

Meoww!

On gracefully slid away and left. Cale looked at Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo. And finally, his eyes met those of Sui Khan, who spoke first.

"If five months...”

"It’s enough."

Cale spoke with an indifferent expression, as if it were obvious.

"Maximum three months."

Five months were too long.

"We'll resolve it within that time."

The somber eyes of Choi Jung Soo and Choi Han gradually gleamed with a strange light. And Sui Khan smiled.

Thus, with three or four days before departing for the Demon World, he couldn’t return directly to Roan. There were many pending matters in Aipotu.

* * *

"Mm...”

As Cale moved to handle one of those matters, holding a cup of tea, he spoke absentmindedly.

"Me... that, religion?"

No. That, not religion, but—

"Do you want to build a temple to worship me?"

Click.

The person sitting across from Cale Put their teacup down.

The religion that worshipped the Ten Dragons. The leader of that religion, Pope Casillia, leader of the Dragon Half-Bloods, smiled and spoke.

"The temple has already been built."

Cale asked without thinking.

"Why?"

Ah.

Ugh.

Cale was left speechless. And Casillia continued smiling.

"The Five Colored Light."

Aipotu had changed. No, it had returned to what it was two hundred years ago.

That day, suddenly, the sky and earth reversed, and chaotic weather swept across the land. People trembled in fear. But then, a brilliant, colorful light washed over the continent, illuminating both sky and land. And just like that, the world was restored. Peace had returned.

That brilliant, colorful light.

"Five Colored Light. It is the name of the god worshipped in the new religion."

Cale tightly closed his eyes.

"Huhu."

Behind him, Clopeh Sekka, who had come as a guard, stood dressed as a priest, laughing.

***

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 – Mayank]