Chapter 104: In the Name of the Goddess 5
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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Even though I had closed my eyes in prayer, my vision remained remarkably clear.
The most vivid sight was that of a beautiful woman clad in pure white cloth.
She was the Goddess, whose image I had seen time and again in the Heroes Chronicle Forum.
Due to her airy attire that revealed her arms and collarbone, like what one might see in Greek and Roman mythology, it was impossible not to recognize her.
After all, every discussion forum had her picture attached, given how often it was posted.
The problem was what she was doing.
'What's happening here?'
In a spacious area resembling a temple, the Goddess, wearing a gentle smile, was bringing her hands together as if in prayer.
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed as though she was offering prayers to someone.
The religion in Heroes Chronicle was inspired by monotheistic religions like Christianity and Catholicism.
The Goddess was considered the creator of this world, even the monsters like orcs were claimed to be created by the omnipotent Goddess.
Yet here she was, praying to someone.
What could this possibly mean?
It's like claiming that in the Bible, God didn't say, 'Let there be light' at the beginning, but instead prayed to the universe for it.
" Roland? Excuse me, Roland?"
"Ah, what?!
With a worried tap on my shoulder, I came back to my senses, seeing the temple hall and the statue of the Goddess.
And Irene, who was looking at me with somewhat worried eyes.
With my eyes open I see the Goddess statue.
With my eyes closed I see the figure of the Goddess herself.
It was dizzying.
Are you feeling dizzy or tired? You've had your eyes closed for quite a while and you weren't responding..."
"No, I was just lost in thought."
Everyone knew that someone at the level of a senior adventurer wouldn't be affected by a mere two-day carriage journey.
The glances thrown my way were filled more with curiosity than worry.
But with my dizzy head, I couldn't think of a plausible excuse, so I just brushed it off.
I couldn't exactly tell them that I received a fragment of information as a reward for completing the quest, which used itself to show me the Goddess.
Either I would be considered a lunatic or revered as a paladin who received a divine revelation.
Considering how temples in this fantasy world were intertwined with politics, neither seemed particularly beneficial for my journey to the top of the tower.
[You have confirmed a fragment of information]
[Part of the mana in your body is replaced by divine energy]
What is this?
If there's nothing else, let's call it a day since it's getting late. Lets all meet at the guild tomorrow morning."
"That sounds good. So, Roland, are we heading to the 21st floor tomorrow?
Ah, yes thats right. Once we reach the 21st floor, lets train until we become familiar with the caves."
-Doesn't someone seem to be playing another game here?
After washing off the sweat from the night, I head to the guild, where my companions are already seated at the table.
It seemed like they woke up early in excitement, having heard the voice of the Goddess and going to enter the 21st floor for the first time.
Well, you would be closer to a psychopath not to get excited in a situation where you've received an actual revelation from the Goddess.
Even Katie, who is playing the role of a taciturn mercenary, cannot hide her flushed cheeks.
"Today, as I mentioned before, we're going to the 21st floor. It's a cave-type environment, completely different from the plains or the forest."
"If it's a cave, are the monsters completely different?"
"Not exactly. Instead of moss wolves and helmeted deer, we'll encounter cave spiders and vampire bats. However, goblins and kobolds still appear."
"They show up everywhere."
"They do outside, so it must be the same inside the tower."
Goblins and Kobolds are kind of like roaches.
They survive by adapting to any environment, fulfilling a role at the bottom of the food chain, cleaning up garbage.
It's kind of how there are forest roaches and house roaches.
But you should not let your guard down when you hear about goblins and kobolds.
Naturally, the ones appearing in the plains are weaker than the ones in the forest, and the ones in the caves are stronger than the ones in the forest.
It's only common sense that the monsters become stronger the higher you climb the tower.
On top of that, stalactites and stalagmites make for unsteady footing, a major problem.
They're far more bothersome than the tree roots in the forest, to the point that it's almost like there's no flat ground at all.
"Goblins and kobolds, as we've seen, roam in packs, so we don't need to worry as long as we're careful about the cave terrain. While they are stronger than the ones below, they're still manageable. The real problem is the cave spiders and vampire bats."
" If it's bats, they'll fly around, right?"
"That's correct. Cave spiders crawl on the walls and ceiling, moving in three dimensions, and vampire bats outright fly. They're fundamentally different from the ground-running beast-type monsters."
At Han Se-ah's murmuring, everyone nods and the atmosphere becomes slightly serious.
If hunting the Horned Wolves on the 10th floor is the boundary between beginners and intermediates,
Hunting monsters on the 21st floor could be said to be the boundary line for veterans.
Facing gigantic cave spiders crawling on the walls and vampire bats swooping in from the dark is a different game altogether.
From swinging a sword to maintaining formation, it's all entirely different from the lower floors.
"The fortunate part is that we have a mage in our party. That spares our vanguard the trouble of having to handle a torch."
"So, should I keep my Light magic active?"
"No, your mana isn't infinite. We'll bring a torch with us. Your role is to brighten our vision when we're in battle."
-So she's a real-life flashlight, LOL!
-Seems like she won't even need to learn other offensive spells besides Magic Missile.
-Just make sure Grace has a good view to shoot her arrows.
-Mage Hanna? Nah, more like Lighting Technician Hanna.
-How about dual-wield? A torch in the left hand, Light magic in the right. LOL
"If you guys keep messing around, I'll use the camera to only follow Roland's behind during battles. Is that what you want? To see nothing but Roland and the cave walls?"
Everything else, it's better to experience directly in the cave.
The damp and stuffy air that makes breathing feel different, the strain of constantly being alert while walking in the dark leading to quicker exhaustion - these minor yet important things.
Experiencing these things personally is the quickest way to learn.
Just like I did.
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