Chapter 16
To the Pantheon
A skeleton enhanced for defensive specialization.
If Fafnir was a sword, then this one was a shield.
I need a bodyguard if I want to actively utilize Life Drain.
You couldn’t steal much vitality from the dead.
Yujin had already realized while using Life Drain on orcs that there was a limit to the stats he could absorb.
But boss monsters like the Goblin Shaman had granted completely different stat increases.
Maybe boss monsters’ biological data are treated separately.
It was worth testing.
The problem was that Life Drain only worked at close range.
“Protect me well.”
—Krrrgh!
The skeleton rattled its jawbone.
【It seems comparable to the Armored Zombies. Didn’t you invest too much into it?】
“In terms of raw combat power, there isn’t much difference.”
Yujin didn’t deny it.
【Sounds like there’s another reason.】
“It’s made of bones, so it’s light. And unlike zombies, it won’t rot even without preservation treatment.”
Different from the time-limited zombies.
A servant he could keep using indefinitely as long as he occasionally infused it with spirit power.
Even if its bones shattered, restoration would be quick.
Unless it exploded or melted, it was a servant that could be used continuously.
【Oho. So my master plans everything ahead.】
“Master?”
【I can’t keep calling you without a title forever, can I?】
“Feels like it’d hurt your pride.”
【The moment I failed to let go of my grudge against Baek Seonghyun, pride stopped mattering.】
Fafnir answered straightforwardly.
“Partner. Take care of this guy for me.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the Pantheon. Apparently they want me to receive divine spells since I leveled up.”
Shin Junseok blinked rapidly.
A moment later—
“Y-you… you’re part of the priest class?!”
“Yeah. I’m a pretty devout believer.”
Technically, he was even a saint.
Since Yujin was the only believer of the [Giant Who Defies Heaven], he could confidently say his faith surpassed that of any other priest.
“Good heavens…! This is an outrage against nature itself! Lightning striking from a clear sky wouldn’t even be surprising!”
“That’s a little excessive, isn’t it?”
Yujin scratched the back of his head at the violent reaction.
“Fafnir. Say something.”
【Oh Lord. I repent for failing to follow your teachings and doubting my brother.】
You bastards…
Yujin gave up trying to persuade the two of them and changed the subject.
“Did you register the intermediate potion patent?”
“Ah. The review should happen soon.”
“That was fast.”
“If I waste time, competitors will only appear. I hate delaying things.”
Yujin snorted.
“I really picked a good partner.”
“There’s still the issue of building a mass-production system, but that’ll be resolved soon enough.”
“Handle that yourself.”
Even before the regression, Yujin had never cared much about the Great Alchemist’s business sense.
Left alone, Shin Junseok would do fine on his own.
The only thing I need to involve myself in is alchemy recipes.
The man earned money on his own.
Provided labor whenever alchemy was needed.
Truly an excellent sla— no, partner.
“The real problem is advertising. The expo isn’t until next year, so there’s no good way to spread the word.”
“Well, give me some potions just in case. If an opportunity comes up, I’ll promote them.”
“Understood.”
Shin Junseok handed over an intermediate potion with little expectation.
“When’s the Darkness Orb arriving?”
“It’s already been commissioned, so soon. But… you really are going to pay me, right?”
“Give me two days.”
Yujin had given the Baby-faced Team vacation time to organize the profits from the last three days and rest.
Hundreds of D-grade mana stones.
And once they sold the Blood Axe, they’d easily make several hundred million won—more than enough to cover the funds Shin Junseok had loaned him during the past week.
“I’m begging you. The capital I borrowed is almost gone!!”
Shin Junseok pleaded desperately, sounding close to tears.
*
On the way to Seoul.
For the first time in days, Yujin was alone as he glanced out the taxi window.
The scenery rushed by quickly.
Relaxing inside the cab—
【Are you really that happy?】
A stream of thought brushed against Yujin’s ears.
It was Fafnir, stored inside the Black Abyss Ring.
The undead dragon’s dissatisfaction dripped from his mental voice.
—Of course I’m happy. I had to camp outside and suffer just to pay respects to you.
Yujin replied with spirit-infused telepathy.
【Hmph.】
Silence lingered briefly.
After some time—
【You’re truly cruel. Won’t you even grant my simple request to see the outside scenery?】
“That body of yours would be a public nuisance inside a car.”
The Dragonewt corpse was as large as the taxi itself.
Unless they tore off the roof and turned it into a convertible, there was no way Fafnir could ride.
【Then rent a truck or something!】
“I can’t drive.”
【Even a beginner would be fine. I could supervise your practice.】
“You’ve been dead for thirty-five years. You think traffic laws haven’t changed?”
【Grrgh…】
Fafnir ground his teeth in frustration.
Yujin drove in the final nail.
“I don’t even have a license. So give up.”
【Please, at least get one. I have the right to observe how the world has changed.】
“What’ll you give me in return?”
【Fine. I’ll overlook one instance of vigilante justice.】
—So the oath about never harming innocents was this cheap?
【…….】
Hey.
Was he sulking?
Heh. Maybe I teased him too much.
Before the regression, Fafnir hadn’t been nearly this expressive.
Maybe decades of existing as an earthbound spirit had dried out his emotions.
By the time Yujin finished chatting with the dragon in the ring, they had already entered Seoul.
*
The Pantheon that appeared after the Great Cataclysm.
A total of six temples to the gods existed in Korea alone.
The one Yujin visited stood north of the National Assembly Building in Yeouido.
Its design is really bizarre.
Its columns resembled the Parthenon.
The roof tiles mixed Korean and Japanese temple architecture.
The towering pillars stretching into the sky evoked the Tower of Babel.
A strange structure where countless religious and cultural styles blended together.
“Cheap! Cheap! A holy relic that boosts the effects of Aesir divine spells for only five million won!”
“Owl carvings beloved by Olympus war gods! Only 750,000 won!”
“Relics of saints—!”
The countless street vendors made the area resemble a traditional marketplace.
Their wares stopped pilgrims on their way to the Pantheon.
Though “pilgrims” sounded nice.
In reality, most were merely worldly people seeking more blessings and divine spells from the constellations of the Pantheon.
〔What a worldly place.〕
The truly worldly ones are the constellations openly demanding offerings from their followers.
〔I personally desire nothing.〕
Weren’t you just asking for offerings earlier?
Priests drew power from the societies of the gods they worshipped—known as the Constellations.
That was why, unlike other classes, priests had another path to strength besides leveling.
Donations and offerings.
Gold, treasures, or items valued in the divine society they served.
Things like “saint relics” mentioned by the vendors had no practical use beyond religious symbolism, but within divine factions like Nirvana, they were considered incredibly valuable.
〔Yet I sense no true holy artifacts here.〕
If they were truly valuable, would they be lying around on the street?
Scammers, all of them.
Ignoring the constant sales pitches, Yujin headed straight for the Pantheon.
*
Only after climbing 108 steps did the entrance come into view.
No escalators.
No elevators either.
〔Some things never change, no matter how much time passes.〕
Apparently climbing teaches humility before greeting the great constellations.
〔That’s quite the sharp-tongued statement for a saint.〕
—At this point, it’s just pure nonsense.
Yujin had no favorable feelings toward the constellations.
All they do is watch from afar.
Suppressing the disgust boiling inside him, he stepped forward.
At that moment—
It was as if someone had pressed a mute button.
The noise outside vanished, and the scenery of Seoul behind him disappeared into darkness.
Heavy silence filled the dwelling place of the gods.
The countless constellations engraved across the domed ceiling began to shine.
[The Wealthy Father expresses disgust.]
[The One Who Covers Death feels puzzled.]
[The Lord of Abydos watches with displeasure.]
[…]
Negative waves poured toward Yujin.
Necromancer.
The constellations rejected him simply because he wielded power that defied death.
〔Kahahaha! What a masterpiece! Truly a masterpiece!〕
I’m already irritated, so keep quiet, Your Majesty.
The stars quickly vanished.
The constellations lost interest the moment they sensed the spirit power dwelling within Yujin’s body.
All lights faded.
The sky darkened completely.
〔Now it is my turn.〕
Chronos placed a single point of light into the empty sky.
A softly glowing star appeared.
[Constellation – The Giant Who Defies Heaven has been registered within the Pantheon.]
Did it work?
〔This is merely the first step.〕
So you’re still incompetent.
〔You will regret those words, Contractor.〕
[Divine Spell – Corrupted Blessing and Punishment Spike have been added.]
◎ Skill
▷Corrupted Blessing
Classification: Divine Spell
Strengthens stats using powers from the negative dimension.
When used on beings overflowing with life force, it instead weakens them.
◎ Skill
▷Punishment Spike
Classification: Divine Spell
Whenever the designated target is injured by someone, Punishment stacks accumulate.
Casting the spell again allows the user to unleash impact damage equal to the accumulated harm or convert it into enhanced stats.
Cannot target multiple individuals simultaneously.
“Oh?”
A small gasp escaped Yujin unconsciously.
〔Well? How are the new blessings I have granted you?〕
Not bad.
Corrupted Blessing was an absurd buff capable of enhancing undead combat power.
And Punishment Spike, while conditional rather than instant-cast, could function both as a buff and offensive skill.
Distinctive. Effective.
I wonder how they’ll perform in real combat.
Corrupted Blessing was originally a standard buff skill given to priest classes depending on the mythology they served.
Since Yujin had chosen a deity through irregular means, he was only receiving it now.
Punishment Spike, however, was a rare hybrid-type skill.
The best approach was to learn through practical use.
[The Giant Who Defies Heaven lacks the status befitting a constellation.]
[To avoid losing your light within the Pantheon, you must achieve greater accomplishments and earn the praise of many.]
[Your light is too faint for others to worship you. Raise your authority as a constellation yourself.]
So because nobody even knows this constellation exists, followers can’t increase either?
〔Thank you kindly for the advice.〕
Constellation, work harder from now on. Maybe then people will stop calling you incompetent.
〔You insolent little human!〕
Chronos raged furiously.
Though Yujin mocked him, the more methods of growing stronger, the better.
An unexpected jackpot.
He calmed the excitement swelling in his chest, though he couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from twitching upward.
*
On the way back down the stairs—
Strangely, Chronos fell silent after leaving the Pantheon.
He’d been talking nonstop just moments ago.
Well, he probably has a lot to think about.
Chronos had registered himself in the Pantheon as a constellation governing a new domain.
Which meant—
There was no going back to the past anymore.
Even if he somehow overthrew Zeus and reclaimed the throne of the gods, he would no longer exist as the [Harvester], but as the [Giant Who Defies Heaven].
Not like he didn’t already know that.
He probably needed time to sort through his thoughts.
As Yujin quietly allowed Chronos his silence and descended all 108 steps—
【Hmm. How strange.】
This time, Fafnir sent a thought.
—What’s strange?
【I’ll tell you later.】
—Even servants are entitled to secrets.
Yujin didn’t press further.
Fafnir couldn’t harm him anyway.
And now that they had formed a contract based on mutual benefit, Yujin intended to respect at least that much.
“Wow. To think I’d see Cheon Yujin coming out of the Pantheon.”
A voice filled with both unpleasant nostalgia and irritation suddenly halted Yujin’s steps.
Turning around, he saw a man with a face covered in freckles glaring at him.
The slight curl of his lips radiated contempt and malice.
“Who are you again?”
“Wow. You left the orphanage not that long ago and already forgot me?”
The man swaggered closer.
“It’s me. Park Seonguk. At least remember your older brother’s name.”
His flickering eyes burned with unconcealed killing intent.
Ah.
Now he remembered.
Memories from the distant past swept through Yujin’s mind like a panorama.
