Chapter 47

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 47: Heretic Temple (1)

‘The room is big and spacious.’

The furnishings are also antique.

At first glance, one can tell that the owner of the room is of high status.

There was one more peculiarity. There were empty bottles of alcohol scattered all over the room.

He looked in the mirror.

His appearance hadn’t changed at all.

The skills and stats in the status window were also the same.

‘Hmm…….’

For now, it was important to grasp the situation.

After seeing Whitey signaling him to hide, Kim Minwoo, who saw the door, shouted.

“Hey, is anyone there?”

“Oh! My lord, did you cough?”

The door opened smoothly and a guy who looked like a servant bowed his head and greeted him.

“I will bring breakfast soon…….”

“That’s enough. You, close the door and come here.”

“Yes…?”

“Hurry up!”

As he spoke with his eyes blazing, the guy hurriedly closed the door and ran over.

“Oh, oh my lord. Wh, what’s the matter?”

My lord.

It’s clear that he’s someone of high status.

“Your name.”

“……I’m Sam! Jang Sam! It’s been almost a year since I’ve been with you, my lord! How could I…….”

“My memory is hazy.”

“……Yes?”

“I think I drank too much yesterday.”

At those words, Jang Sam tilted his head.

Then, he looked at the empty bottles of alcohol scattered in the corner of the room and nodded with a trembling expression.

“Briefly explain my situation and what you know about this place. Even something simple is fine.”

“Uh…… Well…… This place is the Heretic Temple.”

[Keyword, ‘Heretic Temple’ acquired.]

Jang Sam continued his explanation.

The Heretic Temple.

A united organization of the Heretics.

He, the noble ‘Baek Socheon’, was said to be the hidden child of the Heretic Temple’s leader.

“The Temple Lord had been searching for you all along, but he only found you a year ago. Since then, you have come to live here at the Heretic Temple.”

“If I just rolled in here overnight, my situation can’t be that good, right?”

“Uh… that’s…”

“Be honest with me.”

“Well, the leader hasn’t shown anything great since you came here… Oh, but there is one thing…”

“What’s that? I drink well?”

Jang Sam nodded.

“Yes. Your martial arts achievements aren’t that high either, and you’ve been showing a rather… languid attitude all year round, so it’s come to the point where they’re just letting you be.”

So, he was so pathetic that the others didn’t even bother to keep an eye on him?

Well, maybe that’s not so bad?

“Jang Sam.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“This is the Heretic Temple, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then, why would they just let me raise corpses?”

“Corpses? Oh, do you mean making Jiangshi or necromancy?”

“Something like that.”

“Of course? It’s not like you are in the Righteous Alliance, and the Heretic Temple doesn’t give a damn about that stuff. Even the Demonic Sect would just let it be.”

His current occupation was a necromancer.

In a wuxia world, it wouldn’t be strange to be considered a good-for-nothing just for summoning skeletons.

‘Is that why the starting point was set to the Heretic Temple?’

That was fortunate, at least.

If he had been treated as a public figure even in the Heretic Temple, all skeleton summoning would have been sealed.

Let’s sort out the situation.

He had become a young lord of the Heretic Temple.

His name was Baek Socheon, but the skin felt like it had been overlaid on his own.

‘Well, it’s definitely something that happens in the Gate.’

That’s what he thought.

Anyway.

It seems that he’s being treated as a spoiled brat.

‘So what?’

What should he do now to clear the Gate?

He thought about the name of the Gate.

‘B+, War of the Stars.’

It seems like it’s telling him to fight against some of the best players.

Fight the other four lords and raise his status?

Get recognized as an heir?

Or maybe there was another way to clear it.

“Jang Sam.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Is there anything big going on these days?”

“……Big event?”

“Yes. If anything comes to mind, tell me.”

“If that’s the case… then it must be the Dragon Phoenix Tournament.”

[Keyword: Dragon Phoenix Tournament acquired!]

“Dragon Phoenix Tournament?”

“Yes. It’s where all the top-ranking young martial artists from various factions gather for a showdown. It happens once every hundred years.”

Ooh.

This sounds interesting.

“What’s the criteria for being a top martial artist?”

“The Demonic Sect, the Righteous Alliance, and our Heretic Temple each select ten people. That’s how you gain recognition. As a top ranking martial artist.”

“I’m not one of them, right?”

“…Of course not?”

“What do I have to do to get in?”

“You have to show something.”

Aha.

He is starting to get the gist of it.

Then.

Jang Sam asked cautiously.

“My lord… are you thinking of participating in the Dragon Phoenix Tournament? You wouldn’t be thinking that, would you, my lord?”

“So what if I am?”

“Well, I mean, it’s not impossible, but… it might be difficult to get selected right now.”

“Why?”

Jang Sam scratched his head.

“Because, well, our Heretic Temple has a point system.”

“Points?”

“Yes. The Heretic Temple gives out a list of missions. Completing one of those missions gets you points. It’s been like that for a year now.”

“Then there must be a lot of guys with high scores already, wouldn’t you say?”

“Exactly. The First Disciple is already over 10,000 points and the undisputed number one.”

“What about me?”

“Well, naturally, you’re at 0 points.”

“Damn it.”

“So, how many points does the 10th place guy have?”

“The 10th place guy is the Fourth Disciple with 3,800 points.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Everyone’s been diligently doing missions for the past year. Catching up might be a bit…”

Jang Sam trailed off, looking at Kim Minwoo carefully.

Kim Minwoo just nodded.

‘Well, that’s what you expect from a B+ Gate, I guess.’

This was even harder than beating the leader of the Heretic Temple.

He hadn’t expected it to be this difficult.

Of course, there were ways to escape without doing the Dragon Phoenix Tournament.

There was that magic escape thingy called the Intermediate Zone after all.

‘But…’

There was no reason for him not to participate.

If he was going to give up so easily, he wouldn’t have even tried clearing the Gate in the first place.

‘Those jerks at Dorim must have been hiding all this information from me.’

He thought back to what the Dorim Guild Master had told him right after clearing the tutorial.

The Guild Master had explained this was a martial arts world.

‘But they didn’t mention anything this specific.’

Dragon Phoenix Tournament?

He simply said he took on a mission from a martial arts organization and worked hard with his guild members to clear it.

There was no way he could have gotten such a ring just by doing that.

‘He must have participated in it.’

He wondered if it was a reward he received for achieving something significant in the competition.

“Just in case.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“If I beat the Fourth Disciple, will I get points?”

“Uh… yes?”

Jang Sam asked hesitantly.

“Does that mean if I prove myself stronger than those who have accumulated points, I can skip the whole point-gathering process?”

“Oh, no, my lord. That wouldn’t make sense… wouldn’t it defeat the purpose of the points system?”

“Shut up.”

“My lord, Jang Sam here speaks from the bottom of his heart. Your self-importance is a bit…”

“Stop. Don’t finish that sentence.”

“…Yes, my lord.”

Jang Sam’s face immediately fell.

Kim Minwoo didn’t know what was going on with him.

“So, you’re telling me they wouldn’t hold such a grand competition for nothing. What’s the prize?”

“Third place receives precious materials. Second place receives a valuable martial art technique. And first place…”

Jang Sam’s eyes turned serious in an instant.

“First place?”

“I’ve only heard rumors, my lord. They say it’s something related to Ascension. A thread that could lead to Ascension.”

“…Ascension?”

Kim Minwoo’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had heard this word before.

It was when he entered the Gate where Orcs were swarming.

—Fools! How dare you forget the name of the one who performed the Ascension ritual!

It was one of the things Sorcerer Bektar had said. He had said that Mutakta had ascended to the heavens, causing the Orc Kingdom to fall apart.

The names were the same.

There was a high probability that they were connected in some way.

“So, this Ascension thing means you can become a Celestial Being, right?”

“I’m not sure, my lord. But there’s one thing that all martial artists know.”

“What is it?”

“The Thread of Ascension. Those who obtain it are said to have reached the pinnacle of power. That’s why it’s called a blood-soaked item…”

“…Blood-soaked?”

“The Dragon Phoenix Tournament is the true competition when it comes to its conclusion. A bloody battle royale ensues. The reason is simple: the Thread of Ascension. Who in this world wouldn’t covet it?”

“Wait a minute.”

Kim Minwoo raised his hand.

“Speak, my lord.”

“If it’s such a grand item, wouldn’t the Political Faction offer it as a reward? Who gives it out, anyway?”

[TL/N: Political Faction seems like a fourth faction!! If I get more context regarding whether they are the emperor’s faction or the government I’ll make changes in the name but for now political faction it is]

“It’s bestowed by the heavens.”

“So, the Political Faction holds the competition to obtain it?”

“Yes. If they don’t, there won’t even be a reward.”

Kim Minwoo narrowed his eyes.

This seemed to be getting more complicated than he thought.

“If it’s such a precious item, even a supreme master like the Heretic Temple Lord would covet it?”

“Of course? My lord. The disciples who participate in the Dragon Phoenix Tournament don’t go there to obtain the Thread of Ascension.”

“Then?”

“They participate to offer the reward to the higher powers and gain much in return.”

“…Do the second and third place winners also offer rewards?”

“No. They don’t covet that far. Only the Thread of Ascension. But there’s no injustice in that. Because each faction offers a reward more precious than the combined rewards of second and third place if you offer the Thread.”

“Ah, I see.”

So, if you win first place, it’s definitely taken away from you.

“So, even the First Disciple would offer the reward if he were to win first place?”

“Yes. He would have already finished his discussion with the Temple Lord. The same goes for you, my lord. If you were to rank within the top 10 and participate… the Temple Lord would make you an offer.”

The structure was quite intriguing.

“Alright, that aside. Then, when you win first place, the three factions go to war, right?”

“That’s probably what will happen this time too.”

“…How do you survive?”

“Haha, my lord. You don’t have to worry too much about that.”

“If our faction wins, the Righteous Alliance and the Demonic Sect will join forces to attack us. How can you say I don’t have to worry?”

“All three of them will bear that level of damage and hold the competition anyway. And the first-place winner doesn’t become a target.”

“Because they offer the reward to the higher powers?”

“Yes. So, it’s not uncommon for people to aim for second and third place rewards instead. There are always crazy people out there who want to get their hands on the Heretic Temple Lord, the Righteous Alliance Lord, or the Heavenly Demon.”

“I wonder what the Thread of Ascension looks like. Do you know?”

“The rumor is that it looks like a round orb, about this big.”

“I see.”

He got a general idea.

One thing was for sure: the Dorim Guild Master didn’t get first place.

He could be certain of that.

If he had gotten first place, it would have been one of two things. He either offered the Thread of Ascension or escaped the Gate without offering it.

‘Neither of those makes sense.’

What if he escaped without offering it?

The Thread of Ascension, or whatever it was.

It was said to be an item that could make one the strongest in the world. If that were the case, there was no way the Dorim Guild Master’s future strength would be only that level.

What if he offered it?

He would have received a lot of rewards of one kind or another. But even so, the Dorim Guild Master’s strength was not that great.

‘He didn’t use any special martial arts either.’

No first place prize, no Thread of Ascension.

No second place prize, no martial arts either.

‘So, did he get ring materials as a third place prize?’

It seemed like he had somehow obtained the materials and made the ring.

‘If that’s all he got for third place…’

Not to mention second or first place.

It must have been an incredible reward.

‘I’m getting the Thread.’

Kim Minwoo’s brain did not have a process for offering such a precious treasure to his superiors.

Good things should be monopolized.

Absolutely.

‘First of all…’

The top priority was to qualify for participation. He thought he should first find out exactly what the mission was.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]