LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 21 - Port City (3)
Chapter 21. Port City (3)
“Scripture of an Outer God, huh?”
The moment I noticed the keyword “Weaver”, I immediately knew which Outer God this scripture referred to. And I also understood that, in some ways, this scripture was far more dangerous than other scriptures.
“Mages seem to have different common sense from ordinary people. They call it a reward but give you another task.”
Cernun put the book back into the bag and handed it to me.
“Yeah, it’s a scripture and miracle that is difficult to manage. But isn’t it also a reward for you?”
“Ha… Are there no other scriptures?”
I grumbled as I bowed my head and received the bag. I suppressed the writhing of my cloak with sheer willpower and stored the bag inside it.
“It seems you know what that scripture is.”
“Yes, I do.”
I didn’t hide it intentionally. It was better to reveal my usefulness to the formidable person in front of me than to hide it.
‘I need to become much stronger than I am now to deal with Cernun.’
It was beneficial to avoid making him my enemy as much as possible.
“Then, I assume you also know how to utilize it. I’ll count your report on how you manage it as the second request.”
“… Thank you.”
Although it seemed like I got off cheaply, it wasn’t really the case. There were very few people who could even read the scripture of an Outer God due to its high risk, so the information I would be providing had immense value.
‘Don’t think of it as a loss. Building a good relationship with Cernun is important.’
Additionally, as Cernun said, the scripture of the Outer God could not be called a bad reward for me. Who knows how much this old man figured out…
“Well then, I expect good results, so don’t disappoint me.”
Cernun stood up as if he had nothing more to say and disappeared among the crowd.
* * *
The next day, after sending Talia out to explore, I immersed myself in studying the newly acquired scripture.
“If I hadn’t encountered this in ≪Orders≫, I might have been killed instantly.”
The 《Weaver of Destruction’s Threads》 was not a god from whom one could simply ask for grace by worshiping. Of course, it was possible if one was extremely lucky, but…
“Hmm… Reading this doesn’t seem harmful.”
Unlike the Scripture of O’tak, this “Scripture of Zu’mang” didn’t harm me merely by reading it.
“Not just a prayer, but an initiation ritual… Ah, here it is.”
I flipped through the book to find the necessary content.
“By realizing that they are at the center of infinitely expanding and entangled threads, the world transforms, 〈Awakening of the Entanglement〉.”
A ritual used not for general miracles but for initiation into the Outer God’s religion. In the case of the Scripture of O’tak, black entities conducted the initiation ceremony against my will.
“Ugh…”
My head throbbed. I felt like I had a fever, clouding my mind.
“I can feel spider webs inside my body…”
A creepy sensation spread throughout me. When my heart beat, sending blood through my veins, it felt like foreign threads flowed alongside it.
These threads spread throughout my body, wrapping around my spine and invading my nervous system, eventually reaching my eyes.
“Aaaagh…!”
Blood flowed from my eyes. My eyeballs were covered in spider webs. An illusory sensation of countless legs crawling all over my body made it seem like there were innumerable spiders residing within me.
*Scratch, scratch, scratch.* An itchy sound filled my ears. It came from within my head, through my skin.
‘They crawl on the floor, ceiling, walls, sky, underground, within my spinal cord, eyes, teeth, between my ears, skull, cardiovascular system…’
Horrifically, they occupied the entire world, crawling inside and outside of humans. The only difference was whether one could perceive it or not.
*Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch.*
I understood once the ritual concluded.
The concealed inhabitants, whose numbers approached the realm of the unfathomable, could shatter a perceiving human’s consciousness with just their erratic, skittering motions.
“Huff…! Focus! Damn, I almost went in too deep.”
Due to my excessively overwhelming talent, I almost got entangled in the scripture of those filthy spiders. I was on the brink of losing myself, nearly splintering into countless spiders.
“Hoo, hoo…”
I closed my eyes and calmed myself, and the hallucination gradually subsided. The web that had covered my vision soon permeated my eyes and vanished.
“…This much chaos from just the first stage?”
Initiation rituals differed for each god, but this cult’s initiation was divided into three stages. The initiation ritual of the cult for the 《Weaver of Destruction’s Threads》 simply involved reciting the initiation prayer across three stages.
‘It should have been easy… but being too talented is also a problem.’
Common folks only faced some gruesome hallucinations after completing the third ritual. However, I almost went insane due to excessively absorbing and understanding the scripture’s contents.
“Ah, damn…”
When I checked the back of my hand, the number 4 appeared, showing I had failed to endure the Mind damage. As expected, a nosebleed started, and my head pounded, prompting me to take a sedative immediately.
“…I see it.”
Peering out the window, I squinted my eyes to confirm the strands stretching towards the sky.
“Five people… I knew there were many copies and the initiation was easy, but this many in one village?”
Those strands indicated members of the 《Weaver of Destruction’s Threads》.
Specifically, those who had undergone the initiation ritual but had not yet begun proper prayers to the Outer God.
‘There shouldn’t be any proper disciples. They might have managed up to the third initiation due to someone spreading it, but nothing beyond that.’
If they had proceeded to the next stage, they would all be dead. I deliberately refrained from continuing the initiation and decided to head out to the city. Unpleasant as it was, it was time to hunt.
* * *
“Why are you doing this? Stop it…!”
Bill Smith was an ordinary dock worker. He had scraped together all the money he could to join a secretive cult rumored to change lives.
“I don’t have much, really!”
Just when it seemed his mundane life would transform, he fervently worked to interpret the prayer for the cult, even enduring the painful rituals three times.
“Meddling with the power of an Outer God… You’re bound to die even if I don’t handle you myself.”
Bill couldn’t comprehend the words of the man who suddenly barged into his home.
“W-What’s this about an Outer God? 〈Master of Silk〉 is a forgotten Ancient God…”
“Hmm, is that how they deceived you.”
The man ran a hand through his long red hair, scratching his forehead.
“Master of Silk, huh. Where did they come up with such a grandiose title… Who are you? Who sold you this information and brought you into the initiation?”
“I-I don’t know. We keep our identities hidden. The person who approached me did the same!”
The man with red hair sighed as he stepped closer. With each advancing step, Bill was paralyzed with horrific fear.
“Unfortunately, leaving now is the better outcome for you and the surrounding residents.”
“No! Please… I don’t want to die. I, I am…!”
Bill noticed that the man’s cloak was writhing. Realizing it wasn’t just fabric, it was already too late.
* * *
“Is it definitely him?”
“Almost sure. A strong presence of an Outer God’s aura at the scene, along with red hair discovered. That makes it the fourth time.”
Disguised as Ahab, I grumbled while downing a drink.
“Why abduct people?”
“For sacrifices, perhaps. he’s an Outer God’s apostle.”
Leaving strands of red hair at the scene was intentional. With Gluttony, my cloak, loving to devour people whole, the victims were treated as missing persons.
“Luminaries believe this guy is the same one who recently deceived a noble into performing the ritual.”
…That wasn’t me.
“It seems quite likely. It’s not common to have a heretical priest, is it?”
“From the start, those who claimed to be priests merely used one or two miracles before self-destructing.”
The owner said this as he poured liquor into my glass.
“The ones who formed the cult did so for money and slave fanatics; they couldn’t properly handle miracles of the Outer God. But this guy…”
“Like the true priests of Outer Gods from ancient times, he spreads the powerful aura of the Outer God.”
It was rewarding to use a miracle uselessly each time to leave an aura at the scene.
‘The Luminaries duo seems particularly exhausted.’
It must have been busy for them, both working as bar staff and conducting investigations. I even leaked information about the black market, but with no response, they must have failed to find it as well.
“How’s your granddaughter?”
“She tried working at the bar but quit after having a big fight with a customer.”
Talia was diligently job-hunting in her own way. Somehow, the amount I had to pay her kept increasing, though…
“Are you heading out again today?”
“I have to do something. I’ve been coming up empty-handed so far.”
“Even mercenaries more skilled than you have failed to trace them. Give up and go catch whales instead.”
Leaving behind the strange-sounding advice for a Korean, I tipped the owner and stepped outside.
‘The last one…’
From afar, I identified the house where the last clue appeared and stopped by a store to purchase leather armor and a suitable dagger.
‘Better to have it just in case.’
When dawn that I had been waiting for finally arrived, I set out for the hunt. Transforming multiple times in the dark alleyways to avoid potential tracking, I finally reached the destination after much effort.
While using the tendrils of my cloak to unlock the door, I heard a rustling sound from somewhere. I quietly muttered to myself.
“This time too, I shall bring the silence your master desires, so convey my will.”
Speaking towards the unseen darkness, I reverted to my original form as I infiltrated the house.
“You came after all.”
Inside the house, besides the last cult member, there was another person.
“… Who are you?”
I addressed the man hiding in a black robe behind the woman.
“I am someone who has been studying the scriptures of the Outer God through a small gathering. I’m the one you’ve been searching for and interfering with.”
“W-wait a moment! Outer God? You said it was a forgotten Ancient God!” The woman objected, but the man in the robe silenced her by choking her.
I deliberately scoffed.
“The idea that I was searching for you is absurd. I was wondering who orchestrated this farce…”
“Are you saying the deaths of my subordinates were not provocations to draw me out?”
Well, partly correct.
Intentional or not, there was an element to lure him out. Though that wasn’t the only reason.
“You clearly have no idea what you are dealing with.”
“You too. It seems you’ve only undergone the first level of initiation rites, but you dare—”
“You haven’t even undergone any rites, have you?”
My words made the man momentarily silent.
“So you used people who you could exploit for research and had them undergo the rites, right?”
“So what if I did?”
“In other words, this is what happens.”
In a flash, my cloak extended a long tendril that enveloped the woman and dragged her towards me, swallowing her alive.
“…!”
Regardless of the man’s shock, I calmly performed, advancing toward him.
“I am no fool repeating futile actions or a scammer…”
*Thud.*
The man stumbled backward and fell. His hood fell off, revealing his exposed face, which was painted with terror.
“I am a true heretical priest.”
As my cloak wriggled, it pulled out a scripture from within my robes. And from behind me… *Ssssskkskssskk.* … countless spiders crawled out from the shadows in the room, glaring at the man.
TL’s Corner:
Damn, I’m liking this more and more.