C429
Sssshhhh-
The sound of the wind caressed people's ears. The wind also surrounded them and headed towards the northern altar.
Sssshhhh-
The gathered wind enveloped the man on the altar, shrouded in gray particles.
“…”
Cale withdrew his hands from Choi Jung Gun's body and took a step back. He then stretched out his arms and raised his hands upwards.
Sssshhhh-
Choi Jung Gun's body began to slowly rise above the altar. His horrifying body was invisible. Instead, it was enveloped in a gentle wind and gray particles, creating a mysterious image.
The stench of rot was no longer there. Instead, people smelled different aromas.
The scent of flowers in a spring field. The smell of the trees from his home. The aroma emanating from his mother's embrace as a child. The smell of his favorite food.
The gentle aromas that had made them happy stirred their noses and their hearts.
Sssshhhh-
The scene wasn't flashy. Perhaps because of the reddish light of the sunset, the scene emanating from the gray was extremely serene.
‘It doesn’t resemble the name of Chaos.’
The Heavenly Demon thought that, but then he looked around and corrected his thought.
‘No. I thought wrong.’
People's expressions were lost. But the emotions in those expressions were very different from those they had witnessed in the sacred place of "The Primordial Night".
Joy and ecstasy, excitement and awe.
It wasn't violent. Like a rising tide, emotions slowly spread across their faces, stirring their hearts and minds. They surrendered to those emotions without even thinking about what they were feeling.
‘That is also Chaos.’
Those people's gazes were directed at Cale Henituse and Choi Jung Gun.
Sssshhhh-
Choi Jung Gun's body stopped rising. Cale, who had his eyes closed, slowly opened them. His mouth opened. Following the skill usage method the game had taught him.
“The created-”
The created. An artificially created contaminated body by the power of ‘Chaos Contamination’.
“Will soon disappear.”
Sshhh-. The wind stopped.
Uuu-
As the stopped wind dispersed, only Choi Jung Gun, shrouded in gray, remained there.
“…….”
“…….”
Silence fell. Everyone looked at the man with blood-red hair, redder than the twilight sky. They couldn't easily open their mouths.
It wasn't a flashy, colorful scene, nor was it so beautiful that they couldn't encompass it with their gaze. However, they couldn't look away.
The gray light. Because that light warmed their hearts.
Cale's mouth opened again.
The created will soon disappear.
“As inherited from the beginning-”
Sss- The gray light slowly seeped into Choi Jung Gun's body. Cale calmly watched and continued speaking.
“As he was born-”
Suddenly, he had a thought.
As inherited from the beginning. As he was born.
The Chaos God sect seemed to place a lot of importance on the ‘beginning’. After all, the name of the sacred place was "The Primordial Night". Did they believe that the ‘beginning’ reflected the image of Chaos well?
Cale continued thinking, but he also finished his work. The last sentence came out of his mouth.
“He will return to his original form.”
The created will disappear. Return to its original form.
¡Uung!
From Choi Jung Gun's body, or more precisely, from the seeping gray, a powerful wave surged.
“¡Uh!”
“¡!”
People's hair fluttered with the wind emanating from that wave. But they couldn't look away.
Sss-
The gray light, which emitted one last brilliant flash, finally seeped completely into Choi Jung Gun's body.
“Ah, my body-”
The skin that had become horrifying from the gray, the swollen veins, were returning to their original form.
Tuc. Tuc.
From his closed eyes, from his nose, from his slightly open mouth, from his ears,
Tuc. Tuc.
Gray droplets fell. The gray that had stained his skin gradually faded. At a neither slow nor fast pace, the contamination slowly disappeared from Choi Jung Gun's body.
‘This is strange.’
The Elder felt that emotion.
The gray that had stained that man's body was disgusting and fear-inducing. He didn't even want to get close. Why was the gray light enveloping and seeping into him so beautiful? No, warm?
And now, those falling drops-
‘They don’t seem dirty.’
Tuc Tuc. The gray drops that fell onto the altar flowed down it to the ground. The gray drops that seeped into the earth immediately disappeared. Like ordinary water droplets seeping into the earth and disappearing, they simply vanished normally.
‘…It’s not special.’
A person is reviving right now. The scene wasn't flashy, bright, or special. However-
“Ah.”
Why is my heart beating so fast and I can't control my emotions?
Tuc. Tuc.
The drops lessened. Choi Jung Gun's body had returned to its original form. Truly, as naturally as if nothing had happened.
‘It’s amazing-’
Yes, it's amazing. There's no other way to express it.
‘It’s like a miracle.’
No, this is a miracle. The Elder had experienced some things in his life.
Life's miracles arrived without a special omen. They didn't present anything flashy, solemn, or special. Like a ray of light descending on a life being carried out on any given day, the miracle arrives at some point, sheds light on their lives smoothly, and disappears smoothly.
But those miracles sometimes changed lives.
‘When I met my wife, it was like this.’
He met his wife by chance on the road when he went to another village. Meeting her was a miracle that came without warning.
‘And I will never forget it.’
Because it was a miracle.
‘The same is true now.’
Toc.
The last gray drop fell. No more drops fell.
“Ah-”
And the safe and sound man, looking healthy, slowly descended from the altar.
Sshhh ssshhh.
The sleeping man breathed comfortably and steadily. He didn't look like a corpse that had transformed into a horrifying form. He's a living person, like me.
“…….”
The Elder felt like he was going to cry.
Remembering precious and happy memories. The small gray particles that emanated from him helped save that person. The process of saving that person was a miracle in itself. It wasn't flashy, but it was a serene, sacred, and moving scene.
“…….”
“…….”
No one opened their mouths. They didn't want to break the atmosphere.
“Village Chief.”
But there was someone who could break that atmosphere. It was Cale.
“Ah, yes!”
Aurora, who was dazed, came to her senses. She knew that the power Cale had used was a purification used by the Chaos God sect/church, but she felt a strange, inexplicable sensation.
‘Chaos?’
This? This is so warm? She couldn't believe it. But, on the other hand, she did believe it.
‘Yes, he is one of the most powerful gods among the ancient gods. Such a god wouldn’t only use fear.’
She quickly came to her senses and looked at Cale.
“I think we should move him.”
With Cale's indifferent words, she understood what she had to do.
“Ah, yes. We should.”
Choi Jung Gun must be moved back to the original building. And his overall health must be carefully examined. Not only because the Chaos contamination has disappeared, but they must also check his overall health. Aurora moved directly into Cale's sight.
“I-”
But there was someone faster than her. It was Choi Han.
“I will move him.”
“I’ll help too.”
The Heavenly Demon approached. Choi Han was carrying a stretcher. Cale looked at Choi Han. Choi Han's gaze was only fixed on Choi Jung Gun.
“…….”
The image of Choi Jung Gun deeply asleep. Choi Han carefully examined Choi Jung Gun's healthy face, then bit his lip.
Toc toc.
Cale patted Choi Han on the shoulder and said:
“Let’s move him.”
“…Yes.”
Choi Han and the Heavenly Demon moved Choi Jung Gun on a stretcher.
-Human, has Choi Jung Gun already been purified?
At the top of the tallest tree near the wasteland. Raon, On, and Hong were there. Cale nodded and said to Aurora:
“I’m finished with my ritual.”
“Ah, yes! So the ritual is over?”
“No.”
Cale shook his head. He looked away from Aurora, the village chief, and looked around.
‘Hmm?’
And he was surprised for a moment. Because people were staring at him intently.
‘Well, everyone will have remembered a good memory.’
The more Cale thought about it, the more he thought the Chaos God was incredible.
‘Contamination, fear, pleasure, purification-’
He had various powers that could manipulate human emotions.
‘Unlike normal gods who possess a specific power, the Chaos God's power seems to be diverse.’
It was like a necklace if you put it on your nose, an earring if you put it on your ear.
‘Also, why does he like the beginning so much?’
The words recited in the purification ritual are also that. The name of the sacred place is also that. Cale thought.
‘What is in the beginning?’
At that moment…
“Hmm.”
Cale stopped. He felt a vibration in his chest. He had to check it, but Cale first told the villagers who were looking at him.
“There’s one last stage to this ritual.”
In fact, it was the true final stage.
“Please enjoy the banquet and create good memories.”
A festival or a banquet, whatever it may be. It was said that at the end of this ritual, people gathered and enjoyed themselves.
“That’s enough.”
He looked at Aurora and said:
“Is it possible?”
“Yes, yes! Of course, it’s possible-!”
Although Aurora's voice seemed full of strength, Cale didn't pay attention to her and greeted the villagers.
“Thank you for preparing the banquet and helping with the ritual today.”
Of course, Cale paid for the banquet, and the participants prepared the banquet. But Cale was able to perform the ritual to save Choi Jung Gun thanks to them.
‘Their joy did help.’
The Chaos God used power based on despair, fear, joy, and pleasure in people's memories.
‘So if you use the power of fear, people trapped in fear will suffer.’
But the joy used for purification is a power without side effects.
“Then, have a good time.”
Cale greeted politely and descended from the altar to head towards where Choi Jung Gun was. He disappeared from there without hesitation.
“…….”
“…….”
Those who remained stared at him in a daze as he walked away. At that moment, someone broke the silence and spoke.
“Excuse me-”
The Elder next to Clopeh Sekka. It was Tedric, the former village chief and the oldest in this village. With his granddaughter in his arms, he asked Clopeh.
“Excuse me, what God do you believe in, Priest?”
Clopeh smiled at Tedric, whom the villagers trusted most in their hearts, although the current village chief was Aurora, who had deliberately sat next to the former village chief.
“Well.”
Clopeh didn't answer directly.
“That,”
Elder Tedric hesitated for a moment. At that moment, his granddaughter spoke.
“Priest, Priest!”
“Yes.”
“What was that gray from before?”
At the innocent question of the girl, Clopeh asked:
“What gray?”
“Ah!”
There were two grays.
“Both!”
The girl was curious about everything. And everyone watching them was also curious.
“The first gray.”
The horrifying gray that had stained Choi Jung Gun's body.
“That is the power of contamination used by someone from the Chaos God sect.”
Chaos God sect. That word resonated in the ears of the village elders. The girl continued to ask:
“And the pretty gray from before?”
People's attention focused even more. Clopeh gently answered with the appearance of a sacred priest.
“That gray is the power of purification that he used before.”
Aurora thought as she listened to Clopeh's answer.
‘He’s sly.’
Clopeh only told the truth. But depending on how you listen to it, ‘contamination’ and ‘purification’ seemed like completely different powers. Both were powers of the Chaos God sect.
“Wow! Purification!”
The girl clapped her hands and repeated the name several times in her mouth, then pointed to something. It was the path where Cale had disappeared and was no longer visible.
“Who was that man before?”
“Oh!”
Elder Tedric was surprised and hugged his granddaughter tightly.
“Priest, I’m sorry. She’s very curious.”
“Ha ha. Don’t worry.”
From her grandfather's arms, the girl raised her head and asked Clopeh directly.
“Is that man also a priest?”
“Oh, girl! Of course, he’s a priest-”
Elder Tedric was going to answer, but he stopped.
“No. He’s not a priest.”
The Elder's gaze turned to Clopeh. Clopeh smiled slightly and said softly:
“Neither priest, nor Pope, nor saint. He’s none of those.”
He had a fixed idea.
‘Cale-nim will use this purification power a lot in the future.’
That's how the situation is. The Chaos God sect must not take advantage of that.
It’s all just Cale-sama’s. Because he did it.
Clopeh only told the truth without exaggerating.
“He’s someone who acts according to his own will. He’s not someone who believes in a God and follows him.”
Cale Henituse is like that. He is that hero. He is that legend. Therefore.
“And I follow him.”
I follow him. Clopeh's words were full of sincerity.
“Ah.”
Former village chief Tedric let out a sigh.
A red-haired man. He says he doesn't believe in any God, and that he's not a priest or anything. He simply lives according to his own will.
And the person in front of him, dressed in a priest's habit, who looks more like a priest than anyone else, says that he believes in that man and follows him.
‘The existence the priest believes in is-’
…God. Yes, a God.
The Elder's heart beat strongly.
‘I saw two grays today.’
One is contamination, the other is purification. As it was said that the first was the power used by someone from the Chaos God sect, it must be the power of the Chaos God. And the purification-
‘That warm gray-’
That warmth that enveloped us, that power that made us remember happiness- that gray-
“…Demon God……”
The Elder said it unintentionally, then stopped.
“Yes?”
And Clopeh tilted his head as if he didn't understand and looked at him.
“Ah, no!”
The Elder hastily tried to retract what he had said. But everyone had heard it. And Clopeh simply smiled and said:
“Yes. If you have something to say, say it calmly.”
Aurora, who had seen the whole scene, thought in a daze.
‘Is it okay for it to end like this?’
Clopeh Sekka. That guy seems to have done something. But it was difficult to intervene right now. Because he hadn't lied or acted badly. Rather, he was sincere and kind.
“Hmm.”
Aurora decided to observe for now.
‘Demon God.’
Since that word had been mentioned, she had to act carefully. It seemed that she had to control things to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings in the village.
‘Still, since it happened within this village, I’ll be able to quickly prevent hasty misunderstandings from arising.’
Aurora was relieved that it had at least happened in the village. And Clopeh-
“Haha.”
He let out a slight laugh as he looked at the red-tinged sky.
* * *
“Hmm.”
Before going to Choi Jung Gun, Cale was walking with a group of children averaging 10 years old, and when the villagers were no longer visible, he stopped.
‘What is this?’
The object that had vibrated in his chest a moment ago. Cale took it out. He came to a place where there were no people because of this object.
Fear.
Purification.
Pleasure.
Contamination.
A scroll found in the Chaos God sect. Among them, a scroll with letters that the system couldn't decipher.
@($*%
The scroll that appeared in the system with those letters had vibrated a moment ago.
‘…….’
Now the scroll was still. But Cale knew very well when it had vibrated. When he had a certain thought.
“Beginning?”
Uung. The rolled-up scroll vibrated briefly.
“Oh.”
The corners of Cale's lips curled upwards.
“Human, why are you smiling like you’re stealing something?”
¡Nyaaaong!
Nyaong.
Without answering the question, Cale looked at the scroll with a strange expression.
‘@($*%’
Letters he couldn't understand. It was probably ‘Beginning’.
“‘Beginning of Chaos’”.
¡Uung uung uung! Cale's smile deepened at the sight of the scroll's violent vibration. It seems he has found something.
Y como todo comienzo, ya se viene lo bueno :)
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