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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 26
Jeanne could remain in this world for only six hours.
Once her time ran out, she would have to wait two hours before she could be summoned again.
This wasn’t just a limitation unique to her.
All of the parallel-world relics I possessed had fixed summoning durations and cooldown periods.
If my mana was depleted, or if the six-hour limit was reached, the relic would automatically vanish.
The cooldown period for reuse was also two hours.
The only way to shorten this downtime was to increase my mana capacity.
And the only reliable way to do that was to enter a Gate and hunt down monsters.
==
Napoleon’s Rifle (1)
[Toulon Gate]
- Objective: Eliminate the monsters occupying Toulon Harbor.
[ Difficulty: B]
[ Status: Unstable]
[Clear Condition: Napoleon’s Rifle]
[Reward: Summon Reset Ticket]
==
"Jumping in right away would be reckless."
A B-rank difficulty.
That was significantly higher than the difficulty levels of the quests I had cleared so far.
The Summon Reset Ticket listed as a reward was likely an item that would reset cooldowns.
It wasn’t worth risking my life just for that, but the appeal of acquiring high-grade mana from superior monsters was undeniable.
Relic-issued quests were always ranked lower than the actual Gate’s difficulty.
For example, Noryang Gate was classified as A-rank, while Myeongnyang Gate had an unknown difficulty rating.
Yet, despite this, I had cleared both as if they were nothing more than low-tier Gates.
The reason was possessed the required relic for each Gate.
From my experience, the relic designated as the clear condition would undergo an overwhelming surge in efficiency the moment I entered the corresponding Gate.
As if it had returned to its battlefield.
The Twin Dragon Sword had skyrocketed in effectiveness by nearly 80% when I entered Myeongnyang and Noryang.
Napoleon’s Rifle would be no different.
However, the fact that this Gate was rated B-rank meant that its difficulty had already accounted for the relic’s enhancement.
I decided to start with a C-rank Gate as a warm-up.
After all, they say the real challenges begin at C-rank.
No need to rush, I would take it step by step.
"Heading out?"
As I put on my coat, Jeanne approached from behind the counter.
"Yeah, just stepping out for a bit."
It had been two days since Jeanne arrived in the modern world.
Lately, she has been helping out lately, learning to do all sorts of thing.
Her progress was nothing short of astounding.
Despite this being her second day, she was already handling the counter and processing payments without any guidance.
Jeanne hadn’t lacked intelligence, only the opportunity to learn.
With her sharp mind, it was no wonder she had taken part in strategy discussions during the Hundred Years' War and even served as a nominal commander.
She had not only sacrificed herself she had also shaped the grand strategy of the war.
Of course, Bishop Cambrai’s tactics had turned that strategy into nothing more than reckless bloodshed.
As I was packing my dimensional backpack, Jeanne spoke up.
"Are you heading to a Gate?"
"……."
I shut my mouth awkwardly.
I hadn’t planned on telling her, but she had already figured it out. Now, I had nothing to say.
"I heard that monsters appear in Gates. I'll go with you."
"It's dangerous. You don’t need to come."
I tried to dissuade her.
She had already been forced into countless battles. I had no intention of dragging her into another one.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Jeanne spoke firmly.
"I'm not being forced this time. I want to follow you and help."
Her unwavering violet eyes locked onto mine.
"And… I have a feeling it’ll be fine."
She smiled softly.
As if to reassure me.
Faced with that smile, I had no choice but to allow her to come along.
If I forced her to stay behind, I’d be no different from Bishop Cambrai.
"Alright. You can come."
Jeanne's expression brightened.
"But don’t go ahead of me. Stay behind me at all times."
"Got it."
She flashed a cheerful smile.
***
The reason I let her come wasn’t just because I didn’t want to forcefully stop her.
The biggest factor was that I didn’t think the situation would be dangerous in the first place.
After all, it was just a C-rank Gate. What could possibly go wrong?
I had always hunted cautiously and prioritized safety. And with a legendary relic in my possession, a C-rank was nothing more than a warm-up.
That said, Jeanne was technically marked as Legendary too.
But I couldn't just assume she was safe.
I had never seen her abilities firsthand.
If it came down to it, I was ready to put Yi Sunsin’s helmet on her for protection.
It wouldn’t take long for me to realize just how arrogant that thought had been.
"Guoooo─!"
Twenty Ghouls writhed as their bodies melted into light, vanishing without a trace.
The undead, famous for their tenacious vitality and immunity to physical attacks, had been wiped out in an instant.
All because of a single prayer from Jeanne.
"...Jeanne. T-That was incredible."
"You're right..."
Even Jeanne seemed surprised at what she had done. Her violet eyes had widened like a startled rabbit.
"But I’ll need to manage my holy energy better. I don’t have an unlimited supply."
Her low reserves of holy energy were my fault.
Just as the efficiency of my relics depended on my mana, Jeanne's total holy energy was tied to me as well.
Even so, her power was outright broken.
‘So this is holy energy…’
The pure white light that radiated from her prayer wasn’t the same as ordinary light magic.
It was far brighter, purer, and stronger.
If I had to guess, holy energy was likely a superior attribute to light magic.
After all, the Ghouls, as undead monsters, had been utterly helpless against it.
【The Saved Maiden, Jeanne d’Arc】
【Rank: Legendary】
At that moment, I truly realized just how incredible Jeanne's abilities were.
‘It might not be at the level of her prime, but still…’
During the Hundred Years' War, when she wielded the Banner of the Saint, Jeanne's power was nothing short of overwhelming.
She had illuminated the entire battlefield on her own.
Any ally caught within that radiant light would rise again, even if they were stabbed through with swords or trampled under hooves of a living undead.
There was a reason Bishop Cambrai had disregarded tactics altogether and resorted to endless charges.
Of course, Jeanne could no longer perform miracles on that same massive scale.
Her holy energy had a limit.
But even with that restriction, her power was still extraordinary.
In the past, she had been solely a healer, but now, her holy energy also possessed significant offensive capabilities.
A manifestation of people's idealized image of what ‘Saint Jeanne D’Arc’ should have been.
But more than anything...
"Jeanne, is your back alright?"
"Yes, I'm completely fine."
Her stigmata no longer bled.
That had been my greatest concern, and now that it was resolved, I could finally relax.
[C-1 Gate Cleared]
[Completion Rank: SSS]
’This means I can take on the Toulon Gate now.’
Things were going to be a lot easier than I had expected.
***
"Again?! Another SSS rank?!"
"I could accept it for D-rank Gates, but clearing a C-rank with an SSS rating? Does that even make sense?"
While Choi Seojun and Jeanne were clearing the Gate, Seoul was in an uproar over the emergence of a mysterious hunter.
This unknown individual had been achieving SSS-rank clears on every D-rank Gate and now, even C-ranks were being cleared at the highest rating possible.
People were starting to wonder: Just how far would this streak go?
"You sure someone’s not messing with the records?"
"Do you think you pull off eleven consecutive SSS-rank clears even as a joke?"
"…That would be difficult."
Ha Jinwoo, the Team 1's Leader from Dawn Constellation, answered with an awkward expression.
As an A-rank hunter, it was theoretically possible for him to clear a C-rank Gate at SSS-rank but it wasn’t guaranteed.
Even a single mistake would cause the completion rank to drop; that was the nature of Gate clears.
Yet this mysterious hunter had achieved eleven consecutive perfect clears without a single misstep.
Of course, the ‘scene’ was something else.
"It's immaculate. Not a single trace left behind."
The Archbishop Ambrosio of Yeoksam Cathedral surveyed the cleared Gate with his clouded eyes.
The place where Ghouls had once roamed was now utterly pristine.
Not a single corpse fragment remained.
It was as if they had melted under sunlight.
"Could this be the work of the Connector?"
"But the Connector is a water-attribute specialist."
"Right. He cleared Myeongnyang Gate, after all."
To withstand the crushing deep-sea pressure of Myeongnyang, one needed to be water-attribute specialized.
And someone like that wouldn’t be able to erase Ghouls this cleanly.
Not impossible, perhaps but it would require an unbelievable amount of effort.
And the Connector wasn't exactly known for his obsessive thoroughness.
This wasn’t his work.
No elemental ability user could achieve this level of purification.
Which meant…
"This is a miracle performed by one blessed by the Lord."
"You mean… a light-attribute hunter?"
"Indeed. Someone deeply loved by Him."
Light attribute? Fine. But ‘blessed’? ‘Loved by the Lord’?
Ha Jinwoo couldn’t help but let out an awkward chuckle at Archbishop Ambrosio's exaggerated reaction.
But the Archbishop was unfazed.
With teary eyes, he gazed up toward the sky.
"Lord, we have found them."
As he rolled his rosary between his fingers, tears streamed down his wrinkled cheeks.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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