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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 31
I spent the past week roaming around freely.
I took Jeanne sightseeing around Seoul, making up for what we had missed before, and we went out to eat all kinds of delicious food.
We did everything we wanted, enjoying our time to the fullest.
Previously, I had to be cautious to avoid exposing my identity, but that was no longer a concern.
Dawn Constellation had promised to protect my anonymity, giving me much more freedom to move as I pleased.
Of course, even while enjoying our outings, I continued clearing Gates.
I needed to earn money from byproducts and increase my mana reserves to shorten Jeanne’s summoning cooldown.
With Jeanne by my side, the process became significantly easier.
Most monsters couldn’t even put up a fight against her holy power and were effortlessly purified.
Still, since her holy energy was limited, I focused on using it mainly for support.
—Sreeeek!
A massive orc swung a club the size of a baseball bat straight at my head.
However, just as the bat neared me, it suddenly stopped, as if it had hit an invisible wall.
—Thud!
The Napoleon Medal I received from Rachel glowed red.
==
—Barrier of Protection has been activated.
[Remaining Uses: 2]
[Cooldown: 8 hours]
==
It was the ability of the Napoleon Medal the Barrier of Protection which had nullified the attack.
“Graaah!”
—Thud! Thud! Thud!
The enraged orc continued swinging its bat wildly, but all it managed to do was pound uselessly against the barrier.
“Hm, this isn’t really worth using.”
The barrier itself was useful, but it consumed an absurd amount of mana.
Just from that one activation, nearly 20% of my mana stored in the Snowflower Stone had been drained.
At that cost, I was better off dodging with Shadow Step instead.
—Bang!
The orc, still swinging its bat, suddenly collapsed with a hole in its head.
Lowering Napoleon’s Rifle, I stepped forward and retrieved the Snowflower Stone from its fallen body.
—Sssss…
The mana seeping from the orc was instantly absorbed into the stone.
==
[Snowflower Stone]
Mana Capacity: 6000 / 6000
==
Through continuous hunting, I had more than doubled the Snowflower Stone’s mana reserves from its original capacity.
After conquering the Myeongryang and Toulon Gates, I had accumulated a significant amount of mana from high-tier monsters.
==
C-4 Gate Cleared
Completion Rank: SSS
==
On my way home after clearing the Bukaksan Gate.
“Jeanne, want to try that?”
“A fish-shaped snack? That’s quite unique.”
“It’s called bungeoppang.”
What I pointed at was a small street stall at the corner of the market, selling fresh, golden-brown bungeoppang.
In the past, they were everywhere. But at some point, the price skyrocketed, and they faded into nostalgic memories.
Now, bungeoppang has become a rare treat one of those snacks that made people stop in their tracks with a smile whenever they spotted a vendor by chance.
"Sir, can I get a bag of bungeoppang?"
"Buying for the two of you? Where’s the young lady from?"
"She’s from France."
"…A foreign lady speaking Korean so well, huh? Here, one extra on the house."
The vendor handed me four freshly made, piping-hot bungeoppang. I passed one to Jeanne.
"Be careful, the filling is hot."
"Alright."
Jeanne carefully nibbled at the edge, testing the temperature. Her eyes lit up instantly.
"How is it?"
"It’s delicious. What’s this black filling inside?"
"It’s called sweet red bean paste. It’s made by soaking red beans in sugar."
"Oh, so that’s where the sweetness comes from."
Jeanne eagerly bit into the pastry with her small mouth.
Crispy on the outside, filled with warm, sweet red bean paste on the inside bungeoppang was a beloved winter treat for a reason.
Watching her blow on the pastry before taking another bite, I let out a small chuckle.
Then, as if drawn by some lingering thought, I glanced down at the Snowflower Stone in my pocket.
"Still not working."
The mana the Snowflower Stone had absorbed from the Gate kept spilling back out instead of being stored.
This had been happening for the past week.
"Still having trouble?"
"Yeah, it seems like I’ve hit a limit."
This was a major problem.
The Snowflower Stone was essentially my mana battery, compensating for my own lack of mana.
If its capacity didn’t increase, not only would tackling higher-tier Gates become more difficult, but I also wouldn’t be able to shorten Jeanne’s summoning cooldown.
And that wasn’t the only issue.
==
[Summons: 3/3]
※ To increase the maximum count, add more slots.
※ Enhancing abilities is required to unlock additional slots.
==
I could currently summon three artifacts:
Napoleon’s Rifle, the Twin Dragon Sword, and Jeanne.
With all three slots occupied, there was no room for anything new.
If I wanted to welcome another Transcendent, I had to expand my available slots.
‘Not to mention, I haven’t seen a new one appear lately.’
I was beginning to suspect that the reason no new Transcendents had shown up was simply that my slots were full.
Napoleon, Yi Sunsin, and Jeanne.
It had only taken about a month and a half for all three of them to manifest.
But ever since Jeanne arrived, an entire month had passed without a single new Transcendent appearing in my shop.
Like a hotel with no available rooms, no new guests were checking in.
It wasn’t an immediate problem, but in the long run, it would be.
There would definitely come a time when my current artifacts wouldn’t be enough to handle what lay ahead.
Then it would be the end.
I would die, and Jeanne would remain forever trapped in the void between worlds, unable to be summoned again.
In other words, expanding my summon slots was absolutely necessary.
And the only way to do that was by increasing my mana capacity.
But now, the Snowflower Stone, which functioned as my substitute mana reserve, seemed to have reached its limit.
"Can’t you just find another mana stone?"
"It won’t work. I can’t attune to more than one."
Just like how carrying multiple batteries doesn’t mean you can plug them all into a phone at once, the same principle applied to mana stones.
I could only connect with a single mana stone at a time.
That was why the Snowflower Stone was so valuable.
It was the only one that could absorb mana on its own and actually grow.
"Hmm, in that case, the only real solution is essence."
"Essence?"
"A rare elixir that strengthens mana."
Essence.
A condensed form of pure mana that could sometimes be found in Gates.
It wasn’t just useful for strengthening abilities; it could also further enhance the Snowflower Stone’s capacity.
"The problem is that getting high-quality essence is nearly impossible."
"So it’s a rare resource?"
"Yeah. Even if a single intact vial appears, entire cities go into an uproar over it."
Since supply was so limited, any essence that surfaced was immediately reserved for S-rank Hunters.
And even among them, there weren’t enough to go around.
But to unlock more summon slots, I needed essence. Not a large amount, just a few drops.
‘If I run a few Gates like Myeongryang again, one should eventually show up...’
Would I have to wait for a quest prompt?
Just as I was considering that.
[If a saint candidate emerges, we are willing to provide any form of support.]
[The Solomon Gate must be stopped, no matter what…]
The giant screens in Gangnam were broadcasting the news.
"Seojun, does the Church have essence?"
"Hmm… they probably do, but…"
The Vatican, an institution with the world's largest collection of holy artifacts, had an extensive history.
Of course, they had essence.
"I’ll go to the Church and request some."
"No."
I immediately rejected the idea.
Jeanne never openly spoke about it, but I knew she was wary of the Church.
Otherwise, there was no reason for her to never visit, even once, despite being here in the modern world.
No matter how much time had passed, the fact remained the Church was the very institution that had burned her at the stake.
I couldn’t allow Jeanne to walk into that place because of me.
"It really doesn’t bother me. Please, let me help."
"……"
I hesitated as I looked at her calm expression.
Jeanne had never received a proper apology from the Church.
But after six centuries, would an apology even mean anything anymore?
Probably not.
She didn’t seem to care much either.
But revenge was another matter.
If we could use this as an opportunity to squeeze as much out of the Vatican as possible, that would be satisfying.
Even if Jeanne didn’t care, I did.
They had been searching for a saint for so long. What would happen if that saint finally appeared, only to reject the Church?
That would be an unimaginable blow to them.
Decision made, I spoke.
"Alright, but I’m coming with you."
"Thank you."
"I should be thanking you."
And while I was at it, I’d make sure to take some artifacts as well.
That way, I could also help replenish Jeanne’s dwindling holy power.
***
Later at Night, Yeoksam Grand Cathedral, Seoul
After finishing mass, Cardinal Francis was deep in prayer inside his chambers.
But no matter how long he prayed, his expression remained tense.
The 72 Demons of Solomon.
A gate infused with dark energy, named after the seventy-two demons that King Solomon had once sealed away.
Among them, one had been dormant Astaroth, the Despairing One.
Now, signs of its reawakening had begun to emerge.
Had this been in the past, it wouldn’t have been an issue.
The Vatican had once possessed a miraculous saint Mother Teresa.
But after her passing, the Church had been unable to establish any effective countermeasures against dark-element Gates.
They couldn't even stop the Despairing One’s Gate from manifesting. That was why Cardinal Francis himself had been traveling across the world, desperately seeking a solution.
For someone like him to remain in a single country for over a week was highly unusual.
Yet, Francis had no intention of leaving Korea.
‘The traces of holy power were real.’
After personally investigating the site, he had no doubt it was a miracle born from true holy energy.
Having once worked alongside Teresa, Francis was more knowledgeable about holy power than anyone.
And so, he pinned his final hopes for conquering the Despairing One’s Gate on Korea’s saint candidate.
But no matter how much time passed, the candidate never revealed themselves.
At this point, it was safe to assume they had rejected his summons.
Or perhaps… there never was a saint candidate to begin with, and the traces of divine energy were merely a natural phenomenon.
Either way, there was no time left to hesitate.
The Despairing One’s Gate would soon spiral out of control.
‘…It seems I must return.’
Francis let out a dry chuckle as he rose to his feet, preparing to depart for the Vatican.
And then.
"Your Eminence!"
Archbishop Ambrosio rushed into the chamber, his expression urgent.
"What is it?"
"They have arrived!"
"!?"
The archbishop didn’t specify who, but Francis knew.
The saint candidate had finally come forward.
"Take me to them."
"Yes, Your Eminence."
Francis followed Ambrosio toward the cathedral’s sanctuary.
There, standing in the solemn hall, were a young man with a mask covering the lower half of his face and a golden-haired girl.
Studying the two, Francis asked,
"Which of you is the saint candidate?"
"That would be me."
Francis felt his throat go dry.
If she truly was the candidate, it would be the greatest blessing the Church had received in centuries.
"Does your presence here mean you are willing to aid the Church?"
"I'm here to negotiate."
"…Negotiate?"
"Yes."
The unexpected answer left Francis momentarily stunned.
The masked young man spoke next.
"We will assist in clearing the Despairing One’s Gate. But we expect compensation."
"W-What is it that you seek?"
"We want a legendary-rank relic and the highest-rank essence you possess."
"!?"
Francis’ eyes widened in shock.
The young man had spoken casually, but those two items were anything but trivial.
A legendary rank relic was a sacred relic, proven by the Church to be capable of performing miracles.
And the highest-rank essence?
Even though the Vatican had only a few in its possession it was one of the rarest and most valuable resources in existence.
And yet, they were asking for both?
It was an impossible demand.
"That is far too much, even for a saint candidate"
—FWOOOM!
A brilliant, radiant light erupted from the girl.
Francis’ breath hitched as the warmth of the holy energy enveloped him.
This feeling he had experienced once before, long ago.
No this was even warmer.
Overwhelmed by the sheer purity of the light, Francis found himself drawn forward, compelled by its brilliance.
His eyes went wide, his entire body stiffening in disbelief.
"Th-This…!"
The light was pouring from the girl's back.
A radiance so intense, not even her clothes and bandages could conceal it.
That divine glow was taking on a very specific form.
His voice trembled as the words escaped him.
"A… stigmata?!"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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