Ch-257. **Martial God (武神)**
—
Clatter, clatter.
A single carriage raced across the plains.
Inside the swaying carriage were a sleeping man, and a woman gazing at him with gentle eyes.
“E-excuse me… your husband hasn’t woken up for three days now. Is that really all right?”
The coachman seated in front asked in a worried tone.
The sleeping man had not opened his eyes for three whole days.
“……It’s fine.”
The woman replied softly.
The coachman shrugged.
“Hm. Well, if the madam says it’s fine, then I suppose it is.”
He wasn’t dead, after all.
He simply thought the man was someone who slept an awful lot.
He was breathing, and despite not eating for three days, he hadn’t lost any weight.
And the same was true of the woman.
*What a strange couple.*
The coachman recalled when he had first met them.
The woman had been carrying the man on her back, pressing an amount of money too large to refuse into his hands, asking him to head into a dangerous region.
It was strange, but the two did seem to be husband and wife.
They didn’t object when addressed that way.
“By the way… I’ve heard that Faisalmer has reopened, but isn’t it still dangerous to travel there?”
The desert city of Faisalmer.
At present, it was a dangerous zone.
A place heavily affected by the war between the White King and the Black King.
There were rumors that a warp gate had opened, but no one with sense would dare set foot there.
“I need to… find a friend.”
“A friend? Ah, you have a friend in Faisalmer?”
“Yes.”
“Oh dear. You must be terribly worried. I hope they’re still alive.”
“They’re already dead.”
“H-huh…?”
The coachman was momentarily taken aback.
Entering a dangerous region to look for a friend who was already dead?
Was she trying to recover a body?
“I’m going to confirm it. Whether they’re still there.”
“I-I see…”
Her completely calm tone left the coachman at a loss.
It was to the point that he wondered if she truly felt emotions at all.
Yet, when he looked at the way she gazed at the man, it didn’t seem that way.
*Thank you.*
The woman, Isabella, gently stroked Randolph’s hair resting on her lap.
She had misunderstood him. She had resented him.
But now that everything had been resolved, there were many truths she had learned because of it.
That was why she understood Randolph’s current state as well.
At present, Randolph had logged out and was acting as “Park Hyunmyung” on the far side of the world.
Park Hyunmyung existed on a planet called Earth—a place she could never reach—and was striving to protect his own world.
Until he returned, it was Isabella’s duty to protect Randolph.
Of course, she wanted to meet Park Hyunmyung.
She was endlessly curious what he looked like, whether he was just as she imagined.
But they lived in different worlds.
…They would never meet.
And that was fine.
Randolph and Park Hyunmyung.
To her, both were the same—great beings.
*…Sonora.*
Among the truths she had learned was the fate of her closest friend, her sister—Sonora.
Right after Isabella had fallen ill.
Park Hyunmyung had moved his body and fought Sonora, who had become a hybrid.
He survived, and earned the Desert Queen’s recognition.
But what became of Sonora afterward, she didn’t know.
*Are you still there?*
At the very least, she wanted to recover Sonora’s remains.
If Sonora was still left behind in that hell…
Then bringing her out would be Isabella’s duty.
And she would forge a sword from her bones.
So that Sonora could remain by her side forever.
Sonora would want that too.
She would show her how vast the world truly was.
She would let her see the morning light, the sprouting of new buds, and hear birds singing.
She would show her that the world was far more beautiful than they had imagined…
And that there existed people even more beautiful, noble, and pure than that.
That there was a person so radiant that even the Desert Queen paled in comparison.
She wanted Sonora to know that.
*This time, I’ll be the one to find you, Sonora.*
Together with the one who shines like light.
I’ll take you out of that hell, Sonora.
—Be happy, Isabella. Please. Promise me.
This time, it’s my turn to come find you.
—
—
Returning to the Empire, Raiga, the commander of the Fang Knights, frowned deeply.
*…The Island of the Gods expelled all participants, including myself.*
No matter how he thought about it, it made no sense.
He had clearly expressed his intent to participate—yet he had been thrown out.
Not just him, but likely all participants.
And that wasn’t all.
*Many of my knights fell into the Abyssal Swamp and died. I can’t understand it.*
A significant number of the Fang Knights who accompanied him had not returned.
They must have fallen into the Abyss and died—but it was incomprehensible.
Veterans who were thoroughly accustomed to the Abyss vanishing all at once?
Even with every benefit of the doubt, it was suspicious.
But the greatest mystery of all—
*Why is my body… like this?*
…His physical condition.
He was dying.
His body was slowly withering away.
His mana was drying up, and countless blessings were extinguishing.
There was only one explanation for this.
*I opened the Five Gates. Did I?*
When all seals were released—
Absolute “death” followed.
But Raiga had no memory of opening the Five Gates.
And yet, phenomena that only occurred when the Five Gates were opened were clearly happening.
Which meant—
*…My memories were altered.*
His memories had been tampered with.
Something had undoubtedly happened on the Island of the Gods.
But he couldn’t remember it.
He only knew the *result*—that he had been expelled.
What was altered, how it was distorted, he had no way of knowing.
Still, there was someone he suspected.
*Where did the goat go?*
…the Golden Goat.
He should have entered the Abyss together with them, yet he was nowhere to be found.
If he had been expelled together with them, he should have been there.
Raiga searched everywhere after returning to the Empire, but found nothing.
Even the “Golden Mask” seemed unaware.
As for Raiga’s own dying state—
Had they known, they would have attacked immediately.
The Reaper Cult and the Fang Knights were oil and water, after all.
*There’s still time.*
Death was not imminent.
Being expelled from the Island of the Gods had slightly weakened the curse of death.
Thanks to that, he still had time to find a successor and replenish the knight order.
And if he could nullify the weakened “death,” that would be ideal.
Having made up his mind, Raiga began moving swiftly.
“Hurry the preparations for the ‘tournament.’ And expand the scale. Not only citizens of the Empire—let all outstanding talents from every nation participate!”
The Reaper Cult would oppose it, but he didn’t care.
Even wasting time clashing with them was too much.
—
—
《Morning has dawned.》
《‘Survival’ Chapter 2 has begun.》
《‘Hybrid Goblin Chieftain’ has appeared.》
《‘Hybrid Goblin Chieftain’ has been defeated!》
…….
《Evening has come.》
《‘Survival’ Chapter 3 begins.》
《‘Hybrid Albatross’ attacks from the sky.》
《‘Hybrid Albatross’ has been annihilated.》
…….
《The third morning has dawned.》
《You will now merge with another ‘group’.》
Three days had already passed since the Island of the Gods appeared.
All participants were beginning to reach their physical limits.
Though awakened, the relentless day-and-night assaults made proper sleep impossible.
No torture could compare.
“So… that’s the ‘other group’ over there?”
Still, those who survived three days were all tough.
The group led by Department Head Kim was no exception.
Their original 400 members had been reduced to around 250 in just three days—but that meant only those with true warrior’s resolve had survived.
And on the morning of the third day—
One side of the transparent wall collapsed, revealing the “group” on the opposite side.
“Department Head Kim. They’ve got way more people than us.”
“Didn’t they just start with more?”
But something felt off.
The group that appeared beyond the vanished wall looked to have nearly twice their numbers.
And that wasn’t the only strange thing.
*There’s no tension.*
What was this?
Anyone who had fought repeatedly on the brink of death should have a certain edge of tension.
Yet their expressions looked far too relaxed.
There were barely any signs of battle.
Had they just been summoned?
“I’ll go talk to them.”
One of Kim’s followers volunteered as an envoy.
After speaking with the other group for some time, he returned rubbing his chin, his expression troubled.
“…So they really did start with more people?”
“No. That doesn’t seem to be it.”
“Then why that look?”
“Well…”
“If you don’t want to die, spit it out. What is it?”
“They were summoned with 400 people, same as us. They were attacked the same number of times too. But apparently, only one person has died in their group so far.”
“What? That’s possible?”
Kim frowned.
Relentless attacks day and night.
Assaults where dozens—hundreds—could have died over two days, and only one casualty?
“All thanks to ‘the Martial God,’ they say…”
“Martial God (武神)?”
“Yes. Apparently there’s one person who fights unbelievably well.”
“…Is that so?”
Kim felt a flicker of tension.
He had been acting as the group’s leader, and merging with another group could cause conflict.
And now the other group’s leader was someone revered as a “Martial God”?
*Still, I’m stronger.*
Kim forcefully reassured himself.
Over the past two days, he had practically monopolized the group’s rewards.
And that wasn’t all.
*I was chosen by a constellation!*
He had invested SP into numerous talents, awakened the secret class *Gladiator*, and received the selection of a great constellation—placing him far ahead of the rest.
This was possible because Kim had always been deeply interested in *Pangaenia*.
Moreover, by chance, he had obtained the VIP ID and password for an “interdimensional community” accessible only to corporate executives, where he gained access to invaluable information.
Naturally, he knew the *talent tech tree* required to become a Gladiator.
Once back on Earth, the Hero Alliance would surely trip over itself trying to recruit him.
And his level—already 5.
A monster of strength with 50 points invested solely into Strength!
“So who is this ‘Martial God’?”
Having regained his composure, Kim asked.
The man following him pointed upward.
“Over there…”
“Over there? Where? The sky?”
He was pointing at the sky.
Kim tilted his head—then realized.
Something was floating above.
“…An albatross?”
The same avian monster that had attacked them half a day earlier—the Hybrid Albatross.
Had some escaped the hunt?
*No… someone’s riding it.*
It was absurd.
To think someone was flying around atop a Hybrid Albatross.
Soon, the Hybrid Albatross slowly descended to the ground.
“……”
And Kim was more shaken than ever.
The man riding the Hybrid Albatross—
“…Park Hyunmyung?”
It was Park Hyunmyung—the man he had seen not long ago.
A former coworker who had quit the company, and someone personally scouted by Vice-Leader Lee Arin of the Hero Alliance.
*He wasn’t awakened back then?*
The man who had blown away a hybrid with a single blow.
It seemed he truly hadn’t been awakened at the time.
Seeing him here now made that clear.
*…So this is the ‘Martial God.’*
It made a certain sense.
After awakening on top of that strength, being called a Martial God wasn’t unreasonable.
But—
*I can do that too.*
Kim straightened his shoulders.
He was no longer the weak, pathetic man of the past.
“Good to see you. Didn’t expect to meet again here.”
He extended his hand.
He intended to shake hands and make him feel the difference in strength.
The current world was ruled by the strong.
Before, he had bowed because he was weak.
Now, it was the other man’s turn to kneel.
At best, he was a Tamer-type.
Judging by how he had tamed the Albatross, he likely hadn’t obtained a warrior-class.
“The world’s really small, don’t you think?”
The corner of Kim’s mouth twisted.
A sneer formed naturally.
Of all things, a Tamer.
So ignorant it was laughable.
This was the difference that information made.
Those who knew, and those who didn’t.
Even with outstanding talent, ignorance led to ruin.
After all, Tamers were classified as the weakest of classes.
Utterly incompetent—unworthy of even being compared to the secret class Gladiator!
“……”
Park Hyunmyung clasped his hand.
Kim smiled inwardly, triumphant.
“Since fate brought us together again, let’s get along from now on.”
*Go ahead—die.*
Crrrunch!
