KWAANG!
A tremendous sound rings out.
In the depths of the mind.
Carved into the soul.
The sound of the blast reverberates, chasing after the mana.
Following its flow, focus is heightened, and Aged Kimchi opens his eyes. He then looks at the girl's wand he had been holding.
"......"
No, this is no longer just a wand.
A smooth yet irregularly bent sword blade. A destructive form, shaped only in black, as if absorbing all light.
This is the true form of the wand that had been hidden for months in the underground of Daparachia... the holy sword of the Evil God, Bragia.
'Finally....'
Complex emotions surface in Aged Kimchi's gaze.
He had spent months trying to bring out this form hidden within the wand.
It wasn't an easy task.
No, it was so difficult and challenging that he wondered if it was even possible.
"......"
How much effort did he put in to reach this stage? How many times did he sweat, hold back tears, swallow his sighs, and push himself further, continuously working at it?
It was a hardship beyond words.
But he succeeded in the end.
He did it.
Now, he no longer has to carry this wand with shame.
However, Aged Kimchi did not smile endlessly.
.....Rustle.
Before long, his hands fidgeted with the pink rabbit-like costume that wrapped around his body. The heart-shaped pendant and the sparkling, airy flared skirt were gripped so tightly, as if he wanted to tear them apart.
"......."
If he could, he would indeed rip it apart. But he couldn't. No matter how powerful his own strength was, he couldn't tear a single thread of this outfit.
It was the outfit that the Hand of Duty had dressed him in. It was a cursed shackled garment that could not be removed without its permission.
So...
'I will change it myself.'
Just like how he succeeded in bringing out the true form of the holy sword hidden in the wand.
Perhaps, this embarrassing outfit also has its own hidden form. Its true essence must be sleeping somewhere within it. And surely, it wouldn't look as shameful as it does now.
"........"
I want to change it quickly.
Like the holy sword, magnificently.
No, he didn't even need it to be magnificent. He just hoped it would become a simple, unremarkable appearance.
"Phew...."
Then, let's work harder.
Let's put in more effort in training.
...…Creeeak.
Aged Kimchi renewed his resolve.
His next level of training began.
Mana surged wildly through his body, racing, clashing, and colliding.
***
KWAANG!
The sound reverberates through the inn's hallway.
The wind blows hard, scattering the bangs right in front of him.
"........"
Archbishop Rephelon stared at the door that slammed shut right in front of his face, his eyes wide with disbelief.
And he thought.
Just now, he almost had his nose slammed into the door. His entire face could have been completely changed in a way that wasn't supposed to happen. He almost committed a great sin against the gods.
"Excuse me, Sir Kim Jangcheol?"
Suppressing his confusion, he called the name he had heard from his secretary. However, all he could hear from inside was the sound of the door lock clicking repeatedly.
Click, click, click... click!
A total of ten times.
Just how hard must they be trying to lock it?
Then, the old door creaked, seemingly struggling to lock properly, and Rephelon heard muttering from the inside.
"Tch, I should have gone to a more expensive place."
"...... Um, I can hear everything you're saying."
"Ugh. What's with these peddlers, evangelizing, suggesting investments, doing that here too."
".....I can hear everything you're saying."
"I know. I said it on purpose."
"........"
"Are you planning to stay here and do nothing?"
"Yes."
Without a second thought, Rephelon nodded.
Then, he spoke.
"Sir Kim Jangcheol? I'm not here to preach, as you might think."
"Is that so?"
"I'm here to give you some good advice."
"Isn't that preaching?"
"No, it's not."
"How so?"
"I came to discuss the offer that the king made to you."
Rephelon said openly.
"I sincerely want to stop you. You shouldn't accept that offer from the king."
"... Is it really okay to talk about this in the inn hallway?"
"Yes, it's fine."
"How is it fine?"
"I'm using divine power to block the sound from leaking."
"........"
"I'm here because I care about you. I want to prevent another innocent victim from walking into the trap of the king's sweet yet hollow offer."
"Trap... The abandoned land?"
"Yes."
"But I already received a blank check from the king."
"We can offer you the same blank check, from our church."
It was right after he spoke those words.
......Creak?
Miraculously, the door slowly opened!
"....Come in, this way."
Kim Jangcheol's previously serious, stern smile was now replaced with a soft, friendly one!
"........"
What is this guy?
Rephelon furrowed his brows slightly and entered the room. Inside the shabby room were not only Kim Jangcheol but also a well-dressed young man, a black-furred catfolk, and an oddly beautiful figure, with a face and body that were disturbingly out of place.
"Don't mind them. Let's just get to the point."
"... Yes, we'll do that."
Rephelon decided to focus only on the matter at hand. He stared at Kim Jangcheol, who was sitting across from him at the small table.
And then... he involuntarily flinched.
Kim Jangcheol blinked his eyes.
'What was that just now?'
Rephelon felt puzzled.
Just now, Kim Jangcheol—he had only blinked his eyes, nothing more. But somehow... something felt off.
'Something feels off, it's not like the usual people blinking their eyes...'
What was that?
Did he feel this sense of discomfort because of something he saw in his blink?
The Archbishop quietly observed Kim Jangcheol again.
At that moment, Kim Jangcheol blinked again.
Ten times, blink, blink.
Habitually.
Or perhaps obsessively.
Without even realizing it himself.
"......"
That wasn't a mistake.
The Archbishop felt even more uncomfortable.
It was then.
"Do you have something to say?"
".......Ah."
Kim Jangcheol's question snapped the Archbishop back to reality. He then spoke about the matter he had come for.
"Uh, Sir Kim Jangcheol, did you... know that this is not the first time the king has sent an exploration team to investigate the abandoned land?"
"Hmmm, no."
Kim Jangcheol shook his head.
Left and right, exactly ten times, he shook it.
Habitually.
Or perhaps obsessively.
Without even realizing it himself.
"......."
A faint wrinkle appeared on the Archbishop's forehead. He said,
"I see. You didn't know. Actually, the king has... sent a total of nine exploration teams to the abandoned land."
"Hmm, and?"
"This would be the tenth one."
"Tenth, huh. Haha. I like that."
Kim Jangcheol smiled.
At the edge of his smile, his lips moved ten times, squirming.
Still habitually.
Or perhaps obsessively.
Without even realizing it himself.
"... And the previous nine exploration teams... without exception, lost contact."
The Archbishop spoke.
And thought to himself.
I need to focus on the conversation.
I need to make the point clear.
I must persuade this man.
To not follow the king's order. To not go to the abandoned land. I need to stop him, either by persuasion, coaxing, or even force if necessary.
But then.
'His behavior... keeps stealing my gaze...'
It takes it. Grabs it. Snatches it away.
I can't look away anymore.
"Ah, I've never heard that story before."
Kim Jangcheol responded with surprise.
He slightly furrowed his brows.
But even that was ten times.
Habitually.
Or perhaps obsessively.
Without even realizing it himself.
He furrowed, released, then furrowed again, ten times.
"........"
The Archbishop's breathing subtly wavered.
He finally realized.
The man in front of him, Kim Jangcheol.
When he looked closely, he was performing every small action in his daily life exactly ten times.
Nodding or shaking his head during conversation. Blinking his eyes in everyday moments. Sniffling. Even the very normal habit of clenching his lips. Even the unconscious fidgeting of his fingers.
All of it.
Ten times.
Not nine.
Not eleven.
All of it, exactly ten.
And he was completely unaware of it.
"......."
Habitually.
Or perhaps obsessively.
Without even realizing it himself.
Thus, everything about him was connected to the number ten.
'No way. That can't be.'
The Archbishop's Adam's apple subtly moved.
From a normal perspective, Kim Jangcheol's habits might have seemed rather strange.
But the Archbishop was different.
He couldn't take his eyes off Kim Jangcheol's unique habits. At the same time, the Book of Perfection came to mind. He remembered reading it countless times since his childhood as a little monk.
The one whose every element is connected to the number ten.
The one who, through this, would bring perfection to the world.
"Hmmm, so nine exploration teams have been sent to the abandoned land, and no one has returned. That's a bit chilling. So, is that why you've come to stop me, Archbishop?"
Kim Jangcheol asked.
The Archbishop didn't answer.
Instead, he listened closely. Then, Kim Jangcheol's breathing reached his ears.
Breathing in ten intervals, breathing out ten intervals. This was not normal, not ordinary, an entirely unseen pattern of breathing.
"You..."
In the end, the Archbishop couldn't hold back.
His reason told him he shouldn't be acting like this. He needed to stay calm. He had come for a purpose. He had to speak that purpose.
But his emotions, his impulses, were honest.
The one whose every element is connected to the number ten.
The legendary figure, mentioned in the prophecies through the Book of Perfection, who would manifest in this world someday.
Every action.
Every movement.
Even his breath.
If someone does everything ten times?
The passage that spoke of such a being came to mind, and impulsively, the Archbishop asked.
"Are you... the Saint of Ten?"
[T/L: I am not getting any support from webnovel platform, so please support me and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]