Chapter 77

Thank goodness. I didn’t break anything ridiculous.

To be honest, I was a bit confused about whether the model of the monument was related to demons.

While I definitely remember the clock in the training hall, there seemed to be more items in the history museum than I expected.

So when I broke something without controlling my strength, I was genuinely worried. I was so embarrassed I couldn’t even apologize.

Fortunately, when I saw Luna’s reaction, it was definitely the demon’s magic circle. I saw her secretly taking it away.

‘Don’t say anything; just leave it for when no one is around.’

But my disastrous instincts were still on point. Even though I knew Kara was watching me closely, I blurted it out.

Since she mentioned it last time, I could respond subtly, yet Kara naturally got involved.

In the end, after lunch was over, we all got along well and chatted at the café.

At some point, Grace bought a cake, and it was really delicious. I need to visit more often.

“Gulrak only requires you to remember two things: offerings and sincerity. With just that, anyone can become a follower of Gulrak.”

In the afternoon, we had time to visit either the church or the altar of each denomination. If you want Gaia, go to the church; if you want Gulrak, go to the altar.

Today, according to Kara’s guidance, we were heading to Gulrak’s Altar. I’ll visit the Gaia church when the opportunity arises.

Originally, I was supposed to be with Luna at this time, but since the plan fell apart anyway, it’s not a bad thing to be with Kara.

Luna seemed to have given up halfway and silently accompanied Kara. Grace and Lee Yeon-joo also joined us.

“Uh, can I just go…?”

“No way. We’re on the same team, right?”

Lee Yeon-joo seemed quite eager to escape, but Grace insisted on bringing her along. It’s like a beloved stuffed toy.

In the Soul World, Grace tends to stick with the first person she becomes close to.

Each time, the character was different, but it seems Lee Yeon-joo has been chosen this time.

It must be tough for someone who needs to keep quiet. But hey, she’s not a bad person.

“By the way, sis, why did your country come to worship Gulrak?”

On our way to Gulrak’s Altar, Luna, who seemed to have given up halfway, threw the question at Kara.

Kara crossed her arms and thought for a moment after hearing the question. She looked like it was a long time ago, and she couldn’t remember well.

“Well… I don’t know the detailed reasons, but I know our father started it. He offered sacrifices to unify the tribes caught in chaos. It was only later we realized those sacrifices were directed at Gulrak.”

“It’s kind of like the rain rituals ancient people used to hold.”

That was Grace speaking, not Luna. What she’s mentioning is probably the famous Native Indian rain dance.

A ritual performed as long as necessary, with nearly a 100% success rate. It expresses the tenacity of never giving up.

“That’s different. That’s about doing it until it works, which is a bit different. Still, with that level of sincerity and tenacity, I’m sure Gulrak would shower us with blessings. By the way, obtaining rain through rain rituals is quite difficult.”

“Isn’t it harder to bring down lightning on people?”

“Not at all. Lightning is far removed from direct life. Now think about it: if it doesn’t rain in your country, what would happen? It’d be chaos.”

Rain is water, and water is the very source of life. Rain falling from the sky is literally like sowing life.

Even with dams and reservoirs on Earth, if it doesn’t rain, the land cracks dry, doesn’t it? This world relies heavily on rain too.

Especially with the way things are nowadays, if there’s any sign of starvation, a riot can happen easily. The higher-ups also pay close attention to droughts.

“To hold a true rain ritual, you’d need personnel at the national level. Tartar’s fine since it’s in the desert and focused on trade, but other places are a different story.”

“I see. So when does Tartar hold national-level rituals?”

“Usually during the National Foundation Day. That’s when I take the lead in the rituals.”

The way Kara explained it was fascinating to Grace and the others.

In reality, there wasn’t even a need for a separate guide. Just Kara’s expertise regarding Gulrak alone was impressive.

Moreover, the fact that she herself leads the rituals means Kara has the title of ‘Priestess.’

In some cultures, when a ritual is held, a priestess dances at the front. It’s like that.

This is possible because her late mother was a priestess.

“Did you guys not bring any offerings?”

“No.”

“I didn’t bring any either. What about you, Kara?”

“I have this.”

Kara rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a specific item.

It looked like a sharp beast’s tooth. Judging by its size, it seemed to belong to quite a large creature.

“I caught a pretty decent beast over the weekend. I plan to offer this as an offering.”

“What kind of offerings does Gulrak usually prefer?”

“Mostly things closely tied to life. Weapons or accessories crafted with sincerity are also decent.”

Hearing that, I began to understand why Gulrak had bestowed a blessing on Porori.

Acorns are Porori’s staple food and closely related to his life. Not to mention, Porori is a creature driven by strong instincts.

That creature suppresses its instincts to offer acorns, which are directly linked to life? Oh, how admirable, Gulrak would surely bless him.

‘Though I can’t because I’m interfered with by Chaos.’

As I’ve repeatedly mentioned, if you’ve been chosen by Chaos once, you can’t pick another deity.

To put it precisely, the other gods will reject you. Even if you pray or conduct a ritual, they respond with silence.

“Hey, Sivar, you should give it a try… Oh. But since you’re a follower of Chaos, maybe not?”

“A follower of Gulrak praying to Gaia should be okay, right?”

“Yeah? Then I can give it a shot. I happen to have your offerings with me.”

Kara then handed out beast bones or teeth to each of her group. She must have gotten them after a quick stop at the dorm after lunch.

I received a beast’s bone, specifically a thigh bone. It’s so big that its length is about the same as my torso.

“What the hell kind of beast did you catch? Just looking at its size, it seems huge!”

“A wild boar. I caught a monster-sized one.”

Wild boars that live in forests or mountains boast a size that’s almost exaggerated. Plus, the nearby forest is rich in magic power.

Magic power is energy closely related to life, directly influencing growth. That’s why most creatures and plants in the Chaos Forest are large.

Also, the Academy boasts warm temperatures all year round. Thanks to this, insects and bugs are everywhere, even as big as a human’s palm.

‘Thank goodness there’s plenty to eat.’

If there were winters, living in the forest would have been a nightmare. It’s fortunate I was spared that.

After receiving our offerings, we followed Kara as we headed towards Gulrak’s Altar.

Gulrak symbolizes the ‘Sky.’ Therefore, the altar is located in the highest place.

“…Do we have to hike?”

“Huh? Oh, did you say your legs hurt? If it’s too hard, you don’t have to come along.”

It’s located at the very top of a tall mountain. Near the Academy, there are not only forests but also mountains, and the altar is placed at the summit.

Luna seemed to hesitate for a moment, then sighed deeply and started walking toward the mountain. Looks like she decided to give it a go.

Following her, we started climbing the mountain slowly. Kara, having visited the altar several times, took the lead and climbed up quickly.

The others were generally sturdier than ordinary people when it came to physical strength. The problem, however, was that the mountain was much higher than expected.

“Heh… Heh… Hah…”

“Are you, uh, having a hard time…?”

“No… I’m fine…”

Grace, being a magician, had relatively low stamina compared to others, and she began to pant.

Grace is someone who can handle magic power, so she’s usually alright stamina-wise, but the slope of the mountain was steep.

If things continued this way, it seemed Grace would be the first to collapse. I quietly sat down in front of her, who was noticeably struggling.

“…Sivar?”

“Come up.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come up.”

I gestured with two hands as if to say ‘hop on.’ Though I didn’t have eyes on my back, I could feel Grace hesitating.

I slightly turned my head back to ask her.

“Don’t want to?”

“Oh, no! Then, um… excuse me for a moment…”

Grace cautiously began to climb onto my back. Normally, she would have refused for the sake of her noble status.

But she was too exhausted, so such thoughts wouldn’t even cross her mind. When you’re on the brink of passing out, dignity becomes irrelevant.

Once Grace was on my back, I slowly stood up. I felt a soft sensation on my back, but it didn’t bother me much.

‘She definitely is heavy.’

Along with useless thoughts, I advanced towards the summit. Grace initially hesitated, but then quietly wrapped her arms around my neck.

It must be her first time being carried by someone since becoming an adult. The same applies to me; it’s my first time carrying someone since coming here.

I never even carried Eli, so I didn’t expect Grace to be the first.

“It’s spacious…”

“….”

“It’s solid…”

Grace mumbled something from behind. I let it flow through one ear and continued toward the mountain summit.

How long had we been climbing? Due to the steep incline, we reached the peak sooner than expected.

Moreover, from a certain point, stairs had been installed, so progressing was much easier.

“Oh. You’re a sister! Have you come to offer offerings?”

Upon reaching the top, a priestess greeted us at a sort of checkpoint.

She seemed to be someone who was familiar with Kara.

“Yes, I came to offer along with these people. Did anyone come ahead?”

“No. I heard everyone went looking for Gaia since they said it’s on top of the mountain.”

That wasn’t something to smile about. I knew users had discussed similar issues in the Soul World before.

Some even commented that being at the top of a mountain made movement paths seem absurd. It was a phenomenon caused by the lack of teleportation features.

While Kara chatted with the priestess, Grace quietly got down. She blushed slightly and expressed her gratitude.

“Oh, and instead of a person, there should be a squirrel.”

“Huh? A squirrel?”

Then I heard the priestess’s words, which were impossible to ignore. Not just me, but Luna seemed to turn her gaze sharply toward it.

When Kara asked what the priestess meant, she explained with a beaming smile.

“It was the last animal that came when Sister Kara was leaving. It swaggered in with an acorn on its shoulder.”

“And then?”

“It put the acorn on the altar and bowed. It was truly fascinating.”

No one could deny that it was 100% Porori. It seems it followed Kara and found the altar by chance.

But then again, I wonder if it’s alright for a spirit creature to be discovered. I concluded the priestess could be trusted since she’s also a follower of Gulrak.

As I was taken aback by Porori’s extraordinary actions…

Rumble!

A foreboding sound rumbled from the sky.

Crash!

A blue lightning bolt struck down.

Right above my head.

“…?”

Wait, what the hell?

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