Chapter 214: The Most Dangerous Creature in the World Is… (1)

The first thing Lee Han felt when he woke up was the prickly pain assaulting his head and the sensation of the world being turned upside down.

“Ugh…”

He felt like he had a hangover. A terrible hangover to be exact. It felt as if his mind and body had been separated for so long and were finally merged together again.

This was just his guess but, when he recalled his conversation with the [Guardian], it felt as if his mind was stuck in that gate thing or whatever. It was probably because of that that he felt such a great disconnect between his mind and body.

And as if to prove this guess…

“…Are these guys dead?”

“…”

“…”

“No they aren’t. They’re just out of it…”

Maximus and Lake. These two were currently lying on the ground with their eyes closed. Lee Han even said something right beside them and yet they didn’t react to it. Considering their prowess as a knight, this wasn’t supposed to happen.

Even though their heart was beating and they were breathing, they didn’t feel as powerful as usual, so he concluded that they were in a coma. In other words, their minds were trapped in the gate he had just been in.

“…This is gonna take a while, isn’t it?”

Lee Han didn’t know how he could be so sure about this, but he knew for certain that they’d take some time to pass through the gate. In his case, he had unintentionally met the ‘conditions’ for passing through, but there was no guarantee that these two would be as lucky as him. Although at the very least, they were at the same level as him or maybe even better in terms of the soul strength that the Guardian had mentioned, so they wouldn’t be drowned in the gate’s illusionary world.

But…

Even if it takes a while, they’re sure gonna wake up…right?

While he was certain, he couldn’t be 100% sure. However, instead of worrying about them, he decided to look around a bit more. And less than 10 seconds later…

“To think I will get to see things like this in my life.”

He couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

[Sacred Treasury].

It turned out, the treasure vault where the Holy Relic was kept was literally a ‘Painting-like world’.

…No, to be more specific.

Is this world made with watercolor?

Lee Han, who felt like he had become a resident of a mysterious world that seemed to have been painted, couldn’t shake off his surprise for a while.

If Lee Han were to name this watercolor world, he thought that calling it [Museum] would be appropriate. Even though it looked like the Parthenon at a glance, considering the various relics on display inside, it gave up more of a museum vibe.

“Oh…”

Whoosh-!

Even walking through this world felt strange to him. He felt like he was walking on water, or rather on paint. The more he walked, the more he felt like he was sinking into a swamp.

However, as if to show that the feeling was just a minor feeling of strangeness, the moment he entered the museum, he found himself feeling immediately overwhelmed.

Hwaaaaaaaak-!

“…”

What laid before him was countless amounts of holy relics—each and every single one of them exuded an incredible presence. None of these were fakes, they were all genuine. If even one of them was released to the world, the whole world would buzz in excitement.

Yet, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of such treasures inside the Sacred Treasury. So on top of feeling overwhelmed, he also felt a strong pressure that made it feel like he’d be crushed to death.

If he hadn’t trained his body to the limit, his body would have exploded long ago.

Splash-!

“…These things are here, but I can’t touch any of them.”

After he overcame the pressure that was overwhelming him and tried to touch one of the relics, he couldn’t feel anything on the tip of his fingers. Instead felt as if he had touched water.

The relic was definitely a solid object, but his hand just passed through it as if it was liquid. Moreover, this phenomenon wasn’t limited to the relic he was trying to touch.

“So, every single one of them is like this, huh?”

Indeed. Every relic here was impossible to touch, as if it was made of liquid, even though it was clearly solid.

Mirror Image.

It was like the moon reflected in water or a flower reflected in a mirror that could be seen with the eyes but couldn’t be grasped with the hands.

As expected, things aren’t that simple.

Well, this was only natural. After all, this place was a mysterious treasury where countless Holy Relics slept. A single Mystic could already be considered as a miracle, but there were hundreds to thousands of treasures that contained such Mystics inside…

In one way, the fact that the mystical phenomenon that occurred was something on this level was more cute than anything.

They could even call the spirits of my enemies from my previous life if they want to, so this is most likely just a child play.

After confirming that he couldn’t touch the various Holy Relics in front of him, Lee Han just stopped trying.

No matter how much he tried, this was something that was beyond him.

And so…

“What should I do now?”

This made him not know what to do next.

-Stealing the Holy Relic won’t be easy.

Actually, Lee Han got some advice before coming to the Great Temple..

From whom?

-What do you mean, Elder?

From Raphael, of course, his accomplice who wasn’t really an accomplice.

-There is a prohibition in effect on this matter, so I can’t tell you even if I wanted to. In fact, no one can recite information about the Sacred Treasury. No one can leave any information on it behind, whether it’s vocally or in writing.

-?

-So, I can only give you this advice. Just do ‘whatever you are guided to’. That should be sufficient.

-…What are you talking about?

-Hehe, the Light will guide you.

-??

“…I still can’t understand his hint.”

Even after he recalled his words from that time, Lee Han was still confused. After all, his words weren’t something he could just use. On the contrary, it only deepened his doubts.

“…I don’t think anything is guiding me, Elder…”

He respected that Elder a lot, he really did. But in time like this, he found him quite annoying.

Please explain it in a way that I can understand…

“Just what did he mean by the Light will guide me?”

[Don’t overthink it. That elder explained it well. If you follow the guidance, you’ll find the answer.]

“That’s nonsense on the same level as ‘As long as you believe in X, you’ll be blessed’.”

[You, how disrespectful!]

“Disrespectful? Ha, I can be even harsher than this, you know? I’m still holding—”

Hm?

Who am I talking with?

For a moment, Lee Han just tilted his head and blinked his eyes repeatedly.

At that moment, something suddenly popped out of a place where he was sure no one was, so as a human being, he couldn’t help but be startled. He was so startled, in fact, that he threw a punch in reflex. Unfortunately, the punch flew without hitting his opponent.

Whoosh-!

To be exact, his fist passed through as if he hit some kind of liquid—the same phenomenon that occurred when he tried to touch the Holy Relics.

[What a violent guy.]

“…You?”

[Yes, it’s me. We meet again]

-The Guardian.

Raising its head stiffly, the Guardian in the form of an Aegithalos introduced itself.

Lee Han already had a feeling that today was a day when he’d experience many unusual experiences. He had entered the Sacred Treasury, met old acquaintances in a strange space called the gate, and now…

…There’s a talking Aegithalos in front of me.

Indeed, you just need to live long enough to see this many strange things.

[Stop giving me that weird look. We were talking just 10 minutes ago, right?]

“But that’s what makes it more strange?”

I thought I’d never see this guy again and yet here he is…

[Is that so?]

“Forget about it. What are you anyway? I thought you could only live at the gate?”

It was natural for Lee Han to be bewildered. After all, the small bird was a being who gave off a mysterious vibe and even gave him trials and tribulations. The bird even ended their encounter while giving off a mysterious vibe.

Yet, for some reason, the being came out to meet him again.

However…

[Then should I go? I was going to help you, but it seems like you don’t need my help.]

“…”

[Should I go now?]

“…N-no.”

I never expected that an Aegithalos would have such diverse expressions…

It was a little annoying that it could make such an annoying smile, but he was the one who was at the being’s mercy here.

In fact, he should consider this sudden meeting as a stroke of luck. And of course, he had absolutely no intention of fighting over something useless.

Still…

“But why did you show yourself? Also, why in that form?”

He should still ask what needed to be asked.

[Humans like cute creatures, no? If I approach them in this form, they’ll let their guard down. Hence why I will take on this form in front of humans when possible. Although I can turn into cats or dogs if you prefer that.]

“You know humans really well, don’t you? Anyway, forget it. It’s better to have a productive conversation than spend time playing around with transformations.”

[I really like that rational approach.]

The Aegithalos flapped its wings and rejoiced. For a moment there, Lee Han had to admit that the Guardian was indeed, extremely clever.

So cute. Fuck, why is it so cute…?

Not only did its snow-white fur look so shiny and smooth, Even its flesh looked so soft that one could mistake it as a plushy. It also carried this elegant atmosphere.

The more Lee Han looked at it, the more he felt affection towards it. He couldn’t help but give it high marks for properly learning how to delve into people’s psychology.

At that moment…

[Indeed, it’s definitely something worth questioning about. You must be wondering why I, the Guardian, showed myself in front of you, an illegal intruder.]

“…”

But, even though the Aegithalos had a cute appearance, its atmosphere was anything but. So, Lee Han hardened his expression. He didn’t want to think about it too much, but the sudden appearance and the atmosphere surrounding the guardian gave him an ominous feeling.

As expected…

[It’s because none other than…]

Whoosh-!

[Huh?! W-Why are you like that all of a sudden? Did I do something wrong?]

“No, you didn’t. It’s just that, it seems like they came to us first.”

[…Ah.]

The Aegithalos didn’t understand the situation for a moment, but a beat later, it also felt what he felt and flapped its wings loudly.

Before Lee Han could even see its movement properly…

Bang-!

He already blew the head off an opponent who was trying to pounce on him. In an instant, a Dullahan with a separated head and body was born, but unfortunately, the opponent did not have enough achievements to become a real Dullahan and died.

However, unlike Lee Han, his opponent was blessed with the power of friendship.

Whoosh-!

Whoosh-!

One by one, guys who wore the same clothes as the guy whose head had just exploded gathered. Just from a simple glance, Lee Han could easily see over fifty of them.

However, rather than shaking, he just looked straight ahead with a calm gaze.

“…”

Of course, he wasn’t looking ahead to put his guard up against these guys.

But rather…

“Oh my, we’ve already been hit?”

…Towards the four signs that made him sure that he couldn’t let his guard down.

[Can you kick them out? I’ll do you a favor if you can do it.]

“…Even if you don’t ask me to do that, I’d do it.”

Because he felt like if he didn’t kill them, they’d just tear him apart instead.