Chapter 263

Chapter 263. Reunion and Infiltration (6)

If I had to compare it to something, it felt similar to when Agnotia had groped around me.

After the sacrificial incident, Agnotia no longer hung around my surroundings.

But it definitely felt similar.

‘Did Agnotia cover for her?’

With that kind of authority, how?

If Agnotia was truly behind it, it would mean she’s colluding with the traitors.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised even if that were true.

I had suspected it multiple times already.

As I watched the black mist completely obscuring my view for a moment.

‘There’s nothing more I can find out.’

I retracted the authority.

‘The interrogation can wait until Irel wakes up.’

I decided to look around the lab while Irel was unconscious.

After all, what’s left here could also be considered records if you look at it one way.

Perhaps they didn’t expect me to chase them all the way here.

Related materials were left entirely intact.

‘Shackles, infusion, release, status……’

Parchments filled with letters, numbers, various doodles, and magic circles.

By scrutinizing them closely, I could grasp the big picture.

‘As expected, they were experimenting with divinity infusion.’

Understanding the basic theory wasn’t too difficult.

‘It was based on black magic.’

It wasn’t a surprising revelation.

If you think about it, even players’ growth principles resemble black magic to some extent.

‘The basic principle of black magic is to absorb the power of other beings to get stronger.’

And whether a being who has amassed a status so immense that they are called gods is involved in the process or not.

That was the core difference between players and those who dabbled in black magic.

‘Damned System could have been designed emulating the principles of black magic.’

Considering origins, black magic predates the game.

It seemed Irel had thoughts similar to the system.

Hence, the attempt to create another mutant by infusing divinity.

‘Interesting……’

I dedicated significant time and effort to delve into the research Irel was conducting.

It turned out to be surprisingly beneficial.

Irel’s handiwork wasn’t only about creating Inheritance Candidates.

There were also records of experiments conducted using messeo.

Research aimed at nullifying a god’s authority and sending forces to desired places.

Going through that series of records revealed how the hole was created.

‘The so-called Vanguard, it’s Karklein’s authority.’

It seemed the irregular entity named Karklein possessed the authority to utilize dimensional rifts.

The moment I understood the existence of the black hands that would erupt from the void at every turn.

It was possible to nullify Temoria’s authority because they used the hole created by that power.

‘The powers possessed by these irregular entities can be used as a means to counter divinity.’

Then, why haven’t they used that power to free the Biharin’s shackles?

The answer to that question was simple.

‘Since it was created by the combined power of the 7 Great Gods, irregular entities alone can’t undo it.’

There simply wasn’t enough total power.

That’s why mages started to seek a way to break the god’s shackles through their own means.

The conclusion they reached was to disrupt the consensus of the gods by leveraging one of the seven divinities.

“Hm…”

The content gave me much to ponder.

The first question that sprang to mind.

‘Does it mean that the mages were the ones who harmed Palao?’

If they hunted down a divinity-bearing entity and extracted the divinity for use in this experiment.

It also explains the actions of the mages who continued their experiments by gathering pieces of divinity.

‘Worth considering for now.’

The next question that arose.

‘Does it mean the shackles can be undone just by inheriting Palao’s divinity perfectly?’

If that were true, I could achieve my goal for coming to Irel without even needing to interrogate her.

‘There’s no need to keep her alive to find out more.’

I could just wait here and let Gilenios take me to the next trial site.

To think I would discover my goals through the interrogation process like this.

‘Let’s wait and see.’

I decided to be cautious since nothing was yet confirmed.

Going after other mages now would also be inefficient.

There’s no guarantee that a mage would be linked to the Inheritance Candidate research.

It seemed wiser to wait a few more hours than to regret killing Irel prematurely.

I swept all of Irel’s remaining records into my inventory.

The inventory would soon disappear, but I wasn’t particularly worried.

I had already prepared a countermeasure.

‘Incidentally, they were selling a Mana Accumulation Tool at the auction house.’

To a player with an inventory, it wasn’t exactly a valuable item.

Because of that, it hadn’t been sold even after being listed for over two weeks.

‘However, I knew my inventory would disappear soon.’

So I bought it. Just as soon as I reached the island, I hung the leather pouch, an inter-dimensional Magic Tool, around Rice Cake’s neck.

Having gleaned more than I expected from Irel’s research records, I found myself much more relaxed.

As a result, I spent time more leisurely going through the materials.

“Ugh…”

At the end of that wait, Irel, who had fainted, finally woke up.

I shoved each remaining unread document into the inventory.

Then I approached the chair where Irel was tightly bound.

I had used ropes to tie her up physically, and a binding magic to seal her Mana as well.

Having continuously added Magic Stones, the timer had ample time left.

‘I should be able to resolve everything within that time.’

I turned the nearby chair around with the backrest facing Irel and sat down.

And waited a moment longer for Irel, who had lost consciousness and lay there motionless, to awaken.

‘Took quite a while.’

Had I known it would be this effective, I would have activated it in the submission phase rather than the nullification phase.

As I waited for Irel to regain consciousness, I recalled the explanations I had heard when purchasing the restraint device.

-At the warning phase, it inflicts a level of pain that is barely endurable.

Typically, it’s enough to leave one screaming and buckling over.

The aftereffects aren’t severe, allowing them to recover after some time.

When Rashar activated Ahel’s restraint in front of me, it was exactly at that warning phase.

-While at the submission phase, it delivers severe pain to the point of rendering one immobile.

In this phase, one loses control over their body.

They’re not in a state to do anything on their own.

However, since consciousness is rarely lost, they’ve left to suffer through intense pain.

Many show symptoms of paralysis due to the aftereffects.

-The final nullification phase…

At the moment of activation, it simply snuffs out consciousness.

It literally renders the opponent completely incapacitated.

Due to the immediate loss of consciousness, Irel slipped into unconsciousness with eyes rolled back and crumpled helplessly.

Despite being the most potent phase, unlike submission, it is said to leave no aftereffects.

‘I used the strongest one to ensure effectiveness.’

I hadn’t anticipated she would remain unconscious for this long.

‘Being a device designed by mages to control other mages, it wouldn’t have any loopholes, I suppose.’

Mulling over these thoughts alone as I waited, I soon saw Irel’s eyelids flinch.

With an indifferent gaze, I watched her long eyelashes fluttering as I leaned my arms on the chair’s backrest.

And just as I made eye contact with Irel, who bleary-eyedly blinked away the drowsiness.

“Surprised to see me?”

I said with a conspicuous grin.

“Didn’t I say we’d meet again?”

Irel’s blue eyes instantly turned spiteful at my words.

Knowing her personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if she lunged to cut my throat immediately.

But Irel wouldn’t be able to touch a single strand of my hair.

I was the one most likely to fulfill what they desperately desire.

‘She referred to her success as a ‘half-wit’.’

In the ten days of records that I had access to, Irel frequently used terms like half-wit or half-baked.

Various parchments scattered around the lab contained similar words.

‘Implying they weren’t satisfied with their results.’

But unlike that half-wit, I am an Inheritance Candidate crafted by direct divine intervention.

Naturally, there will be disparities in degree of completion.

Unlike their half-baked creation, I possess the means to seize a status.

Though issues concerning authority remain ambiguous.

Still, I am superior in many ways compared to their Inheritance Candidate.

‘Evidently, they’re aware of that fact.’

They therefore wouldn’t miss an opportunity to utilize me when it presented itself.

I decided to inform them of the opportunity that awaited.

Buzz.

The first thing I did was establish a Divine Canopy to shield us from the gods’ gaze using divinity.

“You know how to unbind the shackles placed upon you by the 7 Great Gods, right?”

Only then did I disclose the long-held intention within my heart.

“Explain it to me, how can they be undone?”

This made my and Irel’s objectives align temporarily in this moment.

“… Why are you interested in that?”

Therefore, they couldn’t kill me easily.

‘Of course, the same applied to me.’

With records obscured by them, I required Irel’s cooperation to learn the exact method of undoing the shackles.

‘This is something I absolutely cannot ask the System or the gods about.’

Both sides oppose the Biharin crossing over to Earth, at least.

Hence, the only ones who could assist me with this issue were traitors like Irel.

We found ourselves in a predicament where we couldn’t harm each other until we achieved our respective desires.

That meant…

‘The first to achieve their objective holds the most options.’

It was a game where the one who accomplished their goal first had more choices.

With no need for excuses, I opted to be truthful.

“I’m not someone as rational and perfect as you.”

Irel’s lips twitched conspicuously.

“That’s why I’m thinking of doing something foolish like saving those whom extraordinary mages like you have abandoned.”

Using divinity to shield the gods’ gaze was why I decided to help.

‘If the Damned System knew, it would flip out and try to stop me.’

But that’s a decision only possible for the System.

I too agreed that the System’s decision was the best.

‘Yet I can’t make exactly the same decision.’

I’m just an ordinary, morally gray person.

Someone who can calculate gains and losses and use their head.

I can’t be an entirely emotionless, purely rational entity.

The calculations of gain and loss are only possible when faced with solvable problems.

Being unaware of a way to save billions of lives, ignoring and turning my back on it.

‘I can’t bear that.’

I’m not a magnificent being capable of withstanding the guilt I’d have to endure due to that choice.

Ultimately, my desire to save the Biharin was for my sake too.

‘Perhaps Palao knew as much.’

Which might be why she chose me as the Inheritance Candidate.

‘Honestly, whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter now.’

I had already made my decision.

‘For myself, not for them.’

I would save the Biharin.

To do so, I had to avoid the gaze of the Biharin’s gods and the System.

That was why I first learned to use divinity.

Thanks to that, I had been able to keep my conversations with Vellego hidden and continued my clandestine interactions with Irel smoothly.

“So don’t complicate things and cooperate willingly.”

After all, it would also benefit them.

“It would surely be unwise to place hope in a half-wit when you don’t have much time left, right?”

The Biharin was already crumbling.

Before this world completely vanished, they had to break free from the shackles and find a way to depart.

‘Penetrating Temoria’s barrier with messeo, too, was a result of seeking that method, besides linking it to places like a gate.’

Having learned about their circumstances through the research records, I wasn’t in a hurry despite the prolonged silence from Irel.

“… Release this first.”

I wasn’t surprised when I heard those words either.

I lightly weaved Mana to cut the ropes binding Irel.

She scowled as she rubbed her arms.

Then casting a wary glance at me, she turned around.

As soon as she saw her now-empty lab, she flinched and shuddered.

“You, you…! What happened to all of my research?!”

“Of course, I took it with me.”

Though feigning nonchalance, I observed her response attentively.

Damned System