Chapter 77 : New Abilities

I traveled for two more days in the direction Luna was guiding me.

As much as I wanted to head straight to Mount Transen, there was no guarantee that the three people would still be at the Transen Mountain Church, especially after Robert had stirred things up there.

Even if I arrived and saw visions of the past with eyes that pierced through truth, it was uncertain where they might be now.

Rather than risk complicating things by crossing paths at the wrong time, it seemed wiser to first gather more allies who could become a source of strength.

After directly fighting underground worms in the darkness-filled cathedral, I also felt more strongly that there was no way forward as things stood.

Though I never got to see Linian fight in the game, the way she spoke always gave off the strong impression that she was hiding incredible power.

And in reality, Ravi and Elfin, who sensed her mana, had been terrified and trembling.

If it’s Linian, she’d be more than enough as a fighting force.

And considering Linian ran a fortune-telling shop that knew and traded in all sorts of happenings in the world, there was a high chance she’d also know where Ravi, Elfin, and Lenis were.

The only problem was whether Luna was actually leading me in the right direction.

“You seem to be looking at me with a gaze full of doubt and contempt.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“……”

Luna narrowed her eyes at me once before moving ahead to lead the way again.

“There’s no reason for you to doubt me. Even though I’ve lost my divinity, I lived as a god for countless years. I can sense where my creations are—especially the first ones—even with my eyes closed.”

“A being who lived as a god for so long collapsed from hunger because she didn’t know how to eat or drink water, and then got a stomachache from trying to eat an entire day’s worth of food in one go?”

“……Even for someone who was a god, mistakes are bound to happen when trying something for the first time. Surely you haven’t been perfect the first time you tried something either?”

In other words, this former goddess was asking me, “Were you perfect from the start?”

It was both pitiful and funny, and I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

She, this precious ex-goddess, who didn’t even have the basic survival instinct as a living being, clearly didn’t realize that any normal human would’ve either died from eating a poisonous mushroom or done something about their hunger before just sitting down and starving to death.

“So, where is Linian right now?”

“Seems like she’s at Lake Campbell.”

Lake Campbell was one of the recovery spots in the game that you could reach by traversing a truly rugged path.

Its healing power was so great that even serious curses or status ailments would be cured by simply soaking in the lake.

It wasn’t a place most people sought out because getting there was a hassle—but of all places, she’s there…

Still, what had she been doing after leaving Liberta that ended with her at that lake?

“What is she doing there?”

“I won’t know the details until we go and see for ourselves… but there’s hardly any movement. Lake Campbell is a place I personally infused with a part of my divinity, so it possesses powerful healing abilities for the creatures of this world. If she’s submerged in the lake and still not moving…”

“Is she injured?”

“That’s the most likely explanation.”

“But Linian is supposed to be incredibly strong. What could she have possibly been doing to end up so badly hurt that she’d need to soak in that lake?”

“I have a few guesses, but for now they’re just speculation. Let’s meet her first and hear from her directly.”

And so, we headed toward the mountain where Lake Campbell was located.

After another two full days of walking, we arrived at the base of a steep cliff at the start of the mountain.

The problem was… the mountain looked so treacherous, it seemed impossible to climb.

‘Even Ravi or Elfin would throw up their hands at this.’

Even Ravi, who could leap around like a rabbit, and Elfin, who could summon plants to climb on, would probably take one look at this cliff—so sheer and towering it looked like it had been carved straight down—and think twice.

In the game, this was one of those places that you couldn’t even reach without proper equipment.

Just getting there was a trial in itself, let alone making it to the lake…

“?”

Luna blinked at me with wide eyes, as if asking what I was doing.

“What?”

“Aren’t you going?”

“How’s a person supposed to climb that with bare hands?”

“I left behind some of my divinity for you, didn’t I?”

“…?”

“?”

Now that I thought about it, I’d been so preoccupied taking care of this precious little goddess that I hadn’t even thought to check on myself.

Luna just stared at me with a face like she was asking something totally obvious.

Getting that kind of look from her really annoyed me for some reason.

Grumbling internally, I checked my own status.

▶You have merged with divinity and fully regained the authority of ‘One Who Defies Fate.’ The power, effect, and duration of all usable abilities have greatly increased.◀

▶You can now use: ‘Ascension of Light,’ ‘Descent,’ and ‘Bifröst.’◀

▶Ascension of Light: Create temporary wings of light and fly for a short time. While the wings are active, you gain strong resistance to dark magic, curses, and hexes, and deal devastating damage to those tainted by them. All light-based abilities become more powerful during this time.◀

▶Descent: Can only be used during Ascension of Light. Fuse with light and dive from the sky with tremendous force, sweeping the area below in a wave of light. Using Descent ends the effects of Ascension of Light.◀

▶Bifröst: Create a bridge of light that allows instant travel to any location. Only one bridge can exist at a time. It remains until destroyed by a powerful force or deactivated by the user. The bridge transports the user and any chosen companions to the destination. Those tainted by dark magic or curses cannot cross it.◀

A decent arsenal of useful abilities, it seemed.

Among the new abilities, what stood out the most was the one called Bifröst.

It created something like a moving walkway, and if that was true, then it meant that no matter how treacherous the cliffs of Mount Campbell were, I could bypass them completely.

In this world, where transportation was painfully primitive compared to the modern era, this might very well be one of the most important powers one could have.

“It seems you now have the ability to reach Lake Campbell.”

“You saw glimpses of our world back in yours. If you remember what Lake Campbell looks like, try picturing it while imagining a gentle stream of starlight connecting the two locations like a silken river in the sky.”

Following Luna’s instructions, I closed my eyes and visualized the mountain base we were standing on, and the distant view of Lake Campbell high above—then imagined a shimmering bridge of light connecting the two.

“You can open your eyes now.”

When I opened them, to my surprise, a golden bridge of light had materialized before me.

It didn’t have steps or joints—more like a long, smooth roll of silk than a traditional bridge—but it was real and solid all the same.

When I reached out to touch it in awe, a soft, warm sensation flowed through my fingers.

“Amazing.”

“This was the method I used to travel long distances when I was still a god. Creating something like this is as natural to me as breathing, so passing the knowledge on to you was no trouble. Even if you belittle and disregard me.”

…So she had been holding a grudge.

As soon as I stepped onto the golden bridge, it began to shift and reshape itself, forming a slight incline and backrest so I could sit comfortably.

Even though the bridge stretched nearly straight up the mountainside, I was able to settle in with ease.

Luna, naturally, followed me and sat behind me as if it were second nature—which made sense, since this power originally belonged to her.

Once we were both seated, the Bifröst began to move like a conveyor belt, carrying us smoothly up the sheer cliffs of the mountain.

Crossing a mountain that might’ve taken days on foot, we glided up with ease.

The surrounding landscape opened up before me, so beautiful and serene that for a moment I forgot I was separated from Ravi, Elfin, and Lenis.

At the far end of the Bifröst, the golden bridge landed gently on the mist-shrouded ground at the edge of Lake Campbell.

As soon as we stepped off, the bridge vanished, and the mysterious, otherworldly landscape of the lake spread out before us.

The lake was vast, and with the fog hanging thick over it, I couldn’t make out much with my own eyes—but Luna’s gaze sharpened.

Her expression turned sorrowful as she looked toward what must have been the center of the lake.

“Such terrible injuries… poor child…”

“Injuries? Linian’s?”

“I need to examine her condition. In a weakened state like this, Linian becomes very wary of outsiders. Let me go first.”

Luna’s white dress fluttered in the lake breeze as she slowly stepped toward the water’s edge.

Then she stepped onto the lake’s surface, walking toward the center like she still possessed her divine powers—

SPLASH!

As if that would actually work! She was human now, all out of divine power!

“Puhah…! Cough, cough!”

Watching Luna dive face-first into the water after trying to walk on it like it was nothing, I let out a long sigh and pulled her out of the lake.

Then I created another Bifröst bridge to the lake’s center, and we headed together toward where Linian was.

13

After walking a bit, we came upon a woman with blue hair, half-submerged in the lake and surrounded by a bubble-like barrier.

Her entire body was covered in horrifically deep wounds—it was a wonder she was even still alive.

Luna reached out with a pained expression to touch the bubble Linian was in.

That was when Linian’s eyes snapped open and she immediately went on alert.

“Who goes the—wait, huh?!”

Linian, not noticing me at first, froze at the sight of the golden bridge and the woman in white standing before her.

Then, in a voice full of disbelief, she shouted:

“M-Mom?!”