Chapter 116

Chapter 116
## Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Fantastic Baby

Hel emerged from the spatial rift with a peculiar, shrill cackle.

Unlike the other beings labeled as “Orthodox,” this one did not possess several sets of wings.

Yet, even with only a single pair, Hel’s presence alone was potent enough to command the undivided attention of everyone present.

“……”

Even those who had been relentlessly bragging about the prowess of their own Orthodox fell silent.

“……”

Even those who had been mocking and looking down upon the Orthodox summoned by others.

“……”

Even the individual hidden behind the number one golden mask.

-Kyakyakyakya!

The entire room became deathly quiet, every gaze fixed on Hel, who was currently roosting on top of my head.

It was an unavoidable reaction.

They could clearly perceive the disparity—the massive chasm—between the “Orthodox” they had called forth and the one I held.

“Those wings are……”

“White?”

“Is that… some kind of crossbreed?”

Those who had carried themselves as if they possessed all the wisdom in the world, who had looked down on others with such vanity, found themselves unable to even categorize Hel correctly.

One wing of pure white and one of deepest black.

In contrast to the uniform black wings of the other Orthodox, it was an impossible sight to ignore.

A genuine hybrid. A mixture.

What caused this divergence?

‘The Spirit Tower, Trial of Chaos. It happened at the very peak.’

During my ascent of the Spirit Tower within the Dryad Forest.

At the conclusion of the Trial of Chaos, I had finally discovered the Heavenly Spirit Egg.

I thought back to the details of the spirit egg I had viewed at that time.

★ An egg of mysterious origin that descended from the ‘Heavenly Realm,’ the terminus of light, shadow, and entropy.

★ Only a ‘Heavenly’ entity possesses the sight to find it and the power to hatch it.

Only two brief lines.

However, those two lines were more than sufficient to define the egg’s worth.

‘An egg that fell from the Heavenly Realm. A creature that only a Heavenly can perceive and bring to life.’

That creature was Hel.

Still, that single requirement felt a bit inadequate to explain why it was so different from the other “Orthodox.”

There had to be a more fundamental reason for the divide between them and Hel.

My intuition?

‘Polluted Honor.’

The Demigod Trait Dungeon.

That nightmare-inducing zone that everyone labeled as a suicide mission, which even a powerhouse like Wilhelm failed to conquer!

After I took down the Demigod Dungeon Master there, Hel soaked up all the overflowing “Polluted Honor” radiating from him and finally shattered its shell.

That was the primary catalyst for Hel’s emergence.

Certainly, Hel might have been unique compared to other Orthodox from the beginning, but every stage of its discovery and birth was out of the ordinary.

Those distinctions piled up to form the Hel that existed today.

Naturally, it could never be identical to an Orthodox brought forth through conventional methods.

“…I find it hard to credit even with my own sight… but it truly appears to be the twelfth ‘Orthodox’.”

“But why does an Orthodox have white wings?”

“Can it even command ‘Reaper Power’?”

“That’s not possible. That Orthodox is barely out of the shell. It doesn’t even look like it has been properly nourished.”

“Hmm, that stands to reason. An Orthodox only shows its real potential starting from the third wing.”

The owners behind the golden masks spoke up one after another as they scrutinized Hel.

Its looks were striking, but a specific phrase grabbed my interest.

‘Reaper Power?’

That seemed to be the name for the specific energy the Orthodox utilized.

They claimed Hel couldn’t tap into it yet because it was a newborn.

Beyond just halting or initiating warps, it implied they were capable of manifesting other supernatural feats.

-Kiki?

-Kekekekeke!

-Kuhuhuhu!

…And then, a startling event took place.

The other Orthodox, which had gone stone-silent the moment Hel arrived—as if they were following a script—suddenly erupted into a noisy chatter, swarming around Hel.

“Hold on. What are they doing?”

“I’ve never witnessed anything like this before…”

The patrons scowled in bewilderment, casting sharp looks at their own Orthodox.

Disregarding the stares of their masters, the Orthodox quickly formed a complete circle around Hel.

It looked as if they were performing some sort of ceremony.

Were they thrilled to encounter one of their own kind?

Were they honoring the birth of a new peer?

Or was there some different motivation entirely?

There was no way to tell.

Neither for them nor for me.

‘Orthodox and Orthodox Successor.’

Regardless, what they referred to as Orthodox was undeniably what Hel was.

But there was a slight difference in the terminology.

Orthodox implied a shared heritage, a common bloodline.

And back when Hel first woke up.

【Heavenly Spirit】

【Orthodox Successor】

The system had explicitly identified it as an “Orthodox Successor.”

That status remained unchanged.

The status window hovering clearly above its head, which only I could see, was proof.

‘If the other Orthodox shared that exact label, they wouldn’t call them Orthodox—they’d call them Successors.’

That was the source of my doubt.

Why use the term “Orthodox” specifically?

If every one of them was an “Orthodox Successor,” wouldn’t “Successor” be the more logical shorthand than “Orthodox”?

Who would see the title “Orthodox Successor” and decide to shorten it to “Orthodox”?

I sank into deep thought.

‘If there were originally a dozen eggs in the Heavenly Realm, and Hel was the lone one that fell…’

Their assertion that there “couldn’t be a twelfth Orthodox” actually made sense.

If they were unaware that an egg had fallen, they wouldn’t conceive of a twelfth existing.

But the real issue was the birth requirement.

Only a “Heavenly” could trigger Hel’s hatching.

‘Does that mean all these people possess Heavenly?’

Did every person here have the same hidden Heavenly trait that I did?

No.

I shook my head mentally.

No matter how vast the Empire was or how many secrets it held, obtaining Heavenly had drained a staggering amount of my SP.

It was a hidden trait that was unreachable without an immense hoard of SP.

Unless they had traded away the wealth of the entire world, there was no way all eleven of them had it.

Heavenly was unique, even among other rare hidden traits.

And to suggest these people were “Heavenly” themselves? They appeared far too human for that.

‘…They are all human.’

Unquestionably human.

And I was certain that humans were incapable of becoming Heavenly.

The Heavenly Spirit Egg had clearly “descended” from the boundaries of light, darkness, and chaos.

If they didn’t have the Heavenly trait and weren’t Heavenly beings themselves, how did their Orthodox ever hatch?

‘Their Orthodox likely never had the requirement that only a Heavenly could hatch them in the first place.’

Unlike Hel, theirs probably lacked that specific restriction.

“…What on earth is happening?”

“It looks like they are performing a chant or a prayer.”

-Kyakyakyakya!

If it was indeed a chant, Hel was unmistakably the leader of the choir.

One thing was clear: all the Orthodox were in a state of “bliss.”

“……”

The assembly watched the display in stunned silence for a long period.

“Now that the uncertainty has been resolved, shall we commence the ‘Banquet’?”

How much time had slipped by?

As the rhythmic chorus persisted, the man in the golden mask finally spoke.

The Reapers’ Banquet. He was giving the signal to start.

He went on.

“First, let us verify the ‘harvest.’ We have twenty-five confirmed sinners from this Darkan Territory ‘harvest’.”

“Is that all?”

“Weren’t those the ones you gathered with so much effort?”

“I expected at least fifty.”

The group responded with various tones of surprise.

For a collection led by the golden mask, the number of sinners seemed low.

The golden mask then shifted his gaze toward me.

“That is because the black goat here won our wager. Because of you, I have learned that even my own perception isn’t always flawless.”

“A wager involving your ‘sinner-detecting’ eye?”

“Precisely.”

“…And you were defeated?”

“Yes. I lost.”

The golden mask confessed his defeat without hesitation.

The looks the other masked patrons gave me changed.

It wasn’t as shocking as when Hel first appeared, but besting the golden mask in a bet was still a noteworthy feat.

“Regardless, every sinner taken from the Darkan Territory this time will be served for the Banquet.”

“Well, isn’t that a given?”

“If that’s the extent of it, it’s quite a letdown.”

The golden mask let out a small laugh.

“Naturally, if that were the whole of it, I wouldn’t be worthy of leading the Banquet.”

In that very moment.

Sssrrrr!

Behind the man in the golden mask, figures dressed in black—the Reapers—began to materialize one by one.

Every Reaper held a small, flickering flame atop their scythe.

Peering closely into those flames revealed the tiny shapes of the “sinners” imprisoned inside.

Souls harvested by the Reapers.

Everyone’s attention suddenly locked onto one flame in particular.

It was a flame at least three times the size of any other.

“A ‘high-ranker’ from the top 100?”

“That’s… ‘StickyRiceBeanCake’! Ha. You did well to find him.”

……StickyRiceBeanCake?

‘StickyRiceBeanCake’ was a handle that frequently popped up in the top 100 of the Honor Hall main quest.

Were these people targeting more than just ordinary players? Were they hunting rankers too?

“Hahaha! Is that the finest thing you bring to the Banquet? You’re slipping, golden mask.”

The individual wearing the golden lion mask spoke up.

Reapers began to manifest behind him as well.

But these Reapers were strangely different.

Just like the Orthodox, these Reapers possessed horns.

“I have seized Gracia! No one here could have prepared a more magnificent ‘feast’ than this!”

“Oh? Gracia?”

“So you finally cornered that rat, did you?”

…Wait. They caught Gracia?

I felt a frown tugging at my brow and stared intently at the massive flame resting on the scythe of the three-horned Reaper.

There, beyond a doubt, was Gracia.

Trapped within the fire, standing perfectly still and devoid of expression.

But something was off.

“Why is he not struggling?”

“Is that truly Gracia?”

The souls trapped in the other flames were thrashing around, desperate to break free.

Yet Gracia didn’t move an inch, looking as static as a painting.

When I voiced my confusion, the patron in the golden lion mask provided an explanation.

“…An interloper got in the way, so I was only able to claim his ‘youth.’ However, I can now track his position in real-time. Besides—he will perish soon enough even if I do nothing.”

“Hmm. Then his soul will be yours before long.”

“Who was it that interfered?”

It was a bit of a setback, but his ultimate capture seemed certain.

When someone asked for the identity of the meddler, the golden lion replied.

“The ‘Star Awakener’.”

“The Star Awakener…”

“In any case, has anyone else prepared a ‘feast’ that surpasses mine?”

The others all shook their heads.

Even if only Gracia’s “youth” had been taken, it was still the most high-profile sinner captured.

Since no one else came forward, the golden lion broke into a boisterous laugh.

“Kahaha! Just as I thought. Nobody. Unless one of you managed to bag ‘Randolph’!”

They were even aware of me, the player known as Randolph.

From their conversation, it was clear they knew I had overtaken Gracia in the Honor Hall rankings.

Watching everyone’s reaction to the name “Randolph,” I was certain that I was their highest-priority target among players.

‘I absolutely cannot allow myself to be discovered.’

I had no intention of exposing my identity anyway, but I now made a mental vow to be even more careful.

Once all eleven patrons had called forth their “Reapers” to display their “feasts.”

“…Hmm, black goat. Your Orthodox still lacks ‘Reaper Power,’ so you have no feast to present for the Banquet.”

The golden mask addressed me.

Reaper Power evidently referred to the ability to command Reapers.

Naturally, the juvenile Hel wasn’t capable of summoning any.

“But do not be concerned. If you attempt the ‘Full Feast’ and ‘feed’ during this gathering, your Orthodox will acquire Reaper Power as well.”

“…You are granting a shot at the Full Feast to someone who brought nothing to the table?”

“Golden mask, isn’t that being a bit too charitable?”

“I was the one who caught Gracia first!”

The others began to protest.

The golden lion mask seemed particularly incensed.

The order of feeding was typically decided by the quality of the feasts presented.

The golden mask simply gave a shrug.

“Didn’t every one of you get to attempt the Full Feast during your ‘first Banquet’ because of the kindness of others? That is the tradition and the rule. Have you forgotten because it has been so long?”

“Hmm.”

“…Very well. But only the one chance.”

They gave in reluctantly.

Nodding at their agreement, the golden mask turned back to me.

“Black goat. Your ‘Orthodox’ will be the opening challenger of this ‘Banquet.’ This is also our opportunity to measure the capacity of your Orthodox.”

“What am I supposed to do, exactly?”

“Hmm. Your Orthodox ‘feeds’ on the ‘sinners’ we have provided. We call it a ‘Full Feast’ when a first-time challenger consumes every single sinner, though no Orthodox has ever managed it. If it fails to finish, the next Orthodox takes its turn to feed, and we continue until the flame is entirely put out.”

He wanted Hel to consume those souls.

The Orthodox utilized the souls of sinners as their primary fuel for growth.

But Hel had only ever fed on my “honor” up until now.

That might be the reason its growth had been so gradual.

-Kyakyakya?

Feeling my gaze on it, Hel hopped over to me.

Then it turned its eyes toward the “massive flame” resting on the table.

It was the combined fire of every sinner brought there.

Countless souls were held within!

“Most importantly, this ‘Sinners’ Flame’ is even larger than the ones at our previous Banquets. You are quite fortunate.”

The others gave slight nods of agreement to the golden mask’s statement.

He then studied Hel and spoke.

“Now, begin. Considering its current state, this will be your Orthodox’s ‘first meal,’ so let it feed until it is gorged. If it somehow achieves a ‘Full Feast,’ it might unlock immense ‘Reaper Power’.”

Just as the golden mask predicted, Hel was reacting to the “flame.”

-Kyakyakyakya!

Hel started to circle the fire with visible excitement.

Was it truly that desperate for this “meal”?

However, I couldn’t stop myself from wavering.

‘Every one of these souls is a player or a Pangenian.’

Allowing this went against every principle I had followed until now.

Why had I even come to this place?

Was it just idle curiosity about the Reaper Church?

‘…I have to put an end to the Four Evils.’

That wasn’t it at all.

To stop the Four Evils from laying waste to both Pangeniar and Earth, I had infiltrated this meeting.

Baal, who was born because of my own choices, had already dragged four neutral cities into the darkness.

I felt a profound sense of duty.

But if I acted without “certainty,” I might throw away my only opportunity, so I waited.

If I had snatched the Baal armor immediately after winning the wager, the golden mask would have used it as a pawn to demand even more from me.

So I couldn’t bring myself to command Hel to devour that flame filled with Pangenians and players.

-Kyakyakyakya!

In that fleeting moment.

Without waiting for my permission, Hel unhinged its jaws.

Whiiiiiish!

The flame flickered and swayed violently in the sudden rush of air.

“……!!!”

“……What?!”

And when the outcome became clear, I and everyone else in the room were left in a state of shock.

End and Completion (Revised)

Mercenary City Cartel.

To wipe out the Four Evil Baal, an enormous crowd had gathered once again in the final remaining neutral city.

‘…I still couldn’t locate the Hydragon’s Soul in the end.’

At the heart of the gathering was Gracia.

His white hair streamed in the wind as he gripped the unique-grade blade, ‘Blue Aurora.’

Despite a massive search effort, the Hydragon’s Soul had remained elusive.

Even the ‘Hero Alliance’ from Korea had dedicated all their resources to the search, but they had come up empty-handed.