Chapter 10 – He pushed his spirituality further to explore the inside of the stone tablet fragment. And then he was able to see some kind of illusion. It was an illusion that existed in ancient times, a long time ago.
An elderly man appears. The old man, whose white beard reached below his waist, reminded one of a hermit. And in front of the old man stood six disciples.
Charles found out that they were spiritual beings with tremendous power. Even though he was just watching the illusion, he could feel the trembling of the power they possessed.
There was a round table between the old man and the disciples, and surprisingly, the stone tablet of revelation was on the round table. It was not in the form of fragments but was a complete stone tablet of revelation.
When the old man stretched out his hands to the stone tablet of revelation, it began to emit an enormous light. At that moment, one disciple approached the old man and stabbed him with a dagger.
The old man shouted something at that betrayal, but it was not clear. All that could be heard was a name.
“Simon!”
The eyes of the disciple called Simon were filled with a huge and alien darkness. He said something and then laughed sneeringly.
The other disciples tried to stop the man called Simon but Simon was faster. When he reached out his hand, the stone tablet shattered into pieces.
Retrieving the dagger embedded in the old man’s body, he picked up one of the largest pieces of the stone tablet and fled. The stone tablet fragment emitted enormous light and heat.
Standing still, it seemed as if everyone there would disappear with an enormous explosion. Supporting their master, the disciples made a choice. They spoke something, but it was absolutely inaudible.
Only a name could be heard.
“Abraham!”
The man called Abraham drew the attention of the other disciples. It was a determined expression. He said something and reached out towards the largest fragment of the stone tablet.
“Mash.”
At those words, one of the remaining disciples stepped forward and nodded. He picked up a large fragment of the stone tablet and held it in his hands. The other disciples also picked up pieces and, without hesitation, embedded the stone tablet into their minds.
The objects that should have been blocked by their foreheads were absorbed into their heads without any resistance.
And then, with the remaining fragments, the old man squeezed out his last bit of strength and threw them into the sky. They pierced through space, completely leaving their world, and the memory ended there.
‘So, this was it. This was the secret the stone tablet of revelation held.’
Judging by the perspective, as if ascending to the sky, it was undoubtedly the stone tablet of revelation fragment that the old man sent into the sky. For some reason, Charles had obtained that fragment while playing the game, and that’s what caused this mess.
‘What were they trying to do with the stone tablet? What happens when the stone tablet of revelation is restored to its complete form?’
There were too many considerations, making it difficult to think. But one thing was certain. If one fragment of the stone tablet of revelation had enough power to send Charles to this world, then the other fragments would possess the same amount of power.
However, the stone tablet of revelation was shattered into too many pieces. He had briefly seen it, and it was quite fragmented, even excluding the six large fragments. That implied it would be very difficult to obtain them.
Realistically, Charles judged that he couldn’t gather all the stone tablets of revelation. Charles had seen the stone tablet of revelation only once, after watching 129 endings while playing the game.
This also meant that there were no hints. If he proceeded mildly, Charles would be trapped in this world and face a terrible end.
‘From now on, I have to find the fragments of the stone tablet of revelation.’
He collected his thoughts. To prevent the happenings in the Metropole, he also had to grow his sect concurrently. While growing his sect and uncovering the plots of sects that worship evil gods, Charles also had to find the fragments of the stone tablet of revelation.
‘The difficulty is quite high.’
If this were a game, it would be hardcore difficulty. However, with the objective becoming clear, he thought it was rather fortunate. If he lived just floating through this world, he would face a terrible ending.
‘But how am I supposed to find them?’
Charles thought. Based on the knowledge he had accumulated through playing the game, when a great object is broken, its connections remain.
He didn’t think that the connections would be severed just because an enormous object like the stone tablet of revelation was shattered. Even if it was very far away, the fragments of the stone tablet of revelation would likely have an attraction to each other.
And at the end, those people embedded the fragments of the stone tablet into their minds. Of course, it wasn’t their physical brains but undoubtedly their spirituality.
A stone tablet that can be absorbed by spirituality. If so, those disciples might have become immortal. The stone tablet of revelation could be enough for that.
Or, even if they rejected immortality themselves and faced death from old age, the probability was high that their bloodlines would inherit the fragments of the stone tablet of revelation.
Bloodlines are quite important in mysticism. That’s because abilities are occasionally passed on across time and space through bloodlines.
A brilliant magician’s bloodline was an asset in itself. Therefore, it was likely that the fragments of the stone tablet of revelation were hidden in their bloodlines.
However, the power of the stone tablet fragments flowing through the bloodline and manifesting the fragments in the mental world were entirely different issues, so most likely, they wouldn’t be aware of the stone tablet’s power.
Through this supposition, Charles realized that the stone tablet might have been passed down continuously within the old man’s disciples’ families. In that case, he would have to trace their descendants as much as possible.
And then, a few remnants of memories flashed by but were not significant.
He let go of the stone tablet of revelation fragment. From Charles’s perspective, the stone tablet of revelation was an unbelievable object. The complete stone tablet of revelation wielded tremendous power.
It was like an artifact that could be believed to belong to a god from another dimension… Can that even be called an artifact? Anyway, thinking about it deeply, Charles exited the mental world.
A week later, while sorting various documents in the study due to a lecture, he received an unexpected visit.
Jaikun brought a person who was a professor at Mistweaver University. It was Dr. Morgan Drake, a fellow professor of Charles as per the setting. Strangely, he was carrying a large cello case on his back.
“Morgan? Shouldn’t you be at the research building?”
“Charles, it’s been a while. By the way, I didn’t know your house was this big.”
He was a man in his mid-thirties, quite an elite. Despite being a scholar, he was also skilled in horse riding and shooting. His slicked-back black hair gave his face a sense of wildness, and he was tall.
Unlike Charles, who had little interest in women, he was a Casanova involved in various scandals everywhere due to his sociability.
It was common for him to frequent gambling dens, and he heard that he also mingled with noble ladies due to his high sociability. His scope was so wide that he even encountered women who were 20 years older and younger than him.
At the university, he was a master of archaeological research, exerting significant influence in academia. Anyway, Charles knew him well. But the problem was that he had never sought Charles out in the early stage.
‘The story’s cracks might be more severe than I thought.’
Charles led him into the reception room and seated him. Watching him, Charles made an assessment. His observational skill had reached a level where he could sometimes infer the past of the other person as if seeing an illusion.
Dry, flaky skin. Somehow hollow eyes. Though trying to seem nonchalant, Dr. Drake was very different from usual and appeared in poor condition. Judging by that, Charles deduced that his counterpart had considerable worries.
“What’s the matter here?”
“I heard you returned and came to see you.”
“Well, it doesn’t seem to be just that.”
Under Charles’s piercing gaze, Dr. Drake confessed.
“Yes, you’re right, it’s not just that. Uh. Where should I start?”
Dr. Drake took a cigar out of his breast pocket. Lighting it with a match, he enjoyed a flavorful puff and then exhaled.
“Something is happening inside the university.”
“Something is happening?”
“One day.”
He struggled to recall, but with a look that showed he couldn’t tell if it was the truth or a lie, he spoke.
“I was walking through the corridor between the research building and the humanities building as usual. I had an appointment with Mrs. Curie the next day. I was thinking about that. And then, there was a spider web on the ceiling of the corridor.”
“A spider web?”
Charles nodded, indicating that he acknowledged he was listening. The listener makes it more vivid that they are listening by repeating a few words of the speaker.
“A spider web alone wouldn’t have made me come to see you. I saw a woman climbing up that spider web. No, to be precise, her upper body was a woman, but her lower body was a spider. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, but I couldn’t withstand the strange shiver rising from my body. While I was briefly frozen, that spider-human climbed through the open outer wall of the corridor to the roof. And shortly after, even the spider web disappeared without a trace.”
Half human, half spider. Charles knew this monster was called Arachne and that it was a creature raised by the Dark Cathedral that worshipped darkness.
“I didn’t see it wrong. Because ever since that day, I have been plagued by the nightmares of that spider. Honestly, I understand if you call me crazy.”
“Hmm.”
Charles propped his chin and thought. While briefly thinking, Morgan Drake, having finished his cigar, became nervous again and took out a new cigar, holding it in his mouth. This time, he just held it.
“Do you want one?”
“No, not unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Drake, curious about what Charles meant by ‘necessary,’ spoke before Charles’s thoughts ended.
“And there’s another important fact. There are cases of people going missing inside the university. I am convinced it’s the work of that spider-human.”
“Well, if you’re certain, you wouldn’t have come to see me.”
“Damn. That’s right. Should I report this to the police? The next day, the headline on the MetroPol Times might be ‘Morgan Francis Drake, becomes a lunatic.’”
Shouting his full name ridiculously, Drake took out a match to light his cigar again. Charles quietly spoke.
“When did you see the spider?”
As soon as he heard that, Dr. Drake felt that consulting with this man, who was ten years younger, was the right decision. Charles did not treat him like a madman.
“Three days ago. And the disappearances started two days ago.”
“I can’t say there’s no connection at all.”
“Right. I’m also bothered that Dean Armitage and Chancellor Poing are absent during this time. When you came back, typically the chancellor would handle it, but the dean was also away, so the head of the Exploration Department handled it? Doesn’t that seem odd?”
“Well, no problem there. I know where Dean Armitage went.”
Right now, he should be in the remote retreat village of Dublin. He would learn some rituals to repel a terrifying demon there. As for Chancellor Poing, Charles didn’t know well. He only knew that he would be absent at the beginning.
“Hmm. Okay. Anyway, let’s say they are fine. I need to find out what’s happening within the university.”
“Alright. Let’s meet at the university this afternoon. We need to investigate separately. Drake. Do you have a weapon?”
