Episode 6 – From now on, I have to start filling up the warehouse from scratch. Charles rummaged around the junk. It must be around here somewhere.
Most of the items were worthless, but Charles found a talent that seemed to have been left as change. A coin of unknown material with elaborate decorations. They were usually distinguished by being plated in copper, silver, or gold.
What was in front of him now was a bronze talent, the lowest denomination currency traded in the secret world but equivalent to about five thousand pounds in cash.
Given that the monthly living expenses of a four-member civilian family is about 30 pounds, it is extremely expensive.
‘The problem is, this was leftover.’
It was just hidden in the corner of the warehouse and hadn’t been discovered. It’s unimaginable how wealthy the original Charles must have been. To consume all that wealth in order to gain the ‘Power of Dominion’.
– Talent! Talennnt!
Fagina Record was looking at the bronze talent with desperate eyes.
– Want to eat?
– Give it to me! I’ll conjure up a spell deliciously for you.
Charles took out the coin while watching Fagina Record, who was speaking like a car dealer. There was no need for a special ceremony.
When Charles flicked the talent to Fagina Record, she caught it with both hands. She started eating the object, which was the size of her face, like a cookie.
– Om nom nom.
– Is it delicious?
Nodding.
It was the first time Charles saw a talent being crushed like tofu. Western world’s currency ‘Talent’ is very durable and contains strong spirituality.
Moreover, the scene of Fagina Record in spirit form eating the small talent was quite adorable. When she was a grimoire, she just felt grotesque.
After consuming the talent, Fagina Record burped briefly. No, what? This creature doesn’t even have a digestive system.
– Now. It seems my powers are gradually returning. Since we made a deal, I shall pay the price!
– Okay.
Charles looked at Fagina Record with expecting eyes. The hologram Fagina Record extended its hand. Then, a slot machine made of candies, cookies, and jellies appeared.
– Spin, spin the wheel!
– This is a slot machine!
– Just pick something, anyway.
It wasn’t even about picking. Charles looked at the antique slot machine with a skeptical face, arms crossed.
Fagina Record handed Charles a coin made of candy. As soon as he inserted the coin, it began spinning round and round.
Looking at each symbol, Charles realized he knew what they were. Symbols of ancient gods that exist in the upper strata of another world.
‘Blood Altar, Drowned King, Shadow Slayer, and Carving Machine. Though the symbols of the four evil gods are included, most are neutral gods.’
Blood Altar, Drowned King, Shadow Slayer, and Carving Machine were gods of the four major cults operating covertly in the current Metropolis.
Charles realized that combining the three reels of the slot machine was the spell that Fagina Record would produce. If the same three symbols appeared, it would be a spell symbolizing that god.
‘I hope the spells of the four evil gods don’t appear.’
He pulled the candy stick at the bottom right.
The slot machine spun round and round, showing various symbols until it soon stopped. The first symbol was the sun symbol of the Bright Church, the current mainstream church.
‘Relieved.’
As long as it’s not the spell of the four evil gods. Using their spell could endanger Charles instead.
The second symbol was also the sun symbol of the Bright Church. Then the next symbol that appeared was a mysterious lantern-like symbol.
‘I’ve never seen this symbol before.’
Charles knew that even if he had played dozens of times, he didn’t memorize the lineage of all the gods in another world. However, he memorized all the major gods, so the symbol must be of a minor god.
– Tada. It’s confirmed!
A strange-looking book fell from the slot machine’s outlet. It was a small booklet of sort. Fagina Record picked up the booklet and placed it inside its body.
Once it was confirmed, Charles opened Fagina Record’s page. The spell was written on the first page.
[Lamp of ■■■ – The lantern spell originally from the Bright One has been altered by some strange interference. When this spell is used, a light source can be created anywhere on the body. This light source carries its own spirituality. Anyone who directly gazes into this light will face the essence of the other world and their enlightenment will soar. Those who encounter this light will be drawn by the flow of light. Choose the master of the spell.]
From the description alone, Charles knew this was a modified Lantern of the Bright One spell. Its effects were the same. It’s the first spell learned by the inquisitors of the Bright Church.
Though it didn’t have direct offensive effects, it provided various utility effects. Enchantment, driving the opponent mad, temporarily increasing one’s enlightenment, or dispelling magical darkness.
With such versatile effects, Charles was quite satisfied. However, since it was a spell used by the Bright Church, using it might draw the attention of the Paladin Order or lead to being pursued by them.
– Huh? There’s no name for the spell?
– Huh? Isn’t it the Lantern of the Bright One?
– No?
– What?
– Don’t you see what’s written in the spellbook? This spell bears some power of the Bright One but also carries another entity’s power.
Charles knew the third symbol on the slot machine was a uniquely shaped lantern symbol.
‘Maybe the Bright One didn’t originally create the lantern spell. Perhaps he also took it from another entity or used another entity’s power to make it. The Bright One is also currently critically wounded.’
Currently, the Bright One was in a state of critical injury for some reason. Although Charles didn’t know why, it was one of the game’s initial settings. Unless the player intervened, this setting wouldn’t change.
For this reason, Charles speculated that he might be able to steal the Bright One’s spell.
Charles placed his hand above the spellbook. For now, this spell wasn’t the Lantern of the Bright One. If so, it seemed fitting to inscribe his name on it.
The Invisible One was a fictional entity created by Charles, but he knew that if such a fictional entity became venerated, it could manifest unique effects. However, Charles judged that the Invisible One was still at a minor level.
– Let’s rename it to the Lamp of the Invisible One.
– Then, let’s do so……
Before Fagina Record could finish speaking, Charles felt his consciousness being sucked somewhere. Before he could resist, he was already there.
A dark sky with a few starlights was above his head. When he lowered his head slightly, he could see a strange place with floating rocks. When he lowered his head further, he couldn’t see the ground. Only floating rocks were around.
This was an imagery world. He hadn’t meditated or been summoned by any entity, but he had somehow entered the imagery world.
‘What’s happening? Why?’
– Hey, Fagina Record!
Even if he shouted, there was no echo. Charles’ trait of calmness suppressed his agitated mind. He was definitely in the process of naming the spell. There were various assumptions he could make.
‘I definitely called the name of the Invisible One. And that name must have been engraved on the spell. The Invisible One, who had no previous existence, form, or influence, finally started exerting mystical influence. But that alone doesn’t explain why I’m here.’
It was his own imagery world but also an unfamiliar place. Charles looked around and noticed a huge rock that looked like an obelisk and decided to go there.
Then his body floated and moved naturally. When he arrived in front of the obelisk, he confirmed that an emblem was engraved on it.
‘Isn’t that the emblem of the Invisible One.’
It didn’t make sense to create a god without an emblem, so Charles had created an emblem. It formed a kind of seat that looked like a crown with several starlights embedded.
This was called the emblem of the constellation. It was the symbol of the Invisible One. He lowered his gaze to the bottom of the obelisk. And there it was.
“The stone tablet of Revelation!?”
Charles was so astonished that he exclaimed aloud. That’s right. The last item Charles had obtained in the previous round of the game was a fragment of the stone tablet of Revelation.
The item was thought to have disappeared due to the item reset after the ending, but it was embedded in Charles’s imagery world. Charles then realized that the ‘???’ trait was connected to this.
‘If my hypothesis is correct, the imagery world was concretized by the stone tablet of Revelation’s effect. The imagery world, usually accessible through meditation or special rituals, opened directly due to the Invisible One’s influence exerting in the secret world.’
He knew why he was brought here.
In the newly revised scriptures, Charles was the Invisible One. And the Invisible One was originally a non-existent god, so Charles had the potential to become a god.
‘There was certainly the word ‘possibility’ in the stone tablet of Revelation.’
[Leap of existence, possibility of a new world. Fragment of Revelation. Fulfillment of destiny.]
It was indeed written that way. The new world could perhaps refer to Charles’s imagery world.
Charles thought deeply while looking around. He also knew how to exit this world. However, he decided to explore this space a bit more.
The huge floating rocks around him were scattered endlessly, making it feel as though he was standing in a part of an asteroid belt floating in space.
Charles figured out what he could do in this place. When he extended his hand, a star, which should have been light-years away, was drawn closer.
An unusual sound could be heard from the star, which was now the size of his hand. It was a prayer to the Invisible One.
A girl was kneeling and praying with her family while the star continued to point at her.
“Invisible One, today, thanks to your blessing, our family remains safe. We are always grateful.”
This was a prayer directed at the Invisible One. Those stars in the sky were prayers directed at the Invisible One. Charles could discern the girl’s details from the star’s power.
She was a devout follower of a minor cult, the bakery owners of Mondake Street, the Pluck couple’s daughter, Essena. Essena was now seventeen years old, had attended middle school, but dropped out to help her parents with the bakery.
Charles could also perceive how cunning Essena was even though she hadn’t spiritually awakened yet; she was already at a level where she could vaguely sense spirituality and how much she had dominated her peers.
She had a natural talent for influencing and manipulating the minds of others.
And Essena’s stat window automatically opened.
【Follower of the 5th Cult, Nameless Cult】
【Essena Pluck】
[Stats]
[Physical 1, Mental 4, Luck 1, Enlightenment 1]
[Traits]
[Mind Controller, Psychologist, Sharp Senses]
It was the first time seeing someone else’s stats without a skill related to insight. It seemed that he could check the stats of a follower of the Invisible One.
‘She has qualities to be a disciple following Flona. Her physical ability is at an ordinary level, but her mental ability is quite high.’
Charles memorized Essena and let the star go. He looked up at other stars in the night sky.
