Chapter 151 - Episode 21. God of Ashes (4)
Chapter 151: Episode 21. God of Ashes (4)
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At the words “God Slayer,” Jaehwan gave a wry smile.
When he killed Lords, he had been called a Lord Slayer. This time, was he a God Slayer?
“You have been well, old Manri Shintong? You have not forgotten my voice after five hundred years, have you?”
“More precisely, it has been 514 years. You are late, Andersen.”
Andersen laughed.
“Your memory is as sharp as ever, even in your old age.”
“Is there still something in this tower that you wish to know, you pitiful Naked God?”
“I came to retrieve the clothes I left with you 514 years ago.”
The old man’s expression changed at Andersen’s words.
“Are you serious?”
Andersen nodded.
“It is time for you to repay your debt to me, old man.”
* * *
Now, everyone in the 《Abyss》 searched for information through 《Little Brother》, but there had been a time when that was not the case.
Back then, people believed information was only genuine if they searched for it themselves, and that they should entrust it to a skilled expert or artisan.
In those days, gods often bought information from the black market known as the ‘Black Shop.’
“Back then, that old man was the best. Information, Parts, Settings, if you left it to him, you would get an answer within a week at the latest.”
“That is all in the past. I am Manri Shintong Hupung. It is good to meet you, God Slayer.”
Jaehwan nodded as he faced the old man.
Manri Shintong Hupung.
It sounded more like the name of a martial artist than a god. For some reason, Jaehwan thought the old man might know Cheongheo.
“You somehow survived under the Alliance’s rule. I have to admit, your survival skills are impressive.”
“I struggled by attaching myself here and there. I am still barely surviving these days.”
Andersen swept her indifferent gaze across the inn before asking, “It looks like you do not get many customers these days.”
“Ever since the Alliance adopted 《Little Brother》 as its promotional platform, hardly anyone comes here. The Alliance releases information about major events, and people can conveniently buy things by paying for premium currency at the Metaverse shop. There is no reason for them to come all the way here.”
“You could sell information through 《Little Brother》 too.”
“I already tried. It did not go well. There are too many businesses that established themselves first, and we do not have the funds to run advertisements.”
“I told you five hundred years ago, did I not? You should have secured your place early. This is not the time to cling to artisan pride. You need visibility to build recognition among the gods. Skill comes after that.”
“I have no excuse. Still, I do not think it is simply a matter of visibility.”
“Is someone getting in your way?”
“There are businesses like that. But the problem I mean is more fundamental.”
The old man fell silent after saying that.
For a while, sounds of ingredients being stir-fried and chopped came from the kitchen where he had gone. Jaehwan and Andersen quietly listened.
Jaehwan recalled the sound of Jay’s hammer from the 《Tower of Nightmares》. The everyday sounds made by artisans followed similar patterns. This old man was clearly an excellent cook.
“It feels as though gods no longer have anything they want to know about the world. What matters is eating something delicious right away. No one cares what they are eating.”
“Ah, I agree with that.”
“Before gods can even think for themselves and become curious, 《Little Brother》 presents them with interesting information first. Everyone is too busy consuming that information to have time to wonder about anything. Even our gatekeepers are like this, so who can I blame?”
The gatekeepers Jaehwan had sent flying were still secretly watching 《Little Brother》. Whenever the old man scolded them, they hurriedly turned off their screens.
One of them watched Jaehwan instead of the broadcast. It was Baeko, the gatekeeper who had fought Jaehwan last.
Jaehwan calmly met his gaze.
Andersen said, “A god who gives up thinking is no god at all.”
“You have not changed.”
Loud laughter came from the kitchen.
“It is not that gods have nothing they want to know. They have given up being curious. That is what I think.”
“Andersen, do you truly still have something you want to know?”
“To be honest, I was starting to get tired of it too. Then I met this one.”
“Interesting. Is that man the ‘clothes’ you found after wandering for 514 years?”
“Whether he is my clothes, or I am his, remains to be seen. More importantly, is the food still far off?”
Manri Shintong emerged from the kitchen carrying bowls of noodles and plates of large dumplings.
“Help yourselves.”
Jaehwan stared at the food arranged on the table like a still life.
Noodles and dumplings.
He had eaten prepared food while in 《Chaos》, but it had been a long time since he had seen something that reminded him of home like this. He could not even remember the last time he had eaten food like it.
Manri Shintong asked, “Do you not have an appetite?”
“He is just suspicious. He is the type who has to understand what something is made of before he eats it.”
“Oh?”
“Jaehwan, you can eat it. This old man is not someone who would accept orders from the Alliance.”
Andersen said that as she pecked at the large dumpling in front of her. It seemed she could taste things even in a Doll’s body, because she kept letting out exclamations of delight.
“It has not changed. The dumplings are especially delicious.”
“That is the only thing here that has not changed in 514 years.”
“Your stubbornness is impressive too.”
Jaehwan still did not eat. After staring at the steaming dumpling for a long time, he suddenly turned to the side as if he had just remembered something.
“Eat, Runald.”
“Yes!”
Runald, who had been watching the situation the whole time, hurriedly began devouring the dumplings. They must have been quite good, because he ate them mindlessly with filling smeared all around his mouth.
Manri Shintong said, “Eat slowly. There is plenty.”
After hesitating for a moment, Jaehwan picked up a dumpling and took a large bite. He had never liked dumplings much, even when he was on Earth, so he did not expect much.
But then.
“...”
Without realizing it, Jaehwan took another bite.
Meat juices and the fragrance of vegetables filled his mouth. After a few more bites, the dumpling vanished in an instant.
Hupung watched him with a pleased smile.
“Does it suit your taste?”
As he climbed the 《Tower of Nightmares》, crossed 《Chaos》, and entered the 《Abyss》, Jaehwan had lived while forgetting the taste of food. Yet in this unexpected place, it felt as though part of an emotion he had long forgotten was awakening.
A joy he had forgotten beneath the years piling up as heavily as snow.
Jaehwan said, “It is good. What ingredients did you use?”
Manri Shintong nodded in satisfaction.
“So the God Slayer knows the taste of dumplings. These dumplings contain ‘memories.’”
“Memories?”
“Ordinary memories gathered through life. Happy memories, sad memories, painful memories.”
“Is that a metaphor?”
“That is all I can tell you. It is a trade secret.”
Andersen cut in.
“Manri Shintong’s ‘Martial World Dumplings’ are the finest under heaven. Be sure to pass down the recipe to your Disciples. Once you die, the dumplings will disappear too.”
“There is no one to inherit my legacy. Who cares about dumplings these days? That one is the only one who trains diligently, but he is too competitive. He has more talent for stuffing dumplings into his mouth than making them.”
No matter what his master said, Baeko sat at the next table and diligently stuffed dumplings into his mouth. It looked as though he was competing with Jaehwan to see who could eat faster.
With his mouth full of dumplings, Baeko asked Jaehwan, “I heard you cut down three of the Metaverse Six Gods on the Sixth Floor in one blow. Is that true?”
Jaehwan only glanced at Baeko without answering. He was eating a dumpling.
Baeko continued anyway.
“Did you defeat the little one sitting beside you too?”
“Me?”
“The one beside you.”
Runald looked to his right. Jin Eunsae was still sprawled limply across the table, unconscious.
It seemed Baeko had already realized who Jin Eunsae was.
“I had planned to kill the Leader. I was going to train for another five years before challenging him, but I never expected someone like you to show up.”
Baeko rose to his feet after devouring three plates of dumplings. He must have been full, since he had left one large dumpling behind.
“I will go stretch my body out front. I also need to repair the formation that bastard broke.”
As Baeko swaggered out of the inn, Manri Shintong muttered, “Please understand. Baeko had no equal among people his age. He was strong enough to contend with Galateon of the Metaverse Six Gods, so I think losing to you came as a great shock.”
Jaehwan nodded as though he did not care, then picked up the dumpling Baeko had left behind and put it into his mouth.
Manri Shintong smiled, seemingly pleased with Jaehwan.
“By the way, may I ask why you came to the Black Shop? It seems Andersen has handed her right over to you. Is that correct?”
Jaehwan looked as though he did not understand what that meant. Andersen, who had been slurping noodles, said, “That old man owes me a favor from long ago. You can ask whatever you want in my place.”
Jaehwan gave a faint nod. A mysterious green light rose in Manri Shintong’s eyes.
“Whether it is a secret of the world, the location of a Legendary Part, or a Setting passed down only in myth. Tell me what information you desire. If it is something the ‘Black Shop’ can discover, I will certainly find it.”
“I want to find my friend. I heard he entered this tower.”
Manri Shintong’s eyes shook at Jaehwan’s calm answer.
“I had heard the story, but it is surprising to find a man who climbed this far for that reason. Was he a close friend?”
“He is the Companion who stayed with me until the end in the Tower of Nightmares.”
At the words 《Tower of Nightmares》, Manri Shintong gave a hollow laugh.
“The gods’ greed has brought the Apostle of Destruction all the way here.”
As though he could guess what Jaehwan had gone through, Manri Shintong looked at him with pity.
“May I take your pulse? It is a necessary procedure to use my ability.”
Jaehwan held out his hand, and Manri Shintong grasped his rough wrist.
“What is your friend’s name?”
“Kim Yoonhwan.”
“Think of anything at all about your friend.”
“Do I have to?”
“It is necessary. A name alone is difficult to search for.”
Jaehwan frowned slightly as he thought of Yoonhwan.
Had it been when they reached around the Fiftieth Floor of the tower?
Yoonhwan had suddenly asked him something like this.
「“What wish should we make when we reach the final floor? Should we ask for all the dead to come back to life? Or should we ask for this entire tragedy to have never happened? What do you think, Jaehwan?”」
It was a time when they believed everything would return to normal if they could just reach the final floor of the tower.
Jaehwan had been unable to answer then. Perhaps he had wanted to postpone that answer.
Still, Jaehwan wanted Yoonhwan to survive. He wanted his eloquent, thoughtful friend to make a wish for humanity in his place at the tower’s final floor.
Of course, that no longer mattered now.
“It has been a long time since I smelled a memory this pure. Wait a moment.”
As if he had caught a scent from Jaehwan’s memory, Manri Shintong flared his nostrils and let out a quiet breath. Mysterious smoke flowed from his nose, covering the space before his eyes. His pupils slowly turned cloudy.
Jaehwan realized that the old man was seeing something within the smoke.
“That is the old man’s Setting, 「Manri Eye」. There are few beings in the 《Abyss》 who can escape Manri Shintong’s sight.”
Come to think of it, there had been someone in Chaos who used a similar skill.
The Fortress Lord of Dryad, perhaps. This old man’s Setting seemed to be even better than that.
How long had it been?
Manri Shintong let out a light sigh and said, “Your friend is not here.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am. My Manri Eye can clearly see anything within this place.”
“Could he be on the Ninth Floor?”
“Only the Leader currently exists on the Metaverse’s Ninth Floor. So there is no possibility that your friend is there. But...”
As though the effect of 「Manri Eye」 had not ended yet, the old man tightened his grip around Jaehwan’s wrist.
“Your friend is still alive. He is not here, but he does not seem to be very far away.”
“Did you find where he is?”
“Wait...”
As though he was seeing where Yoonhwan was, or feeling Yoonhwan’s senses in his place, Manri Shintong’s body trembled faintly.
“It is cold and painful. So cold. Is he trapped? It is a room with an entrance. Someone is beside him, but they do not seem intent on harming him. So...”
The next moment, Manri Shintong sharply inhaled.
His eyes widened rapidly, then became bloodshot. As if he had seen something he should not have, the old man panted heavily before releasing Jaehwan’s hand in a burst of sparks.
Tsssssss.
Manri Shintong’s smoke quickly faded.
Jaehwan reflexively activated 「Doubt」 and stared into the smoke. In that final moment, he thought he caught a glimpse of something gray within it.
「Get lost.」
The voice was faint, but unmistakable.
Manri Shintong coughed up a mouthful of blood and frowned.
Startled, Andersen asked, “What is it? Are you all right?”
“I am sorry. I cannot tell you any more. This is beyond my ability.”
Andersen looked genuinely shocked. The Black Shop never abandoned a request like this.
“What was it? Who did you come into contact with? Did the Leader interfere?”
Pale and drained of color, Manri Shintong shook his head.
“It was something higher up the chain. You should give up on your friend. If you get involved, you will certainly die.”
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