Damned Transmigration - Chapter 35

WeTried Translations

Translator: Joy

Editor: Joy

◈ Damned Transmigration ◈

Chapter 35: Summer

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Yuri packed his things.

The round-trip journey alone would take a month. They planned to stay in Logos for a generous ten days, but plans always had a way of going awry once they were put into action. He would probably not return to the mansion until around two months later.

He had lived in this mansion for half a year since arriving in Rutlan. The only time Yuri had stayed out overnight was when he had used the Fist of the Rending Cloud at Bakerd’s lodging.

‘It’s not like I ever had a reason to stay out.’

He opened a drawer and found a heaping pile of letters. There were letters he had exchanged with Elena long ago, several letters from Gordon, and a letter from Bakerd.

Bakerd had sent him one letter after leaving Rutlan.

He had not disclosed his exact location, only that he had shut himself away in some remote mountain valley to begin closed-door training.

He wanted to open the gate to the seventh tier, which he had only glimpsed faintly. He also wanted to create a new fist art by combining the Fist of the Rending Cloud and the Diamond-Shattering Fist.

‘A wall...’

Yuri was also dimly facing a wall of his own.

The wall of the fourth tier.

Come to think of it, he had grown far too quickly. Even though he had learned the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil, a divine art, he had reached the third tier in less than half a year after properly beginning his martial training. Now, the fourth tier stood before him.

‘It’s hard to tell how fast this is without other transmigrators to compare myself to.’

He recalled what Haryeong had told him on the first day after leaving Oldor.

In the case of mages, someone of ordinary talent took around five years to reach the second tier and ten years to reach the third.

Tiers were similar to levels. Just as raising a level became harder at high levels, advancing to the next tier became more difficult as one’s tier rose.

‘She said reaching the fifth tier was terribly difficult.’

That seemed to be the wall of lamentation. How would that difficulty apply to transmigrators?

‘I wish I knew what tier that bastard Chuk-sin-doo has reached.’

If he knew Chuk-sin-doo’s exact tier, he could make a rough comparison.

The minimum qualification to become a Martial Apex Venerable was the seventh tier. That did not mean every Martial Apex Venerable was exactly at the seventh tier. Experts of that level did not go around announcing their exact tier. Chuk-sin-doo might already have reached the eighth tier.

“Ugh.”

Learning martial arts and raising his tier were honestly enjoyable, but the road ahead was so long that Yuri let out a deep sigh.

Would he not need to reach at least the seventh tier before he could sit at the same table as Chuk-sin-doo?

Judging from how Chuk-sin-doo treated Bakerd, he did not seem like a complete bastard. Still, there was no guarantee that he would be decent toward a transmigrator.

He might act familiar with Chuk-sin-doo for no reason and have his head smashed in by Madorido. He needed to grow to a comparable level first.

Returning from his thoughts to reality, Yuri reached into the pile of letters and pulled out a money pouch.

It was the money orphan Yuri had saved since his pickpocket days. Elena would obviously step in whenever he needed to spend money, but he put the savings into his backpack anyway.

‘Should I buy her a gift...?’

He had received a great deal from Elena, but he had never given her a gift. She did not seem to need or want anything, but perhaps a souvenir from their trip to Logos would do.

‘Not that it’s a tourist destination.’

Yuri let out a dry laugh and opened another drawer. He had already memorized them, but he packed all his martial arts manuals into the backpack in case he needed to look something up when a passage felt unclear or confusing.

A change of clothes and underwear. Spare equipment he had bought yesterday.

Even after packing quite a lot, the magic backpack did not change shape.

After packing everything, he put it on to check. It seemed lighter than military gear, and he did not think it was heavy even without circulating internal energy.

That was thanks to steadily training his external arts over the past half year.

That night.

He thought he would have trouble sleeping because he felt tense, excited, and strangely unsettled, but once he lay down, he slept as well as usual.

“Huh,” Haryeong said.

After eating, washing, and getting dressed, Yuri went down to the living room and found Haryeong already there.

She wore black martial robes like when he had first seen her in Oldor, with a face covering pulled down around her neck.

“You saw me two days ago. What are you admiring?”

“You look like such an obvious novice that I couldn’t help it,” Haryeong said.

Ignoring her teasing, Yuri looked at the mirror in the living room.

Haryeong’s assessment was accurate. He had all the equipment on, but every piece was gleaming and brand-new. The boots had not been broken in yet, so they felt awkward on his feet, and the belt around his waist was stiff. He did not think it was heavy, but he kept noticing the weight of the daggers tucked into the belt.

The robe he wore as an outer garment felt especially awkward. It was expensive equipment, so it was nearly weightless and did not hinder his movements. It only felt strange because he had never worn this kind of clothing in his life.

He had not bought a weapon.

Many martial artists used metal gauntlets or leather gloves, but such equipment did not suit the Fist of the Rending Cloud Yuri had learned. It required the delicate use of not only the fists but also the fingers.

“Are you all ready?”

After waiting a little, Elena came out.

Unlike Haryeong, who looked exactly as she had when Yuri first saw her in Oldor, Elena was not wearing a white dress. She wore an unpatterned purple robe and boots, with a short wand in one hand. At a glance, she looked like a mage. Compared to Yuri, whose new equipment had not even lost its shop smell, she looked far more experienced.

“It’s my first time seeing you hold a wand.”

“It’s more convenient in actual combat.”

Elena puffed out her chest and proudly held up the wand.

“I received it as a gift from the Tower Master when I reached the fourth tier.”

“How much was it?”

“You can’t buy this with money! The Tower Master used this wand personally long ago.”

“So it’s secondhand?”

“You really are...”

Equipment such as wands and staves helped one handle mana. Those with poor mana affinity had to use such equipment, and even those with abundant affinity usually used it in actual combat, where anything could happen.

Moreover, the longer such equipment was used, the more of the mage’s nature it absorbed. Even an ordinary wooden staff could become an ancient artifact if a great mage used it for decades.

A wand once used by Heavenly Thunder Orca would be an item for which a lightning-attribute mage could name any price.

Yuri listened to that explanation as they left the mansion.

“This is everyone’s first time visiting Logos, correct?”

With his hood up, Yuri casually looked up at the sky. The weather was clear and the sun was hot, but Yuri did not feel hot. Expensive equipment naturally had enchantments for comfort.

“Have you been there, Haryeong-nim?”

“I went there as a child.”

“How many years ago was that?”

“Stop trying to lead me into an interrogation that will not work.”

Clicking her tongue, Haryeong opened the carriage door for them before taking the driver’s seat.

Although he had known Haryeong for half a year, she still had many secrets. Yuri did not know her age, much less the martial art she used. Even the name Haryeong might not be her real name.

“Logos is a fairly easy place among the Rifts, so martial artists and mages of low tiers often use it as a training ground,” Haryeong said.

Logos.

The area had also existed in the game, so Lee Su-hyeok knew it. As Haryeong said, Logos was a hunting ground commonly used in low-level areas.

There were no named NPCs or boss monsters. However, unique monsters that gave more experience than ordinary monsters occasionally appeared through random encounters.

That was all.

The skills and items dropped there were mediocre. It was a hunting ground used purely for leveling. Since players could push through it using only the raw stats gained from levels, even without combining skills, builds whose combinations did not become effective at low levels had no choice but to hole up in Logos.

‘A Rift of Chaos...’

The game had not included the setting of a Rift of Chaos. Few games lacked hunting grounds like that, so he had never wondered why monsters poured out from there.

“Pure martial artists who do not choose paths such as adventurer or mercenary do not prefer fighting non-human monsters. However, Logos is a place where they can conveniently gain a sense for real combat legally.”

Legally.

Yuri laughed at the word without meaning to. A major city with good security like Rutlan had the firm power of the law, but public safety in this world was a mess. There was a prevailing belief that dying outside a city meant dying of natural causes.

“So we only need to watch out for monsters in Logos?”

At Yuri’s sudden question, Haryeong’s eyes gleamed. It lasted only an instant, but her eyes seemed to be smiling.

“Shouldn’t one remain wary of people everywhere, not only in Logos?”

Haryeong liked that question.

Unlike Elena, who had grown up cherished, the man who was said to have lived a difficult life was clearly wary of this world.

That was a good thing. No matter how gifted someone was, they could easily die if they underestimated the world.

“It is true that the Rift in Logos is relatively easy. It has existed for decades, so the proliferating monsters are well documented. Yet people still die or go missing in Logos every month.”

The smile seemed to vanish from Haryeong’s eyes as they returned to normal.

“It is impossible to know for certain whether those deaths and disappearances are caused by monsters or people. Well, sometimes an inept murderer fails to dispose of a corpse properly and leaves a trail...”

Haryeong stopped speaking and looked at Elena.

Haryeong had thought Elena might be a little nervous, but Elena was instead staring intently at Yuri.

‘Good grief.’

Was Elena hoping that Yuri would be scared? Was she hoping he would say that he hated adventuring because it was frightening and wanted to live with Elena forever?

‘Surely not.’

Still, Haryeong had to admit the possibility was not entirely impossible.

“With an excellent assassin like myself and Lady Elena accompanying you, there is no need to worry this time. However, please remain wary when Yuri-nim is alone next time.”

Haryeong considered frightening Yuri more openly to meet Elena’s expectations, but the serious look on Yuri’s face made her lose the desire to joke around.

“I look forward to seeing whether the luck of Yuri-nim, the 3.5 Billion Man, will shine in Logos.”

“I’m a little excited too.”

Elena, who had been secretly disappointed that Yuri was not trembling, chimed in. Yuri did not know what the two were talking about and only tilted his head.

“Luck? Excited?”

“It is very rare, but ‘fortuitous encounters’ sometimes occur in Rifts like Logos.”

“And what’s a fortuitous encounter?”

“It refers to encountering a monster with an internal core or a spiritual elixir.”

In Rifts where the Evil God’s divine power pooled and monsters appeared abnormally, mana surges occasionally occurred. Monsters born amid such surges carried internal cores in their bodies, and even ordinary weeds could be imbued with mana and become spiritual elixirs.

‘A random encounter with a unique monster...’

“They say fortuitous encounters happen only a handful of times a year at most. But what if we encounter one? It is frightening just to imagine how many billions Yuri-nim, the 3.5 Billion Man, will become worth.”

“Even internal cores and spiritual elixirs from Logos can’t be that amazing, can they?”

“There is a large variance, but on average, they are about equivalent to an Azure Heaven Pill.”

“If one appears, Yuri, you can have it.”

Yuri heard Haryeong’s joke and Elena’s magnanimous offer, but he could not laugh.

Haryeong always said Yuri was lucky, but neither Lee Su-hyeok nor Yuri had been particularly lucky.

If anything, they had been terribly unlucky.

Lee Su-hyeok lost his parents in an accident at a young age.

Yuri was abandoned in front of an orphanage when he was old enough to babble.

Lee Su-hyeok was abducted to another world because he diligently and skillfully played a game.

Yuri was stabbed to death before his body could be taken by some unknown person from another world.

Two people who could not possibly be called lucky became one.

‘Though I suppose I’ve been lucky since transmigrating...’

Could misfortune times misfortune become luck? Had the fate that had gone so horribly for him finally begun to shine?

He wanted to think positively, but his circumstances were undeniably tragic, so Yuri forced a smile.

“Well, it probably won’t actually happen.”

The carriage departed.

* * *

I am the fire that carries out heavenly punishment, the asura that annihilates evil, and the apostle who sets right the principles of heaven.

My hands uphold the sacred flame, and my feet trample demons.

If the world is evil, I shall burn and cleanse the world with my fire.

I shall use the corpses of the demons I have trampled to death as firewood.

Below me, myriad demons burn, and I am hell itself.

If even burning and burning is not enough to cleanse it, then I am the sacred flame.

Even if heaven does not desire this.

If the principles I have set right are not the natural order, then I...

“...”

Lorelia opened her eyes.

The woman sat still for a moment, blinking before slowly looking around. Paladins and priests, all thoroughly terrified, came into view.

One of the Two Saints among the Martial Apex Venerables.

The Calamity Star, Lorelia, pressed the thumb of one hand against a finger resting on her knee.

Crack.

The sound of a bone cracking broke the silence.

“What is it?”

A bright smile spread across her cold, emotionless face. It was a beautiful smile, but those kneeling around Lorelia felt only fear.

A faint-hearted priest began to hiccup in terror, and even a sturdy paladin broke out in a cold sweat.

“Lorelia’s punishment has not ended yet, has it? So why are my brothers and sisters here?”

The Punishment Hall of the Sect of Order.

Half a year ago, Lorelia had entered the Punishment Hall.

It was because she had broken a law of the Sect of Order that absolutely could not be broken.

Priests of Order were never supposed to give transmigrators special treatment.

A Priest of Order was meant to explain the situation to a transmigrator according to the guidelines and provide basic knowledge.

But Lorelia had not done that. To begin with, she was the Sect of Order’s embodiment of violence, not a priest assigned to transmigrators.

Half a year ago, Lorelia subdued the priest assigned to the transmigrator. Then she entered the waiting room to guide the transmigrator herself. She did not follow the guidelines. Lorelia remained in the waiting room for a long time and taught the transmigrator part of the martial arts she had learned.

If another priest had done such a thing, confinement in the Punishment Hall would not have been the end of the punishment.

However, the current Sect of Order did not have the power to execute Lorelia and was not in a position to do so. Her confinement in the Punishment Hall was the compromise they reached, and Lorelia had entered confinement of her own accord.

Because of that, Lorelia’s interrogation had not been properly conducted. It had been difficult to interrogate her in the first place. The Goddess’s divine command prevented a priest from speaking about the transmigrator assigned to them. Even if a priest wanted to speak, they could not.

Still, every priest had their suspicions.

Through the Goddess’s miracle, the Sect of Order was observing the Evil God’s trap.

Only one transmigrator could come over at this time.

Yet not even the High Priest had heard why the Calamity Star broke the law for that transmigrator. Lorelia remained silent during every interrogation and shut herself away in the Punishment Hall.

“Why is nobody answering?”

Blood-red eyes gave off a sticky light above her refreshingly bright smile. Her scarlet gaze carefully swept across every face before her.

“Because of the presence of my brothers and sisters, Lorelia could not finish meditation satisfactorily! You did not come here without a reason, did you? Surely you did not come to mock this pitiful Lorelia, confined in the Punishment Hall?”

“N-no.”

“Ah! You finally answer. So why have you come?”

“The High Priest has summoned you...”

“The High Priest is truly cruel! Lorelia entered the Punishment Hall months ago to reflect on her sins. Yet the High Priest has not visited Lorelia even once!”

Lorelia cried out in a high voice and spread both arms wide.

“Ah! What a heartless person. But it cannot be helped. Lorelia knows that Lorelia is a sinner! Lorelia is reflecting! That is why Lorelia is here.”

The more Lorelia spoke, the more the priests and paladins shrank back.

The Punishment Hall had many restraints in place, but if the Calamity Star wished to, Lorelia could destroy the Punishment Hall with a smile.

“The High Priest is receiving a guest right now.”

“A guest? Who came to this Sacred Domain, and who could be important enough that the High Priest, who rarely budges from their seat, is personally receiving them?”

At Lorelia’s question, the priest lowered their voice, sweat pouring down their face.

“It is the Heavenly Demon.”

The air froze.

Lorelia stared at the priest without a trace of a smile before slowly tilting her head. There were no windows in the Punishment Hall, but Lorelia’s scarlet eyes glared through the thick walls toward a separate palace far away.

“Did that old man come looking for a burial plot, bringing his disciple along?”

“I do not know, but the Heavenly Demon wishes to meet Lorelia-nim...”

“He came this far despite his old age, so Lorelia should meet him. If he wishes, Lorelia will personally see the old man off from this world.”

Lorelia rose with a cold smile.

Screeeech!

Before the priests and paladins could open the door, the thick iron bars of the Punishment Hall bent.

Lorelia passed through the opening. Creak, screech... The heavy shackles on her wrists and ankles twisted apart and broke on their own.

“Ah.”

Before heading to the separate palace, Lorelia paused and looked back at a pale priest.

“Sister. Exactly how much time has passed since Lorelia entered the Punishment Hall?”

“O-one hundred and eighty-seven days have passed.”

“I see!”