WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ Damned Transmigration ◈

Chapter 95: Gebra 1

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"Being invited by the Sect of War, especially to the Grand Temple in Union, is an honor beyond anything you can imagine."

Unaware of Yuri's feelings, Pound continued with a solemn expression.

"The Sect of War has been watching your actions, Cloud Dragon and Dark Blossom. Not long ago, you worked with the Sword Dragon of the Orsia Family to kill a bishop of the Evil God and made a major contribution to cleansing that diocese. This time, you also played a crucial role in critically wounding Agwi, one of the Saints of the Evil God."

In the decades since the Evil God and cultists had begun running rampant in earnest, no one had achieved so much in such a short time.

Most importantly, they had faced Agwi, a Saint, and forced him to flee with wounds severe enough to leave him unable to recover.

The identities of the Saints of the Evil God were not clearly known. No one even knew how many there were. Perhaps some had been killed without anyone realizing it, but such assumptions were meaningless when they did not even have a complete list of the Saints.

Still, Agwi was a "known" Saint. No one knew his real name or identity, but the name Agwi was known.

"I am not at liberty to say much, but if you go to the Grand Temple in Union... Ahem. You would have to undergo another examination there as well, but there is a high chance that you will receive Baptism."

"Huh."

Haryeong's eyebrows rose slightly. Allen also looked surprised.

"They would administer Baptism immediately, without even making us go through an apprenticeship?"

"Why should you go through an apprenticeship when your skills and achievements have already been proven?"

"Hmm. So you did not come here solely to check on the situation. It seems the Sect of War wants those two as well?"

Allen asked with a smile, but Pound simply pressed his lips shut instead of answering.

[Is receiving Baptism such a big deal?]

[Baptism itself is important, but receiving it at the Grand Temple in Union is an even greater honor.]

Haryeong answered Yuri's Voice Transmission.

[Union, the religious alliance city, has Grand Temples for many sects. The Sect of Order was expelled from Union and secluded itself in an unknown holy site. For a sect, a Sacred Domain is a place that must be protected and hidden.]

Yuri honestly did not understand that either. Why did a Sacred Domain need to be hidden?

[Do not say such foolish things. A Sacred Domain is sacred because it is directly connected to a god. What happens if cultists or other enemies attack after you openly reveal its location?]

Haryeong clicked her tongue and continued.

[The Grand Temples in Union can be called the symbols and headquarters of their sects. Inviting outsiders like us there and granting us Baptism is something with hardly any precedent.]

Baptism was not easy to receive, but anyone sufficiently qualified could receive it from a high-ranking clergyperson at any temple.

Receiving Baptism at the Grand Temple in Union, though, was like receiving it at the Vatican.

[The Sect of War is also a closed sect. Unlike the Sect of Earth or the Sect of Plenty, one must follow the faith from childhood for many years before being ordained as an apprentice priest. From there, one must prove their faith, ability, and achievements again to become a full priest.]

In other words, the closed-off Sect of War had sent Yuri and Haryeong a recruitment offer.

For Yuri, a transmigrator, going to the Sect of War's Grand Temple was not like entering a tiger's den. It was like crawling straight into a tiger's mouth. He had taken the Banner of Reversing the Death Realm from the Mabeld Family's vault to prepare for the worst, but carrying an item as insurance could not compare to the danger of going to the Grand Temple for Baptism.

After a brief silence, Yuri spoke.

"This is far too generous an offer for people as lacking in faith as we are."

Thankfully, he had an excuse to refuse. What could they do if he said he had no faith?

"The moment you think it is too late is the earliest moment to begin believing."

Pound did not back down. He fixed his wide eyes on Yuri and Haryeong.

"If you read the scriptures every day during the journey from here to Union, faith will surely take root within you."

"We appreciate the sentiment, but Baptism seems too early for us."

"No one is saying you are guaranteed Baptism. Why not go to the Grand Temple first, then decide?"

"We have our own schedule to keep."

"Surely that schedule cannot come before the will of the Sect of War?"

Even after being refused three times, Pound did not yield. His final remark even carried open arrogance. Yuri felt his patience reaching its limit and composed his expression.

"I'm sorry."

"Not everyone gets an offer like this."

"I'll work hard so that I can receive another one later."

It was a snide answer, but Pound was not perceptive enough to catch the emotion behind it. He shook his head as though he could not understand.

"If you're finished, would you please leave?"

Allen dismissed Pound before Yuri could. Looking at him with a soft smile, Allen spoke slowly.

"You have already heard their account of the incident four days ago, and you have heard their answer to your offer."

"..."

"We have waited for you long enough, so now I need to attend to my own business. My apologies, but this matter concerns the Sect of the Anvil as well. As an outsider, Pound, you will have to leave."

"I was just discussing something related to the Sect of War."

"Then you should have told us to leave beforehand."

Pound's shoulders trembled at the reply. He looked at Yuri and Haryeong with lingering regret in his eyes, then finally pressed his lips shut and rose.

"Any time is fine. If you ever come to Union... Ahem, or even somewhere nearby, please visit the Sect of War's Grand Temple."

"Yes, we understand."

Yuri answered, but he had no intention of going. Once Pound, practically dripping disappointment through his gaze, left the room, Allen shuddered and grumbled.

"That ugly guy sure talks a lot, doesn't he?"

An unprompted jab at his looks had just flown out.

"Now that the nuisance is gone, let's talk. As I introduced myself earlier, I am Allen Surface of the Sect of the Anvil."

Allen smiled brightly at Yuri and Haryeong.

"Though these circumstances brought us together, I have actually known about you, Yuri, for quite some time."

"Because of Moonlit Reveller?"

Yuri had not heard the details, but according to Pound, Allen was the one who had made Chuk-sin-doo's weapon.

"Yes. I have known that crazy bastard for a long time, so I can't help paying attention to rumors about him."

"You must be quite close."

"Because I made Madorido, his unique weapon."

It seemed Chuk-sin-doo's Madorido was not just an ordinary iron ball.

'Well, a normal iron ball couldn't have endured the Martial Apex Venerable's kick.'

Other than being sturdy, it had not seemed to have any notable traits from the outside. Maybe it had more hidden functions.

"Did you make those strange clothes too?"

"Clothes? Ah... You mean the white clothes? Yes, he begged me so much that I made them as requested. But I only made the first set, so the ones he wears now must be something Chuk-sin-doo found separately."

As he spoke, Allen lifted the cloak draped over his shoulders and slipped his hand inside.

Thump.

A large bag emerged from within the black, rippling cloak.

"The Sect of War appears to covet Agwi's belongings, but the Sect of the Anvil does not."

"I heard that one of those items is a Divine Relic of the Sect of the Anvil."

"It is one of the Divine Relics made centuries ago after one of our high priests received a revelation from the God of Blacksmiths, and a divine blessing descended upon it. Still, it left our sect long ago, so it does not concern us. The meaning of such an item lies not in hiding it away or displaying it as treasure, but in putting it to use."

The item had a far greater history than Yuri had expected. He could not help swallowing.

He did not yet know whether Agwi's bracelet was the item Yuri desperately wanted, but a Divine Relic with that kind of history would surely be useful somehow, even if it was not Gebra.

Click.

The bag on the table opened.

"..."

Yuri's eager expression, bright with anticipation, wavered slightly. He had spotted Agwi's neatly folded underwear in one corner of the open bag.

"That underwear is not the Sect of the Anvil's Divine Relic, is it?"

"Of course not. That is... not exactly ordinary underwear. It never tears, expands and contracts to fit the body, and has antibacterial... well... various enchantments for convenience and hygiene. It always stays like new. Yes, something like that."

Well, Agwi transformed into a huge beast with transformation magic. He probably needed underwear that would not rip, no matter how much his body grew, and could stretch and shrink with him.

"I don't need that."

Yuri had no use for it. It might always stay like new, but someone else had worn it. Unless it had some sort of buff, he did not need underwear enchanted only for convenience and hygiene.

Other than the underwear, there was the robe Agwi had worn, a gold necklace, a gold bracelet, and the Torn-Mouth Mask he had kept over his face.

"I will explain each item one by one... though the Divine Relic is difficult to explain. Ah, don't worry too much. Once you wear this Divine Relic yourself, you will know what abilities it possesses."

Allen stood from his seat. Yuri could not help feeling disappointed. In a game, he could check an item's name and stats by hovering his cursor over it, but reality did not work that way.

When someone acquired an unknown item or relic, they usually visited an appraisal shop or had a priest of the Sect of the Anvil inspect it. Allen said he would know by wearing it, but Yuri would have preferred a detailed explanation first.

"First, this bracelet is one of the Sect of the Anvil's Divine Relics."

The bracelet Yuri had been hoping for was introduced first.

"Its name is Gebra."

That was it.

Yuri suppressed the urge to leap to his feet and cheer.

* * *

Allen Surface, leaving the Mabeld estate, stopped for a moment and looked back.

Beyond the massive gates, now firmly shut, Yuri's face from earlier lingered in his mind.

"I can't tell."

Allen rubbed his chin and muttered. Watching Yuri stubbornly reject the Sect of War's invitation had made him wonder if perhaps...

Considering Yuri's rapidly growing reputation and abundant talent, he might not want to join the Sect of War even if he was not a transmigrator.

If Allen knew what martial arts Yuri used, he could make an educated guess based on them, but unless someone went around loudly bragging about their martial arts, as Chuk-sin-doo did like a madman, it was standard practice to keep one's mastered arts hidden.

This was especially true for someone like Yuri, who had learned martial arts alone rather than belonging to a famous sect.

'That bastard Chuk-sin-doo praised him in the past, so I wondered if it could be him.'

No, if Thunder Cloud really was that guy, Chuk-sin-doo would not have stopped at praise.

Cat Panties and UrMumSpammer.

Allen knew how eagerly Chuk-sin-doo waited for fellow Earthlings.

According to information Chuk-sin-doo had obtained separately, Cat Panties was already somewhere in this world, but UrMumSpammer's transmigration had not yet been confirmed.

'Has he not shown up because he gave up on first place and quit the game?'

Maybe he had died on Earth in an accident or from illness. Or perhaps he had already transmigrated and was hiding well.

Quite a few idiots suspected UrMumSpammer of being an apostle of the Evil God, and apparently such stories even circulated among the cultists...

Allen did not think UrMumSpammer was an apostle of the Evil God in the slightest. That guy was just an unemployed bum who spent every day glued to games.

'I'll ask Chuk-sin-doo next time I see him.'

It had happened two years ago, but praise from Chuk-sin-doo meant Yuri must have made quite an impression. The Chuk-sin-doo Allen knew was not someone who gave even casual praise to anyone, especially not a younger martial artist.

"That bastard hasn't gotten himself killed in Vernoc, has he?"

Allen murmured under his breath and turned around. He was a little worried, but he had no intention of going to Vernoc to help Chuk-sin-doo.

Allen's wish was to use this handsome face to live an easy, peaceful, happy life in this world.

So Allen did not want to fight cultists if he did not have to. He did not want to risk his life while swearing to kill the Evil God. Nor did he want to make a wish to the Goddess of Order.

'Still, it pisses me off that Agwi massacred the Raspion Family.'

Peacefully and leisurely.

To live that way, one needed power and backing.

When he first came to this world and thought about how he should live, how he could obtain power and connections, Allen had naturally thought of the Raspion Family's sword arts.

'If it weren't for those bastards, I would have learned the Raspion Family's sword arts.'

Before Allen could even try anything, though, the Raspion Family had been massacred.

That forced him to drastically revise the plans he had made for his second life.

So he chose the Sect of the Anvil. He judged that joining the Sect of the Anvil would earn him respect anywhere, make him plenty of money, keep danger to a minimum, and ensure that it would not be a problem even if people discovered he was a transmigrator.

For something he had chosen for those reasons, he ended up finding martial gear crafting fun and having enough talent to become a master craftsman.

'Though I think things turned out better this way.'

Inside the carriage, Allen pulled a mirror from inside his clothing and looked at his face.

It was a face he had seen every day since transmigrating, but he never grew tired of it. Staring fondly at his reflection, Allen muttered.

"I'm glad I transmigrated into this body."

Chuk-sin-doo said every time they met that he wanted to return to Earth, but Allen was different.

He was incredibly happy to have transmigrated, and he never wanted to return to Earth.

* * *

Agwi's Necklace was imbued with high-level Subspace magic. It was on a completely different level from the spatial expansion enchantments commonly placed on pouches and bags.

The necklace itself was connected to a Subspace, allowing its wearer to take out and store items at any time without needing to open a pouch or bag and reach inside.

"You're really giving this to me?"

"Yes."

The moment he heard the explanation, Yuri thought the necklace would suit Haryeong well.

Haryeong normally kept hidden weapons in pouches concealed within her sleeves or at her waist. Her pouches also had spatial expansion magic, but pulling out the exact hidden weapon she needed from them in the middle of a fierce battle was rather troublesome.

"I like it."

"Huh?"

"But not enough to say I love it."

With her usual expressionless face, Haryeong turned around in front of Yuri and lifted her short hair from around her shoulders with one hand.

"...?"

Her snow-white nape was exposed. Yuri blinked and tilted his head. He had no idea why she was suddenly doing that.

"What are you doing?"

"That's what I want to ask. Foolish Yuri, are you holding onto that necklace to trade it for taffy? Put it on me already."

Couldn't she put it on herself? Yuri thought so, but he approached with the necklace as instructed. He had never put a necklace on someone else before, and it made him strangely nervous.

Click.

It turned out to be nothing much. Haryeong gave Yuri's chest a light bump with her back, then stroked the necklace.

"Oh."

Haryeong's hand slipped deep into an empty patch of air.

"Ooh."

Her eyes widened as she pulled a large gemstone from the Subspace.

"Is this gem mine too?"

"We should use that together."

"Is it shared property?"

"Yes, well... I suppose so."

While Haryeong removed all her hidden weapons from her pouches and stored them in the Subspace, Yuri inspected the other items in the bag.

He was already more than satisfied with Gebra alone, but the robe and mask were excellent as well.

The robe was armor endowed with top-tier defensive magic, at least Unique-grade by game standards. Of course, it still could not block Orca's magic.

"Take this."

"Me?"

Estor blinked after catching the robe Yuri suddenly tossed to him.

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"Estor, don't ask so many questions. That old, tattered robe Yuri is wearing has many stories behind it. In my opinion, our pathetic Yuri will never be able to throw away the robe he is wearing now."

Haryeong teased him while tending to each hidden weapon before putting it into the Subspace. Yuri kept his lips tightly shut instead of answering.

The Torn-Mouth Mask was fitting for a Saint of the Evil God running rampant while concealing his identity. The perception-hindering magic imbued in it suppressed the wearer's presence simply by wearing the mask. Combined with a stealth technique, it could deceive even the eyes of a high-tier opponent.

'So that's how he appeared in the center of the exhibition hall.'

It must have been the mask's power. Yuri, who never knew when he might be pursued, needed an item like this.

'If I combine this with the Veil of Deception, could it deceive even the gaze of a Martial Apex Venerable-level expert?'

Just as skills had combination synergy, items could as well. Yuri felt a little repulsed at the idea of wearing the mask that bastard Agwi had kept on his face, but he could wash it thoroughly before using it.

"Thump-thump."

Lastly came the golden bracelet, Gebra.

Haryeong made a teasing sound as Yuri picked up the bracelet. Ignoring her, he opened it.

-Gebra is a bracelet worn on the right arm.

It symbolized strength.

Recalling Allen's explanation, Yuri fastened the bracelet around his right wrist.

Thump.

With a loud thump, his vision went hazy.

Footnotes:

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