SMSK 54

Chapter 54: The Sacred Pact (4)

I immediately flipped the hourglass.

The time allowed to speak with the Saint was exactly six minutes.
If I went over that, I’d be subjected to a terrible curse.
In the worst case, it could even result in death.

‘…Possession, huh.’

That’s what the Saint called me the moment I set foot in this place.

After some hesitation, I asked bluntly:

“Do you know I’m a possessor?”

“Yes.”

The Saint smiled and nodded.

“Of course I do. We were the ones who called you here.”

“…”

“We know everything. Who you are, what kind of person you were in the past… all of it.”

Pause.

My past.

The moment that word came up, memories I didn’t want to remember began to slither back.

But I couldn’t let it shake me.

Suppressing the negative emotions, I focused on the grains of sand falling in the hourglass.

‘There’s not much time.’

Six minutes.

Within that limited time, I had to extract as much information as possible.

This was a rare opportunity—to negotiate the power granted through the Sacred Pact, and to speak directly with the gods of this world.

There was no way I was going to waste this precious time.

“Why did you make me possess someone here?”

The Saint answered calmly.

“Because we made a pact together earlier.”

“…”

“Saving the world. That’s the only reason you were brought here.”

Honestly, I wanted to curse her out.

Why kidnap someone into a game without their consent?

But I held it back.

Wasting this valuable time would only hurt me.

‘First, I need to figure out which god I’m speaking to.’

Understanding the entity in front of me would help me guide the conversation—and more importantly, it would give me leverage in negotiating the pact’s reward.

【Pantheon】

As the name implies, the number of Elder Gods in the Pantheon was easily over ten thousand.

But among them, only a few could communicate directly through the Saint’s body.

Only gods ranked within the top 50 in the Pantheon’s hierarchy could use the Saint’s body as a medium.

‘So who is this one?’

Based on her tone and speech patterns, I narrowed it down to five candidates.

I stared at her face, weighing the possibilities.

Ding—!

[Your mental strength ‘MAX’ has triggered an error in the opponent’s ̶̺͍̾̓@̴̻̕͜?̴̗̭͑&̶̙͖͒%̵̯͑#.]

[Error: Failed to decode #̶̱͌͝!̵̞̈́$̸̘̫̃@̸̨̛̮$̶͛͊͜*̶͖͔̒͛.]

‘…Ugh!’

My vision shook violently.

My eyes involuntarily rolled, and a wave of nausea twisted my stomach.

“Don’t stare at my face like that, possessor.”

“…”

“Even your strength can’t protect you from the difference in our ‘levels.’”

The Saint’s voice was filled with concern.

Looking directly at the Saint’s veiled face was strictly forbidden.

‘I just broke a divine taboo.’

The dizziness and nausea—those were punishment.

‘But…’

Thanks to that punishment, I figured out who she was.

‘I didn’t think I’d get away with just this.’

I had braced myself to lose my sight for the offense—if she were a harsher god, that would have happened.

But I prioritized identifying her over preserving my body. I could always be healed later.

‘Most high-ranking gods in the Pantheon are arrogant and oppressive.’

By contrast, the punishment I received was lenient.

Only one high-ranking god was known for being merciful.

“The Mistress of Life and Earth.”

It had to be her.

Now that I’d identified her, it was time to claim my reward for the Sacred Pact.

Suppressing the nausea rising within me, I managed to speak.

“…I’ll take the reward for the Sacred Pact.”

The Saint gave me a faint smile.

She rose from her seat and slowly approached me.

“Don’t move. Just stay still.”

She reached out to me.

Whoosh—

I closed my eyes.

Not by choice. A mysterious force compelled me.

I didn’t resist. I let her hand touch me.

“You hold great ambition, possessor.”

Her fingertips touched my forehead, drawing gentle circles.

It tickled.

As I felt her touch, the Saint spoke again.

“To save the world from destruction is a heavy burden.”

“…It’s what you asked of me.”

“Yes, it is. As I said, we summoned you for that purpose.”

Her voice was calm and soft.

“But don’t resent us too much. We won’t just sit back and watch while dumping such a heavy task on you.”

“…”

“Now, I’ll give you the power worthy of that burden.”

Fwaaaah—!

Even with my eyes closed, I could feel a blinding light enveloping me.

The blessing began—the power granted in exchange for the Sacred Pact.

If it were any other god, I’d have tried to negotiate for more power here.

‘But I don’t need to.’

She was fair and endlessly merciful—she would reward me with the best even without me asking.

“Now, open your eyes.”

I opened them.

In my hand was a brightly colored egg, just small enough to fit in one hand.

‘…【Easter Egg】.’

As I repeated its name in my mind, the Saint spoke.

“I chose that reward with a lot of care. It goes well with that cute divine relic you already have.”

“…”

“You’re wise. You’ll know what to do with it, right?”

She smiled gently.

“So I won’t give you any more hints.”

She was right.

The 【Easter Egg】 was a fitting reward—perhaps the perfect item for someone who swore to save the world.

‘But…’

Something about it felt off.

‘…It feels a little lacking, somehow.’

Yes, it was a great reward. But compared to the enormous burden of saving the world, it felt insufficient.

If it were any other god, I’d have accepted it.

But this was the Mistress of Life and Earth.

So only receiving an Easter Egg felt strange.

“Don’t overthink it.”

She seemed to read my mind.

“I gave you two powers.”

“…?”

“You just don’t recognize the second one yet.”

I stared at her, confused.

She gave me two powers?

Then when would I unlock the second?

“Well.”

Before I could even ask, she tilted her head.

“You don’t have to worry. You’ll naturally come to realize it soon.”

“…”

“I promise. You’ll need that second power to save the world…”

Rumble—!

Suddenly, the whole cavern trembled with an ominous vibration.

The air grew chillingly tense.

“…They’re already here.”

I quickly looked at the hourglass.

Most of the sand had already fallen.

“Hurry and go back. Now.”

Behind the veil, her golden eyes flickered with worry.

I rushed toward the exit.

Drip—

Warm liquid trickled down my nose.

A metallic taste filled my mouth. My vision swam, and my head throbbed painfully.

“Be careful, possessor.”

Her final words rang in my ears.

“For now, you’re the only one. But soon… □͆̄͠■҇̐̎͂̃… will grow in number—”

Fwaaah—!

The moment I stepped out of the cave—

Her whispering voice vanished like mist.

“…Seeker! Seeker!”

Almond’s urgent cry reached me faintly at the exit.

But my fading consciousness and blurring vision gave out.

Thud—

Unable to withstand the pain, I collapsed.

* * *

Ding—!

[Hidden Message: ̶̱͌͝!̵̞̈́$̸̘̫̃$̶͛͊͜*̶͖͔̒͛□̔̄̌̌̓̕#̶̱͌͝ ability 【…】 acquired.]

[Hidden Message: The Forgotten Harmonizers are now watching your actions.]

* * *

“Basically…”

Clink—

At a cabin atop a mountain peak, two Swordmasters sat by a moonlit window.

Volcanic Dragon leaned against the wall, while a blood-hued Zweihander lay on the table.

He set down his glass slowly and continued.

“…The opponent the Middle Temple spoke of… was that guy, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Hearing Black Skull’s response, Volcanic Dragon fell into thought.

—A Seeker of the ■̓̉̊̑̈͡■͐͑̍̀͞■́̔̓̉͠, newly arrived in this world… is now heading for the depths of Labyrinth Village.

A few weeks earlier—

That was the prophecy Volcanic Dragon received from the Great Ones.

And just last night, the thirteenth star of the Middle Temple had risen.

Recalling the man they met in the depths of the labyrinth, Volcanic Dragon asked:

“His name was Gaon, right? What did you think of him?”

“Hmm.”

Black Skull scratched his skull.

“To be honest, he seemed like a completely ordinary mercenary.”

“…?”

“Just like you said, I didn’t sense anything special from him.”

Volcanic Dragon frowned.

“What? Ordinary mercenary…?”

Something was off.

The guy they met in Labyrinth Village was frail—on the verge of collapsing.

He lacked muscle, even for a swordsman, and was visibly undernourished.

But to Black Skull, he looked like an average mercenary?

—Then… when will your body recover?

—I’ll tell you once the seal is lifted.

‘…Don’t tell me some of the “seal” was lifted recently?’

While Volcanic Dragon was deep in thought—

“Oh, right.”

Black Skull asked something unexpected.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“…?”

“That guy’s one of your own kind. Why didn’t you say anything?”

Volcanic Dragon froze.

Then his expression twisted into a scowl.

“…What the hell are you talking about?”