Chapter 179: Chapter 156: The Failed King
"Seriously…?" Arnold and Tanaera were left speechless, "Hold on, there was an immortality zone on the rock where that palace was built on as well. How is it possible for there to be a safe zone if there wasn't a formation or any angel statues in sight?"
Had there been a mark or something to indicate that it was a safe zone then he wouldn't have asked her.
"The angels are buried under the ground. Though they lifeless and devoid of consciousness, their divine bodies make it possible for no harm to come to others. We discovered this accidentally during the fight against the outside entities. A person is revived whenever they die next to an angel that died before them."
"So, one have an infinite amount of lives if you're surrounded by dead angels?" Arnold asked.
'What kind of sick bastard added this to the game?'
"No, if we lose our halo then we lose our divine nature, which is the reason why we can resurrect others. The stone preserves our bodies and keeps it from breaking down. If our bodies remain then so shall the halo. But if it crumbles and decays then the halo shall crumble and decay as well."
'So they don't die completely if their body is still intact.'
"What about the halo's power? Is it also limited?"
"Yes."
A safe zone was definitely convenient to have, however, you shouldn't abuse the power of a safe zone to die whenever you want to. That was probably why limits were given to the "Shrine Safe Zone". Ten lives seemed like a high number at first. Considering the scale and difficulty of the dungeon, it wasn't high at all. Especially so if your raid party had more members than the initial ten lives.
"I will become like them as well… It's my fate, after all…" Rafaela muttered.
"Did someone make them do this?"
Rafaela shook her head at Tanaera's question.
"All of them volunteered. Their masters also gave their consent because they know how valuable life is, especially since they aren't immortal unlike disciples of other gods."
'So the disciples can die as well?'
He was under the impression that they were immortal given the fact that they served a god. As mentioned before, gods give their servants a fraction of their power and that can grant them immortality.
However, only the human gods can grant immortality. Human gods are called as such because they're the creators of all humanoids thus giving them the most control over the worlds. This gives them an important position in the divine realm.
'The Sky God was definitely one of the human gods. However, he lost most of his power.'
He was able to grant a blessing to a human to create a Hero so that meant he was a human god before coming to this dungeon to make it his grave.
The trio finally arrived at the front of the shrine. There were two angel statues that seemed like they were looking down at the visitors.
Arnold noticed Rafaela staring silently at the statues.
They were probably once her friends… Now they're dead. Their only purpose is to give strangers second chances at life.
That will be her fate one day.
◇◇◇
· Angelic Shrine
· Your body will be relieved of fatigue and curses so long as you stay inside this sanctuary.
A popup appeared in Arnold's vision.
'That's weird. I haven't seen these in a while.'
The only time he ever saw a popup without using his helmet was when he got rid of his death flags which was on two occasions.
"I'm going to a supply drop east of the shrine," Rafaela spoke, "Both of you should remain inside this shrine."
"You're going alone?"
"I don't need your protection to the supply zone. The path towards the supply drop is safe. I'll take a few hours to get there and back." Rafaela pointed towards the magic bag on Arnold's left shoulder, "May I borrow your bag for a while?"
"Can't you just use your own?"
"I'll take it along as well but I don't think one will be enough. Food isn't the only thing that the supply zone has. There's traditional medicine which will be effective if I run out of divine power. Not to mention magic items as well."
"I see. The medicine would be great. I have potions that I brought with me but they probably won't last." Arnold took off the magic bag he bought in Lockinge. The one with his potions and other important items was the one Vetis gave him.
That magic bag wasn't as big as the one he bought. In fact, it was comparable to a pouch despite its superior qualities.
"I'll be off then," Rafaela said after taking the magic bags with her.
Arnold and Tanaera put their stuff down. Well, Tanaera had nothing of value besides the clothes she received and food she brought. She had a simple folded cloth to hold all her clothes and food.
"Should we start a fire?" Tanaera asked.
"Even if we did I don't know how to cook." Arnold shrugged.
They never needed to cook up until now since they only ate the fruit, bread and dry meat they got from the castle before they left. Those ran out yesterday so they had no choice but to cook now.
"Huhu, not to worry because I can cook!" Tanaera puffed out her chest proudly, "I've been feeding those barbarians for months. All they ever ate was raw meat and fruit. I'm surprised none of them died from parasites or diseases contracted from the raw meat."
"For real!?" Arnold reacted when he heard that she could cook. He hadn't had a proper meal in weeks, "What are you waiting for, then!? Go on!"
"—Aha, it has been a while since I've seen humans."
An eerie voice came from behind one of the stones.
Tanaera shrieked hearing that chilling voice.
"Do not be afraid. I am but a humble merchant with no combat experience. Huhuhu."
Arnold frowned. He looked at Tanaera for a second and lifted his hand to tell her to "wait here".
She nodded.
Arnold approached the stone pillar where the voice was coming from. He unsheathed the magic sword on his hip. The chilling sound of metal scraping against a sheathe reverberated.
"I mean no ill-will, traveler!" the voice suddenly sounded much less menacing when Arnold got closer.
A head peeked from behind the pillar.
"An undead?" Arnold could see the skull and its rotting flesh.
"Look, my hands are up and have no weapons."
The voice sounded male so Arnold decided to refer to it as a "he".
"Who are you and why are you spying on us?" Arnold sheathed his sword since he felt no threat coming from this undead. Rather, he was surprised that an undead skeleton could speak. Only undead lords and litches are capable of speech.
Arnold approached the undead's hiding spot.
"I am a humble merchant, as I just said. Well, I was before dying, huhuhu. Were it not for the [Ial of Subeth] then I wouldn't have retained my sanity and been capable of speech."
"Ial of Subeth… That's one of the highest ranked necromancer magic items. How the hell did you get one?"
Ial of Subeth is a magic item that can revive a person with their sanity, karma and original stats in tact. All that changes is their race: Human>Undead. They are granted immortality as well.
It's also Star Shop exclusive magic item.
"A man who buys and sells never reveals his clients nor his methods, kakaka!"
Arnold narrowed his eyes, "Tell me your name."
"I do not have one. Or I can't remember what it was. It was the name of a living being, which I am not. Enough about me. What are you and your lover doing in a place such as this? Having honeymoons in monster territory is not really romantic, kakaka!"
Tanaera wasn't that far away so she probably heard what he just said.
"She's not my lover… She's my prisoner."
"Oho, roleplay? I understand. I understand."
"That's not—" Arnold was about to say something but was cut off.
"Now then, would you like to buy my goods? I have limited stock but I can always resupply if my customer requests it! I will also appear when you need me most!"
"Hold on." Arnold took out his hologram card.
He looked at the undead through it.
· ????
· ????
· ????
'This bastard is using something to block any perception and appraisal magic.'
Which means he was lying when he said he doesn't remember his name. Well, Arnold could understand why he lied. He was probably being cautious.
"What is that strange item? And why were you pointing it at me?" The undead asked curiously, "I'd like to buy it, if possible. Ah, it's silly of me to want it if I don't know what it can do."
"Don't mind it. What do you sell?"
"Take a look." He took out four scrolls and threw them in the air. The scrolls unfurled and levitated in the air around Arnold.
The items projected like holograms in the air.
Arnold didn't look at the stuff just yet. He asked a question any buyer would ask if they're in a place unfamiliar to them.
"What currency do you accept? I only have gold and some items to trade."
"My means of currency is not gold, traveler. Trading is also out of question for I know my goods have no equal!" Arnold couldn't see it but he felt like the undead was smirking, "I want your karma. Your existence itself will determine what you can buy, kakaka!"
"My… karma? You can take people's karma?" Arnold's eyes widened slightly.
"Indeed. The higher the karma the higher the price of my products! I bear an extreme hatred for those with high karma! At the same time, the lower the karma the bigger discounts you receive! If my customer has a karma rating below zero then I shall offer them special items as a bonus whenever they purchase my goods. Now then, allow me to check your—"
The skeleton's jaw suddenly dropped a moment after his eyesockets glowed.
"Your Excellency, D-Demon Lord!" the skeleton suddenly prostrated, "I did not know you were the subordinate of the mighty Demon King! What a fool I am for running my mouth without validating who the personage in front of me is! I have committed a grave sin! For that I shall offer thee fifty percent! Nay, sixty percent! Do not smite me with your demon sword, Your Excellency Demon Lord!"
"….." Arnold scratched his head.
· Karma ~ (-768)
His karma exceeded the threshold that a demon needs to reach in order to be given a seat as a Lord. Causing the suffering of others and committing various crimes can cause your positive karma to decrease.
He had none in the first place. His order to destroy a city which resulted in hundreds of deaths might've played a role in increasing his negative karma.
He basically stinks of demon lord now.
Few who reach negative 500 can become a demon lord.
The second requirement—besides having negative 500 karma(which is an extremely difficult number to reach)—is to be capable of handling the power given to you by the Great Demon King. Arsnoria is a god-level being so she can distribute her power freely. However, only those who survive her power can become her closest subordinates.
Only three have attained this position in the present era. The fourth one is dead. The only reminder of him left was the armor and sword that Arnold had in his possession.
"I'm not a demon lord," that was true and false at the same time. He was harboring a demon lord's power but he never fulfilled the second requirement, "I'm a lord factor."
"A lord factor…. I have heard of such a thing before," the skeleton stood up with his head still bowed, "But I have never heard or seen one who has managed to stay sane this far into the [Blooming]. I assumed that you managed to control the Demon King's power."
"What do you mean by blooming?"
"You have a seed inside you that will bloom one day. We creatures of the dark refer to thee as bloomers."
"Is there an average or estimated time for people like us to bloom fully?"
"I am unsure as I do not have the data about demon seeds on me. But I will find it later."
"What happens to demon factors who don't manage to control their power?"
Arnold wanted to know more. He had very little knowledge about what it means to be a demon lord factor. All he knows is that he can get unfathomable power with some cost unseen to him.
"You'll lose your sanity and end up causing your own death… some way or another, I suppose… Handling power beyond your comprehension is not something any mortal can control as they see fit. Demon lords are destined to always pass their power down to the next generation. If a demon lord dies then the Demon King takes their soul to the next generation she will choose. But the rare few become linked with humanoids, thus stealing potential manpower from the Demon King. Humans are the most likely to become factors besides other demons, of course. Fate is usually the reason why specific individuals are chosen. For humans it's either a lowly commoner in the slums or a prodigy from a prestigious family with a strong bloodline—there is no in-between."
Arnold fit into the latter. Though he didn't understand why it's only one or the other. Was fate that indecisive?
"What did you mean when you said creatures of the dark? Do you mean undead?"
"No, creatures of the dark is referring to those who are linked to the world of demons. It is often referred to as the underworld as well. If I die then my soul will be trapped in that world as will the souls of every other creatures of the dark."
"What about demon lord factors?"
"You are an exception. You possess two souls within you. A mortal should only have one soul. The soul that you have the longest will determine your fate after death. It's quite unlikely for humans to be sent to the underworld in the first place."
"I see." Arnold turned his head to look at the opened scrolls floating above his head.
The first thing he saw was:
· Wizard's Little Finger(SS): Upon being equipped, the wearer can boost their magic attack up to 120%
There was a literal finger connected to a small rope like a necklace. On the finger was a ring.
"Hey, can you just take off the ring of that item? Who the hell wants to wear some dead guy's finger?"
"The finger is filled with its owner's mana. It's the only way to power up the item without using one's own mana."
"Is it infinite?"
"No, but you can fill it using a soulgem."
"Huh? What's that?"
The skeleton took out a pink gem.
"This is a soulgem. It is used to fill magical artifacts. The amount of mana restored depends on the type of soulgem used. I give three free lesser soulgems to my customers if they buy a magic item."
"Can't I just use my own mana to charge the magic item?"
"That one in particular was crafted by a wizard. One man. It does not function the same way as any magic item you've heard of before."
"….."
'Dammit. Having something that can amplify my magic spells without the need to use a layered technique will be beneficial.'
He already had so little mana to speak of.
"How much for ten of those soulgems?"
"It is usually 1.5 karma but I will sell it to the Sir Demon Lord for 0.2 karma."
"Isn't that too cheap?"
Not just the discount, the usual price itself was way too cheap.
The skeleton cackled, "My, Sir Demon Lord, you have much to learn. A person's karma is a very valuable thing. We humble merchants have the power to influence how the gods see you by selling our goods to you. Each karma taken is a certain amount of humanity lost. This is why we rarely have good people—no offense to you, of course—buy from us. They strive to maintain their humanity after all—"
"Hey, what's taking you so long!? Did you kill the thing yet!?" Tanaera's yell interrupted the man.
Arnold looked around to face her.
"I'm busy. Go back."
"Why are you talking to some skeleton? Was the voice from earlier its doing? And why are there scrolls flying in mid-air?" Tanaera approached without much care.
"Oho, a Maiden of Death."
"?" Tanaera looked at the skeleton in confusion when it said that.
"He means necromancer. A female one to be specific." Arnold clarified.
If she were male then the undead would've said Lord of Death.
"I see... Wait, who is this?"
"He forgot his name after becoming an undead apparently." Arnold shrugged, "Why couldn't you stay put?"
"Uhm, there are a bunch of monsters around the shrine. I'm scared that they might come inside. Can't you go kill them?"
"Why don't you do it? You're a dark magic user, after all."
"My magic isn't working inside the shrine. I can't even use curses." Dark mana surrounded her hand when she lifted it but vanished soon after. Tanaera frowned.
"Oh." Arnold just realized why she couldn't use magic, "It's because violence is prohibited. I think the angels put a suggestion in your brain."
All safe zones do this. You can't use any form of attacks inside safe zones. Even your punches or any other physical attack feel heavily weakened.
"Suggestion?"
"It's a command to not hurt your allies." The undead spoke, "The monsters you speak of can't come in anyway. That is because a barrier surrounds this place that only allows non-threatening individuals inside."
"How can an undead be inside a sanctuary, though?" Tanaera asked.
"I am one of the aforementioned non-threatening individuals. I bear no ill-will or desire to kill either of you. The gods are truly merciful even to creatures of the dark."
Arnold spoke to Tanaera, "I'll deal with those monsters when I'm done here. Why don't you start the cooking? Take the meat inside my magic bag."
Tanaera hesitantly left the two of them after giving a silent nod.
"That was quite a peculiar necklace around her neck, kukuku. I wonder how much it's worth?" the undead muttered.
Arnold looked up at the scrolls again.
"Do you have anything that can identify curses?" Arnold asked while absentmindedly looking through the catalogue.
"Curses placed on one's body or curses placed on items?"
"The latter. I think the demon lord armor might have a curse, though I'm not sure how to identify the curse and get rid of it."
He recalled that night of his debauchery antics. The armor was standing right in front of him as if it was alive. That was no mere illusion crafted by his tired mind.
He opened up his hand. A sword with a dark red blade appeared after red smoke rose from his hand.
It was the demon sword.
Similar to his right hand, he opened his left hand which manifested black smoke.
The smoke faded, leaving a jet-black helmet in its wake.
The lights in the undead's sockets suddenly vanished while he was looking at the helmet.
He muttered something that Arnold couldn't hear.
"-----"
"What did you say?"
"Pardon me. I was trying to remember where I've seen this helmet before. It's on the tip of my tongue but I cannot quite get to it. Which demon lord's soul did you inherit?"
"I think his name was Oriel or something."
"Oriel… Oriel!? You inherited the soul of the Failed King!?"
"Failed… King?"
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