Chapter 83. Morning of the Uprising (1)
It wasn't that long ago...
Yet the memory now felt like something from an impossibly distant past.
"What are you doing, Cheon Sangwoon?"
A man entered the room...
And spoke to the figure lying diagonally across the sofa.
"Can't you tell?"
"I'm studying, just like you told me to."
Cheon Sangwoon answered...
Waving the Bible in his hand.
The man sighed.
"Can you understand it while holding the book upside down?"
"..."
"If you don't want to read it..."
"Just put it down."
Cheon Sangwoon awkwardly lowered the Bible.
"I've always hated reading."
"You're the one who said you wanted to understand that organization's plan."
"Can't you just summarize it for me?"
"Haa..."
"It can't be helped."
The man shook his head...
And walked toward the sofa.
Cheon Sangwoon moved his legs aside...
Making room for him.
"There are broadly two kinds of 'beasts' mentioned in the Bible."
The man sat down and began explaining.
"The most famous one is the Beast from the Book of Revelation."
"But beasts also appear in the Book of Daniel, written by the prophet Daniel in the sixth century BC."
"Sixth century BC..."
"So that's much older than the Book of Revelation, which came after Christ."
"If you look at it that way..."
"They could possess traits similar to Primordial Horrors."
Primordial Horrors.
A term for conceptual monsters that had existed since ancient times.
Their power was on a completely different level from normal monsters.
"According to the Book of Daniel..."
"Daniel dreamed of four beasts appearing."
"Four..."
"The first beast was a winged lion."
"The second was a bear with ribs in its mouth."
"The third was a leopard with multiple wings and heads."
"And..."
"The fourth?"
"A tremendously powerful beast with iron teeth and ten horns."
"Doesn't say what kind of animal it is?"
"I don't think so."
"But it was definitely stronger and more terrifying than the previous three."
"In fact..."
"The fourth beast is basically the main event."
"The first three are more like a prologue leading to its appearance."
"..."
"According to scholars in the Material Realm..."
"Those four beasts represent Babylon, Persia, Macedonia, and Rome."
"But that probably isn't the case in the Fantasy Realm."
"Correct."
The man nodded.
"That organization's goal is to secure the first, second, and third beasts..."
"And use them to make the fourth beast appear."
"Once the third beast has appeared..."
"The next fourth beast appearing can be considered inevitable."
"I don't really understand that."
"Even if they obtain the first three beasts..."
"They won't actually be the true beasts from the Book of Daniel, right?"
"So how can the fourth one be the real thing?"
"Doesn't make sense."
"It does."
"Using substitutes is common in magical rituals like this."
"Of course..."
"The substitutes need extensive magical preparation before they can take the role of the originals."
"Hmm..."
"The fourth beast is described as an overwhelmingly powerful being..."
"One that devours, crushes, and destroys the entire world."
"Especially the new small horn that grows from it."
"It possesses tremendous power..."
"Wages war that overturns the world..."
"Achieves victory..."
"And rules over everything."
"So basically..."
Cheon Sangwoon picked up the documents lying beside the sofa...
And tapped them.
"Their goal is to summon this incredible fourth beast..."
"And use its power?"
The documents contained information about a group of European Contractors...
Who had recently entered Korea.
They had been driven out of Europe after losing a conflict with another organization...
And now they were trying to make a comeback in Asia.
They might have been remnants of a defeated faction...
But they possessed Durandal and many other legendary weapons.
Naturally...
The Eight Guardians regarded them as a threat.
"The idea itself is interesting."
"But is it actually realistic?"
"Who knows."
"I don't know that much."
"Getting reliable information from Europe is difficult."
"This isn't the old world where we can get real-time information through the internet."
"Foreign information is even harder to obtain."
Wireless communications had collapsed.
Undersea cables had been damaged.
The world's internet environment had regressed dramatically.
Communication with foreign countries...
Was especially difficult.
"But there is one thing we can say for certain."
"What?"
"The fourth beast is connected to what is commonly called the Antichrist."
"They're Europeans from a region with strong Christian influence..."
"And yet they're trying to borrow the power of an existence like that."
"That means..."
"They're genuinely antisocial villains."
"..."
Hearing that...
Cheon Sangwoon couldn't help laughing.
"All right."
"I get it."
Laughing...
He rose from the sofa.
"If they're that kind of people..."
"Then there's no need to think any further."
"There's no room for negotiation."
"We'll destroy them with everything we have."
"An excellent decision, Cheon Sangwoon."
Talking with this man...
Made decisions easier.
Not only did he possess an enormous amount of knowledge about myths and legends...
But he also had the sharpness to see through to the core of things.
"Then I'll be going."
"Why?"
"Busy?"
"Stay and talk with me a little longer."
"I asked Somun Gwang for personal training."
"..."
Cheon Sangwoon paused.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Do you really have to train?"
"What do you mean?"
"I already told you."
Cheon Sangwoon spoke without hesitation.
He wasn't the type to carefully soften his words.
"No matter how much you train..."
"You won't become any stronger than you already are."
"..."
"You're contracted to a D-rank Constellation."
"That means it's difficult for you to succeed as a Contractor."
"You know that too."
The man was indeed contracted to a D-rank Constellation.
When a Contractor was connected to a low-rank Constellation...
Increasing abilities through Enhancement Engravings became difficult.
Receiving Blessings during combat was also difficult.
For a Contractor...
It was a fatal weakness.
Usually...
The moment someone became contracted to a D-rank Constellation...
They gave up trying to live as a serious Contractor.
"Sure..."
"If you're lucky..."
"A higher-rank Constellation might notice you and offer a new contract."
"But a D-rank Contractor catching the attention of a high-rank Constellation..."
"Is nearly impossible."
"I know."
"No matter how hard you work and try to keep up with us..."
"It'll be difficult."
Cheon Sangwoon spoke coldly.
"Stop trying so hard."
"Just become my strategist."
"..."
"Stay behind me and support me."
"Don't force yourself onto battlefields."
"I'll make a proper place for you."
Cheon Sangwoon had said this several times before.
As a Contractor...
This man wasn't particularly useful.
But as a strategist or secretary...
He was exceptional.
"I'm sorry."
Still...
The man didn't nod.
"I don't want to give up."
"I'll struggle until the very last moment."
"..."
"That's how I live, Cheon Sangwoon."
Hearing the same answer again...
Cheon Sangwoon sighed.
"You'll regret it."
"Maybe."
The man's smile...
Looked strangely lonely.
For some reason...
Cheon Sangwoon never forgot that face.
Even after the man left...
