The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 147

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 147

 

Uh…

 

But sorry, that’s a bound item…

 

I reflexively tried to deny Tuba’s words, but thinking about it again, it wasn’t a bad idea!

 

‘If it’s a bound item, wouldn’t it be worth trying to put it up?’

 

Bound items are basically untradeable. Even if I put it up, either it won’t react, or if it does…

 

Wouldn’t it come back to me like the cursed doll Enabel?

 

I closed my eyes briefly and put my hand inside my coat. Soon the hard sensation of metal came into my grasp.

 

Probably the ‘Ring of Caldir’ tattoo engraved somewhere on my body would have disappeared.

 

Before putting it up, I pondered one last time. Is this bronze bell worth as much as one Sacred Relic?

 

‘If I can give Lumensia a direct debuff, it’s actually a profitable deal.’

 

I’ll become weaker by one Sacred Relic’s worth, but I can just collect more Sacred Relics to make up for it.

 

‘The Defensive Sacred Artifact… it was useful in various ways, but it’s less important compared to healing or purification. Even if the trade goes through and it doesn’t come back, Celestia and the others will probably get me some powerful defensive artifacts that aren’t quite Sacred Relic level but still decent.’

 

It’s not like I get hurt that often anyway. At most, I just get internal injuries from the side effects of suddenly using too much power…

 

That’s been reduced to almost nothing since I contracted with Ife. The Defensive Sacred Artifact can’t block Sacred Relic penalties either…

 

Trading the Defensive Sacred Artifact was the best choice.

 

‘I could buy other items with this fifty million won and continue bartering, but doing that would draw too much attention. There probably aren’t any suitable items for that anyway. Even calling it a black market, it’s more like a flea market level.’

 

[Please give flowers to the dead.]

 

Ife crawled out from my wrist, wriggling.

 

-{Are you really going to give that?}

 

‘There’s no other way.’

 

-{Can’t you go home and come back? You know the location now, so you could just go alone.}

 

Ife flicked its tongue and tilted its head. Since I was standing still with my hand extended, Tuba was looking puzzled.

 

‘No. I’m already being watched. Since I came to this black market, next time I come it’ll be completely shut down.’

 

There’s probably surveillance so covert that even Tuba doesn’t know about it. Teacher wants to control me…

 

I placed the Sacred Relic on the scale. Then with a thud! sound, the coffin slid out smoothly.

 

The scale had completely tilted down to the right side.

 

The trade was successful.

 

Tuba opened the coffin lid and threw it to the floor. Dust flew up but was soon purified and became clean.

 

Inside the large coffin was only one person’s skeleton and a bronze bell held in its hands.

 

I carefully dug through the bones and pulled out the bell.

 

“Is that it? It’s more shabby than I expected…”

 

Tuba looked at the bronze bell with slight interest, then quickly lost interest.

 

As he said, the bell was shabbily cracked.

 

So badly that if I dropped it carelessly, it would break in half. There were even rusted spots here and there, making it look more like an antique.

 

“…”

 

Wait a minute.

 

I’m sure the bronze bell wasn’t broken in the easter egg I saw in the game, right?

 

‘What? It’s broken so the effect won’t work?’

 

As I was frantically examining the bell in confusion, Ife suddenly poked her head out.

 

-{…! This! I can feel the faint aura of a Sacred Relic…! Infuse your power into it!}

 

What? A Sacred Relic suddenly appears here like this?

 

-{To be precise, it’s not exactly a Sacred Relic, but something equivalent to one. Hurry!}

 

I obediently followed Ife’s urging words. Nothing particularly bad had ever happened when I followed Ife’s advice.

 

When I infused my power, the dark catacombs instantly lit up as bright as midday.

 

Shiiiiiiine-

 

Light burst forth from the cracked bronze bell, gradually filling in the cracks.

 

-{That’s right! I knew it! I knew this would fix it!}

 

Along with Ife’s excited cry, I felt the sensation of the [Ring of Caldir] tattoo engraved somewhere on my body completely disappear.

 

The Defensive Sacred Artifact had been ‘traded’.

 

In exchange, the bronze bell that had completely absorbed the Sacred Relic’s power was being reborn in my hands.

 

Light swirled like a storm, then instantly disappeared as if being sucked into the bell.

 

The bell was beating like a heart. It was warm, as if I were holding a small baby bird. Ife nodded her head and crawled along my wrist toward the bell.

 

So is it fixed or what? Does it work? Since it devoured one Sacred Relic, it should have quite an effect….

 

[System Online]

 

Huh?

 

[Preparing update for improved user convenience…. (1/18)]

 

“…???”

 

No, wait. I thought it was gone after my throat got pierced by a sword, but now the system pops up like this?

 

I was genuinely shocked.

 

-{This is incredible! It wasn’t a trade of Sacred Relics but a synthesis!}

 

What? Synthesis?

 

-{That bell was a ‘core’ with the power to interfere with God, and the Ring of Caldir became the ‘protective armor’ for that core! Your divine nature combined the two to… create a ‘new Sacred Relic’! The system rebooted from that shock!}

 

Excuse me?

 

What?

 

Core? Armor? New Sacred Relic? And why is the system suddenly back?

 

‘What, what, what did you say? What? I created a Sacred Relic?’

 

It was one confusion after another.

 

-{You can’t exactly be called human either, you’re a demigod. Naturally, you should be able to combine a Sacred Relic with an object that couldn’t become a Sacred Relic to create a new one. Of course.}

 

‘I’m not human but a demigod?’

 

What’s going on here.

 

Why did the system suddenly turn on, and why did this coffin vending machine become a synthesizer….

 

So my Defensive Sacred Artifact was consumed as synthesis material? Is that good or bad?

 

As I remained still while holding the bell, Tuba, who was beside me, asked irritably.

 

“Saint… Is it working properly?”

 

However, I couldn’t answer Tuba’s question as I was busy asking Ife various things.

 

‘So, so. Did it get better? What is it? What happened?’

 

-{It got better! Now I can directly crush Lumensia with this! Well, of course I need to make her fall from grace and there are various additional conditions but…}

 

Ife was about to ramble on about the bell. I grabbed Ife’s mouth.

 

-{Mmph.}

 

‘Explain that in the carriage on the way back. Right now… I can’t.’

 

Just organizing this situation is overwhelming enough. There’s even Tuba right next to me.

 

-{It’s not urgent… I understand! Call me when the Ascetic is ready!}

 

Ife squirmed back into my clothes. And entered the gem that had a similar effect to a Pokémon ball, which was Erendor’s gift attached to my inner clothing.

 

I hung the bell at my waist and belatedly answered Tuba.

 

“Yes, it seems to have worked well.”

 

“Then now… can we go…?”

 

“Since we’ve finished everything we needed to do.”

 

The bell was hanging at my waist but made no sound.

 

As I exited the catacombs, I was lost in thought about what kind of effect it might have had.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

[Hello, I am ‘Cel (Cell)’ equipped with personality AI to serve your convenience. Please feel free to call me Cel.]

 

“Ce, Cel?”

 

[Yes! That’s right! C-E-L-L, Cell. It means ‘cell’ or ‘core’. I am the most basic unit that makes up your system. Please take care of me from now on! ‘Ascetic’!]

 

Sernuan Lumiere. The nickname would be Cel. The spelling is probably Cernuan Lumière, so if it became a nickname it would be Sel.

 

Tuba, who was walking ahead, heard my muttering and quickly turned around.

 

“…Why are you stopping again?”

 

“Ah… No. I briefly mistook someone I know… it seems.”

 

I waved my hand to dismiss the system window.

 

“…How ridiculous.”

 

Too many things had happened, so I wanted to use the veil to move somewhere and be alone right now. But Tuba and I had to stay together in the carriage for roughly over 8 hours.

 

We exited the catacombs. One of the two coins was returned. I tucked it into my chest and asked Tuba.

 

“Did you convey my regards to the Commander?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“What has the Commander been doing lately? I’m curious since I don’t know how he’s been.”

 

“It’s none of your business…”

 

“Brother Tuba is quite heartless.”

 

Tuba snorted once as if he found it absurd, then crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

 

The carriage remained quiet after that.

 

I was asking Ife various things about that discordant bronze bell from earlier.

 

‘It seems a bit different from what the bell was originally, right?’

 

-{It would be good to test what effects it has! Or how about asking the newly awakened AI?}

 

When Ife casually mentioned AI, the essence of modern civilization, I suddenly felt a strong sense of disconnect.

 

‘Yeah, if you don’t know much about it either, that’s probably for the best.’

 

Just then, Tuba, who I thought was sleeping with his eyes closed, opened his mouth.

 

“With your spirit… why are you talking so much?”

 

“…!”

 

Can he hear the spirit’s words?

 

Then he heard everything Ife said up until now?

 

‘No, good hearing and Spirit Language are completely different things, weren’t they?’

 

However, while Tuba could hear Ife’s voice, he didn’t seem to know where it was coming from, as his focus wasn’t directed at Ife.

 

“It’s similar to how Brother Erendor and Ifrit speak. It’s a bond relationship.”

 

Tuba just nodded his head drowsily. If he had known the content of my conversation with Ife, he would have interrogated me more thoroughly or beaten me half to death…

 

‘So he can hear the words but doesn’t understand them.’

 

It’s probably like hearing a foreign language, right? Then he’d be able to pick up on the tone and atmosphere to some extent, so I should be more careful.

 

-{We’ll have to be careful!}

 

Ife, who understood my thoughts, made hushing sounds. I called out that name I had been somewhat reluctant to use.

 

‘Cel.’

 

As soon as I called the name in my mind, a neat, semi-transparent hologram window silently appeared before my eyes.

 

[Are you well, Ascetic? This is Cel, your most reliable supporter.]

 

You haven’t really become an AI, have you, Sernuan?

 

Though anxiety rose to my chin, the pact with the God of Darkness wouldn’t be broken even in death. So let’s be at ease…

 

[This is Cel, the system Administrator, a personality-type AI. I will assist you on your path of asceticism. What do you need?]

 

‘Tell me about the effect of the Warning Bell of Discord.’

 

[Collecting information…]

 

[I’ll display it in the Status Window, Ascetic.]

 

【 Caldir’s Silent Bell 】

 

Grade: Quasi-Mythic

 

Type: Special Equipment / Waist Ornaments

 

Description: A ring that once swore ‘protection’ now holds a bell that ‘denies God.’ This bell rings on its own to warn when it detects malicious energy trying to harm its Owner, and exists solely to silence one God (Lumensia).

 

-{It has good effects attached, Ascetic! This is fortunate!}

 

Ife writhed with joy. I scrolled down to see more effects.

 

[ Basic Effect (Passive): Saint’s Footsteps ]

 

Normally produces clear, pure sounds in rhythm with the user’s steps, but when hostility or danger (killing intent, projectiles, traps, etc.) is detected, it rings violently to alert the user of danger.

 

Within the range where the bell sound spreads, the accuracy of projectiles aimed at the user and enemy hit rates drop drastically. (Evasion rate greatly increased)

 

‘My evasion ability increased tremendously instead of defense… For something enhanced by sacrificing one Sacred Relic, this isn’t a bad harvest…?’

 

I scrolled down further in the Status Window.

 

[ Unique Ability (Active): Discord That Rejects God ]

 

Divine Silence: When the bell is rung directly, it forcibly ‘mutes’ all Divine Power based on ‘Lumensia’s’ authority within a radius of ??m. (Sacred arts, Divine magic, Divine Power nullified)

 

Divine Backlash: Blocked divine power does not disappear but transforms into ‘noise’ and returns to the caster. The stronger the opponent’s faith and the higher the divine power they wield, the more fatal mental damage and mana backlash it causes.

 

The current system was so detailed and user-friendly in its explanations that it could almost be considered a beta version.

 

‘This is basically a weapon exclusive to Lumensia, isn’t it?’

 

Yahoo! To get such an amazing weapon so easily! Usually when you enhance something, either the enhancement materials or the item you’re trying to enhance explodes! And all the resources I spent on that…

 

-{Hmm? Why would things explode during enhancement?}

 

Ife asked, but I didn’t answer. That’s a meta statement.

 

[ Restrictions ]

 

-When using unique abilities, it consumes the user’s ‘faith’ as fuel.

 

-Excessive use may cause the bell to overheat, potentially inflicting a temporary [Hearing Loss] debuff on the user.

 

‘No wonder it seemed like a cheat item – it does have some debuffs.’

 

Even considering the debuffs, it was an incredibly overpowered item with evasion, debuff, and counter abilities all attached.

 

Of course, I lost my incredibly overpowered defense equipment that had fire immunity and immunity to certain damage for this… but I’m fine…

 

That’s when it happened.

 

The alarm I had given to Antonio and Yelena (more precisely, the one Antonio bought and distributed) started beeping frantically from inside my robes.

 

Tuba glared at me with eyes that had turned sharp from their previously drowsy state at the sound.

 

“Antonio?”

 

-“Ascetic… sir… We’re under… attack…”

 

“Antonio!”

 

-Bang! Crash…

 

-The hunting dogs the Widow sent…

 

-Bang!

 

Soon after, noise came from the other side, and then the light faded from the communication device.

 

“Something seems to have happened…”

 

“Brother Tuba. I’ll go ahead first. I need to put out this urgent fire.”

 

“…What? How are you going to get there from here…”

 

Before Tuba could finish speaking, I had already prepared to move.

 

[World’s Darkest Veil]

 

>Move to the ‘darkness’ near Antonio.

 

>Cost: 1,000 Faith consumed

 

[Yes / No]

 

My body melted into the darkness.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————