The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 113



Only Krnovel

Episode 113. Atala’s Judgement (16)

The shaman had an old dream.

The sunlight was bright.

It was so brilliant. A halo of light spreading thinly, warmth tickling the skin, and a glow that appears red even when the eyes are closed. My heart was pounding and kicking as if complaining. I feel so bad that I can’t capture that light in my eyes.

That sunlight was the last sunlight the shaman would see while she was alive.

“… … .”

Only after I had seen the afterimages clearly visible one by one did I look away.

At her feet stood an ancient stone tablet, and beside her stood those who would meet the same fate as her. The shamans of the wilderness who still have youthful marks on their faces. Already 95 shamans have been imprisoned in ruins across the continent, and now only 5, including herself, remain.

And among them stood the world’s greatest wilderness priestess.

A woman who lost both eyes, but sees far more than those with two eyes. An unparalleled hero who helped the Great Warrior of Atala defeat the Great Demon. And a person who planned and carried out the plan to wait for the Great Warrior from beginning to end.

Cyril, the blind-eyed shaman.

Her white hair, which flowed down to her waist, swayed like platinum waves in the sunlight. Even though half of her face was covered with a tattered cloth, her mysterious aura and noble beauty did not fade. Her cheeks had become noticeably thinner over the past few days due to the continuous forced marches… … .

Cyril approached the shaman without showing any signs and asked in a soft voice.

“… … “Are you really nervous?”

The shaman did the trick even though he knew she couldn’t see.

“No. Rather… … I am happy. Because I can finally join in the sacred mission like my sisters who left before me.”

Cyril’s thin lips formed a complicated line.

“I’m sorry to have made you carry such a heavy burden… … . It will not be easy, and it will be a very painful time. However, if you endure for hundreds of days, thousands of days, tens of thousands of days… … endless years, He will surely come, so please do not lose confidence. If you find it difficult to endure the wait, feel free to curse and curse my name as much as you want… … .”

“… … That will never happen. Don’t worry too much, Priestess of the Blind Eyes. You know what my nickname is, don’t you?”

Her nickname is ‘Miko of Patience’. She was a person with a nickname who was able to endure several times more boring and difficult tasks than others. Perhaps this mission itself seemed to have been prepared just for her.

The corners of Cyril’s mouth rose faintly.

“Yes. So, after discussing it with others yesterday… … I decided to entrust you with some very important items along with the ‘Needle of Imprinting’.”

Cyril’s hand lightly brushed the air. A breeze blew, and before he knew it, a root-like object and a pitch-black axe were before his eyes.

The shaman opened her eyes wide.

“Hawk, the blind-eyed shaman… … ? these are… … ?”

Cyril added a brief explanation.

On the left is ‘Root of the Wilderness’. This is an extremely dangerous fetish, so seal it tightly and make sure it never falls into anyone’s hands. On the right is ‘Judgment of Atala’. When the Great Warrior returns, he will surely look for this weapon, so keep it safe and make sure to give it to him.

The priestess shook her head as if she couldn’t understand at all.

“why… … Are you entrusting me with such an important item? these are… … I think it would be better if the blind eye shaman kept it herself… … .”

“… … .”

The woman who had lost her light and was wandering in endless darkness smiled gently. In that smile, the priestess could read an indescribable holy sentiment, an unforgettable, longing longing, and regret and resignation that were neatly folded like a well-made shroud.

As if it were that of someone who doesn’t have much time left to live… … .

“Where do we come from and where are we going… … . Is there any proposition that causes the living to agonize as much as this? The precepts of the wilderness say that when warriors and shamans die, they will go to heaven where war and banquets never end. However, while we stayed up all night in the devil’s eye without being able to see an inch in front of us, Daejeonsa and we used to talk like a habit.”

“… … .”

“Let’s meet together someday, in a field where the sun never sets, smiling like the moon.”

“… … .”

“… … Even if someone completes their journey of life first.”

The priestess’s heart sank. Cyril looked up at the distant sun with eyes that could not contain light.

“Heaven where the Father of the Wilderness is is good, but… … In the end, wouldn’t a place like that where all the people I miss gather be nice too? If one day in the distant future, when you have completed your mission, I hope you can come there and meet me again, ■■■… … .”

There was a dull noise in the sound. Like an old book with too much wear and tear, the fragments of memory frayed, and the mind quickly rose to the surface of consciousness.

“… … Huh.”

When she opened her eyes again, the priestess was face to face with the great warrior of Atala, having leaped over countless years.

*

Quarrrrrrrrr… … .

Even the last rock giant has fallen. All remnants of the ruins have disappeared. Kadim withdrew his spirit and approached the shaman. The shaman looked like a broken ancient bust.

“… … .”

A bright flash of light flashed beneath my dusty waist. The ‘engraving needle’ was undoubtedly a casting made by Cyril. Kadim immediately picked it up and dipped it into the iron canteen.

The needle tip, which had swallowed blood and turned deep red, was stabbed into the right side of the abdomen. The blood that had leaked out on the skin formed a sharp shape. Perhaps because the blood was stronger and more toxic than before, every time I twisted the frosty lines, my mind became dizzy and my senses became hazy.

Still, the time of perseverance did not last long. If you wait quietly, it will become stable.

Kadim successfully completed the ‘Tattoo of Pebillatus’ without the help of a priestess.

“Phew… … .”

It was an encouraging achievement.

From now on, I was able to return my body back to the first time without any limit. In addition, if you summon divine energy, you become immune to mania, so it is now possible to use only the ‘power of the first time’ without fear of going crazy.

Of course, that did not mean complete freedom from mania.

The divine power is not a power without a price. If used for a long time, the side effect will inevitably be the collapse of the body. Furthermore, the side effect becomes exponentially stronger as time passes, and a long waiting period is required for the intensity to decrease. In other words, it is virtually impossible to maintain it indefinitely and gain permanent immunity to madness.

If I could have completely controlled the madness with just my magic from the beginning, I wouldn’t have had to struggle so much the first time.

‘Even so… … .’

It is clear that he has acquired a rein to control his madness, and that he has gained overwhelming power that is incomparable to that of the past. He has now acquired a power that can easily tear apart the lowly high-ranking demon Jeongdon.

Also, more dazzling than his external achievements was his mental growth. By affirming his warrior ego and shouldering all his karma, he completely broke free of his age-old inner conflicts. He would never again deny his actions, call upon divine powers, or be shaken by visions of canned beer.

In this other world, until the day the mission of struggle is fulfilled.

“… … Huh.”

The shaman who was thought to be dead came to her senses. She said Kadim walked towards him. A withered voice, completely drained of poison, was heard.

“Kuluk, really… … You were right, Grand Master… … . Kkulkkul… … Such a magnificent divine being… … This is the first time in my life I’ve seen… … . After all, there must be a reason why you left us… … that even the Heavenly Atala would approve of… … .”

“I’m too slow to notice.”

“That’s right… … That’s right, kkuk kkuk… … . I didn’t know that the meeting I had been waiting for so long… … would turn out like this… … Gulp, kkuk… … . At this rate… … I’ll never be able to… … meet the blind priestess… … … I’m so embarrassed… … .”

“… … .”

“Anyway… Even if I had a hundred mouths… I have nothing to say… … . Greed and stubbornness blinded my eyes… … and I made a wrong judgment… … . I deeply… … apologize for the mistake of this foolish old man… … .”

“This is an apology that should have been made before you started throwing rocks and going on a rampage.”

Puck – !

“… … Ugh!”

Kadim’s foot pressed down on the priestess. Her sternum shattered and her chest sank. He looked down dryly at the priestess’ face, distorted in pain, and slowly moved his foot away and sat down in front of her.

“If you are truly sorry, then at least answer my questions. Was the ‘Judgment of Atala’ entrusted to you by Cyril? Did you deliver it to the angry horn of Agon? Was it also your doing to turn this area into a wasteland?”

“Kuluk, kulkuk, hoo… … . Yes, all of them, all of them are correct… … .”

After a moment of panting, the priestess answered each question one by one and told the story behind it. The more she answered, the dark shadow that fell over Kadim’s face grew darker.

“Then… … what happened to Cyril? Did he leave them to you and choose to be imprisoned as well?”

“The blind priestess, perhaps… … would not have done so… … . She seemed to have already made up her mind to put her life in order. Although it may be presumptuous… … I think the possibility of her remaining in the world… … is not very high… … .”

“… … .”

Kadim quietly closed his eyes.

Even though I thought that it would be better that way, the emotions that were surging in wouldn’t subside easily. I clenched my right hand into a fist and my left hand, with its crushed fingers, trembled, and finally managed to gather my thoughts and open my mouth again.

“… … I understand. Then, let me ask you one last thing. Why did you call me the ‘source of disaster’?”

The shaman was shocked, shrugged her shoulders, and struggled to give an answer.

“I had a vision, a vision. A terrible… ominous vision… … . The great warrior’s flesh was torn, and a terrible disaster burst out from within… … It was a vision… … . By any chance, while you were away… … did you seal something into your body?”

“… … .”

Kadim gently rubbed his chin.

At first I thought it was some kind of nonsense, but something occurred to me. A vision he had when he fell into madness after killing the high-ranking demon Pevillatus. When the hole was dug, the outline that came out was redder than the devil’s blood.

However, even Kadim had no idea what it was. Did you seal something while you were gone? You started the second round right after you finished the first round? I asked her if she had any clues, but the shaman seemed to know nothing. She thought she would get some information, but her questions only increased.

Still, I found out everything I could.

Even if he was left alone, he would die anyway, but the great warrior did not want it to end like that. I got up from my seat to personally point out the referee’s point.

“What is your name?”

“… … .”

“You committed a mistake that deserved your soul to be destroyed. However, considering the pain I must have suffered from the endless waiting, I will just remember that name.”

The corners of his bleak mouth parted with bitterness.

“I am… … wandering for a long time… … and have lost my name… … . However, I beg… … may I make one more request?”

“no.”

Shamelessness is also oily. The jet-black ax soared mercilessly upward. The shaman urgently pulled her body up with her broken arms.

“Please, please! Please, at least Goltaran! Please spare Agon’s angry horn… … . If someone commits a knife attack, I think only the person holding the hilt should be held responsible… … . “What sin can there be in a sword that is wielded according to its owner’s will?”

A deep wrinkle appeared between Kadim’s brows.

“… … How absurd. Is Agon’s angry horn an idiot who can’t even think for himself?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right! He is just an idiot who fell for the old man’s cunning trick! He is just a weak and foolish idiot who wants to survive somehow, who wants to save his oppressed compatriots, and who mistakes me for a real great warrior… … .”

“… … .”

“All sins will be borne by Nogu… … . I will endure any harsh whipping and be willing to be thrown into the depths of hell. So please, please spare only Goltaran, only Goltaran… … Cluck, cluck, cluck… … .”

Kadim’s face hardened like a steel plate. She thought quietly and thrust the blade of her ax in front of her shaman’s nose and struck her with her chin. A gesture with a clear meaning: prove your resolve with actions, not words.

The priestess didn’t ask for an explanation. She didn’t say a word. She just looked at Goltaran’s face one last time and smiled faintly.

‘Someday… … in the fields… … I hope we can meet with a smile… … .’

After whispering a faint message to herself, the shaman sank her forehead into the ax blade without hesitation.

Spread the word – !

My parched skin crumbled and my bones split like worm-eaten firewood. The force of the blow was so strong that it split straight across the head and all the way to the back. The body that had lived for a long time turned to dust and was scattered uselessly.

Hooooooooooo… … .

Kadim trembled faintly. But soon, without much emotion, he brushed away the dried flesh stuck to the axe blade. Then he turned his feet toward Agon’s angry horn, Goltarran.

The guy was asleep, oblivious to the world.

The fury had long since dissipated, and his injuries had almost completely healed. Perhaps he had taken a bath in elixir in the meantime? Kadim looked down at the fake warrior, who seemed to have escaped all the commotion and was lying peacefully.

The shaman showed her determination to risk death to protect Lee Ja. Nonetheless, Kadim has not yet confirmed her disposition. In truth, her shrine maiden’s life was only worth enough to give her room to reconsider.

While I was thinking about it, a principle of behavior that I had firmly adhered to all of a sudden came to mind.

Never leave behind regrets.

Helpers, titles, status, honor, weapons… … . When he realizes that he has lost everything, will ‘Agon’s Raging Horn’ truly acknowledge and accept that fact?

“… … .”

Kadim made a decision.

Fur – ugh!

The ax blade mercilessly slashed down on the top of the fake warrior’s head.