LTTH C50

Chapter 50

It was neither a skill, nor a reward granted for an achievement. Then where had it come from?

The system, so notoriously unkind, would never bestow something equal to the Sanctuary Proclamation without demanding a price. There had to be a cost—something Hansol did not yet know.

“Hm. Well, to tell you what I’ve learned so far, it seems that anyone who enters this zone is automatically purified.”

You have purified a Sacrifice of Berthel.

So that was the reason for the messages that had been appearing since earlier. Hansol gave a slight nod at the realization, following Kassie’s gaze.

The atmosphere was heightened, but still the village looked familiar, almost warm. At least there were no signs of people trembling in fear at the spread of a Dark Zone. That much was good news.

“But how did you realize that purification was taking place?”

When he had purified a Dark Zone, or when he had purified the infected, the system had never shown a red window here, as it had in America. Only the ordinary blue notifications appeared. And it did not seem as if his system windows were visible to others—if they had been, Kassie or Peter would surely have run to him in shock.

So how had they known the infected were being purified?

“Ah. The ones who’ve been purified emit a faint light. It fades quickly, but you can see it.”

“…Light?”

“Mhm. Look—do you see those two? The one on the left has been purified, the one on the right has not.”

“……”

‘…No. Not at all.’

Kassie kindly explained, pointing with gestures, but to Hansol’s eyes both men looked perfectly ordinary. He narrowed his eyes, thinking it might be a matter of perception, but no—he could discern no difference whatsoever.

“Ah. Just now, the one on the right was purified too.”

You have purified a Sacrifice of Berthel.

“……!”

The system message appeared with such impeccable timing that Hansol could not hide his astonishment as he turned back to Kassie. Could it be…

‘Is his eye sharper than the system itself?’

“In any case, it means Hansol no longer needs to wear himself out purifying each person one by one. Just by staying here for a time, they are cleansed.”

“And injuries, too, are healed on their own. So there is even less for Hansol to do now.”

Kassie’s oddly proud tone made Hansol glance again at the building. Still, he found it unsettling to receive such a gift without reason. Yet, for now, since it was helping… perhaps he could accept it.

“It’s a pity it only lasts for a time. By the way, how long does it remain active?”

Hansol could not say. This was no skill.

“I only hope it lasts until everyone here is purified, but that’s probably too much to ask, isn’t it?”

Kassie’s gaze drifted toward the crowd: those clutching each other and weeping, those stamping their feet in anxious hope for their families to be cleansed. His wish was for their sake. But Hansol had no answer to give him.

“You don’t mean it will last forever, do you?”

“…Surely not.”

Kassie’s teasing words made Hansol give a strained smile. Surely not… and yet a sliver of doubt lodged in his heart. Nowhere—in his skill window, in the system messages—was there mention of a time limit. In fact, this was not a skill at all. It was some unknown boon of the system. Which meant—

‘It could vanish tomorrow… or it could last forever.’

The thought of it being as fragile as a sandcastle filled Hansol with unease. He avoided Kassie’s gaze to hide the anxiety in his eyes. But Kassie’s own gaze gleamed dangerously in response.

It was like the eyes of mages Hansol had seen in new Korean gates—no, even more intense. Blue eyes that shone with a fervent will, as if they might seize him at any moment.

‘Feels like I’m about to be dragged off somewhere…’

Dragged back to the Tower, perhaps. Not that there was a Tower here in Britain, but Kassie could surely lock him away somewhere, if he so desired.

“Hansol. Say it aloud. Say it’s permanent. I’ll spread the word far and wide!”

‘…Why is he so eager?’

Those glittering eyes, those clasped hands, his little stomping feet—Kassie’s playful demeanor only doubled the pressure Hansol felt.

‘You want me to say it, don’t you? To declare Hansol’s greatness to everyone!’ His eyes seemed to cry exactly that. Hansol could only clamp his lips shut. Kassie was enjoying this—perhaps even more than he himself was.

“Yes, yes? Hansol? It’s permanent, isn’t it? Isn’t it?”

You have purified a Sacrifice of Berthel.

‘No. It isn’t.’

The silent scream within him was met only by another system message, as though to affirm Kassie’s words. Hansol turned his body deliberately toward the entrance of the sanctuary, half ignoring Kassie.

There, like an immigration checkpoint, people queued for the brief inspection of the soldiers before being guided inside. And as they crossed, the message appeared once more. It was, indeed, an automated system.

Quest completed.

A great quantity of experience has been gained.

Your level has risen.

Your level has risen.

Your level has risen.

The notifications, half-familiar, half-strange, still set his heart racing. Hansol opened his status window quickly. Before collapsing, he had been level 31. Now…

‘…38.’

From a mere 15 at the beginning, he had not only reached but far surpassed his initial goal. And the leveling was not yet done.

A chain quest has arrived.

Another window appeared, faint as if self-accepted. Numbered 8, it demanded the purification of 80 more people. Yet Hansol had no part to play—he did nothing, and still the counter ticked upward: 1, 2, 3…

The thousand who had once seemed an impossible burden no longer felt daunting. The chain quest and this automated purification would complete the task for him.

‘It feels… almost anticlimactic.’

Perhaps he had been a fool to exhaust himself purifying them one by one. Yet the Small Sanctuary, which could cleanse a thousand so effortlessly, filled him with pride as well. That ironic blend of feelings even dulled the unease he had felt earlier.

“Hansol! You are listening, aren’t you?”

“Of course. I’m listening.”

The lie slipped easily from his lips as he watched, with secret elation, the people being purified.

Kassie narrowed his eyes, sensing the evasion, but Hansol feigned ignorance. Truthfully, he knew nothing—why or how the Small Sanctuary had appeared remained a mystery even to him.

“…So you don’t intend to answer. Very well. I won’t ask again. Instead, let us eat.”

“…Very well.”

What eating had to do with answering, Hansol did not know. But with purification proceeding on its own, with wounds being healed automatically, there was no need for a healer now—not even in Britain.

“Here’s a secret—though I may not look it, I am very, very patient.”

“……”

Thus, with Kassie’s words like a playful finishing blow, Hansol found no excuse to refuse. He followed reluctantly in Kassie’s steps.

‘At least let it be a proper meal.’

If only Peter were here. But as always, he was nowhere to be found. Surely he was not idling, Hansol thought—Peter was not that kind of man.

“Kassie, where is Peter?”

“Hm, who knows? Likely busy with something.”

Busy with what? He was not at the checkpoint, nor anywhere nearby.

“Is something going on?”

“Hansol’s sanctuary—ah, let’s call it a holy ground, it’s easier. Anyway, the more people who are purified there, the more it expands.”

“…What?”

The sanctuary—this holy ground—could expand?

“At first, I thought it was limited to about ten buildings around the one Hansol stayed in. But as more people were purified, it spread further and further.”

“…!”

Hansol stopped short. Ten buildings—that had been about a ten-meter radius around the marble structure. But now? Now the holy ground stretched twice that, if not more.