Chapter 297
“Osiris?”
“He is the leader of the World Awakened Association (1). He came in alone.”
I was convinced that Joshua had survived after overhearing the conversation between Jonathan and his subordinates. In the past, Osiris was Joshua’s code name. He must have been on the top stage, and I was impressed that he was still alive. I had been secretly hoping for it, but I had thought it was technically impossible. I was able to reunite with Jonathan only because his stage wasn’t considered the top stage in Act Two.
I unconsciously exclaimed in relief, “It’s Joshua. He is alive.”
However, Jonathan was quiet while looking toward the direction Joshua would enter the tent. Yeon-Hee also couldn’t understand just how miraculous it was that he had survived. We carefully listened to the footsteps approaching us.
Tip tap. Seuk-
We heard the sound of a robe sweeping the ground with each step. It stopped for a moment in front of the entrance that Orca was guarding.
He appeared, rolling up the tent flap. When he pulled his hood back, something hideous popped out of the dark. In the past, we had called the process ‘changing the role’, but it was actually a reinforcement. Although Joshua kind of resembled a high-ranking plague sorcerer, his appearance was not exactly the same, so it was hard to tell exactly what he was. Usually, plague sorcerers had bent waists and skinny limbs, but he was as fit and bulky as he used to be. The same went for the blue eyes that represented the Karjan family.
“Do you recognize me?” he asked sardonically.
I responded, “You survived, Joshua.”
He grimaced slightly. “But I lost that name. Please call me Osiris, Master.”
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He answered quickly, and the resignation buried in his reply left me heavy-hearted. Although he still had the blue eyes of his family, he must have decided to turn his back on society first. He often chased after his own profit and was good at calculating. Therefore, he knew how his plague scabs would be perceived by the public. They wouldn’t see them as honorable scars and would instead fear the Awakened if he came to the forefront.
However, Joshua’s incredible transformation wasn’t something that was possible by simply using a skill book. When I asked him how he had survived, he only gave me a brief explanation. He mentioned that there was a privilege, and it had allowed him to survive Act Two, Stage One. Then, he had entered the next stage with fewer than a hundred survivors. There was no emotion in his voice as he described this, but I could feel the screams and blood in his story.
Meanwhile, Jonathan was silent. It was because Joshua’s story was distinctly different from his experience, but also because of Joshua’s vibe. Therefore, he was quietly observing Joshua. Joshua also looked at Jonathan in the same way. They were observing each other to confirm if the other was an enemy or an ally.
Then, Jonathan spoke first. “Congratulations on coming back alive.”
“...”
“Shouldn’t you congratulate me for the same reason?” he asked.
Joshua didn’t speak to Jonathan until the end. At that moment, Yeon-Hee intervened. Joshua and Yeon-Hee had known each other for a long time, but it was their first time meeting in person.
She scolded him, “You are not even a teenager, so don’t act like you have been through this alone. Do you want to whine and moan and compare who had it worse? It’s simple. Just don’t resist me when I look into your memories.”
It was the same. Joshua only contorted his face while trying to suppress his anger instead of replying to her. I shook my head at Yeon-Hee, then took a step forward.
Four chairs were placed, creating a semicircle, and they were facing the remaining six chairs arranged in a row. That was right. Joshua’s seat wasn’t ready as no one had expected that he would come back alive. I made eye contact with him and pulled a chair out of the row, then placed it in the middle of the semicircle. There were now five seats after adding one for Joshua. I put my hand on the chair and called him.
“This is your spot, Joshua.”
I ignored his request to call him Osiris, and that must have provoked something inside him. Surprisingly, his eyes welled up with tears. Even Yeon-Hee, whose face was stiff as she was annoyed, began wiping her tears at this time.
***
The next target after Joshua was Revolucion (30). Their leader said that he wouldn’t respond to Olivia’s order unless she let his escort corps in with him. It must have been because he wanted to prevent further damage in case she lied about using my name.
He was accompanied by a henchman when he entered the tent. As soon as he came in, his relaxed face hardened the moment he skimmed through our faces. Both he and his henchman were a part of the Eight Evils and the Eight Virtues in the past.
He sat in the center of the semicircle, then immediately demanded, “Prove that you are really him.”
When I looked at Joshua, the leader of Revolucion (30)’s gaze followed mine. He must have seen Joshua’s face inside the darkness that was covered by a hood. However, he couldn’t openly belittle Joshua, as the latter gave off a dreary vibe. Since everyone’s attention was on him, he had no choice but to make dangerous calculations.
He was ready to resist as fiercely as he could, and I could see the rapid blood flow through the tense and swollen blood vessels in his temple. Well… but that was a meaningless struggle.
“William Spencer,” Joshua scratched out a voice that horrified others. William’s widened eyes proved that it was his name, then his eyes opened even wider as he was about to answer.
“Jo… Jo… Joshua…”
He turned his head toward me, and his fighting spirit died down instantly. He leaned forward and knelt down.
“William Spencer from Revolucion (30). It’s an honor to meet you, Great Odin.”
***
“Odin is calling. By the way, all the other camps responded.”
That meant they were the last. For the last hour, he had confirmed that the leaders of each camp had entered the residency of Camp Six one after the other. Since it was quiet and there were no signs of a conflict…
He must be Odin.
De Gaulle was troubled because he was worried about what had happened. He was finally about to meet Odin, the founder of Tomorrow and Revolucion. In addition, the man was also picking up old trophies one by one, integrating all the camps. De Gaulle had wanted a civil war to happen, but it was meaningless now.
De Gaulle looked at the Awakened from Revolucion and Tomorrow. There were only three left excluding De Gaulle. They also talked about how fearsome Odin’s stage would be despite the fact that they gathered all the forces under that name. They all agreed that there was a reason why all the guild leaders lowered their heads toward Odin even though a significant amount of time had passed. The conversation was short, but De Gaulle was able to notice the rebellious thoughts of the three.
What if I don’t cooperate with them?
These three were likely to commit treason in the future.
A waste of time and energy. The System is laughing at you, De Gaulle.
He made a decision. In terms of numbers and power, his troop was far inferior to Odin’s even if he rejected Odin’s demand. Also, the movement inside the camp was unusual. In fact, he couldn’t hide the tension that overwhelmed him. When he had entered the final dungeon in Act Two, Stage Four, he had been ready even if he was destined to wander around there forever, because he would have been able to get stronger and stronger.
However, that cave wasn’t like other places he had encountered. It was where the very first boss monster, who had brought everyone to their knees, kept his throne.
How long has it been since I was afraid of a human?
De Gaulle walked out, and he was, of course, guided by Odin’s three subordinates. They naturally began to escort him from the entrance of the camp. The one who was disguised in a necromancer’s robe in front of a large tent wasn’t a human. De Gaulle couldn’t believe it even when he saw it with his own eyes. It was a Maruka aristocrat.
A creepy sensation first came up his spine. It wasn’t just because Maruka monsters caused instinctual dread. In fact, De Gaulle had dealt with them before, but he had almost failed the stage. Therefore, the sight of a Maruka aristocrat guarding the tent like a private soldier scared him.
When he rolled up the entrance of the tent and went inside, he first saw the faces of four people who had turned their heads toward him. He could tell that those four had been called by Odin and were bound to be strong people who were in the same position as him just by looking at the arrangements of the seats.
The moment he made eye contact with them, De Gaulle realized that he was on the verge of the Final Stage. Even without the Chaser, predators recognized each other.
None of the four would be easy opponents. Their gazes alone pressured him heavily, and the eyes observing him were sharp and sensitive. They were tenacious and strong. Even the one who looked kind due to his drooping eyes had the vibe of a ruler.
However, he soon realized that such eyes naturally came out like old scars, and they weren’t at the peak of their fighting spirits, as everyone was being pressured by something else. De Gaulle shifted his gaze in the direction where the force that weighed on them was emanating from. The true monarchs were sitting there.
There was an Asian man sitting in the center of the semicircle, an Asian woman on his right, and a Caucasian guy was on his left. On the far right side, there was a guy infected by plague, and the far left seat was empty.
Jonathan Hunter.
De Gaulle looked at the face he still remembered even though it had been a while. He had been at the top of the financial hierarchy outside, and he was also at the top here as well. Then, De Gaulle slightly moved to the side and looked at the man who had been wrecked by the plague. He could feel it without even looking through his status window. He could accept Jonathan Hunter being in power here, but the guy with the plague was on another level.
The atmosphere emanating from him hit De Gaulle with the smell of death and fear. Even though they were in the same place, they existed on different planes. There were many gods who governed death, and this guy could seemingly be called by any of their names. He seemed to be the strongest among them. He looked lonely and dangerous, so he reminded De Gaulle’s crisis instinct to stay alert.
De Gaulle intentionally didn’t make eye contact with Odin, and looked at the Asian woman instead.
Why here? Why is the power that overwhelms everyone coming from here?
She indeed had the biggest presence, according to his Chaser trait. He had never experienced such a presence before. Also, her power was so sturdy and strong that the word ‘devil’ suited her better than ‘emperor.’ Her small physique was just a shell. There was a devil-like force within. If she spread her huge wings, there would be an uproar even here, where the strongest were gathered.
Just what are these guys… This woman is…
De Gaulle had expected it to some extent, but he had never thought that his position and pride would plunge like this. Odin’s closest aides were driving him into an infinite sense of helplessness.
Whoa…
And then there was the last one. The supreme leader, who controlled everyone inside the tent. De Gaulle looked at Odin sitting in the middle and suddenly felt like he was falling into an abyss, which he felt would never end. The fear that he had felt at the altar of the Seven Demon Kings started to overwhelm him once more.
The Chaser trait allowed him to sense monsters, traps and other Awakened by sense or shape sometimes. However, he only saw a huge eye coming from Odin. The gigantic eye looked down at him as if it was squeezing his entire body with a simple glance.
“Name.”
From afar, the words penetrated De Gaulle deeply.
He stuttered in reply. “De… De… Gaulle.”
“What’s your main skill?”
“Kali’s Sword, sir.”
De Gaulle felt like the big eye was smiling at him.