Chapter 122 (2/2)

Then in reverse, the way to open a Gate must be…

Wee-ing!

As I concentrated Mana in my hands, the key shone gold.

Along with its circular form, the golden crystal glowed.

‘When closing, it must be in contact with the Gate… But there’s no such thing in this item’s case in the first place.’

I just fixed the key to a random space in the air.

‘It was counterclockwise to close, so it must be clockwise to open!’

Just as the navigator rotated the helm, I grabbed it with both hands and slowly turned it.

Creak! Creaak!

The force slowly turned it to the right.

And at that moment…

‘I’m right after all!’

A vortex pattern appeared in the air along the direction of rotation. All the surrounding spaces and Mana were swirling like tops along with the flow.

And then-

Woong!

A golden disk appeared in my room.

‘It’s a Gate!’

I checked the message by placing my hand on it.

– Gate Information

As I read the message, I had no choice but to question it.

Why did it use such a series of hassle-filled arrangements?

I could only interpret it as its way of telling me that it would give me an additional reward if I crossed to the other side of the Gate.

I understood that it was giving me the SSS-Class item that I should have received as soon as the dungeon was Cleared, but…

‘It could have just given me back then!’

Still, there was no need to Clear it, and since the awaited reward was just beyond the Gate, I decided to check it anyway.

I could simply escape using the Returning Stone or the [Door of Hope], in any case.

Wee-ing!

After experiencing a familiar phenomenon in which the surrounding space was harshly shaken, causing my senses to be mixed up, I arrived on the other side of the Gate.

‘This place is?’

It was a room too small to call a dimension.

A power of faint luminescence rode the current and flowed slowly all around.

And in the middle of that…

‘That must be the reward.’

An item was placed on a small altar as if it’s telling me to take it.

I looked at it with [The Successor’s Eyes], and I found out that there was no trap placed on it.

I held it in my hand.

Paht!

[Sephirot Guardian Bow (Rank: SSS)]

-Item Description: It is the bow once used by the guardians of the sacred tree. Even if an actual arrow wasn’t nocked on the string, as long as the user’s Mana allows, unlimited long-ranged attacks could be shot.

-25% increase in ranged attacks. Once attacked from a distance, the take-down effect is applied.

‘It’s an item that I have never seen in my past life.’

If I only looked at the description, it felt a bit lacking to be considered as an SSS-Class.

But the real performance could only be revealed the moment I used it.

‘Anyway…’

I was wondering if it was all there was.

‘If it was going to do this, couldn’t it just have given me this bow when I Cleared the dungeon? Why did it have to create a separate micro-dimension and guide me here…’

At that moment-

Weeing!

A change occurred across the wall that surrounded the small room.

Looking at that, I opened my eyes wide open.

‘The Mana… It’s moving and making a pattern!’

A marvelous dance of Mana filled and occupied the wall.

It did not take long for me to recognize its identity.

‘It’s Archid language!’

Those were the letters being used by the entities related to the system.

The Mana moved to make a sentence in Archid language.

My head turned fast as I read it simultaneously.

I could vaguely guess the intention of the being that designed the place.

‘I see… What if it wasn’t me but an ordinary hunter that acquired the key?’

The message of the Gate created by the key clearly indicated that it was a door that led to the place where an SSS-Class reward could be received.

And when I came inside, there really was an SSS-class item.

A typical hunter would cheer and take it and then return to the original dimension.

Presumably, for them, the opened door had already served its purpose, leading them to close it immediately after getting the reward.

However, the situation was different for me.

‘To fully identify and understand the hidden information, two conditions must be met. First, you should be able to read Archid. Second, you should be able to visualize the precise form of Mana.’

After all, the hidden device couldn’t be recognized without the unique skill called [The Successor’s Eyes]!

I read the Archid sentence that embroidered the wall, formed by sparkling Mana.

It was commanding me to make a specific Mana pattern as well above the wall if I wanted to reach what was laid beyond that wall. The pattern that should be made as a reply was also in Archid language.

I approached it as if I was possessed by it.

As I concentrated Mana on top of the wall, I formed a sentence with Archid language.

Its meaning was as followed:

-I shall inherit it.

As I did so-

Wooong!

The wall started to slowly part horizontally, revealing yet another space.

And the Mana of the entire area flowed down like a waterfall. It concentrated at the center to realize a certain shape.

It became a feminine figure whose entirety glowed in blue.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar sight.

‘… Ministry Spirit?’

It was similar yet different.

It had a superior resolution, a deep presence, and a more precise cohesion of Mana than the spirit I encountered several times in the dark space.

I could instinctively recognize that it belonged to a class much higher than the ordinary spirit I talked to.

Shh!

She opened her eyes.

And our glances met.

Then, the opponent spoke while knocking, tapping my mind.

– Contacted successor, welcome!

– Checking the cumulative number of reincarnations…

– Confirmation complete!

At that moment, it poured out information that I could not understand due to its lack of context.

-The total number of reincarnations of the successor that have connected is as follows:

I thought about it with a puzzled mind.

What the… hell did that mean?

As if to reply after reading my thoughts, she spoke.

-Continuous reincarnation means continuing the cycle in the general sense. Born with one life, in that life, in that era, in that dimension, if you fulfill your destiny as a successor, you will be reborn as a different creature according to the normal timeline. The successor has carried out this reincarnation 13,215 times so far.

… What? But!

-In the process of continuation, the cognitive memories will be cleared. It is natural that the successor cannot remember anything.

And then, she explained the next item in the list.

– Reverse reincarnation means repetition in the general sense. After 1,452 reverse reincarnations as ‘Roco-Gerös,’ you finally completed your destiny and reincarnated as ‘Choi Seung-Hyun.’ However, you have not yet achieved your destiny in this life. Hence, you have repeatedly been reborn as ‘Choi Seung-Hyun’ whenever you die. During the repetition, all conscious memories are also deleted. This is because if similar memories are piled up in thousands and tens of thousands of layers, the successor’s mind will be put at high risk of collapsing.

Wait, but at that moment, I was…

– Yes, this is the first time since you started your continuous cycle and regression that you have taken one’s body under the cooperation of another being. The reason for that is…

She continued with a look that seemed to ask if it wasn’t obvious for me as well.

– … Because it has been predicted that even if you were to be reborn into the body of ‘Choi Seung-Hyun’ body 12 billion times, you would not be able to achieve your destiny in this life.