Each One Reaches Their Second Year (2)

“Battlefield of the Gods” Year 2, January 3rd.

A grand hall with lavish decorations and an enormous chandelier stretched long.

The place was filled with soft yet rich music, fine wines, and exquisite delicacies.

The hall was so luxuriously decorated that one might have doubted it was part of a temple. Beautifully adorned men and women stood in a line along one wall as if awaiting appraisal and selection.

Suddenly, the orchestra became busy, and grand music flowed out unlike before.

At the same time, a man stepped onto the stage, all the hall lights went off, and only the area around the stage shone alone in the vast hall.

“Thank you all for gathering here. Proud Messengers of the Gods.”

This man had just referred to the Messengers of the Gods in plural. Could it be that several messengers were present here?

“Today, to celebrate the start of the second year of the ‘Battlefield of the Gods,’ I have specially prepared this event for the messengers. Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest and forget about training or the ‘Battlefield of the Gods’ for just today.”

“Woo!”

Male representatives each rushed to a woman they liked, and female representatives also approached men they fancied.

Occasionally, women chose women or men chose men, but these were very rare, so let’s move on.

Each carried one to three partners, dancing and eating food and drinking, vividly demonstrating what ‘extravagance’ meant, reminding us once again that this was the temple where gods were worshiped.

When the atmosphere reached its peak beyond climax, the man’s voice was heard again from the stage.

“Come now, the night is long. Before that, what do you think about what I mentioned?”

The hall where the orchestra played fell into silence as if muted.

“I will, of course, follow Benialis, the representative of the Heavenly God.”

“I unconditionally…”

“Me too…!”

When three or four instigators spoke, whether swept by the mood or eager to leave, all gathered representatives gave the same answer.

“Haha, I feel truly pleased. Then let’s continue to enjoy. I have prepared many special things for you all.”

Benialis, with a face full of smiles, looked genuinely satisfied.

He raised a glass as if urging the gathered representatives to enjoy, then put it down and moved behind the stage.

A small private room was prepared behind the stage.

“Have you arrived?”

A white-haired old man wearing a pure white, worn priest’s robe sat down but stood up and bowed politely.

But the old man’s face seemed somewhat familiar.

“I see. How is the preparation going?”

“Everything is complete. Where shall we start?”

“Hahaha. Naturally, from the Holy Kingdom. There are some good couriers, aren’t there? Gather those who were not chosen separately and give them consolation drinks. Be sure to say that I am giving it ‘specifically.’”

“…Understood.”

“By the way, Elder, what will you do?”

“I must bear this sin. Haha, Goddess Amor…”

The old man’s lament mixed words deeply settled on the dark floor of the private room.

Both the speaking old man and the young priest attending him looked somber and silent. Only Benialis nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Yes. Please work hard until the end. Especially don’t forget to make sure all the consolation drinks are given to those unchosen trash.”

“…Understood.”

Benialis left the private room without even fully listening to the answer.

The remaining old man and young priest silently stared at the place where Benialis had been.

“Goddess Amor…”

“Battlefield of the Gods” Year 2, February 2nd.

After sparring with Biosis using the breaking staff—written as sparring but read as one-sided beating—it was lunchtime.

After the meal, the afternoon was spent with Talis practicing real combat magic—written as real combat magic but read as acquired attribute resistance training.

After dinner, I spent a short time with the other representatives until bedtime, then accumulated divine power in the underground training hall before falling asleep.

If it weren’t for my tremendous physical stats including stamina and the skills ‘Heavenly Strength [Ex]’ and ‘Argus’s Eye [Ex],’ I might have died from overwork sparring with Biosis.

No mercy was shown; spitting or throwing dirt happened. It was a sparring that used any means to absolutely kill the opponent.

The stylish master-disciple sparring often seen in martial arts novels? None of that. Biosis never went easy and had no pretense.

When training began and the breaking staff gradually became familiar, I was waiting for Biosis at the training ground behind the mansion as usual that day.

“Have you come?”

“Ah, disciple. Shall we start?”

“Yes.”

At the start, a water balloon burst on me as he came crashing in.

As if expecting my ‘yes’ answer, the water balloon burst on me at the same time, spreading a foul stench.

“Hahaha. How does the taste of poop and pee feel, disciple?”

“…Good. It’s a shame to enjoy alone.”

While answering, I kept approaching Biosis, using ‘Light Body’ to catch him as he dodged, throwing punches.

It was natural that filth splattered all over our bodies. But neither Biosis nor I cared and kept attacking each other with strong energy.

I had experience fighting in harsher places and conducting raids.

To the west of the northern ruins lay a place called the ‘Land of Death.’

The monsters there were mainly zombies and ghouls. No skeletons or death knights. Only zombies and ghouls, reeking of stench and rotten flesh.

But they were incredibly strong. It was a place where you could see ogres being eaten by zombies, a hard-to-understand sight.

I once crossed that place alone.

Of course, I didn’t like the stench of excrement, but compared to that, it was bearable.

But even that day, after being beaten badly and lying on the training ground gasping, Biosis praised me.

“Well done. I like it! You’re a very unique guy. Judging by your combat sense, you seem to have survived many battles, but your body movement and weapon use are crude. Usually, no one thinks to attack while covered in such filth.”

“Getting covered in filth doesn’t kill you.”

“Right, but most don’t know that.”

Our conversation was abruptly cut off by Arun’s scream.

“Ah! What are you doing? Kim Han, I told you to rest a bit during training. Have you finally gone mad? I’ve heard of smearing poop on walls, but on the training ground…! Ugh!! Ugh! Ew! I’m so dirty.”

To the noisy Arun, Biosis scratched himself to gather a clump and threw it.

It hit Arun’s exaggeratedly shouting face. The rest will be omitted.

Later, Albom came over after hearing the commotion and used cleansing magic, but Arun was dazed, repeating only that he was dirtied.

The situation was the same with Talis and real combat magic training.

Physical combat was familiar and bearable, but being hit by magic felt very dirty.

The body caught fire, froze like ice, tingled with lightning, and sometimes rotted from poison.

At first, I had to be a human punching bag against unexpected attacks.

Especially when starting real combat magic training, using magic items was forbidden until a certain level, so sparring in regular clothes often left my underwear burned or torn, leaving me naked daily.

Without the evasion method from ‘Argus’s Eye [Ex]’ battlefield analysis and skills gained from games on Earth, I might have died.

Amid the barrage of magic, attribute affinity and the wind of healing even leveled up.

Talis, especially interested in my healing skill, pushed me even harder.

So after training with Talis, I always had two or three punctures or burns, sometimes leaving scars.

I repeated this training daily for the past year without missing a day.

Unlike the worried legion members, I was personally very satisfied.

Especially after sparring with the two monsters, my proficiency in ‘Heavenly Strength’ and ‘Argus’s Eye’ rose quickly.

Also, Battlefield Analysis based on physical stats and the talent ‘Insight’ along with magic use steadily improved my thinking ability.

Today, I finished training a bit early, sat in the study, took out pen and paper, and began writing.

I prepared humiliating video edits of Violentia’s dungeon exploration so far.

I prepared edited conversation videos containing Benialis’s malicious plans.

I planned to prepare these two by the next visit to the Garden of Gods, Ludicer.

Seeing Benialis communicate his will to the Heavenly God Amor this way, I thought it was a good method and planned to use it someday—today was that day.

Training for Deicide and Destruction was so painful and harsh that for the first few months I couldn’t monitor the two beings during training, but now I was used to it and watched over them except during short sleep times.

With pen in hand, I wrote down questions and things to find out before meeting Ludicer tomorrow, haphazardly on paper.

One line, two lines… ten lines… Looking at what I wrote, it was all a reflection on my life over the past year within the questionnaire.

24 years on Earth, 31 years in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods,’ and about 1 year here again.

I had lived a long time.

The 24 years on Earth were like a leaf floating on flowing water, unaware of the world.

Before regression, during 31 years in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods,’ I lived like a stormy adolescence—fearful, lamenting stupidity, blindly loving, and struggling.

And like a man maturing after military service, only after dying once did I finally mature a bit.

Life was like a big jigsaw puzzle, too complex and subtle to guess from a few pieces, so I had to calmly fit the outer parts first.

From outside to inside, from my external parts to internal parts.

First, I dreamed of surviving, winning, and beyond in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’

A legion member. I attached two beings called Deicide and Destruction.

Based on the talent ‘Insight,’ I raised 11 talents and ‘Ex’ grade proficiency and synthesized skills.

Only one year.

But I actively accomplished more than in the past 30 years.

Today, I was ashamed of yesterday’s me, and yesterday was ashamed of the day before. Conversely, today’s me looked better than yesterday, and tomorrow’s me was more anticipated than today.

The preparation period ahead was three years.

I hoped the me three years from then would exceed expectations.

The mansion was busy from early morning.

Strictly speaking, the mansion except for me and the two masters was busy. Especially Naruan was excited since last night about going out after a long time.

Thanks to Exorsus’s warm climate year-round, the garden’s flowers always displayed vivid colors.

Skipping training for the first time in a while, I sat on the terrace waiting for four women and Arun—honestly, I couldn’t understand why Arun took as long as the women—to come down.

Opposite me sat Biosis and Talis, whom I now officially called masters.

Since the two masters entered the mansion and began seriously assisting training for me and the legion members, we all called them masters.

And seeing how the teaching became harsher and more detailed from that day, I guessed the two masters were secretly pleased.

I sometimes thought to visit the only library in Exorsus where Sio stayed, but the harsh training schedule left no time. Today, since I was going out, I planned to visit the library too.

“Disciple.”

“Yes.”

“Bring back plenty of alcohol when you return.”

“Alcohol?”

“Yes, alcohol! Because of that insolent disciple, I’ve been taking care of the chicks and haven’t drunk for almost a year!”

Biosis gestured angrily, venting his frustration.

He probably acted like that because he couldn’t drink his daily alcohol, and at that moment, I had to facepalm at my own stupidity.

I quickly opened my inventory, took out two beautifully decorated bottles, and placed them on the tea table.

“Please try these.”

“Huh? Is this alcohol?”

“What? Alcohol?!”

With movements showing ‘the hand is faster than the eye,’ each grabbed a bottle and began blowing the bottle like a horn.

“Pua!”

“Hoo!!”

The two teachers’ expressions were ambiguous—seeming pleased, yet somewhat regretful and slightly angry.

“Does it taste unusual?”

“What!!”

“No!!”

“Then why do your expressions look like that?”

When I asked bluntly, both just smacked their lips and stared at the empty bottles.

I had momentarily forgotten that the two were notorious heavy drinkers and that I had synthesized potion-like alcohol from a martial arts game and stored a huge amount in my inventory to entice them.

“Would you like more?”

“Is there more?”

“Yes!”

Seeing their childlike faces, I opened my inventory and took out ten bottles, filling the tea table without space.

With bright smiles, the two masters carefully put the alcohol into their magic pouches and pocket dimensions, then took out a bottle each and solemnly savored it as if drinking tea.

“Kuk! Is it that good?”

“Yes! By the way, do you have any requests?”

“Hmm?”

Suddenly discussing requests, their expressions became very gentle, shouting with their faces and expressions, ‘I am generous!’

“Huh? I don’t have any.”

“Is that so? Then why this?”

“You said you wanted to drink, so I took them out.”

A casual remark. Though calculated, both looked touched.

Just as I was about to continue, the legion members came down to the first-floor hall.

“Then, I’ll be off.”

“Alright.”

“Yes.”

Taking three baby chicks and two big chicks, we left the mansion, where the tower lords had prepared a carriage waiting.

Perhaps because I repeatedly requested not to prepare flashy white horses, the horses were ordinary. The problem was…

“Ah… I’m stressed. Is this a carriage or a jewelry box?”

I asked the five tower lords waiting in front of the carriage, but their faces all asked what was wrong.

Moreover, the innocent chicks were excitedly fussing over the carriage adorned with dazzling jewels.

“As expected of the captain! Amazing.”

As expected, all the fuss started with Arun, who began to be called captain after the legion’s founding.

“Kim Han, you like this kind of taste.”

Following Lee Hyo-ju’s cold and analytical words,

“Wow! A carriage! Can I take these jewels? Huh? Huh?”

Naruan, with her childlike petite body wearing a yellow dress—who dressed her like that—jumped around touching the jewels on the carriage door.

“Oh my! It’s beautiful, Captain.”

Following Mae Young-ryeong, who stopped Naruan from removing jewels and inspected inside the carriage,

“Did you like such things?”

Even Hazel, with a contemplative expression as if discovering something new, looked me over.

From the hectic start, after twists and turns, we ‘safely’ arrived in front of the Garden of Gods.

Let’s just overlook Hazel causing a stir with a cryptic remark about waiting tonight.

“After meeting the responsible god… don’t go anywhere else and wait exactly here. Don’t wander off or pick fights with others. Absolutely wait right here at the Garden of Gods entrance. Understand?”

“Yes! Kim Han!”

“…Yes.”

“Yes! Yes!”

“Don’t worry, my friend.”

“Understood.”

After letting all the party enter the Garden of Gods and specially asking the gardener to watch over those coming behind, I entered the Garden of Gods last.