The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 431: Sorting Waste (3)

The interior of the temple was dark. Within the pitch-black space where nothing was visible, ghostly flames suddenly arose from the empty eye sockets of the skeleton sitting on the throne.

“Wow. As expected of Muldine, indeed. His insight into the future never fails to amaze me,” the skeleton, Atroc, once again praised the god he served.

Muldine had foreseen that Kai would seek out the temple in the Dark Zone someday, and had set a trap for him.

The data on monster synthesis was relocated beforehand, so there’s no loss.

If he insisted on counting losses, it would merely be several hundred followers and researchers of the Church of Muldine. However, the god he served always delivered the same message: A small sacrifice for the greater good is always indispensable.

Excluding Kai in this operation is a tremendous gain compared to the cost of their lives.

Satisfied with his own actions, Atroc slowly rose from his seat. A robe even more luxurious than imperial garments swept the temple floor as he passed. As he began to move, the torches on the floors and walls lit up with blue flames.

The Atroc stopped and slowly looked around him. Hundreds of inquisitors and great priests, the elite of the church, knelt bowed on the ground.

“Rise,” Atroc's sharp voice cut through the air. “It is time to go and welcome our god.”

***

Kai coughed as he brushed off the dust from his body. He was currently underground in the temple, where the Hellgate had been.

Was this the fifth basement floor...?

When the seven-story temple above ground collapsed, the debris had completely buried him.

“They really prepared thoroughly.”

He was surrounded with shattered remnants and rubble of the temple. Moving was difficult, and every movement caused dust-filled dirt to invade his lungs.

“Even the claim that the Dragon Lord would die doesn’t seem like empty words...”

The enemy’s intentions had indeed been sharp. It was a plan that could only be made by perfectly understanding who he was.

“So they were sure I'd come back here... Impressive.”

People didn’t even know how they themselves would act in the future, yet someone else had predicted that with perfect accuracy.

Scary guy.

Kai clicked his tongue and shook his head.

I should get out of here first.

He tried using Shadow Shift but transportation skills remained unavailable to use.

“It will be noisy, but I guess I have to force my way out.”

Kai gathered all the strength in his body. If he unleashed his power like this, another massive explosion would surely occur within the temple. But just before releasing his energy, he suddenly stopped.

Wait... Isn’t this actually an incredible opportunity?

His mind started to race.

Though I can't fully trust Atroc’s words, he did say Muldine was personally joining this operation.

That meant Muldine himself would descend into the Middle Realm, and all the troublesome preparations Kai had made would become meaningless. However, if someone asked whether he felt displeased by that, the answer would be no.

It’s actually perfect.

It meant Muldine was willingly stepping into the tiger’s den without any risk to Kai.

He probably thinks I'm dead right now.

With himself, the greatest threat, out of the picture, there was nothing stopping Muldine.

In that case...

Kai quickly began building a new plan.

It’ll be easier to stay dead for now.

To lure Muldine to earth without suspicion, he needed to remain dead as he currently appeared.

“But I should give Helik a heads-up.”

Kai took out his phone and began typing.

***

Pegasus headquarters was thrown into emergency.

CEO Marco, who hurriedly summoned everyone ranked department head and above, said, “It seems our prayers have failed.”

Everyone kept their mouths tightly shut. The question of whether Marco had been serious came to the tip of their tongues, but no one had the courage to voice it.

“Atroc is heading to Arkan with the Church of Muldine’s elite forces.”

“Atroc...!”

“The cardinal of the Church of Muldine?!”

This time, the reaction was different. Gasps and groans were let out by everyone.

“Hm. It appears they're planning an all-out war against Kai... Dr. Jim and I believe the outcome of this battle will entirely change the game’s direction.”

“Well, of course."

“If Atroc wins...”

Honestly, that was the best scenario from Pegasus’s perspective. After all, the Church of Muldine had always been the dark force emitting sinister energy since the early stages of the game. From regular players' perspectives, their sudden appearance might seem abrupt, but it wasn’t entirely implausible.

“The continent would drown in blood, and nights would become longer than days.”

“The monsters' levels and A.I would also improve, given the Church of Muldine's research.”

“Each region would get new field bosses, and dungeons would pop up... Honestly speaking, Atroc winning would be better for the game.”

Marco slowly nodded at the comments from the department heads.

“But if Kai wins?”

Everyone sealed their mouths shut at that question.

“Dr. Jim, you predicted the odds of this battle as fifty-fifty.”

“Yes.”

“Kai would act immediately if he won.”

“If he defeated Atroc, then Muldine would be the next target.”

“If the Church of Muldine vanished like that... wouldn’t the game’s content dry up?”

“It is true that tens of thousands of main, sub, and side quests would disappear.”

“Hmm. Isn’t there any way we could persuade Kai?” CEO Marco asked with a frustrated expression.

Dr. Jim fell into deep thought at the question. After thinking for a long while, he turned his head to Marco.

“I think I need to go to Korea.”

“The reason?”

“Regardless of how this battle ends, we’ll need Kai’s help.”

“What are you talking about? The developers need help from a mere player...?”

“Kai is no longer just a mere player.” Everyone in the conference room focused on Dr. Jim’s firm voice. “Just the money sitting in his inventory exceeds 500 million dollars. Even though our company is riding a wave of success, releasing that kind of cash all at once isn’t easy.”

“I agree with that. Besides, it’s all virtual currency in the form of gold. If that much hits the market, the currency value is bound to drop.”

That too was a risk the company would have to bear entirely, and there was no guarantee the value of the currency would bounce back once it dropped.

“That's just the capital he holds. Now let’s take a look at his in-game standing. Arkan, Libertia, Haveros...” Dozens of territories spilled out. “... With all those under his control, his title is Archduke and Sovereign Duke.”

“Hmm, I’m not really following. What does that matter?”

“Simply put, he’s currently the undeniable power behind the Kingdom of Rashion. If Atroc wins this battle, the Church of Muldine will begin to get on the move.”

“So eventually, the nations on the continent will have to step in... and Kai’s power will be essential?”

“Yes. On top of that, he’s practically the head of the Solarian Church, the natural enemy of the Church of Muldine.”

“Putting it that way... the guy really does seem grand.”

Ranked first, a capitalist with hundreds of millions, a Sovereign Duke, the head of the Solarian Church. Listing each word that described him made it hard to believe they all referred to a single person.

“Even if Kai wins, we’ll still need his help.”

“Are you going to ask him not to end the Church of Muldine too quickly?”

“No, quite the opposite.”

“The opposite?”

Not only Marco, but everyone’s eyes in the room widened.

“Yes. Cardinal Atroc, the Church of Muldine’s most active force in the Middle Realm. If he disappears, the Church of Muldine will be no more than an empty shell.”

“Hmm... So in short, the Church of Muldine alone won't be enough to carry the main storyline?”

“Yes. After that, the direction of the game, whether we like it or not, will have to be designed in coordination between our company and Kai.”

Though they called it coordination, it really meant Pegasus would be forced to reflect Kai’s opinions.

Marco, who grasped the heart of the matter, let out a powerless laugh. “Good grief... what a ridiculous state this company’s in.”

“But depending on how things go, it might actually turn out better.” 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

“Hm? What are you talking about? Every scenario we had prepared could be wiped out, and yet that might be better?”

“Kai has become the representative icon of MID Online. Whether he falls or rises even higher from here, we have to match his pace.”

“So what exactly is the plan, then?”

Marco looked genuinely curious, but Dr. Jim held back his words.

“That... I’ll explain after I’ve spoken with Kai.”

“So you do have a plan.”

“Yes, but I’m not certain it’ll work. I don’t even know if we’ll be able to meet his conditions.”

“Get going, then,” Marco gave an immediate approval. “Go to Korea and cook that bear-like fox until he’s tender.”

That day, Dr. Jim boarded a flight to Korea with Pegasus’s fate in his hands.

***

“Huh?!”

When Helik suddenly screamed, Rashya nonchalantly asked, “What? Do you want snacks?”

“Yeah! I wanna eat... no wait, Rashya! This is serious!” Helik held out her phone and said in an exaggerated tone.

“What’s going on all of a sudden... huh?” Rashya’s expression grew serious when she checked the phone. “Is this real?”

“Mhmm. It’s a message from Kai, so it must be real.”

“But why all of a sudden... Atroc is coming himself?”

“Yes, and Muldine might come too depending on the situation.”

“Let’s go back,” Rashya said in a firm voice and stood up, grabbing Helik’s wrist. “Let’s return to the Heavenly Realm before they get here. That way no one will get hurt.”

“Rashya.”

“Our power is greatly weakened in the Middle Realm, and Atroc... that guy could seriously injure us. If we go back to the Heavenly Realm and watch the situation from there, we can return once it’s safe...”

“Rashya,” Helik’s calm voice rang in Rashya’s ears. She gently stroked the hand Rashya had tightly gripped around her wrist and said, “Don’t worry. What you’re afraid of won’t happen.”

“How are you always so calm when it’s your problem?” Rashya muttered in a slightly sulky tone.

Helik smiled and hugged her tightly. “Because I always believe in my people.”

“What did Kai say...?”

“He asked me to act.”

“Act?” Rashya’s eyes widened, then she shouted, “No way! Don’t tell me Kai asked you to be bait?! I didn’t think he was like that...!”

Rashya looked ready to confront Kai at any moment, so Helik quickly stopped her.

“I already agreed.”

“What? Without even talking to me about it... Why would you put yourself in danger?”

“I told you. Because I believe,” Helik said in a soft voice. “I believe in Kai. He promised me that not even a single strand of my hair would be harmed if I helped him.”

“So you’re helping him...?”

“Yes. He’s given me that much trust until now. Isn’t it only right to return that trust with trust?”

“Sigh, I... I don’t know.” Rashya let out a sigh and shook her head, completely exhausted. “So, when is that Atroc guy coming?”

“He’s probably on his way right now.”

“That fast?!”

It was faster than she imagined. As Rashya gulped nervously, Helik gently patted her.

“You can return to the Heavenly Realm. This is between me and Muldine... a fight between the Solarian Church and the Church of Muldine.”

“Stop saying nonsense.” Rashya lightly bumped Helik on the head.

“Ouch!” Tears welled up in Helik’s eyes as she whimpered sadly and rubbed her head with both hands. “Why, why did you hit me...? It hurts...”

“Hmph, you were the one in the wrong first. You told me to abandon my precious friend and run away,” Rashya turned her head with an expression that clearly looked upset.

Seeing that, Helik forgot all about the pain and chuckled as she approached her. “Don’t be mad. I only said it out of courtesy, thinking of you.”

“If you want to be courteous, maybe try doing it all the time. I’m the only one who cleans the room we share, you know?”

“Th-that I’ll try harder...”

“That’s not all. Didn’t I tell you to always put things back where they were after using them? You always toss them aside somewhere weird. And I also told you to turn off the faucet properly after showering. Why do you always run to bed without even drying your hair? Are you trying to catch a cold? Oh, right. Now that I think about it, you never do your homework on time either and always wait until the night before, and then ask me to help...”

“Uuugh...” Helik dropped her head at Rashya’s nonstop nagging.

Kai, please come and save me soon...

Right now, Helik feared Rashya more than Muldine.