Chapter 68
Yuna’s party ventured deep within the Shrine and quickly took a magic-formed escalator toward the Altar.
Both Son Sang-hui and Baek Seol-hwa looked on in wonder at the escalator, made not with machinery but with mana and magic.
As wizards, especially Son Sang-hui, who was highly sensitive to mana, it was impossible for them not to be curious about how this escalator functioned.
However, that curiosity was short-lived.
“A statue of dragons?”
Arriving at the seven statues of dragons that still awed visitors, Son Sang-hui was impressed by their majestic appearance.
However, unlike previous visitors, Son Sang-hui, who specialized in mana detection, and Baek Seol-hwa, who could sense others by surrounding warmth, were not easily captivated by the statues of the seven dragons.
They quickly discerned that there was an overwhelming presence directly beneath them.
“Ugh!”
They sensed that an enormous presence, one to which no one could possibly resist, lay just below.
With a feeling akin to standing before a scorching sun, Son Sang-hui let out a groan.
Though she knew this presence was not an enemy, its sheer existence dominated the surroundings and weighed heavily on both her and Baek Seol-hwa.
Thinking of it as an impossibly unfair existence, Son Sang-hui slowly steadied herself and held Baek Seol-hwa’s trembling hand.
Feeling Bahamut’s immense presence, Baek Seol-hwa had been shivering in fear, but as Son Sang-hui took her hand, the trembling gradually subsided.
“We greet Lord Bahamut.”
Once their shaking ceased, Yuna knelt and lowered her head, paying her respects to the Dragon God below.
Seeing this, Son Sang-hui and Baek Seol-hwa came to realize that the Dragon God was indeed beneath them.
“We greet Lord Bahamut.”
In place of Baek Seol-hwa, who couldn’t move, Son Sang-hui knelt and bowed her head in greeting.
Bahamut, seated upon a throne of stone, slowly opened his eyes and gazed upon Yuna and her companions.
Starting with Yuna, then Son Sang-hui, and finally to Baek Seol-hwa, who sat in a wheelchair.
Observing each person, Bahamut spoke slowly.
“So, it is this child.”
“Yes. Her name is Baek Seol-hwa.”
“Baek Seol-hwa… a fine name.”
Saying it was a good name, he welcomed them with a warm presence.
Feeling a kindness beyond what she had expected, Son Sang-hui’s tense heart eased somewhat, and she stood behind Baek Seol-hwa.
All that remained for her was to witness the contract that was about to take place.
When Son Sang-hui took her place behind Baek Seol-hwa, Bahamut’s gaze shifted toward Baek Seol-hwa, whose body began to tremble as she sensed the immense presence of the Dragon God.
“…! …!”
“There is no need to fear. Dispel the fear within your heart.”
“……”
Unlike Son Sang-hui, who could see Bahamut with her eyes, Baek Seol-hwa could not visually confirm his appearance.
All she could perceive was the overwhelming power and presence of Bahamut, and for the blind Baek Seol-hwa, this colossal presence alone could easily drive her into a panic.
As if aware of this, Bahamut’s gentle voice assured her there was no need to be afraid, and at last, she was able to stop trembling.
With a warm expression, Bahamut waited patiently until Baek Seol-hwa regained her composure, at which point she managed to lift her head and sense the gaze of the Dragon.
Of course, with her lost eyesight, she could not truly see Bahamut.
“Are you the Priestess of the Dragon chosen by Pohang?”
“…Ah.”
Baek Seol-hwa wanted to respond, but her voice had been damaged by the poison of the mutant spider zombie, leaving her unable to speak properly.
She tried to answer, but only a hoarse, rough sound escaped, and she felt the burning pain in her throat.
“So, you cannot speak. In that case, there’s no need to answer my words painfully. But isn’t it possible to express yourself by nodding?”
“…!”
Grateful for Bahamut’s consideration, Baek Seol-hwa nodded.
If she couldn’t speak, nodding was a suitable way to communicate.
“Then I have one question for you. Did you willingly participate in this selection?”
Bahamut phrased the question so she could respond with either affirmation or denial.
Baek Seol-hwa thought over his question carefully.
‘My will… was never part of this.’
If she were asked if her own will was involved in this selection, the answer would be no.
This selection was entirely based on the will of the Pohang Three Camps, without any regard for her own.
Even the decision to make her the Priestess of the Dragon had been revealed by Seo Un-jae, who had found her.
Baek Seol-hwa turned her head to indicate a refusal.
“Then, did you accept this selection for the sake of others?”
‘For the sake of others?’
Bahamut asked if her actions were for the benefit of others.
Baek Seol-hwa, who had resolved to save others, couldn’t immediately nod in agreement.
Though she had been forcibly chosen, it was also true that she had been given purpose, however reluctantly.
In gratitude, she could claim that she accepted the role of Priestess of the Dragon, yet…
For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to nod.
‘Did I truly come this far for the sake of others?’
In that moment, she remembered Seo Un-jae, who had wrestled with moral and ethical dilemmas.
Although Baek Seol-hwa had comforted Seo Un-jae, she questioned whether she was truly choosing to sacrifice herself for him, for Pohang.
‘I never really had any choice.’
Baek Seol-hwa had no right to choose otherwise.
Even if she hadn’t chosen, Seo Un-jae would have forced her into the role of Priestess of the Dragon to prevent further bloodshed.
So, could she truly claim that her actions were for the sake of others?
Baek Seol-hwa shook her head in uncertainty.
“Then, is it for yourself?”
‘For myself?’
Baek Seol-hwa couldn’t hide her confusion at Bahamut’s words.
She had come as a sacrifice for Pohang, so the thought of doing something for herself had never even occurred to her.
‘Could this contract… be something for me?’
Lacking any right to think so, and already resigned to her life, Baek Seol-hwa had likely never seriously pondered such a notion.
However, since Bahamut posed the question, she decided to consider it.
And at the end of her contemplation…
“…….”
Baek Seol-hwa nodded in agreement to Bahamut’s words.
“Is it for survival?”
For survival.
Yes, the reason she had fought against zombies until now was ultimately a struggle on behalf of those who had left before her.
Though she had lost in that brutal competition for survival and was left physically and mentally devastated, she had survived and fought with her magic staff—all in an effort to stay alive.
For the survivors who used her, and also for herself.
Baek Seol-hwa nodded vigorously in response to Bahamut’s words.
“It matters not. Though your eyes may not see this place, it is the Sacred Shrine where contracts are made, completed through my power. Here, you may contract with me to gain my strength.”
“A contract…”
At the mention of a contract, Baek Seol-hwa tilted her head in thought.
‘Does this mean something to me? I’m just a girl without the strength to live on her own.’
As she pondered whether this power would have any significance for her, given her current state, she concluded that, even with power, there was nothing she could accomplish.
She was a wretched body unable to survive without relying on others.
“Of course, I cannot say there is no price. Through your contract and strength, I shall appear in this world. In exchange, I lend you my power. This is a kind of contractual relationship.”
‘A price… that doesn’t scare me.’
But she was not afraid of the price.
Her body and mind were already in shambles, and she had little left to give as a price.
To someone with nothing, Bahamut’s price seemed insignificant.
“Though you reached here by others’ hands, your presence here is also fate. You may be one who, someday, grows into a being of great influence over the entire world.”
‘I’ll have a powerful influence over the whole world?’
That couldn’t be.
If she were truly that kind of person, she would have already defeated the mutant spider zombie.
But she had lost, standing before Bahamut in a pitiful state.
How could a loser like her possibly become something so great?
“Do not lower your head. You possess infinite potential. I vow upon my name that if you prove your beliefs and convictions, I will lend you my strength.”
‘Potential… conviction… justice…’
She had once held conviction.
She had vowed never to lose someone dear to her like her parents again.
But that vow had been in vain when she lost, and her convictions were shattered.
She did not believe she had the limitless potential that Bahamut spoke of.
She did not think she held any noble justice within her.
Baek Seol-hwa’s head began to droop lower.
“The time has come. No longer will your eyes fall prey to any illusion. Nor will they turn away from the truth.”
‘Huh…?’
A pure blue light began to gather on her face.
The hideously scarred face gradually regained its original form, as the pure blue light converged in her eyes, regenerating the lost vision of Baek Seol-hwa.
Realizing her face and eyes had healed, she cautiously removed the cloth she had kept over her eyes.
“Se-Seol-hwa… your face!?”
Son Sang-hui’s astonished voice reached her ears.
Baek Seol-hwa felt the same.
Her face, which had been disfigured and constantly seeping fluid that dampened the cloth she wore, now felt smooth to her fingertips without a trace of that horrid ooze.
All she felt was soft, smooth skin, and she sensed that feeling returning to her face.
She had been healed.
Baek Seol-hwa’s face, which even Yuna couldn’t heal, had returned to normal.
“I can see. The light of the world I thought I’d lost has returned!”
And when she opened her eyes, she could see the world she had thought lost.
She could see the waves of energy that surrounded her, flowing with bright and dark light.
And she could see the gentle smile of the Dragon God with warm, blue eyes.
“You will not lose your voice again. With that voice, proclaim your conviction and justice to the world.”
“…Ah.”
Her voice, once lost, had returned.
She felt no intense pain in her throat.
She now had the strength to proclaim her justice and conviction to countless people.
“No one will be able to stop you. Patience alone solves nothing. Salvation is something you must seize for yourself, not something to be given by others.”
She felt sensation return to her legs, which had been numb beyond her waist.
She no longer needed to depend on any device.
Feeling the strength in her legs, Baek Seol-hwa let her body follow, slowly standing up.
Standing firmly on her two legs once more, Baek Seol-hwa gazed down at the Dragon God watching her from below.
“Now, we can make a true contract. So, choose. Will you contract? Or will you turn away?”
She was told that now, she could finally form a proper contract.
Yes, a contract.
Baek Seol-hwa had come today to contract with the Dragon God as the Priestess of the Dragon.
“…I will make the contract.”
No longer would it be a contract driven by others’ will but by her own.
With her own voice, she declared the contract with Bahamut, and Bahamut nodded solemnly.
“The meaning of life I’ve finally found… I don’t want to lose it again. I want to live!”
She wanted to live.
She did not want to die.
She wanted to return to everyday life.
She wanted to reclaim what she had lost.
Now that she had found the path she wished to take, she did not want to turn away.
Not fleeing, Baek Seol-hwa declared the contract.
“Good. If that is your wish, then I swear to lend you my strength, in the name of Bahamut.”
With that, the contract was complete.
【You have ascended.】
【Your class as the Priestess of the Dragon has been unlocked.】
An immense force surged around Baek Seol-hwa.
Her once dark hair turned pure white, and her regenerated eyes gradually transformed to a blue hue like Choi Yuna’s.
“Amazing… This power… it’s truly mine!”
Baek Seol-hwa herself could feel the powerful current of energy surging within her.
“Is this… what you call a contract?”
Son Sang-hui realized that the incredible power she had felt from Yuna was indeed the strength acquired through Bahamut’s contract.
“It seems the contract is complete.”
With a bright smile, Yuna announced that the contract had been completed, as if she were enjoying the sight of another’s experience of the contract from a different perspective.
“Here, another Priestess of the Dragon has been born.”
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