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Chapter 59
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In ancient times, people described thunder and lightning as “the gods are angry.”
In the final moment, the Divine Punishment that struck the Inquisitor and Martial Artist seemed no different.
The furious thunder seemed as though it could obliterate any living being into nothingness.
In fact, Daehyeop Kim met his death through Divine Punishment.
Fera should have died just like Daehyeop Kim, and that would have been the natural outcome.
Was it a miracle from God? Or just a simple coincidence?
Fera survived with a sliver of health remaining—barely.
How did Fera survive Divine Punishment?
It was a Divine Punishment enhanced with both Sanctification and Blessing.
By simple stats, Daehyeop Kim was far superior.
Yet, Daehyeop Kim died, and the less-geared Fera lived?
At the time, no one paid much attention because the outcome was so unexpected.
But only after Fera’s explanation, which practically became her official debut stream, ended,
did people start posting on forums, sensing something was off.
[Akashic Records Gallery]
―――
Does Divine Punishment have damage mitigation for priests? [33]
Why did only Daehyeop die in the end? [15]
Fact: The reason only Daehyeop died is just a bug. [27]
Fera << This woman is just a controversy generator. [19]
Wasn’t it a critical hit that only triggered on Daehyeop? [41]
―――
Many opinions poured in about the final scene.
Was it a bug? Up until now, Akare only had one bug.
The bug occurred when Daehyeop Kim gained Realization in real life,
causing it to affect his Akare character.
Naturally, Aka-chan fixed the bug, and since then,
there hadn’t been any bugs.
Damage mitigation? Tests conducted by other players revealed no such thing.
Divine Punishment dealt fair and equal damage to everyone, caster included.
The most plausible theory at the time was that a critical hit triggered only on Daehyeop Kim.
Fera’s Divine Punishment had previously triggered critical hits during a raid on the Salvation Church Cardinal
when it was used in response to a specific pattern.
Perhaps the critical hit occurred because Daehyeop Kim was completely overpowered by Fera?
However, this theory lost credibility after posts analyzing the footage of Fera’s stream.
When a critical hit occurs, the system displays a [Critical!] message on the screen.
But when Divine Punishment was cast,
Fera’s perspective did not display a [Critical!] message.
In other words, it wasn’t a critical hit.
In the end, the debate returned to square one without any resolution.
Amid the speculation, Daehyeop Kim’s stream suddenly started.
[Daehyeop Kim’s broadcast has started. – Talk 1 second ago]
[Stream Title: Replay Analysis of the Commoner]
―――
Let’s go!
Welcome, commoner!
I knew I could trust you.
Big fan, Daehyeop.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a face cam stream.
―――
With all the major parties’ and Fera’s streams over,
Daehyeop Kim’s sudden stream became a gathering point for the masses.
Seeing the viewer count spike rapidly, Daehyeop Kim let out an “Ah, ah” as he tested the mic.
Once he confirmed the mic was working fine, he read a chat comment.
“Daehyeop, I saw on a shady forum that you got totally wrecked…”
―――
What?
What shady forum is that?
You rascal.
Gasp.
Turn off the gallery.
―――
Scratching the back of his head after reading the comment,
Daehyeop Kim let out a deep sigh and murmured softly.
“Well… Yeah, that’s how it went.”
Anyone could tell from his voice that he was filled with regret.
“Daehyeop, aren’t you embarrassed…? Well, I feel like dying of embarrassment. Honestly, I never even imagined I could lose.”
Was it the shock of losing to an Inquisitor with lower stats?
Reading a provocative comment he would normally ignore,
Daehyeop Kim poured out his honest feelings.
“But everyone, even though I lost,
if I don’t learn anything from this defeat… isn’t that the real failure?”
Before starting his stream,
Daehyeop Kim had prepared a replay file.
Since the duel was not broadcasted live,
no one had seen the fight from Daehyeop Kim’s perspective.
“In the early to mid-game, I had the upper hand.
Even after Sanctification, I thought I could handle it.
But as I reviewed the replay, I noticed something strange.”
After Sanctification was deployed,
Daehyeop Kim paused the replay every time a Valkyrie attacked.
“Here. And here.
If you look closely, the Valkyrie’s attacks are driving me toward the invisible wall.”
Ahead of him was Fera, who had used Sanctification.
To his right, a terrain obstacle blocked the way.
The Valkyrie’s attack came from the left.
The moment Daehyeop Kim decided to create distance,
Fera’s setup had already begun.
“If you look closely, Fera’s speed isn’t consistent.
Sometimes she runs, other times she walks quickly.
At the time, I didn’t think much of it.
But in the replay, it’s clear as day.”
Oh, this person was controlling her pace.
“She timed the Valkyries’ appearances to force me to retreat backward,
trapping me with the surrounding terrain.”
Like the saying “within the Buddha’s palm,”
by that moment, Daehyeop Kim was already dancing in Fera’s hand.
“What surprised me the most was the final scene.”
When Daehyeop Kim mentioned the hottest topic in the community,
the chat exploded with messages.
“While it was happening, I thought, is this going to end in mutual destruction? Is she aiming for a draw? Can I survive with my Martial Artist passive? At that moment, all sorts of thoughts ran through my mind.”
But the result was a crushing defeat for Daehyeop Kim.
“Let’s watch this scene at 0.25x speed.”
Fera, who had approached him, grabbed both of his arms.
Blocked by the invisible wall,
Daehyeop Kim was completely restrained.
In this situation, a brief conversation occurred,
and then Divine Punishment struck.
“Did anyone notice something strange?”
Daehyeop Kim asked the question, but no correct answers emerged among the chats pouring in.
As if he had anticipated there would be no answer, Daehyeop Kim replayed the scene he had just shown.
“Here, if you look closely, right after Divine Punishment is cast, the radiance behind Fera disappears. Can you see it?”
In addition, Fera’s golden eyes, which had been infused with Divine Power, reverted to their original colour.
Eyes as red as rubies.
It wasn’t until he paused at the frame showing this image that
a few viewers started posting in the chat, realizing what the “strange thing” was that Daehyeop Kim mentioned.
“Right before Divine Punishment struck, Fera’s Sanctification was dispelled.
If you break it down frame by frame, I don’t die immediately from the Divine Punishment.”
Just as Daehyeop Kim had said.
He hadn’t died from Divine Punishment alone.
After Sanctification was dispelled, Divine Punishment struck.
Fera, who had summoned a mace into her hand using the Judgment Mace skill,
then simultaneously used Radiant Light and Rule of Light—both high-damage abilities—
and swiftly struck the stunned Daehyeop Kim, who had been electrocuted by Divine Punishment.
Only then did Daehyeop Kim’s screen fade to black.
“What’s really insane is that Fera herself got electrocuted by Divine Punishment but immediately used Purification to dispel it.”
When the scene was replayed again,
just as Daehyeop Kim had pointed out,
the distinct effect of Purification activating could be clearly seen.
Could this really have been calculated?
It was so precise it seemed almost impossible to believe a human could have done it.
This wasn’t the work of a human but more like that of a beast or a machine.
Thinking that was entirely natural.
“This person’s understanding of their class is just unreal.
That’s why I’m not ashamed of this defeat.
Looking back, it was a loss I deserved.
It would’ve been strange if I had won.”
While scanning the chat, Daehyeop Kim made a slightly awkward expression.
“A ‘menhera’ (mentally unstable) pretty girl like Fera pinned you against a wall? Wow, Daehyeop, your alpha male life is enviable…”
Checking the chat history of the commenter who posted that,
Daehyeop Kim saw that they had a track record of such remarks.
Whether it was Suzuka, Aurora, or Fera,
whenever a woman appeared, this viewer would immediately start trying to make connections.
Annoyed, Daehyeop Kim restricted the commenter’s chat privileges.
However, ever since he had read that comment,
the chat had been flooded with similar remarks.
―――
Probably touched her baby bottle during the wall pinning – [Message deleted]
Daehyeop, did you seduce another woman?
Getting insecure? LOL
The chat is wild LOL
Daehyeop likes getting dominated – [Message deleted]
―――
Rumors began to swirl, suggesting secret preferences, such as being an M (masochist)
or that something sensitive had made contact during the wall pinning.
Daehyeop Kim tried his best to suppress the chat, but
the overwhelming momentum forced him to surrender.
“That’s not the kind of person I am…”
While he internally debated how to change the subject,
a fun idea popped into Daehyeop Kim’s head.
“By the way, Fera really is amazing. She was much better than I expected.”
At the time, the large company party was full.
Sweet, Daehyeop Kim, and Paegwi.
And lastly, Suzuka, the lone female member.
Suzuka had switched from being a priest focused on supporting allies to a cultist playstyle, debuffing enemies to provide support.
Even though Fera’s class as an Inquisitor was unconventional,
if you asked any random party leader recruiting a healer whether they’d choose Suzuka or Fera,
100 out of 100 would choose Fera without hesitation.
“I’d want to recruit her into our party.”
―――
Suzuka, block your ears.
Gasp.
Goodbye, Suzuka.
What?! LOL
You’re ditching Suzuka?
―――
Ding!
A notification from the messaging app Tiscord appeared at the top centre of the screen.
[Suzuka: Oppa, what do you mean by that?]
[Suzuka: Are you dumping me to recruit Fera???]
“Hm…”
For some reason, Suzuka’s messages conveyed a sense of urgency.
After reading them, Daehyeop Kim sighed deeply and spoke in a voice filled with regret.
“Suzuka… it’s just how it is.”
Give credit where it’s due.
Ding! Ding!
As he continued speaking, Tiscord notifications went into overdrive.
***
After her debut broadcast, daily life went on as usual.
Clearing piled-up tasks.
Exploring communities during breaks.
Logging into MoTube to search for Akare-related videos.
Story hints, tips and tricks, and other user perspectives on Akare were fascinating.
But then, an unusual video appeared in the algorithm.
The thumbnail featured a somewhat embarrassed-looking version of herself.
Feeling the gravity of the situation, her trembling hands clicked on the video.
“Oppaya~”
The familiar, sweet voice brimming with charm made her immediately close the video.
She quickly entered the channel that uploaded it.
Another video had been uploaded there.
Its thumbnail was similar, and the title even more ominous.
When she played the video, a lively voice burst forth.
“Senpai! Treat me to malatang!”
In the video, “Aurora” touched her senior’s shoulder.
At that point, she closed the video again.
“Ah.”
So, it’s finally come to this.
AI Aurora.
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