Chapter 47
“This is…”
As soon as the door opened, the magnificent sight of a radiant temple unfolded.
Eighteen marble thrones arranged in a semicircle. The sunset streaming through the arched stained-glass windows created an otherworldly atmosphere.
What stood out the most were the various weapons embedded in the thrones.
“Is this really the boss room?”
“Isn’t it too beautiful for that?”
The team members, who had entered the room, were overwhelmed by the sacred beauty, murmuring in awe.
But the moment didn’t last long.
“Th-that’s…!”
A team member with a skill for appraising objects shouted in shock.
[The constellations are clamoring!]
At the same time, notification sounds echoed.
The team member, still rubbing his eyes in disbelief, muttered softly.
“How could such items be here…?”
[The constellation, the Sage of Death, narrows its eyes.]
[The constellation, the Hearth of the Cosmos, warns against being tempted.]
[The constellation, the Charioteer of the Sun, grumbles that one of the items is theirs.]
[The constellation, the Staff of Love…]
[The constellation, the Last Companion…]
…
Simultaneously, a pillar rose up, displaying messages one by one.
[Holy Relic, ‘Apollo’s Golden Bow’]
[Holy Relic, ‘Eos’s Solar Bow’]
[Holy Relic, ‘Ra’s Whip’]
[Holy Relic, ‘The Flame Emperor’s Sword’]
…
The holy relics, each replicating the powers of gods associated with the sun and fire.
And as if to prove their power, a tremendous wave of energy began to fill the room.
In that instant, a great desire flashed in everyone’s eyes.
Suddenly, a realization struck me—something I had overlooked.
I had only thought of the Fire Base as a place advantageous for those aligned with fire.
“Everyone, stop!”
Since everyone here had some affinity with fire, I hadn’t considered that these holy relics would be an irresistible temptation for them.
‘Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling.’
Then, a clear chirping sound rang in my frozen ears.
It was the sound that signaled the arrival of the boss in this base.
In the original story, that small, clear chirping had preceded a great catastrophe.
I had to stop it.
Before those blinded by greed could make a mistake.
Before it reached a point of no return.
‘I have to try my best…’
Swallowing hard, I shouted toward the team members, whose attention was caught by the holy relics.
“Remember what I told you? Do not touch anything in this place!”
I wasn’t sure if my voice would reach those entranced by the relics, but I had to try my best.
I shouted until my throat felt raw.
“If you give in to your greed, something bad is bound to happen!”
‘Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling.’
As my voice rose, the chirping of the firebird grew even more pronounced as if responding to my warning.
And soon after…
‘Twitch.’
Even the dormant desires within me began to awaken.
‘Foolish Wendy Porcelain.’
‘If you just obtain one of those relics, you could gain immense power.’
‘You wouldn’t have to rely on your team anymore, and you could navigate this world on your own.’
A voice, as if it knew all my weaknesses, whispered mockingly.
‘You know it, don’t you? If things continue like this, you’ll be trapped here, forever a useless side character.’
‘With just one of those, you could easily burn Agatha to ashes!’
‘Run.’
‘Reach out.’
‘Seize that great power of the sun with your hands.’
The more I tried to resist, the deeper the voice resonated within my mind.
The voice slowly swayed my resolve.
‘You’re scared, aren’t you?’
‘That once Lyria awakens, she’ll draw all the attention.’
‘That someone like you will no longer be needed.’
It tapped into the deep fears I’d been avoiding.
‘Hurry!’
‘Run!’
The urgent voice pushed me, and without realizing it, I took a step forward.
“Sister!”
A small, soft hand suddenly grabbed me as I moved forward.
“Snap out of it, sister!”
That gentle voice jolted me awake, and I looked down at the little one holding my hand tightly.
“Lyria.”
“Are you okay now? I was so worried since you weren’t saying anything…”
If it hadn’t been for her, I would’ve been foolishly swayed.
“Thank you.”
I wiped the cold sweat that had dripped down my face and took a deep breath.
That was close.
If I, who knew the original story, almost succumbed, then how much harder would it be for others?
‘It seems I have no other choice.’
Before arriving here, I decided to buy an item I had seen by chance.
[Magic Cart Special Sale! ‘Eyes of Truth’ 1+1 Event!]
[Would you like to purchase the ‘Eyes of Truth (Super Special 1+1 Limited Edition Set)’? Selected quantity: 1]
It was this, the ‘Eyes of Truth.’
‘A 1+1 event, too?’
Moreover, with a super special bundle, it was a deal irresistible to any Korean.
[Would you like to make the purchase?]
Though the cost was a hefty 20 favor points each…
“Fine, give it to me now!”
It would surely be worth the price.
And with such a powerful temptation at hand…
It seemed like this item would be essential to keep my sanity intact here.
[Purchase completed!]
[Cumulative favor: 35]
With a blue glow, two pairs of glasses appeared in my hand.
‘I’ll store the extra one in my inventory for now…’
Without even sparing a glance at the design, I hurriedly put on the glasses.
“Everyone, focus on what I’m saying!”
Raising the glasses on my nose, I shouted once more.
“There’s no way such holy relics would be in a place like this!”
Miraculously, once the enchantment was broken, the burning desire in my chest subsided.
It seemed the item’s effects were indeed guaranteed.
“Everything you see before you is an illusion! Everyone, come to your senses!”
As I shouted, the gazes of those who had been fixated on the relics slowly turned toward me, one by one.
And then…
“Pfft!”
A burst of laughter, like air escaping a balloon, erupted uncontrollably.
‘What’s so funny?’
Unconsciously, I glanced down at the polished marble floor, trying to understand the source of the laughter.
Those cheeky creators…
They had designed the item to look like a clown nose!
‘So that’s why it was so cheap.’
Pressing my throbbing temples, I cleared my throat lightly.
Even though it looked ridiculous, right now I desperately needed these silly glasses.
Resisting the temptation of relic-tier items with human willpower alone was…
As difficult as ignoring a diamond that had fallen right in front of you.
“You all saw the notification window when we entered the Fire base, right?”
That suspicious message that popped up when we first entered this place.
At a glance, it might have seemed like just another message signaling the start of a dungeon.
But it was actually a kind of warning not to covet the mansion’s treasures.
“Notification window? Was there one?”
“I was so distracted, I didn’t have time to notice…”
As expected.
Everyone had been too absorbed in the mansion’s splendor and beauty to read it properly.
“It said, ‘Human desire is the most deadly flame that burns the heart.’”
Here, ‘human desire’ referred to the array of S-rank relics before us.
And the ‘deadly flame’ likely represented the great calamity that would befall anyone who coveted them.
Moreover…
“All these relics are fakes.”
There’s no way such precious items…
Would be here for no reason.
To be blunt, it’s absurd for such a grand reward to be given to us, who haven’t accomplished anything yet.
The rare relics and treasures strewn about, as if inviting us to take them.
A voice whispering to us to take them.
The strange sensation of our rational minds growing hazy.
Yes, this was a kind of test.
To gauge and dissect the extent of human greed.
It was a cruel test.
So, I had to stop it.
By any means necessary, I had to prevent the team from touching the relics.
‘In the original story, most of the powerful characters were with Lyria’s team, so they managed to handle it easily.’
But now…
‘Everyone is in the Thunder base.’
If anything goes wrong, we’ll all end up roasted here.
And if we’re lucky, that’s all that will happen.
We could end up surrounded by monsters, torn apart while still conscious.
“So, everyone, keep your wits about you! Touching those relics will lead to our deaths!”
[Stigmata: Incite (D) has been activated.]
[The effect of ‘Eyes of Truth’ increases the persuasive power of the caster’s words for a limited time.]
[Critical hit!]
[Your words gain strong persuasive power!]
I bit my lip as I looked at the team.
‘Damn it.’
If only I had gathered a bit more favor.
If only I had worked a bit harder to collect favor points.
Then I could have bought items to share with everyone.
For a moment, regret washed over me, but what could I do?
If you don’t have teeth, you use your gums.
If you can’t walk, you crawl.
That’s how I’ve always faced challenges.
Because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t survive here.
Fortunately, the team members’ eyes weren’t yet clouded with a red glow.
That meant they still had a sliver of rationality left.
‘There’s still a chance.’
—
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