Record of a Thousand Lives - Chapter 198

Yuriel looked at Kang Yoon-Soo as if he were spouting nonsense. She said with a scoff, “Hmph! Stupid creature.”

“I said bring me to the goddess,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“I don’t want to. I’m not going to listen to you anymore,” Yuriel said with another scoff. She seemed upset about something. She angrily flapped her wings and crossed her arms over her chest before turning around.

“What’s wrong?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked.

“This is your punishment for not calling me more often,” Yuriel replied, pouting.

“I’m sorry,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“And you don’t even greet me at all! You just start saying what you want to say, and that’s it!” Yuriel complained.

“Hi,” Kang Yoon-Soo said in greeting.

“…”

Yuriel suddenly turned toward Kang Yoon-Soo and hugged him while crying. She exclaimed, “I missed you, creature!”

Kang Yoon-Soo chose to comfort the angel in a much simpler way than having to stand there and listen to her complaints. He took out the Infinite Chalice, which was filled with whiskey, and extended it toward Yuriel.

Yuriel squinted while looking at the chalice and asked, “Is it alcohol?”

“It is,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

Kang Yoon-Soo and Yuriel took turns drinking from the whiskey-filled chalice.

The angel continued drinking from the chalice despite being weak against alcohol. She exclaimed in surprise, “Hmm? It’s not going down no matter how much we drink from it.”

“That’s because this is the Infinite Chalice,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Then what happens if you flip it upside down?” Yuriel asked.

“The whiskey will gush out and form a river on the ground,” Kang Yoon-Soo nonchalantly replied.

“Wow! Really?” Yuriel exclaimed before trying to flip the chalice upside down. Fortunately, she was stopped by Kang Yoon-Soo before she could cause a disaster.

Yuriel’s face started turning red and she began hiccuping as she got drunk from the whiskey. She asked, slurring her words slightly, “Hiccup! So, why do you want to go see the goddess?”

“I have business with her,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“But I’ll be scolded if I bring you there without any good reason…” Yuriel muttered.

“It’s related to the goddess’ request,” Kang Yoon-Soo added.

Goddess Sylphia had asked Kang Yoon-Soo to find the ‘One Who Should Not Exist’ and kill that person.

Yuriel rubbed her bright red cheeks, deep in thought before saying, “Hmm… Then I guess I can bring you to the heavenly realm… but I have to sober up first! Goddess-nim hates it when I get drunk.”

“Can’t the goddess watch over the things happening on the continent?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked.

That was the same power the goddess had used to whisper to Kang Yoon-Soo from time to time. However, even the goddess had been unable to find any clues regarding the ‘One Who Should Not Exist’ even with her powers.

Yuriel replied dejectedly, “No, goddess-nim has gotten a lot weaker than before. That’s why she doesn’t usually watch over the continent the way she used to.”

Kang Yoon-Soo liked what he heard. He had no idea what would happen after he did what he was planning to do, because the idea he had in mind was not only bizarre, but dangerous and downright insane. However, he was certain that it was something he had to do to be able to fight against Sirian.

‘It’s also to fight against the Demon Lord,’ he thought. He steeled his resolve once more and took out a seal from his backpack.

It was the Seal of Destruction, another of the legendary items he had obtained after killing the Dragon of Destruction.

Yuriel stared curiously at the seal in Kang Yoon-Soo’s hand and asked, “What is that seal?”

Kang Yoon-Soo did not answer her question;instead, he carefully placed the seal into his pocket. Meanwhile, the angel sang a song and placed her head on his shoulder while giggling in a drunken stupor.

Eventually, Yuriel managed to sober up. She asked, “Are you ready? You will have to be careful and mind your manners when you go to the heavenly realm. Not a single creature from the ground has managed to enter the heavenly realm yet.”

“Alright,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

Yuriel hugged him tightly from behind, then flapped her wings and flew up into the air. A bright pillar of light shot down from the dark night sky, and the angel ascended into the heavens with Kang Yoon-Soo in tow.

***

Kang Yoon-Soo opened his eyes, and what awaited him were rows of pure white structures. He was standing on white clouds, firm enough for him to walk across without any problems. The air that tickled his nostrils was fresh, unlike anything he had smelled on the continent.

[You have entered the heavenly realm!]

[The heavenly realm is a secret place where angels and holy creatures reside.]

[This place is a forbidden area that nobody can set even a single foot into through normal means.]

[You may not use any kind of black magic in this area.]

[All curses will be dispelled in this area.]

[Your holy powers will be greatly amplified if your class is related to religion.]

The heavenly realm was where the angels and their holy creatures resided.

Kang Yoon-Soo could see numerous angels bathing in a river that flowed through the clouds. There were some angels fetching water, while others played the harp. He could also see holy creatures such as paladins and unicorns roaming on the outskirts of the area.

‘This would have been an excellent hunting ground if I came here in the previous life when I reached the pinnacle,’ he thought.

He would have been certain to win if he took advantage of the angels’ weakness against alcohol. Of course, he had no plans of doing something like that, and he did not have the ability to even think of doing such a thing at his present level.

Yuriel smiled brightly at Kang Yoon-Soo when she saw him curiously looking around. She grabbed his hand and said, “Welcome to the heavenly realm, creature! I want to introduce you to some of the places here, but I might get scolded by goddess-nim if we dilly-dally. Make sure to stick close to me so you do not get lost here!”

Meanwhile, the other angels looked at them with unpleasant expressions. Some of the angels completely ignored Yuriel, while others glared at the two of them.

“I see you don’t have a good relationship with the other angels,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“I got disciplined by goddess-nim last time,” Yuriel replied. She tried her best to look nonchalant about it, but Kang Yoon-Soo could see that she was obviously dejected.

They walked for quite some time, and after a while, a large, white, luxurious-looking temple of some sort came into view.

A six-winged angel guarding the temple door blocked Yuriel’s path, asking, “Yuriel! What is that thing with you?”

“Oh, this is the creature I am contracted to,” Yuriel replied.

“Oh my goddess! Are you out of your mind? How dare you bring a creature from below into the heavenly realm?” the six-winged angel exclaimed.

“But he is a creature that goddess-nim entrusted a quest to! What are you going to do if you sour goddess-nim’s mood?” Yuriel retorted.

Yuriel began protesting heavily, and the six-winged angel had no choice but to reluctantly give way to the two in the end. There were a lot of angels gathered in the temple when the pair entered, but none of them seemed to be particularly welcoming.

Kang Yoon-Soo ignored the glares from the angels and nonchalantly told Yuriel, “I want to see the goddess.”

“Wait a minute. Goddess-nim will be here soon,” Yuriel replied.

The angels were in an uproar, unlike Yuriel, who was calm and composed.
“Oh my! What did that creature say just now?!”

“How dare he address goddess-nim without the proper honorifics!”

“I remember seeing that creature at our temple before! He is as rude as he was back then.”

As the angels were noisily murmuring among themselves, however, a bright light shone from the altar in the middle of the temple. It was a light that Kang Yoon-Soo had seen before, but it seemed to have dimmed compared to the previous time. The goddess’ voice rang out from within the bright light.

“You who have lived for a thousand times,” the goddess began, in a voice that sounded weaker than before. She asked, “How is my request going? Have you killed the ‘One Who Should Not Exist’ yet?”

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Have you found any clues regarding it?” the goddess asked.

“I only know that I crossed paths with that being once, but I wasn’t able to find any clues aside from that,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Then why have you come to see me?” the goddess asked, sounding irritated. She added, “I sense that you do have a reason for coming to see me, though…”

“That’s right,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied. He paused for a moment and continued, “Sylphia, I want your powers.”

The goddess’ tone suddenly turned cold as she asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“I want you to give me your seat as a god,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

The entire temple fell silent. Yuriel’s face turned blue from fear, while the other angels were filled with shock.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo nonchalantly continued, “I can’t win against Sirian and the Demon Lord through normal means, and that’s why I wish to obtain your position as a god.”

The goddess was silent for a long time. The angels did not dare say anything toward Kang Yoon-Soo either, as the atmosphere was not appropriate for them to hurl curses at him. A while passed as the goddess remained deep in thought, before she finally spoke again.

“You are truly arrogant,” she said, and as soon as she finished speaking, a powerful pressure bore down on Kang Yoon-Soo.

Yuriel shouted in surprise, “Insignificant creature!”

Kang Yoon-Soo had been pushed down against the floor, and he could not even raise his eyes toward the light.

The goddess warned him in a low, stern tone, “I am growing weak, and it is also true that you are the only one who can stand against the Demon Lord. However, that is not a valid reason for you to desire the power of a god.”

It was not simply pressure that was holding Kang Yoon-Soo down. He felt as if his organs were being twisted, and excruciating pain shot all throughout his body. He squirmed on the ground while shaking uncontrollably because of the pain, but he somehow managed to bite his lips and stop himself from screaming.

“Go back, and do not even think about coming to see me unless you finish my request,” the goddess said coldly. Only after she finished speaking did she release Kang Yoon-Soo from the pressure.

Kang Yoon-Soo slowly stood up. His body felt as if it were about to break apart from the excruciating pain, but he was actually relieved by how the goddess had reacted to his request. He had suspected that he would be able to usurp the title of a god when the goddess offered to change his class into her knight. Now, he was certain that it was possible for him to do so.

“No, I can’t go back,” he said.

“Do you want to feel even more pain?” the goddess asked.

The angels started to hurl curses toward Kang Yoon-Soo, except for Yuriel, who was fidgeting worriedly.

“How dare a lowly creature desire goddess-nim’s position?! There is a limit to how arrogant you can be!”

“I would have taught him a lesson if he were not carrying out goddess-nim’s request!”

Kang Yoon-Soo shook his head and said, “What I want is cooperation. You see, I don’t want to simply carry out your request like this.”

“You certainly have a glib tongue. Are you trying to sugarcoat your desire to be a god by calling it cooperation?” the goddess scoffed.

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied before taking out a seal from his pocket. Of course, it was the Seal of Destruction.

The goddess sensed a sinister aura coming from the seal and immediately cried out, “What are you trying to do?!”

“This is the Seal of Destruction. Anything stamped by it will die in forty-four days. No healing or blessing will be able to reverse that, and this stamp will remain until the creature stamped is dead,” Kang Yoon-Soo explained.

It was a very powerful and useful item, if one discounted the fact that the item could not be used on a being stronger than oneself.

With that, Kang Yoon-Soo rolled up his sleeve and stamped his right arm with the Seal of Destruction.

The goddess shouted angrily, “What are you doing right now?!”

The goddess’ light wrapped around the spot where Kang Yoon-Soo had stamped himself with the Seal of Destruction. However, perhaps because the Seal of Destruction was too powerful or because the goddess was in a weakened state, the stamp on his right hand did not disappear.

“I’ll die in forty-four days. I need the power of a god to kill the Demon Lord within that time,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The goddess was left speechless by Kang Yoon-Soo’s brazenness and recklessness.

Kang Yoon-Soo asked, this time in a respectful manner, “I need your powers, Sylphia.”

The goddess needed Kang Yoon-Soo to kill the Demon Lord and protect the continent, but he would die in forty-four days, which meant he had to become stronger within that time.

The goddess let out a sigh before saying with a tone of resignation, “You really are a handful, you who have lived for a thousand times.”

She seemed to be tired of talking to the human, as she paused for a moment before continuing, “I was a bit sensitive because the ‘One Who Should Not Exist’ has broken the balance of this world and caused me to lose my strength. I will be left with nothing if I bestow you my powers, but you are the only one capable of standing up against the Demon Lord. I now have no choice but to cooperate with you, since there is a time limit now.”

Sylphia thus said, “Come closer to me.”

Kang Yoon-Soo walked toward the light. Then, a strong burst of radiance enveloped him, and he felt power filling his body like never before. He thought, ‘This is surprising.’

He had not had a class until that moment. A class provided many benefits and allowed someone to grow stronger much more quickly, but he had wanted to carefully choose a class that was going to help him in his final life. At last, he had been able to find a class that would surely help him.

[You have changed your class.]

[God (Proxy)]

[A god is a being that oversees the Sylphia Continent.]

[All of your class powers will be limited to the continent.]

[You have received authority much greater than a human after being bestowed with the right to become a proxy god.]

[You have received the Authorities of Creation, Annihilation, and Insight.]

[The guardian angel you are contracted to has had her time limit on the continent increased by 24 hours.]

[You will receive additional divine power if you create or restore buildings, farms, or art pieces on the continent.]

[However, you will lose divine power if you destroy buildings on the continent.]

[The divine power you possess will determine the true strength of your class as a proxy god.]

[You may attain the full authority of a god if you restore balance to the continent.]

[All authority bestowed upon you will return to Sylphia if you either die or accomplish your goal.]

+A god is someone akin to an administrator over the continent and is not an omnipotent being.

+Your authority is greatly weakened because the balance of the world has been broken.

+Your goal is to kill the Demon Lord.

Just like that, Kang Yoon-Soo had been bestowed with the authority of a god.