Became the Weapon Monopolist of the Gods-Chapter 32: Despair Gate (1)

The stigmata was ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) a divine miracle that had only appeared once in the long history of the Church.

The mark of the Lord, said to have been possessed only by Saint Francis of Assisi. The stigmata.

And now, that legendary stigmata had manifested in a small land far to the east.

“Wow.”

Upon witnessing the stigmata, Cardinal Francis kneeled on the spot and began praying, tears falling from his eyes.

Archbishop Ambrosio did the same.

Of course, the stigmata on Jeanne wasn’t the true mark of God as they thought.

It was, at best, a "replica."

It seemed the current cardinal, Francis, had no idea that they had made a counterfeit of the divine mark.

The Church, with its long history, had committed countless sins and kept many secrets hidden.

*‘But is it really just a replica?’*

Now, I wasn’t so sure.

In the past, Jeanne’s stigmata had bled, but it never emitted such radiant light.

It did shine, but not with the brilliance and warmth like this.

It wasn’t surprising that the two bishops mistakenly believed it was the real stigmata.

Once the light of the stigmata faded and Cardinal Francis finished his prayer, he stood up.

“What can I offer you?”

His expression was calm. Unlike earlier, when he had been flustered at the mention of Essence, now he seemed at ease.

“As I said earlier, I ask for Essence and sacred relics.”

“I understand.”

“...Cardinal.”

“I will take responsibility.”

At Archbishop Ambrosio’s call, Cardinal Francis shook his head.

To give away a sacred relic, the Pope’s approval was required. It wasn’t something the cardinal could decide on his own. Essence was even more tightly controlled.

Yet, Cardinal Francis accepted all of my requests without condition.

He took off the ring he was wearing and handed it to Jeanne.

Then, he went to his room and brought back a glass vial containing Essence.

Being a cardinal of the Vatican, Francis personally kept the Essence and relics in his possession.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“Just let us pass through the gate quietly, so we can focus on the raid.”

I made sure to clearly specify this because there was a risk of getting entangled with the Church or being exposed to the media. If they didn’t comply, I wouldn’t help at all.

“And, this is purely for support. If the raid becomes too difficult, we will withdraw immediately.”

“I understand. I will make sure it goes as planned.”

After finishing our transaction, we returned to the bazaar.

Since the construction work was only being done in the living areas during the day, the bazaar was quiet at night.

“How’s the relic?”

“It’s a Healing Ring. The ability itself is not much, but I think it could help replenish divine power.”

The divine power itself was specialized in healing.

Since Jeanne said it wasn’t much, the healing effect of the ring probably didn’t match her divine power.

It didn’t matter. The relic was meant to replenish Jeanne’s lacking divine power, not to gain any new abilities.

*‘The important thing is the Essence.’*

I looked at the transparent liquid inside the glass vial.

It was only a small amount, about a sip, but if it was the Essence I knew, this should be enough.

Essence was a substance that concentrated pure mana.

*‘I wish I could drink it...’*

Unfortunately, my potential was too low.

Essence was a miraculous substance that strengthened mana, but it wouldn’t suddenly turn an E-rank hunter into an A-rank.

That would only be possible if I were reborn.

Without talent, no matter how much mana you poured in, it would be like pouring water into a leaky barrel.

So, I decided to use another method.

*‘I’ll grow the Seolhwa Stone and absorb it with my own power.’*

The Seolhwa Stone was a stone that grew on its own.

Unlike me, its potential was limitless.

So, I’d grow the Seolhwa Stone and merge it with my “Transcendent Connector.”

*‘Slots,’* I thought, *‘should make that possible.’*

It had already been confirmed that slots weren’t just spaces to hold items from another world.

—The Seolhwa Stone has been stored in the general catalog.

[General Catalog]

—Napoleon’s Table

—Seolhwa Stone

The Seolhwa Stone disappeared from my hands and appeared in the catalog.

However, it hadn’t completely disappeared.

Since the catalog was connected to me, I could still feel the Seolhwa Stone and use its mana.

But this was still a half-hearted merger.

Mana transfer was unstable, and it felt somewhat distant.

To fully merge the Seolhwa Stone with me, it had to be stored in a higher-level catalog.

That catalog was the Artifact Catalog.

I couldn’t embed the Seolhwa Stone directly into my body, but placing it in the Artifact Catalog was almost the same thing.

It felt like the Artifact Catalog was a part of my body.

But for now, it wasn’t possible.

—To enter the Artifact Catalog, you must increase your rank.

Even when I tried to remove Napoleon’s Rifle and place it there, it was rejected with a warning message.

This meant the Seolhwa Stone still didn’t meet the requirements to be placed in the Artifact Catalog.

It needed to be grown further.

I opened the vial and poured all of the Essence into the Seolhwa Stone, without leaving a drop behind.

The transparent liquid fell onto the Seolhwa Stone and was immediately absorbed.

Then—

Whoooom—!

The once quiet Seolhwa Stone began to resonate.

Fwoosh! Crackle!

Flames and ice grew and shrank, entwining in a competitive dance.

Then, it underwent a change.

Fwoosh—!

The red flames turned blue and illuminated the inside of the store.

Soon, the flames were sucked into the transparent ice and coiled inside.

**Seolhwa Stone**

Mana: 12500 / 12500

Amplification: Increases the mana exerted by the user.

“It’s done.”

I smiled.

The Seolhwa Stone, which had been struggling with its limits, had broken through them and grown.

Its mana had more than doubled.

But that wasn’t all.

The Seolhwa Stone had gained the ability of "Amplification."

If I used 5 mana, it could amplify it to more than 5.

The Seolhwa Stone’s mana was 12500, but that wasn’t the whole story.

How much of an effect this would have was still unknown, but I’d need to test it.

*‘I could even use it as a lantern at night.’*

While thinking idly about the bright blue flames of the Seolhwa Stone, I heard a system notification.

—Summon cooldown time has been reduced by 3 minutes.

Summon cooldown: 01:57

“Oh.”

It finally decreased.

It was only 3 minutes, but the once immovable cooldown time had been shortened, and that was a significant achievement.

My ultimate goal in raising mana was to make the summon cooldown time “0.”

That way, Jeanne would no longer be summoned in an incomplete form and could truly be integrated into this world.

She’d be able to use artifacts freely, too.

But the changes didn’t stop there.

—The divine power of the stigmata increases.

At that moment, a bright light streamed from Jeanne’s back.

“Jeanne, let me take a look at your stigmata.”

“Yes.”

After receiving her permission, I checked Jeanne’s stigmata and my eyes widened.

The red mark that looked like blood now had one of the lines turn white.

*‘Is it really becoming the true stigmata?’*

It was only a guess, but it was clear that the increase in divine power was causing this change.

The reason for the increase in divine power was likely because my mana had increased.

Jeanne’s divine power was proportional to mine.

So, as I grew stronger, Jeanne’s power grew stronger as well.

In any case—

[Summon 3/4]

Now, I could welcome a new Transcendent.

The summon slots could be opened or closed.

It was like the game’s host adjusting the number of players in a room.

For now, I kept the slots closed.

Just opening them didn’t mean a Transcendent would appear right away, and I had no idea how much time they would spend in another world.

Even if time passed slowly in another world, there wasn’t much time left.

Only four days remained until the Despairer Gate went out of control.

Considering the travel time, it was going to be a tight schedule.

—Ladies and gentlemen, our flight will now take off. Please check that your seat belts are securely fastened.

“Jeanne, did you fasten your seatbelt?”

“Yes.”

Jeanne’s voice sounded the same as usual, but her actions were different.

She was gripping the armrest with her tiny hands, clearly nervous.

I couldn’t help but smile. After all, when had Jeanne, a 15th-century Frenchwoman, ever ridden an airplane?

Back then, the sky was considered the realm of the gods.

We were on a plane to Incheon Airport, heading to the Vatican where the Despairer Gate was located.

“Should I just stay still?”

“Of course. If you stay still, the captain will take us to our destination.”

Whooosh—

The plane suddenly shook as it soared into the sky.

Startled by the sudden weightlessness, Jeanne instinctively grabbed my arm.

Her curled-up form was especially cute.

It was rare for Jeanne to look so flustered.

I snapped a picture instinctively.

Click—

When I showed the photo to Jeanne, her cheeks puffed up slightly.

I guess she didn’t like her startled posture.

But it was cute.

Once Jeanne seemed to have calmed down, I pointed to the window.

“Look outside, Jeanne.”

Following my hand, Jeanne turned her gaze to the window.

Beyond the window, the endless sky stretched out before us.

A sea of white clouds stretched like a carpet.

Warm sunlight bathed everything.

Jeanne’s eyes widened.

“It’s amazing. The clouds are right in front of us.”

Looking down, the land appeared like a dot.

The gray buildings were clustered together like ants.

“Is it safe?”

“It’s rare, but sometimes...”

Jeanne pressed her hands together in prayer.

It was cute, but it wasn’t a time for laughter.

There were occasional accidents where planes fell. freewebnσvel.cøm

Click—

Still, I made sure to take a picture.

When we arrived in the Vatican, it was late at night.

During the journey, Jeanne’s summon was completed once, but we managed to handle it.

We were guided by a bishop to our accommodations.

“See you tomorrow, Jeanne.”

“Yes.”

Once inside the room, I dismissed Jeanne’s summon.

It was too late to do anything else.

The next morning, we got ready to move out.

“Let’s stretch a bit before we go.”

Though there were only a few days left before the Despairer Gate went out of control, I didn’t rush.

I needed to check my status before leaving.

The Vatican was full of religious architecture, and because of that, all the gates were of the Dark Attribute.

Dark caves.

Ehehehe—

Pale shapes drifted through the air, laughing.

These were Specters, monsters that had died and become ghosts.

Physical attacks didn’t work on them.

They could only be destroyed with mana, and light mana was the most effective.

Boom, boom!

The Specter’s attacks slammed into the Shield of Protection.

*“The medal is finally useful.”*

Napoleon’s Medal, which had previously been inefficient, was now easier to use as the Seolhwa Stone had grown.

Since it had the “Amplification” trait, it didn’t consume as much mana as before.

Bang—!

Napoleon’s Rifle fired, shattering the Specter that had been circling the shield.

The efficiency was an impressive 8%.

It was the result of the increased mana and the Amplification from the Seolhwa Stone.

*‘Should I catch that one?’*

I started walking toward the Specter passing through the cave walls.

But just as I moved—

Swish—

My body, cloaked in Shadow Cloak, had already moved in front of the Specter.

Swoosh!

The Twin Dragonsword in my hand slashed through the Specter, eradicating it.

*‘Hmm.’*

The swing was awkward due to my strength issues, but the power was undeniable.

The mana consumption was also much lower than before.

I didn’t need to test it further.

Specters continued to drift around in the air, but I turned my back.

“Jeanne.”

Whoooom—!

A holy light illuminated the cave.

The Despairer Gate had once been part of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Russia.

It had once been a sacred church where worship was held, but now it was overgrown with weeds, exuding an eerie atmosphere.

The door leading to the church, where the Despairer Gate was, was the entrance.

The 72 demons of Solomon. Astaroth, the demon who had fallen into hell and was spewing despair.

Voices of unknown resentment whispered from within the Despairer Gate.

“There are hunters inside the church. Please assist them.”

“I understand.”

“I will pray that God’s blessing be with you.”

Receiving the bishop’s blessing as he made the sign of the cross, Jeanne and I walked toward the Despairer Gate.

Entering the Despairer Gate.

Endless darkness welcomed us.