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Chapter 202: Chapter 202

From the temple, a faint song could be heard.

"...Isn’t that a hymn?"

"I’m a follower of the Moon Church, so I hear them occasionally... it sounds really similar."

The priests of the Church of the Sun looked somewhat displeased.

"...If we must be precise, the format does resemble a hymn..."

"No matter how much it resembles Earth’s music, we can’t equate something from another dimension to it."

"It might be a clue of some sort, but I don’t like it."

A hymn was a song to praise a god and nurture one’s faith. Considering that this place was once revealed to have been a temple of the Sun, the fact that this strange hymn was echoing here was nothing short of blasphemy—an insult to the Sun and a celebration of something wicked.

The faint song reverberating throughout the temple was eerie due to its slight dissonance. Its soft melody was languid, like the sag of a summer twilight, and its tone—resembling the cry of a beast—was incomprehensible.

It wavered like a whale’s call drifting through seawater.

"..."

"...In any case."

Even amid the strange atmosphere, the hunters focused on their mission.

"Our top priority is locating the heart, right?"

"Yes. Often, the monster is the heart, but... just as often, it has a separate one."

"And we also need to secure Hunter Sergio and the trainee priestess Cha I-Sol. They’re both valuable talents. We can’t let them die here."

"We’ll have to look around a bit."

Kang Seodam held up a small, round gem.

"We can locate Trainee Priestess Cha I-Sol with this resonance stone."

The resonance stone that Iru Da had shared with her partner Cha I-Sol vibrated even more vividly once inside the frame. Its pulsing was like a tiny, living heart.

"She’s definitely inside this dungeon."

"Then Hunter Sergio as well...?"

"We’ll proceed on the assumption that the two are being held in the same place."

"What about finding the heart of the dungeon?"

"As I said earlier, we’ll split into two teams."

One would handle the hostage rescue. The other would identify the heart.

"Hunter Sanarae, we’re counting on you."

"Mhm, I’m good at that. Don’t worry."

"If a powerful monster appears, make sure to lead your team so it doesn’t wander off..."

"Haha, don’t worry, don’t worry. We’re super reliable people."

’I don’t believe a word of that.’

Kang Seodam exchanged glances with the hunters assigned to Sanarae’s team. They stifled sighs and gave faint nods. The team was hastily assembled, with hunters of all kinds, but at least there weren’t any clueless ones among them.

’We can rely on this side, at least.’

He nodded.

"See you soon."

"Yes, see you."

They split into two groups.

***

A gardener belongs in the garden.

They referred to themselves in many ways. Some called themselves gardeners outright, while others used terms like servant, errand-runner, apostle, or believer. There were even gardeners who called themselves his children.

What this tells us is that "gardener" means one who cannot disobey the garden.

"...Ah, Gardener..."

Tap... drip...

From the bowed head of Jeong Yeong-Won, flower petals stained with blood fell.

"Gardener, I’m sorry. I made a mistake."

Jeong Yeong-Won wept blood as she touched the corners of her eyes. The petals that brushed her palm were soft.

The smoothness of the petals—pure as a newborn’s skin—filled her with ecstasy, yet at the same time, the gardener’s shouted rage and grief made her cry and beg for forgiveness.

"Gardener."

"Yeong-Won."

"Please..."

"You can’t lose yourself here, you hear me? Huh?"

"It’s too cold here, isn’t it?"

"Oh, for the love of—"

The man watching over her was the team leader in charge of Jeong Yeong-Won. He didn’t know she was a "gardener," but he did know she bore a great mystery. With a troubled face, he guarded Jeong Yeong-Won in the narrow, dark space where she had secluded herself.

"What’d you do this time to get scolded like that?"

From the corners of her eyes and her hair, vibrant flowers had bloomed. Tiny shoots sprouted from her fingers—it was a chilling sight of a living person being consumed by nature.

Someone obsessed with artwork like the Collector might call it "beautiful" or "artistic." But to this man, who possessed normal sensibilities, it was simply horrifying. A punishment.

"Gardener... Gardener..."

"Timing-wise, it’s probably right after she healed Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon."

Even though Jeong Yeong-Won was one of the top healers in the Eunwol Guild, she sometimes pushed herself too far. Especially when she used her "god’s" power without permission—this was what happened.

’Was it really worth it?’

If Hunter Yoo Seong-Woon hadn’t recovered, the newly appeared boss monster would’ve devastated everything. There were many A-rank hunters here, but each one was irreplaceable.

’Losing even one would’ve caused a disaster. Still, even so...’

He didn’t even know how Yoo Seong-Woon had recovered so quickly in the first place.

It couldn’t have been by human means, so it was easy to guess that Jeong Yeong-Won had done something—but that didn’t mean he could understand all of it.

"..."

He sighed deeply and remained by her side.

"I’ll keep others from coming in, so recover quickly."

"Aaagh... Haaa..."

"Damn, what a mess..."

He had no idea what could’ve made her borrow divine power in such a hurry.

’She’s not stupid.’

There must’ve been a reason—one he simply didn’t know.

Stepping outside to keep watch, he closed the door behind him—only to find a small figure standing nearby, looking a bit startled. He blinked, then took in the situation.

"Little priestess?"

"Ah, yes. I’m Trainee Priestess Iru Da."

"What are you doing here?"

"They said they were leaving me in the care of the Eunwol side."

"Ah, the priests said that?"

"Yes."

"Well then, you’re welcome any time."

Eunwol had friendly ties with the Church of the Sun and the Moon Church. That included their trainee priestesses.

"What role do you usually take?"

"Tank."

"I heard you’ve already formed a pact with a deity."

"It’s thanks to a divine being who took a liking to me."

"Sister Iru Da is famous for catching a deity’s eye from the moment she was born."

"It was a great blessing. Without that, I wouldn’t even be here now. I’ll do whatever you ask and perform above average."

"No need to go that far..."

They’d said she’d forced her way to the frontlines, and yet she was being surprisingly humble. Maybe worried she’d be sent back—her posture was almost submissive. The man, a bit uncomfortable, waved his hand awkwardly. Children with such refined speech always felt a bit uncanny.

"So, you’re not here because you were injured?"

"No. I just wanted to know where I should be."

"Hmm, I see. If possible, we’d appreciate your help defending our side."

It was rare, but not unheard of, to see someone like Iru Da at the frontlines. The man calmly assigned her a position and role.

"This area’s full of healers, so everyone here is pretty fragile."

"I’ll do everything I can."

"Ah, also..."

"..."

"...Did you hear that?"

The sound of Jeong Yeong-Won groaning in pain.

"Could you pretend you didn’t?"

"I swear on the divine I serve, I will remain silent."

"Thanks, I appreciate that."

He was grateful she hadn’t asked why Yeong-Won was in that state.

’I wouldn’t be able to explain it either.’

It wasn’t the first time he’d seen Jeong Yeong-Won break down like that in front of the "Gardener." As her closest companion, he’d come to accept it—though even he didn’t know all her circumstances.

’And blabbing wouldn’t do any good.’

Jeong Yeong-Won was a good comrade and a decent friend. If she had things she didn’t want to talk about, he wanted to help her keep them hidden.

"So, could you tell me what your tanking style is like?"

"I gather the monsters into one spot by luring them, then deploy a barrier."

"Like a ward? Then could you trap them inside?"

"It’s based on the concept of setting up an intangible wall, so it’s not impossible, but I’m not quite there yet..."

"Even being able to set up a single wall is impressive. That’s worthy of respect."

What was I doing at her age?

"What shape does the barrier take?"

"Recently, I succeeded in forming a hemisphere."

"What’s the holding capacity?"

"Up to five adult men."

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