In the Name of God - Chapter 22.2
“Why is my condition still such a mess?”
I thought that once I secured more than a month of lifespan, I would start to look a bit more human, but I still looked like a corpse.
Echo crouched on top of my head and snorted.
“With just one month of lifespan, it does not even come close. Healthy people have lifespans measured in years at the very least!”
“So you are saying that unless I secure several years’ worth of lifespan, I am going to keep wasting away like this?”
-Yes!
“Could you not answer so cheerfully?”
Of course, it was better than at the beginning, when I had only a week of lifespan left.
Even after running dungeons, I was still able to move around well enough, with only some mild muscle soreness the next day, and the bouts of nausea and headaches that used to come frequently had decreased.
But that did not mean my current state was comfortable. Even if I had somewhat adapted, the dull pain throughout my body was still there, and if I moved too vigorously, my temperature would rise quickly and cold sweat would break out.
‘If I am still like this after ranking up, that will be a problem…’
I had heard that higher-level dungeons often took much longer to clear compared to F-rank dungeons. Some of them even required spending several days or weeks inside the dungeon.
In a place like that, where monsters far stronger than those in F-rank dungeons were scattered about, there was no way I could fight in this corpse-like condition.
Above all, after ranking up, I might not be able to run dungeons as freely as I pleased like I did now.
‘I should start looking into clans.’
In Korea, officially registered Awakeners are broadly divided into independents, association-affiliated, and clan-affiliated.
Independents are, as the name suggests, those who operate freely without belonging anywhere. With that freedom comes full personal responsibility.
Because it is all individual play, it becomes harder to participate in higher-level dungeons where teamwork is crucial, and in various quests, it is common to suffer disadvantages or issues with rewards due to having no backing. There is nowhere to receive equipment support, and if an accident happens, even the compensation process becomes complicated.
Those affiliated with the Association are closer to being civil servants.
Under fixed regulations, they are assigned mainly safe quests, receive regular salaries, quarterly vacations, and even pensions after contract termination. In terms of stability alone, it is solid.
However, that stability comes with many restrictions. High-risk dungeons or high-profit quests are rarely assigned, and personal profit-making businesses or outside activities are restricted. Even if you want to grow stronger, the environment to do so is lacking, which is the biggest drawback.
That is why, in the end, most Awakeners choose clans.
‘And I am planning to join a clan as well.’
A clan is a private organization made up of Awakeners that can directly generate profit through dungeon raids, special quests, and disaster zone management. There are many benefits unavailable through the Association, such as equipment support, medical and living facilities, exclusive quest rights, and inter-clan trade. Above all, if you are skilled, you can participate in dungeons with higher risk and higher rewards.
Whether you want to become stronger or seek money and fame, most Awakeners ultimately have no choice but to choose a clan.
And I was aiming to join a clan for another reason altogether.
The Black Saint, the hero who stopped the destruction of this world and was revered by all.
I needed information about that child.
What exactly happened twenty years ago, why he disappeared without leaving a single trace and has remained hidden ever since, and whether it was by his own will or not. I had to find out.
“…Information about the Black Saint is classified, right?”
-Yes. With a high probability.
Every time I received dungeon raid rewards, I poured a certain amount of money into gathering information about the Black Saint.
Even so, there have been no results so far. No matter how hard a lowest-rank Awakener with no affiliation tried, the information he could grasp was limited.
-At this point, the only options are to make use of the intelligence networks of a large clan, or to track down and approach people who were closely connected to the Black Saint in the past.
Honestly, the latter had no clear answer for now.
In my fragmented memories, that child had been frighteningly cold toward anyone other than me.
He was the last guardian god of this world, and since I was the one who revived him and made him an apostle, it was natural that his attitude toward me was different. Even taking that into account, though, he had been far too lacking in warmth.
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