Episode 23. Sanctuary Purification
“Sanctuary Purification?”
He already knew about Sanctuary Purification. When playing Nameless Chaos, occupying certain important ‘strongholds’ caused the conqueror’s faith to exhibit far greater power in that region. That place was the sanctuary.
And Sanctuary Purification was the act of erasing the original faith of a sanctuary and establishing a new one.
Isaac had just devoured a being within the sanctuary that was no ordinary monster or beast—one that had once been a god, albeit fallen. So he had expected a different message than before, but he never imagined Nameless Chaos would demand Sanctuary Purification.
‘Shouldn’t this naturally be returned to the Codex of Light?’
As if anticipating Isaac’s confusion, a message appeared.
[This sanctuary has been corrupted by the ‘Great Mother Rat’.]
[A corrupted sanctuary can be consecrated to any faith.]
[Erase the remnants of the old god left in the sanctuary, and bestow new blessings upon the area.]
[The blessings of your faith grow even stronger within this sanctuary.]
It didn’t say so outright, but it meant Nameless Chaos wanted to claim Zihillet’s traces for itself.
Isaac fell into thought.
The tentacles were an obstacle to Isaac, yet simultaneously a trump card. Without Nameless Chaos, facing Zihillet would have been far more difficult. He might have gone mad upon seeing Zihillet, unable to receive protection from the divine. No, he probably wouldn’t have survived until now in the first place.
Dedicating the sanctuary would immediately strengthen the blessings of that very Nameless Chaos.
‘It would definitely be a gain for me, but…’
Was it truly the right thing to do from this world’s perspective?
Isaac had seen the tentacles sprouting from his own body slaughter and consume nearby creatures without exception. No matter how callous Isaac was, he didn’t want the entire world to suffer that fate through this sanctuary.
“What happens if I don’t purify the sanctuary?”
[If the sanctuary is not purified, the old god may resurrect at any time.]
Isaac, who had been considering pretending not to know, made a bitter expression. He had managed to resolve the situation for now, but if Zihillet resurrected while he was away, that would be when the monks were massacred.
Of course, the possibility was low that dedicating the sanctuary would cause tentacle monsters to burst out and overturn the entire world. Because Isaac understood the game system.
In this world, it was difficult for a god to act alone.
They merely bestowed miracles and indicated directions through believers, priests, and paladins. Even if Nameless Chaos had malicious intent, if Isaac was currently the only believer who could serve as a medium, executing such plans would be difficult.
‘That’s why I heard evil gods control minds or corrupt people, but…’
At the very least, Nameless Chaos had never gouged into Isaac’s brain or whispered bizarre secrets to him. There had been times when it made him perform quests as if half-pleading or throwing a tantrum, but even then, it had never put Isaac through needless crises or caused him losses.
Isaac decided after much deliberation.
“I dedicate this sanctuary…… to Nameless Chaos.”
He had to purify the sanctuary. To erase Zihillet’s traces, it needed to be overwritten by Nameless Chaos. Above all, having a sanctuary was better for his survival.
***
Rumble.
The moment Isaac declared it, a strange vibration echoed through the sanctuary. A sweet scent wafted from somewhere. The tentacles in his hand stretched out and dug into the center of the altar.
The tentacles that burrowed into the center of the altar began to take root everywhere, as if covering the surroundings. The stone altar cracked, crumbled, and twisted. The sight of the walls and floor squirming was unreal.
And finally, a massive heart swelled up, shattering the altar.
Thump.
The moment the heart of the altar beat once, Isaac felt a power surge through his entire body. The heartbeat did not stop, pounding and shaking the underground. Isaac felt his strength replenishing every time the heart pulsed.
Not only that. Isaac felt the monastery and its surroundings, declared a ‘sanctuary,’ as if they were his own skin. He could grasp everything: how many plague beasts Zihillet had left on the rear mountain, how much the grass and trees were corrupted, where the people inside the monastery were, and how strong or weak they were.
In other words, within the monastery area, Isaac possessed omniscient senses.
Isaac staggered back, overwhelmed by the flood of sensations pouring in. The moment he stepped away from the altar, he felt the surging senses subside.
‘So this omniscient sense that lets me check the state of the sanctuary only occurs near the altar?’
It was as if Isaac himself had become Nameless Chaos. He had played as a paladin or priest before, but he had never experienced an event like this in a sanctuary. Perhaps it was a unique effect of Nameless Chaos.
Isaac looked at the tentacle appendages spreading in all directions with the heart of the altar at the center.
Muscle and nerve bundles squirmed through the collapsed gaps of the old-style stone walls, and the blood vessels stretching like tree roots writhed in time with the pulsating heart. A faint red and purple light gloomily shimmered across the walls. The underground of the monastery, once an old temple, now resembled the entrails of a blasphemous monster.
‘The monks would faint if they saw this.’
But unless Isaac decided to overturn the monastery, they would be able to continue serving the Codex of Light. Without ever knowing what lay beneath their own feet.
The tentacles returned to Isaac’s left hand the moment the altar was completed. Isaac felt a vitality surging through the tentacles more powerfully than ever before. With this power, he felt he could one-sidedly crush the Zihillet he had fought earlier.
[Nameless Chaos gazes upon you.]
Even in the message from Nameless Chaos, a sense of satisfaction could be felt. Isaac still felt doubtful whether this was the right thing to do, but the deed was already done. Though somewhat confused, Isaac was certain that, at the very least, he wouldn’t be killed within the monastery or its vicinity because of this.
[The reward of Chaos for ‘Sanctuary Purification’ has been granted.]
[Choose one of the following three rewards.]
[Gnawing Harvester / Fangs appear on the tentacles, allowing you to attack or consume enemies more effectively.]
[Eye of Chaos / Allows you to perceive your target’s psychology and state. Becomes difficult to read if they are wary or hiding their mind.]
[Creeping Chaos / By offering a sacrifice, you can summon a powerful monster belonging to the kin of Chaos.]
In any case, it had been a while since he had seen three reward options. Isaac couldn’t help but fall into thought, as all three choices felt appealing.
‘Gnawing Harvester’ would clearly multiply the already powerful offensive capabilities of the tentacles. In the vision that rose up like a reward card, he saw fangs protruding on the tentacles like gears.
‘Creeping Chaos’ was also an anticipated ability, given the results of using the Scion of Chaos trait this time. Because the conspicuous form of the tentacles meant Isaac almost always had to move alone, he would constantly lack subordinates to serve as his hands and feet. A powerful summon that could act in his place would be helpful.
But what Isaac ultimately chose was ‘Eye of Chaos.’
It was precisely because of the Inquisitor.
‘Perceiving state and psychology…’
This ability was exactly what Isaac needed. Isaac’s race, the Nephilim, were hated by the gods anyway. Then he needed to win favor with humans, and the Eye of Chaos would be useful in amplifying a Nephilim’s charm.
Public opinion manipulation, incitement, seduction, dominance, intimidation, persuasion, lies. Everything could become Isaac’s tool. Especially when considering the Inquisitor who had come to the monastery now, this ability was all the more necessary.
‘Since I’ve defeated Zihillet, the plague in the monastery should disappear now. The Inquisitor will recover soon too. Then I need to find out what she’s thinking and what purpose she came here with.’
Isaac had no intention of becoming a king of monsters and ruling the world. What he wanted was to rise through the ranks and succeed without standing out as an oddity among people. To avoid causing trouble like the Inquisitor in the future, the ability to read others’ minds would be useful.
The moment he chose Eye of Chaos, Isaac felt his right eye sting and ache. Startled by the sensation of something slick sliding over his cornea, he quickly drew his sword and held it up to look. On the smooth blade, he saw red tentacle strands covering the surface of his eye.
“……?!”
Once the tentacles settled on his cornea, Isaac’s eyes—originally a deep gray—had changed to appear as if one possessed a red pupil. Fortunately, aside from the odd-eye aspect, there was nothing particularly conspicuous.
‘Now the final procedure remains.’
Isaac turned his gaze to Zihillet’s remaining corpse.
Although the tentacles had fed on Zihillet’s corpse for quite some time, most of the chunks of meat remained uneaten. Isaac had hoped to devour Zihillet’s corpse and absorb its abilities, but the tentacles seemed reluctant to do so.
‘Is there some part left that shouldn’t be eaten?’
Isaac stared at Zihillet’s remaining corpse.
Soon, he thought of a way to make use of the remaining corpse.