Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Clairvoyance (3)

The wind spirit, Artus.

Long ago, Artus had formed a contract with the first Guild Master of Geumok Guild—An Seri's ancestor.

Per that contract, Artus had dwelled within the artifact called Clairvoyance and served as Geumok Guild's guardian spirit for ages.

But thirty years ago, disgusted by the atrocities committed by An Seri's grandfather—the Guild Master of Geumok at the time—Artus terminated the contract and turned his back on Geumok Guild.

However, since it was a unilateral termination rather than a mutual dissolution, the contract's influence still lingered on him.

Because of that, he couldn't free himself from Clairvoyance.

"The monstrous bird is in the southern mountains."

Camila had tracked down the bird's location as promised.

Her source must have been reliable, because her voice was full of confidence.

But with a kid this clever, there was also a chance it was a lie to buy time to escape.

We'd provided labor, so if she couldn't deliver a fair return, that'd be a problem.

"Good. Guide us there."

"Got it."

Camila agreed readily.

We climbed onto a small truck and headed south.

The driver was Camila.

A little kid behind the wheel wasn't something you saw every day.

"Do you know how to drive?"

"It's my first time, but how hard can it be? Press the pedal and it goes forward, turn the wheel and the direction changes."

Camila said something that was a recipe for disaster.

Since An Seri, Camila, and I were all Awakened, it wouldn't be a problem even if the truck crashed into something—but something about a child driving was psychologically unsettling.

"I'll drive, so just call out directions."

"Got it."

It was my first time behind a wheel since the driving test.

Running at the speed of sound didn't faze me at all, but driving a car made me oddly nervous.

Maybe it was the sense of normalcy.

It seemed I still hadn't fully shed the mindset from my ordinary days.

"Let's go."

The truck's engine made a raucous noise before finally starting up successfully.

On the way, Camila explained.

"The monstrous bird you mentioned is pretty famous around here. It's been appearing since about ten years ago and is called the Guardian of São Paulo."

"A guardian?"

"Yeah. It punishes predators and saves the weak. Our village was helped by the guardian once too."

Camila's expression turned bittersweet as she brought up the past.

Saying it was "once" meant it wasn't anymore.

The reason was obvious.

Once the slum became subordinate to the mafia organization, the slum was no longer something Artus would protect—it had become a villain that oppressed the weak.

The one who'd turned the slum into this was probably Camila herself.

She must have used her clever mind to persuade the adults into starting down this path.

"Do you regret it?"

What exactly she'd regret—Camila would know better than anyone.

She answered without a moment's hesitation, firmly.

"I haven't regretted it for a single moment."

But Camila's expression wasn't as resolute as her words.

It was a complicated look, with many thoughts crossing behind it.

The truck was quiet for a while.

The one who broke the brief silence was Camila again.

"We're here."

The green mountain, stretching so high it seemed to touch the clouds, radiated an abundance of life energy.

Truly a fitting landscape for a spirit of nature to reside.

An Seri was awed.

"I've never been to a place where the ambient mana is this pure."

"It wasn't like this before. It used to be an ordinary mountain, but it gradually changed after the guardian settled here."

"Its mere existence has this much influence on its surroundings? That bird's no ordinary bird."

"Of course not. It's not called a guardian for nothing."

Spirits had the innate property of purifying the surrounding mana simply by existing.

Since Artus was a supreme-tier spirit and had dwelled here for nearly a decade, dramatic changes were only natural.

"Let's go."

We marveled the entire climb.

Flowers blooming in eight vivid colors and trees towering majestically enhanced the mountain's charm.

A landscape this beautifully bloomed would be hard to find anywhere in the world.

"This all happened after the guardian came?"

"Yes. It is a guardian, after all."

"What even is it... Professor, is this guardian bird related to Clairvoyance?"

"You'll find out when we get there."

We kept walking until we reached the mountain's midsection.

A fair amount of time had passed since we started climbing.

It should be showing up around now.

FWOOOOSH—!

"Ngh!"

A fierce wind suddenly began to blow.

An Seri and Camila raised both arms in front of their faces to block it.

What was peculiar was that while this wind could physically affect Awakened, it didn't touch the trees, grass, or any of the natural scenery.

It wasn't hard to guess who commanded the wind.

【Corrupted child, what makes you think you can set foot here!】

A massive white bird with three pairs of wings.

Its form was exactly as I remembered it.

The guardian of São Paulo and the master of this mountain.

The spirit Artus had appeared.

"It's been a while, Guardian."

【Brazen girl. You ignored my warnings and walked the path of wickedness. Surely you haven't come to beg for my help now?】

"It's nothing like that. The ones with business are over here. They said they wanted to meet you, Guardian."

【Hmm?】

Artus's gaze turned toward An Seri and me.

Artus watched us for a moment, then recoiled in shock.

【You are......】

No. Not us.

Artus's gaze was aimed precisely at An Seri.

【That one's bloodline. To think that clan would set foot before me again.】

A massive wave of killing intent crashed over us.

An Seri and Camila each took a step back.

While Artus had merely treated Camila like an unwelcome guest, toward An Seri he erupted with the colossal fury of meeting a sworn enemy.

An Seri asked in confusion.

"Bloodline? Clan? What are you talking about?"

【I am tired of watching the filth your clan commits. I have no desire to speak further. Begone.】

FWOOOOOOSH—!

As Artus beat his wings, a tremendous gust of wind arose.

Incomparably stronger than the earlier breeze.

It was an attack carrying clear hostile intent.

"Get behind me."

I used defensive magic and shielded An Seri and Camila behind me.

Supreme-tier spirit or not, without a contractor it was merely an unbound spirit.

The wind Artus unleashed was easily blocked by my barrier.

Only then did Artus show interest in me as well.

【An unfamiliar human. Who are you?】

"The guardian of the child you're trying to harm."

【Ha, what a joke. Do you protect them knowing the horrors their clan has committed? Or are you a villain of the same ilk?】

"Ha! The nerve of you, running your mouth! You sparrow bastard! Who the hell are you to say that?"

An Seri snapped at Artus's tirade.

No one would take it well hearing someone call their family a clan of villains.

【You ask who I am? I was once the guardian of your clan.】

"What?"

【It all began with a promise to your ancestor. That person wished for me to protect your clan. And so I formed a spirit contract with your clan, with Clairvoyance as the medium.】

"......"

An Seri was struck speechless by a secret of Clairvoyance she'd never anticipated.

The reason Clairvoyance was a best-in-slot artifact.

It was because it was a weapon designed to facilitate a contract with a supreme-tier spirit.

【I watched over your clan for a very long time. And I realized—your clan is rotten! The horrific atrocities you committed sickened me. So I left on my own wings.】

"That's......"

Geumok Guild.

One of Korea's Big Three guilds.

A mega guild wasn't built easily.

Behind it lurked countless scandals and atrocities the world never saw.

Bribing the government and Hero Association was a given, exploiting Heroes and crushing rival guilds through underhanded means was routine.

Artus had grown sick of those and countless other transgressions and left.

An Seri, as someone connected to the guild, surely knew to some extent.

【I know what your clan has done far better than you do. So disappear from my sight.】

An Seri bit her lip hard in frustration.

Artus maintained an attitude brimming with confidence.

"No. Your argument is sophistry."

【What?】

Artus showed visible displeasure when I interjected.

He shouted as if refusing to hear another word.

【What do you know!】

"If the parents are guilty, does the child become a criminal too? At the very least, a child who was born bears no sin."

【What do you know of that clan? I have watched how they lived for generations. Do you truly claim to know better than I? Geumok Guild is a place where any child born into it can only become a villain!】

"Was the one who made a contract with you also a villain?"

【What......?】

The moment I mentioned Geumok's first Guild Master, Artus's demeanor shifted.

An Seri's ancestor—the one Artus had promised to protect for generations to come.

That person must have been deeply meaningful to Artus.

"Just as a good person's child can become a villain, a villain's child can also become a good person."

Artus fell silent.

The killing intent he'd been radiating began to subside little by little.

Seizing the moment, An Seri spoke.

"I know. I know Geumok didn't build itself up through legitimate means. It might still be committing atrocities right now."

【Yes... Geumok Guild is......】

"Then instead of sitting on my hands, I should change it! While my ancestors were digging their own grave, where were you and what were you doing?"

【......】

"I'm going to become Guild Master. And I'm going to change Geumok Guild. To do that, I need Clairvoyance."

Before anyone realized it, the killing intent Artus had been emitting was completely gone.

As much fury as Artus held toward Geumok Guild, he had once loved it just as deeply—and still longed for those days.

The promise exchanged with Geumok Guild's first Guild Master.

He yearned for the vow to build a righteous guild and make the world a better place.

【Child, can you truly fulfill the promise I made with your ancestor? If you become Guild Master, can you build a righteous guild and protect the world?】

"Yes. I promise."

【...Very well. I shall believe in your clan one last time.】

"Thank you."

An Seri flashed a beaming smile, showing her white teeth.

She looked overjoyed at having taken one step closer to becoming Guild Master by obtaining Clairvoyance.

"I'm glad."

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you, both of you. Guardian, take me to where Clairvoyance is."

【Call me Artus. That is my name. And I cannot simply hand Clairvoyance over.】

"Alright, Artus. Clairvoyance... what?"

An Seri shot Artus a look that said 'what are you talking about now.'

Artus spoke with an air of nonchalance.

【I understand your resolve. But a kind heart alone accomplishes nothing. I shall test whether your abilities match your resolve.】

Artus's trial.

Only after completing this could Clairvoyance truly be obtained.

An Seri was the character with the highest potential among all archers.

In the early game, she started strong with the high specs of a fourth-place entrance exam finish. She slowed a bit in the midgame, but in the mid-to-late stages she obtained the best-in-slot artifact Clairvoyance and demonstrated performance surpassing even Park Seohu.

She did taper off in the very late game, but that was an inherent weakness of the archer class itself—unavoidable.

Even so, An Seri was unpopular in the game.

Whenever there was a vote for the least popular Playable Character among archers, An Seri always took first place.

The reason An Seri was broken was because of Clairvoyance, but paradoxically, the reason she was unpopular was also because of Clairvoyance.

Clairvoyance was An Seri's best possible item—her best-in-slot.

Since she got to equip an item that others might not obtain even by the late game starting from the mid-to-late stages, the character couldn't help but be broken.

The problem was that the process of obtaining Clairvoyance was absolutely bullshit-level painful.

Even reaching Artus's location was only possible after clearing countless prerequisite quests, and finding Artus was only the beginning of the headaches.

So even when playing An Seri, obtaining Clairvoyance on time was rare.

An Seri's advantage was getting her best-in-slot early, but if that timing was delayed, naturally there was no reason to use her anymore.

And the most bullshit-difficult part of that bullshit Clairvoyance quest was the trial from Artus that capped it all off.

【Overcome yourself. Do that, and I shall grant you the right to wield Clairvoyance.】