Chapter 103 - 96: [Evil Divine Status], [Player of Fate] (2)

Chapter 103: Chapter 96: [Evil Divine Status], [Player of Fate] (2)

So for now, the Player of Fate trait was just a decoration on his list.

The Evil Divine Status, on the other hand, would allow him to absorb a surge of the Power of Faith.

Lian sat up in bed and opened his pocket watch.

It was 4:00 AM.

Dawn had not yet arrived.

Sophie was still resting. Not wanting to disturb her, Lian walked out of the tent alone.

The moment he stepped out of the tent, his vision expanded, becoming incredibly vast. It was as if every obstruction in the Bone Forest had vanished, leaving his path forward completely clear.

He knew it wasn’t that the physical range of his sight had increased. Instead, his perception on a conscious level had extended, creating a sort of optical illusion.

The layout of the previously unconquered White Bone East District was now fully rendered in his mind.

He could probably draw a detailed map of the entire Bone Forest overnight without a single mistake.

The Bone Forest actually contained three mineral veins. Kob had discovered one, there was another at the Goblin lair, and a third in the White Bone East District.

The deeper Lian’s perception ventured into the White Bone East District, the more astonished he became.

He mentally divided the East District into five zones, and to his surprise, there was a maze beneath Zone 5, the one closest to the edge.

Countless Knight Skeletons stood guard by the maze. The sheer number of A Level Skeletons made Lian’s scalp prickle.

The maze’s gate was tightly shut, yet it still emanated an ominous feeling.

Lian then realized that he felt no subtle connection to the skeletons, which meant they couldn’t provide him with the Power of Faith.

The power of the Spirit of the Forest had no effect on them; they served another faith.

This also proved that the Skeletons were not native to the Bone Forest. The White Bone East District was likely an entrance connecting an underground world to the surface.

The maze might be one of the legendary Gates of Hell.

The previous owner of his body had heard his mother, Lady Dais, speak of the legends surrounding the Gate of Hell during his childhood.

The Gate of Hell connected the path of the dead to that of the living. Hell was home to even more terrifying entities, beings that surpassed any monster in this world. However, the Hell Maze also held countless treasures—relics from a long-forgotten era.

The people of Blueberry Town dismissed it as a scary story used to get children to sleep, but Lian, now exposed to the mystical world, knew it was very likely true.

Even with his Evil Divine Status, Lian didn’t dare challenge the maze.

Fortunately, the gate to the maze was still sealed.

But this meant the Bone Forest required constant vigilance.

If that Gate of Hell were to open, the nearest territories—Green Shade Territory and Blue Moon Territory—would likely suffer an unimaginable catastrophe.

He wondered if Old Moria’s prophecy foretold that the Gate of Hell was destined to open.

But now that Lian had temporarily gained the authority of the Spirit of the Forest, he had a complete view of the Bone Forest. He should be able to sense the very moment the maze gate opened.

This was an unexpected bonus from gaining the Evil Divine Status. It was like he had now placed a permanent ward in the Bone Forest.

As for his previous plan of cooperating with the skeletons, Lian had no choice but to abandon it for now.

With this maze under their control, even if these Skeleton Monsters possessed wisdom, they would never submit to a human the way the Goblins had.

Lian retracted his omnipresent sight, and an ethereal whisper echoed in his ears.

"Lian Moria, Lian Moria, Lian Moria."

The voice sounded as if it were just a short distance away.

Lian sensed something calling out to him.

In a world teeming with mysteries and unsettling oddities, the wisest course of action upon hearing such a summons would be to ignore it.

But Lian had already obtained authority over the Bone Forest. He was its temporary master.

’He believed that only a pseudo-god on the level of Jari would have the power to simply crush him.’

’Encountering two such pseudo-gods in such a short span of time was practically impossible.’

’The laws of probability wouldn’t allow for it.’

’Something like that wouldn’t happen even to someone with the Misfortune Physique.’

He strode forward, heading into the dense woods of the Bone Forest. The familiar road of white bones appeared before him.

At the end of the road of bones stood the Emerald Palace, shrouded in lush greenery.

Moonlight filtered through layers of leaves, spilling into every corner of the palace. Dappled light and shadow swayed gently in the breeze, and it seemed as if time itself had slowed its pace in this sacred place.

Stone statues stood at the palace entrance, most of them hybrids of human and animal forms. They were bizarre to behold, yet possessed a certain dissonant beauty.

Upon seeing Lian, the statues moved on their own, clearing a path.

Lian stepped onto the stairs and, in a single stride, found himself inside the palace.

’There must be some kind of spatial teleportation array on these steps,’ Lian thought. ’How else could this happen every time?’

He entered a magnificent, gilded hall, but there was no one there.

The whispering in his ears, however, had not faded.

Following the guidance of the voice, Lian made his way down to the palace’s subterranean level.

On the subterranean level was a dungeon. Inside, a massive tree grew, its form so large it seemed to have merged with the dungeon walls.

In the center of this great tree, countless vines ensnared a woman.

This woman was clearly the only prisoner in the otherwise empty dungeon.

She had long, dark green hair, and her features were as exquisite as an Elf Princess from a fairytale. Her skin was fair and translucent, emitting a faint glow. Her figure was full and curvaceous—the perfect form an artist would dream of capturing, a living embodiment of the golden ratio.

The woman looked exactly like the "new bride" from Lian’s dream.

Though she was stunningly beautiful, Lian felt not a hint of joy. In fact, her face had left something of a dark mark on his psyche.

’Didn’t I already sacrifice her? How is she here in this dungeon?’

The woman’s eyes were closed, as if she had fallen into an eternal slumber.

But Lian could clearly hear that the voice was coming from her.

"Lian Moria, Lian Moria, Lian Moria."

Resisting the urge to draw his Broken Blade and stab her, Lian asked,

"You were looking for me?"

The woman’s eyes remained closed, and she still appeared to be asleep.

But the voice in Lian’s ear responded to him.

"I am the true Spirit of the Forest, Solaya. I was imprisoned by an emissary from the Alfei Palace, who stole my authority. Lian Moria, if you can rescue me and return my authority to me, I am willing to grant you one wish."

’The true Spirit of the Forest?’

’Does that mean the one I sacrificed was an impostor?’

Lian eyed the woman imprisoned by the giant tree with suspicion.

"Lady Solaya, I believe you are mistaken about one thing. I am the master of the Bone Forest now. Any wish you could grant me, I can achieve on my own. Why should I rescue you and return your authority? That is not an equal exchange."

"Lian Moria, you see the state of my body. If you completely master the authority born from the faith in the Bone Forest, you will become just like me. Your body will be eternally imprisoned, and you will become a Spiritualist. Are you truly willing to remain in the Bone Forest forever?"

The woman’s voice drifted up, ethereal and indistinct, like a soft whisper or the recitation of a beautiful poem.

"Promise me. Release me. Save me.

"Brave and wise traveler, great Lord of the Green Shade Territory, Silver Believer blessed by an Evil God.

"You shall earn the eternal friendship of Forest Spirit Solaya. Whenever you need me, I, Forest Spirit Solaya, will stand by your side..."

Forest Spirit Solaya had a point. He certainly had no desire to be trapped here forever.

The Power of Faith was alluring, but it was also a ticking time bomb.

Lian couldn’t be certain just how much Power of Faith it would take to permanently transform him into the Spiritualist of the Bone Forest.

And a Spiritualist, it seemed, was clearly different from a normal human.

He remembered the warning from the trait description: his soul was deteriorating.

’Although I don’t know the side effects yet, spending my entire life in the Bone Forest is out of the question.’

’I might as well make a deal with Forest Spirit Solaya. But I don’t need her eternal friendship. I need her eternal fealty.’

"Let’s make a fair trade."

Lian looked at Forest Spirit Solaya.

Her eyes were still closed and her face was expressionless, as if she remained in a deep slumber.

"I can save you, return your authority, and allow you to once again become the ruler of the Bone Forest.

"Everyone who enters the Bone Forest will continue to be your Believers. I will even build a forest temple for you in the Green Shade Territory, outside the forest itself. This will increase your Believers, increase your Power, and help you return to the peak of your strength as a Spiritualist.

"In return, you must sign a Master-Servant Contract with me and swear eternal fealty to me."