Chapter 132: The Other Side

Arnold's eyes were almost blinded by the glare of the magic items, gold, armors and weapons inside the room.

Unlike the rest of the palace that was filled with a gloomy atmosphere due to the damp rooms and decaying roofs, the throne room had even more extravagance than the Imperial Palace that he compared it to before.

There were diamond chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, paintings hanging on the walls, fancy carpets laying beneath their feet and statues of angels leading up to the throne. It was a throne room fit for any emperor or king.

On the other end of rows of angels was a throne that didn't pale in comparison to the room it was in. On it was a skeleton wearing a fancy black robe with gold embroidery. The skeleton was holding a red orb in its hands as if it was peering into the orb.

"Is that…" Arnold pointed at the skeleton.

"Yes, that is our god."

"Why is his body filled with magic items? Aren't gods all powerful? What's the point of wearing all that?"

"What religion do you practice?"

"None. Why ask me that?"

"It is written in the Divine Scripture that gods have many enemies. There are demons lurking in the dimensions around us that could even threaten our gods if they don't have their archangels to protect them. Every religion has its own story of how gods and demons came to be enemies. Not all of the gods are able to protect themselves. For example, Melis is the Goddess of Life and Beauty who only has the power to create life and end it. Lad'mor, the Blacksmith God can only make weapons but not use them. My point is that not every god is a fighter. Many of them have roles which defines their powers. Without their roles they are vulnerable to demons or other outside entities wanting to hunt them down."

"So if they lose their roles then they lose whatever protection the archangels offered."

Archangels were basically like the royal guard of royal families or a knight order protecting a kingdom or empire.

"Yes. Because of that, our god had to rely on items to fight off outside threats. He managed to defend himself in his last moments since he wanted to go peacefully and not be killed by demons."

"I see…." Arnold looked around the room that was filled with all sorts of things. He didn't know how to begin choosing. 

"Where did all this stuff come from?"

"Like I said, our god has believers in many worlds. They gather together once a decade to give him offerings. The tribes of this world are also believers."

'Why are they worshipping a dead god…'

Gods were technically dead on the mortal realm since their souls only exists in the divine realm. However, their powers were present in the individuals they blessed before their deaths.

'I'm pretty sure this Sky God guy hasn't blessed anyone yet. Melis would be furious if he did.'

Arnold took out his hologram card and began scanning the items inside the room.

·        Staff of ???(E)

·        Witch's Cauldron of ???(S)

·        Hermit Sage Diary(Unranked item—Not a magic item or weapon. It records the life of the world-hopping mortal)

·        Magician Orb(S)

·        Holy Water(???)

"Hmm?" the others didn't really interest him but his eyes was drawn towards the fifth item that the hologram card scanned.

Arnold picked up the small vial that had white liquid inside of it. He was careful not to drop it as he opened up the top and sniffed the liquid. Though it was like poison to him if it touched his skin or he ingested it, sniffing it was fine since breathing its vapor in small amounts wasn't dangerous to him.

"Ah, that is not supposed to be here." The angel was about to take the vial but Arnold didn't let her, "What? You said you only wanted weapons. Stick by the deal or you'll be in a lot of trouble with the disciples."

Arnold ignored the angel. He took Ceru out of his chestpocket.

"!!" the angel's eyes widened, "A Cherubim!? Why do you have such a—"

Her voice was drowned out by a loud squeal that came out of the little see-through box in Arnold's hand. It was surprising how such a little creature could produce such a loud noise.

It was a child-like voice.

Ceru violently flapped her small wings. Arnold was holding the vial right next to her box so it seemed like she was trying to get to the vial but she was too small to break the glass.

'As expected. Infant cherubims love the smell and essence of Holy Water. It's like candy for human toddlers.'

Holy Water—which were the creations of humans—had the purest form of divine power. It could cure wounds, cleanse a sickly person whose body is riddled with impurities and burn an undead to ash. Of course, it had nothing to do with its quality since even a small amount of Holy Water could injure a high-class demon like a Greater Demon.

"Where did you get… that…?" the angel pointed at Ceru who was trying to escape her little box.

"I got it from a friend," said Arnold vaguely.

'This reaction is expected from an angel like this one that's the lowest in the angel hierarchy.'

Angels that roamed the mortal realms(like his world) were known to be the lowest in the divine realm in terms of status. An archangel—a being that protects their gods—was the second lowest.

A Cherubim—with the Throne and Seraphim—is the highest in the Principality of Divine Order. This puts into perspective how special Cherubims were.

They were known to be the godly form of regular angels and archangels and were even valuable to gods.

"What kind of maniac gives away such a treasure to a mere friend…? Do you realize the kinds of things that will happen to you if the gods find out your friend kidnapped a Cherubim?"

"Yeah, I know. But that person didn't kidnap Ceru. They summoned her."

"Giving a Cherubim a name as if it's a pet… How bizarre… What do you mean they summoned her? There shouldn't be a spell or ritual capable of summoning anything from the divine realm."

"That's all they told me. I have no idea how they summoned her."  

'Hmm, let's see what Ceru will do if I pour the water into her box.'

Cherubims didn't have mouths in their base form but their bodies had small pores that absorb the water into their bodies. Of course, once they mature then they are able to transform into humans if need be. That means that they can eat like humans can.

Ceru hopped up and down as she flapped her wing once Arnold opened up the box. She looked at Arnold with sparkles in her eye.

Arnold poured the water onto her small body. She immediately shrieked in pleasure as her small wing flapped even harder.

The liquid was immediately absorbed into her body. A yellow glow radiated from her body as more feathers grew in rapid succession.

Her body also grew at an incredible rate. Arnold took her out of the box so that she didn't break it.

'What kind of holy water was that!? It's making her grow this much!?'

Considering how it was unranked, it might be that the vial could've been above S-class. Which means…

'Who the hell made a Star-Class bottle of Holy Water and just gave it to a dying guy?'

"Ceru…?" Arnold looked at the Ceru who was now bigger than his own hand.

Unlike before, she had two wings of pure white feathers. Her once pinkish skin was now a milky white color. Her single eye stared up at Arnold in wonder.

"Hmm, seems like she can't talk yet."

'I wanted to hear what trials she has for me before she can bless me with divine protection. Oh well, I can wait.'

Still, he didn't expect her to grow this rapidly from one bottle. Not even the pope—who had access to secret divine spells—could create something as high tier as the holy water he gave Ceru.

Such caliber divine items could probably also regenerate limbs.

"Hey…" Arnold looked at the angel, "You said that this vial wasn't supposed to be here. Who brought it? Are there more of this in this palace?"

Considering the value of Star-Class items, they wouldn't be laying among the items inside the throne room.

"The knight I mentioned before…" the angel replied, "She comes here once a year to contribute to the person who gave her shelter when she was forced to flee her world."

"She fled her world? Do you know which world she's from?"

"I am unsure. But she's a human like you. Perhaps she's from the same world?"

'There's no telling if that's the case.'

There were many worlds in the game's universe where humans exist. Also, the Timeline Gods would sometimes give people the ability to world hop or regress.  

The angel pointed to one of the walls.

"That's her. She aided us in our fight against outside foes until our God's death so we made a painting in her honor."

"…." Arnold looked at the portrait that she was pointing to. 

It was the portrait of a young woman whose eyes were covered by her long reddish hair. She wore silvery armor and had a teal blue sword that shone radiantly as she held it in the sky atop her horse.

Her helmet resembled that of a warrior maiden from a valkyrian tribe from the Nine Realms but Arnold wasn't sure which one.

'Hmm… She doesn't look familiar.'

Arnold was pretty confident at remembering characters even if he couldn't remember other things about the game. The illustration of every character was unique which made remembering them easier since you could associate them with their characteristics.

For example, there was a woman in the Testaments who had a bandage wrapped around her eyes. She wore a sexy nun robe with her exposed thighs wrapped in garter belt tights. Nearly every female was made a sex symbol in this game so their designs left quite an impression in the fanbase.

What about the woman in the portrait?

"What's her name?"

"I don't know. All of us call her 'Lady Knight'. She's never told us anything about herself. The Sky God didn't say anything either. There were more of these potions but the god used them all to keep his lifeforce intact to defend this palace."

"Interesting."

He was curious about this woman. But his interest didn't delve that deep that he would go looking for this mysterious knight who possesses such high-class items. His only goal was getting stronger and finding the martial arts book. Not going on some treasure hunt.

"…." Arnold realized that Ceru was still looking straight at him. It was like she was looking into his soul.

'She can probably tell that I have a demon lord seed inside of me. Strange. She's not even scared at all.'

He cleared his throat before patting her head(?). She seemed to enjoy it since she flapped her wings gently and closed her eye. 

"…a divine being is being treated like a pet… What madness is this…"

The angel's mutter went unheard of as Arnold relished in Ceru's cuteness.

◇◇◇

Arnold managed to gather the following weapons during his time in the throne room:

·        Cobra King Fang Daggers(S)

·        Normal Shortsword(D)

·        Chains of Rampage(A)

·        Wind Elemental Sword[(Magic Sword-type)SS]

·         Spear Of Chaos(S)

He also took that sage diary or whatever it was called. He only took it out of curiosity. Besides that, the items listed above were the highest ranking weapons he could find in the throne room. He wanted to rob the skeleton so much but decided to not go back on the deal he and the angel agreed upon.

He wasn't a mage so magic items would do him no good except fill his magic bags. The only thing he could do with them was sell them which was pretty pointless since he was going to become the richest noble in history soon.

The spear—which was an S-Class weapon—will be given to Jack. Arnold will use the magic sword as his primary weapon for now.

It was the highest ranked sword he could find, the daggers and spear being the second highest. The demon sword and his Aura Sword will be put away for now.

Arnold was now outside after leaving the palace. Nothing else was keeping him here so he decided it was best to leave. The stuff inside the other rooms were trash besides the weapons he had.

What kind of bastards give such low-quality gifts to a literal god? It made stealing the stuff harder since Arnold didn't find that many useful items. There was nothing that was comparable to the Holy Water he gave Ceru.

Speaking of Ceru, she shrunk herself to be able to sleep in the box again. Arnold was glad that he didn't have to explain to her why it was bad if others saw her.

Once she was old enough then she'll be able to use a racial skill that masks her presence from others, besides her master(Arnold). Until then it was better if she stayed in the box that was in Arnold's chest-pocket. 

Luckily, she could shrink herself back to her previous size.

"Say, angel," Arnold spoke to the angel when they stood on top of the stairs, the void was right below them.

"My name is Rafaela."

"Finally decided to tell me your name, huh… Anyway, how far have you been in the dungeon, Rafaela?"

"I have travelled through 99 worlds."

"Then it's safe to say that you know the dungeon like the back of your hand?"

"Not quite. The disciples leave behind trails for us angels to follow if we wish to go to their towers. It's like going from point A to point B. I never have a reason to deviate from my path unless it's for interests' sake."

"Tsk, useless woman. No wonder you stayed a low-ranking angel even after hundreds of years."

"Is this the thanks I get for helping a lost soul?" 

"Helping? You just opened the door for me and led me to a room that had like half a dozen good items at best."

Rafaela clicked her tongue, "I hope you die, ungrateful insect." she flapped her wings but Arnold grabbed her heel just as she was about to fly away, "Kyaah!?"

She fell down on her face.

"You said that you have a priest-class earlier, right?"

"….." Rafaela's nails dug into the soil and Arnold could hear her heavy breathing.

"How strong are your buffs?"

Buffs are usually associated with priests who use divine power. Unlike offensive divine spells and pure holy water, the divine power in buffs were so insignificant that they were almost unnoticeable even to demons. Mechanics of various spells work differently, just like how mana and aura differed.

A mage could use their mana to cast healing spells just as good as a priest. However, they're unable to use high-tier buffs like the spell [Fortify Host]. It's a spell that hardens the target's bone structure, thereby increasing their defense and offensive power. Of course, there were many other examples.

"…I'm a practitioner of Mid Tier Divine spells."

"Huh?" Arnold looked at her in confusion as he muttered, "What kind of leveling system is that? Was it in the game before?"

"Game?"

"Forgot what I said. What do you mean by Mid Tier?"

"I'm above average in my field of work."

'Okay, so let's just assume she can cast 3rd rank spells. Being born an Elf with high magical capabilities and an angel at the same time definitely gave her abilities a boost.'

Spells were divided in ranks. Especially arcane magic and its derivations. Arnold had never heard of divine spells being divided into tiers(Low, Mid, High, etc…).

"You… Where are you from exactly?" asked Arnold after he couldn't come up with an answer.

"I don't remember much. It's been centuries since I've been back home before coming to this world. All I can remember is that my people lived right below a mountain that stretched as far as the continent's shoreline and pierced the clouds."

A sudden lightbulb went off in Arnold's head.

"You're from the other side of the continent?"

Though mana and aura was rare on the other side of the human world, demihumans like Elves, Dwarves, Wolfkin, Catkin, and so on lived there. As mentioned before, monsters were present pretty much everywhere while supernatural abilities were rare past the Culb mountains.

The Culb Mountains caused a strange phenomena to occur that blocked the other side of the continent from getting the same amount of mana from the World Tree as Diacree.

"Other continent?"

"One the other side of the Culb mountains. That's the name of the mountains you're talking about. The mountain divides the continent."

Diacree had the World Tree that keeps the soil vibrant and air clean of impurities. It also gave life to nearly every creature on Diacree. Some say that the tree had to do with all the major evolutions that took place throughout the years and that it would be the only thing standing during a mass extinction. Of course, that was merely a legend. The tree wasn't the sole reason for things like evolution and such.

Now for the other continent. It was a gloomy place filled with nothing but death due to wars, famines and other disasters.

However, the other continent had a secret that few players knew about:

It had more relic tombs than Diacree continent. It was also home to many of the highest class artifacts known in the game.

Dungeons weren't present there to produce mana since the environment wasn't favorable to dungeons(which naturally produces mana) but relic tombs were in the abundance. They were hard to find but the search was worth it.

Many kingdoms fought against each other for the relics found inside those tombs. Even one artifact wielded by a single individual could change the tide of a war.

Getting to the other side wasn't easy since you'd have to traverse the great Culb Mountain range that divided a continent in two.

Yet how did this angel get here?

"Why don't the two of us team up?" Arnold asked.

"Me? Join you? Never!" Rafaela protested and tried to back away but Arnold stepped closer, not backing down.

"Why not? You're a defenseless angel. Well, I assume you can use a few attack spells but not enough to protect yourself. I'm an S-rank adventurer. I'm someone you need by your side in this dangerous dungeon."

There was a good reason for his adamancy.

Angels—regardless of their rank—have very powerful buffs that can even double your strength for a short period of time so having one by your side was very beneficial in a fight. Angels with the priest class were far different from ordinary humans with the same class. This was due to their divine nature that they receive when becoming angels.

For example, that yellow thing(her halo) floating above Rafaela's head gave her this special nature mentioned above.

She can also heal Arnold's major injuries. He wanted to save his healing potions for when he was in real danger. The only time he'd use the potions is if his HP goes below 10% since they restore 98% of a player's HP.

"Look, you don't know what kinds of monsters are on the other floors, right? What if you get attacked by them?"

"…."

"I'm a 6th star swordsman and S-rank adventurer so I'll be able to protect you. All you need to do is buff and heal me when I say so. We can look out for each other this way."

Arnold wasn't planning on using his demon lord powers constantly. He will only use it whenever he runs into a boss that's too much for his aura alone to handle.

If Rafaela could increase his strength twofold then he will be able to achieve at least 40% of the strength he has in his demon lord form. That was enough for him.

Rafaela looked unsure of what to say.

"Get it? You're not a combat class combatant so you're basically a sitting duck for monsters."

Angels travel with their masters(disciples). It was like this for every servant of a god. Angels were servants of the disciples while disciples were servants of the gods. Angels also served gods but they didn't hold as much importance as disciples.

Disciples aren't weak. In fact, they receive power from the gods they serve so the angel's master should be quite capable.

'But that person isn't here right now.'

"…." Her wings drooped as she fidgeted with her fingers, "…Fine, but don't think you can order me to do anything I don't want to."

Rafaela stepped toward the edge of the cliff and did a small jump. Arnold followed after her.

The two of them were sucked into the abyss.