When the Pope Becomes Competent - Chapter 52



Only Noblemtl

◈52. All skills are visible!

Of course, it was a happy thing that I could get 700 karma points just by defeating that monster.

But it is true that there was also some concern.

Isn’t there a saying that is so taken for granted that it is now considered a cliché? ‘There is no such thing as a free lunch.’

If we apply this adage to games, it would be this: ‘There is no monster that spits out expensive items that is easy to catch.’

Is this what you call equivalent exchange?

I soon experienced this law firsthand.

-It’s absurd… … !!

The lump of karma that had been flowing without a set shape soon began to stretch out tentacles toward me.

As expected from a 700 karma point monster, it was filthy fast.

I twisted my body to avoid it just in time, but the tentacle just grazed my arm.

Chijijik―

Along with the burning sound, the clothes were corroded and even the skin turned red.

If it had not been avoided, it would have been so powerful that not only the skin, but even the muscles and bones would have melted and disappeared in an instant.

‘A monster with highly acidic fluid… … Surely it wouldn’t corrode weapons?’

If even the weapons melted, there would be no answer.

I tried the skill just to check it out.

[The sharp moonlight shines on your weapon.]

As I activated “Crescent Slash”, a short system message flashed past my vision.

I quickly cut down the monster with the sword that held the aura of the crescent moon.

That’s what happened―

‘It’s melting… … !!’

The blade of the sword really did melt a little. I had no idea.

The sword melted like that, and the monster started to run wild even more than before.

―I want to vent my resentment, but I can’t… … .

―I want to vent my sorrow, but I can’t… … .

―We are all gone, left only as shadows in a dream… … .

The voices of those who were crying within the clumped together seemed somehow louder than before.

It also seemed to have grown a little bigger.

‘The longer I wait, the bigger it gets? I’m thinking of a way to get rid of it quickly—’

The tentacle attacks poured out as if they were not even giving me time to continue my worries.

I caught a glimpse of a tentacle straying precariously from the side of my face, and was startled.

I just thought it was a black lump.

Looking closely, I saw people’s arms, legs, and eyeballs bizarrely tangled inside the tentacles.

The eyes embedded in each tentacle rolled their gazes here and there, then glared at me at the same time.

“… … !!”

I took a step back, startled by the bizarre sight.

Without even checking what was behind me.

“Aaah!!”

‘Crack-‘ Along with the sound of meat cooking on the grill, a terrible pain surged from my back.

It seemed as if my back had been touched by tentacles and was now like cooked meat, but of course I had no time to check.

I just ran away without thinking, following my subconscious.

‘If I cut it, the sword will melt, but I can’t keep dodging it… … . Should I just use the full moon stab and blow it up in one shot… … ? No, that’s absolutely not possible. If I do that, the liquid will all splash on me.’

It would have been nice if I could have used other items, but my inventory wouldn’t open since I came to this black space.

It turned out that what she said was true: that in this place, no one could use a sword other than the one given to them by the seon-gwan himself.

Whoosh!

Meanwhile, I had to dodge the tentacles that were reaching out again.

Tentacles scurrying past.

Thoughts pass by even faster than that.

That was when.

[A hint has arrived for you. Would you like to check it?]

―Yes

―No

Here’s a hint.

I didn’t know what this was.

This is the first time I’ve ever received a message like this.

But even so, my movements of pressing Yes were faster than ever.

Because I was on the verge of death if I didn’t get a hint or something right away.

As soon as I pressed the button, the hint came flying at me.

[Your second karma is the karma created by the tears of people.

Therefore, you must comfort their sorrow first.

And the easiest way to comfort the resentment of the angry is to give them the sword of vengeance.]

Why did I suddenly receive a hint, and who sent it…?

I still couldn’t figure out anything.

But anyway, I wanted to say this first.

‘What are you talking about…?’

I thought it was a hint, like how to dodge or attack using some skill.

But you want me to hold the blade of revenge?

This wasn’t the abstract message I was hoping for.

‘I don’t think it means to throw my sword at the monster… … . Ah, damn it. If you’re going to give a hint, do it properly—’

The moment I was about to complain inwardly.

A tentacle extended into my right eye.

And this time, unlike before, I couldn’t avoid it.

“… … !!”

At that moment, I realized that if you’re really fucking sick, you won’t even scream.

“ah…….”

My skin and eyes melted in an instant.

The blood vessels disappeared and the blood was filled with a strong acidic liquid.

Only after the pain had passed from the crown of my head to the extremities of my body did I finally let out a scream.

“Ahhhhhh… …!!”

It hurt so bad. It was a pain that could not be described in any other way.

Just as some people go mad from the pain after being tortured, my mind was also in danger of being helplessly damaged.

but-

“Gasp, gasp… … .”

Fortunately, my mind was stronger than I thought.

I barely managed to keep myself conscious.

I instinctively raised my head to look at the monster, and I could see its shape through my blurred vision.

“… … .”

My mind didn’t work as quickly as before because the pain had blanked my thoughts.

Instead, as the distracting thoughts disappeared, the guy’s condition became more clearly visible.

‘… … It’s gotten smaller. It’s smaller than before the attack.’

It was unclear at first, but the more I looked into it, the more certain I became.

The size of karma has been reduced.

When I attacked, the guy who had grown in size shrank, but when I was attacked, he shrank.

What is the reason? I was lost in thought for a moment―

“ah.”

A sigh of realization escaped my lips.

I see. That’s what you meant.

As hinted earlier, [the easiest way to comfort the resentment of those who are angry is to give them a blade of vengeance.]

… I could now clearly understand what the message meant.

―The regret of not being able to laugh more… … . The regret of not being able to cry more… … .

-The regret of not being able to live longer… … .

They keep spewing words of resentment.

It was natural.

They were the karma of Nickelus… that is, the ‘resentment’ itself of those who were destroyed because of Nickelus.

Yes. It was the resentment of those who had already suffered.

Yet, instead of comforting their sorrow, I swung my sword.

It turns out that the strategy was wrong from the start.

-It’s unfair and regrettable… … .

“Okay. Let’s go fair.”

The monster was the first to respond to the muttering.

Then, in an instant, the words of resentment suddenly stopped.

―… … .

Silence. In it, I put down the sword I was holding on the floor.

Now was not the time to use a sword.

‘As far as I can tell, there’s only one way to get rid of it.’

The more I attack that monster, the more resentment it will have toward me.

And as the resentment builds up, the size of the monster made of resentment will naturally increase.

After all, the way to defeat monsters wasn’t by cutting them down.

Giving them a chance to stab me and take out their grudge… … .

That was the correct answer, just as the hint I received in the message said.

“I killed you once, so you should kill me once too. Fairly and without complaints from either party.”

I couldn’t say for sure if he could understand what I was saying.

But the monster was slowly creeping towards us.

This time it was quiet.

He didn’t keep spewing out words of resentment like before.

In that situation, I just remained silent and prepared for the pain that was to come.

Then a monster attacked me―

“… … !!!”

I was swallowed up in pain as intense as a torrent.

The skin all over the body is burned.

In an instant, I lost my sight, my hearing, and even my breathing.

Because the acidic liquid flowed into my lungs and burned them black.

It all happened in about a second.

The moment when you can no longer feel even that fleeting pain.

[You have earned 『700』 karma points through karma settlement! Your current points are 『-1432』 points!]

The content of the message was clearly conveyed into my head, as if whispered from a nearby location.

Without even having time to wonder, I soon lost consciousness.

* * *

Suddenly, my eyes opened.

I quickly looked around and saw the scenery of a small room.

It seemed as if he had woken up from the pitch-black space created by the seon-gwan’s skill and returned to reality.

‘As expected, your eyes are fine.’

In that space, the eyes that had clearly been burned by acidic liquid were fine in reality.

Of course, it was the same for other parts of the body, not just the eyes. It was fine.

It is a ‘spiritual’ space where the abstract concept of karma can be realized.

That’s why it seemed like even if you got hurt there, it wouldn’t actually affect your body.

Knock knock.

Just then, the sliding door opened and the messenger came inside.

I think I came here after hearing a rustling sound.

“Are you awake?”

“Yes, I’m awake.”

Our conversation was dry, as it had been before.

Before I knew it, I had become accustomed to her rough speech and concise communication.

I was wondering how I could explain to her the terrible ordeal I had endured, and I decided to do it her way.

“I thought it was going to be a disaster.”

“I thought you were going to die too. You’ve been up for so long.”

“Is this the original Salpuri dance?”

“No. The heavier the karma, the longer the suffering. Usually, they don’t faint for as long as you do.”

Should I take this as a compliment? In any case, the seon-gwan’s eyes lit up with interest.

“I didn’t know your sins were that serious. Even though you said so yourself… You must have been a real bastard in your past life.”

“I was definitely a bastard in my past life. But not to that extent now.”

“Anyway, I seriously thought about whether I should give up the ritual in the middle. But if I stop in the middle, I will suffer and my karma may not be settled… … .”

“Ah, thank you. If I had stopped in the middle, I would have come up empty-handed, as you said.”

I received the karma points as a reward just before I lost consciousness.

If he had woken up before then, he would have been tortured to death, and would have cried tears of blood after waking up.

“More than that, does it seem right? Are you able to examine other people’s abilities… skills?”

“I’ll have to check. If you don’t mind… … .”

“Why do I need to ask permission again? You probably saw it without permission the first time anyway.”

“That’s true.” … I answered as I opened the information window of the captain.

And I examined the skills with a trembling heart.

More precisely, the skills that were initially hidden as (unconfirmed skills).

“Ah… ahh… … !”

“Why are you doing that!? Stop dawdling and tell me! What’s wrong!?”

She asked anxiously, as if worried, but in fact there was no need for her to be.

Because the sound that came out of my mouth was not a groan of despair, but an exclamation of joy.

[Election Officer (L)]

[Skills held]

-Vinaida (L)

―Salpuri Dance Hanpuri Dance (L)

-Good or bad fortune (L)

-Kang Shin-moo (L)

-Han (L)

.

.

[Karma held]

3021 points

All the skills were on display.

Everything was visible, without leaving anything out.

Thanks to that, I was finally able to figure out how she had cursed the first emperor.