MDPS 69🔐

Chapter 69

My Dark Past is Too Strong

The Rebellious Shrine Maiden (2)

The rebellious shrine maiden, Marena.
She was a priestess of the sacred shrine, a bridge between heaven and earth.

For centuries, she was bound to the altar of the shrine, following only the will of the gods without a single moment of freedom.
Truly, she was a living prayer.

However—

Heaven ultimately abandoned her.

Fire stained the night sky red.
Soldiers of the Aivram Empire, empowered by the blood of yokai, trampled the sanctuary.

They said:

• Pillage? The shrine ignored our empire’s proper trade requests and was passive toward our alliances.

• Now our empire will guarantee your safety. So this isn’t pillage; consider it a proper defense contribution.

She couldn’t believe their sudden change in attitude.
They had once been called an alliance.

But at the hands of that so-called ally, the holy altar collapsed, and the sanctuary burned.
Relics were looted, sacred texts torn, and legacies imbued with the breath of the gods for thousands of years…

…were sold cheaply in city markets or became spoils for yokai.

She witnessed all of it with her own eyes.
Her blood boiled, her heart tore in pain.

She sought out the nobles who had taken the looted items, biting her lips in anger.
She demanded the return of the sacred objects, condemning such acts as ones the gods would not forgive.

But all she received in return was bitter mockery.

• Poor shrine maiden. Times have changed.

• The god you served is dead. Now it is humans—our power that is god. Don’t believe me? Then, I’ll show you.

And that day, her maidens were violated by the desires of the invaders.
Her divine power was nullified, and the sacred lineage of the shrine was severed.
All that remained was a heap of rubble and burnt wood.

The celestial sanctuary became nothing but ashes.

Yet heaven offered no answer.
Her prayers could not even pierce the sound of the rain.

• O Heaven, have you truly abandoned us?

• Do you mean that I am unfit to be the guardian of this land?

At first, she blamed herself.
Because her faith was lacking.
Because her prayers were weak.
Because her life… was just fleeting.

However—

• Someone must hold them accountable for their sins.

That night, Marena broke an ancient taboo.
She destroyed the heart of the shrine, the golden Jade Eye, and absorbed the divine power sealed within it.
Her blood and soul as the price.

• Even if my hands become stained with impurity… do not punish me yet.

• I will reap the karma and evil of those forsaken by the gods, then return to Your side.

The representative of heaven became a god that day.
She no longer prayed.
Instead, she judged.

Rain and lightning, fire and wind.
Wherever she passed as the incarnation of divine punishment, bloodstained maple leaves scattered.

Marena could no longer be called alive.
Her gaze was dead, her mouth only spoke despair.
Yet she never cried.
Not a single tear.

She contained that dark, viscous emotion within, never cursing the gods to the end.

But one day, during those blood-soaked days, a demon appeared before her and said:

• It’s okay to resent them.

Even if her devotion was insufficient, she had done her best.
Her maidens had hearts purer and more altruistic than anyone’s.
If gods truly existed, they should never have allowed such a tragedy.

• The gods ignored your prayers. If a master discards their servant like a piece of trash, why shouldn’t the servant feel the same?

Ah, she would never forget.
The beautiful demon who had freed her from the chains that oppressed her for a lifetime, as if they were nothing.

Even if its form changed, she would never forget that voice clearer than the sound of bells she had rung.
Her new god, Lucifer, called to her once more, saying she was needed.

• This… cannot be a dream, can it?

Marena, her eyes brimming with tears, approached Oh Hyun-woo and bowed respectfully.
A tear rolled down from her trembling eyes.

• You have returned. Changed… yet surely… my heaven… my light… has returned…

She pressed her forehead to the ground in the deepest bow.

• I, Marena, shrine maiden of the rebellious heavens, vow with my life… to once again serve you as your devoted maiden.

[The contract with the rebellious shrine maiden Marena has been completed.]

‘Why is this happening so suddenly, so strangely…?’

She was honestly flustered.
She had expected a ceremonial struggle as when the Seven Sins had been subdued, but from the start, she recognized me.

• …Because Marena is of light attribute? Or because her loyalty to Lucifer runs deepest?

Perhaps both.
If her nature were gentle due to a different attribute, she would never have become a “villain.”
Even if her loyalty to Lucifer was deep, linking it to Oh Hyun-woo was another matter.

Then the remaining possibility…

• I… have changed.

For some reason, the caution about the skill Remnants of the Morning Star from past days came to mind:

[Remnants of the Morning Star]
Description: When defeating a being hostile to the Seven Sins, the user absorbs the power of sin. Absorbing power can grant new passive skills at each stage.
Warning! The more power gained, the more the user’s body may change.

She had felt it herself.
Her body, her power, her aura.
She was gradually resembling Lucifer.

…Whether this was good or bad, she did not know.

But one thing was certain.

• This power is useful.

She still thought and existed as Oh Hyun-woo.
She loved her family, enjoyed money, and relished conquest.
Even if her body was gradually transforming, if it produced useful results like now, there was no need to worry.

• Alright, decision made!

She shook her head, organized her thoughts, and greeted Marena again as her master.

• Long time no see, Marena. I’m glad to see you again.

• Y-Yes!

After calming Marena for a while, she slowly checked her abilities.

Marena was a debuffer, similar to Caligo.
But her usage was different.
Where Caligo reacted to opponents’ chaos, Marena acted first, causing chaos.

[Rebellious Shrine Maiden Marena]
Attribute: Light
Level: 1
Rank: Apocalypse
Class: Mage

Skill 1 – Marena’s Divine Punishment
Description: Grants 100% accuracy using shrine maiden’s energy. If attacking before the enemy, gain 5 divine power stacks and immediately execute divine punishment.
Each debuff applied to enemies by self or allies grants 1 divine power stack.

Divine Punishment: Consume 5 divine power stacks to inflict Action Lock on all enemies. Cannot be removed.

She could now negate the enemy’s next turn simply by acting first!
Even though hard to get first turn as a mage, pairing with Hertia solves that.

• Wow! Even now, this is crazy!

And it didn’t stop there.
Using accumulated resources, she immediately unlocked Skill 2.

Skill 2 – Resonance of Souls
Description: Shake the bell to attack the target and leave a Soul Seal. Cannot be removed.

Soul Seal: Each time an ally takes a turn, a random enemy receives one of several debuffs (Silence, Cannot Buff, Blind, Seal, Sleep).

Soul Seal applies random debuffs when allies act, stacking divine power and allowing repeated divine punishment.

• The only downside is her overly gentle heart.

Even as a villain, Marena retained her noble disposition.
Unjust killing in front of her triggers guilt, reducing affinity quickly.
So she couldn’t be used indiscriminately.

• I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long. But this place…

Marena gazed at Seoul, lit with buildings and lights under the night sky.
She seemed confused why Lucifer had called her here.

But she then seemed to realize something:

• Seeing Lucifer alone is enough for me. But there’s… foul energy lurking in the shadows of this starry city.

Foul energy? Does she mean the tower?

• Understood. My mission… indeed, there is still much to do.

I followed her gaze, but she looked completely away from the tower.

Tower of Records

Team leader Lee Jung-yul was having very pleasant days.
Recent events in the Tower of Records had been quite interesting.

• I barely managed to pry my colleague from the other department… why do people who’ve never met cling like this?

Team member Park Tae-gyun complained.

• Because we’re the only contact with Oh Hyun-woo.

• …Isn’t their intention suspicious?

Those who clung were effectively agents of other nations, seeking information about the unknown adventurer.

• Unfortunately, this is reality for now.

Existing powers still saw Korea as a “threatening challenger,” not as a trading partner on equal footing.
Except for Oh Hyun-woo, they were paper tigers.

But Lee Jung-yul knew, having monitored the Tower of Records:
A significant wind was stirring in Korea.

• Goin-su, Oh Hyun-ah. Rising new adventurers of the Ascend guild.

Their records already surpassed many ranked players.
Though they hadn’t cleared the Tower of Trials yet, they were matching Oh Hyun-woo in growth dungeons.
Moreover, the Radiance guild was also rising noticeably.
Korea was no longer just a nation of “unknown adventurers.”

• But all of them are linked to adventurer Oh Hyun-woo. So what should we do?

• Actively support him. Make sure nothing hinders his activities.

They nodded and turned their attention to the monitors, checking energy reactions around the tower.
This was to anticipate any anomalies, since variables could always occur.

But—

• What is this?

A black dot appeared on the screen.
Comparing with the map, it was an empty lot on the outskirts of Seoul.
The black dot, indicating magical energy, was slowly growing.

• A dungeon break?

However, the Tower of Records showed no response.
So it wasn’t a dungeon break or a new facility.

• Then… what is this signal?