The Healing Solaris Cleric-Chapter 383: One Way (2)

“Ahem,” Han Jung-Woo lightly cleared his throat to change the atmosphere and said, “You’re not saying you’re going to hold me responsible, are you?”

In fact, he hadn’t really done anything wrong. After all, he couldn’t just stand by and watch the NPCs be destroyed before his eyes.

“I didn’t even use any game cheats or anything.”

Marco and Dr. Jim both nodded at the same time as if they agreed on that point.

“Of course. We don’t intend to demand anything from you over this matter. You never really used any cheats... oh, well, there was just that one time.”

The Magic Conch. An absurd item that turned a five-second immortality skill into a week-long continuous buff.

The moment that item was brought up, Jung-Woo clamped his mouth shut as that was the one thing he had done on purpose.

CEO Marco let out a small laugh. “Well, we’ve blocked off that kind of thing anyway, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

“I’m glad to hear you think that way.”

“However, if the two of you start taking out the other archdukes too, the game’s later content will become far too weak.”

Marco looked at Jung-Woo with a desperate expression.

“Please, save us. The speed at which players consume content and level up has gone far beyond what we expected, and the entire company is in a state of emergency. We’ve expanded both the development and scenario teams to more than twenty people each. They’re giving up even their Saturdays to work on quest scenarios.”

Hearing all this made Jung-Woo feel a bit guilty. “Ahem...”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, he asked, “So what exactly are you asking for? Are you saying you want us to avoid killing anyone in the Demon Realm?”

The moment Marco saw that the other party could be open to negotiation, his eyes gleamed. “If you’ll allow it, we’re thinking of applying a buff to the two of you.”

“A buff?” Yoo Ha-Rin asked.

“It’s a buff that prevents both the remaining three archdukes and one Demon King from killing or being killed. In other words, you won’t be able to kill them, and they won’t be able to kill you.”

“Hm. So you’re talking about completely blocking off death.”

“Yes. With your abilities, you shouldn’t have any trouble surviving unless it’s an archduke-class opponent. From what I know, the cooldown for your Shadow Shift skill is about ten days. In that case, you may travel around the Demon Realm and return to the Middle Realm whenever you like.”

“Oh, so we’re allowed to deal with the other demons though?”

"Of course. It’s fine as long as they're not archduke-level demons. The Demon Realm is a place that overflows with other demons anyway."

“That’s good to hear. But what exactly do we gain from pausing our activity in the Demon Realm?”

The most crucial moment in the negotiation had arrived. If they didn’t offer a good enough incentive here, everything would fall apart.

Marco looked at Dr. Jim with a more nervous face than ever. “Dr. Jim will explain that part.”

Receiving the gaze of all three people, Dr. Jim slowly began to say, “In the East, there is a term called eop.”

“A.k.a., karma.”

“Right. Karma has no form. The smallest actions built up by a person can someday return as a storm that can’t be stopped.”

Jung-Woo squinted and looked at Dr. Jim, trying to guess what he was trying to say.

“That’s quite the long preamble.”

“Then I’ll get to the point. Helik’s life.”

“Pardon...?”

“The reward for putting a pause on your Demon Realm activity is none other than Helik’s life.”

Jung-Woo’s face hardened, and even Yoo Ha-Rin, who was close with her, frowned. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“What is this? I thought this was a negotiation, but this feels more like a threat,” Jung-Woo’s tone came out sharp and cold.

“No, no. That’s a huge misunderstanding. Relax!” Taken aback, Marco waved his hands in a panic. “Dr. Jim isn’t very good with words, please understand. It’s definitely not a threat.”

“Then why is Helik’s name even being brought up?”

“It’s about the game’s scenario,” Marco replied.

Marco looked at Dr. Jim with a pleading expression, and he nodded as if to say he understood. “Exactly that. According to the scenario, Helik dies.”

“You’re saying the Solarian God dies? By whom, exactly?”

“Who else could it be? Only a being of equal rank can kill a god in MID Online.”

“An equal, so another god... Don’t tell me, Muldine?”

Dr. Jim slowly nodded as if that was the correct answer. “That’s right. Muldine is the god of darkness and destruction. He’s always been eager to kill Helik.”

“But I significantly weakened the forces of the Church of Muldine to prevent that from happening.”

“Sigh. This is a battle of gods. You can’t solve that by just reducing the number of followers.”

Emotion appeared on Dr. Jim’s face for the first time since the conversation began. It was the emotion of bitterness.

“Helik dies at Muldine’s hands, and the human world falls into chaos. That’s the main plot of MID Online’s final chapter and main storyline, Apocalypse.”

“What kind of absurd plot... Does the Demon Realm rise after that?”

"In terms of the timeline, it would be around the middle of the Apocalypse."

“Well then, that’s great. There’s still plenty of time, so go ahead and revise the scenario."

Dr. Jim shook his head as if that wasn’t possible. “Sorry, but the game has already left our hands. We can still tweak minor bugs and balance issues, but the scenario is already a predetermined future within the game. We don’t have the authority to forcibly change it.”

“Are you seriously saying that right now...”

Jung-Woo’s breathing had grown rough without him realizing. Yoo Ha-Rin, who was next to him, gently held his hand.

“Huu...”

Thanks to her, Jung-Woo calmed his breathing and gave her a grateful glance.

“Fine. I understand. But since you brought this up, I assume you also have a solution. I’m sure you didn’t bring this up just to prepare me emotionally.”

Dr. Jim nodded at Jung-Woo’s question. “That’s right. We can’t change the game’s scenario, but I can tell you a way to protect her. Of course, whether that changes the result depends entirely on you.”

Honestly speaking, Jung-Woo had thought of refusing Marco and Dr. Jim’s proposal once or twice. That was the basics of negotiation. But that kind of approach became meaningless since Helik was involved.

“Very well. If you tell me everything about Helik, I will completely withdraw from the Demon Realm.”

“I agree with Jung-Woo.”

When Yoo Ha-Rin calmly responded, Jung-Woo sent her another grateful look.

“Hm, I’m not the type to beat around the bush, so I’ll get straight to the point.” Dr. Jim said clearly, “The only way for Helik to survive is to seal herself away.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hm, Alright. It would be helpful to use Kal Rashya as an example.” After thinking briefly, Dr. Jim seemed to have found the right comparison and continued, “You might already know. Are you aware that Kal Rashya sealed herself?”

“I do,” Jung-Woo nodded.

He remembered hearing about it during the Banquet of the Gods.

Rashya had chosen to oppose the Church of Muldine to help Helik.

As a result, she lost all of her followers. She blamed her own powerlessness and chose to disconnect from the world.

“When a god seals themselves, it means that their existence is forgotten.”

“What happens when their existence is forgotten?”

“Nothing really changes,” Dr. Jim answered in a calm voice. “Even now, humans think of Helik as a dignified male figure and continue to believe in her. Even if Helik seals herself and enters seclusion, nothing changes. She just won’t be able to interact with the world. She won’t be able to attack anyone, and no one can attack her.”

Jung-Woo narrowed his eyes at the shocking statement. “That’s strange. I’m pretty sure I asked you to tell me how to save Helik.”

“I’m sure it’s hard to believe, but that is the only way to save her.”

“So you’re saying to give up on her.”

“Giving up... Depending on how you interpret it, I guess it could sound that way.”

“Let me ask. Why does it have to be that way? Isn’t fighting Muldine also an option?”

“Helik cannot defeat Muldine,” Dr. Jim said firmly.

“You can’t know until they actually fight. Besides, she’s won before in the past.”

“I’ll say it again. The Solarian Church may be able to beat the Church of Muldine but Helik herself can never defeat Muldine. That’s something even she knows. Her occasional symptoms of anxiety are related to that.”

Anxiety symptoms...

Jung-Woo pressed his lips shut and thought about it. Helik really did sometimes show inexplicable fear. Other gods like Kal Rashya seemed to know what it was, but they called it a lady’s secret and never told him.

Now that I think of it, Roby did say something about that.

She had said Helik was a wounded child, so he should take good care of her.

“Why does Muldine hate Helik so much?”

“Hm.” Dr. Jim glanced at Marco.

Marco gave a slight nod. “I think it’s fine to tell them that much.”

“Alright.” With permission, Dr. Jim continued, “Helik and Muldine, if we speak in human terms... Yes, they’re like siblings.”

“They are?”

“Helik is light. Muldine is darkness. They are clearly opposites. Born on the same day and at the same hour, their relationship has been inseparable since birth.”

“I see what you mean... But even so, I still don’t like the idea of sealing Helik. Everything is ultimately resolved if Muldine disappears, isn’t it?”

Dr. Jim looked at Jung-Woo as if that were a ridiculous question. “Muldine is a god. A player cannot kill someone like him.”

“There you go then. Let’s seal him instead. There’s no need for Helik to be the one sealed.”

Dr. Jim couldn’t say anything to that. “But unless a god chooses to seal themselves, there is no known method for another to force it.”

Kai let out a faint sigh and said, “I’ve always thought this while watching your interviews and reading the news, but you seem like a really smart person, Doctor.”

His tone was gentle, as if speaking to a child.

Thinking there was a barb in that comment, Dr. Jim asked back, “What do you mean?”

“When I listen to you speak, it sounds like you're someone who knows everything.”

“That wasn’t my intention. I only speak within the limits of what I know...”

“Yes, exactly that. You speak only within what you know.” Jung-Woo’s voice felt cold, almost icy. “That means you don’t know anything beyond those limits.”

“That’s true...”

“Then please do not speak with such certainty.” Jung-Woo tapped the table with his fingers. “I will keep wandering beyond those limits and find another answer. Just like I always have.”

It was a kind of warning. A minor warning telling him not to provoke him any further. There was no way people like Dr. Jim or Marco wouldn’t understand his meaning.

“I’m sorry if I offended you.”

“It’s fine. In any case, I can never give up on Helik. But for Muldine, I’ll have to find a way to kill or seal him.”

“We’ll be sure to let you know if we find a method too.”

“I would appreciate that.”

“And...” Dr. Jim hesitated, then added one more thing. “The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow becomes. Light and darkness are like two sides of the same coin. You can’t just tear one away. Always keep that in mind.”

“I will.”

Marco handed them each a business card with a clean design and gave a faint, bitter smile. “Thank you for your time. We’ll leave compensation for the silent patches as debt. If there’s anything you want, please contact this number at any time.”

It was a meeting that left them with a lot to think about.