139 Sacrifices and Altars
[You will die here.]
“… … It is a bloody ordeal.”
Jaehyun let out a mischievous laugh.
However, Mimir was not at all shaken.
To test the wisdom of the opponents of prophecy.
That was what he had to do at the Ruins of Hrungnir.
Mimir smiled lightly.
[However, I don’t want the opponent of the prophecy to die here either.
I’ll give you two hints.]
Jaehyun’s head lifted at Mimir’s words.
The gun returned to his eyes as he looked at the clutter around him.
Mimir added.
[One, you already have the wisdom that can be obtained by offering this.]
“already… … Do you have it?”
[Yes.]
It was a difficult sentence to understand.
Jaehyun asked calmly.
“… … What is the second?”
Mimir paused for a moment before replying in a slightly subdued tone.
[wednesday.]
“wednesday?”
[These are the two hints I give you.]
Upon hearing the story, Jaehyun’s expression subtly changed.
Even so, Wednesday?
What does that mean?
‘Mimir is a giant who guards the spring of wisdom, Mimisbrunn. Probably both have a deep meaning.’
[The time limit is one hour. I’ve given you every hint I can give.
Then, good luck.]
the voice at last.
Mimir’s voice was no longer heard.
“Okay then.”
Jaehyun groaned and looked around.
It didn’t seem easy. From now on, he had to find a single item to offer to Wisdom among the clutter of this great ruin.
‘I’m not sure which is the correct answer.’
Concerned, Jaehyun sat down on a nearby chair and crossed his arms.
“At least it doesn’t mean that you have to go through all these things ignorantly.”
No wonder. At first glance, there are hundreds of thousands of junk items abandoned around here.
However, there was only one sacrifice that could be offered to the altar.
It was nonsense to search and find them one by one.
‘Let’s try this and that for now.’
Jaehyun released his magic and activated an active skill.
―Activate the active skill 《Magic Power Detection》.
―The user’s obliques are enlarged, and mana can be read more clearly.
I looked around with two magical eyes.
However, there was no significant effect.
“It must be difficult to borrow the power of detecting magic here.”
sense of power.
Indeed, it was a skill that could detect magical powers.
In other words, it means that the effectiveness is too low for things that do not possess magical power.
‘I’m the only one with magic in this room.’
Jaehyun let out a small sigh before thinking again.
For now, the first step was to reflect on what Mimir had just said.
‘The wisdom I already have. and Wednesday.’
Between thinking and thinking again. Time continued to pass.
The time limit Mimir walked was one hour. If the problem is not resolved within this time, Jaehyun will lose his life.
‘It must be God’s word.’
Jaehyun sighed and stretched.
“Let’s stay calm. Even if you don’t pass the ordeal anyway, being beaten by Heimdall is the same.”
It wasn’t a matter of dying or not dying.
As Hela said, what if Heimdall destroys everything around him?
Jae-hyun loses everything he has kept so far after returning.
It was a story that we might lose the meaning of living again.
A reappearance before returning to life, desperately yearning for life, but facing a miserable end in the end.
Haven’t you promised yourself over and over again that you won’t go back to that time?
“Even with Smir, I risked my life and fought. I can’t back down from here.”
Jaehyun chose to breathe to calm his mind and body.
Sufficient oxygen was supplied to reduce the burden on the brain, and mana was placed around the body to ensure smooth blood flow. I did anything that was small but helpful.
Like the particles of snow that have fallen down gently.
Jaehyun maintained his concentration in an unshakable posture.
and.
Little by little, the tangled thread began to unravel.
Jaehyun smiled faintly and looked at the antiques piled up around him.
‘okay. What does Mimir want to say?’
Jaehyun immediately got up from his seat and headed towards the altar.
He was holding nothing in his hand.
But there was no hesitation in his steps. He walked at a slightly faster pace and stood in front of the algorithm at the altar.
The corner of Jaehyun’s mouth went up, and his fists clenched with strength.
voices at the same time.
[What is the offering for the altar?]
It wasn’t Mimir’s.
It’s just programmed, kind of like a mechanical sound.
It was also familiar to Jaehyun.
‘It perfectly matches the voice of the Nornir system. This must also be Mimir’s work.’
The voice of the system that I have heard countless times so far.
Jaehyun took a deep breath and then spat it out.
“The sacrifice is me.”
[…] … The sacrifice to be offered at the altar is the person himself. It is the antagonist of prophecy itself. Are you sure?]
A little later the voice came back. Jaehyun nodded.
“of course.”
while saying so.
Chaeng and… … !
All the clutter that was furnished around it began to fall apart.
The ground he was stepping on shook in a dizzying way, and his vision flickered in an instant.
at the same time.
[This is the correct answer. Opponent of the prophecy.]
What I heard this time was Mimir’s voice.
* * *
‘As expected, my prediction was correct.’
Just now.
Jaehyun never stood at the altar without thinking.
Standing here alone, with a very strong conviction.
The reason was simple.
‘Two hints from Mimir. It would have been an easy matter if I could interpret this.’
First of all.
The wisdom Jaehyun already possesses.
It was the knowledge of runes.
It is exactly what I got when I first got Odin’s Lost Eye.
Looking back, out of all the knowledge of Norse mythology, Jaehyun was the only one that was meaningful to him.
but.
However, that alone did not mean that Jaehyun decided to sacrifice himself.
second. keyword Wednesday.
In fact, this became the decisive hint.
The meaning of Wednesday in Norse mythology was clear.
There is a story that ‘Wednesday’, which is Wednesday in English, came from the Old English word meaning ‘Woden’s Day’. Also, Warden is another name for Odin.’
that is so.
It means that this wisdom is related to Odin.
Jaehyun immediately remembered an anecdote related to this.
‘How Odin learned the rune language.’
It was a story I read in Norse mythology in the past.
Long ago, Odin sacrificed himself to gain knowledge of life and the underworld.
Hanged upside down in Yggdrasil, pierced by Gungnir, and endured for 9 days. As a result, he learned Rune, the language of the underworld.
Jaehyun recalled a plot in a myth like this a while ago.
Also, I was sure that this story had something to do with this altar.
‘In that case, there is only one sacrifice to be offered to this altar.’
I am myself.
That was the conclusion of Jaehyun. Fortunately, the results paid off.
[Splendid. A boy who was born with the destiny of the antagonist of the prophecy.]
Mimir spoke in a cheerful voice.
[However, unfortunately, this is not the end of the test. Do you know?]
‘shit.’
Jaehyun was a little nervous, but forced his head to nod.
Mimir laughed heartily.
[Good. From now on, Mimir, the giant of wisdom, will test you.]
With the sound of a voice, a spear stuck in the floor turned upside down and stuck right into Jaehyun’s abdomen.
“Heuk!”
at the same time. Mimir’s voice came again.
[Two hours from now. You must endure the pain pierced by this spear.
Of course, don’t worry. This is just a fantasy. I will never die.]
Jaehyun gritted it.
According to the myth, Odin acquired the knowledge of life and the underworld after being pierced by Gungnir for nine days.
Jaehyun was well aware of what it meant to offer himself as a sacrifice.
‘To risk one’s life. Enduring the risk of death.’
It was something he had already experienced.
when you first returned. Jung Woo-min’s attack killed Jae-hyun.
If it wasn’t for the effect of the item. If it wasn’t for the power of the Nornir system.
Jaehyun must have died there.
but.
The window sash turns red, and blood pools beneath it.
Jaehyun forcibly endured the mind-bending pain, but did not close his eyes.
Face the pain you feel clearly, and try to be calm.
The pain you will have to endure in the future will be many times harder than this.
If it’s just an ordeal that ends in body pain.
‘It’s rather cheap.’
Jaehyun reached out and grabbed the window stick that was stuck in his stomach.
and.
“This time… … I don’t have it. How about we finish it a little faster?”
with those words,
Jaehyun pushed the spear stick deeper into his stomach.
[…] … You were crazy. okay.]
“What are you doing!?”
Mimir’s mesmerized voice and Hela’s scream-like sentences were heard.
However, Jaehyun was just smiling.
* * *
about an hour after that. The spear stuck in Jaehyun’s abdomen disappeared without a trace.
end of the test. It meant passing the second stage.
Mimir’s voice continued to confirm.
[The test is… … It’s all over.]
Jaehyun bit his lip so as not to lose consciousness and slowly raised his head.
It was shocking to see his entire body stained with blood.
Even Mimir stuck out his tongue and muttered.
[I’ve heard that he’s a strong person, but… … Hopefully it will be like this It was more toxic than I thought.
That spear is coated with poison, so it must hurt several times more than a normal spear.]
‘You tell me early.’
Jaehyun took a deep breath and looked down at his stomach.
‘There is no wound pierced by a spear. After all, it was all an illusion just a moment ago.’
However, there was no time to think deeply.
Jaehyun straightened his back and stood straight in his seat.
“Is this the end of the second test?”
[Sure. I hope this test will give you great insight.
Oh, except for the lesson that a poisoned spear hurts more!]
Mimir made a gag that didn’t even work, but Jaehyun’s reaction was cold.
He licked his lips with a slight pity.
[Then now it’s your turn to keep your promise.]
“I was waiting.”
Mimir said earlier. If Jae-hyeon passes the second ordeal, he will give you a hint that will lead you to the truth.
Jaehyun had been waiting for this, and passed all the trials.
Now, only Mimir’s answer remains.
Silence flows for a moment. Mimir caught her breath and opened her mouth.
[From now on, I will help you get closer to the truth. I’ll give you three words.
These three words will become one sentence again and lead you to the truth.]
“You’re using cumbersome methods.”
[It’s to avoid the eyes of the Aesir gods, so don’t hate it too much.]
Jaehyun nodded and clenched his fists.
‘Finally after returning, I was able to reach the first hidden truth of the gods.’
Mimir added an explanation.
[By the way, this is something that even you, Hella, the guide of the five trials, do not know.]
“The truth I don’t know… … ?”
[Yes. It’s been covered up forever. It’s very deep information.]
‘It’s surprising that even Hella doesn’t know.’
Hella has followed her all the way to this place as a guide through the five trials.
But, even she doesn’t know. Are there hidden truths?
[Like, then I’ll tell you.]
Mimir was after clearing his throat.
[Three words make one sentence of truth… … .]
