After going down the stairs I reached a large old room; dust filled the place and there were cobwebs in the corners.
Worn wooden shelves with manuscripts and old books, some eaten by mold and Other damaged . I searched the books quietly.
Financial records, folktales, various maps, diaries — all kinds of things. Most of them were ruined and some were useless.
'Hmm? This looks important.'
I stopped in front of a table that held a book that was in good condition unlike the other books. It seemed the temple people had taken good care of it.
"The Blessing of the flame God."
I read the book's title then touched its binding slowly as I opened it carefully, then began to read.
[The Flame God was the embodiment of flame, known for his courage and strength among the gods. He burned worlds with a glance and turned them to ash. The Fire God was famed for his great bravery, so Flame had to go to him to receive the blessing of courage.]
[Adam traveled across worlds heading to the Flame God. He passed through dark, frozen, and burning worlds. He suffered fatigue, pain, and fear, but he did not give up and continued on his way.]
[Adam stood before a giant sun bigger than the worlds themselves; its heat was absolute. Only gods could endure it. Adam felt extreme pain — he felt both his body and soul burning in front of the embodiment of the Flame God — but he could endure it thanks to the blessings of the other gods.]
["So you have come at last, Adam." Adam heard the Flame God's voice directly in his mind. The voice of a god was enough to kill someone like him a million times, but Adam endured the pain and stared at the Flame God.]
["My god, tell me what courage means. I want to understand. I need to be brave so I can continue my path."]
["Oh? Adam, what makes you think you're not brave enough? Isn't your passage through harsh worlds just to meet me proof of your courage?"]
["No, my god. Its True, I passed through those worlds, but I was very afraid. I wanted to stop and give up many times, but I continued because of the blessings of the other gods and the hopes of my people," Adam said in a sad tone, expressing his deep fear.]
[Hahahaha. The Flame God's laughter rose; he laughed so loudly that worlds trembled and burned.]
["Why are you laughing, my god?" Adam was puzzled by the Flame God's odd behavior.]
["Adam, do you think courage means not being afraid? Then you're a fool. A person who does not fear is only insane. Even I, whom they call the God of Courage, feel fear."]
["What could make a god like you afraid?" Adam asked in astonishment. How could a god be afraid? An immortal being who would never die, who stands above everyone and looks down on others with superiority.]
[The Flame God fell silent as if thinking, then spoke in a deep voice.]
["I fear from 'him'. He made my flames die down as if they were nothing. I felt cold from his gaze even then; my body shudders whenever I remember him. I don't want to see 'him' again."]
The giant sun trembled and its fires went out. Adam felt terror and fear coming from the god's embodiment. He became curious about the person whom even the God of Courage dared not name.
The sun flared up strongly again after a while and the Flame God spoke.
["Take my blessing, Adam, and remember that courage is moving forward with a heart full of fear — not giving in to the end. That is courage."]
The sun shone intensely, casting its light on Adam's heart and washing it. A flame formed in Adam's chest, burning strongly and giving him courage.
....
"This is amazing. I thought the gods gave Adam their blessings directly, but it seems he had to undergo harsh tests. But who is the person who makes even the God of Courage tremble with fear? That doesn't make sense."
I felt curious about the mysterious being who made the gods seem like insects before him.
'Let's see if there are other books.'
I spent several hours reading different books. I didn't find anything important; most books were ordinary and not significant.
When I was trying to read a new book I heard footsteps approaching.
I didn't wait long to see Elena approaching, smiling as usual.
"Are you going to spend all your time among the books? You'll become obsessed."
Elena teased mischievously, but I didn't scold her. I pointed to the Fire God's book.
"Read this and don't tell the others about it."
Elena took the book from me with curiosity and began to read it as I had told her. When she finished she turned to me with her mouth open in astonishment.
"Nox, this book is amazing. There aren't many books that show gods, and there are even fewer that mention conversations with gods, let alone one that mentions the God of Courage being afraid."
Elena spoke excitedly; she looked like a girl who had just gotten a new toy.
"Yes, I know. Maybe there are similar books in other temples. I plan to take all the books and keep them."
"That's great. These books will be useful to humanity."
Elena agreed enthusiastically, but I shook my head in refusal.
"I won't give them to anyone. I'll keep them to myself."
Elena froze at my words.
"What do you mean? Do you realize how useful these books are, Nox?"
Elena couldn't understand my decision.
"Maybe they're useful, but not to that extent, Elena. Obscure knowledge is not necessarily a good thing. Adam is a new enigma for humanity. If riddles accumulate, people will become too scattered. I don't want to spread panic among them. If they knew of a being that even the gods fear, they would prevent these books from reaching the public and forbid me from speaking about them. I refuse that."
I narrowed my eyes at Elena and said firmly:
"I found the books, so they are mine. I don't plan to share them except in special cases, so be a good girl and don't tell anyone about them."
Elena was shocked and stunned but chose not to argue with me.
"As you wish. I won't tell anyone about them, but if that knowledge would benefit humanity please share it with them, and you can ask for compensation in return. I don't mind that."
She smiled while saying this. It would be annoying if she decided to oppose me.
"Good girl. Let's go to the others."
I turned toward the stairs but a hand pulled me back. I looked and found Elena holding me.
"Why the hurry? Isn't it obvious you like being near others, so why not spend some time with me?"
She said with a smile as she pulled me and hugged me tightly.
'Ahh this girl—how can she think about flirting in these circumstances?'
I sighed, surrendering to Elena as she did what she pleased, of course not allowing her to cross a line.
.....
After two hours of pampering from Elena, which was mentally exhausting even though I enjoyed it a little,
'But this girl seems like a drug addict — no, worse: she's love-addicted. Will I have to pamper her every moment if we become lovers?'
Just the thought sent a shiver through my whole body. I'm an introvert and I don't like expressing my feelings, so I'd feel embarrassed pampering Elena alone; it would be worse if she wanted to do it in front of others.
Elena and I entered the main hall; she was smiling beside me contentedly. The three boys were talking among themselves. It seemed Ronan was telling them everything that had happened in detail.
Klaus and Luke listened to his words with curiosity, excitement, and some fear, but they also felt relief and hope. Maybe they thought we had a chance to close the gate.
Ronan stopped talking when he heard our steps and turned to us with a wide smile.
"Oh Nox, you're finally back. I thought you were planning to live there."
"Looks like someone wants me to hit him."
I narrowed my eyes at Ronan which made him tremble in place.
"No, Mr. Nox, I was joking. Please don't hit me."
Ronan apologized profusely, hiding behind Klaus.
I sat near them and ignored Ronan's exaggerated behavior. Elena sat next to me with a serious expression. I realized I was about to speak about important matters.
"I'll be brief. There are about three thousand monsters outside; most of them are level nine and eight. Maybe there are stronger monsters, who knows. But we have land to take shelter in, and that's a strong advantage."
I paused briefly to make sure they were focused on me.
"We will booby-trap the entire city."
Everyone was astonished by my words and felt confused.
"What do you mean?"
Klaus spoke nervously; his intuition told him I was going to do something crazy.
"As you heard, we will turn the whole temple into a giant trap, then lure the monsters inside and kill them. That's our best option."
Luke spoke to me annoyed; it seemed he still hated me.
"Why destroy this place? Can't we just kill them outside and then flee if things get dangerous? You seem to be thinking stupidly."
Luke mocked me and hugged his shepherd as if he had won in intelligence. Klaus seemed to agree, but Ronan and Elena trusted my decision more.
"Luke, do you know when the God make mistake?"
Luke tilted his head in confusion at my words.
"What do you mean? God never make mistakes."
I raised my finger and waved it dismissively.
"You're wrong. A god made a mistake when he created you, Luke. He put your brain in your ass; that's why you're so stupid."
Luke's mouth fell open in shock while the others turned their heads trying to suppress their laughs.
"You bastard, I'll kill you."
Luke ground his teeth, stood up, and drew his dagger, but I had anticipated this, so I restrained him with dark chains from behind and slammed him against the wall hard.
"Ughh."
Luke cried out in pain, staring at me with hatred.
"Uhhh."
I sighed in annoyance and then stared at Luke coldly. I released a killing intent at him which made him tremble in place. He tried to raise his aura and protect himself, but I didn't allow him.
"Listen, Luke. You will follow all my orders as an obedient boy. Understand that I don't mind completing the Gate of Corruption alone — in fact that would be better. So behave, or I'll get rid of you."
My words were addressed to everyone — well, except Elena, of course. I kept pressing Luke until I saw him stop resisting; then I eased and released him.
"Okay, I'm logical. I'll explain to the fools why my plan is the most suitable."
"The cursed flower is an intelligent being — actually very intelligent. I don't know why it doesn't act as if the city is hidden, but if we appear before it, it will know our direction. I actually think it has detected the approximate location of the city, so it would be a problem if we went out and fought them outside. It may have vessels that can detect us."
"Also the other problem is that the vessels are connected, so even if we go out and fight them individually they'll quickly surround us. Even if that plan succeeds, it will take a long time to kill the monsters and I haven't planned for that."
"Also if we take the key and flee, the monsters will easily follow us. I think they follow the key, not the temple itself, because of the strong energy the key holds. It seems the flower wants to take the keys to prevent others from entering the floating island. But the altar in the crystal may be one of the magical manuscripts that create a barrier preventing evil creatures from entering. That's what I found in one of the old books."
"So our best option is to prepare the city and booby-trap it, then lure the monsters inside and kill them all at once."
The others listened to my plan calmly. They agreed my words were logical; even Luke couldn't argue.
"I'm with you on this, Nox, but how do you plan to booby-trap the city?"
Ronan asked what I intended to do.
"Simple. It seems there are sewer passages underground. We'll expand them to cover the whole city and then destroy them when the monsters enter the city. That way we'll bury them alive. Maybe some will survive, but killing them will be easier."
"Oh, that's great."
Elena said, clasping her hands in admiration; she seemed excited about the idea.
"Any objections?"
I looked at them; no one objected. Everyone agreed to my plan.
"Okay, let's start tomorrow morning. Excavation may take some time but it's a safe method."
I stood up and headed to one of the rooms. There seemed to be some old beds here, but they'd be better than the ground. Also I would finally sleep alone — or so I thought.
"What are you doing?"
I said as I looked at Elena who was sleeping on my chest.
"What am I doing? Isn't it obvious? I want to sleep."
"What if the others see us , you will cause a scandal"
"Don't worry, the rest of us have gone to the other side. Also, we will wake up before the others, so no one will know."
She laid her head on my chest as she gently slept.
I looked at the ceiling in silence. I didn't know what to do in this situation.
'Seriously if I were someone else I'd have taken advantage of the opportunity. In fact Elena probably wouldn't mind if I wanted to, but I'm not that kind of person. So let's just sleep.'
I closed my eyes and fell asleep. The coming days would be a little tiring.
...