Chapter 196: The Village’s Purpose (2)

“Well, even so, he’s someone whose face and voice I can’t even remember now. As you all know, since I was five, my life hasn’t been any different from yours.”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Gael continued speaking with a dark expression.

Watching him, Harang and the other Godoks couldn’t say a word.

It was too shocking.

Gael, the son of the one who ruled the village?

‘Is that true? Is that even possible?’

Hagio stared at Gael with wide eyes.

It was hard to believe. But he couldn’t dismiss it either. The Gael he knew wasn’t the type to make frivolous jokes like this.

Yet, even accepting Gael’s words didn’t resolve all doubts.

Why would the village master’s son be thrown into the Godok crucible?

What kind of father would cast his own child into a hell where a single misstep could mean death?

“You all look full of questions. Well, that’s only natural.”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“I’ll explain everything. But first, I need to start with how the village… or rather, ‘Calamity’ came to be.”

“Is ‘Calamity’ the name of the organization running the village?”

“Yes. A black sun in the sky… a name fitting for the darkness that engulfs heaven and earth.”

A name so arrogant and grandiose that some might scoff at it.

But none of those present laughed.

They knew better than anyone the power of the village, no, Calamity.

The “Lord of Calamity” and the “Village’s General Manager” alone were likely stronger than the top warriors of most powerful nations.

And they weren’t the end of it.

‘According to Elder Sword Demon, Calamity has subordinate organizations like Hydra, Scale, and Skull… Considering the Third Hydra’s strength, the leaders of these organizations must at least be on par with Masters.’

That meant at least five Master-level forces, a martial power unmatched by any group except the Holy Kingdom. It was strength worthy of their audacious claim to cover the world in darkness.

So why didn’t they operate openly and instead remained in the shadows?

“In short, it’s because of the Holy Kingdom. No matter how great Calamity’s power is, it’s not enough to surpass the Holy Kingdom. Since Calamity’s goal is to completely crush the Holy Kingdom… they have no intention of stepping into the light until they’ve built an overwhelming force.”

“Why? Is there a reason to antagonize the Holy Kingdom? As you said… Calamity could build their own kingdom. They lack nothing—wealth, power, manpower.”

“They can’t. And don’t you already know why?”

“We know?”

“Yes. Calamity was formed by those who carry on the will of the Great One… the Ancient Assassin.”

“Ugh…”

The Sword Demon let out a groan.

He understood what Gael meant.

Though largely forgotten in modern memory, the Ancient Assassin had performed remarkable feats in the great war against the Orcs, only to be betrayed and discarded.

What would the assassins who witnessed this have thought?

Many likely lost hope and scattered, but some clearly didn’t.

Sure enough, Gael’s explanation followed.

“The Great One, unjustly killed by the Holy Kingdom’s lead… Those who gathered to avenge his grievance and exact bloody revenge steadily built their strength for the future. The method to choose the organization’s leader was survival of the strongest. The one who stood above all after life-and-death duels became the Lord of Calamity, and that tradition continued, giving rise to the ‘village.’”

“So the village wasn’t a place to create obedient slaves but to select the organization’s leader?”

“Exactly. Though, like all organizations, the initial pure intent became corrupted… and recently, as you said, the village became a place to forge tools of slaughter. The Lord of Calamity’s position eventually followed primogeniture like other kingdoms. But.”

Pausing briefly, Gael continued in a low voice.

“The minimum requirement to become the Lord of Calamity… is to survive the Godok crucible.”

“…….”

“Then…”

“You entered the village to be the last survivor and inherit Calamity?”

“Something like that. My father did the same, as did my father’s father.”

“What happens if you fail and die?”

“I’ve heard it’s never happened, but if it did… such a person would be deemed unworthy, and another strong figure would take the lord’s position.”

“…….”

“…….”

The Godoks, hearing Gael’s words, couldn’t speak for a long time.

They had no choice.

None of them had known the exact reason the village was created. Even the Sword Demon, a 40-year senior, only thought Calamity did such things to create useful tools.

But that wasn’t true.

The Godok crucible, the village… it was the very identity and legitimacy of Calamity.

But that wasn’t the end.

An even more astonishing story flowed from Gael’s mouth.

“One more thing. The ones who attacked the moving Godoks and set them free in the world… it wasn’t another hostile organization. It was Calamity’s doing.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

“Huh… Why would they do that?”

Everyone was shocked again.

They couldn’t help it. Calamity’s actions were utterly bizarre and incomprehensible to them.

Why release the talents they’d painstakingly gathered?

Harang’s mind filled with question marks, but they were quickly resolved. Gael provided an immediate answer.

“My father… seemed to think the village’s system had limitations.”

“Limitations of the system?”

“Yes. While it’s now largely corrupted, used to train useful slaves or as a stage for successors to prove their strength… the true purpose of the Godok crucible, the village, was different.”

“What was it?”

“To cultivate a talent equal to or surpassing the Great One, to rise against the Holy Kingdom.”

“Ah… I see. Now I understand why Calamity is so obsessed with the village.”

The Sword Demon nodded.

Honestly, he’d always thought the village’s methods were too inefficient.

Why leave only one survivor?

Wouldn’t keeping the top 10 or 20 to use as elite assassins benefit the organization more?

‘But… Calamity didn’t want several decently strong warriors. They wanted a single, absolute powerhouse to lead them powerfully again! A superhuman on par with the Ancient Assassin! That’s why they’ve maintained the village tradition for centuries.’

Though the intent had been corrupted along the way, the tradition of leaving only one survivor seemed to persist.

Thinking this far, the Sword Demon looked at Gael again.

It was certainly an intriguing story, but it didn’t fully explain why Calamity destroyed the village themselves.

Of course, Gael continued his explanation, pouring out everything he knew with relentless momentum.

“The first reason… is that this batch of Godoks was too exceptional. Too valuable to be merely trained as slaves or used only for successor selection.”

“Hm… That’s true.”

Nodding, the Sword Demon looked at Harang, Gael, and Hagio in turn.

Each was a formidable warrior.

Harang was the best among them, but the others were by no means lacking.

‘If I had been in this batch… I probably wouldn’t have even made the top ten.’

This batch’s talent was that extraordinary.

The problem was that the village’s space was too confined to unleash their potential.

“This village was truly a stage to cultivate an absolute powerhouse to succeed the Great One, to fulfill Calamity’s ‘true aspiration.’ But they must have thought the current village system couldn’t fully draw out the Godoks’ potential.”

Harang nodded.

It wasn’t wrong. He had grown rapidly in the village’s infinite competition system, but once ranks solidified, he lost his drive to grow. For the year before leaving the village, his progress had nearly stopped. He judged that if he’d stayed confined, he wouldn’t have become as strong as he was now.

Hagio felt similarly.

He grew stronger because he found a reason to live. To protect the precious bonds of the orphanage children, he needed to become far stronger than in the village, and that will shaped him.

It wasn’t just them.

Dozens of Godoks, released into the wider world, gained more experiences and broader perspectives.

Some became leaders of organizations, building strength.

Some turned to Black Magic, gaining immense power.

Of course, not all grew stronger. Those who lost their drive or whose talents were deemed exhausted were retrieved by Black Hydra and became Calamity’s slaves again.

“Probably… Cecilia was one of those cases.”

“What? Oh!”

“Yes. They confirmed she wasn’t fit to succeed the Great One, but since they’d invested in her, they wanted to use her somehow. So they used her as a sacrifice to aid your growth… That’s what I think.”

“……Damn it.”

Crunch. Harang gritted his teeth.

He felt sick.

He’d done his best to survive, to protect the meaning of his new life, but to think even that was part of the Lord of Calamity’s plan made him furious.

Thinking this far, Harang sharply turned to glare at Gael.

His eyes blazed with rage.

Though he knew it wasn’t Gael’s fault, that he too was a victim, Harang wanted to vent his anger.

Why tell him this only now?

Why tell him after Cecilia had died?

That’s what he was thinking when—

Whoooosh—!

A tremendous gust of wind!

A deafening roar, as if a typhoon had struck, made everyone look to the sky.

And they saw it.

A massive dragon made of bones!

It was flapping its wings above Marzen’s sky.

“What is that?”

“Is that… Red Magician?”

The Sword Demon was right.

Red Magician, riding atop the Bone Dragon’s head, chanted a spell and pointed his staff downward.

Moments later, a massive fireball shot down with terrifying force.

Whoosh—!

Looking at the being known as the south’s greatest calamity, Harang hurriedly drew his sword.

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