#932 From Religious Decree to the True Body

It’s still me, Corey, the adventurer.

Blast it. I’ve botched it.

I missed the golden ticket to becoming an S-rank adventurer.

Still, those trials, the Saint’s Farm dungeons, are way too daunting for anyone to breach.

I started wondering if they’re even meant to be conquered when Lord Silver Wolf mentioned:

— “The crown of S-rank lies beyond unimaginable hardships.” (loosely translated).

He couldn’t be more correct.

That the glorious S-rank every adventurer dreams of isn’t something you’d find just lying around.

I underestimated it.

I dreamt of it yet failed to respect the pinnacle that is S-rank.

I’m granted another shot at it.

Indeed, there may come a challenge too steep to overcome, no matter how many times one tries.

But this time, I refuse to buckle halfway and make a sorry spectacle of myself.

It’s underestimating that leads to breaking.

If I acknowledge the sheer scale of the adversary and prepare with a resolve that matches, then I’ll never break.

So begone, complacency.

I will, without a doubt, become an S-rank adventurerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

***

The challenge I took on was at a dungeon located a bit away from the farm.

It was a strangely shaped building, its structure tapering upward into a sharp point.

Not many choose this place for a second attempt at glory.

After all, this dungeon is considered the toughest of the three on the farm, or at least that’s what everyone believes.

The other two dungeons, home to a dragon and a Lifeless King, are deemed near impossible to conquer.

Yet, this ruin dungeon...a pyramid, was it? It’s considered the toughest because the deities it houses are unimaginably fierce.

Acala.

Kundali.

Tailokyavijaya.

Yamantaka.

Vajrayaksa.

Five baffling deities guarding this ruins dungeon.

There are no other monsters in sight.

Their sheer power scared off or annihilated any other creatures, warping and simplifying the dungeon’s structure with their might.

But its simplicity doesn’t make it any less impenetrable. The guardians are just too powerful.

The fires on their back could scorch us from afar with unbearable heat, and their piercing gazes missed nothing.

It’s as if they foresee everything in the world.

Of the five deities, one’s rope can detect intruders on its own, binding them in a flash.

Another has six faces, eliminating any blind spots and seeing through hiding spots as if they’re transparent.

Yet another wields weapons in six arms, unleashing precise lightning strikes that fall right before the adventurers’ noses.

Anybody would be frozen in place if they were targeted by such attacks.

Rather, your body would tremble from the shock, immobilized.

As if struck by awe in the presence of a god.

Many adventurers, even those willing to take on the mountain or cave dungeons, wouldn’t dare enter the pyramid guarded by these five deities, turning back at the entrance.

The more skilled the adventurer, the sharper their sense of danger.

A danger so blatant even the average person can sense it is unbearable for those with keen instincts.

That’s why many didn’t choose the pyramid for their retake exam.

They opted for the mountain or the cave dungeon instead.

My blatant choice of the pyramid isn’t out of contrariness.

It’s to scold the me who once took S-rank lightly, to shatter against difficulties far beyond imagination, and break the complacent, spoiled me.

Some might say facing danger head-on isn’t what adventurers do.

But on this day, when the bare minimum of safety is guaranteed for the test, why not dare to be reckless?!

Besides, the very word for ‘adventurer’ spells out ‘one who ventures into danger.’

It’s in embracing these contradictions—facing dangers while avoiding them—that we prove our worth for S-rank, stepping into the jaws of death when needed.

With my resolve set, I step into the pyramid.

And there, the deities are...

Tossing around a few little girls like juggling balls.

“Up, up, and awaaaaaay!”

“Whoa, I’m fwying in the skyyy!”

...

The girls being tossed about seem to be having the time of their lives.

“I can fwyyyyy!”

“Having so many hands makes ‘up, up, and away’ super stabweee!”

“Why so many hands?”

The demons are fully committed to amusing the little girls.

Could this be my perfect moment to sneak by, given their distraction?

Why are they playing nanny, anyway?

“...Mm, another lost soul wanders into our midst.”

“Ghgk!”

In the end, they still noticed me!

How do they spot me with such unnerving accuracy?

Even with their many faces, how can they be this good at sensing my presence at just the right moment?

“We, the enlightened, must look out across the vast expanses of the three thousand worlds to save those who are lost. Thus, whether we have one face or eleven, our gaze reaches the ends of the earth.”

“Then why are some of you adding more physical faces?”

“Don’t ask your fellow deities.”

Now that they’ve noticed me, I’m afraid my quest ends here!

I cannot flee nor face these beings, more fearsome than gods themselves.

And here I thought sneaking by unnoticed was my only chance, yet even that proves impossible...!

“Curious indeed. Though we’ve heard tales, never did we expect another challenger to appear.”

“And all by himself, no less.”

Huh?

Alone?

Looking around, I realize I am indeed the only adventurer brave enough to venture here!

Everyone else must have deemed this dungeon impossible and gone elsewhere!

Sensing my bewilderment, the deities look down on me with laughter.

But it’s not one of mockery—rather, it carries an expression of fondness, almost tender.

“Let us converse. Why do you challenge us? There were surely paths less fraught.”

True.

There are other options, not without their own challenges, of course.

Those who chose different dungeons are not cowards; they, too, face their trials with courage.

“I thought it necessary to grow stronger.”

“Interesting.”

I aim to be an S-rank adventurer.

To prove my worth and stand tall like Lord Silver Wolf, to become a figure of respect and admiration.

That means facing the greatest challenges head-on.

Big risks lead to big growth.

Small ones offer only modest gains.

My goal is the lofty peak of S-rank.

With our limited time, we must strive for the utmost growth, mustn’t we?

“...Your spirit is commendable.”

Yes... Huh?!

When I look again, the deities have vanished.

They were replaced by... gods? Such pure, radiant beings that they could only be divine.

And there were five of them.

“I am Vairocana.”

“I am Ratnasambhava.”

“I am Akshobhya.”

“I am Amoghasiddhi.”

“I am Amitabha.”

What the-?!

Where did those fearsome deities go?! And who are these divine beings in their place?!

“It’s not a replacement. It’s a transformation to our true form.”

They’re answering my thoughts?!

They read my mind?!

“We, the Five Wisdom Buddhas, assume the form of wrathful deities to guide the ignorant, using fearsome appearances to compel obedience. But true teaching needs no fear.”

“You, who does not shy from adversity in pursuit of higher ground, are commendable. The time for wrathful teaching is over. Proceed with confidence on your chosen path.”

...Um, I don’t quite understand what they’re saying, but I guess this means I can pass, right?

Does this mean I’ve conquered the pyramid?!

Yes!!!

One step closer to S-rank!!!