The Knight King Who Returned with God-Chapter 7 Divinity (3)

After the Cataclysm, Appraisers—those who evaluate items—became one of the most crucial supporter classes.

While appraisal skills themselves weren't exactly rare, a low-level appraiser could easily miss key stats or fail to interpret special abilities correctly.

In that sense, Kang Sunwoo, the appraiser from the Phoenix Guild, was widely considered one of the best in Korea.

And yet, appraising the miraculous rice that had grown before his eyes filled him with both excitement and a sense of inevitable disappointment.

'Rice force-grown through magic carries toxins. It's not edible for humans. Even Hunters need stomach cleansing after eating it a few times.'

That was the law of nature.

Proper results required a proper process and a suitable amount of time.

Sure, things like printed food and vertical farms were being developed, but none could fully replace traditional food systems.

So even though he was initially overwhelmed by the golden field, Kang Sunwoo could only prepare himself to be disappointed by the results.

"I'll begin."

He began stacking the rice stalks and initiated the appraisal. Mana swirled in his eyes as the hidden properties of the rice began to reveal themselves.

[Appraisal Result]

"Huh?"

[Blessed Rice]

◆ Grade: Rare

◆ Details:

Rice blessed by the divine power of Demera, the goddess of life and abundance.

Alleviates Grade-3 diseases. With continuous consumption, high chance of complete recovery.

"What!?"

He trembled and stared in disbelief at the appraisal message before him.

After the Cataclysm, potions, elixirs, and other healing items became a norm—and with them, injuries and illnesses were ranked into intuitive grades.

Grade-3 diseases included most neurological disorders, and even early-stage cancers.

This rice... could cure cancer?

Each and every stalk?

This vast golden field was more effective than the expensive medicinal treatments produced in the Magic Tower?

"A-Appraisal results are in!"

He wanted to shout to the world about this miracle crop.

"Appraisal grade is... Rare!"

"What?"

"E-Every single stalk is classified as Rare-grade!"

Everyone was floored by Kang Sunwoo's announcement. Some couldn't even process it—it sounded too ridiculous to be real.

But the moment he declared "This rice cures cancer," the room erupted.

"W-Wait, really?"

"It's true!"

How could it be true?

Hari, mouth agape, turned slowly to Leon.

But Leon was already in conversation—calm and respectful—speaking to a straw doll infused with the divinity of Demera.

"Y-Your Majesty!"

"Insolent! I, the High Priest King, am currently communing with the Goddess herself!"

"F-Forgive me! I-I've committed a grave offense!"

"It's alright, child. How could one from this world know how to address the divine?"

Her voice was gentle and comforting. Just hearing it seemed to warm the soul—just as Leon's voice had brought courage at the black gate, her divine words filled the heart with peace.

"Since Demera herself has said so, I shall forgive you this once."

"Y-Yes, thank you..."

Hari bowed low, glancing nervously at the others. The straw doll began to slump forward as if its purpose had been fulfilled.

"It seems I've done all I can. Time for me to return."

"Thank you. I will always cherish the grace the Earth Mother has given us."

"Child, allow this mother one final nag before I go."

Her voice was weakening now, as if her energy was fading fast. She offered her last words to her chosen champion.

"Don't go wandering around hungry, alright?"

And with that, the straw doll collapsed.

Leon closed his eyes, silently reflecting on the grace left behind by the Earth Mother.

Time passed.

Finally, Hari—still prostrated—lifted her head cautiously.

"Um... Your Majesty? What... was that just now?"

"Divinity."

"Divinity...?"

"Are there no gods in this world?"

Leon's question left Hari speechless.

Of course, Earth had religion. Jehovah, Allah, Buddha... (Wait, is Buddha considered a god? Anyway...)

Religion exists.

But saying that gods exist is a different matter.

Sure, religious believers claim gods exist—but none of Earth's religions had ever demonstrated divine power as clearly and miraculously as Leon just did.

Unlike Leon, Earth's gods did not show proof of divinity through miracles.

"I... I'm not sure."

"This is the Pantheon I serve, and she is Divinity herself. A proper life and world must exist in harmony with the divine. You Earthlings must follow this path as well."

Han Hari thought... maybe, just maybe, that might be possible.

Earth was already dominated by established religions. Their exclusivity toward other faiths was well-known.

Even Protestants—who were considered relatively mild—often trespassed into others' temples, stomping on sacred grounds or vandalizing shrines.

But what stood before her now was reality.

This was an actual divine being, performing real miracles.

Looking at this anachronistic king, Hari felt an odd sense of trust grow in her.

Had they truly brought back someone extraordinary from the Gate?

Was this man really someone capable of changing the entire world?

"Harvest the rice! Give thanks to Demera, bow your heads, and let the crops fulfill their sacred purpose!"

Leon ordered the blessed rice—sprouted in the middle of the Honam Plains—to be cooked. There were only three hours left until the Phoenix Guild's exclusive rights to the Honam Gate expired.

"T-This makes no sense."

Manager Kim Jinsu swallowed hard, staring at the system message floating before his eyes.

[Steamed Rice Made from Blessed Grain]

Steam rose from the glistening white rice. The fact that it even showed up in the Awakeneds' system UI was strange enough—but the updated appraisal info was downright shocking:

+100 HP recovery per minute

+50 Mana recovery per minute

Duration: 8 hours

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

"What the hell..."

Rice with buff effects?

And not just any effects—massive ones.

"This is practically on the level of a sustained enhancement drug."

The typical enhancement potions, priced at three million won per bottle, barely performed this well—and were often considered overpriced for what they delivered.

"Manager!"

Hari came rushing up, her mouth stuffed with pork belly and rice.

"Swallow before you talk."

After gulping it down, she finally spoke.

"Manager, this is insane..."

"What is?"

"It... stacks."

"What?!"

Everyone around, including Kim Jinsu and other association employees, perked up.

"I was curious, so... I tried eating some bugs that were in the rice field—not just the rice itself."

"B-Bugs?"

Seriously, girl... how did bugs seem like a good idea?

"After I ate them... the buffs stacked."

"You're serious?!"

Kim Jinsu looked bewildered as he turned toward the rice paddies.

It wasn't just rice growing there. There were insects—like stag beetles—that fed on the rice or hunted other bugs in the area.

If this blessing applied to the entire land, then not just the rice, but every living thing in the field could be affected.

Soon, the eyes of the Hunters, about to enter the gate, were ablaze with greed.

These were people who risked their lives every time they tackled a gate. Government Hunters were given minimal enhancement items—but only the bare minimum.

To a regular salaried Hunter, a million-won enhancer was a last resort.

And now, free, high-grade enhancers were lying everywhere.

A few bugs? No big deal.

"Catch them! Catch as many as you can!"

A bizarre sight unfolded—fully armored Hunters combing the rice fields in a frenzy.

"Looks like it stacks up to three times..."

Before the raid party deployed, the morale of the Association Hunters soared like never before.

"Guildmaster... Is this really okay?"

With Leon's unexpected appearance throwing everything off course, the vice-guildmaster looked nervously to Lee Yongwan for reassurance.

But Lee remained silent.

Of course it wasn't okay.

Deliberately triggering a dungeon break had been a calculated move by the Phoenix Guild—even if it meant accepting some losses.

As one of the top ten guilds, they couldn't openly show hostility, but compared to the others, there was a high chance they'd now be treated differently.

Especially when it came to the most lucrative gates—those ranked Scarlet or higher—they'd likely be excluded for a while.

"Damn it. Where the hell did that guy even come from?"

Lee Yongwan glared at Leon, who was sitting with his eyes closed in meditation.

It was all because of him.

That survivor ruined everything.

If it hadn't been for him, the government—battered and bleeding—would have had no choice but to give in to their demands.

He should've just died inside that Gate.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Lee Yongwan recalled a particular Gate they had recently struggled with.

"Heh... not bad."

"Vice Guildmaster?"

"No worries. We prepped that Gate for a final push, remember?"

"Right. Although... we did have some trouble in the middle. Oh!"

The vice guildmaster, who had co-raided the Scarlet Gate with Lee Yongwan, caught on and grinned in the same twisted way.

"Only A-rank they've got is Han Hari, huh?"

Which meant the outcome was obvious.

That Gate's boss wasn't something the ragtag Hunters from the Association could ever defeat.

"But what if that survivor joins them...?"

"I fought that thing myself. It was tough. But from what I've seen, the guy's more of a buffer. A priest type. He called himself a king, didn't he? Probably doesn't fight directly."

Whichever way you looked at it, the conclusion was the same:

Gate raids aren't called raids for nothing.

You need the right prep and strategy for each specific concept.

They would never be able to beat that Gate's boss.

And if you can't beat the boss, you can't close the Gate.

The two men smirked wickedly, as if sending off the Association's raid party on a death march.

Leon had been given a rough explanation of what Gate raids were.

Each Gate had its own mission at its core, and clearing that mission would lead to Gate closure—essentially, its elimination.

"Most of the time, there's a boss monster—well, a chieftain. Defeating it usually triggers closure."

"Hmm... a duel with the enemy leader? I like that."

"Ah..."

Hari decided not to say, "We usually just mob it with a group beatdown."

She was still trying to figure out how to phrase a coordinated dogpile in high fantasy court language.

"Those lowlifes said they raided this place already, yet there are still quite a lot of these 'monsters,' huh?"

Leon commented as he watched Kim Jinsu and the Association Hunters battle at the frontlines.

Right from the start, hordes of skeletons—armed with swords and shields—charged at them.

"That's a unique feature of this dungeon."

"A feature?"

"Yes... In most Gates, the number of monsters decreases as they're defeated. But in certain cases—like skeletons, zombies, or demons—if the boss is still alive, they respawn infinitely."

"Ah, I see. So the boss must be slain to end it. Understood."

Hari guessed this was a Necromancer-type dungeon, likely ruled by some sorcerer commanding undead.

Kim Jinsu, the raid party leader, thought the same. Based on experience, it was the most probable scenario.

"When you say 'probable,' does that mean there are exceptions?"

"Indeed. For example... if the commanding undead spirit itself appears."

Not just a sorcerer, but a wraith or death spirit of immense will—something like an Unseelie fairy. Just as Hari was about to explain—

—Screeeeeeeeeeeech!

A piercing, bone-chilling wail split the air.

"N-No way..."

Manager Kim Jinsu and Deputy Han Hari both turned pale. The other Hunters from the Association looked no better.

"Lee Yongwan, you son of a b*tch! Why didn't you tell us about this?!"

[Dungeon Break has begun.]

– Death has been declared. A countdown has begun for all lifeforms within the Gate.

– The Death Knight Dullahan is leading an undead army on a full march.

– Defeat the Death Knight Dullahan. Time remaining: 3 hours 00 minutes.

At the dungeon's entrance, the entire undead army began its advance on the raid party—from the very start.