Chapter 171   – Oracle (2)

“You will finally find the answer, yet you will lose your way.  Illusions and truths are alike.  Life and death is also a choice.”

Sunggoo turned his head when he heard the sweet voice.  He asked Melody a question.

“Is that the words given to hyung by the goddess Aria?”

“Yes, it was.”

“So why is it bad?”

Melody furrowed her forehead when she heard Sunggoo’s innocent question.  Jaemin also shook his head from side to side as he spoke.

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“…it isn’t positive.”

“Is that so?  Hmmm.  What did hyung-nim say about it?”

“I’m not privy to…”

Jaemin’s gaze shifted towards Melody, so Sunggoo turned his gaze towards her too.  She was the Holy Maiden, and she had delivered the oracle to Woojin.  She probably also heard his answer to it.

“The Immortal…”

The Holy Maiden hesitated before she repeated his words.

“Stop saying shitty things that doesn’t answer anything.  Just do a good job in gathering the Coalition….”

“….”

‘Of course, hyung-nim would say something like that.’

Sunggoo stroked his chin.

“Then there won’t be any problem.”

“….”

Melody had to bite her lips at Sunggoo’s conclusion.  She had never expected to meet someone besides Kahng-woojin, who treated the prophecy of goddess Aria as a footnote.  No, she never expected to meet another man, who treated it as a baseless fear.

“Hyung. This is the words coming from the goddess of prophecy.  We should weigh her words carefully.  We have to get ready for the worst possible scenario.”

Melody nodded along with Jaemin’s words.

At the very least, there was someone around the Immortal that thought like a normal human being.

“A goddess is saying these stuff, so how are we supposed to prepare against it?”

“We have to analyze the prophecy, and we have to minimize the dangers….”

“Eh-ee.  I don’t know anything about that.  It is too complicated.  I’d trust hyung-nim more than a goddess.”

“….”

Sunggoo waved his hand, and he headed towards the Colony that was almost completed.

“I thought you were trying to say that the oracle was important.”

That is what they were trying to say…  It is important.

“It might be talking about our deaths.  Aren’t you leery about it?”

Sunggoo shrugged his shoulders at Jaemin’s words.

“If I was going to die, I would have been burnt to a crisp by now.”

“Hyung…”

Jaemin couldn’t come up with more words to argue with Sunggoo.  He had looked into the deep depth of Sunggoo’s eyes.  The light in his eyes said that Sunggoo had moved beyond death, and it was all the answer that was needed.

“The best way to handle this is to not think about it.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Was this the difference in how much they trusted Kahng-woojin?  Do-jaemin reflected deeply on Sunggoo’s words.

‘Sunggoo-hyung believes in him more than anyone else.’

“If I keep thinking about it, it’ll just make my head hurt.”

“Uh?”

The reason behind it was a bit strange.

Hong-sunggoo had been by Woojin the longest on earth.  As he stood by Woojin, it seemed faith in Woojin wasn’t what had grown inside Sunggoo.

Maybe Sunggoo’s brain was cleared?

At the very least, his words made one become suspicious of such a possibility.  However, they didn’t have enough free time to discuss such topics.

“Somehow, it will all work out.  I think.”

Was he trying to cheer her up?

Melody silently nodded her head at Jaemin’s words.  Goddess Aria’s prophecies were never wrong.

The message she had delivered was clear.

If Woojin obtains the treasure he had long been looking for, he might get lost.  He might lose the path back to his home.

‘It is a horrible thing.’

Holy Maiden Melody had already experienced it before.

She had gathered the Dimensional Fragments, and she had become a Dimensional lord to look for help.

She had lost all her Points when all the other lords attacked her, and she had lost her Dungeon.  In the end, she had no idea how she would get back to her home planet of Alphen.

She was barely able to throw away her Domain before she had headed towards earth.

She was able to come back to Alphen after a long period of time.

She had delivered her analyses of the oracle to Woojin.

Of course, the words that were spoken to her in return wasn’t that nice.

“What the hell do you want me to do?”

The Immortal would come to his own conclusions, and he would make his own choices.  Melody’s words wouldn’t be able to change his actions.

‘It isn’t something that should go in one ear and out the other.’

The problem was they were treating the oracle as a divination coming from a fortune-teller.  However, Aria’s oracle wasn’t something that could be easily ignored.

Aria’s prophecy was never wrong.

‘Maybe I am being presumptuous by worrying for him.’

He himself wasn’t worrying about it.  The fact that Melody was putting herself out there worrying for him was ridiculous.  She became surprised when she realized she equated Alphen’s peace with Kahng-woojin’s well-being.

“Isn’t that hyung-nim coming toward us?”

At Sunggoo’s words, everyone gathered under the matured World Tree looked up at the sky.  The Phantom Steed was using its Phantom Gallop, and they could see Woojin on top of it.  Latasha was being dragged along.

When they were almost at their destination, Latasha jumped down to land on her own.  Woojin got off the Phantom Steed, and he looked at the Colony’s symbol.

“I’m right on time.”

He’ll have two gates on Alphen.  The Dungeon will be protected by the defenders of the Dimensional Domains, and the Colony will be protected by the Coalition.

There was no way he would lose his way back home.

“Did you accomplish what you set out to do?”

Woojin’s eyebrow arched at Melody’s question.

“It was well received by me.”

“Ah…”

As she had surmised, he really went to steal a Holy Item.

Woojin took out the gloves as he shook it playfully.  Melody closed her eyes when she saw it, and the other heroes frowned.  Monk Tauric, who worshipped god Skia, couldn’t help himself.  He yelled out at Woojin.

“We are supposed to solidify our alliance, yet what is your motivation behind gathering the Holy Items?”

“I needed it.”

“…..”

The Immortal had committed theft, yet he was speaking in an imposing manner.  It needled Tauric’s feelings.

“Are you covetous of god Skia’s treasure?”

“I already have one.”

“…”

“If I didn’t have it, I would have asked for it.”

If one went by the tone of his words, it felt as if the Immortal was taking back something he had loaned out.

“Now that we are talking about it…”

Kahng-woojin looked at Melody.  Her eyes shook from uneasiness.

“Why have I never seen Aria’s Holy Item on you?”

He already possessed Thrash’s Protection, which was the chest piece of the armor. It just needed to be repaired.  Moreover, he had obtained the Ingredient Items for the gloves and boots.  The only thing left was the helm and the belt.

He needed the Holy Items from goddess of prophecy Aria, and the god of time Heres.  He was a bit puzzled at the fact that the Holy Maiden Melody didn’t carry around her Holy Item.

Her expression darkened as she spoke.

“After you took away my predecessor’s Holy Item…”

The Holy Item was given to the servant that was closest to the god.  Whether it was a Holy Maiden, high priest or a monk, it was symbol of power given to the person that’ll act as an avatar for the gods.

Melody was an acolyte of the previous Holy Maiden, who had her Holy Item stolen.  Melody was the Holy Maiden now, but she was incomplete….

“The high temple is in enemy territory.  I wasn’t fully able to complete the succession, so I do not have my Holy Item yet.”

She hadn’t lost the item that symbolized her position as the Holy Maiden.  She had never received it in the first place.

“Well, I’ll recover it.”

“…”

He’ll recover the high temple then he’ll take the Holy Item from her.

Kahng-woojin was in a good mood.  It didn’t matter how Melody felt about it.  He needed the Items to make Thrash’s Set.  He was steadily gathering all the Items, and now he had completed a Colony.

Since he had his gates, he’ll earnestly help in recovering Alphen, and he’ll complete Thrash’s Set Items.

The problem was the mysterious Thrash’s Executioner, but he’ll eventually find the answer to the problem.

“I’ll carry out the obligation I have towards the alliance.”

Woojin opened his Dimensional Store when his Colony was completed.  The Saurus mountain underneath the World Tree was considered to be his territory.

“First, the walls…”

Woojin purchased castle walls, and he started placing it around the perimeter of his territory.

Koo-koo-koohng!

As if by magic, castle walls emerged out of the ground as a barrier was formed.  Everyone was in disbelief as they watched the miracle occurring in front of them.

“I have organize the roads….”

His Points were being quickly consumed, but he had saved up a lot from before.  The more important part was the Bloodstones that would be gathered through taxes and selling Items at the stores.  This could be seen as an investment.

He needed the Coalition to have a solid base, so they could protect the place.  Moreover, he would be able to collect on taxes.

It was logical to prioritize making a stable Colony.

When the castle walls finished forming a perimeter, the grounds in various location were smoothed out.  The space that would be used as drilling grounds and a square was formed.  Then the roads started widening.

The trees disappeared and the boulders were moved.  Houses were being made.  Numerous facilities were being built, and in a short amount of time, a town came into being.  Then several more towns were formed.  Lookouts formed in various parts of the mountain where the troops would be stationed.  He also made four Wyvern’s Nests that’ll protect the skies.

He had spent an incredible amount of Points, but he still had half his Points left.

“Did I build all the basics?”

When he first decided to make Saurus mountain his Colony, everyone worried about supplies the most, but it wouldn’t be a problem.  They would be able to buy everything from the Colony city’s stores using Bloodstones.

He wasn’t going to use this place as a shelter.

He wasn’t planning on supporting a resistance that hid and ran away.  This would be the launching pad of a counterattack.  It didn’t matter if they were visible to their enemies.  The battle won’t be conducted here.  He was going to take the battlefield to his enemies.

After closing his Store, Woojin looked around his surrounding, and he saw that everyone was on their knees.

Jaemin and Sunggoo also had dumbfounded expression on their faces as they looked at Woojin.

“H….hyung-nim.”

In such a short amount of time, the Saurus mountain had changed in too many ways.

“God…”

Woojin smirked when Jaemin mumbled the word.

If there was a god, it would be the being that made the Dimensional Stores.  He was just someone that used it.

However, it seemed the natives of Alphen didn’t share his views.

“What the are you guys doing?”

Woojin was dumbfounded when he saw the people on their knees with their head lowered.

He was most suited for destruction, yet the followers of gods, who were known for creation, was worshipping him.

“Hey.  Get up.”

They didn’t dare raise their heads even at Woojin’s words.  He spoke in a low voice.

“If you don’t want a beating, you guys should get up.”

“Yes.”

The heroes stood up as they eyed Woojin.  This was especially true for Tauric, who had expressed his anger towards Woojin.  Tauric didn’t know what to do with himself.

“You are give me the creeps.  Why are you suddenly being so shy?”

“I can’t believe I was able to see the god of creation’s miracle….”

Woojin clicked his tongue as Tauric’s words trailed away..

“You don’t know shit about miracles.”

If this was considered to be a miracle, wouldn’t that mean the Dimensional lords of Trahnet were all gods?  Woojin could act like a god only in a limited portion of this land, and his influence only extended to the Colony city below him.

“Mmmm?”

Woojin was checking the status of the Colony city through his Information Window when a large portion of his Points was suddenly drained away.  Half the Points of the Points he had left was used by someone.

There were only two other beings that could use the Points besides Woojin.

Bibi was in charge of the Colony city on earth, and there was Kiba, who was in charge of defending the Dimensional Domain.

A massive amount of Points were suddenly used, so it meant that most of his defenders had been be replenished.

Zzeeeeng.

Two gates opened up in front of the World Tree.

One headed to his Dimensional Domain, and the other one headed towards the Colony on earth.

While Woojin was deciding where he should go, a person popped out from one of the portal.

“Uh?  King.”

A line of people were exiting the portal.  It was none other than Che-haesol, Blanka and the Phantom Unit.

“Is anything unusual going on?  How’s everything on earth?”

“Everything is fine.  We came  here as soon as the gate was activated.”

If the Colony on earth was safe, was the Points being used at the Dimensional Domain?

“Alright.  You guys should greet everyone here, then go get ready for the mission.”

“Yes, sir.”

Woojin looked at Melody.

“I’m going to go visit my Domain for a little bit.  I want you to settle the nearby locations with my men, and I want you to gather the Coalition.”

“Ah…”

When Woojin entered the portal heading toward his Dimensional Domain, her heart beat faster at some unknown worry.

‘Please return safely.’

Worry was squeezing her heart.  The Holy Maiden was unsure if the worry was for Alphen or Kahng-woojin.  She couldn’t make out her feeling.