Chapter 483
Finally. Finally!
[You have found the blueprint ‘Insignia(SSS) - 2’ from Simulation (16).]
[Release of Doom Kaos’s Binding (Blueprint)
Code: Insignia (SSS) - 2
Source: System Administrator (Odin), Simulation (16), October 21, 2018]
The thought of wanting to break the shackles that had been placed on Yeon-Hee, Joshua, and myself, made my strength concentrate in my fists.
[Would you like to create the insignia ‘Release of Doom Kaos’s Binding?’]
However, doing so would make the effort of infiltrating those two into the Seven Demon Kings’ factions meaningless. It was not yet the time unless I wanted to carry on the stupid idea of immediately declaring independence as the third force and starting a war.
[You have canceled.]
I took out Half of the Great Red’s Heart from the storage box and absorbed not only the Absolute Warzone but also the entire skill itself. Even Doom Kaos would have a hard time figuring out what I was plotting. As if I had been observing the heart until now, I continued to pretend to examine it.
[Half of the Great Red’s Heart (Item)]
At that moment, the System reflected my thoughts and displayed a message.
[* The System Administrator’s Power figure is significantly too low to purify the item as your property.]
[You have equipped the Great Silver.]
[Power 498 (+1000) / 500 (+1000)]
[* Would you like to purify it as the System Administrator’s property? (Consumed Power: 1000)]
Of course.
[Power 498 (+0) / 500 (+1000)]
The object that I couldn’t touch for a while began to shed its sh.e.l.l in my hands. It started to reveal its true form. Red flames started to burn!
[Half of the Great Red’s Heart]
[Saint Jayden’s Broken Sword]
[Doom Man’s Incomplete Flame Sword]
The name of the object engulfed in fire was repeatedly updated. It was not just the t.i.tle. The shape, which originally looked like a broken sword, also changed as needed.
[You have acquired Odin’s Crimson Flame s.h.i.+eld.]
[Odin’s Crimson Flame s.h.i.+eld (Item)
It is the result of Crimson Flame completed with Half of the Great Red’s Heart. It holds the power of the Great Red and the resolve from the time it was torn apart.
Item Cla.s.s: SSS
Item Level: 670
Effect: Power Resistance +45%, Mental Resistance +35%, Spiritual Resistance +35%, Cooldown time of all skills and traits -35%, Duration of all skills and traits +100%, Blessing ‘Aura of Crimson Flame,’ The Great Red’s Unique Power ‘Absolute Being of Crimson Flame.’
Physical Defense: 100000 / 100000
Magic Defense: 100000 / 100000
* Once the remaining half of the Great Red’s heart is combined, it will be upgraded to its complete form.]
The size of the s.h.i.+eld was enough to cover the upper body. The blooming aura of the Crimson Flame writhed not only on the front of the s.h.i.+eld but also the back.
I stretched out my arm, then the aura enveloped my hand and acted as the handle of the door. I placed my hand on it, and a wall that appeared impenetrable arose.
I could feel that the density of the flame was significantly different compared to when I used my wings as a s.h.i.+eld. Although I had lost the bone ring, necklace, and spear, these new items filled the void to an even greater extent. The feeling of fulfillment as soon as I equipped them was refres.h.i.+ngly new.
I also took out the Great Silver. When I held that in one hand and the s.h.i.+eld in the other, one of the enhanced abilities caught my eye.
[Power Resistance: 100%]
At this rate, the Great Red would have no choice but to avoid me.
However, I couldn’t be satisfied just yet. I needed to chase his final resolve and find his nest after securing more power. I resumed moving.
***
After engaging in another battle to expedite the migration of the orc tribe, I retired to the fortress.
“It is an honor to meet you, Great Odin.”
The devotees were keeping the castle safe. Kim Ji-Hoon woke up in a surprise as the voices of the followers solemnly filled the corridor. He was sitting at the entrance with his backside planted on the ground. He seemed to have had a good sleep as there was a slight warmth on his face. His eyes started to tremble as he looked for excuses.
“Are you bored?” I asked.
“No way, sir. Great Odin, it is an honor to see you.”
He responded with a face that had clear drool marks on it. However, I didn’t hate him. Given that all Awakened were compet.i.tively growing at the moment, it was commendable that he did not outwardly express any discontent.
Someone had to protect the fortress, and that should have been an individual who would not act out of selfish desires. There was no one better suited to faithfully fulfill this task than the devotees. Hence, rewarding them was only fair. The decision was already made, and the subsequent effects were calculated.
[Kim Ji-Hoon and other ninety-nine users have completed the hidden quest ‘Guardians of Fortress.’]
[Kim Ji-Hoon has leveled up.]
…
It was a quest created by investing a portion of the XP transferred to them. In an instant, all sounds ceased. Kim Ji-Hoon and other devotees lined up along the corridor and began to stare into the air with wide eyes.
They were the strongest of the citizens. Therefore, all of them would have grasped the situation. This was especially true for Kim Ji-Hoon as he was not only astute, but also had his wits honed under the guidance of Lee Tae-Han and Seong-Il.
The silence was first broken by the sound in Kim Ji-Hoon’s eyes. It seemed like I could literally hear him rolling his eyes. He fiercely glared around, signaling others not to utter a word. Then, he turned his twinkling eyes toward me. He spoke only with his lips without making a noise.
It has always been like that. My soul belongs to you, my lord Odin.
He was a top-tier sycophant. However, he seemed genuine this time. At the end of the past, even the First Virtue, who was a complete individual of S-cla.s.s, had fanatically wors.h.i.+ped the System. He even called the System a ‘G.o.d’ and created his own scriptures.
I, too, acknowledged that the System was an ent.i.ty that possessed sanct.i.ty. However, there was nothing as evil as it, so all I could do at the time was to continuously deny what I had acknowledged.
Furthermore, how would I appear to the citizens of the Savior’s City? They were the ones who wors.h.i.+ped me even before I became the System. Their eyes were filled with fervor, swollen with more fanaticism than what I had seen in the First Virtue’s followers in the past.
As a result, the entire corridor was filled with their fanatical breaths.
Huff. Huff. Huff-
It was a set of rough breaths that they could not control themselves. This was expected.
I asked Kim Ji-Hoon, “Where are the spoils being collected?”
***
There were quite a few civilians in the fortress in addition to the mercenaries while I was gone.
“It is an honor to see you, Great Odin.”
“It is an honor to see you, Great Odin.”
They were lowering themselves behind the Awakened, kneeling toward me. It would have been difficult to lower to their knees in their modern thinking, but it seemed there had been thorough education. Of course, there were some who couldn’t resist their curiosity and raised their heads.
The silver lining for them was that at least no sound of equipment like cameras or recorders from the mainland were detected. Then…
Slam! Bam!
Kim Ji-Hoon, who was leading the way a few steps ahead of me, was pus.h.i.+ng aside some civilians who tried to raise their heads.
Slap!
Kim Ji-Hoon walked aggressively toward another Awakened, who seemed to be a manager, grabbed him by the collar, and slapped him several times.
“Do you want to die, you motherf.u.c.ker? What kind of training have you given these sc.u.ms for them to act like this? How much more will you disgrace me?”
Even as Kim Ji-Hoon whispered in the manager’s ear, there were still groaning sounds.
The reason why the command center brought civilian engineers into the fortress was because of the equipment they brought in.
When we stepped out into the courtyard, the first thing I saw was the solar heat collectors leading to energy storage facilities. The process of a.s.sembling a military truck was temporarily halted on one side, and civilian engineers who were working in between facilities were on their knees at the spot. The wors.h.i.+ppers who came out before me were making a path for me to pa.s.s.
After pa.s.sing a few facilities, I saw that there were Awakened coming from outside, loading vehicles even at that moment. It appeared the Awakened were carrying loads themselves in places where even military trucks with off-road tires could not drive.
Meanwhile, the work of moving spoils from military trucks in front of a large warehouse also stopped as I approached.
“It is an honor to see you, Great Odin.”
“It is an honor to see you, Great Odin.”
There was no need to distinguish between Awakened, mercenaries, or civilian engineers. By the laws of this place, I was already the sovereign of all.
Then, Kim Ji-Hoon briskly pa.s.sed by me. He completely opened the doors of the warehouse, which were open for transportation, before fully stepping back. The spoils warehouse appeared as the largest of all the facilities we had pa.s.sed.
THe Cat Food Warehouse was where I had stocked up on high-cla.s.s mana stones and items collected over a decade of dungeon exploration with Yeon-Hee. Even though we had done it over a decade, the amount there was significantly smaller than the amount brought in by thousands of Awakened.
That was my first impression when I entered the warehouse. It seemed as if dozens of warehouses had been ransacked and piled up here. The results of the Awakened raiding treasure vaults of various kingdoms and city authorities, destroying magic towers, and intimidating wizards were gathered here.
This much had been gathered so far.
Imagine when we add in what is in the lands of the dwarves, who rarely reveal themselves, following the Greenwood continent and the orc tribes!
A large complex with endless rows of warehouses would be built like NanoSoft or the Nile’s cloud data centers on the mainland.
I closed the door after instructing Kim Ji-Hoon to return to his room. Overindulgence was always welcome.
[Extractor has been activated.]
I had a large digestive system that could digest anything.
[You have gained XP.]
[You have gained XP.]
…
Having a full meal before setting out on a hunt was an obvious preparation. The planned hunt that followed was not by the order of that Doom Kaos a.s.shole. This time, it was by my inherent needs, by my free will!
Wait for me, the Great Red. Oh, the glorious red dragon of the past. I will cut off your head soon and take away the remaining half of your heart.