Chapter 156
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Oracle
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Yamtti's mouth fell open without her realizing it.
The declaration of killing an angel was that shocking.
She had never even imagined it.
“Wh-why would you kill an angel?”
“Why? Don't you want to?”
“No, I know angels aren't good, but...”
“You're wondering what we'd gain from it, right?”
“Yes.”
Ryu Min chuckled.
“There is something like that.”
If it was about gains, he'd already reaped them back in Round 1.
He was the first to kill an angel, earning a title and a rune.
He'd even become a Death God because he'd killed an angel.
After that, he hadn't killed any more not out of fear of retribution, but simply because there were no gains.
‘That said, only for regular angels.’
Killing regular angels now yielded no rewards.
But combat angels were a different story.
The one Ryu Min intended to drag down was a combat angel.
“You just stay by my side and dominate it when I tell you to. Got it?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Hurry up. Before Min Ju-ri's buff wears off.”
Killing a combat angel for the first time granted rewards proportional to his stats.
That was why he wanted to take it down before the buff ended.
Ryu Min took the lead, and Yamtti scurried after him.
They soon arrived at the grandest temple in the Holy Empire: the Lubahi Temple.
It was said to enshrine the god Lubahi, but Ryu Min had no interest in such lore.
Whether it was real or fake didn't matter—his only concern was summoning an angel.
Before he could even open the temple doors, the Holy Knights standing guard blocked their path.
“You're new faces. What brings you here?”
If he said, ‘I'm here for a sub-quest,’ the NPCs would tilt their heads in confusion.
To them, players were warriors from another world, and terms like system or quests were unknown.
“I've come seeking peace of mind.”
“Is that so?”
The knight lowered his spear and stepped aside.
It meant they could enter.
“May you find the path you seek in Lubahi's sanctuary.”
“Thank you.”
Unaware of what Ryu Min might do, the knight let them pass and resumed staring straight ahead.
Yamtti followed quietly behind Ryu Min like a loyal dog.
Before entering the chapel, a priest approached the two.
“Welcome, brothers. First time here?”
“Yes.”
“Then you'll need to register at the temple first.”
“No. We're just passing through briefly.”
“Then perhaps attend a service...”
“That's fine. By the way, I'd like to make a donation.”
“A donation?”
Ryu Min looked at the priest and immediately activated the trade function.
A trade window popped up.
[Freely select the items or gold to offer to the other party.]
[Trader: Black Scythe]
└Item to trade: None
└Gold to trade: 1,000,000G
☞Trade☜
[Trader: Priest Ballus]
└Item to trade: None
└Gold to trade: 0G
☞Trade☜
[Place items and press the ‘Trade’ button.]
[Trade requires agreement from both parties.]
‘I guess most would think it only works on players, but...’
It was possible to trade with NPCs too.
Ryu Min had doubted it at first with NPCs, but testing confirmed it worked.
He focused on the gold and pictured 1 million.
1 million gold auto-filled, and he hit the trade button without hesitation.
[Trade completed.]
[You have given 1,000,000 gold to Priest Ballus.]
His status window showed his holdings dropping from 1.7 million to 700,000 gold.
Over a million gold had transferred.
The priest's eyes widened at the unexpected fortune.
“Y-you're donating this much?”
“Yes.”
The priest was stunned, but only briefly.
He tried to play it cool, but the twitching corner of his mouth gave him away.
His greed shone in his eyes.
How worldly his thoughts were.
Still, he didn't just snatch it up.
Eager to save face, he spouted insincere words.
“1 million gold... We can't accept such a sum.”
‘After already taking it, now you say that.’
Suppressing a sneer, Ryu Min flashed a philanthropist's smile.
“To honor the great Lubahi, this much is only fitting. And it's not a large sum for me. No need to feel burdened.”
“You must be quite wealthy. Heh heh heh.”
Having decided not to return it, the priest chuckled heartily for a while.
Of course, Ryu Min had a reason for dumping such a large sum.
‘The easiest sub-quest to clear right now is [Make a Donation].’
Sure enough, the awaited message appeared.
[Sub-Quest – Lavish Donation]
└Condition ▶ Donate 1 million gold or more to a temple
[You have completed the sub-quest!]
[Humanity's reputation toward Black Scythe has risen from ‘Neutral’ to ‘Friendly’.]
The fantasy world was filled with countless sub-quests.
The Holy Empire alone had at least thirty.
‘I've regressed dozens of times, scouting and conquering them one by one.’
That let him map out the fastest routes and optimal quests, and this was one of them.
‘[Make a Donation] is a quest you can finish in one second if you have the money.’
Even so, at this point in time, 1 million gold was no small fortune—not just anyone could acquire it, making it impossible for other players.
That was why his reputation shot up instantly.
“We're deeply grateful for your generous offering. May Lubahi's blessings always be with you, devotee. Haha!”
“Thank you. Though I dislike empty words. I'd rather receive Lubahi's grace directly from the god.”
“Directly?”
Ryu Min spoke in a subtle tone.
“I mean an oracle.”
“......”
“I've heard the Lubahi Temple allows communion with the divine through oracles. It would be the greatest honor if the god bestowed grace personally.”
Anyone knew oracles were given at temples.
But no one demanded one.
Only the Holy Empire's supreme leader, the Pope, was deemed worthy.
Thus, the priest wore a troubled smile.
“You must not know since it's your first visit, but oracles are exclusive to His Holiness the Pope. Devotees lacking faith cannot receive them.”
“Even after donating 1 million gold?”
“Even then, impossible is impossible. For an outsider of unknown origin to seek contact with the divine... His Holiness would be enraged.”
“Then return the gold I gave you.”
Nothing was more petty than taking and then refusing to give back, but Ryu Min shamelessly held out his palm.
The priest, however, was no pushover.
“Temple policy is not to return accepted donations.”
“I'm asking for it back.”
“If you have complaints, speak to the temple knights outside. They'll kindly escort you to a cell.”
Under the veiled threat to drop it, Ryu Min relented.
“No helping it, then.”
Verbal persuasion ended here.
“Yamtti. Dominate him.”
* * *
Having dominated the priest, Ryu Min entered easily.
He even got the 1 million gold back.
Click—
Pressing a hidden button on the bookshelf, a grinding sound revealed a secret passage.
“It gets dark from here. Follow carefully.”
The priest spoke emotionlessly and led the way.
Ryu Min had only ordered him to guide to the altar, yet he was this accommodating.
“This is the place.”
After traversing the secret underground passage, they reached a dim cavern.
Fitting for an oracle site, a faint glow lingered, creating quite the atmosphere.
Without the light, it could pass for a dark sorcerer's sacrificial chamber.
“Wait here a moment. I'll fetch His Holiness the Pope.”
“Bring him quickly. Tell him Chronos's agent said to come alone.”
The priest merely glanced without defying Ryu Min's order.
His true master was solely Yamtti.
“Do as he says! Hurry!”
“Understood.”
Only after Yamtti spoke did the priest finally leave the cavern.
“Yamtti.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Equip your gear properly. Things could get dangerous if you're not careful.”
“Oh? Worried about me? That's so...”
“I'm worried about losing the Charm Rune, not you.”
“Eek.”
Ignoring Yamtti's duck-like pout, Ryu Min donned his equipment.
Legendary weapon, God-tier armor, God-tier helmet, and so on.
He armed himself with items that maximized his stats.
That way, the rewards from killing the combat angel would be amplified.
Then.
Step, step—
Footsteps echoed from the darkness.
By the sound and presence detection, two people were approaching.
One was the priest he'd sent earlier; the other was the Holy Empire's emperor-like figure, the Pope.
“Is it true a divine agent awaits here?”
“Yes. That's him over there.”
The priest pointed at Ryu Min, and the Pope eyed him with the gaze of an aged tiger.
“That one's Chronos's agent? Are you mocking me? I sense not a shred of holy power.”
“Oh. Can't sense it?”
Ryu Min smirked and revealed his hidden title.
[Last Time Regressor], hostile to human reputation.
The moment he set it to ‘Public,’ the Pope's eyes bulged wide.
“How about now? Feel it?”
“Y-yes, you fiend! To dare enter this sacred place! The wretch who impersonates a divine agent and murdered the Archbishop stands here brazenly!”
The Pope erupted with killing intent, unleashing holy power from his entire body.
A normal person would have quaked in their boots, but Ryu Min scoffed.
NPCs were NPCs, no matter how strong.
They couldn't compare to a combat angel.
‘Reputation effects are potent, as expected. He radiates killing intent the moment he sees me, ready to strike.’
Fair enough—having killed the Archbishop made him an enemy to all human NPCs.
‘But.’
He closed the distance in an instant and slammed a fist into the Pope's gut.
Thud—!
“Gah!”
The Pope's swelling holy power shrank in a flash.
‘It won't work on me.’
He grabbed the Pope's nape and smashed his face into the ground.
A dull impact reverberated through the Pope's skull.
Pinning the nape down, he pressed with brute force.
Like a faucet turned off, no holy power leaked out.
“With that level of skill, you dare compare to Level 89?”
“Urgh!”
The Pope was strong, but still just an NPC.
Player equivalent: around Level 60.
Any other player might struggle, but not Ryu Min—he couldn't inflict even a speck of damage.
“Yamtti. Dominate this one too.”
“Yes, Master.”
Following the priest, the Pope was now dominated.
Once done, Ryu Min released his grip on the nape.
“Await your command.”
The Pope looked to Yamtti, who glanced at Ryu Min.
“Master. What should I order?”
“Send the priest away and tell the Pope I want an oracle.”
“Understood.”
An oracle.
It meant a god conveying its will to the world through a human.
In essence, a channel between god and human.
Only the Holy Empire's Pope could perform it.
‘In truth, though, it's conversing with an angel, not a god.’
Ryu Min looked up at the Pope.
Before the massive altar, the Pope emanated holy power.
The ritual to summon an angel.
‘The angel will respond to the call soon.’
The angel appearing here was a regular one.
No need to tense up since it wasn't a combat angel.
Normal players might fear retribution, but Ryu Min had no such worry.
He possessed the Supreme Being title from the Tower of Trials.
‘I threaten the regular angel to summon the combat one.’
That was his simple plan—until a flash of light burst before him.
Flutter—
An angel unfurled its wings, displaying its stunning form, and peered down at the bowing Pope.
[What business calls me here, old human?]
“Ah, well...”
“The one with business isn't him.”
Ryu Min interjected mid-conversation, drawing the angel's gaze.
[Who are you? A player?]
“So angels can spot players, huh?”
The angel's fine brows furrowed deeply.
[Insolent worm. Craving a shattered skull, are you?]
Its eyes brimmed with immediate murderous intent.
Ryu Min sneered and spat one line.
“Try killing me then, angel bitch.”