Chapter 41
Chapter 41.
I never expected the Sacred Fire to evolve in this way.
Lee Ganghan let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the Sacred Fire, which had grown from feeling like a small bonfire to something like a large campfire.
'This probably wasn't the orthodox method.'
There's no way throwing Fire Spirits into the Sacred Fire because the Elf disliked them would be a universal growth method.
As Lee Ganghan was thinking this,
Tiring.
[The Sacred Fire has settled in Ten Thousand Demon Battle.]
[The Sacred Fire's flames slightly dispel the darkness of Ten Thousand Demon Battle.]
The Sacred Fire, which had been upgraded from 'Ember' to 'Flame', had settled in Ten Thousand Demon Battle, and the areas that had been pitch black except where the races resided had now become light gray.
Of course, even with that change, well, you still couldn't see anything.
[All races belonging to Ten Thousand Demon Battle feel relief.]
The races living there seemed to sense something different, as a message followed saying they felt relief.
Moreover,
[Some functions of Ten Thousand Demon Battle are restored.]
[The cost to establish the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect is reduced to 50 million TP.]
The functions of Ten Thousand Demon Battle were also restored, and the cost to establish the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, which had been 100 million, was cut in half.
Of course, even at half price, 50 million was still a difficult amount to handle.
'If it keeps getting cut in half like this, I'll be able to establish it someday.'
Since the reduction was also by half, there seemed to be hope.
'Is this all the Sacred Fire does?'
But I thought they said that assigning a Divine Maiden would allow efficient use of the Sacred Fire's power and also interpret fire revelations.
Even if Karana had done the former, there was no news at all about the revelation side.
[The spirit... won't come out anymore.]
Meanwhile, Karana, who had been looking around several times seeing that the Fire Spirit wouldn't come out anymore.
Even after throwing it away saying she disliked the spirit so much.
[Chiik...]
She actually seemed disappointed that it wasn't coming out.
With her head, she rejected it as an Orc, making chiik sounds and refusing, but instinctively, did she want to see the Fire Spirit?
Lee Ganghan communicated to her, who seemed to be deep in thought.
"Karana, do you see any messages or anything from the fire?"
[Messages...?]
"Yeah. They said Divine Maidens can also interpret fire revelations."
At Lee Ganghan's words, Karana, who had been staring at the Sacred Fire.
[Chiik... Oh, unlike before, I can see something. Please wait a moment.]
She approached the fire closer and.
Swish.
She brought her hand to the white flame.
Though it was a Sacred Fire that had even swallowed Fire Spirits, her hand touching the fire was fine.
Then.
[The Divine Maiden interprets the fire revelation...]
[The Sacred Fire's state is 'Dim Flame'.]
[The player's Mana is 10 or higher.]
[The 'Sacred Fire Absorption' function is unlocked.]
'Sacred Fire Absorption?'
A new function was unlocked from the Sacred Fire.
'They said revelation, but it's just a new function being unlocked.'
Should I take a look at what it is?
When Lee Ganghan pressed on the Sacred Fire, the Sacred Fire-related explanation appeared as before, and a new section called [Sacred Fire Absorption] was created below.
Click.
When Lee Ganghan pressed this.
[Absorbs part of the Sacred Fire into the body.]
[The Sacred Fire's ember does not exist at all in the player. The probability of Sacred Fire absorption is lowered.]
[In a state where the Sacred Fire is accepted, the probability of Sacred Fire absorption increases when operating Heavenly Demon Divine Art.]
[Mana stat is high. The probability of Sacred Fire absorption increases.]
Various messages appeared related to Sacred Fire absorption.
'Looking at how it's connected to Mana stats... does the Sacred Fire become part of internal energy?'
The fact that operating Heavenly Demon Divine Art increases absorption probability supports this too.
As Lee Ganghan was thinking while looking at the Sacred Fire messages,
Tiring.
[When the Sacred Fire settles in the body, the Heavenly Demon Constitution trait will be upgraded to Grade C.]
[Would you like to absorb the Sacred Fire?]
'Oh?'
The message that followed caught his attention.
If he could successfully settle the Sacred Fire, Heavenly Demon Constitution would become Grade C?
'There was another way to upgrade besides settling different races in Ten Thousand Demon Battle.'
Then I definitely have to absorb the Sacred Fire, right?
Lee Ganghan pressed yes on the message asking if he wanted to absorb the Sacred Fire.
Then.
[Proceeding with Sacred Fire absorption.]
[1 million TP will be consumed.]
The absorption required an enormous amount of TP.
'A million again?'
Building the Heavenly Mandate Tower also cost a million.
And now Sacred Fire absorption also costs a million?
'Wow... I'm going to blow all the money I earned.'
The sponsorship received the day after destroying the tower had exceeded a million, but from the next day, sponsorship had drastically decreased as scouts made direct contact with agents.
If I hadn't exchanged all the TP earned from the tower for cash when I met Shin Yuri yesterday, I almost wouldn't have been able to proceed with Sacred Fire absorption due to lack of money.
'The required TP keeps increasing wickedly.'
For the past few days after destroying the tower, I felt like I'd become completely rich overnight, but now I'm about to spend all my money building one building and absorbing one flame.
Lee Ganghan frowned at the requirement of 1 million TP, but.
'Still, I have to proceed.'
Thinking that Heavenly Demon Constitution would rise to Grade C if successful, he couldn't not invest.
As he proceeded with Sacred Fire absorption,
Whooosh...!
Fire blazed up greatly from the Sacred Fire once, then began to weaken.
[Chiik...? The Sacred Fire suddenly weakened. Did I, did I fail at something again?]
Karana panicked seeing this.
Perhaps because her Orc evolution kept failing, she hastily blamed herself, wondering if she had done something wrong again.
"No. It's because I'm proceeding with absorption."
[I, is that so?]
"Yeah. Good work. You can rest now."
[...Then may I stay and watch the flames for a bit?]
I thought she would return to the Shaman's Altar since I told her to rest, but perhaps liking the Sacred Fire, Karana asked if she could stay here.
"Sure. You can stay as long as you want, so send a message when you want to return to the altar."
[Chiik. Understood. Thank you.]
With Lee Ganghan's permission, Karana sat down and stared endlessly at the Sacred Fire.
'Is that fire-gazing?'
Since the Orc evolution work kept failing, she probably needed rest in her own way too.
While the Divine Maiden Karana was spacing out looking at the fire.
[The Sacred Fire enters the body.]
With the message that the Sacred Fire was entering.
"Urgh...?"
His lower abdomen immediately began to heat up.
And this heat soon spread in all directions, heating his entire body red-hot.
'Hmm. The heat is stronger than expected...'
Even for Lee Ganghan, the internal heat was not easy to adapt to.
The pain itself was more intense when his body exploded in the Mana Training Hall, but that was over after exploding.
The Sacred Fire's gentle burning sensation continued, making it not easy to endure.
Still, after about an hour passed.
'This is getting somewhat adapted.'
The Sacred Fire was less hot than at first.
Would he be able to absorb it if it continued like this?
Lee Ganghan harbored such hope seeing his body adapting, but.
[The Sacred Fire's ember will soon disappear!]
[Operate Heavenly Demon Divine Art to save the ember.]
[Push your body to its limits to save the ember.]
"Ah. What... it wasn't adapting, it was disappearing?"
Seeing the message that appeared before his eyes, his heart became urgent.
At this rate, his 1 million investment would disappear in just an hour.
'Then first, Heavenly Demon Divine Art...'
Thump.
Lee Ganghan sat down and began desperately operating Heavenly Demon Divine Art, recalling its manual and the advice the Divine Maiden had given him in the Mana Training Hall.
Then, perhaps his experiences weren't in vain, as his cooling body began to heat up again.
"Kuk..."
The Sacred Fire's pain.
It wasn't easy to adapt to.
Still, separate from the pain, Lee Ganghan was happier to have prevented wasting 1 million TP.
After spending several hours operating Heavenly Demon Divine Art like this.
'Hmm. It's not getting any hotter in this state.'
He felt that this was the limit of the ember that could be saved with Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Then next.
'I need to push my body to its limits.'
It was now dawn.
To drive his body to extremes at this time.
'Running at full speed would be best.'
The only way to overwork his body at this late hour was running.
Lee Ganghan roughly put on clothes and went outside.
Swoosh!
He began running at full speed.
"Huff... huff..."
Dawn passed and the sun rose.
After continuing to run until the sun reached its zenith.
[The Sacred Fire's ember is maintained stably.]
[The Sacred Fire is absorbed into the body...]
Only then did the Sacred Fire's ember finally begin to be absorbed.
***
In the middle of downtown Seoul, in National Assembly member Joo Yongwan's office.
"This fellow has become too prominent to ignore."
Joo Yongwan swept his graying hair back as he looked at his phone.
What he was looking at were articles about Heavenly Demon Lee Ganghan.
They dealt with the Heavenly Demon's achievements, with the majority having a tone that Korea must secure him.
"You fellows, how did you say my image was these days?"
"That is..."
"Speak honestly."
"You're known as an anti-player faction."
Anti-player faction.
This was literally a group that argued for reducing the enormous benefits going to players and giving them to citizens instead.
For the past few years, when scores were stable, these people had high public support, but.
"The image of the opposition faction isn't good these days, is it?"
"...That's correct."
After capable players fled en masse and the towers began demanding higher scores, the opposition faction was getting heavily criticized for losing talent by being penny-wise and pound-foolish.
"I need to change the image imposed on me."
With that, Joo Yongwan pointed at Lee Ganghan.
"What do you fellows think about the Heavenly Demon?"
At that question, the young secretaries spoke up.
"The Heavenly Demon is..."
"The player with the greatest presence recently."
"Perfect for changing the existing anti-faction image."
"I see."
Joo Yongwan nodded.
Just a while ago, when meeting with Shin Gyeongcheol, there was no trace of his appearance of fierce opposition, saying he couldn't invest taxpayer money in the Heavenly Demon.
"Then the association should raise the conditions for him. Isn't that right?"
"That's correct. For Heavenly Demon Lee Ganghan, it seems good to present favorable conditions."
Like a politician, he tried to follow the trend.
That would bring votes and was the shortcut to extending his political life further.
However.
"Good. I'll coordinate with the association to raise the conditions for Lee Ganghan. But before that, shouldn't we take some photos?"
"Photos... you mean?"
Joo Yongwan's will to leave 'photos' was firm.
"Right. The anti-faction image needs to be changed this time, doesn't it?"
A newly risen player.
By portraying himself helping 'Heavenly Demon' Lee Ganghan, he would remove the anti-faction label.
Changing his attitude 180 degrees at once like this was the secret to Joo Yongwan's long survival in politics.
'He truly deserves to be called the weathervane of public opinion.'
'By taking photos, he seems to want to appear as an active supporter instead.'
'Originally, he treated players like tax-wasting parasites...'
Joo Yongwan, known as a big shot controlling the Tower Management Office in political circles.
But he actually thought of 'players' entering towers as worthless beings.
And for good reason.
They didn't benefit the national economy, only showed violent videos through streaming, and received unreasonably good benefits with national taxes.
Still.
'This guy is at least worth taking photos with.'
Among such parasite-like players, 'Lee Ganghan' was at least someone Joo Yongwan could take photos with.
He could also completely change his anti-faction image.
"I'll help, so contact him to meet once."
"Yes. Understood."
Following Joo Yongwan's instructions, the secretary contacted through the management office.
He thought until then that he was the one doing the favor of meeting.
This side was a power player among ruling party assembly members, and the other side, no matter how much global attention he received as a player, was still just a newcomer.
However,
"Sir, Lee Ganghan... rejected the dinner proposal."
When the secretary making the call heard the answer that he was 'rejected'.
"What? Rejected?"
Joo Yongwan's expression twisted for the first time today.