Chapter 155 - Becoming a God (1)

1

The volcano painted another layer of red over the world.

RUMBLE!

Lava swallowed the mountain from its summit down. Like a fizzy drink bubbling over, it poured out uncontrollably. Dense vegetation stretched from the peak to the ridges. That green went up in flames in an instant.

Countless races screamed.

“I'm only your helper.”

With the calamity unfolding behind her, the Princess yawned.

“You're different. You're the guardian stars looking after those children. You decided for yourselves to unlock the next stage and chose the races you'd care for. Do your best.”

“You say to do our best... This is rather difficult.”

The Paladin frowned. She looked back and forth between the volcano and the primitive people, urgency written on her face.

“We have no means of intervening. They can't hear our voices. They can't see us. How are we supposed to evacuate those children?”

The deputy leader of our Tower's Vigilantes was fundamentally a good person. Naturally, she wanted to help even races she had never seen before.

The others were much the same. Most of them were fidgeting anxiously. Even now, lava was engulfing the primeval forest.

“Hmm.”

Unable to watch any longer, I stepped forward.

“Princess. Before we began the stage, you gave us something called [Race Points], didn't you?”

“And?”

“You wouldn't have given them to us for no reason. You must have distributed them because they have some use,” I said calmly. “As our helper, please tell us what we can do with [Race Points]. As quickly and clearly as possible.”

“...”

The Princess smiled. Her eyes said, That's right. Seeing her reaction, my companions' eyes widened too. They had realized my observation was valid.

“Aha... Do we use them to purchase some sort of items or techniques?”

“We'll spend our points too! Show us the services available for points!”

“Hah.”

The Princess shrugged.

“See? Having even one quick-witted warrior makes all the difference in clearing a stage. Well, the Death King is right. This definitely falls within a helper's duties.”

SWISH!

A notification appeared, displaying a hologram before our eyes.

[Welcome to the Civilization Shop.]

The hologram contained a lengthy list of products.

+

[Oracle Message] - 20p

[Possess an Animal] - 40p

[Appear in a Dream] - 100p

[Locate Prey] - 5p

[Locate a Brass-Tier Settlement] - 80p

[Tribal-Tier General (Random Draw)] - 100p

[Invent a Brass-Tier Technology (Random Draw)] - 1,000p

.

.

.

+

'Okay.'

Now the real work began.

Until now, I had been consulting the “walkthrough” left by the Flame Emperor's past run. In interviews, he occasionally boasted about how he had cleared the stages, and a collection of those interviews was practically a walkthrough.

I remembered that walkthrough fairly well.

'That doesn't mean I know every detail of how to clear them.'

I knew the [Civilization Shop] existed.

But I didn't know exactly which products to buy to overcome our current predicament. I had to figure that out entirely on my own, using my own head.

'How can I make sure the goblins reach safety? Should I buy an [Oracle Message] and try communicating with them after all?'

I pondered.

Just then, the Paladin spoke urgently.

“I have a question. Does [Oracle Message] deliver a message directly to the race?”

Perhaps people thought alike, because the Paladin had her eye on the same item I did. The Princess nodded lightly, as though she had expected this.

“Yes. That's right.”

“How exactly is the message delivered?”

“In a way you're already familiar with. It's just like a constellation sending you a message.”

The Princess twirled a lock of hair beside her head around her finger.

[The Princess Who Walks Through Mirages shows you an example.]

A voice echoed inside my head. It was an audio message.

“You've experienced it plenty of times already, right?”

“...”

“I told you. You're experiencing what it's like to become constellations. Oh, right. [Oracle Message] is a single-use product. Even if you buy a message, you can only send it once, so be careful! It's limited to one recipient, too! If you want to send more, you can buy it again.”

The Paladin nodded.

“Understood. I'll purchase one [Oracle Message].”

The Princess gave an ominous smile.

“Sure. Absolutely no refunds, no matter what happens.”

Seeing her smile, I instinctively sensed something was wrong.

But the purchase was already complete.

The Paladin looked down at her chosen race, the Gillfin Folk. They were merfolk. Opening and closing their gills, they were milling about in the river.

“The lava is flowing in from the east... South won't work.”

The Paladin muttered to herself. Even in her haste, she was trying to remain calm. After singling out a merfolk who appeared to be their leader, she declared the oracle she would send.

“[Swim west with all your might!]”

With a shudder, the merfolk leader leaped up, splashing the water.

“Kyau? Kyau-kyau?”

The merfolk slapped the water with its tail, apparently startled. From its perspective, a god's voice had suddenly echoed inside its head. Of course it would be surprised.

But its reaction was odd.

“... Huh?”

The merfolk didn't swim down the western waterway. It only circled in place. Despite spending precious points, she had been abruptly ignored. The Paladin stared at it blankly.

“Wait. This isn't what you said! Why isn't it obeying the oracle?”

“Who knows?”

Feigning ignorance, the Princess rested her cheek against her pillow.

“You don't immediately say, ‘Yes, understood,’ and jump to obey every time you hear a constellation's voice either, do you? Maybe it's something like that.”

“What...!”

“Or maybe not. Oh, you really don't have much time left now. If you leave things as they are, all your races might go extinct right here on the thirty-first floor. Then your climb up the Tower ends here.”

Infuriating as she was, the Princess was right.

RUMBLE!

The lava had now flowed down to the foot of the mountain. It wasn't the only danger: boulders blasted skyward by the erupting volcano posed a threat too. Even one direct hit on a tribe would cause immense damage.

'Why? Why didn't the oracle work?'

I thought quickly.

'Did the Princess trick us? No. It's unlikely that the Tower's helper deliberately deceived us. She might withhold the truth, but she wouldn't lie. Could the merfolk really not have understood the words?'

As I pondered, the sight of the goblins scrambling about caught my eye.

“Kerrr!”

“Kerk! Kerrrk!”

The goblins were howling. Watching boulders rain from the sky like a meteor shower, that primitive race was panicking.

“...”

At that moment...

“Ah.”

I realized something.

An utterly obvious truth.

“There was nothing wrong with the oracle!”

“Hmm?”

“There was no problem with the Paladin's oracle! The problem lies with them!”

I turned to my companions as I spoke, meeting everyone's eyes. The Paladin, who had been debating whether to buy another [Oracle Message], paused.

“What do you mean, Death King?”

“Don't buy any more messages. They're useless.”

“That's why I need to know the reason...”

“It's obvious! They haven't fully developed [language] yet!”

The Paladin's eyes widened.

“What?”

“These people really are primitive. How would they understand if you told them, [Flee west with all your might]? What even is [west] to them?”

“Ah, I see!”

“Exactly! It probably won't even translate properly. They won't have the [vocabulary]!”

Only then did the Paladin recognize the blind spot.

The others' eyes widened as well. My observation was correct. Compared to theirs, our language was far too advanced. However much the primitive people wanted to understand, they couldn't.

“... Good heavens. Then the oracle really is useless?”

The Black Dragon leader looked incredulous.

“They might listen if we said, [Go that way], but then we have no way to indicate where [that way] is... We can't be sure how much of what we say those children can understand.”

“No. There must be a way.”

The Tower did not lie.

It never prepared stages that were impossible to clear.

With that conviction, I looked at the [Civilization Shop] once more.

+

[Oracle Message] - 20p

[Animal Possession] - 40p

[Appear in a Dream] - 100p

[Locate Prey] - 5p

[Locate a Brass-Tier Settlement] - 80p

[Tribal-Tier General (Random Draw)] - 100p

[Invent a Brass-Tier Technology (Random Draw)] - 1,000p

+

And then...

I thought of a strategy.

A way to evacuate the primitive people to a safe zone without communicating through language.

“Princess!”

“Yes.”

“Can I use [Locate Prey] to find whatever prey I want? For example, if I wanted a tiger, could it locate the nearest tiger?”

The Princess nodded.

“Yes, you can. There aren't any tigers in this world, but I can find the closest equivalent. Possessing a primitive person directly is forbidden, though. You'd need a higher-tier item for that.”

Okay.

A picture formed in my head.

“I'll purchase one [Locate Prey].”

Not understanding, the Black Dragon leader tried to stop me.

“Death King? How can you leisurely go hunting at a time like...”

“I'll explain in a moment!”

There wasn't much time left.

[Purchasing 'Locate Prey.']

[5 Race Points are consumed!]

[Your current Race Points total is 95.]

A copper-colored card appeared in my hand.

As soon as I checked it, I made a request of the Princess.

“Princess, please locate an animal nearby with ‘the most unusual coloring,’ that's ‘fast on its feet’ and ‘reasonably large.’ A white deer, a white lion, or perhaps a black horse. Anything will do!”

“... Oh?”

The Princess's eyes gleamed with interest.

“Those conditions are rather vague. But fine, I'll find one for you. You're still beginners, after all. I don't want to be as strict as the others.”

The Princess flicked her finger.

The card in my hand melted.

[Your 'Locate Prey' is consumed.]

As the card melted, it turned into copper-colored motes of light. They shot away as though they had a will of their own. A huge beast crouched amid the vegetation they headed toward.

It was a lion with white fur.

Fortunately, it was quite close to the goblin village.

“I'll purchase another item from the shop,” I said without hesitation. “I'll buy [Animal Possession].”

Messages appeared one after another.

[Purchasing 'Animal Possession.']

[40 Race Points are consumed!]

[Your current Race Points total is 55.]

My precious startup funds had been cut in half in an instant. But that didn't matter. Saving the goblins from the lava that could sweep away the primeval forest at any moment was the immediate priority.

“Ah!”

Watching me, the Inquisitor caught on.

“I see! So that's it. Everyone, possess the most conspicuous animal you can find!”

Following my lead, the Inquisitor purchased [Locate Prey] and [Animal Possession].

“Primitive people worship mysterious-looking animals. It's a very basic form of faith! Ahaha. In a situation like this, when the world seems about to end, if a ‘white lion’ or a ‘black deer’ appears, they'll take it as a divine revelation!”

As expected of the Inquisitor. He was quick to understand.

“Possess a mysterious animal and lead them directly to a safe zone! They'll follow without you having to say anything! Brilliant cunning, Death King!”

“Ah.”

“That would certainly...”

“Everyone, hurry!”

My companions purchased the same items I had.

Leaving them to it, I pointed at the white lion and used my [Animal Possession] card.

“I'll possess that animal.”

WHOOSH!

My consciousness wavered, then went dark.

The next instant, I opened my eyes to a different view.

“Grrr...”

A beast's harsh rumbling escaped my mouth—no, my maw. Looking down, I saw sharp, protruding claws scraping the earth. Beautiful white fur veiled the savagery of the wild.

“Grr! Grrrr!”

'Great, everything's going to plan!'

I heaved my massive body upright. A lion's body was completely different from a human's. Walking on four legs felt awkward. Still, despite repeatedly stumbling, I ran toward the nearby goblins.

'Using aura... isn't impossible, but it's difficult. The energy points are too different.'

THUD! THUD!

I raced down the dry forest path. I planted the lion's forepaws in the ground and kicked off with its hind legs. Running on four legs felt awkward, but the lion was incredibly fast.

'Oh.'

It was fascinating.

'This feels surprisingly good.'

The smell of smoke from burning trees.

The fragrance of newly bloomed flowers.

And that stench coming from very close by... must be the goblins' body odor. It smelled like soybean-paste stew that had thoroughly spoiled overnight in the summer heat.

'Ugh. How is even this race's body odor ugly?'

Before long, I reached the goblin village. The powerful smell had made it easier to find my way.

“Kerrrrk!”

“Kerr, kerk!”

The primitive goblins were still in a panic. Young goblins clung to their mothers, wailing kerk-kerk, while even the adults were banging their heads against the ground (I had no idea what that gesture meant) or stamping their feet.

How panicked did they have to be not to notice a white lion approaching?

'What a pitiful, wretched race.'

I stood tall at the entrance to the village.

“GRRRRR!”

Then I roared at the goblins.

“Kerk?”

“Kerrp! Kerr?”

The goblins were scared out of their wits. Those who had been bombarding the ground with their skulls scrambled to get up, only to fall over. The young goblins' cries grew shriller.

'Oh, bravo. Well done, very well done.'

From the goblins' perspective, the earth had suddenly shaken, a raging inferno had filled the sky, and now even a strangely colored monstrous beast had appeared. It must have felt like the end of the world.

“Grrrrr!”

I swung my tail, smacking the ground. Then I jerked my head from side to side.

'Follow me, you little brats! Follow me!'

Of course, these creatures were goblins. They looked like goblins and had goblin-level brains. Even when a mysterious animal appeared and behaved inexplicably, they didn't readily follow it. They simply watched me from a distance, apparently terrified.

'In that case.'

I pulled out my trump card.

“Gorrrk!”

An incongruous sound burst from my maw, neither a human voice nor a lion's cry.

I had used [Goblin High Society].

The goblins, who had been so frustrating until now, pricked up their ears.

“Ke-kerk?”

“Gorrr! Gorrk!”

“Kerrr...?”

The goblins exchanged glances, then murmured among themselves. Their chattering had exactly the air of, What is that thing saying? and I don't know, but there's an unapproachable dignity about it...

I stamped a forepaw against the ground.

“Gorrrk! Gor-gor! Gorgork!”

'Follow me, you little shits! Come on!'

With hesitant flinches, the goblins rose one by one.

'Good. Well done! That's it! Well done, my little babies!'

I snorted.

O goblins, you are, after all, creatures that have achieved bipedal locomotion. Even if you are currently a primitive tribe whose brains have been stained green, someday you can build a dazzling civilization!

“Garr, gorrrk...!”

'Now, follow me!'

I made a splendid U-turn and padded into the forest.

Hesitant though they were, the goblins furtively followed behind me. A small squabble broke out over who would go first, but eventually every goblin in the village began following me out as though entranced.

Then...

BOOOOM!

Not long after I led the group out, a mass of rock blasted from the volcano crashed into the goblin village. The ground shook violently.

“Kerrr?”

“Keru! Kerp, kerrrk!”

Startled, the goblins dropped to the ground. A moment later, they seemed to realize that something terrible had happened to their home, and that they had escaped disaster by a hair's breadth.

[The goblin race's last dwelling place has been destroyed!]

[You must now lead them to a new dwelling place.]

The goblins stared at me in shock.

There was a subtle cuteness lurking in their dopey faces.

“Gor.”

'Heh.'

I scoffed through the white lion's nose.

“Kekerkerr.”

'You'd better be grateful.'

Then I padded on, flaunting my magnificent form.

“Kerrr...”

“Ke-kekerkerr!”

The goblins' mood changed completely. Until a moment ago, they had been following with fear and wariness, but suddenly they pressed close behind me.

“Kekerkerr!”

The goblins cheered.

“Kekerkerr!”

“Kekerkerr! Kekerkerr!”

'What are these creatures saying...?'

I felt a little relieved that they had finally understood what I wanted. Unfortunately, whatever they were babbling wasn't being translated.

That was when the Tower's voice flowed into my head.

[Primordial Faith!]

[The goblin race awakens to primitive religion!]

Huh?

[Congratulations!]

[Your race is the first in this world to embrace primitive religion!]

I blinked.

[From now on, the goblin race will develop the 'White Lion Faith.']

[You are the first to attain this achievement!]

[You are awarded 500 Race Points!]

What was with these creatures?

I looked back at the goblin group with mixed feelings.

“Kekerkerr! Kekerkerr!”

The goblins were following me, chanting their strange slogan. Hah. Utterly dumbfounded, I let out a snort.

'These little guys really think I'm a god?'

Kim Gongja.

This was the moment I ascended to become the goblins' god.