Chapter 458: Overwhelming (4)
One thing Chi-Woo had learned in Future Yoo-Joo’s space was the correlation between special privileges and the Power to Rule the World. The Power to Rule the World did what was most appropriate to the subject and drew out their power with the highest efficiency possible. Although he couldn’t know in advance whether this process would lead to evolution, reconstruction, or creation, he could narrow down the possible results.
For example, what if he used the Power to Rule the World with the intention to compensate for the weakness of a subject, but the subject grew on their own and eliminated their weakness beforehand? Then the Power to Rule the World would judge that there was no need to address the subject’s weakness and apply its power in a way that would more effectively increase the subject’s power. In this way, the Power to Rule the World was more effective the higher the subject’s level was.
Of course, it wouldn't be effective if the subject’s level was too high like Choi Chi-Hyun, since Chi-Woo couldn’t even use the Power to Rule the World if the subject was beyond the scope of power it could exercise its ability on. However, Chi-Hyun was an exception among exceptions, and that was not the case for Apoline.
[‘7 Ways to Become a Great and Respected Parent’ has been opened.]
[The amount of trust that user Apoline Yelodi Afrilith has towards user Choi Chi-Woo will be measured.]
[Measuring… Measurement is complete.]
[Trust 99.9%: Perfectionists are overly thorough to the point that they don’t allow a single mistake. Although Apoline Yelodi Afrilith has grown up with countless compliments and boundless affection since she was a child, she is always hungry for more no matter how much she ate like an evil spirit. The reason for that is because she is a perfectionist. She is not satisfied with just being good. Since she has received very high expectations since she was young, her own expectations of herself is also extremely high. No matter how well she does, her inner self would always shout ‘More, more.’ Then, with an unexpected reunion, she finally discovered the man she had kept in her heart for a long time and deemed worthy of respect more than even her parents—who could finally satisfy her never-ending desire for recognition.]
[Apoline’s trust in you has exceeded the necessary requirements.]
[You have chosen Apoline Yelodi Afrilith, ‘The Princess of Waiting’ as your fifth star.]
‘Good.?Let’s activate my Sharing ability…?Wait, what’s up with the trust level?’ Chi-Woo was shocked to see a whooping 99.9% trust. How could the trust level be so high when he hadn’t even interacted with her that often? Although it was clear that an error had occurred, he decided to move on for now considering the situation. After accepting Apoline as a star, he immediately used Sharing. The ability he was going to give her was none other than Golden Ratio.
Outside of very special situations, the Golden Ratio had a low chance of failing. Moreover, it was what all the Chi-Woos and Yoo-Joos had said in unison should be shared with Apoline. The Golden Ratio upgraded all physical abilities by one rank, and it created a body that could increase the efficiency of any action by several times. However, the true value of the Golden Ratio was that it achieved a ‘perfect balance’ for the user’s body, and this was the reason he had to share the Golden Ratio with Apoline; because she already had an ability related to this called ‘Mana Ring.’
‘W-What’s this?’?Apoline couldn’t hide her surprise. All the bones in her body moved and fit anew, and her skin peeled off with new flesh sprouting to replace it. It felt like she was being reborn, but in real-time. Originally, it would have been normal for anyone else to lose consciousness like Yunael, but it was a little different for Apoline. Since her body had already been prepared to some extent with her ability, Mana Ring, it was easier for her to accept the transformation caused by the Golden Ratio.
‘What? Why all of a sudden…!’ Moreover, Apoline couldn’t hide her surprise seeing the changes taking place in her body. The rings that were created all over her began violently spinning as if they were going berserk before merging into one giant circle like an infinitely rotating loop. Apoline’s breath hitched as she sensed the enormous amount of mana flowing in all directions from the circle. If her mana had been a stream of water that rose and surged or an endless spring, it was now like a river flowing out of the ocean. The sea would never run out and reveal the land at the bottom no matter how much water she scooped from it.
‘This is…!’ It was a lot; it was too much that her mana rings couldn’t handle it. Apoline was about to instinctively close her eyes, but her eyes soon widened instead. ‘My?mana rings…?’?They were enduring it, or to be more precise, they were trying to evolve by replacing old clothes with new ones. With the transformation, Apoline’s body was now able to contain mana greater than the ocean as it reached a perfect, natural balance beyond artificial harmony. In fact, Apoline felt the unnaturalness that she had never noticed before gradually disappear from her body. But it was still far from over. Following the clear sound of metal clinking, she found herself completely wrapped by chains.
[The Power to Rule the World has been used.]
[Innate ability [Blessed Luck] consumed (82->76).]
[The Power to Rule the World ‘strengthens’ Apoline Yelodi Afrilith’s basic ability, ‘Disaster Caused by Fire’.]
The Power to Rule the World chose to strengthen her ability, and it exerted its power in the direction of maximizing Apoline’s strengths. The next moment, Apoline clearly felt the mana that had filled up and even overflowed from every part of her body heat up. It was an extremely intense and wild energy; she felt as if she could melt and destroy anything.
She had no idea what had happened all of a sudden, but she had no time to worry about such a question. Before she knew it, white steam that was clear enough for everyone to see rose from all over her; even her nose as if she was an angry bull. And she was like a bubbling lava just before it erupted.
‘At this rate…!’ Apoline rose indignantly to her feet as if she could no longer bear it. Then she opened her mouth and screamed until she felt like her throat would burst. At the same time, red mana exploded like a volcanic eruption. Accompanied by her fierce roar, flames shot through the sky, shaking the ground and the air as if a nuclear weapon had been dropped. It was so intense that even the monsters about to rush in stopped and stared blankly. They stared at the terrifying disaster of scorching heat as the fire engulfed them at the slightest contact.
* * *
Meanwhile, Evelyn’s team was still plummeting down the chasm. It was deeper than expected. If they had jumped in without thinking, there would be no bones left intact once they landed. When they were getting anxious that they might really reach the Abyss like this, they finally felt the soles of their feet touch the ground. It was unpleasantly damp and a bit sticky. The members did not try to make out the ground. It was hard to see because their surroundings were pitch-dark, but the rotten and nasty smell that stung their noses made it clear what had happened here. The members looked around, but it was in vain. Then they heard a soft laugh from somewhere.
At the same time, Umaru quickly grabbed the ax on his waist and threw it toward the sound. Smack, they heard an old skeleton break, but Umaru bit his lips as the laughter continued. Then came Teresa’s blessing, followed by an outpour of countless slashes from Du Eun-Hyan upon one target. She clearly felt the sensation of cutting through something, but she soon stopped swinging her blade as the laughter continued. She didn’t know what exactly their opponent was, but it seemed as if physical attacks didn’t work on their enemy at all.
—It’s no use…
Soon, a fairly old voice rang out; it sounded like scratching iron, and hearing it alone incited discomfort.
“Good work, everyone.” In response, Evelyn stepped forward. “This is enough. Don’t overdo it.” In other words, she was saying that this was an enemy too early for heroes who had just reached Gold tier to face, so they shouldn’t step forward needlessly.
—I’ve had my doubts…but it’s true…
The opponent seemed to know Evelyn. Her voice sounded a little flushed, even a bit happy.
—I didn’t expect you to be alive…no…should I say you resurrected…as a human…
“Oh my, you recognized me immediately?”
—Of course…it’s hard to find someone of your beauty anywhere…
“Although that’s an obvious but nice statement, it feels kind of unpleasant? It doesn’t make me very happy to hear compliments from an old skeleton with no flesh left.”
—Hmm…? What do you mean…I remember you falling into the Abyss thousands of years before me…
“…”
When they were on the same side, Evelyn was Balim’s senior by far. Evelyn had nothing to say after bringing up age for no reason. She cleared her throat. “That was after I died. I’ve recovered the body I had when I was alive.”
—Yes…that’s true…
Surprisingly, Balim easily agreed with Evelyn.
—Amazing…how amazing…how on earth…
She couldn’t help but show her admiration, but the next moment—
—Good…You’ll be a very interesting experiment…
Evelyn smirked after hearing Balim’s conclusion. She knew this would happen. “Can you even beat me?”
—How absurd…
Balim asked with a questioning tone as if she couldn’t understand Evelyn’s confidence.
—When you were the witch of Abyss, you were definitely scary…and truly astounding…but not anymore…
As Balim said, when Onorables Evelyn was the Abyss Witch, her name had been renowned throughout Liber; not only the Demon Empire, even those on the same side as her were cautious around her. However, the Evelyn of those days no longer existed. Even if her knowledge as a witch remained intact, it was a power that a mere human body couldn’t take. It was ridiculous to think that a living person could endure and replicate a height reached after thousands of years of trials and effort that only the dead could reach.
Even a saintess loved by god was no exception. The difference between the witch of Abyss during her peak and a saintess with less than a few years of experience was as big as night and day. Thus, it was reasonable for Balim to look down on Evelyn, who had become a human being in name and reality.
—Surrender obediently…quietly…then, you won’t have to endure horrible treatment…
Balim’s words could be seen as a form of benevolence, a courtesy towards a leading figure who once propped up the Abyss.
“You sure talk big.” Of course, Evelyn was unfazed and snorted. “While I was gone, your head sure grew a lot. Isn’t that right, our dear Balim?” She put one hand on her waist and smiled.
—If you must cause yourself more suffering…
Balim didn’t push for her suggestion any further. Soon, a dark blue light rose from the darkness, and a skull wearing a hood was revealed. However, before Balim could make a move, she flinched. Evelyn’s smile deepened at her reaction, and her eyes glistened.
—What…!
Balim wasn’t mistaken. She didn’t know what suddenly happened, but she felt a tremendous amount of divinity from Onorables Evelyn; a power that even exceeded her days when she was the Abyss Witch.
* * *
What happened that day was totally unexpected for Evelyn. In the dead of night, she saw a mysterious and suspicious man break into her room. However, it turned out not to be a suspicious man, as the person looking down at her from her bedside was none other than Chi-Woo.
“What’s going on?” Evelyn’s eyes burst open, and she tilted her head. “Want to share a bed? All right, let’s do that. Come and lie down.” She chuckled and tapped on the bed. However, she soon paused as chains suddenly wrapped around her whole body. “Uh…um…” She blinked with a bewildered expression. “I respect your taste. Well, I don’t think it’s bad either, but don’t you think it’s a bit sudden?”
“I’ve heard from a lot of people.”
“Hmm?”
“Some told me that what I accomplished was amazing, but criticized me for doing everything by myself—”
Evelyn blinked at the sudden remark.
“And rebuked me for not trusting others.”
“Chi-Woo?”
“If only I trusted a bit more, and if I had given an opportunity for the people around me to use their abilities better and walk alongside me—”
Evelyn, who was about to ask what he was saying out of the blue, closed her mouth.
“Then the present and future may be better than…now.”
Though Chi-Woo wasn’t actually drunk, he looked like a drunk person saying what had been on his mind with some liquid courage.
“Honestly, I don’t really understand. There’s a saying that if you can’t keep a promise, you shouldn’t make it in the first place. No one knows what will happen.” Chi-Woo said as if he was talking in a stream of consciousness. “But even then…” He hesitated for a while and then continued, “I don’t know why, but I couldn’t forget their words. The whole time after I heard them.”
It didn’t seem like Chi-Woo was speaking in gibberish. Rather, it sounded more like a confession as he continued, “I can’t stop thinking about that even after I returned here. Looking back, it might be because of my brother.”
What? Evelyn gulped at the tension between her and Chi-Woo and tilted her head. Why did he suddenly mention her brother-in-law?
“I’m not just blaming him for no reason, but I really think it’s because of him. He always said, no, you can’t, don’t do it, save it, don’t waste it. Those are the kind of things he told me every day.” It wasn’t just on Liber; Chi-Hyun had been saying those words to him on Earth since he was very young.
Chi-Woo continued, “At some point, I think those words brainwashed and stifled me.”
Evelyn listened quietly to Chi-Woo. She didn’t know exactly why, but she had a hunch that she was about to hear something very important today.
“But now, I won’t do that anymore.” At the Shalyh general assembly, Chi-Woo had surpassed Chi-Hyun. The result of that day was tantamount to Chi-Woo declaring that he would no longer be in the shadow of Chi-Hyun’s name. Then he let out a long sigh. “But…I thought I was finally free, yet some of my bad habits still remained. If I had decided not to be swayed by my brother’s words, I should have thought of you first, but…” After a brief pause, Chi-Woo continued, “I’m sorry.”
Why was he apologizing? Evelyn pondered and realized why. Come to think of it, she once said something similar to a confession to Chi-Woo. And what was the result? She was rejected outright, and his reasoning was funny. He said he couldn’t do it because of his brother. She hadn’t understood why he had given her such a reason, but she understood it now. Chi-Woo brought up him being freed from his brother’s control to tell her that he was going to reverse his decision on that day.
Evelyn thought,?‘Yeah, you were also a man in the end. To make up for the mistake on that day, you suddenly barged into my room with no warning and did something so drastic.’?He was wilder than she thought. It was a bit sudden, but…if he was sincere, there was no reason for her to reject him. Evelyn tilted her chin up with an haughty expression for him to go on. He needed to show some sincerity to catch a lady he once rudely rejected.
“But I won’t make you one of my stars, Ms. Evelyn.”
…What was he suddenly going about? Judging by the flow of the conversation, he should be confessing now. Evelyn became a bit nervous, but—
“Because I want you to always be by my side rather than carry out missions independently.”
She was relieved to hear this. It was now beyond doubt that he was going to confess; those were the kind of words only used in a proposal.
“I see.” Evelyn smiled softly while being tightly bound. Originally, she had planned to play hard to get once or twice, but contrary to her inner thoughts, her mouth moved of its own accord and accepted his proposal. “All right. It’s a little extreme, but I also like bondage play. No, actually, I’ve never done it before so I don’t know, but I think I’ll like it if it’s you.”
Chi-Woo’s eyes widened at Evelyn’s honest confession, but soon, he smiled and said, “You can look forward to it.”
Evelyn flinched. She could look forward to it? What the… He looked like a scholar, but was he actually an experienced expert? …How good was he?
“I’ll give you something much better than that.”
Much better than that…? Evelyn gulped. Soon after, the chains that encircled her shone brightly. The Power to Rule the World was activated.
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