Chapter 468. Finally (5)
[Flora-Page(1/1)]
1. Reach at least 100% in trust for ‘7 Ways to Become a Great and Respected Parent’ (Complete)
2. Become acknowledged by ‘Choi Chi-Woo’, the ruler of Shalyh, and become his ‘star’ (Complete)
3. Raise ‘mental fortitude’ among physical abilities in user information to at least ‘E’ (Complete)
4. Become acknowledged by ‘Byeok Ran-Eum’, the Celestial Realm’s examiner, and become her disciple (Complete)
5. Use at least 10 and at most 70 points of ‘Blessed Luck’ (Incomplete)
‘…Wait a minute?’ Chi-Woo closed his eyes reflexively. Then he immediately checked the conditions printed in the air again. When the text remained unchanged, he turned around before looking back at it again. Nevertheless, the range of Blessed Luck required in the fifth condition remained unchanged. It was still ‘use at least 10 and at most 70 points’.
“What are you doing all of the sudden?” Byeok looked strangely at the suddenly agitated Chi-Woo.
However, Chi-Woo couldn’t answer. He tried not to swear in most cases, but he found himself struggling to swallow the words now. Seriously, what the fuck? It wasn’t like Flora was a vacuum sucking up Blessed Luck; she required not 1 to 7, but 10 to 70 points? Blessed Luck wasn’t just lying around in the streets. That would be equivalent to 50 million to 350 million merits.
Chi-Woo hurried to check his remaining merits first.
[User Choi Chi-Woo’s Merit Count: 320,875,352]
He used to have over 1 billion, but he spent 500 million to recover his Blessed Luck once he hit 0. He had spent 150 million to replenish the Blessed Luck he used to activate Deterrence on Flora. He also spent about 110 million to raise the rank of Divine Blood and Core of Balance. Although the expedition against Balim had earned him some merits, it was basically a drop in the bucket.
‘No…isn’t this a bit too much?’ Of course, if 70 points were too much, he could just use 10. However, when he thought about doing so, his blasted intuition began to pester him even though it’d been quiet about Hawa, questioning whether he really was going to waste the Power to Rule the World when it could only be used once on an individual. ‘Since you’re going for it, let’s go big and really reap the benefits,’ his intuition said. He could always earn more merits, but this was an opportunity that would never come by again.
‘Geez, I don’t know if I can even earn this amount of merits ever again. You hear me?’ If it hadn’t been for the great war, he wouldn’t have earned more than 1 billion merits.
‘This is strange no matter how much I think about it.’ Perfect Yoo-Joo had told him that she offered 10 points of Blessed Luck to that child. Chi-Woo had been very shocked when he heard that. Except for Evelyn, the Power to Rule the World had only ever required single-digit Blessed Luck from him, even for Ru Amuh. Chi-Woo didn’t understand how the range would suddenly become 10 to 70. It was so bizarre that he couldn’t even begin to wrap his mind around it.
However, there was one thing that Chi-Woo wasn’t aware of. The range of points required for The Power to Rule the World’s activation was way more flexible than he ever imagined. What was the reason the requirement had almost never exceeded one digit for every subject he had used it on? The reason was simple. It was because he’d been using the Power to Rule the World for someone else’s sake rather than his own.
However, it was different this time. From the very beginning he accepted Flora as his star, Chi-Woo had done it with the intention to use this girl’s growth as nourishment for his own growth. Therefore, the Power to Rule the World took into consideration not only Flora’s growth, but also Chi-Woo’s. Thus, it was only natural that there would be extreme fluctuations in the requirement. Strengthening a mortal existence that was no different from a mere worm and strengthening someone with the possibility of becoming a supreme existence even among immortals—it was ridiculous and thoughtless to even make the comparison.
Just like how it cost only a small amount of money to repair a normal iron sword, it cost an enormous amount of money to repair a world-renown sword. In other words, the range of Blessed Luck required to activate the Power to Rule the World depended on the value generated. It was for the same reason that materializing the knowledge Evelyn accumulated as an Abyss Witch required greater Blessed Luck than strengthening Ru Amuh.
However, since Chi-Woo didn’t know this fact, he could only assume that something had been twisted and changed from then. ‘Wait.’ Chi-Woo flinched because he felt like he had finally found what he’d been looking for all this time.
‘Twist…?’ The Abyss was brewing some kind of scheme. Rather than leaving this flow as it was, Chi-Woo thought he should twist it in advance. However, this ‘twist’ had appeared before his eyes. Of course, it was difficult to find the connection between the two, but he couldn’t get rid of the feeling that they were connected. Chi-Woo sighed deeply and stared intently at the innocent Flora. Already wary of him, Flora lowered her head in a hurry; she rolled her eyes looking flustered, wondering if she had done something wrong.
“Why are you acting like that to her again?” Now that she had basically become Flora’s mother, Byeok said that kids should be allowed to be kids; why was he killing his baby’s confidence?
Chi-Woo smacked his lips. He looked conflicted, but he soon made his decision. He had used 30 points of Blessed Luck on Flora when he used Deterrence, and if he used 70 now, the maximum number of points—then he would have used a total of 100 Blessed Luck on her, which was equivalent to 500 million merits.
“You…you better show your worth.” Chi-Woo clenched his teeth. First, he brought the Kobalos’ magic fire pit and recovered 31 of his Blessed Luck. Like this, his Blessed Luck went back to 100.
[User Choi Chi-Woo’s Merit Count: 165,875,352]
However, his remaining merits decreased by half. Then Chi-Woo raised his arm with the chain bracelet wrapping around his wrist. His hands trembled as he cried figurative tears of blood. He really had no choice but to do this.
[The Power to Rule the World has been used.]
[Innate ability [Blessed Luck] consumed (100->30).]
A brilliant light shone around Flora. Soon after, a notification sound rang, and a message appeared in the air at the same time.
[The Power to Rule the World ‘creates’ ‘Flora’s innate ability, ‘The Heaven’s Vessel’.]
Chi-Woo frowned as he checked the new message. The Heaven’s Vessel. It was different from the skill he’d heard about. Perfect Yoo-Joo had definitely told him that a talent-related skill had emerged in her worldline, and that she was able to easily reach a high level thanks to sharing the talent that was strengthened by the Power to Rule the World. He had no idea what had caused the difference.
However, one thing was clear: at this very moment, the flow of the world had twisted.
* * *
Time flew by. All preparations were completed, and finally the d-day arrived.
“Here you are, Teacher.” When Chi-Woo walked outside, Ru Amuh, who had been waiting for him early, smiled and greeted him. Chi-Woo responded with a smile. The blonde young man with a sword at his waist looked as dignified and self-assured as ever. Ru Amuh was someone whose presence alone reassured Chi-Woo since they had overcome numerous trials together, and he could always trust his back to Ru Amuh. That was what Ru Amuh meant to him.
“Sir, the second team is ready.” Emmanuel followed suit. The tragic hero, who had once wilted before being able to fully bloom due to unexpected misfortune, changed his life 180 degrees after meeting Chi-Woo. He had made a leap with a fortune great enough to overturn all his past misfortunes, and he was now trying to jump higher than anyone else.
“…” Yeriel was silent. Her eyes were dull, and her expression was full of irritation. She had to make AI Armors and use Evelyn’s information to develop new weapons that would be effective against the Abyss. It was no wonder she hadn’t been able to sleep; considering her profession, it was inevitable that she would be the busiest before going to a war. And Yunael…why didn’t he see her anywhere?
“I’m sorry, sir! I’m a bit late!”
“That’s why I said you should sleep a little early.”
“Jin-Cheon? Shut up.”
“You were so excited about going to war after all this time. Seriously, it made me think we’re going on a picnic.”
“Hey.”
Chi-Woo smiled dryly when heard Yunael and Jin-Cheon argue. Though Yunael was usually hot-tempered and rash, she was a hero that always stepped up in times of great importance. Chi-Woo had no doubt that she would do the same during this war as well.
“Well, I’m also itching to go to war. I want to burn the Abyss down as soon as possible and go after the Sernitas.” The same was true for Apoline. After the Balim expedition, she had completely regained her confidence. It was much better to see her confident and slightly haughty rather than depressed and sullen.
The team leaders weren’t the only eager ones. Additionally, Umaru, Teresa and Du Eun-Hyan were also full of enthusiasm to be selected as the last remaining star. Chi-Woo looked at each member one by one, and then his gaze landed on the girl behind Evelyn. Flora was looking up at the sky with a blank expression. Feeling his gaze, she lowered her head and met his eyes.
They were his stars. The stars were finally together and going after the Sernitas. It would be Seven Stars’ first time to light up Liber’s night sky.
“Since everyone’s here…let’s go.” The sky was clear without a cloud in sight, while Shalyh had been bustling with activity since early dawn. In particular, a huge crowd was gathering near the gate.
“It’s time to leave.” Eval Sevaru rushed to inform Chi-Woo, who had been standing still. Then he said, “I wish you all the best.”
Chi-Woo nodded and began moving, and the Seven Stars members followed right behind him. Then the Shalyh forces followed suit. While they moved, countless gazes fell on them. The natives lining up on both sides threw flowers everywhere Chi-Woo went. They waved and shouted, or clasped their hands tightly together to pray for their victory and safe return. Amid their support and blessings, Chi-Woo passed through the gate.
That day, an expeditionary force gathered for the purpose of subjugating the Abyss was dispatched with Chi-Woo’s Seven Stars and Chi-Hyun at the center. Moreover, the Cassiubia Mountain Range also raised a large army and headed for the Sernitas’ border. There were only two steps left until Liber’s salvation, and one of those steps was finally taken.
* * *
The expeditionary force that left Shalyh marched towards the Abyss. It was a war that was started with the worst case scenario in mind. Chi-Hyun had calculated the situations that would most likely come true and prepared the appropriate countermeasures for each. The basic strategy adopted by the expeditionary force was a coup de main. It was an offensive operation that broke through the enemy's camp in one swift stroke by utilizing rapid maneuver and the element of surprise, and their goal was to reach where the Abyss King was. It was an obvious choice as they didn’t know when the Sernitas would make their move and how long the Cassiubia Mountain Range would be able to hold out; in addition, it was difficult to deal with enemies one after another with Shalyh forces alone.
As such, the closer the expeditionary force got to the Abyss’ mainland, the more their wariness grew. However, the expeditionary force could not hide their disappointment upon arriving at the border as not a single enemy could be spotted. It was the same even after they entered the border. They couldn’t see any enemy. Furthermore, even the fortress they had expected would be their biggest obstacle, which reminded them of the last gate’s canyon where they had blocked the coalition, was completely empty. They had planned to move around it even if it’d take some time; a bloodless victory had been completely outside their expectations.
Feeling suspicious, Chi-Hyun sent out scouts, but the news they delivered was all the same. They found traces of the Abyss in many parts of the fortress, indicating that they had stayed here for a long time, but not one of them could be seen at the moment.
Chi-Hyun’s eyes narrowed. ‘What are they up to?’ Unless the Abyss had abandoned their main camp and fled, there was only one explanation—in exchange for most of their territory, the Abyss had gathered their entire army in one place. The intention behind such a move was clear. It was to carry out a total war in a limited territory: something Chi-Hyun had wanted to avoid the most.
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