Chapter 1167 – 1167. A New Path, and the Truth
“The one who sacrificed himself and created the existence of souls in this universe… “He is the head of the Zodiac.”
“… “What?”
I never thought the Zodiac would suddenly pop out.
I didn’t even know that the leader of the Zodiac would appear…
Above all, as soon as I heard Armonia’s words, I started to experience cognitive dissonance.
‘What? Are they good guys after all?’
Although I received help from Zodiac, at some point I defined Zodiac as an evil being.
Looking at the dean’s broken state, I couldn’t look at it positively even if I tried to.
But with just one word from Armonia…
“I wonder what kind of person he is.”
The ill feelings I had toward Zodiac began to disappear like smoke.
After hearing what I said, Armonia nodded and answered.
“You’re right. Thanks to him, living beings are guaranteed a future called the soul, and can leave this world without leaving any regrets.”
Armonia closed her eyes again, and she began to smile.
It was a part that showed what Armonia thought of the leader of Zodiac.
However, unlike before, Armonia quickly came to her senses, her expression hardened, and she opened her mouth again.
“That’s why the current head of Zodiac… “He is not there, and the position remains vacant.”
“Uh… I understand that.”
Seeing that the position was still vacant even though quite a long time had passed, it seemed like he was truly capable.
But questions still remained.
“Even if the position is vacant, isn’t it another problem that the dean doesn’t know about souls? I heard that Zodiac kept assuming that it didn’t exist at all… ?”
The Dean explained that Zodiac had clearly stated that Claudia was completely dead.
Even if the head position was vacant, I thought it was true that he did not know that fact.
Even creating the existence of a soul is the leader’s achievement.
However, my doubts bloomed as Armonia’s words became more entangled.
“Zodiac is not an ‘organization’ run by several intelligent entities. “It’s close to a ‘facility’ run by just one person.”
“The leader alone?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then shouldn’t it stop working?”
I wondered if it was right for the facility to operate as it pleases without a manager.
But after listening to what Armonia said, I was able to understand the whole situation.
“You can think of the system he created as running the facility on its own.”
“Ah…”
I finally understood.
The Zodiac currently in operation was simply an automated system created by an administrator.
I let out a helpless laugh.
“So, the system is what gave us the requests until now?”
I have no intention of ignoring it just because it is a system.
However, seeing that the soul was not recognized even after many years had passed since the existence of the soul, it could not be treated as a person.
Armonia seemed to understand my meaning and nodded.
“You’re right. It was Zodiac’s system that selected the list of requests and provided Enel to match the request.”
“Then, the Zodiac started to decline… “
“… That’s right, it’s because the system failed to adapt to change.”
It may seem stupid to those who are familiar with the soul, but since it was a system created in a time when the soul did not exist at all, it was difficult to see it as a problem.
“It is a simple system that was originally created considering that he was away for a while. Therefore, no excessive permissions are set.”
In the first place, the purpose itself was not for perfect operation.
It was just for the purpose of temporarily filling the gap.
I only understood everything after listening to Armonia’s explanation.
But there was just one thing I didn’t know yet.
“The leader of the Zodiac… “What sacrifice did you make?”
“…”
What sacrifices did the leader of Zodiac make to create this world?
“You made a deal with God. Changes in everything about himself and the world…”
“…”
It was a very simple method, but at the same time it was perfect.
And on the other hand, I couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘If that deal is possible, how great is the guy in charge?’
Even billions or trillions of Enelos would not be enough to change the laws of the universe.
No, I wondered if it would be possible to express it with numbers.
Such an unbelievable achievement…
“Thanks to him, there is no longer a person in the universe who faces death with regret.”
It was achieved by the leader of the Zodiac.
Although he wasn’t very impressed because I would never meet him…
“What a great person.”
I felt grateful to him.
It is ultimately thanks to his existence that the gravedigger was able to rest throughout his life.
“Oh, of course I don’t know if it’s a person…”
“Its appearance was like that of a person, like Suho.”
“I want to see it in pictures later.”
“… I don’t have any pictures, but if I find them by chance, I’ll show them to you.”
I was able to answer all the questions I had been curious about.
The Zodiac’s actions of denying the existence of a soul even though it exists, and the fact that there was a time when there really was no soul.
‘I wonder what kind of being it really was.’
And even an unexpected truth…
But this wasn’t the end of the conversation between me and Armonia.
Armonia, who answered all my questions, brought up another topic.
“Even if you create a legal tender, you will not be able to solve the problem of subordination.”
“Well, I thought so.”
The problem of dependency was not a problem that could be solved simply by increasing my abilities.
I had to either raise the level of dependent magic or learn additional magic that could be forcibly injected.
“I can’t ask the dean…”
The subordinate magic was not an internal magic of Shutra, but a magic created through Beatrice’s magic and Yggdrasil’s alchemy.
It was too dangerous a spell to tell to the dean, so I didn’t even think about asking for a solution.
As soon as Armonia heard my muttering, she immediately suggested a solution.
“I just happened to be given the right assignment to solve the dependency problem.”
“Oh, oh! What mission is it?”
When I asked with a flushed face, Armonia immediately came to my desk and brought up a screen to show me.
“Do you remember the amusement park you visited before?”
“Oh, I remember. “You brought Ether from there, right?”
Where Viola’s ether was obtained.
And at the same time…
“It’s a place where kids who liked playing with colors were, right?”
A world where (physical) magic girls with ether existed.
“Yes, that’s right. A request related to that area has just come in, so I recommend that you explore that area.”
“Why go there… ?”
Although dependency is currently a problem, the real problem was actually the power cut.
There is no Danjeon in that world, so I wondered if it would be of any help.
“The real problem is not subordination, but power cuts. There is no need for a power outage… Ah!”
But while I was talking, I was able to recall past events.
“If there was ether, flowering of Danjeon would have been impossible, right?”
Currently, the temperament related to dantian has completely disappeared from Viola’s temperament, which possesses ether.
In other words, there is a possibility that ether, like the legal tender dantian, is upwardly compatible with the dantian.
“You’re right. “Once she tries to subordinate Ms. Viola, if she fails equally, she might as well go over there and find her solution.”
“Hmm… First, I understand. But does it really have to be that world? Wouldn’t it be better to have a world full of power cuts?”
For example, the martial forest where Namgung Yuha lived.
But Armonia shook her head and answered.
“I received a request for that too, but… I personally recommend the former.”
“Why?”
“Because we decided that the former was much better to solve the current problem.”
Armonia’s explanation was as follows.
In the case of Wulin, where Danjeon was prevalent, although the Danjeon itself was well utilized, the scientific technology to study Danjeon was virtually non-existent.
In contrast, in the case of the etheric world…
“I am currently working on research to nullify the opponent’s ether, so I thought it would be more helpful to Suho.”
There was an abundance of research on ether.
But despite that reasonable answer, I couldn’t nod my head.
“However… Isn’t that a place where only kids are?”
No matter how much of a mission it is, what are you supposed to do with the kids? .
When I looked so hesitant, Armonia shook her head and answered.
“It’s already been 10 years since the temple assigned us.”
“… Let’s go.”
I’m curious. How will those kids have changed in 10 years? .
As soon as I heard Armonia’s answer, I nodded and stood up.
“Okay, let’s try subordinating Viola first and then decide.”
“All right. Communication is currently connected, so just try it and let us know right away.”
After finishing the conversation, Armonia started to leave her office first.
“Armonia.”
“Yes.”
After holding Armonia for a moment, I gave her words.
“It must have been annoying, but thank you for your answer.”
“No, this is my job. And…”
While Armonia was answering, she glanced at the bed in her office and finished.
“I’ll bring the pillow right away.”
Armonia finished her speech and left the office.
I solved all my doubts like that…
“Shall we go to Viola?”
With a relaxed mind, I started doing what I had to do.
***
As soon as Armonia entered her office, she immediately looked at the red string in her hand.
“… Was what I said right?”
She began to ask her questions and reminisce about her past.
.
.
A man came running in a huff.
As soon as the girl saw the man, she put her lips forward and turned her head.
The man who arrived realized how serious the situation was by looking at the girl.
“This… Is it already over?”
The girl became upset at the man’s bitter words and began to let out a voice filled with excitement.
“Joy! Yes, it ended grandly! “I was so congratulated by everyone that I didn’t even know you were there!”
“Haha…”
Even though the man received the girl’s anger with his whole body, he did not lose his smile.
Of course, the smile was filled with the bitter taste of drinking herbal medicine.
The man even swallowed his bitter smile and began to apologize with a stern expression.
“Miss, there was a problem with my work, so I was inevitably late. Please forgive me.”
“Didn’t you say it was okay?”
“Haha…”
The expression wasn’t okay, and there was no way it was okay.
A once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age ceremony held by her people.
The reason Sonya was angry was because the man did not participate in the girl’s coming-of-age ceremony.
“Looks like you’re busy. Hurry… Go see it. Looks like you don’t have time to talk to me… You…”
Sonya had tears of excitement not only in her voice but also in her eyes.
It was an appearance that showed how much the man was expected to come.
When the man saw the girl’s crying voice and tearful eyes, he threw away his usual playfulness and spoke seriously.
“Miss, it’s okay to be angry. First… “Can you please accept my gift?”
“… “I don’t like it.”
“At least as a gift…”
“I said I don’t like it.”
So the man and the girl got into a fight.
But the winner of the scuffle is…
“Ha… Do whatever you want.”
“Phew… Thank you.”
It was a man.
No, the girl didn’t seem to have any intention of winning in the first place.
It was just an expression of hope that the man would win by constantly pushing.
The man knelt down, took out a bright red knot-shaped string from his arms, and handed it to the girl with both hands.
The girl who had been crying and angry until now began to smile at her red string.
“… What is the string used for?”
The appearance and purpose of the string were not particularly important.
I just felt good about receiving a gift from a man.
However, he suppressed those feelings and asked about the purpose of her string.
The man responded with a smile as if relieved to see the girl’s expression relax.
“It is a decorative cord for the new body that has sprouted this time.”
“A newly sprouted body… “Do you really need to put such creepy words into her mouth?”
Haha… Sorry. But I don’t want to mention the name of that part…”
“That’s enough! “Give me a gift!”
“Yes, miss. Then…”
The man extended both his hands and offered the girl her hair braid.
But…
“I’m going to give it to you, so you’re telling me to wear it myself?”
Haha… I’d like to tie it up myself, but now that you’re a full-fledged adult, I can’t do anything like that…”
“Profit! That’s all said and done, so tie it up quickly!”
“Haha… I understand.”
The man seemed to be happy to see the girl running around and began to smile even brighter.
And with that deep smile…
“Miss, harvester of the temple… “I sincerely congratulate you on becoming a star dragon.”
A red string was tied beautifully to the small starlight horn that sprouted from the girl’s head.
.
.
Armonia trembled and opened her eyes.
The man who had just tied the string on top of his head had disappeared, and only a frayed scarlet string was visible.
Armonia gripped the string tightly and muttered again.
“You can’t say anymore… I can’t…”
Armonia muttered like that, and in her head…
Pop… Pop…
She started dripping onto the ground again with red blood flowing out.
***
She tried to subordinate Viola as well, but she again failed.
With this, a new mission was decided.
“The next mission destination is a world where ether exists.”
Armonia continued her words.
“The departure schedule is undecided, but it is expected that we will go after visiting Yggdrasil. Until then, I hope she will familiarize herself with the information on the ether with the help of Mr. Viola.”
“Yes.”
Everyone in the conference room nodded.
Me, Lena, Kang Han Na… And…
“Uh, um… Yes.”
Luna also nodded.
As of today, Luna had also come to participate in her executive meeting.
She tried to get me to attend once she got more used to it, but…
‘If it’s Luna, she’ll get used to it quickly.’
She had requested that Luna personally attend.
She is a smart and motivated woman, so she will adapt quickly.
There was no other content in the meeting other than the new mission location.
“This is it. You can go back now.”
With Armonia’s answer, Lena, Han Han-na, and Luna left Armonia’s office.
And Armonia, who left me behind…
“Now that I can use the Lotus Danjeon and spiritual power, I recommend using Enel.”
The Enel figures collected to date were displayed right in front of my eyes.
====================
Enel: 13,245,830
====================
I was so happy with the Enel floating in front of me that I couldn’t hold back my laughter and started laughing.
“Wow… You’re welcome…”
She was originally Enel, who was around 3 million…
“I received 10 million for successful mission.”
The Shutra mission was successful, and 10 million Enel was received.
While I was looking at the screen blankly, a question suddenly occurred to me, and I immediately asked Armonia.
“Armonia… You said it was the Zodiac system, right? Then, if you just cheat, you can get more Enel…”
Armonia immediately rejected my proposal as if it were a nail in the coffin, even before hearing it.
“It’s not such a lax system.”
“… “Yes.”
Looking at his scolding tone, I felt like I would only get scolded if I pushed further.
“Okay, let’s first expand the ship’s facilities.”
“I understand.”
I began meeting with Armonia and expanding the ship’s facilities.
First of all, the living room.
“It’s spacious anyway, so let’s go to one room per person.”
“I understand.”
Although it costs 500,000 Enels per living room… Since I felt like I couldn’t increase it now or again, I decided to increase it quickly.
In this way, three living rooms were added.
“Let’s ask separately and add the posthumous name later.”
Shiho is a soul, so it doesn’t seem like he needs a living room, but he decided that his own opinion was important.
Afterward, 2 million Enel was spent to build Kang Han-na’s laboratory and Luna’s magic laboratory.
Kang Han-na’s lab was a space where separate bodies could be studied, and Luna’s magic lab was just like a personal practice room.
Right now, the space is empty, but we decided to use Enel to fill it whenever necessary items arise.
“… As soon as I started, I spent 3.5 million Enel.”
He was collecting it like a nobleman and using it like an animal.
However, since Enel was meant to be used, I decided there was no need to save it.
“I think this is enough for the ship’s facilities.”
As Armonia said, we decided there was no need to increase anything.
Now Enel has 9.74 million remaining.
“I recommend Suho’s Lotus Flower Danjeon and to increase your spiritual power.”
I decided to use it to raise my abilities.
“And… 9 million…”
It reminded me of the time when I was struggling with 20,000 Enel.
“Let’s upload it quickly!”
Of course, it appeared like a sparkle and disappeared immediately.
The first thing that caught my eye was the legal tender, Danjeon.
“Let’s erase that damn 0 quickly…”
[Legal Tender (Year 0)]
I didn’t like the numbers that seemed too small.
Armonia nodded her head and answered as if she agreed with what I said.
“If you have to raise it anyway, it would be more efficient to raise the Danjeon first.”
The level of the legal tender Danjeon has begun to increase.
The number at which the level that was rising like that stopped is…
[Leothwa Danjeon (60 years)]
It was 60.
I felt the energy of spiritual power writhing like a dragon in the Lotus Flower Danjeon and started laughing like a crazy person.
Hehe… Is this the power of one person?”
Please note that this is not a situational comedy.
I was laughing because I really enjoyed it.
It’s not just that your abilities increase, it’s good…
“And… “I’m not kidding, I feel like I was born again.”
It felt like drugged pleasure was moving through my body.
Let’s laugh like a crazy person like that…
“First of all, I spent a lot of Enel on the legal tender.”
Armonia pulled me back to reality.
I asked, openly revealing the sense of loss that had returned to reality.
“… How much did you spend?”
“A total of 7 million Enel was spent.”
“… “You wrote it like a real animal.”
I laughed helplessly as I saw the reality that Armonia had engraved in her eyes.
“Now all that’s left is to raise the level of spiritual power.”
“I understand.”
The spiritual power level was raised from 25 to 40.
The Enel written there is a total…
“I spent 2 million. Now there are 740,000 Enel left.”
“… “It’s really fast to write.”
There was a sense of disappointment on my face, but at the same time, I was also filled with a sense of accomplishment.
I was disappointed by the sudden decrease in Enel, but on the other hand, I was able to feel the pleasure that comes from leveling up in a game.
As I felt the boiling spiritual power, I suddenly began to feel guilty.
“Ah… “Maybe I should have saved some and raised Luna and Lena’s abilities?”
Lena also completed the Danjeon, and Luna also joined the ship.
Armonia shook her head after hearing what I said.
“This mission is to a high-risk consulate, so Suho’s abilities should be prioritized. It’s okay to raise your level later.”
“But… There’s a risky side to that.”
I nodded my head at Armonia’s advice.
Armonia stood up from her seat, looking at me with understanding.
“The remaining 740,000 Enel will be reserved for emergencies.”
“Good! Let’s go now!”
“Okay, I’ll go to the warp room and get ready.”
I wanted to go to the consulate quickly.
‘Whoa… I want to meet Seongsua and Cho Seohyun quickly!’
Perhaps it was because of the anticipation of seeing these two people for the first time in a long time, but before I could even think about it, my body was already heading to the warp room.
