Chapter 155: Be A God (1)

The volcano painted the world red.

Boooom—!

The lava engulfed the lush mountain from the top to the ridge. It was uncontrollable, like an overflowing soda. All the green in its path was set ablaze in an instant while numerous creatures of our species screamed.

Despite the disaster behind her, the Mirage-Walking Princess yawned. “I’m just your helper, but you guys have your own roles. You’re the Guardian Constellations who have to take care of these species. You made your decision to unlock the next stage and each one of you chose a species to take care of, so please do your best.”

“Even if you tell us that... I still feel pretty lost,” the Paladin said, frowning. She looked back and forth between the volcano and the species with an impatient look on her face. “We have absolutely no way to intervene. We can’t speak or show ourselves to them. How are we supposed to evacuate them?”

The assistant leader of the Tower’s Watchmen League was fundamentally a good person. Even if this was a species she had never seen before, she wished to help them. My other colleagues were just like her. Everyone was tense as they watched the lava reach the forest.

I decided to come forward. “Princess, before we started the stage, you gave us species points.”

“And?”

“You wouldn’t have given them to us for no reason. They surely have some use,” I said calmly. “As our helper, please let us know what we can do with these points. Explain as quickly and easily as possible.”

The princess smiled, a sign that I asked the right question. Seeing her reaction, my colleagues also widened their eyes wide in realization.

“Aha... We have to purchase some kind of items or abilities.”

“We’ll use the points! Please tell us the services we can buy with these points!”

“

Haha.

” The princess nodded. “Clearing stages really depends on whether or not you have a witty warrior among you. Death King is right. This is definitely part of the helper’s job.”

Swish!

A notification window popped up, containing a long list of products.

[Welcome to the Civilization Store.]

Oracle Message: 20 points

Animal Possession: 40 points

Dream Appearance: 100 points

Prey Search: 5 points

Bronze-Grade Settlement Search: 80 points

Tribe-Grade General (Random draw): 100 points

Bronze-Grade Technology Invention (Random draw): 1,000 points

...

Okay.

Now, it was on. So far, I had been using the Fire Emperor’s strategy guide as reference. He had occasionally talked about how he cleared stages in his interviews, so I remembered this section of the strategy guide quite well.

However, that doesn’t mean I know all the details.

I was aware that the Civilization Store existed. However, I didn’t know what item I needed to purchase to overcome the crisis. I had to solve this purely with my abilities.

What is the best way to lead the goblins to safety? Should I buy Oracle Message and try to communicate with them?

I wondered.

The Paladin said, “I have a question. Does Oracle Message deliver a message directly to my species?”

It seemed that me and my colleagues had similar thoughts. The Paladin also had her eye on the same item as me.

As if she had expected the question, the princess nodded lightly. “Yes, that’s right.”

“How is the message delivered exactly?”

“You already know it. It’s the same way a Constellation delivers a message to you,” the princess replied, twirling a lock of hair.

[The Mirage-Walking Princess is giving you an example.]

I heard her voice speaking directly in my mind.

“You’ve already experienced this many times, right? I told you: you’re experiencing what it’s like to be a Constellation. Oh, yeah. Oracle Message is disposable. Even if you purchase the item, you can only use it once, so be careful! The number of recipients is also one! If you want to send more messages this way, you have to buy it again.”

The Paladin nodded. “I understand. I’ll buy one Oracle Message.”

The princess smiled ominously. “Okay, but remember that there will be absolutely no refund, no matter what.”

I could sense that something was wrong, but it was too late. The purchase was already made.

The Paladin looked down at Fingill, the species she had chosen. Fingills were mermaids. They were in a panic, their gills fluttering quickly.

“The lava is flowing from the east... Going south won’t do it,” the Paladin muttered. She was trying to stay calm even though she was in a hurry. After choosing the mermaid who seemed to be the leader, the Paladin used her oracle message. “Swim west with all your might!”

The mermaid leader jumped up, splashing the water.

“

Kyawooo?

Kyawooo?

”

The mermaid was startled and slapped the surface of the water with her tail. From her perspective, a god’s voice suddenly rang out in her head, so of course she was surprised.

“

Huh

?”

But this mermaid’s reaction was strange. Instead of swimming west, she just circled in place. Even though the Paladin used her valuable points, she was simply ignored. She looked at the mermaid with a blank expression.

“Wait. You didn’t say this would happen! Why is she not listening to the oracle message?”

The princess pretended not to know anything, leaning her head against her pillow. “I’m not so sure. You don’t say ‘Yes, I understand’ just because you hear the voice of a Constellation, right? Maybe it’s something like that.”

“What?”

“Or not.

Oh

, you really don’t have much time left. If you leave them like this, all the species may become extinct from the thirty-first floor. Then your journey of clearing the Tower ends here.”

As much as she was annoying, the princess was right.

Ruuuumble—

The lava reached the foot of the mountain, but that wasn’t the only issue. Flying blazing boulders that flew out with each eruption were also life threatening. If even a single boulder hit the species’ villages, the damage would be catastrophic.

Why? Why didn’t the oracle work?

I asked myself.

Did the princess deceive us? No, she’s the Tower’s helper. It’s unlikely that she deliberately deceived us. She may not tell us the truth, but she won’t lie. Can it be that the mermaid really didn’t understand the message?

While I was thinking about it, the goblins scurrying around caught my eye.

“

Kerr!

”

“Kerr! Kerrrr!”

The goblins howled, perplexed by the rocks raining down from the sky like a meteor shower.

I realized the very obvious truth and shouted, “There’s nothing wrong with the Oracle Message!”

“

Huh

?”

“Your oracle worked fine. The creatures are the problem!” I said, looking back at my colleagues.

Everyone turned to look in my direction. The Paladin paused while contemplating whether to purchase one more Oracle Message. “What do you mean, Death King?”

“Don’t buy the item anymore. It’s useless.”

“But why—”

“It’s obvious! They probably don’t understand what we’re telling them!”

The Paladin’s eyes widened. “What?”

“These guys are from the primordial age. Even if you tell them to swim west with all their might, do you really think they’d understand? Where is the west supposed to be in the first place?”

“

Oh

, I see!”

“Yes! They won’t understand what you say because they lack vocabulary!”

Only then did the Paladin notice the critical issue. Everyone else’s eyes also widened.

Compared to these primordial creatures, our language was overly developed. No matter how much the primordial creatures wanted to understand what we were telling them, they couldn’t.

“Oh my god. Then Oracle Message is really useless,” the Black Witch murmured in disbelief. “If I say ‘go that way,’ they will listen, but this time we can’t pinpoint the way... We can’t be sure how much they understand us.”

“No, but there should be a way to do this.”

The Tower didn’t lie. They never prepared a stage that was impossible to clear, that much was certain. Therefore, I looked through the Civilization Store again.

Oracle Message: 20 points

Animal Possession: 40 points

Dream Appearance: 100 points

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Prey Search: 5 points

Bronze-Grade Settlement Search: 80 points

Tribe-Grade General (Random draw): 100 points

Bronze-Grade Technology Invention (Random draw): 1,000 points

A way to evacuate these creatures to a safe area without using words crossed my mind.

“Princess!”

“What?”

“Can I search for the prey I want with Prey Search? For example, if I want a tiger, can I search for the closest one?”

The princess nodded. “Yeah, it’s possible. There are no tigers in this world, but I can find you a beast that is very similar to one. However, directly possessing a primordial creature is prohibited. You need a higher-grade item for that.”

Okay. I had a rough sketch of the plan in my head.

“I’ll purchase one copy of Prey Search.”

The Black Witch didn’t understand my choice and tried to stop me. “Death King? Why would you choose to leisurely hunt right—”

“I’ll explain later!”

Not much time was left.

[You have purchased Prey Search.]

[You have used 5 species points!]

[You now have 95 species points.]

A bronze-colored card appeared in my hand. As soon as I saw it, I said, “Princess, please search for an animal that has the most eye-catching color, runs the fastest, and is relatively large. It can be a white deer, a white lion, or even something like a black horse. Anything like that will work!”

“

Heh

.” The princess’s eyes lit up as if she was having fun. “Your conditions are quite vague, but... Okay, I’ll do that for you. You guys are still beginners, and I don’t want to be strict like the other guys.”

When the princess waved her hand, the card in my hand melted, turning into bronze light particles that moved as if they had their own will.

[Your Prey Search has been used.]

The light headed for nearby bushes, where a white lion animal was crouching. Fortunately, it was located quite close to the goblin village.

“I’ll buy Animal Possession from the store too,” I added quickly.

[You have purchased Animal Possession.]

[You have used 40 species points!]

[You now have 55 species points.]

I was left with only half of my precious starting subsidies in an instant, but it didn’t matter. My priority was to save the goblins from the lava that could wipe out the primordial forest at any moment.

My choice made the Inquisitor figure out my plan. He followed my lead and purchased Prey Search and Animal Possession.

“Ah, I see! Everyone, possess an animal that stands out as much as possible! Everyone knows that primordial beings revere mysterious-looking animals.

Hahaha

. If a white lion or a black deer appears when the world is about to be destroyed, the creatures will think the animal is a messenger from the gods.”

The Inquisitor indeed caught on quickly.

“Possess a mystical-looking creature and guide your species to safety! They’ll follow you even if you don’t say anything. This is an extremely witty plan, Mr. Death King!”

“

Ah.

”

“Right...”

“Everyone, hurry!”

As my colleagues purchased the same items as me, I pointed at the white lion and used Animal Possession.

“I’ll possess that animal.”

Swiiiishhh!

My vision turned blurry, and I blacked out. The next time I opened my eyes, I saw the world from a different perspective.

Grrrrr...

An animal’s rough growling came out of my mouth, or rather, from my snout. When I looked down, I saw my sharp claws embedded in the ground. My beautiful white fur concealed my wild ferocity.

“

Grrr! Grrr!

”

Great, everything went as planned!

I stood up, feeling heavy. A lion’s body was completely different from that of a human. Walking on four legs was awkward. I kept stumbling, but I still ran toward the nearby goblins.

Using aura is... not impossible, but it’s difficult. The anatomy of an animal is very different from a human’s.

Thump! Thump!

As I ran through a dry forest road, I used my front paws to find balance and my hind paws to sprint. It was very awkward, but I could run very fast as a lion. Amazing.

Oh, it feels surprisingly good.

I could smell smoke from the burning trees and the charred freshly bloomed flowers. There was also a stench that was probably the goblin’s body odor. It smelled like soybean paste stew that went bad overnight in the summer heat.

Ugh. How come this species stinks too!

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the goblin village. The strong smell made it easy to find my way.

“

Kerrrrrr!

”

“

Kerr, kerrr!

”

The primordial goblins were still panicking. The young goblins clung to their mothers and howled with fear, while the adults repeatedly struck their heads on the ground and stomped their feet. I wasn’t sure what that meant. They were so bewildered that they didn’t even notice that a white lion was approaching.

What a pitiful species.

I stood tall at the entrance to the village and let out a roar.

“

Kerrrr?

”

“

Kerrreuk! Ker?

”

The goblins were frantic. Those who had been hitting their heads on the ground struggled to get up but fell. The young goblins’ howls became louder.

Uh-oh.

From the goblins’ perspective, the ground started shaking all of sudden, and an inferno, tall enough to reach the sky, emerged from the volcano. Even stranger, an animal with a unique color also showed up. They probably thought the world was ending.

“

Grrrr!

”

Follow me, guys! Follow me!

I slapped my tail on the ground and whipped my head around. Still, I couldn’t forget that I was trying to communicate to goblins, of all species. No matter how mysterious I looked or how strange I behaved, they didn’t follow me. They just watched me from afar as if they were scared.

In that case...

I pulled out my trump card.

“

Gorrrrr!

”

An unfamiliar sound that was neither human nor a lion’s roar burst out from my snout after using

High Society of Goblins.

The goblins who had been freaking out so far finally started paying attention.

“

Ke, keruk?

”

“

Gorrr! Gorrr!

”

“

Kerrrrrrrrr...?

”

The goblins exchanged glances and whispers, probably telling each other “What is that lion saying?” and “I don’t know, but there is some undeniable charisma to it...”

I raised my front paw and slammed it on the ground.

“

Gorrrr! Gorgor! Gorgorgorgorrr!

”

Follow me, you punks! Please!

The goblins hesitantly stood up one by one. I snorted in excitement.

Nice. Good job! Yes! Good job, my babies! You guys are also bipedal! Even though you're primordial creatures with green brains, we’ll build a dazzling civilization one day!

“

Gor, gorrrrr!

”

Now, follow me!

I made a very nice U-turn and trudged off into the woods. Although the goblins were hesitant, they quietly followed me. There was a small scuffle over who would take the lead, but all the goblins in the village eventually started following me as if they were bewitched.

Boooooom!

Not long after the goblins and I escaped under my lead, the ground shook violently when a big boulder from the volcano fell on the goblin village.

“

Keerrrr?

”

“

Keru! Kerrek, kerrreuk!

”

The goblins lay face down in surprise. Soon, they seemed to realize that something terrible had happened to their homeland and that they had narrowly escaped disaster.

[Terra’s last settlement has been destroyed!]

[Now you have to lead them to a new one.]

The goblins looked at me in shock. Those simple faces had a subtle cuteness in them.

“

Gor.

”

Hehe.

I snorted, though the sound I let out sounded very different from a white lion.

“

Kekerukker.

”

Be grateful.

And then I trudged on, showing off my coolness.

“

Kerrr...

”

“

Ke, kerukker!

”

The goblins now acted completely differently toward me. They had been very terrified and wary toward me just a moment before, but now they were following closely behind me, roaring.

“

Kekerukker!

”

“

Kekerukker!

”

“

Kekerukker! Kekerukker!

”

What are these guys saying...?

I wondered.

I was relieved because they finally understood I was on their side. Unfortunately, what they were saying wasn’t being translated to me. Suddenly, I heard the Tower’s voice in my head.

[This is the beginning of religious faith!]

[Terras have awakened the desire to establish a primordial religion!]

Huh?

[Congratulations!]

[Your species is the first in this world to establish their primordial religion!]

I blinked.

[Terras will cultivate their White Lion Faith.]

[You are the first one to get this achievement!]

[You have received 500 species points!]

What?

I hesitantly looked back at the group of goblins.

“

Kekerukker! Kekerukker!

”

The goblins following me were shouting a strange slogan.

Huh.

I was so dumbfounded that I just snorted.

Do these guys really think of me as a god?

I, Kim Gong-Ja, just became the god of goblins.