Chapter 151 - Planet Jaku (3)
“What the hell?”
It was a group of wary Elves.
Woojin chewed on his meat as he stood up.
“Jaenis.”
Shoo-ro-ro-rohk.
Accompanying a black smoke, Jaenis appeared, and it stood in front of Woojin.
“Take care of them and follow me with Sunggoo.”
His stomach was full. It was time to start his hunt again.
[I follow the lord’s wishes.]
Hwah-roo-roohk.
A black flame surged forth from the Lich’s Staff.
“I’ll see you later, Sunggoo..”
“Ooh-juhk, ooh. Yes, uhng-nim.”
Sunggoo seemed to have burned a lot of calories through his intense movements. He was quickly stuffing himself with food. When Woojin started to move, the Elves rushed forward to get on their knees.
They did it right before Jaenis’ flames exploded. The timing was exquisite.
“What the hell?”
The handsome silver-haired Elf was on his knees as he spoke.
“We had heard a noble personage had visited our planet. I would be honored if you would give me an audience.”
“.......”
Woojin stopped walking.
It had been awhile since he met the Elves. It had also been a long time since he heard the Elves try to butter him up while speaking nonsense.
“Let’s see. That won’t be too difficult. ”
“I am moved to tears by your assent.”
The silver haired Elf stood up as he kept his head slightly lowered, and he looked at Woojin as he spoke. A smile formed on Woojin’s face.
“That’s all you wanted, right?”
“Yes. I want to introduce myself to such an esteemed being...”
“Nope.”
When Woojin cut him off, the Elf lowered his head again. Did something he said incur the other’s displeasure? The Elf was in the process of replaying his previous action and words.
“If you are finished with your business, you should die.”
Woojjin started to walk away again, and fire erupted from the Lich’s staff.
Hwah-roo-roohk!
“Koo-ah-ah-ahk!”
Red light flickered in the eye sockets of the skull. It gave off the impression that it was laughing.
[The scream of Elves are always heartwarming.]
Three Elves were put on fire, and they started rolling on the ground. They tried to use Water magic, but the Hellfire was too hard to extinguish.
“I...I serve the leader of the Red Hammer coalition named Morpo-nim...”
Puhhng!
The Elf spoke with a shaky voice when his head exploded. Fire exploded forth from where his head used to be. Sparks flew from Jaenis’ staff as if a current was running through it. The Lich’s red eyes headed towards Sunggoo.
[There is no ingredient that burns as well as fear.]
“Huh?”
It was burning what?
Sunggoo quickly chewed and swallowed the meat inside his mouth. The Lich continued his speech.
[You have to make the enemies shake in fear. Then the stage will be yours.Goo-ha-ha.]
“.......”
Even though Sunggoo had swallowed his food, he was having a hard time answering back.
There were two Elves still alive.
“Do you realize what you just did right now? You attacked all three coalitions, who has Colonies on Planet Jaku!”
Woojin stopped walking when he heard the Elf’s rage filled voice.
“So what?”
“Let us see how long your insane overconfidence lasts!”
“You won’t be there to see it.”
“.......”
“Since you will be dying right now.”
Gwah-ah-ah-ahng
[Goo-haha. It is time for us to redeem the Planet Jaku.]
A light emanated from the Lich and the Skeleton Magicians under its command was all summoned.
Kiehhhhhhhh.
The Skeleton Mages let out a bizarre laugh as they appeared. They were all fire type monsters. They all possessed slightly different magical energy. The Skeleton Mages gathered their two hand to form a fireball, and every single fireball was sent towards Sunggoo.
“......!”
What the hell? Why?
Jaenis said he wanted to redeem Jaku, yet why was the Lich attacking him?
Kwah-kwah-kwahng.
Woojin started walking again when the training session restarted.
It didn’t matter if it was the Yellow Lizards, Black Hats or the Red Hammer. He’ll destroy them all, and he will take everything from them. He’ll use them as a stepping stone to get rid of every single Dimensional lord of Trahnet.
***
Raksha ran for a full day with the help of her Wind Sprite.
When she saw a large tower over the horizon, she increased her speed.
It was the symbolic representation of her town.
All of the ancient pillars used for their prayer rituals had been stolen from the Ratick tribe. This was a tower they had to build artificially.
There were houses made out of wide stones, wood and clay clustered near the tower. When she entered the forest that led to the town, the Warriors of the Ratick tribe suddenly appeared in front o f her.
“Raksha!”
“Ribito.”
“How did it go?”
“I have to go see the Shamaness.”
When Ribito saw Raksha’s urgent expression, he opened up a path for her.
Raksha ran down the forest path. When she arrived at the tower’s innermost chamber, an old woman of the Ratick tribe greeted her.
“Raksha.”
“Shamaness Cheu-cheusha!”
“What have you seen? Why are you so startled? Please calm down a little bit.”
Raksha felt her heart calm down a little bit just from seeing Cheu-cheusha. She felt her worries and anxiety lessen. However, the sense of crisis didn’t lessen at all.
“Liah’s Fortress has fallen.”
“The calm lasted for quite awhile. I guess the war is starting up again.”
The enmity between the Coalitions resulted in them biting at each other. The infighting between these powers had created a small crack. It wasn’t proper to say they survived, because of it. It was more apt to say the Ratick tribe had been forgotten from their interests.
“No. It wasn’t the Coalitions. It was the new Predator, who defeated Relick.”
“Huh? He did?”
They were existences that were close to being gods.
As they erected Dungeons and Colonies, they were able to perform godlike miracles.
It had been a long time since a new Predator that wasn’t affiliated with the three Coalitions had appeared.
“If it’s Liah, isn’t she part of the Black Hats?”
“Yes. The problem is he also offended Morpo-nim.”
“Even the Red Hammer....”
Shamaness Cheu-cheusha had an expression full of worry as she shook her head from side to side.
"From the information I received from our scouts, this new Predator had friction with the Yellow Lizard Coalition....”
This new Predator had just ticked off the three Coalitions on Planet Jaku. It basically meant he had declared war against every Predator on Planet Jaku.
“He’ll be erased soon.”
Raksha shook her head at Cheu-cheusha’s words.
“He’s the one, who defeated Relick! He might be the one from the legend, Shamaness.”
Relick, who was the best warrior from the Ratick tribe, had died by his hands. Raksha had barely escaped from his grasp, so the sight of what happened was very vivid in her mind. She had seen overwhelming strength and spirit.
“Which legend are you talking about?”
“The legend where it says a Predator that eats other Predators will save the planet!”
Raksha was shaking from excitement. Cheu-cheusha looked at her with pity as she hugged Raksha tight.
“You poor thing.”
“What’s wrong?”
“That legend is false.”
“What?”
Cheu-cheusha stroked the head of the Ratick tribe’s young sorceress.
“That version of the legend was made up to give people hope.”
“What?”
“Do you want to know hear the real legend that had been handed down to us?”
“.......”
“When a predator that eats other predator appears, the planet will draw near to its demise.”
“......!”
It was demise instead of salvation!
Raksha shook her head vigorously from disbelief.
“Let us pray he isn’t the legendary Predator.”
If not, they will be the last generation of their race, and they will come to an end with their planet.
“Hoo-hoohk. What do we do?”
There was no hope.
The planet’s future only held despair. Raksha cried.
She didn’t have the presence of mind to notice her smiling shadow.
***
It had been two days since she had locked herself inside her house. In front of Raksha’s gaunt figure, Cheu-cheusha spoke with a worried expression. Cheu-cheusha was basically like her mother.
“Please have a drink, Raksha.”
“...I’m fine.”
Cheu-cheusha looked on as Raksha put on weak smile, and she was regretting telling her the truth. She knew this child was strong, so she had expected her to overcome this news.
Maybe she should have let Raksha keep her false hope inside her heart.
Raksha was slowly dying, and it was starting from her heart.
Goo-roo-roo-roong.
At that moment, a vibration made the windows rattle.
Cheu-cheusha and Raksha looked at each other in surprise. A loud bell started to go off, and the noise assaulted their ears. It was a signal that notified the others about intruders.
“I have to go out.”
When Cheu-cheusha exited the house, the town was in a disarray. Black smoke was rising up into the air from across the forest, and the town was busy getting ready to evacuate the children.
Cheu-cheusha grabbed a person running by her.
“What is going on?”
“Ah, Shamaness. There is an enormous Undead army marching on us from across the forest.”
“Ha-ah. This is unexpected.”
The Predators gathered into groups to form Coalition, and they had always been busy fighting each other. They didn’t show any interest to the very small number of the Ratick tribe that was still alive. An army hadn’t been sent against them for the past 10 years.
“What did he say?”
Raksha exited her house, and she spoke with worry in her voice.
“It seems there are intruders. You should evacuate with the others.”
“No. I will help the Warriors.”
There was life within Raksha’s eyes. However, that life would be put on the line to fulfill her role as the sorceress. Cheu-cheusha’s heart ached, since this might be Raksha’s last act.
“You go do that.”
“Yes, mother. Thank you for everything.”
Raksha gave a sincere farewell to Cheu-cheusha. Cheu-cheusha had raised her, and she had taught her sorcery. Cheu-cheusha had basically been a mother to her.
When Raksha arrived, the forest fire was already too big to stop. The Warriors of the Ratick race, who had hidden themselves in the forest, quickly ran away to form in front of the town.
This was their last ditch effort to buy time. This was the last battle to buy enough time for their children to run away.
“Raksha!”
“Who are they, Ribito?”
“It is an army of a Predator, who I’ve never seen nearby. They are Skeletons.”
“Skeletons....”
She was sure it was the man, who defeated Relick.
He had already advanced to this place....
What happened to the other Predator’s Pillars and cities that should have occupied him along the way?
Kee-kee-kee-keek!
Soon, the uniquely unpleasant laugh of the Skeletons were heard. They marched through the burning forest to appear in front of the town. Knights in armor were riding their Phantom Steeds, and they were letting out an overbearing atmosphere as they charged forward.
“Tsk. We have to buy some time.”
Ribito was the leader, and his words lit a fire under the fighting spirit of all the Warriors.
He had been the only survivor that came back after encountering the Undead army.
Kahng-woojin urged forward Shing Shing to come to the forefront.
“What the hell is this?”
He frowned as he looked at the crude tower. This wasn’t a Colony city.
“It seems they are the inhabitants of this planet.”
Woojin pulled in his shadow.
“Why did you guide me to a place where there isn’t much EXP? Return.”
At his command, Ggaebi exited from Raksha’s shadow to be absorbed into Woojin’s shadow. Everything Ggaebi experienced was turned into information as it was absorbed into Woojin’s brain.
“Hmmm. So this is the refugee camp for the indigenous people.”
The Warriors of the Ratick tribe had a worried look in their eyes as they lined up across the Undead army. The Immortal looked at them, and the shoddy town that was behind them.
A smile formed on his lips.
“Sweep them.”
So what if it was a small amount of EXP? He had travelled all the way here, so he should at the very least harvest them. Indigenous people didn’t drop any Bloodstones, and his Achievement Point wouldn’t increase either.
Ke ke ke!
The army was about to march forward when a black smoke coalesced in front of the Warriors of the Ratick tribe. A Death Knight was summoned.
Koo-oohng!
He was on one knee and he bent forward.
[My King!]
“Relick?”
It was his servant, who submitted only through his Control.
It took Woojin 320 Control points to maintain him. However, it had been decreasing steadily.
[I ask you for magnanimity. Please spare them.]
“Ho-oh.”
Was it because Relick hadn’t completed yielded to him? He had dared to appear in front of his king to deliver his wants.
“This is interesting.”
Woojin got off Shing Shing.
There was a stirring behind Relick amongst the Warriors of the Ratick tribe. Woojin slowly walked towards Relick. It had been a long time since he experienced the push and pull between a defiant Familiar.
“What if I say no?”
[.......]
“What if I tell you to kill your fellow tribesmen?”
[I’ll kill them.]
“Ho.”
Relick stabbed his curved sword into the ground, then he kowtowed as his head hit the ground.
[I’ll do whatever you want.]
Woojin felt a familiar announcement ring in his ears.
<Death Knight ’Relick’ is giving an entreaty.>
<Relick’s Obedience is increasing. The needed Control is decreasing.>
Woojin smirked as he opened both his arms wide.
Choo-choo-choot.
The Undead army that had burst through the burning forest was all gone. Woojin and Relick looked at each other, then Relick stamped his head against the floor once again.
<Relick’s Loyalty is increasing. The needed Control is decreasing.>
<Relick’s Trust has been bolstered. The needed Control is decreasing.>
The Control needed to maintain Relick was rapidly decreasing. In the end, it reached 1.
“Hmm. All right. I’ll head back.”
Woojin looked through the nervous faces from the Ratick tribe then he turned his back to them.
[To repay the king’s generosity, I pledge my loyalty and sword....]
Relick turned back into black smoke as he disappeared, and Woojin took about 10 steps away. None of the Warrior from the Ratick race moved.
Raksha’s eyes were overflowing with tears, and she looked at the trace left behind by Relick.
However, Woojin suddenly came to a stop.
“Wait a moment.”
He turned back, and his gaze came to rest on the top of the tower.
‘That looks familiar.’
With the help of his eyesight, he was able to see a cloth hung atop the tower.
<Broken Protection of Thrash>
Woojin’s eyes narrowed.
It seemed he wouldn’t be able to just head back.