Chapter 476
If I didn't want to end up like Doom Kaos, consumed only by greed, I needed to take time not only to hone the body but also the mind frequently during the battle. I shouldn't have forgotten why I was here and why I needed greater power.
Washing off the bloody stench was required as if it were a part of a ritual. However, the oasis that was discovered this time was contaminated again. Not only this, but the orcs' territory had been blood-soaked even before we entered.
Their conquest wars were fierce, so their regions could at first be split into two different types. The areas that had consistently won in past wars were absorbing slaves and preparing for the next battle. On the other hand, the territories of the tribes that had been defeated were filled with bodies that had become prey for the roaming wild.
Nonetheless, that changed at one point. The orc tribes of the desert began to migrate to the cold lands in the north, abandoning their ancient homeland. It was because the entire species of orcs had figured out that I had entered the land.
The reason the orc's network was much superior to Greenwood species was due to the shamans. I accepted the allegiance of one of them.
His name was Yapoon. He was an old orc who swore loyalty to me as soon as he saw his group, who had followed the king of the sorcerers Toon, being slaughtered without doing much. He was desperately trying to prove his worth.
I pointed to the oasis with just a glance. It was Yappon's duty to purify the polluted water.
[The slave Yapoon has cast the skill 'Summon a Water Spirit.']
The way shamans manipulated Mana was slightly different from that of wizards or mages, so it took time to get used to. However, it seemed that Yapoon was almost done. I was finally able to pinpoint the flow of his Mana. The blueprint appeared.
[Blueprint 'Summon a Water Spirit (F)' has been added.]
[* Spiritual ability is needed. You can substitute it with psychic ability.]
The blueprint that the shamans possessed was another reason why I accepted the allegiance of the old orc.
The orc looked at me with a calm gaze and turned his head. The water spirit that popped up there was as small as the bastard Lunea. It seemed unaware of what had summoned it at first, but it soon realized and tried to flee.
However, a chilling energy emerged from the old orc's necklace immediately and connected directly to the orc's fist. When he unfolded his fist, what remained on his hand could be called the corpse of the spirit or a seed. That would purify the oasis.
The old orc tasted the water first and then offered clean water. Anyway, this guy was different from the guy from the Elf species, Aslan. Aslan gave in to my order and threw away all of his past to join me, but this one was not much different from other Awakened.
He succumbed to power and adapted to fear. This belief was in the thirst for bigger power.
I was aware that such opportunists were everywhere. He used to be hailed as a spiritual guide by the tribe members, but then he betrayed them. He abandoned his god. The reason he didn't bat an eye while watching his kin die day by day was not because he yearned for revenge.
I observed him while putting my body into the oasis. True to his reputation as a loyal henchman, he was ready to embark on his next mission. He was prepared and eager to find a tribe fortified with not the feeble but the mighty and find a proper hunting ground.
Srrr-
His spiritual body escaped from his physical form and vanished at high speed.
[The blueprint 'Astral Projection(A)' has been added.]
[* Spiritual ability is needed. You can substitute it with psychic ability.]
The astral bodies indeed had the nature of transcending space, but the process had become swifter than before. Ever since he started following me, he had certainly shown remarkable growth.
After washing up, I sat next to the old orc's body. The shade alone wasn't enough to cool down in the hot temperature, but the cold aura spreading around was quite helpful. As I moved closer to the center, I started to feel comfortable. The source of this eerie coldness was from a bone necklace hanging around his neck.
[High-ranking Shaman Yapoon's Transmission Necklace (Item)
It is made from the finger bones of the High-ranking Shamans of the Sand Wind Tribe. It is filled with the wailing of countless spirits. It is a growth-type item.
Item Class: SS
Item Level: 575
Effect: It increases the class of skills such as 'Astral Projection,' 'Curse of Soul,' 'Curse of Blood,' and spiritual summoning and totem summoning skills by one class. It increases the traits 'Entering the Spirit World,' 'Door to the Spirit World,' 'Cooperation with Nature,' and 'Eyes of the Spirit World' by one class. It activates a one-time skill 'Release of Spirits.' Spiritual Resistance + 23%, Mental Resistance + 23%
Eligibility: Only high-class spiritualists and challengers Awakened with mental ability or above can use this.]
The spirits that Doom Arukuda failed to devour or avoided were collected there. Yes, this item was the second reason why I accepted the old orc's conversion. He might have thought of the item as his own, but it had been mine from the very beginning. If he was wise, then he would willingly offer it, but oh, well...
I wasn't sure if such an opportunity would come to him...
***
Having refreshed my body, I was not going to waste the precious downtime that I had finally gotten. I started by taking out one combat ration from the storage.
[* Corps One Commander Kwon Seong-Il]
[Two hours ago: Defeated 'Holy Knight of Moonlight,' completing the quest 'Defeat Holy Knights.'
- Gained 41.2 million XP.
- System Administrator (Odin) received 37.08 million XP in distribution.
- Kwon Seong-Il received 4.12 million XP in distribution.]
Civilians could find joy in watching media offerings while eating, but this was my only pleasure in life. The past records and real-time messages were mere texts without graphics, but sometimes they became novels, games, and movies with a little imagination.
The same went for the record of Seong-Il defeating the Holy Knight. Combining the fact that there were no other records before and after this one and that the records showing that an explosive battle was taking place in Seong-Il's region, Seong-Il must have singled out what seemed to be the commander of the opponent and charged at them.
Seong-Il, with his bulky build, surged forward while the Holy Knight from the opposite side sprinted at him as well. Their fight would have been so intense that no one could approach. By the time Seong-Il's victory marked the end of the duel, the battle around them must have also ended due to the overwhelming firepower of the Awakened.
It was an era when the Awakened were stretching out in all directions after the conquest of what remained of the Kingdom of Atreus in the central part. Seong-Il's record was just the tip of the iceberg.
Look. The world stock market never stopped in the macro view. When the market was closed here, the other side was open. Then, as the results from here and there were continuously interconnected, showing a large stream of flow. The same was happening now.
Even at this moment when Seong-Il just finished the battle and I had some downtime, the war was still ongoing, and the powers plundered from there were flowing into me.
As soon as I turned on the real-time notifications, all sorts of messages began to rise before my eyes. I found an interesting message.
[Murai Eita, a regular soldier, has defeated a royal guard knight of the Diarmang Kingdom.]
[Murai Eita has gained 213,200 XP.]
[System Administrator(Odin) received 191,880 XP in distribution.]
[Murai Eita received 21,320 XP in distribution.]
[Murai Eita's level has changed.]
[LV. 62 → LV.100]
His name was quite impressive, but I had never encountered him directly. However, there was a reason why I could immediately recall this guy's name without using my memory castle. He was the weakest among the registered Awakened in the association. He was 182,329th out of 182,329.
Thus, I knew him pretty well. It could be considered an ability that he was able to return alive from the Stage of Advent with such a state.
The subject he fought for survival was not the Seven Demon King Corps but himself. If he was young and handsome, then he would have received nice care and treatment. Therefore, he might have been more engrossed in evil, burning his body.
The fun part was slowly approaching.
[Level: 652 (98.32%)]
Another ant has found a large supply of food somewhere. Hera! A woman's name quickly flashed through my mind.
[The Corps Two commander Deobrah Belluci (Hera) has defeated the owner of the magic tower.]
[Deborha Belluci has gained 32 million XP.]
[System Administrator (Odin) received 28.8 million XP in distribution.]
[Deborah Belluci received 3.2 million XP in distribution.]
It's coming.
[You have leveled up.]
[Level: 653 (0.00%)]
Thud!
My inner world had once again expanded.
***
The old orc had scouted the next hunting ground. My rest time was short, but it was time to get up while looking forward to my next down time. However, one of the notifications I had set as a system administrator intruded my vision.
[The Owner of the Throne, Jonathan Hunter, has defeated Red Heart's Path, Orc Warrior.]
It was Jonathan.
[Jonathan Hunter has defeated Red Heart's Path, Orc Warrior.]
...
[Jonathan Hunter has defeated Red Heart's Path, Orc Warrior.]
The same messages started to rapidly pop up. The only time the orc species had participated in an invasion of the mainland was through the cult's expedition. Since then, it had been composed only of Elf species.
However, the nature of the invasion had changed now. Instead of a cult expedition, it was on the scale of a tribe.
Why? Is this related to the invasion of the orc continent?
However, it was not just the nature of the invasion that changed. The number of kills by Jonathan was exceeding three digits. It deviated from the scale of the attack so far. I couldn't know right now why and how such invasions were happening.
Nonetheless, I was certain about one thing. They had underestimated Jonathan and even me, who had reached the realm of the System Administrator. Therefore, I had to show them.
[You have reset the transfer rate of the purification device 'System Server.']
What a System Administrator was like!
[You have awarded a challenger box (insignia) to Jonathan Hunter.]
...
[You have awarded a challenger box (skill) to Jonathan Hunter.]
...
[You have awarded a challenger box (item) to Jonathan Hunter.]
...