Chapter 156 - Confidence
Yamti involuntarily opened his mouth.
The declaration that he would kill an angel was shocking.
He had never imagined it.
"Why, why would you kill an angel?"
"Why? Don't you want to kill it?"
"No, I know angels are bad, but..."
"What benefit is there in killing them?"
"Yes."
Ryu Min smiled ironically.
"Yes, there is something like that."
If it was a benefit, he had already obtained it in the first round.
He killed an angel for the first time and received a title and a rune.
The reason he could have originally become a death god was also because he killed an angel.
After that, not killing an angel was not due to fear of death but simply because there were no benefits.
"As far as common angels go, of course."
Now, even if you kill a common angel, you don't receive any reward.
But the situation was different with combat angels.
Ryu Min wanted to summon one of those combat angels.
"Just stay by my side and act when I tell you to. Understand?"
"Yes, leader."
"Hurry. Before Min Juri's buff ends."
The reason for catching them before the buff ends was that, by killing a combat angel for the first time, there was a reward proportional to the statistics.
The reason Ryu Min rushed ahead, and Yamti followed obediently, was evident.
They soon arrived at the largest place in the temple of Rubuahi in the Holy Empire.
It was said to be the place where they worshiped the god Rubuahi, but Ryu Min didn't care about that setup.
Regardless of whether it was real or fake, Ryu Min's only concern was summoning an angel.
Before opening the temple door, the holy knights waiting in front of the door blocked their way.
"These are people I've never seen before. Why have you come?"
If they said, "We came to do a secondary mission," the NPCs would just raise their eyebrows.
To them, players were warriors from another world, and terms like system or missions were unknown concepts.
"We have come in search of spiritual peace."
"Is that so?"
The knight stepped aside with his lance and let them pass.
It was a sign to enter.
"May you find peace in the temple of Rubuahi."
"Thank you."
The knight looked straight at Ryu Min and Yamti, who were about to enter.
Before entering the chapel, a priest approached the two.
"Welcome, brothers. Is it your first time here?"
"Yes."
"Then, you must register at the temple."
"No, we are just making a brief stop."
"In that case, why not attend the mass at least...?"
"It's okay. Besides, I want to make a donation."
"A donation?"
Ryu Min looked at the nun and suddenly activated the trade function.
Then, the trade window appeared.
[Item to trade: None]
[Gold to trade: 1,000,000 G]
☞ Perform trade ☜
[Trader: Black Scythe]
[Item to trade: None]
[Gold to trade: 0 G]
☞ Perform trade ☜
[Place items and press the 'Perform trade' button afterward.]
[Both parties must agree for the trade to be completed.]
"It may normally only work with players..."
This way, he could also use the trade function with NPCs.
At first, Ryu Min also thought it might not work with NPCs, but after trying, he realized it did.
Ryu Min stared at the gold as he imagined a million in his mind.
And suddenly, a million gold automatically registered, and he quickly pressed the trade button, as if it were no big deal.
"The transaction is complete."
"I have donated 1,000,000 gold to Priest Balus."
Looking at the status, he saw that his available gold had decreased from 1.7 million to 700,000.
He had transferred a million gold.
The priest's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected sum.
"A-are you donating such a large amount?"
"Yes."
Although the priest was surprised, it was only for a moment. Although he acted as if it were nothing, a smile could be seen at the corner of his lips.
Just from the greedy look, it could be understood how much he thought of worldly matters.
However, Ryu Min didn't take it lightly.
He wanted to maintain his dignity and say things he didn't feel in his heart.
"A million gold... I can't accept such a large donation."
"I've already given it, there's no turning back."
Ryu Min suppressed a laugh and showed a philanthropic smile.
"If you want to make a donation to the great god Rubuahi, this is necessary. And for me, it's not that much money. You don't have to worry about it."
"It seems you are quite wealthy. Haha."
The priest, who had decided not to return the money, laughed for a while.
Of course, Ryu Min had a reason for handing over that sum.
"At this moment, the easiest secondary secondary mission is [Donate]."
And as expected, the message he was waiting for appeared.
<Secondary Mission - Mass Donation>
└ Condition ▶ Donate more than 1,000,000 gold to the temple.
[You have completed the secondary mission!]
[Human reputation towards Black Scythe has increased from 'neutral' to 'friendly.']
In the fantasy world, there are countless secondary missions.
In the Holy Empire alone, there are at least 30.
"Having used the ability to return multiple times, I researched and conquered each secondary mission."
As a result, he was able to establish the fastest and most efficient route to conquer the best mission.
"If you have enough money, the mission that completes in a second is the donation."
However, at this moment, a donation of a million gold was not something anyone could afford, so for other players, this mission was impossible.
The sudden increase in reputation was also due to this.
"I appreciate your generous donation. May the grace of Rubuahi always be with you. Hahaha."
"Thank you. But I don't like empty words. Don't just say that, I would prefer to directly receive God's grace."
"Directly?"
Ryu Min spoke with a subtle voice.
"Confidence."
"...."
"I heard that in the Temple of Rubuahi, you can directly communicate with God through confidence. It would be an honor to receive God's direct grace, don't you think?"
Everyone knew that in the temple, one could receive God's confidence.
But no one asked for it.
Because only the Holy Emperor, the highest-ranking leader of the Holy Empire, is qualified to receive the oracle.
Perhaps that's why the bride's face showed an uncomfortable smile.
"You may not know since it's your first time here, but only His Majesty the Holy Emperor can receive the oracle. Believers lacking faith cannot receive it."
"Have you donated 1 million gold?"
"Even if you did, there are things that simply aren't possible. We cannot allow an unknown outsider to seek contact with the gods. It would be grounds for anger if the superiors heard about it."
"Then, return the gold I gave you."
Without showing signs of remorse, Ryu Min shamelessly extended his hand.
But challenging the priest wasn't as easy as it seemed.
"The rule is that donations received are not returned."
"I'm asking for an exception."
"If you have complaints, take them to the temple knight outside. He'll kindly guide you to the prison."
Faced with the threat not to insist further, Ryu Min gave up.
"There's no other choice."
Verbal persuasion wasn't going to get him any further.
"Yamti, take control."
---------------------
Ryu Min, controlling the priest, was able to enter easily.
Of course, he also retrieved the million gold.
Click-
By pressing a hidden button on the shelf, a secret door opened.
"Be careful following me from here, as darkness prevails."
Although he was only ordered to guide him to the altar, the priest was surprisingly kind.
"It's here."
The place they reached after passing through the secret underground passage was a dark and spacious common hall.
In line with the place of worship, there was a mysterious atmosphere with dim light.
Well, if there were no light, it might have been considered the place where a black sorcerer offers sacrifices.
"Wait here for a moment. I will bring His Majesty."
"Bring him quickly. If you tell him that the representative of Cronos asked him to come alone, it should be enough."
Despite Ryu Min's orders, the priest ignored his command.
She only obeyed her sole owner, Yamti.
"Do as he says. Quickly!"
"Understood."
After Yamti spoke, the priest finally left the hall.
"Yamti."
"Yes, my lord."
"Put on your equipment properly. There might be dangerous situations, so make sure you have it on."
"Oh, are you worried about me? You really are so... caring."
"Not for you, but because you might lose the charm of charming runes."
"Hmph."
Ignoring Yamti's quacking like a duck, Ryu Min put on the equipment.
A legendary weapon, God-rank armor, and a God-rank helmet.
He equipped items that maximized his statistics.
That was necessary to maximize the rewards when capturing the battle angel.
At that moment.
Steps echoed in the darkness.
With the sound of footsteps and the perception of aura, it could be told that two people were coming.
One of them was the priest who had led Ryu Min before, and the other was the emperor, who could be considered the leader of the Holy Empire.
"Is the representative of the Gods really waiting here?"
"Yes, she's there."
When the priest pointed to Ryu Min, SeongHwang looked at him with old tiger eyes.
"Is he really the representative of Cronos? Are you joking with me? I don't even feel a trace of divinity in him."
"Oh, really don't feel it now?"
Ryu Min smiled ironically and revealed the title he had been hiding.
The [Last Time Reverser], a title that could be considered hostile to human reputation.
The moment he revealed that title, SeongHwang's eyes widened.
"What about now? Do you feel it now?"
"Yes, Naynoooooom! How dare you come in here and pretend to be the representative of the gods, having killed the archbishop?"
The majesty that suddenly emanated throughout his body radiated sanctity.
A common person would have been oppressed by that pressure, but Ryu Min simply laughed.
A strong NPC is still just an NPC; it doesn't compare to a combat angel.
"It seems that reputation really has a great effect. He dares to try to kill me as soon as he sees me."
Well, he killed the archbishop, so he's a public enemy for all human NPC.
"But..."
In an instant, he closed the distance and punched SeongHwang in the abdomen.
Ploc!
"Ugh!"
The sanctity that seemed about to explode instantly shrunk.
"It doesn't work on me."
Immediately, he grabbed the nape and slammed him to the ground.
A blunt impact transmitted to SeongHwang's head.
Maintaining pressure on the nape, sanctity didn't flow as if it were blocked by a water valve.
"With that level of skill, do you pretend to compete with someone at level 89?"
"Grrrr!"
Although SeongHwang is strong, he's still an NPC. In player terms, he would be around level 60. To Ryu Min, he can't inflict even the slightest damage.
"Yamti, also control this guy."
"Yes, my lord."
After controlling the bride, she now controlled SeongHwang.
After completing the control, Ryu Min withdrew the hand holding the nape.
"Just follow orders."
When SeongHwang looked at Yamti, she looked at Ryu Min.
"Lord, what are your orders?"
"Dismiss the priest and tell the Emperor that you want to receive the oracle."
"Understood."
Consecration. It means that God communicates with the world through humans. In other words, it's a communication gateway between God and humans. This is only possible for the prosperity of the Holy Empire.
"But in reality, instead of talking to God, I'm talking to an angel."
Ryu Min looked up and stared at SeongHwang.
The Holy Emperor radiated sanctity in front of the altar.
It's the procedure for summoning an angel.
"Soon, the angel will respond to the call."
The angel that will appear here will be a common angel, not a combat angel.
No need to worry unless you're a normal player, who might be scared due to the execution.
But Ryu Min has no reason to worry, as he has the title of Supreme Being, the bearer of victory, obtained in the Tower of Trial.
"Let's threaten a common angel and call a combat angel."
In front of Ryu Min, who was planning that, a light suddenly flashed.
Flap.
A presence that spread its wings and showed its beautiful figure, the angel, looked at the writhing SeongHwang.
[Why have you called me? Old human?]
"Oh, that's... it's not him who has matters to attend to."
Interrupting the conversation, the angel's gaze landed on Ryu Min.
[Who are you? Are you a player?]
"Do you see players with the eyes of an angel?"
The angel's delicate forehead wrinkled mercilessly.
[You're like an arrogant insect. I wish for your head to explode and you to die.]
In its eyes, it carried a killing intent that could kill at any moment.
Ryu Min smirked mockingly and uttered a word.
"Come on, try to kill me once. Dear angel."