Cave Fire (2)

"I would like to hear the others' opinions as well."

The Heretic Questioner turned to our companions.

"Will you surrender to me? Or will you follow the Death King and compete with me? Ahh. I don't mind either way."

"...isn't this an act of betrayal?"

The Black Dragon Master put her hand to her forehead. I wondered if she was having a headache. She looked at the psychopath that she'd known for a long time.

"We swore to not be hostile to each other. That night. When we cleared the 28th floor with the Death King. I thought that oath would have had more weight…."

"This time it's fine! Regardless of if I win or you win, this stage will be cleared. In other words, we win either way. The only difference is how we win!"

"Hah...."

"I will stand with the Death King."

The Sword Saint spoke.

"I came to the tower because I was tired of a life of chasing quick results. I don't want to go back to such a life after coming so far. Ten Thousand Temple Master. You politely requested we surrender to you, but I will politely refuse."

My companions began moving one by one. Thump, thump. The Heretic Questioner smiled as he saw the destination of their footsteps.

"Aha."

Five people were standing behind me.

"Indeed! I am hopelessly untrustable!"

No one was standing behind the Heretic Questioner.

Just yesterday, there were several people who agreed with the Heretic Questioner. The Count was one of them. However, after seeing the situation of our various races for a day, no one sided with the Heretic Questioner anymore.

"You're not untrustable."

The Crusader spoke.

"We all know that you are an amazing guild leader. But we also know that you would be the [worst parent]. Children take after their parents. Leaving our children with you… It would probably be better to leave them with Venomous Snake."

"Huh? Why are you picking on me when I haven't done anything?"

"It was a compliment. I said that you would be a better parent than Heretic Questioner."

"Oi oi… What kind of compliment is that? I'd rather you said I was a better leader than Hitler."

6 to 1.

Despite the overwhelming disadvantage, the Heretic Questioner remained smiling.

"What are you going to do now, Death King? The city I built is strong. The slaves have already forgotten the wildness of their past and obey the Snail Race's rule!"

The Heretic Questioner seemed confident.

"You probably got a glimpse of the secret assembly the goblins created. But even there, you wouldn't have found any voices condemning or slandering the snails! They would have just performed a few rituals. This proves just how much they have accepted the Snail Race's rule!"

'As expected.'

He knew about the goblins' secret meeting but he didn't do anything about it.

Like me, the Heretic Questioner could make himself invisible and move around. And he'd ruled over this place for 200 years. There was no way he didn't know about the secret assembly.

[It doesn't matter. They're not a big threat anyway.]

That is the judgment the Heretic Questioner would have reached, and also the reason why he left it alone.

"I'm sorry, but your people have already given up hope. They are just mourning and remembering the past. My work over 200 years is what made that possible. Death King! Do you have a way to pick up those who are on their knees?"

"..."

I quietly looked around the underworld city.

Dawn had already arrived.

A ray of sunlight flowed into the city from the large hole in the ceiling. Blinking their heavy eyelids, the goblins crawled out of their pits. The slaves were always the last to sleep, and the first to wake.

"I'm not going to pick them up."

I opened the [Civilization Store].

The items in the store appeared in front of me.

+

[Oracle Message] – 20 points

[Animal Possession] – 40 points

[Dream Appearance] – 100 points

[Prey Search] – 5 points

[Search for a Bronze Ranked Settlement] – 80 points

[Clan Rank General (Draw)] – 100 points

[Invention of Bronze Rank Technology (Draw)] – 1,000 points

ㆍ

ㆍ

ㆍ

+

I touched one of them with my hand.

"Instead, I'll give those kids a chance to stand up for themselves."

Soon after, the Tower's voice appeared in my head.

[Purchased 'Oracle Message'.]

[20 Race Points have been deducted!]

[You currently have 995 race points.]

It didn't stop there.

[Purchased 'Oracle Message'.]

[20 Race Points have been deducted!]

[You currently have 975 race points.]

I used up almost all of my points.

[Purchased 'Oracle Message'.]

[Purchased 'Oracle Message'.]

[Purchased 'Oracle Message'.]

I remember that time when I was standing on my own. 4000 days of regression. When I had to endure 4000 deaths on my own. It was none other than that voice that helped me.

The Tower's voice saying 'You have died'.

Every time I died, the Tower notified me of it. And every time I returned to the Tower, I knew.

That someone was watching over me. That someone remembered me.

When I was really struggling, that fact comforted me.

[Purchased 'Oracle Message'.]

And now it was my turn to comfort others.

[20 Race Points have been deducted!]

[You currently have 215 race points.]

I bought 40 Oracle Messages.

Nevertheless, the Heretic Questioner continued smiling. It was impossible to tell what other people had bought.

In the meantime, I picked 40 individuals to send my oracles to, including the goblin priest, the supervisors in charge of each pit, and the sword fighters resting in their quarters in the colosseum.

'…I wonder what I should say to them.'

I was worried.

'I don't want to tell them to rebel against the Snail Race. Rebellion or obedience is for the goblins to decide on their own. What I have to do isn't to present those kids with a choice. Instead, I should help them make their own choices.'

Only one sentence could be sent with an Oracle Message.

After thinking for a while, I finally thought of the words I wanted to send through the oracle.

[The White Lion is by your side.]

The older female that was rubbing water on a child's face, froze.

[The White Lion is by your side.]

The supervisor, who had just exited the pit and picked up a stone ax, was startled.

[The White Lion is by your side.]

The gladiator who was fiddling with his sword in his cramped quarters, jumped up.

The stone he had been using to sharpen his sword fell to the side.

[The White Lion is by your side.]

The person that you worshipped as God was powerless.

I didn't have the power to overturn the earth or shake the sky.

All I could do was send them a sentence.

[The White Lion is by your side.]

That was my first oracle.

-...

The old goblin priest, who had been laying on the floor tossed and turned. Using a piece of firewood as a cane, he hurriedly got to his feet. Crack. Unable to withstand his weight, the stick broke, but the priest had already risen to his feet.

-Gorr…

Struggling, the old man walked through the maze-like underground cave. The more he walked, the faster he got. From the bottom of the mine to the top, the old goblin crawled up using not only his feet, but also his hands.

-The White Lion has spoken to us…

The priest grabbed a hold of a rock and pulled himself out of the cave. Red aura erupted from his old body. The aura which resembled flames echoed in the cave together with his voice.

-The White Lion has spoken to us!

An echo rebounded.

-The White Lion has spoken to us!

The goblin's underground cave had dozens of paths. Augmented by his aura, the priest's voice echoed along dozens of paths. Before long, the sound escaped from the cave and spread to the salt mines where the morning work had already begun.

-Spoken… To us...

-The White Lion has spoken to us!

The echo finally reached the entrance of the mines. The goblins, who were drinking water before they started working, pricked their ears

-The White Lion… to us...

Then the old man collapsed in exhaustion.

He'd poured out the last of his aura and risked his life to deliver the message.

-Spoken...

The old priest lay on the ground without the strength to stand up again. His screams had not yet subsided. Hearing his voice return as an echo, the old priest closed his eyes.

-Ker.

-Kekerkerk…?

A buzz rose among the goblins. They all poked their heads from their pits and looked towards the entrance of the mine. Echoes continued to flow from the dark entrance.

-Kerk.

A supervisor put down her child and stood up.

She was one of the 40 who had received the oracle.

-The White Lion has spoken to us!

Before the last of the old goblin's echoes subsided, she also started shouting. She wasn't the only one. Dozens of goblins who had received the oracle raised their heads one after the other.

-The White Lion has finally returned!

-I heard it! Kerk, I heard it too!

-He said that he is with us!

That was all. The children who had received my oracle began to shout urgently as they let the others know about it. That alone was enough to shock the snail overseers.

-What's going on? Rime. All of a sudden, they are…

-Quiet! Everyone be quiet!

-Control the loud mouthed molds with your whips!

The snails crawled out of the watchtower and began swinging their tentacles. Smack! When they heard the sound of the whips, several goblins flinched. Nevertheless, the goblins didn't stop shouting, and the snails began whipping the instigators without hesitation.

"..."

The Heretic Questioner stroked his chin.

"I see. Did you use an Oracle Message to trigger them? Simple and effective. However, Death King, your points are limited. You can't possibly send an oracle to a thousand people let alone ten thousand! This level of turmoil is not difficult for the snails to—."

I didn't wait to hear what the Heretic Questioner had to say.

I immediately purchased the next item.

[Purchased 'Prey Search'.]

[5 points have been deducted!]

[You currently have 210 race points.]

It was an item I purchased once before.

I quickly used the item.

'Please search for the nearest Lion.'

A map appeared in my mind.

It was the colosseum. There, in a cage right beside the arena, as many as five lions were trapped together. I looked at one of the lions that was nibbling on some kind of bone.

'Okay.'

I bought the third and final item from the store.

'I'd like to buy Animal Possession.'

The Tower responded.

[Purchased 'Animal Possession'.]

[40 points have been deducted!]

[You currently have 170 race points.]

Before the Heretic Questioner could even finish speaking, I was already possessing a lion in the colosseum. Fwoosh! My perspective twisted. My mind went dark like a room that had lost its light.

In the next instant, I found myself in the body of the lion.

"Krr…"

Unlike the last time, this lion didn't have white fur. Its mane was also plain brown.

But that didn't matter

"Krrng. Gor."

Regardless of its color, a lion's voice was a lion's voice.

I raised the aura of this body. A bloody red aura flowed out as my heart shook. Babump. I focused on the beating of my heart before letting out a roar.

"Krrrrk!"

The other beasts in the cages were startled.

"Krrrr!"

My roars slid through the bars of the cage and reached the square where the colosseum was located, the street where snails walked back and forth, and even the ceiling of the cavern. It also spread to the pits that had been dug by the goblins.

'I am here.'

Even if they didn't see me with their eyes, they would know it was the voice of a lion.

The goblins must have heard my cry.

They were listening to my voice.

"Krrr..."

I took a deep breath.

"Guru-!"

I let out a lion's roar.

And with it, I said the name of the place that could be called the homeland of the goblins. The name I had given them. The first word that I'd given to them, and the name that had become their faith.

"Guru!"

It didn't take long for me to receive an answer.

-Guru...

Shouts came from the other end of the large cavern. The shout was infinitely weaker than my own voice which contained aura. But my ears would never miss the sound of the goblins' shouts.

"Guru!"

And.

They didn't miss it either.

[A rebellion has erupted in Rimepolis!]

[The Goblins have risen up against the Snails!]