Chapter 180: Chapter 56. The Holy Woman (2)
In my previous life, there were many human awakened heroes called ‘Holy Women’. They manifested in unspecified conditions. Sometimes, they awakened once again even though they were awakened already. In short, I had no idea when or where the Holy Woman would appear.
All these Holy Women were very strong. They used divine power to drive out demons and monsters. Thus, many humans followed them.
Of course, some might ask: If the Holy Women could use divine power, weren’t they related to angels or from the Celestial World?
Actually, the angels who descended to Earth made some sort of alliances with the Holy Women. Honestly, it was reasonable to think so. However, based on some demons’ assumptions, they were different.
Demons figured out that the gods these Holy Women believed in were different. The Holy Women were based on Earth while angels came from the Celestial World, located in a completely different dimension.
However, no one had figured out which “god” was involved with the Holy Women. Humans and demons just assumed that some great being existed since the beginning of Earth used their power to make the Holy Women.
‘But now I know something that the other demons aren’t aware of,’ I thought.
It was already late. I sat on the tallest building in Seoul and looked down at leisure. I supposed the Holy Woman would be born somewhere in a place where most humans gathered.
I touched my chin and continued my musings. ‘The gods of Earth are sealed in the dungeons. Perhaps the destruction of the dungeon and the appearance of the Holy Woman may be related…’
The Holy Woman was the lady summoned by a god. If Holy Women were not related to the beings from the Celestial World, it could mean that they were related to the gods of Earth. Then again, all the gods of Earth were confined in the dungeons.
Certainly, even in my previous life, the Holy Women appeared after the dungeons were destroyed. At present, the dungeons were destroyed earlier because of me. That might be why the Holy Woman would appear soon.
Certainly, the coming days would reveal more specific clues. Perhaps it would explain why there was a time gap between the destruction of dungeons and the appearance of the new Holy Woman.
The Holy Women always appeared with a sign. It was either a “weapon” or a “divine beast”.
“Martin is planning to use the Holy Woman for something…”
At first, I thought he was carrying out Pandemonium’s orders. But based on what he had been doing, it seemed like he was working independently. I found out he was looking for the Holy Woman, but I still had no idea what he wanted to do with her. Was he planning to make her his doll?
“F-forest! A forest appeared in the north!”
“What are you talking about? A forest?”
“Yes! It used to be an empty plain. But all of a sudden, a forest appeared!”
There was an uproar among humans. People who had been scouting outside came back and made a fuss. I focused my attention on the north. Soon, I was able to see a huge forest.
“What?” I wondered.
The Trees of Life and Death were still growing. There was no way that they had caused this. Since I had not commanded anyone to create one, something or someone else had made it.
“What should we do? Should we report?”
“If it was true, I think we should scout…”
“Watch out. There are bees everywhere. I saw the King Bees, too. Their levels are not high, but there were a lot of them.”
I frowned as I listen to people’s conversation. If there were bees in the forest, I could easily guess who the culprit was.
“Lyhee.”
Lyhee was obsessed with gardens and bees. I was 99.9% sure that Lyhee did this. The question was how she managed to make a forest outside the dungeon.
“Is being able to set a terrain outside a part of her upgrade?”
I was not sure. I did not plant the Tree of World or something, but a vast forest was created. I guessed she had utilized something similar.
“Wait… I can use this as a sign.”
An idea suddenly popped into my head. Lyhee enjoyed doing random things like this. It could be bad, depending on how I chose to use it, or it could be beneficial. It was just a forest, but I decided to use it as a sign for the Holy Woman.
It would be an unexpected event for Martin as it was to me. He wouldn’t be able to foresee Lyhee’s unplanned actions.
What if an enticing weapon appeared in this newly created forest?
Perhaps Martin would be able to sense that a unique weapon had turned up in the forest. Since he could only see a definite future, he would not able to anticipate what exactly that was or what had caused it. Martin would immediately dispatch some monsters to scout the forest. In doing so, I might be able to discover his location.
“I will kill you, Martin…” I smiled with satisfaction.
***
The awakened heroes started exploring the forest in teams of 12. A total of five groups were deployed, and their task was to identify the cause and the hazards involved with the forest.
“It’s spooky here,” Edward muttered.
It was dark inside the forest although it was in broad daylight.
“Damn it. How the hell this huge forest appeared all of a sudden?” Kim Yongwoo spat out, exhausted and annoyed.
The world was an unpredictable place. As Kim Yongwoo had been through so many things beyond his imagination, he just became weary of everything. He tried to adapt, but the more he experienced the world, the more it became hell-like for him. He really wished he could take some time to rest.
“That’s why we are exploring here, Guild Master. Try to appreciate the surroundings… Just imagine that we’re about to have a picnic,” Lee Jihye said, pouting her lips.
She knew how stressed and exhausted Kim Yongwoo was, but she tried to encourage him to stay optimistic. After all, he was their leader, their guild master.
“Move along and leave me alone. I am sick of fighting.”
“Whoa!” Lee Jihye replied. She seemed offended by Kim Yongwoo’s response. “Don’t behave like that. You are our leader. How can we be optimistic if our leader is not?”
“Whatever. You guys all do well without me anyway,” Kim Yongwoo bitterly muttered. And it was true.
The Guild of Heaven’s Will always had more work than any other guilds. Thanks to that, the guild members were able to improve strength in body and mind. They were strong enough to settle affairs.
Usually, the guild masters were the center of the guilds, but the members of the Guild of Heaven’s Will did well in their works without the guild master. Thus, as the guild master, Kim Yongwoo was not sure if he should be accepting or appreciative of this fact or not.
“Hey, Guild Master! Are you sulking?” Lee Jihye teased.
“What? We didn’t come here for camping or a picnic. Just do what you have to do. Check things around.”
But he never forgot his role as the guild master. As Kim Yongwoo rebuked Lee Jihye, she grinned and nodded.
“You two look good together.”
“Right?”
Edward observed, and Yoo Eunhye agreed.
“What is wrong with you? Don’t say such terrible things.”
“Hey, Eunhye! Don’t babble on without thinking.”
Kim Yongwoo and Lee Jihye accidentally met each other’s glance and felt awkward. They glared at Edward and Yoo Eunhye.
Yoo Eunhye giggled and muttered, “Really go well together.”
They ignored her mumbling and focused back on exploring. It had already been more than an hour, but they didn’t find anything. At best, they spotted a group of King Bees and a swarm of honeybees.
The tension had eased up a bit. There were no apparent threats. Humans were somewhat a threat to the ecosystem of this forest. They pressed on to the heart of the forest for about 30 more minutes.
“Stop.” Yoo Eunhye ordered the party. She looked around nervously.
“What’s wrong?” Kim Yongwoo asked quietly.
“Something is ahead of us. It feels very dangerous.”
“It hasn’t spotted us yet. We have to attack first,” Edward suggested.
Swing!
He pulled out his sword, and it beamed in his eyes. He could sense danger, and he was ready to fight. After he had visited the Advanced Training Room, he had become more like a warrior.
“Edward and I will take a look first. The rest of you, please wait here. Don’t forget to inform the other teams on the radio,” Yoo Eunhye said, lowering her body.
One of their tasks was to check how dangerous the forest was, so she had to find out what was emitting this unusual feeling.
“Okay.” Kim Yongwoo bit his lips.
Other awakened heroes were strong, but Yoo Eunhye and Edward were matchless. Supporting them was the right thing to do than keeping them from doing their work.
Soon, Yoo Eunhye and Edward disappeared. They move swiftly, so it looked like they suddenly vanished to other people’s eyes.
“What the hell…” Kim Yongwoo took out the radio, sighing. He had to warn the people to avoid exploring this area.
***
Three minutes had passed. It was not a long time.
Boom!
Kim Yongwoo and his group heard explosions.
Crack!
The ground shook, and the trees trembled.
“What’s happening?”
He was sure that they did not start attacking. Their job was just to check. It was likely that something, or someone, had started this.
“Prepare to fight. We will join Yoo Eunhye and Edward.”
Ten remaining members, including Kim Yongwoo, were filled with tension.
The waves of mana vibrated with loud noises. Any awakened heroes would understand what it meant. The enemy in front of them was strong, but they could not abandon Yoo Eunhye and Edward. The 10 awakened heroes quickly moved. However, even before they made a few steps, they had to stop.
“Watch out!”
Swish!
Boom!
A spear of light passed Kim Yongwoo’s cheek. It exploded as soon as it hit the ground, spreading bright light everywhere. Kim Yongwoo closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw Yoo Eunhye and Edward running away. Many angels were chasing them.
One of the angels gave off an especially unusual feeling. It was a baby angel with four wings bigger than its body. It was staring at the people and was held carefully by another angel.
“Angels? Why are the angels—”
“Don’t just stand there!”
Yoo Eunhye ran past Kim Yongwoo while he was mumbling.
“Guild Master!” Lee Jihye also shouted.
“O-okay. I got it!” Kim Yongwoo began to run.
“Retreat! Run at full speed!”
Pant! Pant! Pant!
One member was coughing while trying to run. “I am going to die!”
The people gasped for breath as they escaped from the forest. The angels stopped chasing them when they left the forest. It looked like they could not get out of the forest.
“W-what the hell,” Kim Yongwoo panted, “just happened?” He wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was still gasping from all the running.
Yoo Eunhye caught her breath and answered, “I saw a sword stuck in a rock. It looked like the angels were protecting that sword.”
“What? There was a sword in a rock?”
“Yes. It seemed like the sword was sacred.”
Kim Yongwoo guessed the forest and angels had appeared because of the sword, but he decided to keep it to himself for now. It was something that everyone needed to talk about. Soon, the rumors about the sacred sword and the forest began to spread among humans.
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