âYes, itâs good to see you, too.â It was difficult to ignore Akashwi as he drew closer.
-Why did we have to run into each other here, of all places?-
I should have known something like this would have happened when I overheard the villagers talk about the Ravi Guild.
âWhat brings you all the way here to India?â
âI had some errands to run. I just finished and was on my way back,â I replied simply. I didnât want to get tied up with them, especially when they were in the middle of a conflict.
âI see.â Akashwi noticed the distance I was putting between us and made a slightly dejected expression.
At that moment, I heard someone walking towards us. It was Lagus Aman. In the past, he was the leader of the Liberation Army and was known as the Demon Lord. He was a powerful deva who would attempt to free controlled dungeons from the clutches of large guilds through battle, and he almost always came out the victor.
I was always happy to hear whenever Lagus would crush all those rich and powerful bastards under his foot. I always thought they had it coming when they laughed and ridiculed the weak for crawling in the dirt, struggling to find a reason to live.
âHello. Iâve heard quite a bit about you. Iâm Lagus Aman.â
âItâs a nice to meet you. Iâm Lee Jiwon. Iâve heard many things about you as well.â I shook his hand.
âItâs rare for us to meet like this. Could you spare a bit of your time for some tea?â
âUmmâŚâ It was hard to reject his humble offer. Hell, he was one of my biggest heroes in the past; I couldnât just pass up this opportunity.
âVery well.â I followed Lagus and Akashwi to a hastily-pitched tent. Inside the tent, I met the Ravi Guild master, Sandip, and Lagusâs younger sister, Sonura.
âAnd this isâŚâ
âI am Muskan Ip,â a woman introduced herself. She was of darker skin than the Amans and didnât seem to be a part of their family.
âYes⌠hello. My name is Lee Jiwon.â I found it strange that a woman who was not of the Aman family was here as well, but I brushed it off. It wasnât my business.
The six of us took our seats.
âThe news of your battle against the Blood Prince made quite the waves here in India.â
âThank you.â
âI didnât expect you to declare war against the San Tuan Guild, as well.â
âThings just happened like thatâŚâ We made some more small talk after that, and talked a little about what happened in the King-Emperorâs Tomb. I knew for a fact that things werenât looking well for the Ravi Guild, but purposely didnât bring it up.
About five minutes later, however, Lagus put on a serious expression and called out to me. âMr. Lee.â
âYes?â
âI donât know if you have heard, but the Ravi Guild is in dire straits. We are currently being pushed back heavily by the number one and two guilds of India. Itâs shameless of us to ask this of you, and Iâm terribly sorry about this. Itâs just that we have nowhere else to turnâŚwould you lend us your strength?â
ââŚâ I remained silent.
âThis war isnât over territory or resources. Itâs a struggle to break us free of an unjust custom of our lands. There isnât much time left until that struggle is over.â Lagus explained about why they were fighting, but his words fell on deaf ears. I already knew how the war ended. No, that wasnât right. I could guess what the outcome was based on the past and current situations.
If the Ravi Guild were to win the war, then Lagus would not have a reason to form the Liberation Army and travel around the world. In other words, Lagus and the Ravi Guild would have to lose the war.
-Why is it always the losing team that sticks it hands out to me?-
I was slightly annoyed at how the losers of the past all came to me for help. It happened in Egypt, and it was happening here.
-Then again, I guess itâs obvious they would. The victors wouldnât need help.-
âIf you help us, weâll properly compensate you for your efforts. I know itâs a difficult decision, but we wonât ever forget it if you do decide to help us,â Sandip added.
That seemed fair. It would be nice to have someone as powerful as Lagus Aman owe me a favor.
âPlease, help us. The Descendant of the God of Destruction is 92% complete. It wonât be long until it is ready,â the woman, Muskan, said after being silent the whole time.
âDescendant of what?â I asked Muskan. Whatever it was, it sounded formidableâŚ
âYes, itâs a random skill called the Descendant of the God of DestructionâŚâ
âThatâs enough.â Sandip stopped Muskan from speaking more. That just made me more curious.
âYou ask for my help, but youâre keeping secrets. That doesnât sit wellâŚâ
âThere are no secrets. Descendant of the God of Destruction: Reveal,â Muskan quickly said.
==[Descendant of the God of Destruction (1/1), (Passive) â Activating (92%)
Obtain the Power of Destruction.
Upon successfully activating Descendant of the God of Destruction:
First activation â Successful attacks have a 1% chance to activate Absolute Destruction. (Absolute Destruction: inflicts instant death upon enemies.)
:
:
Dying before the skillâs activation will delete the skill.]==
I was completely floored at the skillâs effects. I definitely knew more about this world than anyone else. Sure, I existed at the bottom of the food chain, but I heard plenty of rumors and learned about pretty much everything that went on in the rest of the world. There was no way I couldnât have known about such an overpowered skill such as this.
No one would have kept quiet about this random skill. Anyone would have gone around, bragging that they got a skill this overpowered. Whoever owned this skill would probably join in on whatever large conflict or battle that occurred and soon, everyone would know about the skill.
-But I donât remember there being this sort of random skill.-
I racked my brain, but found no memory of anything like that. Even if the devas in India kept to themselves, there was no way they could keep quiet about this skill. Soon, the pieces fell together.
-If it got out that a low-caste deva obtained such a powerful skill, they were probably shitting themselves scared and dealt with it before it became a problem.-
âPlease, help us. The end is close.â
I ignored Muskan and turned to Sandip. âI donât think I can help you,â I said as respectfully as possible. I still respected Lagus for what he did or would do, and I understood why they were fighting, but I put my foot down.
ââŚâ
ââŚâ
âWhy not?â Lagus and Sandip seemed to understand why I turned them down and didnât say anything, but Muskan didnât seem to get it.
At first, I was inclined to help Lagus, but when she showed me her skill, I changed my mind completely. That skill shouldnât exist, especially if it wasnât mine. I didnât see Muskan as my enemy, of course, but it would be stupid to let such a weapon like that exist when I didnât know when it could be fired at the back of my head.
If someone else held a weapon of such caliber, I was going to lose. It didnât matter if that person was an enemy or an ally; my own future was at stake!
I stared at the shocked Muskan. There were others who would deal with her soon, but if there werenât, I would have dealt with her myself. I would kill her, even if it meant making Lagus my enemy.
I stood up from my chair. There was nothing more to say. A good relationship with Lagus Aman? Hah! That all ended as soon as she revealed her fucking skill. âI am needed elsewhere, so Iâll be taking my leave now,â I said as bluntly as possible, so that no one would get any ideas. They must have gotten the clue, and didnât say anything.
As soon as I headed to the tent flap, a shocking message appeared before me.
==[You have been chosen to be a Comrade of the Slumbering Descendant of the God of Destruction (2/2).
Protect your comrade who has yet to be awoken. Up to two comrades can be recruited.
If the Descendant of the God of Destruction successfully awakes, you will receive a huge reward.
If the Descendant of the God of Destruction fails to awaken, you will receive a huge punishment.]==
I felt a rage bubble inside me as I read through the message. I had just clearly turned them down. I pulled my spear out of my inventory and turned around, my eyes full of disgust and anger. âWhat⌠is the meaning of this?â I asked, my voice cold with rage.
For a second, I noticed that the Amans were looking at me in confusion. They didnât know what had just transpired. However, Lagus quickly figured it out and turned to Muskan. âYou didnâtâŚ?â
âI did. I chose Mr. Lee as my second comrade, just as I made Lagus my first. Mr. Lee is powerful. If we have the aid of someone asâŚâ
âShut your fucking mouth!â I didnât want to hear what she had to say. I walked over to Muskan who jumped at my shouting, my right hand holding my spear menacingly. âUndo what you just did! Now!â
âYou must help us! At least help those trampled by the bastards of the upper caste. I can use the power of the God of Destruction to save my people! Please, lend me your strength!â Muskan begged me, but her words fell on deaf ears.
I didnât care if it would end world hunger; I wasnât going to help if it didnât profit me. I was not going to help someone who had the potential of screwing me over. I grabbed Muskan by her collar.
==[You have been chosen to be a Comrade of the Descendant of the God of Destruction.
Until the Descendant of the God of Destruction successfully awakens or fails to awaken, both the Descendant and the Comrades are unable to harm one another.]==
âHa⌠I canât undo it once I make you a comrade.â
I ground my teeth in anger at what Muskan said and at what the message just now entailed. I shifted my anger towards the Amans. Sure, I accepted their invitation; that was my own fault. But they should have told me about this first! Sandip even tried to silence Muskan about the skill. In other words, they were going to keep it hidden from me while they asked for my help. They should have stopped Muskan when I turned them down. It was because of them that I was in this shit!
==[Mana Conversion â Lightning Level 2 has been activated.
Increase ATT by 30%.
Successful attacks have a 20% chance of inflicting Shock.
Increase damage of all Lightning-based attacks by 5000-25000.
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This skill has no cooldown.]==
==[Warriorâs Brave Spirit Level 1 has been activated.]==
I didnât try to hide my anger and annoyance. I bared my teeth like an enraged beast. I didnât care if my opponent was the powerful and famous Lagus Aman!
The guards posted outside noticed my bloodlust and entered the tent, weapons drawn. The other twenty thousand guild members gathered around the tent, as well!