Cale touched the top of his clavicle. He could feel the texture of the soft silk.
'Fuck.'
He realized it after noticing the changes to the emblems on his clavicle as he washed off.
'It has to be a charging type.'
Maxillienne. He was certain that the power he got from that Dragon was one that required charging. Cale was extremely relieved after figuring that out.
It was because he understood, at least to a degree, about how his body works.
He was certain that should these eight black waterdrops all turn white, he would either cough up blood, faint, or have something extraordinary happen.
Of course, the Vitality of the Heart that was now within the Indestructible Shield would work hard and quickly help Cale recover, but…
'…It still won't be good.'
Raon might really destroy Central Plains' sculpture this time.
Cale knew to a degree now. He knew how his friends reacted whenever he coughed up blood or fainted. That was why he was planning on controlling himself as much as possible.
That had been the reason he had not used the Sky Eating Water at 300 percent.
'I'll be careful this time too.'
He didn't want to cough up blood and cause some annoying chain of events.
'It will be quite bad if I end up fainting.'
He could not stay long in the Central Plains when he needed to return to Roan as quickly as possible.
Against the Blood Cult this time, Cale was planning on staying to the rear, fighting only as necessary.
'Yes. This can be done easily.'
Find the information and people he needs to find.
Then destroy the core of the foundation.
Cale looked toward one part of the boat. The young Blood Demon candidate, Hoya, flinched after making eye contact. Cale didn't care as he walked over and plopped down next to him.
"It's quiet here. Isn't it?"
He looked around.
He could see the stars shining on the clear night sky above him.
Below him was the calm sea path.
'Yes, it is a sea path.'
The path that Cale's boat was on was the only calm part.
The rain and wind were still swirling viciously around them.
Splash, splash!
The height of the waves were quite high as well. However, the waves did not reach this calm area as if there were walls blocking it.
"What an amazing formation."
This was the first time Raon was amazed at a formation.
"A formation that can freely control this large of an area… I'm going to learn this power!"
"I'll pull apart the formation mechanical device later so take a look once we go back home."
"Thanks, human!"
Cale finished his short conversation with Raon and asked.
"You're certain that we can disembark without getting noticed?"
Hoya flinched at Cale's nonchalant voice but still answered. His voice sounded a bit less scared than earlier.
A small amount of peace had returned to his heart as Cale had not used the Dominating Aura for a while.
"Yes sir. It is possible. Of course, we will need to go through a bit of the rain and wind to do that."
In a little bit, just as they start to see the lights on the island…
Cale's group would immediately leave this safe path and go into the storm. They were planning on docking their boat in a stealthy place where the patrol and even the lights of the island could not reach.
"Right now is the best time for it, sir."
It was currently midnight.
"This is the time the priestess goes to pray, so nobody in the Blood Cult uses boats during this time to enter the island."
Someone suddenly interjected, as if adding to Hoya's comment.
"By the way, who is the priestess praying to?"
It was Choi Jung Soo. He seemed quite curious.
"Is she praying to the Blood Demon?"
Similar to how the Heavenly Demon was the revered of the Demon Cult…
He seemed curious to know if the Blood Cult was the same way.
Someone else answered instead.
"Kehehe. You must think the prayer is that kind of prayer."
It was Old man Baek.
He had followed Cale without any issues once he became conscious again.
In fact, he begged Cale to take him.
Furthermore, he also told Cale whether Hoya and Yoon were telling the truth. As a result, Hoya and Yoon had no choice but to be very specific with everything they said.
Hoya viciously glared at Old man Baek. Old man Baek didn't even glance at him.
"Then what kind of prayer is it?"
Old man Baek answered Cale's question.
"God. It is a prayer to a god."
"…But there isn't one?"
It was at that moment.
"No, there is one!"
It was Yoon.
She flinched at Cale's gaze and fixed what she said.
"There is one, sir. They said that there definitely is one."
On the other hand, Hoya smiled bitterly.
Old man Baek smirked in response.
"Hoya seems to know the truth. But it looks like Yoon does not know yet."
"…What do you mean?"
Yoon felt anxious after seeing Hoya's reaction and looked toward Old man Baek. Old man Baek smiled even bigger after seeing her gaze. He seemed to be sneering.
"The Blood Cult has served an existence called a god for generations. The priestess has led the cult to do so."
"What god?"
Choi Jung Soo, who had been listening with curiosity, asked and Old man Baek shook his shoulders as if his arms, which were tied behind his back, were a bit uncomfortable. Yoon answered.
"A god is a god. We don't put a 'what' to a unique existence."
A unique existence.
Was there such an existence among the gods?
Cale said the words that came to his mind as soon as he heard that.
"…The omnipotent god?"
Old man Baek smiled brightly.
"That's right. You really are smart. Do you want to be a god?"
Cale ignored him and asked.
"But there is no omnipotent god."
"There is not."
Yoon closed her mouth and looked around after hearing Old man Baek's answer. Her eyes were full of chaos. Nobody cared and Old man Baek continued to speak.
"But it can be created through worship. One of the best support for someone who wants to be a god is worship. That is why they are worshiping a god that doesn't even exist yet. That is the way for that god's power to get stronger."
He then nonchalantly commented toward Yoon.
"The god you serve is a human. He is not a god yet. Kehehe."
Yoon's pupils started shaking blankly. She looked at Hoya, who had his head down, and bit down on her lips.
"Young master Kim."
Old man Baek continued to speak.
"Most of the Hunters in the Blood Cult do not know that they are Hunters. They simply think that they are Blood Cultists. They live as Hunters without even knowing about it. They think that is the way of life for Blood Cultists."
He looked like a scholar but the way he smiled made him look extremely insidious.
"Anyway, the Blood Demon really wants for this priestess prayer time to be thoroughly kept and unhindered."
The goal of the Hunter household patriarchs was to create the Omnipotent god, so things that help that cause would be the most important.
"So you can disembark without worry."
Cale could see a light in the distance as soon as he heard that.
The three Blood Cultists had said the following.
'There is a formation all around Hainan island.'
'There are two regions, one belonging to the Blood Cult and the other not.'
Half of Hainan was the Blood Cult's headquarters.
However, the people living there and outsiders could not notice it.
The formation on the island showed them illusions, making them feel as if the half they lived on was the entirety of Hainan island.
'This is also thanks to the mechanical device created from the core given by the Dragon.'
That was why destroying that core would reveal the true environment of Hainan and calm the sea, making it easier to attack the Blood Cult from the outside.
Furthermore, Cale was currently heading toward the northern part of Hainan. It was a direct path to the Blood Cult's headquarters.
Cale was determining the timing as he watched the slowly approaching light when he started speaking.
"You said there are five young Blood Demon candidates?"
"Yes sir."
Cale organized his thoughts after hearing Hoya's answer.
'The Blood Demon. There's also the five young Blood Demon candidates.'
And…
'The new priestess's face has been covered by a cloth until now but will be revealed during this celebration.
Would young lady Orsena be the priestess?
Or maybe it was the abducted youngest young lady?'
As numerous thoughts and hypotheses flew around in Cale's mind…
"Now."
Cale raised his hand as Old man Baek said that. Chief Eunuch Wi nodded his head.
This boat had Cale's group, the Blood Cultists, and three others.
Chief Eunuch Wi. The Fist King.
And…
"You remember the route?"
"Yes, Senior."
"Get started."
"Yes sir."
The person steering the ship.
He was a middle-aged naval officer.
Furthermore, the boat that Cale was on right now was a navy boat, one that was used for stealthy operations.
The body of it was black and it was very sturdy despite being small.
"Everybody, please hold on tight."
The ship changed directions with the Captain's warning.
Sui Khan, who had gone out to the deck, and everybody else as well came inside.
Shaaaaaaaaaaa-
The rain knocked on the boat.
The splashing waves shook it.
– Human, I will cast the shield!
Raon's shield surrounded the boat.
Cale crossed his arms and observed the sea, which was covered by such strong rain and gusts that the lights from the island were faint and not very visible.
He could not tell which part was water and which part was the night sky.
In this darkness…
The boat turned off all lights as it efficiently and stealthily headed toward the island.
The path was rough but the experienced captain was able to thoroughly stay on course to their destination.
Of course, Raon did help him out with that.
'Mm.'
The boat was shaking too intensely.
It was so bad that Cale flinched.
– Cale.
The Sky Eating Water whispered at that moment.
– Should I calm the sea?
She sounded extremely excited.
Cale subconsciously touched the top of his clavicle. He could only feel the cloth.
'Fuck.'
He sternly shook his head.
– Tsk.
He heard her clicking her tongue in disappointment, but he ignored it.
Cale was still calm.
'It's enough.'
The boat should still be able to reach the island.
It was not very far.
In fact, the issue was that it was too close.
"I think we made it."
The captain finally commented and the boat slowly stopped.
Cale walked outside. He stood on the deck.
He saw the calm sea now that the rain and gusts had stopped. However, the lights from the island could not reach this area, making it so that he could only see a rough cliff.
Old man Baek was brought out with Ron holding him by the neck and his chin pointed to a direction.
"The cave over there."
He could see a small cave in between the rough cliffs.
"You can use that to go up. Nobody will see you."
He snickered.
"That's where we threw away the useless failures from our first jiangshi experiments. Nobody goes there."
Cale wanted to smack the smiling Old man Baek on the back of his head.
"Ugh!"
…Beacrox hit him. Beacrox just nodded his head after sensing Ron's gaze and then picked Old man Baek up in Ron's place.
The two young Blood Demon candidates then walked out with their hands bound. Next to Choi Han was Number 7, who had a completely pale but relaxed look on his face.
Number 7 was not resisting in any way despite not having his hands and feet bound.
He simply looked at Choi Han's hand every so often and flinched.
"Let's go."
The group got off at Cale's order.
The Fist King and the captain remained on the boat. They would wait for Cale's group to return.
"Chief Eunuch Wi-nim, you remember what needs to be done, right?"
"Yes, young master-nim."
Chief Eunuch Wi went a different way in the middle.
He had something he needed to do after finding the administrator who was stationed out in Hainan.
Rustle.
Cale walked down to the ground before entering the cave without any hesitation.
– I'll turn on a light!
He heard the invisible Raon's voice.
"No-"
Cale was about to tell him not to turn on a light but closed his mouth after seeing that it was already lit.
-....
Raon did not say anything either.
Everybody silently looked at the cave.
There were countless white skeletons inside the cave.
These were the lives that were all sacrificed during the initial jiangshi experiments.
This sight made Cale recall the alchemy lab in the Mogoru Empire's basement.
Cale raised his head.
There was a giant opening on top of the cave.
These corpses had simply fallen from up there.
There was only one thing Cale could say right now.
"Let's go up."
Raon used flight magic to lift everybody up. Cale could slowly start seeing outside the ceiling of the cave.
He could see lights in the distance.
At the center of those lights…
There were extremely beautiful and dazzling blue buildings that could not be found on his map of Hainan sparkling as if it was the middle of the day.
It felt as if a city underwater had returned to the surface.
– Human.
Raon quietly whispered.
His invisible front paw appeared and pointed somewhere.
– I can feel something over there. It is the aura of a Dragon.
A beautiful blue building that seemed to be higher than ten stories…
Raon was pointing at it.
Cale looked at Old man Baek.
"That's right. That is where the core is located. That is also where the priestess resides. We call that place the Stairway to Heaven.
Stairway to Heaven.
A place to head toward the blue sky.
Cale nonchalantly commented.
"This is good."
Both the core of the formation from the Dragons and the priestess would be there.
"Let's go."
Cale headed toward the little city sparkling in blue, the Blood Cult.
Hoya and Yoon made eye contact with each other at that moment.
The two of them soon stopped making eye contact, but their blue hair seemed to be sparkling more than earlier.
Choi Han was watching the two of them.
He recalled what Cale had said to him.
'No matter how scared they are, they are likely to forget about that fear when they return home to their territory.
Cale had given Choi Han an order.
'So, keep a close watch. Pay attention to the two of them.'
Choi Han looked up and slightly nodded his head.
– Human, human! Choi Han sent the signal!
Cale, who was standing in the front of the group, started smirking.
He thought about the items in his spatial pocket bag.
< Cape of the Sun (Rank: Divine) >
This was an item he received as a reward from Xiaolen.
It was an item used by the first person from Xiaolen who became a god. Cale had not used it until now because it could put him in an awkward situation.
However, he was planning on using it if he had no other option.
It was because Cale had an ancient power he could use without coughing up blood or having any other side effects.
– Are you talking about me? Hoo hoo.
The Dominating Aura.
He had not coughed up any blood no matter how much he had used this ancient power in the past. At least that had been his experience.
It was strengthened in this world, but based on his experiences until now, he could conclude that this power did not burden his body no matter how much he used it.
Cale thought about one of the Cape of the Sun's effects.
This was an amazing Divine Rank treasure. The explanation for the effects of this item had been all over the place. Furthermore, it was awkward to use.
< Your dignity is increased. >
Cale thought to himself while recalling one of the effects.
'If I use this with the Dominating Aura-
Wouldn't everybody cower?'
– Ah!
The Dominating Aura gasped with joy in an imposing voice.
Cale ignored it.
However, he had to consider a situation where he would need to use this cape.
– Tsk.
He ignored the Sky Eating Water's voice again.
He couldn't let himself faint.
That was the one thing he wanted to avoid.
Cale wanted to quickly go back home.
—
Translator's Comments
We all want you to quickly go back home Cale.