Dungeon Hunter - Chapter 181
Chapter 181: Chapter 56. The Holy Woman (3)
Duke Martin… He always had his eyes and ears open.
He would use spells designed to conceal oneself or insects to eavesdrop on what humans talked about.
“The power of the Holy Woman will make me perfect,” he thought.
He had foreseen this not long ago. It hadn’t been more than a month. He was sure that the Holy Woman would appear in this country called Korea.
The problem was that he was unable to find out the exact place or time.
In fact, he had no idea what this Holy Woman looked like. All that Martin’s prediction foretold was that she was in her 20s.
This was how extremely incomplete his skill was. He had the rare skill of seeing the future, but it came with limitations.
He had always been unsatisfied with that. He would need the lifeblood of a god if he wanted to perfect his predictions.
“The lifeblood of a god… It will be sufficiently possible for a Holy Woman who’s been blessed by a god.”
An infallible foresight…
His whole body flushed just by imagining it.
Martin was already a duke, but he was an ambitious person.
His skills were definitely lower compared to those of Pandemonium, but if he became stronger, he would be able to throw him aside without hesitation.
On the contrary, it wasn’t that he had never thought about becoming a duke.
He had started working on his own in order to make it happen as soon as he foresaw this. It wasn’t difficult for Martin to take leadership over the remaining monsters and control them.
Within a deep underground tunnel, Martin stared at a crystal ball and waved his wand.
“The forest sprang up, and the omen appeared.”
The omen that told of the emergence of the Holy Woman!
A forest that didn’t exist before had appeared, and, inside it, a holy sword was discovered.
This was something he had heard through the humans, but if the angels were also watching it, then it was clearly something close to an omen.
It meant that the emergence of the Holy Woman was drawing near.
She hadn’t been discovered yet, but it would soon be accomplished.
But then…
“I can’t shake this ominous feeling,” he thought.
Something was bothering him. It was frustrating that he didn’t know what it was.
“It hasn’t been finalized yet. If it’s something related to my death, there’s no way I wouldn’t be able to foresee it.”
He shook his head. However uncertain his ability was, his foresight could go a bit further if it was something related to himself. This meant that there was no possibility that he would die.
“It might be possible if it’s some kind of being that’s escaped the law of causality, as if such a being could exist on this earth.”
As soon as he shrugged off his anxiety, he let out a forced laugh.
The law of causality wasn’t the kind of thing one could overcome easily, and most of those who could overcome it were called gods.
“Find out the location of the sacred sword. I’ll go out myself.”
He gave the command to all of the monsters.
In any case, he was in the midst of abandoning them.
Martin resolved to take a more active attack.
The movement of the monsters became subtly different.
The monsters that were spread out here and there began moving towards the forest.
“They’re caught.”
I smiled slowly. Someone who could mobilize monsters on a large scale…
It was Martin.
He must have intended to surely secure the sacred sword, as sacred weapons represented the Holy Woman.
Naturally, the sacred sword would have the power to draw the Holy Woman in.
‘It wasn’t the true sacred sword, but, as bait, it was enough.’
It was a weapon I had purchased for 2,000 points at the Achievement Store, the “Lightning Sword (Epic).” For the epic level, there wasn’t an option that was just right, but it was the most suitable imitation of the sacred sword.
“I didn’t think he’d move right away. Does that mean the humans were also watching, then?”
Martin was cautious. He was wise to the fact that my eyes and ears were spread all around, but it was difficult for him to discover all of them. And, as I anticipated, the humans were also monitoring him.
Drawing the humans in and spreading rumors had been greatly effective. This was all according to plan.
Now, all that was left was…
“Preventing him from obtaining the sacred sword and finding the Holy Woman…”
Martin was guiding the monsters, but he wouldn’t come up to the surface. He would be moving behind them and then deny any involvement when things got dangerous.
Of course, there was a 50-50 probability I’d capture Martin. In the first place, as long as he came out of his hiding place, it would be possible for me to take him if I set my mind to it. But of course, there was an equal chance that I would miss him.
I definitely wanted to capture Martin.
To do that, I just had to be holding the card known as the Holy Woman.
I was satisfied to use the sacred sword to make Martin worried.
“The Holy Woman of Korea… there was one of those.”
I recalled my memories of the previous life.
There were very many Holy Women who had made names for themselves, but, from what I remembered, they simply hadn’t gained much of a reputation in Korea. There was definitely one of them, though the time of her awakening came quite a bit later.
“Kim Youra.”
I nodded.
Even in a different age, it didn’t seem like there would be another different woman with the gift of the Holy Woman.
Kim Youra was the name of the woman who would become the Holy Woman of Korea.
“Her age will be somewhere in the mid-teens right about now.”
Once I had recalled most of her distinctive features, I went to work.
It was time for me to meet Roy and Rose for the first time in a while.
It was late at night.
She sped like an arrow beneath the muted light of the full moon.
She rode the wind and faintly gave off mana.
“My Dungeon Master.”
“Krithli, have you been well?”
In the rooftop of the tallest building, Krithli had just appeared in front of me. She removed the veil covering her face, came towards me, and knelt down on one knee.
“The task I took on isn’t really too difficult. Except that, while Roy has become dependable, Rose is a bit of a troublemaker.”
Krithli’s expression also lightened.
Since Krathra died, she often showed a sorrowful face, but now, it appeared she had overcome that.
It seemed that Roy and Rose had helped her treat the wounds of her heart.
“And Roy and Rose?”
“They’re sleeping. Shall I wake them?”
“There’s no need to wake them since it’s something that should be fine if I tell you and… Kirin.”
I stealthily shifted my attention. Space wavered, and Kirin appeared in that spot.
Her distinctive characteristics were the two horns sprouting on her forehead and the nine long tails near her bottom. Kirin’s long hair flowed, and she looked at me with an intensely expressionless face.
“It’s been a while.”
“It seems the use of your powers has become a little more masterful.”
“I used the barrier and tied the two spaces together.”
“Oh… Is something like that possible?”
“It must be possible since I got here at one time. But, aside from that, what’s this about? From a person who hasn’t shown himself except for the first time.”
Something stung about the way she spoke.
Indeed, I had neglected Kirin after telling her only the location of the enemy dungeon.
The hardship she endured after that must have been very rough.
Since it hadn’t been long since she was created, the problems must have been flooding in.
“You have to find someone for me. Her name’s Kim Youra. She’s somewhere between her mid and late-teens, a woman.”
But she was indifferent.
Kirin simply tilted her head, as if to say this was unexpected.
“Who is that? If you’re trying to find her, she must not be any average human.”
“Don’t worry about that. She won’t be any harm to you or the other humans.”
“That must mean she’s harmful to demons, then. Can it be that she’s a human who can threaten you?
“That’s close, but not quite. No human is a threat to me.”
Even the demons who could present a threat to me personally were a small minority. I meant that since I was holding their united power in check, not each of them separately.
It seemed Kirin didn’t quite have anything to say. Perhaps she thought she would rather express it in private.
I turned around.
“Move in secret. I can’t have rumors getting out. If you find her, bring her to me quietly.”
In every aspect, this had to be done covertly.
And that was how the trap for Martin was being laid, step by step.
The name of the baby angel was Hashi.
He was the highest of the upper-level angels that Tashumal himself had recently watched break their egg and hatch. I put in Hashi for this job. Since the growth of angels was incredibly rapid, he was already to the point of recognizing his surroundings, and I was determined to start him on a kind of gifted education program.
All I did was throw up a few small spears of light, but just from observing those battles, I was able to aim his growth. Of course, Tashumal was opposed to it. Aside from Hashi, the angels I could use for an “omen” were limited, so I didn’t know what else to do.
There was a possibility that Tashumal’s face would be well-known, and even if he hid his outward appearance, there was still a chance that someone would recognize his distinctive mana. But Hashi gave off an intensely “sacred” feeling, and his face wasn’t well-known. He was just the one to be used as an omen.
And the angels who were observing Hashi weren’t too insignificant, either. These angels had been let in after being selected and then selected again to prevent any harm coming to Hashi and were currently watching the area around the sacred sword.
It was enough of a force to prevail if Martin resolved to take action, but also enough of a number to make him think I was going to try something. I took this step directly to draw Martin in, and, on a certain level, it was deterring him.
Martin was watching the forest from a distance.
“Hmm… The omen seems certain. Seeing as the highest monsters and angels are holding each other in check…”
Gigantes, Griffin, and Hydra…
Martin couldn’t easily touch any of these three monsters.
It wouldn’t be impossible to catch them if he set his mind to it, but the damage that would result from that would clearly be incalculable.
There were many things about Hydra in particular that were still not known. Its level was extraordinary, and it was quite strong. It could be that Martin had to directly take it on himself.
But for now, those three monsters were contending in the area near the forest. The angels of the forest were holding the three monsters off to prevent them from getting into the forest.
Direct attacks weren’t going back and forth, but it looked like it wouldn’t be surprising if a fight broke out immediately.
“Randalf Bruciel… There is a high probability that this dungeon of Korea is his. But then, no demon, no matter who they are, would neglect angels that appeared right in front of them. Perhaps he could soon lead these monsters and launch an attack on them,” Martin thought.
He momentarily lowered his wand and held his forehead.
If Randalf Bruciel, or perhaps some other demon, were to attack the forest, then he would inevitably also find out about the existence of the sacred sword.
And even if he wasn’t aware of the emergence of the Holy Woman, the sacred sword contained the power to draw her near.
If the Holy Woman went past here, it would be very difficult to find her.
If they were a middle-of-the-road demon, it would be fine. But if his opponent was Randalf Bruciel, then things would get more complicated.
“That guy’s strong. On top of that, he’s unique. He probably won’t just kill the Holy Woman. Who knows, he might be planning something similar to me.”
As Martin thought this, he grew impatient.
If the sacred sword fell into someone else’s hands, then all of his own plans would go up in smoke.
Perfect foresight would also become much further away.
“I have to find the sacred sword before those monsters attack the forest,” Martin thought.
He shook his head.
If monsters, accompanied by Gigantes, Griffin, and Hydra, started to move, there was no telling what even the angels would do. They would probably push past them without hesitation and get to the sacred sword.
“Great worm, make a path. A very long path that leads to the center of the forest…”
In other words, there was nothing to do but find it before then.
Also…
“Long ago, the Holy Woman also appeared during the time of crisis, didn’t she? Haven’t Dullahan’s forces and the vampires attacked the humans and tormented them, making the humans give up all hope?”
I had no intention of hanging everything on just the sacred sword.
