Temporarily sealing off the leak went smoothly, as some of the members of the God of Life religion were skilled in sealing magic.
Plus, the priests of the other religions supported them with their own skills and magic, so they were able to plug up the hole and prevent the undead curse from leaking. Lee Shin Woo was surprised to see that and was especially surprised at their ability to seal a portion of the curse into a small container with said sealing techniques.
âWhat a nice ability.â
âIt wouldâve been nice if we were a tad bit stronger, but this is our limit. But at the very least, we were able to strengthen the seal with the help of your magic, Sir Kay. Thank you very much.â
The priests of the God of Life religion didnât respect the Pope, yet they were well-behaved in front of Lee Shin Woo. At this point, they were almost revering him, but Lee Shin Woo decided not to let it bother him. Since his title as the Sun Godâs hero wouldnât be enough to unite all of the surfaceâs forces in their fight against the undead. However, this was a good enough position to do start on that.
âPlease donât forget what happened today. This awful mana⌠You must not make light of this energy of death. This isnât something that can be solved by a few sacrifices. We all have to work together.â
âI agree with Kay. I believe the Sun God sent Kay to us in order to deal with this threat. Please lend us your strength. I promise that each religion will be rewarded appropriately for their deeds.â
The Popeâs attitude wasnât much different from Lee Shin Wooâs, but there were differences in core areas. His words were swaying all those present, and it was also coaxing the leaders of the three religious orders as well; the three religious leaders nodded their heads.
âOf course.â
âPope. You donât even need to ask. We trust Sir Kay.â
âItâs a bit strange to say that we trust him. Itâs more precise to say that thereâs no reason for someone with such strength to lie to us.â
Hey, wait. It wasnât just reverence, but a full blown religion! Lee Shin Woo was surprised and went into a cold sweat, as the situation had progressed so smoothly.
Yet, the Evileye General, Shurina Von Hegel, bit her lower lip and gazed at Lee Shin Woo. However, she looked at him warmly. Her type (the one who couldnât hide what they were thinking) was so easy to trick! Of course, Lee Shin Woo was the swindler!
âIf I can coax her, then I should be able to acquire some information on the other 12 Generals.â
Of course, Rem was providing him with general information on them through the golem network, but it would be different to hear it from one of the 12 Generals themselves.
Moreover, if things went well, he could learn more about the Magic Emperor as well. If he could, heâd like to know more about the Emperor prior to meeting him.
âYouâre thinking about something evil again, arenât you?â
âNo Iâm not.â
Initiating a sexual relationship would be best, but⌠Jinâs gaze was scary, so he decided against it.
Looking at her now, he felt like he could control her if he just picked up one of her weaknesses. His relationship with her would go in a different direction from the religious members, which was worsened by the fact that she didnât think of him as human.
âThen, letâs go back. Youâll be really busy from here on out.â
âIf itâs to stop the coming catastrophe, then⌠Weâll do whatever it takes.â
ââŚKuheuk.â
They sealed the hole and were on their way back to the capital. The religions had broken down all barriers and became close. They didnât speak to the Evileye General or her troops, as if theyâd made a promise prior (whatâs worse, the soldiers were too weak to even enter the dungeon).
They wouldnât allow the Emperorâs forces to get in their way. Although they wouldnât be able to exclude the Emperorâs forces in such an important matter, they would only allow them to join once the Emperor had acknowledged his mistake.
âŚAnd in the process, the Evileye General would be subject to ridicule. To be honest, they had already considered her a corpse. At that point, Lee Shin Woo quietly spoke to the Pope.
âPope. Could you please leave her to me?â
âYou⌠I know you donât have a lover, but are you really going to go after one of the 12 Generals? I know sheâs good-looking and all, but everything else is a trap.â
âSir Kay, thereâs no need for one such are yourself to desire such a dirty woman! A dog of the royal family is not fit to be by the side of one who can wield a godâs powerâŚ!â
ââŚHaha.â
The Pope reacting like that wasnât anything new, but Maria Eldaletz had, at some point, come over and was pissed. Her, the Evileye General, and every other strong young woman heâd met were all the same: they couldnât hide their feelings. Lee Shin Woo smiled bitterly and said.
âThatâs not why Iâm approaching her. You never know what one will do when theyâre at risk of death. If possible, I want her to help us. We should be able to help each other out.â
ââŚIâm not sure if Iâve told you before, but Iâd like to say it again. Iâm glad weâre not enemies.â
âAs expected of you, Sir Kay. You had such a plan readyâŚ!â
Ah, this wonât do. The Shining Flameâs buff was way too strong, so they took it positively, regardless of what he said! They should be glaring at him instead!
Lee Shin Woo felt burdened by them and did his best to avoid their gaze. When he locked eyes with the Evileye General, she shrieked and turned her head away from him. Mm, her mental state was so fragile right now that itâd break if he just gave her a slight nudge.
âLetâs get away from the General following us and then talk.â
That would be simple with the use of his Wild Card and Disguise skills. Lee Shin Woo had successfully relayed his message, and the Evileye General, who was at a loss, had cried and accepted his offer. After that, the party reached the capital and the various factions split and went their separate ways.
âMr. Shin Woo, you came back safely!â
[Paul Zero! Iâm so glad youâre safe. Youâre even stronger than before?]
âOf course I am. Ah⌠Sorry, but I think things will be even more hectic than before, so stop with the cute act for now. You can do it all you want later. Iâd like to hear your report first.â
Lee Shin Woo, having safely returned to his residence within the capital, was met by Sinea and Ye Jin Jin rushing towards him. However, he somewhat cold-heartedly restrained them, and then learned of what had happened while he was away.
Transferring the newly born spirits to the Spiritsâ Spring was going smoothly due to Sinea and the other spiritsâ efforts, but there was a problem with his shop. He had expected this, but someone was openly sabotaging his shop.
Not only were there several people messing with his shop, but the key members of the Empire were discreetly aiding the Lawrence shopâs competitors. But because Bisher Moon had mobilized his workers and taken certain precautions, they were able to weather the storm.
âBut you should have nothing to worry about soon. Public opinion will side with us, and above all, the other religions will support the Lawrence shop as well.â
âHow did that happen!?â
âTo put it simply⌠You could see it as all the forces, aside from the Emperorâs, have joined a single team. Since the undead curse isnât just a threat to us heroes.â
[Thatâs not simple at all, Paul Zero!]
âMr. Shin Woo. Youâre so amazingâŚ!â
He hadnât even told him about the innate elements that heâd acquired, yet Sinea and Ye Jin Jinâs eyes were already sparkling. At this point, Lee Shin Woo barely realized that something was off, and as a result of his self-diagnosis, he confirmed that something was indeed wrong.
When he leveled up, he gained the innate skill, Wild Card, which was always active. But it turns out that it not only buffed all of his skills, abilities, etc⌠but also had a hugely positive effect on all of his words and actions! In other words, it had evolved into a cheat skill!
âThe skill really fits me and my âlevelâ as a Joker has increased, but still, what the hell is this? It seems like my âlevelâ as a human has gone down.â
Lee Shin Woo felt a bit down and shook his head, but then, Jin retorted, who was the only one that had remained calm. Since this is something that he needed to hear, he was here too.
âBut Shin Woo, do you really need to rely on the shop anymore?â
If Lee Shin Woo added his Dark Shadow to his Disguise skill, then he could reduce Jinâs body to less than half. To be honest, he could do even more, now that heâd acquired Wild Card and Dark Shadow, but he was keeping that for later. Lee Shin Woo needed to prepare himself too.
âYeah, I donât really need it since Iâve cemented my position as the hero Kay. But in the future, the Lawrence shop will probably be more beneficial to us than Kayâs name.â
âHuh?â
âI beg your pardon?â
âMm. Iâm talking about after weâve eliminated the curse and have dealt with the trouble on the surface. âŚItâd probably be difficult for us to return to our original worlds. So, we have no choice but to continue to live on the surface. You get me thus far, right?â
âYes, of course.â
The reason Lee Shin Woo was preventing the undead curse from spreading to the surface was not only because he didnât want his enemies to increase, but mostly because he didnât want to live in a world filled with death. That would be a stagnant world, unable to move forward! Ye Jin Jin probably thought the same.
âBut if we just protect the world, we lose out. Iâm protecting this shop so that we have a way to enter the world without using force. Since money and status are the best for living happily in peace. And the shop lets us gain both.â
âYou were thinking that far ahead? âŚThen, you mustâve planned for me to be your representative a long time ago.â
Ye Jin Jin seemed to be misunderstanding something and blushed in happiness. Of course, there was no way Lee Shin Woo thought that far ahead. Disguising himself as a merchant and figuring out the surface had gone a lot better than expected, so heâd changed his objective. Thatâs all!
But for some reason Ye Jin Jin was really touched, so he decided to just let her think whatever she wanted.
âIn any case, we can just leave the shop as is. So⌠what about the Red Moon?â
âTheyâre currently fighting against our Moon Shadow.â
That made sense. If Bisher Moon were inside the capital then there was no way he wouldnât know about Lee Shin Wooâs return. He had felt it was strange that Bisher hadnât come to see him, but it seemed like he was busy fighting off the Red Moon.
âBy the way⌠Mr. Shin Woo, if we donât have to worry about the shop from now on, can I fight against the Red Moon too? If we have to move only at night, I can do that.â
âIâll allow it once youâve reached level 7. âŚAnyway, I plan on going back down soon, so will you be ok?â
âI thought about it, but thereâs a lot more I can do up here than down there. If youâre not here, then Iâll be here in your stead.â
Ye Jin Jin had made her decision. Since she was drinking plenty of medicine because of his trickery, she would soon become strong enough to move around safely without fear.
It might be tough on her, as her stats had increased while her skills had not, but her stats should supplement her long-range spear throwing, and if need be, her ability to run awayâŚ
The Evileye General, Shurina Von Hegelâs eyes would be a good fit for Ye Jin Jin, but it was a little too late to be changing his strategy. After all, heâd decided to use her to gain information on the Emperor.
Moreover, Lee Shin Woo had no taste in deliberately killing someone weaker than him, especially when they had no intention of harming him. If she were a monster, he wouldâve killed her without any hesitationâŚ
âIâll go to the secret shop later and see if thereâre any similar abilities or artifacts⌠Oh, right.â
At that moment, someone softly knocked on his mansionâs front door. Could he really not become a noble? Lee Shin Woo shrugged his shoulders and stood up.
âWe have a visitor. A really important one at that.â