Blood dripped from his hands, but Dohyuk didn’t care.

“Thanks.”

He threw the bottle.

“For giving me a chance to make up my mind.”

The bottle was thrown far away, but it wasn’t over. Dohyuk also quickly took off the armor he was wearing.

“I should’ve done this from the start.”

It was the armor that he once had when he first faced Ka’Kudenol. He should’ve been wary of this item from the beginning, but the only reason why he had it on was because of Basil’s advice. Unlike the glass bottle, it did nothing bad to him at all – until now.

-COOOOOOOLD!

The ‘voice’ of a wailing girl came into his head. It was Ka’Kudenol’s voice. She was sending her voice through the power that still remained within the armor.

-Stilllll…. I can’t let my babyyy move on from me without anythingnnn

Dohyuk did not care. But before he could finish taking it off-

<<God: Ka’Kudenol has given up ownership of the Godly Item>>

<<The object’s Godly Item status has been removed>>

<<Unlocked: Traits and options are unlocked>>

-….

And the voice also disappeared with it. Something else appeared in its place.

<<Carefully made cloth for Dearest – S>>

-Defense Rating: 45 ~ 60

-Durability: 50/50

-Song for the Dearest(Ga.-)

[Customized by the goddess. Changed drastically from the original.]

<Song for the Dearest>

[Creates negative energy per the user’s despair, hatred, sadness, and other forms of negative emotions. It can be exchanged for ‘attributes’ to grant temporary boosts. Negative energy cannot be stored and can only be used upon availability. If someone nearby has a close relationship with the user, the other person’s energy can be utilized also. Using someone else’s emotions will be less effective, but the closer the person is to the user, the greater the effectiveness.]

-Proficiency – N/A

-Passive

The armor also changed color. It was just a thin layer of armor without the trace of a Godly Item from within. Dohyuk then picked the armor up again.

“…Right.”

The goddess was correct. What Dohyuk was trying to do was the same thing that he loathed at the same time. Was he different from those crazy killers? He couldn’t deny it.

“And even this…”

It was all a compromise. This item seemed like it was no longer hers, but it was still from her, a god. If he decided to use it, it would be the same as accepting it from a god.

“…”

Dohyuk bit his lips.

“I should get stronger. That’s the only way to get out of this.”

It was the only answer that Dohyuk knew. He then realized he had reached the border. He looked between the burnt Grava border and his land. The vast forest was now gone, with only remnants on the ground. His place was now very visible from far away.

‘But nobody will dare to come in at the moment.’

Even if it was a regular green field, people would be suspicious of it. It wouldn’t take long for them to figure out that it was fertile land where all plants could grow instantaneously.

‘There will be war.’

It was foolish to think that people would be safe if they stayed within the city. There were always ways to tear the walls of the city down, even Aruga came with his catapult to destroy the walls. However, it wasn’t time for him to find a solution to that right now. His job was to quickly move into the ‘Mine’ region and return with the power to strengthen his region with it.

Dohyuk then heard a series of footsteps and ran toward the fallen tree to conceal himself. The ashes dirtied him, hindering him from sight.

“…”

There were four men. They all had blue training jerseys and weapons. They didn’t have any ash on them other than their feet.

‘They’re from the outside.’

They were scouts. When they disappeared, Dohyuk walked out. After a while, he came across another group of people. About ten groups of four to five men were searching the area.

“Who are you? You came from Dongrae-gu?”

“Yeah. We’re under Chang Byungil, Three Circle.”

“We are…”

These groups weren’t from the same place. At least two or more regions had sent groups to check things out. They all had different colored clothing to differentiate themselves. After stalking them for half a day, Dohyuk was able to gather information about them.

There were three groups.

Blue jerseys, gray t-shirts, and black short pants.

They were from different regions, but they did not fight when met each other. It wasn’t because they were particularly nice. It was just that they were from the same, big organization.

‘The Circle.’

Dohyuk knew of this organization now. The monster that Dohyuk previously fought was in charge.

“Take care.”

The two groups parted ways and Dohyuk stood up. They knew of the city and its green lands, but they did not go near it for now. They were looking for the reason of the fire and any remaining resources if there were any.

“…”

Dohyuk then organized what he found out. In the north, south, and west of the burned regions were three groups with temporary camps, led by their respective Three Circle leaders.

The number of scouting groups grew denser as he moved closer, so if he tried to see where the camp actually was, he’d risk getting caught.

“I don’t know where they are…”

He knew what he needed to do.