novelThe Oracle
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Chapter 301: The Oracle
What even!?
Kang Chul-In was shocked by Kwak Jung's statement. The non-existent past referred to the lost history as a result of Kang Chul-In's Soul Backup. The one who returned referred to Kang Chul-In himself, did it not?
I'm the one who kills Vilhelm and Ao Xin?
Something was off. If Kwak Jung truly saw Kang Chul-In kill the two Overlords, he would have said 'your Majesty will kill Vilhelm and Ao Xin', instead of saying it in such a roundabout statement.
Clench! Kang Chul-In grabbed Kwak Jung by the collar.
"Kwak Jung!"
"... !"
"What did you see?"
"Y-Your Majesty... Urgh!"
"Tell me."
"... !"
"What did you see?"
Kang Chul-In could overlook any other prophecies, but not one that mentioned Soul Backup.
"Y-Your Majesty... kuhuk..."
"All of you, leave the room."
Kang Chul-In didn't care whether Kwak Jung was struggling. Since Kwak Jung spoke of Soul Backup, he decided that there was a need for a private conversation.
"P-Please let go of this first... kuhuk... !"
"Shit!"
Kang Chul-In immediately let go of Kwak Jung's collar. He was almost about to suffocate his cherished subordinate to death.
"Kek! Y-You almost killed me..."
"It's a misunderstanding."
"..."
"Why would I kill you? You know for yourself how much I value you."
Kang Chul-In shamelessly tapped Kwak Jung's back and smiled, pretending that nothing happened.
Urgh...
Kwak Jung thought.
He is definitely a psychopath, no matter how I look...
Kang Chul-In was certainly a great boss, but his temper was just incomprehensible.
"Anyway."
Kang Chul-In pressured Kwak Jung.
"What did you see? What do you mean by the one who returned from the non-existent past?"
"T-That..."
"Did you see me kill Vilhelm and Ao Xin?"
He asked just to make sure.
"No."
Kwak Jung shook his head.
"However..."
"Hmm?"
"Why do you assume that I saw you, your Majesty?"
A good point.
This bastard...
Kang Chul-In was caught off guard by Kwak Jung's question, but he responded fluently.
"I wonder why?"
Heh.
Kang Chul-In smiled.
"Why did I ask that question?"
"Huhh?"
Kwak Jung's eyes widened.
W-What's going on?
Kwak Jung was flabbergasted. That question indirectly indicated that Kang Chul-In had something to do with his prophecy. In other words, was Kang Chul-In someone who returned from the past as well?
"Idiot."
At that moment, Kang Chul-In criticized his subordinate.
"Sorry?"
"Who else could kill Vilhelm and Ao Xin on this continent? Just name a few."
"Well that... aha?"
Kwak Jung scratched his head. The only man capable of killing the two Overlords of the Gullveig Alliance was standing right before him.
So easy.
Kang Chul-In grinned inwardly.
"So what did you see?"
He quickly changed the topic.
"T-That is..."
"... ?"
"I can't remember clearly..."
"..."
"I know what I saw, but I can't remember the scene."
"Are you trying to play games with..."
"Not at all!"
Kwak Jung exclaimed.
"I'm frustrated too!"
"I-Is that so?"
"Yes. I definitely saw something, but I can't fathom what it was... It drives me crazy!"
"... !"
"But in essence... I did see something."
How should Kang Chul-In interpret this?
Kwak Jung only remembered the crux of the story. If Kang Chul-In had not seen Kwak Jung's strange state, he would have reprimanded him for spouting nonsense.
"A-Anyway..."
Kwak Jung continued.
"My body condition... it's a little weird now."
"Anyone can tell."
"Yes, actually... I can see a status window... I've never had something like this before..."
"... ?"
"Let me draw it out for you."
Kang Chul-In passed a scroll and a quill pen to Kwak Jung.
Scribble, scribble.
Kwak Jung's hand began to move busily on the scroll.
"... !"
What Kwak Jung had written utterly surprised Kang Chul-In:
[Notification] Job advancement was successful!
Adventurer Kwak Jung's class changed from 'tactician' to 'Oracle'!
Penalty Option: Muscle Strength -30% / Endurance -30% / Agility -30% / Defense -30% / Magic Resistance -30% / Attack -50%
"What is this bullshit..."
Kang Chul-In cursed. What kind of job advancement decreased so much physical attributes?
Maybe the job advancement was not a wise decision.
However,
"What in the world!?"
Kang Chul-In was shocked once again.
[The Oracle]
Predicts the future.
Cool time: 72 hours.
Penalty Option: After activation, all attributes are decreased by -5% permanently (increased penalty with larger-scaled prophecy)
If Kwak Jung could gain the ability to foresee the future, then the penalty option was understandable.
"Why are you randomly named the Oracle?"
"I-I have no idea myself."
Kang Chul-In and Kwak Jung, the king and his subject, stared at each other with puzzled expressions.
"Something seems..."
Kwak Jung spoke.
Immediately,
"Huh?"
His vision began to blur.
Thump!
He then foamed and collapsed onto the floor.
"Kwak Jung!"
Kang Chul-In hurriedly helped Kwak Jung to get up.
***
Kwak Jung struggled to recover.
Sometimes he tossed back and forth with foam at his mouth, and he pulled his hair as if he was having a bad headache. He also had seizures like an epileptic patient. No treatment was successful. Nilus and Arshelly's mental treatment, Alfred's Blood Heal, and even Skadi's occult treatment failed to work.
"God damn it!"
Kang Chul-In cursed as he left the sickbay.
"What the hell am I supposed to do?"
He was frustrated. Kwak Jung was his most cherished subordinate and also the pillar of the Valhalla Kingdom. If Kang Chul-In was the symbol of brute strength and power, Kwak Jung was the control tower that efficiently commanded his army. That Kwak Jung was sick. Apart from its impact on Kang Chul-In's emotional state, this news led to a great loss in Valhalla's national strength.
"Argh..."
Nilus, who left the sickbay together with Kang Chul-In, mumbled as he passed by Kang Chul-In.
"It seems like there's some problem with the brain... but it's not like I can open up the skull and pour potions into it... argh..."
"The brain?"
Kang Chul-In turned around to face Nilus.
"What do you mean?"
"Your Majesty... what I meant was..."
"... ?"
"Isn't prophecy a product of the brain's capacity?"
"It is?"
"Well, maybe it could be a spiritual thing, but we magicians tend not to believe in that kind of fluff."
It was an interesting remark. Wasn't magic fluff as well? It was ironic for Nilus, who had devoted his entire lifetime studying magic, to not believe in the spiritual realm.
"In fact, magic may seem unrealistic."
Nilus seemed to have noticed Kang Chul-In's amusement. He began to explain further.
"However, magic is a field of study that becomes more realistic as one delves deeper. This is especially so for elementary mages like myself, who do not acknowledge non-magical entities like black magic and sorceries."
"..."
"If I were to elaborate on the details of the mechanism of magic..."
"No, it's fine."
Kang Chul-In hurriedly waved his hand to interrupt Nilus. Why would he want to know about the mechanism of magic? His brain was already about to explode.
"Anyways, you are saying that the problem lies not in the spiritual realm, but more in the brain?"
"Yes, your Majesty."
"The cure?"
"Regarding that... a human brain is more complicated than what you think, your Majesty. Even a spell that erases or alters just 5 minutes of memory requires a high-ranked magician who is capable of chanting level 8 spells proficiently."
"Why is that so, Nilus?"
"For a mind control magic to work, the spellcaster's mental and computing power must be overwhelmingly better than the target's.
Thump!
Kang Chul-In could feel his heart drop.
In other words, there was nobody who could treat Kwak Jung.
"In that case..."
"Yes, your Majesty..."
Nilus replied regrettably.
"Only an ancient dragon from the archaic texts may alleviate tactician Kwak's condition... However, where can we find an ancient dragon..."
"... !"
"Huh?"
Nilus tilted his head sideways.
"Y-Your Majesty?"
The only being who could treat Kwak Jung was the ancient dragon that was now being held captive in Kang Chul-In's training room.
"I just happened to have a dog shit."
Kang Chul-In smirked. He was right.
They say when you need a dog shit for medicine [1], there isn't any. However, Kang Chul-In had the perfect dog shit in his hands.
A gigantic dog shit called an ancient black dragon!
***
"Ah, this."
Desdemona, who was still tied up in Podolski's perverted style, recognized Kwak Jung's condition at once glance.
"What is this?"
"His brain's calculation ability improved exponentially, what else?"
Desdemona shrugged.
"Hmm?"
"What I'm saying is that..."
Desdemona began to explain the mechanism of prophecy briefly.
"In this guy's case, he is highly specialized in analyzing whatever he sees, hears or feels. A great insight, I must say."
"And then?"
"A human brain has a definite limit. It fatigues very quickly."
"Are you looking down on humans?"
"Don't be mad. It's the truth."
"Where's your evidence?"
"Humans go crazy, don't they? That's the proof."
"That..."
"We dragons never go crazy."
"... !"
"We never kill, scream, or run around frantically because we have lost our minds."
"Hmm..."
"If you don't get it, just listen."
Desdemona critiqued Kang Chul-In and continued her explanation.
"Anyways, the limited human brain relies heavily on subconsciousness. It's often termed an instinct. This is a good example. The brain couldn't sustain the powerful insight, and hence introduced a type of subconsciousness."
"And what is that?"
"Survival instinct."
"... !"
"This guy's ability keeps on activating against his own will, so his survival instinct felt a need to control that. To put it simply, it's like how one exercises to dissipate his/her overflowing energy."
"Continue."
"His survival instinct created the prophetic ability to pacify the overworking brain. His brilliant insight is now contained in a dish called 'Oracle algorism', which analyses the present and predicts the future. It's because the prophetic ability consumes a heavenly amount of brain power."
"Ah!"
Kang Chul-In could finally understand the mechanism behind prophecy. Nilus was right: prophecy had nothing to do with the spiritual realm. It was a sort of deduction, created by a highly developed human brain's computing power. In other words, Kwak Jung was now a kind of supercomputer!
"Oh well, but it's unfortunate."
Desdemona shrugged.
"Unfortunate?"
"Sigh..."
"... ?"
"Think about it, you idiot! It's only a temporary measure! Even if this guy's survival instinct has created the Oracle algorism to suppress his brain power, a mere human can never control it. He will spontaneously look into the future every now and then. Then he will be chronically fatigued, and his body will start to break down. Then he will die. People like him never live long."
Kang Chul-In realized.
"Prophets are short-lived. Even if they do live long, they are constantly plagued by sickness. The oriental saying that 'if one reveals God's plan, his lifespan shortens' probably originated from a similar context."
Skadi was right.
Moreover, it explained the penalty option that popped up when Kwak Jung had his job advancement from 'tactician' to 'Oracle'.
"I won't let that..."
Kang Chul-In was about to continue his sentence.
"H-Honey!"
Lee Chae-Rin hurriedly rushed into the sickbay.
"Something appalling happened!"
Kang Chul-In thought,
Damn it, something appalling this time?
His face crumpled from fatigue.
What did she mean?
Kang Chul-In was sick and tired of the constant flood of problems.
"What is it this time?"
He asked with an irritated voice.
"O-Overlord Albrecht Vilhelm and... Ao Xin..."
"... !"
"They are dead!"
"... !"
"It's chaos now, honey!"
Kwak Jung's prophecy had come to fruition.
[1] There is a korean saying: 'when you need a dog shit for medicine, there isn't any'. In other words, when you are in a desperate situation, even the most common/useless thing happens to be unavailable.
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