The Novel’s Villain

30. Rainbow (2)

The rainbow that floated around Jin-woo flashed beautifully, then poured down on Cardron and the priests. Touched by the energy, Cardron and his priests trembled. The Emperor of Gold didn’t forgive the dirty filth. The effect that aimed at Jin-woo was transformed, amplified, and returned to them.

[Powerful effects have been applied to Cardinal and priests.]

[A] Rainbow Labor Angel

‘Work! Slave!’

The light energy of corruption was reflected along with the iridescent rainbow. Its original effect was to corrupt and turn the other person into a puppet that the caster could control at will, but it had grown more powerful. Now they became helpers who would do whatever anyone asked. They would always show gratitude with a bright smile and act right away.

However, life-threatening requests could only be made as long as their lives were preserved. They couldn’t do anything harmful to Sacred Ground, do anything criminal, or take their own lives. For a moment, the eyes of Cardron and the priests seemed to be blurred and then returned to normal. He raised his staff again in embarrassment, but no light came out.

Cardron and the priests were perplexed. This had never happened before. After checking the information, Jin-woo decided to try it out.

“Could you put down the staff, please?”

“Yes. All right.”

Cardron put his staff on the floor with a happy smile. Realizing what he had done, he tried to pick up the staff again, but his body rejected it. It certainly worked.

“W-what’s going on…”

“Would you all please be quiet for a moment? I’ll deliver it for you.”

“Yes.”

When Jin-woo said that, Cardron said so and closed his mouth, as did the priests. Cardron was confused by his sudden compliance, but his mouth wouldn’t re-open. The mood became harsh as soon as he showed that he was trying to persecute Jin-woo, but Jin-woo continued to smile softly. However, his eyes sank very deeply.

Jin-woo would attack his opponent, whether it was an Emperor or anyone else. This Cardinal had been challenging him in this way, so he was going to pay him back several dozen times. The Emperor of Gold followed Jin-woo’s heart very well. First of all, it started from using them.

“Verification is over. There was some misunderstanding. Cardinal and priests, please apologize politely for the disturbance you have caused.”

“We’re sorry.”

Cardron and the priests bowed their heads without hesitation and apologized, all with bright smiles. People nodded and began to listen to Jin-woo.

“The verification of me is the secondary reason, and there is another reason why the Cardinal and the priests came here personally. They came here to train their minds and focus on enlightenment. It seems that our city is quite famous in the Holy Empire.”

Cardron and the priests rolled their eyes at Jin-woo’s words. They didn’t understand what the hell was going on, yet all they could do was stare at each other. Jin-woo smiled softly and continued.

“They say that they are ready to help with any unpleasant tasks according to the will of the Goddess Luna, so you can ask them for anything you want. That’s helping them.”

The people tilted their heads at Jin-woo’s words. After all, they didn’t quite believe it. Jin-woo thought it would be better to show them in person.

“Are you ready to serve?”

“Yes.”

Cardron and the priests responded that way to Jin-woo. They were embarrassed even though they answered themselves. They wanted to deny it, but somehow they couldn’t. They just smiled brightly.

“Alonso, I know there is a problem with the sewer system.”

“Yes. Just in time, it was a big deal. The sewers are clogged, and the slimes are twisted inside. They are monsters, so we were recruiting adventurers.”

Alonso nodded and answered Jin-woo’s words. Breaking through the clogged sewers was often done by the priests, along with the water and sewage workers. However, if there were monsters like slimes, the story would be different. It was quite dangerous because of the corrosive liquid and poison. Jin-woo looked at Cardron.

“Can you help me, Cardinal?”

“Of course.”

Cardron said so. His will was intact. His five senses were active, and he was aware of his movement. But he worked very sincerely as he was asked to. Cardron approached a nearby sewer hole. There was a flood of filth because it was clogged, and now the cardinal witnessed all sorts of dirty things he had never seen before in his life.

It had become full since it hadn’t been disposed of for quite a while. Cardron was nauseous, but his face was smiling. It looked like he was very happy to do this.

‘N-No!’

Cardron’s feet stepped in front of the hole without hesitation. Just standing in front of it seemed to rot his whole body.

“Hahaha! Thank you!”

Contrary to his heart, Cardron had a bright expression on his face. He dived right in front of everyone.

“No way…?”

“Such a thing!”

Everyone around was shocked. Cardron worked passionately, tearing through the sewer blockages by hand. He even ripped open the tough parts with his teeth.

“Ugh! Yuck! Hahaha! Thank you! Y-yikes!”

He wanted to vomit, but his body wouldn’t stop. The attire that symbolized the cardinal was stained with filth. When slimes appeared in the filth, he started to fight them with divine power. The priests who followed Cardron flinched as they watched it. It was as if they could see their futures. It felt as if they had come to hell.

“Hoo, as expected, the Cardinal isn’t just anyone.”

Alonso was moved to see the Cardinal working so happily.

“I brought the equipment….”

“Huh?”

The water and sewage workers, who belatedly brought protective and cleaning equipment, looked puzzled. That wasn’t the way to do it. Cardinal Cardron himself opted for unprotected penance. It was an indescribable impression. Alonso reflected on himself and offered a prayer to the Goddess Luna.

The people around there were also very surprised and moved. Cardinal Cardron set such an example so that they couldn’t stand still. Everyone wanted to cooperate with them in their practice. The people who were watching flocked to Cardron’s priests.

“Priest, we’re short of hands in the field.”

“There are too many things to do…”

“About the wall construction….”

Cardron’s priests tried to rebel against why they had to do it, but a smile automatically appeared on their faces. It was a bright smile that seemed to be so happy to work.

“Yes! Thank you!”

“All right! Thank you!”

With such a happy smile, those who made them work felt more comfortable. Cardron was one of the few cardinals in the Holy Empire. There were quite many priests and soldiers who followed him. It was enough to look like an army. Some soldiers were loyal to Cardron, but some were corrupted and enslaved.

As the priests began to work, the soldiers also noticed and started to help.

“Hahaha! I’m so happy!”

“Thank you for letting us work!”

Cardron and his priests faithfully helped with what they heard as they passed by. Someone carried an old man who said he was curious about the view from the top of the mountain on his back. Someone searched the whole forest to find herbs after hearing the merchants needed unusual herbs. They also smiled and listened to the children’s requests.

“I want to see a rainbow!”

“A rainbow hanging over the sky! I think it’ll be pretty!”

There proved to be no sign of rain. Because of this, the priests couldn’t say anything to the children. After all, they had been busy granting requests. They carried a water tank up with the soldiers and repeatedly sprayed it from the top of the mountain. The soldiers wondered what this was all about, but they couldn’t refuse, as they were already Cardron’s servants.

The priests were weak. They always harassed others and used a carriage or kiln to move around even a short distance, so they had no muscles. To exaggerate a little, it was difficult for them to even lift a cup. Such hard work was like torture, but they couldn’t even lie down.

“Ugh! Heal!”

“He-heal!”

“G-great Heal!”

They were almost like zombies since they also used divine magic. If a muscle ruptured or a bone broke, it was immediately recovered using divine magic, and then they worked again. Funny enough, their weak divine power continued to rise as they started helping others. Therefore they could use more divine magic, which meant more work could be done!

People nodded, saying that it was expected from the Goddess Order. The angels also worked even harder to show they were stimulated, alongside Alonso and the city priests. A surge of vitality was flowing through the city. Luna burst into tears as she looked at them.

“I’m really… I’m really proud of you all.”

Except for Alonso and the city priests, Luna only encountered corrupt priests. However, the high-ranking Cardinal and priests worked hard without taking care of themselves like that.

“Hopefully, it will be helpful to you all.”

Luna put her hands together, and she blessed the Cardinal and priests. As an avatar, it wasn’t a powerful blessing, but it still worked. Now, they were relieved of fatigue faster and rarely caught minor illnesses. Furthermore, the efficiency of their divine magic was improved, allowing even deep wounds to be recovered quickly.

‘They’re just like zombies.’

Jin-woo nodded. They unintentionally became the perfect zombie when Luna granted her blessing. No, they were even better workers than zombies. They recovered even if they were hurt, didn’t get sick, and relieved their fatigue quickly, so they only needed to rest a little. There was no need to rest when using divine power, either. They also had good intelligence and were able to fully understand what they were asked to do.

Could there be more perfect workers than this? Jin-woo looked at Luna. Her expression quickly turned bright and clear to the point where it seemed that she never had to cry, though there were dark circles under her eyes. It was said that she binged through Destiny 7, from beginning to end, only in two days. It was a long forty-eight-hour journey.

Luna was about to return to the Sanctuary.

“…Why don’t you set an example, too?”

“What? Ah! I-I’m a little busy… well, then I’ll leave first!”

Luna stepped back and disappeared. Jin-woo shook his head. Yoo-na, who had been observing the situation, approached him. She nodded as she looked at the documents in her hand.

“I don’t understand, but useful workers have come in. We were actually in need of labor. There are many items on the schedule, such as road maintenance, wall maintenance, water supply, and sewage work.”

“Really? Then make them work hard.”

“Yes, I will place all of them on these projects.”

Yoo-na was even helping to manage the city. With her help, the system was established, and the development accelerated. More labor was needed because the size of the city grew rapidly, but just the right workers had appeared.

“As expected, you’re amazing. I was about to report it to you, but I can’t believe you just solved it like this.”

“I know, right?”

Jin-woo answered lightly. Now he didn’t bother to deny it. Jin-woo could see the staff that Cardron left behind. After examining it for a moment, he picked up the staff. Upon closer examination, there was a reddish shard between the jewels. The staff was weakening the power of the shard.

[B] Fragment of Corruption

Fragments scattered by the Emperor of Corruption. It is linked to the Emperor of Corruption. Using the power of corruption will gradually lead to the consciousness of the Emperor of Corruption. It will absorb the will of all living things, destroy their dimension, and head to another.

Jin-woo looked at the Fragment of Corruption and pulled it out with his hand. It just looked like a beautiful red gem, but he could feel it connected to the Emperor of Corruption. As an Emperor who symbolized corruption, its appearance was both beautiful and fascinating.

Dark Luna was created using this fragment.

‘Interesting.’

It was very interesting. He also wondered how it could make Luna into such a being. As Jin-woo examined it, the Fragment of Corruption trembled. It was definitely something that was worth researching.

The power of corruption didn’t work at all on Jin-woo. He was supreme with the Emperor of Gold. It made no sense to corrupt the Emperor of Gold, who was always elegant and dignified. Besides, Jin-woo was an evil that surpassed even the Devil in this universe.

Not only Jin-woo, but everyone belonging to Jin-woo was immune to corruption. It was because what already belonged to him had fallen to a point where it couldn’t be dropped further according to the setting. It was information obtained by examining the Fragment of Corruption.

Jin-woo tried to use the power of corruption on himself by infusing mana into the fragment. A golden power awakened and dwelled in the fragment. Light gushed out of the fragment and stretched toward Jin-woo. A rainbow appeared around him and was reflected towards the fragment, amplifying.

[Kueeerghh! N-not there! Eerggh!]

[The energy of corruption has been transformed by the Emperor of Gold and acquired a new effect. It does not apply to the Emperor of Gold.]

[The Emperor of Corruption has been damaged.]

[You acquired experience points.]

“Oh…”

Cracks formed in the Emperor of Corruption, pouring out experience points. It was an unexpected benefit. The Emperor of Corruption was a formidable enemy that even the original protagonist couldn’t handle. Since it was a dimension-eating being, the experience it had to offer was enormous. Moreover, it was said to have a beneficial effect as it was reflected.

“Cool.”

“So pretty.”

“Is it a jewel?”

The Maze, Luna, and Elise stood side by side and looked at the fragment. Yoo-na was also watching with interest.

“I want to shine, too.”

The Maze looked up at Jin-woo with sparkling eyes. Jin-woo looked at the fragment for a moment and then nodded. It seemed like a good idea to experiment with what the new effects were. There was no problem because the corruption wouldn’t work anyway.

Sizzling!

Jin-woo used the fragment to send energy to the Maze.

[It has been reflected!]

[The modified effect is applied.]

[You acquired experience points.]

A rainbow formed around the Maze and was automatically reflected, all while experience points were poured into Jin-woo.

“Oh!”

The Maze ran around, looking at the rainbow floating around it. Then it stopped for a moment and tilted its head. It was because the sense of weight it felt was somehow different. It touched its own body with both hands.

“Something happened.”

The outline of the Maze’s body, which had been roughly made and flat, came to life. Its skin tone has also brightened, and it seemed to have grown a little too. Luna and Elise looked at the Maze with their mouths wide-open. Yoo-na seemed surprised, too.

“W-what a miracle!”

“It’s a miracle!”

“A miracle.”

Luna, Elise, and Yoo-na all agreed. However, the Maze generated some mana and returned to its original form, seemingly bothered by the change. This was perhaps because it would get in the way when rolling on the floor.

‘Well, that’s what it was like to be corrupted in cartoons and movies.’

As something darkened, it felt more mature and fascinating. It seemed that the Emperor of Gold had filtered out the darkness and accepted only the mature and fascinating parts. To put it simply, it shaped your body.

“H-hey..”

Elise carefully raised her hand with desperate eyes. Jin-woo nodded and tried it on her.

Sizzling!

Elise looked down at her body with her jaw-dropping. It worked. Elise looked at Jin-woo as if looking at a savior. She was very happy.

Luna sneaked up and stood in front of him. Yoo-na also coughed in vain and stood next to Luna. Wondering where she got it from, Arcana, who was covering herself with a box, secretly took a seat behind Luna.

‘It’s a useless feature.’

Everyone was looking forward to it, but Jin-woo thought so while looking at the fragment. It would be nice if it had additional features.

Crack!

The fragment was cracked. It couldn’t stand Jin-woo’s energy. That fragment was a good experience generator, so it was a pity that it was broken after being used a few times.

“Should I enhance it?”

Enhancing the fragment wouldn’t be able to enhance the Emperor of Corruption’s main body.

With this in mind, Jin-woo took out the Enhancement Stone and started working on it. When Jin-woo started enhancing, Luna and Yoo-na, who stood still, began to smile awkwardly. Everyone left their seats so they wouldn’t end up disturbing him.

As expected from the Emperor’s fragment, it could be enhanced very well. As he worked on it, the durability became very high. He tried to inject mana with the thought of trying it out. Intense light emanated from it.

[Keeaaaarrgh! The Emperor of Corruption feels severe pain.]

[You acquired a lot of experience points.]

The energy was stronger than he thought, and it stretched out the window.

“Hmm?”

The energy struck an angel passing by. He tilted his head and blinked his eyes.

“Huh? Lariel’s height…”

“Did you grow taller?!”

The angels who followed were surprised to see Lariel. He had grown by 0.7 cm. The angels, sensitive to height, noticed at once as Lariel became the tallest among the angels.

[Golden Angel Lariel’s loyalty has broken through the limit.]

Lariel looked at the Saint’s house with trembling eyes. A huge rainbow was floating over the Saint’s house.

It was a miracle!