Chapter 138: Compensation
The thief cursed as he watched the green light around him fade away, and his speed turned back to normal.
He never expected that the trump card he had spent half his wealth on would be unable to help him escape from a group of monsters.
’Damn it! That guy told me that even Rank 3 Awakeners would struggle to catch up with me! It’s just a few Rank 2 monsters, and I still can’t escape!’
’Even the duration is less than half of what he claimed!’
The man knew that he had been scammed! The Alchemist’s exaggeration looked ready to cost him his life!
He cursed inwardly.
How could such a shameless person have such a resounding reputation?
He swore that once he returned to the city, he would expose the Alchemist’s lies!
Unfortunately, looking at the threatening faces of the giant monsters around him, the man knew he had no time to seek revenge for now.
"You... You guys forced me to do this!" He spoke through gritted teeth.
With hesitation and faint heartache, he took a second item out of his pocket.
It was a golden gem. Just like the previous object, the man crushed the moment it appeared.
The monsters reacted instantly. They tightly surrounded him from every direction, ready to capture him even if another green light were to appear.
But much to their surprise, the man no longer had any intention of escaping.
The item he had just retrieved was not meant to increase his speed.
Rather...
Boom!
Mana gathered behind him, quickly condensing into a towering phantom of an indistinguishable figure.
Had the Millennium-Frost Lizard been here, it would have seen that it closely resembled the silhouette Aurelius had summoned using Ocean’s Wrath.
But the difference was also clear.
One was azure. The other was golden.
More importantly, the latter was several times more majestic and holy.
A God!
This was the thought that appeared in the minds of the many monsters as they stared blankly at the sacred figure.
Although it didn’t make any sense for such a being to descend here, they could only accept it.
For a moment, none of them dared to move. They froze like statues.
It was only several seconds later that a monster finally reacted.
It didn’t make any noise, much less attack the thief. Instead, its legs bent, and it knelt on the ground, looking at the phantom with a pleading expression.
It was as though it was saying, "Please spare my life."
Its companions quickly reacted. They mirrored the first monster’s movements, staring at the phantom as though they had become its believers.
They had no other choice.
In front of a God, a group of Rank 2 monsters had absolutely no chance of survival. That was true even if it were a mere phantom.
One by one, the monsters knelt on the ground.
Watching their bloodthirsty expressions disappear and be replaced by solemn and fearful ones, the thief secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
Then, he turned toward the monsters with an arrogant expression.
"Bah!" he spat out.
"You’ve made me waste my Lord’s favor!" he said angrily, glancing at the phantom behind him with feverish devotion.
"Mortal creatures! How are you going to compensate me for my losses?"
Most of the monsters were like the Millennium-Frost Lizard. They couldn’t understand human language.
Only a few, those who had interactions with humans, could. Among those rare ones was the Fiery-Eyed Ape.
Upon hearing the man’s words, an idea suddenly struck it. Its eyes lit up as if it had thought of something.
"Roar! Roar!" It opened its mouth and spoke as it reached into its fur, taking out several items and cautiously pushing them toward the man.
The thief didn’t understand monster language. Yet from the ape’s actions and pleading expression, he could understand its implicit meaning.
He didn’t rush to give an answer. He first glanced at the items the ape had given him.
He found dozens of Rank 2 materials among them, as well as precious treasures exclusive to the core of the Dryad Forest.
After making a rough count of their value, the thief nodded in satisfaction and collected them.
"Okay. You can go. I don’t want to sully my Lord’s nature."
"Killing a lowly monster like you in front of Him would be a great blasphemy!"
The ape didn’t care about his contempt. It repeatedly nodded before leaving in a hurry.
An expression of relief flashed across its face, as if it had received amnesty.
The other monsters were stunned by this interaction.
Could they survive as long as they gave the man their belongings?
This... didn’t make sense.
However, having already seen the Fiery-Eyed Ape escape and being under the influence of Divinity, they had neither the will nor the time to think any deeper.
Soon, a second monster after the ape roared and left behind several treasures.
Then came the third and the fourth.
One by one, the monsters departed.
Even if some were unwilling to give up, the oppressive aura of the divine phantom forced them to hide their true thoughts.
Before long, all the monsters had left.
Only the man and the divine phantom remained.
Compared to just moments ago, the man’s expression had visibly changed.
There was no longer any panic. Instead, his face was filled with greed and excitement.
He had never expected that these monsters possessed so many treasures!
Had he known this would happen, he would have used this trump card sooner!
He wouldn’t have wasted the previous treasure!
The man sighed, feeling he had made a mistake.
Even so, while bathing in the divine brilliance, he put the items away one by one.
Just when the last one had been collected, and it seemed that the man would finally leave, he suddenly turned around.
His gaze fixed on a large tree, and he spoke.
"You’ve been hiding here and observing me for so long. Aren’t you ready to come out yet?"
He gave no time for the opponent to reply. He raised a dagger and slashed through the air.
The tree was neatly cut into two by the impact.
The figure hidden behind it was revealed.
Handsome and blond, his identity was already obvious.
He was none other than Aurelius!
For the first time, the thief and Aurelius met face to face.
The aura of Divinity continued permeating everywhere, making their meeting even more solemn.