## Chapter 1158 – Confrontation

“I’ll tell you everything.”

I started by explaining how I entered the World Tree’s gap. With the help of the Queen, who is the only one who can communicate with the World Tree, I roughly made it there. Then,

“Inside there.”

I got to the main point.

“I entered a kind of mental state and confronted the World Tree. Judging by the changed scenery, it seems the inside is something like the World Tree’s barrier, but since it’s a god, it might be a bit different.”

In the spirit-like space, I could summon Viggale, the Wright brothers, Mersin, and all those bastards. So, it’s probably more of a mental space than something that exists in reality.

“Indeed… If it is a god, creating a space beyond a barrier is not unusual. So, you entered that space in a spirit state and talked to the World Tree?”
“That’s right. Exactly. Risha understands well.”

As expected of a mage.

“So, in that spirit state, I talked to the World Tree. The World Tree borrowed the appearance of the Elf Queen and spoke to me in our language. But, well, maybe because it’s been reigning as a god for so long, it spoke well. So, I could talk without any problems.”

There was even a guess that the language might not work because it’s a god, but gods have lived in this world for a damn long time. Of course, they can communicate to some extent.

“So, Blackie? You really talked face-to-face with a god? Seriously? Then you talked to the same being as Verde, Izzermart… or those gods?”

Winnia also seemed very surprised.

Maybe because she’s a mage, she knows what that means.

“Yeah. I don’t know if it’s the same level of god. But I talked to such a being.”
“Oh, what a bewildering thing…”

Everyone looked like they couldn’t believe it.

“I understand it’s shocking. But first of all, remember when I said I became a demigod after catching the Valkyrie and absorbing its power?”
“You were full of shit back then, damn it.”
“Ah. Seriously, Sis.”
“Keep going.”
“Yeah. Anyway, it said that’s why it was possible. It seems like I could talk because I caught the Valkyrie, but even the Elf Queen can’t talk like I did.”
“Hmm…”

Truly a Valkyrie that gives without holding back.

“As expected! It really was the power of a god! Katt-nim!”
“Yeah. Anyway, even if it’s a god… I wasn’t overwhelmed just because I stood before it. Who am I? I’m Kim Katt. A man who is confident even before a god.”

As I said that,

“Haa… Katt. I really don’t know what to say anymore.”

Claudia grabbed my face.

“You were confident even before a god…! You’re really the best!”
“Praise me a little more!”
“You’re so cool! You’re really the best! Mama knew from the beginning that Katt was that kind of man!”
“Hehehe.”

It’s a matter of course.

“A god, you see. It’s not an existence above my head. Anyway, to continue the explanation, the World Tree asked me for a favor.”

A favor.

“Did you receive… a divine message…?”
“Katt-nim! Then isn’t that a divine message!”

After some explanation, they no longer had faces of disbelief, but expressions of excitement.

“Divine message my ass. I’m working for a fee. It’s just an employer, an employer.”
“Father. Don’t say things like that anywhere else. You’ll be accused of blasphemy.”
“That’s why I don’t say this outside.”

Who would say this outside?

“Seriously, Sis is just too amazed to say anything.”
“Me too.”

It’s amazing.

“So, what was the favor?”
“It’s nothing much. To me, these things.”

I immediately took out the World Tree sap crystal and the green crystal orb from my chest and placed them on the table.

Both are epic items I received from the World Tree.

“It gave them to me and made a request.”
“What is this…?”
“Things the World Tree gave directly. This is sap, but it’s crystallized, so I think you can melt it and eat it. I’ll explain this orb later.”

At that moment.

“The, the World Tree’s sap!!!”
“Heok!”

Risha and Winnia simultaneously exclaimed in shock and stood up.

“To think something like this actually existed…!”
“Bl, Blackie, this…?”

Looking at them, I could only feel pleased. Yeah. They know the value. Such things inevitably contain legends. If there is a World Tree, there will be its sap, and it will surely be the best magical material.

Even someone who has never seen the World Tree’s sap would think so.

Especially a mage.

“Risha. Can you process that?”
“I can… No! Leave it to this one! There is no one but this one who can process such an existence!”

Risha, who seemed very excited, grabbed my wrist.

As expected of a research and production-type black mage.

She goes crazy for this kind of thing.

“It would be nice to make something like an elixir.”
“I will do so!”
“Hehehe, if possible, make it so we can eat it together.”

The words to eat together.

“Together! Can we eat it together! Katt-nim!”
“Heok…!”

Everyone was surprised by those words.

“Of course. Of course, we have to eat it together.”

As if I would eat something like this alone.

“Ah…! This one is so happy that tears are about to come out!”
“No, well, of course, we have to eat it together.”

Eating it alone would be more effective, but I have to share good things with my women. We have lived like that.

“You did so well!”
“You’re really the best!”

Karin and Liztina also cheered greatly. Looking back, they drank the refined potion of the Spirit King’s heart and experienced an increase in mana.

Of course, it can only be good.

Anyway, we busily discussed the effects of the World Tree’s sap, and in the end, we entrusted it to Risha to process it into a form that we could all share and eat.

And.

“About that request. Right now, some existence is punching holes in dimensions, so it wants me to stop it.”
“Holes in dimensions… Are you talking about the Lich?”

Risha, who had regained her composure, said.

“I guess so.”

There’s no one but the Lich.

“The World Tree is very worried about it. If there are too many dimensional rifts, this world will eventually be screwed.”

So it gave me a reward and asked me for a favor.

“You’ve come carrying a very big mission… And I was just playing around like that after all this hardship!”
“It’s okay!”

It’s just a cute prank.

“Seriously, Sis is really taking care of her health since coming to the capital. Ah. Right. Witch-nim. You have to show that now.”
“Ah, you mean the Heart of Coltrahen. It has been very successfully extracted. It has been made into an elixir, so we can all drink it together.”

That’s complete.

It’s not as good as the World Tree sap, but it’s still damn awesome.

“Oh! Perfect, Risha! If we have that too, there’s nothing to worry about!”
“Let’s all drink it together at night.”
“Okay.”

With this.

The core story has been told.

“…”

But I couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment.

The fragmented story of the gods… Yeah. They can all handle it. It’s okay to tell them. I haven’t decided how to tell Kadia yet, but they’re okay.

“But the reason the World Tree asked for that favor is because.”
“Yeah?”
“Not just the World Tree… The current gods can’t stop the situation where holes are being punched in dimensions.”

I opened my mouth heavily.

“Why can’t they stop it?”
“The gods can’t stop it?”

Liztina and Winnia tilted their heads.

“The World Tree showed me the heavens.”
“What?”
“So. The space where the gods are. The World Tree is also a kind of divine existence, so it can interfere there. So it showed me the space where the gods are.”

ㅡSilence.

“You… saw the place where the gods are?”
“Yeah.”

To Liztina’s questioning, I answered calmly.

“So, so, Blackie? What was it like there? Then did you see the other gods too?”
“Katt…?”
“I saw them all.”

I saw them all and came back.

Now they were waiting for my story.

“I saw them. But they weren’t all in a normal state. Verde. Izzermart. All those gods were shattered like glass shards… Floating in the heavenly space. I was so shocked that I screamed and stuff.”

As I said that,

ㅡ…

Silence descends.

“…”

It was a kind of reaction of embarrassment and incomprehension. In the midst of everyone losing their words, I thought. Even if they don’t have special thoughts about religion, if they hear that the gods are screwed up, they can only react like this.

“Katt-nim…? Then what are the paladins who are here now? Why can they use their power?”
“The gods are in that state, but they’re not dead. Even in that state, they were giving divine power to humans.”

I don’t know why they’re helping, though.

“…”

Even though I explained it that way, they were all frozen, just blinking their eyes. I waited for them to regain their composure.

“Souls…! It’s souls! In the end, to gather souls! Maybe they’re thinking of recovering their power with human souls!”
“Um… Hilde-nim. I think that’s a thought that comes from too much of a demonic perspective.”
“Does Alaune have a different thought!”

The demons and Alaune were less shocked, but the humans all seemed to have received a big shock. Karin also looks very surprised. She can’t say anything.

“Really…? The gods are all like that? Really? No lie?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t know Sis would be shocked by this… Um. This is a bit. Very shocking.”
“I understand. I was too. But now it’s okay.”

What does it matter if the gods are like that?

I just have to become a damn strong existence like a god.

Anyway, besides this, I also told them the World Tree’s interpretation of the Lich opening dimensional rifts. An interpretation that maybe it’s doing it to find a god.

“Finding… You could say it’s an evil god.”

That’s right.

“The gods are fragmented… The Lich is trying to summon an evil god while opening dimensional rifts. Then this side is too lacking. What’s the plan?”

At Karin’s words, I pointed to the crystal orb.

“That crystal. I’ll explain it now.”
“…”
“The World Tree said that there are still many fragments or shards of the fallen gods on this earth. Well, it’s probably the aftermath of the Idol War era. Like the Valkyrie’s core that I ate.”

Here, the crystal is important.

“But if I find and absorb it, I can strengthen my power. I already have the power of a god. And this crystal. It will help me find it. This is a pretty good condition.”

To be honest, even I feel like I’m talking about something absurd.

“…”

Even Karin, who asked me, couldn’t say anything.

“Katt… So.”

It was Claudia who broke the silence.

“The shards of those gods are scattered all over the world. And this green crystal will help you find them?”

In other words, a Dragon Ball radar.

“That’s right. I’m going to eat the sap too. And find those shards and increase my power.”

Then I will be able to become dramatically stronger.

I will be able to gain enough power to fill the void of the gods.

“Then… If you collect all the shards.”

Claudia’s voice was trembling.
A tone that seemed to be mixed with excitement and worry.

“What will happen to Katt?”
“…”

Yeah.

I guess you’re curious about that.

Of course, I’ve thought about it too.

“I’m not kidding, I might gain divine power.”

It was the moment I answered that.

“Haa…”

Claudia’s body, which had been exhaling for a moment, collapsed.

“What!”

Wh, what is this!
I was flustered and immediately grabbed her body and saw.

“Cl, Claudia!!!!”
“…”

Claudia was passed out with a smiling face!!!!

“Wake up!! Claudia!!!”
“Ah, Aah! Sis! Sis fainted while smiling!!”
“Wh, what should we do! Don’t shake a fainted person! First, lay her on the sofa!”
“Okay!”

I immediately picked up Claudia and laid her on the sofa… To faint while smiling! Was she so happy that I was gaining divine power!!!

“This crazy!”

* * *

After confirming that there was nothing wrong with Claudia’s body, who had fainted. We continued the story from before.

“To become a god with a human body… To be honest, this one doesn’t know much about that either.”
“No. There’s also that story? Why. The story of a necromancer opening the gate of the underworld and becoming a god. Haven’t you heard of it?”

At Liztina’s words, Karin nodded.

“There are stories of humans becoming gods themselves. That this and that happened and they became gods. Well, it’s not that rare of a story. There are several legends of that kind.”

Humans always yearn to become gods.

“Blackie. But even if they’re shards, aren’t they small? You said you saw a lot of shards in the sky…? I don’t think there are many that have fallen to the ground?”

That’s right.

There probably aren’t many shards that have fallen. The heavens were full of fragments of shattered gods. Even if I eat them all, there’s a high probability that I won’t be able to reach the real god.

But.

“Winnia. Who am I? I’m Kim Katt. If I only have those small shards, it’s the same as collecting them all.”

Now.

Let’s think about absorbing 10% of the shards.

First of all, I’m a Heavenly Demon, so I’ll add 20% to that.

Then I’ll have a total of 30% of the power, but honestly, if I can handle about 30%, I’ll definitely be able to draw out 50% of the performance with my skills and senses, and then it’ll be almost half.

But here’s the important thing.

ㅡStarting is half the battle.

With that, 50% and the half of the start are combined to make 100%.

Kim Katt can gain divine power that way.

“Seriously, Blackie’s confidence is unstoppable.”
“Hehehe, it’s my identity.”

Anyway.

I’m going to tell Kadia about this tomorrow.

That I’m going to take a break from the paladin work.

I’ll take a break for a while.

And I’ll say that I’m going to go find the shards of the gods with this crystal.

Shouldn’t I start looking for them in earnest?

Right now, that’s more important than being a paladin.