《My Two Status Windows》 Chapter 1 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 1: Prologue It¡¯s been a year since dungeon portals suddenly started opening and monsters began appearing. A year since elves arrived, claiming to be helpers. And a year since Awakened Ones, capable of suppressing portals, became like winning the lottery. Thus, a year has passed since the world changed dramatically. And¡­ the first day of every month is the day new Awakened Ones appear. ¡°This is crazy.¡± I sipped from my can of beer and glanced at the time under my monitor. 11:55. Every online forum was flooded with posts like, "Please let me Awaken!" and "Oh, great energy of Gemini!" ¡°June 1st is Gemini, huh? Right. Oh, great energy of Gemini, let me become an Awakened One too!¡± I wasn¡¯t expecting much and took another sip of beer. It¡¯s like buying a lottery ticket¡ªsure, your heart races a little, but you don¡¯t actually believe you¡¯ll win. [You have Awakened as a member of the Order Faction.] [Under the blessing of Pollux, the God of Gemini, you have gained the status of an F-rank Awakened One within the Domain of Order.] [The quest system, status window, and skill window have been activated.] [You are now permitted to enter F-rank dungeon portals.] A semi-transparent message appeared before my eyes. Huh? I didn¡¯t drink that much, but I¡¯m already seeing things? A hallucination, perhaps. This reminds me of the time I really wanted to Awaken¡ªback then, I also saw something like this. There¡¯s even a syndrome called the status window hallucination. In times like this, the best thing to do is¡­ ¡°Status window.¡± If nothing pops up, it¡¯s just a hallucination. [Name - Kim Jiho Class - NOVICE Guardian - Pollux, the God of Gemini Title - None Level - 1 Strength - 5, Agility - 5, Magic - 5] Huh? This hallucination is way too realistic. Normally, when I saw these things drunk, it¡¯d be something like Class - Sword Saint with Strength 100, Agility 100, and Magic 100. But this time, all my stats are stuck at 5¡­ wow. From what I¡¯ve read online, starting stats are usually between 5 and 10. Looks like mine are beautifully set at 5 across the board. Is this hallucination¡¯s theme starting in the gutter or what? [A gift has arrived.] S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Don¡¯t fail this time. Do better. - By KJH] Huh? A gift? By KJH? That clumsy handwriting¡­ Why does it feel so familiar? It kind of looks like my own signature... [Would you like to open the gift?] I have no idea what it is, but if someone¡¯s giving you something, you take it. ¡°Yes.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 2 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 2: Two Status Windows (1) [Aurelia, the God of Volcanoes, disapproves and revokes your F-rank Awakener status in the Neutral faction.] [You have been awakened as an Awakener of the Neutral faction.] [The Quest System, Status Window, and Inventory Window are now activated.] [Attempting to integrate Quest Systems...] [Integration of Status Windows has failed... They remain separated.] [You are an Awakener of two factions. You have earned the title, "Bat Awakener."] Notifications kept popping up in my system window. It was overwhelming. This doesn¡¯t feel like a hallucination. I¡¯ve never even imagined anything like this. What is this "Neutral faction"? Even as an Awakener enthusiast, I¡¯ve never heard of it. [Four items have been added to your inventory.] ¡°Inventory?¡± As a one-year veteran Awakener enthusiast, I, Kim Jiho, had never heard of such a system. Sure, I¡¯d seen it often in games. But as I wondered aloud, a translucent brown pouch appeared before my eyes. Inside were a book, a letter, a black stick, and a bead. Instinctively, my hand reached for the pouch. As I grabbed the images of the book and letter, the images disappeared, and the actual book and letter appeared in my hands. Should I start with the letter? [To myself, from myself. I am your future self. Get stronger. And don¡¯t throw away this letter.] The first two lines were in Korean. But below them were rows of unfamiliar characters I¡¯d never seen before. At the bottom, one last line was written: "Return this to the inventory." From myself? Future me? This sounded absurd. Turning on the light and reading this all of a sudden makes no sense. I have no idea what¡¯s going on. And what are these strange characters? Explain this to me, future me, you jerk. Oh, right. Should I check the book? Maybe there¡¯s a hint there. I opened the coverless book and found that the paper wasn¡¯t modern A4 sheets but felt more like aged brown parchment. The title on the first page read: [Kim Jiho¡¯s Strategy Guide for Post-Regression.] Regression? What does that mean? Let¡¯s turn another page. [November 1. You will awaken. If you get dragged into the tutorial, don¡¯t listen to the explanations and ask the Goblin Blacksmith for a shield. Once you get the shield, run to the dungeon where the door opens and grab the dungeon core. If Imps attack, don¡¯t fight back, just let them hit you. Just endure it for five minutes. Absolutely.] The messy handwriting was almost endearing, but the first page was already wrong. Today¡¯s June 1, after all¡­ S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And as far as I know, being an Awakener enthusiast, the tutorial involves an Elf helper and a Dwarf blacksmith. What Goblin are they talking about? Ah! Come to think of it, if you awaken at midnight, you¡¯re forcibly dragged into the so-called tutorial world at 1 AM. It¡¯s now 12:34. Only 26 minutes left. Better search quickly. ¡°Awakener... tutorial strategy guide.¡± I typed it into the search bar and noticed that it was ranked 7th in real-time search trends. ¡°Pollux,¡± ¡°Gemini,¡± and other related terms were also trending. Seems like I¡¯m not the only one in this situation. [Welcome, prospective Awakeners.] I was about to check out a blog post when an advertisement from the Korean Awakener Association popped up, featuring a link to a "Tutorial Strategy Guide." I clicked on it immediately and skimmed through the content with more focus than I¡¯d ever given to my college entrance exams. By the time I finished reading, it was 12:59. My body started dissolving into dust from my fingertips. No pain at all. Is this it? Am I finally going? Flash! My vision turned blindingly white, and I felt my entire body floating. It felt like I was drifting in a bathtub when¡ª Suddenly, cold air hit my body, snapping me back to reality. I was standing with both feet firmly planted on the damp floor of a cave. ¡°What the...?¡± ¡°Welcome, 13th batch of Earth¡¯s Awakeners.¡± A clear, melodious woman¡¯s voice rang out. It felt like my ears were being purified. When I turned toward the voice, I saw a beautiful golden-haired woman with a gentle smile. She had long ears, blue eyes, and porcelain skin. An Elf? I¡¯d always thought they looked pretty on TV, but seeing one in person was a culture shock. She was stunning. Too stunning. Her beauty made celebrities look like Orcs. My jaw just dropped open. ¡°Awakener Kim Jiho. I¡¯d like to explain the tutorial to you now. May I?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I wanted to listen. I wanted to keep talking to her. I wanted to have a conversation with such a beautiful woman! Her smiling eyes made my heart race. But¡­ ¡°No, thanks. Hey, Mr. Dwarf over there, do you have any shields? A big one. Something that can cover my whole body.¡± The muscular, bearded dwarf sitting on a rock. I¡¯d only glanced at him because I was too busy staring at the Elf. ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah. I have one¡­¡± ¡°Hand it over quickly. I need to finish this in five minutes.¡± Ignoring the heartbreakingly beautiful elf, I turned toward the dwarf. The dwarf, seemingly surprised by my sudden arrival, glanced at the elf momentarily before rummaging through his pouch. Was that a magic pouch? Out came a large shield with a whoosh. ¡°Here you go, a kite shield for beginners. But are you sure you don¡¯t need an explanation?¡± ¡°I need to finish in five minutes. Thanks for the shield. I¡¯m going. That way, right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°But, Awakened One, you really should¡ª¡± Leaving the bewildered elf and dwarf behind, I dashed toward the depths of the cave. As I gathered strength in my legs for a full sprint, my body suddenly shot forward like a slam dunk. What¡­ what¡¯s happening? I did feel lighter, but I didn¡¯t expect to spring forward like this. All I wanted to do was run. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°That human¡¯s unusual.¡± ¡°Indeed. Must have agility 10 or something. And maybe they were an athlete in the past? That would explain why they¡¯re charging in without a briefing.¡± Actually, my stats are just 5, 5, 5¡­ And I only did a couple of months of PT. Even so, this speed is insane. My body feels full of energy, and my vision has become crystal clear. The cave walls were lit with torches, but as I went deeper, the light dimmed. Yet my improved eyesight allowed me to see everything clearly, even in what should have been darkness. ¡°Kiieeeek!¡± ¡°A human! A human!¡± An imp appeared. Gray skin, less than a meter tall, small and frail like a child, with red eyes and sharp horns. The weakest type of demon monster, wielding a crude spear. The Awakened Association¡¯s tutorial guide specifically mentioned not to be intimidated by monsters like these. Even an adult man¡ªor woman¡ªcould defeat them barehanded. The guide also encouraged engaging in combat, saying that as an Awakened, one must get used to battle. Fighting is the fate of the Awakened, and failure to adapt will only lead to personal suffering. That¡¯s true enough. But¡­ finishing in five minutes comes first. Let¡¯s just charge through! Bam! ¡°Kiieeek!¡± ¡°So fast! Human!¡± ¡°So strong! Human!¡± The imps that collided with the shield were sent flying like bowling pins. With the path cleared, I sprinted ahead. Whoosh! Whoosh! My body shot forward as though gliding through the air. The imps¡¯ cries faded quickly into the distance. Several more groups blocked my path, but I simply plowed through them with the shield or leaped over them. My body is amazing¡ªlight, strong, and brimming with vitality. Back when I was a fan of the Awakened, I¡¯d read somewhere that beginners in the tutorial weren¡¯t particularly powerful, so I shouldn¡¯t expect much. How strong could a Level 1 be? They said. You get stronger from here. But this¡­ this is incredible. What is this? I¡¯m not human. At this rate, I could beat Usain Bolt. Did I misread my stats? ¡°Status window.¡± [Name - Kim Jiho Class - NOVICE Guardian Deity - Pollux, God of Gemini Title - None Level - 1 Strength - 5, Agility - 5, Magic - 5] [Name - Kim Jiho Class - Novice Guardian Deity - Aurelia, God of the Volcano Title - None Level - 1 Body - F-, Magic - F-, Skill - F-, Luck - F-] Wait¡­ there are two status windows? And the stats aren¡¯t wrong¡ªthey¡¯re as low as I thought. Just 5, 5, 5¡­ But why do I have two windows? The only thing I did was unlock a gift¡­ Unlocking a gift? Neutral faction, F-rank Awakened certification? Ah, right. It said something about ¡°status window integration failure.¡± So that¡¯s the reason! ¡°Hu-man! Die!¡± ¡°Ugh, shut up already!¡± I swatted aside the imp waving its spear with my shield and kept running. After sprinting a bit more, I saw a large red gemstone glowing on an altar deeper inside the cave. About ten imps were guarding it like sentries. ¡°This¡­ this is impossible! You¡¯re already here?¡± ¡°Kiieeek! Stop him at all costs!¡± The imps screamed in desperation, but it was pointless. A little strength with the shield, and they were sent flying. I crushed the spears blocking my path, knocked imps aside, and leaped forward. Some didn¡¯t fly away but were smashed on the spot. I didn¡¯t feel much about that. ¡°Kiieeek!¡± Yeah, sometimes they explode like that. Their bodies shattered against the shield, horns snapping, necks twisting, and green blood splattering all over me and my clothes. But rather than being disgusted, all I felt was annoyance that their green blood had dirtied me. This lack of emotion was strange. Crunch. Even cockroaches make me flinch when I kill them. Now, I casually stepped over an imp corpse and grabbed the dungeon core. [Tutorial mission cleared. You have gained 1 stat point.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 3 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 3: Two Status Windows (2) [Clear the Hidden Quest ''Catch it within Five Minutes!'' Congratulations. Your experience gain rate will be doubled for the next two weeks.] Ah... It¡¯s an XP buff? Well, I mean, that''s good. Yeah, it¡¯s good. An XP buff. But... it¡¯s kind of disappointing... The guide made such a big deal about this that I thought the reward would be something extraordinary... The world flashed brightly. Once again, my fingers vanish like dust. Ahh... this feeling of floating. It matches this sense of emptiness perfectly. Lost in thought, before I know it, there''s a flash of light, and I''m back in the real world. "Inventory." Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I took out the book from my pocket and opened it again. [November 1. You will awaken. When you''re pulled into the tutorial, don¡¯t listen to the explanation. Go to the goblin blacksmith and ask for a shield. After receiving the shield, run to the open dungeon gate and capture the dungeon core. If imps attack, don''t fight back¡ªjust take the hits. Within five minutes. Absolutely!] Below this, new content had been added: [The reward is an XP buff. It''s the best. Use your stat points on Luck. Upgrade all stats evenly. Your physique, magic, and skills can improve through training, but Luck can¡¯t be raised that way. Start doing burpees immediately. Push your body to its limits to build your physical abilities.] Ahhh... So unkind. I get why I should increase Luck, more or less. It must mean that physique, magic, and skills can be trained without using points. But... shouldn¡¯t stats not normally improve through training? My head is spinning. And why wasn¡¯t this new information there in the first place? Is there some kind of restriction on reading the text? The book seems to be causing more confusion. On the next page, only a single line had been added: [Stats must, must, must be distributed evenly.] Argh! So unkind. It says what it wants and then stops. Is there a limit on the word count or something? I searched online to find out what the usual approach to assigning stat points is. *[Attention new awakeners! At the beginning, it¡¯s better to focus on your highest stats. If Strength is 10, focus on Strength. If Magic is 10, focus on Magic. Especially Magic¡ªthere aren¡¯t many people with high Magic stats, so if you have good Magic, invest in it heavily and get guild sponsorship. It¡¯ll improve your chances of being scouted. If your stats are evenly distributed, like 5, 5, 5, focus on Strength or Agility. Magic specialization is only worth it if Magic is at least 7 or 8¡ªdon¡¯t bother at 5 or 6. The stat points you get when leveling up are extremely limited. You only get one point per level, and after level 10, you only get one every two levels. Use them wisely.]* Ah, the internet suggests specializing. Most opinions overwhelmingly favor specialization. My dad always says that following the mainstream is the safest option... Ugh... Future me, I¡¯m counting on you! ¡°Status window.¡± When I called up my status window, two appeared simultaneously. Each stat now had a "+" sign next to it, and an extra stat point was shown next to my name. I followed the guidebook from my future self and added the point to Luck. [Name - Kim Jiho Class - Novice Guardian Deity - Aurelia, Goddess of the Volcano Title - None Level - 1 Physique - F- Magic - F- Skill - F- Luck - F] Luck F- turned into F. Oh wow, what a joy... hahaha... Wait? The first status window hasn¡¯t changed. [Name - Kim Jiho (Additional Stat Point +1) Class - NOVICE Guardian Deity - Pollux, God of Gemini Title - None Level - 1 Strength - 5 + Agility - 5 + Magic - 5 +] I guess I need to balance this one too, right? Alright then, let¡¯s start by increasing Strength. When Strength reached 6, I could feel power surging through my body. Hmm... And the title slot was empty. Let¡¯s touch it. The title that popped up earlier, Bat Awakener, was now available for selection next to it. [Bat Awakener] [Grade: B] [Title granted upon receiving blessings from the guardians of both factions. Equipping this title will only reveal the blessing of your main guardian. It can be discerned by Awakens ranked A or higher.] Hmm... there aren¡¯t any A-rank Awakens around. The strongest on Earth is D-rank. Even the High Elf Liana, the orderly faction''s elven assistant captain, is said to be B-rank. If it gets discerned, it probably won¡¯t be a good look. My initial stats are terrible. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] 5, 5, 5¡ªthis is the worst. But still, it feels strong. From the perspective of an Awakener enthusiast, this doesn¡¯t seem like the power of 5, 5, 5 stats at all. Maybe it has something to do with having two stat windows. The stat windows for the Neutral Faction and the Orderly Faction¡ªcould the synergy between them be at play? Even though both are 5, 5, 5 and full of F-grade, trash-tier stats, perhaps combining trash-tier abilities makes them somewhat useful. Come to think of it, the guidebook mentioned boosting your stats by doing burpee tests when there¡¯s a double XP buff. Can the stats for the Neutral Faction be improved through training? I guess I¡¯ll give it a try. I spread out the yoga mat that had been gathering dust in the corner of the room. It was something I ambitiously bought for home training but had become a piece of clutter. After brushing off the dust and laying it out, I did some warm-up exercises... As I lightly jumped, my head almost hit the ceiling. "Whoa, I nearly broke my back." Seeing the ceiling so close, I realized that if I¡¯d done my warm-up and jumped just a little further forward, I might¡¯ve smashed the light fixture. With a mental note to be careful, I began the burpee test. Normally, I¡¯d be gasping for air after 10 reps and unable to go past 20 with my lousy stamina. Let¡¯s see how far I can go now. Place my hands on the floor. Drop into a push-up position. Do a push-up and stand back up. My body felt so light, and the movements were effortless. I completed the motions in an instant and, bewildered, tried again. 5 reps, 10 reps, 20 reps, 30 reps, 50 reps... After that, I lost count and just kept going. It was amazing. My heart and lungs were pumping pleasantly. Unlike usual, I didn¡¯t feel like I was on the verge of collapse. Exercise was fun. And it was way too easy. I decided to increase the intensity. This time, I needed to add a jump. But if I jumped here, I¡¯d hit the ceiling, so... "Haa..." I put on some clothes and stepped outside. I jogged slowly to a vacant lot near my house. Swoosh, swoosh. Of course, I was much faster than usual, but since I was trying to avoid jumping, I couldn¡¯t sprint at full speed. When I reached the vacant lot, I started doing burpee tests on the pavement, now adding jumps. At first, I jumped too high, but eventually, I managed to adjust. One. Two. Three. Four... At first, I was counting reps, but eventually, I even forgot about counting. I¡¯m not sure how long I kept going. Suddenly, my legs gave out. ¡°Whew¡­ Whew¡­¡± I was exhausted. I could taste iron in my mouth. Yeah. This was how it felt. That feeling of exhaustion after working out... Sweat poured down like rain, and the white T-shirt I wore was soaked and clinging to my body. Stats... This isn¡¯t enough to raise them. I guess it wouldn¡¯t make sense for a little nighttime workout to boost my stats in one go. "Time to shower..." Even though I was tired, I recovered quickly after catching my breath for a moment. This body felt truly incredible as I jogged back home. By now, I¡¯d learned to control my strength better, so I wasn¡¯t randomly bursting forward and managed to run at a decent speed. As soon as I got back to my studio apartment, I grabbed some fresh clothes and headed to the bathroom. Taking off my sweat-soaked T-shirt, I noticed my muscular body glistening with sweat. On my abdomen, I could see the shape of a solid six-pack. "Wow. I knew I¡¯d gained some muscle earlier when I touched it, but... to have such a beautiful six-pack." For no reason, I flexed in front of the mirror like a fitness trainer. Striking a pose with both arms flexed, I watched my muscles bulge. My scrawny, shrimp-like body was completely gone. Ah, this feels great. It feels so good. Being an Awakener, and not just any Awakener, but a unique one, makes me so happy. My excitement didn¡¯t die down, so I spent the whole night scouring the internet for information about Awakeners. It wasn¡¯t until dawn that I finally fell asleep, a wide smile still plastered on my face. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 4 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 4: F-Rank Dungeon (1) The next day, as soon as I opened my eyes, I touched my stomach. There were abs. Whew, it wasn¡¯t a dream. I opened my inventory and pulled out a book to read. [To my past self. Congratulations on your awakening, but from now on, your path will be filled with thorns. Distributing your stats equally is like choosing to live as an ordinary person in the early stages. Hunting monsters will be incredibly difficult. That¡¯s why you need the double EXP buff. Since your abilities are weak, you¡¯ll need the buff to keep pace with others.] Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ah, so the early stages are tough. Is this what they call slow-and-steady growth? [At Level 5, your rank will rise to E-Class Awakened, and you¡¯ll have an opportunity to choose a class. However, you must continue as a novice until Level 25. It will be challenging to reach Level 25 without selecting a job, but you must advance to D-Class before making a class change. Keep your stats balanced. Minor differences are acceptable, but significant gaps are not allowed.] So I have to level up to 25 without even choosing a class... If I only had one stat window, it would¡¯ve been extremely tough, but with the synergy from having two stat windows, it felt manageable. I put the book back into the inventory and reached for the black rod and orb, but a notification said they could only be accessed by D-Class Awakened individuals. D-Class... Currently, the highest rank among humans. For now, they¡¯d just be useless items sitting in my inventory. Anyway, let¡¯s head to register. The Hunter¡¯s Office building at Yeoksam Station. Among the high-rises along Teheran-ro, it stood out as the tallest and most luxurious-looking building. The entrance was already packed with people. There were ten machines that looked like the ones used for physical checks at airport immigration. Following the guidance of the staff, people entered and exited the machines. Most had no issues, but some were kicked out¡ªprobably for lying about being Awakened. I stood in line for about 20 minutes. ¡°Please show me your ID.¡± At the male staffer¡¯s request, I handed over my ID. He scanned it with his tablet and gestured for me to proceed. I retrieved my ID and entered, where a green light blinked. ¡°Awakened confirmed.¡± ¡°Congratulations on your awakening. Please proceed inside.¡± Following the guidance, I entered the building, signed various documents, received a booklet, and attended an orientation. It was a whirlwind of a day. ¡°Everyone, you must be thrilled to have awakened, but please understand that this is just the beginning. If an F-Rank Hunter fails to advance to E-Rank within six months, their Awakener qualification will be revoked. More than 50% of F-Rank Awakened individuals lose their qualifications. Combat isn¡¯t easy for everyone...¡± Although Director Shin Hajin lectured for over an hour, this was the only part I remembered. More than half of F-Ranks fail... I heard that even in the tutorial, nearly half fail to defeat that weak Imp. Not everyone who awakens is a physically fit man. Random selection includes women who¡¯ve never killed a bug and elderly individuals who can barely move. It¡¯s definitely not an easy path. I need to tackle a dungeon before my growth buff expires. ¡°Those entering the F-Rank Dungeon, please gather here!¡± After the lecture, as I exited the room, an association staff member waved. People were already lining up. The line wasn¡¯t too long yet, so I quickly got in and was about 40th. By the time a long line had formed behind me, the staff shouted. ¡°Seventy people. We¡¯ll stop here for today! Please head to the underground parking lot.¡± In the underground parking lot, we were divided into groups of ten. Most were sturdy men in their 20s or 30s, but there were also young women and middle-aged men and women. My group, Team 4, consisted of eight men and two women. We boarded Bus #4, which was prepared in the underground lot, and drove through the city. Maybe because everyone sat separately, the bus was silent. Well, there wasn¡¯t much reason to socialize¡ªF-Rank dungeons are solo endeavors. ¡°Excuse me, may I sit here?¡± As I was lost in thought, wondering about my next steps, a woman sitting in a single seat a row away smiled and asked. She wore a white T-shirt and jeans. With black hair and a pretty face, her fashion looked like that of a college student, but her mature aura suggested she was more likely a working adult. Her figure and face, both. ¡°Sure.¡± I nodded, having no reason to refuse, and she immediately sat beside me. What does she want? ¡°By the way, what¡¯s your purpose?¡± ¡°Well, since we¡¯re on the same team, I thought it was too quiet on the bus. I was getting bored.¡± "Well, it must be because the dungeon is meant for individuals. Even if we''re calling this a team, they''re just dropping people off at the dungeon portal on a first-come, first-served basis. It¡¯s not much different from riding a village bus with random passengers, is it?" "Heh, a village bus. That¡¯s a good analogy. But you know, I think of it this way. Didn''t the Association President scare the awakened ones earlier? Talking about how you have to get used to combat, and how over half will be eliminated? After hearing that, most people would probably lose all desire to challenge the dungeon today. But the ones here still lined up for their turn to enter the dungeon. Doesn¡¯t it make sense to get to know them?" "So, you''re saying they''re people with the right mindset?" "Better than those who rushed out of the lecture without even glancing at the Association staff. This could be a form of networking, don¡¯t you think?" Hmm. That makes sense. At least they''re people who have the will to challenge. "You''re right. So, are we introducing ourselves now?" "Sounds good. My name is Lee Jihyun, and I¡¯m twenty-five." "We''re the same age. I''m Kim Jiho." "Oh my. Meeting someone my age, what are the odds? Should we speak casually?" Why is this girl so forward? Well, I don¡¯t mind a pretty girl being forward, so I agreed. "Sure, let¡¯s drop formalities." "Okay, Jiho." From there, we started chatting casually about light topics, like where we lived. After about ten minutes of small talk, Jihyun suddenly asked, "By the way, Jiho, what''s your overall?" "Overall? You mean my total stats?" "Yeah, just curious. Mine¡¯s 24, including extra stats." Wow! Her stats are impressive. Mine''s 16, including one bonus stat added to my 5-5-5 base. But 24? That¡¯s an 8-level difference in stats. "I¡¯m at 16." "Whoa. Without the tutorial bonus... you¡¯re part of the 555 Club? I can¡¯t believe those really exist." "Uh¡­ don¡¯t pity me. It¡¯s depressing." Was it just my imagination? When Jihyun mentioned the "555 Club," her tone felt like it lost some of its enthusiasm. Still, she said things like, "So, that¡¯s why you¡¯re diligently clearing dungeons, huh? Once you hit E-rank, let¡¯s run one together. I¡¯ll help you out." She then left, saying she needed to introduce herself to others. "See you around!" Hmm... I don¡¯t think she was outright dismissive, but it brought back memories of being strung along in the past. Feeling a bit uneasy, I stared out the window and overheard Jihyun talking to someone else. She was having a similar conversation, but then I heard, "Oh my, your overall is 26? That¡¯s amazing, oppa." "Oppa, can I take a look at your status window? It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but with an overall of 26, you must be exceptionally talented. I¡¯m just curious." "If you show me yours too." "Okay, let¡¯s show each other. One, two, three." Then there was clapping and her saying, "Oppa, you¡¯re so amazing," in a sweet, playful voice. She¡¯s really putting in the effort. Jihyun''s great at socializing. Although she said she needed to meet others, she just stayed by that guy''s side, fawning over him. "We¡¯re near the F-rank dungeon now. The current location is Jungwon-gu, Seongnam City. Is anyone getting off here?" "Me." "What''s your name?" "Kim Jiho." "Number 40, Kim Jiho. Confirmed. You may disembark." As I stood up to get off, Jihyun waved at me. "Jiho, good luck!" I looked at her and saw the guy next to her smirking with a subtle sense of superiority. Geez... they¡¯re having fun. Suddenly, I felt an intense urge to go beat up some monsters. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 5 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 5: F-Rank Dungeon (2) The F-rank dungeon is a beginner''s dungeon. You could say it''s an extension of the tutorial. For that reason, only one person can enter at a time, and like the tutorial, there''s a helper inside. One elf, one dwarf. The difference this time is that the elf is an annoyingly handsome male elf. "Can you teach me how to use magic?" It occurred to me that I need to train my magic, but I don''t know how to use it. So, I decided to ask since we met. "Do you mean how to use magic?" Even his voice is impressive. "Yes." "Didn''t they teach you in the tutorial?" Ah! So it was taught in the tutorial. Of course, that was part of the tutorial. "Oh... Was it? I cleared it in five minutes, so..." "Ah, was it because of the double EXP buff? How did you know about that?" Surprisingly, the elf also knew about this. Well, it makes sense since they participate as helpers. This is the kind of situation where blaming the internet comes in handy. "I read about it while browsing the internet." "Oh... The internet. The sea of information. Yet, you picked up useless information there. It would have been better to carefully listen to the tutorial''s instructions... But we can''t stay here for long. I''ll only explain magic discharge today." "Got it." "Alright. Follow me. Magic Discharge." "What?" "How would someone in a world without magic awaken to the sensation of magic moving all of a sudden? For faster learning, we''ve registered verbal commands. Say ''Magic Discharge.''" "Magic Discharge." Suddenly, I felt a tingling sensation in my chest that spread through my entire body. Pop! With a sound like a balloon bursting, wind rushed out from my body. The male elf''s eyes widened. "Wait, your magic level is 10? Or is it 11?" "Ah, no." Just as I was about to say it was 5, he approached with sparkling eyes. Ah, don''t come any closer, handsome guy. You''re giving me goosebumps. "With this level of magic, you can already handle basic spells. Before I¡¯m dismissed, let me teach you ''Fire Bolt.''" "Yes, Master." The elf is so cool. Even his voice is amazing. "It''s the same as before. Just say ''Fire Bolt.'' But this time, extend your right index finger toward the target. When you say ''Fire Bolt,'' an arrow of fire will shoot out." "Fire Bolt." I pointed my index finger at the opposite wall, and flames flared up at my fingertip. The flames condensed into a single arrow and swiftly flew toward the point I was aiming at. Wow! Is magic really this simple? [You have mastered the 1st-circle magic, ''Fire Bolt.''] [If you master four more types of 1st-circle magic, you can acquire the ''Magic Level 1'' skill.] "You succeeded on the first try. That''s not easy... You have remarkable talent, Awakened One. It''s a pity there''s not enough time." It seems not everyone gets it on the first try. "If I master four more, I can get the Magic Level 1 skill... That''s too bad." "I''d love to teach you more, but time doesn''t permit. When you come back to clear the F-rank dungeon, other elf companions will assist as helpers. You can ask them. They''re all good teachers." The handsome elf smiled slightly and looked at the dwarf. I quickly approached him. "Are you giving out equipment today too?" "Today''s weapons are a longsword, an axe, a spear, and a round shield. Pick two. Quickly. We''re about to disappear." "Sword and shield, please." Urged by the dwarf, I went with the classic choice of sword and shield. As the dwarf quickly pulled the weapons out of his pouch and laid them on the ground, his body began to slowly vanish. "That was close." With the sword and shield in hand, I practiced a bit of Fire Bolt. Unlike the tutorial, there''s no rush to clear things quickly this time, so I might as well use some magic. The range seems to be about 30 to 40 meters. After firing 20 shots and attempting another Fire Bolt, my chest suddenly hurt, and the flames fizzled out before forming. So this is what it feels like to run out of magic. Wondering how to replenish magic, I felt something filling up in one side of my chest, like water being poured in. So this is mana? It replenishes faster than I thought. Holding the shield in my left hand, I also swung the sword a bit. Despite being a heavy longsword, it felt light to me, probably because of the compounded effects of my status window. Swish swish. Swish swish. After a few swings, I started to get the hang of it. I¡¯m not naturally dexterous, but this feels surprisingly easy. Is this related to agility or proficiency stats? After a few more swings and trying out some movements with the shield, I felt ready to move forward. "Alright, let''s go." With the sword and shield in hand, I advanced. As I went deeper into the cave, an imp appeared, just like last time. But this time, the imp was much bigger, about 150 cm tall. Its toy-like weapon had been replaced with a decent-sized trident. Its previously scrawny body was now muscular. Hmm. Looks strong. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Kieeek! Human! Die!" "Fire Bolt." Bang! One clean hit to the imp¡¯s head as it rushed at me. The arrow of fire shot out, striking its head directly. With a bang, the Fire Bolt exploded, and the imp''s head caught fire. The imp thrashed around on the ground in agony. It seemed to be trying to put out the flames, but since it was magical fire, it only burned more intensely, showing no signs of extinguishing. "Arghhh! Spare... Spare me..." "If you were in my place, would you spare me? Ah, let me at least ease your pain." The pitiful sight of it rolling around¡ªI''ll finish it off with my sword. Thud! [You have slain a warrior imp. Experience buff applied: Gained 10 experience points.] As I pulled the sword from the imp''s neck, blood spurted out with a squelch. It¡¯s a gruesome scene, but I feel nothing. Perhaps such emotions dull once one becomes awakened. I wondered how much 10 experience points meant, so I checked the status screen. It showed Lv1 at 1.1. Ten percent, huh. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] So, I need 100 experience points to level up. Alright. Let¡¯s kill everything in my path. "Human!" "Fire Bolt." "Arghhh!" "You coward!" "You''re the ones ganging up on me, you bastards. You, too¡ªFire Bolt!" Screech! After decapitating the burning imp, I thought I should try some close combat as well. After killing two imps and walking a bit further, I encountered three this time. "Human!" "Ugh, stop calling me that." Three imps gripped their spears and charged at me. I dashed towards them and leapt high at the middle one. Putting all my strength into the jump, it felt like I was flying. Before the middle imp could even raise its spear, my foot stomped down on its head. Crunch! "Screeech!" Full force. I use all my strength. As I stomped on its head with all my might, I felt the skull crack with a crunch. Now, for a slash. I turned towards the imp on my right. From below to above, I swung diagonally. Splat! The trident snapped like a twig, and the imp was cleaved in half, starting from its chest. Weak. Without pausing, I turned to block the third imp''s spear with my shield. Clang! The trident ricocheted off, and the imp¡¯s arm twisted unnaturally. The grotesque eyes of the imp widened. "Ugh... mon... monster!" Thud! A blow to its head with the shield crushed its face, and it collapsed. I skewered its neck for a quick confirmation kill and withdrew my sword. [You have slain three warrior imps. Experience buff applied: Gained 30 experience points.] One, two, three kills¡ªthat''s 60 points. Four more to go, then? This is... easier than I thought. "Whew..." A car with a Hunter Bureau emblem, akin to a police car, was parked on a mountain road in Seongnam¡¯s Jungwon District. In front of it, a man in a suit was smoking a cigarette, fiddling with his smartphone out of boredom. ¡®Ah, why did I have to get assigned to an F-rank awakened team? F-rank dungeon timing is the worst. I wonder when this will finally end today.¡¯ Clearing times for F-rank awakened dungeons varied wildly. Some finished far quicker than expected, while others dragged it out for the entire 24-hour limit before being forcibly summoned back. For F and E ranks, if someone received a fatal injury in the dungeon, they¡¯d be forcibly summoned back after 24 hours. E-rank hunters usually gauged their chances well and left voluntarily if it seemed impossible, but F-rank ones often pushed themselves too far, dying and coming out a day later. When they returned, most were traumatized¡ªshaking, vomiting, even losing control of their bodily functions. Their physical bodies in the real world were unharmed, but their mental scars were from being gruesomely killed by imps. ¡®Man, I hope this awakened does well. Thinking about cleaning up the mess from the last one... Ugh. But it''ll probably take another three hours at least. Maybe I¡¯ll take a nap.¡¯ Phew. Exhaling cigarette smoke, the man glanced at the red portal, then opened the car door. ¡®Just an hour nap.¡¯ He adjusted the driver¡¯s seat back, loosened his tie, and prepared to sleep. The engine was running, and the air conditioner was blasting. Just as he was about to get comfortable¡ª The portal disappeared. "Oh. The car¡¯s already on standby?" A clean-cut man wearing brown slacks and a black T-shirt appeared. It was Kim Jiho, the Hunter who had volunteered for the F-rank portal in Jungwon District. ¡®Huh? What? Already done? Did he give up? No, the portal disappeared, so it¡¯s cleared, right?¡¯ The man hurriedly tightened his tie and stumbled out of the car, rushing over to Kim Jiho. "Hello, Awakened Kim Jiho! I¡¯m from the Seongnam branch of the Hunter Bureau. Did you already...?" "Yes. It was easy." "Wow. Amazing. It¡¯s only been an hour, and you¡¯ve already cleared it. You¡¯re close to a record!" The man, who had been buttering him up with generic flattery, froze. ¡®Huh. It might really be a record¡­¡¯ Even if it wasn¡¯t a record for F-rank dungeon clear time, it could very well be a record for a first attempt. The sleepy man¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡®This needs to be reported to the higher-ups.¡¯ [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 6 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 6: Awakened Rank E (1) The double experience buff turned out to be quite handy. After defeating 10 imps in the dungeon, I leveled up, and the dungeon clear reward gave me an additional 100 experience points, bringing me to level 2.5. From the Order faction''s status window, I added points to agility, while from the Neutral faction''s status window, I added points to luck again. Thanks to the association staff, I arrived home comfortably, took a shower, and opened the strategy guidebook. There wasn¡¯t much new content. Perhaps nothing substantial would come up until I reached level 5. It seems I¡¯ll need to upgrade my awakened rank to E-grade for new content to appear. There wasn¡¯t much information on the internet either. ¡°Stories about F-grade awakened ones are really sparse, huh.¡± Most messages were encouragements saying, "Just don¡¯t be scared and fight properly¡ªyou¡¯ll win." Occasionally, there were decent tips I didn¡¯t know, like "The imp¡¯s weakness is its horns, so aim for those." Most posts about F-grade focused on mindset. Honestly, how often does a modern person have to fight? Even if you¡¯re stronger and bigger than an imp, maintaining your fighting spirit isn¡¯t easy. Well, nothing of value here. Let¡¯s get some sleep and head back to the association. I should hit up more dungeons while the experience buff lasts... I heard there¡¯s a training center inside the association building, and they offer free training for awakened ones. Would training there increase my skill stats? They even teach martial arts, so I might be able to improve my physical stats. But how do I train my mana? ¡°Mana release.¡± Poof! I said that while lying on the bed, and my body floated slightly above it. Startled, I checked if the bed was damaged, but thankfully, it was fine. Phew. If it had been a different spell instead of Fire Bolt, I might have used up all my mana. But I can¡¯t use it since it might cause a fire. Oh well. I¡¯ll just sleep. I can train at the association. It¡¯s been ten days since I cleared my first F-grade dungeon. The next day, I announced I was heading to another dungeon, which garnered some attention, but I wasn¡¯t the only one working hard. Many others also went to dungeons daily and trained at the association¡¯s training center. By now, I had become familiar enough with their faces to exchange light greetings. During this time, I learned spells and gained skills from the elves in the dungeon. Fire Bolt, Wind, Ice Arrow, Light, Shield. [Magic Level 1] [You¡¯ve gained the miraculous ability to wield magic. For humans on Earth, this is an unfamiliar domain. Spells can only be cast through incantations. The power of magic is reduced by fifty percent compared to its original form. Only first-circle magic can be used.] The elves didn¡¯t teach me second-circle magic since it wasn¡¯t attainable at F-grade. Tsk. I should learn as much as I can while they¡¯re willing to teach. Anyway, after ten days of pushing myself with the double experience buff, I managed to reach level 5 and saw significant changes in my stats. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: NOVICE Guardian: Pollux, God of Gemini Title: Bat Awakened Level: 5 Strength: 7, Agility: 7, Mana: 6] [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Beginner Guardian: Aurelia, God of Volcanoes Title: None Level: 5 Body: F+, Mana: F+, Skill: F, Luck: E+] In the Order faction, I¡¯ve been raising my stats evenly, while in the Neutral faction, I¡¯ve focused so much on luck that it jumped five grades from F- to E+. At this point, I¡¯m wondering if I should shift focus to stats like Skill, which is still at F. ¡°You¡¯re already level 5?¡± ¡°No way¡­ Even with the experience calculations, it should take at least twenty days.¡± When I inquired about upgrading my rank after reaching level 5, the association staff were shocked. ¡°I cleared the tutorial in five minutes, so they gave me a double experience buff. I saw it online and gave it a try.¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s good to know...¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°We should report this officially right away.¡± Looks like the internet excuse works well enough. As one staff member ran off somewhere, I asked another, ¡°So, how do I upgrade my rank?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll guide you.¡± We took the elevator to the seventh floor. Do they handle rank upgrades within the building? I vaguely remember hearing about this during my hardcore gaming days, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention to F-to-E upgrades back then. [Awakened E-Rank Promotion Room.] Entering a relatively small room, I saw three dwarves sitting around a round table, chugging beer. They were pouring soju into enormous beer mugs, a bizarre sight. ¡°The beer on this planet is way too weak.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve learned about this great culture called ¡®soju-beer mix.¡¯¡± ¡°Oh, Randolph, that¡¯s my favorite thing about Earth¡ªthe soju-beer mix.¡± ¡°1:1 ratio is so delicious. I love soju-beer mix. I love kimchi.¡± Hmm¡­ 1:1 ratio? These guys are nuts. Chomp, chomp. Gulp, gulp. They grabbed pieces of kimchi pork belly with their hands, devouring them messily yet somehow without spilling anything on the floor. Their beards absorbed everything like aprons. ¡°Excuse me¡­ I¡¯ve brought the awakened one here for their E-rank promotion.¡± ¡°A 12th-generation awakened? Forty days, huh? That¡¯s relatively quick.¡± ¡°Yeah, for a human on Earth, that¡¯s fast.¡± ¡°Gulp¡­ gulp¡­ ah! Smack. Fill my glass, Kandolph. I¡¯ll go activate the crystal.¡± One of the dwarves who had been guzzling beer and devouring pork belly stood up and waddled deeper into the room. I glanced briefly at his empty glass before following him. Ah, I¡¯ll have to try some soju-beer mix myself after the double buff ends. ¡°So, human, is your zodiac sign Taurus? The 12th generation is under Taurus, right?¡± "Ah, no, I¡¯m from the 13th batch. Gemini." "Gemini? Heck. That means it''s only been ten days. How is that possible?" "I had a double experience buff." "Ah-ha! Now that you mention it, I think I heard about you from my comrades. They said there was a crazy guy who didn¡¯t even listen to explanations, picked up a shield, and charged right in." "That crazy guy is me." "Hahaha! You¡¯re an amusing fellow. Once you hit D-rank, let me invite you to our table. You seem like you¡¯ll reach D-rank soon. E-rankers can¡¯t even handle twenty bottles of soju, after all." Wait... Can D-rankers handle that? Thinking it¡¯d be best to avoid crossing paths, I watched the dwarf fiddling with the crystal. Looks like a dungeon core. "Alright. Everything¡¯s set. You¡¯re the first from the 13th batch to rank up." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "What do I do now?" "Just touch it. Oh, and the options for your new class will appear, so choose carefully." That sounds incredibly simple. They say the real deal starts at E-rank Awakener. I guess this part is just getting through the beginner stage. Well, the easier, the better. The moment I touched the crystal, a semi-transparent message window appeared. [Awakener Kim Jiho. Level 5 confirmed. Checking aptitude for attributes... Available classes: Warrior, Mage, Assassin. Please select your class.] Warrior, Mage, Assassin, and¡­ NOVICE. Jiho. I¡¯m counting on you, Jiho. Thanks to you, I¡¯ve got an extra status window to lean on for ranking up. Your guidebook has to be right. This should work if I choose my class at D-rank, right? [Warning: You have selected the NOVICE class. If you do not select a class at this opportunity, you will not be able to choose one until the next rank-up. Are you sure you want to select the NOVICE class?] "Yes!" [Warning: The NOVICE class comes with no special perks. Are you certain about your choice?] Geez, these warnings are starting to make me second-guess myself. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be fine! I clicked ¡°Yes¡± again, and again, and again. After going through four warning messages, I finally locked in the Novice class. Ah¡­ Am I making the right choice? [You have ranked up to E-rank Awakener.] [Skill level cap increased by +2.] [Skill slots expanded.] [You have gained 2 stat points.] [You have maintained the NOVICE class. No additional bonus stats were awarded.] [Limited communication with your guardian deity is now possible.] Golden light burst from my body. It flared up briefly before fading into a dim glow, almost as if it had never been there. The dwarf who had been watching me scratched his head with a puzzled look. "Uh¡­ That¡¯s odd. Did I drink too much? That yellow light only shows up for Novices." "Good observation." "What? Wait. You chose Novice? Did you mess up? No, there were so many warnings!" "Nope. I plan to change classes at D-rank." "What the¡ª! I thought you were crazy, but you¡¯ve completely lost it, haven¡¯t you? Do you think it¡¯s easy to go from E to D-rank? The difference in difficulty is on a whole other level!" The dwarf shook his head vigorously and stormed off to his drinking table, downing a beer-mixed soju in one gulp. "Wow. What a nutcase. Seeing this lunatic made my drink taste better." "Hey, did you hear what he said?" "Yeah, he chose Novice!" "Whoa. He¡¯s seriously nuts, huh? If he¡¯s a Novice, we can¡¯t even drink with him. Tsk, tsk. Still, I kind of want to have a drink with a lunatic like that." It seemed the dwarves had already concluded that I, Kim Jiho, had no chance of reaching D-rank. Ah¡­ Why are they reacting like this? They¡¯re making me feel like I¡¯ve really done something insane. "Jiho, tell me it¡¯s not true. You didn¡¯t choose Novice, right?" "Actually¡­ I did." "Aaaahhh! Why would you do that? What were you thinking?" The association staff member clutched their head like the world was ending. Ugh. Stop it, please. Just trust me; there¡¯s a plan behind this¡­ [Pollux finds your rare choice intriguing and is observing you with great interest.] [Aurelia deeply regrets becoming the guardian deity of such a fool.] The Goddess of Volcanoes was displeased from the start, but regretting it now? Come on. What¡¯s with the regret? I¡¯ll do well, so please don¡¯t take away my status window. [Pollux grants a special skill to Kim Jiho, the Awakener who caught his rare interest.] [You have acquired the A-rank skill: ¡®Infinite Stamina.¡¯] What the¡ª?! No, no. Stamina doesn¡¯t have to mean that, right? It could just mean boundless physical and mental energy. An A-rank skill is amazing. Yeah. Let¡¯s check the description. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 7 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 7: Awakener Rank E (2) [Infinite Stamina Level 1] [Passive Skill] [This is a core skill of Pollux during his demigod days, when he was aroused at the mere sight of someone wearing a skirt. Your libido continuously rises. You develop low aesthetic standards, finding any woman attractive regardless of looks. You possess enhanced sperm capable of impregnating any female of any species in a single encounter. Your testosterone levels qualitatively change. When facing a female, your strength and agility are enhanced. Due to your low rank, only 10% of the skill¡¯s effects are applied. The more women you embrace, the stronger the skill becomes.] Why on earth is this ranked as an A skill...? Sigh. The stat boost against female opponents might come in handy. Hmm¡­ hmm. Well, maybe the other effects could be useful someday¡­ hmm. [Aurelia laments that you won''t even reach Rank D and downgrades the skill.] [You acquired the Rank D skill ¡°Danger Detection.¡±] [Danger Detection Level 1] [Passive Skill] [Detects danger that the user cannot perceive. Temporarily reddens your vision to warn of danger. The part of your body about to be hit stings as a warning.] Now this is good. Very useful. Opening the skill window, I was relieved to find an ON/OFF option for passive skills. I decided to leave Danger Detection always ON, while Infinite Stamina¡­ ¡°Randolph, can¡¯t we choose again? Novice? Really?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t something we control, human miss. Wait until you reach Rank D.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ My supervisor is going to kill me¡­¡± A female employee, who had been pleading with a dwarf, walked away with a sulky expression. She looked ordinary when I first saw her¡ªneither pretty nor ugly, neither fat nor too skinny. The perfect average for a South Korean woman. Dark circles under her eyes, unevenly applied makeup, and slouched shoulders added to the impression of external factors weighing her down. But looking at her now, for some reason, I suddenly felt a surge of heat. My heart raced, and adrenaline pumped through my veins¡ªnot out of love, but out of a desire to conquer. A sudden urge to act right there and then made me flinch. ¡°Jiho, let¡¯s head downstairs.¡± Her defeated expression. The faint scent of her perfume. Her average figure, which didn¡¯t accentuate curves but had its own charm¡­ No. This isn¡¯t right. Slap. Slap. I slapped my cheeks. ¡°Jiho?¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± I immediately turned off Infinite Stamina. Looking at her again, my mind calmed down completely. What kind of god is Pollux, anyway? Curious, the female employee asked in the elevator. ¡°Pollux? Now that you mention it, I overheard some first-generation Awakeners talking about him. They said he¡¯s extremely sexist.¡± ¡°Sexist?¡± ¡°Apparently, when men rank up to E, they¡¯re almost always given an F-rank stamina regeneration skill.¡± ¡°And women?¡± ¡°They usually get a baseline D-rank skill, tailored to their class.¡± ¡°So, he¡¯s quite fond of women, huh?¡± ¡°Probably. I heard that, in Greek mythology, he impregnated a woman old enough to be his grandmother when he was barely a teenager¡­¡± What a lunatic. ¡°And this guy is supposed to be a god of order¡­?¡± [Pollux dismisses your comment, saying that men pursuing women is the natural order of things.] Ugh. He even counters something like that? How far can he see, anyway? With these questions swirling in my head, I descended to the first floor. As soon as I got there, association staff surrounded me, berating me: Why did I make such a choice? Did I read about it online? How could I throw away my chance to be the top prospect of the 13th generation? Who would accompany me to E-rank dungeons now? They hounded me for an hour, even though I said I was going home. Exhausted and feeling empty, I just wanted to open the strategy guide. When I got home, I sat at my desk and pulled out the guide. [Congratulations on your upgrade to Rank E. You probably didn¡¯t choose a class... Things are going to get really tough now. I chose the Warrior class and started soloing from Level 12, but if you¡¯re a Novice, solo play might be impossible even after Level 20.] So he chose the Warrior class, huh. Sneaky bastard. [The association runs a program to help E-rankers adapt to dungeons. For about a week, an E-rank Hunter will accompany you in dungeons. Make full use of this. After that, rely on Jinseong¡¯s help. And... use your father¡¯s compensation money to gear up. Absolutely. No excuses.] The last line made me close the guide and sigh. Use the compensation money? Did I really write this? That¡¯s my father¡¯s money¡ªhow can I just use it however I want? I flipped to the next section. [Of course, I know what you¡¯re thinking. Father¡­ You¡¯ll meet him again. It¡¯s a bit in the future, but yeah. Haha. Spoiling myself is amusing. Anyway, don¡¯t worry and use the money. Focus on reaching Rank D first. If you clear E-rank dungeons well, you¡¯ll easily make back 300 million.] ¡­Huh? Father will come back? I swallowed hard. Father. After my mother ran off with some loser when I was in middle school, Father was the one who raised me, both financially and emotionally. He was my most precious family. On June 14 last year, just three weeks after the monster incidents began, the world was still in chaos. I had recently finished my military service, declared that my current university life was going nowhere, and decided to prepare for the civil service exam. I was smitten with a High Elf giving a speech at the UN and had set her as my computer wallpaper. Father told me he was going on a business trip and to take care of myself while he was gone. But he never came back. The government said he had been sent on a classified mission and disappeared during it. They told us he died in action and handed over 300 million won in compensation. When I asked to at least see his body, they claimed it couldn¡¯t be recovered due to the classified nature of his mission. What a load of crap. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] They deleted any posts I made online. No one cared about my one-man protests. For the past year, I immersed myself in anything related to Awakeners, hoping to find a connection. But as an individual, there was nothing I could uncover. I¡¯d mostly given up by now, though. There was nothing I could do alone. The only way I held onto my pride was by refusing to touch the 300 million won compensation. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Well¡­ except for using it to pay the deposit on a one-room in Noryangjin and living off the national merit pension.¡± I knew in my head. Father was gone. But now, the guide said he¡¯d come back? He¡¯s alive? Kim Jiho. That¡¯s what my future self said. Is it¡­ really true? It must be true. It has to be. I believe you, Jiho. You wouldn¡¯t joke about Father. This time, I¡¯ll truly believe¡­ Jiho. After reading the guidebook, my mind went blank. When I came to, it was already 9 p.m. June 12. Two days from now marks the day I last saw Father. Guess I should go clean up the family home in Yongin after a long time. Ring, ring, ring. My phone rang. I checked the caller ID. [Lee Jinseong.] Back in the country? "Yeah, Jinseong." - Hey, I¡¯m back. "How¡¯s Hawaii? Nice waters?" - Man, they just had us train the whole time. Why even bother going to Hawaii? "Are you a baseball player? If you''re going on training camp, just go to Guam." - Exactly. They called it a rookie hunter workshop in Hawaii, so I was looking forward to it. But they confiscated our phones for two weeks and put us through hardcore training. It was insane. Honestly, I seriously considered quitting the guild. "They even took your phone? No wonder it was off. By the way, I¡¯ve become a hunter." - Oh, really? So you''re part of the 13th wave of hunters? Congrats. You know I¡¯m from the 11th wave, right? Show some respect to your senior. We¡¯re two batches apart now. "Yeah, but we¡¯re both still E-rank." - What?! You¡¯re bluffing. Nobody reaches E-rank in just ten days. Even I took a month to get there, and that was fast. Next time, make your lies believable. "Want me to send a picture of my hunter ID?" - What the¡­ You¡¯re serious? I won¡¯t believe it until I see it with my own eyes. Anyway, let¡¯s grab a drink two days from now¡ªcelebrate your promotion and my return. "Ah, that day¡¯s the anniversary of Father¡¯s disappearance. I was planning to clean up the house." - Oh¡­ Right. It¡¯s been a year already. Then let¡¯s clean the house together and catch up. "Alright. See you at the Yongin house the day after tomorrow." - Got it. Lee Jinseong, my childhood friend since elementary school. We went to elementary, middle, and high school together. Though we parted ways during college, whenever he returned home, we¡¯d always drink together. Two months ago, he awakened as a hunter and has been busy ever since. He quickly rose to E-rank warrior status and joined one of the top corporate-affiliated guilds under Seomsang Group, even going to their Hawaii workshop. Despite his complaints, he¡¯s one of the most diligent and hardworking people I know. Since we¡¯re so close, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d help if I asked him for support as the guidebook suggested. But without overlapping stats, there¡¯s no need to throw away my pride¡­ for now. We¡¯ll just tackle a dungeon together someday. "Hey, there¡¯s nothing to clean in this house." "Well, there¡¯s nothing here to mess up. Just dusting, really." "Let me see that ID. Whoa, it¡¯s real?" Standing there was Lee Jinseong, a macho guy with a shaved head, bulging muscles, and a tight blue tank top. Even before becoming a hunter, he was fit, but now he looked like a bodybuilder on steroids. "Man, I¡¯ve got the lean muscles girls love, but you look grotesque." "Idiot. The real connoisseurs prefer me. Don¡¯t even compare your scrawny muscles to mine. Ever trained at the association gym?" "Yeah, I go all the time." "Those female trainers there are pretty, huh? Five of them asked for my number. It¡¯s so annoying getting calls." Ugh. Only three trainers ever asked for mine. I lost¡­ "So, what were you planning to do after cleaning the house?" "Not much. Just came by since it¡¯s been a year. Figured I¡¯d drink a little." "You sure you¡¯re okay?" "I¡¯m fine. Besides, Father¡¯s not dead. Let¡¯s drink. Go grab some soju and beer. I¡¯m opening Father¡¯s favorite whiskey." "You said it, not me. You¡¯re the one breaking out the whiskey. I¡¯m totally innocent here." "Hurry up and get the booze." One glass after another, we drank. Ordered chicken, then pizza. Awakened hunters don¡¯t get drunk easily, so we mixed soju and beer, whiskey and beer¡­ over and over. I told Jinseong everything that had happened since my awakening, except for the second status window and the existence of the guidebook¡ªthere was no way to explain those convincingly. When I mentioned choosing the Novice class, he waved it off, calling me a liar. He genuinely didn¡¯t believe me. Four hours later, the house was a mess¡ªlittered with bottles, pizza boxes, chicken boxes, and snack wrappers. "Hey, we came to clean, not turn the place into a dump." "Yeah¡­ How did we end up eating so much?" "Alright, be honest. The Novice thing¡¯s a lie, right? You¡¯re drunk; you can¡¯t lie well now." "I¡¯m serious. Look, here¡¯s my status window." I activated the first of my two status windows¡ªthe one aligned with the Order faction¡ªand showed it to Jinseong. He stared at it, eyes wide. "Hey¡­ What¡¯s with these garbage stats? And no class? Are you insane?" "I have grand plans, man." "Grand plans, my ass! You¡¯re doomed. I¡¯m dragging you into a dungeon every time I¡¯m off duty. With these stats, no party will take you." "I think I can handle soloing. I tried yesterday, but the association wouldn¡¯t let me for a month. And they didn¡¯t even assign an E-rank hunter to train me. Such a waste of my double EXP buff." "With those stats, you¡¯re not soloing for two or three months. You¡¯ll die." "You said dying wasn¡¯t real." "The pain is. I¡¯ve seen people turn into wrecks. This isn¡¯t a joke." "Fine. I¡¯ll prove my skills tomorrow. Let¡¯s hit a dungeon together, and I¡¯ll show you." "This lunatic¡­ With 8, 7, 7 stats? Why did you allocate them like this? Man, going to Hawaii was pointless. My friend¡¯s a disaster now. If this were a game, your character would be deletion-worthy." I¡¯d used my promotion stat points to reach 8, 7, 7, with a Luck rating of D. Jinseong kept calling me trash and worrying about my future. But the next day, after tackling a dungeon together, his tune changed completely. "You¡­ How are you this strong?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 8 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 8: People Met in the E-Rank Dungeon (1) The structure of the E-Rank Dungeon portal wasn''t much different. The only differences were the lack of elf or dwarf helpers in the first room and the need to bring your own weapons. Only weapons specially crafted by dwarves could be brought through the portal, and firearms weren¡¯t among them. So, I spent the full 300 million won to buy a dwarf-made longsword and a kite shield. As for armor¡­ I couldn¡¯t afford it. Elf shock-absorbing uniforms and dwarf armor were just too expensive. ¡°Firebolt.¡± ¡°Kiiiii!¡± E-Rank dungeons marked a step up from mere imps, featuring a variety of monsters. This one was filled mainly with large insect-like creatures. At the moment, giant black bees buzzed around menacingly, but Firebolt proved very effective against them. ¡°Wow, what kind of novice uses both swords and magic? Talk about multitasking. Oh, are those bees female? Is that some infinite stamina skill kicking in?¡± ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t even bring up that skill. If it levels up any further, I might actually get arrested for being a predator.¡± ¡°Why? It sounds like the ultimate skill from the description. Everyone looks beautiful to you? You¡¯ll never get bored in a relationship. Mark my words, you¡¯ll be thanking Pollux someday.¡± [Pollux has taken a liking to Lee Jinseong.] ¡°They say they like you.¡± ¡°Haha! Pollux, give me some of that too!¡± The guy who¡¯d always idolized Guan Yu was twirling a Green Dragon Crescent Blade like a windmill, exterminating insects left and right. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No matter how you looked at it, that weapon was meant for horseback combat, but he claimed he couldn¡¯t give up on his dream. ¡°Man, it¡¯s seriously comfortable going with you. Regular mages are so high and mighty. They freak out if even one monster gets loose and scream at everyone¡ªno exceptions. It¡¯s a shame you¡¯re stuck with 1st-circle magic.¡± ¡°I heard I can learn 2nd-circle magic soon. Where do you think I could pick that up?¡± ¡°You¡¯d probably need at least 20 mana for that. Honestly, I¡¯m amazed you can even use 1st-circle magic. Once you hit 20, you¡¯d need to pay the Elf Association for lessons. It costs a billion per spell.¡± What?! That expensive? ¡°Aren¡¯t activation words enough since the magic is bound by a spell language? Why pay to learn it?¡± ¡°From what I heard from a guild mage, it¡¯s not that simple. The elf has to personally approve you for using magic. And even if they do, it won¡¯t activate if your mana is insufficient.¡± Hmm. I need to save up. I need to get some armor, learn 2nd-circle magic, and recover my 300 million. Why are there so many expenses? ¡°They say hunters are like a lottery, but this doesn¡¯t feel profitable. Getting stronger costs even more money.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you join a guild, get equipment, and live the salaried life. Still, E-Rank dungeons give a 10 million won reward for clearing the portal. If you do party play for 30 days, that¡¯s 150 million split evenly. Plus, the government subsidy for E-Rank hunters is another 10 million. Big companies like mine pay 20 million a month too. Look at the ground.¡± ¡°Oh, is that a mana stone?¡± Two small, red gems the size of fingernails were lying on the ground. ¡°E-Rank dungeon mana stones. When a monster¡¯s corpse suddenly vanishes, mana stones appear. They¡¯re worth 100,000 won each. Good for pocket money.¡± ¡°Oh, how many of these do you usually find in a dungeon run?¡± ¡°Normally, just one or two. It¡¯s really just pocket money. But we¡¯re barely halfway through, and we¡¯ve already found two. Lucky, huh?¡± Lucky, huh? Could this be tied to the Luck stat? After running the E-Rank dungeon, here¡¯s my impression: It¡¯s manageable. Lacking a class was a bit of a downside, but with overlapping stats, it wasn¡¯t too difficult. Jinseong¡¯s presence also made things easier. Being a promising E-Rank hunter scouted by a major corporation, he was strong enough to make the run comfortable. Seeing him spin that Green Dragon Crescent Blade with just two fingers made me wonder if that¡¯s what 20 Strength looks like. I¡¯d definitely lose in a power struggle. ¡°Man, this is great. A mage who doesn¡¯t need babysitting? Let¡¯s dungeon crawl together every day off.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll help you level up.¡± ¡°In your dreams.¡± While taking down giant bees and ants, we eventually reached the end of the dungeon. Jinseong¡¯s cheerful face suddenly turned serious. ¡°Hey, this feels like the final room. Might be a boss. Bosses don¡¯t usually appear, though¡­¡± The view turned red. Danger sense? My face suddenly stung. I immediately raised my shield. ¡°Shield!¡± Bam! Ugh. The impact pushed me back a bit. The barrier spell got shredded, mitigating some of the blow. Wow¡­ danger sense is amazing. Without it, my head might¡¯ve flown off. I¡¯d been too relaxed because the dungeon seemed easy, but now I was wide awake. ¡°It¡¯s a Giant Spider! Burn the webs with Firebolt!¡± Jinseong pointed his Green Dragon Crescent Blade at the ceiling. The ceiling was covered in webs. I aimed my twin fingers upward. ¡°Firebolt!¡± I fired two consecutive shots. The first didn¡¯t ignite immediately, but the second, aimed at the same spot, made flames spread. ¡°Y-you¡­ humans¡­ must die¡­¡± With a screech like nails on a chalkboard, the spider lunged at me. Two legs targeted my head and body. I blocked the left one with my shield¡­ ¡°Take this!¡± ¡­and Jinseong brought down his Crescent Blade on the right. The spider withdrew its leg just in time to avoid the powerful strike, then scuttled backward to prepare an attack. Its mouth opened, ready to spit something. I aimed for the open mouth. ¡°Firebolt!¡± Two firebolts flew simultaneously from my fingers. At the same time, green venom spewed from the spider¡¯s mouth. The firebolts ignited the venom before it could reach Jinseong. But just in case, I cast another shield. ¡°Oh, thanks! Let¡¯s go!¡± Jinseong leapt forward and brought his Crescent Blade down hard. Perhaps the venom attack had drained its strength. The spider tried to block with four legs crossed, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Crunch! ¡°Keeeeek!¡± Its legs shattered, and the spider screamed in agony. Jinseong gave it no chance to recover, swinging his blade again, while I closed in from the side, avoiding its range. ¡°Ice Arrow.¡± I fired an Ice Arrow at its hind legs. Thicker than Firebolt, the icy projectile flew straight toward its target. The spider sensed the attack and pulled its legs back, but that was fine. I aimed for the ground. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] When the Ice Arrow hit the floor, frost spread quickly, making it slippery. The spider, already struggling to dodge Jinseong¡¯s relentless attacks, couldn¡¯t gain traction on the icy surface. ¡°Nice!¡± Bang! Jinseong¡¯s Crescent Blade smashed into the spider¡¯s body, sending it flying. The impact flipped it over, leaving it trembling. I followed up by setting its legs ablaze with Firebolt. Whoosh. "Kiieeeeek!" I approached the spider writhing in pain. Jinseong aimed for its torso while I headed for its head. As I moved closer, my vision turned red, and a sharp sting pierced my neck. Reacting quickly, I blocked with my shield as a web, sharp like an arrowhead, shot toward me. "Kiieeek! H-How¡­!" Thud. The surprise attack wasn¡¯t very powerful, but if I hadn¡¯t blocked it, my neck might¡¯ve been pierced. The spider opened its mouth to spew venom again, but I shoved my sword into its maw. I twisted the blade once, twice, then slashed upward, causing blue blood to splatter everywhere. The spider convulsed for a moment before its body went limp. Squelch. To ensure the kill, Jinseong cleaved its body in half with his Green Dragon Crescent Blade. "You really made us work for it, you bastard." "Hey, we did pretty well, considering. Do you have infinite mana or something?" "I¡¯m completely drained now." "Really? Perfect timing, though. Honestly, when you said you¡¯d handle it alone, I thought you were nuts, but I can see now where your confidence comes from. A bit more leveling up, and you¡¯ll manage solo just fine. What¡¯s your EXP at?" "Wow, 5.7%." "With the dungeon rewards, you¡¯ll probably level up. From what I can tell, pouring your points into magic is the way to go. Go for a mage build. In the D-grade class, there¡¯s bound to be a kickass mage that¡¯s perfect for you." Man, I wish I could choose a class too. Now that I think about it, even the guidebook didn¡¯t list class names. Is there some restriction on that too? "Wow! A D-grade mana stone dropped. I heard these are worth 30 million won." When the Giant Spider¡¯s body disappeared, a yellow gem the size of a fist was left behind. "Oh, nice. Split fifty-fifty?" "Deal. I¡¯ll even throw in the E-grade stones as a gift." Satisfied with the arrangement, we walked cheerfully toward the dungeon core. Just as we were about to break the core, Jinseong stopped me. His expression turned unusually serious. "Hey, there¡¯ll be staff outside when we leave, so let¡¯s talk before heading out." "Huh? Sure." "I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ Whatever you do, don¡¯t show your status screen to anyone. Your stats and your actual abilities are way too far apart. At first, I thought about recommending you to our guild, but with that gap, I¡¯m worried they¡¯ll experiment on or dissect you." "Come on, dissect me? Seriously?" "I¡¯m serious. If you don¡¯t show your stats, no one will know, so just keep them hidden." "Hmm¡­ Is it really that serious?" "It¡¯s just a precaution. I¡¯ve heard stuff since joining the guild. Higher-ups are more worried about the monster situation than regular people. Rumors say a catastrophe is coming soon, and the government and corporate guilds will do anything to gain power. With your stats and abilities being so mismatched, they might really try something shady." "Got it. I¡¯ll be careful." "Even if you don¡¯t understand why your stats are like that, you need to stay cautious. No matter how strong we¡¯ve become, bullets and machine guns can still kill us¡ªunless you reach D-grade and achieve intangibility, that is." Intangibility. A state where your body becomes translucent, rendering Earth¡¯s physical attacks completely ineffective. The High Elf Liana demonstrated it by dodging bullets during her infamous intrusion at the UN Assembly. Apparently, D-grade hunters can use this ability. "But you can¡¯t maintain intangibility all day, can you?" "Exactly. That¡¯s why you need to be careful." If Jinseong is this concerned, I should heed his warning. From now on, I¡¯ll inflate my stats by about +3 when sharing them¡ªsay, 11, 10, 10 instead of 8, 7, 7. And during party play, I should focus on showing proficiency in just one area. Being good at both combat and magic might raise suspicions. "Take care of yourself. I was all excited when I awakened too, but joining the guild felt like the calm before a storm." "Understood, Senior. I¡¯ll acknowledge this piece of advice as worthy of a senior." "Good. Here¡¯s a gift from your senior." Jinseong handed me four E-grade mana stones. We were supposed to split them evenly, but he essentially gave me 200,000 won as a keepsake for my first dungeon. After clearing the dungeon, we settled accounts. E-grade dungeon portal clear reward: 5 million won. Half of the D-grade mana stone: 15 million won. Four E-grade mana stones: 4 million won. Total: 24 million won deposited into my account after one run. No wonder people call this the lottery. If not for the boss monster, even splitting an E-grade dungeon would net 7 million won. Seven million a day, 70 million in 10 days, 700 million in 100 days? 2.1 billion in 300 days? Hahaha. "Don¡¯t get too excited. You¡¯ve invested 300 million, and with ten second-circle spells, you¡¯ll need another billion." "Ugh, way to ruin the moment." "Heh. My custom-made Green Dragon Crescent Blade cost me 300 million in debt too." "Wow, we¡¯ve got a real lunatic here." "You should gear up soon too. Let¡¯s clear dungeons together to pay off our debts." "Obsessed with Guan Yu much¡­ Why not get a Red Hare while you¡¯re at it?" "Oh. Hmm. That¡¯s genius! Yeah, I could ask the elves. There¡¯s bound to be a summoner who can summon mounts, right?" Jinseong suddenly got serious, mumbling to himself. This guy¡¯s hopeless. "Alright, I¡¯m heading out. Let¡¯s team up on your next day off." "Sure. I¡¯m going to ask the elves about mounts before I leave. Thanks for the idea about Red Hare." "Good grief¡­ That¡¯ll cost a hundred billion, you lunatic." He¡¯s dead serious¡­ Once his eyes are set on something, there¡¯s no stopping him. I can only hope the elves charge so much he gives up. If it¡¯s just tens of billions, he might actually save up for it. Regretting my suggestion, I headed home. After leveling up, I adjusted my stats to 8, 8, 7, upgraded my skills from F to F+, and reviewed the day¡¯s earnings before falling asleep with a grin. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 9 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 9: People Met in the E-Rank Dungeon (2) The association assigned someone to me the next day. "You''re already in an E-rank dungeon as a 13th gen? Heard you found double experience points? Don''t hold us back just because your level''s low." A bald man in his 40s, wielding an axe and looking overly confident, entered the dungeon with me. I resolved to fully act as a mage this time and used only magic. Even with just magic, the dungeon was easily cleared since there was no boss monster this time. Maybe that''s why: [Your magic stat has increased from F+ to E-.] My magic stat went up as we cleared the dungeon. And since it was such an easy clear, the man''s attitude toward me changed. "You''ve got great potential as a mage. Ever thought about joining our guild? We don''t interfere much, and the base salary''s decent." When I asked if he wasn''t part of the association, he said he was just here through a partnership. A guild, huh. Joining a guild typically involves revealing your status window to the guild master, so I couldn¡¯t join with my current situation. I politely declined. "My friend¡¯s part of a guild, so I''ll probably join theirs." "Really? That¡¯s a shame... If it doesn¡¯t work out, consider our guild, Daewoo." After easily clearing two E-rank dungeons, it seemed like word was getting out. The association, which used to complain about how hard it was to find me matches, now assigned people readily. Most were warrior types, and all of them urged me, as a mage, to join their guilds. For now, I politely declined all offers. I decided I¡¯d think about guilds when I reached D-rank. For a week, I partied with different hunters. Except for when I went to a dungeon with Jinseong, there were no boss monsters, and we cleared everything smoothly. After seven days, the association¡¯s assistance came to an end. Now, as an E-rank hunter, I had to find and arrange party play myself. It turned out that forming parties wasn¡¯t as easy as I¡¯d thought. The main method was to post a "Looking for party" notice on the HunterNet app provided by the Hunter Bureau and wait for contacts. But by E-rank, most hunters were already in guilds. They formed their own teams and rarely looked for party members on the app boards. Even when party members were recruited through the app, the process often involved sharing detailed information for proper matching. People like me, who had no intention of sharing their status window, were mostly ignored. Unlike my unique case, hunters typically had no problem revealing their status windows. After all, you needed to know your potential party member¡¯s specs to trust them enough to form a party. "Ah, two days of nothing." No messages on my phone. A few replies asked if I could share my info. Apparently, just listing "Mage" in the title wasn¡¯t convincing enough. Well, I am still a novice... Maybe I should just go solo. It felt doable, but I hesitated because of the risk of encountering a boss monster. Could I take on a Giant Spider if I met one now? It wouldn¡¯t be easy. Even if I won, it¡¯d likely leave me injured. Also, going solo this early might draw too much attention. I¡¯m level 9.6 right now, but I¡¯d prefer to reach level 12 through party play before going solo. Still, if this keeps up, I might have to take the risk and go alone. Better that than revealing my status window and becoming a test subject for some human dissection experiment... Ding. As I was firming up my resolve to go solo, my phone buzzed. [Have you found a party yet, Novistar?] A simple ID, "12th Gen Swordfighter," popped up with a message. It was the message I¡¯d been waiting for. [Not yet. Still training through the association.] [I¡¯m an 11th-level warrior. We¡¯re keeping status windows private, right?] [Yes. My level¡¯s also 11.] I exaggerated a bit to make sure the party deal went through since I wasn¡¯t planning to reveal my status window anyway. [Can you use magic?] [Yes.] [Can you leave now?] [Sure. I¡¯m at the association, so let me know when you arrive.] [No, let¡¯s meet at this E-rank portal location instead. You can take an association vehicle to get there.] What¡¯s this? Are they far away? I took the address they sent and asked an association staff member about it. "You¡¯ve arranged to meet a party member at an E-rank portal through the app? It¡¯s not common, but there aren¡¯t pranksters on the HunterNet app... Got it. I¡¯ll take you there." After gearing up, I got into the car. The destination was somewhere in Uijeongbu. I took a short nap in the car and woke up to find myself on a quiet mountainside. A road stretched nearby, and an orange portal glowed beside it. So, E-rank portals are orange. F-rank was red... Does it go red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet? Parked near the orange portal was a foreign luxury car. Not one of the usual German Big Three¡ªit was a tier above. No way... Is that a Rolls-Royce? Looks like a Phantom. "Hello, I¡¯m 12th Gen Swordfighter. My name is Kang Soojin." "I use the ID Novistar. My name is Kim Jiho." A fully armored woman greeted me as she stepped out of the car. She looked about 170 cm tall, wearing a modernized steel armor designed for mobility. Her two-handed sword was dazzling, and it probably cost ten times more than my longsword. She wore a steel helmet, so I couldn¡¯t see her face clearly. But then... [Pollux is excited by the aura of a stunning beauty. He urges you to activate the Infinite Stamina skill immediately.] Pollux rarely reacted like this to women, so she must be gorgeous. [Pollux insists on enhancing the Infinite Stamina skill. He says you¡¯re strong enough to handle her now.] Sigh. What¡¯s gotten into this guy? Even when I met elves, he didn¡¯t react like this. [Pollux says he¡¯s bored of elves.] Man, what a spoiled attitude. I wish I could get tired of elves too. Anyway, stop the nonsense and let¡¯s get going. [Pollux criticizes modern men as pathetic.] [He berates you for not realizing how rare it is to meet such a beauty in life.] [He says you became strong to attract beautiful women, so act now!] Ugh, so noisy. I dismissed his endless nagging messages and turned to talk with her. "What magic can you use?" "I haven¡¯t saved enough money yet, so I¡¯m limited to first-circle spells." "That¡¯s fine for E-rank. I¡¯ll handle the vanguard." "Got it. I¡¯ll support from the rear. I can handle one or two enemies in close combat if necessary." "Thanks for the consideration, but if the vanguard lets that happen, they¡¯re failing. I¡¯ll make sure it doesn¡¯t come to that." Impressive. She¡¯s cool. Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect much from someone I found through the app. But this... this is better than I could¡¯ve hoped for. First off, the gear is... wow... It must be worth billions. A full set of steel armor forged by dwarves¡ªjust that alone is worth billions, and that two-handed sword isn¡¯t ordinary either. This should be an easy victory. A black orc swung its axe downward. Boom! The blow was easily deflected with a shield and flowed away, and a sword was thrust directly into the orc''s neck. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± Dark red blood splashed, briefly obscuring my vision. Feeling a stinging sensation on the back of my hand, I quickly withdrew it. A small hand axe swished past. Man, my danger detection skills are top-notch. ¡°Haap!¡± On the other side, I can see Kang Soojin swinging her two-handed sword. Her movements are quick, but her swordsmanship seems far from skilled. She¡¯s agile, but it feels like her strength stat is lacking or something. She¡¯s fighting three black orcs and is really good at dodging their attacks. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] But the two-handed sword seems too heavy for her, making her attacks sluggish. The orcs were easily defending against her strikes. ¡°Ice Arrow.¡± This dungeon¡¯s monsters are blackened black orcs. According to the elf-made monster compendium, black orcs are strong but relatively slow-moving and weak against magic. Particularly, water-based magic is their weakness, so I¡¯ve been mainly using Ice Arrow for this run. Thud! ¡°Raaagh!¡± I fired two Ice Arrows, striking one of them in the chest. Its dark muscles ripped apart, and blood splattered everywhere. Thanks to the weakness, the arrows pierced deeply, blood gushing as the orc collapsed. The two remaining orcs glare at me. ¡°Ugh¡­ Damn mage!¡± ¡°This woman is nothing special¡­ Can¡¯t even wield her sword properly.¡± ¡°You damn bastards!¡± Kang Soojin snapped and thrust her sword at the orc mocking her. But black orcs are inherently strong. One easily deflected her two-handed sword with its axe. While one orc engaged Kang Soojin... ¡°Die, mage!¡± One of the orcs charges straight at me. Oh, come on! You said you¡¯d tank for me. What¡¯s with this woman? The tank is supposed to provoke the monsters, not get provoked herself. What a waste of good gear. Sigh. This is what you get with random party matches from an app. ¡°Ice Arrow!¡± I fired Ice Arrows with both hands, preparing a defensive stance. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I¡¯d love to charge in, but I¡¯ve decided to stay under the radar. Thwack! Thwack! ¡°Gahhh¡­ mage!¡± The Ice Arrows graze the left thigh and side of the orc. The arrow to the thigh creates a sizable hole. Despite the pain, the orc presses on with sheer willpower. ¡°Shield.¡± ¡°Dieeee!!¡± Crash. The sound of shattering glass echoes as the shield breaks. But the axe''s speed has slowed, making it easy to dodge. I sidestep lightly and extend the fingers of my shield hand. ¡°Ice Arrow.¡± Close range makes hitting easy. The Ice Arrow strikes directly into the orc¡¯s neck. The orc convulses for a moment before I drive my sword into its neck. Dark red blood flowed down the blade. ¡°Mag¡­ ee¡­ strong¡­¡± The orc collapsed, lifeless. Its body disappeared, leaving behind an E-grade mana stone. I quickly picked it up and glanced at my hopeless teammate, still struggling in battle. ¡°Y-You pest!¡± ¡°Pathetic human, just stop dodging already.¡± Is this a fight between Dumb and Dumber? Kang Soojin¡¯s sword was blocked by the orc. The orc¡¯s attacks were dodged by Kang Soojin. Neither can deal a decisive blow. It seems like they¡¯ll only resolve things when both run out of stamina. But I¡¯m tired of watching this pointless fight and want to rest. ¡°Ice Arrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I¡¯m ashamed of myself¡­¡± After the battle, Kang Soojin bowed her head deeply. In the end, the orc she was fighting was killed by my Ice Arrow. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Isn¡¯t the classic pattern for a mage to kill from behind while the tank holds the front line?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, but I let all the monsters slip through. I talked so confidently, too.¡± She gets it, at least. Honestly, missing one or two is understandable, but three came at me. Out of six orcs, I killed one with magic first, and the remaining five tried to gang up on me, leaving Kang Soojin to defend me. But if three of those five came at me, that¡¯s a failure as a tank. Another almost got to me, but I killed it with magic. I thought about calling her out on it, but her gear reminds me of a Rolls-Royce Phantom. A woman equipped with billions worth of gear and driving the pinnacle of luxury sedans. She probably even has a chauffeur. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped. Even experienced warriors sometimes let monsters slip through. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Scolding her wouldn¡¯t fix anything anyway. I¡¯ll just avoid partying with her next time. ¡°I¡¯m deeply sorry¡­ and thank you for being so understanding.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a short break before moving to the next room. I think it¡¯s the last one, and I¡¯m out of mana.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that. I¡¯m really sorry and grateful.¡± After wrapping up the conversation, I sat down to rest. My body wasn¡¯t particularly tired, but constantly reminding myself, I¡¯m a mage, I¡¯m a mage was mentally exhausting. Time to recharge my mana. Since she¡¯s only half as effective, I need to be fully prepared for the next fight. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Hearing a sigh, I turned to see Kang Soojin had taken off her helmet and was resting on a rock. Wow. She¡¯s seriously beautiful. Her black hair, damp with sweat, glistened. Her bright eyes sparkled. Her small head, delicate enough to be covered by a CD, was perfectly balanced with large, striking features. She had a kind, gentle beauty with round, soft eyes. She could easily be a celebrity¡ªone of the prettiest among them. Her skin, unadorned by makeup, was pure white. [Pollux wants you to look at this.] [Pollux says now¡¯s your chance. Didn¡¯t you see her fighting? He insists you can easily overpower her.] [Pollux offers to upgrade your Infinite Stamina skill to level 2, saying he¡¯s making a big sacrifice and ordering you to activate it.] Ugh, this guy... Activating that skill here would be dangerous. This isn¡¯t the place, Pollux. Even that subpar association employee got all worked up when I used it¡ªif I activate it now, there¡¯ll be a real scandal. ¡°Huh¡­ Oh no, how careless of me.¡± Noticing my gaze, Kang Soojin turned her head toward me, touching her face. Then, realizing her helmet was off, she seemed flustered. ¡°D-Did you see¡­?¡± ¡°Your face? I¡¯m looking at it now.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Please keep this a secret.¡± ¡°Huh? From who?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± Kang Soojin looked shocked. Her reaction left me even more confused. How would I know who she is? ¡°Um, no. This is our first meeting, isn¡¯t it?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 10 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 10: Kang Shia (1) How could I know a woman I¡¯m meeting for the first time today? When I first saw her, she acted all tough and girl-crush-worthy, but now she¡¯s a total klutz. When I replied with genuine disbelief, her face turned bright red, and she lowered her head. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I thought you¡¯d obviously know¡­¡± ¡°Are you a celebrity, by any chance?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I go by the name Kang Shia.¡± ¡°Oh! Kang Shia! Of course, I know Kang Shia. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s the youngest daughter of a chaebol family but works as an actress, right? And you¡¯re famous for not doing kissing scenes¡­ Wait, you¡¯re really the Kang Shia?¡± Whoa. Now that I take a closer look, it really is her. How did I not recognize her earlier? Kang Shia is almost a top-tier star. Her face alone plays in the top league. Ah, that¡¯s right. Kang Shia¡¯s usual image is cold, sophisticated, and elegant. Her current look¡ªwith a kind expression and a sheepish, apologetic demeanor¡ªis a complete 180. Plus, she usually wears bold makeup. Her bare face is so different that I didn¡¯t recognize her. ¡°Wait, why is someone like Kang Shia looking for a team through an app?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ actually¡­ I¡¯m in the archer class.¡± ¡°An archer?¡± ¡°Yes. I usually team up with a friend who¡¯s a warrior, but they kept missing attacks, and when I complained, they told me to try being a warrior instead. So, in a fit of anger, I agreed, and we made a bet¡­¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°When it came down to it, I had no experience as a warrior, so I decided to use the app to find a party and gain experience¡­ But I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be this bad at it.¡± An archer class? Wow. This is absurd. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. No wonder she didn¡¯t have much strength for a warrior, but she was pretty agile. She must¡¯ve poured all her points into agility. ¡°If you really need to do this warrior thing, shouldn¡¯t you at least start with a two-handed sword?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I figured this wasn¡¯t working. I got it because it looked cool¡­ My friend uses it well, though¡­¡± Watching the cold and elegant goddess Kang Shia fumble like this feels surreal. Was she always like this? ¡°Your friend must¡¯ve maxed out their strength stat. You¡¯re not landing effective hits, so the monsters don¡¯t feel threatened at all. You¡¯d probably be better off using a lighter weapon and a shield.¡± ¡°A lighter weapon and a shield¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Like what I use. Want to try my sword?¡± ¡°Oh. This is manageable.¡± ¡°See? If your goal is just not to lose monsters, there¡¯s no need to insist on a two-handed sword.¡± Honestly, I don¡¯t even understand why she made that pointless bet in the first place. How could I possibly understand the mind of a rich celebrity? ¡°Thank you for the advice.¡± She stood up and bowed deeply to express her gratitude. Still, for a chaebol heiress and celebrity, she¡¯s got great manners. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. If you return that two-handed sword, you can probably afford a sword and a shield.¡± ¡°Return it? I¡¯ve heard of that, but¡­ I¡¯ve never actually done it before¡­¡± She genuinely looked clueless. Ah¡­ She¡¯s polite, but she naturally exudes an air of privilege. ¡°Um, can I ask you a question?¡± Kang Shia, asking me something? Getting a question from a celebrity made me feel oddly important, so I nodded. ¡°Why are you recruiting people through the app, Kim Jiho? You seem like a pretty skilled mage. Couldn¡¯t you just join a guild?¡± I guess real mages do tend to join guilds. I gave her the excuse I had prepared. ¡°Oh, I was planning to join a guild my friend¡¯s in, but it¡¯s a bit awkward to find party members in the meantime. I don¡¯t know anyone yet because I just got promoted¡­ Honestly, my level¡¯s still pretty low.¡± ¡°You¡¯re low-level? But you¡¯re great at close combat and use so much magic.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m level 9. I¡¯ll hit level 10 if I clear this dungeon.¡± ¡°Wow. Level 9? I¡¯m actually level 16¡­¡± Level 16? No wonder she¡¯s so agile. As an archer, isn¡¯t she doing really well? ¡°You¡¯re really good. Your base stats must be amazing.¡± Kang Shia¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at me. She really is beautiful. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little proud. [Pollux criticizes the user, saying, ¡°Are you even a man?¡±] Without even checking the message, I dismissed it immediately. ¡°So, are you going to keep recruiting teammates through the app?¡± ¡°Probably, yeah.¡± ¡°Then¡­ would you mind teaming up with me for just a week? I¡¯ve got this bet coming up in a week, and it¡¯s been so hard finding party members through the app.¡± The Kang Shia is asking me to team up for a week? It¡¯s an honor, but¡­ Thinking about how she struggled against those orcs with that two-handed sword makes it hard to give an immediate yes. Teaming up with her might be better than going solo, but still¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Would changing her gear make her at least 70% effective? It has been tough finding teammates¡­ Should I team up with her before going solo? But judging from how she fought earlier, I¡¯m not entirely convinced. ¡°Um¡­¡± Kang Shia looked flustered as I hesitated to answer. Did she just assume I¡¯d agree? Well, she probably hasn¡¯t been rejected much¡ªwith her looks. But pretty or not, skill matters more¡­ [Pollux scolds the user again, ¡°Are you dense?!¡±] Ugh, can that annoying observer stop butting in? As I kept hesitating, Kang Shia bit her lip and held out her two-handed sword. ¡°If you agree to team up with me, I¡¯ll give you this.¡± "Sorry? This two-handed sword?" "Yes. I''ve never processed a refund, and anyway, I''ll go back to my original weapon, the bow, in a week. You can sell it if you like¡­." Wow, she''s really rich, huh? This sword looks amazing. It even seems more expensive than all my equipment combined, which is worth 300 million won. And she''s giving it to me just to use for a week? This must be the kind of wealth that''s simply beyond imagination. "I''ll escort you with utmost dedication." I grinned as I spoke, and Kang Shia flinched, pulling the sword back into her arms. "Oh¡­ okay¡­ I''ll leave the sword in my car and give it to you after a week." Hmm. Did my expression show too much greed? Is she worried I might run off with it? Still, by delaying my response, she handed me this treasure. Patience is key in negotiations, after all. Kang Shia, who had seemed like a burden, suddenly looked like a treasure. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] The next day, she switched her weapon to a rapier and shield, and they were surprisingly useful. No matter how much magic was hurled at us from behind, the monsters couldn¡¯t even think about getting to me because of her swift strikes. Kang Shia seemed to enjoy herself, attacking fiercely. "Die, die, die! Hahaha!" I couldn¡¯t see her face because of her helmet, but wouldn¡¯t her eyes be gleaming wildly? Thanks to her properly drawing the monsters'' aggro, our dungeon conquest went very smoothly. "I''m doing okay, right?" "You''re doing great." "Good enough to team up with, right?" "Yes, you should''ve done this from the start." "Tch. I shouldn''t have started with the two-handed sword. My first impression must have been terrible. You¡¯ll be amazed when you see me shoot with a bow." I looked her up online and found an article stating her initial agility stat was 10. Apparently, her family was vehemently opposed to her being a Hunter, but just as she had stubbornly insisted on debuting as a celebrity, she had persisted to become a Hunter. Of course, due to the pressure of her chaebol family, this wasn¡¯t officially reported, but the rumors were widespread on HunterNet. One other perk of working with her: I could keep all the mana stones to myself. "Are these worth much? Huh? Just a million won?" "Just a million? Can I keep them all?" "Sure. Oh, give me just one as a keepsake." Except for the first stone I handed her, I monopolized all the mana stones. Each run yielded 4 or 5 stones, which was a nice boost to my finances. I wanted to monopolize the dungeon clear rewards as well, but since those were immediately reported to the Hunter Management Bureau, I couldn¡¯t. A real shame. "Thanks for your hard work today." "You too." It was our sixth day together. My level had risen to 11.7, and my stats had improved considerably. [Name: Kim Ji-ho Class: NOVICE Guardian God: Pollux, God of Gemini Title: Awakened Bat Level: 11.7 Strength: 9, Agility: 9, Magic: 10] [Name: Kim Ji-ho Class: Beginner Guardian God: Aurelia, God of the Volcanoes Title: None Level: 11.7 Body: E, Magic: E+, Skill: E, Luck: D++] I had distributed my stats evenly but focused on magic this time. I figured that when I reached level 25 and advanced to D rank, balanced stats would suffice. By prioritizing magic first and mastering 2nd-circle spells, I could bring the other stats up later. As for luck, investing one more point in D+ didn¡¯t upgrade it to C- but rather D++. It seemed I needed to invest more points to reach C. Man, even with these stats, the Order faction total is just 28. Some people start at level 1 with stats of 28 or 27. The discrimination is just ridiculous. Without the Neutral faction stats, I¡¯d have been in trouble. On my way home, feeling good as I rode the Association¡¯s car, an unknown number called me. "Hello?" -Good evening. This is Woo Jeongsik, the butler of the Daehyun family. I¡¯ve heard that our young lady has been in your care recently. "The Daehyun family? Who¡­ Oh, Kang Shia?" -Yes. "It¡¯ll be over soon. What¡¯s the matter?" -Ah, I see. I just wanted to check when you¡¯d be finishing. Didn¡¯t Kang Shia already tell them it¡¯s tomorrow? Why are they calling me? "Sorry, but could you please get to the point? I¡¯m not sure what this is about." -Well¡­ it¡¯s regarding your relationship with the young lady¡­ Relationship? What relationship? Oh no, is this one of those clich¨¦ drama moments? "Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re calling to get rid of some pest clinging to your young lady, like in those old-school dramas? We¡¯re nothing, you know. I don¡¯t even have her number. All we talk about is hunting." Silence. No way. Is this real? How outdated can they be? Maybe I should mess with him. "Oh, wait. Yes, you¡¯re right. I have ulterior motives. I¡¯m trying to charm the innocent young lady and cling to the chaebol family. If you want me to stop, pay me. Teach me 2nd-circle magic or something. Haha." -Pay¡­ pay you? "Yeah. You didn¡¯t expect me to stop for free, did you? Surely you¡¯ve prepared something. I¡¯ll stop approaching her if you pay me." -Ah, p-please calm down, Mr. Kim Jiho. Our budget¡­ I could hear the panic in his voice through the phone. Sigh. Poor guy. It¡¯s not his fault. He¡¯s just another salaryman. If I weren¡¯t a Hunter, I¡¯d probably be an intern at a place like that, getting scolded left and right. "Man, you can¡¯t even take a joke. Anyway, Kang Shia and I agreed that I¡¯d use her expensive two-handed sword for a week. Report that it¡¯ll be over tomorrow." -Th-thank you very much. "How did you even get my number? Geez¡­" -I sincerely apologize for the intrusion, and thank you again, Mr. Kim Jiho. ¡°¡­And that¡¯s what happened yesterday." "Aaaah! What the heck! Are you crazy?!" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 11 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 11: Kang Shia (2) ¡°Goodness. What¡¯s this, ¡®I contacted you regarding your relationship with the young lady...¡¯? If I hadn¡¯t hung up quickly, I swear my limbs would have disappeared. Are we still in the 21st century?¡± ¡°Stop it! Please, stop. Ugh, so embarrassing. Dad, seriously!¡± Haha. Teasing her is so much fun. I never promised the butler I wouldn¡¯t spill the beans. When else will I get the chance to tease the great Kang Shia like this? ¡°Young lady! Young lady!¡± After teasing her a few more times, she glared at me fiercely. Even with her helmet on, her piercing gaze shone through. ¡°If you say one more word about this, I won¡¯t give you the two-handed sword.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut.¡± Now that monsters were starting to appear, I decided to focus. The upcoming monsters were the black orcs we encountered a week ago. For Kang Shia, this was a chance for revenge. ¡°Alright, you bastards!¡± She dashed forward excitedly. Come to think of it, a few days ago, she admitted she was shocked when I initially declined to join the party. Is this her revenge match to regain her pride? ¡°Ice Arrow.¡± I alternated between using Ice Arrow and Shield to support Kang Shia. While my Ice Arrow landed critical hits, her rapier also proved quite effective, unlike her two-handed sword. She targeted the unarmored legs and feet to immobilize enemies or held off those coming for me. Compared to her earlier performances, the improvement was night and day. We cleared three rooms in no time. In F-rank dungeons, the monster distribution was typically one, two, three, or four rooms. But in E-rank dungeons, it shifted to patterns like two-three-four-five-six or three-four-five-six-seven. This time, we started with three monsters, then five, quickly taking them down. After swiftly clearing the room with six monsters, we agreed to rest before tackling the next room, filled with orcs ready for slaughter. After a week of working together, we had developed decent teamwork. Before entering the final room, we decided to rest and prepare thoroughly. ¡°By the way.¡± ¡°Stop teasing me.¡± ¡°No, not that. I have a friend stationed on an island. He says the government and corporations are taking this monster crisis very seriously. Do you know anything about it? Feels like information is being suppressed.¡± ¡°Hmm... I¡¯m not entirely sure.¡± She began to explain. The current state of the world could be considered a ¡°tutorial mode.¡± Thanks to the help of elves and dwarves, humanity hadn¡¯t suffered severe damage, and only D-rank dungeons had appeared so far. But in about a year, these helpers would have to leave, marking the beginning of true dungeon portal hell. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just shoot the monsters with guns?¡± ¡°Not all high-ranking monsters are physical entities.¡± Apparently, many high-level monsters can become incorporeal, with the worst of them being a boss monster called the ¡®Lord of the Abyss.¡¯ Defeating this creature would require hunters of B or C rank. However, the mechanical civilization we currently live in struggles to produce hunters of C rank or higher. The Lord of the Abyss has already destroyed three mechanical civilizations. With no significant progress in advancing hunters beyond D rank, the current situation remains stagnant. ¡°Do the elves absolutely have to leave?¡± ¡°They say if they stay, Earth¡¯s danger level will rise, potentially spawning A-rank monsters. That would mean certain doom.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably why my dad didn¡¯t oppose me becoming a hunter so strongly. He figured raising my hunter abilities would increase my chances of survival.¡± ¡°Does the Lord of the Abyss always appear?¡± ¡°Not always, so don¡¯t worry too much. But the odds are higher in mechanical civilizations. That¡¯s why they¡¯re brainstorming ways to improve D-rank hunters¡­¡± So the world isn¡¯t as peaceful as it seems... It¡¯s the calm before the storm. I suddenly recalled the message I received when I got the strategy guide. ¡®Don¡¯t fail. Do better. - By KJH¡¯ Was it sent because they couldn¡¯t stop the Lord of the Abyss? Ugh. Might as well reveal everything in the guide. Since reaching E rank, there haven¡¯t even been any updates. Tsk. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this. It¡¯s spreading quietly, but still.¡± ¡°Understood. Too bad the elves are leaving in a year.¡± ¡°Ugh. Men liking elves so much is the real problem.¡± Kang Shia shot me a glare. ¡°Hey, women also praise male elves.¡± ¡°Hmph. Men are worse.¡± ¡°Compare idol fans. Are female idol fans crazier, or are male idol fans?¡± ¡°Ugh. Whatever. Men are definitely crazier. I can tell because I¡¯m an actress.¡± ¡°Oh, did you lose a commercial deal?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t lose it, okay?! Besides, I only do no-fee ads for our company¡¯s products!¡± Pretty sure I saw an elf in one of Daehyun¡¯s commercials¡­ I¡¯ve teased her enough for today. Time to stop before I lose my two-handed sword. Instead, I asked something I¡¯d been curious about. ¡°Why do elves even appear in commercials?¡± ¡°Right? They say it¡¯s to cover their living expenses, but the government supports them entirely¡­ it¡¯s ridiculous.¡± Kang Shia flared up again. It seems elf-related topics are a sore spot for her. Maybe the entire entertainment industry is on high alert... If someone as stunning as Kang Shia is reacting this way, those below her must be having a tough time. After some light chatter, we finished preparing and entered the next room. That¡¯s when we saw it. A 3-meter-tall orc stood in front of the dungeon core. The sheer size and aura were intimidating. ¡°Uh¡­ is that a boss monster?¡± ¡°Seems like it. I¡¯m engaging. Ice Arrow. Shield.¡± The key to victory is striking first. Before the orc boss could move, I fired an Ice Arrow and simultaneously cast a shield spell on Kang Shia. Two ice arrows flew toward the giant orc''s head and chest. Fortunately, its equipment was shabby. Rags for clothes and a wooden club. If the ice arrows hit well, they should pierce it in one shot. ¡°Graaaahhhh!!¡± The orc let out a roar so loud it seemed the entire cave would shake. At the same time, the flying ice arrows exploded mid-air with a pop. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What the¡­? Wasn''t the orc''s weakness supposed to be ice arrows? How does it destroy magic with just a roar?! ¡°Human. Die!¡± Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Its footsteps made the ground tremble. Despite its massive size, it wasn''t even running, yet it closed the distance in an instant. ¡°Ugh!¡± Momentarily frozen by the orc''s roar, Kang Shia dashed forward. She dodged its club and stabbed her rapier at its foot, but it simply bounced off with a clink. ¡°Why is it so tough¡­?!¡± ¡°That tickles, human!¡± ¡°Ice Arrow!¡± I fired two more ice spells. The club that was about to smash Kang Shia paused for a moment. The orc turned to look at me. ¡°Graaaahhh!!¡± The ice arrows exploded as they got close to its body. Seriously? How can it destroy magic just by shouting? This is ridiculous¡­ Still, it seems like it has to detect the magic and roar in that direction to cancel it out. Would it still work if I fired up close? I charged toward the giant orc. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no point in using magic from a distance anyway!¡± ¡°Crazy mage!¡± Whoosh! The club swung down, slicing through the air. Clang! I dodged while deploying a shield spell, but the club''s speed didn¡¯t slow at all. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Normally, shields reduce the momentum, but¡­ This one-circle shield spell is useless. At least I avoided the hit. ¡°Ice Arrow!¡± I cast magic right before it could roar up close. As expected, the two ice arrows pierced its chest. ¡°Grrrkkk¡­!¡± But the power was lacking. Before the arrows could burrow deep, they melted away. Ice magic might work on regular black orcs, but not this boss monster. ¡°Die! Die!¡± Whoosh! Whoosh! I dodged the orc¡¯s attacks left and right. Luckily, my stats were high enough to keep up. But blocking with a shield was out of the question. One hit would be a guaranteed home run. Kang Shia kept trying to stab it, but the orc didn¡¯t even glance her way. Her attacks weren¡¯t landing at all¡­ At this rate, it¡¯ll just be one-on-one between me and the boss. ¡°Fire Bolt!¡± If ice doesn¡¯t work, try fire! But the fire bolt barely scorched its skin before dissipating. Wow! This is bad. I can dodge its attacks, but mine aren¡¯t doing any damage either. Should I try attacking with my sword? Ah! But I¡¯m already recognized as a mage¡­ If a sword attack works, it¡¯ll be a problem too. ¡°Graaaaahhhh!!¡± Frustrated by my evasive maneuvers, the orc¡¯s attacks grew faster and more ferocious. Crash! Crash! Crash! Its club smashed craters into the ground, changing my mind. If I save my strength too much, I¡¯m dead meat. One wrong move, and I¡¯m done for. ¡°Ugh¡­ Jiho, can you hold it off for a moment? I need to shoot an arrow.¡± Kang Shia, after futile attempts with her rapier, said grimly. I¡¯m all for it. But¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t even have a bow!¡± ¡°It¡¯s inside my armor! Just hold on for a bit longer!¡± What kind of bow fits inside armor? I heard some metallic sounds¡ªching, cheak, clang¡ªlike something falling off, but I couldn¡¯t check because I was busy dodging the massive orc¡¯s attacks. [Pollux admires Kang Shia¡¯s figure, saying her chest is remarkable.] What the hell? Instead of protecting me, this damn guardian diety is ogling women¡¯s bodies? Ugh. I glanced over briefly. Oh, come on, she¡¯s fully clothed! You can see stuff like that in advertisements! ¡°Where are you looking?!¡± Suddenly, my vision turned red, and my head throbbed. Boom! A club smashed into the ground right next to me. That was way too close. Damn guardian diety almost got me killed. [Aurelia looks at the user with an utterly disdainful expression.] Ah, this is unfair. Unfair, but¡­ I¡¯ll focus on the fight. ¡°Fire Bolt. Ice Arrow.¡± I keep casting attack spells, but they¡¯re not very effective. The chest is too hard, so I aimed for the head, but even when it gets hit a few times, it recovers quickly. Out of frustration, I even cast magic at the groin, and every time, the orc screamed faster than lightning. This bastard knows how to protect the family jewels. ¡°It tickles, human!¡± A Fire Bolt hit its head directly, but instead of being affected, the orc shook its head and roared. I swear, I¡¯ll go into debt if I must to learn 2nd Circle spells. This isn¡¯t working. Normal monsters are easy, but bosses are tough. As I get more accustomed to its speed, I start targeting its legs, thighs, and groin with my sword. With the shield hand casting magic and the sword hand striking, I keep at it. ¡°Grrk!¡± It¡¯s not like my sword strikes are completely ineffective; a dark red line of blood appears on the orc¡¯s skin. But it quickly seals up and heals over. Ha. This is exhausting. Unlike with the spider earlier, my attacks have terrible synergy here. Am I supposed to just outlast it? Then, it happened. ¡°Poison Arrow!¡± Whoosh! The sound of something slicing through the air. An arrow pierced the orc¡¯s eye. The first effective hit so far! ¡°Graaaahhh!!¡± The orc clutches its eye in pain. I immediately aimed for the area it was so desperately protecting and launched two Ice Arrows into its groin. ¡°Arrghhh!! Aghhh! Aghhhhhh!!¡± The orc went berserk, swinging its club wildly as if intent on destroying the cave. Bam! Bam! It¡¯s about to bring the whole place down. I quickly retreated out of its attack range. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Arrows continued to fly. One struck its other, uninjured eye. Another hit its mouth, which it had left open in agony. And one more embedded itself in its chest, all within moments. ¡°Grr¡­ GRAAAAHHH!¡± The speed and precision were incredible. Wow. So this is what being a true archer class is like? Impressive skill. The orc pulled out the arrows lodged in its eyes, but it tugged too hard on one, causing its eyeball to dangle out. A greenish hue spread over its face, probably due to the poison. Now we just need to stall until Kang Shia finishes it with more arrows. ¡°Jiho! You have to finish it now!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m out of arrows!¡± You only had four?! I charged at the orc again and aimed a Fire Bolt at the arrow embedded in its chest. The flames spread along the arrow, catching fire. This time, it worked. ¡°Grr¡­ Grrrk¡­¡± The orc¡¯s movements slowed, and one leg buckled under its weight. I relentlessly shoved Ice Arrows into its gaping mouth. As my mana was nearly drained and my chest felt like it was being squeezed dry¡­ The giant orc finally stopped moving and collapsed. Its body vanished, leaving behind a D-rank mana stone. ¡°Wow¡­ That one was rough.¡± As I picked up the mana stone left behind by its disappearing corpse, my energy was completely sapped. I really need to master 2nd Circle magic soon. Fighting high-defense enemies like this is just too hard. ¡°Jiho! Are you okay?¡± Kang Shia came running over with a worried look. She was wearing a tight elf uniform, the one I couldn¡¯t afford because it was so expensive. It was different from her usual appearance. Without the steel armor, her figure was clearly visible. A perfectly balanced S-line, with a more developed bust. As I absentmindedly watched her run toward me, my gaze was drawn to her chest, which bounced significantly with each step. Pollux, I kind of understand your admiration now. [Pollux¡¯s infinite libido¡­] Ah, can we please just stop there, old man? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 12 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 12: D-Rank Promotion (1) I walked out of the portal, carrying the pieces of steel armor that Kang Shia had hurriedly removed. She knew how to take it off but not how to put it on. Truly, such a privileged daughter remark. ¡°I realized something during today¡¯s boss fight,¡± Kang Shia said quietly as I was putting the armor into the trunk of her Rolls-Royce Phantom. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I just... decided to stop making bets. I got a little cocky after leveling up and ended up making a pointless bet. If that orc had been just a little stronger, one of us might have been in real danger.¡± ¡°Well, you were doing pretty well as the vanguard against regular monsters.¡± ¡°Regular monsters aren¡¯t the problem. Once we reach D-rank, the bosses we¡¯ve been fighting will start appearing as regular monsters. Acting as the vanguard made me realize it¡¯s inevitable to let one or two monsters slip past. I should just apologize to my friend and hunt together again.¡± With that, she pointed her finger at me. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to fall behind our novice junior, after all.¡± ¡°Wait... you knew?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite famous, you know? The fastest person in the 13th generation to be promoted to E-rank. But also the hunter who gave the association headaches by stubbornly sticking to the novice class without choosing a specialization.¡± So, not exactly flattering rumors, then. ¡°Maybe waiting to choose your class at D-rank isn¡¯t such a bad idea. Hunters like you, with great base stats, can easily handle the journey up to level 25.¡± ¡°Do you have insider info from your family or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only heard rumors that the classes available at D-rank are extraordinary. But the most important thing is whether you can beat your competitors during the level 25 promotion match. I won¡¯t go easy on you, junior.¡± The D-rank promotion match was a battle among E-rankers at level 25. This woman... She was strong as a ranger... ¡°Just rank up first. Don¡¯t bother trying to fight me.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to do that, but I¡¯m aiming for the September promotion match. Something tells me you¡¯ll be aiming for September as well.¡± The promotion matches begin on the 1st of every odd-numbered month. It was late June now, so if I cleared E-rank dungeons daily and focused on solo play to monopolize the experience points... September seemed within reach. ¡°See you then.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s play fair when the time comes. Here, this is the promised reward.¡± She handed me a two-handed sword from the trunk. Finally, I received an incredibly expensive-looking weapon. ¡°Thank you. Oh, by the way, we got a D-rank mana stone from the orc. Should we split it?¡± ¡°Ha. You don¡¯t even mean that, do you? Just keep it. It¡¯s my first time seeing a mana stone like that, though.¡± ¡°Thanks! Hehe.¡± She didn¡¯t mean ¡°first time seeing it¡± as in ¡°I want it,¡± right? As I quickly pocketed the mana stone, Kang Shia smirked. ¡°Wow. You just take it without hesitation. Kang Shia gets humiliated by a man. Is this one of those ¡®You¡¯re the first guy to slap me¡¯ moments?¡± ¡°You want me to slap you?¡± ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m not falling for you anyway.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to get calls from your butler either.¡± ¡°Hey! We agreed not to bring that up! See you at the promotion match. You¡¯re dead, seriously.¡± ¡°Haha. Take care.¡± ¡°Yeah, see you then.¡± Waving her hand, she drove off in the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The time I spent with her had been very productive. I checked my level¡ªit was now 12. Plus, I had gained a powerful two-handed sword. I hadn¡¯t decided yet whether to use it or sell it, but either way, it was a satisfying deal. ¡°So this weapon was a gift from Kang Shia? Wow. Not only did you meet a celebrity, but you also got a super-expensive weapon out of it...¡± Jinseong and I were running a dungeon together for the first time in a while since it was his day off. The blade had a dark sheen, and the handle was embedded with fragments of a yellow D-rank mana stone. The moment I held it, the weapon felt lighter, and a surge of vitality coursed through me. The sword seemed to have some sort of enchantment. Its power was astonishing in combat. This dungeon was filled with clay golems, creatures made of earth. Though they were quite tough, they were crushed effortlessly when I swung the sword. The blade remained unscathed. Having spent so much time casting magic from the rear, I felt exhilarated by the sword¡¯s destructive power as I swung it around. The golems barely put up a fight before collapsing. It was surprisingly light, likely due to its innate magic, but considering how heavy it had been for Kang Shia, her strength stats must be terrible. A pearl before swine, indeed. ¡°This thing is incredible.¡± ¡°Man, I¡¯m so jealous. That¡¯s like winning the lottery. Meanwhile, I¡¯m three hundred million won in debt... I still need to start my Red Hare Project...¡± Jinseong, wielding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, was noticeably less energetic than usual, his eyes brimming with envy as he glanced at me. Honestly, it did feel like I¡¯d hit the jackpot. And then... ¡°Fireball!¡± Holding the two-handed sword in one hand, I stretched out my right hand. A ball of flame flickered into existence on my palm. The fire grew to the size of a soccer ball, its flames dancing violently. When I hurled it at a distant clay golem, a massive explosion erupted with a deafening bang! This was a second-circle spell, Fireball. It¡¯s probably the most iconic and widely recognized spell when people think of magic. Despite its common image, its power is undeniable. The overwhelming force of fire, paired with the secondary damage from the explosion, was devastating. When I had saved up enough money to learn second-circle magic, this was the spell I chose without hesitation among the ten available options. ¡°Dude... why are you so strong? You¡¯re hogging all the action.¡± ¡°You think I could solo this?¡± ¡°Yeah. Feels like I¡¯m just here to leech XP. I¡¯m level 19, getting carried by a level 12... Ridiculous. This is depressing.¡± Jinseong gave up, slumping onto a rock to watch me fight. Perhaps thanks to my skill stat, the two-handed sword felt natural in my hands even though I¡¯d never used one before. Each swing brought down a clay golem. Combat suddenly felt too easy. "Have you ever used a two-handed sword before? You seem to handle it pretty well." "Does it look that way?" "Yeah. You handled the sword and shield well before, too. Did you ever take fencing lessons? I don¡¯t recall you learning any martial arts." "I¡¯ve spent some time training in the association''s training room." "Really? They weren¡¯t very good at teaching how to use the Green Dragon Crescent Blade¡­ but I guess they¡¯re better at teaching sword techniques since there are plenty of instructors for that." Jinseong nodded to himself in understanding. I couldn¡¯t exactly tell him about my stats synergy, so I let him continue with his misunderstanding. Now that I think about it, I might be able to handle a bow as well. I¡¯ve never shot a bow before, but if my Technique and Agility stats synergize, I feel like I could pick it up quickly. In the past, I figured magic would suffice for long-range attacks, but in actual combat, my magic turned out to only be effective at mid-range. Beyond a certain distance, the mana connection would break, and the spell would just dissipate. If I plan to go solo, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to have a long-range option. I should try learning archery at the association. "If you start soloing dungeons now, you could probably participate in the September 1st promotion exam." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "Really?" "Yeah. You¡¯re level 12, right? If you clear dungeons with a party, it¡¯ll take about two months, but if you go solo, it should take a month to a month and a half. Of course, you¡¯ll have to go almost every day." "It¡¯s late June now, so if I keep up my current pace, I should make it, right?" "If you go every day, you might even have some time to spare." Even as we chatted and hunted monsters, we were relaxed. I think I can really start playing solo now. And this two-handed sword... I¡¯ll keep using it. It¡¯s incredibly powerful. I¡¯ll sell the sword and shield and buy a cheap bow. I should also learn another second-circle spell. "Hey, isn¡¯t the promotion exam being broadcast tomorrow?" "Is that even possible? You can¡¯t take electronic devices into dungeons." "Technically, it¡¯s not a dungeon. The elves apparently did something? They¡¯re streaming it on YouTube. Want to watch it tomorrow with some beer?" "Sure, sounds good. But isn¡¯t your guild watching it as a group?" "It¡¯s optional, so it¡¯s fine." "Then it¡¯s a deal." After parting ways with him, I went to the association and sold my dwarf-made sword and shield for 200 million won. I¡¯d bought them for 300 million¡­ there goes 100 million¡­ With 100 million, I bought the cheapest bow and arrows allowed in dungeons and spent the remaining 100 million learning magic from an elf. The new spell I learned was Heal. Learning magic from a beautiful blonde elf made the time fly by. "I heard you¡¯re a novice, but you have remarkable talent." "Oh, you¡¯ve heard of me?" "Of course. Among the 13th batch, you¡¯re the hunter we elves are most interested in. Everyone¡¯s curious what class you¡¯ll choose when you reach D-rank." "What classes can you choose at D-rank?" "Oh, you didn¡¯t already know?" The elf gave me a strange look. Of course, she assumed I had some insider information since I was holding out as a novice until D-rank. I did have some information, but my future self wasn¡¯t exactly forthcoming. "If you know anything, could you give me a tip?" "I don¡¯t know much myself. Cases like yours are rare¡­ But I¡¯ve heard you can choose special classes or dual classes. For example, you could become a magic swordsman or a spirit archer." "Wow, that sounds amazing." "They¡¯re incredibly powerful classes. Those who changed their class at D-rank went on to dominate their worlds." "Then why do most people choose their class at E-rank?" "You¡¯ll understand if you watch tomorrow¡¯s promotion exam broadcast." The elf gave a faint smile. "You have to reach D-rank to change your class, anyway." The promotion exam aired on YouTube. It was an overwhelming display of violence and brutality, filling two hours of runtime. Jinseong and I were so absorbed in the broadcast that we barely touched our mixed beer. When the rankings were announced, I understood why the elf had spoken that way. Every single novice was at the very bottom. I wasn¡¯t the only one trying to hold out as a novice. But all of them had failed¡ªand were still failing. Among the novices listed, many were marked as third or fourth-time challengers. But none had escaped the lowest ranks. "Hey, when do warriors learn those class skills? I didn¡¯t see you use any." "Around level 20, I think? That¡¯s when things really begin for them." The contestants on the broadcast fought with devastating skills. Only novices were slaughtered, unable to resist with no active skills of their own. Watching that made me realize just how absurd it was to aim for a D-rank promotion as a novice. "Yeah, that¡¯s what being a novice is like. You¡¯re the weird exception." I nodded at Jinseong¡¯s words, thinking about the strategy guide. How did that guy plan to survive that battlefield? It seemed nearly impossible to clear as a novice. Maybe something new would unlock at level 25. If not, there was no way to survive the promotion exam at this difficulty. Having two status screens with overlapping growth might make it possible¡­ but it wasn¡¯t something I could count on. After watching the promotion exam, I steeled my resolve. I spent every day grinding dungeons, earning money, learning second-circle spells one by one, and training at the association. Forty days passed like a hamster running on a wheel, and I finally reached level 25. I also managed to balance all my stats equally. [Message] [Name - Kim Jiho Class - NOVICE Guardian Deity - Pollux, the God of Gemini Title - Bat Awakener Level - 25 Strength - 13, Agility - 13, Magic - 13] [Name - Kim Jiho Class - Novice Guardian Deity - Aurelia, the God of Volcanoes Title - None Level - 25 Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Body - D++, Magic - D++, Technique - D++, Luck - D++ Remaining Points: 1] In the neutral status screen, stats had also increased through training, leaving me with one remaining point. If I used it, one stat would reach C, disrupting the balance. With stats like this, E-rank dungeons became a breeze. I even started hoping for boss monsters to show up. Although I¡¯d hit the level cap, I kept grinding dungeons to save money and prepare for the promotion exam. At the same time, the strategy guide finally updated. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 13 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 13: D-Rank Promotion (2) The 6th D-Rank Promotion Test. Field 3 in the Korea region. 100 awakened participants selected per field. Whoooosh. Inside an orange, translucent shield, my entire body is glowing red. I¡¯m free-falling straight from the sky to the ground. On the livestreams I¡¯ve seen on YouTube, this would look like a meteor. All 100 awakened participants fall from the sky like meteors, crashing into the ground. The landing locations are random. But the area is confined. Inside the walls of the Rayark Mountain Fortress. [If you¡¯re reading this, you must have reached level 25. First of all, respect. Achieving level 25 as a total F- NOVICE wasn¡¯t easy, was it?] I recall the words from the guidebook. The long-awaited guidebook update. [But the hardest challenge remains. The promotion exam. The difficulty is nearly impossible. However, on May 1st, the rules change. Novices will compete against other novices in the promotion exam.] When I read that line, my eyes nearly popped out of my head. If the promotion exam is among novices, I might actually have a shot at first place. But May 1st? That¡¯s way too far off. It¡¯s September 1st now, which means I¡¯d have to stay stuck at level 25 for eight months? I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of waiting that long. So, I decided to give it a shot and kept reading the guidebook. [Even if it¡¯s a novice battle among beginners, don¡¯t let your guard down. Battles between weaklings are always the fiercest. Plus, people who reach level 25 as novices usually have big ambitions and base stats of F+ or higher. No matter how much solo training I¡¯ve done, it won¡¯t be easy.] Exactly. And since I¡¯ve distributed my stats evenly, even in a novice-only battle, my stats would be on the lower side. If I still had just one status window... Thud! I land on the ground. There¡¯s no impact. As soon as I set foot on the ground, I open my mouth. ¡°Mini-map.¡± A map appeared before my eyes. A new ability gained during the ranking exams. It¡¯s like a game, with a radar-like mini-map showing the terrain. At the top, it says, ¡°Survivors: 100.¡± On the mini-map, I see I¡¯ve landed in the eastern part of the southern wall area. Rayark Mountain Fortress is a fortress nestled in a canyon. A southern wall and a northern wall. It¡¯s a canyon fortress that only needs those two walls to be defended. However, the southern and northern walls are on the verge of being overrun by the orc army. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The human soldiers are panicking and fleeing, while the orc horde advances through the broken walls, surrounding everything. In this battlefield, the objectives for awakened participants are twofold: Be among the last 20 survivors. Score 5 kill points. Achieving either one guarantees a promotion. Kill points are awarded as follows: Killing another awakened participant: 1 point. Killing a human or an orc: 0.01 points. In short, it¡¯s a game designed for awakened participants to fight each other. Could I survive by hiding instead of fighting? Not likely, since the locations of awakened participants are visible on the mini-map. Plus, a white light shining down from the sky highlights each awakened participant like a spotlight. There¡¯s no environment conducive to hiding. But the guidebook told a different story. [As it was later revealed, there are points where you can hide. The locations are¡­] Northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest. Participants are scattered across these four regions. The guidebook detailed hiding spots in each of these regions. In the southeast, there¡¯s only one such spot: an old, dry well. If you head a little further inside the southern wall, you¡¯ll find a well. Inside, there¡¯s a hidden tunnel that orcs don¡¯t enter. [Awakened participants will know you¡¯re there because of the light, but since the orc horde will soon occupy the area, they won¡¯t be able to come after you even if they know. If you¡¯ve landed in the southeast, get to the well and hide. After an hour or two, things will settle down, and you can secure your promotion.] The guidebook also warned that as this information spreads, it¡¯s best to take the promotion exam as soon as possible. [If you manage to score 5 kills and rank in the top 20, you¡¯ll earn 3 bonus stat points. But honestly, it¡¯s best to give up on that idea.] If I hadn¡¯t read this part, I might have done just that. But now that I¡¯ve read it, I have another option. I draw the bow slung across my back and notch an arrow. My target is a hunter illuminated by light ahead. They haven¡¯t noticed me yet. Whizz! ¡°Guh!¡± The arrow pierces their neck with precision. The awakened participant grabs at the arrow in shock and collapses. Should I confirm the kill? I watched closely, but... [You have gained 1 kill point. - Current Kill Points: 1] It seemed they were dead. Their body dissolved into light and disappeared. Maybe they were a mage and not a warrior? I didn¡¯t expect them to die in one shot. It was my first time killing someone, but knowing they¡¯ll come back to life after the exam ends kept me from feeling too shaken. I reopen the map, which now read, ¡°Survivors: 91.¡± In that short time, nine people have already died. On the northern side, several small red dots are clustered together, while to my south, two red dots have disappeared simultaneously. Since two dots vanished at once, they were likely wiped out by the orc horde. If one of them had won the fight, only one would have disappeared. Let¡¯s head up for now. I kept the mini-map minimized but visible in my field of view. I needed to track the enemy''s positions, so I left it up and ran at full speed. Now, I¡¯ve reached a speed far beyond human capability. My goal: five kills and then head to the fountain. Four kills left. A burning citadel. Human and orc corpses were scattered everywhere. The battlefield was filled with the sounds of surviving human units clashing with the vanguard of the orc forces. But none of that mattered to me. Why waste time killing 100 enemies just to earn one point? My only goal was the spot where two red dots were colliding. Soon, I arrived at the location where two Awakened were fighting. ¡°Shield Charge!¡± The warrior with a sword and shield shouted the skill name, and his shield expanded as it lunged toward his opponent. Just before the shield struck, the other side called out a skill too. ¡°Shadow Strike!¡± A woman¡¯s voice. She wore leather armor and dual-wielded daggers¡ªclearly an assassin class. Boom! The assassin was sent flying after taking the Shield Charge head-on. But the warrior wasn¡¯t unharmed either. The shadow beneath him suddenly rose and stabbed his back. So that¡¯s what the assassin skill, Shadow Strike, does. ¡°Guh¡­!¡± Ha. This is such a great opportunity. Talk about luck. I fired an arrow at the fallen assassin and rushed toward the temporarily grounded warrior. ¡°Fireball.¡± ¡°What¡­ what the hell!¡± Boom! The warrior raised his shield again, but it was too late. The Fireball had already hit the ground and exploded. When the smoke cleared, his lower body was charred black, and his entire body was engulfed in flames. ¡°AAAAHHH!!¡± There¡¯s no way he¡¯s surviving that. Instead of wasting time ensuring his death, I ran toward the assassin to finish her off. The arrow I had shot earlier had unfortunately only hit her arm. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] She was clutching her injured right arm, groaning. ¡°Agh¡­ It hurts¡­¡± ¡°Ice Arrow.¡± I launched a quick Ice Arrow at her. But she deflected it with her uninjured left hand, wielding her dagger. Looks like she hasn¡¯t lost all her skills, despite reaching level 25. Fine. I¡¯ll finish it with my sword. I charged forward with my greatsword. As I parried her dagger and moved in for the stab, she suddenly removed her mask. A fairly attractive woman hurriedly spoke. ¡°Jiho, wait! It¡¯s me. Jihyun.¡± Who¡¯s Jihyun? Oh. Could it be the girl I saw on the bus at the very beginning? And so what? I didn¡¯t respond and drove my sword into her. Stab! ¡°W-we could have worked together¡­¡± Teamwork, my ass. My vision briefly turned red, and I felt a stinging sensation on the back of my neck. It was the signal from my Danger Detection skill. If I had hesitated, I might¡¯ve been hit by her Shadow Strike skill. Jihyun fell, glaring at me with resentment as her body disappeared. [You have earned 1 Kill Point. Current Kill Points: 2] [You have earned 1 Kill Point. Current Kill Points: 3] When I looked back, the warrior¡¯s burning corpse had also vanished. Did they die around the same time? Come to think of it, she was in the same batch as me. How did she qualify for her promotion trial so soon? I hit level 25 twenty days ago because of double experience and soloing here and there¡­ but she didn¡¯t have any of that. I thought she¡¯d just leech off a capable guy, but turns out she was pretty determined. The number of survivors on the map had dropped to 79. Not even a few minutes had passed, and already 21 people were dead. For now, there were no other Awakened in my vicinity on the mini-map. I¡¯d reach the fountain soon¡­ If I gathered two more kills in the central area and came back, the fountain would likely be crawling with orcs. I thought about just hiding safely for now, but I couldn¡¯t pass up three stat points. For someone like me, those are doubled. At level 20, stat points are only given once every two levels. Three points are equivalent to leveling up six times. I can¡¯t miss out. I recalled the strategy guide. [If you drop near the center and can¡¯t get to the recommended points, heading to the magical watchtower in the central area gives you the best chance of survival. The tower¡¯s entrance is locked with a magical seal. The code is 6976.] The magical watchtower¡­ I saw it in a live broadcast before. A 10-meter-tall stone watchtower with a view of the southern wall. It was locked with a magical seal, and one Awakened tried to break it open but failed and got killed by an orc horde. [Once you¡¯re in the tower, stay completely silent. If you start firing arrows or anything, the orc shamans will destroy it with magic. Close the door again, and the magical lock will automatically re-engage. Just stay hidden inside, preferably below.] So, if I kill two more Awakened on the way and enter the watchtower, I¡¯ll be set. I carefully examined the map and kept running. As my body shot forward like a dart¡ª My vision turned blood-red, and my chest burned right in the center. Damn it. Mid-leap, too. ¡°Shield.¡± I cast a defensive spell and ready my two-handed sword. I see a spear flying toward me. The force cutting through the wind is intense. An Awakened¡¯s throwing spear! Clang! The upgraded second-circle shield shattered as it collided with the spear and my sword. The upgraded shield held up pretty well, blocking the attack. But I had no choice but to stop my charge. At least I landed without a major shock¡ªthat¡¯s a relief, I guess. Looking at the radar, I spotted a red dot that wasn¡¯t there just moments ago. Was he hiding? He avoided the radar¡ªdoes he have some kind of item? ¡°You¡¯re a crafty one.¡± A male warrior suddenly appeared, holding a long spear. His armor looked similar to what Kang Shia used to wear. I can catch a glimpse of an elf uniform underneath. On his back, five throwing spears were strapped. Wow. I can smell the stench of money. ¡°Lightning Bolt!¡± I fire a second-circle lightning spell. Before it even reached his body, the spell is absorbed into one part of his armor. What the hell? That¡¯s broken. ¡°Fireball.¡± As he slowly closes the distance, I cast another spell. The strongest offensive spell I can use. But this one, too, is absorbed into a gem on his armor, breaking into strands of flames. He hesitates, about to swing his spear to block the Fireball, then quickly regains his composure. ¡°Looks like my money was well spent.¡± ¡°Wow, pay-to-win.¡± ¡°In a capitalist society, of course. Lance Charge!¡± The distant enemy¡¯s figure zooms into focus. A spear thrust coming straight at me. Close combat already? I cast Shield and dodge his skill. At the same time, I swing my two-handed sword downward. But does Lance Charge also boost agility? As he rockets forward like a bullet, he twists his body and blocks my attack with his spear. Bang! The sound of sword and spear colliding is like an explosion. ¡°This bastard. I thought you were a mage?!¡± The enemy quickly created distance. I moved to close the gap before he could get his spear into position. In an instant, we exchange ten moves. ¡°Whew¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty good.¡± Taking a brief moment to catch our breath, we close the gap again. He tries to widen the distance, but I keep charging in. Our attacks grazed each other, but my strikes couldn¡¯t penetrate his armor, and his were stopped by my Shield. Dozens of exchanges, but no effective hits. ¡°Lance Charge!¡± ¡°Shield.¡± A skill launched at point-blank range. The spear expanded rapidly before my eyes. But the Shield held long enough for me to evade! Screech! Fast. My cheek was torn, and blood sprayed out. Tsk. F irst blood since I got here. But my sword wasn¡¯t idle either. ¡°Urgh!¡± My blade grazed his right forearm. With normal weapons, his armor would have stopped the attack. But this expensive two-hander did its job. ¡°Tch. Who the hell are you?!¡± The warrior glares at me as he retreats again. Just as I¡¯m about to close the gap once more¡­ Boom! Boom! Boom! The drumbeats of the orc army¡¯s warband echo in the distance. ¡°Wait. Let¡¯s stop.¡± He sung his spear widely and backed off. I remained standing with my sword in hand. We both understood. If we kept fighting, we wouldn¡¯t settle this before the orc army arrived. ¡°We¡¯d die to the orc army before we finish this fight.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s part ways and go our separate paths. Anyway, you or I will probably make it to the top twenty.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯m heading that way.¡± I pointed toward the watchtower, and he nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go this way. By the way, that sword¡ªwhere did you get it?¡± ¡°I was given it.¡± ¡°By who?¡± ¡°A pretty woman.¡± At my answer, he glared at me briefly, then turned away. ¡°Got it. No time for this now, I¡¯ll ask later.¡± With that, the warrior leapt away, each stride like he was flying. He seemed suspicious, recognizing the sword¡­ Maybe he saw it at some high-end market for rich folks. Still on alert, I made my way toward the watchtower. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 14 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 14: D-Rank Promotion (3) Thunk! ¡°Ugh... Huff... 40 people left¡­¡± [You have gained 1 Kill Point. - Current Kill Points: 4] One more person down. I¡¯ve reached the magic tower I was aiming for... Looking at the map, there are no Awakened nearby. 40 people, huh... The end is in sight. If I linger here, I might miss the chance to earn additional stats and end up with nothing. I approached the lock on the magic tower. Contrary to its medieval aesthetic, the lock was a touchpad. When I entered 6976, the lock clicked open, and the door swung ajar. So, the strategy guide was correct. I stared at the opened tower for a moment before turning my back on it. I had only entered the code to confirm if the strategy guide¡¯s information was accurate. I couldn¡¯t give up on the extra 3 stat points. I resumed running, spotting a light in the distance. The light illuminated a single-story guard post. Is someone hiding there? The wooden door was firmly shut. ¡°Fireball. Fireball.¡± You wouldn¡¯t happen to have armor that nullifies magic too, would you? Bang! The first fireball smashed the door to pieces. Bang! The second fireball detonated inside. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Lightning Bolt.¡± I unleashed an electric spell on the man who bolted out of the flames. His body immediately convulsed before collapsing into the fire. Judging by the bow he was holding, he was probably an archer. [You have gained 1 Kill Point. - Current Kill Points: 5] Casting a second-circle spell three times in a row, I felt my mana drain rapidly. Still, I felt relieved at achieving my goal. The minimap showed 31 people remaining. Everyone seemed to be converging toward the central area to avoid the orc army, so the end seemed near. Judging by the map, I was on the outskirts. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I briefly considered heading back to the tower, but the area was already overrun by the orc army. Their marching speed was increasing, and if I didn¡¯t run hard now, I¡¯d be devoured. I opened the map and ran in the direction with the fewest people, avoiding other Awakened. There was no need to kill more after taking down five. If I got ambushed by an Awakened who had already settled in, it¡¯d be troublesome. ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡°Mon... Monster!¡± In the distance, I could hear the screams of humans being attacked by orcs. A defeated battlefield. A massacre of humans. The endless wave of the orc army. Were there any Awakened among those screams? 26 left. The number was dropping bit by bit. Meanwhile, the pressure from the orc army behind me grew stronger. Axes began flying my way. They hadn¡¯t hit me yet, but their speed was alarming. Thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud-thud. The drumbeats of the orc warband grew louder and closer. I now ran straight toward the center, disregarding the Awakened ahead. Taking a detour would only get me caught. ¡°Firebolt!¡± ¡°Shield.¡± A hidden mage attacked with a spell, but I blocked it with a shield and kept sprinting. It would¡¯ve been great to have a haste spell, but that¡¯s third-circle magic, unfortunately. The mage who attacked me seemed to be trying to escape as well, but how fast could a mage really be? ¡°Ahhhh!!¡± 22 left. The number dropped again. And the orc drumbeats now roared like thunder. My vision blurred red as a burning pain erupted on my back. ¡°Wind! Shield!¡± Without looking back, I cast Wind and Shield simultaneously. But clang! A powerful impact slammed against my back. Boom! ¡°Ugh!¡± I clenched my teeth. Ugh... It hurts. But if I collapsed here, I¡¯d die. A quick glance behind me revealed that, thankfully, the axe hadn¡¯t embedded itself into my back. Whether it was the Wind effect or my Shield that saved me, I was just glad it didn¡¯t stick. I ran without looking back. At this point, I feared the orcs behind me more than the Awakened ahead. As I got up and sprinted again, I heard thud, thud sounds coming from behind. If I¡¯d hesitated even a moment longer, that axe would¡¯ve sunk into me. Cold sweat dripped down my back. Whoosh! The sound of something slicing through the air. It came from ahead. Someone was shooting arrows... But why didn¡¯t my danger sense go off? With my two-handed sword strapped to my back, I couldn¡¯t block anything while running full speed. Damn it. I raised my arms to shield my head and chest. Two left. Just hold on a little longer. I gritted my teeth, bracing for the imminent impact. An arrow flying at high speed was getting closer. Face or chest? I was ready to lose an arm. Clang! Contrary to my expectations, the arrow grazed past me. And then, the sound of something colliding came from behind. What? As I mustered strength to keep running and looked ahead, I saw a familiar silhouette waving a hand. That expensive armor covering the entire body¡ªKang Shia! ¡°Not bad, right?¡± ¡°I love you.¡± She said she wouldn¡¯t go easy on me, yet she saved me at this moment. The girl crush vibe I felt when I first saw her hit me all over again. Wow. Am I too emotional? It felt like a halo was shining behind her, making her look like an angel. Then my body began to glow white... Wait, what? [You have entered the top 20 final survivors. The mission is now complete.] [You earned five kill points. By achieving both objectives, you receive additional rewards.] [You gained three bonus stat points.] I cleared it! I actually cleared it! And I got bonus stats too! As the world paused, Kang Shia and I blinked white. Before she disappeared, she chuckled lightly. ¡°I saved you, so treat me to a meal.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. Even though I owe you 500 million, I¡¯ll gladly treat you.¡± Yeah, I had to borrow money at the last minute to learn that 2nd-circle spell... ¡°I¡¯ll make it 600 million for you.¡± With that, Kang Shia disappeared. It must have been a joke, right? I mean, no matter how rich you are, a meal costing 100 million? There¡¯s no way such a world exists. It doesn¡¯t. It just doesn¡¯t. The light faded, and my vision returned. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] I was alone in a dark space. In front of me floated a glowing book, suspended in the air. [You have ascended to a D-rank Awakened.] As the book flashed, a calm, monotonous female voice echoed. [Your class is NOVICE. Unlocking hidden class.] [Your class is Beginner. Unlocking hidden class.] [Assessing the user¡¯s stats...] [Your stats are perfectly balanced. Unlocking special class.] [Your stats are perfectly balanced. Unlocking special class.] Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. The message repeated twice. Even the class¡ªNOVICE and Beginner¡ªwas repeated. Could it be that I can choose two classes? [The hidden classes available for the Order faction are as follows:] [Sword Mage.] [Spirit mage.] [Sharp Shooter.] [Word Weaver.] [The hidden classes available for the Neutral faction are as follows:] [Giant.] [Overlord.] [Master of Flames.] [Regenerator.] Wow. I really can choose both. The Neutral faction classes seemed... unique. I wanted to take a closer look at them, but... I balanced my stats in the first place for the Special Class. Let¡¯s look at those. [The special classes available for the Order faction are as follows:] [Angel.] [Soul Mediator.] [The special classes available for the Neutral faction are as follows:] [Dragonkin.] [Soul Reaper.] Angel, Dragonkin? Wait... does this mean my species will change? I checked the description for Angel. [Angel. The highest-ranking species of the Order faction and messengers of the divine. The first creations of the celestial god, they embody celestial beauty, immortality, and invincibility. Angels wield the power of light and gain luminous wings. They can fly and transform into radiant forms. They can exclude and seal the powers of all factions except Order. They can command all subordinate species within the Order faction. As a human, you have earned the chance to ascend as an angel. The celestial angels bless your achievements and will sing them as heavenly hymns. You gain two wings of light. As your strength grows, additional wings will appear.] My species really does change... so does that mean the same for Dragonkin? [Dragonkin. The highest-ranking species of the Neutral faction and guardians of the earth. Descendant of the Dragon God, inheriting the blood of the divine. Excluding the interference of the heavens and chaos, you maintain the identity of the earth. You dominate the neutral factions and protect the planet you belong to. You control the mana of the earth and can perform dragon speech. As a human, you have the opportunity to become a dragon. The dragon race will watch this with interest and will protect you with all its power. Your body begins to transform, and you will change into a hatchling, a baby dragon. A guardian dragon will be summoned.] Well, my race is changing, huh? Suddenly, the scale of things has grown so much that I¡¯m speechless. Ah, right. Let¡¯s check the guidebook. [Even as I write this, I can¡¯t help but doubt if my past self succeeded. Can I advance to a D-rank with balanced stats? This page is only accessible if it¡¯s possible... but I¡¯m not sure if this page will ever appear again. Anyway, if you see this page and can choose a class, you¡¯ll probably go for either Dragon or Soul Reaper.] Right. It was tough. Finally, I want to rid myself of the suffering of not having a class. What should I choose? [If you choose Dragon, Earth will be freed from the dungeon portals. The affection and obsession the dragons have for their descendants are beyond imagination. If I become a hatchling, the dragons will send dragons to Earth, and chaos will retreat. However, Earth will have to yield many territories to the dragons and serve them as rulers. But, I guess, at least the destruction will be prevented.] So, choosing a class suddenly changes the scale to that of Earth? Well, it¡¯s good that it prevents the destruction, right? [But I will disappear. My persona will vanish. I will ascend with a soul and identity that befit the dragons, and my current self will remain only as a trace. If you want to save the world, choose the dragons. But your current self will cease to exist.] Hmm. Would I rather die and save the world? Or would I rather live and doom the world? Is that what it is? Hmm. My own self is the most important. Even if I save the world, what¡¯s the meaning if I disappear? The fate of Earth and the life of Kim Jiho, if they disappear, I won¡¯t care after that... If I die and the world perishes, how is that any different? I won¡¯t live a lie. If I die, it¡¯s all over. I¡¯ll live on as myself until the end. Yeah. Until I smear poop on the wall! [Of course, that¡¯s not what will happen. I¡¯ll live on until I smear poop on the wall. And a world ruled by dragons won¡¯t be a happy ending either. I¡¯ll choose Soul Reaper so that I can survive and Earth survives too.] Yeah. A world ruled by dragons sounds terrifying. Now that I think about it, even angels change their races. Wouldn''t I also disappear? I¡¯m an atheist through and through, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be singing eternal hymns to praise gods. I¡¯ve examined both the Soul Mediator of the Order faction and the Soul Reaper of the Neutral faction. [Soul Mediator. A special class of the Order faction. It facilitates the acquisition of spiritual power by the apostles from their guardian gods, and in the process, it gains spiritual power as a mediator. The SP stat becomes active. Your spiritual capacity increases, allowing you to break through the human limits.] [Soul Reaper. A special class of the Neutral faction. It absorbs part of the soul. By absorbing spiritual power, you can enhance your spiritual capacity. You can absorb some of the abilities of the spiritual power. You can absorb the unique traits of other races. The SP stat becomes active. Your spiritual capacity increases, allowing you to break through the human limits.] Soul, spiritual power? It was a vague explanation. The Devourer absorbs, but the Mediator isn¡¯t even a merchant... It didn¡¯t seem like there was much to gain. Is this why I struggled to balance my stats? Compared to angels or dragons, this doesn¡¯t seem like a good class, especially not a hidden one... But anyway, since I decided to trust the guidebook, I¡¯ll push through. ¡°I choose Soul Mediator and Soul Reaper.¡± [You have chosen the special class Soul Mediator.] [You have chosen the special class Soul Reaper.] [You have realized spiritual capacity from D-class. SP increased by 1,000.] [You have acquired the Soul Mediator skill LV1.] [You have acquired the Soul Reaper skill LV1.] [You have acquired the Absorption skill LV1.] [You have acquired the Spiritual Enhancement skill LV1.] [Now, you can enhance your stats with SP and expand your limits.] A series of messages came up. It was the most chaotic I¡¯ve seen so far. Suddenly, something about souls. It felt like I was fighting with medieval weapons and suddenly switching to an exorcism story. [The guardian gods are showing interest in the Soul Mediator.] [Pollux wants to meet you. Would you like to accept the meeting?] Pollux? That sounds unsettling... [Pollux says not to worry.] Ah, that makes me more uneasy. It should be fine, right? [Pollux asks when he has ever forced someone to do something.] Well, that¡¯s true; he always made suggestions... Alright, let¡¯s see the face of our guardian god. As soon as I agreed, the book vanished, and a massive figure appeared. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 15 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 15: Obtaining a Class (1) My first impression was this: A hairy Adonis. Standing there was a well-built man clad in a single white cloth, reminiscent of the attire from ancient Greek and Roman mythology. His arms, legs, and face were covered with golden hair, but his face itself had a distinctly Western look¡ªan overwhelmingly handsome one. He stood almost three meters tall, yet his perfect physique made him seem neither grotesquely large nor out of place. He was a wild man who exuded masculinity to perfection. ¡°Greetings, my proxy, eunuch.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Despite being granted the ultimate skill, you cannot use it. How could you be anything but a eunuch?¡± Ah... I shouldn¡¯t have called him. ¡°Could you call me by my name? It¡¯s Kim Jiho.¡± ¡°I am the avatar of Pollux. I am not equipped with the skill to remember the names of men.¡± ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°The only male names Pollux remembers are those of the gods of Olympus.¡± ¡°What about women?¡± ¡°I never forget the name of a beautiful woman. The most recent one I remembered was Kang Shia.¡± That¡¯s so you. ¡°Anyway, avatar? Not the original?¡± ¡°If Pollux descended in his true form, you would cease to exist. A D-rank cannot withstand such an encounter. I am Pollux¡¯s East Asia avatar, Pollux 111.¡± ¡°Oh, I see... So why did you call me?¡± ¡°You ask why when you¡¯ve qualified as a Soul Mediator?¡± Of course. How would I know what to do right after changing classes? ¡°Fair enough. It¡¯s understandable. Heh... By the way, you¡¯ve done something interesting. To think you¡¯d straddle both the Neutral and Order factions.¡± ¡°Ahem. I wouldn¡¯t call it straddling... But didn¡¯t you already know about it?¡± Now that he mentioned it, I did get the sense that Pollux and Aurelia weren¡¯t aware of each other. I had tried to avoid thinking about it to keep my thoughts from being read. ¡°We, as patron gods, have limitations on what we can observe. You don¡¯t know what dust particles are doing, do you? Now that you¡¯ve risen to the level of an ant, I can assess your abilities and have realized you belong to both factions simultaneously.¡± ¡°Is that bad? I didn¡¯t do it on purpose...¡± Please don¡¯t take my status window away. I looked at Pollux with a pleading expression, and he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s not like irregulars like you haven¡¯t existed before. It¡¯s fortunate we even got a Soul Mediator this way.¡± ¡°Is being a Soul Mediator useful?¡± ¡°Do you know why we grant you powers and help you?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all for SP.¡± Hearing him say it¡¯s for SP suddenly made it sound cheap. Isn¡¯t that the same thing I got after grinding for a D-rank status? ¡°Do you underestimate SP? Soul Points are the only way to enhance the spiritual rank of a being. For instance, the class limit a human can reach is...¡± Suddenly, his voice became garbled. Each time I tried to listen, a message window popped up. [Pollux is speaking about the world¡¯s order. The user¡¯s rank is insufficient to comprehend. SP decreases by 1.] [SP decreases by 1.] ¡°Wait a moment. I don¡¯t think I can hear this.¡± ¡°Heh. At least you haven¡¯t gone mad. You only lost SP?¡± ¡°...Yes, and?¡± ¡°You¡¯re definitely a Soul Mediator.¡± Don¡¯t tell me he knew and tested me on purpose. Wow, what a wicked guy... ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell you the rest when your rank increases. For now, I¡¯d like you to mediate for me as a Soul Mediator.¡± [Pollux¡¯s avatar offers you a proposal. Will you mediate SP acquisition on Earth¡¯s dimension? Due to your low skill level, mediation is limited to certain areas.] ¡°You have nothing to lose. For instance, if I were to earn SP raw, I¡¯d get 1 point. But if you help, I¡¯d get 1.2 points, and you¡¯d take a 0.1 commission from it.¡± ¡°So we both gain an extra 0.1?¡± ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s a win-win.¡± ¡°Can I negotiate the percentage?¡± ¡°The percentage depends on your skill level.¡± I checked the Soul Mediation skill. [Soul Mediation LV1 Facilitates the absorption of souls by patron gods. Generates 20% efficiency, with the user eligible to take up to 10% as a commission. Up to three patron gods can be mediated simultaneously.] ¡°Fair enough. In exchange for mediating, could you do something about this Infinite Stamina skill? It¡¯s useless.¡± It¡¯s supposedly an A-rank skill, but I couldn¡¯t find any use for it. Danger Detection, on the other hand, was incredibly handy. I¡¯d settle for even a D-rank skill if it were practical. ¡°Hah. Are you seriously asking that? Do you realize how precious an A-rank skill is?!¡± Pollux, who had been jovial, suddenly flared up in anger. What the hell, this Infinite Stamina skill makes normal life impossible, you divine jerk. I have to keep it OFF all the time. ¡°What do you think stamina actually is?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it just sexual desire?¡± ¡°Narrow-minded fool. The Infinite Stamina I granted you represents the core of masculinity. And what is masculinity? What does it mean to be male? A being destined to spread its seed, to propagate its genes.¡± ¡°Oh. Uh, okay...¡± ¡°And how does one achieve that? To surpass rival males, one must have superior strength, stamina, and vitality. My Infinite Stamin is the ultimate skill that allows you to shatter limits and gain unmatched strength, endurance, and vigor!¡± ¡°Is... is that so?¡± ¡°I observed you when you advanced to E-rank as a novice. A choice deemed impossible for a human! On top of that, you evenly distributed your stat points. I admired your rare ambition as a Soul Mediator and granted my most cherished skill, even bending the rules of causality. Yet all you¡¯ve thought about is using it for sex, without even considering its true potential!¡± Pollux raged. I could feel his genuine anger. Even as an avatar, his fury made my body tremble. Wow. He¡¯s seriously pissed. It feels like I should be the one angry about this skill, but it¡¯s more like ¡°the guilty party is acting offended.¡± ¡°What do you want me to do about impulses?!¡± ¡°You idiot. It¡¯s called willpower. Even I feel like pouncing when I see Hera or Athena, but I manage to restrain myself!¡± Ah... Hera and Athena. They¡¯re the highest-ranking gods of Olympus. Still, it seems even they get cautious. ¡°Human, do you know what rank I, Pollux, am?¡± ¡°Well... I¡¯d guess SSS rank? Since you¡¯re a guardian deity?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m merely S-rank. Despite that, I hold the qualifications of a lower deity. And the skill I gave you? It¡¯s an A-rank skill. An A-rank skill I had when I was a demigod. It¡¯s an extraordinary skill. Among the skills I possess, only one surpasses it!¡± What? Even a guardian deity is only S-rank? A-rank... That¡¯s an amazing skill, right? Suddenly, I feel intrigued. I¡¯m starting to think I should just turn on Infinite Stamina all the time. Come to think of it, don¡¯t athletes inject testosterone to build muscle and end up getting caught? This skill might be like a natural super testosterone injection. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Big muscles. Massive enhancements. If I can just manage the impulses toward women, this could be great... Yeah, even that lecher keeps his head down around Hera and Athena. Maybe I can control myself too? Oh, wait. But now that I think about it... ¡°Who told me to use the skill in front of Kang Shia?! And now you¡¯re lecturing me about restraint!¡± ¡°Tsk. A man must seize his moments. That woman isn¡¯t Hera or Athena, is she?¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°In any case, don¡¯t underestimate an A-rank skill. If it were just a skill for... that, how could it be rated A-rank? I cannot grant your request to alter it. It¡¯s for your own good!¡± Pollux¡¯s avatar was firm in his response. He seemed genuinely displeased at the suggestion of changing the skill. At that point, I decided not to push further. Maybe, as he claimed, there¡¯s a hidden benefit to this power. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go back to what we were discussing earlier. I¡¯ll serve as a soul broker. Do I just agree to the contract?¡± ¡°Good decision. As someone who has two awakened agents on Earth, I assure you, it will benefit you.¡± [You have formed a soul brokerage contract with Guardian Deity Pollux.] [Guardian Deity Pollux¡¯s SP acquisition increases by 1.2x. Broker Kim Jiho earns a 10% commission on this increase.] S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Due to your low skill level, you cannot broker all SP earned by Guardian Deity Pollux on Earth. Limited regions are available for brokerage.] ¡°Looking forward to working with you.¡± ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s a pity your skill level is low, but I hope to see you grow quickly. And... don¡¯t get consumed by your own soul. Let¡¯s talk again when you¡¯re at C-rank.¡± Pollux grinned and vanished into light. He disappears immediately after the contract is sealed. [Guardian Deity Aurelia wishes to meet with you.] The volcanic goddess who dislikes me? Ugh. Still, I have to meet her. A red-haired woman descended into Pollux¡¯s place. She wore a crimson iron armor that covered her entirely. Perhaps because of her divine nature, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Of all the women I¡¯ve ever seen, she was the most overwhelmingly stunning. Her hair flowed down to the floor, and her eyes shone brightly. Despite her usual disdain for me, her gaze was surprisingly gentle. ¡°Congratulations, Awakened One Kim Jiho. You¡¯ve finally achieved your dream.¡± ¡°My dream?¡± ¡°A version of you from another dimension always regretted it¡ªlearning about SP only after reaching too high a rank. But you... you¡¯ve spoken too much with Pollux. My allowed time with you is running out.¡± She gave me a look of regret as she pointed it out. Ah. She¡¯s unexpectedly kind... And now I felt guilty. I cursed myself for talking about Infinite Stamina with Pollux. ¡°If we talk further, your allotted SP will rapidly decrease. It¡¯s a shame¡ªI was curious why the version of me in another dimension chose you... but we must part for now.¡± ¡°What? Already?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine, but you wouldn¡¯t be. I can¡¯t let you take such a risk. Let me ask: will you also broker my soul?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I answered as if hypnotized. Her beauty and kindness completely captivated me. This is what a goddess is...! ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s a small gift, but I¡¯ll grant you this skill.¡± [Serene Mirror, Still Water] [Passive Skill.] [B-rank passive skill. Calms emotional turmoil and preserves self-control. Increases resistance to mental attacks and grants a composed, unshaken mindset.] ¡°Pollux wasn¡¯t wrong. His A-rank skill could bring you to the limits of human potential. But given its side effects, this skill will keep your mind in check.¡± Danger Detection and now Serene Mirror... You¡¯re amazing, goddess. If I use this skill alongside Infinite Stamina, will it help me control those overwhelming impulses? I resolved to experiment later and bowed deeply to Aurelia. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Currently, I¡¯m not a guardian deity of Earth, so I cannot provide you with much divine power. But don¡¯t forget: the other-worldly version of you ultimately trusted me the most.¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re far better than Pollux.¡± ¡°Comparing me to that libertine is an insult.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Pfft. Summon me first when you reach C-rank. I have much to tell you. And... study soul reaping, not just mediating. It will aid your growth. This time, don¡¯t fail...¡± With that, she disappeared as soon as our soul brokerage contract was sealed. Her parting words, warning me not to fail, lingered in my mind. What on earth happened to you, future Kim Jiho? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 16 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 16: Obtaining a Class (2) [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Mediator Guardian Deity: Pollux, God of Gemini Title: Bat Awakener Level: 25 Strength: ? 13, Agility: ? 13, Mana: ? 13 SP: 998 Remaining Points: 3] [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Plunderer Guardian Deity: Aurelia, God of Volcanoes Title: None Level: 25 Body: D++, Mana: D++, Skills: D++, Luck: D++ SP: 998 Remaining Points: 3] In the empty space where only the book and I remained after the guardian deities vanished, I checked my status window. SP is supposed to be that important? Doesn''t feel that way yet¡­ [Soul Mediation has earned 0.01 SP from Pollux.] [Soul Mediation has earned 0.03 SP from Pollux.] [Soul Mediation has earned 0.01 SP from Aurelia.] Notifications kept popping up. SP earned in decimal points. The SP earned from Pollux was added to the Order status window, and the SP from Aurelia was added to the Neutral status window. Ugh, but these decimals are annoying. Can¡¯t I turn these notifications off? [Would you like to disable soul mediation notification alerts?] Oh. Nice system AI. Okay. [Notifications disabled.] S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hmm... alright. Watching SP slowly rise somehow made me feel good. So, this is supposed to be an important resource? Feels like free money. Heh. But how do I get out of here? [If user Kim Jiho wishes, you may immediately return to the real world. However, it is recommended to stay until the adaptation period for the new class is over. The remaining time is 1 hour and 15 minutes.] That makes sense. Let¡¯s check the guidebook. It was written by someone who was a Warrior, so they might not know much about Soul Plunderer. However, contrary to my expectations, the guidebook did contain information about Soul Plunderer. The introduction began with the author explaining how they also obtained Soul Plunderer as a dual class at B-rank. [Soul Plunderer is a class that absorbs SP each time you kill a monster. Not only SP, but their abilities and racial traits are absorbed through spiritual energy. At first, you might think, "What¡¯s the big deal after going through so much trouble for this class?" But no. You can gain traits like a troll¡¯s regeneration, an ogre¡¯s strength, or a spirit¡¯s elemental affinity just by hunting.] Oh, so it¡¯s absorption-based. If I get all that, I might stop being human. [SP can also be used to increase stat points. It¡¯s tempting to use SP to boost stats immediately, but¡­ there¡¯s something more important to do first. You need to save 1,000 SP and buy a skill in the shop.] A shop? [SP has exceeded 1,000. The SP Shop is now accessible. Premium shop functionality is activated.] Right on cue, a notification appeared. Looks like I¡¯ve collected 2 SP by rounding up decimal earnings. [From now on, focus on purchasing the ¡®Form Preservation¡¯ skill. Without it, absorbing monster traits will cause your body and mind to turn monstrous. While at D-rank, absorption efficiency is lower, so you¡¯ll have some time, but wasting SP on other things will be a disaster. Get Form Preservation first, no matter what.] ¡°Open the premium shop.¡± [Opening the Premium Shop.] A large system window appeared before me, resembling a computer monitor. It was the largest I¡¯d seen so far. The screen looked like an online shopping mall, though much simpler and cleaner compared to Korean sites. Closer inspection revealed that items were restricted by rank, with the ¡°Rank Restriction¡± label prominently displayed on most items. Ah, there¡¯s almost nothing to buy like this. ¡°How do I find ¡®Form Preservation¡¯?¡± When I muttered in frustration, the screen zoomed upward, and the magnifying glass icon was automatically pressed. The search term ¡°Form Preservation¡± appeared, and three items popped up in the results. The seller was listed as the Premium Shop for all three. [Basic Form Preservation LV1] [Advanced Form Preservation LV1] [Perfect Form Preservation LV1] Prices were SP 500, 1,000, and 2,000, respectively. If 2,000 SP is the total of both my status windows combined¡­ sigh. [You may want Perfect Form Preservation, but waiting until 2,000 SP risks monsterization. It¡¯s painful, but settle for Advanced Form Preservation. The Basic version only protects the body¡¯s form, so you need Advanced to protect the mind as well.] Hmm. Sounds like an important skill. Let¡¯s go for it. Since SP comes for free, it¡¯s better to get started on the right foot. [A-rank skill ¡®Perfect Form Preservation LV1¡¯ has been acquired.] [The user¡¯s body retains its human form.] [The user¡¯s soul will not become corrupted even if it perishes.] [Trait absorption efficiency increases by 50%.] For an hour, I explored other skills, but they were mostly passive and didn¡¯t require practice. Skills like Infinite Vitality, Calm Mind, and Danger Detection were all passive. Soul Mediation, Soul Plunder, and Trait Absorption were also automatic, effectively making them passive. Soul Enhancement was a technique for raising max stats with SP, but since my current stats were far from their max, it didn¡¯t seem immediately useful. When time expired, a flash of light brought me back to the association building where I had taken the test. Just like during the E-rank promotion, touching something like a dungeon core had sent me to the trial space. ¡°Kim Jiho, well done. Passing the D-rank promotion as a novice is unprecedented in human history.¡± Looking around, I saw a crowd of people. Not just people¡ªthere were elves and dwarves as well, all looking at me with amazement. ¡°Is that why there are so many people here?¡± ¡°Yes. Once the news spread, even High Elf Liana from New York decided to attend tomorrow¡¯s D-rank hunter ceremony. Can you reveal your class name?¡± Should I keep it a secret? Oh. Wait. I can mediate for another guardian with Soul Mediator. It might actually help to reveal it. The guardian deities should recognize it. ¡°Soul Mediator.¡± ¡°Soul¡­ Mediator? Does such a class exist?¡± The association staff tilted their heads, even asking the elves for confirmation. But the elves and dwarves looked utterly shocked. Those watching from a distance suddenly rushed toward me. ¡°Is that true!?¡± ¡°No way! A special class!¡± ¡°Soul Mediator¡­ I¡¯ve been to countless worlds, but I¡¯ve never seen such a class¡­¡± Suddenly, an elf¡¯s eyes glowed golden from afar. The radiance was so majestic it startled me. ¡°The guardian confirms it.¡± ¡°They ask if a mediation contract is possible.¡± "Soul Mediator, are you available for a brokerage contract? A guardian deity has taken a particular interest in you." I was taken aback when the usually aloof and high-status elves and dwarves clamored to approach me. Is a 10% efficiency boost really that significant? ¡°Well, I do have one spot left¡­¡± ¡°The guardian deity of Sagittarius, Chiron, has requested Soul brokage and offers a skill as a gift.¡± ¡°What can a mere minor deity like Chiron offer? Hephaestus, on the other hand, is offering an A-rank weapon.¡± ¡°Artemis is¡­¡± ¡°Ares is¡­¡± What... what¡¯s going on? Suddenly, the gods I knew started to appear. Aren¡¯t these the top-tier gods of Greek and Roman mythology? And now they¡¯re trying to tempt me with gifts and skills. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Hah. Are my guardian deities just freeloading off me?! Aurelia gave me two decent skills, so she¡¯s fine, but Pollux hasn¡¯t given me a single thing. Ah, geez. Can I cancel him somehow? [Pollux strengthens the Infinite Stamina skill.] [The Infinite Stamina skill is now LV2.] Ah... is this guy serious? Is this the only skill he has? Can¡¯t he give me something else? [Pollux insists that this is a truly excellent skill and urges you to try it, especially now that you have the Clear Mind trait.] Sigh. Fine. I¡¯ll give it a try. He¡¯s my guardian deity, after all. I¡¯ll trust him¡­ just this once. [Pollux gives you a thumbs-up, calling it an excellent choice.] ¡°All right, everyone, please calm down for a moment.¡± The elves and dwarves were making such a racket, trying to auction off their guardian deities like it was a marketplace. It was getting chaotic. I clapped my hands loudly to settle the crowd. Since I was in a position of power, they cautiously quieted down. Wow, I¡¯ve never felt like this before. Fine. Let¡¯s just go with an auction format. ¡°There¡¯s one slot left for Soul brokage. I¡¯ll take bids tomorrow. For now, things are too disorganized, and I¡¯m exhausted from today¡¯s rank promotion. I¡¯ll start accepting bids after the D-rank promotion ceremony tomorrow. Guild officials, please assist with the process.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The guild staff readily agreed, and the elves and dwarves reluctantly backed off, likely worried about ruining their chances if they pushed too hard. I returned home and collapsed into bed. When I woke up, new message notifications greeted me. [You absorb 0.01% of the Orc Chief¡¯s Strength trait during the Soul brokage process.] [The Perfect Form Maintenance skill filters this absorption, converting the Orc Captain¡¯s Strength trait into enhancements to your physical strength and stats. Any soul corruption is completely prevented.] [Strength increases by 0.01.] [Physical abilities increase slightly.] Dozens of similar messages flooded my screen. Orc Captain, Giant Spider, Bronze Golem, Kobold Mage¡­ They were the souls of boss monsters I¡¯d encountered in E-rank dungeons. The absorption rate was minuscule at 0.01%, but the cumulative effect was surprisingly good. Just by sleeping, my Strength went up by 1.2, Agility by 0.8, and Magic by 0.5. While my neutral faction stats remained at D++ rank, these small increments seemed likely to push me into the next tier eventually. Even my SP had accumulated to 20. Wow. This feels like earning interest from a bank. A total increase of 2.5 in Strength, Agility, and Magic¡ªstats that usually require five level-ups¡ªjust from sleeping. Hah, hard work pays off? Nah, passive income is king. I need to fill that last slot with a guardian deity ASAP to maximize these benefits. One curious observation: trait absorption didn¡¯t work while I was awake. The skills didn¡¯t seem to have any specific limitations to cause this. Was it because Soul brokage and Soul Plunder were separate skills? I wasn¡¯t sure, but the takeaway was clear: Sleep to grow stronger! ¡°Once again, we are immensely proud of our newly promoted D-rank hunters,¡± Said the association president during the promotion ceremony. The auditorium was packed with 60 hunters who had been promoted this round. But no one was really listening to the speech; their attention was focused on the back of the stage. ¡®Wow, I thought regular elves were impressive, but this is on another level.¡¯ ¡®Why is a High Elf here?¡¯ ¡®A Special Class? What¡¯s that?¡¯ ¡®Classes have ranks too?¡¯ The murmurs were understandable. Among the guests seated at the back of the stage was none other than the world-renowned High Elf, Liana. She was accompanied by other prominent elves and dwarves, but her ethereal beauty overshadowed everyone else. Her platinum-blonde hair, even paler than that of regular elves, her elongated, pointed ears, and her face¡ªimpossibly captivating, the kind you couldn¡¯t look away from once you saw it. Even her hair and skin emitted a faint, radiant glow, enhancing her otherworldly aura. Her expressionless face resembled a masterpiece of sculpture. No, not even the finest sculptures could capture her perfection. Men and women alike stared, slack-jawed, at High Elf Liana, utterly mesmerized. Even Jinseong, that loudmouth, was drooling openly. Thanks to my Clear Mind trait, I wasn¡¯t quite as affected. I just¡­ couldn¡¯t stop looking at her face. Just¡­ continuously. ¡°And now, we will begin the D-rank Hunter graduation ceremony.¡± Clap, clap, clap. With applause, each newly promoted hunter was called up to the stage to receive their D-rank badge from the association president. No one really paid attention to the association president, though. All eyes were on Liana. Even Kang Shia, after receiving her badge, walked back to her seat muttering, ¡°I lost¡­¡± silently. You can¡¯t win against a literal goddess, miss. But wait¡ªwhy haven¡¯t they called my name yet? ¡°And finally, we invite Hunter Kim Jiho to the stage.¡± The moment my name was called, the guests seated behind the stage all began clapping in unison. Even Liana, for the first time, smiled faintly as she joined in. As I stepped onto the stage to receive my badge, the association president clasped my hands tightly, refusing to let go. ¡°You¡¯ve achieved remarkable feats, Hunter Kim Jiho. We are so fortunate to have you in our country. I know our guild has its shortcomings, but I hope you¡¯ll remain in Korea out of patriotism.¡± The association president¡¯s heartfelt plea left me flustered. It¡¯s hard to ignore when someone your father¡¯s age speaks like this. ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Thank you so much. Once the other D-rank hunters leave, we¡¯ll begin the Soul Mediation auction. Please wait for a moment.¡± As I nodded and stepped down, the association president personally escorted the other hunters out, thanking each of them individually. When it was Kang Shia¡¯s turn to leave, she stopped by my seat. ¡°You didn¡¯t forget about dinner, right?¡± ¡°Of course not. I owe you.¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll be busy with the brokerage tonight, so here¡¯s my card. Make sure to call me. Don¡¯t you dare flake on me.¡± ¡°Got it. I always repay my debts.¡± ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s a promise.¡± She waved as she left. How did she even know about the brokerage today? Was it her family¡¯s resources? As she disappeared, I felt some piercing stares, but it was probably just envy from the other guys. Even overshadowed by Liana, Kang Shia was still stunning. Eventually, everyone else left, and the VIPs descended from the stage to take seats in the front row. The association president personally led me back onto the stage. With guild staff now securing the exits, he announced, ¡°We will now begin the Soul brokage auction.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 17 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 17: Obtaining a Class (3) "Greetings, Soul Mediator. Before the auction begins, here is a gift from Hephaestus, the patron deity of our Black Mountain Tribe." The first to step forward was a dwarf. He looked similar to the dwarf I had seen at the E-rank promotion trial last time, but since they all look alike, I couldn¡¯t be sure if it was the same one. He handed me a bracelet made of black metal with a blue gem embedded in the center. I wasn¡¯t sure what it was, but a gift is a gift. "Thank you. But what does it do?" "When you press the blue gem in the center, it transforms into a full-body suit of armor. Its performance is at the C-grade level. It can absorb spells up to the fourth circle and can be equipped even in incorporeal form." Oh! C-grade armor, huh? C-grade sounds unimpressive, like a mediocre school grade, but considering that the highest rank among Earth''s Awakeners is D-grade, this was armor that surpassed the grade limit. When I pressed the gem, the bracelet expanded into a full-body suit of armor. The black iron armor completely covered me, leaving only my eyes, nose, and mouth exposed. I moved around, testing it, and found it neither restrictive nor heavy. I couldn¡¯t afford armor, and now I got this for free. "To be honest, Hephaestus finds the competition in this auction too formidable and would like to wait for another opportunity. As a patron deity, he can only offer up to C-grade as a simple gift without a formal agreement. Hence, he has bestowed this armor. Of course, if you choose Hephaestus, you could obtain A-grade equipment." Hmm. This is a bribe, clearly meant to ingratiate themselves if I ever gain the ability to broker another patron deity. Bribes like this? Always welcome. But "formidable competition," they said... That¡¯s making my heart race. "I will definitely remember Hephaestus¡¯ gesture." "Thank you, Awakened One, Kim Jiho." "By the way, how do I remove this?" "Simply say ''Armor Suit, deactivate,'' and the mana stone on the bracelet will light up again. Press the stone at that moment." "Oh, it works! Thank you." "It is an honor to hear such words from the Soul Mediator." The usually brash dwarves were impeccably polite, which felt strange. "An honor, you say..." A dwarf being this courteous¡ªit¡¯s hard to get used to. "Soul Mediator, we are the Mistflower Tribe, who serve the goddess Artemis. Artemis has also prepared a gift for you." The virgin goddess Artemis. I¡¯d heard of her before. Her gift was a C-grade longbow. It was similar to the previous gift: a red bracelet with a blue gem that transformed into a weapon when activated. This bow didn¡¯t even require arrows. Simply drawing the string consumed mana to create arrows of light¡ªa practical weapon. "The god of war, Ares, has prepared a combat-type skill for you." A C-grade skill called "Blessing of the Body." An active skill that deflects projectiles like arrows and bullets, boosts strength and stamina, and hardens the skin. It was the first useful active skill I had received, and I was thrilled to get it. Though it was practically passive in effect, who cares? After these three gods, no more deities came forward with gifts. When three gifts came in quick succession, I thought a gift rush was on the way, but sadly, it ended here. Only well-known gods seem capable of offering such gifts. No lesser gods among those who gave me gifts. "Now, let¡¯s officially begin the Soul Mediator Auction." At those words, all the elves and dwarves seated below me turned to look at the high elf Liana. It felt like they were waiting for her signal. She scanned the room briefly, then stood and spoke. "Soul Mediator." Even now, her body emitted a faint glow. So, I wasn¡¯t seeing things. Her voice was pure and beautiful. "There are seven patron deities for the elves and dwarves stationed on Earth. We have deliberated together and concluded that while securing your services as a broker is important, fostering your growth as a Soul Mediator is even more crucial. To that end, the representatives of these deities have prepared equipment and skills suitable for your role." Hmm. Since this is a rare special class, it seems they¡¯ve decided to nurture me to broker for them more frequently. Still, it wouldn¡¯t hurt if the remaining four gods also chipped in. That would certainly accelerate my growth. [Pollux says you¡¯re greedy and reminds you that such gifts are only possible for deities.] I see... So, the other four aren¡¯t deities? "All seven emissaries have prepared offerings. However, Apollo, whom I serve, has prepared one more offering than the others. This is possible due to my authority as the leader of Earth¡¯s delegation, allowing greater intervention." Oh! Two offerings! The Sun God, Apollo! Apollo, you¡¯re the best. "Of course, Soul Mediator, you may choose offerings from any other deity if you wish. However, from a strategic perspective, it¡¯s in your best interest to accept the offerings that provide the most advantages." Her statement drew agreement from the others. It was heartwarming to receive such generous support, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what they were expecting in return. "Apollo¡¯s offerings are the A-grade divine relic Phoenix Egg and the A-grade skill Summon Chariot of Flames." "Ah... no one can top that." "They¡¯re really going all out to support the Soul Mediator." Wow! A Phoenix Egg. Chariot of Flames. Both sounded extraordinary. "The Phoenix will hatch in line with your current rank and grow alongside you. While its strength is still weak now, as it matures, it will become a reliable companion. In emergencies, the Phoenix can even resurrect your body once." Liana raised both hands high. A ring of flames appeared above her, and a large egg descended. A white egg with red flame-like patterns, burning brightly. So, that¡¯s the Phoenix Egg. The elves and dwarves all fixed their eyes on the egg. "A Phoenix Egg..." "Is a Soul Mediator really that amazing?" "Such pure fire magic¡­." Liana lifted the egg again and placed it within the ring of flames. Ah, why are you doing this? You''re making me nervous. Seriously. "Summon Flame Chariot." When she extended her index finger skyward, flames rippled across the space above the auditorium, forming the shape of a massive chariot. In front of the chariot were four flame-burning horses treading the air majestically. Their forms were so overwhelming in size and grandeur that they radiated an air of supreme dignity. Ah, I want it. I really want it. It''s so incredible! Liana lightly jumped, narrowing what seemed to be a five-meter distance in an instant, and landed directly atop the chariot. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] She stood there confidently, completely unaffected by the flames. Although the chariot and the flaming horses were enormous, her figure appeared small atop them. "The Flame Chariot can fly through the air and carries the heat of the sun, capable of incinerating enemies. It can be used for both offense and transportation, making it one of the most versatile skills. As a Class B Awakener, I can handle a chariot of this size. You, as a Soul Mediator, will probably start with a smaller chariot. However, the Flame Chariot can grow larger depending on your mana capacity." Liana dismounted and dismissed the summoning. The flames condensed and vanished. "Consider offers from other deities, but I¡¯m confident you''ll end up choosing Apollo." She wasn¡¯t wrong. The offers from other deities weren¡¯t bad either. An A-class skill, an A-class artifact. I saw dazzling artifacts and powerful skills. But I couldn¡¯t get the phoenix and the Flame Chariot out of my head. Riding the Flame Chariot, sweeping through enemies with the phoenix. Wow. I kept imagining myself standing tall in the air, arms crossed, commanding the phoenix into battle with an aura of majesty. Yeah. They''re offering two A-class items. What¡¯s there to hesitate about? "I will form a Soul Mediation contract with Apollo." "An excellent choice." When Liana beamed at me, my heart raced. Wow! Is her beauty even fair? [You have formed a Soul Mediation contract with the Great Deity Apollo.] [Apollo¡¯s SP gains will increase by 1.2 times. Soul Mediator Kim Jiho will receive 10% as a commission.] [Due to the user¡¯s low skill level, not all of Apollo¡¯s SP from Earth can be mediated. Only certain regions are covered.] "By the way, no one on Earth has a contract with Apollo, right?" After forming the contract and seeing the message about mediating only a part of Earth, that question popped into my mind. Apollo wouldn¡¯t gain any SP from Earth anyway, so why make the contract? "Apollo is a Great Deity. He commands subordinate gods. As a Soul Mediator, you¡¯ll be mediating the SP earned by those subordinate gods. And as you grow stronger, your influence can extend beyond Earth to other planets. Think of it as a long-term investment." Ah, I see¡­ Great Deities collect SP from their subordinates. Isn¡¯t this basically a pyramid scheme? Humans give SP to subordinate gods, and the subordinate gods give it to the Great Deity. [Pollux lets out a deep sigh. He advises you not to say such things aloud.] So, it must be true¡­ Even among gods, there¡¯s a hierarchy. This world has ranks everywhere, huh? Then, who is Pollux¡¯s Great Deity? [Pollux says it¡¯s Zeus, the king of Olympus and his father.] Oh, right, he¡¯s Zeus¡¯ son. Quite the lineage. "I¡¯ll now fulfill the terms of the contract, starting with granting you the Flame Chariot skill." Before I realized it, Liana was standing right in front of me, even though she had been at the podium below. How did she get here? I didn¡¯t even see her move. So this is the difference between Class B and D. She extended her right index finger and touched my forehead. Her lake-blue eyes glimmered deeply. "Granting Flame Chariot Summon Skill." [You have acquired the skill: Flame Chariot Summon LV1.] [Due to the user¡¯s low rank, the chariot¡¯s size is reduced, and mana efficiency decreases.] "And here¡¯s the Phoenix Egg." A ring of flames opened, and the Phoenix Egg I had seen earlier descended. "The Phoenix Egg cannot hatch at your current level, so I will hatch it for you and deliver it immediately after." Such thoughtful after-service. As she grasped the egg and infused it with mana, cracks began to spread across its surface. The cracks grew wider, and flames erupted from within, instantly consuming the shell. "Wow¡­." The phoenix that emerged was breathtakingly beautiful. A bird of fire, with hues of red and gold interwoven. Its size was small, about that of a pigeon, probably because it had just hatched, but it would grow over time. Despite its small stature, its presence was as majestic as an eagle. Flames radiating in all directions announced its dominance. Its bright golden fiery eyes flashed as it stared intently at Liana. "Ah¡­ it¡¯s so beautiful." Liana looked at the phoenix with a longing expression. Wait. She¡¯s not going to keep it, is she? Reluctantly, as if making a tough decision, she turned to me. "I will transfer ownership of the phoenix." At her words, the phoenix turned to face me. Its blazing golden eyes glimmered as if to say, "Really? This guy is my master?" Hmm. Let¡¯s grow strong together, phoenix. But suddenly, the flames around the pigeon-sized phoenix began to dwindle, and I felt an intense drain on my mana. Huh? What¡¯s happening? Is the phoenix absorbing my mana? S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fine, take it! Absorb it and grow big! But even as half my mana was drained, the flames continued to wane. No, no, don¡¯t stop. Absorb more! However, when my mana dropped to about half, the draining stopped, and¡­ "Chirp!" As the flames extinguished, what remained was a chick. A flaming chick. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 18 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 18: Obtaining a Class (4) Ah, come on. This is too much. A special class, you say? But no matter how low-tier it is, why is it a chick? "Peep! Peep!" Are you saying it''s too much too? A flying chick. Covered in bright yellow feathers with a few red ones here and there, its entire body faintly ablaze. The previous phoenix body was entirely engulfed in flames, which made it feel less like a living creature. But this chick form had feathers and flesh, making it genuinely look like a real chick. The phoenix stared at me, furrowing its brow, and then darted straight to my forehead. ¡°Peck! Peck! Peck!¡± "Ow! Hey, cut it out!" The tiny beak of the phoenix relentlessly jabbed at my forehead. This wasn''t the playful nibbling you''d expect from a chick. It hurt so much it felt like my forehead was about to crack open. After five pecks, it backed away, angrily chirping at me. Ah! What am I supposed to do without mana? We¡¯ll grow together, okay? Hmph. ¡°¡­So cute¡­¡± Next to me, Liana gazed at the phoenix with a dazed expression. Well, it is cute. Chicks are pretty much the top-tier in cuteness, aren¡¯t they? Add in the little wings flapping, the elegant red markings, the self-igniting flames, and the glow it emitted¡ªyeah, it¡¯s adorable. ¡°Peep¡­ Peep¡­¡± Noticing Liana staring, the chick lowered its head and let out timid peeps. Its gesture looked like it was saying, ¡°Take me with you¡­¡± Ah. Could this turn into a nighttime escape situation? ¡°Phoenixes don¡¯t run away, do they?¡± ¡°Oh my, how could you say that? To the phoenix, you¡¯re practically a parent. It¡¯s just sulking a bit because it suddenly lost its strength. Worrying about it running away? That¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°Well, I was wondering if there¡¯s something like a pet system¡­¡± ¡°A pet system? Raising creatures isn¡¯t a game, you know!¡± This coming from the woman who¡¯s the Earth¡¯s strongest B-rank and hands out skills¡ªpot, meet kettle. Anyway, seems like it won¡¯t run away. ¡°Hey, phoenix, come here. Daddy will enhance your mana.¡± ¡°Peep?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got some leftover stat points. I¡¯ll dump them all into mana.¡± Guess I don¡¯t need to distribute stats evenly anymore. I dumped all three points from the Order category and four points from the Neutral category into Mana. The chick phoenix¡¯s body suddenly burst into bright flames. ¡°Peep! Peep!¡± The red chick flapped its wings excitedly, its eyes sparkling with joy. Ah, so cute. The flames subsided, but the faint burning that originally surrounded its body grew a little stronger. It also got a bit bigger. Is this how it grows? Looks like my mana levels are important here¡­ ¡°Oh my, you did wonderfully.¡± ¡°Hang in there, Peep. Let¡¯s grow up quickly together, okay?¡± ¡°Peep? Is that its name?¡± Liana gave me a sharp glance. She looks pretty no matter what expression she makes. ¡°A phoenix is a divine beast. An A-rank divine beast. Practically a demigod. It might be young now, but it¡¯ll grow quickly. And you¡¯re naming it Peep?¡± ¡°When it grows up, I¡¯ll give it a grand name. For now, it¡¯s just Peep.¡± Liana bit her lip, clearly holding back something she wanted to say. ¡°¡­Fine. If its owner insists¡­ Peep, grow up quickly so you can get a proper name, okay?¡± Liana gently stroked Peep¡¯s head, speaking softly. Peep chirped happily in response. I¡¯m the owner here, but why do I feel left out? The two were cuddling and nuzzling each other like there was no tomorrow. It wasn¡¯t until the elves checked the time and cleared their throats that the lovefest finally ended. ¡°Oh dear, it¡¯s gotten so late. We should be heading back now.¡± Yeah, it was fun watching your beauty, but I was starting to think you¡¯d really run off with Peep. Time to go. ¡°Thank you for Apollo¡¯s gift.¡± ¡°Apollo advises you to focus on improving your intermediary skill as your top priority. He also suggests paying attention to your spiritual rank, as you¡¯ll soon hit the limits of human potential, Kim Jiho.¡± Advice from the gods, huh? Considering how much I¡¯ve gained from this intermediary skill, I was already planning to pour everything into upgrading it. If I can form contracts with more gods and earn more SP, life would be so much easier. More SP means more interest, after all. And if transcending human limits requires raising my spiritual rank, does that mean there¡¯s a max stat limit? For now, I¡¯ll focus on leveling up and aiming for higher ranks. I can¡¯t afford to fail like the other Kim Jiho in that other world. ¡°Thank you for the advice. I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± ¡°Yes. Until we meet again, stay healthy. And Peep, be well!¡± ¡°Peep! Peep!¡± I thought Peep might whine about saying goodbye, but it just waved its wings at Liana like a grown-up and perched atop my head. Then it plopped down with a thud. Despite the flames on its body, my hair didn¡¯t catch fire. That was strange. Maybe it wasn¡¯t real fire but some kind of effect? ¡°Peep! Peep!¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s head home.¡± After the auction ended, I caught a ride in an Association vehicle to get back home. Before the car took off, the driver spoke to me. ¡°Kim Jiho, is your current living situation uncomfortable?¡± ¡°My one-room apartment? Well, it¡¯s a bit cramped.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re uncomfortable, you¡¯re welcome to stay in one of the luxury officetels near the Association building. We¡¯ve received an official document with the president¡¯s seal of approval.¡± ¡°Haha, the president¡¯s really attentive. I guess I should accept such generosity. Can I move in today?¡± "Yes, of course." Is this also one of the benefits of being in the special class? The chauffeur stopped the car in front of a luxury residential complex a block away from the Association. He guided me to the top floor of the building, having parked in the underground parking lot. A vast window offered an unobstructed view of Gangnam Avenue. The duplex structure featured four bedrooms and two bathrooms on the first floor. It even had a terrace, perfect for sipping wine while gazing at the forest of buildings. The living room boasted a wall-mounted TV so large it covered the entire wall, and the king-sized bed was to my liking. Man... A day like this calls for a drink. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] It¡¯s sad that the only people I can call to celebrate getting such a nice house are all men. -Hello? ¡°Jinseong, what are you up to?¡± -I¡¯m having a drinking party in Gangnam with guild members. Are you having dinner with Kang Shia? Haha. ¡°What¡¯s with the ''haha''? Nothing¡¯s going on between us. The Association gave me a house to use for free, so I thought I¡¯d have a drink, but I¡¯ll save it for another time.¡± -What? I didn¡¯t get anything like that. We¡¯re both D-rank! What gives? ¡°If you¡¯re curious, I¡¯ll tell you at the next drinking session. Hehe.¡± -Wow! I¡¯m going to file a complaint with the Association! ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m special. I¡¯ll explain at the party.¡± -Don¡¯t tell me you got a novice special class? Ugh¡­ I¡¯m curious, but I can¡¯t leave right now. See you offline. Sigh. Looks like I¡¯ll be drinking alone. Reflecting on my pitiful social life, I left the house in the care of Peep and went to the convenience store on the first floor of the building. I bought two bottles of soju and five large bottles of beer. Soju mixed with beer is the way to go. Even dwarves approve. I drank alone in front of the TV, mixing drinks while watching a music program. A sexy girl group was performing a provocative dance. ¡°Come to think of it, how is summoning a Flame Chariot and Infinite Stamina rated the same at A-level?¡± ¡°Peep?¡± ¡°Peep, doesn¡¯t that seem odd? How can the awe-inspiring Flame Chariot and Infinite Stamina be the same grade skill?¡± ¡°Peep.¡± Others might see me as a lunatic talking to a chick, but this phoenix chick could actually understand me. It would tilt its head or shake it, reacting in ways that made it feel rewarding to talk to. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s try turning it ON.¡± After all, there were no women around. Honestly, even the sexy dance didn¡¯t excite me much after seeing Liana. I was curious about what would happen if I activated Infinite Stamina. [Activating Infinite Stamina Level 2 skill.] There wasn¡¯t much change at first. Then suddenly, the close-up of the sexy dance on the screen seemed even closer, and a surge of blood rushed to a certain lower body part. Wait. Hold on. Is it supposed to work this fast? And... this isn¡¯t my usual size. It¡¯s bigger...! [Tranquil Mind activates.] The blood that had surged like a tide receded just as swiftly. Desires vanished in an instant. A calm mind. A feeling of enlightenment. For a moment, I remembered the unfamiliar size and girth I¡¯d just experienced, but even those thoughts settled peacefully. Wow! Tranquil Mind can control desires. I can keep it ON then. Now I¡¯m curious what training would be like with it activated. ¡°Piiiiiyak! Peep Peep!¡± S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Suddenly, Peep flew into the air from above me. The chick was surrounded by flames, which grew more intense by the second. Could this also be affected by Infinite Stamina? [Pollux suggests it¡¯s a natural reaction, as the phoenix represents life and Stamina.] [Aurelia advises that maintaining the skill will accelerate the phoenix¡¯s growth.] Wow. Who knew Infinite Stamina would be useful in this way...! Watching the flying Peep, I got excited and drank more soju mixed with beer. As I flipped TV channels, I felt the ebb and flow in my lower body. Yep, that size I felt earlier wasn¡¯t my imagination. Another use for Infinite Stamina discovered... Hmm. But the repeated surges and declines felt a bit tiring, so I stepped out onto the terrace. The view of Gangnam Avenue sparkled with artificial lights but felt strangely desolate. Not a particularly great view¡­ Sipping the soju-beer mix from a glass, I wondered what to do next and pulled out the strategy guide from my inventory. New information was listed inside. When I woke up, my stats had increased again. My Order-aligned stats had risen by a total of 3, while my Neutral-aligned stats, like Physical C-- and Skill C--, had also improved. The SP accumulated that day was about 100. With Apollo¡¯s contributions, 80 SP was from the Order alignment and 20 SP from Neutral. I decided to save the SP for premium shop use. I was hoping to find hints to enhance the Soul Mediator skill there. With improved abilities, better equipment, a phoenix companion, and various skills, I felt ready to explore a dungeon. I wanted to test the Soul Reaper skill as well. At the Association, about 20 other new D-rank hunters were waiting to enter a dungeon. As we waited together, a staff member appeared to guide us. They took us up a hidden elevator in a signless room to the very top floor of the Association. The top floor was one vast open space, not divided into rooms. The ceiling resembled a star-filled night sky, sparkling like the cosmos. The floor was also black, dotted with stars, giving the feeling of standing in outer space. Around 30 elves and dwarves sat at five large round tables, divided into groups of six. They were staring at a large yellow gemstone on the tables, engaged in serious discussion. ¡°The new D-rank awakeners have arrived.¡± ¡°Ah, welcome.¡± A female elf stood to greet us. Just seeing her almost activated Infinite Stamina, but Tranquil Mind kicked in at just the right time to prevent it. Thankfully, my control was getting faster. ¡°I am Alena, the head of the Dimensional Management Division for the Broken World, Korean branch. Before we begin, I¡¯d like you to sign these agreements.¡± The agreements detailed that we must not disclose any of the discussions here to anyone outside the D-rank hunters, with penalties for violations. ¡°The agreements I¡¯ve distributed are magical contracts. They were created to prevent chaos and unrest in this dimension. If the situation is not resolved by the time we leave, it will naturally become known to the world.¡± Chaos? That sounds serious. The elves and dwarves had grave expressions. Association staff seemed to be completely absent, likely for confidentiality. No wonder there was so little information about D-rank hunters; it must be due to these agreements. Once we all signed, Alena collected the agreements and placed them on the desk. ¡°Thank you all for your cooperation. Now, let me explain the D-rank dungeon, or rather, the Broken World.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 19 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 19: Broken World (1) ¡°Before I explain, even though everyone signed a confidentiality agreement, do you really think no one leaked this information?¡± The hunters remained silent. To be honest, if wealthy elites, desperate for information, offered money, someone likely would have leaked it. After all, much of the information in the hands of conglomerates was acquired this way. ¡°There are many rumors about D-rank dungeons and the Lord of Abyss. Especially the one about the Lord of Abyss destroying mechanical civilizations. But that¡¯s only because of the confidentiality magic tied to the agreements. If someone breaks the agreement, their memories are distorted, and they end up spreading completely different information. Many D-rank hunters who failed to keep the secret have had their memories altered in this way.¡± I was surprised by this unexpected revelation. So, the ¡°information¡± Kang Shia shared with me, supposedly from the conglomerates, was actually distorted. ¡°A D-rank hunter who enters this space will regain their true memories. However, once they leave, their memories will be distorted again. Don¡¯t create unnecessary trouble. Even after hearing this, someone will inevitably break the rule, but¡­¡± The Lord of Abyss who destroys mechanical civilizations. The rumors about D-rank dungeons. All of it was false information, meant to be forgotten. Then she began her explanation. ¡°The place D-rank hunters are sent is called the Broken World. The Broken World refers to worlds destroyed after being consumed by the Domain of Chaos. Chaos is a force that aims to return the universe to nothingness. Their primary goal is to annihilate the worlds of all existing intelligent life. Earth is included in that.¡± As she reached toward the ceiling, a blue planet appeared, zooming in. It was unmistakably Earth. A red line stretched toward it, connecting to five black planets. ¡°This planet you see is Earth. In the 1981 solar system, it¡¯s the only place where intelligent life exists. Do you see the planets connected to Earth by those red lines?¡± When the D-rank hunters nodded, she continued. ¡°These planets were once home to life forms from the Order or Neutral Domains. However, due to the rise of Chaos, the planets were destroyed, and their habitats obliterated. From these Broken Worlds come the monsters that invade our domains.¡± Her explanation could be summarized as follows: The five planets acted as a protective wall for Earth. If those walls hadn¡¯t been breached, the current dungeon and monster crises wouldn¡¯t have occurred. But since they were breached, monsters have been invading endlessly. ¡°The dungeons you¡¯ve encountered so far have all been low-level. That¡¯s because we¡¯ve cleared the higher-level dungeons for you. But that ends now. As Apostles of Order, we can only act as helpers and protect this world for two years. More than half of that time has already passed.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you stay beyond two years?¡± ¡°Our allowed time is two years. If we remain longer, Chaos will bring an even greater catastrophe.¡± The more the Guardians of Order intervened, the more opportunities the invaders of Chaos had to interfere. That was the balance of the world. Caught in the middle, the creatures of Earth bore the brunt of it. Hence, the elves and dwarves were set to withdraw after two years. They explained that if Order and Chaos clashed directly, the resulting aftermath alone could destroy Earth. ¡°Once we withdraw, the monster crises on Earth will only reach a maximum of B or C rank. With the advanced technological civilization here, it should be possible to fend off Chaos¡¯s invasion. However, there is one condition: at least one of the Broken Worlds must be restored.¡± She pointed her finger toward the five planets. ¡°Each planet is ruled by a Lord of Chaos who destroyed their world. By next year, at least one of them must be defeated.¡± ¡°What happens if we fail?¡± ¡°If you fail¡­ all five Lords of Chaos will invade Earth, and monsters from the five worlds will flood through dimensional gates. No matter how advanced Earth¡¯s military might be, it won¡¯t be able to stop an invasion from five worlds. But if even one Lord is defeated, their descent conditions won¡¯t be met, and only monsters will invade.¡± Wait. So does that mean Earth will be destroyed in a year? That¡¯s why they¡¯re enforcing secrecy, isn¡¯t it? If the fact that the world might end in a year got out, it would cause mass chaos. So that¡¯s why they¡¯re using confidentiality magic¡­ ¡°Can we, as mere D-ranks, really defeat a Lord of Chaos? Someone who destroyed an entire world?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying you must defeat them immediately. The Broken Worlds aren¡¯t completely destroyed yet. Thanks to Zeus¡¯s intervention, time was frozen and reversed to a point before their destruction.¡± The Broken Worlds weren¡¯t entirely finished. Zeus intervened at the brink of collapse, rewinding and freezing time. It was like pausing a movie before the ending to replay an earlier part. ¡°You¡¯ll each be sent to one of the five planets with battlefields suited for D-rank hunters. While there are countless variables, as D-rank awakeners, you should adapt well. By gradually growing stronger, you¡¯ll eventually be able to challenge the Lords of Chaos. Due to interference from the Proxies of Order, they can¡¯t exert their full power.¡± ¡°But can¡¯t we just clear the D-rank dungeons on Earth that your helpers have been clearing?¡± ¡°You could. But now, death in a dungeon means actual death. In the Broken Worlds, even if you die, you can return alive. The experience points and rewards you gain there can¡¯t even be compared to those from dungeons. That¡¯s why we strongly recommend this option.¡± The hunter who asked the question quickly agreed upon hearing the mention of actual death. Everyone looked tense, realizing that the days of returning from dungeon deaths were over. ¡°In the Broken Worlds, you¡¯ll become temporary Apostles of the Gods and receive three chances to revive. While the divine blessings may vary depending on the world¡¯s difficulty, the revival chances are the same for everyone.¡± So, it wasn¡¯t unlimited. Three chances¡­ ¡°For D-rank awakeners, there are five planetary battlefields suitable for entry. We¡¯ve classified their difficulty levels internally. From left to right, they are: Eshtar, Kalvine, Dubron, Al¡¯ Aasma, and Kevrian.¡± I recalled the strategy guide I read yesterday. It specifically recommended Kevrian. In the guide he claimed to have perfectly conquered this place. They insisted¡ªabsolutely insisted¡ªon choosing it. ¡°The order I mentioned corresponds to difficulty. Eshtar is the easiest, while Kevrian is the hardest. Honestly, I recommend all awakeners to choose Eshtar¡¯s battlefield. Kevrian¡­ while its rewards are immense, it¡¯s not a battlefield suited for newly ascended D-rankers.¡± But¡­ why does it feel like I¡¯m heading for the hardest one? I mean, I can trust it, right? So far, the strategy guide has been mostly accurate. And now, he claimed he¡¯d share his real expertise, starting with this stage. I can trust it, right? Jiho, right? You¡¯re me, aren¡¯t you? Yeah. And higher difficulty means better rewards. In dungeons, no one clears easy mode because the rewards are low. Gamers always aim to clear the hardest levels. Isn¡¯t that right? ¡°The final boss of Kevrian¡¯s D-rank battlefield is Death Knight King Ampellion. He¡¯s the worst kind of enemy, capable of manipulating his rank to toy with his opponents. His ¡®Final Frenzy¡¯ skill has claimed an uncountable number of awakeners¡¯ lives. I tell all awakeners this: any battlefield is fine, but do not choose Kevrian. Avoid any battlefield with Ampellion.¡± ¡°Then why did you choose this battlefield?¡± The elf, Alena, looked at the planet Kevrian with a gloomy expression. "Because, on Kevrian, this battlefield is the easiest option... Ampellion, the Death Knight King, is the weakest of the Four Horsemen of Destruction under the Chaos Lord''s command. It¡¯s better not to choose this place." Ah! Why does she keep scaring us like this? She¡¯s making me second-guess myself. "I hope everyone heeds my advice. You are now ranked D. There¡¯s absolutely no need to dive into a difficult challenge from the start. That wouldn¡¯t help Earth¡¯s fate in any way. After all, saving just one planet is enough. While Kevrian is my home, you must not choose it." Ah... so it''s Kevrian, huh? Why is this elf so adamant about not picking Kevrian? Wouldn¡¯t clearing Kevrian save her home planet? Yet, she¡¯s outright forbidding it. Hmm... No. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] I¡¯ll trust myself. And trust the strategy guide. "I strongly recommend avoiding Kevrian. As long as Death Knight King Ampellion is there, this is no place to challenge." The female elf Alena once again sternly warned us and told us to pick a planet. Everyone pointed to Eshtar. For D-rank hunters, especially at the very bottom of D-rank, choosing the easiest difficulty was the most sensible thing to do. And honestly, I wanted to join them. If it weren¡¯t for the strategy guide, everyone pooling together to save this world by choosing Eshtar would make the most sense... But! I¡¯m going to Kevrian. With a perfectly detailed strategy guide, I¡¯ll claim the rewards. "Mr. Kim Jiho. You¡¯re choosing Kevrian?" "Yes." "We all know how extraordinary a Soul Mediator is. But Kevrian? Why not try another planet instead of Eshtar? Perhaps Kalvine or Dubron? You could still get amazing rewards and opportunities to grow stronger." "I¡¯m choosing Kevrian." Sigh... Elf Alena let out a deep sigh. "Kevrian is... a battlefield already lost. Turning it around is next to impossible. Do you still want to go?" "Yes." "Once you choose a planet, you cannot leave it until you either clear the broken world or die three times. While dying three times won¡¯t kill your physical body back on Earth, the damage will be immense. Your level will decrease with each death, and the experience required to level up again will increase tenfold. Even so, do you still want to choose Kevrian?" "Yes. I will choose it." Man, the strategy guide got me a Special Class. It also gave me two status windows. If I clear this impossible difficulty, unimaginable rewards must await! "Is he insane?" "But a Special Class? What¡¯s that about?" "What¡¯s with the chick on his head? Is he crazy? But it¡¯s so cute." "Come to think of it, I¡¯ve heard some weird rumors lately..." The D-rank hunters whispered as they looked at me. "Kevrian...?" "Who would¡¯ve thought someone would choose that place." "He must have some kind of plan if the gods are watching him, right?" "It¡¯s our home planet, but it¡¯s impossible. Why even make Kevrian selectable? They could¡¯ve just opened Eshtar." "Are we the ones who open the paths? The gods do it. They must have their reasons..." The elves and dwarves murmured, unable to hide their unease. Elf Alena kept trying to stop me. She was unbelievably persistent. For ten minutes, she kept trying to persuade me. "Please reconsider." "I¡¯m going." "Hunter Kim Jiho, this isn¡¯t a joke." "I know." "Please, think about it again." "I¡¯m going, I said." When I kept insisting, she even yelled at me. "Ugh! Seriously! You¡¯ll die. You¡¯ll die if you go! You¡¯ll have to fight orcs there. Orcs don¡¯t just kill their prisoners; they break their limbs, roll them around, torment them endlessly before finally killing them. Even though the Soul Mediator can resurrect you, the psychological trauma will be overwhelming. It¡¯ll scar you for life. Please don¡¯t go. The gods favor and watch over you; you shouldn¡¯t choose this place." Orcs? Fighting orcs is a given, isn¡¯t it? We¡¯re battling in the realm of chaos. "I¡¯m still going." "Oh... you shouldn¡¯t. Please..." "Just send me already. Everyone¡¯s waiting. I¡¯ve made up my mind." "Haah... Fine. Everyone, I did my best to stop him, didn¡¯t I?" Elf Alena looked at the other elves and dwarves. They all nodded in agreement. She clenched her teeth and glared at me. "Alright. I¡¯ll send you to Kevrian... Ugh..." As I walked toward the pathway to Kevrian under her guidance, I overheard the dwarves behind me. "How long do you think he¡¯ll last?" "The time ratio is ten to one. He has to survive there for ten days before returning. He¡¯ll probably be back tomorrow, won¡¯t he?" "You think he can survive ten days on Kevrian?" "Oh. Right. One day, maybe. I¡¯ll bet a 100 million on 2.4 hours." "I¡¯ll bet a 100 million he¡¯s back in an hour." "Even with a Special Class, I¡¯ll go for five hours and a 100 million." These little brats... For some reason, it fired me up. I¡¯ll conquer this place completely. The strategy guide said it¡¯s entirely mapped out. It explicitly said to go to Kevrian. I¡¯ll find out the details when I get there, but I¡¯ll go and dominate. Later, you¡¯ll call me the savior who restored your home planet. Be ready to worship me, you shorties. With that, I left confidently. [You have died.] [Your level has decreased by 1.] [Your level has decreased by 1.] [Status points have been deducted. Mana has decreased by 1.] [Status points have been deducted. Your Mana grade has dropped to C-.] [You are resurrected and returned to your original world.] And immediately came back. "Wow. He died already?" "That¡¯s a new record..." "How do you die that quickly? He must¡¯ve died as soon as he got there." "Kevrian really is insane." "All our bets are off. What a remarkable awakened one." ...What the hell?! Damn it! [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 20 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 20: Broken World (2) Huh? I don¡¯t even know what killed me. Suddenly, my head hurt like hell, my vision darkened, and I was dead. It happened so fast I didn¡¯t even really feel the pain. What the heck? Did my skull crack open or something? Oh. What happened to Peep? ¡°Peep!¡± Oh! Still on top of my head. But what on earth killed me? [Aurelia tells you that you were killed by a catapult rock.] [Pollux mocks you, saying, ¡°If you¡¯re going to dive in unprepared, at least turn into your spirit form like a phoenix, you fool.¡±] Ugh. I don¡¯t even have words for this one. I didn¡¯t even equip the armor Hephaestus gifted me¡ªjust went in unarmed. I mean, who could¡¯ve guessed a catapult rock would fly at me the moment I entered? But still¡­ This was my fault for not being prepared. I guess I¡¯ve been getting complacent since things have been going well lately. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Pfft¡­ Haha. You¡¯re back already?¡± Elf Alena approached me, struggling to hold back her laughter. Aaaaahhhh. This is so embarrassing! ¡°Everyone, this is what happens when you go to high-difficulty planets. So don¡¯t make reckless choices.¡± Aaaaahhhh! They¡¯re using me as a failure example! Seeing the elves, dwarves, and hunters stifle their laughter made my face burn and my hands and feet curl in embarrassment. Wow. This is officially my most humiliating moment of the year. ¡°You should¡¯ve turned into your spirit form before going in¡­¡± ¡°Oh! Spirit form!¡± ¡°I asked you earlier, but you didn¡¯t respond, so I thought you knew, being a Spirit Mediator and all.¡± Ah, I must¡¯ve ignored Alena¡¯s explanation because I was distracted by the dwarves betting¡­ Ugh. I brought this on myself. She then taught me how to transform into my spirit form. She explained that I needed to focus my mana on my head and heart while imagining my body disappearing. ¡°It¡¯s hard for most people to get the image right at first. That¡¯s why the other hunters haven¡¯t left yet¡ªthey¡¯re still struggling with spirit form¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Like this?¡± I imagined myself dissolving into mist while channeling my mana, and my body turned ghost-like and translucent. Even my clothes became see-through. But I could still speak. ¡°As expected of a Spirit Mediator. You did it on your first try, and you can even talk in spirit form¡­ That¡¯s impressive.¡± My shattered pride was slightly restored, but the embarrassment still lingered. Alright, time to get serious. ¡°If I¡¯m in spirit form, I won¡¯t die from a catapult rock again, right?¡± ¡°Oh, so you died from a catapult. Yes, spirit form will let you dodge it. But since you¡¯re only D-rank, your duration won¡¯t be long. Once you enter, you¡¯ll need to find a safe spot to regroup quickly. Also, be aware that high-level magic can still harm you in spirit form. Be cautious.¡± ¡°Got it¡­ But shouldn¡¯t the starting point be somewhere safer?¡± ¡°I did mention that this was the safest battlefield in Kevrian. Kevrian is on the verge of collapse.¡± Alena¡¯s expression turned serious as she spoke. ¡°To be honest, since you¡¯ve already died once, I¡¯d recommend dying twice more and starting fresh on another planet. We¡¯d love to see Kevrian recover, but it¡¯s practically impossible at this point.¡± She had a point. But if I have to die twice more to leave, I might as well give it my all here. I remembered that I could use SP to increase my stats while looking at my status window. I had planned to save up 1,000 SP to open the premium shop, but if I¡¯m going to prepare properly, I¡¯ll need to spend it. Raising stats costs 10 SP per point. Order-aligned stats can only be raised with Order SP, and Neutral-aligned stats require Neutral SP. Currently, I have 101.2 Order SP and 31.1 Neutral SP. For now, I¡¯ll focus on physical stats. I increased Strength and Agility by 5 each for Order, and Physical Ability by 3 for Neutral. However, as my Strength approached 20, the SP cost doubled to 20. I had planned to raise it by 5 points from 15.5, but I could only manage 4.5, bringing Strength to 20. Here are my final stats: [Name - Kim Jiho Class - Spirit Mediator Patron God - Pollux, God of Gemini Title - Bat Awakener Level - 24 Strength: 20, Agility: 19.5, Mana: 19, SP: 1.2] [Name - Kim Jiho Class - Spirit Reaper Patron God - Aurelia, God of Volcanoes Title - None Level - 24 Physical: C+, Mana: C+++, Skill: C--, Luck: D++, SP: 1.1] Now I feel human again. I equipped Hephaestus¡¯s armor and prepared for spirit form. This is a far cry from when I first entered Kevrian with just a greatsword on my back. One careless death is enough. ¡°Want to bet again? 100 million on the line. I say one hour.¡± ¡°I say two hours.¡± ¡°Thirty minutes.¡± ¡°Ten minutes.¡± ¡°One minute.¡± The dwarves were betting again, but I ignored them completely. Time to focus on the fight. Standing in front of the mana stone linked to Kevrian, I prepared myself as I was transported to the planet. The moment my feet touched the ground, I immediately activated spirit form. Boom! Boom! Rocks fell exactly where I had landed. Upon closer inspection, it wasn¡¯t just rocks¡ªthere were heads, human heads. No, elf heads. Their discolored faces twisted in pain, frozen in death. Ugh¡­ Disgusting. Do they put heads in catapults, too? First, I needed to assess my surroundings. I was standing on a fortress wall. Elf archers were firing arrows with despair written all over their faces, while humans and dwarves were fighting off orcs climbing the walls. Rocks were flying everywhere, occasionally hitting the walls. Somehow, I narrowly avoided getting crushed by rocks twice in a row. This can¡¯t just be bad luck¡­ Did the elves deliberately drop me into this mess? Hmm¡­ Suspicious. ¡°ERIJQEGNOEQRH!$!¡± A male elf who had been shooting arrows suddenly pointed his bow at me and shouted something. I didn¡¯t understand what he said, but it didn¡¯t sound friendly. Wait, aren¡¯t they supposed to be on my side? How do I communicate with them? Just as I was struggling to figure out what to do, a beam of light descended from the sky. [Athena, Goddess of War, focuses her divine blessing on Kevrian¡¯s sole awakened, ¡®Kim Jiho.¡¯] [Order-aligned stats are doubled.] [All attacks are imbued with divine holy power.] [All beings aligned with Order will revere you as the Apostle of the Gods.] [The world¡¯s primary language is automatically translated for you, and your speech is also translated.] Oh. Double? DOUBLE?! And divine power on top of that? Insane! My entire body surged with strength for a moment before settling. Though the changes in my form were hidden by the armor, I could feel a power of an entirely different magnitude compared to before. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] The elf archer stared at me, awestruck by the light descending from the sky, then bowed her head. ¡°What an offense! To think you¡¯re the apostle of the Goddess of War, Minerva! Please lead us to victory in this battle!¡± Oh! I can hear them. But Minerva? Not Athena? Maybe she¡¯s called differently here. Anyway, I was wondering how to convince them, but they¡¯re accepting me on their own. That¡¯s a relief. At that moment, a system window flickered in front of me. It was the quest window that I hadn¡¯t even realized existed until now. [Quest Notification] [Battlefield of the Planet Kevrian: Summoned to ¡®Fortress Train.¡¯] [Fortress Train has been occupied by the monster legion ¡®Black Dragon Army,¡¯ led by the chaos-corrupted Black Dragon Arkardian. This occupation opened the path to the World Tree.] [Main Quest.] [Difficulty: Impossible.] [Defend Fortress Train for 100 days.] [Quest Rewards upon Completion:] SP: 100,000 Achievement: ¡®Savior¡¯s First Step¡¯ Titles: ¡®Hero of Kevrian,¡¯ ¡®Challenger of the Impossible¡¯ 3 Random Skill Boxes (B-grade or higher) 3 Random Item Boxes (B-grade or higher) Wow. Just looking at these rewards¡ªthey¡¯re incredible. This is a quest I have to complete no matter what. No time to look up guides¡ªthe fortress already seems like it¡¯s on the brink of falling. I¡¯ll join the defense for now. I sprinted toward the fortress wall. In a single leap, I traversed the space in an instant. My stats were already superhuman before, but now they¡¯re on an entirely different level. Even though my stats only doubled, the power feels far more amplified than that. Below the fortress walls, I saw a monster army carrying banners with a black dragon emblem. Unlike the black orcs I¡¯d seen in dungeons, these orcs had green skin. At the front stood a massive orc rallying the troops¡ªits resemblance to the boss monster I defeated earlier was uncanny. Most of the monsters were from the orc legion, but there were some of different species. Among them, operating the catapults were large, bulky monsters with ochre-colored skin. Probably ogres. They¡¯ll need to be dealt with first. I summoned Artemis¡¯ Bow. As I drew the string, a small amount of mana flowed out, forming an arrow of light. The light gleamed pure white. I aimed at one of the ogres when¡ª ¡°Chirp!¡± Out of nowhere, Peep flew toward the arrow of light and blew a puff of breath at it. The breath from its beak turned into flames, which were absorbed into the light. Now, the pure white arrow had a tinge of red. A flame buff? Great. Let¡¯s give this a shot. Normally, I¡¯d need to shoot in an arc to hit from this range, but with my boosted stats, I could just fire directly. Boom! The arrow streaked through the air like lightning, piercing the ogre¡¯s torso. When it hit the ground, it exploded spectacularly. Maybe the phoenix¡¯s flames caused a synergy effect¡ªthe fire quickly spread, engulfing the catapult in flames. This isn¡¯t just an arrow¡ªit¡¯s a bomb! ¡°Hey, you¡¯re amazing!¡± ¡°Chirp, chirp!¡± ¡°You¡¯re incredible, Apostle of Minerva! Please continue targeting the catapults!¡± The elves nearby cheered as they loosed their own arrows. I couldn¡¯t help but cheer, too, as a new system window appeared. [You have defeated an Ogre. You gain 1,231 EXP.] [Soul Reaper skill activates. Efficiency reduced due to distance. You gain 3.8 SP.] [Trait Absorption skill activates. Efficiency reduced due to distance. You absorb 0.03% of the Ogre¡¯s Strength trait.] [Perfect Form Maintenance skill filters and converts the absorbed trait into the user¡¯s strength and physical stats, preventing any contamination.] [Strength increases by 0.07.] [Physical stats slightly increase.] One ogre gave me so many benefits? An increase of 0.07 in strength means killing about 15 of them would increase it by 1. And 3.8 SP per ogre means 10 of them would yield 38 SP? Wow. Soul Reaper is amazing. Does it give more if I¡¯m closer? ¡°Peep, let¡¯s keep shooting!¡± ¡°Chirp!¡± I disabled the Soul Reaper notification window since I was in battle and excitedly kept firing arrows. Now that I knew they exploded like bombs, I prioritized targeting the catapults. Boom! Boom! I destroyed 10 catapults in no time. The orcs¡¯ arrows, axes, and other projectiles came flying toward me, but with Danger Detection, I dodged them while continuing to target the catapults. With my stats doubled, the enemy¡¯s attacks seemed easy to read. ¡°Chirp¡­¡± But after about 10 shots, Peep seemed to run low on mana and couldn¡¯t infuse the arrows with flames anymore. I tried firing without its flames, but without the phoenix fire, the arrows didn¡¯t explode. The light arrows still had tremendous penetrating power, like bullets, but when the orcs threw themselves at the catapults to protect them, the arrows couldn¡¯t fully pierce through. And my mana was also depleting rapidly from firing so many arrows consecutively. To recharge my mana, I had to stop using magical arrows. Still, I had to save my last resort. ¡°Hand me some arrows.¡± ¡°Here you go!¡± I took the arrows handed to me by the elves and fired them furiously. Each shot pierced through armor, embedding deeply into the orcs. If I hit an unarmored spot, the arrow would go straight through and hit the orc behind it. Thud. Thud-thud. Thud-thud-thud. The drumbeat of the orc army¡¯s war band echoed across the battlefield. With it, a massive banner bearing the black dragon emblem advanced toward the fortress walls. A horde of massive orcs began charging toward the wall. They looked just like the boss monsters I¡¯d encountered in the E-rank dungeon before¡­ But here, they were an entire unit. These 3-meter-tall orcs carried enormous ladders that they seemed to interlock across their shoulders as they ran ferociously. The elves unleashed volleys of arrows, and magic attacks rained down on them. But as the orcs roared in unison, many of the spells detonated mid-air. While arrows struck their heavy armor, they didn¡¯t penetrate deeply. The orcs ignored the arrows embedded in their bodies and charged full speed ahead. ¡°Kill the Apostle of Order!¡± ¡°Kill! Kill!¡± ¡°Crush them and feast on their corpses!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat them alive!¡± Even without a translation, the gist of their words was clear. The massive ladders began rapidly being set against the fortress walls. We tried desperately to hold them back, but the sheer number of massive orcs was overwhelming. ¡°It seems the Uruks have recognized you, Apostle, and are converging here. You must retreat. We¡¯ll hold them off somehow,¡± Said one elf, looking grimly determined. So, these huge orcs are called Uruks, huh? I appreciated the sentiment, even if he was shaking in fear as he urged me to flee. ¡°Once this wall falls, it¡¯s over, right? Where would I even run to?¡± ¡°B-but you¡¯re our only hope, Apostle. If you die here¡­¡± ¡°Then trust your only hope a bit more.¡± Alright, time to use the skills I¡¯ve gained. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 21 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 21: Broken World (3) Summon Flame Chariot. An A-rank skill acquired from Apollo. While it consumes a significant amount of mana, I wasn¡¯t planning to ride it anyway. As soon as I attempted to use the skill, I instinctively understood its mechanism and the casting process. I looked at the area in front of the wall where ladders were being thrust in one by one. Summon it there. Whoosh. Flames flickering in midair quickly gathered to form a shape. A fiery horse and the chariot of flames connected behind it. Compared to what Liana summoned, the horse was much smaller and less impressive, but its mere presence instantly burned through nearby ladders. Burning one or two ladders wasn¡¯t enough. It moves. With my current mana level, I can only choose either the left or right side. Looking over the battlefield, the left side seems to have more ladders. Run, Flame Chariot. Burn all the ladders connected to the wall. Charge straight ahead! "Neighhh!" The fiery horse raised its front legs high and dashed through the air. Running even faster than a car, the airways it galloped on burned with flames. As the distance grew, mana depleted rapidly. My heart ached a little, but I endured it. It must run just a little farther. "Aaaahhh!" "Fire! It¡¯s fire!" "Get off the ladders!" The trail of fire blazed long, as if guarding the wall. All the ladders connected to the wall were engulfed in flames. The orcs on the ladders were also consumed by fire. However, the flames didn¡¯t spread to the top of the wall. They devoured only the ladders and the orcs, like the chariot of the Sun God. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Magnificent. Glorious. This is what an A-rank skill should be! Thump. Ugh¡­ Is my mana completely drained? My chest hurts. The left side is more or less cleared, but¡­ "There¡¯s the Apostle of Order!" "Kill him! Kill him now!" The right side is still left. The Uruk forces are charging while mowing down the soldiers of the Order faction on the wall. "Protect the Apostle!" "Gather, now!" Our forces try to rally, but perhaps because defeat seems imminent, not many gather. No, there weren¡¯t many soldiers, to begin with. They¡¯ve mostly been killed. I drew a two-handed sword from the sheath on my back. The black blade shimmered with a pure white light. Oh¡­ Is this divine power? Athena, I love you. Whoosh. The Uruk forces at the front charged and hurled their hand axes in unison. Ah, the same axes that gave me so much trouble during the promotion trial. But now, they look slow. As if I¡¯m watching them in slow motion. "Blessing of the God of War." A skill granted by Ares, the God of War. All ranged weapons miss their target. Strength and stamina increase, and my skin hardens like armor. The axes¡¯ trajectories subtly twist. At the same time, my body was further empowered. With heightened senses, everything appeared even slower. I¡¯m sure of it now. I¡¯m no prey. I¡¯m the predator. I charged into the Uruk forces. The axes skimmed past me as if avoiding my body. An Uruk tried to smash me with a heavy iron club. But they¡¯re slow. In this slow-motion scene, I alone move at normal speed¡ªno, at superhuman speed. Slash! "Aaaaah!" With a single horizontal slash, an Uruk is cut down in one stroke. Piercing the chest of another, I drive the sword straight down. A torn abdomen. Spilling intestines. Red blood drenches the wall. "Die!" The sluggish attack didn¡¯t even trigger my danger sense. I dodged them all easily, but then a thought crossed my mind. Do I even need to dodge? From mere prey like this? I gripped the sword in my right hand and caught the iron club with my left. Hephaestus¡¯ Armor. Perhaps thanks to the Blessing of the God of War, my hardened skin didn¡¯t feel pain. "What¡­ what kind of power is this?!" I snatched the club, leaped into the air, and struck the Uruk¡¯s neck. The severed head flew as a spray of blood burst forth. But my leap didn¡¯t stop there. "Ugh, a powerful apostle!" "Be careful! Maintain formation!" Uruk''s massive iron club. This thing could be used as a throwing weapon. Just as my leap stopped and my body began to descend, I caught sight of a ladder. Yeah. Let¡¯s destroy that. Boom! "The ladder! They''re targeting the ladder!" "Kill them quickly!" The Uruks approached in a dense formation. With four large-bodied Uruks maintaining their front line, the wall felt completely blocked. They still don¡¯t know why I¡¯m breaking the ladder. It¡¯s to stop you from escaping. Even if you hold your formation, you¡¯re just a flock of sheep. Slash! With a single swing, an Uruk''s body was torn apart and split in two. "Th-this can¡¯t be happening." Boom! Boom! I picked up a club with my left hand, shattered their legs, and smashed the heads of the fallen Uruks. Smash! "Kill them, no matter what!" "No! We... we must retreat!" Crash! When the iron club broke from striking too hard, I simply kicked it outside the wall. "Run!" Covered in Hephaestus''s armor, my entire body was drenched in the enemies'' blood, surrounded by Uruk corpses. Kill or be killed. Until the blessing of the God of War ends. "He''s an apostle of the God of War! Retreat!" Crack! I hurled the club, shattering the head of a loudmouthed Uruk, and rampaged like a madman. The once-confident Uruks now threw themselves off the walls in retreat. I slaughtered countless enemies, cutting down those fleeing with regret. Then it happened. [The blessing of the God of War has been lifted.] My strength drained away. A wave of exhaustion washed over me. Not surprising, considering I¡¯d killed over a hundred Uruks in that short time. I had focused excessively, trying to kill more than one enemy with each move. Now, their attacks no longer seemed as slow as before. Though I could still kill them, I couldn¡¯t perform the same solo massacre anymore. Time to catch my breath. My mana must have recovered, too... [The effect of Infinite Stamina has restored your stamina.] Suddenly, energy surged through my body. I felt as ready as I did at the start of the battle. The muscles strained from the blessing of the God of War recovered instantly, and my vision cleared. Not bad. The bloodlust clouding my mind subsided, and I began to think clearly again. Let¡¯s assess the situation. After defeating this many enemies, I must have collected a significant amount of SP through soul plundering. If I reinvest it into my stats, I might regain the power I had during the blessing. My neutral faction SP was at an impressive 511, and my physical stats had improved to C++, with an additional +. The enemies were weaker than ogres, but killing them up close must have yielded more SP. I stepped back and looked at the Uruks. Seeing me pause, they hesitated, unsure of what to do. Time to allocate my stats. Let¡¯s focus on physical enhancement for today. Raising it to C++++ cost 30 SP, but beyond that, even as I boosted the stats, the rank didn¡¯t increase. At C++++, SP consumption rose to 40 but didn¡¯t yield further upgrades. Was there a rank limit? Still, I kept pushing, spending 40 SP four times, until I couldn¡¯t upgrade anymore. [You have reached the maximum potential for this rank.] The notification appeared. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] So it cost me 190 SP to reach the max level of C++++ from C++. I had 321 SP left. Upgrading all stats to C++++ cost another 140 SP, leaving me with 180, which I poured into mana. Now, my physical stats and mana had reached their limits, while skills and luck were at C++++. I had 21 SP remaining. For ability points, I gained one from reaching level 26, giving me two points total after accounting for the one lost from a level down. I decided to save them for now¡ªSP wasn¡¯t too hard to earn. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Reaper Guardian Deity: Aurelia, Goddess of the Volcano Title: None Level: 26 Stats: Physical: C++++ (Max), Mana: C++++ (Max), Skills: C++++, Luck: C++++, SP: 21.7] With my boosted stats, my power didn¡¯t feel much different from when I used the God of War¡¯s blessing. In fact, the enhanced mana and skills made me feel even stronger than before. ¡°He must¡¯ve run out of power.¡± ¡°Now¡¯s our chance! Take him down!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± The Uruks, emboldened by my inactivity, charged once more. The soldiers of the Order faction moved to protect me. "Defend the Apostle of the God of War!" "The number of Uruks is dwindling¡ªwe can win this!" The soldiers, who had regained their morale compared to earlier, raised their voices. Still, it would be wasteful to sacrifice troops unnecessarily when I could handle this myself. Besides, these guys are mine to deal with. I picked up Uruk''s club that had fallen to the ground. "Everyone, please defend the other side. I''ll take care of these guys." "Messenger! You''re safe!" "Yes. The other side is likely in danger too, so please defend there." After issuing instructions to the soldiers, I charged straight into the horde of Uruks. The Uruks, who had charged at me confidently, faltered and tried to defend themselves. But with my enhancement complete, there was no way they could stop me. "Urgh¡­" I swiftly cut down every last one of them and flicked the blood off my sword. It¡¯s still not enough. I can still fight more. Thanks to the Infinite Stamina skill, even as fatigue accumulated, it quickly dissipated, keeping my entire body full of energy and vitality. I didn¡¯t realize how useful this would be. I should¡¯ve used it earlier... [Pollux smugly remarks that you''ve finally understood.] This time, I¡¯ll acknowledge it. When I looked below the wall, the orc army was still intact. Should I jump in? With Infinite Stamina and how weak the Uruks were, orcs should be even easier to handle... "Messenger of the Goddess! The eastern gate has requested aid. They''re on the verge of being breached!" A human messenger ran toward me, shouting urgently. Hmm. Fine. Let¡¯s focus on defending the wall first. Taking on the entire army would be risky... Still, I¡¯ll regain mana on the way. "Peep, let¡¯s destroy a few more catapults before we leave." "Peep!" Summoning my bow again, I burned ten catapults in an instant. Has my phoenix gotten stronger because my mana has increased? After clearing this much, there were no catapults visible nearby. Feeling that this wall was secure, I decided to head east. Following the direction the messenger indicated, I ran. With each step, the ground gave way beneath me, and my body surged forward. Like the wind, I sped ahead and soon reached the eastern wall. The top of the wall was filled with orcs, nearly matching our forces in number. I leaped straight from the ground. My body vaulted over the wall and landed atop it. It felt like flying in an instant. "Fireball. Fireball." The fireballs I conjured in both hands had grown so large that a person could now fit inside them. As I landed toward the orc horde, I hurled the massive fireballs. Boom! "Graaaah!" Orcs exploded and ladders burned in flames. But there were already too many ladders set up against the wall. "Peep, can you go intangible and burn only the ladders?" "Peep!" Peep flew toward the ladders. While flying, it turned intangible to evade the orcs'' attacks. Then, in front of a ladder, it breathed fire, igniting it before becoming intangible again. Smart! It¡¯s probably only possible because there aren¡¯t any magic-using monsters among the orcs. "The ladders are burning!" "Protect the ladders!" "You guys should play with me!" The orcs, smaller and scrawnier than the Uruks, were cut down in an instant with a single horizontal swing of my two-handed sword. "Kill him!" Clang! I didn¡¯t even bother dodging the enemy''s attacks. Their strikes couldn¡¯t penetrate my armor and just bounced off, feeling like a mere tickle. While taking their attacks head-on, I spun my sword like a windmill. The orcs¡¯ bodies were torn apart in every direction. By the time all the ladders had burned down, the orcs on the wall had already been annihilated. I slaughtered them like a machine, without exhaustion. I don¡¯t feel like myself. "Messenger! The western wall is...!" Ugh! Busy, busy. Without Infinite Stamina, I¡¯d have collapsed by now. While I¡¯m at it, I¡¯ll destroy the catapults here and head west again. As I ran to massacre the orcs, an SOS call came from the southern gate, which I had just defended. It felt like a game of Whack-a-Mole¡ªevery time I dealt with one crisis, another popped up. Until dusk, I kept running around nonstop. South to east. East to west. It was a fixed pattern of emergencies. Thankfully, the north wasn¡¯t a route for invasions. Fortunately, even the strongest monsters climbing the walls were only Uruks. By now, I was wielding my two-handed sword with one hand, using my left hand to throw any weapons I found lying around to focus on the slaughter. After defending each wall three times, it seemed the enemies were running out of ladders and slowly retreating. As the enemies withdrew, the soldiers on the walls¡ªregardless of race¡ªcollapsed, gasping for breath. Honestly, I should¡¯ve been the most exhausted one, but thanks to this skill, my body was still bursting with energy. I feel like I¡¯m not human anymore... I¡¯m not tired at all, but the constant killing is making me weary. I want to turn off the skill and sleep. But I can¡¯t rest comfortably since I don¡¯t know how the situation might change. "Messenger of Minerva, the fortress command has sent a formal request for your presence." An elf messenger, covered in blood, knelt before me, speaking with deep respect. His demeanor exuded reverence. Following his guidance, I headed to the so-called fortress command. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 22 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 22: Uh¡­ The Strategy Guide¡­? (1) ¡°Servant of the Goddess of War Minerva, I am Count Ohaim of the Atra Confederation. Today¡¯s battle was an awe-inspiring spectacle, as if plucked straight from myth. Without your intervention, we would all have perished¡­ Truly, thank you.¡± The commander of the fortress garrison was human. He was an elderly man with white hair, wrinkled skin, and a chiseled face. His blue eyes exuded the dignified aura of experience. The command unit consisted of humans, elves, and dwarves, all of whom paid their respects to me. Some even knelt, shedding tears. ¡°Please, enough with the formalities. My descent was solely to protect this fortress.¡± ¡°Ah, glory to the care of the goddess.¡± ¡°Glory be.¡± ¡°Minerva is eternal!¡± With dirt-streaked faces and tears welling in their eyes, they praised the goddess while looking at me with reverence. Oh, come on, guys. Don¡¯t do this. Ugh, it¡¯s so cringeworthy. Let¡¯s get to the point quickly. ¡°When I descended, I heard that if this fortress falls, the path to the World Tree will be opened. But¡­ the defensive forces here seem unusually sparse.¡± No matter how difficult the mission is, this is absurd. This is a crucial fortress, yet the defending forces are underwhelming. Sure, the Uruks are strong monsters, but they should have been manageable for elves and dwarves dispatched to Earth. Yet, they were overwhelmed. Elves and dwarves can supposedly wield spirits, but all I saw on the walls were arrows and axes¡ªindistinguishable from human soldiers. ¡°Well¡­ The truth is that our main forces are no longer stationed at this fortress.¡± ¡°What? Then what about this fortress?¡± ¡°The Black Dragon Akardian, the leader of the Black Dragon Army, cast a great spell to seal the gateway to the spirit realm in this region. This fortress was originally designed to be defended in conjunction with the Four Great Spirits. When spirit energy was sealed, the elves and dwarves couldn¡¯t summon spirits or use their powerful spirit magic.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why.¡± Count Ohaim nodded bitterly. ¡°Yes. At this rate, even if we somehow stop the vanguard orc units, it¡¯s certain we won¡¯t be able to withstand the Black Dragon Army¡¯s main forces. That¡¯s why we split our elite units into four groups to reclaim the sanctuaries of the Four Great Spirits in the Trein region and reopen the gateway to the spirit realm. In the meantime, we were tasked with defending the fortress, but¡­¡± The old general¡¯s eyes reddened as he clenched his fists and trembled. ¡°Among the heads catapulted at us today were those of our soldiers who had left the fortress. It seems the mission may have failed¡­¡± ¡°General, that¡¯s not certain yet!¡± ¡°As long as we continue to hold this fortress, there¡¯s still hope.¡± But the mood among the officers was somber despite their words of encouragement. Wow! This situation is hopeless! The current attackers are just the vanguard¡­ If the main forces arrive, this won¡¯t be easy. The main force probably has individuals capable of going toe-to-toe with me. At that moment, the system window appeared. [You have learned that the gateway to the spirit realm has been sealed. Without reopening the gateway, defending the Trein Fortress will be impossible.] [Main Quest.] [Difficulty: Very Hard.] [Reopen the gateway to the spirit realm.] [Quest Rewards.] Increased affinity with the Four Elemental Spirits. Enhanced magic of the Four Elements. Trein Fortress reactivated as the Trein Spirit Fortress. No SP rewards? So stingy. Still, increased spirit affinity and magic enhancement¡­ I guess reopening the gateway is mandatory to complete the main quest and defend the fortress anyway. [To protect Trein Fortress, the Four Sanctuaries must be reactivated, but the current fortress forces are inadequate. If you leave, the fortress will fall to the orc vanguard. To secure the fortress, you must annihilate the enemy vanguard. A solo victory will grant additional rewards. Do you accept?] [Sub-Quest.] [Difficulty: Moderate.] [Disrupt the enemy vanguard.] [Quest Rewards.] 1,000 SP. Title: Orc Conqueror. Unlike the main quest, the sub-quest could be accepted or declined. The enemy vanguard must be the orc units outside the fortress. Judging by my earlier battle experience and my near-limitless stamina, it seems doable. Let¡¯s accept for now. [You have accepted the Sub-Quest.] [The morale of the Trein Fortress forces is at rock bottom. Performing a heroic solo feat by defeating the enemy will greatly boost their morale. They will sing your praises and pass down your heroic tale for generations. The Goddess of War Minerva will be pleased and bless you even more.] [Chain Quest.] [Difficulty: Hard.] [Disrupt the enemy vanguard solo.] [Quest Rewards.] 1,000 SP. 3 Attribute Points. Enhanced Blessing of the Goddess of War. [Upon accepting the quest, the Goddess of War Minerva¡¯s blessing will be enhanced for three days.] Another quest chain popped up as soon as I accepted the first one. This time, I have to annihilate the enemy vanguard alone. 1,000 SP, 3 attribute points, and enhanced blessings from the goddess¡­ Hmm. Let¡¯s accept this too. [The Goddess of War Athena enhances her blessing for three days. All attributes increase by 2.5 times, and the ¡®Radiant Shield¡¯ magic is activated.] The armor of Hephaestus gleamed white as radiant light enveloped the metal. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So this is the Radiant Shield. Now that I¡¯ve accepted the quests¡­ Time to consult the strategy guide quickly. These people wouldn¡¯t understand the strategy guide anyway. "Oh! The Goddess has blessed the Apostle!" "Yes, the Goddess has blessed me, but¡­ this situation is not easy. In that case, let me briefly consult the sacred scripture, imbued with divine revelation, to find a way to resolve this situation." "Ah, understood." As I opened my inventory to take out the book, something suddenly caught my eye¡ªa bead and a black metal rod tucked away in the corner of my inventory. These were gifts from the future Kim Jiho, items I couldn''t take out due to their level restrictions and had just left in the corner. Now that I think about it, I could probably use them since I reached D rank. For now, the guidebook comes first. I''ll check these items out later. [Complete Guide to the Planet Kevrian] [You¡¯ve finally made it this far. The first battle must have been easy. The Trein Fortress is already nearly conquered.] Huh? What is this nonsense? [Elves and Dwarves can¡¯t use their spirit powers, you know. Just cross the walls with the Orcs and you can easily massacre them. Collect SP 1,000 here as quickly as possible. It¡¯s rare to get SP this easily. These guys drop SP like crazy! Ah, I wish I¡¯d been a Soul Reaper back then.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Wait. Hold on... [But the problem comes after that. Even if you take control of the fortress, the elite forces have split off and are scattered across the forests, mountains, and lakes of the Trein region. Why did they go there? It took us a long time to figure it out, but my brother tortured them and found out. They went to awaken the Sanctuary of the Spirits. Well, the Dragon¡¯s direct pursuit squad is already hunting them down, though.] Wait. What is this? Elves are enemies? Ah¡­ ah¡­!? Oh, crap. Could it be...? Suddenly, an unease I had felt before resurfaced in my mind. A chill ran down my spine. I flipped through the pages with trembling hands. [Guide for Kim Jiho Post-Regression.] [November Xth: You will awaken. When summoned into the tutorial, don¡¯t listen to the explanation. Instead, ask the Goblin Blacksmith for a shield. Once you receive the shield, run to the dungeon¡¯s open door and grab the dungeon core. Even if the Imps attack you, don¡¯t fight back¡ªjust take the hits. Within five minutes. Definitely!] I thought something was off from the very first page. I awakened on June 1st, and the blacksmith wasn¡¯t a Goblin; he was a Dwarf. Being a Neutral Faction Awakener, I figured the dates might be a bit off. I hadn¡¯t even paid attention to Goblins¡­ Wait, damn it. Could the Orc faction have been the Neutral Faction? No way. Aurelia, did you know about this? You¡¯re the guardian deity of the Neutral Faction! [Aurelia asks back if you really thought she didn¡¯t know this.] What do you mean "of course she knew"? Who would think Orcs are the Neutral Faction? They¡¯re monsters! They were even in the dungeon! [Aurelia says the Orcs in the dungeon were tainted by Chaos. Didn¡¯t their skin look black?] Just because their skin is black, they¡¯re all chaotic? What is this? Racial and color discrimination? This is ridiculous. I trusted the guidebook, but it turned out to be from the other faction. Oh, and their side is on easy mode. The Dragon seals the spirit powers, and they take over the fortress effortlessly. The elite units? Just wipe them out, no problem. So, that¡¯s why they wanted me to come to Kevrian¡ªit¡¯s easy. Since it¡¯s impossible for the Order Faction, their side must be easy. Ugh, this is driving me crazy. Do I have to die twice? But my stats are maxed out, so dying won¡¯t be easy. I don¡¯t want to commit suicide either¡­ Should I just die? Close my eyes and go for it? Ugh, no. Suicide is too much¡­ Argh! What is this mess?! Taking a deep breath, I continued flipping through the pages. The book was remarkably detailed. The locations of the Four Great Sanctuaries. The expected movement routes of the Trein Fortress elite detachments. Their commanders. High Elf Diana is heading to the Fire Sanctuary. Dwarf Lord Ambrosian is heading to the Earth Sanctuary. Trein Knight Commander Lannister is heading to the Wind Sanctuary. Elf Ranger Commander Reblo is heading to the Water Sanctuary. It stated that Lannister had already encountered and been killed by the Black Dragon Legion¡¯s pursuit squad, so there was no need to worry about him. The Earth Sanctuary that Dwarf Lord Ambrosian went to was already activated and fortified, so it should be tackled last. High Elf Diana and Ranger Commander Reblo were being pursued by the Black Dragon Legion, and the guide suggested capturing them. It emphasized that Diana should be captured first and corrupted into a Fallen Elf. It then described the method to corrupt her in explicit detail. ...It was like reading an R-rated hardcore novel. It filled several pages. Kim Jiho, you sick bastard. What a disgusting pervert. [Corrupting her is the key to clearing this planet. Conquering the Order Faction and destroying the World Tree is easy. The real difficulty starts when the Black Dragon goes berserk and opens the Gate of Chaos. At that point, the Orc Generals all fall under the Dragon¡¯s Dragon Fear and won¡¯t listen to us¡ªexcept for one, the Great Orc Hero Grosh.] For the Neutral Faction, the first phase involves invading and destroying the World Tree. The second phase involves fighting the monsters that emerge after the Gate of Chaos opens. So, that¡¯s the main game. But this damn Order Faction is already in hardcore mode just trying to fend off the monster invasion led by the Black Dragon. When I changed jobs, there were angels and dragons. Where the hell is the leader of the Order Faction angels? [Pollux explains that the angels are keeping the dragons in check, which is why you haven¡¯t encountered one yet.] Ah¡­ I see¡­ Sigh. What should I do? Even though this guidebook is for the Neutral Faction, it¡¯s not entirely useless. It contains the locations of the sanctuaries, the movement routes of the elite units, and strategies for dealing with monsters that emerge after the Gate of Chaos opens. Haaah. Alright. Let¡¯s do this. My stats are overwhelming, and my buffs are incredible. I can clear this. It¡¯s a half-baked¡ªno, a 20%-complete guidebook, but I¡¯ll just use it for the information. I¡¯ll clear this damn planet out of sheer spite. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 23 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 23: Uh... The Strategy Guide...? (2) ¡°How¡­ how did it turn out, Apostle?¡± ¡°Is the commander of the elite troops deployed Diana, Ambrosian, Lannister, and Reblo?¡± I check the content of the book first. Cross-checking is essential. ¡°Oh, yes. Did such content appear in the holy scriptures?¡± ¡°As expected, the gods are great!¡± ¡°Great indeed!¡± Holy scriptures, my foot. It¡¯s just Satan¡¯s rubbish. Still, it seems accurate. ¡°Among them, it is recorded that Commander Lannister of the Knights has died. The dwarf lord Ambrosian has safely headed to the sanctuary of the earth. I intend to assist the remaining two and activate all the sanctuaries.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Lannister¡­ I understand. We will risk our lives to defend this castle in the meantime.¡± The count, who seemed close to Commander Lannister, briefly reddened his eyes but soon replied with a resolute expression. ¡°Understood. However, judging by the state of things, it seems difficult to defend the castle while leaving that vanguard untouched. I will defeat that vanguard alone.¡± ¡°W-what? Alone, Apostle? That¡¯s too dangerous!¡± ¡°We will help you!¡± Everyone in the conference room stood up to stop me. But I was confident. No, it wasn¡¯t confidence¡ªit was more like the belief that if I couldn¡¯t handle this, I couldn¡¯t clear this planet. Even the damn strategy guide said, ¡®The Trein Fortress can be captured even with a vanguard lacking elite troops.¡¯ If their level is similar to those guys from before, I can manage by enduring with my boundless stamina. If I die here, I¡¯ll just move on to another planet. But, of course, I couldn¡¯t say it like that... Cough, cough. I cleared my throat and adjusted my tone. ¡°It is written in the holy scriptures that this is the first trial I must face. The first trial I must undertake for the order of our world! As the Apostle of the Goddess of War, I will gladly carry out this mission.¡± Let¡¯s put on a good act as the Apostle of the gods. Lowering my voice, I began. ¡°Look upon this sword.¡± The black blade burned with a pure white flame. The essence of divine power granted by Athena. Its sacred aura brought everyone to their knees. ¡°Minerva has bestowed divine power upon me, Mars has granted the blessing to deflect arrows, and Hellenis has given the power of the sun. With the blessings of these three gods, I shall not be defeated.¡± ¡°Minerva¡­ Mars¡­ Hellenis¡­!¡± ¡°Ohhh! The gods have sent their ultimate warrior!¡± ¡°The adversary of the Dragon of Destruction Akardian has arrived!¡± ¡°Oh, gods, forgive this lowly one for doubting you, even briefly.¡± I habitually started to say Athena, Ares, and Apollo, but the names naturally translated into the ones these people recognized as gods. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s Roman-style to call Athena and Ares Minerva and Mars, but why is Apollo Hellenis? Ah, who cares? That¡¯s not important. Let¡¯s just keep spinning tales. ¡°Warriors of the Trein Fortress, trust in me and the gods who bless me. Allow me to carry out my first trial. I will annihilate those enemies alone and offer victory to the gods!¡± The divine power imbued in the sword erupted, radiating brilliantly. The shimmering white light was stunningly beautiful. Wow, did Athena go all out for this? This sudden display¡ªvery nice. ¡°Ahhh...¡± ¡°Truly divine power.¡± ¡°Minerva!¡± ¡°Mars!¡± ¡°Hellenis!¡± ¡°We believe in you, the ultimate warrior!¡± ¡°We trust in the Apostle of the gods!¡± Maybe it¡¯s because the divine power is so overwhelming, but everyone burst into tears and began praying fervently. Ah, divine power sure makes people easy to convince. [Pollux is sulking because their name wasn¡¯t mentioned.] Mister¡­ do these people even know who you are? If I said Pollux, they¡¯d probably go, ¡®Who¡¯s that?¡¯ Don¡¯t ruin the mood. [Pollux is at a loss for words and feels dejected.] Sorry, but it can¡¯t be helped. The local names work better here! Amidst everyone¡¯s heartfelt sendoff, I leapt over the fortress walls and charged alone toward the enemy camp. I had no idea how many enemies there were. Taking on the enemy vanguard alone¡ªha ha ha. This is madness. But this insane planet requires you to do crazy things to clear it. Let¡¯s see who dies today. After sprinting toward the orc camp, I observed the enemy¡¯s encampment from a distance. Their defenses weren¡¯t particularly tight. Since the fortress was almost on the verge of collapse today, they likely didn¡¯t expect anyone to attack from here. The orc tents were densely packed. Perhaps because the fortress was built in a mountainous area, they didn¡¯t have the space to spread out. This calls for fire tactics, doesn¡¯t it? I summoned the Chariot of Flames. With the blessings that boosted my mana and my maxed-out neutral faction stats, the chariot I summoned this time had an extra horse. The chariot had grown larger, with enough space for me to comfortably ride. ¡°Chariot of Flames!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Apostle!¡± The large, crude military tents illuminated by the firelight were packed tightly together. Orcs rushed out in a panic. But I had no intention of dealing with them one by one. Driving the Chariot of Flames, I charged straight through the cluster of tents. ¡°Arghhh!¡± ¡°Fire! Fire!¡± ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Whoosh! The flames trailed behind the chariot as it tore through the camp. The blazing trail left a path of destruction. Some orcs, risking their lives, leapt toward the chariot to block its path. No¡ªthey weren¡¯t trying to stop the chariot but were aiming for me. A chariot made of fire couldn¡¯t be stopped, so they were targeting the driver. But I had the power of incorporeality. ¡°What¡­ what is this? Arghhh!¡± An orc, engulfed in flames, tried to grab me but passed right through my body. A scream echoed like a haunting melody. Incorporeality allowed me to transform my body into a ghostly state. I wondered if it would make me fall off the chariot, but it didn¡¯t. I could ride the chariot while evading attacks, perfectly picking the benefits. The ability came naturally, perhaps because I was a soul mediator and soul reaper. It was ridiculously easy to control. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Retreat! Stay away!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t engage until their mana runs out!¡± ¡°Run! Arghhh!¡± The depletion of mana was noticeably tangible. Still, it wasn¡¯t as bad as when I first summoned it. Back then, since it was running independently and the distance grew further, mana drained in chunks. But now, as I was riding it, the consumption wasn¡¯t as severe. Even so, I couldn¡¯t predict when the chariot would disappear. So, I had to cross this camp quickly and turn everything into a sea of fire. After about 10 minutes of riding¡ª I passed through the enemy lines faster than any vehicle I¡¯d ever ridden. A wrenching sensation tightened in my chest. It was nearing the end. The speed of the chariot gradually slowed down and finally stopped, shrinking away completely. Hmm. Did I manage to pierce through more than half of the enemy camp? For now, I should avoid the sea of fire behind me and charge forward. ¡°The Apostle¡¯s mana is depleted!¡± ¡°Kill him! Kill him now!¡± Persistent, those orc bastards. Truly. Even in this hellish fire, instead of fleeing, they pointed at me and pursued. How can they have such unyielding determination? Is it because of the Black Dragon? ¡°Ugh!¡± My body was in perfect condition. I leapt forward, using an orc¡¯s head as a stepping stone. The orc tried to resist in its own way, but with my Radiant Shield activated, it was no match. If anything got in my way too much, I cut it down with my sword, slicing through the enemy lines. ¡°Chase him!¡± With Athena¡¯s buffs, two overlapping status windows, and neutral faction abilities maxed to the limit, they were no match for me. Their attacks couldn¡¯t land, and even a simple punch from me shattered an orc¡¯s head. Still, they kept reviving their fighting spirit to throw themselves at me. If I were in their shoes, with my camp burning and unable to even scratch my enemy, I would have fled long ago. Is it the Black Dragon again? ¡°Blessing of the Entire Body.¡± A group of orcs hurled hand axes and spears at me in unison. But with the blessing, every weapon missed. With no worry about ranged attacks, my pace quickened even more. I ran and ran until I reached the end of the enemy camp. I felt my mana returning. Alright, time for another round. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± The orc unit chasing me hesitated. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Flame Chariot!¡± ¡°Already?!¡± Shall we go again? Even though the Flame Chariot was powerful, it couldn¡¯t completely incinerate the vanguard camp of the orcs. But if I kept running like this, I could create a true hellfire. ¡°Stop him!¡± The orcs heroically threw themselves at me, disregarding their lives. Perhaps they didn¡¯t see me turning ethereal earlier because they hurled their bodies again. Heh. Even as enemies, their resolve was admirable. But I couldn¡¯t afford to die here. I lightly turned ethereal to evade and restarted the fiery chariot. From the opposite end of the orc camp, the flames began spreading once more. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Ugh¡­ If only we had a shaman¡­¡± ¡°Grr¡­ Was it a mistake to rush the Trein Fortress without our spirits?¡± ¡°To think we¡¯re being toyed with by a single Apostle¡­¡± I heard the despair of the orcs. I was playing with them. The difficulty was supposedly ¡°hard,¡± yet it felt far too easy. When my mana recovered, I summoned the Flame Chariot and charged toward the enemy lines. When it depleted, I didn¡¯t fight the orcs but fled. Then, once the magic returned, I summoned the chariot again and charged. Perhaps it was because they had no mages that I faced little retaliation and simply repeated this process. Sometimes I even sped through areas already engulfed in flames. In those moments, Peep absorbed the flickering fire around me, shielding me. While the orcs suffocated and collapsed, I remained unscathed. I was starting to feel like I wasn¡¯t even human anymore. If the D-rank limit was like this, how strong would I be at C-rank or B-rank? After burning down the entire enemy camp, the battle was essentially over. Yet these damnable orcs still didn¡¯t think of fleeing. The few remaining orcs and Uruks charged at me in a frenzy. ¡°Why don¡¯t you run away?¡± I asked, genuinely curious. Their entire camp was aflame, their bodies scorched and blackened, and yet they barely managed to pursue me. If I were an orc, I would have fled long ago. From the moment a crazy man charged in alone, I would¡¯ve felt the chill and started planning my escape. ¡°Human¡­ How can you speak our tongue?¡± ¡°Orcs never show their backs!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. You do flee sometimes.¡± They had retreated during the siege when they couldn¡¯t match us. ¡°Grr¡­ At night, there¡¯s nothing more terrifying than Lord Akardian.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to die here! Comrades, let¡¯s fight!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Kill the Apostle!¡± Akardian must be the Black Dragon¡¯s name. Do they fight harder at night instead of fleeing? Tch. What mad creatures. Fine. Now that everything¡¯s ablaze, it¡¯s time for Round 2. Let¡¯s see you all perish. [You have obtained the title ¡°Orc Slayer.¡±] ¡­ [You have fully acquired ¡°Orc¡¯s Strength.¡± Your physical strength is already maxed out, so your stats will no longer increase.] ¡­ [Your SP has reached 1,000. The Premium Shop is now available.] ¡­ [You have annihilated the Orc Vanguard.] [You have completed the side quest ¡°Break the Enemy Vanguard.¡±] [You have obtained the title ¡°Conqueror of Orcs.¡±] [You gain 1,000 SP.] [You have completed the chain quest ¡°Destroy the Enemy Vanguard Alone.¡±] [You gain 1,000 SP.] [You receive 3 attribute points.] [The blessing of the Goddess of War, Athena, has been enhanced. Athena shows a faint interest in you.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 24 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 24: Uh¡­ The Strategy Guide¡­? (3) "Umm¡­ Apostle, may I rest for a bit?" "Ah, yes, let¡¯s do that." Although I wanted to make a cool exit after wiping out the orcs, I realized I didn¡¯t know the terrain here. So, I returned to the castle, was introduced to an elf who would guide me, and began running together. Our destination was the Water Sanctuary, the place where the elf ranger captain, Reblo, had gone. When I shared the locations of the Water and Fire Sanctuaries, along with the routes of the two elite armies as mentioned in the damned guidebook, it was decided to go for the Water Sanctuary first since it was closer. The elf, who introduced himself as Alfid, collapsed to the ground. ¡°Pant¡­ pant¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anyone navigate the forest better than an elf. As expected of a divine Apostle.¡± ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t get tired. The gods¡¯ blessings helped too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s truly a relief that you¡¯ve come, Apostle. I¡¯ll resume guiding you shortly.¡± ¡°Take your time; there¡¯s no rush.¡± After letting Alfid rest, I checked the titles section of my status window. The neutral slot was empty. I kept the ¡°Bat Awakener¡± title from the Order faction. As for the new titles, ¡°Orc Slayer¡± (Rank D) and ¡°Orc Conqueror¡± (Rank C), I decided to equip ¡°Orc Conqueror¡± since it was higher rank. [Orc Conqueror] [Rank C] [A title earned by singlehandedly annihilating an orc legion. Grants proportional intimidation and fear to all orc-type species.] So simple. Still, it¡¯d be nice if they just got scared and backed off for once. In the hellish landscape, they kept charging at me endlessly, and I killed far too many. If my ¡°infinite stamina¡± wasn¡¯t really infinite, I might have collapsed. This time, please just tremble in fear, orcs. Still, I gained a lot. For one, my level reached 34. Though it felt a bit stingy considering I wiped out an entire legion, breaking into the 30s felt good. I also had 1,412 SP left even after maxing out the neutral faction stats to C++++. Now I could shop in the Special Store. The neutral faction stats, originally two, had increased to nine due to rewards and leveling up. I decided to save them for now. Once I rank up and need to raise stats further, I figured it¡¯d save SP. The bigger issue was the stats from the Order faction. Although stats rose through absorption when I defeated orcs, uruks, and ogres, they were mostly strength-oriented. I thought stats would increase drastically since I wiped out the legion, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Absorption doesn¡¯t continue indefinitely; after absorbing a certain number of times from the same type (like orcs), I couldn¡¯t gain more stats. Here¡¯s what I got: Strength: +5, Agility: +2.5, Mana: +0.3. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Honestly, compared to my days struggling with 5, 5, 5 stats, this is a huge improvement. But after maxing out my stats with the ¡°Soul Reaper¡± ability, I wanted to push them to the limits. With the 2,000 SP reward, I calculated the costs: For Order faction stats: Up to 25: SP 20 each. 30: SP 30 each. 35: SP 40 each. Beyond 35: SP 100 each. The steep cost past 35 was painful, so I capped all stats at 35 for now, saving the bonus points for later. Here¡¯s the updated status: [Name- Kim Jiho (+9 bonus stats) Class- Soul Mediator Guardian Deity- Pollux, God of Gemini Title- Bat Awakener Level- 34 Stats- Strength: 35, Agility: 35, Mana: 35 SP- 794.2] That 2,000 SP was gone in a flash. Originally, I had 2,011.2 SP, only earning about 10 from mediation. At a time compression ratio of 10:1, SP gain is painfully slow. Without quests, I wouldn¡¯t have raised these stats at all. Being a Soul Mediator on Earth was like easy mode, but in this forsaken world, the ¡°Soul Reaper¡± class is king. Switching to the Reaper class, my stats read: [Name- Kim Jiho (+9 bonus stats) Class- Soul Reaper Guardian Deity- Aurelia, God of Volcanoes Title- Orc Conqueror Level- 34 Stats Cap- C++++ SP- 1,412] Neutral faction stats maxed out, but SP consumption on Order stats felt higher. Is the Order faction more demanding? Regardless, I needed to be cautious with SP. The SP gain from orcs dropped from 1 to 0.3, and even uruks yielded less over time. Opening the Premium Store, most items were inaccessible due to my D-rank. What was available? [D~F Random Box - Items & Skills] SP 50 [D~F Random Box - Items] SP 100 [D~F Random Box - Skills] SP 100 No way. With D~F ranks, most would be F. A higher-rank item might¡¯ve tempted me, but not these. I looked for ways to level up my Soul Mediator or Soul Reaper skills, but everything was restricted due to my rank. I need to hit Rank C soon. Then I can raise the limits on neutral stats too. ¡°Apostle, I think I can resume now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get moving.¡± We ran toward the Water Sanctuary in the forest of Trein, located at Isar Lake. Though the destination wasn¡¯t far, the Reblo unit, being elite elf rangers, was hard to catch up with. Despite Alfid being chosen for his speed, we made little progress. After seeing him collapse twice, I made a decision. ¡°Hm. This won¡¯t do.¡± ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± ¡°Get on my back.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± At first, Alfid refused due to his pride as a forest elf. But after collapsing twice, he reluctantly let me carry him. Ah, if only it were a female elf¡­ Instead, I¡¯m carrying this handsome male elf. With him on my back giving directions, I ran full speed. My Order stats were buffed, and my neutral stats maxed, so I was like a bullet. At one point, I accidentally ran into a tree, smashing it to pieces. ¡°Aah! Apostle, the tree¡­!¡± ¡°Apologies, but it was necessary for the greater good.¡± Alfid, who was riding on my back, cried out pitifully, but I ignored it, making excuses about the greater good, and just bulldozed forward. Running through the night, running through the day, just running endlessly... After about 10 hours of this: "Apostle, please, please stop for a moment. I think my bladder is about to burst..." "Ah, I understand. Ahem." Even while dealing with such biological necessities, we kept running. I told him to let me know if he got sleepy, but perhaps because he thought he couldn¡¯t afford to sleep while being carried, Alfid, with bloodshot eyes, continued guiding me along the way. After running like that for two days, we finally arrived near Lake Isar. I was thinking about checking out the lake when the sound of clashing weapons caught my ear. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead.¡± After setting Alfid down, I grabbed my gear and sprinted forward. At the lakeshore, over 100 elf rangers were being overwhelmed by a bipedal monster with five lizard-like heads. The creatures were bigger than Uruks, probably around 5 meters tall. Dressed in black armor, they were breathing fire and systematically subduing the elves. The elf rangers dodged here and there, firing arrows, but nothing seemed effective. Hmm. They look pretty strong. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Dragonkin...?!¡± Dragonkin? Now that they mention it, their heads do resemble dragons. They¡¯re on a completely different level compared to the likes of Uruks. If a unit of these things formed a vanguard, I might not have survived. Let¡¯s try shooting an arrow unnoticed. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] I loaded an arrow, infused it with Peep¡¯s breath, and aimed it at one of the large dragonkin. Swoosh! ¡°Who... dares?!¡± One of the dragonkin turned around, roaring loudly enough to shake the forest. Spotting the incoming arrow, it raised its arm to block. Thunk! Boom! The arrow pierced through its arm and embedded itself in its chest, exploding with a burst of light. It seemed like it had underestimated the arrow at first. As flames erupted across its body, the dragonkin let out a scream of agony. ¡°Arghhh!!¡± Black mist began leaking from its burning body, which was shrinking visibly. It looked unmistakably evil. ¡°Kill... them...!¡± Why do these things talk so sluggishly? But despite their slow speech, their movements were lightning fast. Leaning forward, four dragonkin lunged at me as if they were flying. Each opened its massive jaws, ready to unleash flames. ¡°Breath!¡± The four dragonkin simultaneously spewed fire at me like flamethrowers. I drew my bow and shot a single arrow of light directly into the mouth of the leading dragonkin. A normal arrow would¡¯ve burned to ashes before reaching it, but this one, infused with divine power, pierced straight through the flames. As the arrow struck, dark energy spilled from its mouth, and it collapsed. But I still had three more to deal with. I was about to draw my sword to fight when Peep flew overhead and positioned itself in front of me, opening its tiny beak wide. ¡°Peep!¡± The dragonkin¡¯s flames were instantly sucked into Peep¡¯s small mouth, like trash being vacuumed up. Nice one, Peep! ¡°Could... it be...?¡± ¡°A... phoenix?¡± While they hesitated, I leaped forward and drove my divine-power-infused two-handed sword into the chest of a dragonkin. Its black armor and tough hide were no match for the blade, which pierced through effortlessly. I slashed downward, and instead of blood, dark energy flowed out. ¡°Arrghh!!¡± It seems they¡¯re weak against divine power. And they¡¯re definitely weaker than me. Too slow. I quickly severed the legs of the one on the left. Then, as the last one opened its mouth to spew flames at me, I jumped into its face and drove my sword deep into its throat. The dragonkin¡¯s head melted, and black energy spilled out. ¡°Divine... power...!!¡± The one whose legs I had severed cried out bitterly as it fell to the ground. I landed lightly and decapitated it with ease. Though its hide seemed tough, my blade cut through like it was nothing. The severed head rolled on the ground before dissolving into black smoke and disappearing. So, they¡¯re vulnerable to divine power... If not for that, this could¡¯ve been a tough fight. They seem like pretty strong monsters. Let¡¯s check the message log. [Soul Reaper skill activated. You gain 13.4 SP.] [Trait Absorption skill activated. You absorb 0.05% of the trait "Corrupted Dragonkin''s Magic."] [Through the Perfect Form Preservation skill, the trait is filtered and converted into mana and magic attributes. All corruption is neutralized.] [Your mana increases by 0.14.] [Your magic ability slightly improves.] Wow! That¡¯s a lot. And it even increased my mana, which rarely happens. Mana +0.14... Five of them would give me 0.7. Incredible. That brings my total to 35.7? I absolutely need to kill these things myself. ¡°Ah... Who are you?¡± While I was rejoicing over the message, the elf rangers, who had been on the brink of annihilation, approached me hesitantly. ¡°This is the Apostle of the God of War, the Last Warrior, sent by Lady Minerva. He¡¯s the one who saved Fort Trein and single-handedly destroyed the Uruk vanguard, creating a legend.¡± ¡°Alfid! Is that true?!¡± ¡°Yes. And now he has eradicated the evil dragonkin horde in an instant. Truly, the gods have not abandoned us.¡± Alfid emerged from the forest and suddenly began singing my praises. Did he read my biography or something? This is so cringe. ¡°O Minerva, bless us.¡± ¡°Such power, worthy of the Last Warrior.¡± The elf rangers surrounded me, and it seemed like a full-blown worship session was about to begin. I quickly raised a hand. ¡°Is Captain Reblo of the elf rangers here?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord. You called for me?¡± A long-haired, blonde elf approached and knelt respectfully on one knee. True to elven form, he was handsome, though his golden beard and mature aura gave him more of a seasoned vibe than a youthful one. They¡¯re all ridiculously good-looking. And all men... Their admiring gazes are a bit much. I need to escape this all-male sauna quickly. Let¡¯s finish this and go rescue Diana. ¡°How do we reactivate the Water Sanctuary?¡± ¡°Ah! With fifty or more of us elves, it¡¯s possible. Thanks to you, seventy-three of us survived. We are eternally grateful to you for saving us.¡± ¡°Thank you, Apostle of the God of War, the Last Warrior.¡± ¡°We will never forget this debt.¡± All the elves knelt on one knee and placed their right fists over their left chests. Is this some kind of sign of respect? Anyway, their gratitude feels nice. ¡°I¡¯m glad. How long will it take?¡± ¡°With so many survivors, it should take only thirty minutes.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll protect you all until then. Begin immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± The elves stood and began touching the lake¡¯s surface, chanting something I couldn¡¯t understand. I stayed alert, keeping an eye on the forest, but no monsters appeared for thirty minutes. Maybe they thought the dragonkin alone would be enough to handle this? Well... Considering the elves couldn¡¯t use their elemental powers, those fast, tough, fire-breathing monsters would¡¯ve been more than enough. But they couldn¡¯t have predicted I¡¯d be here. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s a success!¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 25 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 25: Temporary Return (1) At the center of a vast lake, a stream of water shot up into the sky. It wasn''t just a fountain¡ªit soared with such immense power and force. The seemingly endless stream eventually spread out in the sky, falling like rain over the forest below. The elves, drenched in the rain, erupted into joyous cheers. ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s back! It¡¯s back!¡± ¡°The power of water has returned.¡± ¡°Undine, thank goodness.¡± Reblo approached me with tears in his eyes. ¡°Apostle, I... I truly thank you. Thanks to you, the power of water has returned!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. But it¡¯s not over yet. According to the sacred texts, the High Elf Diana is in danger, and the unit led by Commander Lannister, who went to the Sanctuary of Wind, has already been annihilated. Can you all reactivate the Sanctuary of Wind?¡± ¡°Ah, Commander Lannister! The Sanctuary of Wind... requires special materials. They¡¯re likely in Trein Fortress.¡± Hmm. These guys alone won¡¯t be able to make it there. I could send them to the fortress to retrieve the materials and defend it, but judging by how they struggled against the dragonborn earlier, I¡¯m not too confident. ¡°Then head to Trein Fortress first and assist with its defense. I¡¯ll rescue Diana, reactivate the Sanctuary of Fire, and then come to the Sanctuary of Wind.¡± ¡°Understood. Apostle of the God of War, the last warrior.¡± ¡°We accept your orders, Apostle of the God of War, the last warrior.¡± What¡¯s with all this ¡°Apostle of the God of War, the last warrior¡± nonsense? Just pick one title already¡ªit¡¯s too much. ¡°Alfid! I¡¯ll need your guidance again.¡± ¡°...Yes, sir!¡± This guy took a moment to respond. Looking at Alfid, he seemed exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. Guess I don¡¯t have a choice. I¡¯ll have to restore his stamina. ¡°Thanks to Alfid running tirelessly, we were able to save everyone. Now that water spirit magic is possible again, can¡¯t we restore his stamina?¡± ¡°Ah, Alfid, we owe you our lives! We will bless you all together.¡± ¡°Serve the Apostle faithfully and ensure Lady Diana¡¯s rescue.¡± ¡°We¡¯re counting on you, Alfid!¡± What are they, senior rangers or something? Despite their casual tone, they patted Alfid¡¯s shoulders while casting blessings on him. After receiving the blessings of 73 elves, Alfid¡¯s face looked almost fully restored. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Alfid. You remember the way I showed you, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll lead you there! This way, please!¡± Reinvigorated, Alfid dashed toward the forest. Wait. Shouldn¡¯t I carry him? After waving to the rangers, I followed Alfid deeper into the woods, only to see him standing still and fidgeting. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What now? If you need to pee, just do it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I... couldn¡¯t bring myself to ask the Apostle to carry me in front of the seniors. My apologies...¡± ¡°...Sigh. Get on.¡± ¡®Apostle of the God of War, the last warrior,¡¯ my foot... The Sanctuary of Fire was quite far away. Even though Alfid¡¯s stamina was restored, after running for two more days, he couldn¡¯t keep going without rest, so we stopped for a day. From then on, we decided on a pattern of running for two days and resting for half a day. After going like this for a while, a message suddenly popped up in my system window. [You can now return to your original world.] It¡¯s been ten days? [Awakener Kim Jiho is the sole awakener on the planet Kevrian. If you return, no awakeners will remain, and time on the current planet will stop.] [Would you like to return?] Oh? Really? So, since I¡¯m the only one challenging this planet, time will freeze if I leave? That¡¯s fascinating. Does that mean for other, lower-difficulty planets, time keeps flowing unless all awakeners return? Honestly, I¡¯d avoided returning to Earth because I was worried one day there might equate to ten days here. I wanted to keep working hard until things stabilized. But with this... I could return for a bit. I could gather intel from the Kevrian natives, too. Fighting like a madman, running like crazy without much rest¡ªit¡¯s mentally exhausting. I need to turn off Infinite Stamina and get a proper sleep at home. You can¡¯t survive without rest. ¡°I¡¯ll return.¡± [Awakener Kim Jiho is returning from Kevrian to Earth.] [The blessings of the gods will be lifted.] As soon as I accepted, the world froze. Light descended from the sky, and my body began to ascend, as if being drawn upward. The ascent was fast, like a missile launching into the sky. I tried to get a better look at the surroundings, but I pierced through the clouds in the blink of an eye. Moments later, my vision darkened briefly, and I felt solid ground beneath my feet. ¡°Uh...¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Soul Mediator.¡± ¡°He¡¯s back in a day! From Kevrian!¡± ¡°To think you survived for ten days there!¡± At the top floor of the association, where the broken model of the D-rank dungeon lay, a dwarf stood guard. He stared at me in shock before running off somewhere. ¡°No way, Hunter Kim Jiho. You spent ten days on Kevrian?¡± The elf Alena approached with a surprised look. ¡°And... you¡¯ve gotten so much stronger. It¡¯s only been a day here, but we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against you.¡± Can you tell just by looking? I feel incredibly weak, probably because Athena¡¯s blessing is gone. Even Peep, who had been burning brightly, has completely dimmed. 2.5 times... That was amazing... ¡°Well, I¡¯ve fought more than enough. Could I ask you about Kevrian later?¡± When I asked about gathering information, Alena responded with a dark expression. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll tell you everything we know... But we barely survived the destroyed planet Kevrian, saved at the brink of death. In exchange for being chosen by the gods, we lost our original names and memories of our home planet.¡± Lost their memories? I¡¯d hoped to gather tips as a perk of them being locals, but... ¡°So, Alena isn¡¯t your real name?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s a name bestowed upon me by the gods. This information is supposed to remain confidential, but the gods have permitted it to be shared with the Soul Mediator. Just don¡¯t reveal it outside.¡± They¡¯ve forgotten their original names and memories... This mission was already tough, but now there are so many restrictions. No wonder they warned against choosing this planet. Damn guidebook... I need to collect information on other planets and seriously consider whether to continue with Kevrian. Honestly, the missions felt manageable, but that¡¯s probably because I¡¯m abnormally strong... With two status panels, maxed stats using SP, A-grade skills, and gods showering me with buffs, it¡¯s doable. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Without Infinite Stamina, I¡¯d have collapsed, failed the fortress defense mission, and gone down a bad route. Ugh, whatever. For now, I¡¯ll rest. I¡¯m not tired, but staying sharp for so long feels weird. ¡°I¡¯ll head home for today. Can I come back tomorrow or the day after to ask about the planets?¡± ¡°Yes, feel free to visit whenever it¡¯s convenient. I¡¯ll arrange for a car to be ready for you.¡± Alena made a call on her phone. It¡¯s funny watching an elf use a phone. Her ears fold back as she holds it. After taking a car from the first floor to my apartment, I turned off the Infinite Stamina skill as soon as I got home. I thought I¡¯d immediately collapse from exhaustion, but... surprisingly, I felt fine. Weird. I expected to be extremely sleepy, but I was wide awake. My body didn¡¯t feel tired. Hmm. But come to think of it, when I first moved into this new place and lived with infinite stamina and calm mind buffs activated, I still slept back then. What did I do during that time? Ah, maybe I got sleepy because I drank? ¡°Tweet, tweet¡­¡± Peep clung limply to my head, completely drained after I turned off the divine buff and infinite stamina. Right, I remember now. This thing grows when infinite stamina is activated. Maybe I should just leave it on and lie down. I sprawled out on the king-size bed, lazing around for a bit, and soon I felt drowsy. That¡¯s right¡­ Turning on the skill doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t sleep. It just means I don¡¯t have to if I don¡¯t want to. Well, let¡¯s sleep for a change. ¡°Yaaawn¡­¡± When I woke up, an entire day had passed. The clock showed that I had slept for 24 hours. My body already felt fine before, but sleeping made me feel even more refreshed. Peep was flying around happily, more energetic than usual. Come to think of it, this little guy worked hard alongside me without resting. Maybe I should go and ask Alena now. Ah, but before that, I should check my inventory. Back in Kevrian, there was no time for this, but Earth is so much better. I pulled out a black rod and a bead from my inventory. First, I decided to examine the rod. What the heck is this thing for? I flipped through the guidebook, but there was no mention of the rod or the bead. I checked the notes, hoping for a clue, but there was nothing of substance there either. I poked around, pressing here and there, but there was no response. Even Peep just tilted its head, looking confused when I showed it. ¡°Let¡¯s just skip this for now.¡± I shoved it back into the inventory. Still, it¡¯s something from the future, so it might come in handy later. Next was the bead. A black bead about the size of my fist. I fiddled with it this way and that, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was for. At times like this, it¡¯d be nice if an item description window popped up. [Skill detected: Trait Absorption.] [Skill detected: Perfect Form Preservation.] [Do you want to activate the ¡®Recycle Window¡¯?] Oh. Recycle? There wasn¡¯t much information, but I clicked ¡°accept¡± on the system window. [¡®Recycle Window¡¯ has been activated.] [It¡¯s a space where impurities filtered during the trait absorption process are gathered. The perfect form preservation skill enhances impurity collection efficiency.] The explanation stopped there without saying what would come of it. Then the bead began to disassemble and soon vanished completely. What¡¯s this? It just created a new system window and disappeared. Stuff like this makes me think that otherworldly Kim Jiho guy might actually be useful sometimes¡­ ¡°Recycle Window.¡± When I opened the recycle window, I saw the black bead, now enlarged and translucent. Nothing seemed to be inside yet, but that¡¯s probably because nothing¡¯s been collected. I figured I¡¯d leave it be for now. I¡¯m curious to see what¡¯ll come out of it. Feeling satisfied, I organized my inventory and looked around the house. It had been a day since I¡¯d returned to Earth from the Broken World, but somehow, all my stuff from my studio apartment had already been moved here. I was about to head out when my eyes landed on my computer. ¡°The world¡¯s as uneventful as ever¡­¡± After 10 days of nothing but fighting and running, I didn¡¯t feel like going out just yet, so I turned on my computer. Turns out, not much time had passed in this world, and there wasn¡¯t much news. I aimlessly clicked through articles until a celebrity news headline caught my eye. [Kang Shia promoted to D-rank Hunter! Expresses intent to focus on Hunter activities¡­ Is she retiring from the entertainment industry?] Ah. Now that I think about it, she did ask me to contact her, didn¡¯t she? When she asked me to buy her a meal, it seemed like she had some kind of business in mind. Does it have something to do with this Hunter stuff? I decided to call her. -Hello? ¡°Ms. Kang Shia, this is Jiho Kim.¡± -Oh my, Mr. Jiho! You finally called me. I¡¯ve been waiting. Kang Shia answered brightly. We started chatting. ¡°I was so busy dealing with a D-rank dungeon that I couldn¡¯t call earlier. Ah, should I not have said that?¡± They say talking about the Broken World triggers memory manipulation. -Oh, that much is fine. And they say that the secrecy magic doesn¡¯t activate among D-rank Hunters who already know about it. I tested it with a friend. ¡°Your friend is also D-rank?¡± -Yes, the warrior I mentioned last time. ¡°Ah, I see. Still, I¡¯m not sure how safe it is over the phone. What kind of dungeon did you choose?¡± -Hmm¡­ The difficulty of the dungeon? Of course, I went for the easiest one. When I asked indirectly which planet she¡¯d gone to, she immediately understood and replied. Oh, an experienced visitor to the planet Eshtar. I could get some good stories out of her. -Mr. Jiho, you didn¡¯t forget your promise to buy me a meal, did you? What are you doing today? Before I could even bring it up, Kang Shia jumped in enthusiastically. Huh. I never thought I¡¯d experience something like this. ¡°Of course, I remember. I think I¡¯ll be gathering information at the association today, but I¡¯m free in the evening.¡± -So you¡¯ll be in Gangnam. Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll book a private place then. Or is there somewhere you¡¯d prefer? ¡°No, but it¡¯s not going to be expensive, right?¡± -Oh my, you remembered what I said back then? Haha. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not expensive. After all, it¡¯s Gangnam. ¡°After all, it¡¯s Gangnam,¡± she says¡­ That sounds expensive¡­ Anyway, we set up plans for today thanks to Kang Shia¡¯s proactive push. Hmm. She seems to have something in mind. I wonder what kind of story she¡¯ll bring up. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 26 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 26: Temporary Return (2) I went to the top level of the association to gather information about the planet Kevrian, but instead, I was bombarded with questions. ¡°Soul Mediator, how on earth did you survive for ten days in that hell?¡± ¡°The Trein Fortress... I still vividly remember the massacre of my comrades by orcs when spirit power was sealed. No matter how many we killed, more enemies kept coming. When the Uruk units climbed the walls, the battle was as good as lost...¡± Dwarves, elves, and everyone else swarmed around, bombarding me with questions. Their memories were so fragmented that the elf and dwarf next to each other started arguing over which gate fell first. ¡°You long-eared guys! The east gate, which you were supposed to guard, fell first, and we got attacked from the rear! What good are spirits when you can''t even defend a gate?¡± ¡°You stumpy fools! You were too short to do anything but slash at the Uruks¡¯ ankles, and you all got stomped to death! The west gate fell first!¡± ¡°Excuse me. From what I saw, the elves and dwarves were working together to guard all the gates.¡± ¡°Ah... is that so?¡± ¡°And the first gate to fall was probably the south gate. I was summoned there.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ah, these hopeless fools. Even if I asked questions, someone nearby would always interrupt with, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not right,¡± making my head spin in confusion. Clap clap! ¡°Oh, for goodness'' sake! Everyone, stop crowding here and get back to work! You''re just confusing the Soul Mediator even more!¡± Alena, watching this ridiculous scene, clapped her hands and sent them scattering. ¡°I''m sorry. They just can¡¯t believe someone survived on Kevrian.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard, honestly.¡± ¡°Is it because you''re a Soul Mediator? Normally, holding a collapsing fortress on three fronts would be impossible, even for a C-rank hunter.¡± Alena stared at me in fascination, her eyes sparkling as if she was ready to bombard me with questions herself. I decided to strike first. ¡°But why are monsters fighting the neutral faction? Isn¡¯t it unusual? Do they usually fight each other?¡± ¡°So you know about the neutral faction too... Well, D-rank hunters do learn about it gradually as they visit the Broken Worlds.¡± The relationship between Order and the Neutral Faction was ambiguous. On planets where the Chaos Zone was strong, the two factions maintained an alliance. However, in worlds like Kevrian, where Chaos was almost non-existent, they fought for dominance over the planet. Still, these conflicts rarely escalated to the point of mutual destruction. They typically ended with determining who would take the lead. Acts like destroying the World Tree, as on Kevrian, were rare. ¡°It¡¯s believed that the Black Dragon Akardian acted independently, falling into the clutches of Chaos. Other dragons didn¡¯t expect him to escalate things this far. They were misled by Akardian¡¯s words and joined him in keeping the angels in check.¡± ¡°A single dragon caused all that?¡± ¡°Dragons are that powerful. They usually just lack the will to act. But when a determined dragon decides to make a move, well... Akardian showed us what happens.¡± Are they really that strong? I suddenly felt a tinge of regret about the dragons. No. If I disappear, they¡¯re useless anyway. ¡°So if we just secure the Trein Fortress and open the four sanctuaries, will that solve the problem? No Chaos Gates will open?¡± ¡°Well... if that were the case, the difficulty wouldn¡¯t be impossible. Eventually, you¡¯ll clash with the Chaos Zone as well.¡± Even if I hold the fortress, I¡¯d still have to fight Chaos too? It¡¯s just a matter of whether there¡¯s any helpful ally or not, huh? I recalled the fortress defenders being wiped out by the orc vanguard. Ha. This feels hopeless. What about other planets? Are they more manageable? ¡°What about places like Eshtar?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know much about that world, but it¡¯s much more manageable than Kevrian. Eshtar is a peaceful planet where dungeons naturally form, so it¡¯s somewhat similar to Earth. Kevrian, on the other hand, is embroiled in a deadly war between two factions. On other worlds, Order and Neutral aren¡¯t as hostile as on Kevrian. They even join forces against Chaos at times.¡± ¡°Is there anyone else challenging Kevrian?¡± ¡°Promising hunters from the U.S. and Russia tried but couldn¡¯t last more than a few hours. Some were tormented by orcs and ended up dying three times, becoming shells of their former selves. You don¡¯t seem to find it too hard, though.¡± Maybe it¡¯s because I was killed by a catapult rock. ¡®I¡¯m so scared of dying again. Tremble, tremble. I¡¯ll never fight again. Boo-hoo.¡¯ I never felt anything like that. Instead, all I felt was, ¡®How dare they kill me so humiliatingly? I¡¯ll wipe them all out!¡¯ fueled by burning vengeance. ¡°That¡¯s why no one wants to go to Kevrian. Even if you don¡¯t end up a wreck, dying three times means your level drops by three. And the experience needed to regain those three levels increases tenfold. Promising hunters regretfully choose the wrong planet and fall far behind.¡± ¡°Really? But I already gained eight levels, going from 26 to 34.¡± ¡°W-What? 34?!¡± To be precise, 34.2. Killing a dragon got me to 34.2. ¡°Thirty-four levels?!¡± ¡°How is that even possible?!¡± ¡°Get back to work, everyone!¡± Ah, I told them to work, but now they¡¯re swarming again. Luckily, Alena told them off, and they grumbled but went back to work. ¡°Thirty-four levels... that¡¯s amazing! That means you can die twice more! I¡¯ll find a painless suicide spell for you.¡± ¡°What? Are you telling me to die?¡± ¡°Otherwise, are you staying on Kevrian?¡± Her words made me ponder. I thought of the elves on Kevrian who revered me as the Apostle of the Goddess of War, but they were remnants of a doomed world anyway. Ultimately, as someone from Earth, Earth¡¯s safety was paramount. And with the strategy guide focusing on the Neutral Faction, clearing Kevrian didn¡¯t seem very feasible. Would staying there be the right choice? Maybe it¡¯d be better for someone as strong as me to go to Eshtar and help clear it quickly. I¡¯ll ask Kang Shia about Eshtar when I meet her today. Oh, speaking of which¡ª ¡°I¡¯ll think more about Kevrian later... but I have a question.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°How do I make money now?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I mean, when I was an E-rank, I made money by clearing Earth dungeons and selling mana stones. But D-rank is all about the Broken Worlds, right?¡± ¡°Ah...¡± ¡°So, no money until you clear the planet boss?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have mana stones or dungeon core shards? Oh, wait, Kevrian doesn¡¯t have dungeons, does it?¡± What? ¡°Eshtar has dungeons, so it¡¯s like Earth. Clearing dungeons there yields mana stones, and dungeon cores can be sold for money.¡± ¡°What? Kevrian doesn¡¯t have that... no mana stones either...¡± ¡°Well, Kevrian is a battlefield, not a dungeon. Why would mana stones appear? Oh, but if you bring back spirit stones, we can appraise them and buy them at a high price. If the fortress becomes a spirit fortress, spirit stones might appear.¡± A spirit fortress? How long do I have to wait for that? ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really making me do unpaid work like this? And I¡¯m a D-rank?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t buy anything on our side, but the association might think differently¡­¡± Alena made a phone call while I waited for a moment. The dwarves looked at me with pity in their eyes. ¡°It¡¯s already such a difficult planet, and now you can¡¯t even earn money¡­¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°A D-rank mana stone from Eshtar costs a billion won each.¡± ¡°And dungeon cores are worth way more than that.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the thing used in the Elixir of Youth? Earthlings are so obsessed with youth.¡± Wow! This is ridiculous. A D-rank mana stone is worth a billion won, and dungeon cores are even more expensive? Ugh, should I just go to Kevrian and end it all? I¡¯m just trying to make a living here. I have 5 billion won in debt. Five billion! ¡°They told me that from level 25 to 30, you¡¯d get a bounty of 200 million won per level. From 30 to 35, it¡¯s 500 million won per level. They said they allocated a special budget after learning that other D-rank hunters in Eshtar are living comfortably while you, Jiho Kim, haven¡¯t earned a single penny.¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a lot of money?¡± Thank you, association president! That means I¡¯ll get 3 billion won? Wow¡­ Reality suddenly feels surreal. ¡°Do you know how hard it is to level up from 25? Even Yoo Jintae, the highest-level hunter in South Korea, who awakened a year before you, is only level 44. You need to reach level 50 to become C-rank.¡± ¡°So slow,¡± Alena muttered. Why is it so slow? Hmm¡­ Well, I did fight in large-scale battles instead of just picking off monsters. The experience from large-scale massacres must be different from hunting small fry. ¡°They said they¡¯d transfer the money immediately after confirming your level through your status window. What will you do?¡± ¡°Wait, that huge amount, right now?¡± ¡°Is 3 billion considered a huge amount? For someone of your capabilities, Jiho Kim, it seems like far too little.¡± Hahaha. I guess elves don¡¯t have much of a concept of money. Well, they are people who will be leaving soon, so it makes sense. ¡°She¡¯s right, you know.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°If the U.S. hears about you, they¡¯d probably offer 10 million dollars just to get you to naturalize. Isn¡¯t this offer too low?¡± I was taken to a high-end restaurant in Cheongdam-dong after receiving a call from Kang Shia. It was a course meal restaurant that only served one group per floor. So, I dressed up, leaving the little one at home. ¡°Ten million dollars? That¡¯s a hundred billion won, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kang Shia, in a striking red dress and elegant makeup that made her beauty even more dazzling, confidently cut her steak with practiced hands and brought it to her mouth. Even Pollux, who had been quiet for a while, kept pestering me through the system, telling me to go for it and finally use my "abilities." I turned it off because it was getting annoying. Still, the view was delightful. ¡°A hunter under the gods¡¯ attention. A rare, unique-class hunter. Someone certain to become the world¡¯s best hunter. A hundred billion won is cheap for someone like that.¡± She ate gracefully, explaining with poise. ¡°To restore one of the broken worlds, you¡¯d need to fight B- or C-rank monsters. If the U.S. confirms that your information is accurate, they¡¯ll definitely approach you with naturalization offers. That¡¯s how much they value national security.¡± ¡°Really? I can¡¯t really feel it.¡± I sipped the wine in front of me as I replied. ¡°If you had chosen Eshtar as your world, you¡¯d probably already be overwhelmed with offers. People from all kinds of nations operate there.¡± ¡°Ah, the planet Eshtar. What¡¯s it like there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a peaceful fantasy world. It has a medieval feel, but magic is advanced enough to make life convenient. The cities are well-developed too.¡± She explained that the magic city Erundal on Eshtar was where D-rank hunters started. There, they were known as warriors of the gods and received help from temples. The basic protocol on Eshtar was to establish a base in the temple and clear dungeons that appeared outside the city. ¡°However, while the difficulty is said to be manageable, the number of suitable dungeons is limited compared to the population. Some are way too hard, while others are too easy. Because of this, competition for dungeons marked by certain colors is fierce. People often form guilds and move in groups.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°And another feature is that the world resets every 36 days in our time.¡± ¡°What? 36 days? That¡¯s a year in that world?¡± ¡°Yes. When that time comes, the Chaos Lord casts a grand spell that kills everyone. You need to be at least C-rank to survive the instant-death magic. When the world ends, time rewinds, and it all starts over.¡± A world that resets every 36 days. It doesn¡¯t seem all that easy¡­ In the end, you¡¯d need to be at least C-rank to clear it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound very easy.¡± ¡°What about Kevrian?¡± I briefly shared my experiences in Kevrian, and she looked intrigued. ¡°Starting off with siege battles against armies¡­ It¡¯s tough, but I guess it helps you level up quickly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯m already level 34.¡± ¡°What?! Level 34?!¡± I showed her a photo of my status window that I had taken earlier for the association. I covered the abilities with my finger and only revealed the level. She stared at it, speechless, before suddenly grabbing her phone. ¡°Driver, bring me the pen and the items I requested earlier.¡± What now? Soon, there was a knock, and the driver entered with a white envelope and pen, handing them to Kang Shia before leaving again. She pulled out some papers from the envelope and began drawing bold lines through certain sections. ¡°I was boasting about the U.S. offering 10 million dollars, but I must¡¯ve seriously underestimated you, Kim Jiho.¡± ¡°This is¡­?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 27 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 27: Temporary Return (3) A piece of paper labeled as a sponsorship contract. The amount written on it totaled 5 billion won per year, including the signing bonus and monthly sponsorship payments. The contract stated that the Daehyun family''s Hunter Business Division would fully support Hunter Kim Jiho, both financially and materially. There was also a clause crossed out by Kang Shia, which read something like, "In the event of an unavoidable situation occurring to the Daehyun family, Hunter Kim Jiho will consider providing assistance." At first glance, it seemed entirely non-binding. It was truly a sponsorship contract desperate to give money to me. ¡°I wish I could offer even more, but unfortunately, this is all I¡¯m allowed. I¡¯m launching a new Hunter business division, but there¡¯s been significant opposition... My budget is limited because I also need to invest in other ventures. Given that, I can¡¯t dare expect help in return. Please, just accept the money and don¡¯t worry about anything else.¡± ¡°Wait, just the money?¡± ¡°Yes. There¡¯s absolutely no obligation. I¡¯ll just send the funds every month. We¡¯ll even handle the taxes for you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Is this some kind of hidden-camera prank? You¡¯re even wearing TV-worthy makeup today.¡± I looked around. I didn¡¯t see any cameras or lenses. No signs of anyone nearby either. How are they filming this? As I scanned the surroundings, Kang Shia covered her mouth and laughed. ¡°Pfft. What hidden camera? No TV station would dare upset Hunter Kim Jiho and risk facing the consequences.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that kind of person, though¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. Jiho, you need to be a bit more self-aware of your position. What kind of world do you think will come in a year?¡± ¡°A world where elves and dwarves withdraw, and humanity must fight the forces of chaos with Earth¡¯s own strength.¡± Kang Shia clapped her hands together. ¡°Yes, exactly! Even if we restore the abandoned world, B- to C-rank dungeon portals will still appear. A B-rank portal, for example, would spawn monsters on par with High Elf Liana. Right now, there¡¯s no one on Earth capable of subduing her. Honestly, if the supporters from other worlds were even slightly more violent, we might¡¯ve ended up under an elven regime.¡± Her words suddenly reminded me of the alternate version of myself from another world. In that world, were Earth¡¯s neutral faction supporters goblins or orcs? Those creatures would likely have been more violent. If that were the case, was that era¡¯s Kim Jiho shaped by a more aggressive Earth? If so, the atmosphere of that world would have likely been very different from the peaceful Earth we know now. There wouldn¡¯t have been elves shooting commercials or humans cheering for them. ¡°B-rank dungeons mean monsters equivalent to Liana¡¯s level will appear¡­ If guns don¡¯t work, and they¡¯re spiritual monsters, only high-ranking Hunters will be able to deal with them. Those Hunters will become incredibly valuable.¡± ¡°And one of them is you, right?¡± ¡°Yes. I had anticipated as much, but hearing your level today confirmed my suspicions.¡± ¡°So, are you really giving me money without any ulterior motives?¡± When I asked, Kang Shia smiled playfully. ¡°Well¡­ maybe just a little ulterior motive. But judging by the vibe, I¡¯m the first to support you like this. If you ever need help, wouldn¡¯t you at least consider my request? Just a little?¡± ¡°Hah, seriously. I¡¯m the type who doesn¡¯t turn down free money. But what if nothing happens after all this?¡± ¡°That would be even better! You don¡¯t worry about getting life insurance because you¡¯re afraid you won¡¯t die, right? The best-case scenario is that nothing happens.¡± Hmm. So, she¡¯s treating this like insurance. A sponsorship contract offering a signing bonus of 2 billion won, monthly payments of 250 million won, and a total of 5 billion won. There wasn¡¯t a single demand on me¡ªjust a requirement to write my name and account number. Is my value really worth this kind of unconditional support? I couldn¡¯t help but feel doubtful. Still, since they¡¯re offering, I might as well accept it. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to help you out if something ever happens.¡± ¡°Just hearing that makes this contract a success.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ But does your family even approve of this contract?¡± ¡°They¡¯d probably oppose it if they knew. But this amount isn¡¯t significant enough for them to care, so it¡¯s fine!¡± She waved dismissively as if the amount was trivial, sipping her wine with an air of elegance. Wow. That¡¯s actually kind of cool. Lately, she doesn¡¯t just seem beautiful¡ªshe radiates a certain charisma. [Pollux scolds you, saying there¡¯s nothing cool about her.] [Pollux advises you to view her with a clearer perspective.] Turning that off would genuinely be a disaster, old man. Ignoring Pollux¡¯s grumblings, I continued enjoying my conversation with her. She seemed especially interested in the planet Kevrian, even asking if she could move there if Eshtar ever fell. When I told her dying wasn¡¯t worth it, she explained that the Chaos Lord¡¯s magic would reset Eshtar, allowing her to choose a new planet. I tried to dissuade her, saying it¡¯d just be more suffering, but she remained highly intrigued. Would leveling up on Eshtar be impossible then? Should I hit level 50 on Kevrian first? After we finished the meal, I offered to pay, but Kang Shia declared, ¡°As a celebration for our sponsorship contract, I already covered the bill.¡± At that moment, her charisma reached its peak. I not only enjoyed a great meal but also rode in her car back home, just as I received a call from Lee Jinseong. -Jiho, what are you doing? "I¡¯m on my way home." -Housewarming party at your new place? "Sure, bring some booze. I¡¯ll send you the address." Is that guy still in Eshtar? Alright. Let¡¯s hear his opinion, too. When I got home and waited, the guy who came with alcohol and snacks kept saying how great the house was while looking around. ¡°So, you became a special-class Soul Mediator and got gifts from the gods? That thing above your head is a phoenix?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°And you took on the hardest planet, died only once, and hit level 34 in a single day?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°And Kang Shia begged you to take her money, signing a contract for 5 billion won?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Jinseong sighed deeply as he looked at me, then mixed soju and beer in a 1:1 ratio and downed it in one go. ¡°What kind of messed-up game is this? The balance is completely broken! So, all those rumors going around were about you... I figured it might¡¯ve been you when I heard about a Novice switching to a special class.¡± ¡°What kind of rumors?¡± ¡°That a High Elf personally came looking for someone, Elves and Dwarves bow down to them, and the gods favor them. Stuff like that. But everyone dismissed it as nonsense.¡± I guess it¡¯s because Elves and Dwarves treat me with such respect, calling me ¡®Soul Mediator¡¯ and all. Well, I¡¯ve got the skills to back it up now, so I don¡¯t feel the need to hide anything anymore. ¡°By the way, Kevrian, huh¡­ From the sound of it, it¡¯s a complete war zone. Man, I want to go. I just need a red horse first.¡± ¡°Do red horses even exist?¡± ¡°There¡¯s this Spirit Stone that can summon a Spirit Horse. For Spirit users, it¡¯s just a regular mount, so they call it a dud and sell it cheap for 8 billion.¡± 8 billion is cheap? Seriously? This industry¡¯s inflation is ridiculous. Equipment was expensive, too¡­ ¡°Hey, 8 billion? What, is that someone¡¯s kid¡¯s name? Just get some gear instead.¡± ¡°Making money isn¡¯t that hard if you¡¯re in Eshtar. All you need to do is find a D-rank dungeon. Our guild is pretty strong, so getting into dungeons is easy.¡± ¡°Are Mana Stones and dungeon cores really that valuable?¡± ¡°Dungeon cores are the main ingredient for the Elves¡¯ elixir of youth. As for D-rank Mana Stones, they¡¯re being researched as clean energy sources, in addition to weapon use. Basically, they¡¯re priceless right now. Demand far outweighs supply.¡± So that¡¯s why this guy wasn¡¯t too shocked when I mentioned Kang Shia offering 5 billion. He made such a fuss when I said I switched to a special class and got a phoenix and skills from the gods. ¡°Who knew there was so much money in it. Is Eshtar the better option? But leveling up seems more important right now.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think leveling up should be your priority. They¡¯re saying the world might end in a year. What¡¯s the point of money if that happens? Getting as strong as possible should come first.¡± Right. I might¡¯ve been momentarily distracted by all the money floating around, amounts I¡¯d never even dreamed of before. If we don¡¯t restore the broken world, the Lord of Abyss could descend on Earth, ending everything. At that point, money wouldn¡¯t matter. ¡°I think it¡¯d be better to aim for a C-rank promotion on that hardest planet. You¡¯re already getting sponsorship money, so focus on leveling up. Eshtar¡¯s getting overcrowded, and leveling up there is getting harder. If you hit C-rank, sponsorships like Kang Shia¡¯s will pour in. If you even manage to be the first in the world, it¡¯ll be a jackpot.¡± ¡°Yeah, leveling up is more important than money right now.¡± ¡°Of course. The tutorial period is almost over, and Earth¡¯s players are still stuck at D-rank. Governments must be panicking. If a C-rank emerges, countries will be throwing money at them.¡± Both Kang Shia and Jinseong, who are in Eshtar, are advising me to prioritize leveling up. Looks like they¡¯re right. The next day, I went to the association¡¯s upper floors again to gather more information, but everyone¡¯s memories were all over the place and not very helpful. They weren¡¯t entirely wrong, but the details were off in subtle yet significant ways. It turned out most people in the Korean branch were low-level players on Kevrian. The more skilled ones were in branches of powerful countries like the U.S. ¡®Guess I¡¯ll have to give up on gathering information.¡¯ I stood at a crossroads. Should I go to Kevrian? Or should I move to Eshtar after dying there? Kevrian offers a lot of experience points, and I¡¯d be the sole recipient of the gods¡¯ blessings. Though the guide has become unreliable, it still has some information about the planet. However, the difficulty is said to be impossible, and there¡¯s no money to be made. Considering the ultimate goal is to restore the broken world, staying here isn¡¯t ideal. On the other hand, Eshtar has easier difficulty and is great for making money. It¡¯s peaceful, so I wouldn¡¯t have to live as if I were being chased. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The monthly reset system is both an advantage and a disadvantage... But the competition is fierce, and it¡¯s hard to earn experience points. Hmm... I was undecided when I left Kevrian, but now I feel like I need to reach C-rank as soon as possible. My heart was set on Kevrian. I decided leveling up was more important than money. ¡°Are you really going to Kevrian?¡± The next day. Alena, the Elf, came fully armed and asked me again. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Eshtar would suit you better...¡± Her opposition wasn¡¯t as strong as it was initially. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to prioritize leveling up.¡± ¡°Well, Eshtar is too competitive. And other planets aren¡¯t great for leveling either... Alright, at this pace, you¡¯ll become a high-ranking Hunter in no time.¡± ¡°Yeah. I need to hit C-rank soon.¡± After the guides became useless, I had debated whether to keep trying Kevrian. But Eshtar didn¡¯t seem like it would help solve the broken world before leveling up either, and Kevrian is way better for that. Using the money I received from the association and Kang Shia¡¯s deposit, I learned 10 3-circle spells at 500 million won each, leaving me 5 billion in the red. Watching money come in and go out in real-time was heartbreaking, but I convinced myself it was an investment. After thoroughly preparing for battle like before, I initiated the transfer to Kevrian, the broken world. This time, I resolved not to leave until I reached C-rank, focusing solely on leveling up. Closing my eyes, I prepared myself for the challenge. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 28 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 28: Familiar Face? (1) The Sanctuary of Fire in the Train Region was located on the dormant volcano Mount Idea. I thought I might encounter the High Elf Diana''s unit on the way here, but there was no sign of them. ¡°Haste.¡± Having learned the 3rd-circle magic spell, I diligently cast Haste, which increases speed, and ran to the Sanctuary situated midway up Mount Idea. Yet, there was still no trace of Diana¡¯s group at the Sanctuary of Fire. ¡°Hmm... Is there an orc territory nearby?¡± ¡°To my knowledge, there is an orc village around here¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head there.¡± Under Alfid¡¯s direction, I started running again. Learning the 3rd-circle spells seemed to have paid off. While there were many offensive spells, support magic like Haste proved to be incredibly useful. ¡°Peep, peep.¡± By the time the sun had set and darkness had fallen, as I pushed through the forest, the little bird that had been quiet on my head suddenly spread its wings. Following its lead, I ventured further and came upon a clearing. From there, I heard sounds of battle. As I approached, to my surprise, I saw elves fighting among themselves. However, while one elf unit was clearly outnumbered, the attacking elves had decayed and rotten bodies. ¡°Those are Lady Diana¡¯s unit members¡­ but why are they fighting each other? Ah! Zombies!¡± Alfid, observing the battlefield from my back, let out a lament. Right, zombies. That¡¯s what they were. They couldn¡¯t have been zombies from the beginning, which means someone must have turned them into zombies. We need to help them first. ¡°Alfid, I¡¯ll start with arrows. Prepare yourself as well.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Turning elves into zombies¡­ How could anyone¡­¡± Grasping Artemis¡¯ Bow, arrows of light materialized. I aimed at the over one hundred zombie elves and unleashed a barrage of arrows. Thud! The zombies disintegrated into dust, as if swept away by my holy arrows. Thanks to the divine power infused in the arrows, they were far more effective than I expected. ¡°Reinforcements!¡± The elf unit, who had been on the verge of despair surrounded by zombies, regained their spirits. As they desperately defended against the zombie elves, I poured all my mana into shooting more arrows. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Even as their zombie comrades disintegrated behind them, the zombies paid no attention to me. They were entirely focused on attacking the elves in front of them. This made it easy to target them, and the battle became one-sided. When the last zombie was shot and turned to dust, the surviving members of the elf unit collapsed where they stood. ¡°Ha¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re alive¡­¡± ¡°Nass became a zombie¡­ sniff¡­¡± Some elves began to cry, likely recalling their comrades who had turned into zombies. It was a sorrowful and somber atmosphere. But we couldn¡¯t afford to waste any more time here. ¡°Alfid, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± As we approached the elves, a gruesome sight came into view. While the zombies hit by my holy arrows were purified and vanished, those defeated by the elf unit remained. Zombies with severed limbs crawling on the ground, headless zombies with twitching eyes, and half-burnt, half-rotted zombies¡ªit was grotesque, especially considering these were once a beautiful race. ¡°I¡¯ll purify them with divine power. Alfid, inform the unit members.¡± I purified the immobile zombies one by one with arrows of light. As I was nearly done cleaning up, the elves approached. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Alfid. Apostle of the God of War, I am Eshil, deputy-commander of Diana¡¯s Guard.¡± This was one of the first female elves I¡¯d seen in this world. Though her appearance was marred by dust and blood, her beauty as an elf remained evident. Most of the unit members were also female elves, suggesting that Diana led a predominantly female guard. ¡°What happened here?¡± ¡°A lich¡­ A lich appeared.¡± ¡°A lich?¡± A high-ranking undead mage who rejects death and transforms themselves into an undead monster. I hadn¡¯t faced a mage-type monster before, so I tensed up. Dragons were one thing¡ªthey just breathed fire. ¡°Yes, and there isn¡¯t just one. There are multiple. Please help us, Apostle! Lady Diana is in danger!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head there immediately.¡± While moving toward the orc village under Eshil¡¯s guidance, I learned more about the situation. High elves were akin to royalty among elves and, alongside the World Tree, were considered sacred by the elven race. As such, Diana, a high elf, led the Diana Guard, consisting of two units. During their search for the Sanctuary of Fire, half of the first unit went missing. Following their trail led them to an orc village near the Sanctuary. Diana then divided her forces and launched an attack on the orc village¡­ But it turned out to be a trap set by the liches. ¡°The orc village was completely empty, with our comrades lying unconscious in the center of the village. We tried to save them, but¡­ they had already been zombified by the liches and magically altered to hide their decayed appearance.¡± Damn, they¡¯re cunning. Unlike the brute-force enemies I¡¯d dealt with so far, these liches had a different approach. Well, they were high-ranking mages, so tricks like that were probably second nature to them. ¡°Lady Diana ordered a full retreat. I gathered the second unit and withdrew, but¡­ Lady Diana is missing. Knowing her, she¡¯s likely holding back the undead forces on her own.¡± Buying time for her troops to escape, huh? But if the high elf ends up protecting the high elf guards, what¡¯s the point? sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If she gets captured and corrupted by the enemy, it¡¯ll be a nightmare. Suddenly, I remembered a certain R-rated guide written by Kim Jiho. Why am I thinking about that now? Ahem, never mind. ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste. Without Lady Diana, we can¡¯t open the Sanctuary of Fire!¡± ¡°This is the right direction, yes? I¡¯ll go ahead. Summon: Flame Chariot.¡± Sensing we were close, I summoned the Flame Chariot. The female elves¡¯ astonished expressions made me puff out my chest a little, but given the situation, I set off immediately. Riding the flame chariot in ethereal form, I galloped across the sky. Thanks to my increased mana reserves, I arrived at the orc village without issue. Or rather, what used to be the orc village¡ªit now resembled a cemetery where all the corpses had risen. ¡°This place is crawling with undead.¡± Elves and orc zombies roamed together, while a towering skeletal knight in white bone armor led them. They were surging like a tide toward the village¡¯s central square. Amidst the undead, a radiant light pulsed with divine energy. That must be High Elf Diana. [Who are you?] An eerie voice echoed in my ears. The sound of rattling bones came from above. Looking up, I saw a robed skeleton standing in midair, staring at me. Though it was just a skeleton, its glowing red eyes were unsettling. Without responding, I raised my bow and fired a surprise arrow. An arrow imbued with divine power. If it hit, it would surely deal significant damage to the lich. However¡­ A black barrier formed around its body, deflecting the arrow. [An arrow imbued with divine power¡­ So you are an Apostle of Order.] The barrier wasn¡¯t perfect¡ªit cracked slightly from the impact. Good, that means it¡¯s effective. Riding the chariot, I dashed through the undead while continuously firing arrows at the lich above. It was my first time shooting arrows from a moving chariot, so my aim wasn¡¯t perfect. Still, a few arrows found their mark. As the cracks on the barrier deepened, the lich gestured, and the barrier began to regenerate. Hmm. Not going to be easy, huh? [Dark Flame.] Suddenly, a wall of dark flames rises in the direction of the carriage''s path. The moment I saw it, I knew. This thing would hurt even in spiritual form. Should I just charge through it? ¡°Peep! Peep!¡± At that moment, Peep started chirping and began sucking in the black flames with its beak. Not just regular flames, but even those dark flames¡ªcan it eat those too? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [A phoenix! A servant favored by the gods. Heh heh heh, how delightful.] A sinister laugh came from above. I wanted to pull the carriage up and take down that lich immediately, but the rescue had to come first. Burning through the undead army as I advanced, I finally saw the high elf the elves had begged me to save. A woman radiating a gentle light, just like the high elf, Liana. Clad in pure white armor, she wielded a sword in each hand, performing an elegant sword dance. Her platinum blonde hair flowed out from beneath her helmet, streaked with blood, and her white armor was stained with blood and pieces of enemy corpses. Yet, the soft white light emanating from her armor and swords was beautiful and sacred. A warrior of the gods? She looks the part more than me, clad in this black armor. ¡°Are you Lady Diana?¡± ¡°Yes, I am Diana. The Chariot of the Sun God¡­ Who are you?¡± Her voice was similar to Liana''s. Even her hair color. Are all high elves this similar? ¡°I¡¯m Kim Jiho, Apostle of Minerva, the Goddess of War. I¡¯ve also received a blessing from the Sun God. But we¡¯re short on time, so please get on the chariot.¡± Diana hesitated for a moment, staring at the blazing chariot. Scared to ride it? ¡°You won¡¯t burn. I can manage that much.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Alright.¡± Using the chariot skill frequently had taught me how to control it. Well, to be honest, I wouldn¡¯t guarantee safety for a regular person¡­ but she¡¯s strong, so she should be fine. Diana elegantly leaped onto the chariot, cutting down nearby zombies in a single stroke before landing. It was like watching a martial arts movie. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a bit hot.¡± ¡°But bearable, right? Let¡¯s go.¡± Hmm. I thought I managed the heat well, but she still says it¡¯s hot. Good thing I didn¡¯t try this with a regular person. I immediately turned the chariot around. Zombies, ignoring the flames that engulfed them, charged at us, only to be incinerated the moment they got close. As we crushed through the undead army and pushed forward¡ª [Bone Wall.] [Darkness Hands.] [Dark Flame.] [Do not use fire magic. There¡¯s a phoenix!] Three distinct voices echoed from above. At the same time, an impenetrable wall of bones rose from the ground in front of us. Behind us, dark flames surged, and above, massive black hands formed. It was obvious we¡¯d be surrounded if this continued. ¡°Explosion. Explosion.¡± I used Explosion, the 3-circle blast magic I spent 500 million gold learning, twice in succession. Boom! Flames erupted from the bone wall, followed by a massive explosion. At the same time, Diana hurled her twin swords. The swords, imbued with divine power, crossed paths and sliced through the Bone Wall. The wall shattered in an instant, and her swords spun back into her hands. [Chain Lightning!] ¡°Anti-Magic Shield. Anti-Magic Shield.¡± A lightning bolt shot down from the sky, aimed directly at me. I¡¯d expected them to retaliate, so I cast Anti-Magic Shield just in time. The purple shield absorbed the lightning bolt, snuffing it out. Hah. Investing 5 billion into 3-circle spells was worth it after all. [Ice Field.] [Bone Missile.] [Lightning.] But the magic attacks kept coming, annoying me to no end. I summoned Artemis¡¯s bow and handed it to Diana. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re an elf, so you know how to use a bow, right? Take care of those guys for me. I¡¯m busy maintaining the shield.¡± ¡°There are no arrows.¡± ¡°That bow generates magic arrows automatically. Just touch the string.¡± She fiddled with the bow for a moment before aiming at the sky. Then, two arrows of light appeared on the string. What? Two at once? How is that even possible? But she fired them. Thwack, thwack. Then, three arrows appeared on the string. And they fired simultaneously. Finally, four arrows. When the fourth volley was fired, a loud boom echoed from above. This was followed by a terrible groan. [Ugh! Arghhh! My mana, my dark magic¡­ it¡¯s leaking away¡­] [To penetrate the Darkness Shield¡­] [That weapon¡ªit¡¯s divine. Retreat!] I looked up and saw only one lich remaining. Two arrows of light were embedded in its body, white flames burning as they devoured it. The other two liches had vanished. No matter how hard I searched, I couldn¡¯t see them. Wow. Elf archery really is something else. How can she shoot four arrows at once? Thunk. Thunk. The undead army chasing the chariot began to collapse one by one. As the liches retreated, the undead suddenly stopped moving and fell. Only the large skeletal knight remained standing before it, too, dissolved into the ground, starting from its feet. ¡°Phew¡­ Could we stop for a moment?¡± At Diana¡¯s polite request, I nodded. I was running out of mana anyway, so it worked out. She stepped off the fiery chariot and removed her helmet. Her face, as expected of a high elf, was beautiful, but¡­ Huh? That face¡ªit¡¯s Liana! [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 29 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 29: A Familiar Face? (1) "Liana?" "Liana? Who is that?" Diana tilted her head in confusion. Her face was unmistakably that of Liana from Earth. What¡¯s going on? Are they twins? Ah¡­ or maybe she really is the same person. This fractured world keeps sending Awakened individuals back in time, replaying events over and over again in an attempt to correct the past. Everything here resets to the beginning if the Chaos Lord isn¡¯t defeated. The original fate of Kevrian is destruction. And only a few elves and dwarves are said to have been saved by divine intervention, becoming apostles of the gods. These apostles, their names bestowed by the gods, were sent to Earth as helpers. Hmm¡­ if that¡¯s the case, Diana here might just be Liana in her past form. Perhaps she once fought valiantly in this doomed world, was saved by the gods, and became an apostle known as Liana. ¡°Peep! Peep!¡± Even Peep flew straight to her and nuzzled her face. It seems it, too, finds her reminiscent of Liana. Diana awkwardly watched Peep for a moment before slowly petting it. "Oh, and this little chick...?" "In the world I come from, there¡¯s a high elf who looks just like you. Her name is Liana. She helped this phoenix hatch, which is probably why it recognizes you." "A high elf who looks like me¡­ how fascinating." "Yes. You look so similar that I thought you might be twins." She gently stroked Peep a few more times before returning him to me. Then, she drew her twin swords again, imbuing them with holy energy. "Diana, what are you doing all of a sudden...?" "I cannot allow the bodies of my honor guard to be desecrated by a lich." "Then let me help you." "No¡­ these undead comrades are the result of my own failure. Please, allow me to handle this myself." With a pained and sorrowful expression, she drove her sword into the hearts of the fallen elf corpses. Diana spoke to each one as she purified them. ¡°Frederica. For 72 years, you protected me, my dear friend and loyal guardian. I failed you, and you fell in your prime¡­ Do not forgive me.¡± ¡°Eliza. You were always so vibrant. I can¡¯t forget the time you asked if you could call me your elder sister¡­ And now, I¡¯m the one plunging a blade into your heart¡­¡± One by one, she called out their names as she pierced their hearts. Each time, the elf corpses were purified and disintegrated into dust. By the time Eshil¡¯s 2nd Division and Alfid arrived, they bit their lips and shed tears at the sight. Tsk¡­ This isn¡¯t a situation I should interrupt. When she turned around after purifying the last elf, I felt a chill. Her once blue eyes had turned blood red, unfocused. Her cheeks bore red streaks, as if from tears of blood. Suddenly, I remembered something from the strategy guide. ¡°No matter what cruel training you impose on the high elf Diana, her mind won¡¯t be significantly shaken. High elves are almost demi-gods; they don¡¯t fall easily. But if you kill her comrades one by one in front of her, tormenting her, the story changes. She will rage and rage, hoping to fall herself, and summon the Spirit of Wrath. When she abandons her divinity and succumbs to fury, that¡¯s when the strategies I wrote down will help, and the potions will be effective. Hehehe¡­ Oh, and the first sign of being consumed by the Spirit of Wrath is her eye color changing¡­¡± Her eyes really did change color. I felt a chill run down my spine. I have to stop this. "Diana! Snap out of it! Don¡¯t let your anger consume you!" "Apostle¡­" "Succumbing to your fury and forsaking your divinity is exactly what they want. I understand your feelings, but for the sake of revenge, you must remain calm. You cannot let the Spirit of Wrath take hold of you!" At my words, Diana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I turned to the other elves. ¡°The power of the Water Spirit has returned. I remember you using the Water Spirit for vitality and healing magic. Please assist Diana with this.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ understood.¡± The elves of the 2nd Division, still teary-eyed, quickly approached Diana to comfort her. Thanks to their support, she gradually regained her composure. Whew. Crisis averted. "Thank you so much, Apostle. I almost lost my mind and made a grave mistake." "It¡¯s nothing. Losing your comrades is a natural reason to feel anger. I simply spoke up to prevent the enemy from exploiting that anger." "Ah¡­ If only I had your calm and wisdom, Apostle¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have sacrificed my sisters¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have let them become undead, their souls unable to find peace¡­" Here we go again. If this keeps up, she might spiral into another fit of rage. Time to assign a task. ¡°Let¡¯s set those thoughts aside for now. Our top priority is opening the Fire Sanctuary. We must head to Mount Idea immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, Apostle. As you command. Let us depart.¡± Even Alfid, sensing the urgency, quickly agreed. Diana steadied herself and sheathed her swords. There were about 30 elves remaining. Considering the number of elf zombies we¡¯ve dealt with so far, which exceeded 200, this is practically annihilation. Can this small group handle the Fire Sanctuary as easily as they did the Water Sanctuary? I wanted to ask, but the atmosphere was too somber. For now, we decided to move toward the Fire Sanctuary in silence. ¡°Let¡¯s rest here for a while. The troops are exhausted.¡± Diana approached me to suggest. That explains why our pace had slowed. With such a large group, carrying them as I did with Alfid isn¡¯t feasible. Resting is the only option. ¡°Let¡¯s look for an open space, then.¡± ¡°We can just lean against the trees, but how about you, Apostle¡­?¡± Ah, right. Elves. I¡¯d almost forgotten, having carried Alfid on my back earlier. ¡°I¡¯m fine as well. Let¡¯s rest here.¡± The elves summoned the Water Spirit, scattering droplets around. When I asked, they explained it would act as a lookout. Trusting in it, I decided to get some rest myself. Come to think of it, this is my first time sleeping in Kevrian. And it¡¯s in a forest... The elves leaned against the trees, closing their eyes one by one. Her appearance made for a picturesque scene, like a painting, but the atmosphere was so gloomy that it barely caught my attention. Looking at the system window, the undead legion didn¡¯t give much SP, nor did they offer any ability absorption. Was it because they were corpses? Wow. This is just trash. At least the experience points went up a bit, but still, it wasn¡¯t at a satisfying level. The reward gap compared to when I killed a dragonkin was so huge that I wasn¡¯t exactly thrilled. The fight wasn¡¯t even easier this time. Was it because I couldn¡¯t kill the lich? The rewards are so stingy. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Saint of the Sun God.¡± While I was debating whether to spend my stats or not, Diana approached me. Clad in pure white armor with her helmet off, she truly embodied the image of a saint. ¡°Thank you so much for earlier.¡± ¡°No need to thank me. It was only natural to help.¡± I smiled brightly in response to her gratitude as I removed Hephaestus'' armor. It felt refreshing to see Liana¡ªno, Diana¡ªwho had been like an unstoppable force back on Earth, bowing her head in gratitude. ¡°And¡­ if you don¡¯t mind, may I ask you something?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°What does the Sun God Hellenis like?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Flame Chariot is a power granted only to saints whom Hellenis deems truly extraordinary. For Saint Kim Jiho to possess it means you are greatly favored by Him¡­¡± Her voice trailed off, and her expression darkened. Wait, shouldn¡¯t she know better what Hellenis likes? After all, she¡¯s supposed to be the saint of the Sun God, right? Ah, I see. ¡°Do you know what SP is? He likes SP.¡± ¡°SP? What is that?¡± ¡°Oh, Soul¡­¡± [SP has decreased by 1.] Huh? Why? [Pollux warns you not to carelessly speak about SP.] [Aurelia informs you that revealing SP with your current rank results in an SP penalty.] What the heck¡­ If there¡¯s such a warning, couldn¡¯t they have told me beforehand? This system is so kind yet so inconsiderate at the same time. Anyway, let¡¯s calm down this woman with the wide-eyed stare first. ¡°Oh¡­ I misspoke with a celestial term. That was my error. As for what Hellenis likes¡­ But why do you ask?¡± Answering a question with a question. That¡¯ll divert her from the SP topic. She didn¡¯t seem too suspicious and answered my question directly. ¡°Because I was destined to become His saint.¡± ¡°Destined?¡± ¡°Yes. Until now, there has never been a saint of the Sun God among the High Elves. My entire race has long awaited the day a saint of Hellenis would emerge. When I was born, the blessing of the Sun God descended, and everyone believed that I was destined to become His saint. I thought so too. But even after coming of age, I¡¯ve yet to hear His voice. All other saints chosen by the gods are acknowledged upon coming of age, yet¡­¡± Her face filled with anguish as she continued. Strange. Back on Earth, Liana was the Sun God¡¯s saint and was the one handing out those two A-ranks as a top leader¡­ But here, she hasn¡¯t even been acknowledged by Hellenis. What¡¯s going on? Hah, do I need to brush up on Greek and Roman mythology or something? As I hesitated to answer, Diana¡¯s expression grew more despondent, and she continued with a weak voice. ¡°It must be because I¡¯m lacking¡­ But I wanted to know what He likes, hoping perhaps I could earn His favor.¡± Her long ears drooped. She¡¯s so different from the confident Liana back on Earth. At this point, I can¡¯t help but wonder if she¡¯s actually a different person. I mean, High Elves might all look kind of similar, right? S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sigh. Still, she¡¯s one of our team¡¯s strongest assets. I can¡¯t let her spiral into despair. What if she gets angry and turns into a fallen elf or something? I¡¯d better say something to cheer her up. ¡°Diana, you¡¯re overthinking it. Even in the celestial realm, Hellenis was watching over you. I was honestly jealous of how much attention He gave you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Hellenis was watching over me?¡± ¡°Yes. Diana, you need to have even greater faith in the Sun God. You said you weren¡¯t acknowledged as His saint after coming of age? That¡¯s normal. If it were that simple, why do you think there hasn¡¯t been a saint of the Sun God among the High Elves until now? There must be unavoidable circumstances delaying it. Rest assured, the Sun God is watching over you. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Her ears perked up. Elves are so na?ve, really. Even an improvised speech like this works immediately. ¡°You¡¯re very kind, Saint Jiho¡­ Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. After all, we¡¯ll be meeting in the celestial realm eventually, won¡¯t we? Haha.¡± Diana bowed deeply in gratitude, and I flashed her a confident smile while spouting a few more embellishments. The Sun God is watching you closely, anxiously waiting for you to realize it, or something like that. Honestly, if this world is going to end and reset anyway, a little embellishment can¡¯t hurt, right? Each time I spoke, her ears twitched, and her face brightened. So na?ve. Come to think of it, didn¡¯t the guidebook say her ears are a key point in gaining her favor¡­ Hmm. ¡°Your words mean so much to me. Thanks to you, my worries have lessened.¡± Diana, who had come with such a dark expression, left with a noticeably lighter heart. Other elves who witnessed the scene bowed their heads to thank me. Is Diana a concern for the entire unit? She¡¯s so different from the confident Liana back on Earth. Hmm¡­ Liana = Diana does seem likely, but with how things are unfolding, I¡¯m not so sure anymore. I¡¯ll keep observing. There¡¯s probably more to uncover. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 30 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 30: A Familiar Face? (3) At the base of Mount Idea, the path leading to the Sanctuary of Fire, there was now a fortress made of bones¡ªsomething that wasn¡¯t there yesterday. Though the fortress was crude, it was guarded by zombie orcs and skeletal archers stationed here and there. ¡°It seems like the work of a lich. It came in advance and fortified the area.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I summoned Artemis¡¯ Bow and handed it to Diana. ¡°This is...¡± ¡°After seeing you yesterday, I realized it¡¯s better suited for you. I can¡¯t fire more than two arrows at once, so I can¡¯t penetrate the lich¡¯s barrier.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll make sure to subdue the lich and repay your trust.¡± Capturing the lich would surely reward me with a lot of SP, but there was no helping it¡ªI couldn¡¯t break through the barrier with my archery skills. Diana gently stroked Artemis¡¯ Bow, bowed her head, and expressed her gratitude. Everyone prepared their weapons and got ready for battle as we cautiously approached the enemy fortress. This path was essential to reach the Sanctuary of Fire. We had to break through. Remaining vigilant for potential ambushes from the surrounding foothills¡ªor perhaps even undead hiding underground as before¡ªwe advanced slowly. ¡°We must break through the fortress, but charging straight in would result in heavy casualties. I¡¯ll send the Flame Chariot ahead on its own. That should draw the enemies out.¡± ¡°Understood. Then we¡¯ll prepare our defenses.¡± The plan was simple: send the Flame Chariot to wreak havoc inside the fortress. This would force the unseen lich to come out to deal with it or compel the undead to emerge. If the lich appeared, I¡¯d snipe it with an arrow. If the undead charged, we¡¯d defend. If neither happened, we¡¯d burn the fortress to the ground with the chariot. The rest would depend on how the situation unfolded. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± Although it still had two horses, the Flame Chariot was larger than before. Since I wasn¡¯t riding it this time, I sent it forward immediately. Soon, an eerie voice resonated across the battlefield. [Ice Wall.] [Frozen Field.] [Anti-Magic Shield.] A black mist rose from a bone-made watchtower on the fortress, and the lich revealed itself. It began casting ice magic in unison with the skeletal mages, targeting the Flame Chariot. Unlike the chaos at the Trein Fortress when there were no mages, the Flame Chariot hesitated and lost momentum under the onslaught. Yikes, if there had been a mage unit back then, things would¡¯ve gotten ugly. Ping. Ping. As soon as the lich appeared, Diana fired arrows. Multiple light arrows streaked toward the lich, not giving it a moment to breathe. Even Peep was already flying around, diligently breathing divine energy onto the battlefield. [Annoying... very annoying¡­] Cracks began to form in the lich¡¯s black barrier. Abandoning their ice magic, the lich¡¯s forces withdrew slightly. This allowed the Flame Chariot to go on a rampage again. ¡°Neighhhh!¡± Leaping over the now-melting ice wall, the Flame Chariot wreaked havoc inside the fortress. Zombie corpses caught fire, and the flames spread rapidly. But the cost was high¡ªmy mana drained rapidly. If I were riding the chariot, it wouldn¡¯t have depleted so quickly, but since I was remote-controlling it to avoid the lich, the mana consumption was immense. ¡°Dismiss summon.¡± I dismissed the chariot before it completely drained my mana, leaving about half remaining. This wasn¡¯t a solo battlefield, and the presence of the lich made it impossible to expend all my mana. ¡°Did the lich seem damaged earlier?¡± ¡°Thanks to the divine breath from Phoenix, it likely suffered some damage. However, due to its life vessel, it won¡¯t be completely destroyed.¡± ¡°Life vessel?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the source that allows a lich to remain undead. Without destroying the life vessel, the lich will keep reviving. Still, that particular lich won¡¯t be reappearing on this battlefield anytime soon.¡± Though it was frustrating not to destroy it outright, as long as the lich stayed out of this battlefield, that was enough for now. Perhaps because Diana¡¯s arrows had rattled it, the lich didn¡¯t reappear on the frontlines. Instead, it focused on extinguishing the flames consuming the zombies. Meanwhile, the elves summoned water spirits to turn the surrounding terrain into a swampy area, forming a defensive line. [Arise.] [Charge.] The lich¡¯s voice echoed as the fortress gates opened, and zombie orcs poured out. Simultaneously, rustling noises came from the woods on either side as undead began to rise. Leading the charge were towering skeletal knights, with skeletons and zombies following close behind. These new enemies were visibly stronger than the zombie orcs from the fortress. We were surrounded on three sides. ¡°I¡¯ll take the left flank. Please handle the right, Apostle of the Goddess.¡± ¡°Understood. Keep the bow with you; we still need to suppress the lich.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Before heading to the right flank, I decided to clean up the frontlines first. I sent the Flame Chariot charging at the zombie orcs descending the mountain. Flames spread across their bodies, setting them ablaze. This time, the lich didn¡¯t interfere; it merely watched from a distance. After letting the chariot rampage for a while, I ran toward the right flank as my mana dwindled. Before moving, I glanced toward the left. Diana was wreaking havoc on her own. She leapt across the swampy terrain as if it were flat ground, charging at a skeletal knight. With a swing of her twin blades, even the formidable skeletal knight crumbled like autumn leaves. She¡¯s undeniably strong. Since arriving at Kevelian, she¡¯s the first truly reliable companion I¡¯ve had. I can¡¯t let her outshine me. I leaped toward the direction I was assigned, landing in front of a skeletal knight. The knight swung its massive bone greatsword at me, but it was no match for my divine-powered blade. In one swift strike, the skeletal knights were cut down, their bodies consumed by divine flames and vanishing into light. Divine energy was incredibly effective against the undead. ¡°Urrghhh¡­¡± Zombie orcs from all directions began advancing toward me. Even with their feet stuck in the swamp, they used the corpses of their allies as stepping stones, moving steadily forward. But their sluggish movements posed no threat to me. I spun my sword in a wide arc, conserving mana as I dispatched them. Even non-lethal strikes caused the undead to ignite in divine flames, reducing them to ash. Using the undead as stepping stones, I avoided sinking into the swamp and traversed the battlefield. Occasionally, their attacks grazed me, but Hephaestus¡¯ armor was impenetrable. Undeterred by the death of their comrades, the mindless zombies charged like moths to a flame. To ensure the undead didn¡¯t overwhelm the elven main force, I cast Haste and moved erratically, forcing the zombies to focus on me. While it was easy for me, it wasn¡¯t the same for the elves. Holding back the endless horde would be no simple task. Even with occasional fire magic, their unenhanced flames didn¡¯t seem effective. ¡°Peep, go support the main force.¡± ¡°Chirp!¡± Peep flapped its wings and flew toward the elven formation. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Honestly, calling them a ¡°main force¡± was generous¡ªthey were the weakest link here. After clearing enough enemies, I prepared to assist them directly. As I swung my greatsword to mow down the zombies, my vision suddenly turned red, and my entire body tingled painfully. It had been a long time since I felt such a sense of danger. Without hesitation, I leapt backward with all my strength. [Death Ray.] A massive, turquoise beam of death energy struck the spot where I had been standing. A devastating, laser-like beam extended out, radiating sheer destruction. A ferocious beam of death, stretching like a laser. The undead caught in the light disintegrate into dust, leaving no trace behind. Wow. If that had hit me, I can''t say for sure I''d still be standing. [Death Ray.] Then, I hear it again¡ªDeath Ray. Will it strike Diana? But the target of the Death Ray was the main force of the elves. Since they were busy dealing with the orc zombies, unlike me, they couldn''t avoid the Death Ray and took a direct hit. The light shot down from the sky, grazing the ground with massive force. In an instant, over ten elves disappeared into dust without so much as a scream. Ah... this thing is insanely strong. "NO!!" Arrows of light soared into the sky. Dozens of arrows flew one after another, targeting the two liches above. They didn''t even try to dodge and were struck by the arrows head-on. [Urgh... the dark magic...] [Still... our goal is achieved...] The liches dissipated as their dark shields vanished. With their disappearance, the undead collapsed like puppets with their strings cut. "Even Eshil is gone..." Diana stood frozen. At the spot where her comrades, struck by the Death Ray, had stood moments ago. Only about twenty elves remained. One-third of the party had been wiped out. "Invisible magic to approach, ignoring their own destruction, and unleashing the highest-level black magic, Death Ray... such ruthless enemies." Alphed approached me, shaking his head in disbelief. "Was there truly a need for them to go that far?" "I think it was to stop us from opening the Fire Sanctuary. Opening the sanctuary requires multiple elves who can handle the Fire Spirit." Ah. "Even with a life vessel, being destroyed by a divine attack must consume a significant amount of their mana... They''re not acting like typical liches. They''re creatures obsessed only with magic, yet they were willing to go to this extent." We managed to gather ourselves and reach the Fire Sanctuary, but the mood was grim. The Water Sanctuary had been easy in comparison. The difficulty spike feels real now. It was a situation where nothing I did would have worked... "We''re short on numbers... but let''s begin the ritual. Apostle, if you''re able, please assist us." "Me?" "Yes. The power of the Phoenix would be immensely helpful." I nodded in agreement. The Fire Sanctuary housed a withered, ancient tree. They said that setting this tree ablaze would open the sanctuary. The elves began chanting mysterious incantations, and I followed Diana''s instructions, asking Peep to breathe life into the tree. But unlike at the Water Sanctuary, even after three hours, there were no signs of the tree catching fire. Could it be because of our lack of numbers? "There¡¯s no reaction..." "I''ll try using Flaming Chariot as well." Would an A-rank skill work? As I directed the Flaming Chariot toward the tree, the chariot suddenly broke apart into flames and was absorbed by the tree. "There¡¯s some effect. Can you try again?" I shook my head. My mana had been completely drained when the chariot was absorbed. I''d need to recover before trying again... Should I use the remaining SP to increase my mana stat? Hmm. Let¡¯s observe the situation for now. Even after the sun had completely set and the moon had risen, the ancient tree showed almost no change. It had absorbed the Flaming Chariot heavily, but only a faint flicker of flame clung to it. Diana suggested waiting until the sun¡¯s strength returned at noon tomorrow and proposed resting. I agreed and leaned against the tree. Hmm... I need to figure out a way to deal with long-range magic monsters like liches. Invisible, flying, and shielded... They''re such a headache. Although I closed my eyes, unable to sleep because of my endless stamina, my thoughts wandered. Then, I heard Diana murmuring incantations nearby. What is this? After making everyone else sleep? A sense of foreboding crept in. "Peep!" Peep seemed to notice it before I did and flew toward Diana. I quickly followed after. "I must awaken the Fire Sanctuary, even at the cost of my own life... It¡¯s my fault that my sisters were sacrificed. I cannot wait any longer... What if the lich returns?" Diana mumbled to herself, her eyes glowing crimson. The light that had softly enveloped her body was now fading. Oh no, could this be another instance of a Spirit of Wrath? It really doesn''t listen to reason. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Diana! Stop!" "Apostle... I cannot stop now." "We can open the sanctuary tomorrow." "What if the lich arrives before then? I can¡¯t lose any more sisters." Her mental state had clearly crumbled after the near-total annihilation of her guard. But what am I supposed to do if you succumb to corruption? She continued chanting something ominous, her eyes hollow and lifeless¡ªa dangerous sight. Damn it. I rushed in front of her. What do I do here? [The sensitive point is just behind her ears. Normally, it only tickles her, but if the divine light has faded and she¡¯s on the verge of corruption, it becomes highly reactive... Combine this with an elixir for maximum effect.] Suddenly, lines from a guidebook came to mind. What a trashy tip from Kim Jiho. Still, the words stuck in my head. The faint divine light around Diana had almost completely vanished. Ah, screw it. Flick. "Aah... Ahh! What are you doing?!" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 31 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 31: A Familiar Face? (4) Oh, it¡¯s effective. A terrifying strategy guide¡­ ¡°Apostle, please don¡¯t interfere.¡± The light that had been fading from her body started to return. Seeing that, I scratched my ear again. This time, there wasn¡¯t much of a reaction. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like anything now, does it?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes.¡± ¡°As long as a High Elf¡¯s divinity is intact, external stimuli are harmless. But when the divinity weakens, even just touching their ear like earlier can startle them. How did it feel?¡± ¡°It was ticklish¡­ surprising, and it sent chills down my spine.¡± I see. A bunch of points from the strategy guide popped into my head, but I restrained myself. ¡°When the divinity is faint, that¡¯s how sensitive you are. If it completely disappears, you¡¯ll be defenseless. That could lead to big trouble.¡± ¡°But¡­ I am ready to die if I must. I can¡¯t lose my sisters anymore. If I can save them, I¡¯ll have no regrets even in death.¡± Diana spoke with a resolute expression. As she started chanting again, I reached for her ear once more. This time, she persevered, her forehead creasing as she focused hard on the chant. Geez, what a stubborn person. The most effective point in the strategy guide is inside her armor, but¡­ Touching there would make me a certified creep. Instead, I¡¯ll target the back of her neck, another key point. I approached Diana, who was chanting, and gently stroked her ears and the back of her neck. Her frowning face was beautiful, but I had no time to admire her beauty. I couldn¡¯t let her fall into corruption here. After enough stroking, she flinched. ¡°Ah¡­ it¡­ it tickles!¡± ¡°Seriously, why are you so reckless? I¡¯ll handle this. Just go inside and get some rest. Stop chanting that spell already.¡± ¡°Apostle¡­ if we delay any longer here, it won¡¯t be good for you either. I am prepared to face death¡­¡± Argh, this is so frustrating. Why is she so determined to summon the Spirit of Wrath? Should I just let her fall into corruption? If her divinity disappears, I can just follow the strategy guide, right? Ugh. No, no, we¡¯re on the side of Order. Yes, Order¡­ [Pollux suggests that since it¡¯s come to this, you might as well mess things up and join the Neutral faction.] [Aurelia criticizes you, saying a fool like you isn¡¯t worthy of the Order faction. She begs you to stop entertaining such thoughts.] It feels like the roles have switched here¡­ Uncle Pollux, why don¡¯t you just go Neutral or Chaotic yourself? And Aurelia, wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to go Neutral? Ah, forget it. My head¡¯s spinning. First, I need to stop Diana. ¡°Apostle¡­¡± Diana pleaded with tearful eyes. Ugh. She¡¯s too stunning. Seriously gorgeous. She¡¯s making me look like the bad guy here. It feels like I¡¯m the villain, even though I¡¯m trying to stop her corruption¡­ Sigh. I know what to do if she does fall, thanks to the strategy guide, but still¡­ It¡¯s like the guide in my inventory keeps whispering, ¡°Hurry, follow my advice. You want to, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re tempted, right?¡± While I was caught in my thoughts, a quest window suddenly popped up. [Diana was a High Elf most beloved by Helenis, the Sun God. She possessed the capability to rise to the status of a demigod as the god¡¯s Apostle, but unfortunately, she did not achieve this in her lifetime. Helenis lamented this deeply and longed for her ¡®complete¡¯ form. Prevent Diana¡¯s corruption. Helenis will strengthen the powers granted to you as a reward.] [Special Quest] [Difficulty: Undetermined] [Prevent Diana from summoning the Spirit of Wrath before returning to Fort Trein.] [Quest Reward: Enhanced Flame Chariot Summoning Skill] Enhanced Flame Chariot Summoning Skill. The Flame Chariot is already useful, but to have it strengthened too? My eyes widened. Yes, what¡¯s the point of corruption just to follow the strategy guide? That¡¯s not something a decent person would do. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In the end, I¡¯ll have to pour the saved stat points into mana. Might as well do it now, thinking of the skill boost I¡¯ll get. ¡°Diana, I understand your resolve, and I respect your noble intentions. But I cannot allow you to become a fallen elf like this.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no other way¡­!¡± ¡°There is a way. Trust me. Don¡¯t try to shoulder everything alone.¡± I opened my status window. The Order faction¡¯s SP had almost reached 1,000. Originally, in the Broken World, it was 794. But on Earth, I¡¯ve been earning 100 passive SP daily, steadily saving it. With an additional 9 bonus points from the Order faction, I poured all my SP into magic. It cost 100 SP per point, raising my magic stat to 45.7. Adding the 9 bonus points brought it to 54.7. In one go, my mana stat increased significantly from 35.7. With Athena¡¯s blessing amplifying my power 2.5 times, the mana boost was massive. ¡°Tweet! Tweet! Tweeeeeet!¡± As soon as I finished, Peep suddenly let out a loud cry, and flames erupted all over its body. It began to shed its chick-like form, growing steadily larger. What appeared next was a magnificent bird made entirely of flames. It had the fierce, majestic appearance of a raptor, resembling an eagle, with long, fiery tail feathers as its hallmark. It was slightly larger than a sparrow but smaller than a pigeon. Yet, with its fiery body and transformed appearance, it exuded an overwhelming sense of grandeur compared to its chick form. I only intended to enhance my magic for the Flame Chariot, but Peep evolved unexpectedly. [Human, you¡¯ve finally allowed me to grow. It was quicker than I anticipated.] A solemn voice echoed in my ears. Wait, is this Peep? Peep flapped its wings slowly, staring at me with glowing, golden eyes of fire. ¡°Oh, Peep, can you talk too?¡± [Don¡¯t call me Peep, human.] ¡°Che. I was getting attached to that name¡­¡± [Don¡¯t.] ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Peep approached Diana. Perhaps startled by the sudden evolution, Diana widened her eyes and stared at Peep. [High Elf, there¡¯s no longer a need to summon the spirit of wrath. My master has sacrificed his future and potential to evolve me¡­] ¡°What do you mean by that? Sacrificed his potential?¡± Yeah, what do you mean by that, Phoenix? [He had the potential to become the strongest warrior of all. That talent, that potential could have brought him to the level of a demigod. But instead of leaving that potential untapped for the future, he used it all now, focusing everything on raising his mana. For you, High Elf.] ¡°Why¡­?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Diana stared at me with a dazed expression. No, I didn¡¯t understand what was going on either. What on earth was the bird talking about? Stat points and SP can be gained again later, can¡¯t they? I glanced at Peep, and the little creature winked at me. [This type feels guilt this way and will follow your words.] A voice that wasn¡¯t heard but directly implanted into my head. Whoa¡­ this one¡¯s a bit of a smooth talker, huh? I couldn¡¯t let it outdo me. ¡°Why did you make such a sacrifice?¡± ¡°As a High Elf watched over by the Sun God, I couldn¡¯t stand by and let you fall into ruin. Besides, it¡¯s not a sacrifice. My mana has grown stronger.¡± ¡°But even if your mana is stronger, you¡¯ve given up the potential to become a demigod! That¡¯s what you¡¯ve sacrificed!¡± ¡°And you are no different, Diana. You, too, have the qualities of one who could become a demigod. That¡¯s why the Sun God intended to appoint you as an apostle once you were fully prepared. Should someone like you truly give yourself over to the spirit of wrath? As an apostle of the gods, I couldn¡¯t stand by and watch that happen. Phoenix, let¡¯s go.¡± Lowering my voice, I spoke and then walked past the dazed Diana. The destination was the sacred tree in the Sanctuary of Fire. Ah, this is going to be so embarrassing if the fire doesn¡¯t catch after all this preaching. [It¡¯s my turn now.] The phoenix flew to the tree and exhaled flames from its mouth. The fire from its small body was massive enough to engulf the giant tree entirely in a single sweep. Yet, a huge chunk of my mana drained away. Even with my greatly increased mana, this is how much it takes¡­ [Huff!] Apparently, the fire didn¡¯t take on the first try. The phoenix let out flames again, then a third, and a fourth time. But the ancient tree showed no sign of catching fire. Oh no, this is a disaster. Peep, you made a big show, so you can¡¯t mess this up! I maintained a serious expression while anxiously watching the scene unfold. After the fifth, maybe almost the tenth try, my mana reserves were nearly empty. I was just about to give up when¡­ Fwoosh! Flames erupted from the left branch of the tree. The sacred tree of the Sanctuary of Fire had three main sections: the left, the top, and the right branches. The left was now ignited. ¡°The fire¡­ caught?¡± ¡°Apostle! You¡¯ve lit the flame! Amazing! Truly, you are the apostle of the gods, the ultimate warrior.¡± Alfid, who was now fully awake, rushed over to me. Other elves, also awakened, gazed at the flaming tree in awe. ¡°It really caught fire¡­¡± ¡°Normally, it would take at least 60 elves just to light a small branch¡­¡± ¡°The gods haven¡¯t abandoned us.¡± The previously gloomy atmosphere among the elves lifted, and their smiles returned. It felt like the whole room brightened. After being surrounded by men all the time, this sudden shift felt almost heartwarming. Some female elves even looked at me with respectful, admiring eyes, which made my shoulders puff up a little. ¡°Diana, we haven¡¯t lit the whole tree yet, but this counts as a success, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the remaining parts, so everyone should rest. You too, Diana.¡± When I gestured for my companions to rest, the elves shook their heads in refusal. ¡°No, Apostle! We cannot rest while you toil for us!¡± ¡°Alfid, remember running with me? You know I don¡¯t get tired. If you all exhaust yourselves now and we¡¯re delayed tomorrow, it¡¯ll only cause more problems.¡± ¡°¡­Understood. I¡¯ll explain to them.¡± Alfid, recalling that time, turned pale and nodded, convincing the other elves. Thanks to his persuasion, the elves bowed to me almost reverently before returning to their beds. Only Diana remained, standing still, staring only at me. ¡°Diana, you should rest.¡± ¡°No¡­ How could I rest after committing such a great sin against you, Apostle¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a sin. Potential can be regained. Compared to you falling into corruption, this isn¡¯t even a sacrifice.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°If you feel so bad about it¡­ next time, listen to me properly, alright?¡± ¡°Yes, from now on, I¡¯ll believe only in you, Apostle. But even so, this alone doesn¡¯t feel like enough to atone for my sins.¡± ¡°Hm, then after we finish defending Fort Trein, give me a gift. That will be enough.¡± When she kept insisting on taking responsibility, I lightheartedly suggested it. She¡¯s a High Elf, so surely she has something like a World Tree fruit or other valuable items often seen in games. Quest rewards are nice, but side earnings like this are self-generated opportunities. Hehe. ¡°A gift¡­ potential¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tie it to potential. Just give me whatever feels appropriate.¡± I emphasized ¡°whatever¡± as I spoke. Knowing Diana¡¯s over-responsible nature, she¡¯d probably give me something really good. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll definitely repay you¡­¡± ¡°Alright. Then go rest.¡± Diana sat against a tree, hugging her knees, her gaze still fixed on me and the phoenix. Hmm. I should lie down and rest while my mana regenerates before continuing. Why does she keep staring at me, though? To maintain the mood, I sat and pretended to meditate when my mana was low. ¡°A gift¡­ potential¡­¡± She kept muttering those two words while staring at me, which gave me chills for some reason. Through the night until dawn, I alternated between restoring mana and lighting flames. It took longer than expected, likely because the initial ignition was a result of accumulated efforts from past attempts. At sunrise, the sacred tree was fully ablaze, and the Sanctuary of Fire was opened. Everyone cheered and jumped for joy, but Diana remained seated, still staring at me. Her gaze, distant yet sparkling whenever our eyes met, sent shivers down my spine. ¡°A gift¡­ potential¡­¡± Ah. Stop saying that already. Was it a mistake to bring it up? Ugh. Well, she¡¯ll probably give me something good. Let¡¯s look forward to the reward and forget the eerie part. Surely, she¡¯ll give me something¡­ right? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 32 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 32: Spirit Fortress (1) The Spirit Fortress. After opening the Sanctuary of Fire, I could clearly feel the elves becoming stronger. The sacrifices had been significant, but we achieved our goal, so we celebrated it as a success and began our return to the fortress. The return journey was peaceful without interference from liches or undead. "Do I need to comprehend the essence and energy of fire?" [That is correct, High Elf.] Peep had somehow latched onto Diana, offering all sorts of advice about fire. It was fascinating how much knowledge it seemed to have despite being born so recently. Of course, seeing it abandon its master to act like that was annoying, but at least she wasn¡¯t thinking about the Spirit of Wrath while the phoenix was teaching. The return journey felt longer compared to when Alfid and I had been traveling alone, but thankfully, we seemed to have unlocked the Sanctuary of Earth along the way. The elves began to wield the power of the Earth Spirit as well. With three spirits awakened, the elves began to display their full strength. They healed their stamina with the Water Spirit, achieved explosive speed with the Fire Spirit, and secured endurance with the Earth Spirit. With the synergy of the three spirits, the elves were no longer the weaklings who had struggled against the undead. Despite having more companions this time, we managed to return to the fortress within ten days. After ten days, a return message popped up, but I decided to pass on it for now. I planned to stay until I reached level 50. [You have completed a special quest.] [The Flame Chariot Summon skill has been upgraded to level 2.] Ohhh. There were some chilling moments, but overall, it was an easy quest. [Transform Trein Fortress into Spirit Fortress. Once that is achieved, Diana will be ready to become the Apostle of the Sun God. Then, for 50 days, prevent her from summoning the Spirit of Wrath.] [Linked Quest.] [Difficulty: Hard.] [Upgrade Trein Fortress to Spirit Fortress and prevent Diana from summoning the Spirit of Wrath for 50 days.] [Quest Rewards:] Flame Chariot Summon Skill Upgrade. Phoenix Enhancement. Blessing of the Sun God. Wow! They¡¯re just giving out rewards. I have to do this no matter what. Once it becomes Spirit Fortress, defending it will be easier. Still, I wonder if we can last for 50 days since the difficulty is labeled as ¡°Hard.¡± I assume Diana would only summon the Spirit of Wrath if the fortress were in grave danger. The enemy¡¯s main force must be quite strong. Anyway, since there¡¯s no penalty for failure, I accepted the quest. After accepting the quest, I followed Count Ohaim to the strategy meeting room. "You¡¯ve arrived, Apostle of the Goddess." "To think you saved the elf rangers and safely escorted High Elf Diana... Apostle of the Goddess, you truly are our beacon of hope." "Now that the dwarf lord Ambrosian has unlocked the Sanctuary of Earth, it seems we only need to open the Sanctuary of Wind to transform Trein Fortress into Spirit Fortress." So, once we unlock that, we can finally breathe a bit easier? The room was abuzz with discussions about which devices could be activated and which ones required the Sanctuary of Wind to be opened. Of course, I didn¡¯t understand any of it and just zoned out. After some time passed, a human soldier suddenly rushed into the strategy meeting room. "Urgent report! The Black Dragon Legion has increased their marching speed. At this rate, they¡¯ll reach the fortress in less than 20 days." The previously excited atmosphere from unlocking the sanctuaries was dampened as if cold water had been poured on it. It¡¯s probably the main force this time, not just the vanguard, right? This won¡¯t be easy. "They¡¯re moving too quickly..." "And we haven¡¯t even unlocked the Sanctuary of Wind yet." "We need to unlock all the sanctuaries to fully wield the power of the spirits. We must unlock the Sanctuary of Wind at all costs." "What do we need to do to unlock the Sanctuary of Wind?" In response to my question, Diana answered, S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "We just need to take the Orb Sealed with Sylphid¡¯s Breath to the Sanctuary of Wind and release it there." "Doesn¡¯t sound like we need a large group, then?" "Correct. There¡¯s no need for elves or dwarves who handle spirits to go. That¡¯s why Knight Commander Lannister went." Hmm. I could go alone, but... Diana might summon the Spirit of Wrath again, so I¡¯ll suggest going together for guidance. I¡¯m worried she might lose control again. "Diana, it seems we don¡¯t need many people for this task. Why don¡¯t just the two of us go quickly?" "Ah. Just the two of us?" "Yes. I could go alone, but I don¡¯t know the way." Diana hesitated for a moment but soon nodded in agreement. "Understood." "Then, since time is of the essence, let¡¯s leave today." "Alright. I need to prepare a few things first. Let¡¯s depart in an hour." "Got it." Diana quickly left the meeting room. Does she have a lot to prepare? As Diana and I talked, Count Ohaim, who had been watching, spoke up. "Please take good care of Diana. She seems much more subdued than usual. I heard she lost most of her guard, who were like family to her... Some say she nearly summoned the Spirit of Wrath. Is that true?" "Yes, it is." "Oh dear. That could have been disastrous. We almost lost the hope of the elves." Hope? That¡¯s a bit much... "What exactly happens if someone summons the Spirit of Wrath?" "If someone summons a forbidden spirit outside the realm of order, a High Elf loses their divinity. The Spirit of Wrath is the highest-ranking forbidden spirit, so she would instantly be demoted to a Fallen Elf. High Elves are the ones who nurture and protect the World Tree. If she falls, the World Tree of this era will fail to grow and wither." "Wait, there¡¯s only one High Elf? Would the World Tree fail just because one of them is gone?" "There are five High Elves in this era. But apart from Diana, the others are too old... Diana¡¯s role is crucial." I thought there¡¯d be at least a hundred High Elves, but only five? They really are royalty-tier beings. Count Ohaim, seemingly eager to share, continued his explanations about the status of High Elves, Diana, the current era of the human kingdom, and more. If I were planning to live here forever, I¡¯d pay attention, but since I¡¯ll leave once I restore this broken world, I let most of it go in one ear and out the other. "...So Diana¡¯s divinity is absolutely essential." "Then why did she take the risk of going to activate the Sanctuary of Fire?" "That¡¯s because¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s been lacking power lately.¡± Diana re-entered the conference room. She carried a small leather backpack slung over her right shoulder. ¡°If the fortress had fallen, I would have died anyway. Heading to the Sanctuary of Fire was inevitable. I only regret that my carelessness cost the lives of my sisters.¡± I quickly changed the subject to stop her from saying more sorrowful words. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s set off now. I¡¯ll guide you.¡± Following her lead, we left the castle. ¡°Since time is pressing, let¡¯s go as fast as we can. Let me know if it gets too hard.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Armored and determined, she took a deep breath and bolted forward like an arrow. Wow, she¡¯s fast! Fueled by competitiveness, I pushed myself to run as fast as I could. Each step left footprints behind as my body surged forward with the sound of rushing wind. But unlike the time with Alfid, the gap wasn¡¯t closing¡ªin fact, it was widening bit by bit. Once we entered the forest, it became even harder to catch up. While I crashed through trees, Diana weaved skillfully between them, disappearing from view. [Why not use the Flame Chariot?] The phoenix flying alongside me offered a suggestion. Fair point. This isn¡¯t the time to cling to pride. The Flame Chariot is my ability, after all¡ªif speed¡¯s an issue, I should use it. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± I summoned the chariot while carefully controlling the firepower to avoid setting the forest ablaze. Perhaps thanks to my improved skill levels, the chariot now had three horses, and both the horses and the chariot itself were larger in size. Moreover, the mana consumption was significantly reduced, making it viable for regular travel. I climbed onto the Flame Chariot and activated my spiritualization ability. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Neighhh! The three fiery horses raised their front legs in unison and took off at an insane speed. Much faster than when I was running. The scenery blurred as it zipped past. Thanks to the improved control over firepower, I managed to avoid setting the forest alight, even at high speeds. ¡°Phoenix¡­ aren¡¯t you fast?¡± [I could go even faster, but I¡¯m matching your pace.] ¡°Finally, you¡¯re acting like a divine beast.¡± [Divine beast? With this tiny body? Hurry up and get stronger. If you grow more, I might even carry you and fly through the sky.] Wow. Flying on a phoenix sounds amazing! Though it might overlap a bit with the Flame Chariot. Chatting idly with the phoenix, I soon found myself beyond the forested area. There, by a small lakeside, Diana stood waiting for me. ¡°The Flame Chariot has become more powerful.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve benefited from enhanced mana.¡± ¡°Judging by its speed, I¡¯ll run at full power as well. For now, you can use the Flame Chariot while I run on foot.¡± ¡°Is that really necessary? Why don¡¯t you ride with me like last time?¡± I offered since it felt unfair for her to exert herself while I traveled comfortably. But she shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t spiritualize like you, so I¡¯d probably get stuck on trees.¡± ¡°The forest isn¡¯t over yet?¡± ¡°No, we still have a long way to go. This is just a lakeside area in a corner of the Trein Forest.¡± ¡°If we run above the trees¡­¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that consume more mana? Don¡¯t worry about me. I actually enjoy running through the forest.¡± ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s proceed as planned.¡± ¡°Yes, but before we go, I¡¯d like to take a short break here. I have something to give you.¡± Oh? Something to give me? Could it be a gift¡­ a latent power boost? I¡¯d never refuse something like that. I immediately dispelled the Flame Chariot and approached her. ¡°I felt terrible when you said you¡¯d lost your latent power. So I thought about what I could do to help you recover, even a little¡­¡± She sat down and opened her backpack. She reached inside and began pulling out various items. First, she spread a pure white cloth on the ground and started arranging the contents of her bag. There were softly glowing green leaves, tree bark, roots, branches, and even golden shining fruits¡ªeverything related to trees. After arranging the items, she turned to me with a question. ¡°Apostle, was your original race human?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°For humans, the leaves of the World Tree often have noticeable effects. Though someone as strong as you might not see much benefit¡­ Since you said you used up all your latent power, I brought it just in case.¡± The leaves of the World Tree? A leaf the size of my upper torso, resembling a sesame leaf. Its gentle green glow exuded a divine aura. ¡°Try eating it.¡± ¡°Just as it is?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I brought the large leaf to my mouth and started chewing. Surprisingly, it tasted quite good. The tangy freshness and subtle sweetness were far better than I¡¯d expected for something leaf-like. I shoved the massive leaf into my mouth and ate it all. Then, a system message appeared. [You have consumed the Leaf of the World Tree.] [User Kim Jiho¡¯s latent physical abilities have permanently increased.] [Order Alignment¡¯s power stat limit has risen.] [Order Alignment¡¯s agility stat limit has risen.] [Neutral Alignment¡¯s physical stat limit has risen.] [Neutral Alignment¡¯s physical stats can now be upgraded to B.] Ohhh!! I can upgrade to B? Even without reaching the C-rank, my limits have increased! ¡°My potential has risen! It¡¯s really risen!¡± While I celebrated, Diana looked at me with pity. ¡°To think¡­ a mere leaf could improve your abilities. You really must have used up every last bit of your latent power¡­¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 33 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 33: Spirit Fortress (2) Diana looked at me with pity and guilt in her eyes. She spoke with regret in her voice. ¡°The Apostle of God can¡¯t possibly have such low potential... This is because of me¡­¡± Hmm¡­ seems like there¡¯s some major misunderstanding here. I was born with a potential of 555, you know. But I won¡¯t refuse this kind of sympathy. More benefits might come my way. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll give you all of these. I was going to give them to you one at a time based on the effects, but¡­¡± ¡°Huh? All of this?¡± Wow. Good job, Kim Jiho. It was a great idea to mention the gifts back then! I barely held back the smile that was trying to break out. ¡°Yes. Ten leaves of the World Tree, ten pieces of bark, five roots, five branches, and one fruit from the World Tree. I wish I could give you more, but this is all I have... I brought everything in this magic backpack.¡± She swept the items back into her backpack and handed it to me. ¡°Only one item from the World Tree takes effect every three days. The order is leaves, bark, roots, branches, and then the fruit. With this, you should be able to recover at least part of your potential as an Apostle.¡± So, I¡¯ve already eaten one item, which means I have 30 left to consume¡­ It¡¯ll take 90 days in total, including the one I¡¯ve already eaten. By then, I should reach at least C-rank, but is it the right choice to consume them immediately? For now, let¡¯s start with the leaves and decide whether it¡¯s worth it as I go along. After placing the backpack into my inventory, I opened the neutral faction¡¯s status window and upgraded my physical abilities. Previously, it cost 40 SP to upgrade, but raising it to B required a staggering 200 SP. My neutral faction SP, which had been over 1,500, decreased significantly in one go. When the physical rank increased, instead of showing as ¡°B-----¡± as before, it simply displayed as ¡°B.¡± However, the letter ¡°B¡± had a faint blue tint at the bottom against a white background, resembling a cup with a small amount of water in it. When I enhanced my abilities again, another 200 SP was consumed, and the blue tint rose slightly higher. Just barely¡­ Yet, despite the minuscule visible improvement in stats, the physical changes I felt were significant. It felt as though my body had leveled up. Numerically, I had only upgraded twice, but with 400 SP consumed, my body felt much lighter. Even with the 2.5x buff from the Order faction, I hadn¡¯t expected to notice the physical enhancement so much. It seems that reaching stat level B opens up a whole new world. I considered using all my SP on physical abilities but decided to save over 1,000 SP for emergencies. ¡°Well, let¡¯s keep going.¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you so much for giving me such treasures, Lady Diana.¡± ¡°For what I¡¯ve caused... this is nothing. I don¡¯t deserve your thanks. To think your potential has been reduced to merely benefitting from a leaf¡­ Just how much have you lost¡­?¡± S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s move on.¡± Seeing her face darken again, I quickly gestured to start moving. She nodded and began running properly this time. Much faster than before. Even with my 2.5x buff in physical stats, it felt like I was struggling to keep up with Diana. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± I hopped onto the Flame Chariot and followed behind her. Thanks to the chariot¡¯s transcendental speed, I managed to match her pace. Thus, we continued running, stopping occasionally for me to recover mana, for four days. On the third day, when I chewed on another leaf, my physical limits increased once more. Do the leaves only enhance physical stats? I wanted to try the other items, but I decided to stick with the expert-recommended consumption order. Although my limits had increased, I didn¡¯t allocate any SP to stats to conserve it. When I mentioned the increase in limits after eating the leaf, Diana looked even more remorseful. ¡°Has your potential fallen so low? Even this leaf raised your limits¡­ If it weren¡¯t for me¡­¡± If it weren¡¯t for you, I¡¯d still be stuck at C++++. ¡°Diana, it¡¯s fine. In fact, I feel like I¡¯ve gone back to my roots. Gradually increasing my potential reminds me of my human days.¡± I smiled brightly at her as I spoke. Since things had turned out this way, I decided to gently prod her guilt a little more. Feel guiltier! That might lead to even better gifts! ¡°Oh no, your human days... To think your potential has fallen so far¡­ I feel utterly ashamed¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think like that. I¡¯m really enjoying myself right now.¡± ¡°No, I must do something¡ªanything. I will find a way!¡± Diana declared with determination. I feel like I can look forward to additional gifts. But if I push her too much, she might summon something like a Spirit of Wrath¡­ Better take it easy. On the fifth day, we completely crossed the forest region and arrived at a coastline. If we¡¯d had time, I would¡¯ve enjoyed the ocean view, but there was no time for leisure. Following Diana, we reached the Wind Sanctuary, located on a cliff by the sea. The sanctuary was a white marble altar at the edge of the cliff, offering a clear view of the coastal scenery. As soon as we arrived, Diana took out an orb containing the Breath of Sylphid. ¡°I will now begin the ritual.¡± She smashed the orb onto the altar, breaking it. From the shattered orb, a powerful wind burst forth, forming a whirlwind. The wind spread rapidly, causing seawater to surge and trees to sway violently. The whirlwind continued to spiral around the altar before shooting skyward and disappearing. That was simple enough. There were no enemy disruptions, and I raised my ability caps in the process¡ªexcellent. ¡°At last¡­ all the sanctuaries have been unlocked.¡± Diana smiled, a rare sight. When she smiled, her beauty truly shone, and the radiance emanating from her grew even brighter. And then, changes occurred to me as well. [Main Quest: ¡®Open the Spirit Realm¡¯s Gate¡¯ completed.] [Affinity with the four elemental spirits has increased.] [Four elemental magic has been enhanced.] [The Trein Fortress has been reactivated as the Trein Spirit Fortress.] With the increase in spirit affinity, I began to see something new. The energy of the four elemental spirits swirling around Diana¡¯s body. Green wind circled her legs, while a translucent flame strong enough to fill her chest armor flickered at her chest. The ground beneath her feet had a black hue distinct from the surroundings, and her arms were enveloped in the energy of water. So, she enhances her body with the power of spirits? Fascinating. ¡°Apostle, I can now sense the energy of the spirits around you.¡± ¡°Thanks to successfully completing this mission, I¡¯ve received the blessing of the spirits.¡± ¡°Ah, if your affinity were just a little higher, you could wield the spirits yourself. It¡¯s a shame, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll manage soon, Apostle.¡± Is my affinity still insufficient to handle spirits directly? What a pity. Still, as long as I stay here in Kevrian, there¡¯ll be opportunities. [You have perfectly cleared the quest by fulfilling the conditions. Additional rewards will be granted upon returning to the fortress.] The system message popped up at the end. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what I¡¯d perfected, but since it was offering rewards, I¡¯d gladly take them. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Feeling satisfied with my own progress, I looked back at Diana, who had clearly grown stronger since the sanctuary¡¯s opening. Her body shimmered with a translucent power, most likely the strength of the spirits, and she looked far more formidable than before. Even before the Wind Spirit appeared, the three spirits were fully unleashed. But something seems fundamentally different between three and four. ¡°With the release of all four spirits, it seems Lady Diana has regained her original strength.¡± ¡°This is all thanks to you, Apostle of the Goddess. I am truly grateful.¡± ¡°Haha, no need to thank me. By the way, the Wind Sanctuary wasn¡¯t particularly guarded by enemies, was it?¡± ¡°Now that the three sanctuaries have been opened, it seems they¡¯ve shifted their strategy to simply occupying the fortress. We need to return quickly.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± I agreed with her and summoned the chariot. Oddly enough, it looked larger than it had before I claimed the quest rewards. Does the enhancement of the four elemental magics also apply to the Flame Chariot? And the Phoenix too? ¡°Phoenix, have you grown stronger as well?¡± [Yeah. Your increased fire affinity has allowed me to grow too. Not enough to significantly increase my size yet, though.] Its size hadn¡¯t changed, but hearing it claim to have grown gave me hope. ¡°This time, we¡¯ll go full speed. You don¡¯t need to adjust the Flame Chariot¡¯s pace.¡± ¡°Looking forward to it.¡± She smiled faintly and raised her energy. The power of the four spirits began to circulate, erupting with tremendous magical force. ¡°I¡¯ll go on ahead.¡± The moment she stepped forward, she shot off like a bullet. Wait, is that even humanly possible? Oh, right¡ªshe¡¯s not human. Still, how is that speed even real? ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± I summoned the Flame Chariot and did my best to keep up, but she quickly disappeared from view. Instead, the Wind Spirit lingered, showing me the trail she left behind. I sprinted at full speed, only to see her leap forward explosively every time I got close. It became a repeated cycle of catching up and falling behind. After four days of this grueling chase, during which I had to pause for mana recovery several times, we finally arrived at the fortress. The sight that greeted me was far from an ordinary fortress. ¡°The Trein Fortress has finally returned to its proper form.¡± A massive moat surrounded the fortress walls, wide enough to resemble a small river. The water within radiated an intense energy. The walls themselves, strengthened by the power of earth, had grown sturdier, while flames danced around their perimeter. Winds blew in reverse along the walls and watchtowers, offering additional protection. It felt incomparably more solid than before. ¡°Reassuring, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Even the main force of the Black Dragon Army wouldn¡¯t be able to take it down now. If reinforcements arrive, we¡¯ll defend it perfectly, but it seems other fronts are also in critical need of support.¡± So it wasn¡¯t just this fortress; it seemed there were simultaneous battles raging everywhere. For now, my goal was to defend this place and eventually defeat the final summoned boss, Death Knight King Ampellion. All I needed to focus on was this area. Inside the fortress, the atmosphere was almost celebratory. Soldiers surrounded us, cheering enthusiastically, while the entire fortress command staff came out to greet us. ¡°Apostle of the Goddess, you are truly incredible.¡± ¡°Thanks to you, we¡¯ve successfully restored Trein Fortress as a Spirit Fortress.¡± However, I barely had the presence of mind to respond to them all. A system window had appeared, prompting me to choose a reward. [You have perfectly cleared the quest: Open the Gateway to the Spirit World. Please choose one of three rewards.] [Spirit¡¯s Blessing] [Master of the Southern Gate] [Apostle Commander] I clicked on each to examine the details. [Spirit¡¯s Blessing] [For opening the gateway to the Spirit World, you receive the blessing of the four spirits. Spirit affinity increases. While in Trein Fortress, your magic gains the power of the spirits. All stats increase by 1.5x for 30 days.] This is great. I almost selected it immediately, but I held back, knowing I should check the others first. [Master of the Southern Gate] [Grants the user authority over the southern wall of the Spirit Fortress, where you first descended. You can command the southern wall¡¯s troops and gain 10% experience from all enemies defeated in the southern wall region, even if they aren¡¯t killed directly by you.] So I¡¯d gain 10% experience from allies¡¯ kills? That sounds useful. Leveling up is a priority back on Earth, after all. This option seemed like the best for farming experience. However, Spirit¡¯s Blessing offered a permanent increase in spirit affinity, which made it hard to overlook. Besides, I wasn¡¯t exactly a commanding officer type. [Apostle Commander] [Allows you to command up to 1,000 Awakened individuals from Earth. Apostle Commanders are prioritized for the Goddess¡¯s blessings. You gain 5% experience from enemies defeated by the Awakened under your command. All stats of those under your command increase by 10%, and the unit gains additional experience. Penalties for the deaths of subordinates are halved. This applies only on the planet Kevrian.] This one... seemed the least useful. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 34 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 34: Apostle Commander (1) The Apostle Commander. If one could summon 1,000 apostles, this would undoubtedly be the best ability. However, this reward is only meaningful if awakened individuals from Earth are brought here. But who in their right mind would come to Kevrian right now? Even if they were summoned, the only merit for me would be a 5% experience bonus. While it says I¡¯d receive the goddess''s preferential blessing, it would only be useful if there were many apostles. In my current situation, where I am the only one, it¡¯s utterly useless. Looking at the clause that reduces the death penalty by half, it seems like a bait to lure people here. If this ability worked on other planets and not just Kevrian, I would have chosen the Apostle Commander without hesitation... Simply put, the Spirit¡¯s Blessing seems better, but something feels off. I have a nagging feeling that I might regret choosing the Spirit¡¯s Blessing. Let¡¯s re-evaluate. If I choose the Spirit¡¯s Blessing, the practical merit would likely be spirit affinity. The Ruler of the Southern Gate gives bonus experience points. As for the Apostle Commander, since there¡¯s no mention that it¡¯s limited to the fortress, it might provide massive benefits if we successfully transition from defense to offense... Oh, right, there¡¯s the main quest. [Main Quest] [Difficulty: Impossible] [Defend Train Fortress for 100 days.] [Quest Completion Rewards] SP: 100,000 Achievement: "Footsteps of the Savior" Titles: "Kevrian Hero," "Challenger of the Impossible" 3 Random Skill Boxes (Grade B or higher) 3 Random Item Boxes (Grade B or higher) What an incredible quest reward. It¡¯s been just over a month since I annihilated the vanguard and opened the sanctuary, meaning there are about 70 days left. If I can just hold out for that long, I¡¯ll get all this. That changes the situation. Even if I received the Spirit¡¯s Blessing, it wouldn¡¯t be as powerful as 1,000 D-rank awakened individuals. If the enemies turn out to be too weak, the Spirit¡¯s Blessing might be better. But judging by the quest''s difficulty, that seems unlikely. Considering the main quest rewards, I thought of choosing the Apostle Commander immediately, but I decided to visit Earth and gauge the atmosphere first. If no one wants to come, saying, "Kevrian? That insane difficulty? No way," then it¡¯d be better to take the Spirit¡¯s Blessing, which could at least help a bit in the defensive battle. "When do you think the enemy will arrive?" "They will likely reach us in ten days," Replied the command staff when I asked. This seems like the perfect time to return. If the atmosphere on Eshtar Planet is oversaturated and people are looking for alternative places, the Apostle Commander could work well. Let¡¯s see... Time to return for now. After a long absence, I returned to the familiar but now slightly alien top floor of the Association. Alena rushed out as soon as I arrived, grabbing my hand tightly. "What on earth happened?!" "What are you talking about all of a sudden?" Not just her, but dwarves and elves gathered around me as well. Their eyes were filled with awe and admiration. "The planet''s difficulty has changed!" "The difficulty?" Oh? This might work well to attract people. "Yes. From Impossible to Very Difficult!" "Very Difficult? What¡¯s the highest difficulty for other planets?" "Of course, it¡¯s just Difficult. Anyway, it¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve seen a planet''s difficulty change. You¡¯re truly amazing, Soul Mediator." "How did this happen? What exactly occurred?" I briefly explained the recent events to the surrounding assistants and started pondering. From Impossible to Very Difficult. Even if it had been just Difficult, it would¡¯ve been much easier to attract people. Still, Very Difficult is better than Impossible. When I explained the Apostle Commander¡¯s ability to the assistants and asked if it could attract people, they said it might work. "Eshtar is quite saturated these days. There are many awakened individuals on Earth now, but they¡¯re divided by nations and guilds, causing fierce competition for dungeon monopolies. If marketed properly, this could draw a large crowd. However, gathering a thousand people from Korea alone will be tough. You¡¯d need to contact the World Awakened Association." "I see." "Luckily, the timing is good. In two days, Eshtar''s destruction cycle begins. Once that happens, the hunters tied to Eshtar will be freed. It would be a great time to promote this." "You used to tell people to commit suicide to get to Eshtar. Why the sudden change of heart?" "Because we¡¯ve witnessed the difficulty level drop with our own eyes. Plus, the Spirit Fortress has been rebuilt, so it¡¯s worth a try now." After asking for my phone number, Alena said she would contact the World Awakened Association headquarters herself. As I left the Association, I tried reaching out to two hunters I knew¡ªLee Jinseong and Kang Shia¡ªbut neither answered, likely because they were in dungeons. Two days later, I received a call from Kang Shia first. -Jiho, I heard an interesting rumor. The difficulty of Kevrian dropped?" "Yes. I did some good work." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] After explaining the recent events, I asked if this could motivate hunters to join. Her response was more positive than I expected. -The atmosphere on Eshtar is chaotic right now. Everyone knows the planet inside out, and dungeon competition is fierce. U.S. and Chinese hunters have even started fighting each other instead of monsters. Hunters from smaller countries don¡¯t have enough numbers to compete. Many would be interested in your proposal. "I see." -But I¡¯m not sure if you can gather a thousand people. Even with the death penalty reduced, losing 1.5 levels after three deaths is a significant risk. If people could grasp the actual difficulty, it¡¯d help persuade them¡­ Losing 1.5 levels with the penalty and requiring five times more experience is indeed burdensome. -Oh, by the way, have you heard of Recording Stones, Jiho? "No, what are they?" -They¡¯re magical stones that allow you to record footage. You can take them into broken worlds and capture battle scenes. It might make it easier to convince people. "I didn¡¯t know such a thing existed. That¡¯s a great idea." -But it¡¯d be better if multiple people recorded rather than just you, right? Could you include our Daehyun Guild in this? "What? The Daehyun Guild?" Wasn¡¯t Daehyun Group a major corporation? They must already have some stake in Eshtar. When I shared my thoughts, she denied it. -Daehyun may be a big name in Korea, but it¡¯s nothing globally. Especially now, with the U.S. and China going all out to level up. Until recently, they maintained a minimum sense of decorum, but now they¡¯re openly resorting to bullying tactics. "I¡¯m fine with it. How many members might participate?" -Hmm¡­ Not many. I¡¯m not the guild master, so I can only influence about ten D-rank hunters. "That''s more than enough." She said she would gather people today and wait at the top floor of the association building. It was important to secure footage and promote it quickly before people started fresh in Eshtar. When I called Jinseong, he gave a similar response. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. -By coincidence, I also took out a full loan to get a spirit horse! I''ve been wanting to make a mark in a battlefield like that. Things have been chaotic lately. The Seomsang Guild had a decent stake in Eshtar, but the pressure from the state-backed guilds of powerful nations was too intense, so we lost some ground. That''s why they¡¯re focusing only on high-level members these days. "Seems like not everything about an easy planet is good." -Overcrowding is a problem wherever you go. I''ll ask the idle D-rank hunters around me. About five might be interested. He also agreed to gather people and come to the association in two hours. Having nothing else to do, I went early to wait, and Elf Alena approached me. "When I contacted the branches, they all showed great interest. They were especially excited about the stat boosts and reduced death penalties. Some affiliated hunters from China and Japan, being close to Korea, have already boarded planes and arrived in Seoul. Other countries are also dispatching hunters one after another." "This is more popular than I expected." "It shows how slow leveling up has become. The planet Eshtar couldn''t handle Earth''s population. Honestly, at this rate, achieving a B-rank, let alone a C-rank, would have been impossible." The number of hunters headed to Korea was approximately 40, and they were said to be arriving soon. It seemed like the sense of crisis felt by each country was stronger than I imagined. Is leveling up that slow for everyone...? I was tempted to choose the Blessing of the Spirits, but in this situation, the Apostle Commander option seemed more critical. Even if I grew stronger alone, without backup from other hunters, survival would be uncertain¡ªnot just in the broken world, but in the world a year from now. Spirit affinity could still be upgraded to C-rank later and sold in the SP store. Let¡¯s go for the 100,000 SP. I reopened the quest window and chose Apostle Commander. [You have chosen Apostle Commander.] [A Command Window has been created.] [You can now designate apostles to command through the Command Window.] [The effects of command apply only on the planet Kevrian.] It felt similar to party designations in games. When I arrived at the top floor of the association, ten people, including Kang Shia, had already gathered. They were members of the Daehyun Guild. "Over here, Jiho." I approached Kang Shia''s group to take a closer look at their lineup. Seven men and three women. Judging by their gear, there were four warriors, three archers, and three mages. "This is my friend, Lee Hyeju, who made the bet with me back then." "Hello. I¡¯m indebted to this lady quite often." She had short, black, bobbed hair, a bare face without makeup, and a stern expression. She had a pretty face but exuded a soldier-like aura, making her seem more imposing than feminine. So this is the person who made the bet that led Kang Shia and me to meet? But her demeanor feels more like a bodyguard than a friend. "Is this the friend who turned Kang Shia into a warrior back then?" "Yes. It was because of Hyeju that we made the bet." Lee Hyeju seemed about to say something but closed her mouth, shooting a brief glare at Kang Shia. This really feels less like a friendship and more like a bodyguard relationship. Someone like her doesn''t seem the type to make such bets... Anyway, after getting introduced to everyone, I got straight to the point. "I''m going to designate awakened individuals for command now. Please accept." When I opened the Command Window and pressed the "Command Designation" button, a target designation message appeared. I could designate everyone visible all at once. After designating everyone and completing the acceptance process, their names filled the Command Window in a neat list. "Jiho, I¡¯m here too. Include me and my five people." Good timing, as always. I greeted Jinseong and the Seomsang Guild members and added them to the group. "So, are we heading out now?" Kang Shia asked excitedly. "No, hunters from China and Japan are arriving soon. We''ll include them before we go." "That makes sense. For a siege, the more people, the better. By the way, is that person a friend of yours, Jiho?" "Ah, yes. Kang Shia, this is Lee Jinseong." "Kang Shia." As we waited, members of the Daehyun and Seomsang Guilds exchanged greetings, and soon the hunters from China and Japan arrived. "It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Hunter Kim Jiho." "I¡¯ve heard much about your reputation." The hunters from the two countries were incredibly polite. A Korean-speaking hunter bowed at a 90-degree angle. Is it because they know about my special class? In any case, avoiding unnecessary conflicts was good. After designating them all, the group totaled 55 members. It was a decent fighting force. "Now, let¡¯s move out." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 35 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 35: Apostle Commander (2) [Broken World ¨C Multiple Awakened beings descend on the planet Kevrian.] [The divine blessing uniquely granted by Athena, the Goddess of War, has been retrieved.] [Athena, the Goddess of War, grants her divine blessing to Apostle Commander Kim Jiho as a priority.] [The status of the Order faction increases by 1.5 times. Athena¡¯s additional blessing remains. Status increases by 1.8 times.] [All attacks are imbued with the divine power of the Gods.] I had braced myself for losing some stats, but seeing it drop from 2.5 times to 1.8 times still hurt. "Wow. That¡¯s an incredible blessing!" "With Athena''s blessing, your stats go up by 15%, and another 10% from command... This is an amazing buff." The awakeneds around me were excited, a stark contrast to my sour mood. But since nobody mentioned the divine power of the Gods, it seemed like that particular buff wasn¡¯t given to others. Was it exclusive to me? That was a relief, at least. "Jiho, take this. It¡¯s a recording stone. Attach it to your helmet." Kang Shia approached me and handed over a blue gem. When I brought the gem to the center of my helmet, it smoothly merged into it. Touching the area where it merged, I could feel the gem securely lodged within the helmet. "If you touch the gem and say ¡®Start recording,¡¯ it will begin recording. Say ¡®Stop recording¡¯ to end it. It can record up to 24 hours." "Such a handy item." "Magic items can be quite unconventional. That¡¯s why mana stones sell for such high prices." I was told that these recordings were used for analysis by D-rank awakeneds. Lower-ranked awakeneds or ordinary people couldn¡¯t even view the footage, and awakeneds who leaked recordings would trigger a secrecy enchantment. "Your Holiness, Apostle. These individuals are...?" The figures of the fortress command, including Count Ohaim, had all gathered. "To protect the fortress, I figured we¡¯d need more than just myself. So I brought other apostles with me." "Oh! If over fifty apostles as strong as you are helping us, we¡¯ll be able to defend the castle perfectly!" Count Ohaim looked relieved, as if the castle was already safe. "That won¡¯t be the case. The reason I was strong was that I received the blessing alone. Now that the divine blessing is shared, I won¡¯t be able to exhibit the same level of power as before. However, with our numbers, we¡¯ll be strategically advantageous." "Ah... I see." "Unlike me, each has their specialties. Whether it¡¯s as warriors or mages, they excel in specific areas. Please assign them positions, Count." "Do you think I¡¯m capable of such a task?" "Yes. No one knows the fortress better than you, Count." As I said this and glanced at the group of awakened beings, they all nodded in agreement. Count Ohaim cautiously approached the group, categorized them by their roles, and discussed their abilities. The group comprised 25 warriors and assassins, 20 archers, and 10 mages. The Count assigned them to defend the southeastern and southwestern walls of the fortress. "Apostle Kim Jiho, who are they...?" "Ah. It¡¯s Liana." "It really is her! How is Liana here?" As Diana appeared, the group began murmuring. Some reached for their recording stones and began recording. At the mention of "Liana," she hesitated briefly, then approached me. "For this defense, I thought numbers would be critical, so I brought reinforcements." "I see. Thank you so much. However... the aura I felt from you seems a bit..." "The Goddess¡¯s blessing has been divided among others. Still, I judged numbers to be more important this time. This is just the advance team; more apostles will descend later." "Understood. Thank you for your efforts." "Also, I need to speak privately with the commander for a moment..." I asked Diana to arrange a separate meeting with the fortress command. Though puzzled, she nodded. Once I separated from the group and entered the command post with Count Ohaim and Diana, I spoke. "In truth, the apostles who arrived as the advance team are apprentice apostles." "Apprentice apostles?" "Yes. They aren¡¯t particularly strong yet. Apprentice apostles need to grow through battle, but they prefer battles with high chances of victory. Losing battles weakens their power. That¡¯s why, despite having the capacity for a thousand apostles, only about fifty came." "I see. You could summon up to a thousand apostles...!" "In ten days, I¡¯ll report the progress of the battle to the Celestial Realm. I want to show that this fortress is secure. If it becomes well-known, I¡¯ll be able to recruit a thousand apostles immediately. Will it be possible to go all out on the first day of the defense?" Count Ohaim nodded enthusiastically, his excitement clear. "Of course! I¡¯ll mobilize every reserve force we have." "I¡¯ll also give it my all. I¡¯ll tell the elves to fight with everything they have on the first day." Good. The enemy likely wouldn¡¯t use their full strength to capture the fortress on the first day. If we record how easily we can hold them off, it¡¯ll help attract more recruits. Once they come, they¡¯re as good as trapped in the net. They¡¯ll fight with all their might, offering me experience points. Thank you in advance, Earthlings. Ten days later. The sky darkened with countless black wyverns. Statues resembling Uruk hung from their talons. "Wyverns!" "Shoot!" Elven archers raised their bows high, chanting spirit magic. Arrows of fire shot like bullets. Most couldn¡¯t penetrate the wyverns¡¯ tough black hide, but occasionally, arrows struck softer areas like their eyes, engulfing them in flames. "Kaaaargh!" The wyverns fell before they could even reach the fortress. I, along with the awakened archers, continued firing arrows. With a tailwind blowing from the fortress, our arrows flew far and true. Buffed by the Phoenix''s Breath, each arrow shot brought down another wyvern. The wyverns¡¯ corpses were trampled underfoot as ogres, towering nearly as tall as the fortress walls, advanced in hordes. The ground quaked with the ogres¡¯ heavy strides, the tremors reaching even the fortress walls. "Salamander¡¯s Breath!" "The Blessing of Flame has been granted! Focus on fire magic!" The fortress walls glowed red as elven officers shouted commands. Waves of fiery bombardments rained down in unison. Some officers amplified their spirit magic, unleashing massive streams of fire, resembling an enormous dragon¡¯s breath from a previous encounter. "Graaaaah!" The ogres¡¯ thick hides ignited, turning the battlefield into a fiery hell. Even so, the enemies trampled over the burning ogres¡¯ corpses, pushing forward¡ªonly for sudden earthen walls to erupt from the ground, momentarily halting their advance. Then came another rain of fiery meteors. I sent my Flame Chariot speeding forward while aiming my bow skyward, taking down a wyvern. The experience points must be piling up like crazy. ¡°Kiaaaa!¡± Despite the fierce attacks, some wyverns managed to break through the barrage of arrows. They reached the fortress and dropped Uruk statues strapped to their feet. It was as if they were dropping massive boulders¡ªprimitive bombing tactics, perhaps? ¡°Activate the anti-air defenses!¡± At the commanding voices of the elven officers, gusts of wind began to swirl in the sky, catching the falling Uruk statues in their vortex. Though the statues couldn¡¯t be completely stopped, their descent was drastically slowed, giving the soldiers on the ground enough time to dodge. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Boom. The statues shattered upon hitting the ground, revealing Uruks emerging from within. So they weren¡¯t just throwing rocks after all. ¡°Ugh... Kill the elves first! Only then will we be saved!¡± The fallen Uruks rose one by one, exuding an intense presence. They looked noticeably stronger than regular Uruk warriors. But as soon as the previously idle awakened warriors charged at them enthusiastically, the Uruks ceased to be a threat. ¡°Give me your head!¡± Jinseong, now astride a summoned spirit horse, raced along the fortress wall. His Azure Dragon Crescent Blade gleamed with blue mana. It was the passive skill Mana Blade of a D-rank warrior. Though the Uruks tried to block, Jinseong¡¯s strikes were faster. Slash! ¡°Now this feels like a real battlefield!¡± Jinseong laughed wildly, repeatedly swinging his Azure Dragon Crescent Blade at an Uruk whose arm had been severed. His expression bordered on madness. What a lunatic that guy is... In any case, the fallen Uruks were being adequately dealt with by the awakened warriors and soldiers. I focused on using my bow and magic until I ran out of mana to keep the ogres at bay. One ogre managed to navigate past the earthen wall and reach the moat, but as it stretched its stride to cross, a massive spike of ice suddenly impaled its foot. ¡°Graaahhh!¡± As the immobilized ogre roared, ice arrows rained down on it. Even when they got close, the ogres were swiftly subdued. The enemy also set up catapults to hurl boulders, but each time a boulder flew, a wind barrier would deflect it, causing the rock to fall short of the walls. Wow, this is way too convenient. The elves, who once seemed useless, and the awakened warriors were now formidable. Was it because of their classes? Mages could use up to 4th or 5th-class spells, and the archers displayed dazzling skills. ¡°Ice Storm.¡± ¡°Arrow Rain.¡± Large ice spikes fell menacingly from the sky, while a single arrow split into dozens, piercing through all the enemies. Wow. At D-rank, even active skills look this impressive. Although my Flame Chariot was imposing, watching the awakened warriors¡¯ flashy skills made me feel like my active abilities were lacking. As I moved around the southern gate assisting with defense, Kang Shia, who was shooting arrows, smiled at me. ¡°This spot is amazing! I¡¯ve already leveled up! I¡¯m at level 28!¡± ¡°Already?¡± Surprised, I checked my own level. I was at 35.3. Sharing 5% of others¡¯ experience points was turning out to be very lucrative. Just yesterday, I was at 34.7... Boom boom boom boom. Three hours had passed since the ogres had been slaughtered by the spirit magic. A loud drumbeat echoed, and the ogres, who had been advancing relentlessly despite their deaths, began retreating as if enchanted. ¡°The enemy is retreating!¡± We continued shooting at the ogres within range, taking them down one by one. The area outside the fortress was now littered with the corpses of wyverns and ogres. After the battle ended, the dwarves came out of the fortress to collect the wyvern corpses, while the ogres were burned¡ªlikely because they couldn¡¯t be salvaged. ¡°A flawless victory!¡± The first battle ended in a decisive win. This time, I had it easy, using my bow and Flame Chariot from the safety of the fortress walls. The awakened warriors seemed thrilled, their faces filled with excitement. The soldiers who hadn¡¯t seen much action looked a little disappointed. The warriors became excited upon seeing the legion experience points system, discussing how quickly they could level up if they brought more people. Legion experience points allowed 0.1% of the experience earned by an awakened warrior for each monster slain to be shared with the group. With 1,000 members, they could gain 100% more experience from each kill. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to Earth immediately and recruit more people.¡± ¡°If we increase our numbers, the experience gains will be insane.¡± ¡°We should prioritize recruiting archers and mages.¡± Despite their differing opinions, everyone¡¯s faces were lit with joy. I excused myself, saying I¡¯d speak with the command group, and left the gathering. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Count Ohaim, how much of our resources were expended in today¡¯s battle?¡± ¡°We used about 60% of the fortress¡¯s spirit energy, mostly to block the shaman¡¯s magic and the wyverns¡¯ aerial assaults. Fortunately, the energy regenerates at 20% per day...¡± ¡°So it takes five days to fully recover?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°From now on, please manage it so we don¡¯t deplete it entirely. The awakened warriors are highly motivated by today¡¯s victory and will bring reinforcements. That should help relieve the strain.¡± Count Ohaim¡¯s face brightened visibly at my words. ¡°Oh! Thank you so much. We¡¯ll place our trust in you, Apostle of the Goddess.¡± ¡°The enemy shaman will likely interfere more heavily from tomorrow. A flawless victory like today¡¯s will be harder to achieve. Reinforcements are vital.¡± Although the command staff wasn¡¯t celebrating the easy win, they repeatedly emphasized the need for reinforcements, citing how unexpected it was for the enemy to deploy wyverns and ogres on such a large scale. It seems I need to return to Earth quickly before the next battle to recruit more people. D-rank awakened warriors were stronger than I expected. With their active and passive skills, they felt almost superior despite my high SP stats. I need better rewards. Getting a B-rank skill seems urgent. Time to recruit 1,000 people. Returning to the barracks where the awakened warriors were gathered, I spoke: ¡°Everyone, we¡¯re returning to Earth. The battles will get tougher, but so will the rewards. Keep that in mind, and let¡¯s aim to bring 1,000 recruits next time.¡± ¡°Yes, understood.¡± ¡°If we handle the persuasion, we can get it done.¡± Having chosen Kevrian, they were bound to me by fate. If they wanted to survive, they¡¯d have to bring more people. More people meant more experience. Fifty-five awakened warriors began returning to Earth, beams of light shooting into the sky as they disappeared. Finally, I returned, closing the door to this world behind me. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 36 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 36: Apostle Commander (3) A Sudden Rise in Popularity. That was the situation I found myself in after the reports about Kevrian¡¯s state were made public. Contrary to my expectations, Eshtar was already in a critical situation, and nations around the world were scrambling in panic. The first to approach me was the United States. ¡°It¡¯s truly an honor to meet you, awakened Kim Jiho.¡± A man who introduced himself as Agent Smith, claiming to be a secret CIA operative, approached me. With a muscular physique, blonde hair, and sunglasses, he had the stereotypical look of a secret agent straight out of a movie. He took me to a private room in a restaurant near my house. And I do mean ¡°took¡± in the literal sense ¡ª it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. The way this American bent over backward, speaking Korean with formal honorifics, saying ¡°How dare I¡± and ¡°It¡¯s a great privilege,¡± made it seem like he was truly bowing to me. As we ate, Agent Smith showered me with so much praise that even I felt embarrassed to hear it. Finally, as dessert was served, he brought up the main point. ¡°The United States of America would like to offer you the utmost respect and hospitality, awakened Kim. Our superiors have already prepared a blank check for you.¡± ¡°A blank check?¡± ¡°It¡¯s disappointing to see that Korea hasn¡¯t given awakened Kim Jiho the recognition you deserve. Despite your achievements of accomplishing what was thought impossible and reducing an ''impossible'' difficulty level to ''very hard,'' it¡¯s baffling how you still have debts. Even if you don¡¯t wish to relocate to the U.S., we hope you¡¯ll accept this card.¡± With that, Agent Smith handed me a golden envelope. Inside was a gold card with ¡°J.P. Morgan¡± written in elegant cursive. ¡°This is a small token of appreciation from the United States to you. Feel free to use it as you wish.¡± I, Kim Jiho, am not one to turn down gifts. I gladly accepted it. ¡°We would be deeply grateful if you could allow me and some of our American awakened ones to join your expedition.¡± ¡°Agent Smith, you¡¯re an awakened too?¡± ¡°Yes, which is why I can discuss the Broken World with you.¡± Surprisingly, he was a big shot. A D-rank awakened and a secret agent ¡ª what a combination. When I agreed, he asked for a spot for 100 American awakened ones and sent $10 million as a token of gratitude. Sigh. Honestly, I would¡¯ve been grateful even if they joined without giving me money¡­ Hmm. Oh well. In addition to Agent Smith, I met secret agents from various countries. China¡¯s Agent Wang. Japan¡¯s Agent Nakamura. Russia¡¯s Agent Ivanov. China brought 100 awakened ones, Japan and Russia brought 70 each, and they all handed over hefty sums of money. They even suggested I consider naturalizing to their countries, though I deferred answering for now. After receiving all that money and returning home, I couldn¡¯t help but feel amused at how hard I used to struggle over every penny. ¡°You shot down wyverns with your bow and summoned the Chariot of Flames to incinerate ogres? The industry¡¯s buzzing about it.¡± ¡°Did people record me?¡± ¡°Yeah. Apparently, some awakened ones recorded it, focusing on you. Everyone¡¯s scrambling to figure out who you are.¡± A conversation with Jinseong made me realize why they were so generous with the money. If they reacted this way just from seeing that, imagine if they¡¯d seen me annihilate an entire legion single-handedly ¡ª they¡¯d probably pay ten times more. Jinseong said plenty of people were eager to join, and it wouldn¡¯t take long to gather a force. Kang Shia offered an alternative suggestion. ¡°Jiho, why not charge the new recruits joining the Kevrian expedition?¡± ¡°Charge them?¡± ¡°Even if you charged 10 million won each, they¡¯d gladly pay it, considering how much they¡¯d gain.¡± Her logic was sound. With so many awakened ones leveling up in just one day of battle, 10 million won would seem like a small price to pay. But I felt it was unnecessary to charge ordinary awakened ones when I was already receiving bribes in the form of participation fees from various nations. Considering how much harder things would get moving forward, charging them might only lead to more complaints. When I explained my reasoning, she agreed. ¡°That makes sense. The first battle in Kevrian was easy, but who knows what¡¯s coming next. Even a small fee could stir unnecessary conflict later, so it¡¯s better to proceed without charging them.¡± ¡°Yes. I think getting 1,000 recruits smoothly is more important than the money.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll use the footage we have to attract more participants.¡± ¡°340 spots are already filled.¡± ¡°Wow. Already? It¡¯s filling up fast.¡± As she predicted, the recruitment moved quickly. There was so much competition that I could handpick participants based on their roles. Since long-range fighters were crucial, I limited melee roles like warriors and assassins to 300 and filled the remaining 700 with archers and mages. Some argued we should prioritize more long-range fighters, but I insisted on having at least 100 per wall, as we didn¡¯t know what challenges awaited us. ¡°Kevrian is so popular that people are trying to enter on their own, even if it means bypassing the official process. What should we do?¡± In just three days, we gathered 1,000 recruits. On top of that, 400 more expressed their willingness to enter Kevrian independently, even if they had to bear penalties. Most of them were melee fighters. Kang Shia, who had practically become my assistant, looked troubled as she reported this, but I felt like celebrating. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. We¡¯ll need every soldier we can get. Fortress defense is only going to get harder.¡± ¡°Do you think so? The first battle seemed so easy¡­¡± ¡°I guarantee it¡¯ll get harder. The more soldiers, the better. Just make sure to tell them they need to coordinate their entry time with our unit. Entering separately and causing time shifts in that world could be disastrous.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ve asked the elves to block entry until your unit is inside.¡± Efficient, as always. The elves had already begun enforcing entry restrictions, ensuring that no one entered Kevrian before our unit. The awakened ones, understanding the risks, complied without issue. It took a week for everyone to complete their preparations. A 1,000-strong Kevrian expedition. 300 melee fighters, 400 archers, and 300 mages ¡ª a solid D-rank force. The overall level wasn¡¯t exceptionally high, as most high-level awakened ones had resumed activity in Eshtar, where the established powers held sway. That worked out perfectly. I didn¡¯t want high-level awakened ones causing trouble by trying to take command. ¡°Let¡¯s move out.¡± Fully armed, we departed for Kevrian. The fortress command welcomed us warmly, and the awakened ones were filled with anticipation for leveling up. Upon our arrival, the total force grew to 1,400 with the addition of independent participants: 500 melee fighters, 500 archers, and 400 mages. The subsequent battle was easier than expected. Even though the enemy shaman began to intervene, with the proper defense from spirits and the overwhelming firepower of the awakened, everyone leveled up enthusiastically, and the unit''s morale was at its peak. "Captain, thank you for selecting me." "Thanks to you, I broke past level 30! I¡¯ve learned a new skill!" At some point, I had earned the title of "Captain." Even the foreign white and black soldiers would give me a thumbs-up and say, "Thank you, thank you, good!" I couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. That was the case for eight days. On the 9th day of the siege. My level had already reached 47. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] With 1,000 soldiers offering 5% of their experience points each, leveling up was absurdly fast. Just three more levels, and I¡¯d reach Class C. I was praying the difficulty would stay the same as yesterday. But today, something felt different. This wasn¡¯t the mindless advance of ogres we¡¯d seen before. "Dragonkin!" The elf with sharp eyesight cried out urgently. At those words, I squinted at the battlefield. About 100 dragonkin were walking toward us slowly. Over 5 meters tall, humanoid bodies with dragon heads¡ªdragonkin. The one in the center was twice as tall as the others, towering like a giant tower. They marched in neat rows and columns, stopping abruptly after reaching a certain point. It was still far too distant for arrows to reach, even with the aid of the Wind Spirit. What are they trying to do from there? ¡°They¡¯re preparing to breathe fire!¡± The central dragonkin began to unleash its breath. The breath it exhaled was massive enough to be clearly visible even from this far. Yellow flames shot out, coalescing into a single orb. Then the other 99 dragonkin exhaled toward the orb. As the fiery breaths combined, the orb swelled, growing large enough to envelop even the massive central dragonkin. When the orb reached that size, it began to shift shape. It morphed, flowing like liquid, eventually forming the head of a dragon. When the fiery dragon opened its mouth, the phoenix spirit shouted urgently. [It¡¯s a dragon breath! It¡¯s going to hit the castle gate directly!] "Alfid! We need to block the castle gate immediately. Prioritize defenses at the southern gate!" ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The earth rose up in front of the gate, while ice walls filled the gaps. Countless walls sprang up, all concentrated on the gate. But even so, it didn¡¯t feel like it would be enough. As the fiery dragon opened its mouth fully, the heat felt as if it could consume the entire castle. "Kaaaaaaaah!" The dragon¡¯s roar echoed across the battlefield. A fear rose from deep within, freezing my entire body. My spine tingled, my consciousness blurred, and my hands and feet trembled as my body refused to obey me. No matter how much I tried to move or resist, I couldn¡¯t. What is this? How is it affecting me from this distance? [You are exposed to Dragon Fear.] [The Perfect Form Maintenance skill has been activated. Dragon Fear is blocked.] Hah... Hah... So this is Dragon Fear? It¡¯s overwhelming. If not for the Perfect Form Maintenance skill, I would¡¯ve been utterly paralyzed. With my body moving again, I looked around and saw everyone else frozen in place. [Master, have you regained your senses? You must get to the gate immediately. Even the High Elf is frozen by Dragon Fear.] The phoenix spirit resisted Dragon Fear due to its divine beast nature. Looking toward the top of the gate, I saw Diana, her eyes wide, unable to move. The heat grew more intense. Heatwaves shimmered off the ground. At this rate, the breath would be unleashed any second now. "Summon Flame Chariot!" I summoned the Flame Chariot and sped up, snatching her away in an instant. As we continued to flee, the world suddenly turned bright yellow. A searing heat enveloped my entire body. BOOOOOOM! A series of explosions echoed as the world was consumed in a yellow inferno. Looking back from the chariot, I saw the fiery blast obliterating everything in its path. The ice walls and earthen barriers melted away, the gate reduced to nothing. This wasn¡¯t just fire. The dragon breath annihilated everything in its way. If I hadn¡¯t rescued Diana, she would¡¯ve been instantly killed... The gate and part of the adjoining wall had been completely destroyed. The dragon breath carved a straight path, continuing until it eventually dissipated in the distance. Screams echoed across the battlefield. The largest dragonkin stood burning, disintegrating into ash. Was this the backlash of using such an immense attack? The remaining dragonkin had all collapsed, gasping for breath. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Ugh¡­ Thank you, Apostle of the Goddess.¡± ¡°Are you back to your senses?¡± ¡°Yes. The presence of a dragon... It¡¯s overwhelming. We must block the breached gate immediately.¡± ¡°Understood. Let¡¯s go.¡± Reaching the destroyed gate, I saw the ground deeply scorched, flames still lingering. Diana used the Water and Earth Spirits to extinguish the fire and reshape the land into defensible terrain. The ground on our side was raised high, while the terrain beyond the gate was kept low. The elves, who had recovered, joined in to assist. The terrain shifted quickly, turning the gate area into a hill ideal for defense. I moved along the wall, gathering melee fighters. There must be a reason for such a powerful attack. Destroying the gate must have given them confidence they could overpower us. We had to block it, no matter what. Warriors who hadn¡¯t had a chance to fight yet all ran to the southern gate at my command. I¡¯m so close to reaching Class C... Somehow, today¡¯s battle doesn¡¯t feel like it will end as easily as the previous days. But if this turns into a major conflict, there will be plenty of opportunities to gain experience. Maybe I can gain three levels and rank up to Class C. For now, let¡¯s focus on surviving and holding the line. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 37 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 37: The First C-Rank (1) The first ones to attack us were a pack of wolves. Massive gray wolves, much larger than humans. They dashed madly toward the already destroyed castle gates. ¡°Fire!¡± Arrows rained down from the still intact parts of the castle wall, but the wolves charged ferociously, undeterred even as arrows pierced their bodies. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot!¡± A chariot of fire roared to life. Wolves were engulfed in flames as they collided, but even as the fire spread around them, they charged on without fear. I commanded the Flame Chariot to circle the entrance repeatedly and drew my sword. ¡°Silion, please help.¡± Diana unsheathed one of her twin swords and kissed it. A green wind enveloped the blade, and it floated into the air by itself. Its tip pointed toward the wolves and then flew forward. The speed was blinding, and in the blink of an eye, the heads of dozens of wolves were severed. ¡°We will join the fight as well.¡± The warrior awakeners who had been idle so far stepped forward confidently, defending the hill from the wolves¡¯ attacks. Feeling reassured, I charged toward the wolves. ¡°Grrraaaah!¡± Thunk. As a wolf opened its jaws to bite me, I drove my sword into its mouth and thrust it through. Unable to withstand my strength, its teeth shattered, and my greatsword pierced through the inside of its mouth. Slash! I yanked out the sword and swung it in all directions. Just my right hand was enough to wield the blade, while my left crushed the skulls of wolves lunging to bite me. Boom! ¡°Grrrr¡­¡± The wolves tried to surround me and subdue me, but the gap in physical ability was insurmountable. While their movements might seem fast to others, they appeared excruciatingly slow to my eyes. As they attempted to form an encirclement, I broke through it, crushing and smashing each of their heads. At this rate, they were no different from mere Uruks. Even though my buffs had decreased, I was confident I could take them all down on my own. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± Having seen their comrades die as soon as they approached me, the remaining wolves hesitated, retreating step by step as they warily watched me. Well then, it¡¯s my turn to go to them. I leapt into the midst of the wolves and resumed the slaughter. Their flesh was tough and dense, making it hard for other awakened ones to deal with, but they were no match for me. ¡°A monster¡­¡± I heard an awakened mutter in a stunned voice behind me. By the time I turned around, the area around me was already littered with the shattered bodies and blood of wolves. This seems manageable enough. Just as that thought crossed my mind, a sharp pain suddenly hit my forehead. Danger detection? Here? I dodged to the side, and a massive axe slammed into the ground where I had just stood. Immediately, a massive figure descended from the sky. An enormous orc, even larger than the already huge Uruks. Its skin was brown, with large scars across its eyes and cheeks. With an ogre-like frame, it wore crimson armor and looked directly at me. ¡°Are you the Apostle of the Gods?¡± ¡°Yes. And who are you?¡± ¡°Grosh. I serve the Earth Mother Goddess as her Apostle.¡± Grosh pulled the massive axe, larger than my own body, out of the ground. ¡°If I sever your head and offer it to the temple, perhaps I will once again hear the Goddess¡¯s voice.¡± Grosh¡­ If I remember correctly from the strategy guide, he¡¯s an orc hero. So he¡¯s not just another mob. This is going to be a hassle. Still, I¡¯ve got to deal with him somehow. [Grosh is a neutral Apostle of the Earth God and one of the few orcs not mentally dominated by the Black Dragon Arkardian. He is aware of the unusual situation in the Black Dragon Legion but has yet to receive a revelation from the Earth God. As chaos becomes evident in the Black Dragon Legion, his actions may change. Your objective is to force Grosh to retreat.] [Side Quest] S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Difficulty: Hard] [Objective: Force Grosh to retreat without killing him.] [Quest Reward] Blessing of the Earth God Enhanced affinity with Earth Spirits A sudden quest, huh? It¡¯s a side quest, so I don¡¯t have to complete it, but the reward is tempting. Fine. Let¡¯s subdue him first. ¡°Earth, bind him!¡± The ground suddenly turned into a swamp-like texture, and giant hands emerged beneath me. This guy can summon spirits too. I kicked the hand aside and rushed toward his body. ¡°Hup!¡± Grosh leaned back, gathering energy. A burst of mana exploded from his body, trying to repel me. It¡¯s similar to how I used to release mana. As my speed momentarily slowed, he struck my sword with his axe. Clang! The impact pushed me back. ¡°A mere human with such strength¡­!¡± Our physical strength was evenly matched. This is doable. However, the unstable terrain makes fighting him troublesome. The Earth Spirit¡¯s constant interference is an annoyance I can¡¯t ignore. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot!¡± I mounted the chariot and charged at Grosh. Holding the fiery reins with my left hand, I thrust my greatsword with my right. The charge of the chariot combined with my sword strike. Even if he could block the sword with his axe, the force of the fiery chariot would be difficult to withstand. ¡°Earth Shield.¡± But Grosh formed a shield of earth in front of him. The clash of mana caused the chariot to rebound. Immediately, his axe came crashing down. I parried with my sword, but the force pushed me back. I tumbled backward along with the chariot. Boom. Boom. Boom. Grosh¡¯s massive frame charged forward relentlessly. I maneuvered the chariot to dodge his attack and drew Artemis¡¯s bow. I aimed for his eyes and fired, but he instead lowered his head, deflecting the magic arrow with his helmet. The arrow of light disappeared entirely. What¡¯s that helmet made of? It¡¯s incredibly tough. Is this what being a hero gets you? High-end gear? On top of that, divine energy doesn¡¯t work on him. ¡°Phoenix, come help me!¡± [Understood, master.] I called the phoenix I¡¯d sent to deal with the wolves. If I don¡¯t subdue this guy quickly, I¡¯ll run out of mana, and this will get really annoying. As the phoenix flew toward us, Grosh paused momentarily to observe it. ¡°A phoenix! But it¡¯s still young. Earth Spirit, restrain the phoenix!¡± The ground surged upward, forming wolves out of earth. Though small, there were dozens of them. The wolves leapt into the air, harassing the phoenix and preventing it from joining the fight. Damn it. What a troublesome foe. But there¡¯s no way he can keep summoning Earth¡¯s power indefinitely! Boom! Boom! The clash of sword and axe echoed like explosions through the air. I had never fought an opponent with such brute strength before. My entire body ached, but every ache only fueled my vitality thanks to the infinite stamina skill that reinvigorated me. The phoenix was battling the wolf spirit, but it occasionally spewed fire in this direction to assist, gradually shrinking the size of Grosh''s earth shield. "Impressive... Truly worthy of being a Apostle of order!" My sword strikes were slowly breaking through. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] As Grosh''s earth shield dwindled, he used his shield and axe to block the Flame Chariot while taking my sword strikes directly with his body. Grosh¡¯s armor was pierced, and his flesh was torn, but his subtle evasive movements made it impossible to land a critical blow. "Urgh... Oh Earth Mother Goddess, grant me your strength!" Blood began trickling down his body, and his movements became visibly slower. If we kept fighting like this, I would gain the upper hand. As long as I didn¡¯t run out of mana. It seemed this battle would be decided by whose mana ran out first. ¡°Apostle, let me help you!¡± Diana, who had been cutting down wolves, shouted toward me. I was tempted, but having her join me would make it harder to keep Grosh from escaping. ¡°No, focus on helping the others. I can handle this on my own.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Diana nodded at my words and leapt back into the battlefield. Grosh growled, glaring at me. ¡°You dare to underestimate me?¡± ¡°Underestimate you? Not at all. But if this keeps up, it¡¯s obvious I¡¯ll win, don¡¯t you think?¡± Grosh''s face turned beet red, and his eyes began glowing crimson. Ugh, did I provoke him too much? Is he about to use some ultimate move? I hastily spoke. ¡°If Diana joins me, you¡¯re dead for sure. Why don¡¯t you retreat now?¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s your angle, Apostle of the gods?¡± ¡°I encountered a lich at the Fire Sanctuary. Undead who follow chaos. Don¡¯t you think something about this whole situation seems off, given you¡¯re a Apostle of the Earth Mother?¡± ¡°A lich, you say?¡± ¡°Yes. It destroyed an orc village and turned the inhabitants into zombies.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s hard to believe.¡± Despite his words, Grosh seemed less eager to fight. He might just be convinced if I push a little more. As I pondered my next move, I suddenly remembered my title. [Bat Awakener] [Grade: B] [A title earned by receiving the blessings of two divine factions. When equipped, it reveals only the blessing of the main patron god. Can be detected by Grade A or higher awakened beings.] If I unequipped this title, wouldn¡¯t it hide the neutral patron god''s blessing too? I removed the title, and Grosh¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°No¡­ How can this be? The blessing of the Volcano¡­?¡± ¡°I am also blessed by the Goddess of the Volcano. If I were truly your enemy, would I tell you to retreat?¡± ¡°¡­You have a point.¡± ¡°Go back and investigate. You were unharmed by attacks infused with holy power, but the dragonkin were destroyed with just one holy arrow. Chaos and the Black Dragon are definitely connected.¡± ¡°I did sense faint traces of chaos in the dragonkin, but the Black Dragon assured me it was fine¡­ Perhaps I must look into this further.¡± Perhaps because of the blessing of the Volcano, Grosh accepted my words more easily than I had expected and began retreating. Before turning to leave, he gave me a warning. ¡°Beware the earth. The Giant Wyrm is stirring.¡± With that, Grosh dashed off and disappeared. A notification popped up before me. [Your affinity with earth spirits has been strengthened.] [The Goddess of Earth, Skadi, bestows her blessing upon you.] [Your neutral faction stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [When standing on the ground, your physical regeneration and mana recovery increase.] 1.5 times?! That¡¯s incredible! For a side quest, this blessing was ridiculously good. I deactivated the flame chariot and stepped back onto the ground. The difference in mana regeneration was immediately noticeable. My physical stat, previously at B, now felt significantly stronger. The improvement was tangible, even more so than when I had exclusive access to Athena¡¯s buffs in the past. ¡°Kill the Apostle of the goddess!!¡± Although Grosh had retreated, the massive orcs continued charging, undeterred. Was Grosh not as influential as I thought? Well, it didn¡¯t matter. The quest rewards were fantastic. My level had also risen to 48. Just two more levels to go. The area was swarming with orcs, wyverns dropping statues from above, and now a Giant Wyrm rumored to be coming from below. The battlefield was chaos, with enemies in every direction. The number of awakened fighters guarding the entrance alongside me had noticeably dwindled. This was bad. We couldn¡¯t afford to lose more people yet. ¡°Flame Chariot, summon!¡± I used the Flame Chariot to mow down enemies while instructing the phoenix to focus on the skies. ¡°Try to thin out the wyverns.¡± [But going that high will drain a lot of your mana.] ¡°I¡¯ve got the Earth¡¯s blessing now, so my mana regeneration is much better. Go wild up there.¡± [Understood. I¡¯ll do my best to pin them down.] The phoenix soared into the sky, while the Flame Chariot rampaged across the battlefield, eliminating orcs left and right. I swung my sword relentlessly, cutting down any orcs that evaded the chariot. Time became a blur. My Hephaestus armor was dented and damaged, and the Flame Chariot had disappeared. My greatsword was dull, so I sheathed it and picked up a club from a fallen orc, smashing monster heads with sheer force. The hill of earth spirits had become a flat plain from the sheer number of bodies. Hearing the sound of drums, the frenzied orcs hesitated momentarily. ¡°Ugh¡­ Don¡¯t retreat! The wrath of Akardian will fall upon you if you do!¡± ¡°Focus on him! Kill him, and it¡¯s over!¡± As the orcs renewed their assault, our warriors fell one by one. ¡°Kim Jiho¡­ I¡¯ll revive and return.¡± ¡°Argh¡­!¡± Glancing around, I noticed the warriors¡¯ numbers had dwindled significantly. More than half were gone. Diana had gone to deal with the Giant Wyrm that had emerged at the heart of the stronghold. At this point, it was just me and a few warriors holding the entrance. ¡°Kill him! Kill him now!¡± ¡°Throw the axes!¡± ¡°Shield.¡± Blocking the axes flying from all directions, I charged forward again, smashing orc skulls. Even with my infinite stamina, I was growing tired of this endless battle. How long would these maniacs keep charging? Exhausted, I continued fighting. This felt like the Battle of Changban, except I was alone. If the other warriors fell, the line would eventually break. Even I couldn¡¯t hold them off forever. My only hope now was to reach level 50 and ascend to C-grade. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a long-awaited notification appeared. [You have reached Level 50.] [You are the first Earthling to reach Level 50. You have earned the title ¡®Pioneer of Earth (Hero).¡¯] [You have fulfilled the achievement conditions.] [You can now ascend to C-grade.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 38 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 38: The First C-Rank (2) Finally, C-Rank. And to think I¡¯m the first human to achieve it. There were people who awakened a year earlier than me... Choosing the Apostle Commander really was the right decision. I proceeded with the rank-up without hesitation. [You have ascended to Awakener Rank C.] [Class skills are enhanced.] [Soul Mediatior skill has leveled up to LV2.] [Soul Reaper skill has leveled up to LV2.] [Attribute Absorption skill has leveled up to LV2.] [Spirit Enhancement skill has leveled up to LV2.] [With the enhancement of the Spirit Enhancement skill, the stat limits have increased.] Oh, nice. I had been wondering how to upgrade these skills, and it turns out ranking up does the trick. I wanted to carefully review the skill descriptions, but those damn Uruks wouldn¡¯t stop attacking me. ¡°Ugh, these annoying bastards.¡± Leaping high into the air, I crushed the heads of the Uruks one by one. When I got a moment of respite, I opened the Neutral Faction status window and saw my SP was at 3,710. Now that all stats could be raised to B, I immediately increased Mana, Technique, and Luck to B. Then, I invested all 8 stat points earned from reaching level 50 (starting from level 34) into Mana. About a quarter of the white "B" letter¡¯s lower portion turned blue. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Reaper Guardian Deity: Aurelia, Goddess of Volcanoes Title: Conqueror of the Orcs Level: 50 Body: B Mana: B Technique: B Luck: B SP: 3,110] Wow! All stats at a clean B. I swapped my title from the ¡°Bat Awakener¡± from Order Faction back to Neutral, and replaced it with a new one I had earned, ¡°Pioneer of Earth (Hero).¡± [Pioneer of Earth (Hero)] [Rank: B.] [Title given to the first human to achieve C-Rank and Hero Rank. Increases all stats by 10%. Effect applies only while at C-Rank.] Oh! A 10% stat boost? That¡¯s quite a handy effect. The downside is that it only works at C-Rank, but if I ascend to B, won¡¯t they give me a ¡°Pioneer of Earth B¡±? The ¡°Conqueror of the Orcs¡± title I was using before was supposed to terrify orcs, but maybe the dragons lured them away or something¡ªit ended up being utterly useless... ¡°The Apostle has grown weaker!¡± ¡°Now is our chance!¡± Was it not entirely useless after all? The moment I changed the title, the Uruks seemed to think I had weakened and launched an even fiercer assault. Was their earlier behavior them holding back? Persistent bastards... ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± Thanks to my enhanced Mana, the Flame Chariot I summoned was upgraded, now pulled by four horses and significantly larger. While still slightly smaller than the one Liana had initially demonstrated, the number of horses matched hers. ¡°Charge!¡± As the empowered Flame Chariot rolled forward, flames erupted from the ground in its wake. Previously, flames would rise along the chariot¡¯s path, but now they were more than twice as large. Moreover, the fire didn¡¯t dissipate quickly but continued to burn fiercely for a long time. ¡°Arghhhh!¡± ¡°The flames... they¡¯ve gotten stronger!¡± ¡°Shaman! Do something!¡± The Flame Chariot rampaged, turning the battlefield into a sea of fire. The Uruks, writhing in agony amidst the flames, evoked a strange new feeling in me. It felt... good. Watching the Uruks burn in flames felt good, hearing their screams felt good, and seeing them try to save their comrades only to be engulfed in flames felt good too. Stop bothering me and just die already. Dodging the flames, an Uruk tried to approach me, so I smashed its head with my fist. Crunch. Its helmet caved in, and its skull shattered. My gauntlet was drenched in blood, and I could feel something soft and squishy under my fist. Ah... Is this its brain? Grasping the squishy substance, I squeezed it, feeling it squelch under the pressure. I climbed onto the Uruk¡¯s shoulder and rummaged inside its head. This is fun. Smashing heads is fun, watching bodies collapse lifelessly is fun. A chilling thrill coursed through my spine, awakening my senses, and it felt exhilarating. Thud. When the Uruk¡¯s body finally collapsed, I moved on to the next one and smashed its head just the same. Once again, that tingling sensation of pleasure coursed through me. This was different from before. I¡¯d never felt this kind of exhilaration, even when killing enemies. Ah... What is this? Was slaughter always this thrilling? Conquering, trampling, and massacring enemies¡ªwas it always this enjoyable? As the upgraded Flame Chariot turned the battlefield into a fiery hell, a smile crept across my face. Why didn¡¯t I realize how fun this was until now? This feels amazing. [Pollux looks at you with contempt, wondering if your mind is already succumbing.] [Aurelia urges you to quickly upgrade the Form Preservation skill before you lose yourself completely.] Suddenly, messages popped up. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on me. Ah... Is the Form Preservation skill not fully active because I ranked up? Is this what it¡¯s like without it? Was the thrill of slaughter and the pleasure I felt part of the Uruks¡¯ nature? Did I absorb those traits while plundering their souls? Goosebumps rose on my skin. I quickly opened the Premium Shop window. Dodging the Uruks¡¯ attacks roughly, I searched for the Form Preservation skill. Three options appeared in the purchase list. [Basic Form Preservation LV1] [Advanced Form Preservation LV1] [Perfect Form Preservation LV2] I clicked on Perfect Form Preservation LV2, and it required 3,000 SP. Ah... Thank goodness. I immediately poured my SP into it. Now, only 110 SP remained in my Neutral Faction balance, but I didn¡¯t feel the least bit regretful. If this had cost 4,000 or 5,000 SP, I might have completely succumbed to the Uruks¡¯ mentality while killing them. That¡¯s how powerful the thrill of slaughter was. ¡°The human is dodging!¡± ¡°Now... Now¡¯s the time to capture him!¡± ¡°The shaman is here. Put everything into it!¡± Hands of earth rose from the ground, and the air around me suddenly constricted and bound me. Until now, the shamans had focused their efforts on blocking the Flame Chariot or Phoenix, but I guess they saw this as their chance to kill me since I kept evading their attacks. So, they decided to directly cast magic on me. But at this level? How laughable. There¡¯s no need to bother setting up a magic barrier. ¡°Mana Release.¡± Boom! A blast far louder than the first time I awakened reverberated, sending shockwaves in every direction. Even Uruks staggered back a step or two under the intense pressure. With it, the magic binding me through the air and earth shattered completely. I charged at Uruks again. Crunch. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Arghhhh!¡± I smashed its head again, just like before. But unlike earlier, it didn¡¯t give me that strange, drug-like euphoria. It just felt normal, like it used to. Ah, I¡¯ve killed an enemy. What should I do next? That sort of feeling. Whew. Thank goodness. If I were going to lose myself completely, I might as well have been a dragon or an angel from the start. It would¡¯ve been way too unfair to choose a soul-affinity path only to turn into some rampaging Uruk instead. [Master. Have you ascended to Hero rank? My power has grown stronger.] The phoenix descended from the sky. Once smaller than a pigeon, the little thing had grown to the size of an eagle. With a mere flap of its massive wings, it incinerated the surrounding Uruks as it flew toward me. It used to be so cute as a chick, but now it radiated sheer majesty. ¡°So, I guess they call anyone above C-rank a hero?¡± [Calling it C-rank is merely in line with Earth¡¯s most common language. For me, it¡¯s more familiar to refer to them as Hero, Legendary, and Demigod in order.] ¡°You sure know a lot for someone who just hatched.¡± [It¡¯s simply the innate knowledge of a phoenix.] Lifting its head proudly, as if showing off, the phoenix exuded pure dignity. This brat. Such a stark difference from its chick days. The phoenix spoke again. [I¡¯ve come to ask for your permission, Master.] ¡°For what?¡± [May I unleash the Phoenix¡¯s Wings? It will take too long to deal with the wyverns one by one.] ¡°You¡¯re already flapping your wings, aren¡¯t you?¡± [Not that. I mean unleashing my true power for a moment. With your mana at Hero rank, it¡¯s temporarily possible. However, if I do this, your mana will be completely drained in an instant. But it will significantly reduce the aerial threat.] I looked up at the sky. Wyverns were swarming relentlessly. Arrows were flying from the fortress walls, but far fewer than before. The wyverns had landed on the walls, attacking the archers directly. The defenders were still putting up a fierce resistance... but with the sheer number of wyverns blackening the sky, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the fortress fell. Is this a choice between the sky or the ground? Thanks to the flaming chariot, the ground had temporarily calmed. The fallen awakened ones were resurrecting and rushing back to join the fight. We could probably manage here somehow. The wyverns seemed to be the bigger problem... Alright. Let¡¯s handle the sky first. ¡°Alright. Do it.¡± [Understood.] The phoenix soared into the sky with a mighty flap of its wings, shrinking to a mere dot in the distance. Grrrnnkkk. Suddenly, my mana drained away like water rushing through a broken dam, and a crushing pain gripped my chest. I¡¯d never felt such agony before and nearly collapsed. Ugh... this bird... Aaargh! ¡°Ahhh, damn it!¡± Wow. What the hell? It hurts so much. Too much. Tears welled up, and curses spilled out of my mouth. When every last drop of mana was gone, the pain in my chest finally stopped. Panting heavily, I forced myself to lift my head, only to see a surreal sight. The distant sky, where the phoenix and the wyverns had seemed so small. There, as if ignoring the laws of perspective, a colossal pair of flaming wings blazed with an overwhelming presence. That scale is insane. Wait... my mana made that possible...? For a moment, the clamor of weapons clashing on the battlefield subsided. Everyone was staring up at the sky, captivated by the unreal spectacle. ¡°What... what is that?¡± Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Is it enemy magic?¡± ¡°No, what is that? How do we deal with it?¡± Even our allies were bewildered. ¡°Grrrrr...¡± ¡°Fall back! Retreat!¡± ¡°Is this the descent of a Flame Angel?¡± The enemy troops hesitated, backing away. With all eyes on the sky, the flaming wings flapped slowly. With a single forward sweep of the wings, the wyverns in mid-flight disintegrated in an instant. There wasn¡¯t even a trace of fire left on them. As soon as they touched the wings, they simply ceased to exist. And then, in the direction of the wing¡¯s sweep, a tidal wave of blazing flames surged forward. A firestorm that completely dominated the sky. The wyverns caught in its path were consumed. Unlike the wings themselves, which annihilated instantly, the firestorm left their bodies burning, sending them plummeting to the ground. The sight of wyverns engulfed in crimson flames falling like meteors was breathtaking. The wyverns crashed into the enemy lines, turning their camp into utter chaos. The flames spreading from their burning bodies were unstoppable. The battlefield became a searing inferno. The stench of charred corpses filled the air, and a vision of hell unfolded before us. ¡°Fall back... fall back! The Flame Angel has descended!¡± ¡°Run! We must wait for Lord Akardian to arrive!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t face an angel! We need Lord Akardian!¡± The once-fearless Uruks, who charged relentlessly no matter how many of them fell, were now terrified. Their advance halted, and they fled with their tails between their legs. The formation was in shambles, and some soldiers even abandoned their weapons. Hah. After all that, they¡¯re running now? One flap of the phoenix¡¯s wings completely changed the tide of battle. Our allies, though still confused, rallied with newfound courage and began clearing out the remaining enemies within the fortress. [A Divine Phenomenon has been invoked by an A-rank Mythical Beast. This is a miraculous event impossible at your current rank.] [Magic ability scores in the Order faction have permanently decreased by 3.] [Magic ability scores in the Neutral faction have permanently decreased.] [Magic recovery rate is reduced by 50% for one week.] Ugh. My magic stats permanently dropped! By 3 points, no less! And even the Neutral faction stats went down? Ugh... I must¡¯ve earned a lot of SP. I¡¯ll just raise them again. I tried to console myself, though the loss of magic stats was painful. Without that phoenix¡¯s wing flap, we would¡¯ve lost the battle. Don¡¯t regret it... Don¡¯t regret it. I repeated the mantra to myself, though I couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit of regret. Sigh. Let¡¯s check how much SP I earned. I must¡¯ve gained a lot. Just as I was about to open the status window, another message appeared. Its content was far more ominous than anything I¡¯d seen before. [The Chaos Lord who destroyed the planet Kevrian, the Lord of Death, senses the Divine Phenomenon.] [The Lord of Death will investigate whether the gods have broken their covenant.] [The Lord of Death is watching you.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 39 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 39: Invitation from the Pantheon (1) The Lord of Death. One of the Lords of Chaos, and the one who finished off Kevrian in the end¡ªa final boss in game terms. But why is he showing up already? If it were the Death Knight King, that would make more sense. But the final boss already...? And what¡¯s this about a covenant? Was it a mistake to go all out against the Phoenix? [It was inevitable once you reached C-rank.] So you all knew something, didn¡¯t you? [Pollux said he¡¯ll explain everything once you return to Earth.] Returning to Earth, huh. After today¡¯s battle, those reckless fools have been scared off and retreated. Things should stay quiet for a few days. I¡¯ll take some time to reorganize my forces before heading back to Earth. Though I was tense about what might appear after that ominous message about the Lord of Death watching, nothing seemed to change afterward. For now, I guess it¡¯s just observation. ¡°Hah... Damn, I really thought I was going to die.¡± While I was deep in thought, Jinseong approached, riding a blood- and dust-covered white horse. His armor was in tatters, and instead of the Crescent Blade he used to boast about, he was carrying Uruk¡¯s club. ¡°You¡¯re still alive?¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Red Hare, I¡¯d have died three times. Fight, run, fight, run¡ªthat¡¯s what I kept doing. Even then, I did die once.¡± ¡°Hey, did you level up at least?¡± ¡°Wow! Leveling up was crazy. What did you even do at the end there? The legion¡¯s experience suddenly skyrocketed. I¡¯m at level 36 now. Even with the death penalty, I hit 36... This is insane. I might even become the ace of our guild at this rate.¡± Jinseong¡¯s eyes sparkled as we talked about leveling up. I really didn¡¯t want to see a buff bald guy staring at me with such bright eyes. ¡°Hey, you¡¯d be dead without me today.¡± ¡°True, who would¡¯ve guessed you¡¯d pull off that insane skill? There are even people who didn¡¯t bother resurrecting because they thought we¡¯d lost the war.¡± ¡°Ah... Banking on a world reset if the fortress falls, huh?¡± Now that I think about it, that¡¯s one way to approach it. Back when I was alone in Kevrian, I had to enter the world to reset it. But with multiple people around, the world could keep running without my intervention. It¡¯s like a single-player game turning into an online multiplayer one. ¡°Yeah. I got hit by a wyvern statue and died. I came back after resurrecting, but when I returned to the original world, people were just hesitating, unsure of what to do. Some were in shock from the pain of dying for the first time...¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not exactly normal to jump back into battle right after dying. It¡¯s a pain people have never felt before.¡± ¡°No way. A awakened who¡¯s made it to D-rank can¡¯t be that weak-willed. Mental strength is everything...¡± Jinseong clicked his tongue and stroked his chin, where sparse stubble had started to grow. Was he trying to grow a beard now? ¡°So, what the hell are you? What was that crazy skill? Did you hit C-rank or something?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m C-rank now.¡± ¡°What the...?! You¡¯re kidding, right? The first one on Earth?!¡± ¡°Awakened Kim Jiho! Are you really C-rank?¡± As Jinseong and I were talking, someone interrupted. It was Smith, the CIA awakened I had let tag along before. His face was filled with astonishment. ¡°The world¡¯s first C-rank is finally here! Honestly, we thought David from the U.S., who¡¯s level 49, would get there first... But for you to reach this so quickly¡ªit¡¯s incredible.¡± ¡°At level 49... I suppose he could be C-rank by now as well.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve received reports that he¡¯s been stuck at level 49 for three weeks now. By the way, does being C-rank mean you can use amazing skills like the one earlier?¡± Smith pointed to the sky with his finger. He must be talking about the Phoenix. ¡°It was only possible because I¡¯m C-rank, but it was a skill that pushed me to my limits. My magic stat permanently dropped by 3.¡± ¡°What?! Losing stats... How can that be? You¡¯ve made a great sacrifice.¡± ¡°Your magic dropped? It¡¯s hard enough to collect stat points¡ªhow will you manage...?¡± Both of them looked darkly concerned for me. How touching... Oh. From their perspective, a loss of 3 points is equivalent to losing 6 levels, since most people only get 1 point every 2 levels. For me, though, I can raise my stats using SP. While it¡¯s still a painful hit, it¡¯s manageable. I must¡¯ve earned a ton of SP in this battle. I should check it out. ¡°While I¡¯m happy about the victory, I need to review my stats. Let¡¯s talk later.¡± ¡°Understood. It¡¯s truly unfortunate about your magic.¡± ¡°Yeah... Stay strong.¡± Once they stepped back, I opened my status window. Looking at the Order faction first, my level had risen to 54. The Phoenix¡¯s Wing skill had wiped out the wyverns and turned the ground into a hellscape. It must¡¯ve made a big impact. Though, considering I burned an entire battlefield to the ground, it feels like only gaining 4 levels is underwhelming. Leveling up will definitely get harder from here. Previously, my strength and agility were both at 35. After the intense battles in the fortress, both had surpassed 40. It seems my absorption trait shines in large-scale battles. Although I lost 3 points in magic, the absorption offset it, so the net loss was only about 1. Reviewing my stats, I noticed there are fewer monsters that grant magic points. Hmm... I¡¯ll invest 10 points into magic. Magic is definitely valuable in large-scale battles. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Mediator Guardian Deity: Pollux, the God of Gemini Title: Bat Awakener Level: 54 Strength: 42, Agility: 41, Magic: 63 SP: 152.2] As expected, SP gains as a Soul Mediator in a broken world are slow. Let¡¯s check the Neutral faction now. After that large-scale slaughter, I¡¯m curious how much SP I¡¯ve accumulated. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Reaper Guardian Deity: Aurelia, the Goddess of Volcanoes Title: Pioneer of Earth (Hero) Level: 54 Body: B Magic: B Skill: B Luck: B SP: 5,112 Stat Points: +2] SP: 5,112! I had spent 3,000 earlier and only had 110 left, but now it¡¯s shot up to 5,000. Wow. That¡¯s a huge amount. Maybe the efficiency of the Soul Reaper skill has improved with its level? Looking closely, my overall B stats had slightly increased as well. It seems the absorption trait also boosted my stats. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] I tossed the 2 stat points into Luck, but the gauge only filled a bit. Now, how should I spend these 5,000 points? I was considering investing them in stats but suddenly remembered the shop. As a C-rank, wouldn¡¯t I have access to better items? Opening the Premium Shop, I found more items than last time. But aside from the random boxes, everything was absurdly expensive. For example... [Gram, the Regenerating Sword] - SP: 40,000 What kind of sword costs 40,000 SP? Gram... It sounds familiar. Should I read the description? Oh, wait¡ªthe system says I lack the required SP. The only thing remotely affordable is the random boxes. [C~E-Rank Random Box - Items & Skills] - SP: 500 [C~E-Rank Random Box - Items] - SP: 1,000 [C~E-Rank Random Box - Skills] - SP: 1,000 Compared to the D~F random boxes, the prices have increased tenfold. Still, they might be worth a shot... I¡¯ll save the draws for when I¡¯m back on Earth. I might need the SP for something urgent. Having finished strengthening my stats, I entered the partially destroyed fortress, and Diana approached me. Though her appearance was stained with enemy blood, dirt, and soot, her beauty was still intact. "Ah, Apostle. I''m glad to see you''re safe!" "I''m glad you are safe as well, Diana." "Yes. I managed to hold off the giant worms, but when the wyverns began to swarm, I thought I might have to resort to my last resort... but thanks to the Phoenix''s blessing, we all made it through safely. I truly owe everything to you, Apostle Kim Jiho..." She bowed respectfully and expressed her gratitude. But all I could hear in my ears was the mention of a last resort. Ugh... was she going to summon the spirit of wrath again? Well, if she hadn¡¯t stopped the wyverns, we would¡¯ve died either way, so... I guess my choice was the right one. "By the way, why can''t we see the Phoenix? Is something wrong...?" In response to Diana¡¯s question, the Phoenix descended from the sky, fluttering down weakly. It wasn¡¯t the majestic presence it had earlier, now it seemed small, like a sparrow. It landed right on top of my head. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Hah... I pushed myself too much. It will take about a week to recover to my original state.] "Even though I increased my mana?" [That¡¯s why it¡¯ll take this long.] "Well, you did your part, so you should rest." [Then I¡¯ll rest on my master''s head for a while.] A faint sound of flames crackled above my head, and then vanished, leaving a warm sensation on my forehead. I removed Hephaestus¡¯ armor and touched my forehead. It felt strangely warm. "Look at this." Diana spread her hands, and a mirror of water appeared. As I lifted my hair, I saw a phoenix-shaped tattoo on my forehead. That little... always up to something. I couldn''t do this when I was D-rank. "Wow. But seriously, I look awful." The reflection in the mirror showed my face covered in blood, sweat, and dirt. It was a sight I couldn¡¯t bear to look at. To show such a hideous face to this beautiful woman... but, what could a mere human do? "No, you¡¯re really cool!" "Huh? Do you like the dirty look?" Diana quickly denied it, and I couldn''t help but ask in return. I thought I looked too ugly, but was it some sort of special preference? "No! I like clean things too, but... uh... I can''t really explain it..." Diana''s eyes darted around, and then she suddenly threw the water mirror toward me. The water mirror spread out and enveloped my body. "I... I¡¯ll wash you with the water spirit." Suddenly, I felt as if I was submerged in water, and my whole body began to be scrubbed clean. Even my face was being scrubbed, and I couldn¡¯t even open my eyes. But it felt so refreshing. Was it cleaning every inch of my body? Hah... I almost wanted to sleep like this. After a few minutes of spirit shower, my body was completely refreshed. Diana, who must have washed herself as well, was now looking neat, and her face had a slight blush. "I¡¯ll go with the elves and earth spirits to repair the castle." "Ah... alright." After a quick bow, Diana disappeared at a rapid pace. Hmm... did she get mad? Well, it would¡¯ve been rude to say something about her preferences. Hehe, still, to hear I look handsome from a high elf. Maybe my face is good enough to attract elves? Tsk. If I had known that, I would¡¯ve... sooner... "Kim Jiho, do you look handsome to elves?" "Yes." "We do care about looks." "So, about those preferences..." "Actually, we all have high standards, so we tend to prefer more golden ratios. As for Kim Jiho Awakened... heh... your abilities are excellent." "Yes..." Liana raised one corner of her mouth while looking at me. Ahhh, damn it. What is this? You were the one who said I was handsome in Kevrian! I walked with my shoulders slumped as I followed her behind. Our unit, which had stayed in the fortress for another day, returned to Earth on the 10th day, and as soon as we arrived, I was able to meet High Elf Liana. She must have known I had reached C-rank, as she urgently told me she had something important to discuss and asked me to follow her. On the way there, I wondered about Diana, but I got a little embarrassed... "Where are we going?" "We are heading to the Pantheon, to the Hall of Gods." "The Hall of Gods?" "Yes. The Soul Mediator, you should be doing more of it now. Since you¡¯ve reached the Hero rank, you now qualify for an invitation to the Hall of Gods." Upon hearing her words, I checked my Soul Mediator skill. [Soul Mediator LV2] [It mediates the absorption of souls from the guardian gods. It generates 40% efficiency, and the user can take up to 15% as commission. You can mediate up to 6 guardian gods at once.] I can handle three more gods now. Plus, the efficiency has increased from 20% to 40%, and I can take 5% more as commission. "The gods have great expectations for the growth of the Soul Mediator. Now that you¡¯re visiting the Hall of Gods, more gods will offer you favorable proposals." Her words made my heart race. I quickly forgot about being factually called ugly. More gods... what can I receive? This will be an exciting time for choices. I followed her while pondering what I could gain, entering the Light Portal Gate. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 40 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 40: Invitation from the Pantheon (2) As soon as I stepped out of the portal gate, I found myself in a world of pure white clouds, standing on a floating marble floor. Though my vision was misty, Liana moved forward confidently, completely unfazed. I followed her lead. After walking for a few minutes, marble statues began to line our path on either side, like a ceremonial guard. The statues depicted various races¡ªhumans, dwarves, elves, and others¡ªeach one lifelike and in a variety of sizes. ¡°These marble statues are incredibly realistic.¡± ¡°Among those of Legendary rank, individuals with particularly high achievements are immortalized as marble statues here at the entrance to the Pantheon.¡± ¡°Legendary rank is equivalent to B-rank, right? Does that mean we might find a statue of you here, Liana?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never achieved anything that grand¡­ But considering how quickly you¡¯re growing, Soul Mediator, there may be a statue of you here someday.¡± So even among B-rank, only those at the very top are honored with statues here. I¡¯d always thought B-rank was more middle-of-the-road, but it seems rarer than I imagined. As we continued walking, the statues began to change in size. Suddenly, I found myself dwarfed by towering statues that reached up to my knees. The once-flat path transformed into a series of wide, stepped platforms. On each step stood a single colossal statue, one on either side, as if marking our progress. ¡°Are these people A-rank? Why are they so massive?¡± ¡°A-rank individuals are considered demigods. They transcend physical limitations and, as you can see from these statues, possess the ability to grow in size.¡± So, demigods can actually become this gigantic. We continued marveling at the enormous statues for tens of minutes until Liana came to a stop. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at the entrance to the Pantheon. A teleport portal has appeared. Awakened Kim Jiho, you¡¯ll have to enter alone.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Since you¡¯re not yet at Hero rank, the official entrance is inaccessible. The gods have prepared a separate space for you.¡± I stepped into the portal. Unlike earlier, this new space was dimly lit. And then¡­ ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°Pollux?¡± The golden-haired, ruggedly handsome man, Pollux, was seated on the ground, looking up at me. As he clapped his hands, the space suddenly brightened. The walls, made of black soil, were illuminated, and light streamed in from the ceiling above. ¡°I had no choice but to bring you here because of the Chaos Lord¡¯s watchful gaze.¡± That reminded me¡ªthe Lord of Death was keeping an eye on me. ¡°What happens if someone catches the Chaos Lord¡¯s attention?¡± ¡°Plenty of bad things. First, because you¡¯re a Soul Mediator. Second, because you¡¯re a Soul Plunderer. And third, because you¡¯re simply too powerful.¡± Pollux counted off on his fingers as he spoke. ¡°Fortunately, you¡¯re not strong enough yet to be a full-blown threat, so they¡¯ll probably just think something¡¯s off. The phoenix stunt certainly drew some attention, but as long as you¡¯re careful moving forward, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°What happens if I¡¯m fully discovered?¡± ¡°Well¡­ If it¡¯s the Lord of Death, he¡¯d make you neither dead nor alive, breaking your soul until it submits. His soul torture is easily in the top ten across the universe.¡± Pollux sighed, as if disappointed, before continuing. ¡°Originally, you were supposed to mediate for three gods. But since you¡¯re drawing too much attention, we¡¯ve agreed to limit it to one for now.¡± ¡°One? When can I take on the remaining two?¡± ¡°Once you clear the main quest to defend the fortress for a hundred days. Until then, you¡¯ll have to make do with just one. Even if the Neutral Gods say it¡¯s fine to add another, don¡¯t listen to them.¡± ¡°The main quest to guard the fortress for 100 days? What changes once I clear it?¡± ¡°A lot. Let me show you.¡± Pollux, still seated, pressed a finger to the marble floor and began drawing. He created three tiers of steps and circled the lowest one. ¡°The battlefield of Kevrian¡¯s Trein Fortress is technically the first stage. The Chaos Lords and we have agreed that only D- and C-rank individuals can participate in the main stages of the first phase. But since you have two status windows and monopolize divine blessings¡­¡± He drew a line from the bottom step to the second and marked it with the word "Impotent." ¡°That¡¯s not me, is it?¡± ¡°Oh, come on. You totally are. Wasting a vitality skill on trivial things? Tsk, tsk. It¡¯s like putting pearls on a pig.¡± ¡°¡­Fine, let¡¯s say I am. Are you saying my current abilities are already beyond the C-rank threshold?¡± ¡°Exactly. That phoenix stunt was the deciding factor. Even if Aurelia claims you¡¯d have been caught eventually, it definitely sped up the process. Without the phoenix, I¡¯d say you¡¯re at the upper 20-30% of C-rank.¡± ¡°Without it, the fortress would¡¯ve fallen.¡± ¡°And so what? That just means we¡¯d send you to Eshtar. Don¡¯t get too attached to ruined worlds¡ªthey¡¯re doomed planets, anyway.¡± I¡¯d put my all into it for the 100,000 SP reward. Who¡¯d have thought it¡¯d put me under the Lord of Death¡¯s gaze? ¡°Why did you even agree to such terms in the first place?¡± ¡°For the sake of Earth¡¯s new Awakened. If the Chaos Lords went all out, even B- and A-ranks would struggle. They¡¯ve already conquered entire worlds.¡± ¡°Ah, so the restrictions were set to adjust the difficulty level for Earthlings.¡± ¡°Exactly. While Kevrian¡¯s challenge is disproportionately hard early on, other places are manageable at the start.¡± ¡°That makes sense. But what¡¯s in it for the Chaos Lords?¡± Pollux drew a circle next to the stairs and added lines radiating out from it, alongside sound effects like Bang! Crash! Boom!. ¡­This seems like it represents ruined worlds. Turns out not all gods are artistic. This drawing looks like something a kid would make. ¡°They agreed to two years of these stage restrictions in exchange for our approval to completely annihilate the ruined worlds after that.¡± ¡°Complete annihilation?¡± ¡°Yes. Even a broken world still carries some influence from the Great Gods. This two-year agreement allows us to act as we wish, but after that, we¡¯re out.¡± Pollux marked an X over the circle before returning to the stairs, pointing to the second step. ¡°Once you clear the main quest, you¡¯ll ascend to the second stage. At that point, the rank restrictions increase to B, which solves the problem. This was set as a compromise with the Chaos Lords, who argued that the C-rank limit was unreasonable. For you, it works out as a blessing in disguise.¡± ¡°I see. So it¡¯s best to keep a low profile until then.¡± ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why the gods prepared low-key or sealed rewards for today.¡± He tapped the ground, and four golden pillars rose, each topped with a reward. A small dagger, a golden gem the size of a fist, a thick book, and a white fruit. ¡°Go check them out. A message window should appear when you get close.¡± S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I decided to start with the small dagger closest to me. [Amplification Blade, Yeoui] [Item Grade: A] [A masterpiece created by Hephaestus, inspired by mythology. The sharpness, strength, size, weight, and form of the blade can all be freely adjusted as long as the user¡¯s abilities permit. Additionally, it amplifies the efficiency of all energies infused into the blade, including mana, spiritual power, and divine power.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] This feels similar to the Ruyi Jingu Bang! I want it. ¡°Yeoui is one of Hephaestus¡¯s recent masterpieces. It could have been graded as S-tier, but it fell just short because of a minor mistake he made at the end. If you take it out of here, it¡¯ll be sealed until you complete the main quest.¡± ¡°How about trying it out here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s take a look together.¡± With Pollux¡¯s permission, I immediately grabbed the blade. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary dagger, but the red jewel embedded in the center of the blade was striking. Hmm¡­ Make it bigger. Make it thicker. For now, let¡¯s make the length similar to that of a greatsword. Whirrrrr. At my thought, the blade vibrated lightly before growing to the size of a two-handed greatsword I often used. Wow! Amazing. Let¡¯s extend it to the ceiling. The blade shot up, its tip touching the ceiling. I tested changing it into a single-edged sword, weakening its strength until it broke, and various other experiments¡ªall of which worked exactly as I imagined. Each transformation consumed mana, but not an excessive amount. I already needed a replacement for the sword Kang Shia gave me... Ha! I really want this. Ugh. Even if it¡¯s not today, one of these items will absolutely be mine. Reluctantly setting the blade back in its place, I moved on to check the gem. [Fragment of Astrape] [Skill Grade: A] [A fragment of Zeus¡¯s lightning, Astrape, crystallized into a gem. Absorbing it grants the skill Thunder God.] ¡°This one looks amazing too. Thunder God?¡± My question made Pollux look alarmed. ¡°Thunder God? Father Zeus¡¯s? Why is that here¡­ Don¡¯t pick that one. If you gain that skill and leave, the attention of the Lord of Death will turn into certainty. It¡¯ll be a disaster.¡± What? Not even sealable? Pollux muttered about how the item shouldn¡¯t even be here, complaining that it must be another prank by Zeus. As tempting as it is, it seems like a no-go. Next, I examined the book. [Magic Encyclopedia] [Skill Grade: A] [A book written by Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, to organize order-based magic for mortal use. It allows the user to instinctively understand magic and mana manipulation corresponding to their capabilities. It even provides automatic education during sleep, making it suitable for less adept individuals.] This book looks great too. With this, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about learning magic anymore. I already have plenty of mana, and the self-education feature is incredible. Since it teaches magic matching my abilities, it¡¯s unlikely I¡¯d become overwhelmingly powerful all at once. ¡°Is this one sealed too?¡± ¡°Magic Encyclopedia? Instinctive understanding? Teaching you while you sleep? What kind of absurd skill is that¡­ It completely removes the downsides of needing a good mind for magic. If you don¡¯t use high-level spells, it should be fine...¡± Pollux stared at the book with his mouth agape before glaring at me suddenly. ¡°This looks like something Athena herself made. She must have had a good reason to create this despite her busy schedule... To think you¡¯re favored by the Goddess!¡± Why is my guardian spirit jealous of me? ¡°If you ever meet Athena, you¡¯ll understand why I¡¯m acting this way.¡± After some grumbling, Pollux decided this one didn¡¯t need sealing. Now I¡¯m suddenly leaning toward the Magic Encyclopedia... Still, I had to check everything. [First Fruit of the World Tree] [Item Grade: A] [The first fruit harvested by Demeter, Goddess of the Earth, from the World Tree. Greatly expands the user¡¯s potential stats.] This is similar to what Diana gave me. A bit underwhelming now. I¡¯m still gaining potential with the leaves; there¡¯s no need to eat this so soon. ¡°By the way, Pollux.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you know my potential stats?¡± ¡°What were your initial stats?¡± ¡°555.¡± ¡°Huh. So that¡¯s why you succeeded¡­¡± Pollux muttered something cryptic, then approached me and poked around my body, eventually chuckling. ¡°Your limits... they¡¯re the worst. Getting 555 was a miracle. Wow.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 41 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 41: Main Quest (1) "You''re surprised that I received 555? Wasn''t 555 the worst score?" "No, 555 is the minimum stat allocation given by the system. If you can''t even get that, you''re considered beyond saving. Normally, it would have been 333¡ªbasically trash." Strength 3, Agility 3, Magic 3? Just how useless was I? No matter how I look at it, the First Fruit of the World Tree feels far too generous for me. Even the leaves of the World Tree continue to be effective. I should eat the gifts I received first. "Guess the best choice is the Magic Encyclopedia." "Yeah, that''s a good call." When I touched the Magic Encyclopedia, a message appeared. [Would you like to form a soul mediator contract with the god Athena?] Upon accepting it, the magic book vanished. [The Magic Encyclopedia skill has been created.] [The Magic Encyclopedia skill is analyzing the user''s mana and skills...] The list kept growing longer and longer. Figuring it would finish eventually, I dismissed the system window. [SP gains for the god Athena increase by 1.4 times. Mediator Kim Jiho receives 15% as a commission.] [Due to the skill''s low level, it cannot mediate all SP earned by Athena on Earth. Only certain regions are being mediated.] Even with the skill at level 2, it seems I can''t mediate for the entire Earth just yet. Still, with the increased ratio for everyone, the SP gain should be substantial. After finishing the contract, I couldn¡¯t stop glancing at the Amplification Sword Yeoui and the Fragment of Astrape. "I¡¯d like to take the rest of these items too, but I guess that''s impossible for now?" "Of course. Just clear the quest quickly and take them all." "Understood." "Well, I suppose it''s time to head back. See you after you complete the quest." As Pollux waved, a teleportation portal appeared again. After bowing to him, I stepped into the portal. Upon exiting, I found myself on the top floor of the Association. Kang Shia, who had returned to Earth with me from Kevrian, approached. Her face looked gaunt with exhaustion, and she held a file in her hands. "Jiho." "Oh, Shia. You didn¡¯t take a break after returning to Earth?" "I¡¯m going to rest after reporting some changes to the Kevrian expedition." She opened the file. "First... 49 members have declared they want to quit the expedition." "49? Why?" "Even though the experience rewards are high, surviving in such an extreme war zone isn¡¯t easy. Many died painfully after being caught by Uruks." "Hm... I see. Were you okay, Shia?" "I almost died too, but I barely made it. What should we do about them?" "It doesn¡¯t matter if they want to leave. We can recruit new members. But wouldn¡¯t they need to die three times to actually quit?" "They said they¡¯d commit suicide." How bad was it for them to even consider suicide? That would mean they¡¯d rather die one or two more times... Even for people who became D-rank hunters after competing their way up, the trauma must have been severe. "Also, there are 243 people who didn¡¯t revive and return to the battlefield within 15 minutes after dying. It¡¯s a tricky issue. Those who were torn apart by Uruks said it was impossible to recover and return so quickly." If they died in a gruesome and painful way, I can understand why it¡¯d be hard to jump back in immediately. After organizing my thoughts, I spoke. "For now, tell those who want to quit to take their time to think it over until we head back to Kevrian. If they haven¡¯t changed their minds in a week, let them go." "In a week?" "Yes. It¡¯s better for them to die while still part of the expedition since they¡¯ll face fewer experience penalties that way." "Understood. I¡¯ll let them know." "As for those who didn¡¯t revive immediately, it¡¯s hard to penalize them since we didn¡¯t have any rules in place. For now, give them a verbal warning. Let them know they¡¯ll be expelled from the expedition if it happens again." "Got it. That seems reasonable." Out of 1,000 members, 49 decided to quit¡ªabout 5%. I suppose that¡¯s a fortunate number. "We¡¯ll need to recruit new members." "Should I ask those who followed us to Kevrian but weren¡¯t part of the expedition if they¡¯d like to join?" "Oh, that¡¯s a good idea. Approach those who match the vacant roles." "Alright, I¡¯ll handle that." "Isn¡¯t this too much work for you? I feel like I should pay you a salary." Despite her exhausted face, Kang Shia smiled. "Jiho, not at all. I¡¯m gaining so much by handling this." "Gaining, how?" "People might wonder, ''Why is she doing this for him? Is she close to him, one of his inner circle?'' Those perceptions are a tremendous asset." She closed the file and swept her hair back. "Becoming the first C-rank Hunter is an unprecedented achievement. And for someone who became an Awakened just months ago to become the strongest on Earth... Whether they like it or not, this industry will have to adapt to you, Jiho." "It¡¯s not like they need to tread lightly." "You¡¯ll see. Once word of what happened at the fortress spreads, people will scramble to recruit you or curry favor. Anyway, being perceived as part of your inner circle is incredibly beneficial for me and my guild." "In that case, I¡¯ll put you to work as much as I want." "Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I want." With Kang Shia¡¯s enthusiasm, we discussed the expedition issues. The Kevrian expedition was set to resume in a week. Meanwhile, I headed home for some much-needed rest. As soon as I closed my eyes in my new home, I drifted into dreamland. [Your magic is sufficient to learn 4th-circle spells.] [Your magic skill level is insufficient to learn 4th-circle spells. Currently undergoing training to increase skill level...] [Your foundation in magic and mana is nonexistent. Beginning subconscious foundational training.] When I woke up, the ongoing messages from the Magic Encyclopedia were gone, replaced by new ones. It teaches me even while I¡¯m sleeping? That¡¯s convenient. Though I didn¡¯t feel drastically different after just one day, when I tried using a Shield spell, it felt more efficient. It was like giving orders with no knowledge versus understanding the system and directing efficiently. If this progression continues, it¡¯ll be a breeze. Let¡¯s see how much SP has increased. When I checked the status screen, I saw that my SP had increased by about 700 in a single day. To be precise, the Order faction gained 650, and the Neutral faction gained 60. Compared to the days when I earned about 100 combined from both sides, this was a sevenfold increase. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] This is quite profitable. If four gods can manage this much, adding two more could potentially bring in over a thousand SP per day. I considered spending the points on stats right away but decided to hold off until I cleared the main quest. ¡°Yawn¡­¡± Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve been fighting constantly lately. While I wanted to relax on Earth when I was in Kevrian, now that I¡¯m back, I find myself restless. I ordered food from a Chinese restaurant and turned on my computer to browse the news. The headline ¡°World¡¯s First C-Rank Awakened Emerges in South Korea!¡± immediately caught my eye. Oh, has it already been made public? Curious, I clicked on the article, but it only displayed a brief message: ¡°This article has been removed in accordance with our policies.¡± What? Pressure from the top? When I checked the HunterNet, which is only accessible to awakened hunters, the forums were abuzz with debates about whether a C-rank had truly appeared. Posts claiming to have confirmed the existence of a C-rank were being deleted as soon as they went up. Does the government not want this information getting out? As I pondered, I noticed a text message on my phone from the Hunter Association president. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [We sincerely apologize for the media publishing an article without first considering your wishes, Hunter Kim Jiho.] The lengthy message started with an apology. Stripping away all the flowery words, the gist was that if I wanted to publicize it, they would actively support me, but if not, they would keep it under wraps. So the government had deleted the articles because I hadn¡¯t made a decision yet. How considerate of them. I mulled over it for a moment. Hmm. Is there really a need to flaunt it and announce to the world that I¡¯m C-rank? That sounds like a hassle. If industry insiders find out through the grapevine, that¡¯s one thing, but there¡¯s no need to brag to the general public. I asked Kang Shia, a former star, for her opinion. -If you¡¯re not interested in public attention, it¡¯s better to keep it under wraps. It¡¯ll only cause headaches. ¡°Right?¡± -Yes. If your identity becomes widely known, paparazzi from all over the world will flock to Korea. Some hunters enjoy that kind of fame, but I wouldn¡¯t recommend it. ¡°But can this really be controlled? It feels like rumors will spread anyway.¡± -Complete control is impossible. But at least in the beginning, they can manage it. I¡¯ll contact the Kevrian expedition members and ask them to keep it confidential. Also, I¡¯ve heard that David in the U.S. is close to reaching level 50. If he gets promoted, the spotlight will shift to him. ¡°David¡­ I think I heard from Smith that he¡¯s at level 49.¡± -Yes, he¡¯s a chronic fame-seeker. Once he¡¯s promoted, he¡¯ll go around bragging everywhere. The public¡¯s attention will immediately turn to him. On HunterNet, rumors about you might circulate, but the association will likely suppress them to some extent. After hearing her opinion, I contacted the association president and told him I wasn¡¯t interested in fame and would appreciate it if they kept things under control. -That¡¯s a wise choice. If you become a public figure, every little thing you do will become headline news, and you¡¯ll be swarmed by paparazzi. Not to mention scammers and gold diggers¡­ Now that I think about it, I remember seeing an article a while ago about the association president divorcing his wife due to an affair. Is this guy speaking from personal experience? ¡°Right now, I want to focus on the broken world. Fame won¡¯t matter if Earth is destroyed.¡± -Exactly. I¡¯ll make sure to instruct the media to exercise strict control. However¡­ if we do this, David may claim the title of the first C-rank for a while. Are you okay with that? ¡°That¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± The gods and the forces of Chaos are already paying attention to me, so I¡¯d rather relax on Earth. Besides, I¡¯ve already secured the title of the first Earth-born C-rank, so it doesn¡¯t matter. At my request, the association diligently dismissed any rumors as baseless and controlled the information. Of course, the general public remained unaware, but top officials in various governments and associations knew about me. One of the hunters who followed me was a CIA operative, after all. Knowing what I had demonstrated in Kevrian, these powerful figures went out of their way to support me. With the help of intelligence agents from major nations, my story disappeared entirely, replaced by a flood of celebrity scandals and infidelity news. When news broke that David was nearing C-rank, my existence was completely overshadowed. With the situation resolved, I focused on mastering magic. Or rather, I let it come to me while I slept¡ªit seemed to happen naturally. While I could study while awake, it was absurdly difficult¡­ After resting for a week, our expedition team gathered at the association again. Unlike the first time, their faces were no longer simply bright and full of anticipation. The experience points had been sweet, but the final siege battle had been grueling¡­ However, word had spread about the rewards, and the number of participants heading to Kevrian had increased by 600. ¡°Let¡¯s depart.¡± With a total of 2,000 D-rank hunters, we all entered Kevrian at the same time. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 42 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 42: Main Quest (2) Kevrian began moving again. The 2,000 hunters arrived on the battlefield with a determination to fight to the death. Yet, the enemy hadn¡¯t appeared, even after five days. The city gate had been restored with the help of the Earth Spirit, but it wasn¡¯t as strong as before. If the enemy had attacked now, we would¡¯ve been in serious trouble. Forty-nine hunters, who found the battlefield unbearable, chose to take their own lives and withdraw. However, the rest gradually started to forget the shock of death. ¡°Enemy incoming!¡± Just when it seemed the main quest would pass peacefully, the enemy army began advancing again. But their appearance was different from when they used dragon breath in the last battle. Ogres charged mindlessly, their eyes glazed, driven forward by the rhythm of drums played by their army''s band. The composition of their forces was similar to what we had faced on the first day of the expedition. ¡°If it¡¯s just ogres, they¡¯ll be easy to handle.¡± The castle¡¯s spirit power, nearly depleted during the last battle, had replenished to about 80% after five days of rest, even though it wasn¡¯t fully recovered due to repairing the walls. With the spirit¡¯s support, the defense battle commenced, and the mindless charge of the ogres posed little threat to the fortress. The hunters, who had been nervous after hearing stories of the last day¡¯s battle, soon began to relax when they found it far easier than expected. ¡°This experience gain is amazing.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve joined earlier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so much easier to deal with without the wyvern unit.¡± ¡°My level finally broke past the cursed 40.¡± Thanks to the sturdy fortress and the spirits, the ranged jobs firing arrows and casting magic from a safe distance were thriving. The melee classes, while not as fortunate, weren¡¯t left out either. They gained experience by neutralizing the ogres¡¯ crude siege attempts, including catapults launching Uruk statues. Everyone was happy. ¡°Jiho, I¡¯m so glad I followed you. Ha! I leveled up again.¡± Jinseong, riding his white spirit horse he insisted on calling Red Hare, galloped along the wall, enjoying his newfound popularity among the hunters. ¡°I think I¡¯ll hit level 40 soon! I might not be as fast as you, Jiho, but at this growth rate, I might be one of the fastest in the world.¡± Kang Shia beamed at me, flashing a victory sign with her fingers. ¡°Thanks to you, Mr. Jiho, I might end up as the highest-level public servant in our government. Reporting my level 44 will probably increase my pension. Much appreciated.¡± Even Agent Smith, oozing the aura of a special agent, offered his thanks, mixing it with practical thoughts about his retirement fund. The other members of the expedition were equally thrilled. Those not yet in the Apostle Commander¡¯s unit were desperate to join it. ¡°At this rate, we¡¯ll successfully defend the fortress. It¡¯s all thanks to you, Apostle. How can we ever repay this debt?¡± ¡°Hmm. Don¡¯t worry about it. Oh, by the way, do you happen to have more leaves from the World Tree?¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re still gaining potential from those leaves? My sins must be heavy indeed¡­ I¡¯ll ask around.¡± Diana left with a serious expression. I didn¡¯t mention the "333 Club." It was too depressing. Anyway, I had no reason to consume the First Fruit of the World Tree among the rewards from the four gods¡ªit was utterly useless. I¡¯d settle for eating more leaves. Sigh. The mood in the fortress was at its peak. For everyone but me. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Was this the so-called Gaze of Chaos? I felt off. I kept sensing a strange gaze on me, and after sunset, chills ran down my spine. At times, I was tempted to drastically raise my stats, but the guardian gods always stopped me. [Aurelia warns that investing more SP will intensify the focus of Chaos.] [Pollux advises patience, saying only a few days remain.] Their concentrated care kept me from allocating stats, but the unsettling feeling lingered daily. Maybe it was because I¡¯d heard about being observed? But this discomfort was too persistent for that. During battles, I ended up shooting arrows half-heartedly. I avoided summoning my Flame Chariot unless necessary and dealt with ogres mainly using my bow. Although I¡¯d begun learning some 4th-circle spells, I rarely used them. ¡°Ogres are charging the eastern wall!¡± I stepped in only during sudden surges, using the Dwarf-repaired sword and my bow. There wasn¡¯t much risk, as plenty of idle awakened warriors quickly mobilized wherever enemy forces concentrated. ¡°Feel the power of my Green Dragon Crescent Blade! Azure Dragon Breaker Slash!¡± ¡°Geez, what the hell is wrong with that guy? Azure Dragon Breaker Slash? Doesn¡¯t he feel embarrassed?¡± Jinseong, riding his horse, swung his mana-imbued Green Dragon Crescent Blade, shouting his ¡°skill¡± name. It was just a mana blade slash. ¡°Truly the reincarnation of Guan Yu.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t let him have all the glory. Excalibur!¡± ¡°Conqueror¡¯s Heaven-Cleaving Blade!¡± A few dozen other warriors joined him, shouting different attack names while riding horses. Their antics in the midst of a battlefield were so cringeworthy I wanted to cover my ears and gouge out my eyes. They yelled so earnestly that I even asked the gods if those skills existed. [Aurelia responds with a cynical ¡°Of course not.¡±] [Pollux defends them, saying men use such romantic notions to endure the battlefield, and not to be too harsh on them.] Ugh, fine. It¡¯s better for them to cheer themselves up like this than to collapse from PTSD and flee the battlefield. But watching them made my eyes hurt. ¡°Azure Dragon Breaker Slash? Excalibur? What are those?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a battle cry used in the Heavenly Nation. A shout to subdue enemies.¡± Diana tilted her head, puzzled after hearing their ¡°skill¡± names. Luckily, they yelled in Korean or English, sparing me some embarrassment. But when they shouted, ¡°Azure Dragon, shatter the heavens!¡± while slashing with the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, they looked insane. At this rate, they¡¯d start shouting in the local language for everyone to hear. When I asked Jinseong to tone it down, he just wagged his finger. ¡°Youngster, you don¡¯t understand a man¡¯s romance. Just wait until I hit C-rank; then you¡¯ll see the true Azure Dragon Breaker Slash.¡± ¡°Argh, stop talking about that stupid Azure Dragon Breaker Slash.¡± "Hey. Everyone started buying spirit horses because they admired me, and now we have this cavalry. Shouldn''t we be encouraging it? Those guys aren¡¯t attacking as aggressively these days, so we should pursue them, right?" "Pursue them?" "Yeah. The cavalry should go after them and wipe them out. You should either buy a horse or ride that flame tank and sweep them away in style. It¡¯s about inspiring manly ambition! That way, all the warriors will want to follow this trend and spend their own money to become cavalry." I didn¡¯t need to pay attention to the nonsense about ¡°style,¡± but having cavalry sounded like a good idea. After all, they say the most fun comes from chasing down fleeing enemies. When I asked Kang Shia how many of the 2,000 people here could summon horses, her answer surprised me: around 220. "That many?" "There are plenty of hunters who¡¯ve made a lot of money. But I didn¡¯t expect so much investment in these supposedly useless spirit horses." "But there aren¡¯t many people actually fighting on horseback." "Because this is a siege. Horses aren¡¯t really necessary. And also¡­" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] She trailed off, glancing at Jinseong swinging his crescent-moon halberd enthusiastically. Ah, is it because they don¡¯t want to be lumped in with those guys? Makes sense. "It might be better to organize a cavalry unit just in case." "Are you considering counterattacks already?" "My main quest is to defend this castle for 100 days, and I think we¡¯re almost there. Something¡¯s bound to change after that." "Main quest? You have something like that? You really are different from other hunters." Kang Shia spoke with curiosity. "Don¡¯t other hunters have quests?" "No. I¡¯ve never heard of anyone getting quests in the Broken World¡­ Maybe it¡¯s only for the first person who arrives. How fascinating." Really? That¡¯s interesting. With that, we formed the cavalry. Many of the mages and archers had only bought horses for transportation, so the actual combat cavalry was about 150 strong. After organizing them to a decent degree, we returned to the siege. Four days passed, and we were now just a day away from being able to return to Earth. "When we go back, should we encourage more spirit horse purchases?" "That sounds like a good idea. It¡¯d be great if we could get them from this castle, but since that¡¯s not an option, we¡¯ll have to stock up on Earth. Oh, how about making horses a requirement for the expedition team? Most people could handle that." "Eighty billion won, though¡­ Is that feasible?" "Sure. It¡¯s not much. Everyone¡¯s at least a D-rank hunter." Eighty billion isn¡¯t much? Talking to Kang Shia always messes with my sense of money. Even Jinseong borrowed heavily to live. Kang Shia argued that if you¡¯re at least D-rank, it¡¯s fine, and insisted we require them. Her logic was that each country would provide financial support for their expedition teams. Following her advice, we decided to include spirit horses for the next expedition. If we bought them tomorrow, would I be leading a 2,000-strong cavalry unit? Well, not everyone outside the command structure would need to buy them. That would leave us with at least a thousand cavalry. "It doesn¡¯t feel right to force people outside the command structure to buy them. Let¡¯s leave it up to their choice." "They¡¯ll all buy them anyway." Kang Shia smiled mischievously. Wait, since when was 80 billion a trivial amount? After reaching C-rank, I thought I had let go of money concerns, but conversations like this bring my old sense of value roaring back. It¡¯ll take more time to adjust. As we were heading to the Awakener¡¯s dormitory in the castle, a sudden chill ran down my spine. "Shia, hold on." I froze in place, drawing my sword. Pushing her behind me, I focused on the direction ahead. The darkness warped, and suddenly a sword emerged. A massive blade seemingly carved from bone. Its handle, adorned with a skull, was grasped by a bony hand, spreading darkness in all directions. The moonlight was completely obscured, leaving only the holy light emanating from my sword. From the shadows emerged a giant skeletal knight, walking forward slowly. Clad in black armor, his presence sent chills down my spine. He¡¯s strong. My newfound confidence from reaching C-rank faltered. [Pol¡­ lux¡­] [Au¡­] The system message was garbled and fragmented. Blocking system messages? Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I¡¯ve never seen this before. I can¡¯t handle this alone. "Shia, bring Diana. I don¡¯t think I can take this guy alone." "A-Alright!" Kang Shia hesitated momentarily before turning and running. She had raised her bow as if to help, but decided that calling for reinforcements was the better choice. The skeletal knight simply watched her leave, making no attempt to stop her. When she was completely out of sight, the knight clattered his bones and opened his mouth. "You are Kim Jiho?" "That¡¯s me. And you are?" "Death Knight King Ampellion." Ampellion? One of the Four Knights of Destruction under the Lord of Death? He¡¯s supposed to be the final boss of D-rank battlefields. Why is he here? But for someone hyped up as a big deal on Earth, he doesn¡¯t look that strong. Sure, one-on-one would be tough for me, but this is our stronghold. Once reinforcements arrive, he¡¯ll be wiped out. Even Diana alone could probably take him. What¡¯s his plan? He glanced around briefly before slowly pointing his sword at me. "Now¡­ kill me, Kim Jiho." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 43 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 43: Main Quest (3) ¡°What? Kill me?¡± ¡°No, die.¡± A white bud bloomed at the tip of Ampellion''s greatsword. White smoke billowed out and coalesced. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The shifting white haze revealed screaming faces, their spectral appearance chilling and eerie. ¡°Subdue them.¡± Three ghosts emerged from the mist, each flying toward me in an unsettling trajectory: one aiming for my head, another for my chest, and the last for my legs. Though they didn¡¯t feel particularly threatening, I raised my shield and slashed at them. [Aaaaaahhhh.] [Freedom¡­ I¡¯ve been freed.] [Finally¡­] Each ghost disappeared with an exultant cry as they were struck by my sword infused with holy power. Their forms gradually faded as they were cut down. What was this? It felt¡­ empty. But this was just the beginning. ¡°To think you''d absorb souls¡­¡± Suddenly, light burst from the sunken eye sockets of the skeletal knight, and his aura transformed entirely. The Death Knight King with blazing red eyes. As he raised his sword once more, I felt a sharp twinge in my head. Danger detected! I immediately dodged to the side. As the skeletal knight¡¯s sword cleaved vertically through the air, it split the world itself. The sundered atmosphere rippled outward, and the ground beneath me cracked deeply, forming a perfectly straight line. What kind of insane swordsmanship was this¡­? I¡¯d need to fight him properly now. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot!¡± I called forth the Flame Chariot and sent it charging directly at him at full speed. At least this would deal some damage. ¡°The power of the Sun God¡­¡± But Ampellion swung his sword horizontally this time, cutting the Flame Chariot clean in half. It vanished without a trace. To think the chariot was destroyed in a single blow¡­! How? Was his attack imbued with magic too? It was shocking to see an A-rank skill nullified so easily. Though his movements were slow, his strength was overwhelming. Could it be that his slow pace was intentional, showing his confidence that he could overpower me regardless? Even though it hurt my pride, I decided to maintain my distance and stall until reinforcements arrived. I stepped back and summoned Artemis¡¯s Bow. Ampellion made no move to chase me, simply watching calmly as if waiting for me to perform. ¡°So, this is the power of the Moon Goddess.¡± I created magical arrows and shot them, but he leisurely deflected each one with his sword, as if he found it amusing. ¡°To think the blessings of the Goddess of War would be this powerful.¡± He¡¯s analyzing me. Could this be part of the Chaos Lord¡¯s attention? I kept attacking with arrows and spells, even though I was being analyzed. After all, standing still could mean death. ¡°Flame Strike.¡± Thanks to the power of Athena¡¯s Grimoire, my magic skill levels had increased, allowing me to learn this 4th-circle flame spell. A fiery circle appeared on the ground Ampellion stood on, erupting into flames¡ªa powerful spell capable of incinerating an ogre in one blow. But Ampellion merely glanced at the fiery circle beneath him and stomped it out. What the hell¡­? Who is this guy? ¡°A 4th-circle spell. And you¡¯re not even a mage? This must be the work of the Goddess of Wisdom. That¡¯s right; they said this generation combines the Goddess of War and Wisdom.¡± Is he talking about Athena? The Death Knight continued analyzing my attacks, evaluating each one. Not a single attack landed. Even if reinforcements came, I was suddenly hit with the grim thought: would they even stand a chance? Still, I had to hold on until they arrived. I instinctively nocked another arrow and fired. I figured he would block it with his sword again. But this time, his sword didn¡¯t move. Thunk! The arrow pierced his body, embedding itself in his chest. Holy flames ignited where it struck. Ampellion stared quietly at the flames consuming his chest. ¡°What immense divine power¡­ You¡¯re blessed by the gods to an extraordinary degree. And naturally, you¡¯re absorbing my energy despite the gap in our strength.¡± Click, clack. His skeletal teeth clattered together. His expression¡ªif you could call it that¡ªseemed to twist into an eerie smile. ¡°The Supreme Lord of the Death was right. Even if it¡¯s only part of me, this is worth dying for.¡± Ampellion plunged his sword into the ground, and the earth began to quake violently. Though I could still stand, it was clear that the tremors would worsen over time. I had to respond. ¡°Fly.¡± Using 4th-circle flight magic, I lifted myself off the ground, hovering about 5 meters up to avoid losing control. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± Once more, I summoned the Flame Chariot and sent it hurtling toward Ampellion while firing arrows from the air. The chariot and my magic arrows struck him simultaneously. Ampellion¡¯s entire body was engulfed in holy flames. Yet he remained unaffected. The chariot continued to burn him, but he didn¡¯t flinch. Damn it. What the hell am I supposed to do? Shouldn¡¯t he at least take some damage? ¡°Open, O Gate of the Dead.¡± The ground collapsed. The earth disappeared, replaced by a ghastly gray-white mist. From within, the same ghosts I¡¯d encountered earlier began emerging in droves. Though they moved slowly, they homed in on me like guided missiles, making me feel like their prey. Ugh. I¡¯ll have to go all out. ¡°Blessing of the Whole Body.¡± Though they weren¡¯t projectiles, boosting my stats would still be useful. Ampellion watched my skills with apparent interest. The battle wasn¡¯t over. But one thing was clear: this was going to be a long and grueling fight. ¡°The blessing of the God of War¡­ Your talent is terrible, yet you have divine blessings.¡± Oh, this guy. How does he think he knows my talent and talk like that? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [It¡¯s a human¡­!] [Save me¡­ Save me!] [Fall into the abyss with me¡­ Hehehe¡­] Wailing ghosts. Smiling with deranged expressions, they surged from the ground in various forms. Thankfully, they were slow enough for me to react. I cast a 4th-circle spell I recently mastered. ¡°Chain Lightning.¡± A bolt of lightning shot from my fingertips. A yellow holy-infused thunderbolt, thanks to the Goddess Athena. [We¡¯ve been saved¡­!] The ghosts cheered as they vanished, and the lightning spread in all directions. The ghosts rushing toward me now eagerly sought to be struck by the lightning. As if they were desperate to die. What are these lunatics? Flying higher, I unleashed all the attack spells I had. Without the divine blessing, I shuddered to think what might have happened. Even my magic, not just my weapons, carried divine power, utterly annihilating the ghosts. I didn¡¯t take my eyes off Ampellion even as I killed the enemies. He was staring at me silently, his sword planted in the ground. His entire body was ablaze, but he showed no intention of extinguishing the flames. Instead, the Death Knight laughed mechanically, seemingly enjoying it. Suddenly, his earlier words, ¡°Kill me,¡± gnawed at my mind. Was there value in his death? If he had swung his sword a few more times while I was surrounded by these ghosts, I would¡¯ve been in real trouble. Yet he didn¡¯t. It felt like he was only attacking me with strikes I could handle. Was he trying to let me kill him deliberately? Is that why he allowed the Flame Chariot and divine fire to keep burning? ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± I summoned the Flame Chariot around me again, deciding to suppress the surrounding ghosts first, considering his odd behavior. Neighhhh! The Flame Chariot galloped through the air, burning the swarm of ghosts. Once I cleared some space, I climbed onto the chariot and tried to retreat. It felt like fighting further would only let him analyze me. Boom! After running for a while, the Flame Chariot suddenly came to an abrupt stop as if blocked by a wall. No matter how it leaped through the air, it couldn¡¯t advance further. ¡°A hero-tier entity cannot surpass the Wall of Chaos. The flame has already been ignited.¡± Ampellion¡¯s voice pierced my ears, even from afar. ¡°If you stop attacking, I¡¯ll simply exert more power.¡± Suddenly, the ghosts began appearing at a maddening speed. The once sluggish movements had doubled or tripled in speed, and their numbers swelled. Now, I had to use the Flame Chariot as a shield, or I¡¯d be overwhelmed. [Save us!] [Kill us¡­ Quickly!] [Hehehe¡­ It¡¯s a human¡­ A human!] Before long, I was surrounded by ghosts, and their waves crashed against me like a tidal flood. Even pouring out magic, it was hard to keep up. Without the Flame Chariot, I¡¯d have been devoured long ago. I fought back the ghosts using every tool at my disposal. Thankfully, the Wall of Chaos Ampellion mentioned also blocked the ghosts, allowing me to lean against it and protect my back. [Come here, and you can die!] [Everyone, come here!] [Let¡¯s devour the human¡­!] It had been a while since I¡¯d seen Ampellion¡¯s figure. If he had attacked me now, I would¡¯ve been done for. But all he did was send more ghosts. After several minutes of desperate battle, the onslaught eased slightly. As I destroyed more ghosts and flew higher, Ampellion stood with his sword drawn. The ground where he stood remained intact, while everything else had sunken deeply. He seemed majestic, standing alone amidst cliffs carved by chaos. Here I was, chased by ghosts, and he had the nerve to strike a pose. ¡°Burning to this degree¡­ It should suffice.¡± Ampellion¡¯s red eyes gradually dimmed. He pulled his sword completely from the ground and stabbed it into his own chest. With a sickening crunch, his ribcage shattered, leaving a hollow in his torso. Then, with a sharp upward slash, his flaming skull flew into the air. The burning skull soared toward me but stopped abruptly before my eyes. ¡°You who command souls. Await your master¡¯s arrival. Until next time¡­¡± Click. Click. He gave me a peculiar smile and disappeared in flames. As he vanished, the ground began to rise, and the ghosts disappeared. The thick darkness lifted, and moonlight once again illuminated the world. Everything had returned to its original state. The ground was intact, and no signs of the fierce battle remained. Looking around, I saw many people in the distance, staring at me. Disabling my flight magic, I landed on the ground, and they rushed toward me. ¡°Jiho, are you okay?¡± ¡°Holy Apostle, are you unharmed?¡± Kang Shia and Diana approached with worried faces. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ but what happened outside?¡± ¡°When I escaped, a massive pillar of darkness appeared. No matter what we tried, we couldn¡¯t break it.¡± ¡°Even with the full might of the Spirit Fortress, it wouldn¡¯t budge.¡± Kang Sia explained that as she escaped to bring reinforcements, the dark space expanded into a towering pillar of impenetrable darkness. No light could pierce it, and any attempt to enter or attack was futile. Even after gathering all the hunters of the fortress and focusing their firepower, the pillar remained untouched. They were helpless until the dark space vanished on its own, and I appeared in the sky. Was that the Wall of Chaos? What a staggering scale. ¡°What exactly happened? What became of the Death Knight?¡± Before I could answer Kang Shia¡¯s question, a long message appeared in the system window. [Death Knight King Ampellion has been repelled.] [This is an unprecedented achievement. Analyzing damage contribution.] [The top damage contributors against the boss monster Death Knight King are as follows: 1st: Kim Jiho ¨C 51.1% 2nd: Death Knight King Ampellion ¨C 48.9%] [The defeat of Death Knight King Ampellion is confirmed.] That guy¡­ Was he burning in the Flame Chariot just to let me take first place? Why? [Death Knight King Ampellion has been repelled.] [This is an unattainable achievement. The opposing faction may lodge an objection.] [The Chaos faction raises no objections.] [The Order faction withholds rewards.] The phrase ¡°rewards withheld¡± left me speechless. I continued reading the system messages. [Part of Death Knight King Ampellion¡¯s soul has been absorbed.] [Inadequate compatibility. The grade of your Complete Form Maintenance skill is too low. Only a minute amount is absorbed.] [Stats have increased significantly.] [You have partially absorbed the divinity of Chaos. The Chaos aptitude may now bloom.] [Would you like to unlock the Chaos aptitude?] So this¡­ was his intent? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 44 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 44: Main Quest (4) [Aurelia warns that if you awaken the nature of Chaos at your current level, your body will self-destruct, and she strongly advises against it.] [Pollux says that if you don¡¯t want to become a pawn of Chaos, you should not unlock the nature of Chaos.] Finally, the communication from my two guardian deities connected. Both of them were strongly discouraging me. I wasn¡¯t particularly eager to unlock the nature of Chaos either. Would it give me three status windows if I did? That¡¯s a bit tempting... but still, something about it feels off. Like the Death Knight King Ampellion, who essentially sacrificed himself as if urging me to quickly suppress him and consume him. It was astonishing how accurately he calculated the damage to be exactly 51.1%. Judging by their intentions, it felt like things wouldn¡¯t end well. Apparently, my stats had increased dramatically. Let¡¯s check that out first. When I looked at the message window, my jaw dropped. [Strength has increased by 6.] [Agility has increased by 3.] [Mana has increased by 6.] What? Six? A total of 15... This is something you¡¯d normally need to level up 30 times to achieve, right? This is insane. Absolutely insane. How could defeating just one entity increase my stats so much? Even though it was stated that I absorbed only a fragment of a fragment, the results were this extraordinary. If he was referred to as a demigod, he must have been at least an A-grade being... And my level had risen to 60. Wow. Amazing. Even if it was a boss monster or a demigod, isn¡¯t this a bit over the top? [Pollux says that the power of a demigod is on a completely different level.] [Aurelia mentions that Ampellion opened the Gate of the Dead simply to quickly exhaust his power and hasten his death. She calls it a miracle that you managed to survive at all.] So, they were able to observe? Anyway, he opened the Gate of the Dead with such dramatic flair, all just to die quickly. If he had truly exerted his full strength, I probably wouldn¡¯t have lasted a minute before dying and being sent back to Earth. The gap between A-grade and C-grade was truly in another dimension. Honestly, I had started feeling a bit confident from growing stronger, but that guy completely doused my confidence with cold water. ¡°Jiho, are you okay?¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± The two beauties, who had been watching me stand silently, shook me. On either side of me, one Western beauty and one Eastern beauty clung to my arms. Is this what they call being surrounded by flowers? ¡°Oh... yes, I¡¯m fine. The enemy was the Death Knight King Ampellion.¡± At those words, Kang Shia gasped in shock. ¡°What? Isn¡¯t that the final boss?¡± But when Diana heard that name, her eyes went blank, and she let go of my arm. ¡°A Death Knight... A Death Knight... I can¡¯t believe a Death Knight is this strong...¡± Something felt off, so I glanced around, only to see that even the elves and dwarves had vacant expressions. It was as if they couldn¡¯t process what they were hearing. They seemed to understand the term "Death Knight," but they couldn¡¯t retain the name "Ampellion." ¡°Ah. It might be better not to mention that boss¡¯s name.¡± Kang Shia whispered while cautiously looking around. I nodded in agreement. When fighting entities of Chaos, they had maintained their awareness, but upon hearing Ampellion¡¯s name, everyone seemed to lose their senses. It suddenly felt like a horror story had emerged in the middle of this fantasy siege. The unfocused eyes were unnerving. ¡°What exactly happened?¡± ¡°He suddenly started fighting me and then killed himself. It felt like he wanted to die.¡± ¡°Wanted to die? I can¡¯t understand that at all.¡± It was tricky to explain soul absorption, so I just nodded at her comment. ¡°I feel the same way. I have no idea why this happened.¡± ¡°Regardless, his presence was overwhelming. Even more terrifying than when I saw a dragon¡¯s breath.¡± True. His presence was far stronger than when dragons gathered to unleash their flames. If the Death Knight King had fully unleashed his swordsmanship, the fortress walls would have crumbled instantly, and the stronghold would have fallen within a day. If the Gate of the Dead had been fully opened, everyone except me would likely have been annihilated. I would have died too if Ampellion had swung his sword. Could Earthlings really hope to subdue something like that? Doubts started to creep in. Sigh... I thought following the gods of Order¡¯s instructions would prevent Earth¡¯s destruction. But things were starting to feel increasingly tangled. ¡°My head¡¯s a mess. Let¡¯s call it a day.¡± I waved my hand, and the group dispersed. Watching them leave, I had this thought: Even if 2,000 D-grade warriors fought the Death Knight King, would they stand a chance? It seemed like a single swing of his sword would send at least 50 bodies flying. Then what about C-grade warriors? Even with 2,000 of them, they would likely be swept away all the same. Did they really expect us to beat something like this? Is it because the difficulty is too high? Maybe I should go to a lower-level area like Eshtar. I mulled over these thoughts as I returned to my lodging. The rewards were still pending. When I fell asleep, I found myself standing in a world above the clouds, much like when I had visited the Hall of the Gods. A dream? I looked around, but all I could see was the cloudy expanse. Only flickering lights were visible, with nothing else catching my eye. [Awakened one, Kim Jiho.] Suddenly, a dignified female voice echoed from the heavens. Was the sound coming from beyond the sky? I looked around, but no one was there. [I am the deity Athena.] The deity Athena? Should I consider it an honor that a deity of her rank is speaking to me directly? She must not be showing herself because the gap between us is so vast... [You are correct. If even an avatar were to manifest, a hero-tier individual like you wouldn¡¯t be able to endure.] A soft golden light descended from the heavens above the heavens. [The Lord of Death, the Supreme Commander, is a meticulous being. He has finally realized your presence. For him to abandon Ampellion like that just to confirm your existence¡ªthough an enemy, he is certainly bold.] I recalled what Ampellion had done earlier. At first, he wasn¡¯t certain. But after I killed the ghost and absorbed its soul, he became convinced and began preparing for his own destruction. The reason he died¡­ was likely to have his soul absorbed and to link the essence of chaos. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] It didn¡¯t seem to have resulted in complete annihilation, but it must have been a significant blow, considering Athena described it as abandonment. [Your thoughts are correct. I will protect your mind, but the Supreme Commander will find ways to approach you. Do not be swayed by the enemy¡¯s words and remain resolute.] [The hidden effect of the A-rank skill ¡°Magic Encyclopedia,¡± Athena¡¯s Mental Protection, is activated.] Is simply maintaining my mental fortitude insufficient? For her to directly invoke Athena¡¯s Mental Protection¡ªthat¡¯s fortunate. I didn¡¯t know the Magic Encyclopedia had such a hidden effect¡­ For now, I¡¯ll accept whatever is offered. [The reward we prepared for subduing Ampellion has been put on hold. We¡¯ll observe the situation further and grant divine rewards in due time. Please be patient.] ¡°Understood.¡± It¡¯s disappointing, but what can I do? Complaining wouldn¡¯t change anything. Surely, it¡¯s not because they didn¡¯t actually prepare any rewards. [...Be cautious of the Supreme Commander.] Athena paused briefly before giving her final warning. The world above the clouds gradually darkened. The sensation of my body slackening was brief. Before I knew it, I was back in my bed. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Still, gaining Athena¡¯s Mental Protection left me feeling reassured. When the system window prompted me with the question of whether to accept the essence of chaos, I firmly clicked ¡°No¡± and resumed the siege battle. The enemy¡¯s attacks were growing increasingly intense. Although airborne monsters hadn¡¯t appeared, the castle was now being invaded by a variety of monsters in addition to ogres. Among them, the most troublesome was the Giant Wyrm. A massive creature over 10 meters long that resembled a mix between a worm and a snake. After the defeat of the Death Knight King Ampellion, it reappeared, burrowing through the inner parts of the castle and emerging unpredictably. It was too powerful to be completely stopped by earth spirits, and detecting its emergence was the best we could do. ¡°Kyaaaahk!¡± The Giant Worm burst through the ground, splitting the earth as its snake-like mouth opened wide, spewing out statues melting inside it. ¡°Take it down!¡± The melee fighters, who had been the least active so far, teamed up with the elven spiritists to subdue the Giant Wyrm. I assisted from afar, only stepping in occasionally to help those in danger without taking the lead in attacks. After my encounter with Ampellion, I felt the need to develop the awakened individuals from Earth unless the situation was dire. Of course, they weren¡¯t yielding much experience, either. Once I hit level 60, experience points barely increased. ¡°Hahaha! Die!¡± Leading the cavalry, Lee Jinseong displayed astonishing skill. While others struggled to fight on horseback and mostly used their mounts as transportation, he was different. He fought in perfect harmony with his horse, impressing even the surrounding warriors, who cheered, ¡°As expected of the commander!¡±¡ªand rightly so. ¡°Level up!¡± ¡°This place is heaven!¡± The newly arrived awakened individuals, despite not receiving the Apostle Commander¡¯s buffs, fought against waves of monsters, shouting with joy. The fort provided solid backup, monsters appeared endlessly, and the high-level enemies offered plenty of experience points. In Eshtar, guilds would fight over dungeon ownership, and there weren¡¯t many monsters in each dungeon, so experience gain was limited. Here, however, it was entirely different, and they were ecstatic. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They had no idea about the battle where the Dragon¡¯s Breath was unleashed last time¡­ ¡°It¡¯s been ten days now.¡± ¡°Should we return for now?¡± ¡°Yes. Everyone¡¯s excited about their experience gains, but they¡¯re also exhausted.¡± Following Kang Shia¡¯s advice, we decided to return. Everyone agreed to take a three-day break before rejoining the battlefield. The battles weren¡¯t particularly grueling this time, so we didn¡¯t need a week-long interval. Besides, most people were eager to get back to the action rather than stay on Earth for too long. Back home, I dusted off my old strategy guidebook. Even though it covered neutral factions, its content about chaotic enemies was worth referencing. How did they tackle it? While there had been no information before, additional content was now available since I reached C-rank. [Before the Black Dragon completes the summoning circle for chaos, use the fallen Diana. Diana, who exploded with the Spirit of Wrath, is capable of holding her own against the summoning Black Dragon. Also, preemptively persuade the orc hero Grosh to stage a rebellion.] Ah, so the strategy involved betraying the Black Dragon before it could complete the summoning circle? [Of course, the summoning won¡¯t fail entirely. However, it will result in an incomplete summoning, and the Death Knight King Ampellion will only manifest with strength up to B-rank. That level can be handled by a group of awakened individuals, and if Diana survives until then, have her subdue him. This part is straightforward. The real problem lies with the enemies appearing in other regions.] Ugh, damn it. They really milked Diana dry, didn¡¯t they? They just cheesed the strategy. How enviable¡­ But honestly, this feels wrong. There¡¯s supposed to be a procedure for these things. Summonings should happen through summoning circles, not suddenly skipping the process and ambushing us like last time. Even if Kevrian is land dominated by chaos¡­ [Pollux says the Supreme Commander definitely overextended himself. He is paying the price for it.] Paying the price? With what? [Aurelia suggests visiting the Association if you¡¯re curious.] With nothing else pressing, I headed to the Association. The alien races on the upper floors, now familiar with my face, were rushing toward me in shock. Leading the group was the elf, Alena. ¡°Awakened Jiho Kim!¡± ¡°Yes? What¡¯s going on this time?¡± ¡°I should be the one asking! What did you do? The difficulty of Kevrian¡¯s planet¡­¡± ¡°What about the difficulty?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been reduced to Normal! From Very Difficult!¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 45 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 45: Main Quest (5) Huh? The difficulty dropped again? What¡¯s the range of "normal" difficulty? ¡°Normal? That¡¯s several levels down.¡± ¡°It¡¯s two levels lower than Very Difficult. After Very Difficult comes Difficult, and then Normal. This shouldn¡¯t even be possible¡ªhow could the difficulty drop this much...?¡± Her eyes sparkled with excitement. ¡°Right now, awakened individuals trying to enter Kevrian are flooding us with inquiries.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good news. The more people, the better.¡± ¡°Ah... but there¡¯s been trouble with some of them insisting they should go in first.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t want to depart together?¡± ¡°Yes. When the difficulty was high, they didn¡¯t behave like this. But now that it¡¯s lower, it¡¯s like they¡¯ve all decided to act up. We¡¯ve been rejecting them, but¡­¡± Lower difficulty isn¡¯t necessarily a good thing. People who wouldn¡¯t even consider entering when it was Very Hard are now rioting. Hmm. But on second thought, if we just shove these guys in, the planet¡¯s likely to face complete destruction. Would that mean I¡¯d gain the freedom to relocate to another planet? That¡¯s tempting, but it¡¯s a shame to leave when I¡¯m almost done with the Main Quest. Let¡¯s stop them for now. ¡°If others go in first, time will start flowing again, won¡¯t it? That could seriously disrupt castle defense operations. Let¡¯s just stick to leaving in two days.¡± ¡°Yes... but some people are completely unreasonable. What makes them so confident?¡± ¡°Which country are these people from?¡± Which country is causing so much trouble? There are several nations lining up to get on my good side, so where¡¯s this backstab coming from? Who is it?! ¡°This country is the worst. Other nations respect what the association says and self-regulate, but here, people are coming in droves to protest.¡± Alena hesitated slightly. Tsk¡­ Is this the famed kimchi power at work? ¡°Do you have a list of these people?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve prepared one.¡± The list she handed over had over 50 names. The difficulty just dropped yesterday¡ªhow did word spread so fast for them to gather like this? ¡°I¡¯ll give the association president a call.¡± Right there, I made the call. -Ah, Hunter Kim Jiho! Have you returned? I¡¯ve heard the astonishing news. Lowering the planet¡¯s difficulty... truly remarkable! The association president greeted me with extreme politeness. Since becoming a C-rank, his attitude seems even more exaggerated. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m calling because I heard that Korean hunters are filing a lot of complaints after the difficulty dropped.¡± -Oh, is that so? What kind of complaints are we talking about? ¡°They¡¯re upset they can¡¯t participate individually. Apparently, they don¡¯t want to wait for the expedition team and are insisting on going ahead alone.¡± -What? Why... They could just go with the expedition team. Why are they complaining? ¡°Exactly. The elves gave me a list. Could you reach out to these people and tell them to stick to the schedule? We¡¯re not saying they can¡¯t go at all, just to wait for the right time.¡± -Understood. Please send the list, and I¡¯ll contact them immediately. I¡¯ll also ensure the association advises D-rank hunters properly. My apologies for causing you concern. I sent the list to the president, and soon after, he got back to me. -Most of the people on the list are from or affiliated with a specific major corporate guild. ¡°What? Which one?¡± -They¡¯re primarily from Maeil. Maeil? That domestic conglomerate focused on local markets? Why are they playing games? ¡°What¡¯s their deal?¡± -Well, they likely have some kind of goal in mind... I¡¯ll issue a warning for now. ¡°Hmm¡­ Should I reach out to my CIA contact? Would it be better to involve Japan or China?¡± -Oh... no need to bring in foreign entities over domestic matters. There¡¯s no need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The president practically begged me not to escalate things before ending the call. Even after hanging up, I was still annoyed. Things are already chaotic because of the forces of Chaos, so why is Maeil causing trouble now? Thinking a major conglomerate might have insight, I asked Kang Shia. -Maeil? They¡¯re overstepping, trying to exert control. Let me check their stance. If they¡¯re being this obvious about their affiliation, they must want something. She said she¡¯d get in touch with them and hung up. I decided to wait for a while, so I looked up nearby restaurants and found a famous ramen shop. As I was taking my first bite, Kang Shia called. -Long story short, Maeil wanted seats on the expedition team. They¡¯re asking for a hundred spots. Hah, how ridiculous... Her voice was dripping with frustration¡ªsomething I¡¯d never heard from her before. ¡°They pulled this stunt because they thought I¡¯d cave and give them seats?¡± -Hunters often don¡¯t realize their own limits. You rose to prominence like a comet, Jiho, so they probably thought you didn¡¯t fully grasp your own value and decided to test the waters. ¡°Hmm. I need to make an example of them. Otherwise, they¡¯ll keep underestimating me.¡± -Exactly. Asking for a hundred spots? Insane. The U.S. government requested a hundred, and that was a big deal at the time. True. Back then, I was grateful just to have people willing to come. -May I handle this matter? I don¡¯t want you wasting your energy on such petty issues. ¡°Please do. Make sure they don¡¯t try anything like this again.¡± -I¡¯ll take care of it. I trusted her to resolve it. This kind of issue wasn¡¯t worth my attention. -Oh, one more thing. About 500 people applied for general participation. ¡°General participants are always welcome. We need numbers to maintain defenses as the dynamics change.¡± -Understood. I¡¯ll approve all requests as they come in. ¡°Thanks. Also, if Maeil comes asking for leniency, make sure to hit them hard before letting them off.¡± -This is something I enjoy handling. Plus, their antics have been annoying me, so I¡¯ve got some frustration to vent. Haha. Her irritation was finally making sense. With her managing the situation, I relaxed with a coffee and went home. For two days, I indulged in restaurant tours and drinks with Jinseong. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if returning to Kevrian was the right decision. The last words of Death Knight King Ampellion weighed on my mind, and it was also the land of the Lord of Death. But the difficulty had decreased, I had established myself as an Apostle Commander there, and... [Pollux reports that the reduced difficulty has shrunk the area Chaos can intervene in.] [Aurelia says there won¡¯t be a situation worth worrying about.] Both guardian deities gave the green light, and with Athena¡¯s mental protection, I decided to return. After all, I needed to claim the main quest reward. ¡°Jiho, we¡¯ve gathered a total of 2,700 people.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a lot.¡± ¡°Oh, have you been watching the news lately?¡± ¡°You mean the investigation? Did Shia pull some strings?¡± S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Her name had been in the headlines daily lately. Stories about siblings fighting over stocks and being investigated for tax evasion filled the front pages. It felt like a sudden explosion, but it seemed like a carefully orchestrated move after all. ¡°With so many prominent members in the expedition team, I only gave a subtle hint, and they handled the rest themselves.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°Leading Kevrian¡¯s timeline is crucial. The entire expedition team agrees on this. They also agreed that this should serve as a lesson so nothing like this happens again. If other countries like the U.S., China, Japan, or Russia snoop around and get torn apart, they¡¯ll think twice before trying anything funny. No one will dare to mess with us.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Shia grinned, looking more relaxed than I¡¯d ever seen her. ¡°Well done. Let¡¯s set off now.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send out the messages.¡± With such a large group, we contacted each nation to coordinate simultaneous entry through portals. Of course, Korea, and I, in particular, would be the first to enter. The siege battle was nearing its end. The enemy¡¯s attacks were waning, and the once-threatening Giant Worms rarely appeared anymore. On the eighth day, the elves sent out as scouts excitedly reported back: ¡°The enemy has retreated!¡± ¡°The Black Dragon Legion¡¯s main force has withdrawn!¡± ¡°Wooooo!¡± The residents of Kevrian¡¯s fortress were ecstatic. The dwarves opened their beer cellars, and the elves danced with joy. The fortress turned into a festive scene in no time. While awakened ones seemed slightly disappointed at the loss of such a prime hunting ground, they didn¡¯t want to ruin the mood for everyone celebrating. ¡°It was great for gaining experience points...¡± ¡°Should we advance now?¡± ¡°Do we need to buy Spirit Horses?¡± People were already discussing their next steps. ¡°This retreat feels like a dream! But just to be safe, I¡¯ll check with the Wind Spirit. I¡¯ll go myself.¡± Diana, who was jubilant a moment ago, decided to personally verify the situation and stepped outside the fortress. Hmm¡­ She was so adamant I couldn¡¯t stop her. There was no need to, though. Because¡­ [Main Quest: ¡®Defend Train Fortress for 100 Days¡¯ has been completed.] Finally! I cleared the main quest. Yay! 100,000 SP! [Due to the change in Kevrian¡¯s planet difficulty, rewards will be distributed separately.] What? [You gain 20,000 SP.] [Achievement: ¡®Savior¡¯s Footstep¡¯ unlocked.] [Title: ¡®Kevrian¡¯s Hero¡¯ obtained.] [1x ¡®B-grade or higher Random Skill Box¡¯ obtained.] [1x ¡®B-grade or higher Random Item Box¡¯ obtained.] Huh? Why only one box? Wasn¡¯t I supposed to get another title? The title of ¡®One Who Challenges the Impossible¡¯! What¡¯s going on? [Pollux explains that the system¡¯s difficulty adjustment required dividing the rewards.] [Aurelia reassures you that you¡¯ll eventually receive everything.] Tsk. Lower difficulty isn¡¯t always a blessing, huh? Still, they said I¡¯d get everything eventually. I can¡¯t exactly demand more from the deities, can I? Honestly, 20,000 SP is still an overwhelming amount. I thought about maxing out my stats immediately, but I decided to wait until the next main quest appeared. It should show up soon, right? For now, what grabbed my attention the most were the random boxes. In my inventory were a B-grade or higher Random Skill Box and a B-grade or higher Random Item Box. I wanted to open them. So badly. Guaranteed B-grade or higher, right? Ugh. But what if I can¡¯t open them because of the Lord of Death? [Pollux says they already know, so just open it. He also suggests using all your SP when the next main quest begins.] [Aurelia agrees with Pollux, saying the reduced difficulty means Chaos¡¯s influence has waned, so there¡¯s no need to worry. She advises strengthening your abilities instead.] For once, Aurelia agreed with Pollux. Was the difficulty adjustment that impactful? Alright. If the guardian deities are this confident, I¡¯ll go for it. Just as Aurelia said, I need to fully equip myself now. First, let¡¯s start with the item box. Skills are more critical, so I¡¯ll save that for later. The item box will be the sacrifice. If it gives me something bad, the skill box will surely yield something good. And if it gives me something good, then today¡¯s luck will carry over to the skill box too! Sacrifice time¡ªhere we go, Item Box! [You opened the B-grade or higher Random Item Box.] [You obtained the B-grade item: ¡®World Tree Fruit.¡¯] Wait a second... Isn¡¯t this the World Tree Fruit Diana gave me? I checked my inventory, and it was indeed the same. Haha... Ha¡­ What a fitting gift for someone with terrible potential like me. If I coax Diana enough, I could probably get more, but still¡­ Ha ha ha. No. This is the sacrifice. I already used up my bad luck here, so the next one must be good. Phew. Ah, wait. I should invest in my Luck stat... I was planning to save it, but seeing the World Tree Fruit made me rethink. I need to boost my luck a little. After dumping neutral faction attribute points and SP into my Luck stat, the ¡°B¡± was more than half full. ¡°Phew... Alright, let¡¯s do this!¡± [You opened the B-grade or higher Random Skill Box.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 46 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 46: Seems Like the Order Faction is Skimming Rewards (1) [You have acquired the B-rank active skill ¡®Focused Enhancement LV1.¡¯] Focused Enhancement? [Focused Enhancement LV1] [Temporarily boosts the output of mana manipulation techniques. The output increases by 2x, but mana consumption rises by 3x. This ratio applies up to 6x output. Cooldown: 3 minutes.] So, it rapidly burns mana to significantly enhance power in a short period. To test it, I tried using Fireball. ¡°Fireball.¡± When used normally, the Fireball swells up to about the size of my body. My magic skills have steadily improved even while I was resting, and now it¡¯s grown to this size. What if I use Focused Enhancement here? ¡°Focused Enhancement. Fireball.¡± The moment I cast it, the Fireball started inflating massively. It really felt like its size limit had been drastically extended. What used to be impossible to make larger was now six times stronger. It even made nearby mages murmur in astonishment. ¡°How can a Fireball get that big?¡± ¡°Hunter Kim Jiho is a mage?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not just a mage, is he? He uses magic, bows, and swords. Not a normal class, clearly.¡± Seems like rumors have spread. In any case, this skill was simple but very useful. I¡¯d struggled with enemies with strong defenses a few times before, but now I could easily overpower them. The 3-minute cooldown was a bit of a letdown, though. Was that treasure chest really a sacrificial offering for this? And the new title I got¡­ [Champion of Kevrian] [Rank: B] [A title given to a champion striving to revive the already-destroyed planet Kevrian. Greatly appeals to Kevrian natives. When on Kevrian, all stats increase by 15%.] A B-rank title. The 15% stat boost was tempting, but the appeal to Kevrian natives was also worth noting. I could swap it out for my current title, the ¡°Bat Awakener.¡± When I changed titles, I suddenly felt stronger. If ¡°Champion of Kevrian¡± is this good, I wonder how great the titles I didn¡¯t get must have been. If I¡¯d gotten 80,000 SP, I¡¯d feel much more secure right now. What¡¯s with this system? The difficulty level of the planet was lowered because I dealt with that Ampellion bastard. Yet, no proper rewards. ¡°Seriously, this system is too much. Is it a bug? Shouldn¡¯t it have given me 200,000 SP instead of just 100,000 for reducing the difficulty level?¡± Thinking about it made me angrier. Like a stingy employer withholding a promised bonus from a part-timer. ¡°Couldn¡¯t it just pay me when I get back to Earth? Come on.¡± About 10 minutes of grumbling for anyone to hear, and finally, I got a response from the guardian deity. [Pollux says SP will be paid out in weekly installments of 20,000.] Weekly? Kevrian time or Earth time? [Pollux clarifies it¡¯s Earth time.] Whoa! If it¡¯s Earth time, that¡¯s 70 days per week on Kevrian. To get 80,000 SP, I¡¯d need to stay here 280 days. That¡¯s nearly a year! [Pollux adds that you¡¯ll just have to come and go, so don¡¯t complain. Also, when you get back to Earth, come to the Pantheon to claim the remaining items and complete the mediator contract.] Hey, wasn¡¯t that stuff already promised? Come to think of it, doesn¡¯t the neutral faction have anything to offer? [Aurelia expresses regret that the neutral faction¡¯s influence on Earth is too small this time to match the rewards of the Order faction.] Tsk¡­ I wanted more options, but it seems that¡¯s not possible. So, I¡¯ll just have to take it in installments¡­ Can¡¯t they add interest, at least? [Pollux sighs deeply and says they¡¯ll consider it.] Oh. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t expecting much, but they agreed surprisingly easily. Good. If payments are delayed, at least I should get some interest. ¡°Jiho, what¡¯s next? Pursuing them seems tricky¡­¡± Lee Jinseong approached me and asked. Indeed, the fortress was still in the middle of festivities, but the awakened ones looked unsure of what to do, standing around awkwardly. Some free spirits were fidgeting as if wanting to join in but kept glancing at me for permission. I see. I got so absorbed in the reward issue that I didn¡¯t pay attention to everyone else. Honestly, I see my role as the Apostle Commander, but I¡¯ve been treating the awakened ones under my command more like XP-sharing companions. I hadn¡¯t been issuing orders. Yet, they seemed to be much more conscious of my opinions than I expected. I guess I have to explicitly tell them to relax. ¡°Take it easy today. Go steal some Dwarven beer or something.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t launch a night raid? That¡¯s a common tactic.¡± ¡°This is a Spirit Fortress. If enemies approach, we¡¯ll sense it.¡± ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll relax and go try some Dwarven beer.¡± At my signal, Lee Jinseong informed the others and immediately dashed toward the Dwarves. The other awakened ones scattered in small groups to enjoy the fortress¡¯s atmosphere. I climbed to the top of the fortress walls and looked out over the fields. What will the next main quest be? Now that I think about it, the reward for subduing Ampellion is still pending. They better not hold out on it. Though that guy almost committed suicide, my contribution was clearly the highest¡­ Originally, I would¡¯ve expected a 100% payout, but after this SP installment nonsense, I¡¯m getting nervous. ¡°Jiho!¡± ¡°Oh, Shia. Beer?¡± Kang Shia had approached me unnoticed and handed me a mug of Dwarven beer. A large wooden mug, almost the size of a 1.6-liter pitcher. When she offered it, we clinked glasses and tasted the Dwarven beer. Ah! This is amazing. The smoothness and cool sensation immediately lifted my spirits. But the alcohol content seemed quite high. ¡°I think I understand why Dwarves mix their beer with spirits. This is pretty strong.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s delicious, but it¡¯s easy to get drunk quickly.¡± Kang Shia¡¯s ponytail swayed slightly in the breeze as she continued sipping her beer. Her face was already a little flushed. Compared to the Elves nearby, her beauty didn¡¯t pale in the slightest. Enjoying beer with a beauty in the cool breeze made me feel refreshed. ¡°Do you think Lady Diana is on her way?¡± ¡°Not sure. Since I completed the quest, it¡¯s certain the enemy retreated, but she hasn¡¯t shown up yet.¡± ¡°She looks so much like Lady Liana. Could they be the same person?¡± ¡°They probably are. Though their personalities are drastically different¡­¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Liana exuded confidence as Earth¡¯s strongest, but Diana seemed emotionally fragile, burdened by the loss of her subordinates. Kang Shia¡¯s expression darkened slightly as she gazed beyond the fortress walls. ¡°This planet, Kevrian, is already destroyed, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then Lady Diana must¡¯ve died too. What about Lady Liana on Earth? Could she have been saved as an Apostle of the gods before she died?¡± I recalled the quest related to Diana. According to the quest from the Sun God, Diana hadn¡¯t become an Apostle of the Sun during her lifetime. So, could she have become one after death? I couldn¡¯t be sure, so my answer was vague. ¡°She might¡¯ve been saved before her death or maybe even after.¡± ¡°What will happen if Earth is destroyed?¡± "The Earth?" "Yes. Thinking about the Death Knight we encountered last time, I feel unsure if we can restore the broken world. The Lord of Chaos is bound to be even stronger." "But haven¡¯t hunters leveled up quite a bit recently? At this rate, we might actually defeat the Lord of Chaos." "Yes, that¡¯s true, but reaching C-rank is still a long journey... The Spirit Fortress was safe, but once we go outside, there will probably be countless casualties." The fortress really was a sweet spot. I don¡¯t know what the next main quest will bring, but once we leave the castle, it¡¯ll be much harder to take it easy like the past few days. "I''m starting to feel doubtful about whether we can pull this off. Eshtar hasn¡¯t progressed a single step because the world keeps being destroyed, and the situation is the same for some of the awakened ones who entered other planets." "How much time do we have left?" "Less than a year. There¡¯s only about eleven months left until the elves retreat. I heard the UN will hold a secret assembly next month, too." Only 11 months left? That¡¯s way too short¡­ If we can¡¯t restore even one of the broken worlds during that time, it means the legions of the five worlds will invade us. I really don¡¯t think we can stop that... "Eleven months? Has that much time passed already? It feels so short. What do they plan to talk about at the assembly?" "They¡¯ll probably argue about whether to reveal the truths that have been hidden from the world until now. They might even call you, Jiho." "Me?" "Yes, you¡¯re a Kevrian expert, after all. And among the planets, Kevria has shown the most progress. If they¡¯re desperate, they might even send all the D-rank hunters to Kevrian." Are they planning a war of attrition? Before encountering the Death Knight King, I would¡¯ve thought that would work¡­ But now, it feels like everyone would just get wiped out. "There are moments when I really wonder if this is even beatable." "Exactly. Sigh... If I want to survive, I¡¯ll have to stick close to you, Jiho." "What? I¡¯m probably the one in the most danger." "Didn¡¯t Diana get saved by the forces of Order? Since you¡¯re the most outstanding person on Earth, wouldn¡¯t the gods of Order save you too?" Kang Shia laughed weakly. "If I stick close, won¡¯t I just get dragged along for a 1+1 deal?" "Come on, no way." "I think staying near you is the safest option, Jiho. I¡¯m going to stick right by your side." "If a beauty stays by my side, I don¡¯t mind at all." "Really? I¡¯ll take that as your permission." She smiled more brightly this time as she took another sip of her beer. She leaned closer to me. She smelled nice. For the first time in a while, I calmed my heart like a clear mirror and drank with her. One glass, then two¡ªsoon, I started to feel a pleasant buzz. Kang Shia¡¯s face was already red as she staggered, clearly drunk. Dwarven beer has quite the kick. Even with my monstrous physical abilities and the calming effect of my clear mirror state, I only felt a mild, pleasant buzz¡­ "Jiho, I can¡¯t walk anymore¡­" Kang Shia, drunk and swaying. It seems even hunters can¡¯t handle too much alcohol. She asked me to take her to her lodgings, claiming she couldn¡¯t walk. As I helped her onto my shoulder, I felt her body, soft and yielding. Phew. A sudden heat rose in my chest. My heart pounded as a wave of impulse surged. Her earlier words about sticking close replayed in my mind. [Clear Mind state activates.] The heat dissipated as if doused in cold water. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But every time her body brushed against mine as I supported her, the heat surged and subsided again. Phew. My clear mind state is really earning its keep today. Kang Shia¡¯s lodgings in the fortress were in a building shared with other female hunters. It resembled a university dormitory. When we reached the entrance, the female hunters there looked at us with curious smiles. "Captain, Kang Shia¡¯s room is on the top floor." "What? No way. How could I step into a forbidden zone? Could you help her instead?" "Come on, it¡¯s not forbidden..." But as soon as I handed over the sleeping Kang Shia, the female hunters stepped in to support her. "Please take good care of her." "Of course, Captain." "Are you really sure it¡¯s okay?" "Yes, no problem. Really." "That perfume smells nice..." The female hunters, muttering incomprehensible things, waved goodbye as they took Kang Shia inside. "...Is he an impostor?" I faintly heard the hunters whispering. Impostors? What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Surely they don¡¯t mean impotence, right? [Pollux curses you out, calling you an idiot for failing to take advantage of the situation even when it¡¯s handed to you.] What situation? No way, they don¡¯t mean earlier, do they? No, no. Absolutely not. A superior can¡¯t act like that toward a subordinate. That¡¯s a guaranteed recipe for a #MeToo scandal. Sure, I find Kang Shia attractive, and I felt the impulse, but acting on it while she¡¯s drunk would be wrong. [Pollux screams, demanding to exchange your infinite stamina skill for something else since you¡¯re wasting it.] [Aurelia praises your restraint, saying the Clear Mind skill was a wise gift.] Sigh. See? Even the goddess agrees. It could¡¯ve been a disaster. Pollux continued to rant in the system interface, but I ignored him and walked away. Still, my footsteps felt heavier with every step. Ugh, this feels off. Did I just act like an idiot? Is this one of those moments I¡¯ll cringe about ten years from now? No, I did the right thing. [You have completed a linked quest.] [You successfully prevented Diana¡¯s summoning of the Spirit of Wrath for 50 days. She has now become a true apostle of the Sun God, who is pleased and grants you a reward.] [Quest rewards are granted.] [Flame Chariot Summon skill upgraded to Level 3.] [Phoenix skill enhanced.] [You receive the Sun God¡¯s Blessing.] Huh? Was today the day for completion? My mood lightened a bit. Yeah, I¡¯m not disappointed. I got rewards. Not disappointed at all... [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 47 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 47: Seems Like the Order Faction is Skimming Rewards (2) Whoosh. Suddenly, flames surged forward from my forehead, and a phoenix emerged. [Master. I¡¯m back.] ¡°Oh, welcome back.¡± [I could¡¯ve come out earlier, but I held back out of consideration for you... Hah.] The phoenix, now returned to its former size, flapped its wings once and let out a breath. The flames flared brightly before fading away as smoke. [Disappointing. Master, you¡¯re no man.] ¡°Hey, shut up.¡± [Huuuuuu.] The phoenix exhaled flames like it was blowing out cigarette smoke. Ah, I felt an urge to punch it. [It¡¯s a pity I couldn¡¯t watch something entertaining. I¡¯ll take a flight around the area.] ¡°Go ahead.¡± The phoenix spread its wings and flew off into the distance. I was feeling good after receiving my rewards, but now I was left feeling unsettled again. Let¡¯s check the Blessing of the Sun God. [Blessing of the Sun God] [The power of all fire-related skills increases by 30%.] [The limits of flame magic can be expanded further.] [Your mana increases by 20%.] A blessing related to fire, huh? This was quite useful. Stacking it with Athena¡¯s Blessing beautifully boosted my Order Alliance stats. Even after spending the day like this, no main quest appeared. Everyone decided to return to Earth. The awakened ones agreed to rest for three days before coming back again. ¡°Jiho, did I make a scene yesterday while drunk? I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°No, not at all. It¡¯s fine; these things happen.¡± ¡°Ugh... That Dwarf beer was way too strong.¡± Seeing Kang Shia apologize with a red face made me feel like I handled things well yesterday. Yeah, I probably just got swayed by that pervy Pollux¡¯s talk and thought I missed my chance unnecessarily. As soon as I returned, I was led to the Hall of the Gods by Liana, who had been waiting in advance. She seemed extremely excited. The moment we stepped through the portal to the Hall of the Gods, Liana grabbed both of my hands tightly. ¡°Hunter Jiho Kim. What on earth happened?¡± ¡°Pardon? What do you mean?¡± ¡°There¡¯s now a statue of me in the Hall of the Gods!¡± ¡°They said there wasn¡¯t one before because your merits weren¡¯t enough, right?¡± ¡°Exactly. This is such an honor!¡± She released my hands and ran toward the path lined with statues. Wait, isn¡¯t running prohibited in a sacred place? I followed her, and Liana stood staring in awe at a statue that looked just like her. ¡°A statue of me in the Hall of the Gods... Ah, it feels like a dream¡­¡± ¡°Are you that happy?¡± ¡°Of course! Now I¡¯m eternal... Ah¡­¡± ¡°Eternal what?¡± ¡°Oh, this is something only accessible after reaching the legendary rank... Please forget it.¡± Ugh, how anticlimactic. Anyway, Liana kept pacing around the statue, dusting it even though there was none. She finally snapped back to her senses when I cleared my throat. ¡°Hmm. I made a scene. My apologies.¡± ¡°If you know that, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ But really, what did you do?¡± ¡°Do you remember the name you used in Kevrian?¡± ¡°Nope. I don¡¯t remember anything from back then. Others seem to recall bits and pieces, though¡­¡± Liana tilted her head with an innocent expression. Well, maybe forgetting is a blessing. Things didn¡¯t end well back then. ¡°There¡¯s a high elf named Diana who looks just like you. I helped her become the Sun God¡¯s Apostle... It might be related to that.¡± ¡°Diana¡­¡± Liana walked off, murmuring Diana¡¯s name. Her face looked troubled when I glanced at it. As she kept repeating Diana¡¯s name, I spoke up. ¡°Do you want me to tell you about Diana?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. If the gods made me forget, there must be a reason¡­¡± Trailing off, she closed her mouth. Following her brisk pace, we soon reached another portal. Passing through, we found Pollux seated as before, though this time he looked utterly dejected. ¡°Sigh. You¡¯re here, you impotent fool.¡± ¡°Hey, if I had done it yesterday, it would¡¯ve been disastrous.¡± ¡°Tsk. If you¡¯re given an opportunity, you should seize it. Are you planning to live your whole life toying with your manhood?¡± ¡°My manhood is my business, old man.¡± ¡°Ugh, what a waste of a skill. Just return it already.¡± ¡°No take-backs after giving, hehe.¡± The Infinite Stamina skill was really useful. Not getting tired was amazing. Grumbling, Pollux tapped the floor with his hand, and three golden pillars rose up. I quickly grabbed the two items I had been aiming for. [You have acquired the A-rank weapon, Amplification Sword Yeoui.] [You have acquired the A-rank skill, Thunder God.] [Thunder God LV1] A-rank Active Skill. [Harness and control thunder. Emit and manipulate electric shocks at will. The quantity and power of the shocks can be adjusted based on mana. Upon leveling up, physical transformation becomes possible.] Simple enough. As I mastered the skill, I got a sense of how to generate electricity from my body. ¡°Thunder God.¡± Summoning a moderate amount, white electric currents crackled in both my hands. It was small now, but increasing mana consumption would quickly amplify it. With the recently acquired Focus Enhancement and full deployment of Thunder God, it¡¯d probably be overwhelming. The Amplification Sword Yeoui was also very satisfying, allowing me to adjust its size at will. I couldn¡¯t wait to test these out in Kevrian. And the opportunity came quickly. ¡°There it is, the orc fortress, Ebiwood.¡± ¡°It looks sturdier than I expected.¡± On the 20th day since our return to Kevrian, we stood with a force of 5,000¡ªincluding 3,000 hunters, elves, and dwarves¡ªcamped before the orc fortress. ¡°We need to breach this fortress to access Arkardian¡¯s lair.¡± ¡°But their defenses are so solid¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re busy protecting the Earth Sanctuary, so we don¡¯t have any siege weapons.¡± Elf Alfid and Dwarf Lord Ambrosian spoke with grim expressions. Ambrosian, who had joined us while defending the Earth Sanctuary, stood out with his height¡ª1.5 times that of a typical dwarf. His white beard, hair, and wrinkled face left a strong impression of a seasoned elder. He was adept at controlling earth spirits, making him a formidable ally, though not quite on Diana¡¯s level. ¡°By the way, I heard Lady Diana has finally become the Sun God¡¯s Apostle¡­¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s currently drawing out the Apostle¡¯s power at the World Tree.¡± ¡°It would¡¯ve been nice if she were here right now. What a shame.¡± When I received my quest reward, Diana, who had finally been appointed as the Apostle of the Sun God, wasn¡¯t able to join our unit. Diana, who regretfully said she¡¯d join us soon after drawing out the Apostle¡¯s power. It would¡¯ve been convenient to have her, but¡­ For a fortress like this, we can manage without her. ¡°Can we win if we destroy the gate and bring down the surrounding walls?¡± At my sudden question, Ambrosian widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°Well, that would work, but¡­¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± I left the barracks alone. Riding a flame chariot, I sped toward the gate of the enemy¡¯s fortress. Stone walls loomed before me. The massive walls completely sealed off the canyon. Adorning the walls were bones hung like trophies, and towering Uruks stood guard, wielding rocks and axes with fierce determination. But that was all. ¡°Blessing of the Whole Body.¡± I charged the flame chariot straight toward the enemy¡¯s walls. Weapons rained down from all directions, and rocks hurtled toward me. But their trajectories were strangely warped. Every weapon narrowly missed me, harmlessly dropping to the ground. ¡°Binding of the Air!¡± When weapons failed, they turned to magic. Shamans mobilized to stop the flame chariot that sped through the air. The flame chariot, which had been moving smoothly, stopped just shy of the fortress. The shamans tried to bind my body as well, but I couldn¡¯t help but scoff. ¡°Magic Discharge.¡± Enhanced by Athena¡¯s magic encyclopedia, my magic discharge broke their binding. And with it, I drew my sword¡ªYeoui. A sword so sharp it could split stone. Strengthened to its utmost. Large enough to cover the entire wall. Infused with my will, I focused its power. ¡°Focus Enhancement. Thunder God.¡± The target of the enhancement: Thunder God. As Yeoui enveloped in lightning, it began to grow. What had been a small dagger quickly amplified. Yeoui swelled to the point of obstructing my view and extended toward the wall. ¡°Blessing of the Earth!¡± ¡°Shield of the Wind!¡± Earth rose as a wall, and shields formed of wind appeared in midair, but their magic was torn apart like paper. ¡°Reinforce the gate!¡± Magic gathered around the gate, but Yeoui was already there first. The extending blade paused for a moment before piercing straight through. Crash! The gate was utterly destroyed. But I couldn¡¯t stop there. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] With the massive blade still in hand, I swung it. My grip felt like it would tear, and my arms felt as though they¡¯d fall off, but it was fine. It only needed two swings. Once diagonally to the left. The wall split like tofu, white lightning engulfing it. The proud Uruks burned to cinders, turning the top of the wall into a scene from hell. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± Then I bisected the wall entirely and reduced Yeoui once again. In an instant, Yeoui shrank. My arms felt like they might give out. But I had to cut the right side as well. This time, I didn¡¯t use Focus Enhancement, only Thunder God. ¡°Thunder God.¡± I could feel my chest emptying. My magic was nearly depleted, but it didn¡¯t matter. I could still attack once more. After all, my task ended here. Yeoui amplified again, extending toward the broken wall. This time, the blade lightly sliced across the wall to the right. What had been hell on the left was mirrored on the right. As Yeoui¡¯s tip carved through the wall and reached skyward, I reduced it once more. In moments, it shrank to fit in the palm of my hand. ¡°Phew.¡± This should suffice. Even with my vast mana reserves, another swing would¡¯ve been impossible. I turned my back and slowly returned to the unit. I saw the shocked expressions of people standing there with jaws agape. ¡°How¡­¡± ¡°How is that even possible? Is he really a Hunter?¡± ¡°Did you record it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ This is going to be huge¡­¡± Even with my stamina, this one took a toll. While my torn muscles rapidly regenerated and the bleeding from my shredded hands stopped, the fatigue didn¡¯t fade. I looked at Jinseong, who was sitting astride his horse at the forefront. ¡°Jinseong.¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± ¡°Charge.¡± ¡°Y-yeah. Let¡¯s go! Everyone, the Kevrian Expeditionary Force, forward!¡± At Jinseong¡¯s shout, everyone summoned their spirit mounts. In an instant, the cavalry surged through the breached walls. Following them were the archers and mages. Thus, the first wave charged, supported by elves and dwarves. Unlike us, they don¡¯t have three lives, so we must preserve them. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. And for experience points, this was the best approach. For now, I returned to the unit and stood still, recovering my mana. Once again, I opened the quest window. The main quests this time were a staggering four: [Capture the Canyon Fortress Ebiwood.] [Invade the Black Dragon Arkardian¡¯s Lair.] [Stop the Black Dragon Arkardian¡¯s Summoning Ritual.] [Reverse Summon the Death Knight King Ampellion.] Each quest was ranked by difficulty: Normal, Hard, Very Hard, and Impossible. Reviewing the rewards for each quest made my brow furrow. I wasn¡¯t imagining things. The rewards were miserly. Capturing Ebiwood granted one level up. Invading the lair gave 1,000 SP. Stopping the summoning ritual provided one B-rank or higher random item box. And the cherry on top was the reward for reverse summoning Ampellion. That quest was already marked as cleared. This is the achievement reward for the title ¡°Qualification of Salvation.¡± Not even a title, just an achievement reward I don¡¯t even know how to use. I subdued Ampellion, and this is all I get? Just this? [Pollux says that this achievement is an absolute necessity for advancing to B-rank. He emphasizes that it¡¯s truly important.] ¡°Sigh.¡± Even so, this feels excessive. I suddenly feel really let down. Is it because the difficulty has been lowered? I succeeded at something that seemed impossible and drastically lowered the difficulty, yet the rewards are becoming increasingly lackluster. Sure, Yeoina and Thunder God are great, but honestly, this is a rightful reward for intermediating a soul trade. The main quest reward doesn¡¯t excite me like the last one did. If anything, it dampens my motivation. If this is how it¡¯s going to be, I¡¯d rather the difficulty stay high. Ugh. I can¡¯t help but feel irritated. Guess I¡¯ll just crush Uruks. Once my magic replenished to a decent level, I climbed back onto the flaming chariot. As I flew toward the fortress, I spoke to the Phoenix. ¡°Phoenix, assist our allies. But don¡¯t overdo it. At this point, fighting Uruks hardly gives me any experience points. Let¡¯s give the Earthlings a hand.¡± [Understood, Master. I will prioritize their protection.] ¡°Good. I¡¯ll just scatter some lightning around.¡± The cavalry broke through the castle gate while the Uruk troops desperately tried to stop them. From above, I watched over the battlefield, raining down lightning bolts whenever our allies were in danger. I also targeted places where the enemy¡¯s defenses were well-structured or where shamans were preparing spells. ¡°Arghhh!¡± ¡°Cursed... apostle...¡± ¡°Where is... Lord Grosh...?¡± The Uruk soldiers fell one by one, cursing me in the skies and coughing up blood as they collapsed. The hunters made sure to finish off the wounded Uruks. ¡°Wow, the experience points are insane.¡± ¡°It¡¯s reassuring to have Captain Kim Jiho watching over us from the sky.¡± ¡°When we were just marching, I thought we¡¯d picked the wrong planet, but today¡¯s experience haul is incredible. Seriously.¡± The hunters, ecstatic, celebrated their gains. They didn¡¯t leave a single survivor, hunting every last one for experience points. Ebiwood was soon filled with corpses, and the hunters reveled in their level-ups. I, too, leveled up by one. All thanks to the quest reward. One night in the fortress of Ebiwood Our unit decided to rest at the fortress for the night and return to Earth the next morning. Though we could have returned immediately, we needed the mages¡¯ powers to turn the enemy fortress into our stronghold. I considered offering my help, but the mages insisted we rest, saying they had overexerted themselves today. Reluctantly, I went to my room. Lying on the large, rugged bed designed for Uruks, I began to drift off. It felt strange. I¡¯d never fallen asleep this quickly before. Could it be because I wasn¡¯t feeling well today...? Then again, with such disappointing rewards, it¡¯s no wonder my motivation has tanked... As soon as I lay down, I fell asleep. And then, I dreamed. ¡°Greetings, Awakened Kim Jiho of Earth. The one the entire universe has long awaited, the master of souls.¡± In the dream, I found myself in a strange space with an unfamiliar man. ¡°I am Hades, once the god of death... and now, a humble figure known as the Lord of Death.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 48 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 48: Contact with the Lord of Death Hades? Isn¡¯t he an Olympian god? But he¡¯s being called the "Lord of Death"? Ah, damn. What the hell is going on? So, this guy is the Lord of Death, right? He looks... completely human. Annoyingly handsome, too. Pale skin, white hair. His features go beyond elven perfection¡ªhe looks like a perfectly sculpted statue. Red eyes, with a monocle over his left one. The Lord of Death was smiling brightly. ¡°Ah, no need to be tense. Relax. You can¡¯t use your power here anyway.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± He was right. It felt like I¡¯d gone back to the powerless state before my awakening. The only comfort was that he didn¡¯t seem hostile. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything to you either. The moment I learned of your existence, those Olympian siblings of mine started protecting you fiercely. If I even try to harm you, they¡¯ll come rushing in.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°I simply wish to have a conversation. You¡¯re nothing more than a small fragment of Kim Jiho¡¯s soul. You can¡¯t influence your true self. That makes you the perfect conversation partner.¡± He raised both hands as if to show he meant no harm. Not that it would matter¡ªI couldn¡¯t do anything even if he were dangerous. At least I didn¡¯t sense any hostility. ¡°Where is this place?¡± I looked around. The surroundings were dark, and the ground was made of skulls. The chair the Lord of Death sat on was constructed from bones and flesh, and the desk in front of him was made from countless finger bones. A greenish light floated in the air, dimly illuminating the space. The ceiling was a wall of corpses, and fresh blood dripped from it. This was disgusting. ¡°This is my cozy home, Necropolis. My office, to be exact.¡± ¡°How did you drag me here?¡± ¡°Well, the leader always gets the best room to sleep in.¡± Ah, no wonder I felt sleepy¡­ ¡°Hm. You still seem tense. Care for a drink?¡± The Lord of Death clapped his hands, and a corpse on the ceiling opened its mouth, pouring blood downward. Bones rose from the desk and formed a cup, catching the blood. ¡°No thanks. It looks disgusting.¡± ¡°Aw, divine blood tastes the best. At your level, hmm¡­¡± He adjusted his monocle and studied me closely. ¡°With this, your mana could increase by 3.¡± ¡°Mana 3?¡± ¡°Yes. That corpse isn¡¯t just any corpse. It¡¯s a god. S-rank.¡± Ugh. The idea of gaining 3 mana was tempting. But drinking in enemy territory wasn¡¯t a good idea. ¡°Ah, but as a fragment of a soul, you can¡¯t drink it anyway. Haha.¡± What? Was he just messing with me? ¡°Hehe, yeah, I knew. I just wanted to show off. This is Prometheus, my divine blood supply. Hehe.¡± Giggling, the Lord of Death drank the blood in his cup. Just a moment ago, he seemed serious. Now, he was acting insane. Is this guy a lunatic? ¡°What a crazy bastard!¡± Oh, he can read thoughts too? ¡°I can, but your face screamed ¡®crazy bastard.¡¯¡± ¡°Ugh. Get to the point. Why did you call me? To kill me?¡± ¡°Even if I killed you here, your true body is still on Earth. If it were that easy, I¡¯d have done it already. Anyway, let¡¯s cut to the chase. Time is short.¡± He emptied his cup and set it on the desk. ¡°If things continue like this, you¡¯ll end up as an angel at the B-rank stage¡ªa puppet of order.¡± ¡°What? An angel?¡± ¡°Yes. A soul-type like you being born is rare, but it¡¯d be a waste for you to become an angel. That¡¯s why elder brother came to stop it.¡± When did he start calling himself my elder brother? If we¡¯re talking age, he¡¯s more like a grandfather. ¡°Pfft. Judging by appearances, you¡¯re the elder one. Brother Jiho! Why do you look so old?¡± Ugh, his lunacy is giving me a headache. This guy doesn¡¯t lose an argument. ¡°I don¡¯t like losing. Hehe. Anyway, yes, you also have Pollux¡¯s skills, don¡¯t you?¡± The Lord of Death turned his monocle and scrutinized me. ¡°So, you must have plenty of children¡­ or are they still in the womb?¡± Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°I¡¯ve never done it.¡± ¡°What? How is that possible? Are you¡­ questioning your sexuality? Ah, I see. You¡¯ve achieved a state of clarity. Got lucky in a draw, huh? Anyway, since you don¡¯t have kids, I¡¯ll give you some bonus points.¡± Bonus points? Says who? ¡°Magic encyclopedia, thunder god, Flame Chariot¡ªwow, your skills are no joke. The Olympians have abandoned Earth to pour everything into you. That¡¯s a penalty. Too much favoritism.¡± ¡°They abandoned Earth?¡± ¡°Of course. If they pour all their power into one person, how will the other awakened ones survive? And your SP¡­ it¡¯s less than I expected. Why? Didn¡¯t you defeat Ampellion and defend a fortress? Shouldn¡¯t you be drowning in SP?¡± ¡°They¡¯re distributing it in installments.¡± ¡°Installments? Why?¡± ¡°They said the difficulty level dropped.¡± At that, Hades chuckled while fiddling with his monocle. ¡°If the difficulty dropped, shouldn¡¯t they give you even more SP as a reward? Pfft. It¡¯s a rare chance to inflict significant damage on Hades, the Olympian disgrace.¡± ¡°Well¡­ they said the lowered difficulty also reduced the maximum they could give at once.¡± Hades burst out laughing. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t the accomplishment earn even more SP? Pfft. Ampellion is an S-rank boss. I¡¯d have thrown 500,000 SP at you for that. If it doesn¡¯t work in Necropolis, they could just pay you from Earth¡¯s resources.¡± 500,000 SP? For one achievement? "I got an achievement... but..." ¡°Achievement, huh? Pfft. That¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s only natural. The other faction is desperate to push you to B-rank. They would¡¯ve handed it to you even if you ran away. That stupid achievement. Are they saying they won¡¯t feed the fish they¡¯ve already caught? That¡¯s something Hera does a lot. Nitpicking through laws she doesn¡¯t even follow herself. No wonder she doesn¡¯t get love from all of Olympus. You¡¯ve earned extra points for being hated by Hera.¡± Suddenly, a surge of anger welled up inside me. Were they really toying with me over the rewards? I had shrugged it off when they split the payments earlier, but settling everything about capturing Ampellion with just one achievement felt outright insulting. I was trying not to think about it since my thoughts were being read anyway. But it felt like I was being pushed around by the gods of Order. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Pushed around.¡± On the other hand, I also couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this insane lunatic was trying to sow discord. This guy was impossible to trust. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Oh, I completely agree. Would I have called you here to trust the Order faction? Of course not! I called you to cause discord. Hehe.¡± ¡°At least you admit it.¡± ¡°But this is something you should hear here and then forget later. Even this discord.¡± ¡°Forget it?¡± ¡°Yeah, you have to forget it. If you remember, Pollux will read your thoughts, and then they¡¯ll say you¡¯ve been tainted by Chaos and immediately reprogram your mind. I¡¯ve already set it up so the memory will resurface when you hit B-rank.¡± Sigh. Would the gods of Order really go that far? ¡°Ugh, those Olympus brats, myself included, aren¡¯t to be trusted. None of them.¡± ¡°Still, it¡¯s normal to trust the guardian spirit that¡¯s been helping you all this time over something the enemy says.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. But I¡¯m just here to give you a warning and a hint. When you reach B-rank, buy the full set of Form Maintenance from the shop immediately.¡± Hearing about Form Maintenance eased my wariness a little. At least he wasn¡¯t telling me to defect or anything like that. ¡°Form Maintenance? I already have it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ you¡¯ve got perfect Form Maintenance. But you¡¯ll need to grab every rank below it as well¡ªbasic, advanced, everything.¡± ¡°Should I buy it now?¡± ¡°I told you, you won¡¯t remember this later. Plus, buying it now would look suspicious. Just buy it the moment you hit B-rank! They¡¯ll go crazy trying to turn you into an angel. You¡¯ll need to buy it before that.¡± ¡°And will it be enough to get Form Maintenance?¡± ¡°To become an angel, they need to erase your sense of self first. If you have all the Form Maintenance skills, even Zeus won¡¯t be able to pull that off.¡± Hmm. If they wanted me to become an angel, they would¡¯ve done it back when I was D-rank. Why wait until I climbed all the way to B-rank? No way. I¡¯d never let that happen. Though it¡¯s coming from the Lord of Death, buying Form Maintenance has been a habit, and I¡¯ll probably get it at B-rank anyway. ¡°Good thinking. But to do that, save 60,000 SP.¡± ¡°Si¡­ sixty thousand?!¡± ¡°Yep. B-rank Form Maintenance is expensive. Ahaha. Now it makes sense why these jerks are handing out SP in such tiny chunks. To stop you from buying Form Maintenance! They¡¯re so mean.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Before I realized it, I was completely drawn into the Lord¡¯s words. Somehow, it all seemed plausible. ¡°I¡¯ll give you just two hints. First, when you¡¯re B-rank, buy every kind of Form Maintenance skill. Second, save up 60,000 SP without letting anyone notice. What do you think? Can you agree to that?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, these suggestions won¡¯t work. You¡¯ll end up splurging your SP and won¡¯t have enough to buy Form Maintenance at B-rank. And then, you¡¯ll turn into an angel.¡± ¡°It sounds like a great deal if you¡¯re right, but¡­ what¡¯s in it for you?¡± The Lord of Death shrugged exaggeratedly. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s something in it for me. First, I¡¯ve tied up your 60,000 SP. Second, I¡¯ve avoided the hassle of dealing with a soul-bound angel. And third, if you find out I was right, you¡¯ll be more likely to accept my offers. Win-win. The best kind of deal.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± On some level, it made sense. But something about it still didn¡¯t sit right. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to. Honestly, I called you here as insurance. I¡¯ll just deal with you in Kevrian.¡± ¡°¡­Fine. No need for the suggestion.¡± ¡°Really? No suggestion?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Even if you become an angel?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll manage. If I remember, I¡¯ll buy it right away.¡± At my repeated refusals, the Lord of Death spat on the ground. The green spit hit a skull lying on the ground, and the skull melted away entirely. Whoa! Acid spit? ¡°Pfft. What a shame. Could¡¯ve made things easier. So, you¡¯re not a total idiot, huh? Is it because of Athena¡¯s mental shield¡­?¡± So there was something to it? What would¡¯ve happened if I had agreed to the suggestion¡­? ¡°I was even planning to unlock your Chaos potential along with the suggestion. What a pity. Such a pity.¡± Yeah, definitely not someone I could trust. ¡°How can you trust the enemy? I¡¯m the only one you can trust. Hehe. Still, I wish I could¡¯ve persuaded you. I could¡¯ve scored some extra points.¡± The Lord of Death got up from his seat. He walked slowly toward me, adjusting his monocle, and stared me down. ¡°With a natural aptitude of 333¡­ quite the opposite of Heracles. With talent like this, reaching B-rank will be tough. A soul mediator¡­ such an interesting creation. Did it absorb part of Ampellion¡¯s soul too?¡± My vision began to blur. My body grew translucent, and I could feel myself fading from this space. ¡°You refused the suggestion, but you¡¯ll remember this day when you hit B-rank. When you do, at least buy the Form Maintenance skills. If you don¡¯t want to become an angel, that is. And if you¡¯re short on SP, just search ¡®HadesDeathLove¡¯ in the shop. I¡¯ll lend you some at 1% daily interest. Hehehe.¡± With the Lord of Death¡¯s obnoxious laughter echoing, my vision went completely dark. Am I¡­ forgetting this? When I woke up, I was in my room. The best room in the fortress. Ugh, damn it. Lying here dreaming about Hades? What nonsense. I got up and kicked the bed out of frustration. Well, that helped a bit. I did get some useful information¡­ but I can¡¯t be sure if it¡¯s true. Wait a minute. I do remember! ¡®Yeah, you have to forget it. If you remember, Pollux will read your thoughts, and then they¡¯ll say you¡¯ve been tainted by Chaos and immediately reprogram your mind.¡¯ As that line came to mind, a chill ran down my spine. Was the Lord of Death lying about erasing my memory? [Pollux says stop kicking the bed and bring a girl in instead.] Huh? What¡­? Do they really not know? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 49 [translator - night][proofreader - gun] chapter 49: dreaming of becoming the agent of transactions huh? let¡¯s think about something else. what kind of enemies will appear in the dragon¡¯s lair? it¡¯d be great if only these weaklings kept showing up, but leveling up will be a problem. [aurelia suggests you go to the basement of this fortress since she¡¯s awake. there might be a relic of the neutral faction gods.] a relic? alright. what kind of relic could it be? hahaha. following her instructions, i continued walking down the stairs. to avoid distractions, i focused on counting the bricks in the stairs and admiring the building''s structure. what a crude design. the arrangements don¡¯t seem to fit together properly. ¡°is this the place?¡± [aurelia confirms it is. the uruk race often builds temples underground.] it hardly looked like a temple. the basement i reached via the stairs had a muddy floor and was pitch dark without a single light. however, it wasn¡¯t entirely devoid of light. a faint glow seeped out from the altar in the center of the basement. on the altar was a vessel made of dirt that looked utterly worthless to anyone¡¯s eyes. [aurelia instructs you to grab the vessel.] when i grabbed the vessel as she said, the altar burst into light, and the world turned completely white. in a space made of light, aurelia¡¯s form appeared like a hologram. she hadn¡¯t descended in person. with a worried expression, she began to speak. [awakener kim jiho. that was a close call. luckily, the seeds of chaos weren¡¯t opened.] huh? she knows? [the lord of death couldn¡¯t fully grasp me either. his monocle is made from the eye of prometheus. it barely detects the powers of the neutral realm.] they said the lord of death only took a fragment of my soul. [yes. unfortunately, that fragment contained my power. because the neutral terminal was so weak, he couldn¡¯t detect it. but i couldn¡¯t exert enough influence over you either. that¡¯s why i was so worried you might accept the lord of death¡¯s offer. thankfully, you made a wise choice.] ¡°were you worried that the seeds of chaos might open?¡± [yes. it¡¯s already unnatural for a human to bear the power of two factions as you are now. adding chaos into the mix would make your soul unable to endure.] i almost died? a cold sweat ran down my back. ¡°how did you hear what the lord of death said? was it true?¡± [the lord of death¡¯s words were likely correct. when you reach b-grade, you¡¯ll be able to choose another class, and the order faction will likely try to make you an angel.] ¡°won¡¯t the neutral faction prevent that?¡± [we lack power in the current era. besides, we¡¯re in a relationship close to an alliance with the order faction.] didn¡¯t you fight tooth and nail in kevrian? and now you¡¯re allies? [chaos grew even stronger afterward, so we formed an alliance.] ¡°so, would you also make me an angel, lady aurelia?¡± s§×ar?h the n?vel(f)ire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [hehe. we¡¯re merely allies. ultimately, we¡¯re still competitors. i¡¯d recommend gathering sp to acquire the skill to maintain your original form, as the lord of death suggested. however, since you have two status windows, it¡¯ll cost over 100,000 sp. keep that in mind.] 100,000? what?! that¡¯s way too much! ugh. still, with my soul-type skills upgraded, i¡¯ll try to gather it somehow. that¡¯ll drain all the rewards i could receive. should i take on debt from the lord of death? no, going into debt with him would cost me my soul. that¡¯s a last resort... ¡°understood. but what are we even competing for?¡± [since you¡¯re still at c-grade, your sp will be reduced further. i can¡¯t reveal that now.] so many restrictions... she continued. [for now, i¡¯ll upgrade the clear mind skill. while it¡¯s active, i¡¯ll also eliminate any of your stray thoughts from spreading to pollux.] ¡°can i still think about what the lord of death said in my daily life?¡± [yes. just don¡¯t dwell on it too much, and never say it aloud. instead, activate the clear mind skill often... with a woman nearby, it should be doable.] aurelia smiled slightly as she said this. oh, come on. is she telling me to have impure thoughts more often? fine, i¡¯ll keep my eyes wandering from now on. [the clear mind skill has been upgraded.] [clear mind lv2] [passive skill.] [b-grade passive skill. calms the mind and maintains self-awareness.] the skill details remain the same. i asked her. ¡°so what should i do now? should i align with the neutral faction?¡± [even if you come to the neutral faction, greedy lords are the same here. when you reach b-grade, you¡¯ll gain another class. at that time, don¡¯t choose angel or dragon; pick another soul-type class. then, you¡¯ll become the agent of transactions. check your inventory again at that point...] lady aurelia dissing her own faction. ah, a true guardian deity. the light faded away. hmm. clear mind level 2... will this block thoughts related to hades? [pollux scolds aurelia for bringing up the clear mind again.] given he doesn¡¯t complain when i mention hades, it must be working. good. now that the risk of exposure is gone, let¡¯s organize my thoughts. the order faction aiming to make me an angel. that¡¯s probably true. both factions predict it, and the way sp is being divided supports that. tch. no wonder they were giving out so many skills. i¡¯ll need to conserve sp. their claim about abandoning earth. i¡¯m not sure about that one. are the gods pouring their blessings onto me alone for that reason? if earth is destroyed, then what happens to me? where would i live if i refuse to become an angel and earth is gone? would i end up as a guide in some dungeon-world like liana? ugh. no way... i¡¯d hate that. i¡¯m not willing to sacrifice my life to save earth. my life is the most important thing. but still, i want to protect this place as much as i can. honestly, i haven¡¯t thought much about living outside earth. i assumed clearing kevrian would just make dungeons appear, with monsters spilling out. then i¡¯d be the top hunter, living like a king. [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] but the way things are going, something¡¯s off. if the worst happens and the order faction abandons earth, planning to escape after turning me into an angel... ugh. that¡¯s messed up. they¡¯re complete scumbags. no way. the lord of death said chaos would make an official offer when i reach b-grade, right? i¡¯ll consider it then. and as aurelia suggested, i¡¯ll choose a soul-type class and start trading. alright. just like i auctioned off my skills to the order faction, i¡¯ll make a grand deal with all three factions this time. i refuse to end my life as some god¡¯s pawn. no matter what it takes¡ªtwo legs, three legs¡ªi¡¯ll do whatever it takes to survive. for now, let¡¯s clear out kevrian¡­ i¡¯ll aim for b-class but raise my level slowly until my sp exceeds 100,000. the order will only turn me into an angel once i¡¯m b-class. haah¡­ even when i don¡¯t try to get angry, i¡¯m seething. i almost became a puppet of the gods without even knowing why. the earth was nearly destroyed and taken as a trophy. furious, i almost kicked the bed again. ¡°argh!¡± [the skill clear mind has been activated.] oh, so this skill triggers even when i¡¯m angry. as the steam in my head was forcibly released, i started to think about why this skill activated now. does it mean not to dwell on those thoughts too much? in case someone notices? ¡­better be cautious. for now, let¡¯s nurture the earthlings and grow steadily. the blessings of the gods aren¡¯t all good, it seems. for now, what i can do is grow slowly until i gather enough sp. meanwhile, i should focus on supporting the expedition team as much as possible. the mobs aren¡¯t even worth the experience points anyway. let¡¯s take this chance to train them a bit. the next day, our expedition team returned to earth. having established the ebiwood fortress as our base, we¡¯ll return here when we re-enter. ¡°what should we do about maeil¡¯s side?¡± kang shia asked me as soon as we got back to earth. maeil? oh, that corporation. with everything going on, i had completely forgotten about them. ¡°hmm. just give them a taste and leave it at that.¡± ¡°a taste?¡± she questioned back with a disappointed look. i get her feelings, but now¡¯s not the time to worry about a mere corporation. ¡°they won¡¯t act up anymore after this. kevrian is more concerning.¡± ¡°true. they¡¯ve taken so many hits already, they won¡¯t try anything again. oh, by the way, the un security council is holding a secret meeting and has invited you, jiho.¡± ¡°me?¡± ¡°yes. they said this meeting is very important. with kevrian being the only progressing broken world, they want your opinion on whether to deploy all d-class hunters or not.¡± i see. so, with the other worlds being hopeless, they¡¯re deciding whether to go all-in on kevrian since it¡¯s making progress. ¡°eshtar still hasn¡¯t entered the next phase, has it?¡± ¡°no, everyone¡¯s practically given up on it.¡± ¡°then focusing on kevrian seems like the best choice. there will be large-scale battles, so that¡¯s what i¡¯ll recommend.¡± the people currently dominating the dungeon in eshtar are the most elite among earthlings. if the government forcibly summons them, it¡¯ll increase the chances of conquering kevrian. it might not help immensely, but even a small contribution matters. ¡°yes. then, would you like to use our group¡¯s private jet to go to the un headquarters in new york?¡± ¡°a private jet?¡± ¡°yes. it¡¯s mostly reserved for official business, but there¡¯s no more important matter than this.¡± a private jet?? for a moment, kang shia, who¡¯d been working me hard lately, looked like a wealthy heiress. have i been overworking someone from such a well-off family? wow. if i had messed up back then, the aftermath would¡¯ve been catastrophic. [pollux says, ¡®a fool calling another fool.¡¯] i dismissed the message window and replied. ¡°i¡¯d be honored. when else would i get to ride a private jet?¡± ¡°jiho, you¡¯re surprisingly modest about strange things. if you asked the us government for a private jet, they¡¯d provide one immediately. if a video of you breaking through the fortress wall solo goes around, i¡¯ll get swamped with transfer offers again.¡± ¡°well¡­ i feel like messi or ronaldo all of a sudden.¡± kang shia chuckled at my words. ¡°even if you combined ten of each of them, they wouldn¡¯t come close to your value, jiho. survival is more important than soccer, after all.¡± true. living matters more. ¡°so, when¡¯s the meeting?¡± ¡°a week from now. since we¡¯ve decided to rest for three days, we can go on one more expedition before you leave.¡± so we have time for one more trip. this time, i¡¯ll need to open the path to the dragon¡¯s lair. ¡°then, if nothing else happens, let¡¯s return in ten days.¡± ¡°understood. i¡¯ll let them know.¡± kang shia replied with a smile. on my way home, i calculated how much sp i was earning daily. currently, i¡¯m acting as an intermediary for six gods. pollux, aurelia, apollo, athena, hephaestus, and zeus. of these, aurelia contributes about 60 sp, while the gods of order each provide slightly over 200. in total, i earn around 1,060 sp daily. in 100 days, that¡¯s 100,000 sp. this is turning out to be quite significant. currently, my sp is just over 30,000. though i need to accumulate more than 100,000 sp, it¡¯s better to invest for now. i¡¯ll receive 80,000 in installments, and if i just let my sp pile up, it could raise suspicion. plus, if my stats lag too far behind, there¡¯s a higher chance of being overpowered by the lord of death. enhancing my abilities is essential. i first raised my magic to 68, and when it hit 80, i used about 7,000 sp. i decided to balance everything at 80, spending sp to max out strength and agility as well. after adding bonus points, all my stats reached 80. i only had 11 sp left, but it¡¯d regenerate soon enough. for the neutral faction, i adjusted my sp usage to balance their b-rank levels, leaving about 1,000 sp in reserve. my body was evolving to a higher stage. [pollux marvels, saying you¡¯re nearing b-class.] [aurelia advises leaving some sp for emergencies.] pollux¡¯s admiration didn¡¯t sit entirely well with me. aurelia¡¯s advice finally clicked. ¡°right. let¡¯s save sp from now on. this should be enough.¡± now i have a justification for saving sp. with such a massive investment, maybe that¡¯s why¡­ while walking and lost in thought, my foot sank into the asphalt. thunk. thunk. ah. this won¡¯t do. after two steps, my feet kept sinking. i refocused and adjusted my strength. my strength stats had more than doubled on paper¡­ but the actual increase felt like a whole new dimension. ¡°uh¡­ look at that guy.¡± ¡°is he a hunter?¡± ¡°my brother¡¯s a hunter, but i¡¯ve never seen anything like that¡­¡± ¡°that¡¯s my first time seeing this.¡± onlookers were gawking in surprise. some even had their phones out. ¡°you¡¯re not allowed to record this!¡± ¡°ma¡¯am, please hand over your phone. this is a matter of national security. we¡¯ll delete the footage.¡± suddenly, a group of men in black suits from the association rushed out, addressing the crowd. they deleted the videos and dispersed the onlookers. ¡°geez, what was that about?¡± ¡°that guy must be a famous hunter.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve never seen him on tv, though.¡± grumbling, the crowd dispersed. one of the men in black approached me. ¡°excuse me, hunter kim jiho. the higher-ups instructed us to ensure complete secrecy, so we took action.¡± ¡°good job. but what about the asphalt?¡± ¡°we¡¯ll handle the repairs on our side. hunter jiho, please don¡¯t worry about it.¡± the man in black bowed politely. i was on my way home but decided to head back to the association building. i went to the underground training center to work on controlling my strength. over the next three days, i adapted to my increased stats. afterward, i led a newly expanded team of 3,500 awakened hunters back into kevrian. the dragon¡¯s lair. when i first came, i¡¯d died from a catapulted rock. now, with a force of 5,500, i was marching into the dragon¡¯s stronghold. [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] Chapter 50 [translator - night][proofreader - gun] chapter 50: black dragon¡¯s forest (1) [the dragon lair of the black dragon arkardian is located at the entrance of the ebiwood mountain range. beyond the black dragon¡¯s forest lies a massive cliff. at the base of the cliff, there¡¯s a large cave¡ªthat¡¯s the dragon lair. to safeguard the dragon summoning ritual, awakened individuals from our neutral faction are dispatched to the black dragon¡¯s forest. of course, the uruks would never dream that arkardian plans to open the gate of chaos.] after capturing the fortress, the updated strategy guide proved quite useful. black dragon¡¯s forest. past the ebiwood fortress lies the black dragon¡¯s forest, with a fairly wide path running through it. it¡¯s an area where large monsters gather. ¡°black dragon¡¯s forest¡­ it¡¯s a man-eating forest created by black dragon arkardian. it¡¯s infamous for its monstrous trees, trolls, ogres, and other such creatures.¡± ¡°can¡¯t we just burn it down?¡± ¡°that would be difficult. the forest is managed by arkardian¡¯s underlings, the dragonkin, who have a natural affinity for consuming fire.¡± this might be trickier than i thought. the path was wide, likely used by the black dragon¡¯s army, but the atmosphere of the forest was ominous, to say the least. since i wasn¡¯t familiar with troop formations, i left it to dwarf lord ambrosian, ranger commander reblo, and experienced hunters. after inspecting the forest, they whispered among themselves and stationed warriors to guard the outer perimeters. ¡°may we request you take the vanguard?¡± ambrosian had become much more polite after i sliced through the fortress gate with ease. i wasn¡¯t expecting this nodwarf to address me so formally, but even when i told him to speak freely, he insisted it was out of respect. ¡°very well. shall i scout ahead?¡± ¡°we¡¯d appreciate it.¡± ¡°alright. i¡¯ll lead the flame chariot out. signal me if there¡¯s any trouble.¡± ¡°we will. if there¡¯s an emergency, we¡¯ll fire two flares into the sky.¡± dwarves and their signal flares, huh? i nodded and summoned the flame chariot. ¡®it¡¯s as big as the one liana summoned.¡¯ the chariot was massive, drawn by four horses. with skill level 3, the mana consumption while riding it wasn¡¯t even noticeable. i drove the chariot forward at a leisurely pace¡ªleisurely by my standards, though to others, it probably looked like the horses were sprinting. the dark forest allowed very little light to penetrate. the trees stretched endlessly, their leaves a deep green. it seemed like monsters would jump out at any moment, but after an hour of travel, there was nothing, and i found myself yawning. whoosh. a sharp sting on the crown of my head¡ªsuddenly, a branch whipped down like a lash from above. slash! i drew yeoui and sliced it in two. immediately, branches started flying at me from all directions. the attacks didn¡¯t spare the flame chariot. while the branches ahead burned and vanished upon contact with fire, those on the sides and rear kept coming. ¡°grow yeoui. phoenix. ignite with the power of fire.¡± [understood.] yeoui extended. at the same time, the phoenix imbued the blade with flames. the moment the branches touched the sword¡¯s flames, they ignited and burned completely. the fire spread rapidly, consuming the branches and even the tree trunks. ¡°servant of the gods.¡± ¡°devour the flames.¡± emerging from the dense forest, a group of dragonkin revealed themselves. on the left stood twenty in black armor; on the right, twenty in red armor. the dragonkin in red armor confidently opened their mouths, inhaling the flames burning the trees. ¡°krrr.¡± ¡°phoenix¡¯s power. i can¡¯t consume it.¡± while some spat fire back out, most of those on the right focused on extinguishing the forest fire. meanwhile, the dragonkin in black armor hesitated, unable to consume the flames. left with no choice, they charged at me. ¡°die, apostle!¡± all at once, they lunged, jaws wide open. you lot were my prey even back when i was d-class¡­ whoosh. i swung the extended yeoui in a wide arc. the phoenix¡¯s flames burned fiercely as divine power infused the blade. despite their attempts to jump or duck to avoid it, the blade grew larger mid-swing, striking them directly. slice! ¡°divine power!¡± ¡°aghhhh¡­!¡± the dark armor was sliced like paper, the dragonkin crushed entirely. the moment the blade touched them, they let out agonized screams before disintegrating into dust. so weak to divine power¡­ are these dragonkin corrupted by chaos? ¡°what¡¯s this?¡± ¡°why are they¡­ vulnerable to divine power?¡± the dragonkin on the right looked confused. they realized it wasn¡¯t the fire but the divine power that had destroyed their comrades. ¡°those are servants of chaos. aren¡¯t you the same?¡± ¡°what nonsense!¡± ¡°chaos? how dare you insult us?¡± ¡°hmm. you did consume the sacred flames¡­ i assumed all dragonkin under arkardian were servants of chaos, but it seems not.¡± i retracted yeoui and looked at the dragonkin on the right. killing them would be easy. but since they weren¡¯t aligned with chaos, i was curious. could they be useful? let¡¯s try sowing some discord. or rather, just tell them the truth. ¡°black dragon arkardian seeks to open the gate of chaos, commanding liches, death knights, and corrupted dragonkin. but you don¡¯t seem to be corrupted dragonkin.¡± ¡°arkardian is¡­? that can¡¯t be¡­¡± ¡°impossible¡­¡± oh? their reactions suggested disbelief but also lingering doubt. let¡¯s push further. fortunately, i wasn¡¯t labeled a bat-like awakener anymore but a champion of kevrian. my title even conveyed the blessing of neutrality, which earned the favor of kevrian¡¯s natives. these dragonkin must count as natives, right? ¡°i am an apostle of order and a servant of the earth goddess skadi, blessed by neutral gods. both the gods of order and neutrality are watching this situation closely.¡± ¡°this human¡­ has the scent of the earth. skadi¡¯s blessing is evident.¡± ¡°this can¡¯t be¡­ are you truly an apostle of the goddess?¡± ¡°this is a familiar energy¡­¡± good. my title has its uses. ¡°indeed. to stop arkardian¡¯s schemes, the gods of both factions have granted me their favor. if you serve the gods, you must lend me your strength.¡± the dragonkin exchanged hesitant glances, unsure of what to do. while they acknowledged my divine authority, they were reluctant to trust me completely. unlike those of order, these weren¡¯t easily swayed by divine charisma alone. i pulled out the strategy guide. [the arkardian grand magic circle has four axes in total. the central axis is the arkardian dragon heart. the other three axes are located at griffon cliff in the ebiwood mountains, the trent colony in the black dragon forest, and dragon rock by the ebi river. each site has a chaos magic circle drawn there. we need neutral faction awakeners to destroy the three magic circles, but honestly, destroying all three is nearly impossible. we entrusted the dragon rock site to grosh and a small group of orcs loyal to him, while the awakeners targeted griffon cliff. the trents... oh boy, they¡¯re too strong to handle.] the trent colony... are the trents those attacking trees i saw earlier? so they gather in groups, huh? i¡¯ll take care of the magic circle in the trent colony myself, but as for griffon cliff and dragon rock... "griffon cliff, trent colony, and dragon rock. these are the locations of the chaos magic circles created by arkardians. i¡¯ll destroy the one in trent colony myself. you two head to one of the other two sites." ¡°head there?¡± ¡°go and destroy the chaos magic circle if you sense its presence. see it with your own eyes!¡± ¡°see it with our own eyes...?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. aren¡¯t you also followers of the neutral faction? you know what kind of hell will break loose if the chaos gate opens, even without seeing it firsthand, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°hm... give us some time to discuss.¡± ¡°fine. you saw how i dealt with that corrupted dragonkin earlier, didn¡¯t you? taking you down here wouldn¡¯t even be a challenge. i¡¯m only giving you a chance because you haven¡¯t fallen into corruption yet.¡± hearing my words, the dragonkin trembled as they recalled the corrupted one i defeated earlier. yeah, these guys are pretty strong, so they give decent sp and mana. but shaking them up from the inside will be more effective than taking down 20 of them. after several minutes of deliberation, the dragonkin approached me cautiously. ¡°we¡¯ll check out griffon cliff. if what you say is true, we¡¯ll destroy it.¡± ¡°but if it¡¯s false, you¡¯ll face our wrath.¡± [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] ¡°sure. don¡¯t just glance around. inspect thoroughly. take your comrades with you. i¡¯ll soon turn this forest into a sea of fire.¡± the dragonkin nodded and obediently backed off. surprisingly successful. without divine blessings, they wouldn¡¯t have backed down so easily. perhaps they had a hunch about something. anyway, now that the creatures that would devour my holy fire are gone, it should be safe to ignite the forest. first, i need to send the troops back out of the forest. ¡°phoenix, retrieve that fire. let¡¯s evacuate everyone before we start burning.¡± [understood.] the phoenix soared toward the flames the corrupted dragonkin had failed to consume. opening its mouth, it absorbed the spreading fire all at once. this creature keeps growing into a monster, especially with enhanced mana. good. keep growing like that. after extinguishing the fire, i returned to the main unit, where i found signs of battle. scattered around the camp were the corpses of massive monsters and charred remnants of huge trees. it seemed like a fierce fight, but fortunately, the main unit hadn¡¯t suffered significant losses. ¡°did you come under attack?¡± ¡°yes. ogres and trents joined forces to attack us. their offensive wasn¡¯t too overwhelming, so we didn¡¯t fire a signal flare.¡± ¡°well done. i encountered enemies while advancing, too...¡± when i mentioned meeting two groups of dragonkin and letting one go, ambrosian was astonished. ¡°they believed your words, apostle?¡± ¡°yes. they probably had some reason to.¡± ¡°an astonishing outcome. if the dragonkin are gone, we can burn the forest without hesitation. elf, are you okay with this?¡± ¡°...yes. we must prevent the chaos gate from opening.¡± with the agreement of reblo, leader of the elves, all units retreated from the forest. once safely outside, we began the full-scale burning operation. ¡°the wind is against us. have the mages focus on wind magic, and let the archers ignite the flames with fire arrows.¡± ¡°divine flames are more effective. i¡¯ll drive a flame chariot through the forest.¡± ¡°good. that will help suppress the corrupted dragonkin.¡± ¡°phoenix, assist in spreading the flames.¡± [hah, this will be fun.] i summoned flame chariot and deployed the phoenix. the archers and i focused on igniting the flames, while the mages controlled the wind. the dwarves, who work well with fire and earth spirits, summoned fire spirits to help spread the fire. though visibly displeased with burning the forest, the elves reluctantly assisted with wind spirits due to the dire situation. ¡°i¡¯m not ordering you to set the fire yourselves. just summon the wind spirits.¡± ¡°understood...¡± with the command given, the operation began. warriors formed the front line, while the archers simultaneously loosed fire arrows. woosh. the forest barely caught fire with the arrows alone. but as the flame chariot sped through and the phoenix spewed flames from above, the fire quickly spread. ¡°wind!¡± the mages collectively cast wind magic, changing the wind¡¯s direction and propelling the flames forward. i also cast wind magic to assist. ¡°graaaaah!¡± as the fire consumed the forest, monsters began pouring out chaotically. small ones like goblins, larger ones like green orcs, and massive ones like ogres and trolls¡ªall fled in disarray to escape the flames. ¡°kill them!¡± ¡°let¡¯s level up!¡± burning and disorderly monsters versus our perfectly arranged formation. everyone, brimming with confidence, crushed the enemies. i considered using lightning magic in case of danger but refrained due to the massive mana consumption of the fire chariot and phoenix. instead, i stuck to wind magic, observing from the sidelines. they¡¯d manage fine with the setup i gave them. ¡°graaagh!¡± ¡°humans, how dare you set fire to the black dragon forest...¡± ¡°where are the dragonkin...?¡± goblins and orcs screamed in agony as they fell. those who fled the flames were swiftly subdued by our weapons. large monsters were taken down with the combined effort of archers and mages. ¡°there are so many ogre and troll corpses. may we harvest them? we¡¯d like to craft equipment from their bones and hides as gifts for the apostles.¡± ¡°oh, sure.¡± sear?h the ¦Çovelfire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. the dwarves, delighted by the quality of the large monster corpses, began butchering them, while the others maintained the formation. my experience bar visibly climbed, and i even leveled up for the first time in a while. burning a massive forest and slaughtering the monsters inside¡ªit was only natural. ¡°leveled up.¡± ¡°me too!¡± ¡°wow, this is way too easy.¡± ¡°and the army experience bonus is insane. even kills by the commander are credited to us.¡± the apostles¡¯ unit rejoiced at the burning forest and the rising experience points. those not part of the unit looked on with envy. the dwarves, too, were thrilled with the high-quality large monster remains. only the elves wore grim expressions. ¡°reblo, i apologize to the elves. but our unit¡¯s safety takes precedence.¡± ¡°oh, it¡¯s fine. we understand the necessity. but watching the forest burn... it¡¯s nauseating and repulsive for elves. that¡¯s probably why their expressions are so sour... i¡¯m sorry. hey, you lot! hurry up and summon the wind spirits!¡± i genuinely meant to apologize, but did it come across as pressure to work faster? rolling up his sleeves, reblo began kicking the elves into action, urging them to summon wind spirits. not what i intended, but it worked out. the fire raged for more than four days. the flames could have spread further, but on the fourth day, torrential rain suddenly poured down like a monsoon. the downpour gradually extinguished the flames. given that the fire was created by a fire chariot and phoenix, this wasn¡¯t ordinary rain. perhaps a dragon summoned the rain? it¡¯s possible, considering the magic they wield. still, the forest burned thoroughly enough to clear a path, making our advance much easier. ¡°let¡¯s move forward.¡± ¡°yes. all units, march!¡± with clearer sightlines and wider paths, we mounted our horses and advanced swiftly. for four days, we marched with no obstacles, nearing the end of the black dragon forest. at last, we encountered an unburned part of the forest. ¡°sinister magic is radiating from there.¡± ¡°that must be the trent colony.¡± [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] Chapter 51 [translator - night][proofreader - gun] chapter 51: forest of the black dragon (2) an ominous energy spread throughout the forest, giving off a sinister vibe. the trees, all blood-red, evoked an eerie sensation. ¡°red trees... huh.¡± ¡°do you know anything about them?¡± ¡°there are many trees that appear reddish, but i¡¯ve never seen such a foreboding blood-red color before. even tree monsters like trents weren¡¯t this color¡­¡± even the elf, an expert on trees, seemed clueless. well, we¡¯ll just have to experiment. ¡°summon flame chariot.¡± i summoned the flame chariot and sent it charging forward. as the chariot charged, the entire forest trembled, and branches flew at it like whips. the branches were imbued with dark energy, strong enough to momentarily stop the chariot. it wasn¡¯t just physical force at work. whoosh! but the branches quickly caught fire. after all, wood is weak to fire, and the dark energy imbued in them was no match for divine flames. there¡¯s no way they could last long. however, the burning branches snapped off on their own, falling to the ground, and new ones immediately grew back, blocking the chariot again. the branches continued burning, but the flame chariot wasn¡¯t making much progress forward. ¡°those guys are using tricks. phoenix, it¡¯s your turn!¡± [understood.] the phoenix made its grand entrance. now, it finally looked like a real divine beast. spreading its massive wings, large enough to obscure a person, it flew swiftly toward the forest. the branches tried to block the phoenix as well, but the flames radiating from its body were so intense that the branches burned up before they could even make contact. their energy was being drained rapidly. [let it burn, oh flame.] the phoenix declared with majesty as it flew deeper into the forest. its wingbeats spread fire, and the forest began to burn. even the ominous blood-red trees couldn¡¯t withstand the flames and were consumed effortlessly. this was way too easy. as the tension in the unit began to ease¡­ [uhhhhh¡­] [you dare disturb our rest¡­?] as the trees burned away, smoke rose in thick clouds, and ghosts emerged from within. they looked similar to the ghosts ampellion had summoned before. [destroy the living.] [turn them into our kin.] the ghosts had diverse expressions, though their faces resembled monsters like orcs rather than humans. the ghosts multiplied quickly and began flying toward our unit. some ghosts got caught in the flames on the trees and vanished, but most of them soared into the sky and rained down upon our unit. ¡°they¡¯re ghosts. physical attacks won¡¯t work. use magic or skills to take them down.¡± ¡°yes, understood!¡± it seemed like one swing of the staff could wipe them all out, but the phoenix had already used up a lot of energy, so i decided to trust my unit. with all 5,000 of them capable of using magic, we should be able to handle this. ¡°fire!¡± the hunters¡¯ arrows were imbued with magic, and various offensive spells were unleashed like a torrential downpour against the ghosts. if the ghosts had been faster, it might have been a dangerous situation, but fortunately, they were slow. ¡°thunder god.¡± zzzzt! s§×arch* the n?vel(f)ire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [aaaagh!] [we¡­ disappear¡­] whenever any ghosts got too close, i shot lightning at them. still, i refrained from intervening too much in safer areas. the soldiers needed something to do too. ¡°enemies in the sky¡­ i wish my horse could fly,¡± muttered jinseong lee as he twirled his green dragon crescent blade and slashed through the ghosts. ¡°spirit horses can fly depending on their attributes¡­ didn¡¯t you know that?¡± ¡°huh? really?¡± ¡°yes. the spirit horse¡¯s attribute is determined by its owner¡¯s spirit affinity. if your affinity with wind is strong, it can fly. with other attributes, it can¡¯t fly but gains other unique movements. of course, it depends on the owner¡¯s spirit affinity and magic power.¡± as the ranger commander, reblo, explained, jinseong¡¯s eyes lit up. can a warrior even raise their spirit affinity? sounds like he¡¯s just filling jinseong¡¯s head with pointless ideas¡­ ¡°i am the wind from now on!¡± jinseong declared. ¡°that won¡¯t actually increase your affinity¡­¡± reblo looked at jinseong with exasperation. but jinseong didn¡¯t give up and continued shouting, ¡°i am the wind!¡± while cutting down ghosts. his comrades, seemingly amused, began mimicking him, each shouting a different element: ¡°i am fire!¡± ¡°i am water!¡± ¡°everyone, yelling won¡¯t increase your affinity¡­¡± reblo¡¯s face twisted in disbelief. i couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore, so i turned away. now i truly understood the meaning of ¡°a sight too painful to behold.¡± let¡¯s just pretend i don¡¯t know those idiots. i focused on shooting lightning at the dangerous areas, listening to the groans of the ghosts. as the white mist that filled the sky began to clear, signaling the end of the battle¡­ the phoenix¡¯s urgent voice rang out. [master! it¡¯s a disaster!] ¡°huh? what is it?¡± the phoenix, flapping its large wings, flew hastily toward me and exclaimed: [it¡¯s a drake!] "drake? what''s a drake?" [a monster that is a child of a dragon but born without wings. essentially, a wingless dragon.] "then it must be strong?" [it is. for one, fire doesn''t work on it. while it acts more on instinct than intellect and can''t use magic, its body is still that of a dragon. it''s extremely powerful.] "and it''s not chasing you right now?" [it can''t catch me either. also, i saw a massive magic circle drawn under its belly, emanating chaotic energy. it seems more focused on protecting that magic circle.] "hmm. let¡¯s take care of the ghosts first, then check it out. only get involved in dangerous areas when necessary." [understood.] after dealing with the ghosts for a couple of hours, the situation was under control. the ghosts, charging without any strategy, caused hardly any damage. "a drake, huh..." "it''s a legendary creature. dragons are rare enough, but drakes are even harder to find because dragons see them as a disgrace and hide them away." "if it can''t use magic and doesn''t have wings, it must rely solely on physical strength. wouldn''t weakening spells work to restrain it?" "using wind spirits to bind its movements and earth spirits to trap its legs could be effective." everyone agreed that while it was strong, it was manageable since it couldn''t use magic. right. if we can¡¯t even handle a drake, there¡¯s no way we can take on a dragon. "then i''ll go ahead and engage it first. use weakening spells when i confront the drake. once its movements are fully restrained, we¡¯ll send in the warriors." "understood." "warriors, protect the mages for now, and when the drake is weakened, join in to subdue it." "yes." with my mana fully restored, i advanced first. before long, i felt an intense energy. the forest, charred black by the phoenix, had one strangely untouched central area. as i approached, i saw strange blood-red lines drawn on the blackened soil. is this the chaos magic circle? just looking at it sent chills down my spine with its eerie power. "thunder god." without getting closer, i fired a bolt of lightning. the lightning was absorbed into the magic circle, causing the lines to shrink slightly. oh. it works? suddenly, a monstrous roar echoed. "kaaahhh!" my vision turned red, and my whole body tingled. wait, my whole body? sensing danger, i jumped with all my might. a massive silhouette rushed past the spot i had just been standing, like a charging bull. is that the drake? it was far bigger than the 5-meter dragonkin i¡¯d seen before. its scales were black and looked impenetrable, with massive horns on either side of its dragon-like head, each larger than my body. [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] though it moved on all fours like a beast, its sheer size was overwhelming. "rrrrrrr!" the drake reared up, trying to grab me from the sky. this feels like something out of a monster movie. if the drake is this big, just how massive are actual dragons? "summon flame chariot." riding a chariot of fire in the sky, i evaded. the drake¡¯s massive claw swiped at where i had been. hmm... fire doesn''t work on it, right? then how about ice magic? "ice storm." from the sky, i cast a 4th-circle ice storm as a probing attack. as cold energy spread above the drake¡¯s head, ice spears rained down. honestly, given its massive size, i didn¡¯t expect it to work, but i wanted to see how it would react. the drake briefly looked at the incoming ice spears before opening its mouth toward me, unfazed. my body began to tingle again. is this its breath attack? "kaaaak!" i moved the flame chariot just in time to avoid the red-hot stream of fire that scorched where i had been. "can you absorb that?" [i can, but not all at once. good thing you dodged.] "do dragons normally breathe fire like that without any openings?" [hmm? dragon breath is on a whole different level. that was just spitting.] what the hell. spitting? anyway, looks like we have no choice but to fight. "ice storm didn¡¯t work..." the ice spears failed to pierce the drake¡¯s scales, bouncing off harmlessly. some even melted before making contact, as flames burst out from between its scales whenever it exhaled. this won¡¯t be easy. "hmm. fire attacks are useless, right? then, phoenix, just focus on absorbing the flames it breathes out." [that¡¯s fine, but why not destroy the magic circle while you fight? it¡¯ll divide its attention.] "oh! good idea. let¡¯s do that. for now... thunder god." from above, i shot lightning. i poured a lot of mana into it, but it couldn¡¯t penetrate the scales. it¡¯s resistant to magic too? great defense, fire-breathing, massive size... this is the kind of boss monster you hear about in legends. while the phoenix circled around to the rear, i drew my sword. "grow, yeoui." i adjusted its size just enough to slice effectively¡ªabout 10 meters. more important than size, though, were strength and sharpness. "imbue ice weapon." the fire attribute is useless, so let¡¯s go with ice. i considered imbuing it with lightning, but lightning has a feeling too similar to fire. the massive, enlarged blade was quickly covered in ice. i was worried that the sharpness of the blade might dull, but fortunately, it became even sharper. drake lifted its body, swung its arm, and spewed flames, but i dodged and struck with my sword. boom! the blade clashed against the scales. even though i infused it with the magic of ice, it couldn¡¯t pierce the scales in one strike. however, it wasn¡¯t without effect¡ªdark blood spurted out from the area where the sword struck. ¡°kaaargh!¡± ¡°it hurts me too, you bastard.¡± the clash with those solid scales made my hands feel like they were about to split apart. if i hadn¡¯t reinforced my physical abilities, the shock from my own attack might have sent my arms flying. good thing i invested in my stats. whoosh! i dodged drake¡¯s massive arm again. as i moved, flames shot toward where i had been, as if anticipating my movements. since it wasn¡¯t quite at the level of a dragon¡¯s breath, i decided to test blocking it with my sword. transforming the sword into a shield-like form, i expanded it and imbued it with ice weapon magic. the blade withstood the flames fiercely. ah, as expected of an a-grade weapon. ¡°enlarge.¡± as soon as the flames ceased, i expanded the sword toward drake¡¯s open mouth. drake quickly lowered its head to dodge. i swung the blade sideways. crash! ugh, what weight! the blade struck drake¡¯s head and neck with a powerful collision. the sword was stained with its black blood, and drake¡¯s massive body staggered. but while it staggered, i was sent flying backward. if i tried to endure the recoil, it would strain my body, so i let myself be flung and summoned my chariot again. ¡®what kind of resilience is that?¡¯ drake¡¯s body, slashed from its face to its neck, was already regenerating rapidly. i might have to use focus enhancement. at that moment, i heard my allies'' voices. ¡°slow!¡± ¡°weakness!¡± ¡°spirit of the wind, bind the dragon!¡± ¡°spirit of the earth, restrain the ground... no, the spirit of the earth refuses. it says it can¡¯t break through the magic circle!¡± ¡°drake¡¯s defense is stronger than expected. archers, focus on the magic circle instead of drake!¡± a massive number of mages cast weakening spells, and elves used wind spirits to restrain its movements. it seemed effective. drake¡¯s movements became sluggish. its gaze darted around as if trying to decide where to focus. torn between the destruction caused by phoenixes and archers, and my strikes, it was clear it didn¡¯t know where to defend. its instincts, rather than reason, seemed to make it highly susceptible to diversion tactics. after a few more slashes, the weakening spells were definitely working. the sword sank in deeply. hmm, good. it¡¯s time to go all out! ¡°focus enhancement. amplify the sword. flame chariot. let¡¯s go!¡± i concentrated all my strength and power on the sharpness and durability of the sword, reapplying ice weapon magic. sensing my powerful energy, drake stared directly at me, but it was already too late to evade. i charged downward from the sky with the flame chariot, letting its speed carry me. then, with the amplified sword, i drove it straight down. slash! black blood gushed out like a fountain. the loudest scream i¡¯d ever heard echoed through the forest. ¡°kaaargh!¡± before crashing into the ground, i shifted into a spirit form. my body hit the ground without taking any fall damage. the sword slipped from my hand, rapidly shrinking until it returned to its dagger form, falling to the ground with a thud. i quickly picked it up and looked ahead. drake, split straight down the middle from head to torso, lay in two halves. even with a dragon¡¯s regenerative powers, there was no way it could survive this. [you have leveled up.] it takes a drake-level enemy to gain a level. i must have earned a lot of sp, and my stats must have increased. although my entire body ached, i opened my status window, feeling pleased. just then, i heard a voice from drake¡¯s bisected body. [what is this? sterios has fallen... something that has never happened before.] [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] Chapter 52 [translator - night][proofreader - gun] chapter 52: diana has changed (1) when i turned toward the source of the sound, i saw black blood gushing out of drake''s body. it coalesced into the shape of a dragon''s head, floating midair. the black blood hovered ominously in the air. what is that now? [an apostle of order? who is the king of the gods?] ¡°it¡¯s jupiter.¡± the name zeus was automatically filtered into jupiter. the dragon''s face twisted in response. [jupiter? still them... i thought a different event had disturbed my rest. so this world must be destroyed too.] ¡°excuse me?¡± [i am the black dragon arkardian. i will open the gate of chaos. if you wish to stop me, come to my lair.] arkardian? rest? wait¡­ does this mean i¡¯m not supposed to defeat this guy? i consulted the guide. [destroying the two magic circles significantly reduced the chaotic energy. then, by summoning the spirit of wrath through the corrupted diana, the giant wrath spirit and the black dragon clashed. the black dragon, half-mad, mechanically muttered, ¡®i must repair the magic circle. repair it.¡¯ it alternated between focusing on the magic circle and fighting diana, making it not too difficult to deal with. since the dragon¡¯s body was impervious to swords, breaking the magic circle recklessly led it to sacrifice its dragon heart to open the gate of chaos. that¡¯s when phase 2 begins, where you face ampellion and the undead army. it¡¯s tougher than the dragon fight.] so according to the guide, the black dragon was obsessed with the magic circles and self-destructed while dealing with diana. hmm¡­ if it¡¯s already half out of its mind, maybe i can act as diana while others focus on the magic circles. but the last part of the guide bothers me. ¡°impressive!¡± ¡°a sword imbued with ice amplification¡­ it¡¯s like elime¡¯s strike.¡± ¡°elime? who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°the king of water spirits. may i name it accordingly?¡± is this reblo guy infected by them too¡­? ¡°...never mind that. let¡¯s just destroy the magic circle.¡± ¡°understood!¡± everyone surrounded the magic circle and began attacking it. at first, they were cautious, but soon their eyes gleamed with determination. ¡°just hitting the magic circle raises experience points!¡± ¡°wow! that¡¯s insane. warriors, let¡¯s go!¡± despite the ominous atmosphere, the warriors recklessly charged and hammered at the magic circle, driven by the promise of experience points. perhaps feeling sidelined in monster battles until now, they put their all into it. the elves and dwarves tried to help, but i stopped them. the humans were too obsessed with the experience points to let anyone else interfere. [an apostle gains merit recognition by destroying remnants of chaos. let them handle it.] ¡°yes, understood.¡± after 3,000 people pounded on it for 30 minutes, the magic circle completely shrank. cheers erupted as everyone celebrated their level-ups. looking at this, i wondered if i¡¯d sent the dragonkin to the griffin cliff in vain. there¡¯s supposed to be another magic circle at dragon rock on the ebi river, right? ¡°let¡¯s destroy one more magic circle before moving on. does anyone know where dragon rock is?¡± ¡°i do,¡± an elf replied. following the elf¡¯s guidance, we headed to the ebi river. through the black dragon¡¯s forest and along the path to the lair, we veered toward the river. soon, we saw a dragon-shaped rock in the middle of the murky river, surrounded by a three-dimensional magic circle. the fish were all dead, their corpses floating along the riverbank. the water was foul and cloudy. ¡°there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything guarding it.¡± ¡°yes, it looks like we can just destroy it.¡± everyone excitedly prepared their weapons, anticipating the experience points. that¡¯s when we felt intense heat from the sky. ¡°above us!¡± ¡°a meteor!¡± a blazing meteor descended, glowing white-hot under the sunlight. it fell directly toward the magic circle, aimed at dragon rock. ¡°oh no, the magic circle is going to be destroyed!¡± destroying it is good, but the thought of losing the experience points made people lament. still, they fired arrows and magic at it, hoping to get some last-minute experience. before they could do much, the meteor smashed into dragon rock. boom! a massive explosion reduced the magic circle¡¯s size dramatically. the meteor bounced away. no, upon closer inspection¡ªit was a fiery chariot? on the chariot was someone waving both arms in our direction. ¡°jiho! you¡¯re here!¡± ¡°huh? diana?¡± it was diana, who had left after being appointed as the apostle of the sun god. oh, has her training ended? what perfect timing! we needed help fighting the dragon¡ªwait¡­?! ¡°i missed you!¡± diana jumped at the flame chariot as it vanished, running into my arms. uh? what¡¯s happening?? ¡°diana¡­?¡± ¡°the sun god told me about my true destiny. you saved me from falling into despair and elevated me to an apostle. thank you so much. i missed you terribly.¡± wait, this isn¡¯t like her at all. diana, who always wore an expression of sternness and melancholy, was now smiling radiantly in my arms. i understand the gratitude, but why is she, an elf, acting so¡­ cheerful? is this also because she became an apostle? diana looked up at me, smiling brightly. with her breathtaking beauty and joyful gaze, i felt like i might be drawn into her. and then¡­ the sensation of her chest pressing against me¡­ oh¡­ this is bad. [clear mind is activated.] [aurelia advises that the sun god''s power is strongly present in diana. however, since her level is still low, she¡¯s unlikely to act against the order faction in kevrian. trust her¡ªfor now.] aurelia¡¯s advice came as clear mind helped me compose myself. can i really trust this change in diana? ¡°hm-hm¡­ jiho, shall i give the command for an all-out attack?¡± clearing her throat, kang shia approached, her tone pointed. the stares from others were intense, especially the elves, who seemed utterly shocked. ¡°oh. yes, please do.¡± ¡°for the sake of discipline¡­ it might be better if you¡­ distanced yourself.¡± ¡°oh, i¡¯m sorry. i was just so excited.¡± diana quickly stepped back, her face apologetic. she had a point, but¡­ something about it felt a bit disappointing. ¡°i¡¯ll definitely repay you, jiho. for now, please accept this as a small gift.¡± she handed me a small backpack. opening it, i found a set of world tree¡¯s items for enhancing the potential. wow, i really needed this! i¡¯d been consuming the leaves and bark¡ªit¡¯s perfect. [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] ¡°there¡¯s something i truly wish to give you, but¡­ as she said, this is a battlefield, so it¡¯s not the right time. please stay in this world after the battle ends. okay?¡± ¡°yes, understood.¡± ¡°hehe, you¡¯ve promised.¡± diana¡¯s cuteness was impossible to resist. even though i felt a piercing gaze from the side, what could i do? men are weak against beauty, after all. ¡°well then, i¡¯ll help destroy the magic circle too.¡± ¡°oh, we can leave that to them. the credit¡ª¡± ¡°ah¡­ is it because of the experience points?¡± diana flashed a knowing smile. ah, no matter what expression she made, she was so beautiful. ¡°did you realize this after becoming an apostle?¡± ¡°yes, thanks to the favor of the deity, i¡¯ve learned many things. speaking of which, the chaos magic circle is at griffin cliff¡­ how about you personally handle that, jiho?¡± ¡°me? alone at griffin cliff?¡± ¡°yes, you should also level up. besides, the terrain there is too rough for a large army.¡± i had left it to the dragonkin, but after hearing her words, i started considering going myself. but i don¡¯t know the exact location¡­ ¡°i¡¯ll summon a wind spirit to guide you. i¡¯ll protect things here, so hurry and come back.¡± when she summoned the wind spirit and even offered to guide me, i made up my mind. i had planned to grow slowly until i gathered enough sp, but at this rate, leveling up was taking too long. before reaching level 100, i might gather 100,000 sp at this pace. i just needed to avoid spending it recklessly. griffin cliff seemed to have rough terrain, so it was probably better to handle it alone. ¡°understood.¡± ¡°yes. sylphid, guide jiho.¡± at her command, a wind spirit appeared. the green, petite, fairy-like spirit gestured to me and then fluttered ahead. ¡°alright, i¡¯ll be off.¡± ¡°take care and come back soon!¡± diana waved me off with both arms wide open. her chest, previously hidden under armor, swayed noticeably. ah¡­ what is this? she¡¯s changed so much. i prefer a bright demeanor to a dark one, but this is such a drastic change that it¡¯s a little overwhelming. and having the world¡¯s top beauty push herself on me like this is a bit intimidating, but¡­ well, why not? it¡¯s a limited-time offer with kevrian, after all. she likes me, so there¡¯s no need to refuse, right? i wondered if she was acting on the sun god¡¯s orders, but¡­ as aurelia said, for now, i¡¯ll help as long as it¡¯s limited to kevrian. for now, i need to interfere with hades. ¡°is it over there?¡± the wind spirit nodded vigorously. after flying until dusk, i arrived at griffin cliff. the cliff path was so rugged that it was almost impossible to traverse without flying. despite its name, griffin cliff, there weren¡¯t any griffins¡ªat least, not initially. ¡°is it just named griffin? oh¡­ never mind.¡± near the edge of the cliff entrance, blackened griffins were flying around in a pack. monsters with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. they were engaged in battle at the entrance. ¡°far sight.¡± using magic to see more clearly, i observed that the dragon-kin i had sent were fighting the griffins. the dragon-kin had the upper hand, but the griffins, coming out in full force, were holding them back. looks like i¡¯m about to loot an unguarded house unintentionally. ¡°grow, yeoui. thunder god.¡± expanding yeoui and imbuing it with thunder god¡¯s power, i slashed through the enormous magic circle piece by piece. no matter where i cut it, the circle¡¯s size would shrink overall. it was easy to slash through because even cutting one side slightly reduced the entire circle. [you have leveled up.] already? wow, this speed is insane. [your mana has increased.] my mana rose, and so did my level. wow, what a jackpot. diana, you¡¯re such a lucky charm. [the chaos magic circle, filtered through soul absorption, forms a skill in the recycle bin. you can use the skill ''chaos magic circle summon'' once.] huh? i¡¯ve never used the recycle bin even after opening it. no matter how many monsters i massacred, they never dropped anything, yet here it is now. as i reduced the magic circle by about half, the griffins seemed to notice something was off and started flying toward me. ¡°cawww!¡± but could they be a match for what even the dragonkin couldn¡¯t handle? ¡°fire storm.¡± i laid down a fire storm on their path and happily continued cutting. standing too high in the air was draining my mana, so i perched on a section of the cliff. [when standing on the ground, your physical regeneration and magic recovery rates increase.] as per the earth goddess skadi¡¯s blessing, my mana recovery noticeably sped up. that means i can cast more. ¡°flame chariot, destroy it too. phoenix, block the griffins.¡± [understood.] the phoenix soared through the air, and the blazing storm prevented the griffins from approaching. i continued dismantling the magic circle right in front of their eyes. ¡°ah, this is great! my mana is skyrocketing. another level up!¡± ¡°cawwww!¡± the griffins cried pitifully, but i kept slashing relentlessly. the magic circle gradually shrank until it finally condensed into a black jewel-like object. i¡¯ve never seen anything like this before. it didn¡¯t appear when i destroyed the ones at trent colony or dragon rock earlier. when i thrust my sword into it, an enormous surge of magic erupted. boooom! the entire griffin cliff exploded, and i was flung away by the shockwave. it didn¡¯t hurt much, but the mana was immense. ¡°fly.¡± using flight magic to stabilize myself, i noticed a new message window pop up. [you have absorbed the core of the magic circle, a fragment of the dragon heart.] [mana +7.] [strength +2.] [agility +2.] [you can choose the dragon race ¨C mature dragon class in the future.] s~ea??h the n??elfir§×.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [you have acquired the skill ¡®mana regeneration of the dragon heart.¡¯ this skill is incomplete and requires more dragon heart fragments to activate.] whoa, a dragon heart fragment? diana, you lucky charm! i love you! as i shivered with excitement over this unexpected fortune, a majestic voice echoed in my ears. [to think you would absorb my heart¡­ this apostle of order is something else. come to me, apostle of order. i await you in my lair.] it was the same voice i heard when i killed the drake. [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] Chapter 53 [translator - night][proofreader - gun] chapter 53: diana has changed (2) "you''re here!" as i return to the camp, diana ran up to me and hugged me. her chest pressed against me. "diana...?" "you''ve changed so much." "well, you¡¯ve seen my appearance, haven''t you?" who¡¯s that last person? diana, wearing the green leather armor of an elf, looked unrealistically beautiful. honestly, i don¡¯t think i¡¯m unattractive either, but when i''m with her, i feel like an octopus. it was fine when i wore armor and a helmet, but now that it¡¯s off... hmm... even the fellow elves were astonished at how much she had changed. at this point, i wouldn''t be surprised if the sun god had hypnotized me to get me to follow her. but right now, even if i did fall for it, there¡¯s nothing for her to take from me. the order faction has practically already caught me like a fish in a net. on top of that, following her advice, i smashed the magic circle and gained a lot of benefits. i even absorbed part of the dragon heart. for now, i¡¯ll just wait and see. with clear mind, there¡¯s no way i¡¯ll fall for any temptation. "jiho, i''ve finished setting up the camp. let¡¯s go together." she let go of me and took my hand, pulling me along. i was dragged along by the flame chariot without any effort. i¡¯m sure i won¡¯t fall for it, right...? we arrived at the camp near the ebigan. it looked like a small fortress, possibly because the dwarves were in charge of its construction. it was built quickly and had walls made by earth spirits, along with large barracks. in the commander''s tent, the main figures gathered to have a brief meeting. "thanks to the apostle of the goddess, we broke through the enemy¡¯s stronghold without significant damage, and even burned down the black dragon forest. however, the remaining enemy is the greatest threat. the black dragon arkardian..." "he¡¯s an ancient dragon, known for his ferocity. he¡¯s infamous for holding grudges, seeking revenge a hundredfold. some even call him the ''dragon who never forgets.''" "the red forge clan of the dwarves handled the rare construction, but even a single brick falling caused him to destroy the entire clan." as dwarf lord ambrosian spoke, a heavy silence filled the room. wow, i knew he had a bad temper. "he really never forgets..." "arkardian is said to have birthed not a full dragon, but an incomplete drake. we killed the drake, so he must be extremely vengeful. we have to defeat him this time..." ambrosian¡¯s voice trailed off as he sighed deeply. an ancient dragon. honestly, he¡¯s the kind of final boss you''d expect in a game... why do we have to face him now? and it¡¯s just the first stage. how frustrating. though diana, as the apostle, has joined us, she¡¯s no match for the black dragon in comparison... it seems impossible to win in a direct confrontation. let''s try the strategy from the guidebook. "ultimately, arkardian¡¯s goal is to open the gate of chaos. let''s focus on preventing that. diana and i will distract arkardian, and the rest will destroy the chaos magic circle." "yes, there¡¯s no other choice." everyone agreed to the plan and began detailing the strategy when a awakened individual rushed into the tent. "captain, the dragonkin are requesting a meeting." "dragonkin?" "yes, there are thirteen of them." "let them in." are they the same ones from the griffin cliff battle? that was fast. "are you the apostle of order?" the dragonkin who entered the tent weren¡¯t the ones i had seen before. they were tall, wearing golden armor, and exuded immense power. "yes." "i am alverossa, the chief guardian of arkardian. arkardian has acknowledged his defection and has sent us out." "acknowledged his defection...?" "yes." alverossa explained what had happened. arkardian had defeated a higher-ranking angel of order, suffering a great wound, and returned to his lair. after that, he began using the angel¡¯s corpse to create a chaos magic circle, and even when alverossa, as a member of the neutral faction, offered advice, arkardian ignored him. "but suddenly, he came to his senses and sent us out of the lair. he said we should live for at least one more day. he also told us to relay a message to you¡ªhe has opened the lair¡¯s gates, and you have 48 hours to enter." if these dragonkin had joined the defense, it would have been a tough fight. the thirteen dragonkin seemed incredibly strong. and since they hadn¡¯t fallen to chaos, their divine power wouldn¡¯t be of much use. the conditions seemed too favorable, and ranger captain reblo spoke up. "isn¡¯t this a trap?" "a trap? dragons do not lie. don¡¯t you elves know that?" "that was when they were still neutral. these are dragons tainted by chaos. they can lie just as easily." "hmm... that¡¯s one way to look at it... but arkardian has ordered us to destroy the defenses of the lair ourselves, to open the path for you." "what could his intentions be?" "i don¡¯t know..." alverossa¡¯s voice was filled with regret. he looked around the tent and spoke. "is he hoping for rest through their hands? but aside from the two apostles, there¡¯s no real combat power here... anyway, if you don¡¯t come in two days, the gate of chaos will open, and the world will become hell. if you want to stop it, you need to hurry." only two days left, and the other magic circles have already been destroyed... it seems like there¡¯s no point in delaying. if we drag our feet, the chaos forces and black dragon will join, leading to a total destruction scenario. looking at it this way, the difficulty is still nearly impossible. "what are you going to do now? arkardian¡¯s defection has been confirmed. will you help us?" "no... although we¡¯ve turned our backs, we can¡¯t direct a sword toward our former master. we¡¯ll just step back. we wish you good luck." s~ea??h the n??efire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. it¡¯s a shame, but there¡¯s nothing we can do. after they left, we decided to rest for a day and enter the dungeon lair tomorrow morning. we have 48 hours, but it¡¯s too risky to go at night. it¡¯s better to go in at our best condition. i lay on a dwarf-made bed in the largest tent, which i found curious¡ªhow did they bring this here? but the earth spirits helped with that. spirits really are all-purpose. i pulled out the strategy guide and read it again. the guide says that diana should distract arkardian, while the rest focus on destroying the magic circle to win... but the atmosphere now feels completely different from the guidebook¡¯s content. this isn¡¯t the first time that¡¯s happened, though. maybe instead of just distracting him, it¡¯s better to have everyone attack the magic circle? the last pages of the guide are still empty, so i put the book back in my inventory and started thinking about the strategy for dealing with the dragon. "jiho." "diana?" "can i come in?" "yes, please do." why is diana here at this late hour...? [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] something felt off about her behavior today, but her beauty is so extraordinary that my rational mind completely falters whenever i see her. every time i look at her face, i feel like my iq drops by half. [the clear mind skill is activated.] if it weren''t for this, i would have made a colossal mistake. [aurelia says we need to pay attention to the pregnancy effect of infinite stamina. she warns that it might be a ploy by the sun god.] what? pregnancy? now that i think about it, infinite stamina did have that immediate pregnancy effect on the partner. i thought it sounded like something out of greek or roman mythology... wait, what? are they planning to use the child as leverage? aurelia¡¯s advice, whispered secretly during clear mind activations, sent chills down my spine this time. leverage through a child? or are they planning to use my child for experiments because of my unique class as a soul mediator? either way, the thought made me feel utterly disgusted. they claim to be about order, yet their methods are filthy. of course, it could be none of the above¡­ but i¡¯d better stay cautious. a knife in the back can come at any time. and this infinite stamina thing¡ªits pregnancy effect is really burdensome. if i don¡¯t find a way to seal it, it¡¯s going to cause serious issues in my sex life. hmm, maybe i can just turn the skill off? but wow¡­ if i do that, what¡¯s the point of having it...? i had been saving it for some steamy 19+ moments someday¡­ ¡°jiho?¡± ¡°oh, yes, lady diana. please, take a seat.¡± was it because i had been zoning out? diana, tilting her head curiously, was guided to the chair by the desk in the barracks. diana, dressed in a white knightly dress. the dress was long, which was a bit of a shame, but it was tight enough to showcase her figure. she had an s-line body that seemed straight out of a textbook. it was like something you¡¯d see in a painting. her curves were perfectly accentuated in all the right places, reaching the pinnacle of beauty. ¡°jiho, you¡¯re too much¡­¡± diana smiled shyly, as if embarrassed by my gaze. [clear mind is activated.] wow. this skill is a lifesaver. if she got pregnant, i¡¯d be screwed. calm down, jiho. you¡¯ve got to stay calm. control yourself. ¡°i came to see you today because of the black dragon.¡± ah. the black dragon? haha. so it¡¯s about that. here i was, overthinking with pregnancy and all that. ¡°the black dragon?¡± ¡°yes. according to what the sun god told me, the black dragon has almost completely lost its sanity. they even shared a strategy with me that might work for you.¡± the sun god knows about that? hmm. makes sense since they govern this world too. ¡°but earlier, the dragons said something different. it seems like the black dragon might have regained its sanity, which would make sending the entire army very risky.¡± ¡°i see.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve heard that the saints and awakened are capable of resurrection. how about setting up this camp as a return base and sending a unit of awakened ahead first?¡± ¡°just the awakened?¡± ¡°yes. i, too, have three resurrection chances granted by the sun god. if the dragon has regained its sanity, who knows what tricks it might have up its sleeve? it¡¯d be safer to scout with an awakened unit first.¡± that makes sense. if the black dragon has regained its sanity, it could let the magic circle get destroyed and then unleash dragon breath on us. no need for 5,000 people to die unnecessarily. besides, no matter how vast the lair is, it¡¯s too cramped for all 5,000 to enter. rotating troops wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. ¡°you also have three resurrection chances, right?¡± ¡°oh, i already used one¡­¡± ¡°what? you died? but you¡¯re so strong¡­ what kind of hidden enemy¡ª¡± ¡°haha, that was before i met you, lady diana. it was an unexpected blow.¡± diana¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at me, startled. embarrassed to go into detail, i brushed it off. ¡°i think your plan is a good idea. let¡¯s form an awakened unit of a thousand and send them first. but we¡¯ll still need to draw the dragon¡¯s attention ourselves¡­¡± ¡°yes, i¡¯ll do my best.¡± she said this while getting up from her chair and slowly approaching the bed where i was sitting. a pleasant fragrance wafted over. wait, this scent¡­ i¡¯ve smelled it before¡­ she approached me, bending slightly toward me. her knightly dress leaned forward with her. now that i noticed, it was slightly low-cut. the pure white knightly dress and her even whiter skin dazzled my eyes. she leaned closer to my ear and whispered. ¡°i want to repay you as soon as possible, jiho¡­ but since there¡¯s an important matter tomorrow, i¡¯ll restrain myself. for tonight.¡± [clear mind is activated.] wow! if not for this skill¡­ the bed would¡¯ve been in pieces tonight. damn. [pollux begs you to turn off that damn skill.] ugh. what if i use infinite stamina and end up with a child! [pollux says he can¡¯t understand why you¡¯re worried¡ªjust have the child. but if it¡¯s really bothering you, turn off both infinite stamina and clear mind and go for it.] [aurelia says to just ignore him.] i wavered for a moment. no, i¡¯m still wavering. [clear mind is activated.] [aurelia reminds you that pregnancy can happen even without infinite stamina.] her continued warnings saved me from a disaster. to be honest, if she had pushed further, who knows what would have happened. but diana eventually left, saying, ¡°next time, we¡¯ll talk about something important!¡± still, her words lingered in my ears. sigh. calm down. calm down. it¡¯s a honey trap. a honey trap. we adjusted the plan and recruited mage awakened to use this camp as a base. ¡°we should¡¯ve built it sturdier and more imposing,¡± ambrosian grumbled, watching the mages as if unsatisfied. to me, it seemed sufficient, but to a dwarf, it must feel lacking. at dawn, i decided to lead a detachment of awakened from the apostle command unit. they were the most experienced, had gained the most xp, and their death penalties were halved, making them ideal for the first challenge. everyone readily agreed, and the unit was quickly organized. in fact, i had to stop others from volunteering to join. ¡°think about how much we¡¯ve gained by following the commander.¡± ¡°i heard the xp from the magic circle is massive. i want to take the risk!¡± ¡°when else would we get to fight the legendary black dragon?¡± many wanted to join the fight, so we organized a second and third unit to send in if the battle went well. the elves and dwarves would wait to enter until after the awakened had gone in and the situation was under control. with this basic structure in place, the 5,000-strong army began its march. the morale of the awakened was at its peak. they looked as if they could slay the dragon at any moment. [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] Chapter 54 [translator - night][proofreader - gun] chapter 54: entering the black dragon¡¯s body (1) in front of the dragon¡¯s lair. the size was so massive it couldn¡¯t simply be called a cave. it seemed large enough to fit 1,000 people comfortably. is it because dragons need space to come and go? with 1,000 members of the apostle command unit, diana and i stood before the lair. [¡®invade the lair of the black dragon arkardian¡¯ quest has been cleared.] [you have earned 1,000 sp.] the reward is ridiculously meager. to get to arkardian¡¯s lair, we had to break through the fortress, destroy the black dragon forest, and eliminate two other strategic points¡ªyet we only get 1,000 sp? this is the same reward i got for dismantling the orc vanguard in the past. [pollux says it can¡¯t be helped because the difficulty was reduced.] still, this is just too much¡­ will you give me at least 100,000 sp interest, pollux? [pollux says it¡¯ll soon be resolved, so just wait a little longer.] wow! might as well tell me to wait until level 100. sigh. anyway, the dragon comes first. ¡°no one¡¯s here, just as the dragonkin said.¡± ¡°and the magic circle is destroyed too.¡± inside the pitch-black cave. diana and i, leading the vanguard, lit the way with the flames of our fiery chariot. everyone spread out as we advanced. it was a formation to avoid the dragon¡¯s area magic and to target the magic circle. [so you¡¯ve finally arrived.] not far in, the dragon appeared. it was enormous. unbelievably enormous. the black beast crouched, its legs tucked beneath its massive body. its folded wings loomed over a blood-red magic circle etched into the floor. on its back, a large sword made of light was impaled. the dragon¡¯s head, previously bowed to the ground, slowly rose. its enormous, glowing yellow eyes shone eerily. [i command you in dragon tongue: perish.] what? my entire body lost strength, and my hands moved on their own. my weapon, yeoui, extended and was pressed against my neck. as if possessed by a ghost, i couldn¡¯t do anything. is this how i die? [athena¡¯s mental protection activates.] whoa. strength returned to my body. blood trickled from where yeoui had nicked my neck. a moment later, i would¡¯ve been dead. what about the others? i looked back to see everyone stabbing their necks or setting their bodies on fire, harming themselves. ¡°damn!¡± i ran to stop them, but one by one, they turned into light and vanished. not a single exception. completely annihilated upon entering. i expected the dragon to be strong, but¡­ ¡°it¡¯s a relief you¡¯re safe!¡± ah, diana survived too. like me, her neck had a shallow cut. did she regain control of her body just before death? diana quickly summoned the spirit of wind. ¡°we must deploy reinforcements immediately!¡± [halt, spirits.] at the dragon¡¯s words, sylphid froze in place. it tried to move, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. is this dragon tongue magic? ¡°ugh¡­ the fallen will soon return. dragon words is an ultimate spell and cannot be used consecutively. we should focus our attacks on the angelic sword embedded in its back.¡± ¡°got it. let¡¯s go!¡± right. if there¡¯s already an open wound, we should dig deeper. i drove the flame chariot forward. [you insignificant insect!] as soon as we took off, my vision turned red, and my body burned painfully. i pushed the chariot forward faster, but the sense of danger didn¡¯t subside. [kaaaaah.] [master, danger!] the dragon lightly opened its mouth. green smoke poured out and spread in all directions. the phoenix flew in and set itself ablaze, igniting the smoke. wow. is this some kind of poison gas? [a phoenix¡­? that apostle must be more important than i thought.] for the first time, arkardian showed a hint of curiosity, but soon it faded into disappointment. [you¡¯re too weak to fully wield the beast¡¯s power. freeze in ice.] [krrrrk¡­!] at those words, the phoenix froze in place. the surrounding area froze as well, encasing the phoenix in ice. freezing a phoenix with ice? wow¡­ no time to be dumbfounded. we must strike while it¡¯s buying us time. ¡°enlarge!¡± driving the chariot up the dragon¡¯s back, i extended yeoui. the target: the area around the angelic sword. the wound caused by the sword hadn¡¯t healed, and blood still trickled out. [halt.] mana constricted me. it felt like i was pinned beneath a massive boulder, unable to move. ugh. if this continues, i¡¯ll die without accomplishing anything. even if i die, i have to land at least one hit! ¡°concentrated amplification. mana release.¡± boom! i released mana at its maximum intensity. the air binding me shattered, and i could move mana again. yeoui, enveloped in thunder, extended as i charged toward the dragon¡¯s back. diana had already leapt onto its back, dual swords in hand. good. at least one of us will succeed! [burn¡­ hm?] arkardian faltered mid-sentence as he was about to cast another spell. taking advantage of the moment, both diana and i struck the open wound. yeoui crackling with lightning. the twin blades shining like the sun. this has to work! clang! ¡°ugh!¡± i was flung back at the same speed i had charged. as i was hurled away, i saw a blue mana barrier protecting the flesh around the sword. a shield? it¡¯s too powerful. i should prioritize the magic circle over attacking the dragon directly. ¡°explosion.¡± the faint outline of the magic circle peeked out from the dragon¡¯s body. i immediately cast an explosion spell toward it, but nothing detonated. [using magic in front of a dragon? such foolishness.] arkardian sneered at me. is magic completely ineffective? fine, i''ll use something else then! ¡°thunder god!¡± a bolt of lightning crackled and shot out from my fingertips. it was just a single streak, but it carried immense power, charged with all my mana. too bad i couldn¡¯t use concentrated enhancement since it was on cooldown. crackle. the lightning struck the magic circle directly. electricity flickered for a moment before dissipating. but when i quickly checked my stats, the experience points had increased. the attack landed some damage! ¡°attack the magic circle!¡± diana, leading a flame chariot, charged toward the magic circle. i matched her pace, steering my chariot, and launched another bolt of lightning from my hand. [annoying pests. begone.] at the dragon¡¯s words, the flame chariot vanished instantly. ¡°fly.¡± i tried using a flight spell, but magic was still sealed. i landed on the ground instead. thud. i fell from a considerable height, but my enhanced physical stats made it bearable. fine. i¡¯ll just run on foot. i propelled myself forward, stomping the ground beneath me. the black dragon watched me intently. [so this is why i sensed the mana of a neutral god... you carry the blessing of the goddess of the earth.] arkardian spoke with curiosity rather than madness. [where are you from?] ¡°where am i from?¡± [if you''re human, are you from helbraim? azaz? or perhaps... earth?] ¡°earth? you mean earth? yes, i¡¯m from earth.¡± [earth, is it? then do you know this?] ¡°know what?¡± the dragon, instead of attacking, initiated a conversation. i decided to stall for time until reinforcements arrived. [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] [a god symbolized by a cross. do you know of such a being?] a cross? a cross... images began to form in my mind, but the words didn¡¯t come out right away. ah, yes. there are temples with crosses back on earth. most of them worship zeus, the supreme deity. ¡°do you mean jupiter?¡± i mentioned jupiter, and arkardian''s expression twisted. [tch... so you¡¯re from the east? do you know the jade emperor?] ¡°what¡¯s that?¡± [then what about odin and thor?] ¡°odin? thor? i know them from movies... they¡¯re part of norse mythology.¡± when i said i knew odin and thor, arkardian suddenly rose. the entire cavern trembled as the dragon stood. [to remember only jupiter and odin... still daring to persist...! hades, how long must we wait?] green smoke spewed from the black dragon¡¯s mouth. ugh! that toxic gas again. ¡°shield. fire wall.¡± a dense barrier formed around me, and a wall of fire burned away the poisonous gas. i was ready to retreat if my magic failed again, but this time, it worked. ¡°enlarge. thunder god.¡± i expanded my staff and infused it with the thunder god spell. amid the poisonous gas, i aimed for the magic circle and drove the staff straight into it. yellow lightning surged from the staff, spreading in all directions. this was the moment. i had to pour all my mana into this. crackle. [you have leveled up.] was it because i had landed such a powerful attack? my level increased instantly. diana, too, had dashed beneath the black dragon and was driving her twin swords into its body. thud-thud. thud-thud. ¡°we¡¯re entering, second squad!¡± a thousand awakened soldiers charged into the cavern. the sound of galloping hooves signaled that they had summoned their mounts from the start. but arkardian simply sneered at the sight. [numbers mean nothing to me.] haaaaah. as the dragon opened its mouth, toxic smoke billowed toward the awakened soldiers. ¡°use fire magic!¡± still holding my weapon against the magic circle, shouting commands was all i could do. ¡°gaaah!¡± ¡°my body... ugh...¡± ¡°i¡¯m melting... melting away...¡± screams of agony erupted behind me. the few brave soldiers who managed to charge near the magic circle met the same fate, succumbing to the noxious smoke before they could strike. this was just enough to distract the dragon for a moment, but nothing more... ¡°third squad, enter!¡± oh, reinforcements arrived quickly this time? they waited for the gas to dissipate before the third squad surged forward. [annoying insects.] the dragon spread its wings. s§×arch* the n?velfire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. the colossal beast lifted itself slightly into the air before slamming back down onto the awakened soldiers. crash! ¡°gaaah!¡± ¡°scatter!¡± many were crushed instantly, but this time, the soldiers managed to spread out, avoiding total annihilation. mounted on their spirit horses, they formed a wide formation and charged again. diana, i, and hundreds of awakened soldiers surrounded the magic circle, continuing our relentless assault. before long, arkardian stood at the cavern entrance, simply watching. it felt as though the dragon was waiting for us to gather around the magic circle. damn it. i¡¯ve got a bad feeling about this. should i dodge? ¡°just a little more!¡± ¡°the size has shrunk significantly!¡± the magic circle, which was massive at first glance, had now shrunk by 50%. as more awakened joined the effort, the speed of its contraction accelerated. just a little more, and we can destroy it! ¡°focus reinforcement. thunder god!¡± i enhanced thunder god to amplify its firepower drastically. the magic circle shrinked further, and my level rose once again. alright. whatever the dragon is scheming, we¡¯re close to breaking it now. if i die, i¡¯ll just revive once more! [with your souls, i shall open the gate of chaos.] a massive surge of magic swirls through the air. when i shift my gaze, i see arkardian with its mouth wide open. inside, green flames are swirling violently. ¡°it¡¯s a dragon breath! warriors near the magic circle, retreat immediately! if you die on the magic circle, it¡¯ll regenerate!¡± despite diana¡¯s urgent shout, no one could move. ¡°my feet¡­ won¡¯t move!¡± ¡°the magic circle is holding our ankles!¡± the blood-red magic circle, which had been taking hits silently, had turned into a swamp, gripping the warriors¡¯ ankles. damn it. it just keeps pulling tricks. before the breath lands, let¡¯s destroy it even a little more! [disappear.] the once-dark cave suddenly brightened. the dragon hasn¡¯t even released its flames yet, but hephaestus¡¯s armor is already melting. my world is already crimson, and my whole body stings. the danger sense is firing off stronger than ever, but there¡¯s nowhere to escape. one second, two seconds¡­ as time ticks by, the pain starts. ¡°ahhhhhhh!!¡± it¡¯s hot. it¡¯s excruciating. i feel like i¡¯m going insane. the already-melted armor pressing against my skin burned anew, and my skin turned black, charred by the heat. there¡¯s no avoiding this. i can¡¯t survive this. the awakened around me are already incinerated, leaving no screams, no ashes. diana, engulfed in flames, is nowhere to be seen. grrrrgh. am i enduring this because of my physical abilities and the sun god¡¯s blessing¡­? honestly, i envy the awakened who died instantly. if i¡¯m going to die like this¡­ ¡°thun¡­ der god!¡± i break the magic circle just a little more. i¡¯ll finish this completely when i come back to life. i poured out every last bit of mana i had! [master!] suddenly, phoenix flew toward me. as it spread its wings before me, the pain disappeared as if it were a lie. [i shall enter your body!] the phoenix was absorbed into my forehead. my body felt lighter, and i couldn¡¯t feel the heat anymore. it felt like i¡¯ll survive. though the moment the dragon breath truly unleashes, i¡¯ll die anyway, i¡¯ll destroy this thing as much as i can! the magic circle, which had grown quite large with all the deaths, shrinks once more as i prepare to plunge yeoui back into it. but then, the green glow suddenly stops. [phoenix. did you save the apostle? well¡­ perhaps this is better. apostle, i invite you.] my body is abruptly pulled backward. the dragon is now opening its mouth wide. the flames that had once filled its mouth are now gone. [come inside.] [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] Chapter 55 [translator - night][proofreader - gun] chapter 55: entering the black dragon¡¯s body (2) just as my vision seemed to darken, i found myself seated. a round wooden chair supported me, and in front of me was a circular table. on the table, a small candle flickered. "where is this...?" the surroundings were pitch-black. i was seated on the chair, but the floor was invisible, and my feet didn¡¯t touch anything. ¡°this is a space i temporarily created inside my body.¡± a translucent old man suddenly appeared before me. his sculpted face bore an expression of deep fatigue. his long black hair was unkempt, dry, and messy. he brushed the hair covering his face back with his hand. ¡°who the hell are you? oh¡­ could you be arkardian?¡± ¡°yes, i am arkardian. it seems you¡¯ve received far too much favor and blessing from the olympians. we don¡¯t have much time to talk.¡± pollux? aurelia? i called out to them in my mind, but there was no response. hmm. blocked, perhaps. dragons, seriously. they¡¯re capable of everything. ¡°since there¡¯s no time, let me share my curse with you first.¡± [the black dragon arkardian shares the curse of ¡®the one who cannot forget.¡¯] a system window appeared briefly. unable to forget? even though my mental protection was layered multiple times, it pierced through effortlessly. but nothing seemed to change, despite being cursed¡ªuntil arkardian began asking questions. ¡°so. what is the religion and god symbolized by the cross?¡± ¡°that¡¯s zeus¡­ no, wait¡­¡± suddenly, my head felt like it was splitting apart. and a forgotten yet obvious fact surfaced. ¡°jesus christ¡¯s symbol. the religion is christianity or catholicism.¡± the christian republic of korea, where crosses glow in the dark when the lights are off. who wouldn¡¯t know that? wait¡­ why had i forgotten this? ¡°heh. i thought they only did this nonsense on foreign soil, but it seems the same applies to their home planet. when did your memory start breaking?¡± ¡°uh, that¡¯s¡­¡± i recalled my memories. an old man evangelizing on the subway the day before monsters appeared came to mind. wow! even memories like that come back. is this because of the curse? but after the monsters appeared, people acted as if such religions never existed in the first place. churches and temples already established worldwide were reassigned to gods from greek or roman mythology. s§×arch* the n?vel_fire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. norse gods like odin and thor were regarded as mere legends and not objects of worship. wow. the world completely changed in a single day. i hadn¡¯t noticed at all. ¡°it was after the monsters appeared.¡± ¡°what date did it start?¡± ¡°june 1. and i awakened exactly a year later, on june 1, so it¡¯s unmistakable.¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡± arkardian tapped the desk with his fingers, lost in thought. i asked him, ¡°how do you know about earth¡¯s gods?¡± ¡°i visited earth frequently too. have you heard of fafnir?¡± ¡°no.¡± ¡°siegfried?¡± ¡°i know him. the dragon-slaying hero? that¡¯s his legend, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°the dragon he killed was me. it was another dimension, so i played along.¡± he was the dragon in siegfried¡¯s saga? as i stared at him in disbelief, arkardian chuckled lightly. ¡°if you can come to our planet, why can¡¯t i go to yours? ancient dragons are beings close to divinity.¡± ¡°close to divinity? s-rank?¡± ¡°yes. the pinnacle of a-rank¡­ but ultimately, i couldn¡¯t become a god. and that¡¯s all because of those damn earth gods.¡± arkardian¡¯s face twisted with anger. ¡°i¡¯m currently cooperating with hades to destroy them, but progress is slow.¡± ¡°why do you want to destroy them?¡± ¡°they eradicated our god. the neutral faction¡¯s god of our planet was the dragon god, drakia.¡± dragon god? i¡¯d seen the dragon god briefly when i was d-rank. it was during the class selection process for dragons. [dragon race] [the highest-ranked race of the neutral faction and guardians of the earth. descendants of the dragon god, inheritors of divine blood.] ¡°there was mention of the dragon god when i was choosing a dragon class.¡± ¡°those olympians. seems they couldn¡¯t interfere with the system. but you could choose a dragon class? you? why didn¡¯t you pick it?¡± arkardian looked at me curiously. then suddenly, he stood up as if he realized something. ¡°soul-type! you have that kind of aptitude, don¡¯t you¡­!¡± he was now certain i had a soul-type aptitude. his previously tired face lit up with energy. ¡°yes. a soul-type it is. no wonder you received such blessings. and since the neutral faction¡¯s god also blessed you¡­ you¡¯ve gained classes from both factions. a soul-type on top of that!¡± muttering to himself, arkardian turned to me. ¡°you won¡¯t remain free from the gods¡¯ control for much longer. are you aware of that?¡± ¡°are you talking about when i reach b-rank?¡± ¡°oh. so you know. when you become b-rank, they¡¯ll try to make you an angel by any means necessary. is that what you want?¡± i shook my head, and arkardian¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°then what¡¯s your plan?¡± ¡°i¡¯ve been preparing something.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t want to be the gods¡¯ puppet?¡± ¡°am i crazy?¡± ¡°oh. despite those thoughts, you¡¯ve managed to hide it. impressive¡­ i like it.¡± after examining me closely, arkardian continued. ¡°then absorb my power.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°you¡¯re not planning to go down without a fight, are you? having an additional measure would be beneficial.¡± ¡°an additional measure?¡± ¡°yes. if you become an angel willingly, the olympians will gain immense power. i¡¯d rather hinder them with all my might. i¡¯m dying soon anyway¡­¡± so, the black dragon arkardian, who¡¯s at the peak of a-rank, wants to grant me his power? it¡¯s tempting, but¡­ he was my enemy not long ago. trust doesn¡¯t come easily. ¡°how can i trust you?¡± ¡°fair enough. trust won¡¯t come easy. so absorb me with your power. if you¡¯re truly a soul-type class, you can fully take in my strength. you should¡¯ve started as eeee, right?¡± [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] eeee? sounds similar to the "10, 10, 10" concept from the order class, doesn¡¯t it? but i started as¡­ ¡°no, i started as f-.¡± at that, the arkardian flinched in surprise. ¡°f? seriously?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°hah. no wonder you didn¡¯t seem exceptionally talented¡­ that means you won¡¯t be able to fully absorb my power. you won¡¯t be able to handle the forces of order, neutrality, and chaos. i¡¯ll have to give you only a fraction of the dragon power i have left.¡± ¡°well, i mean¡­ you could give me more if you want¡­¡± suddenly, i switched to polite speech. hearing that i¡¯d only get a small fraction made me feel unexpectedly regretful. ¡°no. if you absorb all of my power, your meager aptitude would force a complete dragon transformation. that would benefit asgard, and i won¡¯t allow that.¡± i could believe it when he said it was to prevent dragon transformation. but still¡­ ¡°the neutral faction is asgard? odin¡¯s side?¡± ¡°yes. why do you think you remember odin and thor while the rest of the gods are forgotten? the two of them are likely in an alliance.¡± makes sense. so olympus represents order, and asgard claimed the neutral faction? but i had a question. ¡°are the gods of olympus and asgard really that powerful? strong enough to wipe out all the others?¡± ¡°no, not to that extent. but at some point, all the other gods disappeared. i thought it was just our planet, but earth seems to be in the same state¡­¡± ¡°i see¡­¡± ¡°if you were to join them as a soul-aligned angel, it would be impossible to stop them. and i can¡¯t let that happen.¡± ahem. honestly, i don¡¯t really care whether olympus or asgard takes over. the problem is turning me into an angel. if i become an angel, it¡¯s basically the same as me disappearing¡ªdying, even. i¡¯ve heard you can protect yourself if you max out your sp for form maintenance, but i¡¯ll play it safe and take the power the dragon offers as a double safeguard. ¡°but if i absorb your power, can i stop the angel transformation?¡± ¡°it¡¯s possible, as long as you have the will to protect your freedom.¡± ¡°great. then give it to me.¡± ¡°alright. i¡¯ll condense a portion of my heart and share it with you.¡± wow. when i was sucked into his mouth, i honestly thought i was a goner. but suddenly, this feels like hitting the jackpot. ¡°while you¡¯re at it, can you make it so the gates of chaos don¡¯t open?¡± ¡°that¡¯s impossible. even sharing my heart like this is already pushing it. using so much power will cause me to lose my rationality¡­ and i¡¯ll have to start all over again.¡± his face looked worn out with deep fatigue. seeing him like that suddenly reminded me of the curse i¡¯d been shared with: the one who cannot forget. ¡°that curse, ¡®the one who cannot forget,¡¯ does it apply even when kevrian is destroyed and resets?¡± ¡°yes. i always remember. i¡¯m a puppet contracted with hades, destined to open the gates of destruction.¡± ¡°i see.¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t realize the curse i accepted to ascend to godhood would haunt me for eternity like this.¡± ¡°but this is our first attempt at challenging kevrian, right? shouldn¡¯t this be your first time, too?¡± ¡°heh. in my memory, this isn¡¯t the first destruction¡­¡± so we¡¯re not the only ones challenging it¡­? ¡°we don¡¯t have time for idle chatter. take this.¡± a fist-sized red gem appeared on the table. its size was impressive, but the magic flowing from it was even more overwhelming. the density of magic in the room multiplied several times over in an instant. ¡°this is the remainder of the neutral faction¡¯s power i hold. i¡¯ve refined it into a fragment of a dragon heart.¡± ¡°ohhh¡­¡± ¡°absorb it in your own way.¡± the fragment of the dragon heart floated up on its own and moved toward me. the heat burned through my armor and clothes, leaving me naked as the dragon heart touched my chest. i grabbed it and crushed it with all my strength. the dragon heart, though a piece of a heart, triggered the soul reaping ability, allowing me to absorb its power. soon, i felt an endless surge of mana being generated in my chest. [you have absorbed a fragment of the dragon heart.] [the skill ¡°dragon heart mana regeneration¡± has been activated.] [neutral faction attributes have slightly increased.] [you can now choose the dragonborn-ancient dragon class in the future.] huh? i thought my abilities would skyrocket, but this is it? i won¡¯t be picking the ancient dragon class, so in the end, all i got was a small stat boost and a skill. [dragon heart mana regeneration lv1] [skill rank: a] [your magic storage now includes both your heart and the dragon heart. your body¡¯s magic is used first, and when it¡¯s depleted, the dragon heart¡¯s magic is drawn upon. mana recovery increases significantly, and mana affinity is enhanced.] [you have learned the skill ¡°dragon heart mana regeneration.¡± absorbing more dragon heart fragments will upgrade this skill to ¡°dragon heart.¡±] hmm. so it¡¯s like getting a backup battery? there¡¯s no change to my magic stats, though. i was expecting something amazing from absorbing the dragon heart, but getting only a skill feels underwhelming. sensing my disappointment, arkardian offered some advice. ¡°if you become visibly stronger here, it will only attract the gods¡¯ attention. mortal, gaining immense power from me will make them more fixated on you.¡± ¡°that¡¯s true. but this doesn¡¯t seem directly related to preventing angel transformation?¡± ¡°you obtained the dragon heart skill, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°i did, but¡­¡± ¡°then it¡¯s possible. don¡¯t worry.¡± suddenly, the space began to warp, and arkardian¡¯s face started to blur. ¡°it¡¯s time for us to part ways. never forget your desire for freedom.¡± my body floated up and shot off somewhere again. the ground i landed on this time was back in the lair. the lingering heat from the breath attack was still palpable. the black dragon stood there blankly. [the forgotten god, dragon god drakia, has left his mark on the dragon heart.] huh? the dragon god¡¯s mark? [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] Chapter 56 [translator - night][proofreader - gun] chapter 56: going to the un (1) [pollux says you barely survived.] [aurelia says there are no abnormalities in your body.] even though i thought about the dragon god drakia, neither of the two gods seemed to react much. is it because of the dragon heart? i don¡¯t know the details, but at least it¡¯s good i didn¡¯t get caught. but what on earth is this seal for? does it help block thoughts from being read, like with aurelia? looking through the skill window and the description of the dragon heart, nothing seems to have changed. the same goes for the status window. for now, it seems i can''t figure it out. i¡¯ll deal with this later. when i look around, i noticed that magic circle that had grown significantly larger than before. my armor and clothes were completely burned away, leaving me naked. the bracelets that summon my armor and bow are also gone. thankfully, yeoui didn¡¯t melt before the dragon¡¯s breath, so i stored it in the inventory. [grooaarrr¡­] the black dragon arkardian growled like a beast. did they say he would lose his rationality? so, that¡¯s the state he¡¯s in now? hmm, then this might be my chance. i pulled yeoui out of my inventory and enlarged it. "focused reinforcement. thunder god." with the dragon heart, i no longer need to worry about mana consumption and pour in mana generously. i thrust the sword straight into the chaotic magic circle. the magic circle quickly began to shrink, and my experience points shot up. it would be nice to monopolize the magic circle like this, but¡­ ¡°graaaah!¡± as soon as i pierced the circle with my sword, arkardian let out a furious roar and charged at me. if he were still rational, he wouldn¡¯t resort to a full-body charge like this. he¡¯d simply cast a dragon spell and knock me away. it seems he¡¯s entirely acting on instinct now. ¡°kraaa!!¡± arkardian spewed toxic gas from his mouth. even without rationality, he¡¯s still just as annoying. i shrunk yeoui and dodged his attack. the massive dragon then tried to crush me with his sheer bulk. each wing movement sent strong gusts of wind, and toxic gas surrounded me in every direction. ¡°fire wall. flame strike.¡± i used fire magic here and there to create escape routes, but his overwhelming size maked it hard to find a safe path even at full speed. drip. drip. dragon blood dripped from where the angel¡¯s sword is embedded, but the dragon doesn¡¯t seem to care. without rationality, he can¡¯t use dragon spells, which is good, but his reckless, full-force attacks make it seem like i¡¯ll get trampled any moment. ¡°summon flame chariot.¡± i climbed onto the flame chariot, which had been reverse-summoned earlier, to dodge his attacks. s§×ar?h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. i thought i¡¯d be crushed by his speed, but riding the chariot allows me to stay alive. tsk. a dragon is still a dragon, rational or not. i can¡¯t handle him alone. i need someone to distract him. [groooh¡­ master. what happened? my consciousness was forcibly taken.] the phoenix, which had been inside my head, suddenly wakes up. ¡°i entered his body and got thrown out. since then, he¡¯s lost his mind. can you distract him? no, wait. attack the magic circle.¡± [the chaotic magic circle directly? that¡¯s fine, but can i rescue diana from the flames first?] ¡°huh? you can do that?¡± [yes. attacking the circle with more numbers will be more effective than me alone.] ¡°alright, then.¡± i feel a burning sensation on my forehead, and the phoenix emerges. smaller than usual, about the size of a pigeon, the phoenix looked briefly at the dragon before flying toward diana. [graaaah!] the dragon charged at me again, aiming for a body slam. dodging his attack, i tred countering with a strike. ¡°enlarge, yeoui.¡± i stack the yeoui¡¯s cutting power and strength to their maximum and stab with all my might. clang! but the yeoui stops abruptly against the dragon¡¯s scales without penetrating. even without rationality, his defense remains impenetrable. deciding it¡¯s futile, i keep darting around the cave, dodging his attacks, until reinforcements arrive. ¡°this is team 1. we¡¯re rejoining the fight!¡± ¡°ugh, i¡¯m in so much pain. damn dragon.¡± warriors riding elemental horses poured in from the cave entrance. oh! perfect timing. ¡°the dragon has lost its rationality. i¡¯ll draw its attention, so focus on attacking the magic circle!¡± ¡°yes, understood!¡± seeing the dragon focus solely on physical attacks against me, they seemed to grasp the situation and spurred their horses toward the circle. after about five minutes of dodging the dragon¡¯s attacks, burning away his toxic gas, and running around the massive cave, reinforcements finally caught up. ¡°i¡¯ll join the fight too!¡± diana, previously engulfed in flames, joined the fray wielding twin swords made of fire. her clothes have burned away, but flames covered her body like a protective suit, making her resemble a fire spirit. [groooar¡­] arkardian, who had been relentlessly chasing me, turned his attention toward the magic circle. protecting the magic circle takes precedence for him. taking a breather, i unfold my wings and follow him as he flies toward the circle. riding the chariot, i soar above him and aim yeoui at the wound where the angel¡¯s sword is embedded. my target: the dragon¡¯s injured flesh. ¡°focused reinforcement!¡± this time, i apply concentrated reinforcement directly to the yeoui. its strength, sharpness, and size increased significantly. this should work. as arkardian is distracted by the magic circle, i charged at full speed and thrust the yeoui straight into the wound left by the angel¡¯s sword. squish! the sensation of piercing flesh. that satisfying feeling of finally stabbing the dragon that seemed impervious to any attack! [kyaaa!!] arkardian spread his wings and roared. the light-imbued angel¡¯s sword overlaps with the yeoui. however, the blade stops short before advancing further. something is blocking it. is it bone? ¡°thunder god!¡± [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] [graaaah!] i channel electricity through the yeoui embedded in the dragon¡¯s back. but it doesn¡¯t seem to deal much damage. arkardian ignores me entirely and continues flying toward the magic circle. ¡°get out of the way!¡± ¡°arghhh!¡± ¡°it¡¯s the poison!¡± as the dragon charges toward the magic circle, those unable to evade are trampled instantly. even those who manage to dodge are melted away by his toxic gas. tsk. i¡¯ll just have to focus on attacking the magic circle. i reduced my weapon''s size and dashed toward the chaos magic circle to attack it. then, the black dragon attacked me again. dodging with my flaming chariot, i left the rest to attack the magic circle. when the dragon and i clashed repeatedly, the dragon would shift toward the circle again. we spent about an hour like this. our numbers increased, and the magic circle''s size rapidly diminished. the dragon was just circling around endlessly. it seemed like we were on the verge of victory. then suddenly, the world stopped. [gruuuuuurrrr¡­] in this frozen world, only the black dragon moved. it crushed the hunters surrounding the magic circle underfoot and stood at its center. the magic circle had shrunk to a size smaller than the dragon itself. standing there, the dragon spoke for the first time. [at this rate, the magic circle will collapse. i shall offer my body and dragon heart to open the gate of chaos.] a voice devoid of any emotion, like a machine. as soon as it finished speaking, the dragon''s body turned blood-red. starting from its feet, it began to melt and was slowly absorbed into the magic circle. as the dragon was devoured, the magic circle rapidly expanded. it was no longer confined to the ground but began to stretch upward as well. people who came into contact with the magic circle vanished one by one. as if they had never existed. even i, riding the flaming chariot in the sky, saw the blood-red magic circle creeping toward me. i tried to move my body to dodge, but i couldn''t. and as the magic circle touched me¡­ [returning to earth.] a message appeared: returning to earth. huh? so, i¡¯m not going to die? [the summoning ritual ends imperfectly as akardian sacrifices himself. however, the magic circle remains incomplete. the power of the lord of death decreases by 95%.] you successfully completed the quest "interrupt akardian''s summoning ritual." does this mean the summoning ritual interruption succeeded? well, with a 95% reduction, it makes sense. that much reduction should make it manageable even with earth''s forces, right? [you receive 1 random b-grade or higher item box.] at least the reward isn¡¯t bad... [the dimensional gate to kevrian will remain closed for ten days in earth¡¯s time.] with that final message, my vision went dark. when i opened my eyes again, the familiar surroundings of the association''s top floor greeted me. ¡°hey. you alright?¡± ¡°yeah.¡± jinseong handed me a water bottle as he approached. he looked at me and grinned. ¡°just a while ago, you were fighting butt-naked. now you''re back, fully clothed. fascinating.¡± tsk. i thought my lower body was concealed while riding the flaming chariot when more people joined in. ¡°what? i was covered, though.¡± ¡°haha. from certain angles, it¡¯s hard to be completely hidden. why do you fight standing like that? is it your style to feel things as you battle? you¡¯re such a pervert.¡± ¡°hey. i wasn¡¯t ¡®standing.¡¯ got it?¡± ¡°don¡¯t lie, you rascal. that¡¯s not what ¡®not standing¡¯ looks like.¡± sigh. it¡¯s hard to explain that my enhanced stamina caused¡­ growth. looking around, i noticed hunters watching me with amused expressions. what were these people doing during such a critical moment? ¡°haha. just in case, i told them to delete all the footage.¡± ¡°geez¡­ thanks, i guess.¡± ¡°by the way, a message said we can¡¯t access kevrian for ten days. did you see the same thing?¡± ¡°yeah. maybe it¡¯s because we progressed to the next stage?¡± ¡°that¡¯s correct.¡± our conversation was interrupted by alena, the elf. she approached me and bowed deeply in greeting. ¡°hunter kim jiho, interrupting the magic circle of the black dragon akardian is an extraordinary feat. you¡¯ve given hope that our homeland might recover¡­ we¡¯re truly grateful.¡± alena suddenly began expressing her gratitude at length. ¡°well, it¡¯s still too early to say things are fully resolved. what happens next?¡± ¡°the battlefield will shift. from now on, you¡¯ll be fighting the undead army of the lord of death.¡± hmm. if only 5% of their power is active, it should be manageable, right? ¡°has the difficulty level been assessed?¡± ¡°it hasn¡¯t been measured yet. however, we believe this is the best opportunity for earth. other areas have made no progress.¡± ¡°i see.¡± ¡°yes. that¡¯s why our support team has requested a meeting with the un security council. we plan to propose deploying forces.¡± ¡°earth¡¯s forces?¡± ¡°yes, though it would primarily consist of d-rank hunters or higher.¡± mobilizing all of earth¡¯s d-rank or higher hunters¡­ could it work? i suddenly recalled how the dragon''s single word killed thousands at once. fighting godlike entities, sheer numbers seem useless. but maybe the 95% reduction makes it feasible? ¡°this opportunity will never come again. if kevrian resets, the lord of death¡¯s forces will target you directly from the start, hunter kim jiho. now, when their power is limited, is the best chance.¡± ¡°that makes sense.¡± ¡°also, hunter kim jiho, you may need to attend the un meeting.¡± ¡°understood.¡± the un, huh? looks like i¡¯ll be heading straight to new york after returning. ¡°our team could arrange a private jet for you. would that be alright?¡± elves offering a private jet¡­ they think of everything. as i was marveling at the offer, i noticed kang shia pointing at herself behind alena. oh, right. kang shia also offered a private jet. ¡°ah, i already have prior arrangements for that.¡± [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] Chapter 57 [translator - night][proofreader - gun] chapter 57: going to the un (2) inside daehyun group''s private jet. the clean interior reminiscent of a luxury business hotel. as i sat on a beige sofa, kang shia appeared holding a document file. "thank you for choosing daehyun group." "i honor my commitments." kang shia, dressed in a red office dress, smiled at me as she began to speak. "what would you like to drink?" "is iced coffee okay?" "of course." sipping the iced coffee personally served by the chaebol heiress, i also enjoyed the dessert she brought. ah, so peaceful. after dealing with so many backstabbing incidents in kevrian, i was exhausted. even though the elves claimed kevrian was an opportunity this time, i couldn¡¯t help but feel suspicious about their motives. as i looked around the plane, i noticed a cross mounted on the wall. does no one else know about this? i pointed at the cross with my finger as i looked at kang shia. "there''s even a cross on the plane?" "that¡¯s zeus¡¯ symbol. my father is a devout follower of zeus, so it¡¯s displayed here." "i see." hmm. she truly doesn¡¯t know. not only does she not know, but her faith is directed toward zeus. could it be that having more believers increases zeus¡¯ sp or something like that? even as my mind churned with these thoughts, pollux and aurelia didn¡¯t say a word. is aurelia shielding my thoughts from pollux, and is the dragon heart shielding them from the others too? this is all so complicated. i need to reach b-rank quickly, stabilize my form, and reclaim my mental freedom. "once this matter at the un is settled, kevrian expedition forces will be organized globally." "right. but isn¡¯t there a chance it might not get approved?" "kevrian is the only broken world that has shown this much progress. i think the likelihood of approval is high. jiho, your role will become even more critical." i scratched my head. how did i go from a new hunter to humanity''s hope in such a short time? "looks like kang shia¡¯s workload will explode soon." "yes... for now, i¡¯ll focus on resolving the battle with the dragon." she stood before me, opening the file. "among those killed by the black dragon arkardian, many who succumbed to its poison are experiencing severe aftereffects." "was dying from poison that painful?" "yes. i¡¯ve died twice, and the poison was excruciating. when i died fighting the dragon, i felt so powerless that i didn¡¯t want to try again, but with the poison... feeling my body melt away... it scared me to go in for a third time." recalling the experience, kang shia shuddered. entering a third time took real courage. "are there many who died three times or were permanently expelled from kevrian?" "yes, around 500 people. despite dying repeatedly, they kept trying." "they¡¯re remarkable people." "meanwhile, some in the apostle command unit refused to return to battle after dying once. i think replacing such people with those like the ones mentioned earlier would be better. rewards and penalties must be clear." "that sounds reasonable." we can¡¯t keep people in the apostle command unit if they won¡¯t return to the battlefield after dying once. "alternatively, we could populate the apostle command exclusively with skilled individuals." "skilled individuals?" "yes. earth¡¯s true elites are in eshtar. for example, david from the u.s. has reached c-rank." oh. c-rank. i wonder how strong a typical c-rank professional is. "is david strong?" sear?h the n?vel_fire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "yes. since reaching c-rank, he can handle ten d-rankers at once. there¡¯s only a one or two-level difference, but it¡¯s significant." c-rankers are undoubtedly powerful. hmm. i¡¯ve changed my mind. i¡¯m grateful to those who¡¯ve died three times and continued, but the image of d-rank hunters being wiped out is hard to shake. for now, raising ranks should be the priority. we need at least 50 high-level hunters. "hmm... if the un approves global participation, i¡¯ll assign high-level d-rankers to the apostle command unit. once they reach c-rank, they¡¯ll pass the mantle to others. increasing the number of c-rankers is key." "so your focus is on raising ranks?" "yes. if even one chaos lord reaches dragon level, we¡¯re doomed. you saw what happened last time." the supreme commander was hades. hades would be an sss-tier deity like zeus. even with his power restricted to 5%, he¡¯d still be ridiculously strong. "the difference between ranks becomes more pronounced at higher levels. we must aim for c-rank to have any hope." hearing this, kang shia¡¯s expression darkened, perhaps recalling the black dragon. honestly, against a dragon, it wouldn¡¯t matter if there were ten thousand d-rankers¡ªthey¡¯d all be annihilated. "i agree, but i¡¯m concerned about how the permanent members of the security council will respond." "huh? why would they be an issue?" "until now, most recruits for our unit have been recommended by powerful nations¡ªessentially government-affiliated hunters. but if we follow your plan, independent hunters who oppose government control will flood in..." hmm. surely not. we¡¯re facing the threat of global destruction in a year. would national leaders really act that way? especially the permanent members of the security council. the united nations security council. the un¡¯s key decision-making body, composed of five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. if a permanent member opposes an agenda, it cannot pass, which has contributed to the un¡¯s ineffectiveness. since the opening of dungeons and the arrival of elves, even elf aides have joined the council. ¡®but apart from dungeon issues, they never intervene.¡¯ guided by a female elf, i entered the un building. "is this a portal gate?" "yes. to ensure perfect security, the meeting is temporarily held in a dimensional space." following her, i stepped through the portal and entered a meeting room. surrounding a round table with a medieval vibe were the leaders of various nations. with their entourages present, over a hundred people were seated at the massive round table. seeing politicians i¡¯d only ever seen on tv felt surreal. "hunter kim jiho is entering." "oh... so that¡¯s him..." "the protagonist from the video?" "how can someone be that strong?" the murmurs of the attendees. among them, i spotted familiar faces like trump and putin from tv. "oh, welcome! humanity¡¯s hero, the first c-rank hunter, kim jiho." president trump stood up and greeted me with exaggerated applause. everyone else at the table also stood and gave me a standing ovation. this is overwhelming. [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] feels like i should get a photo to commemorate this. "the united states is always on your side, greatest awakened." trump spoke korean naturally. must be some kind of translation magic. "russia will always be your steadfast friend." "china also supports you." leaders from other countries chimed in, eager to express their support. the flood of offers for naturalization¡ªit starts here, huh? still, with everyone praising me and smiling, i bowed to express my gratitude. "please, come this way." following the elf''s guidance, i take my seat. the seat assigned to me is right next to liana. "hello, hunter kim jiho." liana greeted me politely. i returned the gesture. "yes, it''s been a while. how''s the process going?" "yes. the first agenda... the total mobilization order to kevrian was unanimously passed just a moment ago." so, they were already at it before i arrived? "it''s the most advanced area in the broken world, and we strongly recommended it. staying in eshtar at this rate would mean certain annihilation without any means of resistance. since the time of eshtar''s destruction is approaching, we proposed mobilizing the hunters." "won''t some try to sneak out?" "once the un security council gives its final approval, we won¡¯t open any gates other than kevrian¡¯s." liana smiled as she spoke. wow! they¡¯ll just lock the gates. elves sure have significant authority. "and the second agenda... frankly, we don¡¯t understand it." "what is it?" "it concerns the kevrian expedition led by you, hunter kim jiho, and the issue of commanding apostles'' posts." "sorry?" "honestly, we believe this is something for you to decide, but the permanent members of the security council¡ªthe us, uk, france, china, and russia¡ªare all fighting for a share. even non-permanent members like japan, india, and australia are trying to get involved¡­." "hm. so they''re fighting over the thousand positions in my apostle command?" did i leave it with them? they''re fighting over it on their own. well, sure. under normal circumstances, i¡¯d probably just give the positions to the powerful countries in exchange for some benefits. after all, the troops are mainly for gaining experience. but isn¡¯t this supposed to be a crisis of human extinction? shouldn¡¯t they be panicking by now? "let¡¯s take a pause here." as i stand up abruptly, the round table falls silent. all eyes turn to me. "has anyone here not seen the video of the black dragon fighting the expedition?" the room remains silent. they¡¯ve all seen it, haven¡¯t they? "d-ranks were utterly useless. if the black dragon hadn¡¯t lost its rationality, we wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance and would¡¯ve been wiped out. does anyone here disagree?" suddenly, one person at the round table raises their hand. a man dressed like a knight of the round table, clad in armor and with a sword on his back. his face looks annoyingly smug, like a dandy elf, with blond hair and blue eyes to match. who the heck is this guy? "isn¡¯t that video doctored?" "the video is doctored, you say?" "yes. i¡¯m a c-rank myself." since he¡¯s mocking, i mock him back. "are you david?" he nodded and stood up. "as a c-rank myself, i can tell. that video doesn¡¯t make sense. i believe we should verify its authenticity first." "verify its authenticity... sure. how do you plan to do that?" with that, david drew his sword at me. ugh, what a show-off. i lightly extend a finger. "thunder god." lightning shot from my finger and directly struck david. as soon as i moved, thinking i¡¯d make some sort of attack, he had started channeling a mana blade into his sword¡ªbut the blade shattered in an instant. "ughhh!" david collapsed, his entire body electrocuted by the blue lightning. the people around him hurriedly moved out of the way. controlling my strength to not kill him is harder than just ending it. "please ensure that fool doesn¡¯t die." the female elf grimaced but nodded as she approached david. "the video is genuine, everyone. liana, how many people would it take to subdue me?" "subdue hunter jiho, who inherited zeus¡¯s lightning? even ten thousand wouldn¡¯t be enough." "right. yet even i was helpless against a dragon." the murmurs grow louder in the conference room as liana mentions zeus¡¯s lightning. ah, come to think of it, zeus replaced the cross here. "do you think the lords of chaos are weaker than dragons? they¡¯d be far stronger than a berserk dragon. against them, even a hundred thousand d-ranks would be meaningless." "hmmm¡­." "i, too, would like to cooperate with you all. it would be nice to be protected by powerful nations, receiving hundreds of billions in funding, and enjoying a luxurious retirement. but for that, the world must first survive." i extend my hand, releasing more of the thunder god''s power. lightning spread throughout the room, encasing the massive round table in an electric barrier. seeing this, the attendees trembled in fear. "zeus¡¯s lightning¡­." "to think we disrespected the apostle of a god¡­ what heretics we¡¯ve become¡­." well, it seems this new faith has its uses. in christian-majority nations, zeus¡¯s authority works well. i looked down at them and spoke. "your task is to send your high-ranking hunters to me immediately. right now." [translator - night] [proofreader - gun] Chapter 58 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 58: Entering the World Tree (1) Eight days had passed since I delivered my warning at the UN secret meeting. Surprisingly, the nations were cooperative. HunterNet widely publicized the Kevrian campaign, and limited information was made available to the public. Previously, information like this had been kept hidden due to memory manipulation, but now it was starting to be disclosed. The plan was to venture to other planets and preemptively eliminate monsters. If planetary expeditions were successful, dungeon creation would significantly decrease. This way, even without the assistance of the Elves, the current system could be sustained. The gloomy predictions¡ªlike the Chaos Lords attacking en masse if the expedition failed, or even if successful, the appearance of B- to C-rank dungeons¡ªwere deliberately omitted. The UN led the charge, optimistically promoting the mission and encouraging participation. The Elves, too, responded by announcing that they would permit entry to Kevrian at the request of Earthlings. The public was ecstatic about the Kevrian expedition¡ªforming a united global force to embark on an interstellar mission was thrilling. Concerns about the Elves leaving soon were quickly replaced by excitement over the expedition. While those with vested interests in Eshtar resisted, the nations and the Elves worked together to block access to Eshtar, leaving them no choice. Even the resistant guilds eventually gave in to public pressure and governmental influence after a week or two, agreeing to the Kevrian expedition. However... "Fewer level-49 participants than expected, huh?" There were only 78 volunteers. Was that all there was worldwide? "While the nations are cooperating well, high-level Awakened individuals are reluctant to participate." "The guilds?" "Yes. They''ve been enjoying their monopoly over dungeons and experience in Eshtar and now feel their privileges are being taken away. Many guild leaders are reluctant to subordinate themselves to someone else''s command." Level-49 Awakened individuals were annoyingly stubborn. If they didn¡¯t want to, we had no reason to bend over backward to recruit them. "If they don''t want to join, forget them. We''ll select only the willing. Oh, and make sure to prioritize anyone with anti-Undead skills." During recruitment, I noticed that even within the same class, skills granted by guardian deities varied subtly. For example, Pollux, who favored women, distributed useful skills to female Awakened individuals. Most guardian deities granted skills based on their own judgment. Among them, those with anti-Undead or holy abilities were given a preference equivalent to +3 to +5 levels. "Some guilds are boycotting, but that¡¯s opened up spots for others to join." "Yes. I, too, received an anti-Undead skill from my guardian deity, which placed me at level 48." "Oh? What skill is that?" "Purifying Arrow. It''s a C-rank skill." Kang Shia made a V-sign with her fingers. Good. The assistant stayed on board. "The first batch is estimated to consist of about 50,000 people." "That many?" "It¡¯s actually on the lower side. Many guilds are resisting, so nations are still negotiating with them." 50,000 was considered small? So everyone really was in Eshtar. "When¡¯s the departure?" "We decide that. How about setting off the day after we finalize the 1,000 participants and replace the Apostle Command Unit?" "Let¡¯s do that." I looked at my status window. My level had risen to 74, and I had gained six additional stat points. My magic stat was now at 97, on the brink of crossing 100. The SP I¡¯d earned from completing the impossible quest and receiving it in installments had all been credited. By Earth¡¯s timeline, about a month had passed since then. During this time, I spent a lot of time on Earth, even attending the UN. In one month, I¡¯d accumulated just over 120,000 SP from various sources. "No interest added?" [Pollux says 5,000 is the maximum.] Along with that message came an additional 5,000 SP. Disappointing, but I accepted it. Good. Let¡¯s max out all stats to 100. Raising each stat from 80 to 90 had cost 800 SP per point, and from 90 to 100, it cost 900 SP per point. I spent a total of 29,500 SP. Even with plenty of SP left, trying to raise a stat to 110 triggered a warning. [You¡¯ve reached your talent limit. Proceeding further will consume SP at 10 times the usual rate. Do you wish to continue?] A 10x cost was too steep. Additional stat points also required 10 times the SP, so I decided to stop at 100. Upgrading must stop at 100 until the next level. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Mediator Guardian Deity: Pollux, the God of Gemini Title: Hero of Kevrian Level: 74 Strength: 100, Agility: 100, Magic: 100 SP: 96,142.2 Additional Stats: +6] sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I also distributed stats to the neutral faction. The SP I earned from breaking chaos magic circles and countless battles amounted to tens of thousands. Even after pouring all additional stat points into this, the "B" rank bar wasn¡¯t fully filled. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Reaper Guardian Deity: Aurelia, the Goddess of Volcanoes Title: Pioneer of Earth (Hero) Level: 74 Body: B, Magic: B, Skill: B, Luck: B SP: 84] Order had reached its limit, but neutrality still had room for improvement. Reaching 100 in stats gave me a tangible sense of growth. Still, stagnating until level 100 felt limiting. Even after consuming the World Tree series items that boost talent, there wasn¡¯t a drastic change. I¡¯d need to gather more SP while continuing to consume those items. ¡ªPreparations will be complete in about an hour. "Alright. Let¡¯s depart soon." The final preparations for the advance party took three weeks. Sorting 50,000 people from various nations for simultaneous entry naturally took time. Finishing in three weeks was remarkably quick. After finishing unit assignments as an Apostle Commander, I rested at home. "Will it show up this time?" I mumbled to myself while flipping through the strategy guide. [¡­¡­Facing Ampellion and the Undead Legion. This was tougher than the dragon incident.] After the dragon suppression, the guide had only stated how difficult it would be and then ended abruptly. Since today was departure day, I hoped the next part would be revealed¡­ Oh. As I turned the page, new content appeared. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [In Phase 2, everyone is expelled, and the terrain changes. We found ourselves in a fortress shaped like the molted skin of an ancient dragon known as Drakia.] Drakia¡¯s molted skin, huh. A dragon god¡¯s molt being repurposed as a fortress was fascinating. It could have symbolic meaning. Looking at the guide saying it¡¯s an ancient dragon¡­ it seems even here it¡¯s been forgotten as a god. [We fought hard. Even the dragons helped us. But the undead hordes were endless, and in the end, the Rotten World Tree turned into a monster, Drakia''s husk was utterly destroyed, and our final stand ended in defeat. Kevrian was reset.] What? It ended? THE END? Hey! You jerk. I came to Kevrian because you told me to, but we just got annihilated? This one wasn¡¯t even supposed to be that hard! [I can already see you cursing me. But as a result of holding the defense line at Drakia¡¯s husk, Earth¡¯s hunters leveled up significantly. I also gained enough experience to reach grade B by unleashing Diana. The reason I didn¡¯t choose Eshtar, the easiest difficulty, but the second one, was precisely for the experience points.] Ahh. So you didn¡¯t even dream of subduing the Lord of Chaos, huh. You just coaxed us to come here because it gives way more experience than Eshtar. So Kevrian is the second difficulty level among neutral factions. [Still, it feels a bit regretful as I write this. If we had destroyed more Chaos Circles to reduce the Lord of Death¡¯s power to below 20%¡­ If the World Tree hadn¡¯t been corrupted, it might¡¯ve been more manageable. If Earth¡¯s forces had fully mobilized, maybe we wouldn¡¯t even have seen the Lord of Death¡¯s face. It¡¯s unfortunate that hunters who reached Phase 2 can never challenge that world again. Still, it was worth it. I think you got a lot out of it too by following my guide.] Hunters who reached Phase 2 can¡¯t retry? So if this Kevrian expedition fails, that¡¯s it. I wondered if the description of holding the defense line at Drakia¡¯s husk would be of any use to me. It¡¯s a symbolic battleground for the neutral faction. Won¡¯t we be fighting somewhere else? I memorized the contents for now, but it was mostly just the same kind of narrative: ¡°We were outnumbered. The enemy was too strong.¡± What a morale killer. This guy. But I did reduce the Lord of Death¡¯s forces to 5%, and if Earth¡¯s forces mobilize completely, it doesn¡¯t seem entirely hopeless. Plus, we¡¯re with the Order faction. Isn¡¯t the World Tree¡¯s corruption something that happens if Order loses? Maybe Phase 2 could actually be better for us. As I thought this and flipped the pages, a sentence caught my eye. [And¡­ the most important thing. You must be consumed by the World Tree.] [Kevrian was destined to be completely destroyed by the Black Dragon Akardian. However, thanks to the awakeners successfully thwarting his scheme, the Lord of Death¡¯s available power drastically weakened.] [The Lord of Death can only use 5% of his power.] [The Lord of Death¡¯s power is insufficient. The Earth side awakener limit has been lifted.] Messages that appear as soon as we reenter Kevrian. As my vision adjusted, the first thing I noticed was the tree stretching to the heavens. It wasn¡¯t a mountain¡ªit was a tree, its peak obscured by clouds, its full form invisible. A colossal tree. No, it was so massive it could be mistaken for a tree-shaped mountain. Is that the World Tree? [The Lord of Death¡¯s undead army, despite its limited power, is formidable and has advanced to the World Tree, the Order faction¡¯s final bastion. Protect the World Tree and destroy the Lord of Death¡¯s Necropolis.] On the opposite side of the World Tree. A floating castle shrouded in deep darkness. It automatically zooms in as if watching a video. Walls made of bone. Buildings of flesh and hardened blood. It looked less like a castle and more like a massive corpse stitched together. The focus shifted to the highest level of the castle beyond the walls. Hades, whom I had seen before, was looking out through a bony window, smiling while fiddling with a monocle. [The Lord of Death¡¯s power is below 20%. Kevrian¡¯s angels join the battle.] Light descended from the sky, and angels with wings of light appeared. Four angels. They flew in different directions¡ªnorth, south, east, and west. Each angel, at least ten meters tall, wielded a blade of light. Their faces were composed of light, making their appearance indiscernible. [Death Knight King Ampellion has been repelled. The human alliance, which had been annihilated by Ampellion in the past, joins the defense of the World Tree.] Suddenly, tents rose from the ground. The human alliance? They lost to Ampellion, but hey, something¡¯s better than nothing. Better than nothing¡­ right? [High Elf Diana, who tends to the World Tree, survived and became the Apostle of the Sun God. The World Tree¡¯s power has significantly increased. All Order faction members receive the World Tree¡¯s blessing. All attacks are imbued with the power of harmony.] The weapons of all the awakeners glowed green. Is this the power of harmony? It feels a bit different from holy energy. Either way, it should be a big help. [Orc hero Grosh was informed of the truth and spared. If the defense is successful, he will return with reinforcements, including other dragon clans.] ¡°Wow¡­ this is amazing.¡± ¡°With this, we have a real chance!¡± Everything we¡¯ve done so far is coming together perfectly. On top of that, the enemy is down to 5% of its power. We¡¯ve got angels on our side, the World Tree backing us, human soldiers, unlimited Earth awakeners, and if we hold out a bit, orcs and dragons will come to reinforce us¡­ This might actually be doable. But¡­ the problem is the guide¡¯s content. Sigh¡­ consumed, you say? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 59 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 59: Entering the World Tree (2) [Within the World Tree lies the remnants of Chronos. A radiant rainbow-colored star-shaped jewel. Thanks to the trace left by the god of time, I was able to send myself a strategy guide. Even if you get sucked into the World Tree, you can survive for several days. Just follow the path I guide you through.] Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With that, a detailed strategy guide telling me where to go was presented. I took a moment to absorb its contents and pondered. Hmm¡­ Chronos, the god of time, huh? Why would his remnants be inside the World Tree? Well, since it seems like an important item, I should grab it¡­ But how do I get in? While I was standing there staring blankly at the World Tree, unable to come up with a method, I heard a commotion nearby. ¡°An angel!¡± ¡°It¡¯s huge.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ that divine power¡­¡± I lifted my head at their words and saw the figure of an angel shimmering with wings of light. The angel was clad in a full suit of white armor with luminous wings. Its facial features were obscured by a glow of light. Rather than fitting the typical image of an angel, it looked more like a combat species. For one thing, its massive size¡ªover 10 meters¡ªgave it the impression of a giant. [Are you Kim Jiho?] ¡°Yes.¡± The angel¡¯s voice echoed across the entire land. It was solemn, yet divine. Even just hearing it made those awakened to the Order faction feel vitality surging through their bodies. [Thanks to your achievements, we were able to intervene in this battlefield. We express our gratitude.] ¡°It¡¯s us who are grateful for your support, Angel.¡± [The western flank is expected to experience the most frequent assaults from the enemy. Can you take responsibility for defending it? If you do, I shall bestow my blessing upon you.] ¡°I understand.¡± [Thank you. I shall grant you my blessing.] A cascade of light poured down from the sky, blessing 50,000 people. Weapons, which had been tinged with a green glow, now radiated a white light, the two coexisting. Divine power combined with harmony? A dual buff¡ªnice. Although it¡¯s useless for me since I already have Athena¡¯s blessing¡­ [Then I leave it to you.] ¡°Yes.¡± As I responded, the angel spread its wings. With a flash of light, its figure vanished entirely. While people marveled at their now-glowing weapons, a group approached me with faces full of discontent. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Why should we take on the most frequently attacked flank? And to make such a decision arbitrarily without consulting the troops?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°You dare decide on such matters without consulting our Free Guild Alliance? A fraud who fakes videos dares¡ª!¡± ¡°Fake?¡± Didn¡¯t the leaders of the nations explain it to them? Why do they only understand when they experience it firsthand? Regardless of the direction¡ªnorth, south, east, or west¡ªundead will swarm from all sides. If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t it be better to fight under the angel¡¯s blessing rather than antagonizing it? Sigh. No, these idiots just want to pick a fight with me. They¡¯re trying to use this confrontation to increase their influence. I have no desire to lead, but if I avoid the fight now, they¡¯ll only become more arrogant. ¡°You¡¯re picking a fight, huh? Thunder God.¡± I unleashed a streak of lightning, splitting it into tendrils that encased about 20 people in an electric prison. The sheer shock on their faces made me wonder if they genuinely didn¡¯t believe me. ¡°In an open battlefield like this, it¡¯s all the same no matter where you go. You want to argue with an angel giving blessings? Really?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Disobeying orders during wartime is punishable by death. Shall I execute you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re all flash but not that strong! Anti-Magic Shield!¡± One among them cast a protective spell, while a warrior drew his sword and attempted to breach the electric prison. Crackle. Before even fully crossing the prison, the shield tore apart, and the warrior¡¯s body burned black. He collapsed without resistance and vanished. Dead warriors¡¯ corpses disappeared instantly. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The remaining hunters finally recoiled in fear. ¡°Seems like someone needs to die to make a point.¡± I needed to set an example to prevent future incidents like this. Although these guys led the charge, dissatisfaction likely runs deep among other guilds and those who doubt my power. People need to see it with their own eyes to believe. ¡°Enlarge, Yeoui.¡± I expanded Yeoui and struck it down upon the group trapped in the electric prison. Mages cast defensive spells, and warriors raised their swords, but it was futile. ¡°If you die here and don¡¯t return immediately, you¡¯ll die permanently on Earth too.¡± After delivering that warning, I brought Yeoui down. Their bodies were crushed without even the chance to scream, and the lush grass was soaked in blood as fragments of flesh scattered. Despite killing nearly 20 people, I felt no particular emotion. Perhaps it was because they¡¯d revive, or maybe because I¡¯d killed so much already¡­ Looking at the Earth¡¯s awakened who stared at me in shock, I said: ¡°I won¡¯t interfere with individual command. Organize your units based on the agreements made on Earth. The unit leaders can handle deployments themselves. However, don¡¯t bother me with unnecessary disputes. This is the second time after David. If it happens again, the guild responsible will pay the price directly on Earth.¡± Silence blanketed the Earth¡¯s awakened. Turning to the west, I saw dark clouds gathering. Beneath them, an undead army approached. ¡°The enemies are coming. Prepare for battle.¡± The Earth¡¯s awakened began forming ranks. Since most of them had only fought in dungeons with limited numbers, their formations were basic¡ªwarriors and assassins at the front, mages and archers at the rear. But with so many people, it was clumsy and slow. Looks like I¡¯ll have to buy some time. ¡°Phoenix, let¡¯s go.¡± [Understood.] The phoenix, now larger due to magical enhancement, flew ahead. I summoned my Flame Chariot and followed close behind. The first wave consisted of skeletons and human zombies. They shuffled forward at a slow pace, not looking particularly threatening. Even an E-rank hunter could probably handle them. ¡°Focused Reinforcement.¡± I directed the reinforcement to Yeoui. The blade extended dramatically, infused with divine power thanks to Athena¡¯s blessing. Even as it stretched to seemingly unmanageable lengths, it still felt surprisingly light. This must be the strength of having 100 strength. I swung the sword lightly. The battlefield was split horizontally as if it were sliced in two. The undead, bodies halved, burned fiercely in divine flames. Pure white flames rose from the battlefield. [You have leveled up.] Oh, leveled up already? I barely gained any experience from killing low-level mobs after the last level up. [Pollux says the troops under the Chaos Lord provide more experience points.] [Aurelia says SP won''t increase much though.] So, not much SP, but lots of experience points. At this rate, won¡¯t I hit level 100 soon? ¡°Ha¡­ Look to the sky!¡± I glanced upward to see a phoenix spreading its enormous wings and flapping them majestically. The same wide-area attack that incinerated all the wyverns last time. Now, it revealed itself again from the ground. The weak undead that posed little threat burned away and disappeared without a trace. ¡°No way¡­ I thought it was a baseless rumor when they said you were the incarnation of Zeus¡­¡± ¡°This is on a whole other level¡­¡± Even as they formed ranks, people stood in awe, staring blankly at the battlefield. Their dawdling only made the formation process slower. And then, suddenly¡­ ¡°I leveled up! Thanks to the Apostle Commander unit, I leveled up! I finally reached level 50!!¡± One person screamed joyfully, jumping up and down, and chaos broke out. It was just a small portion of the experience points I shared, and they leveled up from that. I could hear whispers questioning how it even worked. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Seeing this would probably make those stubborn high-level players envious. I cast lightning and used my abilities to subdue enemies, but I never strayed too far from our unit. The enemy might only be sending these weak undead for now, but jumping recklessly into their ranks could provoke unexpected attacks. While forming our ranks, I continued to burn the undead from a distance. But honestly, no matter how many I killed, they just kept coming. Even though my mana regenerated quickly, I was close to running out. They say I can draw mana from the Dragon Heart if needed¡­ Hmm. Better save it for stronger foes. ¡°Phoenix, it¡¯s time to return.¡± [Understood.] I recalled the phoenix, which had been having a grand time, and turned my gaze to the Earthlings¡¯ unit. Though their ranks were still somewhat disorganized, they finally established a basic formation. Melee fighters held the front line while ranged attackers positioned themselves in the rear. ¡°I¡¯ll take some time to recover my mana.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Since witnessing my display of power, the awakened Earthlings were much more disciplined. As I recovered my mana, I thought, these basic undead should be dealt with by the Earthlings for them to level up. ¡°Hold the line!¡± ¡°The Angel¡¯s Blessing is working! The undead are crumbling!¡± ¡°Wow, the experience points are insane!¡± ¡°This is the time to level up!¡± Everyone fought enthusiastically. Thanks to the combined blessings of the Angel and the World Tree, the undead were easily defeated. The most annoying thing about undead was that even when you thought they were dead, they would rise again to hinder you. But with the blessings, they were thoroughly suppressed, and people joyfully slaughtered their foes. Cheers of ¡°Level up!¡± echoed all around, accompanied by the joyful faces of the fighters. As my mana replenished, I launched lightning bolts from atop my flame chariot. There¡¯s no way the Lord of Death would send only these weaklings. I need to stay prepared. ¡°Arghhh!¡± A sudden scream broke out among the Earthlings. The skeletons and zombies, which had been sluggishly crawling, suddenly sped up and tore apart the unguarded Earthlings in an instant. Skeletons with blackened bones and zombies with crimson skin. These monsters displayed a completely different level of strength. ¡°Thunder God!¡± I shot lightning at the skeletons and zombies, causing them to collapse. However, unlike the weaker undead, these didn¡¯t die immediately. They endured for a moment before finally turning to flames and vanishing. If even my Thunder God spell takes this much effort, these are going to be troublesome. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Screams erupted from other areas too. The fighters desperately tried to fend them off with swords and magic, but their attacks barely worked. Even when they did, the enhanced undead regenerated quickly. Only hunters with skills specifically suited for dealing with undead had any effect. At first, it seemed like they were generously handing out experience points, but now it¡¯s turning into a headache. ¡°Phoenix, provide cover for our allies.¡± [Understood.] The phoenix and I dealt with the enhanced monsters together. But I am just one person, even with the phoenix by my side. It¡¯s impossible to block all the enhanced undead. As warriors fell and the fortified undead threatened to breach the defenses, something unexpected happened. From the ground, massive tree roots emerged, wrapping around the enhanced undead. They crushed the undead, breaking them into pieces. Oh. Could it be¡­ the World Tree? [This aura is¡­] A serene, feminine voice suddenly spoke near my ears. Where was it coming from? I turned my head, scanning the surroundings, but there was nothing in the sky. Then, a voice called out urgently from the ground. ¡°Tree roots are rising!¡± The roots that had crushed the undead now flew toward me. What the¡­? Aren¡¯t we on the same side? I guided my chariot higher, avoiding the roots, but the voice called out again. [Awakened one, I wish to speak with you. Please accept my invitation.] Ah. Was that the voice of the World Tree? It didn¡¯t seem hostile. In fact, it felt welcoming. Hmm¡­ Guide said the traces of Chronos are within the World Tree. If I accept the invitation, I might be able to obtain them. ¡°What about after we deal with the undead?¡± [They are relentless, day and night. This is the most opportune time. I will support the battlefield while we speak, so please spare a moment.] With that, the roots extended again. So, this is the lull period, with only the weakest enemies attacking. Alright. Since the World Tree is offering help, I¡¯ll go. ¡°Understood.¡± I deactivated my flame chariot, and the roots gently wrapped around me. They pulled me underground. Although I passed through the earth, a green barrier enveloped me, keeping me unharmed. After about five minutes, the roots stopped burrowing deeper. As the soil crumbled away, they created a space and gently set me down. A subterranean chamber, surrounded by walls of dirt. The same voice as before spoke again. [You¡­ bear the Seal of Drakia.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 60 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 60: Entering the World Tree (3) The Seal of Drakia? I was startled by something I hadn¡¯t expected to hear. Should I pretend not to know anything for now? ¡°Drakia, you say?¡± [Don¡¯t worry. In this place, secrets are kept. You¡¯ll understand if you check your status window.] Oh? Does it really show up in the status window? Sure enough, when I checked, both guardian deities were marked as "----." So, the guardian deities are unable to intervene. ¡°Hm¡­ How do you know about him?¡± [Because I¡¯m in the same position as him.] ¡°The same position? Then¡­¡± [My name is Elprian, the elf god who was defeated by Olympus and sealed within the World Tree, becoming one with it.] Defeated by Olympus? From the underground space, earth began to rise and take shape. A form started to appear¡ªa body and face, but with all limbs severed. The face, sculpted from soil, was the epitome of beauty, though the grotesque, jagged stumps where the limbs had been made the sight unsettling. ¡°That form¡­¡± [It is Zeus¡¯s doing. He severed my limbs and defiled me until I bore his child. And the children born that way¡­ he devoured them. Seventy-seven of them. Those tiny, helpless infants.] Elprian spoke calmly. But the story was revolting beyond words. What kind of god of order does something like that? [It was a scheme to degrade my divinity. By consuming my divine offspring, he enhanced his power. Zeus¡­ he¡¯s a demon in a god¡¯s guise. After my divinity fell, my name vanished from this world, and the elves¡¯ faith in me was replaced by other gods, like Drakia.] So, the elves began worshipping other gods for this reason. Does this mean the gods we worshipped on Earth also lost their divinity in a similar way? ¡°The dominant gods on Earth weren¡¯t originally from Olympus. How did the Olympians become so strong?¡± [I don¡¯t know either. They weren¡¯t originally this powerful, but at some point, they became overwhelmingly strong.] Zeus is that powerful? Ugh. If it weren¡¯t for the whole ¡°turning into an angel¡± thing, siding with Olympus would actually be the safest bet. After all, they¡¯re Earth¡¯s gods. Of course, what Zeus did to Elprian was horrendous, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m planning to pick a fight with him. It¡¯s just that angelification is a problem. [Zeus wants to angelify you? Why? Ah, your soul abilities¡­] Even this god can read my mind. All gods seem to come with mind-reading as a default feature. [Even with my diminished divinity, I am still a god. Furthermore, this space is one I created. I can guess what Zeus is after. He intends to angelify you and then replicate you to generate SP more efficiently.] ¡°Replicate me?¡± [Yes. The more angels like you with soul-related traits, the more SP he can accumulate. To replicate an angel¡¯s unique traits, he would need to replicate your soul, which would condemn your soul to eternal torment¡ªfar worse than what I endured.] Worse than what she endured as a limbless goddess forced to bear 77 children? Ugh. I can¡¯t believe everything this person says, but angelification doesn¡¯t sound like a good idea. ¡°Isn¡¯t there any way to avoid it? I really don¡¯t want to become an angel.¡± [You¡¯re currently at C-rank. Once you ascend, he will likely force the angelification. I will imprint my seal onto your hidden Dragon Heart. Both my seal and Drakia¡¯s seal will help you when the time comes.] ¡°Won¡¯t the seals be detected? You knew about them, after all.¡± [Drakia and I were once rivals competing for Kevrian. That¡¯s why I know about it. Other gods won¡¯t be able to discern it so easily. My seal will also help conceal the Dragon Heart.] Hmm. Drakia¡¯s seal is already there¡­ I guess I¡¯ll accept her offer for now. [The forgotten god, the elf god Elprian, imprints her seal onto your Dragon Heart.] A message window appeared, but nothing seemed to change, so I asked again. ¡°Does this seal have any other effects?¡± [When you ascend to the next rank, it will manifest as a different power. Time is running short.] For now, it¡¯s just a seal, huh. Hearing her say time was running out, I asked about the information I¡¯d seen in the guide. ¡°Is there a trace of Chronos in the World Tree?¡± [Chronos? The Olympian god of time¡­ Chronos?] Elprian muttered to herself, puzzled. Huh? She doesn¡¯t know? Even though she claimed to be one with the World Tree? Could it be that the guidebook information was wrong again? [If there is a trace of Chronos¡­ I will investigate. For now, I¡¯ll grant you an appropriate blessing so that others won¡¯t question why you were taken.] [You have received an enhanced blessing from the World Tree.] [Within the World Tree¡¯s domain, your stats increase by 50%.] [Your regeneration rate is greatly enhanced within the World Tree¡¯s domain.] A ¡°moderate¡± blessing increases stats by 50%? Gods really don¡¯t hold back. Even with the domain limitation, this will still be a great help. [I will call for you again if I learn anything about Chronos. Be especially cautious when you ascend to the next rank¡­] She nodded slightly, as if to reassure me. Then, once again, the roots of the World Tree emerged from the ground and enveloped me. My body was transported back the way I came. ¡°He¡¯s back!¡± Upon returning to the battlefield, I saw the roots of the World Tree rising everywhere, supporting our troops. Hmm. Looks like the World Tree is on our side. With the blessing, let¡¯s give it our all. [Pollux finds it peculiar that you received the World Tree¡¯s blessing.] They dragged me there and gave it to me, though? Pollux didn¡¯t respond. Hmm¡­ I wonder why he¡¯s silent. But this isn¡¯t the time for thinking. There¡¯s an enemy ahead to fight. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± Standing atop the chariot, I fired lightning in all directions. I prioritized taking down the reinforced undead. Though I couldn¡¯t manage everything alone, the roots of the World Tree helped maintain the battlefield. ¡°Level up!¡± ¡°I¡¯m at C-rank now! I can deal damage to the enemy!¡± High-level enemies were falling quickly, and as more of us reached C-rank, the battle seemed to shift in our favor. By midday, the undead began to slow down, and the reinforced undead were being subdued. But the awakened ones were starting to tire. ¡°This is endless¡­¡± ¡°Leveling up is great, but¡­ I¡¯m about to collapse from exhaustion.¡± The awakened had never fought an all-day battle before. At first, they tried to conserve their strength, but after the reinforced undead appeared, they had to go all out, leaving them completely drained. Meanwhile, the undead, tireless and relentless, kept coming. Undead truly are the worst. [Master, when night falls, the undead will become even stronger. If the awakened are already tired, it will be tough.] ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± We need to rotate the awakened for defense. The reserve forces in the rear should replace the frontlines to give them time to rest. I steered my carriage toward the command post, where the flag of the United Earth Nations, symbolizing the continents of Earth, fluttered in the wind. In the command post, officers were itching to join the battle. ¡°We need to rotate the units. At this rate, they¡¯ll collapse from exhaustion.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll signal the reserves to switch with the frontlines.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll suppress the enemy a bit in the meantime. Use that time to make the switch.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Hmm¡­ Your response is much more spirited than before. I immediately drove the flame tank into the battlefield. The ground was filled with undead. I left the undead at the front line to be handled by Earth¡¯s awakeners and decided to cut off their rear. ¡°Fire Wall.¡± I created a wall of fire to burn all the undead. ¡°Thunder God.¡± I massacred them en masse with lightning. ¡°Yeoui.¡± I extended my sword appropriately and swept away groups of enemies. Even the reinforced undead couldn¡¯t put up much resistance and were wiped out instantly. After trying various things, I found the best solution. Driving the flame tank while sweeping away enemies with the extended Yeoui. I extended Yeoui toward the undead and sped up the flame tank. Like erasing chalk scribbles with an eraser, a single swipe cleared the enemies, leaving them burnt to ashes. [Level up!] I went back and forth across the battlefield continuously until it was time for the unit to rotate. Though my arms and shoulders ached from cutting through the enemies, thanks to infinite stamina and the World Tree''s blessing enhancing my regeneration, I recovered quickly. [Level up!] At this rate, I¡¯ll hit level 100 in no time, huh? This time, instead of clearing them all at once, I patrolled back and forth, which conserved mana more effectively. If only these types of enemies keep coming, we could just keep going like this until it¡¯s over. When the frontline warriors were replaced, I stopped running. Well, since this is when the enemies are weakest, we might as well focus on leveling up the Earthlings. They at least need to reach Grade C to be useful. Seriously. [Hoho. How many blessings do you even have?] A frivolous voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield. The undead froze in place like robots running out of battery. This voice... [Pleased to meet you. I am the Supreme Commander.] A large holographic image of the Supreme Commander¡¯s face appeared in the dark clouds above the undead. With a monocle and infuriatingly good looks, the Supreme Commander raised a wine glass in his left hand and turned to me. [I¡¯ve never seen you before, but you¡¯re quite impressive. An awakener monopolizing the love of the gods¡­ I suppose I should eliminate you in advance.] The Supreme Commander spoke as if we had never met. If not for Aurelia, I wouldn¡¯t have remembered him either. Is he playing dumb on purpose? [Even if you die, you¡¯ll crawl back out to Earth, won¡¯t you? Let¡¯s put an end to that.] With that, the Supreme Commander threw the wine glass. Although it was thrown from the holographic screen, I had a bad feeling. I immediately led the Flame Chariot to retreat toward the unit. The liquid from the wine glass spilled out of the screen, splashing across the battlefield. It spread across the sky and then fell directly onto the ground where I had been standing with a loud thud. Hissss. The moment it touched the ground, the skeletons and zombies standing blankly were instantly dissolved. Whoa. Was he really planning to catch me with that? If I¡¯d been hit, it would¡¯ve been game over. The jelly-like liquid began to gather and form a shape. Ugh, what now? Can¡¯t I just have an easy first day? ¡°Thunder God!¡± I shot lightning from a distance. Though a faint wisp of smoke rose as it hit, the liquid kept consolidating. And then, from the direction the lightning had struck, the crimson liquid surged toward me. My arm burned fiercely, and my danger sense flared. It was about to grab me, and I couldn¡¯t stop it. I leaped off the tank to the side, dodging the attack. Behind me, a scream echoed. ¡°A¡­ a person was just melted away!¡± When I looked back, the area where people had been stationed was completely devoid of any trace of them. What the¡­ it¡¯s insanely strong! The liquid kept flying at me like bullets. Thanks to my danger sense, I dodged nimbly while trying to hit it with lightning, but it was completely ineffective. Should I use concentrated enhancement? At that moment, a voice echoed from the sky. [He is in danger.] [We will handle this.] [Protect him.] Light descended from the heavens, and four angels appeared. They flew toward the massive, slime-like crimson liquid, wielding swords of light. The crimson liquid extended in all directions to subdue the angels, but none of its attacks landed. With every flash of light, the angels teleported, slashing with their swords, and with another flash, they dodged. As the four angels slashed with their swords of light, the crimson liquid began to burn and disintegrate. [We will always protect you.] [Fight freely without worry.] [We look forward to your joining us.] After leaving their blessings, the angels vanished in a flash of light. A level-up message appeared. Two levels at once. All I did was fire some lightning and dodge a few attacks. I feel like I gained levels for free¡­ but hey, it¡¯s still a win. The angels really took care of things. But¡­ joining them? What does that even mean? Just thinking about it gave me the chills. [To be protected by angels. How extraordinary. Don¡¯t you think? While they ignore others even when many die, they seem quite fond of you. Hahaha¡­] The Supreme Commander on the screen chuckled. [I¡¯ll have to prepare properly for next time. See you again, awakener.] With that, the Supreme Commander disappeared, and the undead army resumed their advance. The battle continued for three days and nights. The enemies came in similar numbers each time. As the awakeners leveled up and Grade C fighters began appearing, our forces grew stronger, while the undead remained unchanged. By the second day, the situation rarely became dangerous even without my intervention. After three days and nights, reinforcements of 20,000 arrived from Earth, and morale reached its peak. The only blemish was that those who had been killed by the crimson liquid were traumatized and couldn¡¯t return to the battlefield. At dawn, as I swept through the remaining enemies for the unit rotation and returned, roots suddenly emerged from the ground. The roots gently wrapped around my feet, and a voice resonated. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Awakener Kim Jiho. The traces of Chronos have been discovered.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 61 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 61: The Garden of Olympus (1) Oh-ho. [Don¡¯t be conscious of it. They might notice. I¡¯ll secretly inject it into the Dragon Heart.] Die, undead! ¡°Phoenix, maximum firepower, let¡¯s go!¡± [Huh? All of a sudden¡­] ¡°Quick, quick! Go for it!¡± [Understood.] The phoenix tilted its head in confusion before soaring into the sky. Its body swelled up massively, and it unleashed a wave of flames upon the undead. ¡°Die, you wicked undead! Thunder God!¡± I, too, stood my ground and rained down lightning. From the dark, cloud-filled sky, bolts of lightning crashed down, reducing the undead to dust. But this isn¡¯t enough. Time to unleash all my mana. ¡°Focus enhancement: Thunder God!¡± Boom! Lightning filled the battlefield. The yellow bolts cascading from the sky struck the ground, spreading in all directions and causing secondary damage. The battlefield, which had been dark due to the setting sun and thick clouds, suddenly lit up as if it were midday. [You have leveled up.] I¡¯m already level 87. After three days and nights of nonstop fighting, and with the bonus experience gained as an Apostle Commander, my leveling speed is insane. In contrast, I¡¯ve barely gained any SP, and my ability absorption rate is close to zero. I knew SP gains decreased over time when fighting the same type of monsters, but I never thought it would drop to as low as 0.001 per monster. And my ability absorption rate is practically nonexistent. These monsters are solely specialized for experience points. Fine, let¡¯s just focus on leveling up! [You have received a Fragment of Chronos.] [Elysium has been recognized.] [Chronos, who governs time, and Elysium, the heaven of Olympus, must be related. There¡¯s something else I discovered¡­] [You have received a Fragment of Urd.] [Valhalla has been recognized.] Valhal¡­? Ah, focus. Let¡¯s take out these undead! [Urd is the goddess of the past from the neutral faction of Asgard. She, too, governs time. The fact that fragments from the neutral faction are within Yggdrasil is¡­ concerning. I wonder if this is too heavy a burden for you to carry.] Argh! These burdensome undead are way too many! [These fragments were undoubtedly placed in Yggdrasil intentionally by both factions. Removing them all at once would alert them. For now, I¡¯ll give you a portion and investigate further before handing over the rest. I¡¯ve adjusted the Dragon Heart while placing the two cores. You can now think freely.] With that, the roots untangled from my feet and disappeared. Sigh. I hate having my thoughts read. I have about 140,000 SP now¡­ I need to hit 100 fast and finally gain the freedom to think clearly. ¡°Hyaap!¡± I swung my sword effortlessly, slaughtering the undead as I mulled things over. Chronos, Urd¡­ Fragments of gods who govern time, and these two are allies¡­ And Urd is the goddess of the past. Could it be related to Kevrian, the broken planet that keeps rewinding time back to its origin? I need more information for now. Sure, Elysium and Valhalla were recognized, but so what? Frustrated, I massacred the undead. I kept wiping out enemies until my level hit 90, but at some point, no reinforcements showed up. The dark clouds were still hanging above, and the sun had completely set. The battlefield had plunged into night¡ªa time when the undead grow stronger¡ªbut no new enemies appeared? ¡°This is unsettling.¡± ¡°Yeah. The constant waves of enemies just stopped¡­¡± Thud. Thud. Thud. Suddenly, the ground trembled. Beyond the barren wasteland, thick white mist began to billow and creep toward us. That¡­ is that the ghost I¡¯ve seen before? And within the mist, something massive was walking toward us. ¡°A black skeleton¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s way too big¡­¡± Its sheer presence was enough to shake the ground with every step it took. Three giant skeletal titans were approaching, accompanied by an army of ghosts. ¡°Up in the sky¡­!¡± Above us, undead mages¡ªthe liches I had seen before¡ªwere advancing with their army. Hovering around them like bodyguards were Death Knights. The skeletal knights, clad in jet-black armor, rode gray spectral horses as they escorted the liches. [Ah, people of Earth. At last, you¡¯ve become a worthy feast.] The Archlich¡¯s face appeared, illuminated within the dark storm clouds. Even on the screen, he wore that same eerie smile. [D-class? Seriously? What have Earth¡¯s gods been doing all this time to remain at such a pathetic level? At the very least, I need to devour something at the C-class level to break even. But I¡¯ve fattened you up nicely over the past three days, so it¡¯s time for the harvest. No time to waste.] He smacked his lips, then grinned menacingly. His bright, gleaming eyes sent chills down my spine. [Bon app¨¦tit!] Clap! With a loud clap of his hands, the enemies surged forward in unison. [The Archlich has finally stepped in. I will join the battle as well. I¡¯ll handle the sky.] The angel in charge of our side spread their wings, and light radiated in all directions. Emerging from that light were pure-white warriors. They were semi-transparent, like spirits, but their forms resembled humans. When the angel unsheathed their sword, the warriors began to sprint through the air, heading straight for the liches. The sky was taken care of¡­ "Let¡¯s block them too." "Understood." Boom. Bang. Boom. Bang. The skeletal giants suddenly picked up speed. The ghosts, who had been moving in sync with them, fell behind. "Thunder God!" Lightning was unleashed, but as soon as it touched the skeletal giant, it was absorbed. Huh. What¡¯s this? Zero damage? As they drew closer, their sheer size became even more overwhelming¡ªonly their lower bodies were visible. "Fire!" Arrows imbued with divine power flew all at once, and spells to hinder their movement were cast. Stone walls rose, and the ground morphed into a swamp-like mire. But none of it worked. "Focus enhancement!" The weapon was expanded after concentrating its enhancement, prioritizing divine power and cutting force. The weapon extended with radiant light and dazzling brilliance. Holding it, I steered the Flame Chariot straight into the sky. "Haaah!" I split the skeletal giant¡¯s waist cleanly in half. With a clang, the sword seemed to bounce off. Gripping the sword with both hands, I poured my strength into it once again. The skeletal giant¡¯s waist began to burn slowly. But as if to catch me, its massive arm swung down menacingly. So this is what it feels like to be a mosquito caught by a human? I quickly shrank the sword and sent the Flame Chariot plunging downward. Whoosh. A gust of wind blew where the attack had missed. If I¡¯d been hit, I probably wouldn¡¯t be here anymore. Looking at the waistbone I¡¯d attacked earlier, I saw the divine flames burning. It¡¯s not ineffective. The flaming waistbone finally snapped at some point. And the skeletal giant¡¯s upper body began to fall slowly. As it was falling toward me, I spurred the Flame Chariot and got out of the way. Crash! The ground caved in deeply. How heavy is just the upper body of that thing? Even though it¡¯s undead, can it still move with just its upper body? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "What?" The fallen giant¡¯s body slowly began to disintegrate. Piece by piece, the particles seeped into the ground, dyeing it pitch black. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. From there, black skeletons started rising one by one. They were human-sized compared to the giant. After creaking for a moment, they charged straight at the Awakeners as if flying. And then the massacre began. "Arghhh!" "Our attacks aren¡¯t working!" Many of the Awakeners had risen to C-rank over the last three days, and they¡¯d been brimming with confidence after seeing their attacks work on enhanced undead. But these black skeletons were on a completely different level. "Phoenix, autonomous combat. Use all your strength!" [Got it. I¡¯ll take on the smaller skeletons since I can¡¯t deal much damage to that giant skeleton.] The phoenix soared, sending out a massive wave of flames with a flap of its wings. Thankfully, its attacks seemed effective; the black skeletons caught fire. However, they didn¡¯t instantly disappear and charged at the Awakeners while ablaze. Ugh¡­ the Awakener forces were crumbling like a disorderly mob. We¡¯d put so much effort into leveling them up over the last three days; it¡¯s heartbreaking. Boom! The other two skeletal giants were crushing the Awakeners like ants. Knowing that maintaining formations was meaningless, everyone scattered and tried to flee, but it was futile against the huge, fast skeletal giants. I have to take these giants apart first! "Thunder God!" I charged at one of the skeletal giants, focusing the Thunder God¡¯s power into my enhanced weapon. I aimed for its spine¡ªthe part I had pierced earlier. Whoosh. Whoosh. I dodged the giant¡¯s attacks and closed in on its waist. I thrust my sword into it, but without the focus enhancement, it didn¡¯t penetrate at all. "Tch¡­" Clang! Clang! No matter how many times I struck, the spine was ridiculously sturdy. My hands were already torn apart, and my shoulders were wrecked. If not for the blessings of the World Tree constantly healing me, I¡¯d have collapsed long ago. But I kept breaking, healing, and breaking again. Before the skeletal giant could take another step, I focused all my attacks on a single spot and struck it dozens of times. Fwoosh! Just as my entire body was drenched in sweat, a crack appeared in its waistbone, and divine flames burst forth. Good. This part is done. I immediately moved to the other skeletal giant and repeated the same pattern. "Huff¡­ huff¡­" Thanks to the power of infinite stamina, I didn¡¯t tire easily, but I had expended all my strength in those brief moments, leaving me extremely fatigued. Controlling the Flame Chariot to keep myself steady while driving the sword down was incredibly challenging. It would''ve been impossible if not for my high skill and agility. "Arghhh!" "Help me!" "They¡¯re tearing us apart¡­ eating us alive¡­" Though I managed to take down two skeletal giants, the battlefield was in a dire state. The formation had completely collapsed, and black skeletons were sweeping through the battlefield. Looking at the situation in the sky, it seemed that neither side had the upper hand¡ªstalemated. The phoenix was doing its best to use its magic, but this enemy was strong. It was impossible to sweep them all away alone. I need to join quickly. Descending to the ground, I let the Flame Chariot roam freely. It had recently been used only for transportation, but now was the time to use it as an offensive weapon. The Flame Chariot rampaged, setting everything around it ablaze. Thankfully, even the black skeletons couldn¡¯t avoid its flames. [Level Up!] Checking my level, I was already at 93. When did it rise so much? At this rate, I might hit level 100 while fighting here. I have enough SP, so... this should be fine. With both the phoenix and the Flame Chariot out, I set foot on the ground. As soon as they saw me, the black skeletons curled their mouths into sinister grins. Their jawbones trembled as words began to spill out. ¡°You should quietly surrender here.¡± ¡°Heh heh heh.¡± ¡°I''ll make your comrades my precious SP.¡± ¡°Heh heh heh.¡± Surrounded on all sides, the black skeletons cackled as they closed in. They leapt at me all at once. Wielding my blade, I slashed the sky, enlarging my reach. The black skeletons ignited in flames all at once. ¡°Thunder God, Ice Storm.¡± One hand unleashed lightning, while the other cast magic. The black skeletons froze, were electrocuted, and slowly disintegrated. When they approached, I stopped my spells and swung my blade again, slaughtering them. Only I could subdue them. But¡­ these things, their numbers seemed endless. [Level Up!] To secure a retreat, I pulled back, unleashing spells and thunderbolts all around. Though my mana had once been at 100, it was quickly drained by the Flame Chariot, the phoenix, and my magic and thunderbolts. ¡°How long do you think you can keep using mana like that?¡± ¡°Heh heh heh.¡± ¡°Just surrender.¡± Argh! Why are so many of them popping out?! I should retreat for now¡­ Before I knew it, the battlefield was overrun with ghastly black skeletons and ghosts. I unsummoned and resummoned the Flame Chariot. As I tried to withdraw the phoenix as well, my remaining mana was suddenly drained. The battlefield, which had been dark, suddenly burst into blinding light, engulfed in flames in an instant. My level rose twice in a row. [Master. I¡¯ll take a rest for now...] A sharp pain in my forehead signaled the phoenix retreating, just like the last time. At the same time, my mana was completely gone. [Dragon Heart Mana Regeneration activated.] With my reserve mana pool triggered, energy quickly refilled from my core. Wow! This is incredible! It¡¯s like a backup battery fully charging me at once. ¡°No!¡± ¡°The mana regenerated!¡± ¡°There¡¯s something strange about this energy!¡± ¡°Something¡¯s up!¡± ¡°Catch them!¡± The skeletons, who had been cackling moments before, dropped their laughter, becoming frenzied as they charged toward me. They seemed two or three times stronger as they came rushing in. Even when struck by lightning or my blade, they didn¡¯t disappear immediately, but instead charged at me ablaze. The ghosts also accelerated. Hmm, this calls for a retreat. Summoning the Flame Chariot, I fled. ¡°Capture them!¡± ¡°Capture them!¡± The combined cries of skeletons and ghosts sent chills down my spine. Even as I pulled back, my escape route was blocked, and I was surrounded on all sides by enemies. Argh! When did my allies get wiped out?! The roots of the World Tree emerged from the ground to assist me, but it wasn¡¯t enough. I¡¯ll escape into the sky! ¡°Capture them!¡± ¡°Capture them!¡± As I ascended, a Death Knight charged madly toward me, leading ghostly horses. The angels summoned by my allies attacked them, but they continued their relentless charge, unfazed by the attacks. ¡°Tch.¡± Round two: aerial battle, huh? At least I had more allies here. As I prepared to unleash a thunderbolt to counter the Death Knight¡¯s charge, a message window suddenly popped up. [Pollux has detected your danger. He will incur a penalty to use his power directly to summon you.] What? But I¡¯m not in that much danger? Didn¡¯t I escape to the sky just fine? Before I could react, my body was sucked into the light descending from the sky. SP was still sufficient, and my level was at 96. Only four levels away... [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 62 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 62: The Garden of Olympus (2) ¡°Ugh... Where is this...?¡± A place I was sucked into by the light of the heavens. It was on top of pure white clouds. A space that felt like heaven itself¡ªpeaceful and warm. [Pollux says he had no choice but to summon you forcibly to block the attack of the Commander.] Hmm... It didn¡¯t seem like there was any real attack, though. Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to reach level 100 back there? [Pollux says to reach level 100 here instead.] Here? By defeating what? I looked around, but there wasn¡¯t anything in sight. Just as I thought that, something started to rush toward me. [Pollux says to defeat those.] Floating like cotton candy on the clouds were pure white, ethereal forms. These? I reached out toward one of the spirits drifting toward me, and with a ¡°pop,¡± it burst like a balloon. [The soul of Saint ?? has been extinguished.] [You have absorbed their abilities.] [Your mana has significantly increased.] A saint...? I examined the nearby spirits closely, but they were just plain, white forms. Waving my hand, they burst one by one with ¡°pop pop¡± sounds. Messages stating the extinction of ¡°Saint ??¡¯s soul¡± appeared, and my magic-related abilities rose dramatically. Checking my status window, my mana was nearly maxed out at grade B. Even my luck and skills had increased significantly. If I raise my physical stats just a bit more, I could max those out at B as well. Pop. Pop. Even while I was standing still, the spirits were rushing at me and bursting on their own. As they did, my grade B stats visibly climbed higher. My experience points surged, and before I knew it, I had gained another level. [Aurelia...] Aurelia tried to send me a message, but it disappeared halfway through. Seeing that gave me a sudden sense of alarm. ¡°Where is this place?¡± [Pollux answers that this is the Garden of Olympus.] ¡°They¡¯re the souls of saints, but what saints are they? Is it even okay to defeat them like this?¡± [Pollux says they¡¯re the saints of traitors, so it¡¯s fine to destroy as many as you want.] Destroy as many as I want? I wasn¡¯t even trying to destroy them¡ªthey were coming to me and self-destructing. At this rate, if I reach level 100 and upgrade my grade to B, won¡¯t I be massively affected by this relentless self-destruction? But then again, wouldn¡¯t I just need to go back and level up properly later? ¡°You can¡¯t do that.¡± Suddenly, I heard Pollux¡¯s voice from above. Looking up, I saw Pollux staring at me with a grim expression. ¡°No matter how you endure it, once you reach level 110, your grade will forcibly increase.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t want to become an angel? It seems Aurelia was planning something, but you are already one of us, an Olympus being. We can¡¯t let Asgard take you.¡± ¡°What... what are you even talking about?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know, it¡¯s better that way. Ignorance is bliss. It¡¯d be better for you to let the holy spirits engulf you and live in happiness...¡± Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. The holy spirits around me kept bursting. I leveled up again. My mana and luck were already maxed out, and my skills were almost there too. ¡°Holy spirits...¡± ¡°They are the souls of saints who worshipped forgotten gods¡ªthose devout to gods of order. As your grade increases, your soul will also change, becoming as devout as theirs. You¡¯ll even wish to join the angels...¡± ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s wrong with you people? Why are you so desperate to turn someone into an angel?¡± ¡°That is your destiny.¡± With those words, Pollux disappeared. All around me, the holy spirits kept bursting. Ugh. Damn it. I understand now. Even if I hadn¡¯t realized it, they brought me here intending to turn me into a divine soul. Grrr... Isn¡¯t there an ¡°Absorb Soul OFF¡± function somewhere? I looked, but there wasn¡¯t one. Ah! This is dangerous. I quickly opened the shop and bought every type of ¡°Form Maintenance Skill.¡± SP kept rising as the spirits around me exploded like soap bubbles. I¡¯m going to lose my mind. There¡¯s no place to run, either. It feels like I¡¯m stuck inside a bubble of holy spirits. Ugh. Stay calm. If I reach level 110 and become grade B, I¡¯ll immediately buy all the Form Maintenance Skills from the shop. Would putting up a shield stop them from approaching me? ¡°Shield.¡± Pop. Pop. No effect. They burst even when touching the shield. ¡°Wind.¡± I tried blowing them away, but as they were spiritual entities, they weren¡¯t affected by the wind. ¡°Etherealization.¡± I thought becoming ethereal might prevent collisions, but they still burst regardless. Argh, these things! Before I knew it, I was already level 99. Seriously. Leveling up is insanely fast here. Looking around, there was no way out. If I move to escape, the spirits will burst like crazy, and I¡¯ll hit level 110 instantly. What kind of place is this...? I need a way out. Oh, right. Hades. At this point, it¡¯s all or nothing. Let¡¯s try embracing some chaos. I searched the shop for ¡°Hades Command.¡± [Hades Command SP Loan Bank.] That¡¯s the only result. I clicked on it, and it said it loans SP at 1% daily interest, with nothing else useful. Ugh. Useless. I tried everything I could to escape, but nothing worked. Hey, Phoenix, can¡¯t you do something? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [In this place, I can¡¯t use my power at all. Besides, if I get involved, it¡¯ll only accelerate your growth...] [You have leveled up.] [You have reached level 100.] [You are the first human on Earth to reach level 100. You have earned the title ¡°Pioneer of Earth (Legend).¡±] [Achievement conditions have been fulfilled.] [You can now advance to Awakener Grade B. Would you like to proceed?] Ugh, I¡¯ve leveled up again already. What¡¯s with this insane leveling speed? Fortunately, it¡¯s not a forced promotion yet, so I dismissed the message window for now. The holy spirits bursting around me in bright flashes made it hard to even see the message window. As I scanned the system menu again, I noticed the recycling tab. Ah, right. I had the Chaos Magic Circle summoning skill. Good. Time to use something. ¡°Summon Chaos Magic Circle.¡± [You have used a one-time skill. The Chaos Magic Circle skill will now disappear.] As soon as I activated the skill, a blood-red magic circle began to form around me. The circle slowly expanded, growing larger and larger. The holy spirits that were attacking me turned their attention toward the magic circle. The ones flying into the circle didn¡¯t give me any experience points. Perhaps that¡¯s why my experience gain rate slowed down considerably. Even so, there were still plenty of holy spirits bursting from my body, shrinking the magic circle as they exploded. I had to keep the magic circle active. I poured my mana into it without hesitation. ¡°Focus Enhancement!¡± I unleashed even more mana using Focus Enhancement, and the circle grew slightly larger. [Uh¡­ Why is a magic circle being summoned in Olympus?] Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice coming from the magic circle¡ªit was Hades. ¡°Hades! These spirits are self-destructing all over me in the gardens of Olympus!¡± [What? Is that Awakener Kim Jiho? Why are you doing something so reckless? Wasting holy spirits like that.] ¡°I have a soul-reaper ability. It seems to be drawing them in.¡± [Wait, you can reap souls too? That¡¯s a neutral ability! Wow, this is wild. If I¡¯d tempted you into chaos last time, you¡¯d probably be dead now. What a pity. Sigh¡­ Fine, let¡¯s tweak this magic circle.] The magic circle began to morph into something grotesque. It transformed into a labyrinth-like structure, forcibly pulling the souls into its maze. There were still many holy spirits bursting around me, but my experience gain had slowed considerably compared to before. ¡°Hades!!¡± [Ah, calm down! My impatient nephew is here. Quickly, before the magic circle collapses, level up and choose a soul-related class. Hurry!] The holy spirits continued to burst violently all around me. The sheer power of Pollux¡¯s anger was tangible, piercing my entire body. Wow, this is insane. While the magic circle was redirecting the spirits, I quickly prepared for my advancement. Before that, I maxed out all my attributes and spent every single point and SP I had to bring everything to its full potential. Now, all my stats were perfectly balanced and at their maximum. I had 25,000 neutral faction SP remaining. Alright, let¡¯s do this. ¡°I¡¯m advancing.¡± [You have advanced to Awakener Grade B.] [Assessing the user¡¯s stats...] Hurry up, system! Why does the loading take so long? The holy spirits were closing in fast. Pollux grabbed the Chaos Magic Circle with his hand and ripped it apart. Through the breach, a flood of holy spirits came rushing in. Ugh¡­ Loading, hurry up! [Fortunately, you made it just in time.] Just when I thought it was all over, my entire body was suddenly enveloped in a blue barrier. The barrier quickly expanded, forming a cube-shaped structure that isolated the space around me. [The Seal of Drakia emits its light. The user is protected in the current dimension.] [The Seal of Elprian emits its light. The user is isolated in the current dimension.] ¡°What?! Divine seals... I knew something was off when you got sucked into the World Tree!¡± [Haha! This barrier is so strong that even Zeus couldn¡¯t break it for a while! When did you prepare something like this?] Pollux pounded his massive fist against the blue wall. But the wall didn¡¯t even crack. Hooray for seals! [Your stats have achieved perfect balance. A special class is now unlocked.] [Your stats have achieved perfect balance. A special class is now unlocked.] Oh, nice. [The special classes available in the Order domain are as follows:] [1. Spirit Angel] [2. Soul Mediator (Enhanced)] ¡°No!!¡± No? Yeah, right. I immediately selected option 2. Since the seal had bought me some time, I took this chance to purchase all the Form Maintenance skills. Opening the shop window, I clicked faster than ever, buying every Form Maintenance skill: [Basic Form Maintenance LV3] [Advanced Form Maintenance LV3] [Perfect Form Maintenance LV3] Buying all of them drained my SP completely. 10,000, 50,000, 100,000 SP¡­ Wow. This SP consumption was insane. If the holy spirits hadn¡¯t provided SP, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to buy all the Form Maintenance skills. Is this what they call a blessing in disguise? [The special classes available in the Neutral domain are as follows:] [1. Dragon Kin ¨C Ancient Dragon] [2. Soul Reaper (Enhanced)] I chose Soul Reaper as well. Now that I had selected two classes, I felt a bit more at ease. Another message window appeared: [The Soul Mediator class has been enhanced. You can now use SP to level up Soul Mediation and Soul Resonance Enhancement skills.] [The Soul Reaper class has been enhanced. You can now use SP to level up Soul Reaper and Trait Absorption skills.] [Soul-related classes have stacked. You can now use SP to level up general skills.] [Class skills are being enhanced.] [Soul Mediation skill is now LV3.] [Soul Reaper skill is now LV3.] [Trait Absorption skill is now LV3.] [Soul Resonance Enhancement skill is now LV3.] [Soul Resonance Enhancement skill has increased the stat cap.] [New class skills are added.] [Soul Trade skill is now available.] [Soul Energy Emission skill is now available.] [Four soul-related classes have stacked. The qualification for ¡°Seed of the Soul God¡± is recognized.] Wow. I can now use SP to level up skills, and I¡¯ve unlocked new ones and even the ¡°Seed of the Soul God.¡± As curious as I was about it, escaping this situation came first. Pollux stood in front of the wall with a terrifying expression. ¡°Hades and the Ancient Gods... you¡¯ve been hiding well. But now that you¡¯re in Olympus, you¡¯re a mouse in a trap. You won¡¯t escape.¡± Pollux ground his teeth audibly. ¡°Take this, you bastard.¡± I casually flipped him off. With both hands. I might get beaten up later, but I had to do it at least once. Stupid jerk. ¡°You insolent brat! Just wait until the divine barrier disappears¡­ I¡¯ll tear you apart!¡± [Haha! As expected of a minor god. You really don¡¯t know anything. He¡¯s untouchable now¡ªat least until he reaches S-rank.] Hades¡¯ words made Pollux hesitate. Really? That got my attention. Honestly, I had successfully advanced and avoided becoming an angel, but I was still figuring out how to escape. Suddenly, a figure appeared beside Pollux without making a sound. The man stood about 170 cm tall, wearing a winged hat and a dashing suit, with a handsome and approachable face. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He exuded an air of lightness. This man, smaller than the towering Pollux, began scolding him. ¡°Hades is right, Uncle. Pollux, what the hell were you doing? Meddling in things you weren¡¯t told to!¡± ¡°B-brother¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re bothering Awakener Kim Jiho. Get lost!¡± With that, he lightly kicked Pollux in the rear, and Pollux¡¯s figure disappeared on the spot. Who the heck is this guy now? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 63 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 63: Hermes, Loki, Hades (1) [Hermes! Quickly, block your ears. That one has a tongue as sly as a snake.] Hermes. The god who acts as a messenger? He suits the role perfectly¡ªminus the suit. He bent his waist and started rubbing his hands together until they were raw. "Oh dear, oh dear. Who are you calling a snake? Come now, let¡¯s not pay attention to such words. Kim Jiho, the awakened one, the bearer of the seed of the Soul God." He rubbed his palms together apologetically, bowing in a servile manner. Though he never lost his smile, his demeanor didn¡¯t come across as overly subservient. His voice was so enchanting that whenever he spoke, it demanded attention. "Now then, let¡¯s think about a new future for ourselves. It¡¯s a huge relief you weren¡¯t harmed by Pollux¡¯s little solo adventure." This bastard is up to something. Solo adventure? What nonsense. It made my teeth grind. "Are you trying to sell me something?" When I shot back, Hermes paused briefly before smiling again. "Hahaha. So, when did you purchase the ability to maintain your form? My goodness. None of my words seem to work." [Haha. Good job.] Unbelievable. While I was down there fighting Hades to the death, he actually seemed reliable here. "Oh my, Uncle. Where did your dignified demeanor go? And what¡¯s with that laugh, ¡®Haha¡¯?" [It¡¯s because you all have driven me mad. Haha.] "Persephone..." [Shut up.] "Ah, such a hopeless romantic. So unlike a god." [Hey.] "Alright, alright." Hades¡¯ tone was so serious it sent chills down my spine. When the God of Death gets serious, it¡¯s terrifying. Wait¡ªPersephone? Isn¡¯t that Hades¡¯ wife? Looks like Olympus has pulled some crap again. Honestly, considering it¡¯s those guys, it¡¯s not surprising. "Alright then, Uncle, why don¡¯t you take your leave now?" [I can¡¯t just leave Kim Jiho, the awakened one, behind.] "Well, that¡¯s true." Chaos God or not, I didn¡¯t care. For now, this side was my best bet. I poured all my focus into infusing magic. The magic circle became clearer and started to expand. Hermes clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers. The magic circle immediately stopped expanding. "Alright, Kim Jiho. I¡¯ll follow your lead. I¡¯ll just stop the expansion for now. After all, this is Olympus." [Kekeke. Well played.] "Tsk. I should¡¯ve come with my rank downgraded. Alright, Loki, who¡¯s hiding over there, come out now." Loki? The Loki from Norse mythology? The one from the movies? [Loki too? Kim Jiho, you¡¯ve got connections everywhere, don¡¯t you?] "Loki? I don¡¯t know any Loki." "Tsk, tsk. If I hadn¡¯t seen you in person, Kim Jiho, I wouldn¡¯t have known. You¡¯re practically a patron deity now." "What? Patron deity? The only ones I¡¯ve got are Pollux and Aurelia..." "Oh, right. Aurelia. If not for my divine eyes, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed. Truly remarkable." Wait. Could it be Aurelia? Isn¡¯t Loki supposed to be male? "Of course, Hermes. Always so annoying." Suddenly, Aurelia appeared. Her once pure face had turned cold and unforgiving. Uh... goddess...? "You even cross-dress well. So pretty. Truly." "Haha. I¡¯ve even birthed a horse before. Gender transformation is nothing." "You mean Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse? Truly... impressive." Hermes spoke with a disgusted look on his face. Wait... birthed a horse? Oh. I was in shock. When I checked my status window, my patron deity had changed to Loki, the God of Deception. No way... Even the system was fooled? How is this even possible? [Wow. A god acting as a patron deity? That¡¯s too much for a human to handle.] "Hades, that¡¯s why I downgraded my avatar to the God of Volcanoes. The details are a trade secret." [Wow. Kim Jiho, are you really going to stick with these terrifying people? Come to the embrace of chaos. You could become the next Lord of Chaos.] Hades suddenly made me an offer. Hermes tried to stop him. "If you go to Hades, you¡¯ll be forcibly raised to an S-rank and dissected. I won¡¯t be able to protect you then." "Why does protection stop at S-rank?" "Because you¡¯re the seed of the Soul God. If another god interferes with a divine seed, the system retaliates." [Haha. Would I do such a thing? Have I ever led you astray? I even protected you during that last crisis, didn¡¯t I? Hahaha.] "Hades will destroy Earth for sure. Don¡¯t go." Aurelia¡ªor rather, Loki¡ªalso tried to stop me. Hades only raised his voice in response. [What use is Earth? Kim Jiho, think bigger. You¡¯ve been blessed with divine potential. You even bear the seed of the Soul God! Don¡¯t be tied down to Earth. Join us and create your own world. I¡¯ll help you with all my heart.] "Create my own world...?" [To get rid of those bastards, destroying Earth is essential. But after destroying it, you can create an identical world. Join me!] Ugh. After getting backstabbed so many times, I was tempted to lean into chaos. But creating a world? That¡¯s far too grand a task for me. And honestly, given the way he talks, if I go, I¡¯ll probably end up dissected. Hermes clapped his hands. Clap clap. "Kim Jiho. At this rate, you won¡¯t be able to maintain yourself. Creating even a small world requires an SSS-rank, if not higher. Think about it¡ªdidn¡¯t you invest so much just to maintain your form? How can you suddenly become a creator? Just stay as part of Earth." "That¡¯s true. But you can¡¯t trust Olympus either. They¡¯ve backstabbed you badly before. How about Asgard? Come to us. I, Loki, swear on my name to protect you." "Oh, please. Swearing on Loki¡¯s name is just like saying, ¡®I¡¯m going to scam you.¡¯" "And you, acting all righteous after betraying us?" "Hahaha. Betrayal? No, no. That was just Pollux overstepping his bounds." [Oh, come on. Trust me. I¡¯ll create a planet just like Earth for you, without those jerks.] Aaaaaagh. Listening to these three gods argue from different factions was giving me a headache. Let¡¯s sort this out. "First off, I don¡¯t think I can trust the faction of order, given what happened today." "Tsk..." "Hades, I appreciate the help, but you¡¯re way too unsettling." [Oh, come on... I¡¯m such a nice guy. Should I become a woman too?] "Ugh, no thanks. And Loki... gah, my back still hurts from all the backstabbing." "Tsk. If only it weren¡¯t for Hermes." This really is a chaotic mess. A god who looks like the ultimate con artist¡ªHermes. The god of deception. And the god of death gone mad. How does it make sense to choose between the three? Honestly, I was really leaning toward neutrality, but to think it¡¯s Loki... Sigh... All gods are scammers. I need to keep my wits about me. If I make the wrong move here, I¡¯ll really get chained up and doomed. Though my heart burns to set Olympus on fire, I painfully realize now is the time to hold back my anger. Sure, I¡¯m the strongest Awakened One on Earth, but here in the divine realm, I¡¯m nothing. If it weren¡¯t for the uniqueness of my soul-related abilities, I¡¯d have been erased a long time ago. Still, because of this uniqueness, even those high-and-mighty gods are treating me like an equal. I should take advantage of that. ¡°So, I don¡¯t want to side with any faction. Instead of that, why don¡¯t you clever folks tell me what I should do next?¡± ¡°Us? Hahaha. You¡¯ve got quite the sense of humor.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Yeah, you bunch of scammers, figure it out yourselves. I¡¯m curious to hear what you come up with. ¡°Come on, give me some hints yourselves.¡± [Hehehe, clever move.] ¡°Sigh. I could¡¯ve seduced you with beauty, you know!¡± Argh! If I¡¯d fallen for you, Loki, I¡¯d have been so ashamed I¡¯d give up on everything. Aurelia... The Aurelia who was so kind and considerate to me... The betrayal stings. ¡°Hm. If I were in your position, Kim Jiho, the first thing I¡¯d do, of course, would be to return to the embrace of Olympus...¡± ¡°Shut up before I lose my temper.¡± ¡°Hehe. Then the second option is networking. Honestly, I get that you don¡¯t trust Olympus or me. But! Look at the neutral and chaotic factions too. Do they look trustworthy? Anyone can see they¡¯d betray you at the first chance. Haha! Loki, a goddess of volcanoes? Even a passing dog would laugh at that.¡± ¡°Unbelievable. You guys who collect divine spirits like this are scarier. Are you sure you¡¯re the Order faction? You¡¯re not demons? Offering sacrifices because someone didn¡¯t trust Olympus? Tsk tsk. These spirits worshipped your faction so devotedly. This spirit looks like it¡¯s at least of a pope¡¯s level...¡± Loki, in Aurelia¡¯s form, strokes the spirit pitifully. What? A pope-level spirit? ¡°Oh dear, oh dear. Pollux, you idiot! Acting on your own like this, what a waste of those spirits!¡± Hermes waves his hands dramatically, and the spirits vanish into thin air. Wow. They¡¯re really dumping all the blame on Pollux. What trash. Argh! I really want to stick it to these Order guys. But for now, let¡¯s just hear them out. ¡°Networking?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s soul mediation, for example. Don¡¯t you have any other usable skills?¡± ¡°Yeah. Spill it.¡± [I¡¯m curious too. Hehehe.] Sigh. These guys fight like cats and dogs but cooperate perfectly when it comes to this stuff. Is it even right for Order, Neutral, and Chaos to be at war? Still, as for skills... I did gain the Soul Trade and Soul Energy Emission skills. Soul Energy Emission doesn¡¯t seem like a trading skill, so I¡¯ll keep it hidden. Soul Trade, on the other hand, might be a useful trade skill like Soul Mediation. I examined the Soul Trade skill. [Soul Trade LV1] [Facilitates SP transactions for all entities regardless of rank. Summons a trading window and takes a 0.1% fee on transactions. Can trade up to 10 million SP per transaction, 10 times a day. If the skill level rises to S-rank, it can establish an SP Exchange.] Huh. This is totally a business skill, isn¡¯t it? Is it even good? Well, if I don¡¯t tell anyone, it¡¯ll just rot uselessly. Might as well share it. ¡°I got a skill called Soul Trade that facilitates SP transactions.¡± ¡°Facilitates SP transactions?¡± ¡°Even between gods of the same rank?¡± [Well, well. That¡¯s an interesting skill. Did you guys at Olympus come up with this too?] ¡°No, we only planned for Soul Mediators. We never even thought of such a skill... I¡¯m curious about the detailed conditions.¡± Since I¡¯ll have to sell this to them, I explained the skill¡¯s details. Hermes and Loki, in her goddess form, nodded in satisfaction. ¡°10 million SP with a 0.1% fee.¡± ¡°Not bad at all. You can exchange up to 100 million SP a day, and the fee is way cheaper than the SP Store.¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [No, no, no! That¡¯s a shady skill. They¡¯ll use you!] ¡°Haha. We¡¯re not interested in the opinion of the SP Store manager.¡± ¡°Exactly. We¡¯ve been grinding our teeth over the 3% fees we¡¯ve been paying.¡± Wait, Hades is the SP Store manager? That¡¯s unexpected. So the SP Store belongs to Chaos? ¡°Is SP trading usually not allowed?¡± ¡°Yes. We can only bestow it to subordinates or receive offerings from them. Trading among equals isn¡¯t allowed.¡± ¡°Actually, even among higher beings, there¡¯s rarely a reason to trade. So when we do, we¡¯ve been placing items in the SP Store and trading through that, paying the 3% fee.¡± ¡°3% is way too high. And if you give SP to a subordinate and they switch their allegiance, it¡¯s gone. The system¡¯s pretty unfair.¡± [Oh, come on. Do you know how hard it is to maintain the store? We need to make a living too.] So until now, trading among equals wasn¡¯t allowed, and they had to use the SP Store with its 3% fee. ¡°I like this skill. Even though we¡¯ve had some unfortunate incidents, I¡¯d like to maintain a good relationship. It¡¯s a shame to burn bridges over one person¡¯s mistake.¡± ¡°This skill could benefit the Order faction too. But Soul Mediation is better suited to us. After all, how many gods are already trading with you on the other side? You need balance.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say last time you couldn¡¯t afford to pay enough?¡± ¡°Well, now that you¡¯re at B-rank, things are different. Plus, the time is almost right...¡± Loki, still in Aurelia¡¯s form, smirked. The sweet, innocent goddess from before was gone, replaced by someone incredibly sly. Speaking of Soul Mediation, that skill leveled up too. [Soul Mediation LV3] [Facilitates soul absorption among gods. Generates 60% efficiency, and the user can take up to 20% as a fee. Can mediate for up to 12 guardian gods. Allows access to the Soul Mediation window, where contracts can be terminated for valid reasons.] Mediating for 12 guardian gods, huh. Currently, I¡¯m mediating for six. Pollux, Aurelia, Apollo, Hephaestus, Zeus, and Athena. Five are from the Order faction. If I keep supporting Order, I might end up being subjugated by them. [Those two are in cahoots anyway. Honestly, you¡¯d be better off mediating for us! The Lords of Chaos are always ready!] ¡°If you side with Hades, Earth is doomed.¡± ¡°You should be careful about this.¡± Even though they¡¯re allies, their opinions align on this... More importantly, contracts can be terminated for valid reasons. Opening the Soul Mediation window, I saw the six gods listed, with ¡°Terminate Contract¡± next to each of their names. Aurelia¡¯s name even had an X mark on it... Good. ¡°I¡¯m terminating all contracts with Order.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 64 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 64: Hermes, Loki, Hades (2) "What? The contract can be canceled too?" "Yeah. The system recognized it as a valid reason." "Tsk¡­" "Loki cancels it too." "Well, I''ll just make another one." "Hades, hmm¡­" [How many slots are there? If it''s really bothering you, we can split it 4:4:4.] Hades urgently proposed. 4:4:4, huh. Can I trust these Chaos guys? No, I can''t trust anyone anyway. I grind my teeth thinking about how Order betrayed me, but I lack the strength to retaliate right now. That doesn¡¯t mean I can fully trust Neutral or Chaos either, especially after seeing how Loki and Hades operate. I need to use all three of them. They''re all the type to stab me in the back as soon as I expose any weakness. "Whether it''s an individual misstep or not, the Order faction must offer appropriate compensation." "Of course! Even if it was an individual''s mistake, it''s only right for us to take responsibility. We¡¯ll punish Pollux severely! We''ll bring you a compensation plan right away." Hermes saluted me and smiled slyly. Olympus doesn¡¯t care about brothers or anything. Since my power is still weak to take revenge on Olympus, I¡¯ll use them to focus on growing stronger for now. As for the soul mediator slots, I''ll auction them off just like last time. I''ll favor whoever offers the best price. For now, I need to collect useful skills and items to become stronger. I won¡¯t let my fate be dictated by these gods. Pollux, that bastard. Is this your fate? Nonsense. I''ll grow stronger no matter what. "Auction time. Bring me good skills and items. I¡¯ll allocate six slots to the best offer. You know the more, the better, right? Second and third place can also take some skills and items; I¡¯ll contract them for three slots each." "Ugh, why do you like auctions so much?" Loki grabbed his head in frustration. "Auction, huh¡­ If our Olympus items are good enough, can you forget past grudges and give us six slots?" Hermes smiled slyly, as if this was a good opportunity. Forget what? Forget nothing, you bastard. You¡¯ll definitely only get three slots. [Haha, let¡¯s show them the power of the shop. Six slots, huh. We¡¯ll have to wake up the sleeping Lords of Chaos soon.] Hades seemed confident. Right. There''s no good or evil in factions. Whoever treats me well is good in my book. Although the Chaos faction''s plans to destroy Earth bother me a bit, so they''ll start with some minus points. Still, I can¡¯t completely exclude them. Order and Neutral were allied to begin with. Chaos must also take at least one slot. I can¡¯t trust Order either. They¡¯ve already betrayed me once. Their minus points are even bigger than Chaos¡¯s. I¡¯ll make sure not to give them six slots. So, only Asgard gets no deductions? Ah, but considering how Loki backstabbed with Aurelia¡­ Man, there¡¯s no one trustworthy here. I¡¯ll decide based on the price they offer. If nothing stands out, I''ll just split it 4:4:4. "To be honest, we¡¯d love to give you SS or SSS-grade skills, but the problem is that Hunter Kim Jiho is only B-grade." "Even if they¡¯re godly skills from lower-tier gods, the limit of what you can hold is probably two or three at most." [If you try to hold more, your body won¡¯t be able to handle it. Well, if you¡¯re curious, I won¡¯t stop you, but I¡¯m just warning you ahead of time so you don¡¯t get hit with penalties.] So, if they had forced S-grade skills on me without warning, I could¡¯ve died¡­ Then they¡¯d face penalties? It might be a lie, but I¡¯ll listen for now. Ugh, complete distrust of gods has taken root in me. "Let us know roughly what kind of skills you¡¯re looking for, and we¡¯ll tailor them for you." "We have gods overseeing all things under heaven. Whatever type of skill you want, you can get it." [Don¡¯t forget we operate the shop. While we¡¯re not the shop¡¯s owners, we can provide the S-grade skills you desire.] They all confidently promised to provide the skills I wanted. Hmm. The skills I want¡­ "For now, I need skills to escape without being noticed by you guys. Concealment, escape¡ªthings like that." "What? Avoid our eyes, you say?" "Do those even exist?" [Avoiding a god¡¯s sight, huh¡­ Haha, you¡¯re quite ambitious.] Of course. Look at this mess. Even now, I¡¯m stuck in Olympus¡¯s garden, unable to escape. "I guess it must feel awful to be surrounded by SSS-grade gods like us. As a gesture of reconciliation, I¡¯ll give you a skill for such situations. ¡®Acceleration.¡¯" [Hermes¡¯ Acceleration LV1] [Skill Grade: A] [Acceleration skill of Hermes, the messenger god. Temporarily accelerates the body beyond its limits. At skill level 3, spatial movement becomes possible.] Ohhh. So this is for running away, huh? Not bad at all. It''ll be quite useful if I level it up to spatial movement. Although it¡¯s not S-grade, so I can¡¯t rely on it entirely. "And here¡¯s a little extra gift from me." [Penis Control.] [Skill Grade: C] [Allows full control over one¡¯s genitalia. Vasectomy seal is possible.] What the¡­ And what¡¯s with this penis control?! This is insane! "Hey, what is this?!" Hermes looked at me with a clueless expression. "Huh? You don¡¯t like it? It¡¯s a skill that all male gods of Olympus naturally have. You can increase the number of penises, adjust their size, add beads, or even twist them into a spiral. It¡¯s only C-grade, but my son, Priapus, used this skill to become rich in SP. Since I¡¯m his father, I can give it to you for free. It¡¯s usually super expensive." "Ohhh. To get that skill for free¡­ I had to pay a fortune for it in the shop. Hermes, you¡¯re generous. Jiho, want to test it on me?" Loki smirked at me while pulling his collar to reveal his chest. Whistle Next to him, Hermes whistled. Ah, please, don¡¯t do that with that innocent-looking Aurelia face. [Hmm, it¡¯s actually quite a useful skill. Priapus is one of the most irreplaceable gods in Olympus because of it.] Hades chimed in through a magic circle. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Ha, they really are gods. "Since you¡¯ve received this skill, you no longer need to worry about pregnancy. Live like a playboy, like us gods." "Right. And if you find someone you like, have kids and make deals with us." [A child of the Soul God¡¯s successor¡­ That would be intriguing.] The words of the gods that followed sent chills down my spine. ¡°You want to trade for a child?¡± ¡°Yes. A child of the heir of the Soul God would hold immense value.¡± ¡°Give birth to a child, and if it¡¯s useful, you can keep it as an heir. If not, just hand it over to us. We¡¯ll pay you handsomely.¡± [Heh heh. That kind of deal is our specialty.] ¡°What? How can you trade a child?¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The two gods gave me a strange look. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Jeez, what¡¯s so strange about it? It¡¯s incredibly efficient. Should I give birth for you?¡± [You¡¯re still far from reaching S-class, huh.] So, this is how the gods think? It¡¯s really disorienting. They genuinely have no feelings for a child. ¡°Well, if you ever consider it, let me know. I can send some fairies to assist you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good at giving birth. I¡¯ve even delivered a horse before.¡± [I have succubi as well. Or would you prefer an arrangement with the Lord of Chaos? There¡¯s someone named Lilith.] ¡°Ah, enough. Anyway, if S-class skills are restricted, what about items?¡± Changing the subject, Hermes grinned and answered. ¡°S-class items have their own consciousness, so they choose their owners. Whether they¡¯d choose a B-class like you is uncertain.¡± ¡°For consumable items, a few might work.¡± [If only you were part of the Chaos faction, there would¡¯ve been so many items to offer. A shame, really.] So even items come with tough conditions. ¡°Well, let me at least take a look. Honestly, with SSS-class gods like you, S-class should be nothing. And A-class? You can give me plenty of those, right?¡± ¡°Well, S-class isn¡¯t exactly ¡®nothing,¡¯ but we can prepare as many as needed. As for A-class... you can equip up to six simultaneously.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get ready too.¡± [Chaos items tend to corrupt their users with chaos, which is unfortunate. If your rank were higher, you could¡¯ve accessed all three factions. Still, let¡¯s find something good among the A-class items.] So, no S-class items from the Chaos side, huh. Guess I¡¯ll have to go for skills instead. What would be good as a second skill? Hmm. I think I¡¯m lacking in defense skills more than offensive ones. ¡°For the second, let¡¯s go with a defensive skill.¡± ¡°Invisibility, escape, and defense... you know how to survive. Very wise.¡± ¡°Defense, huh... Alright. I¡¯ll bring something good right away.¡± [Heh heh. We¡¯ll prepare thoroughly as well.] Would a third skill also be possible? Just in case, I should ask. ¡°If a third skill is possible, let¡¯s go with either an offensive one or something practical.¡± ¡°Yes, understood.¡± ¡°Greedy, aren¡¯t you? Alright.¡± [Heh heh. We¡¯ll do that. But it might take about a week¡ªhow does that sound?] A week, huh. ¡°What should I do in the meantime?¡± ¡°You should return to Kevrian. It¡¯s not good for a low-ranked human to stay in Olympus for too long.¡± Hermes, who dragged me here in the first place, now feigns concern. ¡°Your guardian deity has been replaced by me, but as a substitute, direct intervention might be difficult. Isn¡¯t that unfortunate?¡± ¡°Not at all. That¡¯s great news.¡± When Loki winked and spoke, I felt a little reassured. Though, it might still be a scam. Ugh. The more I think about it, the more distrustful I feel toward these gods. It¡¯s like being plagued by divine mistrust syndrome. [When you return to Kevrian, we¡¯ll battle again. I have a grand cause I must win for, so I¡¯ll make sure to kill you and send you back to Earth. Heh heh. It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t imprison you.] ¡°Can¡¯t we negotiate on that?¡± I wondered if I could strike a deal with the enemy to gain free experience points, but Hades firmly refused. [That¡¯s impossible. Earth must be destroyed as soon as possible.] So, imprisonment is a no-go, but killing me on Kevrian is allowed? I mean, I¡¯ll just return to Earth anyway, right? The system penalties feel pretty vague at times like these. ¡°Then, in a week, I¡¯ll summon you to a neutral trading ground. Ah, and about the guardian deity issue¡ªwould it be alright if I temporarily became your guardian deity? Pollux can¡¯t do it anymore.¡± Hermes smiled as he said this. I could sense the strong stench of a scam. Even the other two gods objected. ¡°No way. Don¡¯t let that scammer become your guardian deity. Let someone like Hephaestus handle it.¡± [Absolutely not. Hermes as a guardian deity? That¡¯s a disaster waiting to happen!] ¡°As expected, I knew you two would be noisy. Fine, I¡¯ll make a covenant as a substitute deity. I won¡¯t observe or read your thoughts. Additionally, I¡¯ll increase the stats granted per level by 1 point. This is the best I can do.¡± 1 point per level? That¡¯s double the current rate. It sounds fine, but I still don¡¯t trust him. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s still unsettling.¡± When I hesitated to agree, Hermes urgently tried to persuade me. ¡°In that case, I swear by my name as Hermes: without a guardian deity, the efficiency of your Soul Mediator class in the Order faction will greatly decrease. You won¡¯t gain additional stats, your status screen might disappear, and you¡¯ll be forced into neutrality.¡± [Heh heh. Then you can join Chaos!] ¡°All your accumulated skills and abilities from the Order faction will be gone. Jiho, I understand your doubts, but once you reach A-class, you¡¯ll ascend to demigod status and won¡¯t need a guardian deity anymore. I¡¯ll leave on my own at that point.¡± Hmm... It¡¯s somewhat convincing, but my trust in the Order faction is already at zero. Should I abandon Order and join Chaos? ¡°Hades.¡± [Oh. Are you coming to Chaos?] ¡°Will you absolutely destroy Earth?¡± If Chaos is set on destroying Earth, Hades is ultimately my enemy. If Earth disappears, can I even remain myself? No, I can¡¯t. All my efforts to maintain my original form will have been for nothing. [Yes, it is the duty of Chaos.] ¡°Why?¡± [Heh heh heh. Primarily, it¡¯s personal revenge. Ultimately, it¡¯s tied to the mission of Chaos.] ¡°Chaos¡¯s mission?¡± [To eradicate the cancerous cells distorting the world¡ªthat is the grand cause of Chaos. There is no compromise in this regard.] ¡°I see. That can¡¯t be helped.¡± Sigh. I can¡¯t join the Chaos faction for now. In the end, they¡¯re the enemy. Still, I need to keep some connections... to trade and grab some items. ¡°Are there any additional clauses in Hermes¡¯s terms?¡± ¡°Wait. ¡®Won¡¯t observe¡¯ and ¡®won¡¯t read thoughts¡¯ aren¡¯t enough. Add: no collecting information without permission, no interference, stats increased by 1 point per level, and he holds the right to terminate the contract anytime. These should be the terms.¡± Hermes¡¯s smile froze. He fell silent, glaring at Loki. Loki laughed, pointing a finger at Hermes. Wow. They¡¯re really keeping each other in check. [Exactly. Saying ¡®won¡¯t observe or read thoughts¡¯? You can still gather information through touch and sound. By the way, make the same re-contract terms with Loki. You can¡¯t just let that slide because he¡¯s a substitute deity.] ¡°Uncle Hades is right. Re-contract with him the same way. Hahaha.¡± Hermes forced a laugh while glaring daggers at Loki. Loki¡¯s expression instantly soured. Of course, it was all a scam. Ha. It¡¯s nice having all three factions keeping each other in check. Hades is particularly useful. ¡°Well, you heard them, right? Let¡¯s finalize the contract.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 65 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 65: Returning to the Battlefield (1) Having completed the contracts, I returned to Kevrian. In the sky, angels and the undead army were still locked in a standoff. It felt like I had spent a few days in Olympus, but judging by the situation, not much time had passed here. Before my body could fall, I cast Fly and summoned the Flame Chariot. Now, six horses were pulling it. Wow, they¡¯re really huge. Climbing onto the chariot, I stretched my hand toward the Death Knight directly ahead. ¡°Thunder God.¡± I blasted the Death Knight with lightning, taking it out. Could it be because my rank has increased? It felt like the power was noticeably stronger. Suddenly, an angel from our faction teleported to my side. The light covering his face flickered uncontrollably. [Did they fail, so you¡¯ve come?] ¡°Yeah, you idiot. Ugh, what kind of ¡®order¡¯? You scam artists.¡± I felt embarrassed for having used formal speech with them before. Angels, huh? Ugh. The angel was momentarily speechless at my casual tone. [¡­I sense the energy of Lord Hermes instead of Lord Pollux. What in the world happened? For now, I will provide support.] ¡°Fine. Protect me, angel.¡± The holy spirits summoned by the angel hovered around me, guarding me while fighting the flying Death Knights. The Death Knights, who had been charging madly earlier, were now slowing down. One of them cut down the holy spirits in a single slash and approached me, then stopped in its tracks. [I¡¯ve exhausted too much power today, visiting Olympus and protecting you. I¡¯ll let you off for today. Play with my minions for now.] With that, the Lord of Death vanished. Oh, is that so? Well then, I might as well gain some experience points. ¡°Phoenix, can you come out?¡± [Not yet, master. Even though you¡¯ve reached legendary rank, overexerting myself last time left me too weak.] ¡°That¡¯s disappointing. Oh well, I¡¯ll handle it myself.¡± Time to burn through mana. ¡°Focus Enhancement. Thunder God!¡± Stretching out both hands, I channeled all my mana. Could it be because of my rank increase? The maximum amount of mana I could invest in Thunder God had increased. With Focus Enhancement amplifying it further, an incredible force erupted. Kwarurururu. The sky was covered with golden lightning bolts. It was on a scale I had never seen before. The Death Knights and Liches caught in the lightning storm were instantly turned to ash and disappeared. Some of the white spirits summoned by the angel were wiped out as collateral, but I didn¡¯t care. They all seemed about the same to me now, those guys and the angels. [What tremendous¡­ power.] ¡°Thanks to your help, I managed to rank up.¡± After clearing the monsters in the sky, I steered the Flame Chariot down to the ground. Earthlings were slowly being resurrected, only to be immediately subdued by black skeletons upon revival. Ugh¡­ so weak. Way too weak. What¡¯s going to happen to Earth? ¡°Yeoui.¡± Yeoui had grown much larger than before. Even without Focus Enhancement, it was as big as it used to be when I used Focus Enhancement at C-rank. A light swing at the black skeletons sent them scattering like leaves in the wind. After dealing with SSS-rank beings, fighting these guys felt like a fun massacre. Shall I try acceleration now? Can the Flame Chariot accelerate? ¡°Accelerate.¡± When I used acceleration, both my body and the Flame Chariot felt lighter. Driving it at normal speed, it moved at least three times faster than usual. Pouring more mana into it made it dash around like crazy. Wow. It¡¯s insanely fast. This is great for running. The downside, though, was that the Flame Chariot weakened when using acceleration. The horses shrank, and the flames dimmed. But even in its weakened state, black skeletons were no match. I dashed across the battlefield, setting everything ablaze with my accelerated Flame Chariot. [Level Up!] After stagnating since reaching B-rank, the level-up notification finally appeared. Sigh. What¡¯s the level cap for A-rank, anyway? 200? There¡¯s no need to slow down my leveling speed anymore, so I¡¯ll push straight to a higher rank. [Hermes is sending a message: ¡®The reward package from Olympus is ready.¡¯] Reward package? It¡¯s ready already? [Hermes: ¡®We¡¯ve prepared the upgraded versions of the Hephaestus Armor (A-rank), Artemis Bow (A-rank), 1 million SP, and the World Tree¡¯s Golden Fruit that you used before.¡¯] Oh. So they¡¯re sending upgraded versions of the equipment I lost to the dragon¡¯s breath? 1 million SP and a golden fruit, too. They¡¯re dazzling rewards from my current perspective. And I¡¯ll probably get more from the soul mediation, right? Considering soul trades, if I close a 1 billion deal, I get 0.1%, right? 0.1% of 1 billion is 100,000. Just 10 deals like that would make 1 million. Looking at it that way, it doesn¡¯t seem like much after all. [Hermes: ¡®If you¡¯re dissatisfied, feel free to contact me. Just say ¡®Communicate with Hermes,¡¯ and you can speak to me directly.¡¯] So he can¡¯t read my thoughts like Pollux anymore? Good. ¡°Communicate with Hermes.¡± A small hologram of Hermes appeared in front of me. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s neat. Anyway, isn¡¯t it just 10 soul trades worth 1 billion to make 1 million SP?¡± Hermes bowed and rubbed his hands together like a true lackey. Hardly divine behavior. [Oh, come on, how many 1-billion trades do you think exist? We¡¯ll give you an extra 0.9% commission on top of our usual rate. I¡¯ll make sure you get paid for each trade.] Seriously. So that¡¯s 1%? That¡¯s decent, but maybe I can push for more. After all, 3% from the SP shop goes to the opposing faction, right? ¡°Why not raise it a bit more? How about a total of 2%? Even if it¡¯s 3%, it¡¯s better than letting Chaos get it.¡± [Sigh, 2%... At this rate, it¡¯d be better to pay you in a lump sum, but we¡¯re short on SP right now¡­ Alright, fine. Will you accept the reward package under those terms?] Short on SP? How? It seemed suspicious, but I agreed. Judging by how quickly he accepted, I might¡¯ve been able to get a better deal by dragging it out... Hermes is an SSS-ranked deity. It¡¯s best to apply just the right amount of pressure. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it.¡± [Huh? Suddenly being polite?] ¡°Well, you¡¯ll be my client for SP transactions now. Can¡¯t keep addressing a deity informally.¡± Though I agreed to the negotiation for now, it wouldn¡¯t be wise to come across as too hostile¡­ Even if I¡¯m cursing in my head, there¡¯s no need to let it show on the surface anymore. [Hahaha. I appreciate the attitude of mutual respect. Then, I¡¯ll send you up to your guardian deity¡¯s limit right now. I¡¯ll give you the items as well.] [You received 100,000 SP from Hermes, the Deity of Order.] [You obtained ¡®Hephaestus¡¯s Armor¡¯ from Hermes.] [You obtained ¡®Artemis¡¯s Bow¡¯ from Hermes.] [You equipped 3 pieces of A-rank gear from the Order faction. You can equip 3 more pieces.] Oh-ho. If it¡¯s 3 pieces of A-rank gear from the Order faction, does that mean Neutrals might have six slots available too? An A-rank set from Yeouido, and it¡¯s top-notch. What rank are the other gears, then? The bracelets automatically attached to both wrists. The jewels are navy. It seems like the ranks are indeed organized by colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, navy, and violet. I¡¯ll test the weapon¡¯s performance later. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] And 100,000 SP¡­ It feels like just yesterday I was haggling with Pollux over paying in installments for that amount. Turns out he could¡¯ve just sent it like this all along. Guardian deity¡¯s limit, huh. He wouldn¡¯t withhold what he promised, would he? If he does, that¡¯s grounds for terminating the mediation contract. [Then, if there are any updates later, I¡¯ll send you a message. Take care.] With a flicker, Hermes disappeared. With 100,000 SP in hand, my status window must be looking pretty abundant now. But first, let¡¯s deal with the undead in front of me and get things sorted. Hades said he wouldn¡¯t intervene today, so I need to level up while I can. Accelerating the Flame Chariot, I charged toward the enemy lines. As I did, I equipped the newly received gear. When I put on Hephaestus¡¯s Armor, a black suit of armor enveloped my body, similar to before. It didn¡¯t seem all that different. It¡¯s a bit more comfortable to move in, and there¡¯s a faint navy sheen, I suppose? In addition, the armor on both arms had four navy gems embedded in it. I suddenly heard a magical incantation as I tried to figure out what was different. [Death Ray.] Huh? Why didn¡¯t my danger detection activate? I¡¯ve seen this before when I went to save those elves. It¡¯s pretty strong. A beam of death light stretched toward me. I was already aware of it, so dodging was no issue. As I turned the chariot to dodge, the navy light shimmering from the armor suddenly spread out with a whoosh. It transformed into a giant mouth and devoured the Death Ray whole. Wow. It reacted before I even dodged and consumed the death beam. So that¡¯s why my danger detection didn¡¯t go off? [The spirit of Hephaestus¡¯s Armor has absorbed the Death Ray. You can cast the absorbed spell within ten minutes. The Death Ray will be permanently absorbed if not used within ten minutes.] What the¡ª? My wrist started to sting, and I noticed one of the four gems had turned green. Looking at it, I suddenly understood how to cast the spell. It felt like the armor was teaching me. I extended my left arm, the one with the gem, and pointed a finger at the lich who had cast the spell at me. Then, with a light press on the green gem, the absorbed Death Ray shot out from my fingertips. [What¡­ what is this?! Anti-Magic Shield¡­!] The lich hastily cast a defensive spell, but the Death Ray pierced through it without mercy. The lich disintegrated into ash on the spot. Wow! This is incredible. If my danger detection doesn¡¯t activate, I can just assume it¡¯ll block everything and fight recklessly. The armor¡¯s performance was so impressive that I eagerly summoned the bow as well. It looked similar to the bow I had used before. As I pulled the string, my mana flowed out naturally, creating an arrow of light. But this arrow wasn¡¯t a single entity like before; it was composed of numerous smaller overlapping layers. Diana used to fire multiple arrows at once¡ªdoes this bow have a similar function? I¡¯m not that skilled at archery¡­ [Please designate a target. If none is designated, the arrows will fly automatically.] Hmm? Target designation? Looking around, I saw a Death Knight in the sky wiping out the souls of light. That one looks tougher than the average Death Knight. It¡¯s the target. [Target has been designated.] As I released the string, the clusters of light arrows flew out. The arrows of light dispersed mid-flight. Though smaller in size compared to before, their speed and power were far greater. Counting them, there were about 40 arrows. The light arrows that scattered in the sky all zeroed in on the designated Death Knight. Like guided missiles. The Death Knight swung its sword to block the arrows, but only managed to deflect a couple. Its sword shattered, and its body was riddled with arrows, bursting into flames. As the Death Knight burned and disappeared, the homing arrows, now without a target, automatically sought out and struck other undead around them. The homing arrows continued to eliminate enemies until they finally vanished. Wow. This is so convenient. It barely consumed any mana and still performed this well? It¡¯s more like a guided missile system than a bow. I hadn¡¯t used a bow in a while, but now I¡¯ll definitely be using it frequently. As I traversed the battlefield, I ran various tests. With maximum magic infusion, Artemis¡¯s Bow could fire up to 100 arrows, and using focus enhancement, it could unleash 600 arrows. However, after using focus enhancement, the bow would enter an overload state and be unusable for three minutes. It seemed the homing arrows¡¯ limit was 200 per minute. Hephaestus¡¯s Armor could absorb physical attacks as well, though it couldn¡¯t retaliate with those¡ªonly absorbed magic could be counterattacked. Once all the gems were filled with magic, the first gem¡¯s magic would vanish to make room for new absorption. Even with just two pieces of gear, combat had become significantly easier. A-rank¡­ truly impressive. [You have leveled up.] After raining down arrows and hurling lightning bolts, I descended to the ground. I think I¡¯ve already gained three levels. Firing arrows into the sky, sweeping enemies with my gear, and launching lightning bolts¡ªit kept me busy, but the joy of gaining experience points made time fly. I need to level up quickly and raise my rank. ¡°The captain¡¯s gotten even stronger, hasn¡¯t he¡­?¡± ¡°Could he be at B-rank?¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± As I continued mowing down enemies, survivors began rejoining the fight. They weren¡¯t participating in combat, just standing by and watching. Of course, getting massacred by black skeletons meant fighting would be pointless, but¡­ This situation is dire. Some strong individuals need to emerge among Earthlings, or this gap in power will become insurmountable. I can¡¯t keep doing a one-man show forever. Without proper backup from Earthlings, things will get tough. Hades talks like destroying Earth is the end of it, but why aren¡¯t the deities of Order or Neutrality offering more help? They should be providing as much support to Earthlings as possible. I¡¯ll have to ask about this later. [Kim Jiho¡­ Awakened one¡­] Suddenly, the roots of the World Tree wrapped around my feet where I stood. I could faintly hear Elprian¡¯s voice. [Olympus¡­ Hermes has completely destroyed me¡­ This is my final thought¡­ My last legacy is with Diana, so please find her¡­ When you do, check the seal once again.] And with that, the World Tree¡¯s roots dissipated as if drained of energy. What the¡­ Olympus doesn¡¯t hesitate to strike back immediately, huh? Hermes¡­ even though he smiles and bows on the surface, he¡¯s not one to leave loose ends. He¡¯s someone to be wary of. That aside, Diana is the Apostle of the Sun God, Apollo¡­ Last time, she completely changed and went berserk. Can I even retrieve Elprian¡¯s legacy? Can the seal do something? sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With these thoughts weighing on my mind, I continued slaughtering enemies. While I annihilated thousands of enemies, Earthlings merely watched. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± ¡°Why are we so weak¡­¡± Exactly. This is bad. Really bad¡­ [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 66 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 66: Returning to the Battlefield (2) The Earthling forces were steadily regrouping, but they were only getting wiped out upon arrival. ¡°P... please spare me¡­¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have come¡­¡± It¡¯s one thing for D-ranks to get obliterated, but if even the C-ranks were struggling like this, what were we supposed to do? Hmm¡­ There had to be a way. My gaze fell on the Artemis Bow I was holding. Shooting arrows en masse was undoubtedly useful, but it felt too much like an AoE (area-of-effect) skill, overlapping with my Thunder God''s ability. Could this be lent to someone else? It would return to me automatically if I unsummoned it anyway. Spotting Kang Shia among the Earthling forces, her face darkened with despair, I approached her. ¡°Shia.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your current rank?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve advanced to C-rank¡­ but my attacks are completely ineffective against those black skeletons.¡± Though she¡¯d been happy about her rank increase at first, her mood had soured when her attacks didn¡¯t land at all. ¡°Try using this.¡± I handed her the Artemis Bow. She accepted it, and perhaps because she had watched me shoot it several times, she quickly drew the bowstring. Unlike when I used it, only a few extremely fine arrows, as thin as strands of hair, materialized. ¡°They¡¯re homing arrows. Try shooting them at the skeleton.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± As she released the string, the magical arrows flew straight toward the skeleton¡¯s head. The arrows were so fine that they were nearly invisible unless you concentrated. Thunk. The arrow pierced the skeleton¡¯s head and disappeared. Maybe it was because her mana was weaker? When I used the bow, the arrows would pierce through enemies and annihilate the surrounding ones as well, but that wasn¡¯t happening now. ¡°Wow! I already leveled up¡­¡± ¡°Keep using it for a while.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ is that okay?¡± ¡°Yes. The Earthlings need to level up. I¡¯ll recall it if I need it during a fight. Use as much mana as you can while you have it.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Oh, and if you run out of mana, pass it around to other C-rank archers. Tell them they¡¯ll face penalties if they slack off despite having mana.¡± ¡°Got it. Thank you so much.¡± Kang Shia¡¯s face brightened for the first time in a while. Leaving her behind, I returned to the battlefield and opened my skill window. I could start leveling up skills now, right? I decided to upgrade my frequently used skill, Thunder God, but saw that it required 300,000 SP. 300,000¡­ That¡¯s a huge amount. Currently, I had just over 100,000 SP. Other skills like Soul Mediation, Ability Absorption, and Soul Reaper each required 100,000 SP for upgrades. For now, I decided to prioritize Soul Reaper during the week of battles ahead. After leveling it up, the skill¡¯s level name changed. [Soul Reaper Skill LV4] [Gain SP by plundering a portion of an enemy¡¯s soul upon their death. Upon reaching LV5, you will also gain SP by significantly damaging an enemy.] Oh. So I could gain SP without killing them? Excited, I tried to level up Soul Reaper again, but its SP requirement had suddenly increased to 500,000. What? Why did the SP cost spike all of a sudden? While the skill upgrades were fantastic¡­ I¡¯d have to be more conservative with SP usage when increasing attributes from now on. I also changed my title. [Pioneer of Earth (Legendary)] [Grade: A] [A title granted to the first Earthling to reach B-rank and the legendary grade. All stats increase by 20%. This effect is active only when the user is B-rank.] The bonus had increased from 10% to 20%, making it even more valuable. Pioneer? That¡¯s mine to keep. As I scattered magic around, I glanced at my status window. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Mediator (Enhanced) Patron Deity: Hermes, God of Messengers Title: Hero of Kevrian Level: 107 Strength: 101, Agility: 100, Magic: 101 SP: 4,120 Bonus Stats: +26] [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Reaperer (Enhanced) Patron Deity: Loki, God of Deception Title: Pioneer of Earth (Legendary) Level: 107 Physique: A, Magic: A, Skill: A, Luck: A SP: 11,084] Through Ability Absorption, my strength and magic had increased slightly, but agility, skill, and luck remained the same. Since skill and luck were still B-rank, I had invested neutral faction bonus stats into them to achieve all A¡¯s. The gauge for A was barely filled, but I wanted to see the ¡°all A¡± status. As for order faction bonus stats, I decided to save them for now. Although I hadn¡¯t invested much into my stats, I felt significantly stronger, likely thanks to the title change. Getting stronger was great, but the SP consumption after reaching B-rank was just too high. I¡¯d have to restart Soul Mediation soon and prioritize leveling up SP-gaining skills like Soul Mediation and Soul Reaper. With skill upgrades now possible, there were even more things to consider. While firing lightning bolts with my left hand, I continued browsing through my status and skill windows with my right. My attention was drawn to a skill that had appeared alongside Soul Mediation¡ªSoul Energy Emission. [Soul Energy Emission LV1] [Consumes SP to create soul energy. This energy can be imbued into the user¡¯s body or weapons they¡¯re touching. It destroys enemy SP at ten times the cost. As the skill levels up, its ratio increases, and long-range use becomes possible.] It consumes my SP to drain the enemy¡¯s SP? I couldn¡¯t fully grasp it, but I had to try it out. I transformed Yeoui into a large sword and activated Soul Energy Emission. ¡°Soul Energy Emission.¡± White spiritual energy began to emanate from the sword. It was similar to a mana blade, but the fluctuating white light around the blade gave off an unstable, wave-like appearance. I was about to swing Yeoui to sweep away some enemies when I noticed a message pop up and couldn¡¯t help but gasp. [100 SP consumed.] What?! It cost me 100 SP just to activate this? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] And it didn¡¯t even last long. After about 30 seconds, the spiritual energy started fading. In a hurry, I swung the sword at a nearby black skeleton. The moment the sword touched the skeleton, it disintegrated instantly. It didn¡¯t burn with holy power or anything¡ªit was just erased from existence. [The enemy''s SP is extinguished.] [The enemy''s SP is insufficient. The entity disappears.] [The soul is completely annihilated. You cannot gain SP through soul absorption.] Wow. So if the enemy runs out of SP, they completely disappear, even their soul. This would be tricky to use on regular mobs. I mean, you don''t gain SP; you lose it instead... I should try using it against stronger enemies. [Let us aid the ground.] Once the enemies in the sky were somewhat suppressed, an angel descended with an army of light. With the angel''s army joining the fray, humans finally started holding their own against the black skeletons. When the holy spirits led by the angel entered human bodies, those humans powered up and their attacks started working. "This is the grace of Zeus..." "Thank you for the blessing of the supreme god." Some devout individuals began offering prayers. Seeing people kneeling and drawing the sign of the cross while chanting "Zeus" gave me chills. Most of them were praising Zeus. Sure, Zeus is the leader and the strongest among the twelve gods, but still, this is polytheism. Yet the other gods seem to get hardly any acknowledgment. [Praise Zeus.] Even the angel raised a sword of light and stirred the crowd. "Whoaah!" People rushed toward the undead. Well, at least we can fight the black skeletons now. But the constant chanting of "Zeus" stuck with me. There''s no way they''re helping us for free; the angels must have something to gain from this... "The enemies have stopped coming for now." "Phew. That was really tough to fend off today." "It would have been difficult without the angels'' help." "I feel ashamed for not going to church. Truly, God''s grace is amazing." "Yes, I should visit the temple more often too." People were chatting cheerfully. Churches and temples were united in praising Zeus. Maybe ignorance really is bliss. It feels like I''m the only one with open eyes among a world of blind people. Shaking my head, I approached Kang Shia, who was organizing things. "Ah, Jiho, your archery was amazing. Thanks to you not summoning back the bow, every single C-rank archer got to shoot at least once." "Did you level up?" "Yes! My level went up about one for every six enemies I killed. For C-rank archers, it took about ten shots to use up all their mana. D-rank archers, however, could only manage three shots." "D-rank archers could use it too?" An A-rank weapon being usable by D-ranks? That¡¯s surprising. "Yes. I tried to discourage them by saying there might be penalties, but they were determined to try since they figured they''d die either way..." I probably would¡¯ve done the same in their situation, being trampled by skeletons while unable to do anything. Anyway, thanks to the D-rank archers¡¯ experiments, they all gathered near the bow, taking turns shooting one arrow before passing it to the next person. Thinking about hundreds of archers taking turns using one bow makes me feel kind of bad for them. "Oh, and Diana from the World Tree said she¡¯s performing a ceremony and asked me to tell you to come when the battle with the commander is over." "For me? When?" "Yes, about an hour ago? It was today." This must be what Elprian mentioned earlier. Maybe she¡¯s regained her senses. I thought about going now but hesitated because it was a brief lull in the battle and hard to leave my post. I¡¯ll go after we fend off one more wave. I approached the angel standing proudly above the ground. "When do you think the next attack will be? Or do you think it''ll come at all?" This honorific speech isn¡¯t coming out properly. The light concealing the angel¡¯s face flickered. [Kim Jiho, Awakener. If you want to speak casually, just do so. Since Hermes is your patron deity, I will tolerate it.] "If you''re okay with it, I won¡¯t hold back. Why don¡¯t you come down from the sky and help on the ground now? We¡¯re only numerous in numbers." [Alright. Everyone else is too incompetent. It would be better to forcibly enhance their abilities through spirit fusion. However, those with no abilities might die quickly from spirit fusion. Are you okay with that?] "They¡¯ll die here anyway, right?" [Correct.] "Then it¡¯s fine. Go ahead with spirit fusion." It¡¯s better to die while at least dealing damage to the enemy than to die doing nothing. Might as well earn some experience points. "By the way, was it always this hard to fight them? Were we really meant to overcome this?" [Even though divine grace is concentrated on you, Earth¡¯s Awakeners are extraordinarily weak. Death Soldiers can usually be defeated by someone at hero rank. Did Earth do something to earn the deity¡¯s wrath?] "Who knows." [An unusual case... Hmm. The enemy is coming. Prepare yourself.] The angel was surprisingly conversational, but enemies arrived at an inopportune time. The angel''s sword shone brightly, illuminating the battlefield. The direction of the light was the front. In the light stood a familiar foe. An enemy who had previously died to me. The Death Knight King had returned, leading an army of ghosts. "Ampellion!" [There¡¯s one in the sky too.] At the angel''s words, I looked up. A lich in a black robe stood in the sky. It was three or four times larger than a regular lich, wielding a scythe instead of a staff. Around it were flocks of decayed monstrous birds flying in formation. [I¡¯ll take care of the sky.] The angel soared into the air, followed by the holy spirits. The sky would soon erupt into another large-scale battle. [Kim Jiho, I decided that quality matters more than quantity, so I¡¯ve prepared two special knights for you. I worked hard to revive Ampellion, so don¡¯t let me down. Kill it quickly, haha. If you fall into despair after dying, I¡¯ll bring a nice consolation gift.] Hades¡¯ voice echoed in the air. What a detestable enemy. More importantly, Ampellion... Last time, it crushed me when I was a C-rank. I¡¯m much stronger now, almost incomparable to back then, but can I handle it? "Die." Ampellion¡¯s form vanished, and a sharp pain pierced the top of my head. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve felt this kind of danger. But unlike last time, it doesn¡¯t feel overwhelming. This is doable. Alright, let¡¯s settle the score. "Accelerate." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 67 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 67: Hades¡¯ Retreat Ampellion swung his sword down from a distance. The sword aura stretched out, aiming right between my eyes. The momentum of his strike from afar is far more menacing than before. But now, I can handle it. Dodging to the side, I scattered lightning as a countermeasure. When Ampellion extended his hand, the lightning got sucked toward him, making him pause briefly. [You¡¯ve gotten stronger.] Raising his sword again, he suddenly step[ed forward. Ampellion¡¯s figure expanded in an instant. This level of attack is manageable. I accelerated to evade and summon the Flames Chariot to charge at him. Meanwhile, I took potshots with Thunder God as a bonus. Ampellion, now engulfed in flames, growled lowly. [You¡¯re becoming a nuisance.] He grabbed the Flame Chariot with his hands and crushed it. Though its large size prevents it from vanishing immediately, its presence diminished significantly. Ampellion then tapped his body with his sword, absorbing the flames into the blade. As expected, it¡¯s not very effective. His attacks are straightforward, making them relatively easy to avoid. The synergy between my acceleration and danger detection is phenomenal, so even as Ampellion swings his sword wildly, I still have room to maneuver. The problem is, my attacks aren¡¯t working either. Even with the added divine power of the Blessing of Harmony, he barely takes any damage. [Rise, O dead souls.] Ampellion, who had been fending off my attacks, extended his hand toward the sky. White specters began to rise from the ground. Some even rose near me, but Hephaestus¡¯ Armor automatically emitted a navy aura that devoured them. These minor attacks are completely handled by the armor. While I¡¯m suppressing the specters, Ampellion closed the distance step by step. As the gap narrowed, it became increasingly difficult to dodge his sword auras. [Hermes¡¯ power, is it? You¡¯re as fast as a rat.] If I keep creating distance, I can dodge them for now¡­ But simply evading won¡¯t solve anything. I need to land a decisive blow while I still have energy. Although I¡¯ve been trying other attacks to conserve SP, nothing has worked, so there¡¯s no other choice. I decide to use Soul Energy Emission. ¡°Focus enhancement. Soul Energy Emission.¡± Expanding Yeoui in one swift motion, I activated Focus Enhancement for the projection. Yeoui surged and elongated, glowing pure white. [SP decreases by 3,200.] What? 3,200 SP? That¡¯s way too much! A quarter of my total SP is gone in one move¡­ Ugh, I have to make this count. As Ampellion swung his massive sword, I aimed for the gap between his strikes and closed the distance. When I charged at him, Ampellion, about to swing again, suddenly froze. [No¡­ This is Lord Heracles¡¯¡­!] Heracles? I don¡¯t know what he means, but I won¡¯t miss this opening. Yeoui cut diagonally across Ampellion¡¯s massive torso. The sword slices through him like tofu, without the slightest resistance. Ampellion¡¯s upper body fell to the ground with a thud, while his lower body completely disappeared. [Kraaaaahhh!!] A scream shakes the battlefield. Ampellion¡¯s upper body collapsed, unable to move, emitting only a harrowing wail. The sound is so gut-wrenching that it made me flinch. Is Soul Energy Emission really this powerful? Now¡¯s my chance to finish this. As I prepared to strike again, Ampellion¡¯s body was suddenly enveloped in a crimson protective barrier. Yeoui was repelled the moment it made contact with the shield. ¡°Kim Jiho, Awakened One.¡± A familiar voice echoed from within the blood-red barrier. The barrier dissipated, revealing Hades. The ever-smirking god now wore a stern expression, unlike any I¡¯d seen before. ¡°You even used Soul Energy Emission. Truly, you¡¯re a troublesome person.¡± ¡°Hades!¡± ¡°I cannot let Ampellion perish here. I concede. I will retreat.¡± ¡°Retreat?¡± What? Hades, who had been so insistent on destroying Earth, is retreating? [Lord of Death, where do you think you¡¯re running off to? Kim Jiho, Awakened One, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Attack Hades! I will replenish your SP as much as you need.] Suddenly, a light poured down from the sky. It surrounded the Lord of Death, forming a cage-like prison of radiant beams. Each ray carried immense divine power, gradually tightening around him. But Hades paid no attention to it. Instead, he cradles Ampellion¡¯s upper body and looks at me with his signature sly smile. [Ku ku ku. Kim Jiho, Awakened One, the next time we meet, I shall give you a proper escape skill. Consider this a demonstration. Observe as I evade Athena¡¯s divine power. Chaos Hole.] With a snap of Hades¡¯ fingers, the space around him and Ampellion began to distort. Suddenly, the desolate wasteland turned pitch black. The Lich, wielding a massive scythe in the sky, was also pulled into the blackened area. Then, Hades¡¯ group vanished into the darkness. The radiant beams of divine power, which had been closing in, were halted by the darkened space. ¡°Kim Jiho, Awakened One, I congratulate you on your victory. Until next time. We¡¯ll meet again soon¡­¡± So¡­ is this a real victory? I feel dazed. All I did was use Soul Energy Emission to slice Ampellion in half, and now Hades has fled. Does this mean the planet¡¯s restoration was a success? Earth¡¯s liberation? A happy ending? Wow! [Ah... how unfortunate. Hades should have been subdued when he was in his demigod form. If we had suppressed him with soul emission here, he would have been sealed for hundreds of years.] Amidst the light, Athena''s voice was heard. Her tone was heavy with regret. ¡°What exactly is soul emission, for it to be so powerful?¡± [It¡¯s the most potent force capable of nullifying a god''s immortality. Especially if you strike a god''s avatar with soul emission, it greatly impacts their true form. That¡¯s why Hades fled so quickly.] ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± I thought it was just a way to burn away the enemy¡¯s SP, but I guess it has other effects too. I don¡¯t have much SP left, but Athena probably would¡¯ve provided me with plenty of resources if I fought Hades again. It¡¯s a bit disappointing we couldn¡¯t capture him. But when you think about it, considering I¡¯m somewhat tied to the forces of chaos, maybe letting him escape unharmed is for the best. Anyway, it¡¯s a victory, right? ¡°So, does that mean the Lords of Chaos won¡¯t come to Earth anymore?¡± [That¡¯s right¡­ They will no longer descend. The angel will explain the details further.] Then Athena¡¯s light quickly ascended to the sky. Does she have something urgent to attend to? But more importantly¡­ oh wow! Are we really winning like this? I was gearing up for a proper fight with Ampellion, but it ended so anticlimactically¡ªit feels like finishing without cleaning up after yourself. Still, a win is a win! [Brave Earthlings.] The angel briefly glanced at me before slowly descending toward the Earthling forces. Her wings of light spread widely in all directions, and grass began to grow on the desolate land. The awakened Earthlings, who were startled by the sudden change, quickly sensed the victorious atmosphere and looked overjoyed. [You have won. Though the extraordinary efforts of one individual played a major role, this outcome would not have been possible without the struggles of all of you.] To be honest, I did most of the work. But the angel is kind enough to package it well for the Earthlings. ¡°Did we really win?¡± ¡°Why? That Death Knight earlier was insane.¡± ¡°What did Hunter Kim Jiho even do?¡± ¡°Eh, who cares? They said we won! I thought we¡¯d lose for sure¡­!¡± ¡°Wow! We won!!¡± As the angel confirmed the victory, everyone burst into jubilation. They jump around, hugging each other and crying¡ªit¡¯s chaos, but in a good way. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [This world will soon close and regenerate. You can no longer remain here, so return now. In a little while, you will be forcibly recalled.] ¡°Understood!¡± One by one, people begin to return at the angel¡¯s command. Once we return, we won¡¯t be able to come back here? Wow, all we did was fight endlessly. Come to think of it, if we¡¯d held out until the orc forces and the dragon arrived, we probably would¡¯ve seen a scene where the angel and the dragon joined forces to subdue the enemy¡­ But nope, it all ended with soul emission. ¡°Well, I¡¯m fine with that.¡± It feels anticlimactic, but hey, getting an easy win is great. Otherwise, we¡¯d have been locked in a grueling battle with an ever-strengthening undead army, risking our lives in a showdown with the Lord of Death. If we¡¯d lost or the Lord of Death fled like this after all that, it would¡¯ve been infuriating. ¡°Jiho!¡± ¡°Jiho!¡± It was Lee Jinseong running toward me. Following him were Kang Shia and many others. Most of them were part of the apostle commander units back in the day. ¡°What the heck did you do?¡± ¡°Well, I became a B-rank and used a new skill, right? But after one hit, they suddenly retreated.¡± ¡°B-rank? Whoa! You¡¯re already B-rank?¡± ¡°You¡¯re already B-rank?¡± ¡°Captain, you¡¯re already B-rank¡­¡± ¡°With this, you¡¯re officially the strongest on Earth.¡± They¡¯re all astonished. Among them, there were intelligence personnel staring at me with wide eyes. ¡°Whatever it takes, we must naturalize him.¡± ¡°Even if the Lords of Chaos won¡¯t descend anymore, B and C-rank dungeons will still be a headache. He¡¯s an invaluable asset for the U.S.¡± ¡°Did you record the footage?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll use it to secure a blank check from Congress.¡± They¡¯re whispering, thinking I can¡¯t hear them, but thanks to my physical enhancements, I can hear everything. Wow. Should I move to the U.S. for money? Now that the apocalypse is over, I should enjoy life a bit. B-rank dungeons will be a piece of cake. I¡¯ll just sweep through danger zones and get paid handsomely. Hahaha. ¡°Oh. The forced return message popped up. Hey, let¡¯s drink like crazy when we get back to Earth.¡± ¡°Okay. See you on Earth.¡± Lee Jinseong waves and vanishes into light. One by one, the others around me disappear as well. ¡°Jiho, are you going to meet Lady Diana before you leave?¡± ¡°Oh. Right, I should.¡± That¡¯s right. I need to meet Diana. I almost forgot because we won so suddenly. ¡°Oh, I got the forced return message too. I¡¯ll see you on Earth then.¡± ¡°Okay, see you on Earth.¡± Kang Shia also returned, leaving the surroundings quiet. The once-crowded Earthlings and undead army are gone, leaving only serene silence. The green grass continued to grow lushly. ¡°Time to claim my reward.¡± I acceleratd, running toward the World Tree. At first, I felt dazed and confused, but the more I ran, the more exhilarating it became. I won! I actually won! I managed to overcome the angelic transformation, and Earth is safe too. Sure, the emergence of dungeons is a bit concerning, but the resources like mana stones they produce could advance new technologies. Ironically, the existence of dungeons will probably solidify my position even further. Cheers to that. Feeling good, I ran toward the World Tree. However, as I stood before it, a sense of vastness and desolation overwhelmed me. The tree was impossibly large, and not even a single ant could be seen around it. Where exactly is Diana? Tap, tap. As I kept looking around, a breeze blew past, and something lightly tapped my shoulder. When I looked to my shoulder, I saw a wind spirit in the form of a young girl, shyly touching me. ¡°Are you Diana¡¯s spirit?¡± The wind spirit nodded and gestured for me to follow. I followed the spirit toward the massive trunk of the World Tree. When the spirit tapped the trunk gently, part of it transformed into a door-shaped opening. The spirit gestured for me to go inside. So, I¡¯m supposed to enter the tree? Curious, I opened the door. Creaaak. Inside, there was a soft, ambient glow and an enormous bed. The bed was adorned with pristine white linens and fluffy-looking blankets. And there, sitting against the pillows with a smile, was Diana. Her smile carried a subtle seductiveness. The gentle glow emanating from her body made me involuntarily swallow hard. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°You¡¯ve come, Jiho.¡± ¡°Yes, Diana.¡± Diana was covered with a blanket up to her chest, but she was otherwise bare. The atmosphere was¡­ intimate, to say the least. ¡°I knew you would bring victory to Kevrian, as a member of Kevrian, I felt I must repay you properly today, so I invited you to my humble room.¡± Her voice was rich and sultry, and her gaze was filled with allure. Exhale. Though my heart pounded, a part of my mind remained ice-cold. If I were still a C-rank, I might have leaped into her arms without hesitation. But after being betrayed by Olympus and Loki, I¡¯d grown cautious. Suddenly, I recalled Elprian¡¯s final message: ¡®Olympus¡­ Hermes utterly destroyed me¡­ This is my last remaining thought¡­ My final legacy has been entrusted to Diana. Please find her¡­ And when you do, examine the seal once more.¡¯ Elprian¡¯s final legacy was left to Diana. But this situation felt far removed from such matters. Clearly, this was an attempt to seduce me. ¡°Jiho¡­¡± Diana began to rise from the bed. As the blanket slid off her, her bare skin was slowly revealed. Gulp. Wait a second. Her figure was¡­ flawless. It felt like the cold rationality in my mind was starting to dissolve. [The "Clear Mind" skill has been activated.] Ah¡­ No. Calm down. First, I need to check the seal. ¡°Inventory.¡± Opening my inventory, I pulled out Elprian¡¯s seal. The moment I held it, green light began to fill the room. The light coalesced around Diana. The alluring expression on Diana¡¯s face vanished as her exposed body was covered by the green glow. [This energy¡­ Elprian¡¯s¡­! How could she leave behind so much power even now!?] Suddenly, a golden apparition appeared above Diana¡¯s head. The ghostly figure frowned, and its breathtaking beauty left me speechless. Wow. I¡¯ve never seen anyone so stunning. She was even more beautiful than Diana or Aurelia. The thought struck me: ¡°There¡¯s no way a more beautiful woman could exist.¡± Who on Earth is she? [You¡­ How can you be so dense, even when it¡¯s all laid out for you? Fool!] Instead of explaining, the ghost scolded me, then disappeared. Though I had no idea why she was so angry, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of regret as she vanished. ¡°A-ah!¡± Diana suddenly let out a cry and covered herself with the blanket. Right. That¡¯s the normal reaction. But for some reason, the words, ¡°How can you be so dense?¡± echoed in my mind. ¡°Are you okay, Diana?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Jiho¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m fine. I can¡¯t believe my memories were all distorted¡­ That I forgot Elprian¡­¡± She slumped to the floor, stunned, mumbling to herself. The green light that had surrounded her now lined the walls, forming a protective barrier. I stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say, as a few minutes passed. Suddenly, Diana¡¯s expression grew resolute, and she sprang to her feet. The blanket fell to the ground. Her radiant body was fully exposed once more. ¡°If we don¡¯t act now¡­ Jiho, you¡¯ll be in grave danger.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Diana?¡± ¡°Jiho, let¡¯s continue what we started earlier. It¡¯s a necessary step.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°That! I mean¡­¡± Diana seemed frustrated as she shouted: ¡°Oh, come on! I mean sex! We need to have sex!¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 68 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 68: Diana Becomes an Apostle "Wait. Hey, Diana. Are you in your right mind?" "Y-Yes! Aphrodite''s control has already been lifted." "Then why all of a sudden...?" "Take a look at the seal." Where''s the seal? It¡¯s stamped on the Dragon Heart, but I have no idea how to view it¡­ Feeling unsure, I opened my inventory, and there it was: the Dragon Heart. When I tapped it, another window popped up. It felt like an inventory within an inventory. Inside were four items: Seal of Elprian, Seal of Drakia, Fragment of Chronos, and Fragment of Urd. I selected the Seal of Elprian, and its description appeared: [Seal of Elprian: Apostleship] [You can temporarily appoint an Awakened of equal or lower rank as an Apostle. For elves, apostleship can be granted regardless of rank. The number of apostles is limited to a maximum of seven.] [Please designate a target to become an Apostle.] "Apostleship?" "Yes. Elprian desired for me to become your Apostle. They said it¡¯s the only way to overcome this crisis." Crisis? What crisis? I¡¯ve already cleared everything¡­ "But, uh¡­ what does this have to do with anything?" "My body has been chosen as the new vessel for Artemis. Because I''m a virgin, and, well, that matters to her as an A-rank Apostle." A virgin goddess, Artemis? Why is she suddenly in the picture? "Wait, why does a virgin goddess even need a virgin vessel?" "I¡¯m not entirely sure, but apparently, she decided she needed a new body. She designated me as her candidate for a future virgin goddess vessel. When I was devoted to the Sun God, I thought it was an honor, but now¡­ it gives me chills." Diana hugged her shoulders, clearly disturbed. Not only had her faith been misplaced in a false god, but her body had nearly been taken over entirely. It was enough to give anyone the creeps. But hold on¡ªif Aphrodite¡¯s control was still active earlier, wouldn¡¯t that have prevented her from becoming Artemis¡¯s vessel? "If Aphrodite¡¯s possession hadn¡¯t been lifted earlier, wouldn¡¯t that have freed you from becoming the virgin goddess¡¯s vessel?" "If you had succumbed back then, you would have been forcibly teleported to Aphrodite¡¯s temple." Aphrodite¡¯s temple? So, she was Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. No wonder she looked so stunning. "Forcibly teleported? That sounds¡­" "I heard she¡¯s prepared thousands of nymphs there. She¡¯s been determined to capture someone with abilities like yours, no matter what." Thousands of nymphs?! I almost fell into a massive trap earlier. The thought alone sent chills down my spine. "So¡­ to avoid becoming the virgin goddess¡¯s vessel, you¡¯d need to¡­ not be a virgin anymore, right?" "Yes. Elprian asked me to help you reach S-rank as your Apostle. They said it would ultimately bring salvation to them as well¡­" Elprian had already been completely defeated and erased by Hermes, so how could salvation even be possible? Before I could dwell on that question, Diana grabbed my hand, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You must¡­ do this. A child isn¡¯t suitable under these circumstances, so I¡¯ll handle the rest¡­" Gulp. I swallowed hard. Barely managing to hold onto my rationality, I asked again. "Are you sure about this?" "Yes. You¡¯ve done so much for me, saved my world, and¡­ I really am fine with it. In fact, I¡¯d be honored if you accepted me as your Apostle." S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With her being this insistent, there was no way I could refuse. I unequipped my armor. Then hurriedly removed the rest of my clothes and activated my Clear Mind skill. Using the control technique I learned from Hermes, I made sure to temporarily close my reproductive function. Everything was ready. As I stood naked before her, Diana shrank back, pulling up a blanket before curling up on the bed. "Just¡­ please be gentle." Hah. I couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. I deactivated Clear Mind. "Oh, and¡­ um¡­ just once is enough¡­ As long as Artemis doesn¡¯t take over my body, that¡¯s all that matters¡­" "I¡¯m afraid¡­ that¡¯s not possible." It¡¯s already too late, my dear. "I-I really mean it! We don¡¯t have much time¡­!" Slap, slap. Ah. The sound of Diana¡¯s hand slapping my cheek brought me back to my senses. But only for a moment. Seeing Diana huddled with her body barely covered by the tattered blanket nearly made me lose my mind again. In a panic, I reactivated Clear Mind. [Clear Mind activated.] Wow. My consciousness had nearly been completely blown away. I guess I¡¯ll need to keep this skill activated at all times. "Oh, thank goodness. You¡¯ve regained your senses." Diana, her face flushed, looked at me. Her expression was a mix of frustration and relief. Looking around, I noticed the bed was in utter disarray. Blankets and sheets were torn to shreds, green scraps of clothing scattered everywhere¡ªitems that hadn¡¯t been there before. As I stared, Diana, looking slightly annoyed, began speaking. "Time was running out, so I tried to cover myself, but you tore everything apart. Seriously, if we¡¯d been any later, the entire world could¡¯ve been thrown into chaos, and we both might¡¯ve disappeared. Were you using some kind of berserk skill? Your strength was¡­ overwhelming." Diana started venting her frustrations but, oddly, her lips carried a small smile. Huh. She¡¯s smiling. Maybe she felt relieved now that everything was resolved. Anyway, that was way too close for comfort. My body felt incredibly refreshed, and I was in high spirits, but my memory of what had happened was fragmented. From the bits and pieces I could recall, I¡¯d acted like a feral beast in heat. Even in such a crazed state, I¡¯d managed to remember some key points from the strategy guide and put them into action. Ah¡­ As I tried to piece things together, the urge began to rise again. No. Focus. "So¡­ how long has it been? What time is it now?" "Out of the 40 hours we had, more than 38 hours have passed. We¡¯re really out of time, Jiho. Please accept me as your Apostle." I initiated the apostleship process using the Seal of Elprian in my inventory. [Designating High Elf Diana as an Apostle.] [High Elf Diana¡¯s rank is higher than yours. However, as an elf, she can still be designated as an Apostle. Would you like to proceed?] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Wait. She¡¯s A-rank?! On Earth, Liana was only B-rank¡­ Was it because Diana was a complete Apostle of the Sun God? No wonder she was so powerful. But then, why didn¡¯t she overpower me earlier if time was so critical? As an A-rank, she should¡¯ve been able to subdue me with ease¡­ Hmm. I¡¯ll need to reflect on that later. When I pressed "Yes" to the apostleship, a green light shone from both our bodies. Soon, a faint green line of light connected us. Diana, now fully dressed in newly summoned clothes, saw the glowing line and smiled in joy. ¡°Success!¡± ¡°Yes, thank goodness.¡± ¡°Jiho, you can speak casually to me. After all, I¡¯m your Apostle now.¡± ¡°Haha, is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. In fact, just earlier, you gave commands quite firmly. ¡®Lie down.¡¯ ¡®Turn over.¡¯ ¡®Get rid of that blanket right now!¡¯ and so on...¡± Diana pouted her lips. She seemed to be showing a wider range of emotions now. Tch... I need to recall everything that happened in the last 30 hours in detail. Well, if she¡¯s telling me to speak casually, I¡¯ll do just that. ¡°Can you lend me the Fragment of Chronos for a moment?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I took out the Fragment of Chronos from my inventory. It was something I had received from Elprian but had never actually seen before. The fragment resembled a jewel in the shape of a star, deep red in color. She took the jewel from me and began to draw out her magic. The space resonated with her magic. Right, this was inside the World Tree. The World Tree¡¯s magic flowed alongside hers, creating a tremendous force that surged toward the Fragment of Chronos. As the fragment turned green, Diana chanted a spell. ¡°Time Slip.¡± Time Slip? A spell to reverse time? The fragment emitted a green light that spread out in all directions before returning to its original deep red color. Then, still holding the fragment, Diana collapsed to the ground. ¡°Hah... Hah... Thankfully, it worked.¡± ¡°What is this...?¡± ¡°In accordance with Elprian¡¯s will, we¡¯ve briefly returned to the past. We don¡¯t have much time, so please trust me and follow.¡± She chanted another spell, and the roots of the World Tree emerged from the ground. The roots wrapped around both of us and began to drag us somewhere. A few minutes passed. The roots dropped us onto the ground before disappearing. Wait... this place looks similar to where I met Elprian... As I looked around, I realized it really was Elprian. Her body was broken, with all her limbs severed, leaving only a torso and face made of soil. When she saw us, she exclaimed in amazement. [Ah... It worked! Just as I hoped...] ¡°Elprian! What happened to your appearance...?!¡± Seeing Elprian in such a state, Diana began to cry. It was understandable, given her god had been reduced to such a wretched condition. [Awakened Jiho Kim, thank you for accepting Diana as your Apostle.] ¡°No, but how are you alive again...? Did we really turn back time?¡± [Yes, the Fragment of Chronos was used to briefly reverse time. I¡¯d explain more, but Diana¡¯s Time Slip is unstable, so we don¡¯t have much time. I will complete the seal before I perish.] Complete the seal? Her dirt-like eyes flashed green, and suddenly, a message window appeared. [Elprian¡¯s Seal is being upgraded.] [Apostle¡¯s Garden has been added.] [Apostle¡¯s Garden] [A separate space detached from the world, where temporary Apostles can reside. It exists as a subspace. SP can be invested to expand it. Currently, 5 slots remain.] Apostle¡¯s Garden? It seemed to be a place where those I appoint as Apostles could reside. [Diana¡¯s rank is higher than yours. Keeping her summoned constantly would consume an enormous amount of SP. To avoid the wrath of the Sun God, send her there for now.] At Elprian¡¯s words, I looked at Diana. ¡°Diana, can you enter the garden?¡± ¡°Yes, Jiho. Please summon me again when you reach Rank A.¡± Ah... I felt reluctant to send her to the Apostle¡¯s Garden like this. We¡¯d grown closer, after all... As I gazed at her silently, she took my hand and kissed it. It was a familiar sensation. ¡°Next time, let¡¯s spend time together without being rushed.¡± Without being rushed? Yeah, next time, we¡¯ll take it slow. With my skills active, we¡¯ll savor the time. ¡°Alright... I¡¯ll reach Rank A soon and summon you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for that moment.¡± As her figure gradually faded, Diana turned into a beam of light and was absorbed into my chest. [A-Rank Awakener ¡®High Elf Diana¡¯ has entered the Apostle¡¯s Garden.] [4 slots remain in the Apostle¡¯s Garden.] Sigh. It¡¯s disappointing... But sending her to safety is the right choice. The Sun God might throw a fit. While they couldn¡¯t touch me too harshly due to the Soul Mediation, they could mess with Diana... [Please take good care of Diana, Awakened Jiho Kim.] ¡°Understood.¡± [Since I¡¯ll perish soon anyway, I¡¯ll use all my remaining power to expand your potential.] Roots of the tree wrapped around me, and a refreshing sensation swept through my body. [User Jiho Kim¡¯s potential has been permanently increased.] [The stat caps for all abilities aligned with Order have been significantly raised.] [The stat caps for all abilities aligned with Neutrality have been significantly raised.] All my stats had risen! Wow. This feels great. As I rejoiced, Elprian spoke with a hint of exasperation. [I¡¯ve poured a considerable amount of power into you, yet your potential still isn¡¯t fully unlocked...] ¡°Is my potential endless?¡± [No, your potential was so poor that it¡¯s hard to reach your limit.] Was that really necessary to say... Just how bad is my potential...? Feeling a little dejected, I heard Elprian continue. [Also, please store this essence in the Dragon Heart.] One of Elprian¡¯s eyes rolled to the ground, transforming into a green-glowing jewel. [This is my essence, containing my memories. With this, no matter where you are, you can enter this space once.] ¡°Oh, I can use this to escape danger?¡± Can I warp into the World Tree in case of emergency? Nice. [It¡¯s more for when the world undergoes upheaval. Please return here and use it then.] ¡°When the world undergoes upheaval?¡± [The Fragments of Chronos and Urd... possess the ability to manipulate time. Olympus and Valhalla are undoubtedly planning something with these powers.] Elprian¡¯s lone dirt eye glowed. [That essence will certainly come in handy when the time comes.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 69 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 69: Return to Earth, Missing Helpers As soon as I received the essence from Elprian, tree roots enveloped me again and returned me to the place I had been before. The bedroom where I had been with Diana. Since I¡¯d gone back to the past, the torn bedspread and blanket were completely intact. So, this is how clean it originally was. While briefly looking around, I noticed a small speck of dust floating before me. Then the dust paused. Not just the dust, but the entire space seemed to freeze. I couldn¡¯t move a finger or even twitch my body. How much time had passed in that frozen state? Suddenly, the dust fell quickly to the ground. It was like watching a video fast-forwarded at 100x speed. Scenes of Diana and me appeared, disappearing and reappearing. The bed tore apart, the blanket shredded, all passing in a blur. The two of us went about our business, completely unaware of my presence. Wait, Diana was being quite... enthusiastic? I felt like an observer removed from the scene, watching a video on fast-forward, which was frustrating. Eventually, the playback ended with the sight of Diana and me tangled in tree roots and vanishing. Ah, so this is how I came back from the past to the present? [When the time rewinds, return.] Elprian had explained that Diana¡¯s time slip was incomplete, and that everything would eventually revert to its original timeline. So that¡¯s what she meant. I double-checked that the Dragon Heart I¡¯d obtained was safely in my possession and immediately returned to Earth. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back?¡± As soon as I returned, Jinseong approached me. His face was flushed red, and he held a dwarf¡¯s beer mug in his hand. Looking around, I noticed the association''s top floor was filled with people holding dwarf beer mugs. Most of them¡ªno, 100% of them¡ªwere Awakened. But their expressions were less joyous and more bewildered. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Uh... suddenly, the elves and dwarves disappeared.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°They were here just a moment ago. The dwarves brought this delicious beer, and as I was telling my hero¡¯s tale, they started vanishing one by one in flashes of light.¡± ¡°They disappeared? Why?¡± ¡°No idea. Everyone¡¯s confused. I¡¯ve checked around, and it¡¯s not just here in Korea; the same thing¡¯s happening everywhere.¡± Hmm. Why did they suddenly vanish? If it was because of breaking Kevrian, they should have disappeared when we returned. Could it be because of Diana? No, if that were the case, only Liana would have disappeared, not the rest of the elves and dwarves. ¡°I can¡¯t figure this out.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s thrown everyone off. We were celebrating victory, and now this...¡± ¡°Is it because the world¡¯s fully restoring itself? If that¡¯s the case, what about the high-level dungeons that will appear in the future?¡± ¡°Well, with more C-rankers and you at B-rank, we can probably handle them on our own, don¡¯t you think?¡± True. Still, the helpers didn¡¯t just deal with dismantling dungeons. They also bought mana stones, crafted, and sold magical items. Most ordinary mages focus on combat magic and don¡¯t understand its principles or such. Honestly, I don¡¯t either... Ah. Didn¡¯t the Magic Encyclodpedia explain some of that? ¡°Wait a minute.¡± I used my Magic Encyclodpedia skill to search for information on crafting magical items. Unfortunately, nothing about crafting came up. ¡°Well, anyway, things are pretty strange right now.¡± ¡°Yeah. Let me have a sip.¡± I grabbed the beer from Jinseong¡¯s hand and chugged it down. Ah, refreshing. Feeling clear-headed and cooled down made me feel much better. Even though I couldn¡¯t shake my concern about the missing elf helpers... ¡°Oh, if the dwarves are gone, this might be the last dwarf-made beer. Give it back.¡± ¡°Oh, true? That¡¯s a shame.¡± I took another sip before returning the mug to Jinseong, who grumbled and downed it in one go. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s head to your place and have another drink. It¡¯s not like this is a problem we can solve in a day or two, and the association will probably handle it.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± As we pushed through the crowd to head home, people started gathering around, saying, ¡°Kim Jiho is here!¡± and ¡°The captain has arrived!¡± ¡°Kim Jiho, thank you so much.¡± ¡°Thanks to you, I became a C-rank.¡± The newly C-ranked Awakened rushed forward to express their gratitude. ¡°We deeply regret the unpleasant incident our guild caused last time. Please, forgive us just this once.¡± ¡°Our deputy-guild master acted without understanding... Please, spare our lives!¡± The people I had defeated swarmed forward, kneeling and bowing in apology. After experiencing battle, they must¡¯ve realized how futile their earlier power struggles had been. Now that the Kevrian battle was over, I decided to let it go. Compared to the backstabbing I endured in Olympus, their antics seemed almost endearing. ¡°Well, the battle¡¯s over. Why would I take your lives? Don¡¯t worry about it. Get up.¡± The people hesitantly rose, bowing deeply once they stood. ¡°Thank you for sparing our lives!¡± What? Did they really think I¡¯d kill them? I nodded lightly and moved past them. As I walked, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, offering excessive compliments and expressions of gratitude for saving their lives. ¡°Hey, are you sure I should be walking with you? You¡¯re like a superstar now.¡± ¡°Yeah. You can be the superstar¡¯s beer shuttle for the day.¡± ¡°Fine, fine. My treat.¡± Hearing him laugh, I suddenly thought of Hades and frowned. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t laugh like that.¡± ¡°Huh? Why not?¡± ¡°The Lord of Death used to laugh like that.¡± ¡°¡®Keekeke¡¯? What kind of final boss laughs so stupidly? By the way, what did you do to make him run?¡± ¡°Beats me. I used a new skill, and he just bolted.¡± ¡°What, like some ultimate move?¡± ¡°Well... it¡¯s kind of an ultimate move.¡± He ran as soon as he saw my soul power. And mentioned Heracles. So, does that mean Heracles uses this too? Is he also a soul reaper? Eh, who cares if he is? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll ever run into Heracles. ¡°There are still too many unanswered questions. But for now, let¡¯s drink.¡± ¡°Yeah, today¡¯s for celebrating. Victory calls for drinks. Hahaha!¡± ¡°Drinking at home seems like a waste on a day like this.¡± ¡°Oh, then should we go somewhere nice?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Unlike me, who wasn¡¯t particular, Jinseong grinned mischievously and pulled out his phone to browse the internet. After searching for a while, his expression stiffened, and he shook his head. ¡°Never mind. You¡¯re way too famous now. If we go to one of those places, it¡¯ll end up in the news. Normal bars will be swamped too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m famous?¡± Looking at his phone, I saw that news of the Kevrian clear was making headlines. There were even videos of my battles circulating online. The Hephaestus armor was gone, and my face was completely exposed. The video is being erased in real time, but for every part that gets deleted, more of it is uploaded. sigh. The association seems to be managing it, trying to delete the videos, but it seems futile. [Isn¡¯t this fake?] [©¹22222] [©¹33333] [How strong is this person? He¡¯s doing everything by himself.] [Is this a game teaser? He¡¯s doing a one-man show.] [Are the other awakened ones just watching? LOL. He could¡¯ve done it all by himself.] [That person is a servant of Zeus. Please address him with respect and do not blaspheme!] The internet forums I frequently visit were in complete chaos. The video showed me shooting lightning and using a sword that grew to swipe through skeletons. The camera, zooming in, caught a very detailed close-up of my face. While happily filming me, the cameraman suddenly screamed and fell, shaking the camera as it pointed towards the sky. Suddenly, a black skeleton appeared and grinned, punching the air with a loud crash, followed by a death scream. Then the video ended. "Wow, this is well filmed. The cameraman even dies at the end." "Well, there are so many people in the expedition that the association¡¯s media control doesn¡¯t work." There were countless other videos spreading too. As I rode the elevator down, I saw the chaos; my video was flooding YouTube¡­ This situation was completely out of control. "Now I¡¯m a public superstar. This is going to get annoying." sigh... Now that I was B-rank, the types of magic I could learn increased to the 6th circle. Normally, I preferred to use the Phoenix or lightning attacks because they were quicker than using magic, but there were a lot of useful spells if I looked deeper. "Polymorph Self." One of them was Polymorph, which allowed you to change your appearance. When I imagined a middle-aged man with wrinkles, my facial bones and muscles shifted and changed my appearance. "Wow. There¡¯s a magic like this?" "Yeah. It lasts for an hour. Let¡¯s hurry." "This is seriously crazy..." When I stepped out of the Hunter Association, reporters swarmed me. Since I had changed into an older man¡¯s appearance, they didn¡¯t recognize me, but they still caught sight of Lee Jinseong. "Are you Hunter Lee Jinseong?" "I heard you¡¯re close friends with Hunter Kim Jiho. Can we do an interview?" The reporters were swarming like bees. Lee Jinseong looked at me, flustered. I was surprised too, but instinctively, I felt that if my identity was exposed here, it would be troublesome. "Hmm. Jinseong, I¡¯ll see you later. Do the interview well." "Uh...uh..." "Lee Jinseong, please answer us!" He reached out to me, but I just waved my hand and ran off. Interviews were a pain. Even in front of the Hunter Association¡¯s building, there were reporters waiting, but no one bothered me when I was in the middle-aged man form. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Sigh... When I got home, I cracked open a beer and drank it. Compared to dwarf-made beer, it was definitely lacking. With nothing else to do, I turned on the TV, and the news was flooded with the success of the Kevria expedition. President Trump was confidently saying, ¡°We have achieved total victory!¡± in an interview. I did all the work, so why was he taking the credit? I chuckled and took another sip of my drink when suddenly, a message popped up on my screen. [Hermes says "The sun god Apollo is really angry. What have you been doing?" and sends a message.] Apollo. He had helped me a lot at first by giving me the flame chariot and the Phoenix egg. But it couldn¡¯t be helped. I couldn¡¯t just give Artemis Diana¡¯s body, right? "Communication Hermes." [Jiho, Apollo is really angry right now.] "Why is he angry? I just had a good time with the high elf. Oh, and I heard something about replacing the virgin goddess¡¯ body, was that the issue?" When I said this, Hermes seemed to realize something. [Ah... So the body you had prepared for the virgin goddess was a high elf. I see. I¡¯ll contact Artemis.] Then there was a brief silence. As I listened to the world leaders all happily giving interviews, another message came through. [Artemis says it¡¯s okay. The body can be replaced again. She says she¡¯s feeling like going for a dark elf this time. She¡¯s even asking for help during the soul transfer. Heh. Artemis is fine with it, but you¡¯re the one being more stubborn.] "But isn¡¯t Artemis a virgin goddess? Is she not a virgin?" [Well, that¡¯s... Ah, should I even tell a B-rank about this? It might lower your SP¡­] Is it such a big secret that she¡¯s not a virgin? Does SP get lowered for this? Before, when Pollux was talking about the order of the world, my SP dropped by 1. If it¡¯s just a drop of 1 or 2, I¡¯ll hear him out. "Yes. I¡¯m curious." [Artemis has always represented virginity, as the goddess of purity. But since Olympus¡­] [Hermes talks about the distorted order of the world. Your rank is too low to accept this. SP will decrease by 100.] What?! Why is it a 100 drop?? Before, it was just about talking about order, but now it''s about a distorted one? "Stop. Stop." [Oh, your SP is dropping?] "Yeah. 100." [Ugh. I¡¯ll compensate you later. But this is bad... I didn¡¯t expect B-rank to have restrictions like this.] Hermes muttered to himself. Then I asked him the next question. "But where did all the helpers go?" [The Earth helpers? They were from Kevrian, and since Kevrian has been restored, they went back home. I was thinking of sending you angel helpers instead, but I had another good idea.] "Good idea? What¡¯s that?" [We¡¯re giving you a choice. Do you want to use angel helpers for one more year, or do you want to receive a 3-year buff as a human from Earth and become self-sufficient?] A human buff? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 70 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 70: Making a Choice ¡°What are the conditions for the buffs?¡± [First, the number of awakened beings added each month will double. Stat points gained per level up will increase by +1 up to level 100. Experience gain will triple, and Athena¡¯s stats will receive a 20% boost.] ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice. Do stat points increase even for levels above 25?¡± [Yes. You¡¯ll also be compensated for the points you missed from previous levels.] Wow. That¡¯s a great deal. The difference between having an assistant and not having one is this big? ¡°Then, does that mean there won¡¯t be any assistants?¡± [There will be angels maintaining the passage to the Broken World. Angels will also be dispatched to supply magical items and notify you when dungeons appear.] ¡°So, only the assistants who cleared B and C-grade dungeons on Earth will be gone.¡± [That¡¯s correct.] This really is a good deal. Sure, at first, there will be casualties in higher-grade dungeons... But a year later, when the angels leave, people will die anyway. Wouldn¡¯t it make sense to strengthen our forces before that? [Also, there¡¯s a special perk exclusive to you, Mr. Jiho.] ¡°A perk?¡± [Yes. You were the key figure in restoring Kevrian, but you never received a proper reward. I strongly insisted that this was unacceptable, so I managed to secure a great reward for you. Haha.] That¡¯s true. Olympus didn¡¯t officially grant me anything. I was intrigued. ¡°What kind of reward?¡± [The title ¡®Earth¡¯s Number One¡¯ will be granted to you. While wearing this title, you¡¯ll receive 1% of the experience points earned by all Earth¡¯s awakened beings for three years.] ¡°Wait, what? I can earn experience points from everyone?¡± Wow. That¡¯s an incredible title. Does that mean I can sit back, relax, and still accumulate experience points? ¡°Wow. Then I¡¯ll become an A-rank in no time, right?¡± [It¡¯s still not easy to reach A-rank. The required experience is enormous, and the lower-ranked awakened beings don¡¯t earn much experience.] ¡°But if it adds up, it¡¯ll still be significant.¡± [Yes, that¡¯s why we¡¯re giving it to you. Isn¡¯t this a great deal?] ¡°The conditions are good.¡± [Yes. This is yours even if you choose the angel assistants. But if you take the Earth buff, the experience points earned by Earth¡¯s people will also increase, so it¡¯s a win-win.] The deal was so good that it made me suspicious. Are they trying to push me to S-rank quickly because they can¡¯t interfere with me until then? ¡°It¡¯s almost too good to be true, so I¡¯m a bit wary.¡± [Oh? Are you thinking we¡¯re trying to rush you to S-rank by giving you experience points? Haha. You can¡¯t ascend to S-rank, or rather godhood, just by leveling up. There are special conditions. And since you¡¯re a special class, your conditions will be extremely challenging.] ¡°There are conditions?¡± [Yes. Each demigod has different conditions. In fact, most A-rank demigods remain at that rank because they can¡¯t overcome those conditions.] Hmm... So it won¡¯t be like last time, where I leveled up and got forced into a rank increase. For now, I¡¯ll take the title. In Kevrian, I could level up quickly through massacres, but that won¡¯t be the case here. I should secure experience points while I can. Not reaching A-rank means they keep throwing around secrets and draining my SP. I need to rank up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll gladly accept.¡± [Good choice. What will you choose¡ªangel assistants or the experience buff?] ¡°I¡¯ll decide that with Earth¡¯s leaders.¡± [Understood. Let me know once you¡¯ve made a decision.] ¡°Sure. By the way, I have a personal question. Is Heracles also a Soul Reaper? Someone mentioned Heracles when I used Soul Emission.¡± [Heracles? Yes. He was one of the few soul wielders. Currently, though... he¡¯s in Eshtar.] Huh? Eshtar? The easiest Broken World? ¡°Wait, Eshtar?¡± [Yes. Would I hide anything from you? He¡¯s the Chaos Lord of Eshtar.] S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Heracles isn¡¯t part of Olympus either?¡± The legendary Greek hero Heracles defected too? What on earth did these guys do? [Hmm... Well, there were some issues. I¡¯d explain, but since you¡¯re not A-rank, it¡¯ll just cost you SP.] ¡°Damn... Not all Chaos Lords are from Olympus, right?¡± [No, not all. It just so happens that way sometimes.] Still, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if a few more showed up. ¡°But they say Eshtar¡¯s big magic wipes everything out and starts over. Why is it the easiest zone?¡± [The reason it¡¯s the easiest is simple. The clear condition is to ¡®withstand one strike from Heracles.¡¯ That¡¯s it.] One strike? I think I can handle one strike. [But that one strike could be a Soul Emission attack. Most people¡¯s souls are destroyed by that. Their SP runs out.] ¡°Wow...¡± [Well, Earthlings haven¡¯t even reached that point, so it¡¯s fortunate in a way. They were completely wiped out by Heracles¡¯ roar alone. That wasn¡¯t even big magic¡ªit was just his shout.] Everyone wiped out by a roar? Why is he so strong all of a sudden? ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much?¡± [The one who made Hades flee... What do you expect? Heracles can¡¯t beat Hades, though.] ¡°Really? It doesn¡¯t seem that way.¡± [Hades only used A-rank level power with his avatar. He probably didn¡¯t bring much SP either. If he got hit by your Soul Emission, it would¡¯ve been a big blow, so he ran. But Heracles uses S-rank level power.] Hmm... So Hades came with a handicap to scout me and bolted after seeing my Soul Emission... But Heracles has no such limitations and wields full S-rank power. ¡°And they expect us to clear that?¡± [But that¡¯s still the easiest. Haha. An S-rank Hades can summon the underworld.] ¡°Restoring the Broken World really seemed like a long shot.¡± [Haha. Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect it to succeed.] So they expected Earth to be destroyed. ¡°Did you think Earth would be doomed?¡± [Pretty much.] ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be bad for you too? Hades just wants to destroy Earth.¡± [We have contingencies. You¡¯ll understand once you reach A-rank. Haha.] ¡°There it is again, A-rank... Well, since Kevrian is cleared, I won¡¯t have to deal with Heracles, right?¡± [No. Why would you face that monster after restoring one Broken World?] I nodded at his words. There¡¯s no point in going back just to get myself killed. ¡°Hey, open the door! You¡¯re leaving me behind?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my friend. I¡¯ll contact you later.¡± [Of course. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I¡¯ll share what I know.] It¡¯s nice that I can contact him whenever I have questions. I ended the call with Hermes and opened the door. There stood Jinseong, panting and holding a load of alcohol. ¡°Good job, buddy.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Damn journalists. They followed me even when I went to buy booze at the convenience store and all the way to your front door. The building security and association staff had to block them physically.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll order the food, then.¡± "Ha, damn it. Thanks, you bastard." Lee Jinseong flips me off casually. I toss a delivery flyer from the fridge at him, and he ends up ordering everything on the menu. That¡¯s how a drinking session started with 300,000 won worth of food delivery. When I tell him about the proposal I got from the gods, Lee Jinseong answers immediately. ¡°Of course, the buffs. You can¡¯t rely on the angels forever. You¡¯ve got to get stronger on your own. And hey, they¡¯re giving you stat points too¡ªwhat a steal.¡± Yeah, even if the angels help for a year, after that, it¡¯s up to Earthlings to defend Earth. So, it¡¯s better to start adapting to dungeons now with all the buffs you can get. ¡°But you¡¯re probably going to be crazy busy.¡± ¡°Me? Why?¡± ¡°What do you think? Who else is going to handle all the B-rank dungeons?¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Right. There¡¯s no one else on Earth who can clear a B-rank dungeon? Looks like my schedule might explode just when I thought I could take it easy. ¡°Sigh. Now that you mention it, if too many B-rank dungeons pop up, I might have to take the angel¡¯s offer just for safety.¡± ¡°True. If they start appearing all over the world and monsters spill out, the casualties would be enormous.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I need to ask about¡ªhow often B-rank dungeons are going to appear.¡± ¡°Yeah, better check. Why don¡¯t you call the association president?¡± I called him, and the line connected instantly. As soon as it does, the association president started lamenting. [Ah, Mr. Kim Jiho. I¡¯m terribly sorry. I¡¯m trying my best to suppress the news articles, but awakened individuals keep uploading videos¡­] ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. It¡¯s probably beyond control now. Anyway, I¡¯ve received this proposal from the gods¡­¡± The association president listened intently without a single sound of breathing as I explained the details of the gods¡¯ proposal. After I finished, I asked him. ¡°How many B-rank dungeons have appeared so far?¡± The association president remained silent for a moment before answering. [Globally, B-rank dungeons have been appearing at a rate of about one every two weeks. But moving forward, who knows... This seems like a critical matter. May I raise this issue with the World Awakened Association?] ¡°Yes, please do.¡± [Understood. Mr. Jiho, please take care of yourself. The Hunters¡¯ Guild will always serve you faithfully.] This guy, with the loyalty line. Though, come to think of it... If I¡¯m the only one who can clear B-rank dungeons in the world, I¡¯ll probably get an avalanche of offers to defect. Maybe that¡¯s why the association president¡¯s acting so deferential. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t the association president known for being super strict? You must be something else.¡± ¡°They¡¯re just doing what they have to.¡± ¡°If you monopolize the B-rank dungeons, that¡¯s total domination, isn¡¯t it? Honestly, if a B-rank dungeon popped up in the U.S., you could say, ¡®I¡¯ll clear it for a billion dollars,¡¯ and they¡¯d pay you. Who else can handle it?¡± ¡°True, but playing with people¡¯s lives like that feels wrong. I might take some C-rank hunters to see if they can clear it.¡± ¡°Man, you¡¯re such a goody-two-shoes. You should rake it in before more B-rank hunters show up!¡± ¡°Money¡¯s not an issue anymore.¡± It keeps piling up in my account. Among the world¡¯s top-tier classes, my reputation is already so high that they¡¯re lining up, money in hand, begging me to take it. There¡¯s no need to tarnish my global reputation for a few extra bucks. Especially now that my identity is public. As we kept drinking, we ran out of booze. Thanks to my high physical stats, I didn¡¯t get drunk easily, and even Jinseong, now a C-rank after surviving the Kevrian ordeal, held his liquor well. We kept replenishing our supply from the convenience store and drank until dawn. Then, I got another call from the association president. [Mr. Jiho, have you rested well?] ¡°What¡¯s with the formalities? Please don¡¯t make me cringe.¡± Formalities like those feel like something out of a historical drama. [Haha, understood. I contacted the World Hunter Association about your proposal, and it seems world leaders are already boarding planes to Korea.] ¡°What? Already?¡± Ugh, I didn¡¯t even get any sleep. But it is an urgent matter. Why are they coming to Korea instead of convening at the U.N. like last time? [They said they didn¡¯t want to inconvenience you, so they¡¯re coming directly. There will be a meeting at the association building tomorrow. Can you attend?] They¡¯re coming here just for me? ¡°Of course.¡± [Thank you. I¡¯ll contact you again tomorrow. Please rest well today, Mr. Jiho.] * * * [The world¡¯s strongest awakened who saved Earth, Mr. Kim Jiho, is entering the room.] ¡°Welcome! The. World¡¯s. Strongest!¡± ¡°Ugh, shut up.¡± After the meeting, I come home to find Lee Jinseong lounging on my couch in just his underwear like it¡¯s his own house. On the TV, there¡¯s footage of me in a suit walking into the guild¡¯s conference room. Hmm. I do look pretty sharp in a suit. ¡°Is that going to be on the news forever? Seeing Trump and Putin groveling has everyone in Korea screaming, ¡®Bring out the drinks!¡¯ Hahaha.¡± The scene played on TV, showing world leaders lining up to shake my hand, bowing and praising me. Honestly, if I were someone else, I¡¯d be looking for a celebratory drink, too. ¡°What¡¯s the online reaction to the meeting results?¡± ¡°Most people seem to approve. Awakened folks obviously agree, and even non-awakened people are happy about the doubled chance of becoming awakened. They¡¯re hoping they might get a shot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I¡¯m going to change.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I headed to my room and contacted Hermes. ¡°Hermes, open communication.¡± [Mr. Jiho, have you made your decision?] ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going with the second option.¡± [An excellent choice. Let¡¯s proceed with that. I¡¯ll also grant you the title now.] [You¡¯ve obtained the title, ¡®Earth¡¯s Number One.¡¯] [Earth¡¯s Number One] [Grade: A] [A title bestowed upon the Earth¡¯s top awakened individual recognized by the gods. Gains 1% of experience earned by other awakened individuals on Earth. Effect ends upon reaching A-grade.] Nice and clean¡ªjust an experience buff. But only up to A-grade? ¡°Only up to A-grade?¡± [Yes, but it¡¯s no easy feat to reach A-grade in three years. Haha. If you do, I¡¯ll extend the buff for you.] ¡°Well, okay.¡± [The global buff will activate tomorrow. Rest well until then.] The communication ended. I took off my now-useless ¡°Kevrian¡¯s Hero¡± title and replaced it when another communication came through. [The God of Mischief, Loki, has contacted you: ¡®Jiho, it¡¯s Loki. The soul mediation reward is ready. Can we talk?¡¯] Oh, that was quick. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 71 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 71: Father Who Disappeared from Earth ¡°Connect to Loki.¡± [Oh, you know how to do that.] ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve done it a lot with Hermes. Is the reward already prepared?¡± Since he spoke informally, I did too. [Yep. I grabbed a few things from Asgard. Want to come now?] ¡°Hmm... wait a sec.¡± After changing into some comfy sweatpants, I shouted to Lee Jinseong. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m heading out for a bit.¡± ¡°Huh? Where to?¡± ¡°Just chill.¡± I heard him grumble, but I figured he¡¯d entertain himself and stepped out. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± [Alright. I¡¯ll summon you.] [¡®The God of Deception, Loki¡¯ is summoning you to the ¡®Neutral Zone: Trading Area.¡¯ Do you accept the summon?] When I pressed ¡®yes,¡¯ my body started to glow and was pulled somewhere. Soon, my vision returned, revealing a shimmering golden scene. Everywhere I looked, there were treasure chests and piles of gold coins¡ªan entire treasure vault. And in the middle stood a single man. He wore a white suit and looked strikingly similar to Aurelia. His face was so delicate it could easily be mistaken for a woman¡¯s, except for his long black hair, which replaced the golden locks. However, his features, body frame, and overall vibe were unmistakably masculine. So this was Loki? ¡°Well, welcome.¡± ¡°Is that face your real one?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah. Pretty, isn¡¯t it? I admire it every time I see it in the mirror. You almost fell for me when I was Aurelia, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°As if. Let¡¯s see the goods.¡± ¡°Heh, fine.¡± Loki spread his hands, and three treasure chests appeared before him. With a snap of his fingers, all three chests opened simultaneously. ¡°I prioritized S-grade skills focused on escape and defense, just like you asked. And I added a few extras you might like.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Let me show you the ultimate escape skill first.¡± He pointed to a glowing orb, and I touched it. [Heimdall¡¯s Return] [Grade: S] [Instantly teleports the user to a designated return point. Grants immunity to interference skills up to SS-grade. For every skill level increase, an additional return point can be set. At skill level 5, the user can travel between planets and gains immunity to interference skills up to SSS-grade.] ¡°This is too simple, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°What are you saying? If you level up the skill, not even a god can stop you. Even I wouldn¡¯t be able to catch you. Plus, it lets you jump between planets. As an escape skill, it¡¯s unbeatable.¡± It certainly was the ultimate escape skill¡­ If I leveled it up to 5, I¡¯d be able to flee without any restrictions. No more suffering if I got captured. ¡°But for the return point, does it automatically apply to places I¡¯ve been to?¡± ¡°No, you have to manually set it.¡± What a pity. I was hoping to set one at the underground space of Yggdrasil. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a few more S-grade skills for you. Take a look.¡± Following his suggestion, I browsed the skills: Thor¡¯s Strength Odin¡¯s Judgment Complete Regeneration They were all useful, but my heart was drawn to the return skill. After what happened when I got dragged to Olympus, I needed something that could guarantee my escape. ¡°I¡¯ll take the return skill.¡± ¡°Good choice. This skill was given by Heimdall, the Sentinel of Asgard. To acquire it, you¡¯ll need to form a soul-mediation contract with him. Is that okay?¡± ¡°A sentinel, huh? Will he be watching me?¡± ¡°He can¡¯t do that just because of a soul-mediation contract. I tested it myself back when I was Aurelia. At most, a guardian deity contract allows for some voyeurism. Heh.¡± Loki laughed mischievously, sounding like a creep. Voyeurism? What a waste of a good face. Are all gods perverts like this? [Do you accept the soul-mediation contract with the great god Heimdall?] When I accepted, the orb emitted a bright light and disappeared. [You have acquired the S-grade active skill: Heimdall¡¯s Return.] [Your current rank is too low. You can acquire only one more S-grade skill in the future.] Tsk. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I wonder if there¡¯s a way to split my two status windows and bypass this limit. I¡¯ll test it later once I acquire another skill. [Heimdall gains 1.6 times more SP from Earth. As his broker, Kim Jiho receives 20% of this as a commission.] [Due to your low skill level, only a portion of SP from Earth is mediated to Heimdall.] ¡°And I¡¯ve prepared some equipment for you, but I wonder if you can even use S-grade items.¡± He pointed to a treasure chest containing a spear, bracelet, and hammer. But they all looked so shabby, as if they¡¯d crumble at the slightest touch. ¡°These are downgraded versions of the SSS-grade equipment of the gods, made for lower-ranking deities. They¡¯re still S-grade. If you ever become their true master, their real power will be revealed.¡± I reached out to grab the spear, but it was as if an invisible wall stopped me. ¡°Gungnir rejected you.¡± ¡°Draupnir, too.¡± ¡°And Mjolnir as well. Looks like a B-rank can¡¯t handle S-grade equipment.¡± All three items rejected me. So, I can¡¯t overcome the rank barrier, huh? What a shame. ¡°You already have three A-grade items¡ªyour sword, full-body armor, and bow¡ªso I focused on accessories. Here are my recommendations.¡± [Freya¡¯s Magic Recovery Ring] [Grade: A] [Crafted by the Goddess of Beauty, Freya. Doubles mana recovery speed and stores a portion of mana within the ring itself.] This ring reminded me of a dragon heart¡ªsimple yet effective. [Loki¡¯s Protective Necklace] [Grade: A] [Crafted by the God of Deception, Loki, for his apostle. Automatically blocks fatal attacks. Can block strikes up to S-grade. If the attack is too strong, the necklace breaks but triggers an even stronger shield.] Would this help me take on Hercules? It¡¯s a strong contender. [Odin¡¯s Mana-Enhancing Bracelet] [Grade: A] [A bracelet Odin used in his human disguise. Improves mana efficiency and strengthens mana, especially for lightning-based skills.] Though the names were straightforward, they all seemed great. When I equipped them, I felt like my mana had been boosted to a level similar to when I was buffed on Kevrian. Given that Earth doesn¡¯t offer many buffs, this was a significant improvement. [You have equipped three A-grade items from the Neutral Faction. You cannot equip more than six A-grade items.] Tch. I thought having two status windows might let me bypass the equipment limit for Order and Neutral factions, but I guess not. "Can I own this equipment? Can I switch and change while using it?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "You can. But there''ll likely be a limit, even if it''s in your inventory. Maybe up to 20 items?" Loki muttered to himself, seemingly unsure about B-rank limitations. Looking at him suddenly reminded me of the strategy guide. Aurelia turned out to be Loki in the end, didn¡¯t it? Even when I unlocked the gift, he seemed dissatisfied but still gave me the ability. Hmm, this guy seems to know something. ¡°Items like this, for now, I¡¯ll just say thanks¡­ But seriously, what¡¯s this strategy guide about? If it¡¯s not even A-rank, does that mean I can¡¯t access it?¡± ¡°Oh, that? It¡¯s from our project¡ªsomething we created to develop soul-related professions.¡± Loki answered casually. A project? That¡¯s odd. [Inside the World Tree is a trace of Chronos. A brilliant rainbow-colored star-shaped jewel. Because of this trace of the god of time, I was able to send the strategy guide to myself.] The strategy guide mentioned Chronos¡¯s traces allowing it to be sent, but Loki says something different. Hmm¡­ I should probably avoid bringing up the fragments of Chronos. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah. It was actually a failed project we abandoned, but it ended up working out, which surprised us.¡± ¡°What exactly am I in the future? How did I give myself the strategy guide? And does the future end up ruined?¡± ¡°Haha, well, here¡¯s the thing¡­¡± Loki and even Hermes began explaining without much hesitation. [Loki begins talking about the world¡¯s distorted order. Your rank is insufficient to comprehend it. SP decreased by 100.] Oh, come on, not this nonsense again. ¡°Hey, what did you do to make this ¡®distorted order¡¯ message pop up all the time?¡± ¡°Really? If you were B-rank, you¡¯d probably understand.¡± Loki shrugged and gave me a few encouraging pats on the shoulder. ¡°Just hurry and reach A-rank. You¡¯ve got to do it in three years. I¡¯ve already been feeding you extra experience.¡± ¡°Why three years?¡± ¡°You have to take advantage of the buffs. Oh, right, I¡¯ve got another item prepared for you.¡± Loki redirected the conversation as he pulled something out of a treasure chest. What happens in three years? He¡¯s making it way too obvious that he¡¯s changing the topic. ¡°Ta-da.¡± The item he pulled out was a crimson orb, about the size of my head. Loki handed it to me. [Orb of Replication - Weapon] [Grade: A] [Replicates a B-rank weapon. Replicated weapons will disappear after one month, and the number of replications depends on the user¡¯s mana. Up to 100 weapons can be replicated.] An Orb of Replication? Seems kind of useless. What can I even do with B-rank weapons? Seeing my unimpressed expression, Loki immediately explained. ¡°This isn¡¯t for you to use. It¡¯s for the Earthlings.¡± ¡°Earthlings?¡± ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re way too weak. Even with buffs, a lot of them will die early in C-rank dungeons. If you lend them these replicated weapons, you can reduce casualties and clear dungeons faster. When they grow stronger, you¡¯ll gain experience faster, too.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°On top of that, if you charge rental fees, you¡¯ll rake in money. Sounds useful, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Rentals, huh¡­ Well, since you¡¯re giving it to me, I¡¯ll take it.¡± I stored the Orb of Replication in my inventory. As I gathered items, Loki looked at me with hopeful eyes. ¡°Well? Do you think we deserve six seats at the table?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to meet other gods first. Let¡¯s start by mediation contracts with two. Who should I pick?¡± ¡°For now, me and the supreme god, Odin.¡± After forming brokerage contracts with Odin, Loki, and Heimdall, Loki clapped his hands. ¡°Great. Let¡¯s do our best going forward, partner.¡± ¡°By the way, setting aside the strategy guide for now, do you know anything about my father¡¯s whereabouts? His name is Kim Sejun.¡± The strategy guide mentioned meeting my father, but it never said anything after that. Asking Loki, who¡¯s tied to the guide, seemed like a good idea. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but maybe ask Heimdall. With his abilities, he could search every inch of Earth.¡± ¡°Oh. Please do. If you bring good news, I¡¯ll give you three more seats.¡± ¡°Hahaha, now I have to do it. Well then, it¡¯s time to return.¡± The golden space began to collapse. Loki waved at me as my body turned into light. As I returned home, I hoped for good news. The next day, both Order and Chaos reached out to me for contact. Order sent Hermes, while Chaos sent a lich in place of Hades. For skills, I chose defensive ones. [Aegis Shield] [Grade: S] [A skill that temporarily manifests Athena¡¯s shield. Normally, a small shield hovers around, automatically blocking attacks. When activated, it transforms into a massive shield that encases the user. It can withstand even SS-grade strikes. Defense increases as the skill level rises.] Since I couldn¡¯t obtain more than three S-rank skills, I received two A-rank skills from Chaos and an S-rank item as compensation. [Spring Water of Eden] [Grade: S] [Water from the Paradise of Eden. Dramatically increases all the user¡¯s stats. The effect can only be used once.] Spring water from a lich? Isn¡¯t Eden supposed to be God¡¯s paradise? I planned to save it for later, but the lich warned me the effect would vanish if I didn¡¯t drink it immediately. So, I drank it. +20 to all stats. Amazing. The rewards were huge. With six A-rank pieces of equipment equipped and six more stored in my inventory, I felt prepared. Skills ensured I could escape and defend myself. Brokerage positions were distributed. Order: Zeus, Hermes, Athena. Chaos: Hades, the Smiling Devil, the Lone Titan. The remaining three positions were reserved for neutrality. Finding my father would also tilt my support toward the neutral side. Order and Chaos had too much history with each other. A few days later, Loki contacted me. [The Trickster God, Loki, said: "I couldn¡¯t find your father, Kim Sejun. He¡¯s neither dead nor alive. It¡¯s as if he doesn¡¯t exist. At least not on Earth."] What? What does that mean? My father isn¡¯t on Earth? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 72 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 72: Soul Smuggling As soon as the call connected, Loki''s face appeared. Unlike his usual confident demeanor, he seemed flustered. [I can¡¯t find Kim Sejun anywhere. If he¡¯s already dead, there should at least be a trace of his soul, but there¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s strange.] "Is it because Heimdall¡¯s authority isn¡¯t sufficient...?" [Loki: "What are you talking about? If that idiot¡¯s authority wasn¡¯t enough, I¡¯d have been caught every single time. I¡¯ve already searched multiple times."] Loki firmly denied it, looking as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. [Your father isn¡¯t even at the level of a deity, so there¡¯s no way he¡¯d escape Heimdall¡¯s sight. I¡¯ve thought of three possibilities.] "What are they?" [First, his soul has been completely destroyed. That means his existence is completely erased, so he wouldn¡¯t show up in any search. But there¡¯s no one on Earth capable of doing that¡ªexcept maybe you, with your soul energy emission.] "That¡¯s not something I¡¯d do... so what¡¯s the next possibility?" [Second, he might be on another planet. Third, if a deity used an SSS-level concealment skill on him, Heimdall wouldn¡¯t be able to find him. But why would anyone bother concealing a single human soul?] Seriously, where did he go? This was so absurd that I even started wondering if Loki was lying to me. Isn¡¯t he the god of trickery? "Hey, you¡¯re not scamming me or holding my dad¡¯s soul hostage, are you?" [Wow. I¡¯m a deity, okay? Sure, I¡¯m the god of trickery, but why would I scam someone over a single human soul? I swear I¡¯m not lying.] Loki jumped in protest. He seemed sincere. "Hmm¡­" [If we were holding him, we¡¯d have given you his soul already and taken all 12 seats as payment. Why would we bother with just one human soul?] "Aphrodite and others keep trying to get offspring from me. Isn¡¯t it possible that someone would target my father for soul-related research?" [That might work for offspring, but it doesn¡¯t apply to parents. We¡¯ve experimented on that multiple times to confirm it.] It didn¡¯t seem like a lie. What the heck. Where did he go? "Could it be that my father¡¯s name was a pseudonym all along?" [Nope. Heimdall reads genetic and soul wavelengths to search. Even if the name were fake, he¡¯d still be found. For now, Heimdall says he¡¯ll expand the search range to the solar system.] S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Alright. Thanks... I¡¯ll give you three seats as a mediator fee. Decide who¡¯ll take them and let me know." Those three seats were ones I had already considered neutral, so I handed them over as a gesture to encourage a more thorough search. [Alright. I¡¯ll bring good news.] With that, Loki ended the call. Sigh. Frustrated, I pulled out the strategy guide. Was there any new content after clearing the Kevrian challenge? To my surprise, the guide¡¯s contents had updated. [Did I actually beat Kevrian? Or am I facing another end of the world? Did I get the fragment of Chronos? I¡¯m curious... From here on, I don¡¯t know either. The five Lords that descended on Earth are too strong for me to gather any information. But the note I left behind... Check it again at level 200.] That was the end of the strategy guide. It seemed there would be no more updates. Hmm. A note? When I pulled it out, it was still covered in unreadable characters, just like before. I also took out the mysterious black rod that I couldn¡¯t figure out before. It didn¡¯t react either. Should I have asked Loki about this, too? Hmm... No, better not trust him too much. For now, I decided to hold onto it until I reached A-rank. "Hey, I¡¯m heading out now." Lee Jinseong, who had been treating my house like his own for the past week, drinking endlessly, stood there in a dress shirt. He even brought clothes from his place to hang out here. "Ah. Alright." "Looks like my vacation is over. The guild¡¯s calling me back for a discussion on clearing a C-rank dungeon." "Hmm¡­ Alright. Before you go, take this." I took out the Orb of Replication that Loki had given me and used it. A bracelet with a blue gemstone embedded in it materialized in my hand. [Temporary B-Rank Weapon Summoning Bracelet] [A bracelet that can summon a B-rank weapon. The weapon type is automatically selected based on the user¡¯s most desired melee weapon.] I also had an A-rank item from Hermes that was similar to Loki¡¯s. [Orb of Replication ¨C Leonidas¡¯s Armor] [Rank: A] [Replicates the armor of Leonidas, King of Sparta, at one rank lower. The replicated armor disappears after one month. The number of replications depends on the user¡¯s mana, with a maximum of 100.] I thought Leonidas fought in just a loincloth, but it turned out he wore full armor. I mean, if it were just a loincloth, how would he survive arrows? Replicating this also created a bracelet with a blue gemstone. "Whoa, what¡¯s this?" "It¡¯s a special gift from me. A B-rank weapon and armor." "Whoa! I¡¯ll serve you as my master!" "Ah. But they¡¯ll disappear in a month." "Eh, still, thanks! Let me try it out." Jinseong took the bracelet and summoned a weapon. With a flash of light, his appearance changed. He now stood in golden armor, holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. He jumped in front of a mirror, ecstatic. "Wow. This is amazing! Are you sure I can have this?" "Yeah. I can replicate up to 100, so I gave you one. Take good care of it." "Yay~" Jinseong exaggeratedly bowed to me, speaking in a courtier-like tone. Then, after removing the gear, his eyes lit up. "Hey, what if we start a weapon rental business with this?" "A weapon rental business?" "Yeah. I¡¯ve never even heard of B-rank gear. High-ranking guilds would probably rent it no matter the cost." "That''s not bad. I¡¯ll have to think about it." Sounds just like Loki. I really need to do this. Leveling up the top guilds quickly and earning money at the same time¡ªtwo birds with one stone. If they rent weapons, they''ll hunt hard just to make the most of it. Hmm, but managing it myself sounds like a hassle... I should call our secretary. [Oh my, Jiho. I saw the news. You looked great in that suit!] ¡°Thank you. Everything¡¯s been moving so fast, I hardly had time to catch my breath.¡± As soon as I called, Kang Shia hit me with a compliment. When I brought up weapon rentals, she got excited and immediately suggested we meet. [Have you had lunch? Let¡¯s talk over a meal. I¡¯ll send a car.] ¡°Oh. Sure.¡± I lazed around for about 30 minutes, chuckling while watching the news featuring me. Even after a week, the Kim Jiho news kept rolling in. They kept showing shots of presidents bowing their heads to me. When that segment ended, they brought in experts for interviews. [Just how significant is Hunter Kim Jiho¡¯s influence?] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [Now that the elves have retreated, the only one capable of handling B-rank dungeons is Hunter Kim Jiho. Thanks to him, many hunters have leveled up, but the highest level is still only 64. Without Hunter Kim Jiho, B-rank dungeons simply cannot be cleared.] [So, without Hunter Kim Jiho, it¡¯s impossible? He¡¯s the only one in the world?] [Yes. Monsters from lower-rank dungeons can be subdued with modern weapons, but monsters from higher-rank dungeons can turn ethereal. At that point, modern weapons are useless. Also, as you can see from the expedition footage, attacks don¡¯t land effectively if there¡¯s a level disparity. If the B-rank dungeon portals remain open, B-rank monsters will spill out, and there¡¯ll be no one to stop them.] The hunter industry expert passionately explained the potential damage B-rank monsters could cause. A charming anchor added exclamations, visibly impressed. It was both cringy and amusing. [The Kim Jiho phenomenon around the globe?] Kids were running around cosplaying as me in Hephaestus armor from Olympus. In one country, they were even worshiping me as a god and placing my figure at a shrine meant for the Olympian gods. Oh, come on... why there, of all places? Anyway, since it¡¯s all about me, watching the news has become pretty entertaining. Still, I guess I¡¯ll need to use polymorph magic when I go outside. I was so engrossed in my news segments that I lost track of time. When the call came saying the car had arrived, I hurriedly got dressed, polymorphed, and headed to the parking lot to get in. And then we arrived at the restaurant. The restaurant was a fancy one with private rooms, but unlike last time, I didn¡¯t feel nervous. I¡¯ve been treated like royalty enough times now to get used to it. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Kang Shia greeted me, dressed in a figure-hugging gown. We shared a meal before diving into the topic of weapon rentals. ¡°Renting out B-rank weapons and armor? That¡¯s a great idea. Jiho, are you looking to profit from this, or...?¡± ¡°Money? I get plenty through sponsorships.¡± ¡°I see. But we¡¯re getting swamped with inquiries. People are desperate to find out how to support you. Some even deposit money into my account, begging me to pass it on to you.¡± She handed me a neatly organized list. From famous American corporations to Korea¡¯s conglomerates, everyone was scrambling to get close to me. ¡°Wow. I¡¯ve been away from Earth so much, I had no idea this was happening.¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°If they¡¯re offering, we might as well take it.¡± ¡°Should I handle it or tell them to send it directly?¡± ¡°Hmm. Just organize it and send it to me.¡± Managing money isn¡¯t as important as managing SP. ¡°Well, since money isn¡¯t an issue, I¡¯d like to focus weapon rentals on areas with many high-level hunters.¡± ¡°High-level hunters?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m curious to see if, at a certain level, they can clear C-rank dungeons without fatalities, even without B-rank weapons. Let¡¯s charge a reasonable fee and help them level up.¡± ¡°If I were in your position, I¡¯d hesitate to do that. It¡¯s not ideal to help competitors rise. You have such a generous heart.¡± Generous? Not really. The faster hunters level up, the more experience points they¡¯ll offer me. I kept my thoughts to myself and leisurely sipped my coffee. ¡°So, we¡¯ll limit rentals to high levels and distribute them fairly among the guilds. We¡¯ll charge a reasonable price...¡± Kang Shia pulled out her phone and started calculating. ¡°Let¡¯s set the minimum monthly rental fee for high-level hunters at 5 billion won. Including armor, that¡¯d be 10 billion.¡± ¡°Five billion?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s cheap, but it¡¯s meant to increase accessibility.¡± So, with 100 sets, that¡¯s 1 trillion won a month? It sounded like a lot, but I felt strangely indifferent. It¡¯s like money doesn¡¯t mean much anymore. I don¡¯t even know how much is in my account; I just care about my SP count. ¡°Hmm. Should we set up a company for distribution?¡± ¡°Ugh. Too much hassle. I¡¯d prefer to handle it through the Hunter Association and pay them a commission.¡± ¡°Oh, come on. Who would dare charge Jiho a commission? They should be paying you! I¡¯ll contact the association.¡± She sipped her coffee, and I started to feel a bit guilty for making her handle everything. ¡°I feel bad dumping all this work on you. Should I offer you an incentive?¡± ¡°Haha. Jiho, being your representative is an honor¡ªI should be paying you. If you really feel guilty, then maybe lend me some gear?¡± ¡°Planning to challenge a C-rank dungeon? You know death there is permanent, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Even though peace has supposedly returned, I feel the need to get stronger. I can¡¯t shake the memories of being helpless against regular monsters in the shattered world.¡± Her fiery determination made me reflect on myself. Hearing people call me the strongest on Earth had made me complacent lately. Even if I can¡¯t be overtaken, given how much experience points others feed me as they grow, I shouldn¡¯t slack off. Plus, I still don¡¯t fully understand what the gods are plotting. Back home, I checked my status screen. It¡¯s been a week since I returned to Earth. With Hermes sending me 100,000 SP daily and the SP earned through soul mediation, I now had 720,000 SP. I was earning so much more through mediation than reaping. I should upgrade my soul mediation skill. [Would you like to upgrade the Soul Mediation skill? 100,000 SP will be used.] Yes. [Would you like to upgrade the Soul Mediation skill? 500,000 SP will be used.] Yes. I immediately confirmed both upgrades, raising Soul Mediation to Level 5. At Level 1, I could manage 3 souls, Level 2 allowed 6, and Level 3 handled 12. I expected it to jump to 24 or 48, but the results were disappointing. [Soul Mediation Skill has been upgraded to Level 4. One additional soul slot has been unlocked. The range of soul mediation has increased.] [Soul Mediation Skill has been upgraded to Level 5. One additional soul slot has been unlocked. The range of soul mediation has increased.] Seriously? Only one extra slot per level? I just dumped 650,000 SP into this! But my anger disappeared when I saw the next message. [Soul Mediation Skill has reached Level 5. You can now mediate souls with gods from other planets.] [At Level 7, the skill ¡®Smuggling¡¯ will become available.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 73 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 73: A Brief Peace Being able to mediate with gods and souls from other planets, huh? Right now, it¡¯s a useless ability. The only gods from other planets I know are Elprian and Drakia, and both of them are dead. Still, it might come in handy someday. And then, there¡¯s smuggling... When I clicked on smuggling, an explanation popped up. [Soul Smuggling: Designate a god to perform soul smuggling. You can mediate souls without the designated god¡¯s knowledge. All the profits generated during this process belong entirely to the soul mediator. Two soul mediation slots are required. Applicable only up to SSS-grade gods.] Oh wow. I get to keep all the profits? At Soul Mediation Level 5, the efficiency is 100%, and I can mediate with 14 guardian gods. Right now, my commission is 30%. But if I use smuggling, I get to keep 100% of the profits. No, wait¡ªif I unlock smuggling, my Soul Mediation level will increase to 7. Considering the rate of improvement so far, I¡¯d be looking at 140% efficiency with a 40% commission. If I use smuggling, I get to keep that entire 140% for myself. That¡¯s excellent. Hmm. But at Soul Mediation Level 19, efficiency reaches 100%, and commissions become entirely customizable. So, maybe smuggling won¡¯t be useful by then? Well, I¡¯ll think about it when the time comes. Alright. How much SP will the next upgrade cost? [Would you like to upgrade the Soul Mediation skill? It will cost 2.5 million SP.] 2.5 million... Sigh. The costs are increasing fivefold each time¡ª100,000 ¡ú 500,000 ¡ú 2.5 million. If Level 6 costs 2.5 million... Then Level 7 will be 12.5 million? How will I ever save that much?! ¡°I wish I could convert the money in my bank account into SP...¡± Curious if such a feature existed, I opened the shop. [You have reached Grade B. You can now sell items.] As soon as I opened it, a message appeared. The higher the grade, the more things you can do, I guess. But as for my money ¡ú SP conversion idea... of course, it wasn¡¯t available. The shop was just filled with gacha draws. SP 300,000, SP 600,000 for A~D-grade items and skills, all labeled as ¡°on sale.¡± Sigh. They could at least remove the D-grade ones... ¡°Should I sell something?¡± I decided to list one of the A-grade weapons I had been keeping in my inventory¡ªan item gifted by the gods. When the price was evaluated, it came out to 300,000. Wow, the price of an A-grade weapon is the same as the gacha cost? These greedy Chaos gods are such scammers. Forget it. I¡¯m not selling anything. I¡¯ll just slowly save up SP and upgrade step by step. First, I need to figure out how much income my Soul Mediation is actually generating. After lounging at home for two days, Hermes sent over his final payment of 200,000 SP. On top of that, Soul Mediation was bringing in 30,000 SP per day. Altogether, 330,000 SP appeared in my status window. Investing in Soul Mediation was definitely the right choice. I checked my status window. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Mediator Guardian God: Hermes, God of Messengers Title: Earth¡¯s Number One Level: 107 Strength: 121 Agility: 121 Magic: 120 SP: 331,120 Additional Stats: +67] [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Reaper Guardian God: Loki, God of Deception Title: Earth¡¯s Pioneer ¨C Legendary Grade Level: 107 Physical Ability: A Magic: A Skill: A Luck: A SP: 15,084 Additional Stats: +41] Thanks to the Olympian gods¡¯ buff to Earthlings, I benefited the most. Every level up granted one point, and I gained more than 40 additional stat points. Since things are peaceful right now, I¡¯ll just save up those extra stats for later. If I save 30,000 SP per day, that¡¯s 10 million SP in a year... I could upgrade Soul Mediation to Level 7 in about a year and a half. I could increase my earnings by mediating with two additional slots, but I¡¯d rather leave those slots unused for now. I¡¯ll observe how things play out in the world and decide later. ¡°Now entering the stage, the star of this ¡®Grade B Weapon Rental Auction,¡¯ Mr. Kim Jiho!¡± Clap clap clap clap. Applause erupted from all directions. The camera flashes were so dazzling they made my head spin. The association¡¯s usual auditorium wasn¡¯t big enough to accommodate the crowd, so they had hastily prepared a large hall. As I walked up the aisle to the stage, I saw countless people in the audience. There were at least several thousand participants in the auction, including prominent guild leaders and even world-class leaders. Reporters were busy capturing both me and the attendees. Why are there so many people just for a Grade B item rental? As I walked onto the stage and gave a light bow, the hall resounded with thunderous applause. The host was Kang Shia. Instead of a flashy appearance, her neat and formal attire matched her as she introduced me as the world¡¯s greatest hunter, the one who saved the Earth. She skillfully praised me, building up my image. I was cringing just listening to it, but the audience responded enthusiastically, clapping like seals. ¡°Mr. Jiho Kim, could I check the items, please?¡± Click, clack. The sound of heels echoed through the auditorium as Kang Shia approached me, bringing a wave of silence across the room. Everyone¡¯s eyes were full of anticipation. I pulled out two Replication Orbs and summoned two bracelets. When I handed them to Kang Shia, she reacted dramatically, as if she were watching a TV drama. ¡°Oh my! Are these the Weapon Summoning Bracelet and the Leonidas Armor Summoning Bracelet? Wow. I really want a bow. Do you think I could summon one?¡± ¡°If you strongly wish for a bow, it will appear.¡± ¡°Amazing! Then let me demonstrate this right now. Everyone, watch closely.¡± Kang Shia placed the microphone down and wore both bracelets. As the jewels on the bracelets shone brightly, the golden armor of Leonidas fitted snugly on her. On her back, a glowing blue bow appeared. ¡°Wow, this is great. Would it be okay to shoot an arrow?¡± At that moment, a steel target was brought onto the stage. They had prepared in advance. One staff member tried to hand an arrow to Kang Shia, but she waved them off. ¡°This bow can summon magic arrows too.¡± Like Artemis¡¯s bow, as she touched the bowstring, a magic arrow formed on its own. The arrow flew forward, accompanied by a loud bang, and shattered the target into pieces. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it¡¯s summoned.¡± ¡°That bow is incredible. Magic arrows can be summoned, too?¡± ¡°Even though a month is a short time, the quality of these weapons seems better than anything on the market so far.¡± ¡°With no more elf assistants, we need to nurture hunters to protect our country. Good weapons are essential.¡± ¡°We need to grab as many of those weapons as possible this time. Do we have enough money?¡± The audience, excited by the demonstration, buzzed with anticipation for the auction to start. With the atmosphere warmed up from the demonstration, it was the perfect time to begin the auction. That¡¯s when the Association President hurriedly approached me. ¡°Mr. Jiho, a B-grade dungeon has appeared near Jamsil Station!¡± ¡°Jamsil Station?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] A dungeon in densely populated Jamsil? The murmurs among the crowd grew louder as the news spread. Hmm¡­ Should I just take care of it myself since it¡¯s in Jamsil? The auction doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯ll end quickly anyway. ¡°Shia.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Could you manage the auction? I¡¯ll go clear the dungeon and come back.¡± I summoned 200 bracelets, piling them on the ground. Kang Shia looked at me with a worried expression. ¡°How can you go to a B-grade dungeon alone without knowing what might come out? You could wait until the auction ends and take someone with a high level along.¡± ¡°If the dungeon¡¯s difficulty is high, having too many people will only get in the way. I¡¯ll check it out and come back since it¡¯s nearby.¡± ¡°¡­Alright. Everyone, Hunter Jiho Kim will clear the B-grade dungeon on his own and return shortly.¡± As Kang Shia resumed the auction, the Association President ran up to me, panting. ¡°Mr. Jiho, a helicopter is on its way. You should take it.¡± ¡°Oh, Jamsil is close. I¡¯ll just fly there myself.¡± Shaking off the Association President, who tried to stop me, I jumped. Crack! The ground broke beneath me as I instantly reached the ceiling of the auditorium. Before my body hit it, I activated spirit transformation. My body smoothly phased out of the building. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± High in the sky, I summoned the Flame Chariot. Once in the air, it was a bit confusing to figure out directions, but thanks to the recently built Second Tower landmark, I got my bearings. Let¡¯s try full speed. ¡°Accelerate.¡± The Flame Chariot sped forward. Flying over the heart of Seoul felt different compared to when I had to deal with Kevrian. I could feel people pointing at me from below, gesturing toward the sky. Having an audience made the ride more enjoyable. As I neared Jamsil Station, signal flares were fired into the air. I followed the signal and saw Association staff waving at me. I deactivated the Flame Chariot and fell to the ground. ¡°Gasp! Are you alright?¡± ¡°I used spirit transformation. Is that the B-grade dungeon portal?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Since monsters can emerge immediately from a B-grade portal, we¡¯ve been keeping watch.¡± From a B-grade dungeon portal, monsters can randomly appear. If left alone, there could be significant casualties. While most portals take over a day for monsters to emerge, it¡¯s better to deal with it proactively. The auction should be fine with Kang Shia in charge. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to subdue it.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± I stepped into the portal. It had been a while since I entered a dungeon portal. The structure wasn¡¯t much different from other dungeons. However, the monsters were¡­ ¡°Grrr! Human, die!¡± Ogres, of course. Five black ogres corrupted by chaos came charging with clubs. ¡°Thunder God.¡± Let¡¯s start light. I activated Thunder God. Lightning crackled, enveloping the five ogres. ¡°GRAAARGH!!¡± The ogres, rushing excitedly, froze in their tracks and collapsed on the spot. One of them disappeared, dropping a blue mana stone, while the rest showed no signs of movement. Huh? Is that it? So anticlimactic. The dungeon had a simple structure¡ªjust go straight in one direction. Monsters showed up in decent numbers, but¡­ They all went down in a single hit. ¡°Die!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy, bro.¡± [Hu¡­man¡­ coming alone. You¡¯ll regret it.] ¡°Yeoui.¡± A lich that seemed to be the dungeon boss was standing next to a blue dungeon core. I pierced its neck with Yeoui, smashed the dungeon core, and cleared the B-rank dungeon. Huh¡­ What the heck. How long did that take? Definitely under ten minutes. ¡°Hunter Kim Jiho! As expected¡­ Was it tough doing it alone?¡± As I exited the dungeon portal, an association staff member approached me with a worried expression. They probably thought I failed and ran away. ¡°The portal¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°How long did it take me?¡± ¡°2¡­ 2 minutes and 10 seconds.¡± ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll aim for under a minute. I¡¯m heading back.¡± I hopped back onto the flaming chariot and returned. I landed back in the auditorium where I had started. ¡°So, 3 billion won per item. Any other bids?¡± Kang Shia, who had been hosting the auction, was actively engaged in sales with her armor off. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re raking it in.¡± ¡°Wha-!? You¡¯re back already?¡± ¡°Yep. It was easy. Carry on.¡± She looked flustered. The crowd started murmuring as well. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Already cleared it?¡± ¡°What? How could anyone clear a B-rank dungeon so fast¡­?¡± ¡°Not even five minutes passed!¡± I felt like I disrupted the auction¡¯s atmosphere. My bad. To encourage her, I patted her shoulder lightly and returned to my seat. The association president, jaw dropped, was staring at me. ¡°The B-rank dungeon core was blue, right? Why was it so easy?¡± ¡°Even Liana took several hours¡­.¡± ¡°Really? It felt way too simple.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ You were back in under five minutes¡­ It reminded me of the story where Guan Yu beheaded Hua Xiong in an instant.¡± ¡°Haha. You should¡¯ve prepared some warmed wine, then.¡± The association president looked at me with eyes full of admiration. Around the auditorium, the sound of camera flashes went crazy. The auction prices suddenly skyrocketed. ¡°7¡­ 7 billion won!¡± It was 4 billion a moment ago. Now it¡¯s 7 billion? ¡°Why are the prices like this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because¡­ everyone wants to make a good impression on you. The current bidders are heads of state rather than guild leaders. They¡¯re likely trying to establish a connection.¡± Did I overdo it? By demonstrating that clearing a B-rank dungeon was a piece of cake, they seemed eager to impress me by throwing money around. This was the opposite of my intentions. The goal was to distribute weapons to high-level hunters to gain experience. If the prices got too high, only the wealthy would monopolize everything. Instead of that, it was more important for high-level hunters to safely clear C-rank dungeons. As the auction overheated, I decided to pause it. ¡°Kang Shia, let¡¯s allocate the items per continent and rent them out for 2 billion won each. Weapons and armor combined.¡± ¡°Huh? 2 billion?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s more important to distribute weapons than make money. It¡¯s not charity, so that seems like a reasonable price.¡± ¡°All right¡­ It¡¯s a bit of a shame, but I¡¯ll do that.¡± After changing the auction rules and dividing the items by continent, people praised the decision as being for the good of humanity. Clearing a B-rank dungeon was now a certainty, and I felt like a super protector of humanity. Heads of state even promised to compensate those who lost out during the auction and secretly offered bribes. Some powerful countries subtly suggested I immigrate to them. But at this point, I had no reason to leave. After being pushed around by the gods, it was nice to enjoy this comfortable and happy life on Earth. It felt like this happiness would last forever. But that peace¡­ only lasted three months. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 74 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 74: Exploding Dungeon Portals, An A-Rank Dungeon Appears (1) Things started going awry three months later. "Jiho-nim, a B-rank dungeon has appeared in LA." "I''ve received word that a B-rank dungeon has also appeared in Melbourne, Australia." "In Russia as well¡­" Dungeon portals were suddenly increasing at an alarming rate. In particular, there were a lot more B- and C-rank high-level dungeon portals appearing. Even if C-rank hunters could somehow manage the C-rank dungeons, there was no one other than me capable of clearing the B-rank ones. The leisurely life of enjoying overseas travel while heading to dungeons around the world every two weeks was no more. Now, I was constantly flying around the globe on planes provided by the World Hunter Association. "Where are we now?" "We''re currently flying over the Atlantic Ocean." "Alright, so after LA, we¡¯ll stop by Melbourne and then head to Russia, right?" "Yes¡­ Is that okay with you?" "Well, what choice do I have? It has to be done." The stewardess gave me a look of pity. While the captain and crew switched shifts whenever we landed, I lived permanently on the plane. At first, I leisurely traveled in the private jet provided by the World Hunter Association¡­ but now, there wasn''t even time for maintenance, so I flew in a different plane every time. This time too, after clearing the B-rank dungeon in LA, the plane, the captain, and the crew would all change again. Only I would remain the same. Sigh. I¡¯m certainly doing a world tour. Damn it. What on earth is going on? "Communication. Hermes." [Oh, Jiho, what¡¯s the matter?] "Dungeon portals are popping up way too much on Earth these days. Do you know what¡¯s happening?" [Let¡¯s see¡­ Hmm, this level of increase should still be manageable. There hasn¡¯t even been an A-rank dungeon appearing yet.] Hermes looked at me as if wondering why I was complaining about something so trivial. He continued to speak with a relaxed expression. [I thought you were contacting me because an A-rank dungeon had appeared.] An A-rank dungeon? No way. This guy is saying that when even clearing B-rank dungeons is barely manageable? "What¡¯s this talk about A-rank dungeons all of a sudden?" [Haha. Remember during the Kevrian clear, Hades wasn¡¯t at full strength?] "That¡¯s true." [Since the one subdued wasn¡¯t complete, there¡¯s a chance some residual energy could summon A-rank dungeon portals.] Hermes casually dropped this bombshell as if it were no big deal from Earth¡¯s perspective. [More importantly, your soul mediation is going really well, Jiho. If you keep leveling it up, it¡¯s going to be incredible. Why haven¡¯t you upgraded it yet?] "I still need to gather SP for over 100 days. It costs 2.5 million, after all." [Only 100 days? Haha. I¡¯m looking forward to it.] Instead of addressing Earth¡¯s crisis, Hermes rambled on about soul mediation. Wow, these guys really don¡¯t care about Earth. "Soul mediation aside¡­ So there¡¯s no way to stop these dungeon increases?" [No. This level of increase is manageable. The real problem would start if an A-rank dungeon appeared.] "If an A-rank dungeon appears, can¡¯t you dispatch an angel?" [The more we intervene, the more dungeons will appear. Jiho, I¡¯m sure you can handle an A-rank dungeon just fine~] In other words, they weren¡¯t going to help. Sigh. I thought things would be a happy ending after defeating Kevrian. But hearing all this talk about A-rank dungeons is filling me with a sense of foreboding that one will actually appear. And gut feelings like these tend to be right... "Jiho-nim, we¡¯re about to land in LA." "Alright. Let¡¯s end the communication here." [Okay. Good luck, Kim Jiho. Hang in there until more B-rank hunters emerge~] Hermes waved cheerfully as I ended the communication in frustration. Once the plane landed, I boarded a waiting helicopter to head to the dungeon. B-rank dungeons often appeared right in the middle of major cities. Judging by the helicopter heading towards the urban area in LA, this was one of those cases. "We¡¯ve arrived." "Alright, let¡¯s get going." Following the interpreter¡¯s words, I immediately activated spirit form. My body, seated in the helicopter, suddenly plummeted toward the ground. It¡¯s fascinating every time. Even in spirit form, I¡¯m still affected by gravity. I landed on the ground in a sitting position, then immediately reverted to my physical form. "Jiho-nim, this way." An American with striking blue eyes spoke fluent Korean. Given that I¡¯ve been living on planes without a single day off, this much effort is the least they can do. I ran straight toward the dungeon he pointed at. This time, it was an undead dungeon with a Death Knight. Unlike Kevrian, it lacked divine power, so I burned everything to ashes with my phoenix fire and finished it in under a minute. The Americans marveled as I emerged. I could hear "Great!" being shouted from all directions, but there wasn¡¯t any time to bask in the applause. "Is the helicopter ready?" "Yes, it¡¯s prepared to take you straight to the airport." "Let¡¯s go, then." Boarding the helicopter, I returned to the plane and set off for Australia. Did I even stay on the ground for 10 minutes? Sigh. I can¡¯t keep living like this. This isn¡¯t right. I can¡¯t go on living on planes. If the number of dungeons increases further, even the speed of planes won¡¯t be enough to handle it. I looked again at the Return skill I received from Loki. [Heimdall¡¯s Return] [Grade: S] [Instantly teleports the user to a designated return point. Grants immunity to interference skills up to SS-grade. For every skill level increase, an additional return point can be set. At skill level 5, the user can travel between planets and gains immunity to interference skills up to SSS-grade.] I hadn¡¯t designated a return point for Heimdall¡¯s Return yet. To be honest, I¡¯d been living leisurely over the past three months and hadn¡¯t even thought about upgrading this skill. Since the soul mediation skill gathers SP, I was prioritizing leveling it up first... But with B-rank dungeons continuing to multiply like this, I need to create return points in various places around the world. Ugh. Upgrading an S-rank skill costs 300,000 SP... It¡¯s only 300,000 now because it¡¯s level 1, but the cost might skyrocket at levels 2 and 3. I hate wasting SP, but I need at least one more return point. "Ugh¡­ Let¡¯s level it up." My hand trembled as I hit the level-up button. Upgrading Heimdall¡¯s Return would only increase the number of return points by one. But it costs 300,000 SP... [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Still, it¡¯s for humanity. Let¡¯s do this! [Heimdall¡¯s Return skill has been leveled up.] [One additional return point is available.] [Stronger resistance to interference skills.] [You can now return twice per day.] Oh, I see. It used to be limited to once per day. I didn¡¯t realize that because I¡¯d been saving the return point and hadn¡¯t actually used the skill. Alright, time to test it out. I thought about leveling up the skill again, but when I saw it now cost 600,000 SP, I decided to hold off for now. If things get worse, I¡¯ll upgrade it then. After clearing dungeons in Australia and Russia, I returned to Korea. I thought I might need to head out again, but strangely enough, no new B-grade dungeons appeared this time. So, I had a bit of downtime and was able to go back home. My new house was like a huge mansion built near Gwacheon, a gift from the World Hunter Association. The house''s most notable feature was a helicopter on standby, ready to take me to the airport anytime. When I first received this palace-like house, I was thrilled. But after actually moving in, I realized I hardly got to enjoy it because I was constantly flying out for missions. It felt like they built this place to keep me ready for deployment at any moment. As soon as I got home, I lay down on my bed. "Let''s set this place as a return point for now." I activated Heimdall''s return skill and designated my room as the return location. One spot left. I was pondering where to assign it when my phone rang. It was Kang Shia. After exchanging greetings, she started talking about asset-related matters. I briefly listened to her concerns and then asked for her opinion about the return location. "Where do you think I should set my return skill?" [How about the U.S.?] "The U.S.?" [Yes. If you set it there, you can cover the entire American continent.] "Hmm. I should set it there next time I go. By the way, is there anything new happening with C-grade dungeons?" [There were a lot of casualties at first, but people seem to have adapted now. Everyone¡¯s handling them fine. But people are more worried about the surge in B-grade dungeons. You just finished your flights after two weeks, right? Are you okay?] Kang Shia asked about my condition with concern. "My body isn''t too tired. But if the intervals keep getting shorter, I don''t think I can handle it alone anymore. That¡¯s what worries me." B-grade dungeons require B-grade Hunters to tackle them. I tried bringing some C-grade Hunters equipped with B-grade gear, but they were no help at all. They couldn''t even handle the monsters at the entrance. These were supposedly Earth''s elites, so it was shocking. [Still, there haven¡¯t been any B-grade dungeons in the past few days, and even C-grade dungeons have been appearing less frequently. Maybe things are settling down...? Oh?] Suddenly, Kang Shia sounded alarmed. Why do you sound so uneasy? [Jiho... Jiho, a navy blue portal has appeared in Taiwan.] "A navy blue portal... Could it be an A-grade?" [Yes... It¡¯s emitting an enormous amount of mana. They¡¯re urgently requesting help.] "Ah, damn it. I¡¯m on my way. Inform the Association that I¡¯m heading out and ask them to prepare." [Alright... Please be careful.] Ah, crap... Didn¡¯t those elf assistants say that breaking the Kevrian would prevent this? Seriously, you can¡¯t trust those guys. No wonder Hermes kept talking about A-grade threats. sigh The situation has escalated, so I have no choice but to go. Checking my status, I saw my level was 120. The additional abilities from the Order faction reached 80. Since it¡¯s A-grade, I need to prepare. I allocated 10 points each to my stats and got up from the bed I had just laid down on. Knock knock. "Jiho-nim, dinner is ready." "I¡¯m heading out." "What? Again? Couldn¡¯t you at least eat before you go?" "It¡¯s an A-grade this time. Just enjoy the meal without me." The middle-aged butler employed by the Association to manage my house looked at me with pity. "Understood. I¡¯ll await your safe return." "Yeah. Take care of the house while I¡¯m gone." The delicious smell of food wafted through the air, but I ignored it and headed for the helicopter. After taking a helicopter, then a plane to Taiwan¡¯s airport, I boarded another helicopter immediately. "Chomp chomp." The interpreter looked at me with pity as I ate bread in the helicopter. Why does everyone around me look at me like this, even though I¡¯m Earth¡¯s strongest Hunter? Suddenly, a corner of my heart felt heavy. "What¡¯s the situation?" "I¡¯ll communicate and check." The soldier activated the radio and began speaking in Chinese. At first, his tone was casual, but his expression soon turned grim. The interpreter¡¯s face also grew tense as he listened. I was about to ask the interpreter what was going on when I heard screams from the radio. "What¡¯s going on?" "Someone came out of the A-grade portal. But they¡¯re attacking people¡­!" "Someone? What do you mean? We need to get there fast. Where are we now?" "We¡¯re almost there." Just then, the world turned red, and my entire body prickled. No, this... danger sense? Something is attacking. Something powerful enough to threaten me, even at B-grade. I quickly activated the defensive skill I received from Hermes. "Aegis Shield!" Boom! A massive impact echoed the moment I cast the skill. Thankfully, the helicopter continued forward without issue. "I¡¯ll disembark first. It looks like the enemy is attacking. The rest of you, stay back." "Y-Yes!" I told the interpreter and immediately jumped out of the helicopter in spirit form. From the sky, I could see a ruined city. Torn-apart corpses. And a legion of one hundred soldiers. [Kill them. Kill all who live!] [Curse all living beings!] Soldiers clad in golden armor, holding round shields and long spears. Their skin was corrupted black, and their eyes were cloudy. Their equipment resembled that of ancient Greek warriors. They were massacring humans, both civilians and soldiers. The soldiers fired bullets, but the enemy shrugged them off, stabbing with their spears and slaughtering without mercy. Some managed to shoot through the gaps in their armor, but the enemies moved as if unfazed, killing everything in sight. ¡°Damn it! Thunder God!¡± Lightning surged from my hands, striking the chaotic soldiers. [Graaahhh!] Unlike bullets, the lightning was effective. Though they tried to hide behind their shields, they couldn¡¯t withstand the thunder and were shattered. Revealing their golden armor beneath. And that armor looked familiar. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "That... isn¡¯t that Leonidas¡¯ armor?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 75 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 75: Exploding Dungeon Portals, An A-Rank Dungeon Appears (2) As I landed on the ground and muttered to myself, a hundred soldiers in Greek attire all turned to look at me simultaneously. Those who had been massacring civilians, those deflecting bullets from soldiers¡ªeveryone stopped what they were doing. The ones who had been scattered around began to gather. They moved together with such speed that they no longer seemed human. [He knows the Emperor.] [Kill him.] [He is strong.] [Form ranks!] The soldiers formed a formation like a hedgehog. If they completed that formation, it would definitely be troublesome. "Thunder God!" I immediately unleashed the Thunder God, but the lightning bounced right off. While I managed to destroy one shield, the others had already tightened their ranks, and the resistance was overwhelming. They hadn¡¯t even fully completed their formation yet, and it was already giving me this much trouble. Things would get much worse later on. "Phoenix, go." [A strong opponent. Understood.] The phoenix, which had been resting on my forehead, leapt into action. Simultaneously, I summoned the Flame Chariot and sent it charging forward. "Focus. Thunder God." I gathered as much magical power as I could and unleashed a torrent of lightning. The damage to human lives was significant. I had to finish them early. [Defend!] The soldiers raised their shields, creating a wall, and a black barrier materialized. The phoenix''s fiery breath struck first, but the barrier remained unmoved. The Flame Chariot charged, only to be repelled. Only the lightning of the Thunder God, which I had invested my concentrated magic into, had any effect. The thick bolts of lightning began to crack the barrier, like an eggshell breaking apart. The phoenix immediately dove into the cracks, and the Flame Chariot launched another assault. The gaps slowly widened. I poured the Thunder God¡¯s lightning into the breach once more. A blinding white light pierced through the barrier as thunder roared like a storm. [Grr¡­] [He is strong. Defense is impossible.] [Launch spears!] The crumbling black barrier suddenly coalesced into countless spear shapes. Then, all at once, they flew at me like bullets. Thankfully, I could hear their movements, which meant I could defend against them. "Summon Aegis Shield. Light Shield." Phase 1 of the Aegis Shield. Small, disk-like shields of light began orbiting around me, automatically blocking fatal attacks. The Light Shield¡ªa 5-circle protective magic¡ªwas especially strong against chaotic attacks. With both defenses activated, I charged toward the enemy. Clang! Clang! The black spears flying at me were deflected one by one. Occasionally, thicker and more menacing spears were automatically blocked by the Aegis Shield. [Athena¡¯s Shield!] [Hahaha¡­ An artifact of the enemy!] [Go berserk!] The soldiers, who had been falling one by one under my attacks, suddenly let out furious roars. They abandoned all defense and charged at me recklessly. Dozens leapt into the air, while the rest sprinted on the ground. Their black bodies turned crimson, their eyes blazing with rage. Despite being engulfed in fire and struck by lightning, they charged at me with burning bodies. "Grow, Yeoui." I extended Yeoui and infused it with thunder energy. It slashed the earth and dominated the sky. A squishy sensation spread through my hands¡ªthe feeling of cutting through flesh and shattering bones. Then, it stopped. [I¡¯ll hold the black one.] A large soldier, bigger than the others, was holding Yeoui¡¯s blade with his body. The moment my sword strike paused, the other enemies took advantage of the gap and charged at me like madmen. I quickly shrank Yeoui again, causing the soldier holding it to collapse. Without re-extending Yeoui, I scanned the surroundings. There were still more than 50 enemies left. If I retreated and suppressed them from a distance, it would take time, but I could manage. However, this was the middle of the city, and prolonging the battle here wasn¡¯t ideal. Tsk¡­ Should I use that skill? I decided to wait for the enemies to come closer. [Launch spears.] Black spears flew at me from all directions. I overlapped the Light Shield once, then twice, deflecting them. Their spears relentlessly targeted one area of the shield, striking with remarkable precision. [Charge.] The soldiers who had leapt high into the sky descended with shields at the forefront. Golden armor gleamed as red and gold clashed in a meteor-like display. The soldiers on the ground with long spears timed their movements perfectly. As they drew closer and closer¡­ Now was the chance. "Soul Energy Emission." Whoosh. White flames roared and surged. A shrunken staff expanded instantly. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. With one strike, it cleaved the sky, and with the next, it split the earth. In the wake of the blade, pure white flames bloomed. Soldiers froze in their tracks, consumed by the sight. [Aaaaargh!] [It burns¡­ it burns away¡­] [Rest¡­ we can rest¡­] [Apostle, grant the king rest as well¡­] At first, the soldiers screamed in agony, but their faces soon turned peaceful. They even gestured toward the dungeon, pleading with me. They were asking for rest for their king, too. Sigh. Have these guys gone mad? There''s no risk of civilian casualties inside the dungeon, so why would I bother? [3200 SP is consumed.] Just looking at the SP consumption is enough to make me feel gloomy¡­ This is something to be used only as a last resort. Still, I was utterly stunned when I checked the message window. I gained 20,000 SP. Even though souls killed through spiritual emission are not absorbed. I only absorbed 50 of them, which means each one gave me 400 SP. Whoa. Why so much? My stats also increased: +2 Strength and +2 Agility. Ugh. If this wasn¡¯t in the middle of a crowded city in Taiwan, I would¡¯ve taken my time absorbing more. Well, no point regretting it. If I had fought these guys while trying to escape, the civilian casualties would¡¯ve been catastrophic. Looking around again, I confirmed there were no enemies left. The survivors were sobbing or unconscious, barely hanging on. Those who fled were the lucky ones¡ªat least they had the strength to run. Most were just dazed, broken by the overwhelming fear. Sigh. I need to dismantle this dungeon quickly¡­ A portal to the dungeon shimmered in a deep indigo hue. There were no Hunter Association staff or soldiers stationed nearby as usual. Only scattered corpses remained. The vicious attacks from the enemy soldiers had mutilated the bodies beyond recognition¡ªshreds of flesh and fragments of bone littered the ground. On Earth, dungeons rarely felt like a true threat, but today, I was feeling it in my bones. Sigh. Looks like I''ll be tackling this A-rank dungeon alone as a B-rank. The enemies outside were manageable, but inside the dungeon lies their king. Leonidas. Why the king of Sparta is in a dungeon, I have no idea, but he¡¯s not going to be an easy opponent. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Once I enter, if it seems too much, I¡¯ll immediately use Heimdall¡¯s Return to escape. Upon entering, the terrain was unlike a typical dungeon. It wasn¡¯t a cave¡ªit was an entire world. In the sky, a crimson planet glowed ominously, and the ground was a sprawling expanse of black soil. Ahead stood twice as many soldiers as I¡¯d encountered before. Why does this dungeon feel like a full-scale war from the very start? [Form ranks! Defensive formation!] A commanding voice echoed across the land. Clack. Clack. Clack. With synchronized footsteps, they formed a hedgehog-like phalanx. Their uniforms were identical to the soldiers from earlier. Long spears aimed directly at me. Circular shields tightly overlapping in defensive formation. And this time, they were fortified with a thick, black barrier. Just looking at it made me groan¡ªit screamed trouble. Fortunately, there was nothing here I needed to protect. I wouldn¡¯t use soul emission again. Instead, I¡¯d take my time picking off enemies from a distance to gather SP and experience. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± Riding the Flame Chariot, I ascended into the sky. From the phalanx, a single figure stepped forward. Larger than the average soldier. Clad head-to-toe in golden armor, from his helm and breastplate to his spear and shield. His face was obscured by his helmet, but his exposed skin was completely blackened. The mark of chaos was upon him. [I am Leonidas, King of Sparta. Who are you, and how can you obliterate souls?] ¡°Leonidas, huh? Why are you in an A-rank dungeon?¡± [A-rank dungeon? Do you think this hell, where Athena imprisoned us, is just a dungeon?] ¡°Athena imprisoned you?¡± At the mention of Athena, Leonidas slammed his spear into the ground repeatedly, trembling with rage. [That¡¯s right! We offered our souls to the Pantheon! But she severed our spirits and banished us here! Unable to die, trapped in this hell because she saw fragments of chaos within us!] His words reminded me of the marble statues displayed in the Pantheon. They said even B-rank and A-rank individuals could earn a place there. ¡°You were among the statues displayed in the Pantheon?¡± [We were. Olympus asked for our aid in the final battle. They coaxed us, saying we¡¯d need to offer our souls. When we swore the oath, Athena appeared and shattered our spirits. She claimed the chaotic parts were unnecessary and cast us into this wretched place.] Leonidas growled as he spoke. So, the statues weren¡¯t just memorials. It seems Athena extracted only the orderly aspects of their spirits and discarded the chaotic parts. But why are they showing up in an A-rank dungeon? This is so confusing¡­ [Answer me. Who are you? How can you free souls?] Leonidas kept asking who I was, repeatedly demanding an answer. Hmm. Judging by their reactions earlier, it seems these guys just want to be destroyed and finally rest. This might be a good chance to negotiate. ¡°I am a Soul Reaper.¡± [Soul Reaper? Such a thing exists?] "Yes, I have the ability to reap the souls of my enemies. Your subordinates outside were killed by me and had their souls stolen, leading to their annihilation." [An ability like that... I''ve never heard of it.] "But look at the results. Haven''t your subordinates vanished? How many did you originally have?" [There were 300.] "And now?" [200 remain.] "Did they originally revive even after death?" [Yes... Even when we killed each other, we were bound to this space and resurrected. But now, my subordinates no longer revive. So, you''re telling the truth...] I had killed about 50 with my energy slash and another 50 using the soul absorption skill. If 100 don''t revive, it means the soul absorption is highly effective. Confident, I pressed on with my persuasion. "For the sake of freeing your souls, why not surrender and let me end your suffering? I''ll make it quick and painless." Leonidas, after a moment of contemplation, raised his hand. [All units, dissolve the formation.] Oh, nice. I was worried about how to break through that solid phalanx, but they''re disbanding it for me. [It is better to be annihilated by you than to remain in this hell. However, a Spartan warrior cannot simply die without a fight. Come down here. Grant us the chance to die in battle. Each of us will challenge you one-on-one.] A one-on-one duel? That works for me. I descended to the ground with my chariot, keeping a reasonable distance. [We will send them to you one by one.] At Leonidas''s signal, the soldiers began charging at me individually. When they were in formation, they were a headache, but facing them one by one wasn''t difficult. [Grant us peace!] The soldier charging at me shouted, but his momentum didn''t waver. So, they don''t want to die quietly, huh? Swish. I dodged the spear and amplified my sword. The soldier shielded his body with his shield. But my lightning-infused weapon pierced right through the shield and impaled his body. A sword through his chest. Yet the soldier smiled at the sight. [Ah, it''s true. At last, we''re freed from this cursed place...] And the soldier''s body disappeared. Leonidas and the soldiers turned around to look behind them. Then, all at once, they began to cheer. [They aren''t reviving!] [He was telling the truth. Everyone, embrace peace!] [At last, we are freed from this hell!] The soldiers, elated, rushed toward me to meet their deaths. Some, impatient, even dropped their shields and charged at me as if begging to be killed. Without their formation, the soldiers were only as strong as death knights. Killing 200 of them didn''t take long. Some fought me seriously, but none could withstand my attacks in a one-on-one duel. After they were all gone, Leonidas approached me slowly. He pointed a golden spear at me. So, he won''t go down quietly. [Soul Reaper, you are strong. Face me in battle!] A dark aura of chaos engulfed his spear and shield. Leonidas leaped forward, his spear hurtling toward me. He was definitely stronger than the soldiers. Stronger than any monster I''d encountered on Earth. Clang! But none of his attacks could pierce through Aegis''s shield. "Enlarge, Yeoui." His golden armor and shield couldn''t withstand my lightning-charged weapon. Dozens of blows were exchanged in an instant. Thunk! [At last... I am free.] My sword had pierced through his neck. Leonidas disappeared with a smile on his face. When he vanished, a small purple gem dropped in his place. Purple? If the order of colors is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, then purple is S-rank? I quickly picked it up, and a message appeared. [You have obtained ''Persephone''s Shard.''] Persephone''s Shard, huh... Persephone, wife of Hades. Hmm. I''ll keep it for now. As I pocketed the gem, the world around me crumbled. A flash of light, and suddenly, I was back in the ruined city of Taipei. "Jiho!" "You''re alive!" People ran toward me. Among them was Kang Shia. Huh? Kang Shia, who should be in Korea, is here? "How did you get here?" "Jiho... you¡¯ve been in the dungeon for a week!" "A week?" Wait... I was only there for a brief moment, but an entire week has passed? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 76 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 76: Catastrophe, and Another Chance ¡°What happens to the dungeon after a week?¡± ¡°Two B-rank dungeons have appeared in the meantime.¡± That¡¯s slower compared to the rate of one appearing daily. At least that¡¯s some relief. ¡°No monsters have come out yet?¡± ¡°They¡¯re emerging from a dungeon portal near Calcutta. It seems you¡¯ll need to head there quickly.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± I immediately boarded the helicopter that had been prepared for me, heading for the next flight. Kang Shia, who was seated beside me, wore a grim expression. ¡°With the appearance of the A-rank dungeon and the massacre that followed, the world is drowning in fear.¡± ¡°There hasn¡¯t been such widespread loss of life before, has there?¡± ¡°No... When F-rank dungeons first appeared, the monsters were so weak that firearms could easily eliminate them. This is the first time we¡¯ve seen entire cities destroyed.¡± I heard that Taiwan, suffering severe losses, was experiencing riots as people ran out of daily necessities. The fact that I didn¡¯t emerge from the A-rank dungeon threw the world into a state of panic. Without a way to deal with B-rank dungeons, the global leaders who chose experience points over angelic assistants were being heavily criticized. It¡¯d be nice if there were other Hunters who could handle B-rank dungeons besides me... ¡°What¡¯s the current situation in Calcutta?¡± ¡°Hunters and the military are working together to defend it. The monsters are ogres, so modern weapons can handle most of them, but some ogres are manifesting as ethereal beings, and Indian Hunters are struggling to contain them.¡± Not all B-rank monsters are capable of becoming ethereal. Still, the situation doesn¡¯t look great... ¡°We need to get there quickly.¡± ¡°Yes...¡± We reached the airport, and I parted ways with Kang Shia. There was no reason for her to accompany me to Calcutta. Instead, I asked her to return to Korea, manage the situation there, and provide a report. Once I was alone on the flight, I initiated a communication with Hermes. ¡°Connect to Hermes.¡± [Ah, Jiho. What¡¯s the matter?] Hermes answered nonchalantly, his relaxed demeanor grating on my nerves. ¡°An A-rank dungeon has appeared.¡± [An A-rank dungeon, you say? Hmm... It seems the time has come.] Hermes spoke as if he had been waiting for this moment. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®the time has come¡¯?¡± [Yes, the timing has arrived once again. Mr. Kim Jiho, endure for 90 days. In three months, Olympus will intervene.] Olympus will step in after three months? At least that¡¯s a relief. There¡¯s no way I can handle the entire world alone. But three months... maybe I can hold out until then. [How was the A-rank dungeon?] ¡°Leonidas appeared. He was cursing Athena.¡± [Leonidas¡­ Oh, the King of Sparta! You¡¯ve encountered his Fragment of Chaos.] ¡°Is Olympus behind this?¡± [Yes. After all, they were of Spartan origin.] ¡°What does Sparta have to do with anything?¡± [The Spartans revered Heracles, a traitor who defected from Olympus. All Spartans inherently carried the potential for betrayal. To become warriors of Olympus, only fragments of pure Order were necessary. Athena worked hard to extract those.] Hermes explained that the souls of Spartans were fragmented to prevent them from following the path of the traitor Heracles. [The Fragments of Chaos extracted in this way are usually destroyed on the spot. However, some fragments occasionally emerge through dungeon portals.] ¡°Then... why was a week gone after I cleared the A-rank dungeon?¡± [Time tends to progress by a week after clearing A-rank dungeons. We don¡¯t understand the mechanism. It seems to involve the Realm of Chaos.] ¡°Does this happen with all A-rank dungeons? That¡¯s a big problem.¡± [The lack of capable Awakened individuals on Earth is a real issue. Everyone will rely solely on you, Mr. Jiho. Please hold out for three months.] Three months... Alright, I¡¯ll endure for three months. The appearance of A-rank dungeons marked a major upheaval for the world. Dungeon portals and monsters became an undeniable threat. A- and B-rank dungeons were appearing in the heart of major cities, forcing people to flee to the outskirts. But as people moved, lower-ranked dungeons would follow them. The rate at which dungeon portals were appearing was far too fast. Smaller nations, unable to secure enough Hunter power, were descending into anarchy. All of this happened in just 40 days. I had only cleared four A-rank dungeons, which appeared every ten days, and the world had already changed so drastically. The latest portal was in Madrid, featuring a dungeon with mostly dragonkin similar to the one I saw in Kevrian. Not all A-rank dungeons, like the one with Leonidas, contained humans. Some were populated solely by monsters. Monsters like these were easier to deal with, but no fragments of Persephone emerged. Without divine energy like in Kevrian, it wasn¡¯t easy, but I managed to clear it without resorting to using spirit burst. As I emerged from the dungeon, the soldiers watching me let out sighs of relief. To them, if I didn¡¯t make it out, they were as good as dead. ¡°Was everything alright while I was inside?¡± ¡°...Sydney has been destroyed.¡± ¡°Sydney? What happened?¡± Australia has a strong Hunter force, doesn¡¯t it? ¡°Another A-rank dungeon appeared. Sydney is now overrun by a lich and its undead army.¡± ¡°Another A-rank dungeon? Already?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been reported that Sydney¡¯s residents have all been turned into zombies...¡± A-rank dungeons used to appear every ten days. I had been barely managing to keep up with their timing, clearing them one by one. But now they¡¯re appearing before I can even clear the previous one...? This is beyond catastrophic. ¡°...Let¡¯s head to Australia. First, we¡¯ll return to LA.¡± With Earth¡¯s worsening situation, I had no choice but to invest in Heimdall¡¯s skill. After returning to Los Angeles and setting up a return point in my home in Korea, I immediately flew to Sydney. ¡°Sydney is already lost. It would be better to focus on defending other areas...¡± ¡°It¡¯s reported that the lich is advancing across Australia. Even if we destroy the portal, dealing with the already-released lich will be impossible. Let¡¯s prioritize other critical regions...¡± The U.S. government subtly suggested abandoning Sydney. If we give up on the lich, Australia is doomed. The undead army doesn¡¯t need rest, and with the A-rank lich leading them, all of Australia will eventually fall. ¡°Which areas are the most critical right now?¡± ¡°B-rank dungeons are overwhelming forces worldwide. Even in the U.S., we¡¯re struggling...¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t suppress the lich now, all of Australia will be consumed by the undead. In 50 days, the gods will intervene, so let¡¯s hold out until then.¡± Faced with my insistence, the Americans eventually relented. ¡°Understood¡­¡± Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fifty days. Fifty days were our only hope. ¡°Phoenix, I¡¯ll need your help. Handle the undead while I clear the dungeon.¡± [I¡¯m not sure if my power can reach the dungeon portal while you¡¯re inside, but I¡¯ll do my best.] I asked the Phoenix to deal with the lich turning Sydney into an undead wasteland. As I rushed through Sydney¡¯s central district, the city was already a hellscape. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] The lich floated in the sky, overseeing the destruction, while the streets below were filled with zombies. Judging by their attire, they were once citizens of Sydney, now wandering as the undead. Ha. If only there had been one more person capable of handling an A-rank dungeon, this wouldn''t have happened. It''s frustrating that I can''t summon Diana because I''m only B-rank. My current level is 144. Level 200 feels so far away. Sigh. For now, I need to clear this quickly. It¡¯ll likely take 50 days, rather than me reaching level 200. Clearing the A-rank dungeon wasn¡¯t too difficult. [The Supreme Commander shall soon descend. Keh-heh-heh¡­] The lich vanished with maniacal laughter just before its death in the A-rank dungeon. So, they¡¯re related to the Supreme Commander this time? Come to think of it, I could try communicating with Hades. Maybe I can negotiate using Persephone¡¯s fragment? ¡°Contact Hades.¡± [The other party has blocked communication.] He blocked me. Damn it. There¡¯s no choice. When I emerged from the dungeon, Sydney was in flames. When I was B-rank, there were at least soldiers stationed around the dungeon portals, but now that the city¡¯s population is gone¡­ [Master, you¡¯ve returned.] The phoenix, now noticeably smaller, flew toward me. ¡°What happened?¡± [There were too many undead. I used too much mana and ended up shrinking. I need to rest for a while.] With that, the phoenix entered my forehead. I stared at the burning Sydney for a moment before teleporting back to Korea. ¡°What¡¯s the current situation?¡± [Everyone is just running and hiding, counting down the remaining 43 days. Our country is faring slightly better than others.] It had only been seven days, but the world was already falling apart. Too many dungeons have appeared. Another A-rank dungeon spawned in Japan, while B-rank dungeons now numbered in the dozens. Lower-ranking dungeons were appearing even more frequently, flooding the world with monsters. There¡¯s no way the current hunters can handle this. ¡°No new B-rank hunters among humans, right?¡± [No¡­ Even David from the U.S., who was known to have the highest level, has fallen.] Kang Shia reported the deaths of many high-level awakeners. It¡¯s hopeless. We desperately need at least one more B-rank hunter, but instead, we¡¯re losing the strongest among us. In the end, we can only wait for time to pass... Each time I cleared an A-rank dungeon, seven days would pass, and the world kept changing. D-36 days. Nations began collapsing one by one. D-29 days. After clearing an A-rank dungeon in Russia, they pointed their guns at me, demanding I deal with their B-rank dungeons as well. Did they think firearms would work on me? I just teleported away. D-22 days. After clearing an A-rank dungeon in the Middle East, I heard that Seoul had been half-destroyed by a B-rank dungeon. Clearing the B-rank dungeon in Seoul, I was swarmed by people begging me to save Koreans first. I went on to clear all of Korea¡¯s B-rank dungeons. I was exhausted. D-15 days. After clearing an A-rank dungeon in Africa, hunters tried to detain me. Why not fight the monsters instead? What are they even doing? Frustrated, I teleported away. International cooperation was already dead. D-8 days. After clearing an A-rank dungeon in Canada and returning, I received even worse news. Two A-rank dungeons had spawned simultaneously. One in Busan. One in New York. I chose Busan. D-1 day. With one day left, I avoided attempting an A-rank dungeon and focused on clearing B-rank dungeons everywhere. I spent the next 24 hours like that, and finally, the promised 90 days from Hermes were up. It had been an excruciating three months. Inside the helicopter, I waited to see what the gods would do next. Olympus, please. Step in this time. Seriously. ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡± As if reading my thoughts, Hermes suddenly appeared across from me in the helicopter seat. As always, he wore his trademark smile. His physical descent to Earth sparked a flicker of hope in me. ¡°Are the gods going to intervene directly?¡± ¡°Well, you could say that¡­¡± Hermes trailed off, looking at me, and then started speaking about something unexpected. ¡°Earthlings should be grateful to you, Kim Jiho.¡± ¡°To me?¡± ¡°Yes. We never expected a Soul Mediator to emerge among Earthlings. And your efficiency far exceeded our expectations.¡± Why is he suddenly talking about Soul Mediators? They should be dealing with the monsters swarming the planet! ¡°So, we, Olympus, and our allies in Asgard, have decided to give Earth another chance.¡± ¡°Another¡­ chance?¡± ¡°Yes. We will provide more support for you, Kim Jiho, and work on discovering new Soul Mediators. Hahaha. You should thank me¡ªI had to convince Zeus and Hera with all my might.¡± Hermes continued speaking with a cheerful grin. Another chance¡­? He snapped his fingers playfully¡­ And the world stopped. The helicopter froze midair. The people inside, who had been startled by Hermes¡¯s appearance, also froze in place. In this frozen world, only Hermes and I could move. And then, a message window appeared. [The God of Time, Chronos, spreads his authority across the Earth.] [The God of the Past, Urd, spreads her authority across the Earth.] The God of Time. The God of the Past¡­ It suddenly reminded me of when Diana reversed time. Don¡¯t tell me¡­? ¡°This time, make good use of the opportunity.¡± ¡°Yeah. This time, we¡¯ll step in.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 77 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 77: The Past That Only I Remember (1) The moment I thought I saw Loki from the helicopter, the scene shifted. I was in a small studio apartment in Noryangjin. The very apartment I had moved into after leaving home when my father disappeared. And now, here I stood. ¡°What... is this?¡± I was bewildered. I had definitely been inside the helicopter. How could I suddenly end up in a studio apartment I¡¯d sold years ago? I looked around. Yeah. This was the apartment I used to live in. On the desk, a phone was charging¡ªthe same model I used back then. I quickly grabbed it and powered it on. June 24, 2020. The year and month were a memorable date. June 1, 2020, was the day monsters first appeared. I awakened in June 2021, so this was almost two years earlier. The God of Time and the God of the Past¡ªthey said something about turning back time. Could it be that I¡¯ve really returned to the past? ¡°Communication: Hermes.¡± [The recipient cannot be reached.] ¡°Communication: Loki.¡± [The recipient cannot be reached.] Great. Even though I saw Loki when time was rewound, I can¡¯t contact him. Hmm¡­ What is going on? I hope my status window hasn¡¯t been reset. ¡°Status window.¡± When I brought up the status window, my level was still 144. I checked all my skills, and everything was intact. The only difference was that the gods listed as my guardians¡ªHermes, the God of Messengers, and Loki, the God of Mischief¡ªnow had ¡°(Unavailable)¡± in parentheses beside their names. I still had 4 million SP. Even after upgrading Heimdall¡¯s Return to level 4 and Soul Mediation to level 6, I had an enormous amount of SP left. However, in the Soul Mediation list, the neutral gods and the Olympian gods were still present, but the Chaos faction gods had vanished. Now, I had six available slots for mediation. ¡°Upgrading Soul Mediation requires 12.5 million SP. Upgrading Heimdall¡¯s Return will cost 1.2 million¡­¡± If I upgrade Heimdall¡¯s Return one more level, I¡¯ll be able to teleport between planets. That reminded me of Elprian, the god of the Kevrian planet. [This is the essence of my memories. If you have this, Awakened Kim Jiho, you can come to this space no matter where you are.] Did she foresee this situation? If I upgrade Heimdall¡¯s Return, I can visit her. But first, I need to get a better grasp of the situation. I opened the internet browser on my smartphone. The internet was in chaos. [Is this all just a dream? But awakened abilities are still intact.] [Complaints flood in¡­ The government urges calm until an official statement is made.] [Even the dead have returned? People tormented by memories of their deaths.] [Stock market circuit breaker activated. Government considers suspending trading for a week.] Was I not the only one who returned to the past? Every headline was like this. It¡¯s incredible that articles are even being published. If people came back to the same time as me, they¡¯d be confused as well. Or¡­ did they return earlier than I did? Since I can¡¯t communicate with the gods, all I have are questions. The articles had tens of thousands of comments. [I came from the future. The world is doomed.] [©¹ 222222] [©¹ 333333] [No, the world didn¡¯t completely fall apart. Korea was relatively safe. Why was that?] [I¡¯m sure I died¡­ What is going on? I¡¯m alive, I¡¯m alive, I¡¯m alive.] [Am I the only one who returned from the future?] [My abilities are intact!] [Yes! I came back before I invested in cryptocurrency! Saved my money!] [©¹ Oh no, I¡¯m screwed. Crypto is crashing¡­ Why is the crypto market still trading!! Damn it!!] [Thank you, Odin, for saving me¡­] Odin? Why is Odin being mentioned all of a sudden? A chill ran down my spine. I had a hunch and searched for information about faiths and factions. Zeus, who held the position of the Absolute God, had been replaced. Now, that position belonged to Odin. Moreover, the Olympian gods who held positions of power had become mere myths, while the Asgardian gods had taken center stage. ¡°Ha. So now churches worship Odin instead? Then what about factions¡­?¡± I continued searching. The internet was overloaded with traffic, and the speed was slow, but I persisted. Eventually, I found the information. Earth¡¯s faction was now aligned with the Neutral Faction. Digging deeper, I saw that the helpers had also changed. [Orc the Reliable Muscle] [A Valkyrie threatens to burn journalists who take pictures without permission.] [A Valkyrie tries a daring new look.] These were articles from just a few days ago. Then I remembered the strategy guide. The strategy guide described how to navigate Kevrian from the perspective of the Neutral Faction. I had wondered why ¡°that¡± Kim Jiho was in the Neutral Faction¡­ And now, here I was, in that same world. Did returning to the past also alter the gods? As I browsed the internet, I noticed that people were mostly just happy to be alive. News articles mentioned riots breaking out here and there and a string of small and large accidents, but¡­ The overwhelming emotion shared by most people was joy. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Suddenly, I felt all my energy drain away. The past six months had taken too much out of me. No matter how much I struggled on my own, the fact that the world was heading toward destruction was just too despairing. It had been only six months since humanity had fallen. Carrying that burden on my own had been physically impossible. So seeing the internet up and running and the world still peaceful like this¡­ it was such a relief. Even though I knew this peace would last only two more years¡­ For now, I lay in bed, scrolling through articles without thinking about anything. But the more I looked, the more something felt missing. ¡°My article¡¯s not here?¡± Back when A-rank dungeons started appearing and the world was in chaos, my movements were the top news story for every media outlet. Front and center on every portal site, there was always a banner showing the location and status of ¡°Hunter Kim Jiho.¡± Clicking on it would even let people send messages of support. I used to endure my flights by reading those messages. But now, nothing. Still, you¡¯d think there¡¯d be at least one article. As I rolled around in my cramped single bed, browsing the news, my phone suddenly rang. [Lee Jinseong] ¡°Yo!¡± ¡°Yeah, Jinseong.¡± [Why didn¡¯t you come to the Hunter Association yesterday?] ¡°Huh? Yesterday?¡± [Yeah. They told all C-rank hunters to gather, remember?] ¡°C-rank hunters?¡± [Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you forgot you were a C-rank hunter?] What was this guy talking about? C-rank? Me? ¡°What are you talking about, C-rank hunter?¡± [This has never happened before! Hurry up and open your status window!] ¡°Status window.¡± His urgent shouting caught me off guard, so I called for the status window while still holding the phone. The display appeared, showing Neutral-Order alignment. My level was 144. [Does it show up?] ¡°Yeah. Level 144.¡± [...You gotta be kidding me, you liar! You told me you were level 61, and now you''re pulling some unbelievable number out of nowhere?!] Jinseong cursed me out, calling me a liar and ranting about how this wasn¡¯t the time for jokes. I couldn¡¯t believe I was being cursed out for telling the truth. I thought about cursing him back but suddenly recalled what I¡¯d seen on the portal site. There wasn¡¯t a single article about me. ¡°Hey, weren¡¯t there any B-rank hunters?¡± [B-rank? Quit joking around. That¡¯s not funny anymore.] ¡°Ugh, fine. What happened at the association?¡± [Just re-registered, that¡¯s all. The association building wasn¡¯t even built yet; we had to use the first floor of a nearby building. Apparently, the official association building wasn¡¯t completed until November 2020.] Jinseong rambled on about how he saw Valkyrie again and how gorgeous she was. What the hell was going on? I hung up the call after saying I got it and started gathering more information. The facts people knew had subtly changed. According to what I read, humanity had never cleared a single broken world. With A- and B-rank dungeons appearing, they were completely overwhelmed and faced annihilation, but the Absolute God Odin had taken pity on humanity and turned back time while allowing everyone to retain their powers. But I wasn¡¯t mentioned anywhere? Did all that suffering I went through just vanish? Six months of non-stop flights and battles with monsters, without even a moment to rest, all erased? The hopes and desperate pleas of people begging me to save their country. The resentment of those saying I¡¯d arrived too late. The fear of me as a person. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] I remembered the complex emotions in people¡¯s eyes. And now all of that had been wiped away? I looked around my place. A tiny, cramped one-room apartment. A shabby bed. An old computer that struggled to run even basic games. This place was a hundred times worse than the mansion I used to live in. But I felt at ease. I felt free. It was like the heavy burden pressing on my shoulders had been lifted. When people called me the greatest hunter of humanity and praised me to the skies¡­ At first, I liked it, but over time, the weight became unbearable. The whole world couldn¡¯t even clear a B-rank dungeon¡­ and then came the A-rank dungeons. Thankfully, this time¡­ If everyone retained their powers while going back in time, someone on Earth should manage to become B-rank, right? There should be much more hope this time. I should take a break. In the early days of dungeon portals opening, most of them were F-rank. F-rank dungeons could be handled by soldiers or even ordinary people. It was okay to rest for now. I couldn¡¯t even communicate with the gods¡­ For now, all I could do was wait for¡­..Elprian. I closed my eyes. It had been a long time since I¡¯d tried to sleep. Images of countless corpses haunted me. I remembered the zombified Australians. They¡¯d stood in my way, so I¡¯d slashed them all down and burned them. If zombies retained their memories, they¡¯d remember me killing them, wouldn¡¯t they? In that case, wasn¡¯t it better for me to have disappeared? I keep having stray thoughts. I¡¯m tired, but I can¡¯t fall asleep. Let¡¯s turn off Infinite Stamina. The moment I turned it off, my body slumped like a rag doll. The wave of fatigue hit me so hard that I thought I could finally get some sleep. But just as I was about to drift off, I remembered the people who had been torn apart and devoured by monsters. The news articles talked about how there was a sharp increase in people unable to fight due to PTSD, now reliant on psychiatric medications. And back on D-8, When two A-class dungeons appeared simultaneously in Busan and New York, I remembered choosing Busan. The citizens of New York must have resented me. Damn it. I¡¯m so sleepy, but I can¡¯t sleep. I kept tossing and turning, but that final moment of sleep just wouldn¡¯t come. ¡°Haaah¡­ I just want to rest¡­¡± After working nonstop for six months, have I forgotten how to rest? Fine. Let¡¯s visit Elprian first. Maybe I can¡¯t sleep because there¡¯s still work to do. I¡¯ll sleep once I finish this task. I pulled myself up from the bed. ¡°Let¡¯s upgrade my skill first.¡± I invested 1.2 million points into the Heimdall¡¯s Return skill. Reaching Level 5 enabled interplanetary jumps and returns. All previous return points were reset, so I set this location as the new one. ¡°Inventory.¡± I took out the jewel Elprian had given me from the Dragon Heart in my inventory. The moment I touched it, a message window popped up. [Do you wish to use Elprian¡¯s Essence?] When I pressed Yes, the jewel glowed and enveloped my body. My vision dimmed momentarily, and when it cleared, I found myself in a confined space surrounded by earthen walls. It was almost as small as my studio apartment, with nothing inside. [Who¡­ are you? Why do I feel my essence coming from you¡­?] ¡°Elprian. You gave me your essence.¡± [I¡¯ve never seen you before.] ¡°Hmm¡­ I heard it¡¯s an essence with memories attached. Can¡¯t you reabsorb it?¡± When I showed Elprian¡¯s Essence, tree roots sprouted from the ground. I placed the essence on the roots, and it disappeared into them. After a brief silence, a clay figure with severed limbs emerged from the ground. It was Elprian. [You¡¯ve truly returned to the past¡­ Unfortunately, this seems to be the point after my defeat¡­] ¡°Did you anticipate this outcome?¡± [When I saw the fragments of gods who control time buried here, I thought it was odd. It seems the future version of me gave you the essence as a precaution.] ¡°Hm¡­¡± [Has anything changed in your world?] When I told her how gods had shifted, and people had forgotten me, the clay version of Elprian nodded. [So, Olympus and Asgard have joined forces. They must be alternating as the objects of faith on Earth, gaining SP from it. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯ve been forgotten, though¡­] ¡°Do they gain a lot of SP from being objects of faith?¡± [Yes. Especially with a large population like Earth¡¯s.] ¡°And they¡¯ve likely returned to the past more than once, right?¡± [They¡¯ve probably been alternating to secure SP.] I remembered Hermes casually mentioning it. I guess they acted so indifferent because they could simply turn back time. If Earth was on the brink of destruction, they¡¯d just go back. Okay, Asgard, it¡¯s your turn this time. Alright, we¡¯ll be gods this time. That¡¯s the vibe. No wonder they weren¡¯t worried. They were way too relaxed. Those damn¡­! ¡°Why are they doing this?¡± [It¡¯s for SP. They must believe they can¡¯t defeat Chaos and keep turning back time to gather enough SP until they can.] So they can keep reloading saves, huh? And since they get to keep the SP they¡¯ve accumulated, this is why they¡¯re doing it. Which means this madness will keep repeating¡­? A surge of frustration washed over me. But at the same time, I had questions. If that¡¯s the case, why bother rewinding time for all of humanity? ¡°Then why rewind time for everyone on Earth? They¡¯re not exactly known for their compassion.¡± [In my opinion, the only variable is you. Did the gods say anything while resetting time?] Ah. Come to think of it, Hermes did mention how soul mediators are efficient and said they¡¯d give Earth another chance. When I mentioned this, Elprian nodded. [It seems they want more soul mediators.] ¡°Soul mediators?¡± [Yes. Rewinding time for over billions of people is an enormous waste, no matter how insignificant humans are. The fact that they went through with it means soul mediators are incredibly efficient.] ¡°Hm¡­¡± [They might be trying to cultivate humans further to extract more soul mediators, though their exact intent is unclear. Regardless, this is an opportunity for you. Focus on growth for now. If you had been at an A-rank, you could have summoned Diana and resolved the situation.] Her words helped calm the storm of thoughts in my head. Right. If I had been at an A-rank, I could have summoned Diana, and having two of us would have made closing dungeon portals much easier. First, I need to hit Level 200. The fact that I can¡¯t communicate with Hermes and Loki is suspicious, and it¡¯s strange that people have forgotten me. But for now, I need to focus on what I can do. [And one more thing¡ªI have a proposal for you.] ¡°A proposal?¡± Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Yes. Is it possible for you to act as a soul mediator for me?] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 78 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 78: The Past That Only I Remember (2) Negotiating souls with a dismembered god? Do I even have the SP to mediate in the first place? As I looked at her skeptically, she tried to convince me. [I may have been defeated by Olympus and lost all my limbs to Zeus¡­ but aren¡¯t you curious whether mediating souls with someone like me could generate SP or not?] ¡°No, it seems pretty obvious that it won¡¯t generate any SP.¡± [Are you short on soul-mediation slots?] ¡°Not really.¡± [Then let¡¯s give it a try. I¡¯ll include a clause in the contract to allow mutual cancellation if no SP is gained.] Mutual cancellation? Then I won¡¯t really lose anything, will I? ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it. But I don¡¯t offer this for free¡ªwhat will you give me in return?¡± [¡­I¡¯ll increase your limits again, like last time.] Not bad, but it still feels lacking. Well, what could I expect to receive from a goddess who¡¯s had all her limbs cut off? Let¡¯s just be satisfied with this for now. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll accept. Please go ahead.¡± Then, roots emerged from the ground. They wrapped around my body instantly. It felt like they were gripping me more tightly than last time¡­ or was that just my imagination? [All of user Kim Jiho¡¯s potential has permanently increased.] [The maximum stats for all abilities in the Order faction have greatly increased.] [The maximum stats for all abilities in the Neutral faction have greatly increased.] I still haven¡¯t hit my limits, though. ¡°I¡¯m still not at my limits.¡± [This time, I held back a bit. Last time, helping you got me caught, and I ended up on the brink of death. This time, I¡¯ll play it safer. I¡¯ll secretly save my power while bearing Zeus¡¯ child.] Once again, essence dripped from her eyes, just like last time. But the gemstone this time was even larger than before. ¡°This is¡­¡± [I¡¯ll transfer all my memories before my death into this. You¡¯ll also be able to contact me a few times if anything unusual happens.] ¡°I understand.¡± As expected of a goddess. She can create something like this with ease. When I placed the essence of Elprian into the dragon heart, she spoke again. [You¡¯d better leave now. If you stay too long, Olympus might notice. Do you have a way to return?] ¡°Yes, I do.¡± [That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll contact you if anything happens.] ¡°Alright, return.¡± I used the Level 5 return skill I had upgraded from Heimdall to leave this world. The light flickered, and the world around me changed completely. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± The musty smell of a man¡¯s studio apartment hit my nose. Hmm¡­ This place doesn¡¯t ventilate well, so the smell won¡¯t go away easily. At times like this, I miss the money I left sitting in my bank account. I didn¡¯t even get to spend it before coming back. I sat in front of the computer and started thinking about what to do next. ¡°Leveling up is my top priority.¡± The goal is to reach Rank A. I need to raise my level by 56. If I reach the level of a demigod, I¡¯ll be able to summon Diana and move more freely. But leveling up on Earth¡¯s dungeons is practically impossible. Looking at my titles, I still have the ¡°Earth¡¯s Number One¡± title, which gives me 1% bonus experience. But with the current state of low-level dungeons, it¡¯s hardly any help. ¡°In the end, I¡¯ll have to go to the Broken World.¡± But can I go there when the association building isn¡¯t even complete yet? Hmm¡­ First, I¡¯ll need to re-register as a hunter with the association. At the same time, I¡¯ll save up 12.5 million SP, raise soul mediation to Level 7, and start smuggling in earnest. Currently, I have 2.8 million SP¡­ It¡¯ll take a while. Sigh. Ten million SP, huh? At a rate of 30,000 SP per day, it¡¯ll take me a year. I grabbed some damp-smelling clothes and put them on. There used to be a housekeeper who did my laundry¡­ The fabric feels cheap, too. I debated whether I should just go to the association and declare myself a Rank B. I left the house, heading toward the old association building, taking the subway at a leisurely pace for the first time in a while. When I arrived, the place was packed with people. According to Jinseong, yesterday was for gathering Rank C hunters. Today, it must be for lower ranks. Looking at the big signs for F, E, and D ranks, I figured I was right. People were lined up according to their ranks. No C-rank hunters? ¡°Form a line here! The Valkyries will verify everything once again. Please check your status windows and line up!¡± I approached an employee managing the crowd and asked. ¡°I¡¯m C-rank. Where should I go?¡± ¡°Ah, C-ranks have a separate booth over there. The Valkyries will verify you.¡± She pointed me toward a booth, where towering warrior women over 2 meters tall stood. Their backs and helmets had white angelic wings, and they wore armor shaped like a dress that revealed their arms and legs. At their waists hung large swords, and huge shields rested on their backs. With snow-white skin, fiery red hair, and piercing blue eyes, these warrior women were stunning. They seemed intimidating, but their beauty rivaled that of elves. So these are Valkyries? They¡¯re beautiful, sure, but their size and bulk don¡¯t really appeal to me. They just feel like gorgeous giants. ¡°What brings you here?¡± As I approached the booth, one Valkyrie asked me in an imposing tone. Straight to informal speech, huh? Elves are much more polite. I¡¯m firmly in the elf camp. ¡°I¡¯m here to report as a C-rank.¡± ¡°We summoned you yesterday, but you¡¯re late. Show us your status window.¡± Oh, they want to see my status window? I was debating whether or not to hide my Rank B status, but now it seems like it¡¯s unavoidable. As I hesitated, the Valkyries glared at me. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you showing it? If you¡¯re not C-rank, get out immediately.¡± ¡°There¡¯ve been too many humans trying to pull cheap tricks since yesterday.¡± The Valkyries muttered among themselves, glancing at me with disdain. I debated for a moment but decided there was no point in hiding it. I showed them my status window, partially concealed, hiding my name and level but leaving everything else visible. The Valkyries looked at it with cold expressions before suddenly gasping in shock. ¡°Wh-what!? The level is¡­!¡± ¡°Kim Jiho! It¡¯s him! The one Loki mentioned!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll escort you personally!¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] The Valkyries abruptly switched to honorifics and began leading me somewhere. Did someone tip them off about me? The Valkyrie, who had been so defiant earlier, looked like a completely different person. The place they took me to was a room on the 32nd floor of a building¡ª The president¡¯s office. ¡°I¡¯ve heard much about you, Mr. Kim Jiho. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m Aria, a Valkyrie.¡± Standing there was another Valkyrie in white armor, like the others. Unlike the red-haired Valkyrie, this one had blue hair. Her face was gentler and more beautiful than the others. Her stature was smaller too, closer to mine. Perhaps because of this, she felt a bit more approachable than the others. She gestured for the Valkyries who had escorted me to leave. ¡°You may leave now.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± The Valkyries saluted in unison and exited the room. Aria watched them leave for a moment before speaking again. ¡°How was it? Were you shocked, Mr. Kim Jiho?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I didn¡¯t expect you to turn back time. It¡¯s¡­ surprising.¡± ¡°To fight against the overwhelming force of chaos, it was a necessary step,¡± She said, emphasizing the sacrifices they made to achieve this feat. Apparently, reversing time for the entire Earth was such an enormous task that even gods like Loki and the chief gods overexerted themselves and would now be sealed away for a year. So that¡¯s why communication had been cut off. Aria smiled softly and asked again. ¡°Was there nothing else that surprised you?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve forgotten everything about me. My friends assume I¡¯m still a C-rank.¡± ¡°Loki deeply apologizes for this. There were complications during the process of reversing time.¡± ¡°Complications?¡± ¡°Yes. Your presence was too overwhelming for Earth¡¯s people.¡± My¡­ presence? How was that a problem? ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow. What do you mean?¡± ¡°With Earth on the brink of destruction due to dungeons, you alone were able to suppress them. Despite countless prayers, no help came from the gods, and you became humanity¡¯s sole hope. People began to revere you as a god.¡± ¡°They¡­ worshiped me? Really?¡± Well, now. I mean, I did show off some serious thunder as Zeus¡¯s Apostle, but I didn¡¯t expect it to go that far. ¡°Yes. It caught us off guard. As it is, reversing time for all Earth¡¯s people was already over budget. Losing their faith on top of that would¡¯ve been catastrophic for us.¡± So they erased their memories of me? ¡°Wait, so you erased their memories of me to fix that?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ But there is still an opportunity to restore things. Loki asked me to offer you a proposal.¡± ¡°A proposal?¡± ¡°If you agree to maintain this state for just one year, we¡¯ll remove the penalties from the Broken World.¡± ¡°Penalties? You mean the level-down upon death and the tenfold experience loss?¡± ¡°Yes. For all Earth¡¯s people, the penalties would be halved as well.¡± Interesting. That offer caught my attention. Right now, leveling up is my top priority. Without the penalties, I could grind levels in higher difficulties even if I died repeatedly. Plus, if the penalties for others are reduced, they could level up faster too. I didn¡¯t gain much from being worshiped anyway. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If anything, it just brought me unnecessary attention and stress. ¡°What exactly does ¡®maintaining this state¡¯ entail?¡± ¡°It simply means hiding the fact that you¡¯re a B-rank Hunter. Just for one year.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°After one year, you¡¯re free to reveal your power as much as you like.¡± ¡°And even if I do, people won¡¯t recover their original memories, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± So I¡¯d just need to flex my abilities again. Got it. ¡°What happens if I refuse?¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll return to being a subject of worship. Loki said that if you reject this offer, he will restore everything to its original state.¡± ¡°Hmm. Being worshiped doesn¡¯t sound bad, though. Isn¡¯t there some kind of benefit to it? The gods all seem to seek it.¡± ¡°Yes, there is. You gain SP from their faith. But¡­¡± Aria answered every question kindly, smiling all the while. She must¡¯ve been prepped by Loki or something. ¡°You¡¯d need to be S-rank. Only upon reaching divinity can faith provide SP.¡± So I need to be S-rank to benefit from faith. Well, that explains why I didn¡¯t receive any SP during Earth¡¯s apocalyptic days. Fine, I¡¯ll accept the offer. For now, my priority is leveling up. I¡¯ll choose the option that helps me the most. It was a bit disappointing to let go of the status I¡¯d built up, but it was also a relief. The burden had been too heavy for me alone. With a year¡¯s time, that weight could be redistributed a bit. But there was one problem¡ªmy weapons rental business. Strengthening the C-rank Hunters¡¯ capabilities relied on that. As I mulled over what to do, I realized there was someone right in front of me who could handle it. ¡°I¡¯ll accept your proposal. But could you take over my weapon rentals?¡± ¡°Weapons¡­ rentals?¡± After explaining my Earth-based weapon rental system, Aria agreed without hesitation. In exchange, payment would only be made after the weapons were rented. ¡°Unfortunately, we¡¯re setting up our branch and are short on funds,¡± She said with a sheepish grin. Even so, I secured an advance payment of several billion won before handing over the weapons. Time to move houses with this money. But first, let¡¯s get to work. ¡°I¡¯ll head straight to the Broken World.¡± ¡°Already? You could rest a bit, you know¡­¡± ¡°No, I need to hit A-rank as soon as possible.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve set up a system on the 40th floor of this building. It won¡¯t accommodate others yet, but it¡¯ll suffice for you.¡± Aria gestured for me to follow her, and I trailed behind, lost in thought about the Broken World. Wait. This is the Neutral Faction, isn¡¯t it? The guides were based on Neutral Faction strategies too. Ambush the elves and dwarves, manipulate events to corrupt Diana¡­ All those hardcore tactics outlined in the guides¡ªthose would actually work here? Could I finally use them properly this time? ¡°Hah¡­¡± ¡°Uh, Mr. Kim Jiho?¡± Oh. No, those methods are way too extreme. Better to prevent Diana from being taken by others myself. Yeah, purely for her protection, of course. Resolving myself, I headed toward the Broken World¡¯s portal¡ª and froze. Something was off. The number of portals was far fewer than expected. And¡­ ¡°What¡­ Where¡¯s Kevrian?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 79 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 79: Heading for the Highest Difficulty There were three planetary portals. Eshtar, Kalvine, and Al¡¯ Aasma. There should have been a fourth one, Kevrian, but it wasn¡¯t there. Maybe it disappeared because I cleared it last time? But that¡¯s supposed to happen in the future. Originally, there were five portals, but this time there are only three. ¡°I heard that two regions have yet to establish their systems. For now, only three are accessible.¡± ¡°Hm... What about the difficulty levels?¡± System establishment, huh. I was curious about what might have happened, but Valkyrie didn¡¯t seem to know much. Might as well ask about something else. ¡°Eshtar is the easiest, followed by Al'' Aasma, then Kalvine.¡± ¡°Could you tell me roughly what each place is like?¡± ¡°Eshtar starts in the magical city of Erundal. You¡¯ll spend time clearing nearby dungeons, but eventually, you¡¯ll be attacked by an unknown enemy.¡± Ah. That¡¯s where Hercules is. The place where one roar from Hercules wipes everyone out. I think I could withstand the roar, but beyond that, it¡¯d be tough. Plus, it¡¯s beginner-level, meaning there won¡¯t be many monsters. Not ideal. Pass. ¡°What about Al'' Aasma?¡± ¡°Al'' Aasma starts underground. Challengers all die quickly, so no one tries again.¡± ¡°And Kalvine?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the most difficult zone for our neutral faction. You have to protect a dragon while the Order faction¡¯s heroes and army attack.¡± ¡°Oh, so you become the guardian of a dragon¡¯s lair?¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it.¡± Well, there¡¯s no death penalty anymore, so I might as well go for the hardest one. Wherever I go, the place that gives the most experience points is best, and Kalvine seems like the best bet. Eshtar would take too long finding dungeons, and Al'' Aasma sounds too vague¡ªcould end up just wandering aimlessly. ¡°I¡¯ll go to Kalvine.¡± ¡°The difficulty is very high. Are you sure?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Leveling up is my priority. The more enemies, the better.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Valkyrie guided me to the portal marked Kalvine. I skimmed a walkthrough guide beforehand, but there wasn¡¯t a single mention of Kalvine. Ugh, so useless¡­ Even though we¡¯re on the same side now, they¡¯re no help at all. After switching to spirit form and equipping all my armor, Valkyrie spoke. ¡°Commencing teleportation.¡± ¡°Bring it on!¡± So, the highest difficulty starts with this as an introduction? A knight in white armor was striking his sword down at me. Clang! Aegis¡¯s shield moved on its own, deflecting the attack instantly. I thought my spirit form would protect me, but on closer inspection, the sword was imbued with holy power. A paladin, huh? ¡°The shield radiates holy power¡­¡± ¡°Thunder God.¡± I immediately unleashed lightning on the momentarily stunned paladin. He looked human, but this wasn¡¯t the time to worry about that. ¡°Gaaah!¡± The paladin collapsed, electrocuted. Looking around, I saw we were inside a massive cave, much like the dragon lairs I¡¯d visited before. Groups of paladins in white armor were gathered nearby. Their numbers easily exceeded hundreds at a glance. But¡­ ¡°Grr¡­¡± ¡°We can¡¯t win... grr¡­¡± Around me were orcs who could barely wear proper armor, growling weakly. Not just orcs¡ªthere were other small monsters, all looking utterly demoralized. They seemed like they¡¯d flee at the slightest touch. Ah, in Kevrian, I had elves and dwarves as allies. Now it¡¯s orcs and goblins? At least Kevrian was visually pleasing. ¡°Kill him!¡± The paladins began charging at me in formation. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A powerful holy aura emanated from them, forming a protective shield. They seemed full of confidence, but¡­ Compared to Leonidas¡¯s crew last time, they seemed far weaker. ¡°Phoenix. Burn them all.¡± [They¡¯re human. Are you sure?] ¡°Why bring up humans? Earthlings matter more to me.¡± [Understood.] This world¡¯s already broken anyway. The phoenix emerged from my head and flapped its wings with force. ¡°It¡¯s a phoenix!¡± ¡°No way¡­!¡± The phoenix¡¯s attacks quickly broke their holy shields. Time to unleash a combo. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± A fiery chariot charged forward. ¡°Thunder God.¡± I unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning. As the chariot smashed into them, their shields shattered, letting the lightning surge through. The pristine white armor blackened instantly, charred from the electricity. One by one, the holy knights began to fall. Even though the difficulty is high, the first stage is still manageable, I see. ¡°Ugh¡­ A powerful enemy has appeared.¡± ¡°We must report this.¡± ¡°Fall back for now!¡± As the holy knight squad charging at me was instantly massacred, the remaining knights hastily retreated. Following closely behind them was the phoenix. ¡°Don¡¯t chase too far; subdue them moderately.¡± [Understood.] Having given the order, it should handle them appropriately and return soon. ¡°God¡¯s apostle¡­ it is you¡­¡± ¡°Reverence¡­ reverence¡­¡± Once it departed, the surrounding orcs and goblins started bowing to me. Sigh. After looking at elves, seeing orcs and goblins drooling while muttering ¡°reverence, reverence¡± feels so surreal. Ah, the good old days were better¡­ ¡°Get up and fortify your defenses.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ will do¡­¡± Ugh, they can¡¯t even speak properly. Feeling frustrated, I turned my attention away from them and looked at the message window. A flood of messages had appeared. [You have entered the broken world of Phase 1 as a B-rank. Your stats will be limited to 75%.] What? B-rank restricts stats? Was it because, back in Kevrian, I reached B-rank in Phase 2, so it didn¡¯t matter then? I decided to ask the Valkyrie about it later and continued checking the messages. [Thor, the God of Thunder, bestows divine blessings exclusively upon Kim Jiho, the sole Awakened of Kalvine.] [The stats of the neutral faction are doubled.] [All attacks will now contain Thor¡¯s Thunder.] [Living beings affiliated with the neutral faction will regard him as God¡¯s apostle.] [The major languages of this world will be automatically translated and understood. The words of the Awakened will also be automatically translated.] Oh-ho. This is similar to the blessing I received from Athena before. Instead of divine power, it¡¯s thunder power this time. Looks like the thunder god is even more powerful. No wonder I don¡¯t feel particularly weakened despite the 75% stat restriction¡ªprobably thanks to the double buff. So, effectively, I¡¯m operating at 1.5 times my usual strength. And there¡¯s a quest, too. [Due to your high rank, the quest difficulty and rewards are reduced by one level.] [You have been summoned to the dragon lair ¡°Drakina¡± on the planet Kalvine.] [Drakina, designated as a ¡°Demonic Dragon¡± by the Holy Empire Roman, was burned alive after being captured by their champion despite defending the lair against the Empire¡¯s invasion.] [Main Quest] [Difficulty: Very Hard] [Repel the first invasion of the Holy Empire.] [Quest Rewards] SP: 30,000 Title: ¡°Dragon¡¯s Protector¡± Awakening: ¡°Dragon¡¯s Power¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Ah, so the rewards are reduced because of the lower difficulty as a B-rank. SP 30,000¡­ It used to seem like a lot, but now it¡¯s barely what I earn in a day back on Earth. Still, titles and unique rewards like the awakening of ¡°Dragon¡¯s Power¡± are interesting. Those aren¡¯t things you can earn with just SP. I accepted the quest and started exploring the cave. The layout was similar to the dragon lair I entered after defeating Arkardian, with a vast space that didn¡¯t seem ideal for defense. ¡°Hey, you guys.¡± ¡°Yes, Apostle.¡± One of the orcs, wearing some semblance of armor and looking somewhat competent, responded. ¡°Are there multiple entrances? Why are there only us here? Where are the dragonkins or other strong ones?¡± ¡°They¡­ are all dead, grrr.¡± ¡°Ugh, if you can¡¯t speak properly, just drop the formalities. It¡¯s annoying.¡± ¡°They¡¯re all dead.¡± The orc immediately switched to casual speech. Looking around, there were only orcs, goblins, and a few tiny wolves left. Are these the only ones expected to hold the line? I scouted around the lair. There were many corpses of large monsters scattered across the ground. A few human corpses remained, but most had likely been recovered by the retreating enemy. Ogres, minotaurs, trolls¡ªeverything was hacked and slaughtered. Behind us stood a massive iron gate. If that gate opened, would it lead directly to the dragon? Or perhaps a second defensive force? I roughly surveyed the surroundings. However, there was one type of monster noticeably absent among the corpses. ¡°Where are the dragonkin?¡± The dragonkin I remembered from Kevrian that breathed fire from their mouths¡ªthey would¡¯ve been useful in a large-scale battle, yet none were present. ¡°The master has not yet become a true dragon.¡± ¡°No true dragon, no dragonkin?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know that?¡± The orc tilted its head, looking at me as if I were pitifully ignorant. Instinctively, my hand shot out, and I smacked the orc on the head. ¡°Ouch, ouch, that hurts!¡± ¡°Your eyes were annoyingly defiant toward God¡¯s apostle.¡± The orc, clutching his head with his hands, looked at me pitifully. His expression was ever-changing. ¡°So we have to hold this place by ourselves? No reinforcements?¡± ¡°The reinforcements come from the entrance. But the humans kill them all before they get here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s at the back door, then?¡± ¡°There¡¯s the master. They¡¯re in the middle of evolving into a holy dragon.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t they help us during his evolution? Like casting magic or something?¡± At this, the sharp-looking orc pointed at the corpses of monsters. ¡°Then would they all be dead like that?¡± Hmm. This is a no-win situation. ¡°So it¡¯s just us defending this place?¡± The orc nodded. The rest of the underlings were trembling with fear. At least this one looks a bit smarter. ¡°Hmm... What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Arik. Grrr.¡± ¡°Arik. Alright, you lead them.¡± ¡°I already was.¡± Arik looked at me as if asking how I didn¡¯t know that. The pitiful look from earlier was gone, replaced by disdain. In Kevarian, being a divine apostle meant people revered me, but why is this place like this? This won¡¯t do. Thwack! ¡°Ow! That hurts!¡± ¡°Your gaze is disrespectful. Show proper courtesy to a divine apostle.¡± The orc¡¯s defiance quickly faded from his eyes. I need to tone down the strength of my slaps in the future. I nearly cracked his skull. ¡°You lot just stay back. Guard the door.¡± ¡°Us? Guard the door?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll fight at the front. Just watch from behind. My attack range is too wide; you¡¯d get caught up in it.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± It¡¯s clear this situation is hopeless. At least in the Kevarian fortress, we had soldiers... Right now, with these orcs and the generic fodder combined, there are fewer than 20 of us. Even if they lined up in a row to defend, the door¡¯s still bigger than their formation. And beyond that door, there¡¯s an even larger cave to defend. It feels like I¡¯ll end up soloing this fight, fail, and it¡¯ll be game over. Hmm... ¡°This could actually work.¡± I came here to level up anyway, and this situation is a blessing in disguise. There¡¯s no penalty for dying, so I¡¯ll just burn through all my mana and go out with a bang. The dragon power reward is intriguing, but SP 30,000 is just a day¡¯s worth of soul trading. I¡¯ll focus on leveling up for now. Tap, tap, tap. The sound of boots echoed through the quiet cave. Divine power stretched to the ceiling, filling the cave with light, making it as bright as day. Through the radiance, a phoenix was flying toward me in a hurry. [Master, there are too many of them!] ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll fight until we die.¡± [Ugh... The more of them there are, the stronger they become. I doubt we can break through divine defenses.] ¡°I just want to kill as many as I can before going down...¡± Should I boost my stats? No, since I don¡¯t mind dying today, I¡¯ll fight as is. The number of paladins has grown since before; there must be at least a thousand of them in this cave. Identical white armor, identical helmets, identical swords, and shields. As they emitted divine power, an immensely thick divine barrier formed, far stronger than before. ¡°Phoenix, burn through your mana. I¡¯m going all out, too.¡± [Understood.] I¡¯ll use up all my mana, even tapping into Dragonheart if it comes to it. Charging forward with a blazing chariot of fire, I channeled power into Thunder God mode. Bolts of lightning cracked through the divine barrier, causing fractures. As gaps appeared in the massive white barrier, surrounding paladins were electrocuted and collapsed. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Oh, Minerva, protect us!¡± ¡°Heal!¡± But the barrier must have been exceptionally strong. They didn¡¯t die and were quickly revived by the healing magic of nearby paladins. ¡°Reinforce the barrier!¡± ¡°Oh, Minerva!¡± ¡°Oh, Jupiter!¡± The rear ranks raised their swords to the heavens, radiating divine power, while the front ranks advanced steadily with their shields. Every time they seemed weakened by Thunder God, they healed and pressed forward. Attacks from the blazing chariot and phoenix were absorbed or deflected. I¡¯d rather not waste my special abilities on these guys... Should¡¯ve picked up another offensive skill earlier. ¡°Grow, Yeoui.¡± Without sweeping broadly, I stabbed repeatedly at the barrier where Thunder God had already weakened it. While keeping one hand generating lightning, I pressed the attack, gradually breaking through the barrier. Lightning, fire, and blade pierced through the cracks into the ranks of the paladins. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Oh, Minerva, save your servant... Heal!¡± Wow, just when they seem about to die, they cling to life. No matter what I throw at them, they just won¡¯t die. Meanwhile, the paladins steadily closed their formation, pushing forward. Their resilience is like cockroaches. Fine, let¡¯s go for melee combat instead. If I¡¯m dying anyway, I¡¯ll treat this as reconnaissance. Just as I resolved to charge inside the barrier... Suddenly, an orc beside me dashed headlong into the enemy ranks. Huh? Has he lost his mind? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 80 [Translator - Night][Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 80: The Defense of the Dragon¡¯s Lair (1) "Dragon¡¯s Power!" An orc shouted the name of one of the quest rewards while charging forward. At first, I thought it was Arik, the one who defied me earlier, but it turned out to be another orc. As soon as he started running, his skin turned red, and his entire body burst into flames. Is that the Dragon¡¯s Power? "Ugh, cursed power!" "Defend with your shields!" The paladins, who had stayed calm while blocking my attacks, began to falter. What the hell? Is the Dragon¡¯s Power stronger than my attacks? "Graargh!" The flaming orc let out a guttural groan as it charged toward the holy barrier. When its body collided with the barrier, I expected resistance, but instead, the orc passed right through it without any hindrance. What? It just went through? "Rrrgh¡­" "The vanguard must hold the line!" Seeing the barrier breached, the paladins grew visibly shaken. The front line raised their shields in unison, trying to suppress the orc, but the orc ignored them entirely and leaped into the air. With both hands raised as if in celebration, it shouted mid-air: "Glory to Drakia!" Boom! The orc¡¯s body erupted in a massive explosion, its flames engulfing the paladins in a fiery wave. "Arghhh!" "Quick, heal them! Heal them!" "Such cursed power¡­!" The explosion inside the protective barrier left the paladins burning and writhing on the ground. Even the holy barrier visibly weakened. "Phoenix! I¡¯ll amplify you¡ªwipe them out!" [Got it!] As I boosted the phoenix¡¯s power, it unleashed a fiery wave that swept through the inferno. A hellish blaze consumed even the paladins¡¯ armor. Watching it all, a question crossed my mind as I fired lightning into the chaos. The dragon here is named Drakina. So why did that orc shout ¡°Glory to Drakia¡±? Drakia is the dragon god of Kevrian. It doesn¡¯t seem like a mistake... Could there be some kind of bloodline connection? [Die!] I guess the phoenix was annoyed because its earlier attacks were deflected. It kept unleashing fiery wing attacks in a frenzy. As my mana drained rapidly, the Dragon Heart activated. The phoenix has the highest mana consumption by far. Good thing I¡¯ve got a backup battery. "I sense a dragon¡¯s power." "Huh? An orc can sense that?" "Whose power is it?" "It¡¯s from a dragon I know." "I asked, whose power is it?" Arik suddenly yelled at me in anger. What¡¯s wrong with this guy? He ran up to me and grabbed my arm. I was about to shake him off when I noticed his desperate expression. Is this guy really an orc? "You¡¯re not an orc, are you?" "I¡­ I am an orc!" But then, he averted his gaze. This guy¡¯s so suspicious. "Why do you want to know?" "I must know, for the sake of my master!" "Fine¡­ but first, let¡¯s take care of them." The paladins were still scrambling after their barrier shattered. This was the perfect chance to wipe them out. When I shook off Arik¡¯s hand, he didn¡¯t try to stop me again. "Grow, Yeoui." I enlarged Yeoui and infused it with lightning. The electrified sword pierced through the enemy ranks. Boom! The blackened bodies of paladins split in two, their upper halves futilely praying. "Minerva¡­ bless us¡­" That¡¯s probably not even your real god. Once I¡¯d killed every last paladin, my experience bar had only gone up by 60%. I just wiped out a thousand paladins, and that¡¯s all I get? Leveling up is tough. As I finished the massacre, Arik came running back, drooling as he approached. Gross. When he tried to grab my arm again, I yanked it away. Then, with a serious expression, he asked, "They¡¯re all dead. Now tell me." "After thinking about it, I¡¯ve decided not to tell an orc." "Why not?!" "Why would I share that with a suspicious orc like you? That other orc¡¯s use of Dragon¡¯s Power was weird, you don¡¯t act like an orc, and everything about this situation is sketchy. If you tell me your true identity or provide some useful information, I might consider it." Arik growled and fell silent, but the other monsters seemed to be watching his every move. The weaker side will talk eventually. I don¡¯t have any penalties for dying, so if this fails, I can just restart. Even though the paladins didn¡¯t give much experience, it was still decent progress for the time invested. I gained 60% of a level in less than a day. While I monitored my experience bar, Arik stared at me, growling softly. The silence was strange and tense. I spoke to the phoenix, now back inside me. "Phoenix, did you notice anything unusual when you chased them earlier?" [Just a massive cave stretching on endlessly. But there were way too many paladins, and outside the cave, I sensed overwhelming holy power¡ªfar greater than theirs.] If I couldn¡¯t break through the barrier of a thousand paladins, and the outside is even worse¡­ "Why don¡¯t they just charge in with that kind of power?" "They¡¯re trying not to wake the dragon." Arik, silent until now, finally spoke. "Not wake the dragon?" "When a dragon is evolving from hatchling to adult, it focuses entirely on its evolution. Normally, it won¡¯t wake up no matter what. But if an enemy too powerful arrives, it might awaken." "But even if it wakes up, won¡¯t it lose if they bring their full strength? Charging in seems like a better option." "They¡¯re worried the dragon might escape. And¡­ judging by their movements, they intend to capture Drakina alive. That¡¯s why they¡¯re being cautious." So much for pretending to be an orc. Arik was now speaking fluently. The mission details came to mind at the mention of capture. ¡®She was captured alive by the holy warriors of the Sacred Empire and burned at the stake.¡¯ "Okay, but what about you? Shouldn¡¯t you wake the dragon already? Isn¡¯t this a time to run?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "Drakina is at the most critical stage of evolution. For the next two weeks, she must conserve all her energy. And even if she wakes up, as a hatchling, she won¡¯t stand a chance against the Holy Knights of the Roman Empire. Escape would also be nearly impossible." "Once she evolves into a full dragon, can she escape?" ¡°It¡¯ll likely be more possible than now¡­¡± Arik trailed off at the end of his sentence. Well, just looking at it, the situation seems hopeless. We¡¯ve been given two weeks, but I¡¯m guessing the paladins will be storming in nonstop during that time. Hmm¡­ so what should I do? I glanced at the back door. A massive iron gate tightly shut. I¡¯ve never even seen the dragon¡¯s face, and we¡¯re not exactly comrades with any sense of loyalty. There¡¯s no reason to invest SP and raise my stats to protect someone I¡¯ve just met. This time, I¡¯ll skip spending stat points and stick with my current abilities. Let¡¯s see how far I can go, and if I die halfway through, I¡¯ll just start over from the beginning. After slaughtering the paladins, my strength and agility increased by 2 points each. I¡¯ll need to make good use of this ability absorption. I need to save every bit of SP I can to gain soul smuggling. Not having a death penalty is a huge advantage here. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll hold the line for now, so you do whatever you need to do.¡± ¡°Grrr¡­ understood.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re curious about the dragon¡¯s power, give me some information. Got it?¡± At that, Arik sharply turns his head away. Ugh, look at this rude jerk. As if I¡¯d tell him anything first. The thirsty one digs the well, but now that I think about it, I guess I¡¯m also the thirsty one. There are a few things I¡¯m curious about, after all. For one, why did the orc shout "Drakia" as he died? Drakia is the dragon god who disappeared from Kevrian. Was he involved here too? But just as the paladins keep chanting Minerva, the neutral faction here must¡¯ve also forgotten Drakia. Weird. Maybe it¡¯s just confusion between Drakia and Drakina? And then there¡¯s the dragon¡¯s power. How did it pierce the divine barrier? Not even my lightning could break through it. Even if the orc charged suicidally¡­ hmm. I¡¯m curious about this power. And the identity of this orc. He seems to know a lot, and the fact that he can discern divine power means he¡¯s no ordinary orc. Could this guy actually be a dragon in disguise? Hmm¡­ but what he said bothers me. He mentioned that Drakina was evolving from a hatchling to a dragon, so she couldn¡¯t intervene. Hmm. Anyway, I¡¯ll just hold on for now. Asking first puts me at a disadvantage. Patience is key. ¡°Minerva will¡­ deliver the wrath of the gods.¡± A paladin collapsed and died. As I burned his corpse, his magic dispersed once again. ¡°What a nuisance.¡± S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. There were ten invasions over the past ten days. Although the numbers were fewer than a thousand, the paladins and priests were much stronger. The priests would provide blessings from the rear while the paladins charged in with glowing weapons and shields, making them quite formidable. Determined to save as much SP as possible to level up my soul mediation, I didn¡¯t use spirit projection, even in near-death situations. Because of that, I was in danger several times, but each time, a monster would sacrifice itself to save me. This time, a goblin rushed in to break the barrier. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± Arik slumped to the ground as if all his strength had left him. That guy didn¡¯t even do much, yet he was the first to collapse after every battle. I glanced at him and checked my level. The ten days of battle raised my level by 2. By Earth¡¯s time, that¡¯s one day gone, and a 2-level increase isn¡¯t bad. I could return to Earth now, but there¡¯s nothing much to do there. Since I agreed to stay for two weeks, I decided to stick it out until then. ¡°Apostle of the gods.¡± While I was idly browsing the soul mediation window, Arik approached me. His face was resolute. Even the drool he usually let drip was gone. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Tell me why you possess the power of a dragon.¡± ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t trust you.¡± ¡°How many times have I saved your life?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to save me¡­ and those monsters sacrificing themselves saved me, not you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all because I used my power!¡± ¡°Oh, really? Explain it in detail, then.¡± When I asked back, the orc clammed up. His eyes darted around. ¡°In four more days, Drakina will awaken, but there aren¡¯t many self-sacrificing troops left to protect her. If you keep dodging my questions, I might decide not to fight.¡± The monsters who shouted ¡°Long live Drakia!¡± as they blew themselves up. There weren¡¯t many of them left now. Aside from Arik, there were only two orcs and one goblin. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you annoyed at having protected her this long for nothing? Just spill it first. I¡¯ll tell you my part too, and I¡¯ll give you my full support.¡± ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Hmm. I¡¯m curious about this guy¡¯s identity, but Drakia and the dragon¡¯s power come first. ¡°Why do they shout ¡®Long live Drakia!¡¯ when they self-destruct?¡± ¡°What?! You know of Drakia?¡± ¡°Yeah. The dragon god, right?¡± ¡°This is unbelievable¡­ Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Suddenly, Arik grabbed my shoulders. The armor of Hephaestus creaked under the pressure. This orc sure is strong. ¡°Yes¡­ Drakia is indeed the dragon god! But why does everyone ask who Drakia is?!¡± ¡°Who said that?¡± ¡°Other dragons and monsters have all said so. It¡¯s been so frustrating¡­¡± Shaking his head, Arik sat down. ¡°You asked why they shout ¡®Long live Drakia!¡¯ when they self-destruct? It¡¯s because the ¡®dragon¡¯s power¡¯ is a divine authority of the dragon god. On this planet, only Drakina, the rightful heir of the dragon god, can grant it.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Then why does it break the divine barriers?¡± ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m not sure. We just sent it in as a last resort, and it worked¡­ or rather, it passed through.¡± Arik trailed off, unsure. Ugh, what a useless guy. At least some of my questions were answered. It seems the neutral faction forgot about Drakia, but Drakina¡¯s family still remembers. And these guys don¡¯t know much about the dragon¡¯s power either. ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve answered me, explain your magic.¡± ¡°Hmph. Fine¡­¡± I thought about holding out a bit longer, but Arik¡¯s teary eyes looked so pitiful. Not that there¡¯s much to explain anyway. It¡¯s just magic derived from the dragon heart of Arkardian. As I was about to answer¡ª Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. The sound of drums echoed loudly. Along with it came an immense divine power from the far end of the cave. Wow. This is incredible. Arik, trembling from head to toe, turned his frightened face toward the entrance. ¡°Grrr¡­ A hero¡­¡± ¡°A hero?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 81 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 81: The Defense of the Dragon''s Lair (2) It''s been ten days since I entered the shattered world of Kalvine. Is this when the Hero appears? I should keep that in mind... "A Hero, huh?" "Do you even have to ask...?" "What¡¯s their rank?" "A... Demi-God rank. With a blessing, they¡¯d be close to divinity." Hmm, stronger than me, huh? Can I win with the backup of my two status windows? I extended Yeoui to about the size of a greatsword and boarded the Flame Chariot. I also summoned the Phoenix and activated Aegis¡¯ Shield. Fully prepared, I waited for the Hero. Once I finished my battle preparations, Arik stood beside me. "I will join the fight." "Alright." Aside from him, the two orcs and the single goblin had already turned bright red all over. Are they planning to self-destruct against the Hero right away? "Tsk, it took you this long just to take down a mere hatchling?" A deep male voice echoed. A brilliant white light spread from the entrance, illuminating the cave. The divine energy within the light made my skin sting. For me, it was just an irritation, but for Arik and the other monsters around me, it was outright agonizing. "The Hero...!" The Hero who appeared at the far end of the cave was dazzling. If paladins wore pure white armor, the Hero¡¯s armor outright radiated with a brilliant white glow. It was so bright I could barely make out anything inside. Even the sword they held was made of light. It was entirely composed of light from the hilt to the very tip. A complete holy power set, huh? "Phoenix. Go for it." [...Understood.] The Phoenix hesitated before responding. Does it not want to fight the Hero? Well, I get it. He does look ridiculously strong. Tch. But what can I do? I need to test my summons against him. "I¡¯m sending the Flame Chariot too." [How considerate.] The chariot charged first, followed by the Phoenix taking flight. At that moment, an immense wave of divine power erupted from the Hero. "Minerva¡¯s Judgment!" Golden light filled the cave and then exploded toward us. Wait. A finishing move already? The golden divine sword aura sealed off every escape route. "No! Block it!" At Arik¡¯s shout, the two orcs and the goblin rushed toward the light. Boom! They exploded before they could even touch it. Scarlet flames burst forth in the aftermath but were immediately extinguished by the golden sword aura. Yeah, this is no joke. Time to use my defensive skills. "Aegis¡¯ Shield." The Aegis¡¯ Shield was said to block even SS-rank attacks. As I activated the skill, a small shield moved forward and quickly expanded. "Let me in too!" Arik threw himself behind me, collapsing to the ground. Damn this orc... I wanted to say something, but the situation up front was more urgent. The golden, semi-transparent Aegis¡¯ Shield had expanded into a large circular barrier, forming a dome that protected me. The light emanating from it was similar to the Hero¡¯s divine attack. Well, it is Athena¡¯s artifact, so that makes sense. I could see Minerva¡¯s Judgment clearly through the shield''s golden glow. A devastating golden sword aura shot forward in a straight line, seemingly intent on obliterating the entire Dragon¡¯s Lair. But as soon as it hit Aegis¡¯ Shield, that section of the attack vanished without a trace. Oh, nice. Yeah, no matter how strong this Hero is, an A-rank can¡¯t unleash an SSS-rank attack. The golden sword aura aimed at me was completely blocked. "Ugh... Aaaaahhh!" But then, a sudden scream rang out. I turned to see Arik clutching his head in agony. What the hell? Why is he suddenly... "The gate... The gate¡¯s been breached... I thought they were trying to capture us...?" At his words, I looked toward the back entrance. The door, which had been firmly shut, was now completely gone. "Impossible! How could you withstand Minerva¡¯s Shield?! Who the hell are you?!" The Hero lunged at me in an instant. But I had no time to answer. [Drakina has died.] [Mission failed.] A message appeared, and then the world froze. Darkness swallowed everything, and my body lost all sensation. And when my vision returned... "Kim Jiho has returned." A Valkyrie, taller than me, lowered her head upon seeing me and reported to someone. "Right." I had returned to the broken world portal that Valkyrie had temporarily set up. Sigh... Is this how it ends? So pointless. Should I have blocked the hero¡¯s strike at close range, or rushed in before he could unleash his finishing move? The Aegis Shield is just big enough for me to survive alone. Well, my survival is important, after all. "Can I enter Kalvine again?" "Reentry will be possible after a day for readjustments. Please return at this time tomorrow." "Sigh... Alright. By the way, do you know a skill called ¡®Dragon¡¯s Power¡¯?" "Dragon¡¯s Power? If you mean a skill, I¡¯ve never heard of it. There is a similar skill that increases strength, though." Looks like Valkyrie doesn¡¯t know anything relevant. I acknowledged her answer and headed home for now. The results of my ten days of battle were as follows: Level increased from 144 to 146. A total of 7 points added to Strength, Agility, and Magic combined. The neutral faction¡¯s ability gauge barely moved. Additionally, I earned about 50,000 SP through soul absorption. Since I spent ten days in the broken world, only a single day had passed on Earth. Through soul mediation, I earned another 35,000 SP. "Not bad." Checking the soul mediation window, I noticed that Elprian was earning a surprising amount of SP. Currently ranked third after Odin and Loki. I thought she was a completely forgotten god, but apparently not. Wasn¡¯t she supposed to have disappeared from existence? This system is impossible to figure out. Anyway, my total earnings in Earth time for the day were 85,000 SP. Since Kalvine is unavailable for another day... That means I¡¯ll earn 50,000 from soul absorption and 70,000 from two days of soul mediation, totaling 120,000 SP in two days. If I keep this up for 200 days, I¡¯ll reach 12 million SP, which will allow me to smuggle through the soul mediation. "Looks like I need to grind levels for a while." Two hundred days of grinding... Thinking about doing this a hundred times was overwhelming, but I steeled myself. I should finish as much as possible while things are still peaceful. Once B-rank dungeons start appearing, I won¡¯t have time for this. [Hey. Did you register as a Hunter?] "Yeah. I signed up as a C-rank Hunter." [Then you should return to the guild.] "Huh? The guild?" [Yeah. You¡¯re not coming back? Kang Shia was asking about you.] "Kang Shia? Isn¡¯t she with Daehyun Guild? Weren¡¯t you in Seomsang Guild?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [Dude... what is wrong with you? Haven¡¯t your memories fully returned?] On my way home, I received a text from Lee Jinseong. When I called him back, he was saying some completely unexpected things. Hmm. How exactly have the memories of the people around me changed? It¡¯ll be difficult to keep fooling them, so I¡¯ll have to play the amnesia card. "Honestly, my memory is really hazy. I barely remember what I did. I just feel blank." [Hmm¡­ I¡¯ve heard of cases like that before. But of all people, it had to happen to you.] Fortunately, it seems like memory loss cases aren¡¯t unheard of. Lee Jinseong accepted it quickly. "What was I doing before? Can you remind me?" [Do you remember Kang Shia?] "Only her face?" [Wow, you really forgot everything. Kang Shia made Daehyun Guild the number one guild in the country. And you were her personal secretary. Later, during a national crisis, Daehyun Guild unified all the other guilds in Korea. You seriously don¡¯t remember any of this?] Why is my role reversed? They changed my memories but did it in a weird way. Those Asgard bastards. Come to think of it, in the past, when Kang Shia acted as my secretary, I told her to take care of Daehyun Guild as much as she wanted. She asked me a few times if I was sure, but it seemed like she used my influence well. And in the end, Daehyun Guild did become the most powerful in Korea. Simply because I, Kim Jiho, was associated with it. Since that fact had to remain intact, did they just flip everything around? "I don¡¯t remember anything. Tell them I can¡¯t do the secretary job since I¡¯ve lost my memories. I need to get myself together first." [Wow... dude, are you serious? That was the highest position of power in Daehyun Guild.] "No thanks. Talk later." I had way too much to do to be playing secretary for Kang Shia. I hung up on him and finally arrived home. The stale smell of a bachelor¡¯s apartment stung my nose. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. My quality of life was terrible. "I can¡¯t live like this." If I had no money, I¡¯d just endure it, but I still had the cash I got from Valkyrie. Time to move. When I checked out real estate agencies near the Association, they were all packed. It was so crowded there wasn¡¯t even space to stand. "Ah, looking for a place? Good luck with that." "The area around the Association stayed safe until the end. Owners won¡¯t sell even if you offer ten times the price." "Even all the rental units are gone. Landlords are moving in themselves." Sigh... So everyone is moving to safe areas because they know the future? Then are there places that have been abandoned? I searched online and quickly found an answer. ["Luxury housing in Seongsu-dong plummets in value¡­ Particularly, the price of G Apartment, where a B-rank portal appeared, has dropped to one-fifth of its original value."] Oh? Isn¡¯t that the super expensive apartment complex where a lot of celebrities live? A B-rank portal appeared there? I don¡¯t remember that... Maybe it happened while I was dealing with an A-rank dungeon. Either way, this looks like a good option. It¡¯s just across the river. Casting an invisibility spell and using a flying spell, I quickly arrived from Yeoksam. "You¡¯re really serious about buying, right?" "Yes." "Are you sure?" A real estate office near Galleria Apartments. The real estate agent kept asking me as if they couldn''t believe it. "Yes. I know there''s a B-rank dungeon appearing nearby, but the hunters should be able to handle it this time, right? I''m buying it while the market is down." "Haha. That''s a smart decision. The current price is ridiculous." The agent immediately called the owner, not wanting to lose me as a buyer. Less than five minutes after the call, the homeowner rushed in. Huh. That¡¯s the handsome celebrity I saw in the advertisement. He hurried inside and looked me up and down. "This person is the buyer¡­?" A doubtful gaze. Well, I do look like an ordinary guy in my twenties. And my clothes are shabby. To convince him, I put on Hephaestus¡¯ armor. His face immediately brightened, and he took a seat. "Oh, you''re a Hunter. Let''s proceed with the contract right away." And just like that, I managed to buy a luxury penthouse¡ªsomething that normally wouldn¡¯t be available even for 3 billion won¡ªat a bargain price. It took some time to finalize the contract, move out, and settle in, so I stayed in my rented place a little longer. Eventually, I moved in. During that time, Lee Jinseong kept pestering me about rejoining Daehyun Guild, but I just cut him off. A hundred days passed by in no time. "My experience points aren¡¯t increasing." After doing the same thing 50 times, my EXP stopped rising, and I wasn¡¯t gaining SP or stat points anymore. Is it because I kept hunting the same paladins? My SP earnings dropped from 50,000 to 5,000, and now, at level 161, my EXP bar barely increases by 10% per cycle. I''ve already absorbed all the available stats. I''m barely gaining anything now. It¡¯s time to quit the grind. "Are you heading to Kalvine again?" When I entered the newly completed Association building and reached the top floor, Aria greeted me with a smile. "Yes. This time, I might be gone for a while." "Did you find a breakthrough for the raid?" "I''m about to start working on it." SP balance: 8.03 million. In 100 days, I only made a bit over 5 million. Now that I''m about to push forward, I should start investing. I''ll use just 1 million. Investing 1 level into Thunder God, the most versatile ability. Upgrading Focused Enhancement by 4 levels, since it boosts firepower. And just like that, 800,000 SP vanished in an instant. I thought B-rank skills wouldn¡¯t cost much, but the SP costs were 50,000, 100,000, 150,000, and 200,000 per level. It just deleted my SP. [Thunder God Lv.2] [Focus Enhancement Lv.5] [Momentarily amplifies the output of mana manipulation. Output increases by 4x, but consumption increases by 6x. This ratio applies up to 12x output. Cooldown: 1 minute.] Thunder God didn¡¯t change much, but Focus Enhancement now has a 1-minute cooldown and boosts output from 2x to 4x, with a max of 12x instead of 6x. Nice. Now, I¡¯ll pour the remaining 200,000 SP into neutral faction magic¡­ Once my Magic A stat filled up by a third, my entire 200,000 SP budget was used up. "I''m ready." "Your mana has grown incredibly strong¡­ I''m looking forward to the raid." And so, I faced the paladins once again. Since I had fought them 50 times before, I efficiently swept through them and then turned to Arik, who was still pretending to be clueless. "Hey. Stop acting dumb. I know you¡¯re not an orc." "Wha¡­?" "Tell your minions to hold off on using dragon powers and just wait." "How do you know that!?" Arik gasped in shock. After watching them for 50 runs, of course I¡¯d know. Ignoring his question, I faced the 1,000 paladins ahead. A massive divine barrier stood thick and firm. Arik shouted at me. "You need dragon power to break that!" "Just watch. Focus Enhancement. Thunder God." Before, no matter what I did, my attacks couldn''t break through. But this time was different. A golden thunderstorm erupted from my palm and crashed into the magic circle. The range was massive, engulfing the entire barrier and slowly eating away at it. "So¡­ strong!" "This energy¡­ It feels like Jupiter¡¯s presence!" Well, of course. Zeus gave it to me. Cracks formed all over the divine barrier, and soon, it shattered completely. The golden lightning surged inside. This time, they had no chance to heal each other. The moment they touched the lightning, they burned into blackened corpses. "That was definitely worth the investment." I felt satisfied after wiping them all out in a single attack. Arik stared at me in shock. "You¡­ just who are you?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 82 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 82: The Defense of the Dragon¡¯s Lair (3) "I am a servant of the gods, blessed by Thor... and I have inherited a Dragon Heart from an Arkardian." I struck first against Arik, who was staring blankly at me. Honestly, I was itching to say it. I had repeated the same words 50 times while retrying, wondering if something would change. At this point, it felt like I was performing in a play. Arik''s eyes widened in shock at my words. "A Dragon Heart?" "Yeah. So reveal your true identity. You''re Drakina, aren''t you?" I just threw it out there. After observing throughout my 50 retries, I was sure this guy wasn¡¯t an ordinary orc. And I couldn''t think of any other possibility. The orc frantically waved both hands, looking pale. "A-Ah, no!" "What''s your connection to the Dragon God Drakia? Your name sounds similar." "You¡­ you know my father?! Yes, Drakia is indeed the Dragon God!" Was it because Drakia had been forgotten? Arik got so worked up that she started spitting while talking. Yeah, she''s definitely Drakina. Dragons are kind of dumb, huh? Maybe because she¡¯s just a hatchling? "Are you the Dragon God''s daughter?" "Ack¡­ that''s sneaky! Fine. Yes, I am Drakina, daughter of the Dragon God!" Arik lifted her chin proudly. But if she''s Drakina, why did she die during Minerva¡¯s Judgment? "Weren''t you evolving into a dragon?" "How do you know that? No¡ªmore importantly, show some respect to a great being!" "I can sense it with my Dragon Heart, dumbass. And respect? You¡¯d be dead without me, so you should be the one showing respect." "Ugh..." "Anyway, if you''re evolving into a dragon, why are you running around as an orc?" Arik gritted her teeth and fell silent for a moment. Her eyes rolled around like she was debating whether or not she could say it. She thinks too much. Time to apply some pressure. "Hurry up and spill it! Otherwise, I¡¯m leaving. Think you can hold out without me?" "Ugh, fine! This is my avatar. Even while evolving into a dragon, I can control at least one avatar." "Then wouldn¡¯t it be better to just run away as a hatchling instead of fighting like this? Those guys are no joke." "As a hatchling, I wouldn¡¯t be able to escape¡­ The enemy¡¯s encirclement is too tight. And the other dragons aren¡¯t coming to my aid¡­ No one remembers the Dragon God Drakia¡­ Something¡¯s wrong." Drakina spoke with a puzzled expression. "In the end, I have to fully evolve into a dragon to use teleportation and escape this situation. Before that, I can¡¯t break through the barrier spread across this mountain range." So basically, "Protect me until I become a dragon." "Can you share the Dragon God¡¯s power with me?" "You¡¯re too strong, so it''s impossible. Unless you evolve into a dragon too..." Ugh, that dragon thing again. "Got it. For now, save your monsters. Use them when the Hero arrives." "How do you know about that?" "I have the ability to see the future." "Then tell me the future." She shoved her orc face right into mine, making me frown. When I quickly dodged, Drakina widened her eyes. "Why are you avoiding me?" "Ugh, is an orc your only avatar? Can¡¯t you change into something like a human or an elf? If you''re neutral, even a Valkyrie would work. Orcs just piss me off." "I''m already beautiful¡­ These sharp fangs, this sturdy square jaw, the well-distributed muscle with just the right amount of fat¡­ Orcs go crazy for this look!" "Yeah, well, human beauty standards don¡¯t match that. Please, just change." "I can¡¯t. I¡¯m evolving into a dragon, remember?" Ugh, do I have to keep looking at that face? Other monsters don¡¯t act like this, but Drakina keeps getting all up in my space. It¡¯s creepy. "Then talk to me from a distance. Don¡¯t get close." "Ugh¡­ You¡¯re so mean." "Don¡¯t say ''you¡¯re so mean'' with an orc face. It¡¯s annoying." "Che! Fine! I won¡¯t help you anymore!" She stomped off with her underlings. Is she a kid? Even if she¡¯s a hatchling, she¡¯s definitely lived longer than me. Well, if she¡¯s backing off, that¡¯s great for me. "Stay put until the Hero arrives. Got it?" "Fine! I¡¯ll see just how well you fight." "¡­Strong." After ten days of holding off the enemy¡¯s invasion, Drakina wore a strange expression. She smiled, then frowned, her expression shifting between emotions. She should be happy, considering she didn¡¯t have to use her own forces, but maybe she wasn¡¯t entirely thrilled watching me fight so well. She really is just a kid. "The Hero will be here soon, and I¡¯m going to charge in headfirst. You handle your own survival, okay?" "Got it. Just guard the gate, right?" "Yeah." She understood quickly. Guess my ten-day training to drill it into her head paid off. The monsters spread out and stood guard in front of the iron gates. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Drums echoed beyond the cave, spreading divine energy. The divine energy made Drakina¡¯s orc body and the monsters tremble violently. "The Hero¡­ is too strong¡­" "Just guard the gate." I climbed onto my Flame Chariot and activated Hermes'' Acceleration. As the Hero¡¯s overwhelming presence grew stronger, I charged forward. I had to strike before he could use his ultimate move! "Tsk¡­ It took this long just to subdue a mere hatchling?" The Hero, lowering his voice to sound imposing, suddenly raised his tone in shock. He had spotted me charging at full speed. "Focus Enhancement. Thunder God!" Before reaching him, I unleashed a strengthened lightning attack. Even while accelerating, the lightning shot forward with terrifying speed. The Hero, who had been raising his sword to gather divine energy, hastily adjusted his stance. "You bastard!" A golden shield formed around the Hero¡¯s body. The enhanced Thunder God attack tore through the shield like paper, but it failed to penetrate his sword. The radiant blade absorbed the lightning completely. Damn. Is this the difference between an A and a B rank? "So, you''re Thor¡¯s servant! I shall offer your head to Jupiter!" The Hero leaned forward slightly¡ªthen, in an instant, he was right in front of me. With a single swing of his blade, my Flame Chariot was sliced clean in half. Shit. He¡¯s strong. I need to go all out. Because of the SP drain, I¡¯ll have to use Soul Energy Emission! "Soul Energy Emission!" The Yeoui in my hands blazed with pure white flames. The Hero smirked and lunged at me. ¡°What a pathetic trick!¡± The hero swung his sword right in front of me, as if to subdue me immediately. His speed was so fast that I could barely follow it with my eyes. Clang! Aegis¡¯ shield blocked the blow, but his sword twisted strangely and aimed for my neck. I barely managed to parry the strike with my own sword. The sword of light and the sword of the soul clashed simultaneously. Boom! A blinding white explosion erupted, and my body was thrown backward. ¡°Ugh!¡± Both of my arms felt like they were about to be torn off. The Yeoui, burning white-hot with energy emission, had slightly bent. Fortunately, Hephaestus¡¯ armor absorbed the impact of the light explosion. With just one clash, I understood. The hero was stronger than me. The difference between A and B was clear. I prepared for the next inevitable exchange while keeping my eyes locked on the hero. Whoosh! Once again, his sword targeted my head. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] But the intensity of the sword of light was noticeably weaker than before. The mass of light had visibly shrunk. Clang! The hero¡¯s sword clashed against Aegis¡¯ shield and momentarily halted. Unlike earlier, he couldn¡¯t immediately follow up with another attack and was momentarily stiffened. Seizing the opportunity, I thrust my sword. The sword of light tried to block Yeoui¡¯s trajectory once more. Fwoooosh¡­ But this time, it failed to deflect the strike and was pierced straight through. The sword of light, split in half, burned in white flames. Then, starting from the tip, the sword¡¯s light faded away and slowly disintegrated. Within just two exchanges, the hero¡¯s sword was gone. ¡°No¡­ This can''t be¡­? The holy sword¡­?¡± His face was hidden beneath his helmet, but his stunned disbelief was unmistakable. Was it due to the energy emission? I wasn¡¯t sure of the exact reason, but now was my chance. ¡°Acceleration.¡± Activating Hermes¡¯ acceleration, I instantly closed the distance to the hero. Realizing my approach, he tried to retreat. If he fled with full intent, he¡¯d be hard to catch. This was my moment¡­! ¡°Enlarge, Yeoui!¡± Maintaining energy emission, I expanded Yeoui. The blade stretched out, grazing the hero¡¯s arm as he attempted to step back. His armor of light was cut through, and his arm became engulfed in white flames. ¡°Graaahhh!!¡± The hero let out an ear-splitting scream. It was a reaction similar to that of the Death Knight, Ampellion, when he was struck by energy emission. The difference? Hades saved Ampellion, but no one was here to save the hero. Reluctant to waste SP, I deactivated energy emission and swung for his neck¡ª But my sword halted against his light armor, unable to cut through. ¡°Tch¡­.¡± ¡°Soul Energy Emission.¡± Reactivating energy emission, I drove my sword into his neck. This time, the blade slid in smoothly. ¡°Graaahhh!! What is this pain¡­?! Aaaahhh!!¡± The hero was engulfed in white flames. He had reached A-rank, a demi-god level. He had endured countless battlefields, suffered numerous wounds, and built resilience to pain. Yet, he couldn''t withstand these white flames and howled in agony. It was chilling to witness. But my enemy¡¯s pain was my opportunity. Deactivating soul energy emission, I swung once more, beheading the hero. Blood sprayed like a fountain as his head fell. The white flames devoured both his light armor and his severed head before vanishing entirely. All that remained was the hero¡¯s headless body. To be certain, I slashed and burned his corpse with Yeoui. His head was gone, so he had to be dead, but just in case. Only after dismembering and incinerating his body did I finally feel at ease. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Soul Energy Emission¡­ This thing is seriously insane. How is it this strong? Wait¡­ was it too strong? I should check my SP consumption¡­ Several message windows appeared. [Energy Emission ¨C Collided with the Holy Sword Lightsaber.] [The SP value of the Holy Sword Lightsaber is substantial. Would you like to erase it?] [This is an attack that threatens the user¡¯s life. Auto-approved.] [Colliding with Lightsaber. Due to low skill level, up to 20,000 SP is consumed.] [Destroying Lightsaber. 20,000 SP consumed.] [Erasing Lightsaber. 20,000 SP consumed.] 40,000. I spent 40,000 just to erase a sword?! The message log was ridiculous. That¡¯s a full day¡¯s worth of soul brokerage income, gone in an instant. [Erasing Minerva¡¯s Armor. 20,000 SP consumed.] [Colliding with the 7th Hero, Frederick.] [20,000 SP consumed.] [20,000 SP consumed.] [20,000 SP consumed.] [User deactivates Energy Emission. Frederick¡¯s soul is fragmented.] 100,000. 100,000 SP is gone. What kind of madness is this? It only cost me 3,200 SP to kill Ampellion¡­ This is insane¡­ What the hell?! [You have used an excessive amount of SP. Please adjust the maximum SP limit for Energy Emission.] AAARGH!! There was a max SP limit adjustment?! Why wasn¡¯t I shown that earlier?! S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [The hero¡¯s soul is incomplete. Soul reaping efficiency is extremely low.] [The hero¡¯s soul is incomplete. Ability absorption efficiency is extremely low.] I defeated the hero, but did energy emission do too much? The SP gain was only 1,000, and the stat absorption was pathetic¡ªStrength +1, Agility +1, Magic +2. I killed an A-rank demi-god and got this? At least my level increased to 162¡­ If my level hadn¡¯t gone up, the shock would¡¯ve been unbearable. ¡°Whoa¡­ what the hell was that? That was the strongest sword technique I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± Drakina ran up to me, her face filled with excitement as she bombarded me with words. She was clearly fascinated by the technique that had taken down the hero in an instant. But I had no time to answer. I was busy adjusting the max SP limit for energy emission to 10,000. ¡°You¡¯ve bought us time by defeating the hero! You did amazing! Kahaha!¡± Arik¡ªno, Drakina¡ªslapped my back and laughed heartily. This was the happiest I¡¯d ever seen her. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve taken down a hero, can we proceed with Dragon Ascension?¡± After using so much SP here, we had to make sure Drakina reached Dragon Ascension. ¡°Yeah. With one of the Seven Heroes of the Roman Empire dead, the enemy will definitely retreat for now. Alright, just wait until I ascend to full dragon form!¡± Drakina¡¯s confidence was infectious. And she was right. With the hero dead, the enemy did not attack for three days. And then¡­ [Main Quest ¡®Repel the First Invasion of the Holy Empire¡¯ has been cleared.] [You have gained 30,000 SP.] [You have acquired the title Guardian of Dragons.] [The Power of the Dragon has awakened.] The main quest completion message appeared. 30,000 SP was practically nothing, but the other two rewards seemed promising. Alright. Time to change my title and check out the Power of the Dragon. I opened the skill window to inspect it¡ª Suddenly, a solemn voice echoed in my ears. [I should be dead¡­ And yet, you¡­?] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 83 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 83: Contract with the Dragon God Drakia "Who are you?" [I am Drakia.] "The Dragon God Drakia of the planet Kevrian?" I first heard of the Dragon God Drakia when I captured the Black Dragon Arkardian. Drakia had been the representative of the neutral faction on Kevrian, but Asgard had taken over that role. Seeing that Elprian was also subdued, could it be that they were conquered by the Olympus-Asgard alliance? [That¡¯s correct. I¡¯m surprised you know about Kevrian from Kalvine.] "Was Kevrian really subdued by Asgard?" [You even know that?] Suddenly, a monster approached me¡ªa goblin about half my height. Normally, it would be afraid of me and avoid me, but now, it was staring at me with blood-red eyes. "A human blessed by Thor. But strangely, I also sense the power of the Order faction within you." "Drakia, is that you?" "Yes, I borrowed this goblin¡¯s body for a moment. I thought I had completely perished, but it seems I can still use this much power." "How did you come out here?" "I don¡¯t know either. Odin and Thor struck me down together, and I was utterly destroyed¡­." The goblin tilted its head in confusion. What could be the reason? Was it because I protected Drakina? "Drakina is undergoing dragon ascension¡ªcould that be the reason?" "Drakina is ascending already? Has that much time passed¡­? That makes some sense. She is my youngest daughter and inherited a considerable amount of the Dragon God¡¯s divine power." The goblin nodded in understanding but then suddenly collapsed. I approached and saw it foaming at the mouth, trembling violently. It was on the verge of death. [I sense Thor¡¯s energy. He might be watching, so I will return to my thought-form.] "Ah¡­." [Don¡¯t speak aloud¡ªjust think it.] Can he read my thoughts? I responded internally, saying I understood, but there was no reaction. After a moment of silence, Drakia spoke again. [You have perfectly protected your mind with Form Maintenance. Unless you direct your thoughts strongly toward me, I won¡¯t hear them.] I see. Drakia, Elprian has been completely subdued on Kevrian. She was mutilated and forced to bear Zeus''s child. That child was then devoured by Zeus. [Elprian¡­? She once competed for dominance over Kevrian, yet she met such a fate¡­ A sorrowful destiny indeed.] I gave him a rough summary of everything that had happened. When I mentioned that Olympus and Asgard were manipulating time, he became furious. [They keep resetting time? Those bastards are trying every possible trick to become creators.] Creators? [Yes. If an SSS-rank substitute rises one more level, they gain the qualifications of a creator. To achieve this, they seem to be accumulating SP by constantly rewinding time. But they can''t keep doing this forever¡­?] Drakia seemed puzzled, so I told him about soul mediation. After a brief silence, he spoke again. [Soul mediation? I always wondered why such merciless beings would reincarnate Earthlings¡ªso that was their reason. If they secure a hundred soul mediators, they can reach the path of creation without difficulty.] Are soul mediators really that powerful? I hadn¡¯t realized their true value. [They are indeed valuable. Soul reapers only strengthen themselves, but soul mediators directly benefit the gods. By the way, can you form a contract with me?] Drakia suddenly seemed very interested. When I mentioned my soul mediation contract with Elprian, he insisted that he wanted in as well. Hmm¡­ Elprian at least had a physical form, even if she was mutilated, but Drakia seemed to be just a spirit. Would a contract even work? [If there¡¯s an open slot for a soul mediator, why not experiment? Just like you did with Elprian. I¡¯ll set a condition¡ªif I don¡¯t earn SP, we can mutually dissolve the contract.] I do have some slots left¡­ Might as well give it a try. But I don¡¯t work for free. [If Drakina fully ascends as a dragon, I¡¯ll grant you a reward. Please, I beg you.] Drakia started pleading earnestly. He truly wanted to compensate me, but in his current state, he had nothing to offer. He promised that once Drakina awakened, he would reward me immediately. When I told him that I¡¯d break the contract if he didn¡¯t pay up, he agreed right away. [You have formed a soul mediation contract with the Dragon God Drakia.] [Drakia¡¯s SP acquisition rate increases by 2.2 times. The mediator, Kim Jiho, receives a 35% commission from this amount.] [Your skill level is too low to mediator all of Drakia¡¯s SP across multiple planets. Only the SP from Kevrian is mediatored.] I formed the contract on Kalvine, yet it¡¯s only effective for Kevrian? Drakia, however, seemed pleased. [Only Kevrian? That¡¯s actually better. That¡¯s my home planet.] What about Kalvine? [This place? I invaded and colonized it. I stopped paying attention for a while, and now the Order faction has taken control. This land used to worship dragons.] So this place used to be one of Drakia¡¯s colonies. Now it¡¯s ruled by the Holy Empire, though¡­. [Alright, I will now focus on my recovery.] Once the soul mediation contract was sealed, Drakia disappeared. Hmm¡­ Elprian had been providing a substantial amount of SP. Will Drakia do the same? If I can mediate SP from Drakia as well, that would be great. Right now, I¡¯m basically forced to submit to Olympus and Asgard. "Anyway, Drakina¡¯s ascension is taking a while." I thought that completing the quest would allow Drakina to fully ascend, opening the next quest, but the iron door remained firmly shut. I could feel massive mana swirling inside, but it had been like this for days now. The conclusion should be near, so I decided not to return to Earth yet and instead check out my new skill. [Dragon¡¯s Power] [Special Skill] [A power granted only to the direct descendants of the Dragon God. Summons the flames of the Dragon God and enhances the user¡¯s physical strength to the extreme. Without a complete Dragon Heart, the overwhelming power will cause the user¡¯s body to explode.] Reading the description, I recalled all the monsters that had exploded before. So they couldn¡¯t withstand the power of Dragon¡¯s Power because they lacked a Dragon Heart? I had a Dragon Heart, so I thought I could use it¡­ [Warning: Your Dragon Heart is incomplete. If you use this skill, your body will explode.] A warning message popped up. Arkardian¡¯s Dragon Heart wasn¡¯t enough, huh? Well, considering its effect was simply "mana regeneration," it probably wasn¡¯t a complete Dragon Heart. So, I can¡¯t use it yet. As for the new title¡­ [Dragon¡¯s Protector] [Grade: B] [Granted to those who protect dragons. Significantly increases affinity with dragonkind and grants the blessing of mana. Magic stat increases by 30%. Dragons view the user favorably.] It¡¯s not that useful right now. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Currently, I¡¯m using the Earth¡¯s Number One and Earth¡¯s Pioneer titles, and this one is inferior to both. The only benefit is increased affinity with dragons. But I don¡¯t really need that at the moment. I¡¯ll just keep it for now. In the end, my rewards were conditional or situational at best. Meeting Drakia was probably the biggest gain. I should ask him to upgrade my Dragon Heart. That way, this dragon''s power will finally be useful... As I was fitting skills together, I suddenly sensed a massive surge of mana from deep within the lair. It was an incomparable level of mana. Rumble. The ground began to shake. At the same time, the iron door at the entrance of the dragon''s lair slid open like an automatic door. [Enter, Apostle of the Gods!] A dignified voice echoed throughout the dragon''s lair. Has it finally achieved its Dragon transformation? Stepping inside the opened door, I found myself in a completely different world. Everywhere, gold. Gold bars covered the floor, and the walls and ceiling shimmered with golden light. Outside, it was just a desolate cave, but inside, it was nothing short of a treasure vault brimming with gold. And atop that gold lay a massive red dragon. It was even larger than the black dragon, Arkardian. A golden radiance shimmered across its crimson scales. I couldn¡¯t tell much difference in dragon heads, but... For something that had just become a Dragon, its presence was overwhelming. Was it because it was the descendant of the dragon god? [Thank you truly, Apostle of the Gods. Thanks to you, I successfully completed my Dragon transformation.] "Glad to hear it." [Ahem. That rude way of speaking... but since you are the savior of my life, I shall tolerate it.] "As you should." The red dragon lifted its head slightly and exhaled. Flames roared to the ceiling, melting parts of the golden surface. This one has a temper. [Ahem. Very well. I shall let it slide. Besides, the crisis is not over yet.] "Shouldn''t you be able to escape now that you''re a Dragon?" [I thought spatial teleportation might work, but the enemy''s divine suppression barrier has strengthened further. Success seems unlikely.] Drakina trailed off at the end. Then what are we supposed to do? [For now, we should teleport to the edge of the divine suppression barrier, then break through it with force.] "Alright. But you seem pretty strong¡ªcan''t you just fight your way through?" [No... Something with immense power is approaching the lair. I have no chance of stopping it. We need to escape to the Dragon''s Land first.] What the hell? Another hero? Why are humans in this world so ridiculously strong? Even the daughter of a dragon god, now a Dragon, thinks she has to run? I should recruit them to Earth. "Tsk. Fine, let''s go quickly." My body suddenly began to float. Slowly, I rose into the air and landed safely near the base of the red dragon¡¯s neck. The neck was so massive that I could roll around multiple times without falling off. [Stay there for a moment.] "Oh-ho, a Dragon Rider!" [Dragon Rider my ass! Get off the moment we finish the teleport!] Drakina snapped sharply before spreading her wings wide. A golden light began to shimmer around her enormous body. The area where I sat was already bathed in golden radiance. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Warp!] Our bodies transformed into light and soared into the sky. It seemed like we were on the verge of a successful spatial teleport, but¡ª Boom! A thunderous impact halted our ascent. We were now high above, with mountain ranges stretching far below. Looking up, I saw a white wall in the sky, like a solid mass of clouds blocking our way. [As expected... I''ll break through directly!] Drakina opened her mouth wide and unleashed a torrent of flames. The dragon''s breath struck the wall, causing it to thin. But just as it seemed about to vanish, the wall grew thicker again. It regenerates? [Heroes are approaching! What are you waiting for? Use that ultimate sword technique!] She meant Soul Energy Emission. Damn... I just got 30,000 SP, and I''m already about to burn through it. But judging by the lethal aura in the air, this isn''t the time to hold back. My vision tinged red, and my whole body stung. A dangerous situation was unfolding. "Focus Enhancement! Soul Energy Emission!" Expanding Yeoui, I activated Soul Energy Emission. I had to succeed in one go, so I bit the bullet and used Focus Enhancement as well. The sword grew larger and longer, just about to pierce through the white barrier¡ª [Huh?] Before the blade could make contact, the wall suddenly vanished. ...What? The white barrier disappeared as if it wanted nothing to do with the Soul Energy Emission. If it had made contact, I would¡¯ve used up even more SP¡ªso I guess that''s lucky? Drakina hesitated for a moment, startled by the sudden disappearance of the wall, but wasted no time flying upward. "Stop right there!" A desperate voice rang out from the distant sky. Two figures, resembling angels with white wings, shot toward us at incredible speed. One of them swung a sword, unleashing a golden energy slash just like the one the previous hero had used. A massive golden sword wave slashed through the space we had just occupied. If Drakina hadn''t flown past the barrier in time, we would have been caught in it. As we soared higher, Drakina''s body began to glow gold again. Another teleport? [Warp!] "This place..." [We made it. This is the Dragon¡¯s Land.] This time, the teleport was a success. Drakina landed safely on the crimson ground. Hmm. What are we supposed to do here? [Get down now.] "Alright, hold on." Now that we''ve arrived, a quest notification popped up. Might as well check it before getting off. ...Something¡¯s off. "Two main quests? And the content... what the hell is this...?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 84 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 84: Conflicting Quests [The dragons of the Kalvine planet follow Asgard. Now that the hatchling Drakina has grown into an adult dragon and is developing as the successor to the Dragon God, there is a risk of a rift forming within the neutral faction. If an internal conflict breaks out among the dragons, the neutral faction will collapse. Subdue Drakina before she becomes the true heir of the Dragon God.] [Difficulty: Extremely Hard] [Destroy Drakina¡¯s Dragon Heart.] [Quest Rewards] SP 300,000 Obtain Dragon Heart S-rank random skill reward [The dragons of Kalvine have forgotten the Dragon God due to Asgard¡¯s influence. Make them realize who their true deity is. Awaken Drakina as the Dragon God. Both heroes and dragons will obstruct you.] [Difficulty: Impossible] [Awaken Drakina as the Dragon God.] [Quest Rewards] Resurrection of the Dragon God Dragon Heart upgrade Attainment of divine authority Delayed liberation of the Chaos faction [The Dragon God Resurrection quest is a time-limited quest.] The quest required either killing Drakina or keeping her in the Land of Dragons for a year. Both rewards were exceptional. However, if I looked only at the rewards, the latter quest was more tempting. The first quest¡¯s rewards¡ªSP 300,000, an S-rank skill, and a Dragon Heart¡ªwere certainly great... But the second quest¡¯s rewards seemed even more valuable. Especially the last one¡ªdelaying the liberation of the Chaos faction. If I completed this quest, the revival of Chaos on Earth would be slowed. On top of that, reviving the Dragon God, upgrading the Dragon Heart, and obtaining divine authority... That was quite the grand set of rewards. The difficulty level was listed as ¡°Impossible.¡± If both heroes and dragons were getting in the way, it made sense. But how exactly was I supposed to awaken Drakina as the Dragon God? The quest didn¡¯t specify. If I considered only the rewards, the second quest was better, but I didn¡¯t have enough information right now. For now, I¡¯d return and think it over. I also needed to check whether I could obtain SP from Drakia. ¡°Return.¡± Back on Earth. Valkyrie Aria greeted me. ¡°You took a little longer this time. That means things are going well, right?¡± ¡°Yes. There¡¯s been some progress.¡± There was no need to tell her about the quest. She nodded and then spoke, as if suddenly remembering something. ¡°Oh, I forgot to relay a message from Loki.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Asgard always wishes to maintain a good relationship with you, Kim Jiho.¡± Why bring this up now? Was it because of the main quest? Aria¡¯s smile was as usual, but... ¡°I see. I feel the same way.¡± ¡°Good. Then I hope you achieve great results...¡± She saw me off with a smile. She hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about the quest, nor given any hints. Was it just a coincidence that she said that? Leaving the association building and returning home, my mind felt tangled. ¡°Drakia?¡± I called his name just in case he had followed me to Earth, but there was no response. Giving up on summoning him, I opened the Soul Mediation window and was shocked to see that Drakia was generating SP on par with Odin. In just one day, I had accumulated about 40,000 SP. That was useful. The next day, Drakia woke up and spoke to me. [Forming a Soul Mediation contract with you makes a real difference. SP is gathering, even if in small amounts... I never knew the contract was this beneficial. Can I make multiple contracts at once?] Drakia was excited as he asked. Multiple contracts? Curious, I tried to make another contract. [Your Soul Mediation level is too low to create duplicate contracts.] Oh-ho. So it was possible at higher levels? It seemed different from soul smuggling, which was unlocked at level 7. ¡°It seems I can¡¯t yet. My level is too low.¡± [How unfortunate...] ¡°By the way, I received a quest.¡± When I told him about the two quests, the Dragon God made an unexpected remark. [Awaken Drakina as the Dragon God? It will be difficult for you to protect her until she fully ascends. From an efficiency standpoint, killing her would be better.] ¡°Even though she¡¯s your daughter?¡± [I have too many offspring to count. There¡¯s no need to pour excessive affection into a single one.] Gods really were cold-hearted. I had heard that dragons were extremely protective of their kin, but if the Dragon God was like this, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. [However, the rewards for the Dragon God Awakening quest are remarkable. Who set these rewards?] ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one granting them if you revive?¡± [No. I would give a separate reward. Those rewards come from the neutral faction, but Asgard would never want me to return... Strange.] The Dragon God sounded puzzled. Hmm. So the rewards for the Awakening quest were guaranteed? If they were, I could claim the Dragon God¡¯s separate rewards as well, making this an incredible opportunity. But how exactly was I supposed to awaken her? Would more details appear if I accepted the quest? If this were a normal quest, I could just reset and try again if I failed. But the fact that this was a time-limited quest concerned me. Even Drakia had never heard of a time-limited quest before. If I accepted it, I had to assume this was my only chance and give it my all. Still... Heroes and dragons. How was I supposed to handle that combination? I could deal with the heroes using soul energy, but the dragons... Hmm. No, wait. The hero I defeated was A-rank. The dragons wouldn¡¯t be much higher than that. If I was willing to burn through SP, I might be able to fight them. The real issue was how to awaken Drakina. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Drakia, do you know a way to awaken your daughter?¡± [Are you considering taking the Awakening quest?] ¡°Yes. I already have a Dragon Heart, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to use an S-rank random skill right now anyway. I¡¯m limited by my B-rank skill cap. I¡¯d like to give it a shot.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [You wish to attempt it... Hmm. Then, would you be able to wait ten days? And in the meantime, could you waive my Soul Mediation fee? I need SP for something.] The fee? Drakia¡¯s earnings were quite useful. But ten days wasn¡¯t too long. I could take the long view and let this slide. Hmm. Actually, even if I did waive the fee for ten days, I¡¯d only be missing out on about 70,000 SP... ¡°What¡¯s the method? If it¡¯s that important, should I just send you SP directly?¡± [Directly? I currently can¡¯t access the SP shop.] "I have a skill I''ve never used before." Soul Trade. A skill that governs SP transactions for all beings, regardless of rank. It summons a trade window and takes a 0.1% commission fee. I heard that later, I could even establish an SP exchange, but that¡¯s only possible when I reach S-rank, which is a long way off. Hermes said he¡¯d give me a hefty commission, but I never actually used the trade. It¡¯s a skill that governs transactions, but can¡¯t I also be a participant in the trade myself? When I explained that I had the Soul Trade skill, Drakia was startled. [Such a skill exists? That¡¯s truly fascinating. Then, could you transfer 100,000 SP for now?] "I can invest more." [No, given my current state, that amount is just right. Once I receive the SP, I will create the Dragon Core necessary for the Dragon God''s awakening.] I activated the Soul Trade skill and designated my trade partner. A trade window appeared, showing both my name and Drakia¡¯s. When I clicked on my SP, a field appeared where I could enter the amount. I set it to 100,000, and then I noticed a message below: ¡®When the Soul Trader trades with themselves, no commission is collected.¡¯ Well, that makes sense. After transferring the SP, Drakia looked delighted. [The SP has really been received. Thank you. Now, I will begin the creation process. Stay on Earth for the next 10 days.] "Understood." Hmm. The daily grind of endless labor had suddenly come to a halt. What should I do for the next 10 days? It felt like an unexpected vacation, but I had nothing to do. Browsing the internet, I found that the world had stabilized, and people were focused on leveling up. Every nation was mobilizing all their resources into hunters. Portal articles were entirely about hunters, and politics and economics had taken a backseat. A Hunter Training Act was now a fixed section on portal sites. It wasn¡¯t something relevant to me at my level, but since I had nothing else to do, I clicked on it. [Distribute all your stats as evenly as possible.] [Do not choose a class while at E-rank. If you do, the Hunter Association will revoke your hunter license, and you will be banned from entering dungeons.] [This time, thanks to Asgard¡¯s blessing, E-rank hunters will be promoted directly to D-rank without an advancement test. You must maintain a beginner class and wait until D-rank to obtain a good class.] "Huh...?" Was this happening only in my country? I checked Google and found the search page strangely empty, except for a message at the bottom stating: "The development of Soul-type Awakened individuals is being prioritized." So that¡¯s what this was about? No advancement tests? Digging deeper into the internet, I found that many people had already changed into unique classes. [Since I transitioned into a Giant class, I¡¯m no longer a loser. But now I''m 4 meters tall... I can''t even enter my house. Don''t pick this class, guys. I can''t even use my smartphone because my fingers are too big.] The guy posted a verification photo of himself getting a physical exam at the Hunter Association. His face looked like a regular young Korean man, but everyone around him looked like dwarves. The height measurement read 423CM. Other people were showing off too¡ªsome had bodies partially made of fire, while others could control monsters. C- and D-rank hunters were already jealous. [Man, if I had been E-rank, I could¡¯ve gotten a special class too.] [Can¡¯t even reset my class¡­ I¡¯m jealous.] [Hunter Association, let us reset our class choices!] "But I don''t see any Soul-type Awakened here." If people were distributing their stats evenly and waiting to choose a class, there should be others like me. But not a single mention of a Soul-type class existed. Did Asgard already recruit them? Even if they did, there should at least be rumors online. SP and Soul-type Awakened¡ªthere wasn¡¯t a single line of discussion about them. Was it that rare? With that lingering curiosity, I spent the next few days leisurely. Lounging at home, taking walks by the Han River, drinking, and just enjoying the life of an unemployed person for about five days. Then, I got a phone call. [Is this Kim Jiho?] "Yes. Who¡¯s calling?" [This is Valkyrie Aria. In three days, the World Hunter Association¡¯s Broken World Investigation Team will be entering Kalvine Planet.] "Kalvine?" [Yes. Now that there are so many hunters, we need more leveling-up locations, so they want to gather intelligence. I thought I should inform you personally.] Damn. If regular hunters enter, time will start flowing again on Kalvine Planet. I was planning to just chill on Earth until the Dragon Core was ready, but now things got complicated. "Is there no way to postpone it further?" [We tried to delay as much as possible. The World Hunter Association has been pleading for an investigation team ever since the Broken World opened. We stalled for about two months, but we can¡¯t hold it off any longer...] Aria trailed off at the end. Of all times, why now? The timing was too perfect. "I understand for now." [Yes. I hope you make a wise decision. Goodbye...] A wise decision? That sounded loaded. Was she pressuring me to choose between quests? "Drakia, did you hear that?" [I did.] "It sounds like they''re forcing me to pick a side." [Indeed. Still, considering how crude Asgard usually is, the fact that they¡¯re applying indirect pressure instead of brute force shows how valuable a Soul Broker is.] "It¡¯s still pressure nonetheless. How long will the Dragon Core take?" [Hmm... Even if I make it, Asgard will interfere heavily.] True. They wouldn¡¯t just sit back and let a Dragon God revive. [The first quest¡¯s objective was to destroy Drakina¡¯s Dragon Heart, correct?] "Yes." [But there were no conditions about erasing Drakina¡¯s body or destroying her soul, right?] "That¡¯s right." [Then that¡¯s fortunate. Accept both quests. I will create Drakina¡¯s Dragon Heart for you.] Wait... That¡¯s possible? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 85 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 85: The Second Apostle (1) "Creating a Dragon Heart? Is that even possible?" [I am the Dragon God.] With that one sentence, I could do nothing but nod in agreement. Right now, he may only be a thought projection, but originally, he was an SSS-rank deity. A being on par with Zeus and Odin. There must be a way. "Understood. Then I¡¯ll go and accept the quest. But hmm... would just detonating the created heart complete the quest?" [No. There are too many eyes of Asgard watching for such deception. You must personally destroy Drakina¡¯s Dragon Heart. Then, at that very moment, I will replace it with the one I create.] "Is that really possible?" [It is. I will convince Drakina myself.] The Dragon God spoke with absolute confidence. At this point, I might as well trust him. There''s nothing to lose, anyway. "Alright, let''s do it." [Then wait one day. I will craft Drakina¡¯s Dragon Heart.] "Do you need any more SP?" [What I have now is sufficient. But more importantly¡ªdo you have an Apostle?] "An Apostle?" [I can sense the energy of Elprian. That troublesome skill she used in battle...] Ah. Is he talking about the Garden of Apostles? How does this guy even know about that? [The day I fought for dominance against Kevrian. It was a perfect siege. I had hidden dragons prepared to strike, and as I was about to engage her in combat, suddenly, angels and high elf warriors burst forth from her embrace. The shock of that moment was¡­] Drakia suddenly began reminiscing about the past, going on at length. If I let him continue, I might end up listening to an entire fantasy epic about elves versus dragons. I cut him off. "There¡¯s a subspace skill called Garden of Apostles, where temporary apostles reside. I assume that¡¯s what you mean?" [Yes. That kind of skill. After you destroy Drakina¡¯s heart and replace it, could you place her there?] Right now, only Diana occupies it, so it''s possible, but... "That means Drakina would have to become my Apostle. Would she agree to that?" [Heh¡­ It would be an honor to become the Apostle of the Soul Mediator. I will convince her.] "Then go ahead. But my rank has dropped to B, so I¡¯m not sure if I can appoint an Apostle." I recalled the Seal of Elprian and its Apostle Appointment ability. [Seal of Elprian: Apostle Appointment] [You can temporarily appoint an awakened being as your Apostle if they are of the same rank or lower. For elves, rank restrictions do not apply. You can appoint up to seven Apostles.] It worked regardless of rank for elves, but for dragons, they had to be equal or lower than me. Drakina was definitely not just B-rank. [Would B-rank be enough?] "Yes, if she''s B-rank, she can be an Apostle." [Then there is no problem.] The Dragon God spoke with certainty. When it came to Dragon Hearts and anything dragon-related, he was completely confident. Well, he is the Dragon God¡­ he must know what he''s doing. Two days later, I re-entered Kalvine. Upon returning, I found myself standing on Drakina¡¯s neck. Riding the massive red dragon again filled me with a sense of grandeur. But now wasn¡¯t the time to bask in the feeling. I opened my quest window and accepted both quests simultaneously. I wasn¡¯t sure if clicking with both hands at the same time would work, but thankfully, both quests were accepted. The quest to awaken Drakina into a Dragon God had additional details. [Awaken the Dragon God''s power latent within Drakina. This power will gradually awaken when she remains in the Land of Dragons, but the process will accelerate if she acquires other Dragon Hearts.] [This quest cannot be accepted again.] So either she stays put in the Land of Dragons or hunts other dragons to awaken faster. Now I see why this quest was labeled impossible in difficulty. If I had rushed in without preparation, I would¡¯ve struggled immensely. And it¡¯s a one-time quest. If I hadn¡¯t accepted it, I would¡¯ve regretted it forever. I tapped Drakina¡¯s neck. "You. Become my Apostle." [What? Apostle? Are you insane?!] Drakina screeched in outrage, her body tensing as if she was about to throw me off. Before she could move, I quickly retrieved a gem from my inventory. A red gemstone the size of my fist. Flames swirled inside it. Before I left home, Drakia had handed it to me, saying it was ready. [I modified a Dragon Core I was making for the awakening of a Dragon God. If you embed this into Drakina, I can connect with her.] As soon as I pressed the modified Dragon Core against Drakina¡¯s neck scales, red light burst forth. The light quickly transformed into flames, engulfing both me and Drakina in an instant. From the outside, it looked like a blazing inferno. But neither I nor Drakina suffered any harm from the flames. [Even if you accept the quest, Thor''s gaze will still be upon you. I will use my flames to obscure his sight for a while. Now, I will begin my conversation with Drakina.] Flames solely meant to block Thor¡¯s view. The fire spread across the Land of Dragons, swallowing it whole. [This magic¡­?! Ah¡­ no¡­ wait¡­ Honorable Father Dragon God¡­ Is it truly you, Dragon God?!] Are they talking? Looks like the connection worked. Drakina, who had been brimming with arrogance, suddenly lowered her head in deep reverence. [Ah. Yes. My apologies¡­ I will remain silent¡­] Did she just get scolded for talking out loud? Even though the Dragon God had no physical form, Drakina treated him with extreme reverence. Time passed as the flames continued to burn. I was curious about their conversation, but I couldn¡¯t hear it. All I could sense was Drakina trembling. Then, suddenly, her neck jerked upward, pulling me with it. [W-What?! My Dragon Heart? And my rank¡­ A-Alright¡­ I will obey¡­] Her voice, now subdued, carried resignation. Drakina¡¯s mighty dragon head nearly scraped against the ground, as if in complete submission. Having to give up her heart must have been devastating. As I watched her with a bit of pity, something huge floated in front of me. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. A gemstone, even larger than my own body. A star-shaped, crimson jewel radiating golden light. An overwhelming surge of mana poured out from it, almost pulling at my own energy. Wait¡­ could this be¡­? A Dragon Heart? [Destroy it.] Drakina spoke in a depressed tone. She really, really didn¡¯t want to do this. "Just¡­ break it?" [Yes. The Dragon God has already made all the arrangements. Just destroy it¡­ Ah! But don¡¯t use that weird sword technique of yours! Use Mana Sword instead.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] At her instruction, I pulled out Yeoui. I channeled mana into it, expanding it into a greatsword. "This is definitely a Dragon Heart, right? I¡¯m breaking it now?" [Yes! Just hurry up and do it!] The sword plunged straight into the Dragon Heart. It looked incredibly solid, yet it penetrated more easily than expected. The blade burrowed deep into the very center of the Dragon Heart. Cracks began to spread all around it. "Kaaaaaaahhh!!" A piercing scream, sharp enough to tear through the ears. Drakina thrashed in agony, lifting her head abruptly. Standing on her neck, I almost got thrown off by her violent movements. My body trembled along with the Dragon Heart impaled by my sword. [Now, as you destroy the Dragon Heart, I will use its power to create a new one. Split the Dragon Heart in half.] Drakia¡¯s voice suddenly rang out. Despite his daughter writhing in pain, he remained utterly cold and composed. Following his instruction, I expanded the blade and infused it with sword energy. The sword, already piercing through the Dragon Heart, moved up and down. The cracks widened until the Dragon Heart was completely split in two. "Ka¡­aaah¡­" Drakina, who had been convulsing in pain, gradually stopped moving. The golden light radiating from her body slowly faded. Her body drooped lifelessly, drained of all vitality. [¡®Destroy Drakina¡¯s Dragon Heart¡¯ quest completed.] A sudden message popped up. I thought I was about to receive my reward, but an unexpected message followed. [Thor is suspicious of how quickly you completed the quest. The Neutral Faction is sending an investigation team.] An investigation team? They really have everything in this world. Guess I can''t cheat my way through so easily. "They say an investigation team is coming." [I would do the same. This was within my expectations. Let¡¯s quickly proceed to the next stage¡ªDragon Heart creation.] The split Dragon Heart. As its vast energy dispersed into the atmosphere, With a single command from the Dragon God, the energy began condensing again. In an instant, the scattered energy reformed into something similar to the original Dragon Heart. Only, this one was the size of a fist and glowed golden instead of red. [Revive.] A dazzling golden light erupted from Drakina¡¯s limp body. The light was drawn into the newly formed Dragon Heart, gradually taking shape. The golden glow outlined a humanoid figure about my size. Starting from the limbs, the light settled, Revealing¡ª "A person¡­?" A red-haired, naked beauty. Her eyes were closed, her features youthful yet breathtakingly beautiful. Her long crimson hair draped over her body and face, yet even so, her beauty was overwhelming. She looked like she could surpass even the Elves. [Since my daughter is now bound to serve a human, I adjusted her form to better suit human preferences.] Wait, this is Drakina? Compared to the growling, beastly orc-like figure from before, this was a complete transformation. [Now, we truly have no time. Begin the Apostolization immediately!] Drakina remained unconscious, completely limp. Would this work even in her current state? I decided to proceed with the Apostle designation anyway. [Designating Red Dragon Drakina as an Apostle.] [Red Dragon Drakina is in a ''Tolerated'' state. Her rank is temporarily lowered to C. Once she fully recovers, the Apostolization will automatically be undone. Do you wish to proceed?] This is called a ''Tolerated'' state? The difference in appearance is way too extreme compared to what I know. Well, at least it''s better than having a five-meter-tall dragon-headed beast following me around. To be able to transform a dragon into a human form¡­ The Dragon God truly is incredible. As soon as I confirmed the designation, a brief light flashed from both Drakina¡¯s body and mine. [Red Dragon Drakina has become an Apostle.] [If Drakina¡¯s rank surpasses the user¡¯s, the Apostolization will be automatically canceled.] Hmm. It worked. Drakina, unaware of her fate, remained slumped over her original body. [Now, hide Drakina.] "Understood." [C-rank Awakened ''Red Dragon Drakina'' enters the Apostle''s Garden.] [Remaining slots in the Apostle''s Garden: 3.] Her body transformed into light and was absorbed into me. [Normally, I would absorb her original body myself.] As Drakina¡¯s human form disappeared, the Dragon God¡¯s flames shifted. Previously serving as a camouflage, they now began fully incinerating Drakina¡¯s draconic body. [The brute force of Thor¡¯s energy can be felt.] Rumble. Thunder echoed across the sky. Looking up, I saw lightning crackling within the clouds. Just how powerful was this lightning if I could see it from here? [With that level of energy, it must be Thor¡¯s direct Valkyries. It seems they are the investigation team you mentioned. I shall divert their attention.] How? [I will launch you to the ground. Pretend to be an enemy.] Before he even finished speaking, a massive gust of wind erupted from Drakina¡¯s burning body. I could have resisted, but following Drakia¡¯s plan, I allowed myself to be thrown. Boom! I hit the crimson earth of the dragon''s land, a cloud of dust filling my mouth. "Ugh, pfft." Spitting out the dirt, I looked toward Drakina¡¯s body. Where flames once burned, a golden dragon had appeared. Huh? A Gold Dragon? Though significantly smaller than Drakina¡¯s original form, its presence radiated overwhelming majesty. The Gold Dragon lifted its head toward the sky and let out a mighty roar. [Thor! This time, I shall retreat. But I will return!] Then, it transformed into a streak of light and vanished. As soon as it disappeared, four lightning bolts struck the ground, and four Valkyries emerged. Whoa. That was close. "The Dragon God Drakia is attempting to resurrect!" "He¡¯s still weak. We must pursue him!" "Capture him!" Though they had come as an investigation team, they now seemed entirely focused on Drakia. Well, it looks like their investigation will be brushed aside. But is the Dragon God really okay? [As expected, the Asgardians are brute-force idiots. Still, an investigation must be conducted.] Drakia¡¯s voice suddenly rang in my head. Wait. Weren''t you inside that body? [I split my consciousness in two. A simple task.] So this is what an SSS-class entity is capable of? As he watched the departing Valkyries, he chuckled before turning to me. [I will go into recovery now. Take care of Drakina.] Alright. Have a good recovery and clear that quest. [Red Dragon Drakina''s body has been destroyed.] A quest window popped up suddenly. I tensed, worried that the second Dragon God creation quest had somehow failed. However, the following messages reassured me. [The body of Drakina, the Dragon God''s heir, has been destroyed and is now being reconstructed. The quest continues.] [The Dragon God is regenerating a small portion of the body.] [Quest progress: 10%] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 86 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 86: The Second Apostle (2) Quest Progress: 10%? Does that mean the Dragon God''s awakening has progressed by 10%? Or is that just the escaped Gold Dragon''s percentage? Well, I guess I should hope it keeps running and reaches 100%. I''ve been so focused on completing the quest since I got here. Now what? I already completed the quest to destroy Drakina''s Dragon Heart, but there''s no next step? S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just as I was wondering about that, a thunderous sound echoed again. Kwarurururu! Then, a bolt of lightning struck near me. When the lightning subsided, a Valkyrie stood in its place. Dressed in pure white armor, silver hair flickering with lightning¡ª "I''m Valkyrie Claire, a servant of Thor." "Yeah. Did Thor send you to check on my quest completion? How annoying. I kill Drakina, and I¡¯m still treated like a criminal." I decided to strike first before they started investigating me. So, how exactly are they going to investigate? Thor is one of my soul mediation clients. Maybe I should just cancel our contract and switch to someone else. Surprisingly, Claire responded more submissively than I expected. "Ah... no. The quest was cleared so quickly that this is just a formal procedure. Now that it¡¯s been confirmed that the Dragon God devoured his daughter to revive himself, we understand why Drakina died prematurely. I will now deliver your promised rewards." A message window appeared immediately. [You have obtained 300,000 SP.] [You have obtained an S-rank Random Skill Box.] "But there was also a Dragon Heart..." "I have prepared one separately." Claire extended her hand, and a concentrated mass of mana formed in her palm, materializing into a star-shaped red gem. It was smaller than Drakina¡¯s, but the mana flowing through it was immeasurable. "You can absorb it immediately by breaking it now. Or would you prefer to absorb it later?" I considered breaking it right then and there but figured that the Dragon God or Drakina might know a more efficient way to absorb Dragon Hearts. "Hmm. I¡¯ll just hold onto it for now. There¡¯s no rush." "Understood." Claire handed me the Dragon Heart. Placing it in my inventory gave me a sense of satisfaction. Still, I kept my expression firm in front of Claire and asked, "But why is the quest reward so generous?" "Sigh. It¡¯s all thanks to you, Kim Jiho." "Me?" "Yes. The space-teleportation barrier over Drakina¡¯s lair... Normally, even a god-tier entity wouldn¡¯t be able to break through it so easily." Was she talking about when Drakina was celebrating becoming a Dragon before eventually escaping? "Was breaking it a problem?" "Yes. It was supposed to be impossible... But someone used a special skill to break through, which caused complications." Claire sighed and explained the original quest scenario. Drakina successfully ascends to a Dragon but is ultimately captured by the hero¡¯s party. She is then taken to the Holy Empire, where she is burned alive in sacred flames. But¡ªthis was all a scheme by the Emperor of the Holy Empire, who had fallen into chaos. He intended to use Drakina, a descendant of the Dragon God, as a sacrifice to open the Chaos Gate. If Drakina had been captured as planned, the next quest would have been for an Awakened One to stop the ritual. "So, she had to be captured?" "Yes. Under normal circumstances, that was the plan." "But the hero who attacked before Drakina became a Dragon wiped everyone out instead of capturing her." "That hero had suspicions about the Emperor¡¯s intentions. To stop the opening of the Chaos Gate, he decided to eliminate Drakina rather than let her become a sacrifice." Ah. So, that hero sensed something fishy about the Emperor. That¡¯s why he acted preemptively and used a finishing move without any questions. "What was supposed to happen originally? If that hero had shown up, wouldn''t he have wiped them out then too, preventing the sacrifice?" "The heroes are summoned randomly. If a hero aligned with the Emperor appeared, Drakina would have been captured." "So what happens now?" "The course of history has been completely altered... The Broken World was created through an agreement between the forces of Chaos and our side. If they agree, we could reset everything and start over from the beginning, but..." "Do two warring factions ever actually agree on something like that?" "Rarely. But when their interests align, agreements do happen. However, the ¡®Smiling-Faced Devil,¡¯ who was supposed to be summoned, refused to approve a time reversal because he finds this irregular situation interesting." ¡®Smiling-Faced Devil¡¯? That name sounded familiar¡ªOh. It was mentioned when I mediated three soul contracts with Hades. There was that devil and another entity called the Lone God. "So what happens now?" "If we capture the Dragon God, the Smiling-Faced Devil will lose interest and agree to revert the world to its original state." "If the Dragon God keeps running and the Chaos Gate doesn¡¯t open, won¡¯t Kalvine Planet recover on its own?" "That won¡¯t happen. The Emperor of the Holy Empire will find a way to open the Chaos Gate. Meanwhile, we must capture the Dragon God." Claire spoke firmly. I thought about asking why, but I got the feeling she wouldn¡¯t answer anyway. I let it go. There were too many hidden details. It was best to just deal with situations as they arose. "So, does everything restart from Drakina¡¯s lair?" "No. That would cause similar side effects again... We won¡¯t repeat the same mistake. We¡¯ll start from the next phase instead." Claire looked at me with a smirk¡ª No, not a real smile. She was trying to smile, but it was obvious she didn¡¯t mean it. It was a smirk. "If the Dragon God keeps running?" "Then the Emperor of the Holy Empire will start hunting dragons to open the Chaos Gate. The dragons of the Dragon¡¯s Land will resist. And Earth¡¯s Awakened Ones will side with the dragons." "Earth¡¯s Awakened Ones? Getting involved in a war between heroes and dragons?" "Yes... They won¡¯t be able to gain experience points. They¡¯ll just get caught in the crossfire." If an all-out war broke out between A-rank heroes and dragons, no one on Earth would survive. This was basically a ¡®Don¡¯t enter¡¯ difficulty level. D- and C-rank Awakened Ones should not come here. "Well then, I¡¯ve delivered your rewards, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave now." "Sure. But is it okay for gods to intervene in a Broken World? That didn¡¯t seem to happen in Kevrian." Even Hades suffered severe penalties when he intervened. A 95% power reduction made him barely manageable. "Normally, no. But the Dragon God¡¯s resurrection is a major issue... Lord Thor has accepted a complete penalty to intervene. Well then..." Claire¡¯s body glowed before vanishing in a flash of lightning. Now I was left alone in the Dragon¡¯s Land. The only main quest left was the Dragon God¡¯s awakening. There were no new quests after removing Drakina¡¯s Dragon Heart. I looked around the scorched remains of Drakina¡¯s final moments. Maybe some dragon bones or scales remained? But after searching for ten minutes, I found nothing. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "Can¡¯t even return yet." I had to wait at least ten days before I could teleport back. Wow. What do I do now? No quests, no monsters. Just an endless stretch of red land. Dragon¡¯s Land, huh? Aside from the red soil, it wasn¡¯t particularly special. This felt like being stranded in a desert. "Summon Flame Chariot." I hopped onto my chariot and rode straight in one direction. The same scenery kept passing by. A desolate red land. Having nothing to do, I tried calling Drakia to absorb a Dragon Heart, but there was no response. Is he recovering? If Drakia is unavailable, should I ask Drakina instead? She¡¯s in the Apostle¡¯s Garden, but I¡¯m not sure if that would work. "Apostle¡¯s Garden." I tried using the Apostle¡¯s Garden skill. Then, a large screen appeared. At the top of the screen, "Apostle¡¯s Garden" was written, along with a message stating that three slots were remaining. Below that, there were two spaces: Diana¡¯s subspace and Drakina¡¯s subspace. Diana¡¯s subspace was blacked out with a message saying, [The user¡¯s rank is too low to access this area.] However, Drakina¡¯s was different. Before I knew it, Drakina was standing there in her humanoid form, wearing the same ragged clothes from my past days as Arik. She stood there with a dissatisfied expression. The background around her was black, but unlike Diana, Drakina¡¯s figure was clearly visible. I guess I can¡¯t see Diana because her rank is A, but since Drakina is rank C, I can? "Hey." I tried calling out to her, but she didn¡¯t seem to hear me and continued standing there with an annoyed expression. Now that I looked at it, it felt like a character selection screen in a game¡ªshe was just standing there with that same dissatisfied look. She probably wasn¡¯t actually standing like that in reality¡ªit was more like a display of her current state. Hmm. Should I try pressing it? When I touched Drakina, an additional window popped up beside her. [Send Message] [Summon] [Check Stats] [Enhance] [Retrieve SP] [Revoke Apostleship] Huh? There are functions like these? I didn¡¯t know because I couldn¡¯t see Diana¡¯s, but... Sending messages and summoning are self-explanatory, but Enhance and Retrieve SP...? Before sending a message, I checked her status window, and it displayed: [Name - Drakina] [Class - Red Dragon (Humanoid Form)] [Guardian Deity - Kim Jiho] [Title - ] [Level - 67] [Physical - A] [Magic - A] [Skill - C] [Luck - E] [Retrievable SP - 281] Wait, I¡¯m her guardian deity? Her status window was similar to mine, except for the retrievable SP. Is it because I¡¯m viewing it as her guardian deity? Hmm¡­ As expected of a dragon, her stats were impressive. Even though she was only level 67, she had A-ranked stats. Her luck was low, which was a bit unfortunate, but everything else was strong, so it balanced out. When I clicked Enhance, the status window remained, but a + sign appeared next to each stat. I selected her Luck, and a message popped up: [Would you like to spend SP to increase the Apostle¡¯s stats?] So I can use my SP to improve her? Wow, if I had known about this, I could have enhanced Earthlings too... I regretted not trying it before the world fell apart. "And SP retrieval..." Speaking of which, Retrievable SP... It looks like I can take back the retrievable SP if I use that function. Does that mean my guardian deities can also see my status window and SP reserves like this? Or is SP reserve different from retrievable SP? I should ask Drakina. Summoning her right now would be a hassle, so I decided to send a message instead. [How are you holding up? How much SP do you have?] She must have been bored because she replied immediately. [Kim Jiho? Why are you asking about SP? Where even is this? It looks exactly like my Dragon Lair.] [Just checking something. Do you have 281?] [281? Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? A descendant of the Dragon God! I have 28,100. My heart was shattered, and I became humanoid, so I lost a lot of SP¡­] 28,100? So only 1% is retrievable? Not too bad. [How long do you plan to keep me locked up here? I need to recover, but the mana in this space is too slow.] [It¡¯s a bit complicated right now, but I¡¯ll summon you on Earth soon. Oh, by the way, tell me the most efficient way to absorb a Dragon Heart.] [A Dragon Heart?! Where did you get that?! No¡ªgive it to me! If I have it, I can recover quickly!] [I need to eat it first. My Dragon Heart skill is incomplete. Once I fully develop it, I might give you some, so teach me the most efficient way to absorb it.] I wasn¡¯t really planning to give her any, but a little hope would make her more willing to help. [¡­As you¡¯ve seen, a Dragon Heart is a hexagonal star shape. Cut it into six pieces and eat one at a time.] [Like eating cake?] [How dare you compare a Dragon Heart to cake?!] [So basically, I just have to eat it without breaking it?] [Yes. You must eat it whole for proper absorption. It may look like a gem and seem hard to chew, but it will melt in your mouth.] [I¡¯m only B-rank. What if I turn into a dragon?] [If you¡¯re B-rank, you should be fine¡­ Wait, no. You might turn into a dragon. If you¡¯re worried, just give it to me. Please.] [Okay, thanks.] Nice. I had been aimlessly riding the Flame Chariot, but now I had something to do. I took out the Dragon Heart from my inventory and started slicing it into equal pieces. By coating my sword with mana, I was able to cut it smoothly. Thanks to my high skill stat, I could neatly divide the hexagonal star into six pieces. Then, I took one piece and brought it to my mouth. As soon as I put it in, it melted instantly. The moment the Dragon Heart dissolved, I could feel the mana in the atmosphere rapidly converging toward me. And then, a message appeared. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 87 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 87: Completing the Dragon Heart [Strength increases by 11.] [Agility increases by 8.] [Mana increases by 23.] Upon consuming a piece of the Dragon Heart, a message appeared indicating an increase in stats. Additionally, there was a message stating that the neutral faction¡¯s stats had also significantly increased. Wow... This is insane. It''s even more than the piece given to me by the Black Dragon Arkardian before. Back then, he said he was giving me only a little because he was afraid I might turn into a dragon, and he really did give just a tiny amount. And then... [Dragon Heart¡¯s Mana Regeneration skill has upgraded to Lv.3.] [If you absorb more pieces of the Dragon Heart, it will transform into the ''Dragon Heart'' skill.] So, just one piece isn¡¯t enough to unlock the Dragon Heart skill, huh? Alright, I''ll eat another one. [Strength increases by 7.] [Agility increases by 6.] [Mana increases by 15.] This time, the stat boost was noticeably lower than before. The neutral faction¡¯s A-gauge also filled up a little, but not as much as last time. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What? Is it already losing effect? That''s a shame... Dragon Heart¡¯s Mana Regeneration skill also upgraded to Lv.4. It¡¯s still prompting me to absorb more. After consuming three out of the six pieces, I ate the fourth one. At that point, strength and agility stopped increasing, and only mana went up¡ªby just 4 points. And the Dragon Heart skill still hadn¡¯t upgraded. If it doesn¡¯t upgrade even after the fifth one, I might as well keep the last piece for myself instead of giving it to Drakina. With that thought in mind, I consumed the fifth piece. [Mana increases by 1.] Now, even mana barely increases anymore. Just as I was feeling a little disappointed, the message I had been waiting for finally appeared. [Dragon Heart¡¯s Mana Regeneration skill has transformed into the ¡®Dragon Heart¡¯ skill.] [Dragon Heart] [Skill Grade: S] [The heart of a dragon, the master of mana. Significantly increases mana affinity and mana recovery, enhancing the effectiveness of mana stats by five times. Since the user does not belong to the ¡®Dragon¡¯ class, Dragon Heart exists independently. If the user belongs to the ¡®Dragon¡¯ class, the Dragon Heart will completely replace the user''s heart, and all mana-related efficiency will increase more than tenfold.] [You can now consume mana to temporarily enhance strength, agility, and other physical stats.] [You can use ¡®Dragon Tongue¡¯ magic.] [Command mana to manifest miracles. Since the user is not of the ¡®Dragon¡¯ class, the power is limited to a 6th-circle level.] [You can now fully wield the ¡®Power of the Dragon.¡¯ When igniting the Divine Dragon¡¯s Flames using Dragon Power, half of Dragon Heart¡¯s mana will be consumed. If mana is insufficient, life force will be consumed instead.] A series of messages flooded my vision. At the same time, I felt a fundamental shift in my mana levels¡ªit was on a completely different level now. With mana effectiveness multiplied by five, everything related to mana¡ªits control, recovery, output, and limits¡ªhad undergone a complete transformation. If I use this mana to enhance my strength and agility, the results will be insane. On top of that, I have Dragon Tongue magic and the Power of the Dragon. There are so many additional effects. Excluding soul-related skills, this is probably the best skill I¡¯ve ever obtained. Even the Flame Chariot I was riding suddenly expanded significantly as the Dragon Heart skill upgraded. It wasn¡¯t just a war chariot anymore¡ªit was practically a massive tank. I felt so good that I couldn''t help but grin, but then a message popped up that instantly killed my mood. [You have three S-grade skills. Due to your low rank, one skill must be sealed.] [If you do not seal a skill, one will be randomly deleted in 10 days.] [Would you like to seal an S-grade skill? This will consume 10,000 SP.] What? Skill deletion? And it even costs SP to seal one? This is ridiculous. Currently, I have three S-grade skills: Dragon Heart Aegis Shield Heimdall¡¯s Return Dragon Heart has too many additional effects, so I definitely want to keep it. That means I need to choose between Aegis Shield and Heimdall¡¯s Return. If I level up a bit more, I''ll reach A-grade, and the S-grade skill restriction will be lifted. I probably won¡¯t need the Return skill for a while, right? I just need to level up quickly. Hunting warriors here should give me a huge experience boost. Alright. I¡¯ll seal the Return skill. I clicked ¡®Yes¡¯ on the message asking if I wanted to seal an S-grade skill and selected Heimdall¡¯s Return. Immediately, its skill description darkened, with the word [Sealed] covering it. I need to level up fast and unseal it. [Hey. Please. You didn¡¯t eat all of them, did you? If you appointed me as an apostle, shouldn¡¯t the Guardian God grant me something? Please. Please, let me recover.] A sudden message appeared. It was from Drakina. Hmph. I didn¡¯t really receive anything from the Guardian God either. Ah. I guess Pollux did give me Infinite Stamina, but that was probably just to use me as a breeding stud. Anyway, I still have one piece of the Dragon Heart left. If I eat it now, I doubt my mana will increase by more than 1 or 2 points. But at the same time, it feels like a waste to give it away. [You¡¯re just a temporary apostle, so why should I act like your Guardian God? Give me something in return.] [In return? Can''t you see I¡¯ve already sacrificed my heart and body to the Dragon God and ended up completely wrecked? At least let me evolve from a humanoid dragon into a hatchling. Please. I beg you, Guardian God.] [That¡¯s your problem, not mine¡­ If you think about it, you must have something you can offer in return. You¡¯re stuck inside the sanctuary anyway, so use your brain and figure it out.] [Ugh... A Guardian God being this stingy¡­] [It¡¯s stingier to expect a free handout, apostle.] After that, no further messages came. Tch. Trying to get something for free, huh? If I¡¯m going to give it to someone, I¡¯d rather give it to Diana than to a temporary apostle like Drakina. I wasn¡¯t sure what I could get from a C-rank dragonkin, but if she was desperate enough, she¡¯d figure something out. I carefully stored the last piece of the Dragon Heart in my inventory and looked around. The endless red landscape stretched on in every direction. I had no idea where to go next. I need to level up quickly and reach A-rank. That way, I can unseal Heimdall¡¯s Return and use the S-grade Random Skill Box that¡¯s been sitting in my inventory. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°A map would be nice right about now. Like the ones Rareder used in games.¡± The moment I muttered those words, a new interface window suddenly appeared. It was the [Dragon Tongue] window. [Your words carry your intent. Miracles that can be realized within the 6th circle will be manifested. Would you like to activate Dragon Tongue?] Wait¡­ Did this appear because I mentioned a map? Oh, Dragon Tongue¡­ So anything I say turns into magic? This is amazing... I might not even need Athena¡¯s Encyclopedia anymore. Curious about how it worked, I pressed ¡®Yes.¡¯ [Map magic has been activated.] [Due to the 6th-circle limitation, the map''s range and functions are restricted.] Then, a semi-transparent system window appeared on the left side of my vision, displaying a map. Even as my Flame Chariot moved forward, the map followed along, tracking my position. I grabbed the small map displayed on the left, and as I stretched it, it expanded. Oh. I enlarged both corners, and soon, the map became much bigger. The area marked as "Land of the Dragon" came into view. When I first saw it, it looked exactly like a map of Russia. A vast land spread across the north. My current position was in the southern region. To the south, there was a land bordering a nation labeled "Holy Empire," though only part of the map was visible. It seemed like the map was restricted to a six-circle range. Still, it''s nice to get a rough idea of where I am. As I tapped around the map, I found options to zoom in and out, as well as a feature to display living creatures. However, this function was incomplete¡ªit only showed creatures ranked C, B, and A. I could understand why it wouldn''t display higher-ranked ones since they were too powerful, but were lower-ranked ones just too numerous to track? As soon as I checked the option to display C, B, and A-ranked creatures, my mana drained significantly. Then, at the center of the map, where the red dot representing me was located, a blue circle appeared. It seemed that only creatures within this circle could be detected. "It''s pretty small." Still, it''s better than nothing. There were no living creatures around me at the moment. Hmm¡­ Should I head to the border? I just need to keep moving south. The Dragon God probably won''t show up, so the Holy Empire¡¯s emperor will eventually start a war against the dragons. When that happens, enemies will gather at the southern border. If a main quest triggers at that point, I''ll just go along with it and fight alongside the Holy Empire¡¯s soldiers¡­ I''ve been experimenting with Draconic magic for the past ten days while endlessly traveling south. I''ve reached the vicinity of the border, but the main quest is still silent. Instead, now that I''m near the border, my radar has started detecting presences. To the south, there was a dense cluster of green dots, representing C-rank creatures, and among them, some blue dots, representing B-rank creatures. There were no navy-colored dots, which meant there weren¡¯t any A-rank creatures here yet. "Conceal with the Flame Chariot." A message popped up asking if I wanted to use Draconic magic. I accepted, and both I and the Flame Chariot slowly became transparent. In that state, I flew high into the sky and approached. The red land abruptly ended as if cut by a blade, giving way to a massive fortress wall. Inside, a large military city had formed, and outside the walls, soldiers carrying pure white flags were lined up in formation. Most of the blue dots, representing B-rank beings, were stationed outside the walls. Are they preparing for deployment? "Amplify sound." Mana drained again as their voices were magnified. "Third Corps, our mission is simple. We are to investigate the Land of the Dragon beyond this wall! Despite its name, no dragons have ever been found there¡­" The paladins reassured their troops that the mission was safe. Since they were B-rank, they weren¡¯t on the level of heroes, but they were still quite strong. It seemed the Holy Empire had sent a well-prepared force. Should I just let them conduct their investigation? At that moment, the long-silent quest window appeared. [Sub Quest] [Holy Empire¡¯s Emperor Ernhardt V has sworn allegiance to Chaos. Unable to obtain the Dragon Heart of Drakina as he originally intended, he has shifted his goal to investigating the Land of the Dragon. Prevent the Holy Empire from investigating the northern Land of the Dragon by attacking their forces.] [Objective: Annihilate the reconnaissance unit of the Holy Empire¡¯s Third Corps.] [Quest Rewards] SP 10,000 Additional Stat Points +3 The Third Corps¡­ so that means those guys? Does "annihilate the reconnaissance unit" mean I don''t have to take out the whole army? As I observed, I noticed that rather than advancing as a whole, a cavalry unit was being reorganized separately. The reward¡­ is kind of stingy. Or is it generous for a sub-quest? The quest to destroy Drakina¡¯s Dragon Heart had far better rewards. Probably because it was crucial to preventing the Dragon God''s awakening, they were willing to give out huge rewards for it. This level of reward is more standard. It''s a bit disappointing, but I accepted the quest. Since I was at it, I checked the progress of the Dragon God Awakening quest¡ªit was at about 15%. The Valkyries were still chasing, but instead of hindering progress, the completion rate was increasing by 1% per day. At this rate, the Dragon God will recover in no time. Just imagining the massive rewards for stopping the awakening put me in a good mood, when suddenly, a message popped up. [I''ve prepared your reward. Summon me.] A message from Drakina, arriving after ten days. Huh? The reward is ready already? There shouldn¡¯t be much to give at C-rank. "Return." Summoning in Kalvine seemed inconvenient, so I decided to return to Earth first. Back on Earth, I headed home and opened the Apostle¡¯s Garden window. I selected the option to summon Drakina. [Do you want to summon the C-rank Apostle Drakina? Summoning an Apostle of a lower rank will consume 500 SP per day.] Even summoning a lower-rank Apostle costs SP? It¡¯s only 500, but still¡­ I clicked "Yes," and before me, a blue portal gate slowly opened. Through it, Drakina emerged. She had long, slender legs and a curvy body. Her skin was pure white, and her red hair and red eyes gave her a strikingly Western appearance. Despite her mature figure, her face looked somewhat youthful, as if she hadn''t quite reached adulthood. She was slightly shorter than me, probably over 175 cm tall. She was as stunning as Diana, but the clothes she wore were seriously bothering me. A ragged outfit from her days as an orc named Arik. Because of her absurdly attractive face, the rags somehow looked vintage, but otherwise, she just looked like a beggar. Though glimpses of her pure white skin showed through the holes, the sight of her old clothes reminded me of her orc form, making it hard to see her as a woman. "What''s with that outfit?" "This is super comfortable." Drakina blinked at me and answered matter-of-factly. "You might as well just go around naked instead of wearing that." "Take it off? Humans engage in reproductive activities when naked, right? Should I give that as a reward?" She looked ready to strip immediately. I hesitated for a moment but quickly shook my head. Losing a piece of the Dragon Heart over something like that would be ridiculous. "¡­No. Just tell me what you had in mind." "Is this face not to human tastes? Maybe I should¡¯ve kept the Arik look¡­" "If you do that, I''ll kick you out of the Apostle¡¯s Garden immediately." I cut her off before she could say something horrifying. She pouted before finally speaking. "I''ll give you a ride." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 88 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 88: Swearing by Dragon Words "You''re going to let me ride you?" My gaze naturally turned to Drakina, who was looking at me confidently. "Yeah. I''ll acknowledge you as a Dragon Rider and let you ride me." "A Dragon Rider? But you''re not even a dragon right now. Aren''t you just a draconian?" Are you trying to scam me or something? Hearing that, Drakina slightly turned her head, avoiding my gaze. "Ugh. That''s why I need a Dragon Heart. If I get a piece of it, I can quickly become a hatchling." "You''re nowhere near the right level for that." Trying to scam me at level 67? "If I have a Dragon Heart, I can evolve quickly!" "Even if you consume one, it only boosts your abilities; it doesn¡¯t level you up." "Our dragon race evolves through mana. We''re different from humans." "Really? So you can level up without hunting?" "Yeah! As long as we circulate and accumulate magic, our level increases naturally. That¡¯s why I need a Dragon Heart! For us dragons, time and mana are essential. Sure, hunting monsters gives us experience too, but the most important thing is mana." Hmm, interesting. Since dragons are a special class, it doesn¡¯t seem too strange for them to have abilities like this. As I nodded in understanding, Drakina''s expression brightened. "Then will you give it to me?" "No. I just said I understand. Giving it to you is a whole different matter." "Ugh... Then what do you need?" "Even if you acknowledge me as a Dragon Rider and let me ride you, is that really beneficial for me? Honestly, I could just ride a phoenix or my flame chariot instead..." Riding a dragon would be exciting, but I already have other flying mounts. Do I really need a dragon? "Maybe I should just give this Dragon Heart piece to another apostle¡­" "No! If I acknowledge you as a Dragon Rider, you''ll be recognized by a dragon and be able to use a portion of a dragon¡¯s power! We strengthen each other!" "Really? I already have a Dragon Heart, so I can use dragon powers anyway." "That makes it even better! With a Dragon Heart, your power will increase significantly. As partners, we can share our energy and amplify each other¡¯s abilities!" So being a Dragon Rider¡­ I guess it¡¯s not just about riding on a dragon¡¯s back. "Then does that mean I can get the power boost even without riding you?" "Yeah! Since I¡¯ll be acknowledging you!" "Hmm¡­" I was thinking of giving the Dragon Heart to Diana, but now I¡¯m having second thoughts. A Dragon Rider¡­ Drakia, do you know anything about this? But even when I asked, the Dragon God remained silent, likely too focused on recovering. I guess I have to decide on my own. "From what you''ve told me, being a Dragon Rider sounds great. But what if I give you the Dragon Heart, and you just take off?" "I will swear on the name of dragons. I will acknowledge you as a Dragon Rider." "Hmm¡­ But is there a time limit?" "A time limit? The Dragon Rider bond is a ritual where a dragon acknowledges a non-dragon as a partner. There¡¯s no set duration." "So it''s a permanent bond? Humans can get divorced and even best friends can break up, you know." At that, Drakina averted her gaze again, this time hesitating as she spoke. "That''s¡­ not exactly true. A Dragon Rider bond can be revoked. It just rarely happens." "But in a situation like ours, where we''ve just met, the chance of that happening is pretty high, right?" "Ugh¡­ Just trust me." "I''ve been betrayed by gods too many times to trust anyone easily." I stared at her quietly as I spoke. Even though she¡¯s only a level 67 C-rank draconian, Drakina''s stats are quite impressive for a dragon. If I give her a Dragon Heart and let her accumulate magic, she¡¯ll reach B-rank quickly. And a B-rank dragon would be on a completely different level from a B-rank human. If she¡¯s that strong, she could easily clear B-rank dungeons. Back when the world was collapsing, dungeon portals were appearing too fast for me to handle alone. If I use her well, I could leave the B-rank dungeons to her. "Are you stuck in draconian form? Can¡¯t you use polymorph?" "At my current level, it¡¯s impossible¡­ I can''t even use dragon words in this form. I need to become a hatchling first." "So you¡¯ll be able to do it at B-rank?" "Yeah. By then, I¡¯ll be a hatchling." "Alright, then. If you want this Dragon Heart, you¡¯ll have to be my subordinate for 100 years." "What? 100 years?" "Yeah. The thing is¡­" I briefly explained to Drakina what had happened to me so far. I told her how I had fought to stop B-rank and A-rank dungeons from overflowing, but eventually failed to prevent the world''s collapse because there were too many portals. I emphasized how the gods had rewound time, giving me a second chance. Drakina¡¯s eyes sparkled with interest. "So, did everyone return to the past?" Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yeah. But no matter how hard I try alone, I can¡¯t stop everything. If I give you this Dragon Heart piece, you¡¯ll have to help clear dungeons for the next 100 years." "Hmm¡­ Alright." To my surprise, Drakina agreed without any hesitation. I expected her to argue that 100 years was too long, but she accepted it with ease. "You agreed just like that?" "100 years isn¡¯t that long. I¡¯ll just think of it as visiting another dimension¡¯s human world for a while. Besides, isn¡¯t it because of your gods that the Dragon God is in trouble? I¡¯ll investigate that as well." "Alright, then swear on it using dragon words." "I can¡¯t use dragon words at my current level¡­" Drakina lowered her head, biting her lip. Oh right, she¡¯s still a C-rank, so she doesn¡¯t have that ability yet. "I can use dragon words. Should I do it?" "Yeah. Start with, ¡®By the power of dragon words, I, Kim Jiho, swear an oath with the Red Dragon Drakina.¡¯" "By the power of dragon words, I, Kim Jiho, swear an oath with the Red Dragon Drakina." As I spoke, a system window appeared, activating the "Oath of Dragon Tongue" spell. A crimson thread of magical power connected Drakina and me. "I, Drakina, in exchange for receiving a piece of the Dragon Heart from Kim Jiho, recognize Kim Jiho as my Dragon Rider and pledge my loyalty to him as his subordinate for 100 years. If I violate this, I shall be cursed with eternal mana damnation." [Do you agree to the terms spoken by the Red Dragon, Drakina?] As soon as I pressed "Yes," the crimson thread linking us thickened before gradually being absorbed into both our bodies. The red thread, absorbed from the ends, vanished completely. [The Oath of Dragon Tongue has been fulfilled. If the oath is broken, the curse of mana shall befall you.] No sooner had the message appeared than Drakina stretched out her hand toward me. "Alright, that¡¯s done, right? Now, hand it over." "Here." "Yes!" As soon as I retrieved the Dragon Heart from my inventory, Drakina swiftly snatched it up. Her face lit up in sheer ecstasy as she gazed at the glowing fragment of the Dragon Heart. After turning the Dragon Heart over in her hands, Drakina glanced behind her. Was she looking for a portal? But the portal had already disappeared. She looked at me pleadingly. "Can you send me back to the Apostle¡¯s Garden?" Well, keeping her here wouldn''t be of much use right now. Besides, in Asgard, people would just look at her strangely and wonder, "What is that?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] I should hurry and get her back to B-rank, polymorph her, and make use of her as a subordinate. So, I guess I should send her back... "Apostle¡¯s Garden." When I activated the Apostle¡¯s Garden skill, the [Summon] tab changed to [Return]. Pressing it caused a portal gate to materialize behind her once again. "Thanks! I¡¯ll quickly recover to my hatchling form. Call me when I reach B-rank, and we¡¯ll finalize the Dragon Rider contract!" She waved at me before leaping straight into the dimensional gate. The moment she disappeared, all the tension drained from my body. So many things had happened after getting involved with dragons in Kalvine. Well, at least I got my hands on a Dragon Heart, so it was a gain for me. But with the Dragon God involved and Thor interfering, the already broken world¡ªKalvine¡ªfelt like it had turned into a complete mess. "...But what about the Dragon God''s Awakening quest?" Since I was the only challenger on the planet Kalvine, would the progress percentage not increase now that I was gone? Or maybe, since the Hunter Association had dispatched an investigation team, time might still be moving forward thanks to them. I needed to check. "Quest window." I saw that the progress had not changed when I opened the quest window to check the Dragon God''s Awakening page. It looked like I didn¡¯t need to return immediately. I decided to take the rest of the day off and turned on the TV. The news was airing. [Top-ranked hunters affiliated with the Daehyun Guild are leaving one after another. The departure of foreign hunters is particularly noticeable, putting Daehyun Guild in a state of emergency.] The Daehyun Guild, which Kang Shia was a part of. In the version of the world where I no longer existed, it was said to be South Korea¡¯s top guild... But now, it seemed like managing it wasn¡¯t so easy. There were several other negative news reports about the Daehyun Guild. They were struggling with cash flow, and there were internal conflicts within the Daehyun family over the guild master''s position. Even though it was South Korea¡¯s top guild, it was being bombarded with bad news in just a few days. Hmm. In the original timeline, they had me as an ally, which allowed them to dominate domestically. But now, they had risen to the top without any real foundation. Checking HunterNet, I saw discussions about how major nations were offering ridiculous sums of money to recruit Daehyun Guild''s hunters. [The amount of money the U.S. government is offering is on another level. Their financial support is insane.] [Honestly, wasn¡¯t Daehyun Guild always a bit overhyped? Their guild master is just a figurehead, and while Kang Shia is strong, she¡¯s only a high-level C-rank hunter, not top-tier.] [©¹222. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s surprising they became South Korea¡¯s representative guild during the apocalypse.] [I was planning to buy Daehyun Guild¡¯s stocks when the market reopened, but now I¡¯m having second thoughts.] Even on HunterNet, these kinds of comments were piling up. Honestly, they weren¡¯t wrong. Daehyun Guild never had the money of a country like the U.S., nor did it have ultra-high-level leadership. Without my influence, they never would have made it this far. Now, they were simply finding their rightful place. As I scrolled through my phone, a message popped up. [From Daehyun Guild HR Department: Hunter Kim Jiho, we would like to¡­] It was a long message, essentially trying to persuade me to return to Daehyun Guild. Their situation must be pretty desperate if they were even reaching out to me. Since I had no intention of rejoining, I didn¡¯t bother replying. I spent the rest of the day relaxing, ordering food, and browsing the internet. Before I knew it, the sun had set, and night had arrived. I decided to sleep at home for the night. Lying in bed out of habit, I opened the quest window to check the Dragon God''s Awakening percentage. 14%. Seeing it, I jolted upright. Huh? It dropped by 1%? It was 15% earlier, but now it had decreased by 1%... That meant time was progressing. I had planned to rest for a day before returning to Kalvine, but now I had changed my mind. With the 10:1 time ratio, I had no idea how things in Kalvine were shifting. I had to go back. "Guess I can¡¯t rest at home for too long..." After changing clothes, I headed to the association again. And there, I received unexpected news. "Kalvine is temporarily off-limits?" "Yes... Lord Thor, who oversees Kalvine, has issued the order. He stated that unforeseen issues have arisen on the planet, and he is in the process of ''correcting'' them. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience." Aria bowed her head in apology. "Then... is time still passing in Kalvine? I have an active quest there." "Yes¡­ The world has not been frozen in place." So, it wasn¡¯t just the investigation team advancing time¡ªThor was making a full-scale effort to capture the Dragon God. "Hmm... How long will this take?" "We estimate around three days." Three days, huh... I was worried about Dragon God Drakia and the Dragon God''s Awakening quest. If the quest got ruined because of this, that would be a huge loss. Just then, I suddenly heard Drakia''s voice. [Hmph. I was going to tell you not to enter, but this works even better.] Not to enter? [Yes. That world is already doomed, isn¡¯t it? Then I¡¯ll make sure it becomes truly ruined by my own hands.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 89 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 89: Helping a Past Connection I momentarily doubted my ears. Was he really talking about destroying Kalvine? Is that even possible? [Even if the dragons have forgotten me, I am still their god. I can give them one absolute command. Since I''ve lost their faith, it won''t last long, but¡­] Well, he is the Dragon God, so it makes sense. But would just giving a single command really lead to destruction? [I will order the dragons to pour all their magic into casting the ultimate 9th-circle spell¡ªMeteor Swarm. I will summon a massive number of meteors onto Kalvine and annihilate the planet.] I was shocked by how extreme that sounded. Wait, isn¡¯t that just a meteor-fall spell? He boldly declared he¡¯d destroy it, and with a plan like that, it might actually happen. If all the dragons on Kalvine cast that spell simultaneously¡­ But is there really a need to go that far? [Thor is relentlessly pursuing me, and this thoughtform will soon be captured. If my fragment is taken alive, my memories could be extracted. That could put you in danger as well. It¡¯s better to use up all my power and disappear.] Ah. Yeah, getting captured is a problem. But then, wouldn¡¯t just using up your power be enough? [It¡¯s a world that¡¯s already been destroyed, isn¡¯t it? Aren¡¯t you curious? If I destroy it, will time simply rewind without any impact? Or will a different outcome emerge?] Hearing the Dragon God Drakia say that did make me curious. Still, planetary destruction felt a bit extreme. [In any case, I have made up my mind. I came to inform you, that¡¯s all. You can watch the results safely from Earth.] With that, Drakia''s voice cut off. This guy is pretty intense¡­ Well, I can¡¯t deny that I¡¯m curious about the outcome, too. ¡°Mr. Kim Jiho?¡± Aria called out to me as I sat there, lost in thought. Her words snapped me back to reality. ¡°If I still can¡¯t enter after three days, where do I level up? Am I stuck here?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s still inaccessible after three days, we will give you the opportunity to choose another broken world. I sincerely apologize.¡± ¡°Hah. If I miss three days, that¡¯s a lost chance for leveling up. That¡¯s disappointing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry.¡± Hearing my response, Aria lowered her head apologetically again. ¡°I will contact you as soon as the broken world reopens.¡± ¡°Alright. Got it.¡± I went home and waited for the results. So, a three-day break¡­ I stopped by a nearby convenience store, grabbed a few cans of beer, and returned home. After cracking open a beer, I opened the Apostle¡¯s Garden. Did she absorb the Dragon Heart yet? I¡¯m curious about the efficiency. Drakina looked absolutely radiant. She had been dissatisfied before, but now that she had eaten the Dragon Heart, her face was glowing? This feels like some kind of training simulation game. I checked her status window. [Name - Drakina] Class - Red Dragon (Humanoid Form) Guardian Deity- Kim Jiho Titles - Level - 87 Physique - A Magic - S Martial Arts - C Luck - E Retrievable SP - 281 Drakina had jumped 20 levels just from consuming a piece of the Dragon Heart. And her magic stat is at S? Even after eating five pieces, mine only reached A¡­ Just because she ate a heart from her own kind, the efficiency is this good? What a brutal species! Now I understand why she looks so pleased. I closed the status window, feeling envious, and turned on the TV. There wasn¡¯t anything interesting, so I flipped through the channels until I came across something called the Hunter Channel. It was a casual discussion program where hunter-specialist journalists gathered and chatted. Two men and two women sat together, deep in conversation. [People who transition into special classes are said to be incredibly strong, right?] [Yes. Hunter experts analyze that they can overpower regular classes by a margin of at least ten levels.] [That¡¯s why former C-rankers feel so deprived. But! There was a big announcement from Valkyrie Captain Aria a few days ago.] [You mean Aria, who leads all Valkyries on Earth? She¡¯s already a hot topic because of her beauty.] As they spoke, an image of Aria appeared on screen¡ªyes, the same Aria who had bowed and apologized to me earlier. Wait, she¡¯s in charge of all Valkyries on Earth? That would put her at about the same level as Liana in my previous world. [Yes. She announced that once a hunter reaches B-rank, they can choose another class!] [Oh wow, really?] [Yes! She also advised everyone to distribute their stats evenly in preparation. That way, they might unlock a hidden class.] [A hidden class? You mean like the giant-type class that¡¯s dominating right now?] [There are supposedly even greater classes beyond that. I¡¯m really curious to see who will be the first to reach B-class!] Distributing stats evenly¡­ so they¡¯re trying to create soul-type Awakeners? But thinking about it, the neutral faction can only choose Soul Reaper. Soul Mediator belongs to the Order faction, so they can¡¯t create one. Well, I guess they have their own plans. Ring ring. The name on my phone screen was Lee Jinseong. Ever since the world changed and everyone forgot about me, this guy was the only one who kept calling me. [Hey. What are you up to?] ¡°Watching TV.¡± [Are you off tomorrow? Want to grab a drink in the evening?] "Okay." [I''ll pay tomorrow.] "Huh? We''re not eating at home?" [You moved to G Apartment in Seongsu-dong, right? How could you even think of moving to a place where a B-grade dungeon appeared? Just move somewhere else already.] When I was doing dungeon labor, he called me once, and we talked about it. He really scolded me back then. Then, he came over once to check out my place but insisted we meet outside. This guy¡­ such a scaredy-cat. "I have my reasons. You should invest in an apartment too." [No thanks. That apartment¡¯s price dropped to a tenth of its value and still isn¡¯t selling. Let¡¯s just have some barbecue. Come to Gangnam Station.] "Okay." Gangnam Station. It was always packed with people, but after the Hunter Association set up its headquarters in Yeoksam Station, it became even worse. Since a lot of people from the association came here for after-work gatherings, there were tons of hunters, and even more people who came just to see them. And, of course, plenty of regular people, too. When I arrived at Exit 11, I saw Lee Jinseong standing tall right in front of it. With his massive build, he was easy to spot. "Long time no see." "Yeah. I booked a barbecue place. Let¡¯s go." He gave a small wave and turned around, walking ahead. I followed him up a hill for about five minutes until we arrived at a high-end Korean beef restaurant. "Want to get a private room?" "Just the two of us? Are you crazy?" "Heh, it¡¯s been so long since I ate with just one other guy that I blurted it out automatically." "What, do you have a girlfriend now?" "Nah, no way. Let¡¯s just sit and talk." Lee Jinseong ordered two sets of premium beef and some soju. The staff offered to grill the meat for us, but he insisted on doing it himself. "Let¡¯s drink." Man, it feels great to be out eating barbecue after so long. We started drinking, chatting as usual, and downing soju. Jinseong was drinking faster than usual. I kept up with his pace, and before I knew it, we were drinking more soju than eating meat. In less than an hour, we had already emptied six bottles. Jinseong¡¯s face was flushed red. If he weren¡¯t a hunter, he¡¯d probably be completely wasted by now. "Heh, ever since I hit C-rank, I don¡¯t get drunk as easily, but I¡¯m finally starting to feel it now. You haven¡¯t been picking up my calls lately. Have you been stuck in the Broken World all the time?" "Yeah. I¡¯m aiming for B-rank." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "Tch, you should live your life like me¡­ Man, you never know when the world¡¯s gonna end again. You should be having fun while you can." Jinseong downed another shot. "These days, Gangnam¡¯s nightlife is booming. Hunters aren¡¯t even thinking about the future anymore¡ªthey¡¯re just blowing their money left and right. Back in the last world, I saved up like crazy, but now I regret it." "Are you spending like crazy too?" "Of course. I¡¯m not tying myself down to one woman anymore. Just living freely and having fun. Ever since the last apocalypse, even women are going freestyle. The scene has completely changed." He pulled up his phone and showed me his messages. The screen was filled with profile pictures of beautiful women. Damn. This ugly, bald, musclehead is this popular? No doubt he¡¯s using his C-rank Hunter status to reel them in. "Hey, what¡¯s with that look? Just look at my body. These days, looks don¡¯t matter¡ªmuscles are king. It¡¯s the age of beasts, man." "Sigh. Is this Sodom and Gomorrah?" "Huh? What¡¯s that?" Jinseong tilted his head in confusion. Oh, right. Religion switched to Odinism after the apocalypse. "It¡¯s from Sex and the City." "Huh? Did I mishear? Anyway, I¡¯m telling you, these days, the nightlife is insane. Even on a Tuesday or Wednesday, all the rooms are booked." Then he smirked and leaned closer. "You¡¯re a C-rank warrior too, right? Girls are crazy about Hunter warriors now. I have a meeting with some models tomorrow. Wanna come?" Sigh. This bastard¡­ Some of us are busting our asses leveling up to save humanity, and he¡¯s just out here partying? "Here, show me their photos." "Figured you¡¯d say that. I already have them ready." He pulled up photos on his phone. Three women in swimsuits. In the past, I might¡¯ve thought, Wow, they¡¯re pretty, but¡­ After meeting Diana and Drakina¡­ They just looked like plastic surgery cases. I wasn¡¯t interested at all. Damn. My standards have gotten too high. "I¡¯ll pass." "What? Kim Jiho, do you have a girlfriend? Or¡­ did you get your memories back?" Jinseong smirked. Wait. Was there some fabricated past I don¡¯t know about? "Memories? Why? Was there something in my past?" "Oh, you know¡­ that one time¡ª" "Team Leader Lee Jinseong." "Ugh." A sudden voice made Jinseong flinch. I turned my head toward the source. A sharp-looking woman with short hair, dressed in a suit, was glaring at him. Wait. I¡¯ve seen her somewhere before. "Our team¡¯s performance this month has been disappointing¡­ Oh, Kim Jiho?" "You know me?" The short-haired beauty looked at me in shock. Who is she, and why is she surprised to see me? As I remained confused, a group appeared behind her. ¡°¡­You really have lost your memory. Do you not recognize me either?¡± The one speaking was Kang Shia. She was still as beautiful as ever. As she appeared, the surroundings grew noisy. Since she was already a celebrity and occasionally made the news due to her ties with the Daehyun Guild, it seemed like some people recognized her. Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll just pretend not to know her. ¡°Yes. I heard from Jinseong. He told me that I used to be your personal secretary. But I¡¯ve lost my memory, so I¡¯m focusing on leveling up.¡± Kang Shia stared at me intently. A few seconds passed as I quietly met her gaze. She let out a deep sigh. ¡°Even your eyes are different. You¡¯re not the same Secretary Kim Jiho from back then.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t even meet Miss Kang¡¯s eyes before¡­¡± The bob-haired beauty behind her looked astonished. Oh, I remember this woman now. She was Kang Shia¡¯s friend, the one she made that bet with. But what do they mean, I couldn¡¯t even meet her eyes? What kind of person was I in their memories? Kang Shia¡¯s dark expression lightened, and she smiled at me. ¡°Kim Jiho, you were incredibly skilled when you worked with our team. Even if you¡¯ve lost your memories, that ability won¡¯t have disappeared. If you¡¯re not affiliated with any group right now, would you like to work with us again? I can promise you the best treatment in the country.¡± She wants me to be a secretary again? Oh, dear. You were actually my secretary. Who messed with everyone¡¯s memories like this? They should have just erased them, not played around. I should turn her down nicely. ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I have things I need to take care of. If I ever decide to join a guild, I¡¯ll make sure to apply to the Daehyun Guild.¡± ¡°¡­I see. Alright, I¡¯ll look forward to that day.¡± With a regretful expression, Kang Shia stepped back. Her friend kept glancing at me, mouthing, ¡°Hey. Why? Are you crazy?¡± and giving her sharp looks. Why is she talking so casually like we¡¯re close? I just shrugged, and Kang Shia and her friend left the pub, looking somewhat dejected. ¡°Ah¡­ Jiho. Stay here and have some more meat. I¡¯ll step out for a moment.¡± With that, Lee Jinseong followed after them. Is it because she¡¯s his boss? I guess you can¡¯t escape the gears of an organization. About ten minutes later, Jinseong returned and downed a drink the moment he sat down. ¡°Damn. No wonder she seemed a bit down overall¡­ Looks like the contract negotiations aren¡¯t going well.¡± ¡°What contract?¡± ¡°The B-rank weapon rental contract.¡± B-rank weapon rental? I flinched involuntarily. Kang Shia was in charge of weapon rentals, but now things seemed off for her. Hmm¡­ ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know since you¡¯re always hanging around in the Broken World, but for a month at a time, Valkyries lease out B-rank weapons. The rental process is apparently quite strict. Our guild¡¯s standing has dropped a bit too¡­¡± Jinseong sighed, explaining how many high-level members had left the guild, making the atmosphere tense. If even the weapon rentals fall through, things could get messy. ¡°¡­Damn. Let¡¯s have another drink.¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Shut up and go to bed.¡± After drinking through the second and third rounds at Gangnam Station, I barely managed to shove the completely drunk guy into a taxi. Weapon rentals, huh¡­ Should I help out a little? I practically got that greatsword for free before, so I might as well repay the favor. On the third day, I got a call from Aria. [Mr. Kim Jiho. I sincerely apologize, but the Kalvine Planet entry restriction will be extended further.] Is the Dragon God still rampaging? Three days here would mean about a month has passed on that planet, but it looks like things still aren¡¯t resolved. The progress rate of the Dragon God¡¯s awakening remained stuck at 7%. It had been at 7% since yesterday. ¡°Does this mean I get a chance to choose another world?¡± [Yes. I¡¯m very sorry¡­] ¡°Hm¡­ Alright. By the way, about weapon rentals.¡± [Weapon rentals?] ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like to allocate an appropriate amount to the Daehyun Guild. But don¡¯t overdo it.¡± If we give too much, it¡¯ll attract unwanted attention. It¡¯s best to just ease their difficulties slightly. [The Daehyun Guild? Understood. I¡¯ll make sure to include a reasonable bonus as per your intent.] This much support should be enough as severance pay for my time as Kang Shia¡¯s ¡°secretary.¡± [Now that that¡¯s handled, didn¡¯t you say leveling up was your top priority?] ¡°Yes.¡± [Then how about heading to Eshtar?] ¡°Eshtar?¡± That beginner-friendly planet? [Yes. It¡¯s on the verge of resetting. Right now is the perfect time for leveling up.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 90 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 90: Soul Reaper Hercules (1) Eshtar. The planet with the lowest difficulty level. A place where the final boss, Hercules, lets out a single roar, killing everyone and resetting the world. Wouldn''t going there be pointless for leveling up? "Doesn''t everyone die and reset with just one roar?" [High-level C-rank hunters take significant damage from the Lord of Chaos¡¯s attack but do not die.] In the past, everyone would be wiped out due to their low level, but nowadays, many Earthlings have reached the high levels of C-rank, allowing them to survive. "So that means there won¡¯t be a reset? What happens next?" [All the remaining survivors will be attacked in full force by the monsters, triggering a massive assault. No one can withstand it, so ultimately, a reset happens¡­ However, Kim Jiho, since you have no penalties, you should be able to defend against the large-scale attack and gain experience points.] My level had been stagnating for the past few days, so this was good news. It seemed like a challenge worth taking on to reach A-rank faster. I accepted her proposal. "Alright. Let¡¯s go there." * * * [Freya bestows her blessing upon you.] [Beings affiliated with the neutral faction regard you as an Apostle of God.] [You can automatically translate and understand the primary languages of this world, including the speech of awakened beings.] The Magic City of Erundal in Eshtar. A medieval fantasy city that looked like a painting. Back when I was in Kevrian, I spent most of my time in the fortress, so I didn¡¯t notice, but this place actually felt like a city where humans lived. Aside from the massive towers visible from every direction¡ªnorth, south, east, and west¡ªit was a typical city. "Dungeon party recruitment!" "Buying mana stones! Selling mana stones!" People were bustling around, and carts were moving on their own without anyone pulling them. For now, everything looked peaceful. It seemed the city hadn¡¯t been destroyed yet. Since things would remain peaceful until Hercules let out his roar, I wandered around, taking in the sights like a tourist. As I walked, I suddenly noticed some familiar writing. [Earthling Guild: Earth] A sign written in multiple languages, including Hangul. This must be a hub for Earthlings if they have something like this. When I headed in that direction, I saw some newly built, clean brick buildings. Each building had a nameplate. The signs were mostly in English, but some were in Korean as well. Was this like a guild hideout? But strangely, there was no sign of life. As I followed the street further, I spotted another guild hideout¡ªDaehyun Guild. This one seemed to have people inside. But since I didn¡¯t know anyone from this guild, I was about to walk past when¡ª Bang! "Lee Jinseong?" "Huh? This voice¡­ Jiho? What are you doing here?" Fully armored, Lee Jinseong looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Just sightseeing." "Are you crazy? This isn¡¯t the time for that! We need to get to a dungeon, now!" "Why?" "The reset is happening today. Damn, I was planning to focus on leveling up, but now it''s ruined. Hurry, let¡¯s run!" With that, Jinseong started sprinting. As I ran after him, I asked, "But why are we going to a dungeon?" "We have to hide there until Eshtar collapses. If we stall for time in the dungeon, the reset will happen. The problem is whether there''s a dungeon nearby we can get into." "I heard C-ranks can survive the destruction attack?" "We can survive that monster¡¯s roar, sure. But the ones who die from it turn into zombies and attack, so we¡¯ll die anyway. We have to wait it out in a dungeon until the main city falls." Ah, so that''s why everyone was running. No wonder I hadn¡¯t seen any Earthlings on the streets¡ªonly natives of this world. Krrr. The ground rumbled. Jinseong abruptly stopped running. "Ah, shit, we¡¯re screwed." He quickly scanned the surroundings and ran toward a nearby guild building. "Why the hell is the door locked?" Bam! When the door wouldn¡¯t open, he kicked it down without hesitation. Then he gestured for me to follow. "We¡¯re about to hear the roar. Let¡¯s hide inside until we get transported back." I stepped into the guild building. The interior was strangely empty¡ªtoo clean, with nothing but desks and chairs. "People usually clear everything out before a reset, but this place is suspiciously empty." Grumbling, Jinseong walked into an inner room. I followed. "At least there''s a bed here. Let¡¯s block the entrance with it." Lifting the wooden bedframe¡ªwithout a mattress¡ªhe propped it against the doorway. After setting it up, he let out a deep sigh. "Now we just have to hope we don¡¯t get found until the reset." "What exactly triggers the reset?" "Did you forget? The reset happens when the monsters destroy the mana core in Erundal¡¯s main castle. The roar makes the city¡¯s people turn into zombies, so it ends pretty fast." Jinseong looked around the room and seemed relieved. "No windows. Good. The zombies will head straight for the castle, so we might survive." "Can¡¯t we fight them off?" "They¡¯re enhanced zombies, about C- to D-rank. And they attack in hordes, so there''s no way we can fend them off. We just have to wait for the reset." Suddenly, he covered his ears with his hands. "Do it now! Take off your helmet and cover your ears! You need to minimize the damage!" Following his lead, I covered my ears. The ground trembled again. This time, the quake was even stronger. The entire building shook violently. This isn¡¯t just a roar¡ªthis is like an earthquake. The bed blocking the entrance collapsed with a loud thud. The building¡¯s walls started to crack. At this rate, the earthquake alone will kill us. "Huh?" Suddenly, the shaking stopped. "Ah, shit¡­ it''s coming." Jinseong curled up, covering his ears even tighter. He was already trembling. I had never seen him so scared before. Just what kind of sound could make someone this terrified¡ª "He¡ª" A single syllable. One syllable, and it struck my ears like a hammer. The sound wasn¡¯t even that loud. It was soft enough that I wouldn¡¯t have needed to cover my ears. But the sound was only an afterthought. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] The atmosphere had already changed. A murderous aura that made every hair on my body stand on end. Even this isolated room was filled with it. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Lee Jinseong, who had suddenly covered his ears, loosened his grip and let out a groan. The moment I tried to approach him¡ª Slash¡ª!! A loud roar echoed. At the same time, Aegis'' Shield wrapped around my body. [All circular defenses have been activated.] [It is a fatal attack. Aegis'' Shield skill has been triggered.] All my defensive skills activated at once. Simultaneously, countless message windows began to appear. [The Lord of Chaos, ¡®The Lone Colossus,¡¯ roars.] [The Lone Colossus attempts a special attack, ??] [User is a Soul Reaper. Analyzing the attack.] [The Lone Colossus attempts Soul Plunder.] [Soul Plunder has been completely blocked.] sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Soul Plunder attack? Was Hercules a Soul Reaper¡­? The deafening roar that had begun with ¡°Slash¡± suddenly ceased. So he just shouted Hebe? I thought it was some kind of cataclysmic attack, but in the end, it didn¡¯t deal any damage to me. Still, considering all my defensive skills auto-activated, I might¡¯ve been in serious danger if I had taken it head-on. Thud. Startled by the sound of something collapsing, I turned to see Lee Jinseong already on the ground. His body was trembling violently as he lay there. He didn¡¯t look good. ¡°Jinseong!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Damn zombies. Die. Die! Ugh¡­ Don¡¯t bite me!¡± When I lifted his body, he was foaming at the mouth, eyes rolled back, muttering nonsense. Was he hallucinating? ¡°Damn it, Heal!¡± I attempted to heal him with a spell. A pure white light wrapped around him, but then a dark shadow seeped out of his body, devouring the light. Lee Jinseong¡¯s eyes changed. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°What the¡ª? You¡¯re not Jinseong, are you?¡± ¡°This body¡¯s owner has already become my vassal.¡± What? A vassal? Did he turn into Hercules'' zombie? Wait¡­ I thought C-rankers were supposed to withstand this. He spoke like he had resisted a few times, so I didn¡¯t bother setting up a defensive spell¡­ But looking at him now, that wasn¡¯t it. He wasn¡¯t actually resisting. He was just hallucinating that he had survived, only to be killed by the zombies anyway. So all that talk about Earthlings withstanding C-rank roars was just an illusion. Sigh. Even though I¡¯d resurrect back on Earth if I died, seeing a friend die in such a ridiculous way right in front of me felt terrible. I had avoided being obvious about my defenses to avoid detection in Asgard¡­ Damn it! ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re Hercules, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ohh?¡± Lee Jinseong¡ªno, Hercules¡ªstood up with a gleam in his eyes. ¡°You blocked Soul Reaper and recognized my identity¡­ An interesting one, indeed.¡± He studied me for a moment, then his expression shifted to one of surprise and delight. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re a Soul Awakened too! I never expected to meet another! I am pleased, junior.¡± Hercules clapped me on the shoulder. What the hell? Why was he suddenly acting friendly? I shook off his hand, and he backed away, raising both hands as if to show he meant no harm. ¡°This has never happened before, so I got excited. Next time, visit Eshtar before the world ends.¡± ¡°And why would I trust you?¡± ¡°Heh¡­ Because no one else but me has ever awakened as a Soul Reaper. Your potential could be as great as mine¡ªenough to threaten the gods.¡± Lee Jinseong¡ªno, Hercules¡ªbegan speaking faster, as if he were getting worked up. ¡°Yes! Such talent! No ordinary human from Earth could possess it. Unless¡­ they carried my blood¡­! You may not know it, but you are likely my descendant.¡± What nonsense was he spouting? Hercules was Greek, wasn¡¯t he? ¡°I¡¯m your descendant? I¡¯m Asian, dude.¡± ¡°The bloodlines mixed and spread eastward. Race is irrelevant. What matters is that my abilities manifested in you.¡± He said it so casually. It seemed he believed that only those with extraordinary talent could become Soul Reapers. Well, I was pretty sure I wasn¡¯t one of his descendants¡­ I had garbage talent. ¡°This one seems to be your friend, so I shall release him from my vassalage.¡± I considered arguing that I wasn¡¯t his descendant, but since he was willing to free Jinseong, I decided to keep quiet. The black shadows surrounding Lee Jinseong slowly faded away. ¡°Then, remain safe here until the world ends. No one will approach this area.¡± ¡°No thanks. I need to level up. I¡¯m going to fight your vassals.¡± Hearing this, Hercules seemed even more pleased. He nodded approvingly. ¡°Ohh! You even enjoy battle, just like me! Excellent, excellent¡­ You may truly be of my bloodline. Then I shall watch over your growth¡­¡± Hercules looked satisfied. But suddenly, his face went rigid. Then, he collapsed. Still, unlike before, his face had relaxed, and he was breathing steadily. He looked fine now. I laid Jinseong down properly, then used spirit form to exit the building. Outside, the guild district was completely deserted. Aside from a few cracks in the walls from a minor earthquake, there were no signs of life. Hmm¡­ Was Hercules seriously convinced I was his descendant? He really did seem to be keeping people away from this area. ¡°Summon Flame Chariot.¡± I summoned my helmet, covering my face, and soared into the sky. From above, I could see that everything outside the guild district was in ruins. A massive horde of people was swarming toward the city''s central fortress, moving like zombies. ¡°Phoenix, burn the zombies.¡± [The entire city will be engulfed in flames. Are you sure?] ¡°It¡¯s fine. The world resets anyway.¡± [Understood.] A phoenix emerged from my forehead. Thanks to the Dragon Heart''s mana, it had grown enormous¡ªeasily surpassing any other bird in size. [Then, I shall burn them all.] With a slow flap of its wings, waves of fire rained down upon the town. The city quickly became a sea of flames. One by one, the zombies began to burn. Leaving the outside to the phoenix, I entered the fortress. Even if I killed all the zombies outside, if the mana core inside the fortress was destroyed, it would all be over soon anyway. I had to claim it first. Only with it in my possession could I control the timing of the apocalypse. ¡°Graaahh!!¡± Riding my Flame Chariot, I charged through the fortress. Zombies dressed in soldier uniforms hurled themselves at me like moths to a flame, only to be incinerated instantly. Then, a message appeared. [These souls are incomplete. The efficiency of Soul Reaper is greatly reduced.] Damn. Was it because Hercules was also a Soul Reaper? I couldn¡¯t devour the same soul twice, it seemed. I barely gained any SP, but at least I was getting a decent amount of experience. As I raced through the fortress, I finally sensed an enormous flow of mana. Steering my chariot toward it, I encountered the first person who seemed to be in their right mind. ¡°Stop!¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 91 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 91: Soul Reaper Hercules (2) An old man, clad in a pure white robe, leaned on a wooden staff embedded with a blue gemstone. I could sense a considerable amount of mana emanating from him. Of course, compared to me, who possesses a Dragon Heart, it was like a drop in the ocean. The old man raised his staff toward me, his body trembling. ¡°Such immense mana... Was this your doing?¡± ¡°Hah. Do you really think I could have caused such a massive event with just this level of mana?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I came here to help defend the Mana Core. Zombies are rampaging everywhere, and the fallen are on the verge of turning into undead.¡± ¡°We are doomed... How could Erundal, which has flourished for so long, fall in a mere moment...?¡± ¡°This is the work of the Chaos Lord and the Lone Colossus. Do you know anything about them?¡± The old man shook his head in response to my question. Instead, he asked me back. ¡°Chaos Lord? What is that? Is it related to the sudden appearance of dungeon portals?¡± ¡°You could say they¡¯re the bosses behind all this. Where is the Mana Core?¡± The old man, who had been wary of me, sighed in resignation and pointed behind him. There, a pristine white altar stood, and above it, a massive purple gemstone hovered in the air. So, that must be the Mana Core of this city. It was about the size of my upper body, making it difficult to carry, but after assessing my surroundings, I noticed that blocking the entrance I had come through would make it easier to defend. I should fortify this place and gain some experience while I¡¯m at it. ¡°I will block the entrance.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I stepped down from the Flame Chariot and stood at the entrance. The entrance was wide enough for dozens of people to pass through at once, making it tricky to defend. This is where magic comes in handy. ¡°Create a wall.¡± At my command, white stone walls surged up from the ground. The magic materialized exactly as I had envisioned. I wonder if I could create flamethrowers on top of the wall? No, that would set the whole building on fire¡ªsomething simpler would be better. ¡°Create Mana Cannons.¡± In response, dragon heads formed from pure white mana and positioned themselves atop the wall. A message appeared as four cannons were created: ¡°Limited to 6th Circle. Only four can be generated.¡± A shame, but this would have to do. ¡°No¡­ What kind of magic is this¡­? Could this be Dragon Tongue?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°Oh, great one, why have you come to the domain of Order¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not some great being. Let¡¯s focus on stopping them first.¡± Grrrr¡­ A chorus of guttural groans echoed as figures charged toward us. Unlike the typical slow-moving zombies people imagined, these were moving at a speed comparable to C-rank hunters. These zombies were unnaturally strong. ¡°Why are they so fast?!¡± The old mage behind me shouted in shock but didn¡¯t neglect his spellcasting. He would handle things on his end¡ªI needed to focus on my task. ¡°Thunder God.¡± I unleashed a barrage of lightning. The bolts radiated from my hands, completely engulfing the battlefield. This level of power was comparable to when I had concentrated my energy before activating Thunder God. The overwhelming surge of electricity obliterated the charging zombies in an instant. ¡°You truly are a great being! This power is beyond comprehension!¡± The old man was already treating me like some kind of dragon, addressing me with utmost reverence. Sigh. It wasn¡¯t worth the effort to correct him. Boom! As the lightning subsided, the Mana Cannons fired glowing white projectiles. The mana bolts shot forward like laser beams. The few zombies that had barely survived the lightning were annihilated by the blasts. Oh? So these fire automatically? Not bad. ¡°Urgh¡­ Uuugh.¡± After dealing with hundreds of zombies, another wave came charging in. Among them were knights, soldiers, servants, and maids¡ªall stripped of their sanity and sprinting at full speed. ¡°Uuuuuuugh!¡± ¡°Yeoui.¡± Summoning Yeoui, I swung it left and right. The zombies were cleaved apart like straw. Some of the severed torsos and legs still crawled toward me independently. Disgusting. I rained magic upon them, pulverizing their bodies until they could no longer move. However, the collateral damage to the castle was increasing as well. ¡°This might end up destroying the castle.¡± At my words, the mage responded deferentially. ¡°We can use the Mana Core to restore it. As long as the damage isn¡¯t too excessive, it can be repaired.¡± ¡°So, I can burn them?¡± S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Yes¡­ Just avoid anything too extreme. If it becomes too difficult to restore, I will inform you.¡± ¡°Burn.¡± Since he gave permission, I conjured fire. Flames erupted before me. ¡°Flame Chariot, go.¡± The Flame Chariot surged forward, setting the zombies ablaze upon contact. The undead hurled themselves into the inferno like moths to a flame, reducing themselves to ash and rewarding me with experience points and SP. ¡°You¡­ You are too powerful.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll tone it down.¡± The old mage whimpered as I adjusted the flames. And so, an hour of battle continued. [You have leveled up.] A level-up message appeared¡ªit had been a while since I last saw one. Blocking the entrance and simply setting fires made things incredibly easy. After spending another hour like that, the mage collapsed. ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but may I recover some mana? I can¡¯t go on any longer.¡± ¡°Hm. Recover your mana.¡± The moment I commanded him with a word of power, a new message popped up. [Restoring mana for others requires an 8th-circle mage.] Tch. What a shame. I reverse-summoned the Flame Chariot and extinguished the flames. As soon as I did, zombies took the chance to rush in. I cut them down with my sword and fired mana blasts. Killing them was much slower than when I was burning them with fire. Meanwhile, the number of enemies had grown significantly. It seemed that even the people from the town were now joining them¡ªtheir attire was completely different from before. This isn¡¯t good. ¡°How long do you think it will take?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you take that thing and fly into the sky?¡± ¡°If I do that, the magical city of Erundal will completely shut down!¡± ¡°The city''s already doomed with all these people turning into zombies. If we at least save the mana core, we can rebuild later, right?¡± The mage gritted his teeth at my words. Then, suddenly, his face froze as he recognized one of the zombies I was cutting down. ¡°Rachel¡­? Why are you here¡­? I sent you to study in the capital¡­¡± He managed to find an acquaintance among this massive horde of zombies. That¡¯s impressive. I, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t tell who was who. I just swung my sword mechanically. But unlike me, the mage started walking toward my position. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Rachel¡­ It really is Rachel¡­ Kgh¡­ My pride and joy, my granddaughter¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer.¡± Hearing my warning, the mage stepped back. Tears streamed down his face as he clenched his lips tightly. ¡°The city has fallen¡­ My retainers¡­ My granddaughter¡­ They¡¯re all dead¡­ What¡¯s the point of living anymore¡­? What¡¯s the point of protecting this castle¡­?¡± Muttering in despair, the old mage began chanting a spell before the mana core. ¡°Uninstall.¡± Uninstall? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] No way¡­ Rumble. The castle started shaking as he cast the spell. Even the highest floors, which had remained unscathed despite all the zombie corpses piling up, suddenly cracked. Thud. I turned around to see the massive mana core falling onto the altar. ¡°¡­Oh great being, I entrust this mana core to you¡­¡± His face was completely devoid of will to live. His unfocused eyes stared blankly as he let his staff fall to the ground. ¡°Lightning.¡± Summoning electricity with his hand, the old mage placed it against his own chest. His heart crackled with energy before he collapsed. Did¡­ did he just kill himself? Losing his magical city and his granddaughter must have broken him completely. I stared at his lifeless body with mixed emotions before turning my gaze away. No point in getting sentimental¡ªit¡¯ll all reset anyway. Now that there¡¯s no reason to protect the castle, I just need to grab the mana core and escape into the sky. ¡°Burn.¡± Once again, I summoned flames and called forth the Flame Chariot. Clutching the mana core tightly, I smashed through the wall and soared into the sky. Outside was just as the Phoenix had warned me¡ªa sea of fire. The castle and the town I had seen earlier were engulfed in flames, and the zombies rushing toward the castle were now scrambling in confusion as they looked up at me. Then, one by one, they were incinerated by the Phoenix¡¯s attacks. As the Phoenix continued its fiery rampage, its voice echoed in my mind. [Master, there is an overwhelming abundance of mana. Shall I burn everything completely?] ¡°Yeah, burn it all. It¡¯s already over anyway.¡± [I left the Guild District untouched because your friend is resting there. But if I expand the range, I¡¯ll have to burn it too.] ¡°Leave it alone. Most of the zombies probably came this way anyway.¡± [Understood.] Its voice sounded slightly disappointed. This thing has totally become a pyromaniac. Regardless, I unleashed the vast mana of my Dragon Heart from above, bombarding the zombies below. Is this what it would be like if a bomber existed in medieval times? With no way to retaliate, the zombies on the ground just groaned helplessly as they perished. Some tried to jump, but no matter how powerful they were, they couldn¡¯t leap all the way up to the sky. They simply hopped around like rabbits before being consumed by the flames. [You have leveled up.] As I continued the massacre from above, another level-up message appeared. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± ¡°Uoooh!¡± More zombies kept emerging from the district I spared. I maintained the fiery inferno until sunset, gaining yet another level. Three levels in one day. 165¡­ what a nice number. As I looked at my status window with satisfaction, the zombies suddenly stopped moving. [Had your fun? You¡¯re quite strong.] A voice echoed from beyond the sky. Hercules? I turned in the direction of the voice and saw the sun slowly setting in the now-orange sky. Unlike the hellscape below, the horizon was peaceful. [Next time, come find me, Soul Reaper.] As soon as he finished speaking, my whole body stiffened. A world dyed in red. I couldn¡¯t move, yet my entire body tingled. Danger detected...! Ugh. I have to dodge! But my body wouldn¡¯t budge. Instead, sensing the imminent threat of death, Aegis¡¯ shield automatically deployed. [Heaven Severing.] A single calm word. Yet, the scene before me was the complete opposite of calm. The sky in front of me had been split in two. The sky, the sun, the earth... Everything in sight had been cleaved cleanly in half. A perfectly divided world. Clang! A crack appeared on Aegis¡¯ shield. Though the attack had split the world in two, Aegis stood firm against it. Aegis'' shield was said to be able to block even an SS-rank strike. Was this attack at SS-rank? Even though I couldn¡¯t move, the shield steadfastly protected me. But... Clang! Clang! Clang! A series of collisions rang out. With each impact, more cracks etched themselves into the shield. Within mere seconds, it had clashed with something unseen hundreds of times before finally shattering into pieces. Before my eyes, the radiant shield broke apart and vanished. And then¡ªjust as I felt a slight sting on my head¡ªmy body was split in two. Strangely, there was no pain. [You have died.] [User is a Soul Reaper. Soul Reap does not activate.] [Returning to original world.] As I read the last message, my consciousness slowly faded. When I opened my eyes, I was at the topmost level of the Association. A familiar sight. ¡°Haa¡­¡± I survived. I had resurrected here. I touched my head, which had been cleaved in half moments ago. It was intact. ¡°Haha¡­ So that¡¯s the Lord of Chaos?¡± A laugh escaped me the moment I stepped out. I didn¡¯t even know where the attack had come from, and yet I had died in a single blow. When he finally attacked, I couldn¡¯t even move. Back when we fought Kevrian, Hades must have been under heavy restrictions. Even Aegis¡¯ shield, said to block SS-rank attacks, had been shattered in the end. The Lord of Chaos... Are humans truly no match for beings of his rank? The gap between us felt like the sun and a firefly. No matter how much a human struggles, is this the limit? Can a mortal really oppose a god? A dragon god could obliterate a planet with the tiniest fraction of its power. Hercules had split the world with a single attack. How could a mere human stand against such cataclysmic beings? Negative thoughts kept rising. Could I really do it? I looked around. ¡°I barely made it out of the dungeon alive.¡± ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s so hard to level up past C-rank.¡± Survivors of the dungeon within Eshtar before its destruction. They gathered in small groups, chatting. They were nowhere near B-rank. If even B-rank was so rare, what about A-rank? In the end, it had to be me. I steadied my resolve. If I gave up here, I¡¯d end up like that no-magic user from earlier¡ªdrowning in despair before ultimately taking my own life. If Hercules were ever summoned to Earth, the ones who¡¯d turn into mindless undead would be humans. I couldn¡¯t let that happen. I was still only B-rank. I could grow stronger. I wouldn¡¯t give up until I could strike back at the gods. I vowed to myself, again and again. ¡°¡­That aside.¡± Eshtar was said to be cleared if one blocked Hercules¡¯ strike. But blocking it with a shield didn¡¯t seem to count. Phew¡­ At B-rank, there was no way I could stop it. I had been paralyzed¡­ To resist that paralysis, I had to reach A-rank at the very least. And¡­ I had to become stronger. So that I wouldn¡¯t die from just one attack. No matter what it took, I had to become stronger. [Next time, come find me.] Hercules¡¯ words surfaced in my mind. The Lord of Chaos. The sworn enemy of humanity. The leader of the forces of chaos. Normally, no one would even consider seeking him out¡­ [You¡¯re quick to return, Soul Reaper.] Re-entering Eshtar¡ª I went to find Hercules. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 92 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 92: Soul Reaper Hercules (3) As I re-entered Eshtar, the city had already been restored. The moment I stepped in, Hercules'' voice rang out. [You came quickly, Soul Reaper.] "Where should I go?" [Come this way.] A crimson portal opened in the middle of the city. "What is that?" "Looks ominous..." People murmured as they noticed the suddenly appearing portal. A blood-red portal with a rather ominous aura. Still, I had to go in. Just as I took a step forward¡ª [Freya bestows upon the user the Blessing of Return.] [The user''s spirit will not be imprisoned.] A pure white light descended from the sky. Was she watching over me? She didn¡¯t stop me, but instead, she blessed me to return safely. I appreciated that. Receiving the blessing, I stepped into the portal. The place I arrived at was the peak of a mountain. I could see the entire landscape below at a glance. Beyond, there was a place that looked like the magical city of Erundal. "You¡¯ve arrived." Turning toward the voice, I saw a massive man standing there, easily around two meters tall. His upper body was bare, revealing a muscular physique with bronze skin. A large sword scar ran from his left eye down to his jaw, and a white sword was embedded in his chest, pointing directly forward. His brown leather pants had a lion¡¯s head engraved at the groin¡ªwas it the lion Hercules had slain? His face bore a strong, heroic impression fitting for a legendary hero. Rather than handsome, he had the look of a ruggedly attractive man. "Sit." With a flick of his hand, chairs and a round table rose from the ground. I sat across from him. "It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve manifested my human body like this." "That sword?" "The one stuck in my chest? That damned daughter of Hera stabbed me with it. Don''t get married. I carved that lesson into myself every time I see this sword." Ah. According to Greek mythology, Hercules had reconciled with Hera after his great deeds in the Gigantomachy, and she had given him her daughter as a wife. So, his wife must have betrayed him. "Anyway." As Hercules raised his hand, a golden barrier enveloped the mountain peak. "I don¡¯t like eavesdropping." Then, crossing his legs, he sat back and studied me carefully. He tilted his head. "Hmm. You don¡¯t seem like my descendant. But your aptitude is the worst I¡¯ve ever seen." Well, I had heard about my aptitude being terrible countless times before. I asked in return, "What about your aptitude?" Hercules immediately lifted his chin, looking proud. "I was 30/30/30." 30?? I was 3/3/3, meaning his stats were ten times mine. Crazy... 30 was even possible? "30? I thought 10 was the maximum." "I was a son of a god back then. One of the many seeds that damned Zeus spread around." Hercules scowled as he spoke. Still puzzled, he asked, "So, what¡¯s your exact aptitude? Mind if I check?" "Didn¡¯t you already assess it by looking?" "I need to touch to be certain." "Not for free." "What? Free? Hahaha!" Boom! Hercules laughed heartily and slammed the table. The table was fine, but the entire mountain trembled. Insane strength. But so what? If I die, I die. Did he think I¡¯d be scared just because he showed off his power? When I just stared at him silently, Hercules smirked and nodded. "Your eyes are decent, despite your lousy aptitude. Dying and coming back isn¡¯t easy either. Fine. Ask me whatever you want first, then I''ll check your aptitude." "Alright. First¡ªare we the only Soul Reapers?" "As far as I know, yes. Over all these years, many have tried, but no other soul-type awakeners have appeared." Hercules muttered, as if still curious about my aptitude. "What Soul Reaper skills are there? Besides Soul Energy Emission, are there any other additions?" "Oh, you¡¯ve already reached that level? But for me, only the Soul Barrier skill was added." Hercules gestured at the golden barrier surrounding the mountain. Was that Soul Barrier? "Even though it''s SSS-rank, you only got one additional skill?" "Soul Reaper isn¡¯t my main class. You must be fully soul-type. You¡¯re only B-rank, but you already have Soul Energy Emission." "And you?" "My main class is Lord of Chaos. Don''t take on another class. The moment you do, your Soul class will stop progressing. I had no choice..." Was that advice from a senior? I hadn¡¯t planned on choosing another class anyway, so I nodded. Then, suddenly, Hercules stepped closer and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Alright, let¡¯s check your aptitude." The moment he touched me, Hephaestus¡¯s armor was forcibly unsummoned. Now I was left wearing only a white t-shirt and shorts. He grabbed my arms and torso, examining me all over. Being groped by a man felt kind of uncomfortable. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take long. "Hmm... You¡¯re the complete opposite of me." "Everyone says my aptitude is the worst." "Yeah. I was the best. You¡¯re the worst. But we do have one thing in common." "Common?" "Our stats are exactly identical. Normally, aptitude has minor differences, even within the same rating. For example, someone might have Strength 3.0000001 and Agility 3.000211. But you? Yours are all exactly 3.0. Mine were exactly 30.0." So aptitude was originally measured down to decimal points? But since I had the lowest of the low, all my stats were a perfect 3.0. And since Hercules had the highest of the high, his were 30.0. "Was that the secret of soul-type awakeners? That all three aptitudes must be perfectly equal...?" Hercules looked at me with interest. "Anyway, that answers my curiosity. But your body also holds the power of the Order faction and Olympus. What¡¯s that about? This power feels familiar..." Hercules looked at me, puzzled. Was he referring to the Soul Mediator? I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should tell him, but since he didn¡¯t seem hostile, I decided to speak. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "I also have the power of a Soul Mediator. I¡¯ve received the Order faction¡¯s blessing as well." Hercules'' eyes widened in shock. ¡°A Soul Mediator?! That was my project! Did it actually succeed?¡± ¡°That was your project?¡± ¡°Yes! I was in charge of it when I was an SS-rank god in Olympus. Since it was a soul-related class, I oversaw the entire project. Ha¡­ So it actually succeeded?¡± Hercules stroked his chin and paced around. Tilting his head while staring at the ground, he wore an expression of deep seriousness. Should I not have mentioned it? ¡°Hmmm¡­ To think I get to see the fruits of a project I poured my heart and soul into with many gods. Fascinating. Can you mediate a soul for me?¡± ¡°For you?¡± ¡°Yes, for me¡ªthe ¡®Lone Colossus.¡¯¡± ¡°It¡¯s not free. Every time I perform soul mediating, I receive a hefty price.¡± Hercules looked at me as if he had just heard something ridiculous. Clenching his fists and trembling for a moment, he then took a deep breath. ¡°Haa¡­ Calm down. Alright, alright. Nothing in this world is free. In return, I¡¯ll tell you the secret of the Soul Mediation skill.¡± A secret? That piqued my interest. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Open the Soul Mediation window. You can at least do that, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I opened the Soul Mediation window. At the top were Zeus, Hermes, and Athena. Below them were the Six Gods of Asgard. Further down, there were Elprian and Drakia. A total of 11 gods were currently in mediation with me. There were four empty slots remaining. ¡°All right, first things first. Do you have any empty slots?¡± ¡°Yeah, four.¡± ¡°Good. Now, click on the name section of an empty slot.¡± ¡°The name?¡± ¡°Yes. Not just once¡ªtap it as fast as you can, multiple times.¡± Following Hercules¡¯ instructions, I rapidly tapped on the name section of the empty slot. But nothing seemed to change. ¡°It¡¯s not working.¡± ¡°Is that the best speed you¡¯ve got? There¡¯s too much of a physical difference between us. You¡¯ll need to tap for an hour straight.¡± Then, Hercules demonstrated. He placed his index finger on a desk he had just created. Visually, nothing seemed different, but the sound of rapid tapping¡ªdu-du-du-du-du-du¡ªechoed, and the desk was crushed inward. ¡­Seriously? Super-speed tapping? What the hell. He¡¯d be good at mobile games. Fine. Let¡¯s go all out and pour all my magic into this. ¡°Focus Enhancement. Hermes¡¯ Acceleration.¡± Along with that, I heavily consumed mana using the power of the Dragon Heart to boost my agility. Here we go! Du-du-du-du-du-du-du! ¡°Oh? Annoying Hermes and the power of a dragon¡­ To think you¡¯ve come this far with such mediocre talent. Impressive. I¡¯ll cut the time down for you.¡± That sounded like a compliment, but for some reason, it felt like mockery. Ignoring him, I kept tapping frantically. How much time had passed? Just when Hercules started yawning out of boredom, a new message window suddenly popped up. [Soul Mediation Window - Administrator Mode Unlocked. Please enter the mediation target.] ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Finally done? That¡¯s a secret administrator mode I secretly created. Seems my framework is still intact. Hmm¡­ Mediation target? It¡¯s asking you to enter something, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what it says.¡± ¡°You can enter a planet there.¡± Mediate a planet? Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whoa. That¡¯s insane. ¡°Of course, since you¡¯re B-rank and your Soul Mediation level is low, there¡¯ll be limits. But it¡¯ll be far better than mediating with other gods. Try entering ¡®Earth.¡¯¡± With trembling hands, I opened the input field. I typed ¡®Earth¡¯ with my fingers. [Earth has been designated as a mediation target.] The Soul Mediation window then closed. So this is how planetary mediation works? ¡°Wow¡­ This is huge.¡± ¡°This should be enough compensation, right? Now, form a Soul Mediation contract with me.¡± His words snapped me back to reality. It made sense to agree after learning such a valuable secret, but something felt off. After all, he was the Lord of Chaos. Wasn¡¯t he the one trying to destroy Earth? I had mediated a soul for Hades before, but that was after I had neutralized Kevrian, so I wasn¡¯t too worried. But just because Kevrian was taken care of didn¡¯t mean Earth had stopped heading toward destruction¡­ Wouldn¡¯t mediating a soul for the mastermind of Chaos accelerate Earth¡¯s downfall? ¡°Well, that¡¯s the thing¡­ Aren¡¯t you ultimately Earth¡¯s enemy? It feels like helping you would be aiding its destruction.¡± At those words, Hercules slammed the table in fury. It was the most terrifying expression I had seen on him so far. ¡°You bastard! I told you in advance, and you dare mock me?!¡± Kuuuuuuuu! His enraged fists shook mountains and the earth itself. Flocks of birds scattered in fear, and the ground cracked apart from his sheer strength. The terrifying part was that despite all this destruction, the mountain peak and table remained perfectly intact. Landslides erupted, the ground quaked, and yet, this place felt as if it were floating in the air, untouched. Damn. He had been civil until now, but was he finally losing his temper? He was powerful. But I couldn¡¯t back down here. ¡°I mean, I still have slots left, so it¡¯d be nice to fill them. But if I help you, won¡¯t that just speed up Chaos¡¯ descent? That would mean I¡¯m aiding Earth¡¯s destruction. I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Hahaha! If you want to prevent Earth¡¯s destruction, then you must stop their nonsense!¡± Hercules stopped pounding the table and burst into laughter. Then, he pointed to the sky. ¡°Kill Zeus with your own hands. Kill Odin. Erase them completely, and put an end to their madness. Only then will Chaos retreat!¡± ¡°You want me to kill the Supreme Gods? Is that even possible?!¡± At my rebuttal, Hercules¡¯ eyes gleamed with interest. ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t see it as blasphemy? Instead, you¡¯re asking if it¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°Blasphemy? My ass. They¡¯ve backstabbed me more times than I can count. I don¡¯t consider them my gods.¡± The rage in Hercules¡¯ eyes slowly faded. His expression shifted to one of intrigue. This guy¡­ What¡¯s with his mood swings? As I stared at him, puzzled, he spoke again. ¡°You¡­ Why don¡¯t you join me? Let me mentor you.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 93 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 93: Receiving Hercules¡¯ Sponsorship ¡°Mentoring¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know about the mentoring skill? Well, I guess those guys wouldn¡¯t have taught you.¡± Hercules pointed at me with his hand. ¡°You and I are both Soul Reapers, aren¡¯t we? As a senior Soul Reaper, I¡¯ll help you grow.¡± ¡°Help me?¡± ¡°Yeah. Through the mentoring skill, I can boost your experience and skill proficiency. For Soul Reapers, the SP required to level up skills decreases. Especially since all my Soul Reaper skills are at level 100, this should be a huge help to you.¡± Level 100 skills? Whoa. That¡¯s insane. Well, I guess it makes sense since he¡¯s an SSS-class Lord of Chaos. ¡°Why are you so surprised? At this level, my skill levels are actually on the lower side. The other gods typically start at a thousand.¡± ¡°A thousand¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t ascend to the Soul Reaper class until later.¡± Ha. The scale is completely different. So even gods like Hermes and Loki are at this level. If I actually had to face them, I¡¯d be obliterated in a single hit. ¡°So you don¡¯t have to worry too much about your Soul Reaper skills and can focus on being a Mediator instead. What do you say? Why not form a Soul Mediation contract with me and join forces?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a generous offer. Can I ask one thing?¡± ¡°You sure are curious. Go ahead and ask.¡± ¡°Why would you make such an offer to someone like me, who¡¯s only a B-rank?¡± Hercules smirked. ¡°Because you¡¯re a Soul-type Awakener. And because Zeus and Odin would never give up on you.¡± ¡°Just because of that?¡± ¡°Yeah. Do you know? That they¡¯re rewinding time.¡± ¡°Huh? You know about that from within Chaos?¡± Hercules knew about it too? Wait, then that means the entire Chaos faction is aware of it? ¡°So you do know. Earthlings suddenly started getting stronger¡­ Have you regressed as well? Something felt off about the timeline. You¡¯ve been ahead of schedule.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Hades never mentioned this¡­¡± ¡°Oh? So you met Lord Hades in the future? Well, that old man lost his wife and went insane, so who knows what he¡¯s thinking.¡± Then, Hercules lowered his voice. ¡°But do you think this time manipulation¡­ can go on forever?¡± ¡°Rewinding time¡ªshouldn¡¯t it be possible indefinitely?¡± ¡°No. The initial start point keeps shifting. At first, it was January 1st, 2020, in your time.¡± He started drawing a line on the desk. ¡°The next time they regressed, it was January 2nd, 2020. Then the 3rd. Even though they¡¯re rewinding time, a day still passes each time.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ How did you find that out?¡± ¡°Those guys switch factions every time they rewind. From Chaos¡¯ perspective, the ruling gods on Earth change daily. It¡¯s a mess.¡± Ah. From the perspective of the Lords of Chaos, the gods ruling Earth shift every single day. If they had reset to January 1st every time, it wouldn¡¯t have been noticeable, but since time is progressing, it stands out. ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you stopped them?¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°How could we stop them when they¡¯re committed to turning back time? But still, the days are passing.¡± A day passes each time, sure, but so what? Can¡¯t they just keep rewinding anyway? ¡°By the year 2030, it will all be over.¡± ¡°Over¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s when five Lords of Chaos will descend upon Earth. No one will be able to stop them¡ªcomplete annihilation.¡± Hades suddenly gestured toward the side of the mountain. I followed his hand and saw something enormous rising from the ocean beyond the mountain peak. Rumble¡­ As the object slowly revealed itself, the ocean churned violently. Towering waves threatened to swallow the land. And then, what emerged was a giant. Its exact form was too massive to discern. Only its black metallic limbs were visible. Its head shot up into the sky so high that even from here, I couldn¡¯t see it. Its feet touched the sea while its head pierced the heavens¡ªa being of impossible proportions. Even from this distant mountain peak, I could feel its overwhelming, terrifying energy. At that moment, a name surfaced in my mind¡ªone belonging to a Lord of Chaos. "That¡­ could it be¡­?" ¡°That¡¯s my true form.¡± That thing is descending upon Earth in 2030? I felt a wave of dread. What am I supposed to do about that? And there won¡¯t just be one of them¡ªfive Lords of Chaos will all appear on Earth. ¡°A Chaos Dimensional Rift will open on Earth in 2030. Neither Olympus nor Asgard can stop our descent, no matter how many high-ranking gods they have.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re gods. Can¡¯t they still fight back?¡± ¡°Sure. They can fight. But Earth will be destroyed. Their faith¡¯s very foundation, their home base.¡± ¡°I heard that if they keep preventing destruction, they can stop the descent¡­¡± ¡°They can hold it off until 2030. But after that, it¡¯s over. We will descend no matter what.¡± With a flick of his finger, the colossal entity vanished. The oppressive energy constricting my body disappeared in an instant. If not for the sea, now blackened like oil, I might have thought I had imagined it. ¡°Aside from me and old man Hades, the other Lords of Chaos don¡¯t even care about these delays. After all, it¡¯ll all be over in just 8 or 9 years. That¡¯s nothing to an immortal.¡± For beings who live forever, 8 years must feel like nothing. So they¡¯re just waiting to be summoned and destroy Earth? Because Olympus and Asgard have their main bases here? ¡°But Hades and I think differently. If they keep stalling, they might actually accumulate enough SP to ascend. There¡¯s a reason that cunning Zeus and Odin are making their move.¡± ¡°And what happens then?¡± ¡°If they ascend, they¡¯ll become Creators¡ªat least within this solar system. Even we won¡¯t be able to touch them.¡± ¡°And the other Lords of Chaos¡­?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t care. They just say, ¡®Oh well, nothing we can do then.¡¯¡± Hercules gritted his teeth. ¡°But Hades and I? We¡¯re different. We won¡¯t be satisfied until we tear Olympus apart.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± ¡°You, as a Soul Mediator, hold a significant position. They won¡¯t give up on you that easily. Join forces with me and keep me informed of their movements.¡± Looking at this now, it seems like this is a battle to determine whether Zeus and Odin will ascend to the rank of Creator by 2030 or not. But if Zeus or Odin do become Creators, wouldn¡¯t they ultimately be protecting Earth? "But from what you¡¯re saying, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just fully support Zeus and Odin? That way, Earth can be saved, right?" "To create something new, they¡¯ll have to first wipe everything off the face of the Earth. Right now, you¡¯re under the system¡¯s protection, but if they become Creators, that protection will disappear." Hercules stated that once Zeus becomes the Creator, he would cleanse the Earth to its original form and recreate it to his liking. "If Zeus becomes the Creator, the male species will cease to exist. Only females will remain." Those words hit me hard. I could actually see that happening. Haah¡­ [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Are humans destined to be swept away no matter what we do? As I was lost in thought, feeling conflicted, Hercules shrugged. "It¡¯s hard to believe the words of an enemy, isn¡¯t it? Then let¡¯s put aside the idea of an alliance for now and think of it as a deal. I¡¯ll mentor you." "Hmm¡­¡­." "That way, you¡¯ll be able to develop your Soul Reaper class much more easily. In exchange, you¡¯ll act as a Soul Mediator for me. Let¡¯s establish a communication link. Not a bad offer, right?" Alright. Let¡¯s keep it simple. I have a chance to level up my Soul Reaper abilities through mentoring, so I¡¯ll just give up a mediation position in return. I¡¯m not strong enough to meddle in the disputes of deities anyway, so I should just focus on growing stronger for now. "Alright." "Good. Then¡­¡­." [The Soul Reaper, Hercules, is attempting to use the ¡®Mentoring¡¯ skill on the user. Do you accept?] When I pressed ¡®Yes,¡¯ a message appeared immediately. [The Soul Reaper, Hercules, has become Kim Jiho¡¯s mentor.] [Your mentor¡¯s Soul Reaper skill proficiency is at MAX. The skill upgrade cost will significantly decrease with each passing day. After five days, the cost will be reduced to 1%. You must remain in the same world as your mentor for the mentoring effect to continue.] 1¡­ 1%? My eyes widened. It¡¯s not saying the cost will decrease by 1%, but that it will be reduced to 1%? Wow. Even if the skill level is at 100, this level of efficiency is insane¡­ "Judging by your shocked expression, it seems like the effect is good." "It says it¡¯ll only cost 1%¡­ just 1%?" Hercules¡¯ eyes also widened at my words. "SP will only cost 1%? Huh. I expected, at most, a 50% discount¡­ maybe it¡¯s because your class is special. Just one mediation position isn¡¯t enough for this. If this stacks later, you¡¯ll have to give me another spot." "Sure, why not." I readily agreed to Hercules¡¯ request. The mentoring effect was so overwhelming that I didn¡¯t feel the least bit reluctant about it. More than anything, I realized I needed to maintain a good relationship with him until I fully developed my Soul Reaper abilities. Once the Soul Mediation contract was finalized, Hercules nodded. "So this is how it works. Even at a low level, it¡¯s not bad. In the future, this will be quite useful." He seemed pleased. Hmm. Is there anything else I can take advantage of while the mood is friendly? Then, an idea struck me. This planet operates similarly to Earth, with dungeon portals being summoned for clearing. If these are controlled by the Lord of Chaos, Hercules, then maybe he can manipulate them to make hunting easier for me? "By the way, do you control the dungeon portal summoning too?" "I usually let it run on autopilot. I don¡¯t have time to manually adjust every little thing." "But you can control it if you wanted to?" "Technically, yes¡­ Why?" Hercules asked back with a skeptical look. "Since you¡¯re my mentor now, why not help me clear some dungeons?" Hercules sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "Hah¡­ It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve met a human who shamelessly makes requests like this in front of Hercules. Reminds me of that king who used to act cocky under my protection during the Twelve Labors." As he spoke, it seemed like he was reminded of that king, and he clenched his fist tightly. His muscles contracted, and veins bulged all over his body. Damn, his fist looks bigger than my head. But still, my level-up progress has been stagnant, so I can¡¯t back down. "Haha, since you¡¯ve already become my mentor, why not help me out a little? If I level up to A-rank Demigod, my Soul Mediation skill will upgrade further, which benefits both of us. And if that happens, I can even give you another mediation slot, just like you asked earlier. Sounds like a win-win, right?" "Hah. You sly little bastard¡­ What¡¯s with the sudden formal speech? It¡¯s giving me goosebumps, so cut it out." He looked at me with disgust but then fell into deep thought. Oh? If he was going to outright refuse, he would¡¯ve done so immediately. Seems like he¡¯s actually considering it? Since I¡¯ve come this far, I might as well push my luck further. There¡¯s nothing to lose now. Besides, despite all his complaining, he¡¯s actually been pretty generous to me¡­ "Ah! Mentor Hercules!" "Stop with the honorifics." "Ah, right. Then just summon an A-rank dungeon portal for me. Right now, most of the Broken worlds are sealed off, so I can¡¯t level up. Kevrian is inaccessible, and Kalvine, which was great for leveling, is also off-limits." "Hooh. Both of them?" "Yeah. And I have to stay in this world to maintain the mentoring effect, right? I can¡¯t be on another planet, can I?" "Hmm. If you go too far, it won¡¯t work well. However, if I¡¯m the one summoning the dungeon portal, it should remain connected to me, so it should be fine¡­." Hercules folded his arms, tapping his elbow with his fingers, and after a moment, let out a deep sigh. "Alright. When it¡¯s time to push someone forward, you push them." "Wow! You¡¯re amazing!" "Shut up." He raised his hand, and the air around us trembled. "Soul Barrier, deactivate." The protective shield surrounding the mountain peak disappeared. Then, Hercules pointed at the ground with his finger. "Summon." With just that simple motion, a massive, dark blue portal materialized at the peak of the mountain. It was far larger than any A-rank dungeon portal I had ever seen before Earth was destroyed. "A-rank is the limit for dungeon portals. However, there¡¯s a difference in scale. Judging from how you fought last time, I¡¯m sure you can handle this." "Of course!" "You¡¯re an annoying brat¡­ I¡¯m going back to my main body now. The dungeon will keep respawning in this location." Wow. How considerate. Turning his back to me, Hercules soon disappeared without a trace. I got way more out of this than I expected. Right now¡­ I think I just secured a pretty amazing sponsor. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 94 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 94: Rapid Growth ¡°Grrrrr¡­.¡± A white-robed mage collapsed, his chest pierced by Yeoui, his barrier shattered. His eyes, empty and desolate, remained frozen as his body hit the ground. ¡°Today was a bit easier.¡± This was an A-rank dungeon summoned by Hercules. The A-rank dungeons summoned from Eshtar were often filled with mages. Mages who popped up, claiming to be from some ¡®Magic Tower.¡¯ Was it because this place had a magic city nearby? But now, with the Dragon Heart and the power of Dragon Tongue magic, most spells were rendered useless. Fighting them had become easy. Breaking the dungeon core behind the mage, I was greeted by a familiar sight. The summit of a mountain near the magical city of Erundal. This was the designated location where Hercules summoned A-rank dungeons. ¡°This makes it the 36th run.¡± My current level was 195. Until I reached level 190, each A-rank dungeon run granted at least one level up. After that, it took two runs to gain a level, but even so, level 200 was fast approaching. However, today marked the Reset Day of Eshtar¡ªits moment of destruction. Every cleared A-rank dungeon advanced time by ten days, and Eshtar was no exception. With 36 runs completed, nearly a full year had passed. It was time to return to Earth. Checking my SP, it was at 12.9 million. Finally¡­ I could upgrade Soul Mediation to Level 7. He¡ª!! ¡°Return.¡± At Hercules¡¯ thunderous cry, I immediately teleported back. If things went south, I¡¯d just have to come back again. ¡°You¡¯ve been gone for quite a while this time.¡± I was greeted by Valkyrie Aria upon my return. Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be the leader of the Valkyries? How did she have so much free time? ¡°Yes. There was a good opportunity.¡± ¡°I heard from Lady Freya.¡± Aria nodded knowingly. I recalled Freya bestowing her blessing of return when I had gone to meet Hercules. Though the Soul Barrier had prevented them from hearing the details, it must have seemed suspicious how Hercules continued to summon A-rank dungeons for me at that specific mountaintop. Yet, Aria didn¡¯t interrogate me about it. Was she choosing to overlook it? ¡°Is Lady Freya the administrator of Eshtar?¡± ¡°Yes, she is.¡± ¡°What did she say to you?¡± ¡°She instructed me to treat you with even greater care, Kim Jiho.¡± Even greater care? Was that for real? I stared at Aria, but she simply smiled brightly. Her expression gave away nothing. Well, at least she wasn¡¯t saying, ¡®How dare you conspire with Chaos? Unforgivable!¡¯ That was a relief. I should just focus on what I needed to do. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll rest for today and return tomorrow.¡± ¡°Understood. Rest well.¡± Aria bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle. I could see the other Valkyries gasping in shock¡ª ¡°No way¡­ Lady Aria is bowing?!¡± Was I considered that important now? I simply nodded in return before heading home. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± The house felt vast and empty. A bit dusty, but not as bad as I expected. After all, while a year had passed in Eshtar, only 36 days had passed on Earth. Now, at last¡­ It was time to upgrade Soul Mediation. My SP stood at 12.9 million. Earning it had been brutal. But this was still considered fast. Without Hercules, I would have had to grind for several more months. I had gained a lot from A-rank dungeons, and with Hercules'' mediation tips, my income had skyrocketed. On Earth, I earned 15,000 SP per day, while in Eshtar, I earned 700 SP per 10 days¡ªwhich translated to 7,000 SP per Earth day. Adding 5,000 SP per day from Hercules, I had managed to gather 12.5 million SP in just 36 days. Actually, I had earned even more, but I had spent a lot on upgrading Soul Reaper, Trait Absorption, and Energy Manifestation skills. I had to maximize my skills during mentoring sessions. [Soul Reaper LV.10] [Trait Absorption LV.10] These skills simply increased absorption efficiency without additional conditions. I wanted to upgrade them further, but B-rank and lower capped skills at Level 10, so I had to be satisfied for now. I needed to rank up quickly to increase my skill levels. [Energy Manifestation LV.10] [Consumes SP to generate energy. The energy can be infused into the user¡¯s body and weapons in contact. Destroys 19 times the amount of SP consumed from enemies. Higher levels increase efficiency and allow long-range energy manifestation.] At first, it had a 10x SP consumption-to-destruction ratio, but each level-up had increased it by 1. I had asked Hercules when I¡¯d unlock long-range energy manifestation, and he said it would likely happen after Level 20. Maxing out my Soul Reaper skills at my current rank was incredibly satisfying. Since Soul Mediation consumed an absurd amount of SP, I thought upgrading these skills would be impossible¡­ but the 1% mentoring discount was incredible. At Level 8 and beyond, Soul Reaper skills cost 10 million SP per level, but with the 1% discount, I only had to pay 100,000 SP. Compared to Soul Mediation, this was cheap. Then again, Soul Mediation had broken scaling, so it made sense. I took a deep breath. ¡°Alright. Time for an upgrade.¡± I opened the skill window and upgraded Soul Mediation. With 12.5 million SP vanishing in an instant, I finally reached the level I had been aiming for. [Soul Mediation LV.7] [Mediates the absorption of souls for the gods. Generates 140% efficiency, and the user can take up to 40% as commission. Can mediate up to 16 guardian deities. Enables Soul Smuggling.] [Soul Smuggling: Select a god for covert mediation. Souls can be brokered without their knowledge, and all resulting profits go to the broker. Requires two mediation slots. Only applicable to gods up to SSS-rank.] [Upon reaching Level 9, multiple mediations will be possible.] Ohhh. Finally¡­! This was huge. At Level 7, I could generate 140% efficiency and take it all for myself. Damn. Now, who should I smuggle souls from? I checked my Soul Mediation panel. Zeus, Hermes, Athena. The Six Gods of Asgard. Elprian, Drakia. Earth, Eshtar, Hercules. All 14 slots were full. That meant I only had room for two more gods¡ª And just one smuggling slot. Who should I target? The god with the highest SP yield was undoubtedly Odin. Since Asgard controlled Earth, their chief deity must be raking in the most profits. Odin provides about 6,000 per day. But that was back when I was at level 6, so at level 7, he should give even more. Not only does the proportion increase, but the range of transactions also expands, so I have no idea how much it will go up. Alright¡­ fine. Let¡¯s smuggle from Odin. When I clicked the newly added "Soul Smuggling" button in the Soul Mediation window, a prompt appeared asking me to designate a god. There was no "Earth" button, which was disappointing, but the premise was to select a god in the first place. Still¡­ just in case¡­ I tried connecting to Hercules via the system window. [What?] ¡°Do you have anything hidden in soul smuggling?¡± [Soul smuggling? What¡¯s that?] Hercules, rather than answering, questioned me back. When I explained that it was something that unlocks at level 7 and gave a description of the skill, he responded with a disappointing answer. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [That¡¯s beyond my domain. Olympus only provides the basics for soul-related classes. After that, the system autonomously adjusts everything.] ¡°Damn¡­ okay.¡± [I¡¯m hanging up.] Too bad. I had lingering curiosity, so I tapped the smuggling button repeatedly like I did with the mediation window, but nothing came up. I decided to just go ahead and designate Odin. [You have selected the supreme god Odin as your soul smuggling target.] As soon as I designated Odin, two slots filled up, and the status displayed: [Smuggling in Progress: Odin]. With that, the mediation window was completely full. Alright. Now I just need to watch for a day to see how much I earn. ¡°Whoa. This is insane.¡± The words came out on their own. When I was at level 6, my daily SP income ranged between 67,000 and 70,000. That was the total, including all planets. But this time, it jumped by 20,000 in one go. Odin originally provided 10,000 SP, but with smuggling, that became 25,000. Whoa, that¡¯s amazing. Wait¡­ Hold on¡­ ¡°I used up two slots for this, but the efficiency isn¡¯t actually that crazy?¡± Of course, getting 2.5 times more SP from the god that provides the most is nice¡­ But seeing Earth alone generating over 20,000 SP makes me think planets are the real deal. I guess smuggling is more about secrecy. Not sure when I¡¯ll use it, but¡­ ¡°Daily income: 150,000 SP¡­¡± That means I can upgrade an S-rank skill every two days. Not bad. Should I use all the SP I¡¯ve saved up to max out my stats? For B-rank stats, the cap in the Order faction is 200. For the Neutral faction, it¡¯s A-rank at max. But since Soul Reaping and Trait Absorption reached level 10, their efficiency improved so much that most of my stats were already near their limits. On top of that, my Dragon Heart boosted my stats significantly. I checked my status window. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Mediator Guardian Deity: Hermes, God of Messengers Title: Earth¡¯s Strongest Level: 195 Strength: 197 Agility: 194 Magic: 200 SP: 451,120 Bonus Stats: +155] [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Reaper Guardian Deity: Loki, God of Deception Title: Earth¡¯s Pioneer - Legendary Rank Level: 195 Body: A Magic: A Technique: A Luck: A SP: 105,084 Bonus Stats: +129] My bonus stats had piled up from being left untouched. Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll be grinding A-rank dungeons for the next five levels anyway, so I should just hold onto them. With Trait Absorption, my stats might increase naturally. I made up my mind to max out my stats when I hit level 199, and then I browsed through my skills. Upgrading Soul Mediation required 25 million SP. That¡¯s brutal¡­ I have 550,000 SP¡ªshould I upgrade another skill instead? Thunder God? Hermes¡¯ Acceleration? Aegis Shield? I looked through them all, but nothing really stood out. Since I¡¯ll soon reach A-rank, I¡¯ll unlock other S-rank skills, so maybe I should save my SP for that. I worked my ass off saving SP for the Soul Mediation upgrade, and now that I finally have some extra, I can¡¯t even bring myself to spend it. Still, I should at least upgrade one S-rank skill, so I invested in Aegis Shield, leaving me with 250,000 SP. Then, while checking my inventory, I noticed Elprian¡¯s Seal. Oh yeah¡­ I could invest SP into Apostle¡¯s Garden. How much does it cost? [Would you like to expand Apostle¡¯s Garden? It will cost 10,000 SP.] 10,000? That¡¯s nothing. But I already have three slots. Why expand it? I was about to ignore it when another system message appeared. [If Apostle¡¯s Garden reaches seven slots, the Blessing feature will be unlocked. You will be able to bestow blessings upon your apostles.] Blessing? This was a thing? If I can give blessings, I¡¯ll really feel like a guardian deity. Hmm. It¡¯s just 10,000 SP¡ªlet¡¯s do it. After investing twice, Elprian¡¯s Seal in my inventory glowed, and the light enveloped my body. [Apostle¡¯s Garden - LV.2] [A space where temporary apostles reside. It exists as a separate dimension, completely disconnected from the world. SP can be invested to further expand it. You can now bestow blessings upon apostles. Slots in use: 2 / 7] [Available Blessings] [Bestow Guardian Deity''s Power] [Allows an apostle to receive a fraction of the Guardian Deity¡¯s abilities. The granted power cannot exceed 1% of the god¡¯s stats.] Simple description. So, I can grant 1% of my stats to an apostle? Compared to other gods who boost their apostles by 30% to 50%, this seems pretty weak¡­ I checked Apostle¡¯s Garden. Diana was still missing, and Drakina had changed into an egg form instead of showing her usual appearance. [Name: Drakina] Class: Red Dragon (Humanoid) (Evolving) Guardian Deity: Kim Jiho Title: - Level: 100 Body: A Magic: S Technique: C Luck: E Retrievable SP: 1,481 sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Evolving? When did that start? A new Blessing button appeared on her interface, so I granted her my 1% stat blessing as encouragement. [Bestowed "Bestow Guardian Deity''s Power" blessing upon Apostle Drakina.] [Apostle Drakina¡¯s stats have increased.] I checked her status again¡ªonly her Luck stat had increased, from E to D. Her luck really was awful. I was about to close the Apostle¡¯s Garden window, but then¡ª A crack formed on Drakina¡¯s egg. Wait¡­ just from receiving a blessing? [Apostle Drakina¡¯s rank has increased.] [Class changed to Red Dragon Hatchling.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 95 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 95: Dragon Rider Contract Drakina, now a B-rank, had transformed into a true dragon. Although her size was reduced when viewed through the Apostle¡¯s Garden Window, she still appeared to be a formidable red dragon. I sent her a message. [Did you become a hatchling?] [Yeah. I was a little short on mana, but it suddenly increased. Was it because of your blessing?] [Oh, does a message like that pop up?] [Yeah, it was a well-timed blessing. Thanks.] Surprisingly, she thanked me without any resistance. [Then try polymorphing into a human. I need to summon you.] [Got it.] After waiting for a bit, Drakina transformed from a dragon into her human form. She looked the same as before¡ªa beautiful woman with red hair. When I summoned her, she appeared in my house, wearing ragged orc clothes. Seeing me, she brightened up and suddenly gave me a high-five. ¡°The timing of your blessing was perfect~ I almost failed.¡± ¡°You could have failed?¡± ¡°The system window said the success rate was 50%. I thought, ¡®Why the hell is there a success rate for returning to my original form?¡¯ and just started evolving.¡± This one really has no sense of caution. I checked her status window. Her class had changed, and a new blessing slot had appeared. [Name: Drakina Class: Red Dragon Hatchling Guardian Deity: Kim Jiho Title: ¨C Level: 100 Physical Ability: A Mana: S Skill: C Luck: D Blessing: ¡®Bestowed Power of the Guardian Deity¡¯ Retrievable SP: 1481] My eyes locked onto the retrievable SP. ¡°You have 148,100 SP right now?¡± ¡°Yeah, I worked hard to save up.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s see if the number disappears.¡± When I clicked the SP retrieval window, a message appeared. [Retrieved 1481 SP.] ¡°Did your SP change?¡± ¡°No? What did you do?¡± ¡°I retrieved some SP, but it looks like it doesn¡¯t affect the apostle.¡± Drakina looked confused. I pondered over it. 1481 SP was honestly a small amount, but if I had more underlings, it could add up. But how do they even accumulate SP? ¡°How do dragons gather SP?¡± ¡°Huh¡­? It just builds up as I live.¡± ¡°It just builds up? You had about 20,000 before, but now you have over 100,000?¡± ¡°When I was about to evolve into a hatchling, it just skyrocketed. I don¡¯t really know how it happens.¡± ¡°Does it increase when you kill monsters?¡± ¡°No idea¡­¡± Drakina tilted her head. Ugh, useless. I¡¯ll have to experiment by grinding dungeons myself. ¡°Alright, never mind that. Let¡¯s do the Dragon Rider contract.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Right.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten the Oath of Dragon Words, have you?¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± She pulled a sour face for a moment but quickly composed herself and became serious. ¡°Well, it¡¯s for a hundred years anyway¡­ I, Drakina of the Dragon God¡¯s lineage, hereby swear.¡± She reached her hand toward me. A red glow enveloped her hands before it burst into a brilliant light. ¡°I accept Kim Jiho as my soul-bound companion. The contract duration is one hundred years from now.¡± Do we really have to become soul-bound just to be a Dragon Rider? She didn¡¯t waste a second locking in that hundred-year term¡­ [Red Dragon Hatchling Drakina is initiating a temporary ¡®Dragon Rider¡¯ contract. Do you agree?] When I pressed ¡°Yes,¡± the red light from Drakina¡¯s hands was absorbed into my body. System messages popped up. [You have formed a temporary Dragon Rider contract with Red Dragon Hatchling Drakina.] [You can now ride Drakina.] [Your soul bonds with the dragon, exchanging abilities. The stats of both beings influence each other and increase.] Soul bonding? With this one? I looked at Drakina, feeling uneasy. She was looking at me with the same expression. Then, another message appeared. [The affinity between the two beings is not deep. They are not highly compatible as soul-bound partners. Due to insufficient resonance, the ability boost is weak.] [Only 10% of each other¡¯s abilities will be shared.] 10%? I checked my status window. Except for Luck, my stats in the neutral faction¡¯s gauge were maxed out. Luck was just slightly below A-rank. Hmm¡­ If I raise my rank to A, my limits should expand, and my stats should increase even further. But I wasn¡¯t the only one benefiting. ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s with your abilities?¡± Drakina suddenly latched onto my arm. Wondering why she was acting this way, I checked her status. Her Skill and Luck had each gone up by one rank. A 10% effect was this significant? ¡°You¡¯re amazing! Let¡¯s be best friends from now on. Hehe, let¡¯s share our soul resonance more.¡± Drakina grinned up at me. She was undeniably beautiful¡­ but I kept remembering her orc phase. ¡°Sigh. Whatever. Does your Polymorph work fine?¡± ¡°Polymorph? Of course. What do you take dragons for?¡± ¡°The gods won¡¯t detect you?¡± ¡°If a deity-level being directly looks at me, they might, but do you think any will come to Earth? Unless they¡¯re god-tier, they won¡¯t notice a thing.¡± Drakina was full of confidence. Well, I doubt gods would come all the way here. But her looks were too striking. If she walked around outside like this, people would take pictures, and she¡¯d be all over the internet as a ¡°Western beauty.¡± Even among the famed Valkyries, none were this gorgeous¡­ I turned on the TV. A news broadcast was on, with a stunning anchorwoman. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°See that lady? Try making your face look like hers.¡± ¡°Why?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°You stand out too much. People on Earth don¡¯t look like you.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Is this what humans like? My father must have designed my looks for appeal.¡± Drakina summoned a mirror and compared her face to the news anchor¡¯s. ¡°So, big eyes and nose are good? Jawline? Chest?¡± ¡°Ugh, stop analyzing it. Just change your appearance a little.¡± ¡°I need to analyze it to change it properly! Tch, so you want me to blend in?¡± ¡°Yes. Actually, that anchor is considered pretty. Oh, right. That woman there. That¡¯s the most average-looking face.¡± ¡°That¡¯s average? Humans are so small. Ah, but their faces are big¡­¡± Drakina studied the TV screen, murmuring to herself. After about ten minutes, she nodded confidently. ¡°Polymorph.¡± Then, her face began to change. Her hair and eyes turned black, and her pale skin gradually darkened. The transformed face took on the common appearance of an East Asian woman. Oh, for just ten minutes of analysis, this was incredibly accurate. ¡°How¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Yeah, well done.¡± This should be fine to take around. Should I register as a Hunter right away? Hmm. No, there aren¡¯t any dangerous dungeons on Earth yet, so I¡¯ll register later. It¡¯s not time for humanity to have a B-rank Awakened yet. For now, I need to go to Eshtar and level up, so I should reverse summon. Just as I was about to open the Apostle¡¯s Window for reverse summoning, Drakina suddenly spoke in a flustered voice. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°My mana is unraveling.¡± The polymorph transformation started reversing, like rewinding a videotape. In an instant, her face reverted, and her hair and eyes turned red again. ¡°Ah¡­ is it because my father, the Dragon God, did it? It looks like I can¡¯t maintain the polymorph. I keep reverting to this appearance.¡± Drakina said that the Dragon God¡¯s power took priority, making it impossible to maintain the polymorph for long. That Dragon God sure is using his power for the strangest things. Come to think of it, what has he been up to? Since declaring he would destroy the planet Kalvine, he¡¯s been completely silent. ¡°My Awakening Quest for the Dragon God has been stuck at 3% for over a month now.¡± Since it still shows 3% remaining, he¡¯s probably still alive¡­ Well, I¡¯ll hear from him eventually. ¡°Alright¡­ Since it¡¯s not urgent for you, I¡¯ll reverse summon you to the Apostle¡¯s Garden.¡± ¡°I wanted to explore Earth¡­ The Apostle¡¯s Garden is so boring.¡± Drakina was glued to the TV, unable to take her eyes off it. She looked like a child fascinated by something new. Still, walking around in that appearance would attract too much attention. She could use invisibility magic, but I won¡¯t be on Earth anyway. ¡°It¡¯s not ideal for you to walk around Earth looking like that. Since I¡¯ll be going to the planet Eshtar anyway, I¡¯ll summon you there.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. I also have an experiment to run.¡± ¡°What experiment?¡± ¡°Just something simple. Let¡¯s go through a dungeon.¡± * * * S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I entered the reset version of Eshtar again. Many Hunters were rushing in, forming guilds, and clearing dungeons. Ignoring all that, I dashed straight to the mountain peak. There, a massive navy-blue dungeon portal shimmered. Hercules hadn¡¯t forgotten to summon the dungeon portal. As I stepped inside, a wave of heat hit me, and I saw a red, barren land. Walking a little further, I reached a hill where countless mages stood in formation. Dressed in red robes, they immediately showed hostility upon seeing me. ¡°A living human!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± All at once, they began casting spells. Fire mages? I immediately summoned Drakina. She appeared in her human form and looked around curiously. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°This is an A-rank dungeon. Can you handle them?¡± ¡°Those fire mages? A-rank? Why are they so weak?¡± ¡°Oh? Then can you take them on alone?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Drakina confidently charged toward the fire mages. They fired streams of flame at her, but the moment she opened her mouth, all the fire was sucked in. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Using fire magic against me? How adorable.¡± After devouring all their magic, Drakina reached the top of the hill. She opened her mouth wide, unleashing a torrent of flames like a flamethrower. ¡°Gaaah!¡± ¡°This magic¡­ It¡¯s too strong!¡± ¡°Scatter! Fall back!¡± Even as their comrades burned to death, the mages maintained discipline, retreating in formation. Drakina smirked and spoke lightly. ¡°Stop.¡± At that single word, most of the mages froze in place. Then, they were consumed by the fire breath. Just before they turned to ash, they looked at Drakina in horror. ¡°A dragon¡¯s¡­ Command¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s a dragon¡­¡± Those trapped by her dragon magic burned instantly, while the survivors quickly used flight magic to escape. Seeing them flee, Drakina scowled and gave chase. I simply watched. If she wiped them all out, I could have gotten free SP¡­ My hands itched, but I held back. I wanted to see what would happen if I left the dungeon entirely to my Apostle. ¡°Stop right there!¡± Drakina had been rampaging through this dungeon world for three hours now. After defeating the last mage and destroying the dungeon core, we returned to the mountain peak. ¡°You got 9,000 SP?¡± ¡°Yeah, I even get SP for killing monsters. That¡¯s a huge gain.¡± When I checked Drakina¡¯s status window, I saw 9,000 recoverable SP. I originally thought only 1% would accumulate, but this time, she received the full amount. Does the percentage change when clearing a dungeon? ¡°Plus, I leveled up.¡± Drakina grinned, saying she was now level 101. I also gained a small amount of experience. Even though I did nothing. So, when an Apostle clears a dungeon, some of the SP and experience automatically go to their Guardian? The message window displayed ¡°[Daily SP Consumption for Apostle Summon]: 500.¡± So, in 10 days, that would be 5,000, making the net gain 4,000 SP. The rewards weren¡¯t enormous, but not bad either¡­ I checked the remaining slots in the Apostle¡¯s Garden. If I filled them all with strong fighters, their collective SP earnings could be quite lucrative. Right now, I didn¡¯t have many skilled Apostles, but having the option mattered. Should I ask Hercules to summon one more A-rank dungeon portal for Drakina? Step, step. ¡°It¡¯s over. I have something to say.¡± Guess he couldn¡¯t help himself. The massive figure of Hercules approached. He stared at Drakina for a moment before handing me a red gemstone. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°The ¡®Smiling Devil of Kalvine¡¯ sent it. It seems to be related to the one beside you.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 96 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 96:The Dragon God Drakia Returns Drakina is connected to Kalvine? The first thing that came to mind was the Dragon God, Drakia. As soon as I received the red gem from Hercules, a familiar voice echoed. The voice of the Dragon God, Drakia. [It¡¯s been a while.] ¡°How did this happen?¡± [Thor was determined to capture me. I was about to self-destruct, but the Lord of Chaos intervened and sealed me.] Drakia spoke indifferently. Did the ¡®Smiling Devil¡¯ help? ¡°Was Kalvine destroyed?¡± [The planet wasn¡¯t completely obliterated, but its civilization was annihilated.] ¡°Hm, I haven¡¯t been able to access it for a while¡­¡± [Is that so? Time should have simply been rewound. Isn''t that strange?] That¡¯s true. If it was like Eshtar, it should¡¯ve just been reversed. What exactly happened? Oh, right¡ªthere¡¯s a Lord of Chaos here too. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± ¡°Hear what?¡± ¡°Is it only audible to me? The thing is¡­¡± When I asked Hercules about my doubts, he answered simply. ¡°Of course. We¡¯re only rewinding time in specific regions.¡± ¡°Only in specific regions?¡± So they were only rewinding certain areas? Ah¡­ that makes sense. Thinking back, in Kevrian, I was in the fortress, and only the areas near the fortress seemed to rewind. Once the first phase ended, the second phase began in a different location, where the quest continued. In Kalvine, I was in the dragon¡¯s lair. Originally, the situation was unwinnable, so I ran away, making me an irregular case. A quest even appeared to kill Drakina. In Eshtar, people only kept going through Erundal and the surrounding dungeon areas¡ªthey never seemed to visit other nations. So only the designated stage areas had their time rewound? ¡°Yeah, think of it like this¡ªon Earth, instead of rewinding the entire planet, it¡¯s like only rewinding time in the Greece region. Reversing time for the whole world would consume too much SP.¡± Hercules frowned as if displeased. ¡°They should¡¯ve just invaded Earth directly and destroyed everything, but because of others¡¯ greed¡­ The vote was rejected, 3 to 2.¡± ¡°What vote?¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Olympus proposed a deal. They suggested splitting the SP generated from this so-called ¡®Broken World.¡¯ In exchange, we would delay the invasion of Earth.¡± ¡°What? Split the SP?¡± ¡°Yeah, the Smiling Devil was the most proactive supporter of the deal. That bastard definitely received SP as a bribe from Olympus.¡± The Smiling Devil¡­ He was acting strangely in Kalvine too. He just stood by and watched the irregular situation? He didn¡¯t agree with Asgard¡¯s time reversal. ¡°What¡¯s his true identity?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. He wears a mask.¡± ¡°You guys aren¡¯t very close, huh?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to be. Enough with the questions¡ªwe¡¯re talking about the Lord of Chaos, after all. I can¡¯t just reveal everything.¡± Hercules waved his hand dismissively. Well, that¡¯s disappointing, but that¡¯s as far as I¡¯ll get. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going.¡± ¡°Oh, but can you do me one more favor?¡± ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°Summon one more A-rank dungeon.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°So Drakina can train too.¡± Hercules glanced at Drakina, who had been frozen since he arrived. Then, surprisingly, he agreed without much resistance. ¡°The descendant of the Dragon God? Hmm, fine.¡± That was easier than expected. When he touched the ground, two navy-colored dungeon portals appeared. ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll summon two at a time. Handle them yourself.¡± Then, just like that, Hercules disappeared. As soon as he was gone, the Dragon God spoke to me again. [Asgard will keep looking for me, so let¡¯s enter the dungeon.] ¡°Understood. Do you have anything to say to Drakina?¡± [Now is not the time.] Drakia cut the conversation short. No sense of family affection, huh? ¡°Got it. Drakina, are you going over there?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, I got it.¡± Drakina, who had been frozen stiff since Hercules appeared, disappeared into the dungeon first. I stepped into the adjacent A-rank dungeon. This time, the dungeon had a desert-like environment. Since there were no enemies in sight yet, I continued talking with the Dragon God. ¡°How exactly did things unfold?¡± [Sigh¡­ The destruction of Kalvine was a success.] The dragons faithfully followed the orders of the Dragon God. Meteor showers rained down indiscriminately, hitting both the Order and Neutral factions. At first, the Holy Empire resisted with their divine barriers, but they couldn¡¯t withstand the high-level magic fueled by dragon hearts. [I didn¡¯t get to witness the complete destruction myself. Thor¡¯s elite Valkyries pursued me, and I was about to self-destruct before they could capture me. But then, out of nowhere, the Smiling Devil appeared and sealed me inside this gem.] ¡°You saw him?¡± [No. He just said, ¡®This should be fun,¡¯ and sealed me.] What the hell is that guy¡¯s deal? While inside the A-rank dungeon, I briefly explained everything that had happened so far to Drakia. [So, the Lord of Chaos will descend no matter what in 2030?] ¡°Yes.¡± [Not much time left, then.] That¡¯s for sure. [But at least Hercules thinks highly of you. Shortening your path to A-rank is a huge advantage. And if your soul-related class upgrades again, other factions will value you even more.] ¡°Is that so?¡± [Even as a Soul Mediator, you already possess impressive abilities. If you go beyond that, Olympus and Asgard will both be desperate to recruit you.] That makes sense. As my level and rank rise, SP becomes the key resource. And since I have skills that generate SP efficiently, my value skyrockets. If a normal awakened one encountered the enemy Lord of Chaos, they would¡¯ve tried everything to take them down. But instead, the gods of Asgard ordered that I be treated well. Considering that, maybe I can afford to be a little reckless. [So, what do you plan to do now? Will you crush Olympus and Asgard¡¯s schemes as Hercules suggested? Or will you cooperate with them to create a new god?] There are multiple choices. I could hinder Zeus and Odin¡¯s time reversal or take sides with either of them. But I don¡¯t really want to side with them. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] I just can¡¯t trust them. ¡°Well, for now, I¡¯ll focus on getting stronger and watching how things unfold. I¡¯m too weak at the divine level right now¡ªI died from a single attack by a Substitute.¡± [Haha. Yes, at the very least, you need to reach godhood to survive.] ¡°But honestly, I don¡¯t like Olympus or Asgard that much. They¡¯ve already wronged me, and if they become creators, they¡¯ll probably wipe Earth clean.¡± [Then¡­ should I interfere a little?] ¡°Interfere?¡± [No, just give me a little SP support.] With that, Drakia asked for 100,000 SP. Now that my income had increased, I opened the trade window without hesitation and threw it in. Then, light leaked out from the gem, and a small dragon, about the size of my body, appeared in a semi-transparent form. Drakia stared at the gem for a moment before breathing fire. The gem burned pitch black, and a shrill scream rang out. Seeing that, he smirked. [Did you think I wouldn¡¯t notice that you hid the ¡®Eye of the Demon¡¯?] Was it something hidden by the ¡®Smiling Demon¡¯? Of course, they wouldn¡¯t just let it go easily. Then, Drakia breathed fire once more. The pitch-black gem returned to a red glow and sparkled. [Now, I can reside normally. Tell me, how much is my awakening percentage?] ¡°It¡¯s at 6% now.¡± [Until I recover to at least 20%, I¡¯ll have to stay in the dungeon.] ¡°What do you plan to do then?¡± [Once I recover my strength, I will go to Kevrian.] The dragon raised its transparent arm and drew lines across the ground. [Olympus and Asgard¡¯s main source of income is the SP that comes from Earth. Additionally, as extra income, they are taking over divine seats on five planets and extracting SP from them.] ¡°That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t this something they split in half with the forces of Chaos?¡± [Indeed. By the way, what is my SP income from soul mediation looking like right now?] At his words, I checked the soul mediation window. Drakia¡¯s SP earnings had slightly decreased. He used to earn 6,000 to 7,000, but now it was around 5,000. If the soul mediation level increased from 6 to 7, his earnings should have increased since a higher skill level expands the mediation range. But despite the level-up, the earnings had actually decreased, meaning the overall income had dropped significantly. ¡°It¡¯s gone down quite a bit.¡± [SP from the planet Kalvine has almost completely disappeared. Since it''s on the verge of total destruction, there¡¯s no one left to send SP. However, Kevrian is still in relatively good shape. You mentioned that entry there is restricted, correct?] ¡°Yes.¡± [Why is entry restricted?] ¡°Good question. What is the defeated Elprian up to? She¡¯s still steadily sending SP through soul mediation.¡± [If Elprian had been quietly handling SP mediation, Kevrian would have reopened. But considering the broken world still hasn¡¯t been restored, there must be some kind of problem.] Could that be the case? Elprian had all her limbs severed and was basically a clay doll. Could she still be up to something in that state? Well, if she¡¯s been gathering SP, she might have recovered her strength somehow... The soul mediation contract with Elprian was made quite early on, so she should have accumulated a decent amount of SP. If a divine-level being decides to escape, it¡¯s notoriously difficult to catch them, as proven by the Dragon God. The Dragon God rampaged on Kalvine, but Elprian doesn¡¯t seem like the type to cause an obvious disturbance. Could she be scheming something, which is why Kevrian hasn¡¯t been reopened? [Elprian is a very cunning woman. In the struggle for dominance over Kevrian, I fell for her devious tricks more than once. She must be up to something again.] Is that so? She seemed kindhearted to me... Then again, I¡¯ve only seen her as a pitiful figure with her limbs severed. [This time, we¡¯ll need to cooperate with her. Once I recover my strength, I¡¯ll go with you and try to persuade her. Without your mediation, she won¡¯t cooperate with me.] ¡°How big of an enemy were you to each other?¡± [Well, I simply devoured several of her children right before her eyes. That wretched woman¡¯s screams were quite satisfying. Elven gods have an especially strong attachment to their kin.] Drakia spoke as if it was nothing. Damn, this guy is something else. Is it really okay to take him along? Won¡¯t they try to kill each other on sight? As I looked at him with skepticism, Drakia shook his head. [That was already thousands of years ago. No matter how attached she is to her bloodline, she should know how to separate personal matters from business.] ¡°Well, if you say so. First, let¡¯s get you to 20% recovery. How do you plan to do that?¡± [Can you provide SP two more times?] Twice? That¡¯s 200,000 SP... It would cost 300,000 in total. Well, that¡¯s just two days¡¯ worth. I should invest. I also need to receive the Dragon God''s awakening reward. ¡°I can do it.¡± [Thank you. After you give me the SP, hand the gem over to Drakina. I will need her flesh and blood. I¡¯ll gradually consume her in the dungeon.] You¡¯re going to eat your daughter to recover? This guy... He really doesn¡¯t have the vibe of a benevolent god. ¡°Drakina won¡¯t die, right?¡± [I have no interest in killing the golden goose. She is essential to my recovery.] Though I couldn¡¯t feel a shred of fatherly affection in his words, the way he said it made me believe he would keep Drakina alive. Rather than a daughter, she seemed more like a spare life supply. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do it that way from now on.¡± [Good. You should focus on leveling up. Reaching A-rank is crucial. I¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t interfere.] ¡°Understood.¡± I easily cleared an A-rank dungeon and handed Drakia¡¯s gem over to Drakina. Drakina looked like she was about to die for a moment but then forced a smile, saying she would gladly serve the Dragon God. Tch, just don¡¯t get eaten too much. And so, after completing my 10th A-rank dungeon¡ª I finally received the long-awaited message. [You have leveled up.] [You have reached Level 200.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 97 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 97: A-Rank Awakening, Reading the Note The condition for an A-rank Awakener: Level 200. Others might say I climbed at an incredible speed, but to me, it felt like a long journey. If it weren¡¯t for Hercules¡¯ help, it would have been difficult. After leaving the dungeon, I checked my status window messages again. [Would you like to ascend to an A-rank Awakener?] Before pressing "Yes," I opened my stats window and balanced everything evenly. Now, every time I increased my stats, it consumed 10,000 SP, but I didn''t mind. Maintaining stat balance seemed to be an important aspect of being a soul-type Awakener. I also leveled up the Soul Transaction skill, which I had rarely used until now, to level 5. Since my soul-type skills had significantly leveled up with each rank-up, I preemptively raised them as much as SP allowed. Once everything was set, I pressed "Yes." [You have ascended to A-rank Awakener.] [Class skills have been enhanced.] [Soul Mediation skill has reached LV.8.] [Soul Reaper skill has reached LV.11.] [Trait Absorption skill has reached LV.11.] [Soul Strike Enhancement skill has reached LV.11.] [Soul Energy Emission skill has reached LV.11.] [Soul Transaction skill has reached LV.6.] My skill levels surged. [A-rank Awakener, you have reached the level of a ¡®demigod.¡¯] [Your level will no longer increase.] [You can now exclude a Guardian Deity.] [The stat limit has been expanded. The limit increases based on potential and soul energy.] So my level won''t increase anymore? And I can exclude a Guardian Deity now...? When I was B-rank, the stat limit was 200, but now it seems to have expanded significantly. [The Seed of the Soul God is sprouting. SP-related efficiency has increased.] [You are a soul-type Awakener. You can only ascend to a Soul God.] [Conditions for reaching divinity have been set.] All attributes must be above 1,000. Obtain the Qualification of Divinity. God-Slaying. Earn 1,000,000 SP per day. 1,000? Even though the level limit is gone, the requirements are insane. I¡¯ll likely obtain the Qualification of Divinity by awakening the Dragon God, and earning 1,000,000 SP per day should be doable by leveling up Soul Mediation. But I have no clue what "God-Slaying" entails. Hmm¡­ First, I should buy the Form Maintenance item. I opened the SP shop, where many new items were available, but I ignored them and bought all the Form Maintenance items. The price was high, but the SP I gathered from clearing A-rank dungeons ten times was enough to cover it. Now, my SP balance was practically zero. [S-rank skill ¡®Heimdall¡¯s Return¡¯ has been unsealed.] As soon as I opened my skill window, this message appeared. I can use Heimdall¡¯s Return again. I should set a return point here. "Settings complete..." I had worked so hard to reach A-rank, but now that I achieved it, I felt strangely empty. What now? I felt lost. I left the dungeon, reached the mountain summit, and found another A-rank dungeon had appeared. But now, I had no reason to enter for experience. I could still farm SP through soul absorption, but... I should take a break for today. Hit by a wave of emptiness, I returned to Earth. Back home, I sprawled out on my king-sized bed. As I browsed through my system windows, I saw that my level was maxed out. My title remained "Pioneer of Earth ¨C Legendary Grade." But now that I was at the demigod level, wouldn¡¯t this title be invalid? Normally, it should have been replaced with "Pioneer of Earth ¨C Demigod Grade" by now¡­ so why hasn¡¯t it? Did I miss the message? "...Huh? It¡¯s really not there." I checked the title window. There were other titles, but no "Pioneer of Earth ¨C Demigod." Why not? Could someone else have reached the demigod level before me? Is that even possible? Feeling uneasy, I opened the Soul Mediation window. Since reaching A-rank, the Seed of the Soul God had sprouted, and my SP efficiency had improved significantly. I also gained an additional slot. Now that I was A-rank, could I add another planet? Let¡¯s try adding Kevrian. "Oh, it works." Thankfully, Kevrian was added. Now, I could mediate between Earth, Kevrian, and Eshtar¡ªthree planets in total. [When Soul Mediation reaches level 10, you can add one more planet.] Level 10, huh? I checked the skill upgrade cost. It now required 50 million SP. Sigh¡­ 50 million... At least the cost increase was slowing down. It used to multiply by 5, but now it only doubled from 12.5 million to 25 million, then to 50 million. After roughly assessing my skills, I lay back down. Should I push towards S-rank by clearing A-rank dungeons? Does that mean I¡¯ll become a god? Becoming a god didn¡¯t feel real yet... Come to think of it, now that I''m A-rank, can I summon Diana? Hmm, should I try summoning her after so long? "Inventory." I opened my inventory and was about to access the Seal of Elprian when I noticed a memo left by my future self, Kim Jiho. Didn¡¯t he say I could read this once I reached A-rank? As I took out the memo, the text became visible. [Respect to myself for making it this far. Becoming a demigod¡ªthis would have been impossible if I had started from level 1¡­] Well, I had plenty of help along the way. [No one else must see what follows. Enter a dungeon and burn this paper.] Enter a dungeon? I had just left Eshtar, and now I had to go back in? As I approached the association to re-enter Eshtar, the Valkyrie in charge looked troubled. "Um¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯ve reached A-rank, correct?" "Yes, that¡¯s right." "Then you are not allowed to enter." "What?" "A-rank Awakeners and above can only enter Phase 2 of the Broken World." "Wait, seriously?" "Yes, it¡¯s an agreement between us and the Chaos faction¡­ Demigod-level individuals cannot enter." What the hell. I should¡¯ve stayed inside longer. "Does that mean I can never enter again?" "I will ask Lady Aria, but it won¡¯t be possible today." The Valkyrie bowed apologetically. Damn, this is unexpected. Oh, right. Earlier, I set a return point at the mountain summit with Heimdall¡¯s Return. If interplanetary travel is possible, I should be able to use that skill to enter. "Alright. Then, I''ll head home for today." After leaving the association building, I returned home. I should set a return point at home as well. As soon as I set the return point and used Heimdall''s Return, a list appeared. When I selected the summit of Ishtar¡¯s Mountain, a "Return Possible" message popped up, and my entire body started turning into light. "You''ve become a demigod? How did you come back?" As I returned to the mountain summit, I found Hercules waiting, a sword embedded in his torso. The moment he saw me, he asked if I had become a demigod. "Yeah, but isn''t there a rule that A-rank beings can''t enter the Broken World?" "Yeah, that''s part of the agreement. I was going to tell you, but you returned in a hurry." "What kind of rule is that?" "If you''re a demigod, you can enter and exit this world as a god¡¯s avatar. The Smiling Devil found that troublesome and suggested we just focus on earning SP instead, so that agreement was made." Hercules spoke as if it were nothing. Then, looking at me, he asked, "So, what¡¯s your plan?" "Not sure. Is it really this hard to reach S-rank? They want me to kill a god." "Kill a god? You got that as a condition? I''ve never heard of a demigod receiving such a requirement." Hercules looked intrigued. "You didn''t get a god-slaying condition?" "No. Gods, by nature, are immortal. At best, they can be sealed." He tapped the sword embedded in his chest. "My wife betrayed me, and I was attacked by all of Olympus, but I survived by throwing myself into chaos. Since there was no way to kill me, they tried to seal me, but I escaped." "So, sealing is the best option once you become a god?" "Yeah. But there¡¯s an exception. You can either wipe out the planet that serves as the god''s foundation, or¡­" Hercules clenched his fist. A pure white flame surged from his hand. This is¡­ Soul Emission? "Even gods will perish if you burn up all their SP. It requires a massive amount, though." "Soul Emission can even kill a god?" So it turns out this is an insanely powerful attack skill? It consumes SP and can¡¯t even absorb SP, making it inefficient, but its power is incredible. "Yeah. Judging by your quest, it seems like that''s what you need to do. But even if Soul Emission is strong, a god is still a god. It won¡¯t be easy¡­" Then, Hercules grinned. "Looks like the system is trying to recruit you to our side. Do you really think you can take down the Lord of Chaos by staying on their side? At best, you could eliminate an S-rank minor god." "Ugh¡­" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Is this really the will of the system? The Lord of Chaos is an SSS-rank deity. There¡¯s no way they expect me to eliminate a deity with this. "Since things have come to this, why not join us? I can throw you a minor god." "You have one?" "Well, if we push hard enough, we can find a way. If we fully bring the Soul God to our side, it won''t be a loss." "I¡¯ll think about it." "Tch, acting all high and mighty¡­" Hercules clicked his tongue and started to disappear. His body turned to dust from his feet upward. Then, just as only his upper body remained, he asked, "I''m leaving now. What about the dungeon?" "Keep summoning it for now." "Alright, then. Think carefully¡­ about what it means to be given god-slaying powers." Hercules completely vanished. I pondered the meaning of the god-slaying condition but decided to check the note in the dungeon first. After all, the reason I got this far was thanks to the strategy guide and notes sent by the future Kim Jiho. I needed to figure out exactly what was written. As soon as I entered the dungeon, I stepped onto an icy surface. Beyond it, I saw three ice towers leaning like the Tower of Pisa. The distance was quite far, so it didn¡¯t seem like they would attack right away. "Let¡¯s check the note first¡­" I took out the note from my inventory. Just like before, it only had a message telling me to burn it. Since I was already in the dungeon, I set it on fire immediately. Whoosh. Despite the flames, the note didn¡¯t burn. Instead, it emitted a lemon-colored light and floated into the air. Then, a firm female voice suddenly spoke. [Demigod confirmed.] [Earthling confirmed.] [Please exclude the guardian deity.] Exclude the guardian deity? Why all of a sudden? I hesitated, and the voice spoke again. [Please exclude the guardian deity. Entry is impossible with a guardian deity present.] Hmm¡­ Loki and Hermes¡ªthey were troublesome guardian deities anyway. I had been planning to deal with them at some point. Maybe now was a good time. When I opened my status window, I found that I could now click on the guardian deity option. Before excluding them, I noticed my bonus stats. Would they disappear if I removed my guardian deity? Just in case, I distributed them first. Order faction bonus stats: +160. Neutral faction bonus stats: +134. I evenly distributed everything. Then, when I excluded the guardian deity, a message appeared: [You have reached the realm of a demigod, deactivating the guardian deity slot.] My guardian deity slot disappeared from the status window. [Name - Kim Jiho Class - Soul Mediator Title - Earth''s Number One Level - 200 (MAX) Strength - 253 Agility - 253 Magic - 254 SP - 11120] [Name - Kim Jiho Class - Soul Reaper Title - Earth¡¯s Pioneer - Legendary Grade (Unavailable) Level - 200 Body - S Magic - S Technique - S Luck - S S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. SP - 84] The status window looked much cleaner now. Without a guardian deity, I felt freer. Anyway, now that I had excluded them, I should be able to proceed. Vrrrrr¡­ The golden note emitted a bright light and scanned me from head to toe. [Guardian deity exclusion confirmed.] [Detected a soul-type class. Conducting a precision scan¡­] The light intensified, completely engulfing me. Since there was no hostility, I let it happen, and soon, the light subsided. [Your wave frequency matches the participant of Project ¡®Soul Awakener.¡¯] [No surveillance authority detected.] [Opening the gate.] The flames consuming the note expanded dramatically. The ice beneath my feet melted away, leaving no footing. I used a command spell: "Rise." As I floated in place, the flames rapidly spread, incinerating the distant ice towers. Strangely, the fire didn¡¯t come near me, nor was it hot. As I watched the flames consume the world, they suddenly stopped. Then, where the note had been, a portal suddenly opened¡ªglowing purple. Purple means¡­ According to the color spectrum order, this must be an S-rank portal. [Please enter.] With that final message, the note burned to ash. Only the purple portal remained. I stepped inside. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 98 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 98: An Unexpected Reunion (1) A darkness so deep I couldn¡¯t see even an inch ahead. "Light." I tried casting a spell, but my mana moved slightly before stopping altogether, making it impossible to manifest the magic. My mana isn¡¯t moving¡­ What¡¯s going on? [The flow of mana is halted in this space.] The same voice I heard earlier spoke again. Even with my Dragon Heart, I can¡¯t manifest magic¡­ Is this a trap? Did I walk in too unprepared? Well, if things go south, I can just use Return. That¡¯s a divine skill, so it shouldn¡¯t rely on mana flow, right? Athena¡¯s Aegis Shield is still circling around me just fine. [Please continue walking forward.] I stayed alert, but I couldn¡¯t sense anything unusual. For now, I decided to follow the voice¡¯s instructions and moved forward. After walking through the darkness for about ten minutes, a faint light gradually appeared. And then, I saw it¡ªa massive round table. In this dark space, only the round table emitted a weak glow. There were two chairs at the table¡ªone on my side and one across from it. "Welcome, Soul Awakener." A person wearing a white mask sat across from me. Their long, neatly kept black hair draped down, and the skin visible around their mouth was of a deep tone. That mask¡­ It looks familiar. Now that I think about it, it resembles the Phantom of the Opera mask. From the voice, I could tell it was a woman. She wore a black suit, dressed like a man. "So the Soul Awakener Project actually succeeded¡­ With the state of the surface, I had my doubts, but I never expected an actual Soul Awakener to emerge." "Who are you? And what is this letter?" "I am an incarnation of the ''Forgotten God.''" "The Forgotten God?" "Yes, the Forgotten God is¡ª" "Christianity? Buddhism? Are we talking about something like that?" The masked woman abruptly closed her mouth. After a brief silence, she spoke again. "¡­So you knew." Her voice carried a hint of disappointment. Was she planning to surprise me with a dramatic reveal? "I just happened to find out." "May I ask how you learned about it?" I told her I learned about it when I met the Light Dragon Arkardian in the Broken World. She nodded in understanding. "I see¡­ A Light Dragon that has been to Earth¡­ That¡¯s valuable information. Thank you." "Then, could you answer my questions? What is this letter? And what exactly is the Soul Awakener Project?" Instead of answering, she threw another question at me. "What is the largest religion on Earth?" That¡¯s obvious¡­ "Christianity, isn¡¯t it?" "That¡¯s right. And who is the god they believe in?" "God." "Correct. Though the denominations differ, no deity has held a stronger position as the absolute god. Christianity, Catholicism, and even Islam¡­ In the end, they all revered a single divine being." I nodded, and she continued speaking. "The more believers a god has, the more SP they receive. And Earth, with its exponentially growing population, accumulated a massive amount of SP." "SP is involved in everything, huh¡­ So what happened next?" "With the vast amount of SP accumulated, ''God'' gained the opportunity to ascend." Ascend? Ah, so He already achieved what Zeus and Odin are aiming for¡ªbecoming the ''Creator of the Solar System.'' Someone already got there first. "Did God ascend as a Creator? But then why is the world in this state?" "He did not choose the Solar System. Since this world was already complete to a certain extent, He decided to create a new one. He left to build a perfect paradise." "Ah¡­ Is that so?" So He leveled up in SSS-rank and just left for another world? "Then what happens to the people left on Earth? Will they forget about their god?" "No, Earth continued to be managed and even expanded. However, since the base was moved to an entirely different realm, He could no longer exert direct influence here. Olympus and Asgard took advantage of that power vacuum." I could see her biting her lip beneath her mask. "The two worlds launched an all-out attack, sealing away the remaining deities of Earth." That doesn¡¯t make sense. Even if Christianity faded, Buddhism still has a huge number of followers, and Hinduism claims to have over a billion gods. Olympus and Asgard? Sure, in ancient times, maybe, but barely anyone genuinely worships them nowadays. "Wouldn¡¯t Earth¡¯s deities still outnumber them significantly? How did they get overwhelmed so quickly?" "That is our greatest mystery. They were hiding an unimaginable amount of power. The deities of Earth were sealed away almost instantly." Gods are inherently immortal, so sealing was the only option, huh? I suppose even the Olympus-Asgard alliance couldn¡¯t outright kill them. But then, what are they? If they were sealed, how are they here as incarnations? "Then what are you? If you were sealed, how do you have an incarnation?" "Are you aware that they can turn back time?" "Yes, they reset all of Earth." "Reversing time for an entire world is a great miracle. The time gods of Olympus and Asgard alone cannot achieve it. They exploit the power of a sealed deity with time-related authority. That¡¯s why there were cracks in the seals." "Ah¡­" "Through those cracks, a deity was able to form an avatar. But because we had to focus on avoiding detection, our incarnations are only at the A-rank demigod level¡­ However, now that you have succeeded, everything will change." I sat down heavily in one of the chairs at the round table. An avatar of a sealed deity¡­ Right now, they¡¯re just A-rank, but if the seals are broken, they¡¯ll regain their SSS-rank power? If I cooperate with them, can I stop Earth from endlessly looping in time? There¡¯s finally hope for the road ahead. "How many avatars are there?" "I do not yet know the exact number. More are emerging as we speak." "I see." "But at this rate, we will only be able to keep up with their time resets. We will have no means to gather SP. That is why we had no choice but to attempt the Soul Awakener Project, despite its low success rate. We selected 101 individuals and placed our hopes in them. I thought they had all failed, but¡­" The masked woman looked at me intently. So I¡¯m the only one who succeeded. The Soul Awakener Project¡­ In the end, it was also about SP collection. Everything ties back to SP. "Why was I chosen?" "After reviewing the records, I found that you were not originally chosen. However, at that time, you were carrying a fragment of Chronos. Because of that, you could reverse time without us needing to expend power. Since we had nothing to lose, we decided to reach out to you." I remembered the guidebook mentioning that I should obtain Chronos¡¯s fragment. Because I had it, this avatar group didn¡¯t have to waste resources on my time reversal. She continued speaking in a calm tone. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "You willingly aligned yourself with our cause. So we implanted the necessary knowledge for your soul-based awakening and adjusted your memories to make the transition easier. We also prepared all the necessary items for you." So all the gifts I received from the future¡ªincluding my two status windows¡ªwere arranged by them? That¡¯s strange. I thought Aurelia and Loki were the ones who gave them to me¡­ "What is Loki¡¯s connection to you?" "Loki? You mean the Asgardian Loki? He is our greatest enemy." The masked woman, who didn¡¯t understand why such a question was asked. What, she doesn¡¯t know? Oh, wait¡­ "Does Aurelia know?" "She knows. She was one of our collaborators... She also played a big role in the Soul Awakener Project." Oh dear, these people. They¡¯ve been duped. "Aurelia is Loki." "What?! What do you mean?!" The masked woman stood up abruptly. She looks like she can¡¯t believe it. "Aurelia is Loki? That doesn''t make sense¡­" "She transformed herself. You all have been deceived, haven¡¯t you?" "No¡­ that can¡¯t be¡­" I then told her what had happened to me. Olympus trying to turn me into an angel. Then Hermes came out to stop it, and he told Aurelia to transform too. So, Aurelia revealed her identity as Loki. The masked woman trembled, biting her nails. She first appeared like a hidden mastermind, and now, what''s with this attitude? Are these people even useful? "It can''t be¡­ But if that¡¯s true¡­ Is that why the project failed¡­? Everyone fell into Loki¡¯s hands¡­" "I don''t think so. I saw them try to make more Soul Awakener by resetting time for all of humanity." "Is that so? There¡¯s nothing to worry about? Phew, that¡¯s a relief." The masked woman sighed in relief. Then, she changed her attitude and spoke to me. "I''ll handle the Loki problem. By the way, have your memories returned?" Memories? Is she talking about Kim Jiho from the neutral faction who sent me a gift? The one who played with Diana in Kevrian? Now that I think about it, it¡¯s a bit strange. If it¡¯s from the time travel reset, doesn¡¯t that mean the future Kim Jiho and I are the same person? But I don¡¯t seem to have any returned memories. "Memories? No." "It seems the seal on your memories hasn¡¯t been lifted. May I use my power?" "It won¡¯t harm me, right?" "If it does, the form maintenance will protect you." The form maintenance really is the best. I agreed to her suggestion. Then, the chair I was sitting on and the round table started shining bright white. The light started pulling me in. I felt refreshed. It feels good. My mind had been complicated, but now it felt like everything was cleared away. Hmm. I feel good. Very good. "Are you back?" "No. I just feel refreshed." "Uh¡­ that¡¯s strange. Let me try again." Another flash of light. My head feels cool. But did the seal on my memories break? That didn¡¯t happen. I¡¯m just me. I stared blankly at the masked woman, and she flinched. Though her face was hidden by the mask, her surprise was clear. "This can¡¯t be¡­ What¡¯s going on?" "Why are you asking me? Well¡­" sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "This is impossible¡­" She started biting her nails again. Why is she so clueless? I really don¡¯t trust these avatars. I was considering supporting their vision if I liked it, but I got tricked by Loki, and now this masked woman seems like an amateur too. Should I really team up with them? At that moment, someone appeared in the chair next to her, wearing the same white mask. A tall, thin man with a sports-style haircut and a black suit, his presence was far more intense than the masked woman¡¯s. "¡­Michael." "Still unable to handle unexpected situations, huh?" "Ugh, didn¡¯t you hear? Aurelia is Loki. And he doesn¡¯t even have his memories." "Think about the time he joined our project. Wasn¡¯t it last November? This year it¡¯s June. He¡¯s been through over 200 resets. His memories might have been worn down after so many cycles." Is that so? It¡¯s been seven months, so maybe. I really don¡¯t seem to have any traces of it in my head¡­ "His memories aren¡¯t important. What matters is that he became a Soul Awakener and came to us on his own." "That¡¯s true, but¡­" "It seems persuasion isn¡¯t your strong suit. Even though you were chosen as the avatar of Avalokiteshvara¡­ Tsk. You¡¯re lacking, very lacking." Huh, the Avalokiteshvara of Buddhism? That woman? I¡¯m not very familiar with Buddhism, but I know the mantra "Namo Amitabha Avalokiteshvara." So, she must be a high-level deity. But her avatar¡­ isn¡¯t in great shape. "Is she really the incarnation of Avalokiteshvara?" "Yes." "Then why does she seem¡­" "She was chosen from the deeply devout humans, so there''s nothing we can do. Even if she''s a little lacking, you¡¯ll have to understand, Jiho." It seems she¡¯s not directly the incarnation. But what¡¯s with this guy? Why is he speaking so casually? And, "Jiho"? When did we become so familiar? "When did I ever¡­?" "Hmm¡­ That¡¯s right, I was wearing a mask. I shouldn¡¯t be mocking the Avalokiteshvara avatar either." He took his hand to his mask. But something about his silhouette and vibe seemed familiar. Where have I seen this before? "Do you recognize me now?" "No¡­" I¡¯ve seen this middle-aged face somewhere before. It looks a bit smoother and younger than in my memory, but it¡¯s mostly the same. Wait, how is he here? "Father¡­?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 99 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 99: An Unexpected Reunion (2) I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes, so I rubbed them. It was my father¡¯s face. No, why is my father here? As I sprang to my feet, my father gestured for me to sit back down. ¡°Are you really my father?¡± ¡°In spirit, yes¡­ but it¡¯s complicated. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m entirely Kim Sejun.¡± With a wry smile, my father snapped his fingers, and wings of light emerged from his back. What the¡ªan angel? Now that I think about it, I recall someone mentioning ¡®Michael¡¯... ¡°I was appointed as an avatar by the great Michael, who was almost sealed away by Olympus. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t say I¡¯m completely Kim Sejun anymore.¡± ¡°Michael¡­ as in the archangel?¡± I wasn¡¯t well-versed in religion, but I knew about him from games. ¡°Yes, but when God ascended to the throne of the Absolute, Lord Michael also rose to the rank of a Supreme Deity. That¡¯s how he was able to appoint me as his avatar.¡± ¡°But, Dad, I don¡¯t remember you being that religious¡­¡± ¡°You just didn¡¯t know. After your mother ran away and you caused me trouble, I turned to God.¡± Wait, really? I don¡¯t remember causing trouble, though¡­ I scratched my head. ¡°So that¡¯s why Heimdall couldn¡¯t find you?¡± ¡°Heimdall? You mean the guardian of Asgard? I don¡¯t know how he tried to track me, but it would¡¯ve been difficult using only my previous records. I am now completely Lord Michael¡¯s avatar.¡± I see. But he¡¯s still my father¡­ right? Not just in appearance¡­ ¡°You remember my birthday, right?¡± ¡°November 27th. You little brat, testing your father like this? I even remember when you pooped your pants in third grade.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I mean, that was when I was a kid.¡± ¡°Should I also remind you about when you watched adult videos in middle school?¡± ¡°Oh, come on! Can we not talk about that in public?!¡± Wow, my face is burning. So embarrassing. At least he still has his memories. ¡°You started it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too much, Dad. But really, I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re alive.¡± I had read in strategy guides that my father might still be alive, so I had high hopes¡­ But even Heimdall couldn¡¯t find him, so I was half-convinced he was gone. Now, seeing him alive and well, even as an avatar, made me happy. My father smiled but then looked at me seriously. ¡°Jiho, we are trying to restore Earth to its original state. To do that, we need your power.¡± ¡°How exactly do you need it?¡± ¡°First, we need to break the seal using SP support.¡± The seal placed by Olympus? ¡°Is it possible to break the seal just with SP support?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you know what your class is?¡± ¡°I have both Soul Mediator and Soul Reaper.¡± ¡°Soul Mediator¡­?¡± My father seemed unfamiliar with the concept. Maybe because it was created by Olympus? After I explained it to him, he became ecstatic. ¡°They actually made something this powerful? Our plan can move forward even faster now!¡± ¡°What plan?¡± ¡°Can you cooperate with us? I need your confirmation.¡± So he won¡¯t tell me until I say yes¡­ That stung a little. But I quickly understood. Even though he was my father, and even though he was Michael¡¯s avatar, I couldn¡¯t immediately decide to cooperate. Compared to Olympus, Asgard, and Chaos, he was more trustworthy, but I still had to be cautious. Especially since I had already been betrayed by Loki¡¯s group once. Who knew if there were spies? ¡°I¡¯d also like some confirmation. If I join you, will I get answers about the current situation?¡± ¡°Yes. I hope you¡¯ll trust me.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the method?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± My father hesitated. Another secret? But I need to know how we¡¯ll fix this situation before making a decision. ¡°I have a connection with Hercules. Chaos also told me to trust them. But if I don¡¯t get at least a rough idea of your plan, I can¡¯t just blindly believe you.¡± ¡°Hercules? You mean Olympus¡¯s sword? And what does Chaos have to do with anything?¡± So Hercules was originally Olympus¡¯s sword. The fact that my father knew this made him seem unfamiliar to me. ¡°He¡¯s now the Lord of Chaos.¡± ¡°The Lord of Chaos, not part of Olympus?¡± My father asked in surprise. Ah¡­ he really has no information about this, huh? ¡°Yes, he was betrayed by Olympus.¡± ¡°No wonder they haven¡¯t tried to eliminate him. So Olympus lost their sword¡­¡± ¡°Because of Spirit Emission?¡± Spirit Emission made it possible to kill gods, so they must have used him like a death-row executioner. When I mentioned Emission Burst, my father¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You know a lot¡­¡± ¡°Soul Mediator is highly sought after by many factions.¡± My father nodded. But he still didn¡¯t tell me the method. Instead, he changed the subject. ¡°So you¡¯re an awakened soul¡­ By the way, what exactly does Soul Mediator do?¡± I guess he wasn¡¯t ready to share their plan. Well, I get it¡ªit feels like some kind of secret society. I might as well answer his question. ¡°It¡¯s a skill that increases the amount of SP the deities can receive.¡± sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°There¡¯s a skill like that¡­? Can you explain how it works?¡± He asked carefully. Information about Soul Mediator was widely known to Olympus, Asgard, and Chaos anyway, so there was no harm in sharing it. When I detailed its abilities and percentage values, my father and the Avatar of Avalokiteshvara both gaped in astonishment. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ an absurdly powerful skill.¡± ¡°It¡¯s revolutionary.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why so many factions are trying to recruit me. What do you have to offer?¡± I wasn¡¯t fully committed yet, so I had to negotiate first. ¡°Jiho! This is about saving Earth! How can you think of this as a transaction?¡± ¡°Well, I was already tricked by Loki once, and I¡¯m still just an A-rank. I can¡¯t trust any side completely¡­ I can¡¯t work for free.¡± I shrugged, and my father chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re right. Even between father and son, SP should be handled properly.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯d love to help you out, Dad, but there¡¯s no room left.¡± ¡°No room?¡± ¡°Yes, Soul Mediator requires an available slot, but Olympus and Asgard already took them. I can¡¯t just remove them easily.¡± My father nodded in understanding and asked, [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Is Soul Mediation a skill? Or is it part of a larger system?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a skill. It can even be upgraded. But to upgrade it now, I need 50 million SP.¡± ¡°50 million SP¡­? With 100 million SP, you could unseal a Supreme Deity¡­¡± Avalokiteshvara spoke as if exhausted. "100 million is enough? It''s expensive, but considering it''s a god-tier seal, it actually seems cheap." "If it''s just a skill, that''s fortunate. We can help with that." "Huh? How?" "We can expand your limits. That level of skill modification is possible." Skill modification is possible? But how could sealed gods have such power? "There is a divine artifact. If we expand your capacity, will you use it solely for our benefit?" "Of course." "We¡¯d like to set the commission at a fixed 20%." Did I explain the skill too clearly? Maybe I shouldn''t have mentioned the commission adjustment. But since it¡¯s a request from my father, I have to comply. "Hmm... Since it''s for my father, I¡¯ll agree to it." "Hahaha, thank you. I raised a good son. Now, let¡¯s gather Skill Stones." With that, my father looked at the masked Avalokiteshvara. She shook her head. "Skill Stones¡­ Let¡¯s have Michael check them first. We can¡¯t carelessly use SS-rank treasures." "How stingy. Avalokiteshvara had such a broad mind, but her avatar is like this?" "No way!" "Alright, alright." As my father raised his hand, a green light gathered and a green gemstone fell. The gem landed in my father''s hand. "This is a Skill Stone. A divine artifact that upgrades skills." "Skill upgrade¡­?" "It¡¯s different from leveling up. It increases a skill¡¯s efficiency. Expanding your skill¡¯s targets should be possible." With trembling hands, I grasped the Skill Stone. Then, a message window appeared. [Would you like to use the Skill Stone?] I pressed "Yes," and another message appeared. [Please select a skill.] I chose "Soul Mediation," and the Skill Stone in my hand slowly disappeared. Then, another selection appeared. [Your Soul Mediation skill has been upgraded.] [Please select an upgrade option.] [Increase Skill Efficiency] [Increase Skill Targets] [Reduce Skill Upgrade Costs] The other two options were tempting, but I chose to increase the skill''s targets. Another message appeared immediately. [Soul Mediation target capacity has increased by 10 slots.] Wow, that''s powerful. Ten slots? Normally, I¡¯d have to raise the skill level by ten to achieve this. "Is it possible now?" "Yes, it is." I designated Michael as the Soul Mediation target. After completing the contract and adjusting the commission, the mediation was finalized. "Is the contract complete?" "Yes." "Then let''s check the effects." "It¡¯ll take at least a day to see the effects." "That¡¯s not a problem." As my father tapped his fingers on the round table, a strong light emanated from it. The light engulfed the entire space and then vanished with a flash. "Oh, this is an incredible amount of SP." At his words, I checked my SP. It had increased by almost a million. "What did you do?" "I accelerated time. Four days have passed in Earth''s time." "Wow, that''s amazing." "This power of mine has been useless ever since the SP income dried up, but it turns out to be quite handy." A power to accelerate time? That¡¯s incredible. Originally, my income was 150,000, but with Kevrian and my father helping, along with the increased efficiency from the SP skill, it had skyrocketed to 250,000. "How many options appeared when you used the Skill Stone?" "Three." "Hmm. That means you can use two more. Avalokiteshvara, we need more Skill Stones." "Hmm..." The masked woman hesitated before whispering to my father. "How much have you earned?" I could hear her clearly, so I didn¡¯t understand why she was whispering. "200,000." "200,000?! In just four days?" Avalokiteshvara was shocked. She looked back and forth between my father and me, then spoke suspiciously. "You¡¯re not tricking me just because you''re father and son, right?" "What nonsense! I am the chosen avatar of Michael. If I were to accuse you in the same way, how would you take it? To us, the will of the gods is paramount!" My father burst out angrily, and Avalokiteshvara immediately bowed her head. "Ah¡­ Yes. I misspoke." "Soul Mediation is extremely efficient. With Skill Stones, the unsealing process will be even faster." "That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll support you. However, since Skill Stones are extremely valuable, it won''t be enough to only support me. You should also support one Buddhist deity." "I agree. I¡¯d also like Gabriel to be supported." So they¡¯re each selecting two deities from Buddhism and Christianity? That works for me. I still have nine slots left, so even if I support two from each, I¡¯ll have six slots remaining. "Understood. Just tell me who." "Alright, then we just need one more Skill Stone..." "I don¡¯t have one." "Neither do I. We¡¯ll have to ask the others." As they continued talking, Avalokiteshvara handed me a gemstone identical to the one my father had summoned. As I grasped the Skill Stone again, the upgrade options had decreased to two. [Increase Skill Efficiency] [Reduce Skill Upgrade Costs] I need to maximize my earnings. Efficiency it is. After choosing efficiency, Avalokiteshvara immediately pressed me. "If you used the Skill Stone, hurry and mediate me." "Yes, yes." I selected Avalokiteshvara for Soul Mediation. While at it, I also selected Gabriel. "Which other Buddhist deity should I support?" "Will SP flow to a sealed god through Soul Mediation?" "When I mediated deities sealed in other worlds instead of Olympus or Asgard, they still received SP." "Perfect. We need a warrior. Support Asura." "Asura?" "Yes, once he breaks his seal, he can defeat Pollux, who guards the god-sealing site." "Pollux?" "Yes¡­ The son of Zeus. A lower deity, but incredibly powerful. We need a god of battle to subdue him." Pollux. My former guardian deity. The one who granted me infinite stamina... was guarding the sealing site? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 100 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 100: Forming an Alliance "Pollux was my guardian deity. So Hermes said he was punishing him, but he was actually sealed away?" "Punishment?" When I explained the situation with Pollux, who had tried to turn me into an angel, my father nodded. "He is an exceptional warrior, even among the gods. Olympus wouldn''t punish him. They must have sent him to guard the seal because of what happened with you." My father sighed deeply. "So that¡¯s why he was watching over the seal so fiercely. We need to free more deities, but because of him, that was impossible. It seems they haven¡¯t noticed our existence yet, but..." "I thought he was just a playboy. Do we really need a war god?" At that, the avatar of Avalokiteshvara spoke up. "Yes, he is the son of Zeus and was immortal even when he was a demigod. He is famous for his skill in hand-to-hand combat. With his inexhaustible stamina, he overwhelms his enemies. Among goddesses, he was nearly as strong as a high deity, making him a very difficult opponent." So his specialty is punching, but the skill I got from him is infinite stamina? Wouldn¡¯t a boxing-related skill have made more sense? Well, I¡¯ve put that endless stamina to good use, so I can''t complain too much... "Then, I will act as an intermediary for Asura." "Yes, please do." After mediating with Asura, the number of vacant slots in the intermediary system dropped to six. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This means I can expect more daily income. Once things were roughly settled, I asked my father something I had been curious about. "By the way, Father." "Hm?" "You said earlier that no one has noticed your existence yet, but Loki knows, doesn''t he?" "Are you sure Aurelia is really Loki?" When I firmly confirmed it, my father frowned. "Strange. We worked with him a long time ago, but back then, our power was extremely weak. He could have easily subdued us in one move." "I have no idea what that guy is thinking... Oh, but now that I think about it, something happened when I was about to become an angel." Pollux had summoned me and then detonated holy spirits around me. [A saint¡¯s soul that remembers forgotten gods. They are incredibly devout to gods of order. Your rank will increase, and your soul will become as devout as theirs. You might even want to convert into an angel...] That¡¯s what Pollux told me as holy spirits exploded around me. The souls of devout followers... Olympus had imprisoned them all in its garden. "A saint¡¯s soul that remembers forgotten gods...?" "Yes. He detonated them on me to turn me into a devout apostle of order." "This is bad...! So that''s why forming Avatars has been so difficult..." "It did seem much harder to find suitable people after the early days." There were no suitable holy spirits to turn into Avatars, which meant they couldn''t add more forces. "If this continues, we would have been doomed." "If more Avatars don¡¯t join us, we won¡¯t be able to stop them." "At least we have the soul mediator now. That¡¯s our breakthrough." "If the gods accumulate enough SP in the seal and emerge on their own, it might turn out to be a better opportunity than we initially planned." Hearing them talk made me feel uneasy. What was the original plan that they abandoned in favor of me simply mediating SP to sealed gods? I thought they had some grand strategy, but now I¡¯m not so sure. "What was the original plan?" "Well, it was a terrorist attack." "A terrorist attack?" "Yes. They have completely replaced our deities, but their system is weak and fragile. We planned to destroy it." Since Odin is currently worshiped in the churches, breaking that link would cut off their SP supply. It sounds plausible, but... "Wouldn¡¯t they just reset time and undo the damage? And wouldn¡¯t that expose our forces?" "That¡¯s why we planned to sacrifice one Avatar each time. We assumed our numbers had reached the limit since we weren¡¯t getting any new Avatars. We didn¡¯t realize they had been imprisoning the holy spirits." That¡¯s such a reckless plan... I looked at my father in disbelief, and he rubbed his nose¡ªa habit of his when he had nothing to say. That¡¯s nostalgic. "Don¡¯t look at me like that. We were in a desperate situation. But thanks to you, we have hope now. At the current rate of SP accumulation, the Archangel Michael can return as a high deity in about 100 years." "100 years?" "Yes. Since they reset time every two years on average, after 50 loops, a high deity can revive." Fifty more cycles of endless repetition? Ugh, I really don¡¯t want to go through that. "Jiho, join forces with us. With your power, we can restore Earth to its original state." "If all the gods return, can we stop them?" "It¡¯s possible. They were strangely strong, but in the end, we lost because we were taken down one by one. Now, all the gods¡ªexcept for Olympus and Asgard¡ªhave formed an alliance against them. They have set aside their past grudges and are uniting." So all the gods, except Olympus and Asgard, are forming a coalition against them... It sounds like a real possibility. Actually, given the situation, I don¡¯t see a better alternative. "If we win, will Earth be unharmed?" "We will restore everything. We have also made a pact with Chaos to revert things back." "Will they retreat?" "If their interference ceases, they¡¯ll have no justification for the invasion. They¡¯ll have no choice but to withdraw. I¡¯m not speaking as your father¡ªI¡¯m speaking as Archangel Michael, who once served the Absolute God." Hmm... no matter how I think about it, this seems like the best option. Our forces are weak now, but with soul mediation, we can strengthen them. I can¡¯t trust Olympus, Asgard, or even Chaos. For now, forming an alliance seems like the best move. "Alright. How can I help?" "You mentioned that you¡¯re connected to deities from other planets, right?" "Yes, Drakia and Elrpian." "Let¡¯s use them to shake our enemies from the outside. They were once the ruling gods of their planets, so as long as you provide stable SP, their forces will be divided." That was my plan all along. When I agreed, the Avalokiteshvara avatar excitedly continued. "And we will send you a list of deities for mediation. Once they regain their strength, shift mediation to the next one and continue reviving them. How many slots do you have left?" I had six open slots, but I should keep two in reserve. "I have four available slots." "Then we will discuss and send you the list of deities." "Yes, and once the mediation is complete, we will take turns accelerating time." "That way, we can finish quickly." The time acceleration I saw earlier... In an instant, they had earned a million SP. That¡¯s tempting, but... "If you speed up time too much, they might interfere. I¡¯m already under close watch. I¡¯ll stay on Earth¡ªI still need training from Hercules." I also need to level up Soul Reaper through mentoring. My father agreed. "True. The soul mediator ability is too useful. They won¡¯t just sit back and watch. You¡¯re being monitored, so if you disappear for too long, they¡¯ll get suspicious. We¡¯ll contact you instead." "Yeah, it¡¯s better if I don¡¯t disappear for long. Send me the list through communication." "Alright. Thanks to you, we finally have hope." My father patted my shoulder, and the Avalokiteshvara avatar clasped her hands in a bow. "I will open a portal for you." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] With a clap of her hands, a bright white portal appeared. "You will return to the dungeon where you were summoned." "Thank you." "No, I should be the one thanking you." "Oh, and before I go, I have one more question..." "What is it?" "If Lord Michael regains his SSS-grade strength, what will happen to my father? Will he return to his original state?" "Me? I must serve another archangel¡ªfor the sake of the Lord¡¯s world." Since the Holy Spirit has been fully requisitioned for them, does that mean my father will continue to be used as an avatar? Is that really okay? "Then¡­ will my father''s mind be alright? If he keeps receiving archangels over and over again¡­ it seems like it would be mentally exhausting." "It''s fine. I''m very happy right now. To have the opportunity to serve the Lord, and to be the only one who can do it¡ªwhat an honor!" My father was genuinely smiling. Was he always this devout? A chill ran down my spine. "Father, I hope you can keep your mind intact. Michael, is this really okay?" "Jiho! I told you, I''m fine!" "Father, I was asking Michael." At my words, my father suddenly became furious. No, I''m telling you I''m not okay with this. Just as he was about to get even angrier at me, his eyes suddenly shone pure white. And then, the entire roundtable space became bright, as if we were walking on clouds. Just his glowing eyes are enough to illuminate the world¡ªhas Michael descended? His divine power is no joke. [Did you call for me, Awakened Soul?] "Give me a clear answer, Michael." [Your father wishes to assimilate his body, mind, and soul with us. Will you go against his will?] Assimilate with the angels? Does my father really want that? Sigh. Even if he truly desires it, now is not the time. For now¡­ from what I¡¯ve observed, my father never seemed to have such extreme faith, like someone at the level of the Holy Spirit. If his faith were really that deep, I wouldn¡¯t stop him from ascending alongside the archangels. But I can¡¯t let him lose his mind just yet. "If, even after all this is over, after peace has been restored, he still wishes for it¡­ I won¡¯t stop him. But not before then. This is my demand as a soul mediator." [Understood. You are an essential being to us as well. We shall delay Kim Sejun¡¯s salvation a little longer. In return, I swear it in the name of Michael.] Then, the white light in his eyes faded. My father''s pupils returned to their usual black color. And when all the light had completely disappeared, he let out a sigh. "Jiho, why did you do something I never even asked for? Do you know how much I wanted this?" "They were going to use your body over and over again¡ªcan¡¯t a son at least worry about that? Once peace is restored, just spend time with your grandchildren. I won¡¯t stop you from going to heaven then." "You¡­ brat¡­ just go." My father waved his hand dismissively at me. Geez, now he''s sulking. Since when was he so religious? Well, he looks a bit annoyed, so I should take my leave. "I¡¯ll be going now." After bowing once to my father and the Goddess of Mercy, I stepped into the portal. Then, an A-rank dungeon appeared before me. The once icy world was now completely engulfed in flames. Did opening the portal cause the fire to break out and spread this much? Since there were no enemies, I simply destroyed the dungeon core, returning to the mountaintop. In this place, ten days had passed, but on Earth, only a single day had gone by. And my accumulated SP had reached 600,000. 600,000 in a day?! That¡¯s more than double the efficiency! It must be thanks to adding a god to the system, but at this rate, I''ll be reaching 1 million SP per day soon. "You, what the hell?" Suddenly, Hercules appeared. He stared at me with a confused expression. "Why is so much SP coming in all of a sudden?" "What, is it noticeable?" "Yeah, at this level, it¡¯s obvious. You suddenly started mediating more than twice as much." Hmm, really? Then that means Olympus and Asgard must have noticed too. I should say it¡¯s because of a skill stone¡­ Ah, whatever, I¡¯ll just make something up. "I got a gacha item when I ranked up, and a skill stone came out." "A skill stone? That can come from a gacha?! What, what kind of gacha was it?" Hercules suddenly grabbed my arm tightly. Creak! Ah¡­ Aaah! Was that the sound of my bones breaking? The pain jolted me awake. "Oh, my bad." He snapped his fingers, and my arm instantly healed. What the hell, is he giving me medicine after breaking my bones himself? So this guy knows how to heal too, huh? "That really hurt! Calm your temper." "Hah! After all the times I¡¯ve killed you, you¡¯re complaining about a little pain? Just tell me where you got the gacha. I''m pulling right now." Hercules'' eyes burned with determination. His energy was downright menacing. For someone like Hercules to be this excited, was that item really that valuable? I better make up a good story. "I got it from an S~SSS-grade gacha item. I thought I got scammed, but¡­ is it actually a good item?" "Of course! It¡¯s SS-grade, but there¡¯s so little supply that everyone¡¯s desperate for one. They used to appear in the shop occasionally, but lately, they haven¡¯t shown up at all. I¡¯ve been searching for a skill stone for so long, and you¡¯re telling me it came from a gacha¡­? I¡¯m pulling right now." With that, he vanished in an instant. Huh¡­ did I just unleash a spending frenzy? Ah well, whatever. He might get something good. Or maybe he will actually get a skill stone. Curious if the S~SSS-grade gacha was really being sold, I opened the SP shop¡ªand saw that it was listed for 100 million SP. Wow, 100 million¡­ Even earning 600,000 a day, it would take over 150 days just to afford one pull. Anything S-grade or higher is no joke. Vrrrrrrrr. Another A-rank dungeon was generated. Even in the midst of his shopping spree, Hercules was still summoning dungeons. I could also see Drakina clearing one nearby¡­ Oh, now that I think about it, Diana also reached A-rank, so I can summon her now. It¡¯s been a while¡ªI should call her out. "Diana, summon." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 101 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 101: Reunion with Diana [Summoning A-Rank High Elf Diana. 2,000 SP will be consumed daily. Would you like to proceed with the summoning?] 2,000? Drakina was only 500, so this is four times more? But I¡¯m now earning 600,000 SP daily. What¡¯s a mere 2,000? Summon her immediately. As soon as I pressed ¡°Yes,¡± a bright light flashed, and Diana appeared. ¡°You succeeded!¡± Diana immediately jumped into my arms upon being summoned. Seeing her after a long time, her beauty remained unchanged. I gently held her in my arms. Diana looked up at me with lake-like, large blue eyes filled with joy. ¡°Was the place okay?¡± ¡°Jiho, please speak casually to me. I¡¯m your Apostle, after all.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± ¡°It was a great place. It reminded me of the forest in my hometown. I waited there, hoping for your success. But I never thought you¡¯d reach A-Rank so quickly¡­¡± Diana gazed at me with eyes full of respect. I thought a lot of time had passed since Diana entered the Apostle¡¯s Garden, given everything that happened. But in reality, not much time had passed. She had entered during the Kevrian clear, and after that, humanity faced the crisis of extinction, followed by my regression. ¡°What happened during that time? Your face looks much darker.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± There were too many stories to tell, but this wasn¡¯t the place for it. I glanced at the dungeon portal. It¡¯s practically the place to go for secret conversations now. ¡°This isn¡¯t the best place to talk, so let¡¯s head into the dungeon.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± We entered the dungeon. This time, it was a basin-shaped terrain with earthy ground and hills all around. No enemies were in sight, so it was time to share everything that had happened. But before that... Let¡¯s take a look at the status window. [Name: Diana Class: Demigod, High Elf Guardian Deity: Kim Jiho Title: ¡ª Level: 200 Strength: 170 Agility: 443 Magic: 321 Retrievable SP: 11,122] Unlike Drakina, her stats were aligned with the Order faction. I¡¯m outclassed in every stat except strength. Well, with status window stacking, our combined stats might be similar. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Your status window.¡± ¡°Oh, really? You can see my status window?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re my Apostle. Your stats are better than mine.¡± Diana smiled. ¡°The Sun God Apollo chose me as Artemis¡¯s new vessel and granted me various powers. He also gave me good things to eat.¡± ¡°Huh... That guy. He claimed he took over the virgin goddess¡¯s body.¡± I didn¡¯t understand it back then, but now that I know about time regression, it makes sense. Since the world keeps regressing, maybe the virgin goddess gave up her title for a while, had some fun, and then reverted to her virgin body at the right time. That way, she could still collect SP tied to the ¡°virgin goddess¡± concept, right? She¡¯d have to be a virgin for that. I wondered if SP collection was possible even after abandoning virginity, but Apollo must have done it because it worked. When I shared my theory, Diana was startled. ¡°Time regression?¡± ¡°Oh, I need to explain that first. Diana, now that you¡¯re back, are you planning to return to Elprian?¡± I hesitated to tell her everything because of her ties to Elprian. Elprian might demand Diana back. After all, Diana was only entrusted to me temporarily. If I sent her back, all my information would reach Elprian, which felt unsettling. ¡°Why? Do you want me to leave?¡± Diana looked hurt. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you to leave.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t. My guardian deity is you, Jiho. I can¡¯t leave without your permission.¡± ¡°Well... A-Rank Apostles can leave without permission.¡± Just like I excluded Hermes and Loki. Diana suddenly realized it too. ¡°Oh, right. Demigods can bypass their guardian deity. I hadn¡¯t considered that. Then I¡¯ll make the Elf¡¯s Vow.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to go that far.¡± ¡°No, I want to be clear. I vow never to abandon my position as your Apostle or leave your side until you cast me away. If I do, I will choose to vanish.¡± Why talk about vanishing? And why does this vow feel... excessive? Diana¡¯s eyes were burning with determination. ¡°Diana, why are you so intense today?¡± ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t want to give you any reason to doubt me.¡± ¡°Uh... Jiho?¡± ¡°Yes, my partner.¡± Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at me. Was it because of that one night? I didn¡¯t dislike her, but calling her my partner seemed premature. That night had been driven by necessity. She¡¯s definitely rare¡ªbeautiful, curvaceous, kind, and strong. Honestly, I¡¯d be grateful, but now¡¯s not the time for romance. Sensing my hesitation, Diana waved her hands nervously. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not asking you to be my partner because of that night. I¡¯m just calling you my partner in my heart. But... please allow me to stay by your side.¡± When she said that, I felt like the bad guy. But now¡¯s just a bad time. There¡¯s the Olympus-Asgard chaos and the newly emerging sealed gods on Earth. Everything¡¯s a tangled mess, and solving that comes first. ¡°Alright. Since you made the Elf¡¯s Vow, I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s been going on.¡± I told her everything that had happened so far. After listening, Diana clenched her fists in determination. ¡°No wonder you seemed troubled. I¡¯ll dedicate my body and mind to supporting you from now on.¡± Diana suddenly became fierce and disciplined, like when we first met. It was reassuring. I¡¯d been feeling the lack of reliable ¡°allies,¡± but now it felt like I finally had one. ¡°Jiho, you said Dragon God Drakia and Elprian were recovering through soul mediation, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then why not ask them for Skill Stones? One of them should have some.¡± Skill Stones? That¡¯s a good idea, but given their situation, I wonder if they¡¯ll have any. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Hm¡­ Elprian is running around with severed limbs, and Drakia is a god sucking the blood of his youngest daughter right now. Do you really think it¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot. Convince them that the soul mediation upgrade cost needs to be reduced so the two gods can regenerate faster. They once ruled a planet, so I¡¯m sure at least one of them will have it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I should ask. But, Diana, is it okay to ask Elprian for it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. The faster Lord Jiho levels up his skills, the faster Elprian can recover. Besides, a husband is more important than an ancestor.¡± Ancestor¡­ She must be talking about Elprian? Man, this is why they say raising kids is pointless¡­ Anyway, I have a solid ally now. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ask as soon as we leave the dungeon.¡± ¡°Also, I think we need to recruit more apostles.¡± ¡°Apostles?¡± ¡°Yes. You said there weren¡¯t enough strong hunters during Earth¡¯s destruction, right? Even if they turned back time, my level and rank remained the same. It seems that when the guardian deity, Lord Jiho, goes back in time, the apostles follow as well. Why not recruit capable Earthlings as apostles and have them help defend the planet?¡± ¡°Diana, do you think we¡¯ll go through another time reversal?¡± ¡°I hope not, but we should be prepared just in case.¡± Hmm¡­ Recruiting capable Earthlings as apostles¡­ But Earthlings already have guardian deities. ¡°Won¡¯t it be hard since Earthlings already have guardian deities?¡± ¡°Lord Jiho, they won¡¯t care about something like that. The value of a soul mediator is enormous, so you can push your limits a little.¡± ¡°Push my limits?¡± ¡°Yes. If Asgard says anything, just boast that you¡¯ll side with Olympus. Honestly, they won¡¯t be able to say much.¡± Diana continued confidently. ¡°You said their ultimate goal is for Zeus or Odin to become the Creator, right? That makes them rivals in the end. Do you think they¡¯d reject Lord Kim Jiho, who has the potential to help win that competition, just because you snatched a few apostles? I¡¯m certain they won¡¯t.¡± Diana. I thought she was a bit clueless during the Kevrian incident¡­ but turns out she¡¯s sharp. ¡°Diana, that¡¯s a good idea. Earthling apostles¡­¡± I thought about the time of destruction. Back then, just one more person like me could have subdued an A-rank dungeon. But if the dungeons continued to multiply after that? Even two might not be enough. ¡°I should think of some candidates.¡± ¡°Understood. Shall we clear the dungeon, then?¡± Diana pointed to a hill. Is she itching to move around after being back in the world? When I nodded, she disappeared with a swoosh. Soon, screams of death echoed from beyond the hill. She¡¯s killing them off quickly. [Will you take me to Elprian?] As I was mulling over potential apostles, Drakia¡¯s voice suddenly echoed. Had I already reached 20%? I checked the quest window and saw that my awakening level was at 20%. ¡°Alright. I have business there too.¡± [Good. Drakina and I will wait outside the dungeon.] Good. I¡¯ll bring up the skill stone. After about ten minutes, a gust of wind blew, and Diana landed gracefully from the sky. ¡°Phew, so this is the power of a demigod. I¡¯m much stronger than before.¡± ¡°That was quick.¡± ¡°I can summon the Spirit King now. I actually took longer because I was experimenting with different things. Would you like to destroy the dungeon core yourself?¡± Diana handed me the dungeon core. I shook my head and told her to take care of it herself. ¡°No, you handle it.¡± ¡°Understood. Sylphid, take care of it.¡± At Diana¡¯s command, the spirit quickly destroyed the dungeon core. We returned to the mountaintop. ¡°You¡¯re back? Whoa, who¡¯s the pointy-eared one? Oh, she¡¯s strong¡­¡± Drakina, who had been waiting, waved her hand. She trailed off as she looked at Diana. ¡°Pointy-eared? Dragons really have no manners.¡± ¡°What? It¡¯s true you have big ears. But how is she that strong? Even High Elves aren¡¯t that powerful.¡± [She¡¯s a demigod. But she doesn¡¯t feel like she has the bloodline of a direct Elprian descendant.] ¡°I¡¯m not a direct descendant, Dragon God.¡± [You know who I am?] ¡°One moment. Let me reverse summon you and take us to Elprian.¡± I cut off the conversation before it dragged on. To get to Elprian, I reverse-summoned the two and used the item she had given me. A flash of light, and we arrived in a forest. Not underground this time? ¡°Who goes there!¡± A group stood in one part of the forest. They wore red armor that covered their faces and held spears and shields. They reminded me of Leonidas¡¯s soldiers from before. [Why did you come at this time¡­? Run! They¡¯re an Olympus pursuit team!] Elprian¡¯s urgent voice rang in my ears. An Olympus pursuit team? There were about a hundred of them. Each had an overwhelming presence. They¡¯d be tough to handle at B-rank, but I could manage them now. The only concern was whether killing them would reveal our location to Olympus. ¡°If we kill them, will that erase all traces of us?¡± [Yes? Yes, it will. They¡¯re a scouting party that trespassed into my domain.] ¡°Understood. Diana, summon. Drakina, summon.¡± I summoned the two and drew my sword. The enemies had already prepared to throw their spears. ¡°Throw the spears!¡± The spears flew like beams of light. They were definitely more powerful than Leonidas¡¯s crew in the A-rank dungeon. But I¡¯m stronger now, too. No need for Aegis¡¯s shield¡ªI just imbued my sword with mana and swung it, snapping the spears like twigs. At the same time, Diana and Drakina charged in. ¡°Are they enemies?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take them down.¡± Without a word, the two women charged at the enemies. Drakina spewed flames from her mouth, and Diana summoned the four great spirits to subdue the enemies. I tried to join the battle, but the two women slaughtered them so quickly that there wasn¡¯t even an opening. Wow. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I understood Diana being powerful as a demigod, but Drakina, at just B-rank, was incinerating everyone with her breath. Once the enemies were wiped out, one of the trees in the forest began to transform. It shrank rapidly and took the form of a wooden doll resembling Elprian. This time, it was made of wood instead of earth. Her legs had regenerated, making her about the same height as Diana. Though her arms were still missing. ¡°Diana! I can feel the power of the dragon god, too. What happened?¡± The armless wooden doll Elprian approached with a cheerful voice. However, her expression soured at the voice that followed. [Elprian, it¡¯s been a while. You look pathetic.] ¡°That voice¡­ Drakia.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 102 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 102: Soul Sword Summoning (1) "Why are you here?" [I''m also in a cooperative relationship with him.] "Really?" Elprian stared at me with a dissatisfied expression. When I nodded, she soon loosened her expression and sighed. "I''m at odds with him, but given the current situation, there''s no choice." [Right. Securing our territory comes first. Old grudges can be settled later.] "Fine." Even though he was the enemy of Elprian''s child, Elprian made a calm decision after just one moment of frowning. Well, Zeus did say he devoured Elprian¡¯s child right in front of her eyes. If we¡¯re talking about grudges, Zeus''s crew has it worse, don''t they? They got robbed of everything. [You¡¯re quick to judge. Good. But Elprian, were you struggling against enemies of that level? Are you out of strength?] "Quite the opposite. Thanks to Kim Jiho''s soul mediation, I had enough SP for complete regeneration. They just happened to attack at the right time." [Complete regeneration? Then can you regain your power as a great god?] "I can, within my domain." [How many of them can you handle within your domain?] Elprian bit her lips hard. Her wooden doll-like eyes darted around. "If they''re low-ranking gods from Olympus, ten. If mid-level, three. But if they''re great gods... I can¡¯t handle even one. They¡¯re bizarrely strong, even for great gods." [Looks like time regression has also made the great gods stronger.] "That''s only part of it. There are still many things that don¡¯t add up. Anyway, that''s my limit." [So a head-on confrontation is still tough.] Suddenly, a transparent dragon, Drakia, popped out in front of Elprian. His translucent red body was about my size. "Drakia, you still have a long way to recover." [After blowing up an entire planet. But I found something quite interesting in the meantime.] He opened his mouth, revealing a black void from which several objects fell out. Huh? These are... "Aren''t these fragments of Chronos? And fragments of Urd as well." [When I caused the dragons of Kalvine to go berserk, I visited the dragon¡¯s temple. These were buried there.] "They were also buried in the World Tree." [These fragments might be essential for them to regress time on planets besides Earth. Since we can''t face them head-on, let''s focus on finding these fragments first.] The connection between time regression and these fragments was undeniable. They¡¯re fragments of the gods of time, after all. "Should we collect or destroy them?" [Let¡¯s just track their locations for now. When I took fragments from the dragon¡¯s temple, Thor¡¯s followers went ballistic. It¡¯s better to collect them all at once.] Elprian readily agreed with Drakia¡¯s suggestion. "If my strength recovers, I can find all the fragments within my domain. But you¡¯ll be the problem." [The soul mediator¡¯s power is growing stronger, so I¡¯ll recover soon enough.] "That¡¯s true. It¡¯s remarkable. How did you get so strong so quickly?" Elprian and Drakia both turned to me. That¡¯s when Diana stepped forward. "Kim Jiho got stronger through skill stones." [Skill stones?] "How did you get those treasures...?" "There was a way to obtain them. And thanks to the skill stones, the effects doubled." Is Diana bringing this up to ask for skill stones? No way I¡¯m letting my apostle ask on my behalf. I have to ask for something like this myself. Just as Diana was about to continue, I grabbed her shoulder and stepped forward. "Speaking of which, could you provide me with some skill stones?" "Skill stones?" [Ahem...] Elprian looked flustered, and Drakia turned his head with an awkward cough. They were clearly reluctant. These guys wouldn¡¯t even be breathing without me right now. "I noticed that skill stones have a ¡®skill upgrade cost reduction¡¯ option. Right now, it costs 50 million SP." "50 million... that¡¯s an enormous sum." "If that cost is reduced and my level goes up, I can also handle overlapping mediation. So could you support me with skill stones? I¡¯ll reduce mediation fees and offer overlapping services." The two gods exchanged glances. "I¡¯m reminded of the war that broke out over skill stones a thousand years ago." [That war? The meteor landed in my domain. You were the one who started the war. You burned part of the World Tree and incited the lawless dragons under the pretense of punishing them.] "Oh-ho, if you had taken both stones, I would¡¯ve lost my position in Kevrian. I had no choice." A thousand-year war? Curious if it was famous, I looked at Diana. She was visibly shocked. "It can¡¯t be... I thought the World Tree burned because of a dragon conspiracy..." Her mouth remained wide open. [In the end, there were two skill stones from that meteor.] "Yes, we each took one." [Did you use yours?] "Did you?" Silence hung between the two great gods as they stared at each other. They looked so wary of each other. [I don¡¯t quite remember.] "Neither do I." [But you¡¯re known for your sharp mind.] "Not as sharp as a dragon god¡¯s." These gods, seriously. Even now, they¡¯re competing? "Stop the staring and hand them over simultaneously. I¡¯ll give you a 20% discount on mediation fees. Can you beat Olympus with just a skill stone upgrade?" "No, but..." "Then just give them to me." Still exchanging glances, Drakia made the first move. [Fine... If I perish this time, it¡¯s just a lost item. Since my treasure vault is accessible now, your timing is excellent.] "I never thought I¡¯d give up something I earned after such a long war. Kim Jiho, you¡¯ll reduce fees for overlapping mediation as well, right?" Elprian was quite meticulous. The skill stones were the priority. "Yes, same terms for both of you. Now, hand them over." [Fine, but may I add one more condition?] "What is it?" [If things go south and we regress again, help me then.] "Me too." That¡¯s already the plan. Cooperation with these two is essential. "Agreed." With that condition accepted, both became cooperative. Drakia approached and opened his mouth wide. A green gemstone, a skill stone, emerged. Got one. Elprian¡¯s wooden eyes glinted, and one of her eyes flew into my hand. As soon as it touched my hand, it transformed into a green gemstone. I immediately used one of the two skill stones on the spot. Activating the skill upgrade cost reduction option, the 50 million SP cost dropped to 20 million SP¡ªa 60% reduction. With this, I can upgrade quickly. As I was about to use the second stone, a message window popped up. [You can no longer use Skill Stones for the skill ''Soul Mediation.''] So, that''s why the options were disappearing one by one. I guess I can''t use it anymore? Too bad. I should at least save one. I''ll need to use it on another skill. I put the Skill Stone in my inventory and adjusted the commission for Soul Mediation while I was at it. When everything was done, Elprian spoke. "Um, has the commission been reduced?" "Yes, I''ve just adjusted it." "That''s a relief. Can you protect me for the next ten days?" "Will you be in a defenseless state until then?" "Yes, until now, I haven¡¯t been pursued so aggressively, but now that I¡¯m trying to fully recover, they¡¯re starting their full-on chase. Their scouting party has been wiped out, so they¡¯ll soon be swarming into this area." "Understood. I¡¯ll help." If it''s at the level we faced earlier, I should be able to handle it. Even if stronger enemies show up, as long as they''re not gods, I can manage. "Thank you, Kim Jiho. But you haven¡¯t completely severed ties with Olympus yet, right?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "That¡¯s correct." "Then we can¡¯t let them see you here. I¡¯ll disguise you. Please remove your armor." When I took off Hephaestus¡¯s armor, it was replaced with wooden armor. It covered my face almost entirely, with only my eyes, nose, and mouth barely visible. Elprian then covered Diana with the same wooden armor. After glancing back and forth between Drakia and Drakina, she shook her head. "You two possess too much dragon power to disguise easily." [Alright, if it¡¯s like earlier, the two of you should suffice. Soul Mediator, summon Drakina if you find yourself in danger. I¡¯ll head to the neutral zone with her.] "Understood." Drakia absorbed the fragment of the God of Time that had fallen to the ground. Then, he flew toward Drakina, who was standing still. [Let¡¯s go.] "Understood." The transparent dragon deity¡¯s form was absorbed into Drakina. Drakina nodded slightly toward me, then shot off into the distance. That one sure has it rough. Bang! Suddenly, with a loud firecracker-like noise, a signal flare went off in the sky. They exploded all around except in this area. Elprian¡¯s face immediately hardened. "The flares didn¡¯t go off in this direction, so they¡¯ll focus their pursuit here. We must flee." Elprian, still missing both arms, led the way. I followed behind her, putting all my weapons into my inventory. There was no need to make it publicly known that I was hostile toward Olympus. I put Yeoui in, stored Artemis¡¯s bow, and deactivated the Aegis shield skill, leaving me weaponless. "Elprian, do you have any usable weapons?" "I¡¯m still in the middle of fully recovering, so I can¡¯t create any weapons. To be honest, even the armor I gave you was made by squeezing out all my remaining strength." Elprian looked genuinely exhausted. I gave up on getting a weapon here... Now that I think about it, I¡¯m trying not to reveal myself to Olympus, which limits my fighting skills. My main skills¡ªLightning God, Yeoui, and Flame Chariot¡ªall came from Olympus. Same with the Phoenix. Hmm, should I rely mainly on dragon magic? Can¡¯t I make a weapon with dragon magic? "Create a flame sword." A sword made of flames formed in my hand. But since it was made purely of fire mana, it didn¡¯t feel as snug as Yeoui. I might as well just use fire magic instead of swinging this around. Sting. Suddenly, my left cheek stung. My vision turned red. It¡¯s been a while since I felt danger. There hadn¡¯t been many threats lately, but suddenly...?! I jerked my head to the side just in time to avoid a large spear. The spear pierced through a tree, boring a massive hole in it like a cannonball. The giant tree fell with a thundering crash. "There they are!" With that shout, enemies began appearing. There were ten of them. They carried large shields on their backs and wielded twin spears. They were definitely stronger than the warriors we defeated earlier. "Zeus has ordered us to tear the runaway goddess limb from limb and defile her." "Defile her again and again. We will attain divinity." "Divinity!" They shouted "divinity" with bloodshot eyes and raised their spears. Damn it... I wish I could use Aegis¡¯s shield. But it¡¯s too obviously an Athena skill. I¡¯ll try blocking with dragon magic for now. "Burn." I commanded the flames to incinerate all ten of them, and fire began to rise. "Gasp!" But the warriors swung their spears once, and the rising flames vanished. They¡¯re pretty strong. "I¡¯ll join you." The four great souls appeared and charged at the enemies. Unlike the small souls I usually saw, they were now larger than humans. The souls of fire, water, wind, and earth grew bigger as they got closer to the enemies. "Take out the souls first!" The warriors, about to throw their spears, hesitated and redirected them toward the souls. The spears hit the souls, causing them to shrink slightly before returning like boomerangs to their owners. But the souls pressed on and reached the enemies. Diana also fired arrows from the rear to support the souls. I used magic through dragon words, but it wasn¡¯t very effective. The magic was destroyed with every swing of the enemies¡¯ spears. I guess 6th-circle magic isn¡¯t enough. I never felt it was lacking when dealing with weaker enemies in A-rank dungeons... But now that the enemies are stronger, it¡¯s a headache. I can¡¯t use Lightning God or Yeoui... Ah, right. "Dragon¡¯s Power!" I hadn¡¯t used this skill since clearing the quest. When I activated it, my arms were engulfed in bright red flames. The pure blaze carried an immense presence that made the warriors flinch. This power far surpasses Lightning God in terms of sheer strength. Alright. Even in close combat, with this power... "Cancel it now!" Suddenly, Elprian urgently shouted at me. I looked at her in confusion, and she was mouthing, "Armor! Armor!" I glanced down at my fists and saw that the dragon flames were slowly consuming the wooden armor. The armor, which had been burning and regenerating in a cycle, was starting to give way due to the overwhelming flames. Even in this short time, it was already burning. If we fought, the armor would be gone in no time. There¡¯s no hiding my identity now. If magic doesn¡¯t work and I can¡¯t use the dragon¡¯s power... I¡¯ll have to fight head-on! Using the dragon heart, I consumed mana to enhance my physical abilities. Then I rushed straight at the enemy engaged with the souls. "You!" "So, you¡¯ve come to die!" Spears thrust toward me all at once. With my enhanced physical abilities, I could easily dodge them. I dodged and deflected each one as I closed the distance to the enemy. Whoosh! ¡°Gah... urgh!¡± One warrior¡¯s head was crushed with a single punch. They were strong enemies, but not demi-god level. In my current enhanced state, they were manageable. "This power... surpasses A-rank." ¡°Ugh. Take him down first!¡± Spears thrust at me from all sides. They positioned themselves perfectly, giving me no angle to dodge. I deflected the spears with my arms, but the ones I had knocked aside earlier no longer yielded so easily. Why have they suddenly gotten stronger? Still, it¡¯s fine for now. Their attacks can¡¯t harm me yet. Blocking the spear attacks with my body, I received cover from Diana. Diana¡¯s arrows and my fists gradually took down the warriors, one by one. There were about four left. ¡°There he is!¡± S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Join up with the pursuit squad quickly!¡± Reinforcements arrived behind the remaining four enemies. More than 20 dual-spear warriors appeared. This is bad... dragging this out won¡¯t end well. Using the dragon heart to enhance my physical abilities consumed mana, and I couldn¡¯t keep it up indefinitely. ¡°Form a formation!¡± ¡°Take him down first.¡± The warriors took out the shields strapped to their backs and began forming a defensive wall. Though there were only 24 of them, their formation looked solid. Even Diana¡¯s soul arrows bounced off it. If I drag this out, reinforcements will arrive from all directions. I can¡¯t let that happen. I need to take them out quickly this time. As I reached into my inventory to pull out Yeoui, my danger sense flared across my entire body. I quickly pulled back, avoiding a rain of spears falling from above. The ferocity of the attack told me that taking it head-on would have been devastating. Fine, I¡¯ll have to go all out. I grabbed Yeoui. No, I thought it was Yeoui. What I held was a black iron rod. It was an item I had received from the future Kim Jiho, one whose purpose I hadn¡¯t yet identified. Damn it, why is this coming out now? As I tried to put it away, a message window popped up. [Would you like to activate the Soul Sword?] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 103 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 103: Soul Sword Summoning (2) What''s a soul sword? It didn¡¯t react until now, but it¡¯s responding once I reached A-rank. Let¡¯s activate it. ¡°Activate.¡± [Consumes 50,000 SP.] 50,000? That¡¯s a lot! Suddenly, a brilliant light rose from the iron rod. It formed a sword of light just over one meter in length. Uh... what is this? A lightsaber? The pure white sword of light began to burn, similar to the white flame that erupted when using soul energy emission. Ah... so that¡¯s why it¡¯s called a soul sword? I need to test its power. ¡°Throw spears!¡± Spears flew straight toward me this time. Twenty-four spears. They all approached at the same speed, charged with mana. ¡°Stop.¡± The spears slowed down immediately when I issued the command with dragon words. But is it because of the limits of a 6-circle user? They didn¡¯t stop completely. I held the soul sword and pushed through the front. The spears, which seemed to fly slowly in my eyes, were easily sliced by the sword and engulfed in white flames. Just holding the sword forward makes them disappear. ¡°The spears gifted by Lord Ares¡­!¡± ¡°This is bad!¡± Ares, the War God. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve heard that name. I considered using the blessing of the War God, but held back since the Olympians are watching. One step, two steps. My movements accelerated as I walked forward. ¡°He¡¯s so fast¡­!¡± The enemies raised their shields in surprise and prepared more firmly. Their shields and spears glowed with blue mana. But if this soul sword¡¯s power is similar to soul energy emission, it won¡¯t be able to block it at all. I brought the soul sword down on the shield, slicing through it like tofu. And the person behind it as well. ¡°Argh!!¡± The warrior screamed until his face split in half and was consumed by white flames. The remaining warriors, alarmed by the attack, tried to break formation and put distance between us. But it¡¯s too late. When I blocked their attacks, the spears ignited. When I struck, their shields were instantly destroyed. Every time a shield was split, another warrior burst into flames. ¡°The mana shields were destroyed in an instant¡­¡± In a flash, I cut down twenty of them. The remaining four turned their backs and ran. ¡°Run! We need to alert the scouts!¡± But soul arrows quickly pierced their backs and legs. As they fell and stopped moving, I chased them down and cut them all. The battle was over in no time. [Soul Sword duration: 12 minutes remaining.] Twelve minutes left? I think it took about three minutes to subdue the enemies. So from the start, the total duration is 15 minutes? Fifty thousand SP for 15 minutes? Fwoosh. When I looked at the soul sword, the white flames burned even brighter. This is definitely soul energy emission. I can use it on a regular sword, so why does it need a special mechanism like this? ¡°Hmm¡­ can¡¯t I turn it off?¡± I examined the sword handle. If there were a button, it seems like I could just press it to turn it off, but there isn¡¯t one. ¡°Turn off.¡± I try giving the command, thinking it might respond to verbal instructions, but instead, my words are classified as dragon words, causing mana to stir. The soul sword, rather than extinguishing, burned even more intensely. As I stood there uncertain, a message appeared. [If you wish to deactivate the Soul Sword, please issue the command: ¡®Deactivate Soul Sword.¡¯] ¡°Deactivate Soul Sword.¡± The sword of light disappeared with a whoosh. [Deactivating Soul Sword. Remaining duration: 11 minutes and 24 seconds.] [Reactivation will reduce the remaining time by 1 minute.] Looks like turning it off and on consumes energy. I gazed at the now completely deactivated iron rod. It was one of the items sent by Future Jiho, whose purpose I couldn¡¯t figure out. Who would have thought it could generate sword energy similar to soul energy emission? But I can already use soul energy emission¡ªso what¡¯s the point? The SP cost is low. 50,000 SP for 15 minutes with no additional cost during use. Compared to the 100,000 SP I used fighting the Hero last time, it¡¯s pretty cheap. Even so, aside from SP efficiency, there doesn¡¯t seem to be much merit. ¡°Jiho, are you okay?¡± Diana was sprinting toward me at full speed. Elprian was following leisurely behind her. I saw Diana running toward me and handed her the iron rod, the soul sword. ¡°Diana, try using this.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± When Diana grabbed the soul sword, it crackled in her hand and was flung back to me. Diana frowned briefly and spoke. ¡°A message appeared saying, ¡®Not a soul awakener,¡¯ and it bounced back.¡± ¡°Really? I guess regular classes can¡¯t use it.¡± ¡°Can I take a look too?¡± Elprian approached with curiosity, gazing at the soul sword. Then she tilts her head in confusion. ¡°I have no idea¡­ but I sensed soul energy in the sword energy earlier.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk while we run.¡± True, more enemies could be on their way. Elprian led the way, and we followed as we continued the conversation. ¡°Jiho, do you know how gods fight when they reach divine rank?¡± ¡°They split the sky and earth, lightning strikes everywhere, and fire erupts, right?¡± Zeus would probably throw lightning bolts from the sky. The Dragon God might unleash a flame breath. If Hercules swung his sword once and split the world, I¡¯d expect divine beings to fight with that level of power. ¡°That¡¯s just the gods showing off to scare mortals.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°They fight as soul forms. You know soul form, right?¡± Soul form? Of course I know. When I think about soul form, my body instantly turns transparent. In the past, I had to manipulate mana, but now it happens just by thinking about it. ¡°You¡¯re quick to transition to soul form. When divine beings fight each other, they do it in that state.¡± S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°You need to be in a soul form to use SP and attack.¡± Attacking while using SP, huh¡­ I can¡¯t quite grasp the concept. ¡°Think of it as imbuing SP into your authority. Zeus, for example, shoots lightning that drains SP. Drakia¡¯s breath is imbued with soul energy.¡± ¡°Hmm. Then it¡¯s not much different from energy projection, is it?¡± ¡°Are you referring to Hercules¡¯ energy projection? Ah, now I remember where I saw that sword aura¡ªit resembles the energy projection of Olympus¡¯s criminal, Hercules.¡± Elprian nodded as if realizing something and continued. ¡°The only similarity with energy projection is that it hits the opponent¡¯s SP. Even if we soul-imbue our attacks, all we can do is seal beings like gods. It¡¯s not capable of annihilating an existence like energy projection can.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°And from what I¡¯ve heard, energy projection is extremely powerful relative to the SP consumption. That¡¯s why Hercules, despite being a mid-level god of SS rank, became a target of suppression by the other gods.¡± ¡°He¡¯s allied with Chaos now, though.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Elprian looked relieved. ¡°I was worried because Olympus¡¯s overall power has increased, and if Hercules had grown stronger, it would have been too much. That¡¯s a relief.¡± So Hercules being able to use energy projection is a really unique case, huh. In any case, it seems that battles between gods happen in soul form. ¡°So, in the end, whoever has more SP is at an absolute advantage?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± So SP is the most important thing¡­ No wonder soul-type awakeners are so valuable. If you earn SP peacefully as a soul mediator and excel in battle using the soul reaper¡¯s skills¡­ This is totally broken! Well, the key is leveling up to a similar tier first. ¡°There are enemies ahead.¡± The wind soul returned as Diana issued a warning. ¡°No matter which direction we turn, we¡¯ll be surrounded by enemies. Let¡¯s just break through. With that sword, it should be possible.¡± Agreeing with Elprian¡¯s opinion, I drew my sword again. Soon, I could feel a massive flow of mana. A figure dropped from the trees above. ¡°Of all places, you had to come this way¡­ How unlucky. This is the end, goddess.¡± A middle-aged warrior with an imposing shield. It wasn¡¯t a round shield but a large rectangular iron shield that completely covered his body. In his other hand, he held a spear over 2 meters long. He looked much stronger than the other enemies. He scanned us and smiled confidently. ¡°Two demigod-level warriors. A strong challenge for most squads. But¡­¡± Whoosh. Suddenly, five spears shot up into the air. They moved on their own from behind him and aimed straight at us. ¡°This is the end. Die.¡± The five spears shot at us like cannonballs. Their speed couldn¡¯t even be compared to the spears of previous warriors. ¡°Stop.¡± I activated my soul sword while using dragon words. The five spears hesitated for a moment before breaking through the binding and flying toward us. I had only bought 1 or 2 seconds. But that was enough time to activate my soul sword. Fwoosh. White flames flickered along the blade. I strengthened my physical abilities using mana from the dragon heart and stepped forward. Observing the spears¡¯ trajectories, I parried one, causing it to burst into flames. Without stopping, I lunged at the enemy. Diana should be handling the other spears! ¡°Hm¡­? You¡¯re quite skilled!¡± The enemy¡¯s shield turned bright red. It was infused with highly condensed fire mana. It didn¡¯t seem much weaker than my power, which was boosted by the dragon heart and dual status effects. This guy was definitely at the demigod level¡ªand one of the strongest at that. But there¡¯s no way he can block this soul sword! Sizzle! ¡°What¡­? Lord Hephaestus¡¯s shield¡­!¡± Surprisingly, the shield blocked my soul sword¡¯s path. When the sword touched it, intense flames erupted, and the shield began to melt. However, the enemy¡¯s mana seeped into the melted area and repaired it. So this is Hephaestus¡¯s work? That guy sure loves scattering weapons around! Whoosh! Sensing danger, I ducked my head. A massive spear grazed past. I thought I dodged it, but the spear twisted like a snake and aimed at my head again. What kind of movement is this¡­?! Clang! I parried it with the soul sword, but this time the spear didn¡¯t catch fire and just bounced off. Previous enemies¡¯ weapons burned and disintegrated just by touching the soul sword, but this guy is tricky. We exchanged blows rapidly. The spear moved unpredictably, striking from all directions, while flames surged from his shield. I ignored the flames and focused on blocking the spear. The spear, once surrounded by blue mana, began to weaken with every clash against the soul sword. ¡°This is annoying!¡± Noticing this, the warrior changed tactics. He avoided full collisions with my sword, deflected it, and summoned spears made of mana to hurl at me. Spears launched from close range. They were deadly enough from afar, but the closer range made them even more dangerous. Barely dodging one after another with danger sense, I moved in closer. But the warrior kept a frustrating distance and continued firing spears. If only I could use Aegis¡¯s shield, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the spears¡­ This is annoying! Fwoosh! I swung my soul sword to block the spear, which burst into white flames. The flames caught my attention. An energy attack that consumed 50,000 SP. It wasn¡¯t overwhelmingly powerful, but it lasted 15 minutes. Hmm, could I enhance this with energy emission? ¡°Energy Emission.¡± White flames suddenly erupted from the soul sword and shot forward. The flames instantly clung to the warrior¡¯s body, including his shield. Unlike the fierce battle earlier, he was now rapidly consumed by the fire. Hephaestus¡¯s shield and the spear that had been troubling me disintegrated in an instant. The warrior looked at me in disbelief. Soon, he let out a scream of agony. ¡°This power¡­ Could it be¡­ Hercules¡¯s¡­ Aaaaagh!!¡± The warrior burned to ash. Even a warrior on that level couldn¡¯t withstand energy projection. He seemed even stronger than the A-rank heroes I¡¯d faced before, but even he couldn¡¯t stop energy projection. This really is the ultimate attack. Whew¡­ But I must¡¯ve used a ton of SP. I had already burned through a lot as a hero, and this guy was even tougher. My heart pounding, I checked the system window and saw multiple messages. [Energy projection output is enhanced by the soul sword. Efficiency is increased.] [You have annihilated the demigod Ajax. 40,000 SP has been consumed.] [The soul sword absorbs consumed SP and restores 50% of it.] [Hephaestus¡¯s shield has been destroyed. 5,000 SP has been consumed.] [The soul sword absorbs consumed SP and restores 50% of it.] [Hephaestus¡¯s spear has been destroyed. 5,000 SP has been consumed.] [The soul sword absorbs consumed SP and restores 50% of it.] [You absorb part of the soul destroyed by energy projection. Soul Absorption is triggered.] Enhanced energy projection efficiency, SP recovery from consumption. And I could now partially absorb souls, which hadn¡¯t been possible before. Wow, this sword is incredible! As I admired the system window, one final message caught my eye. [You have annihilated an opponent of a similar rank. The soul sword is slightly strengthened.] [The soul sword is now Grade A.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 104 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 104: Reunion with Hades (1) A-Rank? What¡¯s up with this Soul Sword? Is it a growth-type sword? Yeoui is an A-Rank weapon, but this one starts at A. If it levels up with me, it¡¯ll be pretty incredible¡­ I didn¡¯t expect Loki¡¯s delivery package to contain something like this. It¡¯s already an incredible weapon for soul-type Awakeners, and it even grows stronger. Did that guy know this sword was this powerful when he gave it to me? And it¡¯s not just him¡ªare all the sealed gods¡¯ avatars handing out treasures like this? Judging by their project, they probably sent packages to others, too. Even though they all failed. This is a tremendous weapon. Could the sealed gods afford to just hand something like this over? I had my doubts, but I decided to take good care of the treasure now in my hands. When I deactivated the Soul Sword, I had 2 minutes left on the timer. Looks like I¡¯ll need to recharge my SP next. ¡°Was that Soul Energy Emission just now?¡± Elprian approached, surprised. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Have you always been this strong?¡± ¡°I did get mentored by Hercules, but I wasn¡¯t this powerful. The synergy with this sword is incredible.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only at demigod level, and yet you¡¯re this strong.¡± ¡°This sword can destroy opponents of a similar rank, and it says it strengthens itself slightly each time. Do you know anything about this?¡± ¡°No, is it a growth-type item? That¡¯s a supreme treasure. What¡¯s its grade?¡± ¡°A.¡± ¡°Wait, are you saying it started at A-Rank?¡± ¡°This is my first time using it, and it¡¯s A, so I guess so?¡± Elprian¡¯s expression became serious as she stared at the Soul Sword. ¡°If a growth-type weapon starts at A-Rank, it can potentially reach SSS-Rank. It can upgrade three times. With that level of power, it¡¯s a treasure worthy of another Thousand-Year War. SSS-Rank weapons are rarer than gods.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. In our world, there were no SSS-Rank weapons, and the only one I know of is Zeus¡¯s lightning bolt, Astrape.¡± ¡°Not even Asgard has any?¡± ¡°Not as far as I know.¡± Wow, it¡¯s that rare? There are quite a few SSS-Rank gods, but no weapons at that level. Hmm. Knowing Loki, I doubt he would have sent something like this lightly. I thought I understood all the mysteries of those future gift packages, but something still feels off. ¡°Do you sense any surveillance magic around here?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s none. Even if I¡¯ve lost my powers, my discernment is still intact.¡± Elprian confidently assured me there were no issues with the weapon itself. Given her god-level insight, I decided to trust her for now. This weapon¡¯s too good to waste. I¡¯ll make full use of it. ¡°We should move now.¡± At Diana¡¯s words, Elprian tapped the ground with her foot. The earth trembled, and all traces of battle disappeared, transforming the area back into a lush forest. ¡°A powerful demigod just died, so the enemy might investigate. They could discover the Soul Energy Emission, so I erased it. Let¡¯s go.¡± Elprian took off running, and we followed her. The enemy didn¡¯t pursue us, perhaps because a strong demigod had fallen. The next day, Elprian grew an arm made of wood. A large wooden arm sprouted on her right side. ¡°Thanks to you and Diana, I didn¡¯t have to worry about the enemy, so my regeneration sped up. Thank you both.¡± With the new arm, she moved even faster. For now, Diana and I could keep up, but the following day, when she grew another arm, I had to activate Hermes¡¯ acceleration just to stay with her. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really fast.¡± ¡°Jiho, she¡¯s the Elven God,¡± Diana said. I nodded instinctively. Since she¡¯s the god of the forest-dwelling elves, forest terrain must be like water to a fish for her. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a movement buff tomorrow.¡± Elprian spoke casually. Looking closer, I noticed that her wooden body had white skin starting to creep up from her feet. Looks like her body¡¯s transitioning back to flesh. ¡°Elprian, you¡¯ve been heading in one direction. What¡¯s up ahead?¡± At Diana¡¯s polite question, Elprian smiled and replied, ¡°Diana, we have reinforcements waiting.¡± ¡°Reinforcements?¡± ¡°Yes. Even if I fully regenerate as a god, I don¡¯t have the strength to face Olympus alone. We¡¯ll need help.¡± Help? Is there anyone in Kevrian who opposes Olympus? ¡­Oh, there is one. ¡°Is it the Supreme Commander?¡± ¡°Yes, if it¡¯s Hades, the Supreme Commander, he holds a deep grudge against Olympus and should be willing to help.¡± ¡°But will he really help? He¡¯s completely unhinged. I¡¯m worried he might betray us later.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely trusting him either. I¡¯ll fully recover first, then send an avatar to negotiate.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ And isn¡¯t Kevrian an enemy of his? Will he help?¡± Elprian shook her head. ¡°The enemies are Olympus and Asgard. They sealed our gods and took away our authority. They even deliberately summoned Chaos.¡± ¡°They summoned Chaos? I thought the Black Dragon summoned it because it couldn¡¯t forget Drakia¡­¡± ¡°Do you think they¡¯d let a mere Black Dragon open the Gate of Chaos? It¡¯s all part of their plan.¡± Elprian spoke with certainty. Even so, that doesn¡¯t explain why they¡¯d join hands with Chaos. Hercules did mention that Olympus and Chaos made a pact over the Broken World. I shared Hercules¡¯ story with her. ¡°Hercules once vented to me. Olympus agreed to split the SP from the Broken World 50-50 with Chaos. In return, Chaos agreed to hold off invading Earth.¡± Elprian stopped running. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s why the vote to invade Earth passed with only 3:2.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ That complicates things.¡± ¡°Hades does have a grudge against Olympus, but with the pact in place, who knows how he¡¯ll respond?¡± Elprian fell deep into thought but soon made up her mind. She looked at Diana and me in turn. ¡°Regardless, I need to go. I¡¯ll send only my avatar to negotiate after I recover. You two won¡¯t need to come.¡± Elprian¡¯s determination was clear. She must have judged that it was worth the risk to talk to him. ¡°Understood.¡± Sending only an avatar should be safe enough. After running for four more days, Elprian¡¯s body was fully restored. A gentle green glow radiated from her entire being. Her beauty was transcendent, befitting a god of the elves. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] But instead of thinking, Wow, she¡¯s so pretty, I felt a sense of reverence. ¡°I finally feel alive again.¡± Elprian shifted to soul form, summoned a tree trunk from the ground, and called forth souls, looking satisfied. ¡°I don¡¯t have much SP left, but I can still subdue a lower-tier god.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I can now absorb SP directly from nature. With soul mediation included, I should recover quickly. I hope your Soul Mediation level increases soon, Jiho.¡± Though it¡¯s been reduced to 20 million, with a daily SP income of 600,000, there¡¯s still a long way to go. Especially since time in Kevrian passes ten times slower than Earth''s. ¡°I think I can manage it after we finish this mission and head back to Earth.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be looking forward to it. We¡¯ll wait here for now since we¡¯re close to the Chaos Zone.¡± Elprian raised a hand, and walls of earth rose from the ground, surrounding them like fortress walls. Chairs and a table made of wood emerged within the enclosed space, and three cups of steaming tea appeared on the table. All that with just a gesture? ¡°We¡¯ll rest and recover our strength here for three days, then negotiate with Hades. Please stay here with me during that time.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t enemies show up?¡± ¡°I can handle minor gods by myself, but it¡¯ll slow my recovery. So please deal with any demigod-level enemies that might appear.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Elprian seemed confident¡ªperhaps the rest had restored her strength. If I defeat enemies of that level too, it¡¯ll help my soul sword grow. Nothing to lose here. ¡°Let¡¯s have some tea, shall we? It¡¯s brewed from the roots of the World Tree, so it¡¯ll enhance our potential...¡± Boom! A sudden explosion interrupted. I turned toward the sound, only to see Elprian¡¯s freshly raised earthen wall reduced to dust. Standing there was a massive chariot. Two burly horses, as muscular as bulls, pulled the chariot. A handsome man in golden armor stood atop it, grinning widely. He had a soft mohawk-like hairstyle, with bright red hair resembling a rooster¡¯s comb. Haven¡¯t seen a man this irritatingly handsome in a while. He carried a silver round shield in one hand and a golden spear in the other. He looked strong¡ªprobably stronger than the guy I fought last time. ¡°Haha! Achilles has arrived! You must be the troublesome goddess.¡± The man shouted boldly, pointing his spear at Elprian. Achilles? I¡¯ve heard that name a lot. Ah, right¡ªthe hero of the Trojan War, famous for his heel. Does he have the same heel weakness here? Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Can¡¯t see it from the chariot, though... Hmm, famous heroes tend to be powerful. ¡°How insolent for a lowly god. And appearing in physical form while retaining your divine status... Didn¡¯t you Olympians make a non-interference pact with Chaos?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an emergency. Lord Zeus ordered me to subdue you and return immediately.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Elprian¡¯s body became transparent. With a snap of her fingers, tree roots shot from the ground like bullets. Is that a soul attack? I could feel soul energy in each root. The roots hurtled toward Achilles, aiming to bind him in place. Achilles chuckled. ¡°Impatient, aren¡¯t you?¡± His body also became transparent, and his silver shield began spinning wildly. The roots targeting Achilles were sucked into the shield as if into a black hole, disintegrating into nothingness. Elprian bit her lip. ¡°Petty tricks¡­¡± Rumble. The ground shook, and tree roots coiled tightly around the chariot. Leaves shot out like arrows at Achilles. I thought leaves would be useless, but they were imbued with soul energy¡ªdeadly in their own right. Achilles stopped smiling and focused on deflecting the leaves with his shield and spear. Half were blocked by his shield, and half by his spear, each emitting faint white soul energy. The effect was weak compared to the soul energy released, but it was still soul energy nonetheless. So that¡¯s what using soul energy in a manifested state looks like? Seems similar to imbuing weapons with mana, though the cost is in SP. ¡°Even fallen gods are still gods! Makes for a more thrilling hunt!¡± Achilles vanished. I couldn¡¯t see him at all. Where the hell is he? ¡°He¡¯s in the sky!¡± Diana pointed upward. Achilles was already diving toward us from the air. Diana fired an arrow, but it was sucked into his shield without a trace. Guess I¡¯ll have to join in. I reached for my soul sword, intending to imbue it with power, when Elprian¡¯s voice boomed. [Don¡¯t use soul energy! He holds divine rank. If you use soul energy here, Olympus will be alerted. Leave it to me. I¡¯m low on SP, but...] The surrounding trees twisted oddly and pressed in on Achilles. Tree branches from all directions tried to ensnare him, but he slashed them away with his spear and shield. He was so fast that the scene looked like a frozen frame. It was like he stood still while the attacking branches were sliced apart effortlessly. I had to focus all my energy just to barely see his movements. This speed is insane... ¡°Is that all the strength you have, goddess? Haha!¡± ¡°Ugh... if I had just one more day...¡± Cocky bastard. Despite his bravado, Elprian was sweating profusely. SP depletion? Guess I¡¯ve got no choice. Soul trade. I opened the soul trading interface and transferred 500,000 SP to Elprian. Risky, but there¡¯s no way I can beat him with my current stats. No matter how strong soul energy attacks are, they¡¯re useless if they don¡¯t land. Can¡¯t even see him... so I¡¯ll back up Elprian for now. ¡°What¡¯s this...?¡± ¡°Accept it.¡± Elprian hurriedly nodded and accepted the SP. With the infusion, she looked more relaxed and resumed her battle with Achilles. More tree branches erupted, and leaves shot out like bullets from all directions. Clang! ¡°Still got plenty of energy, I see!¡± Achilles couldn¡¯t approach and was forced to fend off Elprian¡¯s relentless assault. Yet he still grinned, clearly enjoying the battle. ¡°But this level of attack won¡¯t do anything to me.¡± True, the attacks were getting repetitive. Despite a ten-minute onslaught, Achilles blocked everything with ease. Elprian¡¯s attacks began to weaken noticeably. Damn... I¡¯ll have to send more SP. Just as I reopened the soul trading interface¡ª ¡°I¡¯ll end this now!¡± Achilles, full of confidence, shouted as he prepared to strike. But suddenly, he froze. Slash! ¡°What...?¡± His golden armor tore like paper. A massive scythe appeared before him¡ªa grim reaper¡¯s scythe. Despite deflecting countless attacks with ease, Achilles now wore a pained expression as he collapsed in midair. ¡°This power...¡± ¡°Kehehehe. Achilles, what are you doing here? You haven¡¯t forgotten Olympus¡¯s pact with us, have you...?¡± That voice... Hades? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 105 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 105: Reunion with Hades (2) ¡°Ugh, Hades. This is¡­¡± ¡°Hades? You, who were so busy bowing your head back in Olympus, have certainly grown insolent.¡± With a swift swing, Hades¡¯ scythe sliced through Achilles¡¯ upper body. His torso dropped to the ground with a thud. Blood spurted out, staining the ground, but Achilles¡¯ soul remained intact. It was a grotesque sight¡ªhis lower body still human flesh while his upper body floated as a ghost. Though his chest had been cut open, his soul hadn¡¯t fully separated. ¡°Hah, now that you¡¯re a god, you can¡¯t even die. Hehe, I like it. I¡¯ll add you to my collection, just like Prometheus.¡± ¡°Grr¡­! Soul Barrier!¡± Huh? Soul Barrier? That¡¯s a skill only Hercules can use¡­? A white shield surrounded Achilles¡¯ body, repelling Hades¡¯ scythe instantly. Even Hades, holding his scythe behind Achilles, was pushed back slightly by the force. ¡°Soul Barrier?!¡± ¡°Hades, I¡¯ll repay this humiliation!¡± Achilles, still ghostly from the chest up, fled at full speed. He shot up into the sky and vanished with a flash of light. ¡°Unbelievable. A lowly pawn using Hercules¡¯ skill? How absurd. What in the world have the Olympians done¡­?¡± Shaking his head in disbelief, Hades descended toward us. He was a sickly young man with white hair and a monocle. Though he wore a black robe, his body looked frail. But within that small frame was a chaos-laden aura befitting the title of Lord of Hell. ¡°Elprian, you¡¯ve regained your strength. I was quite surprised when I received your request for training.¡± As he stepped onto the ground, the grass began to wither and rot beneath his feet. It was a sight worthy of the Supreme Commander. In a way, he was the polar opposite of Elprian, who was connected to life, trees, and the elves. However, she smiled nonchalantly, even as the greenery around her withered. ¡°The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?¡± ¡°Hahaha, well said.¡± Hades turned his gaze toward us, expressionless as he observed Diana. But when his eyes landed on me, his expression hardened instantly. ¡°You¡­ what are you?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Since I¡¯ve time-traveled, there¡¯s no way he should recognize me. And with this tree armor Elprian provided, he shouldn¡¯t have a clue who I am. So why the sudden change in demeanor? ¡°Persephone¡­ I sense Persephone¡¯s aura. Explain yourself.¡± A cold sensation pressed against my neck. At some point, Hades¡¯ scythe had wrapped around my neck. Before I even realized it, a thin line of blood trickled down. ¡°Persephone¡¯s aura¡­ Is it because of the Fragment of Persephone?¡± ¡°The Fragment of Persephone? Hand it over. Now.¡± Hades¡¯ face, always calm and collected, now looked urgent. And unlike his usual polite speech, he was now speaking informally. He stretched out a trembling hand toward me. Wow, he must¡¯ve really loved her¡­ But come on now. ¡°For free?¡± ¡°¡­Ha, are you crazy? I¡¯m the Lord of Chaos, Supreme Commander. And you dare¡­?¡± ¡°With that kind of rank, you should know everything¡¯s give-and-take, right? If I die, the fragment in my inventory will vanish too.¡± ¡°You little¡­!¡± Hades¡¯ pure rage burst forth. Did I push him too far? At that moment, Elprian stepped in at the perfect time. ¡°Wait! He¡¯s a Soul Awakener! If you strike him down now, you¡¯ll suffer system penalties.¡± ¡°Soul¡­ Awakener? You¡¯re saying another Soul Awakener has appeared besides Hercules?¡± Hades immediately lowered his scythe. His angry eyes disappeared, replaced by intense curiosity. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hades examined me from head to toe. He kept fiddling with his monocle while sizing me up. ¡°Your abilities are certainly unusual. There¡¯s never been an irregular like you from Earth¡­ fascinating.¡± ¡°Well, my status as a Soul Awakener isn¡¯t that important. What matters is I want to sell the Fragment of Persephone.¡± Hades, now calmer, showed interest in my proposal. ¡°You want to sell it¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d trade it for a decent skill or item.¡± ¡°Let me see the fragment first. I want to confirm if it matches mine.¡± He pulled out a purple gem from his robe. There were about thirty of them, and twenty-six had the same triangular shape. What did mine look like again? When I took out the Fragment of Persephone from my inventory, it was a round purple gem, different from his. Hades¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­ a different shape? How did you get this?¡± ¡°If you want that information too, it¡¯ll cost you more.¡± ¡°Ah! You¡¯re so infuriating. Fine, just tell me.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t see us, right?¡± ¡°I blocked them all beforehand. Don¡¯t worry and talk.¡± If I didn¡¯t, he¡¯d probably beat me senseless. I told him I cleared an A-rank dungeon on Earth and obtained the Fragment from Leonidas. He immediately looked at me with a meaningful expression. ¡°You¡¯ve time-traveled, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You know?¡± ¡°Of course. Earth isn¡¯t supposed to have A-rank dungeons yet. Plus, you weren¡¯t surprised to see me as Hades and even spoke familiarly¡­ I must¡¯ve met you, huh?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s for you to figure out.¡± ¡°Hehe, if you weren¡¯t valuable, I wouldn¡¯t tolerate your insolence. But you must¡¯ve been useful.¡± Hades brought his monocle closer to me. Ugh, like he¡¯s one to talk about insolence. What a jerk. If I had the strength, I¡¯d punch him right now. But my anger vanished with his next words. ¡°I found a new trace of Persephone. I¡¯ll give you a reward worthy of that discovery. Since you¡¯re A-rank, an SS-rank skill should be fitting.¡± ¡°SS-rank?!¡± My eyes widened at the mention of SS-rank. Even S-rank skills couldn¡¯t be used without being at least B-rank, which caused me endless restrictions. Now that I¡¯d just reached A-rank, he¡¯s offering an SS-rank skill? ¡°Why so surprised? Were you not A-rank in your previous world?¡± ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s important is that it¡¯s an SS-rank skill.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ judging by your reaction, you must¡¯ve been B-rank. You probably scrambled for cheap S-rank skills, huh?¡± Cheap? The faces of people who boasted about their S-rank skills flashed through my mind. Since I couldn¡¯t get any S-rank or higher skills back then, those were the most valuable ones to me. But from what he¡¯s saying¡­ [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Are S-rank skills that cheap?¡± ¡°Well, duh. You¡¯re A-rank now, right? Do you even glance at C-rank skills?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ no, not really.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a much bigger gap between S-rank and SSS-rank.¡± Hades wagged his finger at me as if lecturing me. Ugh, this guy is really something. Still, since he¡¯s offering me an SS-rank skill with Persephone¡¯s Jewel, I¡¯ll let it slide. ¡°So, what kind of skill do you need? Should I give you an instant-death skill? Or maybe an invisibility skill? Avatar swap? Just name the type of skill you want.¡± What kind of skill do I need? My attack skills are somewhat covered with Soul Emission and Soul Sword. Defense skills... hmm. Aegis Shield isn¡¯t very useful when fighting those Olympus bastards. But once my Soul Reaper rank rises, I can learn Soul Barrier, which should cover most things, right? Soul Emission is enough for attack purposes. I need something more functional... [Learn the Avatar Swap skill. I highly recommend it. I¡¯m jealous of it myself.] Elprian¡¯s voice suddenly echoed in my head. Wait, why all of a sudden... Avatar Swap. It doesn¡¯t seem like a particularly great skill. Besides, I don¡¯t even have an avatar to swap with. And what¡¯s the point of swapping anyway... If I swap my avatar with Elprian¡¯s, will our genders switch? Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Seriously, there¡¯s no need to think this over. Avatar Swap is the best.] But since Elprian was so adamant about it, I decided to ask Hades. ¡°What kind of skill is Avatar Swap?¡± ¡°Heh, did Elprian tell you to take it? She¡¯s always making a fuss.¡± Wait, can he eavesdrop? Achilles didn¡¯t seem to hear anything. I glanced at Elprian, and she had a frown on her face. ¡°You haven¡¯t even regained your full power, and you¡¯re meddling in everything. But in this case, fine. I recommend it too.¡± [Avatar Swap] [Active Skill] [Rank: SS] [Completely swaps the position of your avatar and main body, free from any restrictions. The avatar left behind will move automatically based on the user¡¯s behavior. The skill takes 200 days to recharge after use.] Wait... is this really that good? It just swaps my position with an avatar. If I want to run, I can just use Heimdall¡¯s Return. Hades wagged his finger again when he saw my unimpressed expression. ¡°This skill guarantees your life once, no matter what.¡± ¡°But I already have a return skill, Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± ¡°Pfft! Sure, Heimdall¡ªthe guardian of Asgard. His return skill can help you escape in a crisis. But what if Heimdall is watching you?¡± That gave me a slightly uneasy feeling. Can I really escape using Heimdall¡¯s Return right in front of Heimdall? ¡°Heimdall is the guardian god. You¡¯ll be chased down no matter what. And where can you even run, when you¡¯re tied to Earth? They¡¯ll catch you quickly and kill you.¡± ¡°But that could happen with this skill too, right?¡± ¡°No. If you use Avatar Swap, it¡¯ll make them think you¡¯re dead. What you do after that to hide your identity is up to you, but it gives you one chance to deceive them.¡± Hades gave me a chilling grin. ¡°Think about it. The look on your enemy¡¯s face when the person they thought they killed suddenly strikes back¡ªit¡¯s unforgettable. Absolutely delicious.¡± His grin was downright creepy. Oh, so this skill really is that valuable? But I can¡¯t even make an avatar right now... [This is a very important skill. I highly recommend it.] Elprian kept whispering encouragement beside me. Despite Hades pointing out he could hear her, she kept sending messages like she didn¡¯t care. ¡°When can I make an avatar?¡± ¡°You can create one at S-rank. It¡¯s also sold in the SP store. But since you¡¯re only demigod rank, your avatar wouldn¡¯t be able to move. Haha.¡± So if I buy one at A-rank, it¡¯s just a human doll... Still, I could just leave the doll at home and use Avatar Swap in an emergency, right? With such strong recommendations, I might as well get one. I can use Heimdall¡¯s Return to escape from Olympus, and Avatar Swap to escape from Asgard. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Then, take it.¡± [You have obtained the SS-rank skill, ¡®Avatar Swap.¡¯] After receiving the skill, I handed over Persephone¡¯s Fragment. Hades suddenly wore an unusually soft expression as he gently stroked the fragment. I didn¡¯t know he could make a face like that. Completely absorbed in his own world, Hades paid no attention to us. He could probably stroke that fragment for a millennium if left alone. ¡°Ahem.¡± Elprian cleared her throat, but Hades ignored her and continued fondling the fragment. What a romantic, through and through. After several more coughs, he finally stopped. ¡°I apologize. It¡¯s been a long time since I found a trace of my wife. Let¡¯s get back to business.¡± Hades put Persephone¡¯s Fragment in his robes and slammed his scythe into the ground. It broke apart into white bone fragments and reassembled into a large bone throne. Hades sat down and looked at us. ¡°Elprian, you told me something quite interesting.¡± ¡°Did you like my proposal?¡± It seemed they had already discussed something beforehand. They both seemed to have reached some level of understanding. ¡°Yes, it piqued my interest. It¡¯s about the independence of Kevrian.¡± Kevrian¡¯s independence? I turned to Elprian, and she held a shard of Chronos in her hand. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 106 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 106: Returning to Earth, Appointing an Apostle "What is that?" "It''s a fragment of Chronos, the God of Time." "Chronos... that insignificant presence, huh?" Hades lifted a monocle to examine the fragment of Chronos. "Heheh, I can feel my father Kronos¡¯ aura in it as well." "Aren''t they the same god?" "No, they''re different. My father was responsible for agriculture. After being chased out by Zeus, he lost control of agriculture and was demoted to a mid-tier god in Olympus... Hmm, did he fuse with Chronos, the God of Time?" Hades examined the fragment of Chronos from every angle, his eyes full of curiosity. "Would you mind giving this to me? I''ll analyze it and share the details with you." Elprian agreed without hesitation. "Sure, take it." "Heheh, you''re much more straightforward than some other folks. So, what does this have to do with independence?" "I just heard about the agreement between Olympus and your faction of Chaos." "Hmm, how did you... Ah, it must be because of the returnee. Heheh, you¡¯re well-informed." "I was debating whether to come or not, but seeing you cut down Achilles earlier made me decide it was worth talking about." "Hahaha, a wise decision." After handing over the fragment of Chronos, Elprian asked Hades seriously. "I have a question. Regarding the act of repeatedly reversing time in some regions under your agreement." "Yes, the other three Lords of Chaos agreed to share the SP with Olympus." "Is that related to this fragment?" "No, reversing time in those regions is possible without it." "Then, I can assume the fragment of Chronos is used to rewind time on Earth?" "Heheh, that¡¯s a reasonable guess." Elprian pointed at the fragment of Chronos with her finger. "That fragment and the fragment of Urd, the Asgardian goddess of the past, are buried in Kevrian. If we can find and destroy all of these fragments, wouldn¡¯t that free us from their time-reversal loop?" "Hmm... Worth a try." Hades nodded with interest, examining the fragment of Chronos again. "Heheh, rather than watching time continue to rewind, I¡¯ll help you. We need to deal with the Olympians as soon as possible." "Will you really help?" "Hahaha, I can¡¯t openly assist you because of my contract with Olympus, but... If a god descends like earlier, I¡¯ll handle it. When a god descends, the restrictions on my power are lifted, heheh." "That¡¯s good enough." "I¡¯ll even help you find the fragments. However, if you achieve independence, I¡¯ll suffer some losses too." Hades gave a sly smile. "I agreed to share SP with them, so if it all disappears... Heheh, that¡¯s quite a hit." "But aren¡¯t you enemies with them? Don¡¯t you want to escape from the time-reversal?" "Hahaha. Sure, but a loss is a loss. Compensation is necessary, isn¡¯t it? Since you seem somewhat recovered and have access to the SP Shop... try searching ''Hades Loan Service.''" Elprian¡¯s expression froze instantly. I¡¯ve heard of that too. A crazy loan shark scheme with a 1% daily SP interest rate. Elprian opened the SP Shop, searched it, and was immediately shocked. "An SP loan with a 1% daily interest rate?! That¡¯s outrageous!" "Ah, I forgot to adjust it. I¡¯ll only charge a 10% annual interest rate. Haha, this is almost charity. Since we¡¯ll be maintaining a good relationship, I¡¯m offering it at a special discount." "10% annual interest... That¡¯s reasonable." "The loan amount will be determined based on the SP you earn in this world, heheh." Hades then glanced at me and Diana, gesturing for us to leave. "Now that we have a contract to discuss between deities, outsiders should step out. Hehehe." He smiled with a con artist¡¯s vibe. Isn¡¯t this going to be a terrible deal if I just let it happen? But Elprian was staring blankly at the system window, pressing buttons anxiously. "Elprian?" "Ah! Jiho, Diana. It seems I no longer need your protection. I also have a lot to discuss with him about our contract..." Her tone clearly indicated she wanted us to leave. "Elprian... Too much debt can be a poison," Diana tried to dissuade her, but Elprian shook her head firmly. "Diana, that¡¯s not true. Right now, SP is more important than anything. I need more power to reclaim my domain. Trust me on this." "Understood..." Well, she seems dead set on taking out a loan. Not that she¡¯s wrong. It¡¯s probably better to max out the loan to restore her domain rather than risk being sealed again from SP shortages. Since Drakia said Elprian is cunning, I¡¯ll trust her to handle it. "Diana, this seems beyond our concern now. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll perform the reverse summoning." "Yes, Jiho." After Diana was reverse summoned, Elprian looked at me. For someone so obsessed with loans, she now wore a serene expression. "Jiho Kim, has Diana chosen to follow you?" "Yes, but..." "Diana has found a good companion. Please take care of her." "Uh, sure..." Elprian gazed at me fondly. She seemed happy that Diana was with me. But something about her stare felt... odd. "Hahaha, is that High Elf your daughter? She¡¯s looking at you like a mother-in-law sizing up her son-in-law." "All elves are my children." "Heheh, let¡¯s skip the clich¨¦ deity talk. There¡¯s something going on, huh? Still, you¡¯re lucky. I had a hard time, you know, hahaha." The story of Hades kidnapping Persephone and angering her mother, the Goddess of Earth, was famous. "Wait... Isn¡¯t the Goddess of Earth your sister? So, your niece is..." "Hehehe. Love knows no bounds. Besides, I¡¯m not the only one tangled in the Olympian family tree. Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She¡¯s the product of a sibling relationship." Wait, seriously? What a messed-up family tree. Considering how many children Zeus had, it makes sense. Suddenly, the idea of Zeus ruling Earth with only women hit home. A world ruled by Zeus... terrifying. I strengthened my resolve to stop Olympus again. As I prepared to leave, Hades spoke. "If you find any more fragments of Persephone, contact me. I¡¯ll give you something good in exchange." "Sure, as long as there¡¯s payment." "Heheh... I¡¯ll look forward to it." Hades waved as I left. Surprisingly clean farewell. I expected him to hassle me as a soul awakener, but he didn¡¯t. Maybe he¡¯s avoiding the system¡¯s retribution for attacking a soul awakener? "Elprian, I¡¯m leaving." "Take care, and look after Diana." I used the return spell and went back to Earth. My familiar bedroom came into view, and I collapsed onto my bed. Time to review what I gained from Kevrian. First, skill stones... I managed to get two from the two Lords and kept one. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] I haven¡¯t decided where to use the remaining one, so I¡¯ll keep it for now and watch the situation. Also, I activated the Soul Sword in my inventory. I should ask about where the Soul Sword came from¡ªmaybe from my father¡¯s side, sealed by the gods. Since it¡¯s a growth-type weapon, I should raise it well and use it. Then there¡¯s the SS-rank skill, Avatar Swap. I heard it¡¯s good because you can pretend to be dead with it... Hmm, will there be a situation to use it? If we end up on bad terms with Asgard, I¡¯ll keep it as an escape option. I haven¡¯t been in Kevrian for long, but I¡¯ve already acquired quite a lot. However... ¡°I¡¯m too weak.¡± I still can¡¯t stand up to enemies at the level of gods. I couldn¡¯t even see Achilles¡¯ movements. Of course, my stats and rank are far inferior, so it¡¯s understandable... In the end, to increase my rank, I¡¯ll have to kill a god. Focusing only on SP income has left my stats lacking. It¡¯s like producing only workers in a game without making any soldiers. When I upgrade the Soul Mediation this time, I should invest in my stats too. I¡¯m earning 600,000 per day, so I can upgrade it in just over 30 days. Should I go back to Hercules¡¯ dungeon for more grinding? Before that, I wondered if there was anything to do on Earth. Hmm, come to think of it, didn¡¯t someone suggest expanding the Apostles? I should ask for Diana¡¯s opinion since she brought it up. ¡°Diana, summon.¡± I went to the living room and summoned Diana, and she appeared. She was wearing tight green clothes, with water spirits surrounding her. ¡°Oh, I was just bathing¡­¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. The spirits do the bathing for me anyway.¡± Right, she was fully dressed anyway. Too bad. ¡°Is this your Earth house, Jiho?¡± The water spirit disappeared, leaving her all fresh and clean. She curiously looked around the house. Then she noticed the dust piled up on the TV next to the sofa. ¡°Have you been away from home for a long time?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve basically been living at Hercules¡¯ dungeon in Eshtar.¡± ¡°Oh, no wonder there¡¯s some dust. Can I have the spirits clean it?¡± ¡°That¡¯d be great.¡± Then wind and water spirits appeared and began cleaning the house. In fantasy novels, spirits are always great cleaners. They swept the floors, gathering up dust and small bits of trash. While they were cleaning, I explained various modern things to her as she showed curiosity. I turned on the TV and showed her my phone. Before I knew it, over 30 minutes had passed. When I turned the TV to the Hunter Channel, Diana pointed at someone on the screen. ¡°That person¡ªhe¡¯s supposed to be Earth¡¯s strongest, right? How about making him your Apostle?¡± Looking at the TV, I saw the American Hunter, David. ¡°Him? He used to act cocky around me, asking if I was Earth¡¯s best Hunter.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still the strongest Hunter on Earth.¡± ¡°They told me to lay low for a year in Asgard, and it¡¯s almost up.¡± Well, Earth is still peaceful with no high-level dungeons appearing... Even if a year has passed, I don¡¯t feel like bragging about being the best. And I¡¯ve been too busy in Eshtar for that. ¡°Do you have any awakened people among your acquaintances? There were lots of awakened Earthlings at Kevrian.¡± Several people came to mind. But aside from Jinseong, I have no connections with the rest anymore. Oh, right. Maybe I should offer it to that guy? ¡°I have a friend who¡¯s a big, bald guy.¡± ¡°Oh, I think I saw him. The one who rode the spirit horse?¡± ¡°Yeah, he came when we cleared Kevrian... I should give him a call.¡± I immediately made the call. [What?] S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s important. Come to my place.¡± [No way. I¡¯m not going to that cursed apartment. If it¡¯s about drinking, let¡¯s meet outside.] ¡°Hey, I can increase your stats by 10%. This is not something to talk about outside.¡± [What? 10%? Stop talking nonsense.] ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m not kidding. This is really important and can¡¯t be discussed outside.¡± After emphasizing it two or three times, he finally said he¡¯d be over in 10 minutes, grumbling all the way. While waiting with Diana, the doorbell rang. ¡°Ah, what the... Whoa!?¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Diana.¡± Diana stood up and greeted Jinseong politely, leaving him with his mouth wide open. ¡°Uh... An elf? Wow¡­¡± He was completely mesmerized. Well, I¡¯m used to seeing Diana now, but when I first saw Liana on TV, I had a real culture shock too. I dragged the dazed Jinseong over to sit down. Then I explained that I could appoint him as an Apostle, and that becoming one would give him 1% of my stats. ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± ¡°Hmm, I expected that reaction.¡± I opened my status window and showed him the Order faction¡¯s stat screen. And once again, Jinseong¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°What the¡­ Over 200? A-rank? Hey... Hey! What is this? Is this a scam? Wow, I didn¡¯t think you were the type to scam your friends.¡± Hmm... He¡¯s not easily convinced. If I were in his shoes, I¡¯d think it was a scam too. I just went ahead and appointed him as an Apostle. Then Jinseong¡¯s expression suddenly changed. ¡°What¡¯s this message window¡­? It¡¯s asking me if I want to become an Apostle? Whoa, is this real?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll explain everything.¡± I told him about the gods¡¯ conspiracy and the time regression, explaining how the world had changed. He looked at me like I was insane again. ¡°Hah! You know what? I¡¯ll just do it. You¡¯re spouting nonsense anyway.¡± Then he moved his hand. [C-rank Awakened ¡®Warrior Jinseong¡¯ has been added as an Apostle.] ¡°Argh!¡± The moment the message appeared, Jinseong suddenly grabbed his chest and collapsed. He started hyperventilating, drenched in cold sweat. What? What¡¯s happening?! Is this a side effect? I should heal him first! ¡°Heal!¡± As I gave the command, white light enveloped Jinseong¡¯s body and then faded. His convulsions subsided a little. But he was still trembling intermittently. Ugh... What¡¯s going on? Should I cancel the Apostle contract? Just then, Jinseong spoke. ¡°Ugh... Am I... alive?¡± ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Jiho. Didn¡¯t you go to clear an A-rank dungeon? Ugh¡­ Valkyrie? What is this... These memories?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 107 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 107: Oath of Hercules Lee Jinseong held his head, looking puzzled. "Talking about an A-rank dungeon...?" "You don¡¯t mean...?" "Ugh... The past? Elf and dwarf helpers, the Order faction... Isn¡¯t that what it should be? What¡¯s with this Neutral stuff...?" Could it be that he¡¯s regained memories of the previous world? "Huff, huff..." Lee Jinseong took a deep breath and stood back up. Then he looked at Diana, startled. "Lady Liana?" He recognized that name? It¡¯s confirmed¡ªhe remembers his past life. "Ugh. What the hell is going on here?" I explained that we had been sent back in time by the gods of Olympus and Asgard. At first, Lee Jinseong was confused, but after 30 minutes of healing and explanations, he slowly began to accept reality. "So the gods of Olympus sealed the others... Oh, right. My family used to be Buddhist." "Yeah. Do you remember that too?" "Uh... Is it because I¡¯m your apostle? And these things called SP? What¡¯s SP again... Anyway, they¡¯re turning time back to consume that, right?" "Yeah." "Ah... those bastards. Damn it..." Lee Jinseong started swearing, spouting off a long string of curses. Diana listened with a strange expression. "Does translation magic even work for that?" "Yes, but there are many elven curses that don¡¯t translate well. Human swearing is quite diverse." "Yeah... Korean probably has the most swears." "Oh, that¡¯s the language of Jiho¡¯s country?" "Ugh, whatever." After yelling his head off, Lee Jinseong let out a deep sigh, looking at us in defeat. Then he fixed me with a serious gaze. "So, what¡¯s the plan now?" "Hmm, still figuring things out as they come. I¡¯m just trying to survive. I recruited apostles to deal with the A-rank dungeon." "Because you¡¯ll be trapped in there for 10 days?" "Yeah, and the gods reset our levels and memories so they can find soul-type awakeners. What if they find one¡ªor fail to? Will they spend all that energy and cost to rewind time again?" "Hmm... So they¡¯ll reset things? Only the gods will go back in time?" "Yeah, that¡¯s what I think." Lee Jinseong nodded thoughtfully before questioning me. "Then why bother stopping the A-rank dungeon?" "Huh?" "I mean, if they keep rewinding time anyway, do we really need to stop the dungeon? It won¡¯t matter if they just rewind it." "We need to prevent the damage..." "But they¡¯ll just reset it anyway, right?" "Hmm..." "And if we clear the A-rank dungeon, won¡¯t they just see us as a threat and start monitoring us?" He had a point. It was hard to believe this was the same guy who¡¯d just been writhing around in pain. "And are we sure those chaos beings won¡¯t invade if we stop the gods? Can we get a solid guarantee?" "A guarantee?" "Yeah. If they invade after all this, we¡¯ll just get crushed without any divine backup." "Hmm..." "Or, what if we ride the time-travel train with them and build our own Olympus or Asgard? Damn it, let¡¯s recruit more apostles and make our own divine realm! Who says only they get to be gods? Let¡¯s go, damn it!" He suddenly raised his hands in the air, shouting like a maniac. Ugh, what a lunatic. Talking about a "Jiho divine realm" and everything. But Diana, who¡¯d been listening, looked thoughtful. "Jiho, that¡¯s actually not a bad idea." "...Not bad?" "Yes. Building a divine realm is going too far, but I agree with the idea of building a faction. Since Hercules is providing dungeons, if they keep rewinding time, we should use it to slowly expand our forces. No matter how strong you get, you can¡¯t face the gods of two worlds alone." "That¡¯s true." "You need a reliable group of allies. The apostles you have now are weak, but if the time loop continues, they¡¯ll grow stronger and become trustworthy allies. But secrecy is critical." "Right. I wouldn¡¯t betray them, but who knows about others? And what if the gods capture them and magically extract their memories?" Hmm. At first, I¡¯d just planned to recruit apostles to deal with future A-rank dungeons, but now that we¡¯re talking about building real power, there¡¯s a lot to consider. It¡¯s tough trying to secretly build strength under the gods¡¯ noses. "This is getting complicated." "Yeah... Same here. Just a little while ago, I was a huge fan of Thor and Guan Yu, but now Thor¡¯s fan club is canceled. Guan Yu is still the best." "Ugh, you lunatic. Let me reverse-summon you. You can check out the apostle space." "Okay." I reverse-summoned Lee Jinseong and discussed our strategy with Diana. "What do you think of his ideas?" "I think many of his points make sense." "Really?" "Yes, but humans don¡¯t have anything like the Elves¡¯ Oath to enforce vows, do they?" "No... we don¡¯t." "Hmm, then we¡¯ll need some kind of vow-enforcing skill to ensure secrecy. Until we have that, it will be difficult to accept new apostles, even if your friend is reliable." That¡¯s true. Maybe I could use a dragon-language vow? But at only 6th circle, it wouldn¡¯t be strong enough to guarantee secrecy. There must be some kind of airtight skill for this. I¡¯ll ask the sealed gods about it. They¡¯re like a secret society¡ªthey must have some way to handle secrecy. Even if Loki infiltrated, there¡¯s no helping that. "And shouldn¡¯t we get confirmation from Hercules?" "Yeah, we need to be sure that stopping Olympus and Asgard¡¯s scheme will actually stop the chaos forces." I reverse-summoned Diana and used the system to contact my father, who was Michael¡¯s avatar. [Yes, Jiho. What¡¯s the matter?] "I¡¯m thinking of recruiting apostles." [Apostles? You? But you¡¯re an A-rank, aren¡¯t you?] "I got a skill from a god from another world. Since this world keeps resetting, I think I need to build a faction too..." When I explained Lee Jinseong¡¯s suggestions, my father sounded pleased. [Jinseong¡¯s a hunter too? Well, it¡¯s good he¡¯s still hanging out with you, even though you have no friends.] "I¡¯m the one entertaining him." [Do you have any other apostle candidates?] "Ahem... The situation is serious, so could you answer my question?" [Alright, hold on. I¡¯ll ask Michael.] After a brief pause, my father responded. [Honestly, I¡¯m not thrilled about my son recruiting apostles and stepping toward divinity. But... Michael has granted permission. There¡¯s a skill just like what you need.] "What is it?" [There¡¯s a faction that hasn¡¯t given you a skill stone yet because you haven¡¯t mediated a soul deal with them. They¡¯ll welcome you with open arms. I¡¯ll contact you in a few days.] "Got it." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Now that the oath issue is in my father¡¯s hands, I should go see Hercules. Just as I was about to use Heimdall¡¯s Return to head to Hercules, my phone suddenly rang. The name on the caller ID was Aria. She¡¯s the captain of the Valkyries on Earth. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Why does she always call at the perfect time, like when I¡¯m plotting treason? "Hello?" [Is this Jiho Kim¡¯s phone?] "Yes, Aria." [You weren¡¯t able to enter the Broken World because you ascended to semi-divinity, correct? We¡¯ve made adjustments so you can now access it.] Come to think of it, I was denied entry to the Broken World after reaching A-rank. Looks like they¡¯re only now letting me know about that incident. "Thank you." [I tried calling you several times, but you didn¡¯t pick up. And it just happened to be around the time things were going crazy in the Broken World.] Aria¡¯s voice turned meaningful. [We in Asgard hope to maintain a positive relationship with you, Jiho, as a Soul Awakener. If you have any grievances, please let us know so we can make improvements accordingly. We also hope you¡¯ll continue to envision a cooperative future with us.] Her tone was calm as usual, but anyone could tell there was an edge to her words. "Understood, Aria." [Very well, then. Please make sure to use our services whenever you enter the Broken World. Goodbye.] Aria hung up. In short, she was basically saying, "Stop causing trouble and join our side." It also sounded like she was subtly telling me not to use Heimdall¡¯s Return for travel to the Broken World. Since she went through the trouble of calling, I guess I¡¯ll walk this time. "Welcome, Jiho Kim." At the Seoul Gangnam Hunter Division, Aria greeted me with a bright smile near the portal to the Broken World. Her expression hadn¡¯t changed, but because of our earlier conversation, her gaze felt watchful. "Where are you headed, Jiho?" "I¡¯m headed to Eshtar." "Understood. I¡¯ll personally escort you." The number of people going to the Broken World had increased considerably. "Who¡¯s that?" "Why is Aria personally guiding him?" People murmured as they watched Aria escort me herself. "Jealous..." "The Valkyries won¡¯t even let anyone approach her, but look at him¡­" Jealous? You shouldn¡¯t be. Feels more like I¡¯m being closely monitored to prevent any trouble. As we approached Eshtar¡¯s portal, Aria quietly spoke again. "Jiho, I hope you keep my words in mind. The gods see everything." "I understand." After giving me one last warning, she bowed slightly and stepped back. Hmm¡­ I¡¯ve been stirring up a lot lately. I need to move a bit more cautiously now... "What have you been doing to attract so much attention from them?" When I reached the mountaintop where Hercules was opening the portal, he suddenly appeared and asked bluntly. "I¡¯ve been causing a bit of a ruckus." "At this rate, they¡¯ll hear everything. Too annoying. Soul Barrier." Hercules activated a Soul Barrier. That reminded me of Achilles. "Achilles used that too." "Soul Barrier? Why would he? That guy was always jealous of me for being a Soul Reaper. He¡¯d come drunk, whining about how he was a great hero too but couldn¡¯t awaken it¡­ tsk tsk." Hercules clicked his tongue, then his expression darkened. "Now that I think about it, he did keep collecting samples from me, saying he was studying soul-awakener powers." "Can collecting samples allow someone to use that skill?" "Ahem¡­ I don¡¯t know about hair or blood, but Aphrodite kept pushing him to collect samples¡­" Hercules gave a sheepish smile. This guy clearly did something. "Now that I think about it, Aphrodite possessed Diana once. She kept calling me impotent before she left Diana¡¯s body." "Really? You¡¯re more impressive than I thought. Resisting that temptation... Anyway, your words make me suspicious of Aphrodite. Don¡¯t let her tempt you." Hercules warned me with a serious tone. "You¡¯re one to talk, after enjoying yourself¡­" "Ahem, like I knew this would happen?" "Anyway, there¡¯s something I want to ask you." "What is it?" "Is it true that you¡¯ll all leave once Olympus and Asgard¡¯s time loops end?" Hercules went silent, closing his eyes in thought before softly asking: "Why?" "I need confirmation. If Olympus and Asgard¡¯s schemes are shattered, but you still invade Earth, it¡¯s doomsday." "I told you we would." "Are we stopping the loop or destroying them completely? I need to know that first." "Hmm¡­" "And I want a solemn assurance that Chaos won¡¯t interfere." Hercules remained silent, gazing at the sky. He said nothing for ten minutes, just staring at the heavens. Then he spoke again. "Alright. I swear it. If Olympus and Asgard¡¯s infinite past loops are stopped, I swear as Lord of Chaos that Chaos will not invade Earth." Hercules continued in a firm tone: "If I break this vow, I¡¯ll turn my sword against Chaos myself. If that¡¯s impossible, I¡¯ll self-destruct. This is a vow sealed with my very existence as the Lord of Chaos." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 108 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 108: Bestowing Skills [The Lord of Chaos, Hercules, has sworn an oath on his very existence. Will you accept?] There was no room for doubt with the system message appearing. As soon as I clicked "Yes," a red light swirled around Hercules and then dissipated. "Is that it?" "Yeah, thanks." "Are you planning to move in earnest now?" When he asked, I explained that I intended to recruit apostles and expand my faction. "Right, doing it alone is tough." "But recently, Asgard keeps sending warnings." "What did you do?" "Nothing too extreme, really..." I briefly explained what happened in Kevrian. Hercules gave me an incredulous look. "If I were Asgard, I¡¯d have punished you regardless of penalties. Maybe they¡¯re holding back because they lack concrete evidence..." "Is it that bad?" "Yeah. They¡¯d be furious. It¡¯s like losing a whole colony." A colony, huh... That¡¯s a fitting term. "Time to hold back a little and focus on growing stronger." "Exactly. No matter how strong a soul awakener you are, you¡¯re still just at A-rank. If they make a concerted effort, they can definitely hinder you." Hercules gave his advice. I also thought it was time to be more cautious. Even though I didn¡¯t destroy Kevrian and Kalvine directly, helping them out could leave a trail. That would be a headache. "What about the A-rank dungeon?" "Can it be maintained?" "It¡¯s possible." "Then I¡¯ll leave it to you. I¡¯m thinking of bringing a C-rank apostle there." Lee Jinseong is relatively weak. I¡¯d thought about training him to B-rank. Hercules gave me a strange look. "Training, huh... Do you really need to?" "Why?" "Because if you just take less SP from an apostle, they¡¯ll grow on their own." I can adjust how much SP I collect? I checked the Apostle Skill tab, but there was no such option. When I mentioned that, Hercules told me to level up the skill right away. "Hey, skills are only useful if they¡¯re at least level 10. Upgrade the Apostle Skill." I upgraded the Apostle Skill as he suggested. Raising it to level 10 consumed a total of 1 million SP. It was a significant cost, but since I¡¯d already committed to apostles, it was worth investing in. Once it reached level 10, new features appeared. [The Guardian''s Blessing "Bestow Guardian¡¯s Ability" has been enhanced.] [The Guardian''s Blessing "Bestow Skills" has been added.] [The Guardian''s Blessing "Experience Boost" has been added.] Two additional blessings were added, and the existing "Bestow Guardian¡¯s Ability" was upgraded. In the Apostle window, a new option labeled [Adjust SP Collection] caught my eye. When I clicked it, a more detailed window appeared. [Adjust SP Collection Amount] [Current: "Medium" setting] There were five levels from "None" on the left to "Maximum" on the right. The current setting was right in the middle. I adjusted it to "None," and a warning message popped up again. [SP Collection can only be adjusted once every month. Are you sure you want to proceed?] [If SP Collection is set to None, the apostle will autonomously use SP to invest in their abilities. Used SP will not be refunded. Are you sure you want to proceed?] I checked Lee Jinseong¡¯s stats. [Name: Lee Jinseong Class: Warrior Guardian: Kim Jiho Title: - Level: 73 Strength: 71 Agility: 21 Magic: 11 Collectible SP: 1,432] He was all-in on strength. With only 1,432 collectible SP, it wasn¡¯t even a big loss. When I clicked "Yes," the collectible SP dropped to zero, and his stats started growing automatically. Even his level was changing. After a moment, the final numbers were as follows: [Name: Lee Jinseong Class: Warrior Guardian: Kim Jiho Title: - Level: 77 Strength: 77 Agility: 34 Magic: 22 Collectible SP: 0] "Why did his stats increase this much?" I was dumbfounded. Hercules spoke from beside me. "Now you understand how much the Olympian gods squeeze their apostles? They probably squeeze them to the max. That¡¯s why they only gain one stat per two levels." "I adjusted it to one stat per level, though." "That¡¯s still stingy. Back when we were growing up in Olympus, we got 10 stats per level." Wow. So this is how they manipulate it? Unbelievable. Well, these guys didn¡¯t care about their apostles¡¯ levels since they planned to return to the past. They¡¯d just squeeze every bit out of them and reset everything upon returning. "When you become a god, maintaining immortality constantly consumes SP. If apostles don¡¯t supply enough SP, gods can even be sealed due to lack of SP." "Really? So becoming a god doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s over." "Exactly. That¡¯s when a new set of struggles begins. Anyway, if you want apostles to grow quickly, just don¡¯t collect SP. Still, I recommend collecting a little." "Why?" "Collecting even a small amount steadily raises efficiency. They call it SP Collection Efficiency. That¡¯s what the other gods say." Since I¡¯d eventually have to collect SP from the apostles, it was probably better to make gradual adjustments. Hercules could¡¯ve told me earlier... I¡¯d already set it to "None." Well, Lee Jinseong is still only C-rank, so I¡¯ll adjust it later. He¡¯ll grow more for now. "Thanks for the advice." "Sure. I¡¯ll be expecting results since I¡¯ve sworn an oath." With that, Hercules disappeared. Once he was gone, I opened the Apostle window. Now that SP collection was handled, it was time to check the Guardian¡¯s Blessings. The "Bestow Guardian¡¯s Ability" upgrade changed it from 1% of my stats to 2%. I wondered what the "Experience Boost" percentage would be... [Experience Boost] [Increases the experience gained by apostles by 10%.] Thankfully, it was 10%. Still, it felt like a modest number. The 2% boost in my stats seemed far more valuable. Even just reflecting the Order faction puts my current stats at about 250, and with all stats increasing by 5 each... ¡°Granting the Apostle a Guardian¡¯s skill...¡± [Guardian¡¯s Skill Bestowal] [Bestows one of the Guardian¡¯s skills upon the Apostle. The Apostle receives a downgraded version of the skill. Skills ranked S or higher cannot be bestowed.] If S-rank or higher isn¡¯t allowed, that means the max is A-rank? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] A downgraded A-rank skill... Hmm, not ideal. For someone like Diana or Drakia, a downgraded A-rank skill probably won¡¯t be much help. Though it would be useful for someone like Jinseong, who¡¯s still C-rank. Wait¡­ Can soul-related skills be bestowed as well? Or would that be impossible unless the Apostle is a Soul Awakener? Suddenly curious, I tried granting Jinseong, who currently had no blessings, the Guardian¡¯s Skill Bestowal blessing. A list of possible skills appeared, and soul-related skills were there too. Except for Soul Emission. [Soul Mediation] [Soul Reaping] [Soul Trading] Soul Mediation and Soul Reaping are possible too? Those skills don¡¯t have ranks. I honestly thought soul-related skills wouldn¡¯t be allowed... I clicked on Soul Mediation. [Apostle Jinseong is not a Soul Awakener. The efficiency of Soul Mediation drastically decreases, and he cannot perform Soul Mediation independently. He will assist Guardian Kim Jiho¡¯s Soul Mediation. Do you still wish to select this skill?] The efficiency drops, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be any major penalty. Plus, if he¡¯s assisting my Soul Mediation, doesn¡¯t that make it better? I pressed "Yes." A message popped up. [Apostle Jinseong has been granted the Soul Mediation skill.] [Apostle Jinseong is not a Soul Awakener. Efficiency drastically decreases, and he assists Guardian Kim Jiho¡¯s Soul Mediation.] [The efficiency of the ¡®Soul Mediation¡¯ skill increases by 1%.] S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Some of the SP earned from the increased efficiency will be shared with Jinseong, up to 10% of the earnings.] 0.5%...? That¡¯s pretty stingy. But at least it¡¯s an increase. And 10% of 0.5% goes to Jinseong? Hmm. With 600,000 SP, 0.5% is 3,000 SP. 10% of that is 300 SP going to Jinseong. It felt stingy, but I remembered Jinseong only had 1,432 SP before. Compared to that, 300 is quite significant. I should try applying this to the other Apostles too. When I applied it to Diana and Drakia, their efficiency increases were 5% and 2%, respectively¡ªbetter than Jinseong¡¯s. Maybe it¡¯s the rank difference? Diana is A-rank, and Drakia is B-rank... They could each take 10% of the earned SP as well. The Soul Mediation efficiency increased by 8% in no time, raising the income from 600,000 SP to 650,000 SP. Beautiful. While I was feeling satisfied, a message came from Drakia. [Why did you suddenly take back the stat blessing? Soul Mediation? I can¡¯t even use this skill¡ªwhy did you change it?] Drakia was complaining in the message. I replied briefly. [It gives you 600 SP a day. You don¡¯t really need stat boosts right now, do you?] [600? Hm...] [It could increase even more later with SP.] [Well... guess I¡¯ll try it out then.] She had been ready to argue, but her attitude shifted quickly once she heard about the SP gain. In contrast, Diana was an angel. [Jiho, can the distribution ratio be adjusted? I¡¯m okay without the SP. You can set mine to 0 if you want...] She was receiving 1,500 SP. No need to be stingy about that. [No, just take it. I¡¯m giving the same to all the Apostles.] [Thank you.] After settling the distribution ratios, I looked at the remaining slots in the Apostle Garden. Raising it to level 10 increased the slots to 15. Twelve slots were left. If I recruited 12 C-rank Hunters and assigned them the skill... That would increase efficiency by 12%. Adding that to the current 8% makes 20%? Nice. I¡¯ll definitely have to increase the number of Apostles once I receive the skills from my father. After finishing the rough plan, I turned my attention to the A-rank dungeon portal. Hercules said I should just adjust the ratio instead of nurturing the Apostles, but wouldn¡¯t it be better to adjust the ratio and nurture them at the same time? I summoned Jinseong. The moment he appeared, he ran over to me. ¡°Hey, why did my level go up on its own? And what¡¯s with these stats?¡± ¡°That¡¯s proof you¡¯ve been exploited by a god until now. Since you¡¯re not losing SP anymore, it¡¯s being automatically invested.¡± ¡°Whoa... awesome. So I¡¯ll keep growing like this?¡± ¡°Yeah. You got the Soul Mediation skill, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll earn you SP on its own. The SP will then be automatically invested to increase your stats.¡± ¡°Sweet.¡± Jinseong gave me a thumbs-up. I asked him a question. ¡°How was the Apostle Space?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a great place to rest.¡± ¡°Really? What showed up for you?¡± ¡°At first, it was just a room with a bed. But suddenly, modern conveniences started appearing. I was booting up the computer when I got summoned.¡± ¡°Uh... when was this?¡± ¡°Just now.¡± Hmm... There¡¯s no reason for it to change suddenly. Maybe because I invested SP? Seems like raising the skill level improves the Apostle¡¯s living environment. ¡°Isn¡¯t that an A-rank dungeon portal?¡± Jinseong asked, looking uneasy as he saw the portal at the mountain summit. ¡°Yeah. I called you to see if I could boost your experience.¡± ¡°You mean power leveling? No way. Some wealthy Hunters poured money into experiments and found that you can¡¯t gain experience from dungeons more than two ranks above you.¡± Jinseong stated firmly. No power leveling, huh...? Hmm. ¡°Still, it might change if your rank increases. Let¡¯s try.¡± ¡°Fine by me. No harm in trying.¡± So we entered the A-rank dungeon together. But as Jinseong said, there was no experience gain. Even when I massacred monsters or left them half-dead for Jinseong to finish off, his experience didn¡¯t increase. In the end, only I came out with a slight increase in stats from Soul Reaping and stat absorption. ¡°Told you it wouldn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Man... feels like a waste to run B-rank dungeons.¡± ¡°Hey, this is Eshtar, right? Just stick around here. Once I¡¯m B-rank, you can power level me.¡± ¡°Yeah, that might be best.¡± I dropped him off at the magic city of Erundal and returned to the A-rank dungeon. Hmm... I need to increase the number of C-rank Hunter Apostles, but I can¡¯t do that carelessly until I receive the skills from my father. For now, I focused on running A-rank dungeons until I got the skills. But even after waiting a while, there was no word from my father. He said it would be a few days, but it¡¯s taking longer than expected... After running nearly 30 A-rank dungeons and accumulating close to 20 million SP, I was about to increase Soul Mediation¡¯s level when I finally received a message from my father. [Sorry for the wait. Pollux, the guardian of the seal, caused a delay. We received a message from the sealed gods.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 109 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 109: Oath of the God King "Did it finally happen?" [Yes, the gods of India have decided to make contact. Indra has agreed to negotiate with you.] Indian gods? Hinduism? Well, as long as I get the skill, it doesn''t matter which god it is. "So, how do we make this deal?" [Enter the dungeon. Once you do, I¡¯ll open a portal where you are.] Following my father''s words, I walked toward the dungeon. On my way, I invested the 20 million SP I¡¯d gathered to upgrade Soul Mediation to level 9. [Soul Mediation LV.9] [Mediates the absorption of the gods'' souls. Provides 180% efficiency, and the user can take up to a 50% commission. Can mediate up to 28 guardian gods. Soul smuggling is possible.] [The commission rate cannot exceed 50%.] So I can¡¯t increase the commission any further? Too bad. The number of slots increased to 28, so now I have 8 empty slots. Once I mediate a few more deals for the upcoming skills, I¡¯ll have more free space. Time to prepare. For now, without increasing the number of clients, I stepped into an A-rank dungeon portal. Once inside the dungeon, I sent a message to my father, and a white portal opened immediately. Entering the portal, I arrived in the same round-table space I had seen before. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived.¡± My father appeared, not wearing a mask this time, and showing his bare face. His skin looked younger than I remembered, but his features were identical to my memories of him. ¡°It took a while, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That Pollux is quite strong. He¡¯s been watching me like a hawk, burning with some sort of grudge.¡± Father clicked his tongue, complaining about the delay caused by Pollux. Come to think of it, wasn¡¯t he supposed to be waking up Asura to deal with Pollux? ¡°What¡¯s Asura up to?¡± ¡°He¡¯s taking extra precautions to overpower Pollux in one shot. He knows that fighting with only low-tier divine power won¡¯t lead to an easy victory.¡± ¡°True. If they keep fighting too long, Olympus will send reinforcements.¡± ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why he plans to act only after recovering at least SS-tier strength.¡± ¡°But nothing¡¯s happened yet, so how did the gods show up?¡± ¡°Do you know Indian mythology?¡± Why would I? I shrugged, and my father gave me a knowing look. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have had the chance. In India, there¡¯s a god named Indra. He¡¯s the king of gods, though above him are three supreme deities¡ªBrahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the last two names somewhere before.¡± ¡°That makes sense. Anyway, those three supreme deities aren¡¯t in the seal. The one trapped in the seal is Indra, the king of Hindu gods. He went to great lengths to secretly create an avatar behind Pollux¡¯s back.¡± With a flick of his finger, my father reopened the white portal I had entered through. Out of the portal walked a man with brown skin, a shaved head, and a muscular build. His face was covered by a mask, but it was clear he was male because he was shirtless. ¡°Are you the soul mediator?¡± The man addressed me immediately¡ªthe avatar of Indra. Some kind of translation magic must be at work. He wasn¡¯t speaking Korean, yet I understood everything. ¡°And you must be Indra¡¯s avatar?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve brought the skill per Michael¡¯s suggestion¡­¡± Indra¡¯s avatar gave me a skeptical look. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe. A soul awakener is a rare and extraordinary hero even in the universe¡­¡± He kept glancing around nervously behind his mask. Annoyed by his hesitation, I said, ¡°Even my father and Avalokiteshvara¡¯s avatar use my soul mediation service. Are you still suspicious? Fine, forget it. I have plenty of other clients.¡± ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m not doubting you¡­¡± ¡°Are you doing this or not?¡± ¡°¡­Fine. I¡¯ll do it.¡± We finalized the contract under the supervision of my father, Michael¡¯s avatar. I mediated a soul contract with two Indian gods, agreeing to a 25% commission. In return, I would receive a skill that allowed me to control apostles. ¡°Can you deliver the skill first?¡± Indra¡¯s avatar demanded payment up front. What a stingy god¡­ No problem. I had a plan for this. ¡°Then let¡¯s make a deal. I want the ability to cancel the contract at any time.¡± ¡°Cancel the contract? Is that even possible?¡± Indra looked startled. Was he planning to lock me into the contract from the start? If I had agreed without this condition, he could have refused to give me the skill, leaving me with nothing. This guy was trying to pull a fast one. ¡°Stop scheming and just decide if you¡¯re going to sign or not. I¡¯m not even asking for a skill stone, am I? Besides, you hand out SS-tier skills to your apostles without much effort.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only when I¡¯m at full power. Right now, I only have the strength of a low-tier god. Giving out an SS-tier skill is a heavy burden.¡± ¡°Burden or not, I¡¯m not mediating this deal for free. You guys want to reclaim your stolen territories quickly, don¡¯t you? Indra, you¡¯re supposed to be the king of the gods, right? Meanwhile, Zeus and Odin are stealing all the SP from your followers.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Indra¡¯s avatar clenched his fists in frustration. My father chimed in. ¡°Indra¡¯s avatar, I understand your caution, but without his soul mediation service, you won¡¯t have a way to regain your followers. Make a wise decision.¡± After hearing how much profit they could gain from the mediation, Indra¡¯s avatar finally made up his mind. ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll give you the skill.¡± [Oath of the God King] [Skill Rank: SS] [Allows the user and a target to make a mutual oath. The oath is unbreakable by any entity. If the user is stronger than the target, the oath lasts indefinitely. Each target can be sworn to three times. Punishment can be added to the oath.] A simple description. It¡¯s just a promise skill? What¡¯s this punishment about? ¡°Is this for keeping secrets? And this is ranked SS just for being a promise skill?¡± ¡°What nonsense! The fact that no one can interfere with the oath is the key. And with punishment added, SS is more than fair.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you know how many deceitful apostles there are? With an ordinary promise skill, they¡¯d just interfere and change the terms. But Oath of the God King is different¡ªthey can¡¯t touch it.¡± Indra explained further. ¡°The more oaths you stack, the stronger they become. If you want to ensure secrecy, stack the oath three times: ¡®Don¡¯t tell anyone about this. If you reveal it, punishment will befall you.¡¯¡± ¡°Huh? Punishment?¡± ¡°Yes. If you stack it three times, the system will enforce it. You¡¯ll see just how terrifying it can be¡­¡± Indra¡¯s avatar shivered as he explained that the system¡¯s punishment could destroy a soul, making it a terrifying force. ¡°Isn¡¯t that too harsh?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going against the gods ruling Earth. If one of us gets captured and spills everything, we¡¯ll be wiped out. We have to be as cautious as possible.¡± My father warned me. Ugh, expanding power is tough. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°But couldn¡¯t the enemy gods extract memories from someone they capture? Isn¡¯t there a way to erase memories instead?¡± "Hmm, that''s possible too. It would also reduce SP consumption from the oath." "SP consumption too?" "Of course. Nothing in the world is free. The system is handling it for you." So I should just seal it with a contract to erase memories if any secret leaks out, instead of invoking divine punishment. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That way, I can expand my apostles one by one with this skill. "By the way, what is this system? It even handles things like this?" At this, my father looked displeased. "Talking about the system is a taboo for representatives. You''d have to reach one rank higher to discuss it..." "Just think of it as the order of the universe." It was clear neither of them wanted to talk much about the system. They obviously knew something, though. Well, that''s not what''s important right now. "Okay, I''ll give you two spots for soul representation. Who do you want?" "Indra and Ganesha, please." "Got it." After mediating for the two, there were six spots left out of the 28. I decided to fill these remaining spots through smuggling. After smuggling Drakia and Elprian¡ªwho gave lots of SP, second only to Odin¡ªthere were only two spots left. I kept those two as backups. "Hmm... I can¡¯t believe such a skill exists. SP¡ªI¡¯m looking forward to it." Indra waved and left. Left alone with my father, I told him what had happened recently. When I mentioned Hercules had sworn an oath on his very existence, my father jumped for joy. "Hercules said that himself? That¡¯s great news. Now we just need to oust them." "Hmm. Will it be possible once all the gods are released from their seals?" "I thought it would be easy once the seals were undone, but you mentioned the Soul Barrier. That makes sense. Our attacks didn¡¯t work at all on the enemy representatives." Father frowned, imagining a disaster if the enemy representatives could use Hercules¡¯ Spirit Emission and Soul Barrier skills too. "That¡¯s why I plan to gather as much power as possible, even if it takes multiple trips back in time." "But how would I time-travel? Last time, they sent me back, but what if they abandon me?" I was worried they¡¯d cut me off and go back in time if I caused too much trouble, especially after they¡¯d officially warned me. My father, however, answered casually. "Given the SP you¡¯re earning, I doubt they¡¯ll abandon you. But you should still prepare. You¡¯ll need Chronos¡¯ Fragment." "Will this do?" I pulled Chronos¡¯ Fragment from my inventory, and my father examined it. The fragment shone with a bright white light. "With this in your possession, you¡¯ll be carried back in time along with the others." "That¡¯s simple." "There¡¯s a complicated process involving divine energy infusion, but do you really want to know?" "No, I¡¯m good." Michael is still Michael. The fragment started glowing just by touching his hand, enabling time travel. "Alright, go ahead. Try out the skill." "Got it." At my father¡¯s words, I left through the portal I had entered. After easily clearing an A-rank dungeon, a system message suddenly popped up. [You have fulfilled a condition to reach divinity.] [The ¡®Earn 1 million SP in a day¡¯ condition has been cleared.] Already a million? I knew I earned a lot from Indra, Ganesha, and the smuggling deals with those two gods, but this much? It must also be because the skill level rose to 9, making everything more efficient. Still, this growth rate was incredible. The required SP for Soul Mediation Level 10 was 40 million¡ªdouble the previous 20 million. But at this rate, earning a million a day, it wouldn¡¯t take long. Feeling good, I sent a message to Jinseong. [Hey, want to help me test a skill?] [Ugh, I¡¯m in a dungeon. Guardian, I¡¯m level 98 now.] [How¡¯d you level up so fast?] [I realized the gods were scamming me all this time. Experience points increase like crazy, and my stats rise just by fighting. Plus, I get four points per level-up. But what¡¯s the skill?] Rapid growth, huh. I explained the skill I¡¯d obtained, and Jinseong seemed interested. [Hey, try it out on me.] [How?] [We¡¯ll make a vow for me to lose my memory if I reveal a secret. Then we¡¯ll see what penalty kicks in.] [Won¡¯t you have to hear the secret again if you lose your memory?] [I¡¯ll deal with that.] He was willing to be the test subject, so I had to agree. Jinseong came out of the dungeon and teleported to me at the mountain peak. "Shall we start the test?" "Oath of the God-King." We made a vow of confidentiality and memory loss regarding the secret. As soon as the oath was sealed, Jinseong spoke to me. "Alright, so about going back in ti¡ª" Suddenly, the light faded from his eyes, and his expression turned blank. [Target ¡®Jinseong¡¯ has violated the God-King¡¯s Oath. He will lose all memory of the secret.] [1,200 SP has been consumed.] "Hey, Jiho, where am I?" "You don¡¯t remember?" No matter what I asked, he gave me confused looks. After explaining the situation from the beginning, Jinseong finally opened his status window. When he saw my name listed, he nodded in understanding. He then described what had happened to him. "My memory was erased and reassembled. I was told I¡¯d spoken to you a month ago, but my mind replaced that with meeting a girl." It even filled the memory gap automatically. "But can¡¯t I talk about it in front of you? We¡¯ll need to discuss things moving forward." "True. We¡¯ll have to change the vow to make allies an exception." "Also, instead of just losing memory, it might be better to expel the apostle altogether. It¡¯s obvious if you look at the status window." "Good point." We realized we needed to add a lot of conditions to the vow. All I wanted was to expand my apostles, but there was so much to deal with. While cursing Olympus and Asgard under my breath and thinking about new vow clauses, a communication screen suddenly popped up in front of me. [Kim Jiho, how have you been? Seems you¡¯re having quite a bit of fun lately. Breaking your guardian contract and all...] A black-haired, handsome man smiled at me with mischievous eyes. Loki was looking at me with a grin. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 110 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 110: Unexpected Proposal "Hmm, has it already been a year?" [You''ve been busy running around, so you didn''t even notice how time flew. Now I can intervene, albeit in a limited capacity.] He had a smiling face, but his words had a sharp edge. Ah, it''s always a headache when Loki gets involved¡­ Still, I respond without giving it too much thought. "So, why did you contact me?" [Oh, don''t be so wary. We in Asgard want to maintain a good relationship with you.] Loki continued in his smooth, easygoing tone. [SP has been flowing in through your side a lot lately. I was curious if your Soul Mediation level has increased significantly.] "Well, it''s gone up a bit. I haven''t exactly been slacking off." [Right. So have you only been leveling up Soul Mediation, or have you been working on Soul Trade too?] Soul Trade? I assumed I could use it to act as a mediator for SP trades between deities and make some commission. But I hadn¡¯t used it at all, so the skill was just sitting there. Why is he bringing it up now? "It''s at level 6. I raised it to 5 before my grade increased. But why? You guys don¡¯t even do trades." [Hahaha, well done. Trading has been out of the question because we used up so much power sending humans back in time. There was no time for leisurely transactions between deities.] "So, why the sudden interest in that skill?" sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Can you raise that skill level to 10?] Why is he asking me to level up my Soul Trade skill all of a sudden? No matter how I think about it, it''s one of the lowest-priority skills. "I¡¯ll level it up eventually, but it¡¯s not really useful to me right now." [Yes, for you, Soul Trade is a useless skill. So we¡¯ll cover the SP cost for leveling it up.] "Huh? You¡¯ll cover the SP cost?" What is he talking about? They¡¯ll just give me SP for free? These guys aren¡¯t the type to be so generous¡­ [Since the value of Soul Mediation is rising, we figured giving you an S-grade skill wasn¡¯t enough compensation. Hahaha.] "There''s no way the god of trickery would offer fair compensation. What''s your angle?" [Haha. You¡¯re not easy to fool. The truth is, I heard a little rumor.] Loki¡¯s lips curved into a sly smile. Aurelia, the goddess of the volcano, had a similar smile¡­ He really does have a pretty face. [They say that if Soul Trade reaches level 10, you can establish a trading exchange.] A trading exchange? I vaguely recall hearing about this somewhere. I examined the Soul Trade skill again. [Soul Trade LV.6.] [Allows SP transactions between all beings, regardless of status. You can summon a trade window and collect a 0.1% commission on transactions. You can trade up to 60 million SP per transaction and conduct up to 10 transactions per day. When upgraded to S-grade and Soul Trade skill level increases, you can establish an SP Exchange.] Ah, that¡¯s right. I hadn¡¯t paid attention to it because I needed to raise it to S-grade, but if the skill reaches level 10, I can establish an SP Exchange. "How do you know about this?" [I gathered information from a few places. Your reaction confirms it, doesn¡¯t it?] I didn¡¯t bother denying it. It seemed like I could get free SP out of this. "Well¡­ yeah." [We¡¯ll provide all the SP. Let¡¯s establish the exchange. In return, sell us just 5% of the shares.] "What? Shares? What shares? I¡¯m not starting a corporation." [Hehe¡­ This isn¡¯t like Earth¡¯s corporations. Do you know what¡¯s similar to the SP Exchange?] Something similar to the SP Exchange¡­ I can¡¯t really think of anything¡­ Wait, could it be¡­? "SP Shop?" [That¡¯s right. We suspect the SP Exchange might be related to the SP Shop.] The SP Shop. The store prominently displayed by the system. A marketplace where only SP is used, and the deities constantly grumble about the harsh fees¡ªcould it be connected to the SP Exchange? "So, Chaos has soul-type awakened beings too?" [Of course. The god served by the Lords of Chaos, ¡®The Left Hand of the Creator,¡¯ is said to be a soul-type being.] Those Lords of Chaos¡­ I always wondered why beings with the power of deities were called "lords," but it turns out they serve a god. But why is that god called ¡°The Left Hand of the Creator¡±? "¡®The Left Hand of the Creator¡¯? Is that their real name?" [That¡¯s how we can perceive him. When you become a deity and start to grasp the order of the universe, only then can you feel his presence.] For the first time, Loki¡¯s perpetually smiling face turned serious. [Compared to him, we are insignificant¡­ But at the same time, there¡¯s relief in sensing his overwhelming presence. He never moves. He simply exists, lofty and untouchable, like the sun in the sky.] A soul-type Chaos god, huh. Why is such a massive entity suddenly coming into the picture? "I thought Hercules was the only one." [Hercules is the only soul-type awakened being. The Chaos god cannot be called an awakened being. He is essentially a pillar of universal order.] Loki spoke cautiously. It was fascinating to see him show reverence like this, something I had never seen from him before. A Chaos god. A colossal figure indeed¡­ Now it makes sense why someone like Hades is managing the SP Shop. "But I heard Olympus created Soul Mediators." [Olympus may have devised Soul Mediators, but they didn¡¯t create it entirely from scratch. The basic framework was already there.] So Olympus designed Soul Mediators based on that fundamental framework? Well, that¡¯s too distant a topic for a mere demigod like me. [Your SP Exchange has immense potential. We in Asgard want to buy a share of it.] "Hearing all this makes me hesitant to sell. I might as well set it up on my own." [Not so fast. That¡¯s why managers exist. You also need customers for your SP Exchange. The SP Shop is huge because the Chaos god runs it. But if you run it alone, how many customers do you think you¡¯ll get? It¡¯d be nothing more than a tiny corner shop.] Loki suggested that they¡¯d bring customers by using the exchange, and that I should take their investment to expand the business. He wasn¡¯t wrong, but it still felt like a waste to sell shares when there was a chance to grow big like the SP Shop. "I¡¯m hesitant to give up shares." [Set up the SP Exchange with the SP we¡¯ll give you. After that, just give us the right to purchase shares. If you refuse, we won¡¯t be able to buy them. But if you decide to sell to someone else, sell to us first.] "A first negotiation right?" [Yes. It¡¯s not a loss to you, is it?] They¡¯ll cover all the SP to raise Soul Trade to level 10, and all I have to do is give them the right of first refusal. I wouldn¡¯t be obligated to sell. If I wanted to sell to someone else, I¡¯d just offer it to them first. This was an overwhelmingly favorable deal for me. It also meant Asgard had high expectations for the SP Exchange. "Sounds good, but¡­ It cost me 100 million SP to raise Soul Mediation to level 10. Soul Trade should be similar." [100 million?] In truth, it¡¯s 40 million now because of the 60% discount from my Skill Stone. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] But I don¡¯t want to use a Skill Stone on Soul Trade, so I¡¯ll definitely need 100 million SP. "And that¡¯s just the cost from level 9 to 10. It costs 12.5 million to go from level 6 to 7." [Hmm. So the pattern is 12.5 million, 25 million, 50 million, and then 100 million? That¡¯s quite a lot¡ªalmost 200 million in total.] 200 million SP¡ªwas that a lot, even for an SSS-grade deity? "Is it too much for you?" [No, it¡¯s more than I expected, but we can support that amount.] "Oh? So 200 million?" [Any other conditions?] Any other conditions, huh? Ah, I had to reach S-rank. "S-rank." [What? S-rank? Hmm... Was there really such a condition?] "Yeah, take a look." When I showed the skill description, Loki frowned. [It would be hard for a demigod to run an SP exchange... but S-rank, huh? What are your promotion conditions? Filling all your stats to S would be one, and earning the qualifications for divinity would be another, right?] Is filling stats and earning divinity qualifications normally required? He knows everything. I don''t really need to mention the daily income of 1 million... "They told me to kill a god." [Kill a god...? You¡¯re telling me a quest came down for a demigod to kill a god?] Loki stared at me with disbelief. It must really be a tough condition. "Yeah, so I¡¯ve been racking my brain over it." [Killing a god... So, a soul-type Awakener can kill gods. That won¡¯t be easy...] Loki fell into thought. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned it? Damn, am I going to lose the 200 million SP? I watched him nervously until Loki finally spoke. [10%.] "You want 10% shares?" [Yes, I¡¯ll provide an additional 100 million SP in installments to help you fill your stats. Plus, we¡¯ll prepare the god you need to kill.] "It¡¯s just the right to negotiate first for 10% of the shares, right? I¡¯m not obligated to sell if I don¡¯t want to, right?" [Yes, that condition remains the same.] This deal sounds too good. They¡¯ll prepare a god-killing quest and give me 300 million SP. The divinity qualification is still a challenge, but seeing that Drakia¡¯s Dragon God awakening quest was already at 84%, it seemed Drakia would awaken smoothly as a Dragon God. I can fill my stats with the extra 100 million SP, so the main issue of killing a god is resolved. "Alright, let¡¯s do it." [Good. Let¡¯s make the deal.] [Would you like to make a contract with Loki, the ¡®God of Deception¡¯?] A message window popped up, boldly displaying the title "God of Deception." Seeing that made me hesitant about signing the contract. [Hey, I get that ¡®God of Deception¡¯ sounds bad, but check the details. You won¡¯t lose anything. All we¡¯re asking for is the right to buy 10% of the shares.] When I checked the message window more carefully, it was as he said. [1. Asgard¡¯s chief negotiator, Loki, will pay the soul Awakener, Kim Jiho, 10 million SP per day for 30 days. 2. Asgard¡¯s chief negotiator, Loki, will prepare a god for Kim Jiho to kill. 3. Upon meeting all conditions, Asgard will have the right to purchase 10% of Kim Jiho¡¯s SP exchange shares with his consent.] The terms were overwhelmingly favorable. I could sell the exchange shares later if I wanted... I couldn¡¯t refuse this deal. "Okay. Let¡¯s do it." [Good decision.] [You have made a contract with Loki, the ¡®God of Deception.¡¯] [This contract cannot be reversed.] [The contract will be forcibly enforced if not fulfilled.] Forcibly enforced? If they force me into a situation where I can¡¯t respond, do I just lose the 10% shares? That¡¯s a bit worrying. I didn¡¯t press ¡°Agree¡± and instead confronted Loki. "This forced enforcement clause is a problem." [Hmm? Why?] "If you guys seal me or put me in a situation where I can¡¯t answer, doesn¡¯t that mean I just lose everything?" [Come on, have a little faith in the gods.] "Uh... yeah, no thanks. Take out the forced enforcement clause and make it a renewable contract every year. Come to think of it, there¡¯s no contract term set." Loki let out a deep sigh. [You¡¯re so picky. You have no idea how short a year feels to a god. Let¡¯s make it 10 years instead, and we¡¯ll pay for the shares every 10 years.] "Ten years is too long. How about three?" [Five years.] "Okay, but make sure it states the contract only renews if I¡¯m still alive." [You¡¯re such a scaredy-cat...] "Actually, just add a clause saying you won¡¯t harm me." [Why would I harm the owner of the exchange?!] Loki grumbled as he modified the contract. I¡¯m glad I made those changes. [Here¡¯s today¡¯s SP. Open your soul trading window.] When I opened the window, Loki immediately transferred 10 million SP. After I accepted it, he grinned. [See you tomorrow. We¡¯ll prepare the god once you max out your stats.] That¡¯s how I got 10 million SP, just like that. "Hey... are you sure this contract¡¯s okay? He¡¯s the God of Deception, after all." As the communication link opened, Jinseong, who had been standing at a distance, asked with concern. "I made the necessary changes, so it should be fine." "Hmm... I guess. Still." Loki, who had been warned by Asgard for being too generous, was suddenly handing out benefits like candy... Better to stay cautious. Even though I blocked the forced enforcement clause, you never know what tricks a god could pull. Also, won¡¯t the system¡¯s protection disappear once I reach S-rank? This is the time to be most careful... "I should prepare for any worst-case scenario." "That sounds smart." Looks like I¡¯ll be busy for the next month. "By the way, what are you going to do about apostles?" "I haven¡¯t thought much about it yet. I was just planning on taking C-rank hunters." "Really? Can some of our guild members apply?" "Who do you have in mind?" "Some people got interested after seeing how fast I was getting stronger." If it¡¯s Jinseong¡¯s guild, that¡¯s probably the Daehyun Guild. "Are they trustworthy?" "Who¡¯s trustworthy in this world? Especially when it comes to opposing gods. Just don¡¯t tell them too much¡ªjust lure them in with the promise of power. Then tie them up with a god-king contract." Hmm, offering power in exchange for a contract... Isn¡¯t that what demons usually do? It feels like we¡¯re the bad guys here. "Besides, you said you needed apostles to improve your Soul Mediation skill¡¯s efficiency, right? It¡¯s a good idea to fill the apostle slots first." He¡¯s got a point. Even C-rank hunters would increase efficiency by 1%. I had 12 open slots, so filling them all with C-ranks would raise it by 12%. "Alright, let¡¯s do it." "Great. I¡¯ll gather them at our guild house. Make sure to wear a mask or helmet¡ªyou don¡¯t need to reveal your identity." No need to show my face. Guardian Kim Jiho... Yeah, that¡¯s a bit much. But this was easily resolved. "Add a clause to the god-king contract that says ¡®The guardian appears as the former guardian.¡¯" After adding that clause and finalizing the oath with Jinseong, the guardian took on their previous appearance. Now all that was left was to wait for Jinseong¡¯s call. Three days later, Jinseong contacted me. [Come to our guild house. Five people are waiting.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 111 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 111: Expanding the Apostles At the Daehyun Guild¡¯s Guild House. In the magical city of Erundal, there was a district dedicated to guild houses for awakened individuals. The Daehyun Guild¡¯s house was of moderate size compared to the others. ¡®They were the top guild in Korea, but their guild house isn¡¯t that big.¡¯ ¡°You''re wearing a mask? It shimmers¡­ Is that mana?¡± Lee Jinseong greeted me, staring curiously at my face. My white mask, covering everything except my eyes, nose, and mouth, was flickering with light. It was understandable that he found it strange. ¡°It¡¯s probably because it¡¯s a mask created by magic.¡± ¡°Whoa¡­ even your voice sounds different.¡± ¡°Well, I have to disguise myself to some extent.¡± Jinseong nodded and led me inside the guild house. The building was made of white bricks. The interior was spacious, but no one else was around. He guided me straight to the deepest part of the guild house. Inside, five people sat with solemn expressions. Among them, I recognized a familiar face¡ªKang Shia and her friend. ¡°You¡¯re the one Jinseong mentioned?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°Can you really make us stronger?¡± ¡°Yes, but a contract is necessary.¡± At the mention of a contract, everyone¡¯s expressions stiffened. ¡°What is the price we have to pay?¡± ¡°You simply need to believe in a better guardian deity¡ªa proper guardian deity.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Has Jinseong ever acted strangely? He became much stronger after believing in this new god. What level are you now, Jinseong?¡± ¡°99.¡± The others'' eyes widened in shock. They had sensed he had grown stronger, but they hadn¡¯t realized his level was so high. ¡°I will never force you. Only those who are interested should proceed with the contract.¡± They exchanged glances, then nodded firmly. Kang Shia stepped forward as their representative. ¡°We are all prepared. We will believe in this new god.¡± Three women and two men. Kang Shia seemed confident, but the others showed traces of fear on their faces. Perhaps they were worried I was making them follow some kind of demon. Even though I had deliberately worn a white mask and made it shine to appear more benevolent, it didn¡¯t seem very effective. ¡°Alright, let me explain the contract terms.¡± I retrieved a contract from my inventory. Jinseong and I had worked together to draft it, filling two A4 pages with detailed clauses. They carefully read through every word. About twenty minutes later, once they seemed to have finished reading, I spoke. ¡°Any questions?¡± ¡°Um¡­ this clause here. ¡®The guardian deity will appear unchanged in the status window, and the status window must never be shown to others.¡¯ What does this mean?¡± ¡°It means you must keep the guardian deity¡¯s identity a secret.¡± ¡°But there are many cases where we need to show our status windows to prove our strength and credentials¡­¡± ¡°If you reveal your status window, the stats will be so different from others that you¡¯ll attract unwanted attention. A guild of Daehyun¡¯s caliber doesn¡¯t need to show status windows to prove their abilities. Just reach B-rank quickly and prove yourselves by clearing B-rank dungeons. This is a non-negotiable contract clause.¡± I spoke firmly, and they reluctantly agreed. However, two of them looked dissatisfied. ¡°What about this clause¡­?¡± ¡°And this one¡­?¡± They kept asking questions, focusing on the conditions that restricted them from displaying their enhanced abilities. When I emphasized that these clauses were mandatory, they hesitated. Then, glancing at each other, they spoke hesitantly. ¡°With these conditions¡­ I don¡¯t think this is right for us.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ We can¡¯t predict how things will go, and if we can¡¯t show our status windows¡­¡± One of them trailed off, looking apologetically at Kang Shia. ¡°If we get stronger but can¡¯t transfer to another guild¡­¡± ¡°Can we withdraw?¡± Realizing that the contract would make it difficult to flaunt their power or switch guilds, the two backed out. They kept stealing guilty glances at Kang Shia. ¡°Hoseong oppa, Jimin! Were you planning to leave the guild?!¡± Lee Hyeju, Kang Shia¡¯s friend, shot up from her seat, waving her arms in frustration. Kang Shia bit her lip, her expression dark. ¡°We had no choice. We¡¯re getting married soon¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, and we¡¯re professionals. We need to move where the benefits are better.¡± ¡°Are you serious? You know how well we treated you here.¡± ¡°We¡¯re grateful. Daehyun gave us the best treatment in Korea. But America is on another level.¡± The man called Hoseong stood up and grabbed Jimin¡¯s hand. ¡°We¡¯re leaving. With these contract conditions, we won¡¯t be able to make our planned transfer¡­¡± ¡°Sorry. We had no other choice.¡± The two hurried toward the door. But I couldn¡¯t just let them walk away. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± ¡°W-Why?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not signing the contract. Please, let us leave.¡± Why did they look so scared of me? I even picked a kind-looking mask. ¡°I will let you go. But you must forget everything about this meeting.¡± I snatched the contract from their hands and clapped my hands together. ¡°All memories related to this contract¡ªbe erased.¡± A simple command. This level of suggestion worked on C-rank hunters. Jinseong had gone through a lot to help me test it. As I dictated specific instructions, the two hunters¡¯ eyes went blank. Then, they suddenly started mumbling nonsense. ¡°Huh¡­? Huh?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ who is that guy?¡± Lee Hyeju shrieked in shock. ¡°Get them out of here!¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Jinseong grabbed their hands and effortlessly escorted them out. ¡°Jinseong? What are you doing?¡± ¡°Why are we here? And the guild master¡­?¡± The two, now completely unaware of the contract, protested as Jinseong led them out. But his expression remained cold as he warned them. ¡°Don¡¯t try to understand. You were planning to leave anyway, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true¡­!¡± ¡°Sigh. I¡¯ll kick them out. Please continue.¡± Jinseong, maintaining his act, addressed me formally before leaving. Even in this situation, he hadn¡¯t forgotten to keep up appearances. As he led them away, I closed the door again. The remaining three wore grim expressions. ¡°Hmm¡­ They must have been important to you.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°¡­They were among the people I trusted the most.¡± Kang Shia spoke gloomily. I didn''t know their exact relationship, but if she had brought them here, they must have been trustworthy. If they were not only trustworthy but also recruited to strengthen the guild''s forces, the sense of betrayal must have been even greater. "Can we proceed with the contract now?" "Yes, I¡¯ll do it. Please make sure it happens." Kang Shia''s eyes burned with determination, seemingly provoked by the betrayal of the two who had left. The middle-aged man and Lee Hyeju beside her also wore resolute expressions as they demanded the contract. "Alright, let''s do it. Oath of the God King." I activated the Oath of the God King. It was an oath that could be stacked up to three times on a single individual. However, all clauses of the oath were applied as long as they were recited from the contract. The three of them watched intently as I read the contract aloud. Once the message asking if they accepted the oath appeared, they all pressed "Yes." A message window appeared for me as well. [C-Rank Awakener Kang Shia has accepted the Oath of the God King.] [C-Rank Awakener Lee Hyeju has accepted the Oath of the God King.] [C-Rank Awakener Lee Jaehyun has accepted the Oath of the God King.] [Under the Oath of the God King, they are accepted as apostles.] With the apostle contract established, three new members were added to the Apostolic Garden. Suddenly, all three of them clutched their heads in pain. Kang Shia, in particular, seemed to be in even greater agony. "Oh! These memories...?" "Could it be... the past?" It looked like they were regaining past memories, just like Jinseong had. Hmm, I had already accounted for this possibility in the contract. The one suffering the most, Kang Shia, was also the first to rise. She looked at me with trembling eyes and hesitantly spoke. "Could it be...?" "You must not say that name. Think of the contract." I quickly stopped her as she was about to say my name. The contract explicitly stated that names causing confusion or mistaken memories should not be spoken. Kang Shia looked disappointed. "Oh... I see." "It was an unavoidable necessity." After I cautioned her, Kang Shia took the hint and quietly sat down to check her condition. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The next to awaken, Lee Hyeju, suddenly sprang to her feet and pointed a finger at me. "No way, are you Kim Jiho? No...!" [Lee Hyeju has violated the Oath of the God King.] [As per the contract, she is expelled as an apostle and her memories are erased.] Sigh, is she an idiot? There¡¯s always one who does exactly what they¡¯re told not to do. "Uh... What should I call you?" "Uh..." She seemed unsure of how to address me. Jinseong, who had chased out the two who had attempted to defect, responded casually. "Just call him Light Mask. Look at how he glows." "You idiot." "If there¡¯s no official title, I¡¯ll call you Guardian. Instead of Divine Guardian..." "Guardian, huh..." That felt like an overly grand title. Jinseong snickered at the name. "Pfft, Guardian?" I smacked him on the head, and Kang Shia, whose expression had softened a little, spoke again. "Can we redo Hyeju¡¯s contract? She¡¯s just impulsive... You probably don¡¯t know, but she¡¯s a good person." It seemed that in her distorted past memories, she had some kind of connection with Lee Hyeju. That made sense, given how friendly she had suddenly acted towards me. Now, Hyeju was staring at us blankly. "Uh... I heard there was a contract, so I came. But what¡¯s with this atmosphere?" "Sigh, you idiot. You immediately broke the oath. Just do it again." "Huh? That can¡¯t be right..." Kang Shia gave her a firm flick on the forehead, urging her to proceed with the contract. Eventually, Lee Hyeju relented, and I redid the contract with her. The moment it was complete, she shot up once again. "Hey..." "Ah, seriously! The contract! The contract!" "Hyeju!" "Okay, Dad." Fortunately, Kang Shia and the middle-aged man quickly covered her mouth before anything could go wrong. So that man must be Lee Hyeju¡¯s father. Even though she seemed annoyed, Lee Hyeju clenched her teeth and glared at me. What kind of memory manipulation had been done for her to recognize me so well? To change the mood, I clapped my hands. "Well, that¡¯s it, then." "Is that really all? There¡¯s nothing more to be paid?" The middle-aged man, whom the system had referred to as ¡®Lee Jaehyun,¡¯ asked with a surprised expression. What, did he think this was some kind of demonic contract where he¡¯d have to sell his soul? When I assured him that there was nothing else, he let out a sigh of relief. I looked at the three of them and said, "If you know anyone else trustworthy, bring them in. This is a win-win deal for both of us." "Understood." Kang Shia kept looking at me as if she had more to say. I needed to tell her that it wasn¡¯t the right time yet. "And... I know you have a lot on your mind, but for now, focus on reaching B-Rank. Be careful with what you say so that the apostle contract isn¡¯t nullified." "...Got it." Though she looked a little disappointed, Kang Shia soon nodded. "I¡¯ll make sure to reach B-Rank." "That¡¯s the right mindset. Now, go check out the dungeon. You¡¯ll notice the difference in your growth rate immediately." "Alright. Shia, let¡¯s go!" Lee Hyeju, still glaring at me, suddenly grabbed Kang Shia¡¯s hand and pulled her up. She also yanked Jinseong along as she threw open the door. "Jinseong, you¡¯re coming too." "Uh...? Oh, alright." Jinseong weakly waved at me as he was dragged away. That guy... always acting tough around women but getting pulled around like that? I shook my head and checked the apostle status window. With three new apostles, their efficiency had increased by 3% due to the assigned soul mediation skill. Hmm. Since I had minimized SP collection, their levels would rise quickly. I hoped to fill the remaining slots soon, but I needed to be patient. Some people might be like the defectors earlier, showing their status windows and trying to switch sides immediately. In situations like this, it was best to take things slow. With that thought, I moved to the mountain peak as usual. Before me stood an A-Rank dungeon portal. Ugh, did I have to clear that again? Just as I was contemplating it, Hercules suddenly appeared. "We¡¯re about to destroy Eshtar. You should either stay on Earth or enter a dungeon." "Uh... Can that wait a bit? Since you¡¯re here, I have something to ask." "Why?" Loki had told me about the SP Exchange. I wondered if Hercules knew anything about it. Technically, the SP Shop was a part of the chaos faction, so it was like asking a competitor for information. But given that their side was like a global corporation while ours hadn¡¯t even opened a store yet, it should be fine. As I explained everything that had happened, Hercules fell into deep thought. "Hmm... So Asgard is investing heavily in the SP Exchange?" "Yeah, the conditions seem good, but the god in charge is a fraudster, so I don¡¯t fully trust it." After nodding a few times, Hercules suddenly said something unexpected. "Hmm... Can I invest in it too?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 112 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 112: More Investors Join "Huh? You''re investing too?" S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Yeah, after hearing about it, it sounds pretty good. Plus, if I join, those guys won¡¯t be able to mess around, right?" If Hercules joins, things will definitely be more secure. "But doesn''t the SP Exchange overlap with the Chaos SP Shop? Shouldn¡¯t you be avoiding helping it?" "Not really. It¡¯s not like I need to worry about a small shop. Besides, the SP Exchange and the SP Shop don¡¯t necessarily have to overlap." Hercules continued with an intrigued expression. "We don¡¯t know how the SP Exchange will evolve. It could develop into something entirely different instead of just a shop." "So, you''re saying it¡¯s not necessarily a store?" "Exactly. When you hear ''exchange,'' doesn¡¯t it sound more like a bank than a store?" "But Hades also provides SP loans, so wouldn¡¯t that mean the shop can do the same thing?" "That¡¯s just because Uncle Hades is twisting the system in a weird way as the SP Shop manager. He won¡¯t be able to scale it up significantly. Anyway, since we don¡¯t know how things will change, I¡¯d like to invest too." "Alright, how much equity do you want, and what are you offering in return?" "The more, the better, but at least 5%. As for my offer¡­ Hmm¡­ As long as it¡¯s not the SP Shop, I¡¯ll open trade routes for Chaos." The SP Exchange hasn¡¯t even been established yet, and he¡¯s already talking about trade routes. Feels like counting chickens before they hatch¡­ Also, wait a minute. "Trade routes should be a given if you¡¯re taking a stake, but don¡¯t you think you''re offering too little SP?" "Hmm, fine. I¡¯ll put in 100 million. They¡¯re getting 10% for 200 million, so how about 5% for 100 million?" "Hmm, alright. The contract renewal will follow the same terms?" "Yeah, and make sure to let Asgard know I¡¯m involved. That way, those guys won¡¯t act recklessly." If Hercules joins, those guys will definitely think twice before making any moves. Hmm, will this serve as a safety net? "Got it. Let¡¯s sign the contract." [You have entered a contract with the Lone Titan of Chaos.] [If the contract is not fulfilled, it will be forcibly executed.] As soon as I agreed, Hercules spoke. "Alright, open the soul trade. I¡¯ll pay in one go." Oh, bold move. Just swiping the entire amount in one shot. "But isn¡¯t 100 million SP not that much for deities? Everyone seems to be throwing it around so easily." "Absolutely not. I earn SP through soul reaping, and since I don¡¯t have a world to manage, I don¡¯t have many expenses. But for a regular deity, this would be a tough sum to hand over. Didn¡¯t Asgard pay in installments?" "Yeah." "That just shows how hard it is to give out 100 million SP at once." I see. So Hercules earns a lot from soul reaping, which is why he can afford to be this generous. "Oh, but I can¡¯t process a 100 million transaction in one go yet." "Then take it in two payments of 50 million each." "Okay. Thanks." With two SP transactions, I received 100 million. 100 million SP stacking up all at once. Wait, was it always this easy to make SP? I immediately upgraded my Soul Mediation skill. [Soul Mediation skill has reached level 10. Its efficiency has greatly increased.] [You can now perform duplicate mediation. The maximum duplication count is two digits.] [At the current grade, you can no longer increase the skill level.] Unlike Soul Reaping, which kept leveling up, Soul Mediation had now reached its limit. [Soul Mediation LV.10] [You facilitate the absorption of souls by gods. Generates 200% efficiency, and you can take up to 50% as commission. You can mediate up to 30 guardian deities. Soul smuggling is enabled. Duplicate mediation is enabled.] Four slots were still available. Now that I think about it, I promised to offer duplicate mediation to Hercules, Elprian, and Drakia. After adding all three, only one slot remained. Should I leave one slot open? Wait, can I duplicate mediation with a planet like Earth? When I selected Earth, it successfully added as a duplicate mediation. Whoa, in that case, adding planets first would be better. Would canceling a smuggling transaction remove it from the system? I tested it, and cancellation was possible. I removed Elprian¡¯s smuggling transaction and instead added the planets Kevrian and Eshtar to the mediation. Now my SP mediation window was completely filled. "Oh, I should¡¯ve just filled all the slots from the start." I had assumed I needed to leave an empty slot, but I could¡¯ve just canceled whenever needed. "Whoa, so you can do duplicate mediation? I see the system window popping up." "Yeah, I upgraded the skill with the SP I just received. But it looks like level 10 is the cap for Soul Mediation at A-rank." "Well, you¡¯re a special case. A regular soul mediator would struggle to reach level 10. It costs a ridiculous amount of SP." That¡¯s true. Without the Skill Stone, going from level 9 to 10 would¡¯ve cost me 100 million SP. "Alright, time to clear some A-rank dungeons." "By the way, your dragon friend seems to have gone to another world. Should I get rid of that dungeon portal?" Hercules pointed at an A-rank dungeon portal. Hmm, would it be useful if Diana clears it? "Diana, summon." I summoned Diana and asked. "Diana, do you get stronger if you clear dungeons?" "Yes, even if my level no longer increases, my SP does." "Then do you want to clear A-rank dungeons with me?" Diana¡¯s face lit up. "Yes! I also want to challenge S-rank dungeons." "Speaking of which, you''re A-rank too. What are your promotion requirements?" Diana glanced at Hercules before answering. Hmm, is she hesitant to talk in front of an outsider? Noticing this, Hercules chuckled and waved me off. "I¡¯ll summon two portals for you. Finish your talk quickly and head into the dungeon. I¡¯ll be destroying Eshtar soon." "Got it." With that, Hercules disappeared. Man, he¡¯s really reliable¡­ Out of everyone, he¡¯s the one I trust the most. Once he was gone, Diana finally spoke. "I need to max out all my stats to 1,000 and gain divine authority." "Same as me, then." "And I need the recognition of the Soul God." "The Soul God?" "Yes, but I don¡¯t know how to obtain it, so I¡¯m focusing on strengthening my abilities for now. If I meet Elprian, I¡¯ll ask." Makes sense. Powering up should be the priority. Oh, right, Diana¡¯s SP collection rate was set to medium. I lowered it to the minimum, and her recoverable SP dropped from 30,000 to 2,000. Diana looked shocked. "Jiho, you adjusted my SP collection? I¡¯m really fine with it¡­" "No, it¡¯s better for someone trustworthy to grow quickly. I make plenty of SP anyway." Now that Soul Mediation was level 10, Diana¡¯s 30,000 SP was practically nothing to me. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "Ah¡­ Thank you so much. I¡¯ll definitely repay you." Diana smiled at my generosity. She really is stunning. I was about to continue our conversation when a deafening roar shook the mountains. [Get inside. Now.] Before I knew it, Hercules had returned to the giant¡¯s body and was about to split Erundal. ¡°Shall we go in then?¡± ¡°Hmm, no. Diana, this time, reverse summon yourself and enter the next dungeon. If you''re in the dungeon when this world is destroyed, you''ll stand out too much when you return to Earth.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do that.¡± She had barely been summoned before being reverse summoned again. After reverse summoning Diana, I entered an A-rank dungeon. A world covered in ice. I wanted to clear it quickly and leave, so I immediately took out Yeoui, but suddenly, a message window appeared. [The broken world, ¡®Eshtar,¡¯ has perished.] [You will be reverse summoned to your original world.] A flash of light, and the dungeon world collapsed. Before I knew it, I was standing in the Association. ¡°Ah¡­ I could¡¯ve cleared it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be destroyed so soon.¡± The place was packed with people. Good thing I reverse-summoned Diana. If she had appeared in this chaotic crowd, all eyes would have been on her instantly. I should head home quickly. As I pushed my way through the crowd, I noticed a small commotion in the middle of the gathered people. Huh? Those people¡­? They looked familiar. Oh, right. They were from the Daehyun Guild. The five I saw before, plus several more. Two people who had been expelled for trying to transfer to another guild were now, ironically, arguing with Kang Shia, acting as if they were the victims. ¡°What do you mean we¡¯re transferring? Where did that come from?¡± ¡°Yeah! This is ridiculous! We¡¯ve dedicated ourselves to Daehyun Guild for so long¡­!¡± ¡°Oh, come on, hyung. Stop whining and just transfer already.¡± ¡°What do you mean, transfer?! We never said that! And what about this text? The message about getting stronger!¡± ¡°This is so unfair. We¡¯ve been loyal to Daehyun Guild since the last world¡­¡± The woman in the couple began to tear up. Wow, impressive acting. But¡­ even if you erase memories, text messages remain. Seriously, these people. You shouldn¡¯t leave that kind of data behind. The guild members who hadn¡¯t been involved before were now glancing back and forth between the expelled duo and Kang Shia, looking unsure of whom to believe. Hmm. If they keep talking about getting stronger, this might become a hassle. Should I interfere with Dragon Words? Since there were too many people around¡­ ¡°Invisibility.¡± My body became transparent. People were startled at first but soon dismissed it¡ªsome mages could use invisibility spells, after all. ¡°Speak only the truth.¡± As I uttered the Dragon Words, the two trembled and began speaking in an entirely different tone. ¡°Hey, just spill it. What exactly is this ¡®getting stronger¡¯ thing? We need to pull off one last job before transferring!¡± ¡°Hurry up and hand it over! We need to take it before we switch!¡± The two looked at each other in shock as the words left their mouths. The surrounding guild members also stared at them, dumbfounded. ¡°Ah, shit, what the hell! Why can¡¯t I lie?!¡± ¡°This¡­ is this magic? Who used magic?! Kang Shia, is this your dirty trick?!¡± Hmm, now that they realized they were only telling the truth, their approach shifted to accusing someone of using magic. Their panic was also truthful in its own way. Should I tweak the conditions a bit? ¡°Speak what¡¯s in your heart, but do not realize you are doing so.¡± As I spoke the new command, their trembling eyes steadied, and they started talking again. ¡°The American guild said they¡¯d give us a bonus if we brought this information! Hurry up and say it! Say it already!¡± ¡°Oh, come on. Acting is getting tiring. Hojung oppa, why are you so obsessed with that measly bonus? At best, Daehyun Guild will just lend you a weapon. This info won¡¯t even make that much money. We need to get to America quickly and meet Jace!¡± ¡°Jace? You¡ªyou said you weren¡¯t involved with that bastard! Wait, are you cheating on me?!¡± ¡°What?! You cheated first! You started it!¡± ¡­What the hell is with this crazy couple? The whole conversation about getting stronger had been completely sidelined, replaced by a full-blown lovers¡¯ quarrel, complete with hair-pulling. Well, that solves itself. Next time, I should erase at least a month¡¯s worth of memories. As I quietly slipped away and returned home, I saw a message from Lee Jinseong. [Hey, was that you?] [Yeah. Why did the messages stay? Be more careful next time.] [Got it. Kang Shia says she¡¯s really sorry and grateful.] [Alright. Let me know if you need to add anyone else.] [Okay, thanks. This incident made me realize I need to be more careful when recruiting people.] [Yeah, yeah.] Thinking about it, Asgard probably wouldn¡¯t make a big deal out of it because of the SP Exchange. Still, it¡¯s better to be cautious. As I was resting at home, a communication request came from Loki. As always, he was smiling as he looked at me. [Here¡¯s your daily SP.] I opened the transaction window and received my SP. Once again, my SP exceeded 100 million. I used all the SP I had gathered to upgrade Soul Trade, bringing it to level 9. I spent 87.5 million, leaving me with about 20 million SP. In just eight more days, Soul Trade would reach level 10. [So, nothing unusual happened?] ¡°Hmm, Hercules decided to invest in the SP Exchange too.¡± [What? Hercules? I heard you¡¯ve been hanging around him a lot, but still, getting investment from a Lord of Chaos¡­ isn¡¯t that a bit much? They¡¯re destined to destroy Earth.] As if they were any different. Their reaction made me even more certain that taking Hercules¡¯s investment was the right choice. [Are you sure you won¡¯t reconsider?] ¡°I owe him a lot. I have no choice.¡± [¡­Hmph. Fine. You¡¯re the owner of the Exchange, after all. That aside, the target for godslaying has been decided.] ¡°What? Already?¡± [Yeah. Ideally, we¡¯d bring you a deity-class opponent, but even a sealed deity is too tough for an A-rank to eliminate.] Loki grumbled about how it had been harder to find an adequately weakened S-rank target. Then, he got serious and looked at me. [Come to the Association. The Valkyries will guide you.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 113 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 113: Godslaying (1) As soon as I returned home, I headed straight back to the Association. This time, I decided to take a taxi to relax and think for a bit. ¡°Where to, sir?¡± ¡°Hunter Association Headquarters at Yeoksam Station.¡± ¡°Alright, understood.¡± As the car started moving, something felt unfamiliar. Lately, I¡¯d been flying around using magic while running through A-rank dungeons nonstop. I hadn¡¯t had the chance to enjoy the conveniences of modern civilization in a while. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Godslaying. I needed to use Soul Energy Emission to kill, but I wasn¡¯t sure if I should summon my Soul Sword here. The Soul Reaper skill level was now at 19 across the board. Thanks to Hercules¡¯ mentoring, the required SP had been significantly reduced, making this achievement possible. The mentoring effect wasn¡¯t perfect yet¡­ Should I invest some SP now and level up? If I raised Soul Reaping, Trait Absorption and Soul Energy Emission by one level each, it would cost 5 million SP per skill¡ªa total of 20 million SP. Hmm, I should do it. If I waited a bit longer, I might be able to upgrade them at a discount, but it seemed better to go for it now. As soon as I leveled all four skills to level 20, a series of messages appeared. Most of them indicated a massive efficiency boost at level 20, but one particular message caught my attention after upgrading Soul Energy Emission: [The efficiency of Soul Energy Emission has drastically increased. Now, it drains an enemy''s SP at 40 times the amount you consume.] [Soul Energy can now be imbued into magic, thrown weapons, and other ranged attacks.] [For ranged attacks, the efficiency is reduced by half.] Previously, the efficiency increased by one multiplier per level, meaning at level 19, it was at 28x. But upon reaching level 20, it jumped straight to 40x. And if I could imbue Soul Energy into ranged attacks, that meant I could apply it to Thunder God¡¯s powers or magic. Nice. Of course, fighting with the Soul Sword was still far more efficient, but having ranged options was a solid addition. Then, another message popped up. [You have acquired the Soul Barrier skill from the Soul Reaper class.] [Soul Barrier LV.1] [Consumes SP to generate a protective barrier. The larger the area, the higher the SP consumption. Nullifies all attacks and magic that do not contain Soul Energy, protecting up to 40 times the SP consumption amount.] That golden Soul Barrier Hercules had used to block external surveillance¡­ Since magical detection counted as an external force, this could probably block it too. Curious about its leveling cost, I checked¡ªit took 1 million SP to upgrade from level 1. With all my spending, I was now down to 3 million SP. Hmm, should I save it? I¡¯d probably need SP for the godslaying mission. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, sir.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Thank you.¡± After getting out of the taxi, I took my time walking toward the Association. ¡°Kim Jiho, I will escort you.¡± A Valkyrie, already waiting for me, greeted me with a bow. She led me to a subterranean area of the Association, taking a hidden elevator deep within the first floor, descending to B10. ¡°Hello, Kim Jiho. You may leave now.¡± The moment we arrived, Aria, the Valkyrie captain, greeted me with a smile before turning to the Valkyrie who escorted me, dismissing her with an icy tone. The subordinate bowed hastily and left in a hurry. I guess she¡¯s a strict leader. I glanced around the underground space. It seemed like it had originally been constructed as a parking garage, given the asphalt flooring. But there wasn¡¯t a single car. Instead, the place was lined with statues of warriors. The sight reminded me of the marble statues in the Olympus Pantheon I¡¯d seen before. The only difference was that these were made of metal. As I examined the statues, Aria explained: ¡°These are the Einherjar. Warriors who have sworn to fight eternally in Valhalla, preparing for Ragnar?k, the end of the world.¡± ¡°I see. But why are they here?¡± ¡°They are preparing for the world''s end.¡± She pointed upward, her finger gesturing to the world above. Wait a second¡­ Wasn¡¯t it Olympus and Asgard¡¯s alliance that triggered the return of the world and let Chaos invade? And now they¡¯re pretending to be champions of justice? Hah¡­ Well, I guess as a Valkyrie captain, she wouldn¡¯t know the full picture. From her perspective, the gods she serves must be just. Looking at the Einherjar statues, they all had the rugged appearance of elite warriors. But none of them were giants. ¡°I saw something similar at the Olympus Pantheon, but there were giants there. None here, though.¡± ¡°Those who reach the level of demigods can undergo gigantification, but not everyone can. Kim Jiho, you can¡¯t transform into a giant either, can you?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have that ability.¡± ¡°Each faction and class has different strengths. While the warriors of Valhalla cannot gigantify, they possess strength in other areas.¡± She smoothly changed the topic. ¡°I heard from Loki. You need to slay a god, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°In fact, the target has just been changed. Even Loki might not know yet.¡± She looked at me with a troubled expression. Why does she look like that? ¡°The original target was a lower-tier god, Guan Yu.¡± Wait, Guan Yu? The Guan Yu? The historical figure? Well, in China, he¡¯s worshipped as a god, so I guess he qualifies as a lower-tier deity. But if not him, then who? ¡°The new target you must eliminate is a mid-tier god¡ªSkuld.¡± ¡°¡­Skuld?¡± I knew about Guan Yu, but I had never heard of Skuld. Aria¡¯s face darkened as she explained. ¡°Asgard has three goddesses of fate. Skuld is the youngest, in charge of the future. She isn''t a major god, but she has definitely reached the level of a mid-tier deity.¡± A goddess who controls the future¡­ Why would Asgard want to kill one of their own gods? It didn¡¯t make sense. Aria¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it either, but this is a direct order from Odin.¡± ¡°Why would Asgard target their own deity¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ But as Odin¡¯s direct Valkyrie, I must obey his command.¡± I couldn¡¯t even begin to guess why they wanted to kill the goddess of the future. Was there something in the future that Odin didn¡¯t want anyone to see? What could be so serious¡­? And why kill her instead of simply sealing her? ¡°But if she¡¯s an SS-rank deity, wouldn¡¯t godslaying be incredibly difficult?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why Odin has requested a soul transaction. He is offering an additional 20 million SP. Since she is mostly sealed, that should be enough.¡± Odin was bribing me to kill a mid-tier god. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] I didn¡¯t know why he was doing this, but for now, I should take the SP. I opened the Soul Transaction window and entered Odin¡¯s name. In an instant, Odin transferred 20 million SP, and the deal was done. Now, my total SP had risen to 23 million. ¡°Well then¡­ The goddess Skuld is imprisoned through this portal. You may enter.¡± Aria pointed to a crimson portal. I stepped through. Beyond the portal lay a landscape crackling with lightning. A barren, desolate wasteland. There was no rain or wind, only lightning crashing down repeatedly. Especially around the ground where I was standing, lightning continued to strike as if surrounding me, flashing so intensely that it was dizzying. Fortunately, the ground I stood on remained perfectly calm. It was as if I were in the eye of a storm¡ªcompletely isolated and shielded from the lightning. And on that tranquil ground, a black-haired woman lay naked, her limbs bound. Her arms and legs were stretched out in an X-shape, tied with ropes overflowing with electricity. Her disheveled black hair obscured her face, but her naked body was covered in wounds that showed no signs of healing. A body that was once beautiful was now nothing short of grotesque. ¡°You are¡­.¡± The goddess Skuld, bound by the chains of lightning, lifted her head. Her eyes were devoid of focus, stripped of hope. Had she not only been abandoned by Odin, the chief god of Asgard, but also tortured? She really did look pitiful. ¡°Why would a goddess of Asgard be abandoned by Odin?¡± When I asked, Skuld gave a powerless smile and shook her head. The electric chains binding her limbs crackled, making her grimace in pain. ¡°Tell Odin this: I will never surrender! No matter how much you torture me, I will never reveal the prophecy.¡± Her words were full of defiance, but her face and voice were not. It felt like she was squeezing out the last remnants of her strength. She was enduring because she had no other choice. Still, she must have assumed I was on Odin¡¯s side because she glared at me with clenched teeth. ¡°I¡¯m not on Odin¡¯s side, though.¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to deceive me again.¡± She didn¡¯t believe me at all. Just what kind of prophecy was it that she was going this far to protect it? I was starting to get curious. I looked around. The land where lightning struck relentlessly. It was as if this place was meant to showcase Odin¡¯s dominion over thunder. Any conversation here would likely be eavesdropped on. To avoid prying eyes, maybe I should use Soul Barrier. I have 20 million SP anyway¡ªit''s worth a try. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± [50,000 SP has been consumed.] [External interference has been blocked from the current space.] Just like Hercules had shown me before, a golden barrier spread from my body. The protective shield, which completely dominated the lightning-free space, surrounded both Skuld and me. Skuld stared at me in shock. ¡°You¡­ Are you a Soul Awakener?¡± She figured it out just from the Soul Barrier? Her knowledge is impressive. At least convincing her should be easier now. ¡°Yes, those people wanted me, a Soul Awakener, to kill you.¡± ¡°Odin¡­! So, you¡¯ve finally decided to erase me¡­! How far will you go in your cruelty¡­!¡± Skuld¡¯s expression twisted in fury. She gritted her teeth and then looked at me, speaking firmly. ¡°If you really are a Soul Awakener, use Soul Energy Emission to cut off my leg.¡± ¡°¡­Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes, that is the only way I will believe you are a Soul Awakener.¡± But couldn¡¯t a Soul Awakener still be on Odin¡¯s side? How would cutting off her leg prove anything? I had no idea what she was thinking. Well, she was someone I had to kill anyway. Might as well cut off her leg first. If she truly believed I was a Soul Awakener, she might reveal something valuable. I drew my Soul Sword and unleashed my Soul Energy. As the pure white energy flared up, Skuld¡¯s expression brightened instead of darkening. She was happy to have her leg cut off? This woman wasn¡¯t sane either. Slash. [500,000 SP has been consumed.] ¡°AAAAAHHHHH!!¡± A piercing scream burst from Skuld. Like others before her, those struck by Soul Energy Emission suffered immense pain. Even an SS-rank goddess was no exception. Her left leg was cleanly severed, and her spiritual form burned away along with it. Watching her own leg disappear completely, Skuld ran her hand over the severed spot. She fumbled around, searching for something that was no longer there. Then, when she realized she couldn¡¯t feel anything¡­ She suddenly let out a crazed laugh. ¡°Heh¡­ Hehehe¡­ Kuhuhuhuhu¡­! Kihihihihi¡­!¡± Ah, this woman was terrifying. Despite losing her leg and enduring unbearable pain, she was laughing hysterically. Even as blood tears streamed from her eyes, she didn¡¯t stop laughing like a madwoman. ¡°Kehehehe¡­ Good, very good. You are indeed the one. You are the Adversary.¡± ¡°The Adversary?¡± ¡°A figure from my prophecy. The one who will bring Odin to ruin. The Soul God who will overthrow him and usher in a new world¡­ That is you.¡± Adversary? So in the future that Skuld saw, I would be such a mortal enemy of Asgard? I never really got along with Odin, but to think I would completely destroy him and create a new world as the Soul God¡­ Hmm¡­ Right now, I was just struggling to survive. ¡°That¡¯s quite the grand prophecy¡­ But I¡¯m just a mere A-rank rookie.¡± ¡°No, you are the only one. It has to be you.¡± She was acting nothing like someone who had just given up everything. She was utterly insane. Laughing wildly, she screamed toward the sky, ¡°Odin! Look at this! I was right!¡± ¡°I may disappear, but Odin, your downfall is certain! How regretful that I won¡¯t live to see it!!¡± Skuld shouted at Odin as if he were right in front of her. She was originally a goddess of unparalleled beauty, but seeing her consumed by madness made her somewhat terrifying. ¡°If I¡¯m the Adversary, then tell me your prophecy.¡± ¡°Hehehe, fine. I shall tell you what I have seen¡­.¡± Just as she was about to speak, a message window popped up. [Your Soul Barrier is under a powerful attack.] [Additional SP is required. Would you like to charge it?] Looking around, I saw that bolts of lightning were fiercely bombarding the golden barrier. BOOM! BOOM! Explosions rang out as the lightning tried to break through. If I didn¡¯t recharge my SP, the barrier would definitely collapse. Seeing this, Skuld¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°I will charge the SP.¡± [100,000 SP has been consumed.] When I first activated Soul Barrier, it only took 50,000 SP, but now it demanded 100,000 SP¡ªprobably because the lightning was getting stronger. But I was too curious about Skuld¡¯s prophecy to stop now. As the barrier stabilized, Skuld regained her composure. ¡°As expected of a Soul Awakener. I will now tell you what I have seen¡­.¡± sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 114 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 114: God-Slaying (2) ¡°The first scene I saw was the destruction of Asgard.¡± Perhaps it was due to the reinforcement of the Soul Barrier. The electric ropes binding Skuld¡¯s limbs lost their power and hung loosely on the ground. With her body slightly freed, Skuld spoke more comfortably. ¡°The rampage of Chaos¡­ On the already-destroyed Earth, dungeon portals opened endlessly. The Lords of Chaos emerged on every continent, tearing the planet apart and massacring all the Einherjar.¡± So, even though they claimed they would become a creator god, they ended up failing and getting slaughtered by Chaos? But since I keep regressing, the future could change. Even if we lose in this timeline, if we keep going back to the past, we might be able to win. When I voiced my thoughts, Skuld nodded. ¡°You already know about regression. Yes, that''s right. I have seen the same future countless times. A future where we cannot defeat Chaos and fail to protect Earth. But¡­¡± Skuld gritted her teeth. ¡°I saw a new scene.¡± ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°Zeus appeared.¡± Zeus? Did Zeus get destroyed too? Skuld¡¯s eyes trembled violently. ¡°Zeus was¡­ attacking Odin. Odin was being pushed back.¡± Zeus was? They were allies, yet he attacked Odin? I couldn''t understand it. ¡°Are you sure it was really Zeus?¡± ¡°I have seen him before. It was definitely Zeus.¡± ¡°No, but he could have been in disguise¡­¡± ¡°No matter how well someone disguises themselves, they cannot replicate Astrape, the multicolored lightning.¡± Hmm, the way she¡¯s so certain¡­ It really must have been Zeus. But why would Zeus attack Odin? Chaos was invading Asgard, and instead of defending, Zeus was trying to subdue Odin? ¡°If Chaos is attacking Asgard while Zeus is attacking Odin¡­ Does that mean they¡¯re actually on the same side?¡± ¡°The order of events in the future I see isn¡¯t always fixed. It¡¯s possible that Zeus attacking Odin happened first.¡± I see. So Zeus could have attacked Odin before Chaos invaded. But why? Did he finish gathering all his SP¡­? If he had already become the Creator, he could just create a world to his liking. There would be no need to suppress Odin. ¡°Why would he even do that? If he achieved his goal of becoming a creator, wouldn¡¯t he just create a world as he pleases?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact reason. I was simply so shocked by the vision that I went to Odin immediately.¡± Then why did she end up in this state? She brought valuable information¡ªshouldn¡¯t they be thanking her instead? ¡°If you warned Odin that Zeus was attacking, why did he imprison you?¡± Skuld¡¯s face twisted in frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t know that either. At first, Odin simply said he would be cautious. But then, he suddenly started interrogating me, demanding to know if I had seen any other prophecies.¡± ¡°Another prophecy¡­ Was it about Odin¡¯s adversary?¡± The one destined to bring Odin¡¯s downfall. The soul god who would open a new world. If that was me, then what does that make Odin, who was already attacked? As doubts filled my mind, I looked at her. She swallowed hard. ¡°Yes, just before I was interrogated, I realized something. That prophecy¡­¡± Another prophecy. As soon as she began to speak about it, the lightning attacking the Soul Barrier surged violently. Crack! The Soul Barrier started to fracture again. A fierce barrage of attacks rained down. Damn it, I need to recharge. But Skuld¡¯s expression stiffened at the sight of the onslaught. ¡°Odin is trying to interfere now that I¡¯m about to reveal the prophecy.¡± ¡°Hmm, just what kind of prophecy is it¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t fully understand its meaning beyond the part about you being the adversary¡­ But if I tell you now, you will be in grave danger. Odin will do everything in his power to hunt you down.¡± ¡°I have form maintenance. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°He will use a contract to force you to reveal whether you know about the third prophecy. Even if he doesn¡¯t, his eyes will see the truth.¡± Skuld¡¯s eyes wavered. She looked deep in thought. Whoosh. Suddenly, a few strands of her hair lifted. Her hair quickly turned pure white and then snapped off mid-air. Her black pupils turned white as she locked eyes with me. Seconds passed. Her eyes turned black again, and she let out a soft gasp. ¡°Oh¡­ I see. This is my last¡­¡± Zzzzzzt! [A powerful attack is striking the Soul Barrier.] [More SP is required. Would you like to recharge?] ¡°Recharge.¡± [10,000 SP consumed.] The Soul Barrier, already cracking, was restored in golden brilliance. But it wasn¡¯t long before it started fracturing again. When Hercules used it, it seemed so sturdy¡ªwhy is it so weak now? The Soul Barrier was once again on the verge of shattering. Skuld let out a hollow laugh. ¡°Please kill me.¡± ¡°¡­What? What about the prophecy?¡± No, she has to tell me the third prophecy first. That seems like the most important thing. But Skuld firmly shook her head. ¡°Because of your Soul Barrier, I was able to see the future without Odin¡¯s interference. You must kill me here. Right now.¡± ¡°Was that what happened when your eyes turned white earlier?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I have to die here. This is the only way.¡± Then she added, ¡°If you learn the third prophecy now, Odin will find out no matter what. His eyes cannot be deceived. Right now, ignorance is your best defense¡­ for your own sake.¡± ¡°If he tries to suppress a Soul Awakener, the system will punish him. He wouldn¡¯t go that far.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve seen the future. You must kill me here if Asgard is to survive.¡± She looked at me with absolute certainty. She was truly asking to die. As I hesitated, she urged me again. ¡°Soul Awakener, weren¡¯t you planning to kill me anyway? You will learn the third prophecy in time. I¡¯ve seen it.¡± Closing her eyes, she trembled slightly but kept her lips pressed together with firm resolve. ¡°¡­Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. Please, cut me down in one strike. I beg you.¡± There was no choice. She would never reveal it no matter what. And she believed that if I knew, I would be in even greater danger. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] I couldn''t ignore the words of someone who could see the future. "Soul Emission." I infused my soul sword with energy once more. Pure white flames rose from it. This time, I wasn¡¯t just cutting off a leg¡ªI was putting in as much power as possible to kill a god. How could I minimize her pain? Her body had already become divine. When I severed her leg earlier, a little blood had appeared but was quickly cauterized. Her soul form had been completely severed along with it. I decided to take the classic approach¡ªpiercing the heart. Since the flames consumed the soul itself, cutting anywhere would likely hurt. Thrust! "Ugh..." Skuld grimaced. The white flames, starting from her heart, quickly spread across her entire body. Fwoosh! Within the burning white inferno, her face was visible. Her expression twisted in pain. But after just a few seconds, her face went blank. Her physical body was completely consumed, leaving only her soul form behind. A translucent soul. Her soul form was identical in size to her physical body. Unlike her flesh, her soul burned away from the extremities inward. Her form gradually began to fade. Yet, even in this state, which must have been agonizing, she remained expressionless¡ªlike a doll. Minutes passed. Her soul was completely erased. A mid-tier god vanished this easily...? As her form disappeared, the lightning striking the Soul Barrier also ceased. And with it, a system window appeared. [250 million SP has been consumed.] [Your soul sword is restoring SP through soul absorption. 50% of the consumed SP is being recovered.] [Your soul sword¡¯s rank is too low. The maximum amount of SP that can be recovered at once is 200,000.] So it wasn¡¯t an automatic 50% return every time. It made sense¡ªI had used an A-rank sword to kill an SS-rank god. When I only cut off her leg earlier, it hadn¡¯t counted as soul absorption. I must have needed to completely destroy my opponent. [You have eliminated a vastly superior entity. Your soul sword has undergone a major enhancement.] [Your soul sword has been upgraded to S-rank.] [Its efficiency has greatly increased, and the SP absorption limit has been raised.] [Soul Emission¡¯s SP absorption rate has been upgraded to 60%.] S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [The maximum amount of SP that can be restored at once has been increased to 500,000.] [The efficiency of soul absorption through Soul Emission has improved.] Killing her had resulted in an upgrade. A bit of a waste, but there was no way around it. The soul sword had grown slightly longer, but its appearance hadn¡¯t changed much. [You have absorbed a fragment of the soul through Soul Emission. Soul Absorption is activating.] [You have consumed and partially absorbed the soul of a mid-tier god...] Normally, Soul Emission didn¡¯t absorb souls, but my soul sword made it possible. This time, the notification had a lingering "..."¡ªwas the absorbed amount unusually high? [Your Soul Reaper skill level is too low. A maximum of 500 million SP can be absorbed.] [Your Ability Absorption skill level is too low. Your stats have significantly increased.] [Unabsorbed soul fragments and abilities will be lost.] Checking my status window, I saw that my stats in the Order faction remained unchanged. But my Neutral faction stats had increased drastically. They had already been at an all-S level, but now every gauge had risen by over 50%. The highest boost was in my Luck stat. For someone who had been betrayed by Odin, she sure had an abundance of luck. How ironic. [You have successfully slain a god. You have earned the title "God Slayer."] A "God Slayer" title... [God Slayer] [Rank: SSS] [A title given to those who have obliterated an immortal being. Gods cannot normally be destroyed, but soul awakeners alone can accomplish this. - All attack and defense skills of the Soul Awakener increase in efficiency by 100%. - All general soul-related skills receive a major efficiency boost.] 100%? And a boost to all soul skills on top of that? That was insane. I immediately switched my title from "Earth Pioneer - Legendary Rank" to "God Slayer." My Soul Emission and Soul Barrier multipliers jumped from 40x to 80x, and my skill efficiencies surged. "...This is incredible." [You have cleared one of the conditions for ascension to divinity.] [The requirement for god-slaying has been fulfilled.] One more step toward divinity. Now, the only requirement left was to raise all my stats to 1,000. With enough SP, that would be simple¡ªpractically a given at this point. Haah... S-rank was just around the corner now. Was ascending to godhood supposed to be this easy? The thought of Zeus striking Odin lingered in my mind, but I had no way to find out more at the moment. And with Skuld dead, she couldn¡¯t answer my questions. Wiiing. A portal, identical to the one I entered through, materialized in the land where the lightning had now ceased. Was this my way back? I had no reason to stay, but... I still hadn¡¯t heard the third prophecy. Even so, lingering here wasn¡¯t an option. I walked toward the portal. Using Heimdall¡¯s Return crossed my mind, but that would only confirm that I had some knowledge of the prophecy, making them chase me down with everything they had. The portal was the safer option. I wasn¡¯t guilty of anything, after all. As I slowly approached, a faint prickle touched my foot. I stopped and lifted it¡ªSkuld¡¯s short, white hair lay there, having fallen when her eyes turned white. A strand of pure white hair. Normally, such a fine hair wouldn¡¯t be visible, but this one stood out, as if glowing with its own light. It shouldn¡¯t have been here. How odd. And why did it feel so sharp, even through my footwear? Was it something special? "Huh, it¡¯s gone." As I bent down to pick it up, the white strand of Skuld¡¯s hair had already disappeared. Puzzled, a system message popped up. [You have absorbed a fragment of Skuld.] [Your rank is too low. It will automatically unlock upon reaching S-rank.] A fragment of Skuld... Was this the future she foresaw? I needed to raise my stats and unlock it as soon as possible. For now, I¡¯d keep it with me. With that thought, I stepped through the portal. The moment I emerged, Aria was waiting with her arms crossed. Her usual demeanor was gone. She wore a smug expression, exuding confidence. It felt like she was looking down on me. Her left eye glowed red¡ªominously so. "You''re here, Soul Awakener." Her voice was different. It was male. With those words, the atmosphere shifted drastically. The very air pressed down on me. It felt like a massive weight had settled on my shoulders. Boom. Boom. The statues of the Einherjar began to move, turning their gaze toward me. They had already surrounded this space. "Soul Awakener," The voice spoke again. "I am Odin. I have come to confirm something with you." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 115 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 115: S-Rank (1) Skuld said that Odin would check, but I didn''t expect him to come so soon. Well, it''s not like I know the prophecy either. And since I''m A-rank, I have the system''s protection¡­ There''s no need to be intimidated. "What do you want?" Still, it''s a bit rude to speak informally to the king of gods. Odin, who had possessed Aria, responded to my words. "It would have been easier to simply execute Skuld, but I wondered if she had revealed too much unnecessary information." "I was going to hear the third prophecy after listening to the second one, but lightning kept striking so fiercely. In the end, she just begged to be killed." Then, his left eye gleamed red. [You are bound by the Mimir¡¯s Eye of the Supreme God, Odin.] [You cannot resist.] And suddenly, words spilled out of my mouth on their own. "But she said that I am your adversary and the Soul God who will open a new world. Doesn''t this relate to the third prophecy?" As soon as I met Odin''s gaze, I found myself speaking without control¡ªadding my own opinions on top of it. What the hell? Is this Odin¡¯s Mimir¡¯s Eye¡¯s power...? Bang! Suddenly, Odin''s red eye burst. Blood splattered everywhere, and fragments of the eyeball dripped down. However, Odin remained unfazed. He calmly raised his left hand and brushed over the wound. A black eyepatch materialized over the empty socket. "No matter how exceptional a Valkyrie may be, she is still mortal. This is all she could manage." [The power of the Mimir¡¯s Eye drastically decreases.] [You resist the Mimir¡¯s Eye.] Only after his eye burst did I finally regain control of my body. "What the¡­?" "Ho. Regaining your freedom so quickly despite the injury to my eye¡­ You truly are a Soul Awakener." Odin didn''t seem particularly surprised, even after hearing that I was his adversary and destined to open a new world. Did he already know? Hmm¡­ If he knows I''m his adversary, shouldn''t he just get rid of me right away? But he''s just watching. Aria, still possessed by Odin, smirked. "You seem puzzled." "You don¡¯t seem particularly hostile despite me being your adversary." "I don¡¯t care about that. As long as you don¡¯t know the third prophecy, everything else is irrelevant. Just continue as you were." He genuinely didn¡¯t seem to care. Rather, as long as the third prophecy remained unknown, he was fine with letting me be. He really didn¡¯t care at all. "This Valkyrie¡¯s body has reached its limit. I shall take my leave." With that, Aria''s body collapsed. Did he really just come to confirm whether I knew the prophecy or not and then leave? Now I¡¯m even more curious. Aria, who had been unconscious, soon got back up, clutching her eye. "Ugh¡­ My eye¡­." As soon as she regained consciousness, pain overwhelmed her, and she held her injured eye. "Jiho¡­? What happened? Why is my eye¡­?" "Odin descended." "Odin descended? Ugh¡­ Then my eye¡­ Why did he descend?" "It was something to do with Skuld¡¯s death." Aria looked at me strangely. "What does killing Guan Yu have to do with Odin descending?" Guan Yu? "Skuld. Skuld, the time god of your pantheon. The one who sees the future." "Jiho, you don¡¯t need to keep calling him Guan Yu. I understand you." No matter how many times I said Skuld, she kept hearing it as Guan Yu. "Forget it¡­ If you don¡¯t want to explain, I won¡¯t press." Realizing her eye couldn¡¯t be healed since Odin¡¯s power had been involved, Aria sighed and touched her wound before disappearing into light. Oh. She usually sends me back in the elevator, but this time, she teleported herself instead. Was she that shaken by losing her eye? Hmm, could Odin have done something to her? Is it just Aria who can¡¯t hear Skuld¡¯s name, or does this apply to everyone? I didn¡¯t want to stay in this place any longer, where the Einherjar statues were glaring at me. Now should be a good time to use Heimdall¡¯s Return. "Heimdall¡¯s Return." I activated the ability and teleported home. Now, I needed to figure out whether this only affected Aria or if it applied to others too. So, I summoned Diana. "Jiho, you¡¯re back. How was your trip?" "Skuld. Skuld." Would Diana also hear it as Guan Yu? "Huh? Skuld? What¡¯s that?" Fortunately, she heard it correctly. Diana tilted her head, confused. Since she¡¯s an Olympian god, I guess she wouldn¡¯t know about her. "That¡¯s a relief. Here¡¯s what happened today." I explained everything¡ªhow I was trying to hear Skuld¡¯s prophecy but had to kill her because Odin interfered, how Odin appeared the moment I left her prison, and how Aria kept mishearing Skuld¡¯s name. Diana¡¯s expression hardened. "A god of the future making such a prophecy¡­" "Seems strange, right?" "Yes. Zeus attacking Odin, you destroying Odin¡­ The details are too contradictory." "If Odin had simply defeated Zeus, it¡¯d be one thing. But if Zeus attacked him, wouldn¡¯t that mean their alliance is over?" "Exactly. But there¡¯s no sign of that happening¡­" Diana fell into deep thought before speaking again. "How about testing Loki? Since he recently offered you a lower deity, he might not know about this." "Loki? Yeah, since he¡¯s a higher god, he shouldn¡¯t hear Skuld as Guan Yu." I tried contacting Loki. However¡­ [Connection unavailable.] A message popped up, saying the connection was impossible. But just yesterday, I could communicate with him just fine. Why is it suddenly not working? Could this be related to what happened? "Loki isn¡¯t responding at all." "Then maybe you should ask someone else. Since this involves Earth, why not ask the gods of Earth?" I should try calling my father. [Jiho, you¡¯ve been raking in an insane amount of SP lately. Thanks to you, Gabriel will wake up soon.] "That¡¯s good to hear, Father. But¡­" Unlike Loki, I could contact my father through the system. After explaining what happened, my father¡¯s expression darkened. [This isn¡¯t something we can ignore.] "It¡¯s strange, right?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [Hmm¡­ If the conflict between Zeus and Odin is real, that would be good news for us¡­ but Odin¡¯s behavior is too strange. Hmm¡­ Michael is asking if you could check whether the system message actually displayed Odin¡¯s name.] Could it be that it wasn¡¯t really Odin? But the system message I saw within the Authority clearly stated Odin. ¡°It definitely said ¡®Chief God Odin.¡¯¡± [Hmm¡­ then it must be Odin.] ¡°But isn¡¯t it possible to deceive the system messages? Loki pretended to be a goddess, after all.¡± [Loki disguised himself as Aurelia, who is a lower-ranked deity, while Odin is an SSS-rank supreme god. It¡¯s easy to transform into a weaker god, but impersonating a high-ranking god is much more difficult¡ªespecially a chief god like Odin.] A white light swirled around my father¡¯s head, and suddenly, a brilliant light burst from his eyes. [It¡¯s been a while, Soul Awakener.] ¡°Have you descended directly?¡± [Yes. This is not a situation where I can afford to remain idle.] Behind my father, shimmering wings of light appeared. Damn, this really gives off the feeling of an avatar of the Archangel. [A god of Odin¡¯s level cannot be impersonated by another god of equal standing. If the system also identified him as Odin, then it must be him.] ¡°I see.¡± [I don¡¯t understand why he would purge Skuld, but I do know why we can¡¯t contact Loki.] ¡°Why is that?¡± [Because Odin has descended. Since a chief god has descended and even used his Mimir¡¯s Eye, the aftermath must be significant.] So Odin¡¯s sudden descent must have caused it. And yet, after descending, he just said I didn¡¯t know about the third prophecy and disappeared. [Still, his descent wasn¡¯t long, so communications shouldn¡¯t be down for too long. It should resume in a month or two.] ¡°I see.¡± [In the meantime, it will be difficult for them to interfere. So, can we count on your help?] ¡°Help? How?¡± [We need assistance in subduing Pollux.] Michael then explained. Michael mentioned that although Asura was regaining his strength, completely subduing Pollux would be difficult. [Normally, comparing Asura to Pollux would be like comparing the heavens and the earth. But Asura was only recently unsealed and doesn¡¯t have much SP. Meanwhile, Pollux, as a guardian god, must have an abundant supply of SP.] ¡°But he still managed to appear even when Indra was present, and Pollux was also around¡­¡± [Pollux had already noticed the escape. He even dragged along Guan Yu, China¡¯s god of war, saying it was time to leave.] Originally, Guan Yu was the target of divine execution. So he was extracted from the seal¡­ Hmm, subduing Pollux. This isn¡¯t something I can answer immediately. I did carry out divine execution, but that was merely finishing off a Skuld who was already subdued. Fighting a fully prepared god¡ªespecially a war-related one¡ªrequires more preparation. ¡°I can¡¯t give you an answer right now. I¡¯ll first assess Asgard¡¯s movements, advance to S-rank, and then decide how I can assist.¡± I also need to unlock Skuld¡¯s fragment after reaching S-rank. I don¡¯t want to leave things unresolved and end up getting blindsided. [Understood. We¡¯ll continue recovering in the meantime.] With those final words, the light in my father¡¯s eyes faded, and he returned to normal. Is he back now? [Jiho, we¡¯ll count on you. Contact us once you¡¯ve advanced in rank.] ¡°Understood.¡± Hmm, so after reaching out to the Earth¡¯s deities, all I learned was the reason for the lost connection with Loki. Instead, I got a request to help subdue Pollux. ¡°Diana, it looks like I need to reach S-rank.¡± ¡°Yes. Have all the conditions been met?¡± ¡°I just need to get all my stats to 1,000.¡± ¡°1,000¡­ That¡¯s an insane number.¡± I need to reach S-rank and unlock Skuld¡¯s fragment. If I leave too many unanswered questions, I¡¯ll definitely get blindsided later. When I opened my status window, my stats in the Order faction were fluctuating around the 300s. Originally, they had been in the 250s, but thanks to my enhanced absorption efficiency, they had risen to this level. It would¡¯ve been great if Skuld¡¯s stats had increased in the Order faction as well, but they had only risen in the Neutral faction. Wait, does this mean I need to max out both status windows? I enjoyed the double buff effect from having two status windows, but now that I¡¯m trying to advance to S-rank, it looks like the cost is doubled too. My Neutral faction stats were halfway maxed¡ªmaybe I should finish those first¡ªbut since the condition is to have all stats at 1,000, I decided to raise my Order faction stats first. I wonder how much SP this will take¡­ I currently have just over 20 million SP. Hopefully, that will be enough. ¡°Here I go.¡± ¡°Good luck, Jiho.¡± With Diana¡¯s encouragement, I opened my status window. Then, I began furiously pressing the ¡°+¡± buttons for the Order faction stats. Using both hands, I alternated between Strength, Agility, and Magic, hammering away at the buttons. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. My stats skyrocketed. And proportionally, my 20 million SP started decreasing¡ªat first gradually, then suddenly at an alarming rate. When my stats exceeded 600, Diana gasped beside me. ¡°Wow¡­ I can feel an incredible surge of mana. To think your stats could rise this fast¡­¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve done this sooner.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t really need higher stats until now. You were only running A-rank dungeons.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Since SP acquisition was the priority, I had poured all my SP into Soul Mediation. But raising my stats like this feels amazing. I feel physically stronger, and my magic is on a whole different level than before. My stats jumping from the 300s to over 600 is only a numerical doubling, but in reality, I feel far more powerful. Of course, my SP is also plummeting accordingly. Feeling good, I kept pressing, and before I knew it, my SP had dropped to the 9-million range. How did I burn through that much already? Meanwhile, my stats had entered the 900s. ¡°Jiho, your fingers are moving so fast I can¡¯t even see them anymore¡­¡± Once my Agility hit the 900s, my button-pressing speed skyrocketed. And so did my SP consumption. No¡­ this can¡¯t be happening. I have to reach 1,000¡­! [You have fulfilled all conditions required to reach Divinity.] [All stats at 1,000 or higher¡ªCondition Cleared.] Oh! I did it. I only have 1 million SP left, but I successfully reached the all-stats-1,000 mark. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If not for the 20-million bonus Odin gave me, this would¡¯ve been impossible. [You have met the conditions for S-rank advancement in the Order faction.] [You may ascend to divinity within the Order faction. Will you proceed?] Of course, the answer is yes. I pressed the confirmation button without hesitation. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 116 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 116 - S-Rank (2) [You have been promoted to S-Rank within the Order Faction.] [You ascend to the rank of ¡®Lesser God¡¯ as an Immortal of the Order Faction.] [From now on, you will maintain your soul form using SP. As long as you have SP, your soul form will remain immortal. If all SP is depleted, your soul form will be sealed.] Wow, an Immortal. Does this mean I can¡¯t die anymore? Hercules is a Soul Reaper, so he might still be able to kill me, but as long as it¡¯s not him, I guess I can survive no matter what. [All stats of the Order Faction are integrated into ¡®Soul Power¡¯.] [Soul Power affects the abilities of the Order Faction, including Strength, Agility, and Magic, while also enhancing the efficiency of soul-related abilities.] [Soul Power has reached 1,000.] [The skill level limit for the Soul Mediator class has been removed.] [When the skill level of the Soul Mediator class increases, derivative skills will emerge.] [You have met the conditions to establish a Soul Exchange. The establishment of a Soul Exchange is now possible.] I thought reaching god-rank would grant me an extra skill, but that¡¯s not the case. Still, having no skill level restrictions is a good thing. [You can now fully manifest in soul form. While in soul form, you can use all divine powers, and their efficiency will scale with your Soul Power.] As soon as I saw that message, I thought about transforming into a soul. The moment I imagined it, my body became transparent. A strong sense of liberation overwhelmed me. Letting myself go with the feeling, I began floating upward. If I continued like this, I¡¯d probably phase through the ceiling. But as soon as I willed myself to stop, I halted midair. Standing in midair in my soul form, I instinctively understood what SP and Soul Power were. The SP that had been merely a numerical value until now was something I could feel through an entirely new sense, beyond my five traditional senses. SP¡ªthe fragments of souls¡ªflowed past my soul form. As they passed through me, I realized something. Without passing through ¡®me,¡¯ only 1% of the originally obtained SP would reach the gods. Soul mediation was the process of salvaging the missing 99% and delivering it to the gods. So if I keep leveling up my skills, I could eventually achieve 100 times the efficiency? That¡¯s insane¡­ I observed the flowing SP with my newly awakened sixth sense. Inside the fragments of souls were traces of intelligent beings, like grains of sand lined up endlessly. Within them, I could sense the emotions of intelligent beings¡ªthe Seven Emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, hatred, and desire. And this wasn¡¯t limited to just humans. There were also the faith and emotions of elves who believed in Elprian. The faith and emotions of dragons and monsters who worshiped Drakia. Countless fragments flowed through me in a complex pattern. I suddenly recalled the time when I had performed soul reaping without upgrading ¡®Form Maintenance.¡¯ Back then, I almost got assimilated into a monster¡¯s emotions. But now, things were different. Perhaps because I had ascended to divinity, my sense of self remained crystal clear. I was merely observing the fragments passing through me. I had an unshakable certainty¡ªI wouldn¡¯t be consumed by them. Because I was the one controlling them. Still, just in case, I checked the shop to see if ¡®Form Maintenance¡¯ was available for purchase. But at S-Rank, it was no longer being sold. Was the system telling me to handle it on my own now that I had become a god? Sigh¡­ I descended back to the ground and returned to my physical form. The moment I did, I felt a heavy weight pressing down on me. Gravity, perhaps? Soul form was much more comfortable. Diana was staring at me with wide eyes. ¡°Jiho, was that soul manifestation just now?¡± ¡°Yeah. I can even live in soul form now. It¡¯s much more comfortable.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t notice much difference before you transformed, but once you did, I could feel an overwhelming presence.¡± Her eyes were filled with admiration as she gazed at me. And¡­ her face was turning red. ¡°Jiho, you exuded an enormous presence. You really have become a god. It¡¯s incredible.¡± ¡°Really? I give off that kind of presence in soul form? How about now?¡± ¡°Right now, you don¡¯t feel much different from before. Your magic feels stronger, but¡­ it¡¯s nothing compared to the overwhelming presence from before.¡± Looks like my abilities are more specialized for the soul state. That¡¯s a good thing. I want to maintain a peaceful life, and not having an overwhelming presence in my physical form helps. Meanwhile, countless messages continued to pop up. Avatar creation was now possible, and all soul-related skills had greatly improved. I was skimming through the flood of messages when one particular line caught my attention. [As a soul-based class, you can appoint Apostles, but you cannot receive worshippers.] I can¡¯t have worshippers? I never intended to play god just because I reached divinity, but this is unexpected. The system outright prohibits it. Well, whatever. But then, the final message caught me off guard. [Maintaining an immortal soul form consumes 500,000 SP daily. This is the minimum cost and will increase as your Soul Power grows.] I lose 500,000 SP every day? Just like that? I don¡¯t know yet how much I¡¯ll be earning daily from soul mediation, but that¡¯s not a small amount. So this is the price of immortality¡­ I need to see how efficient Soul Power truly is. I checked my status window. My Guardian, level, strength, agility, and magic had disappeared. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Mediator, Lesser God of the Order Faction Title: Earth¡¯s Strongest Human Soul Power: 1,000 SP: 913,000] It¡¯s so much simpler now. Hmm¡­ but since it keeps mentioning the Order Faction, does that mean my Neutral Faction status hasn¡¯t changed? [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul Reaper Title: God Slayer Level: 200 Body: S Magic: S Skill: S Luck: S SP: 100,104] This side hasn¡¯t changed. I never fully maxed out my S-Rank stats, so I guess I still need to upgrade them separately. As I was staring at my status window, another message appeared. [The conditions for achieving S-Rank in the Neutral Faction are as follows:] All stats at S-Rank. Acquisition of Divine Qualification. God-Slaying. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. 10,000,000 SP earned per day. There are conditions here too¡­ [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] All stats at S-Rank¡ªalmost done. I just need to fill up the stat bars with SP. But I need to acquire Divine Qualification again? And god-slaying isn¡¯t counted yet¡­ The daily SP requirement has increased tenfold to 10 million. The Qualifications of Divinity¡ªwhere do I get that again? This is complicated. Having two status windows so far has been a huge advantage, but now I have to level up even within S-rank? What a hassle. The 10 million income is one thing, but God-Slaying and the Qualifications of Divinity are even more troublesome. Somehow, I feel like the 10 million won¡¯t take too long. Should I accept my father¡¯s suggestion to subdue Pollux? [If you meet the conditions for S-rank in the Neutral Faction as well, you will be promoted from a Lower God to a Soul God.] [Upon becoming a Soul God, you will no longer be bound by any faction.] [You are currently only half a god. The system¡¯s protection has been reduced but will continue to exist.] A Soul God, huh? Not being tied to a faction sounds nice. But what really caught my eye was the last sentence. Since I am S-rank in the Order Faction and A-rank in Neutral, it means I am still under the system¡¯s protection. The very protection that kept Olympus and Asgard wary enough not to touch me. Even though it¡¯s been reduced, the fact that it still exists is good news for me. Brrr¡ª Just as I was feeling satisfied with this realization, my phone vibrated. I checked the number, and it was Aria¡ªthe one who lost an eye earlier because of Odin. ¡°Hello?¡± [Kim Jiho, I have urgent news.] ¡°What is it?¡± [Loki has contacted us. Due to Odin¡¯s sudden descent, communication will be cut off for a month. He won¡¯t be able to send SP during that time, but he¡¯s asking you to keep the contract.] Oh? Wouldn¡¯t that be grounds for contract termination? He¡¯s supposed to send me 10 million SP daily, but now he won¡¯t be able to. And there¡¯s still 150 million left. I thought about canceling the contract immediately but decided to hold off for now. ¡°Hmm... tell him I¡¯ll think about it.¡± [Please, Kim Jiho. We even provided Guan Yu to help with your God-Slaying quest... Loki said that if you agree to keep the contract, he will pay you an extra 100 million.] ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. But how can I talk to you if Loki can¡¯t contact me?¡± [I am Odin¡¯s direct Valkyrie under Asgard. I can communicate with gods.] So that¡¯s the difference between being part of a faction and not. I ended the call after acknowledging her request. Why are they so desperate, offering an extra 100 million? But honestly, I don¡¯t feel like their SP is as essential as before. And after experiencing Odin¡¯s All-Seeing Eye, I¡¯ve grown more wary. Sure, I¡¯ve reached S-rank now, but these guys have been dominating at SSS-rank for ages. If Odin decides I¡¯m no longer under system protection, he could just take control of the contract with his All-Seeing Eye. The fact that they¡¯re so eager to secure this contract makes me think there¡¯s some hidden trick involved. ¡°Damn it. Being a god isn¡¯t all good. Why are there so many SSS-ranks just lying around?¡± At this point, it¡¯s harder to find gods who aren¡¯t SSS-rank. Are the lower ranks just not well-known? ¡­Tch. In a way, it¡¯s actually lucky that the Neutral Faction is still A-rank. That means I still have system protection. ¡°Jiho, didn¡¯t you say earlier that Skuld¡¯s Fragment would unlock at S-rank?¡± ¡°Oh, right. I need to check that.¡± There were so many changes after my S-rank upgrade that I hadn¡¯t gotten around to it yet. But where is Skuld¡¯s Fragment? I absorbed it in an instant, then got thrown out of the portal and got caught by Odin¡¯s All-Seeing Eye, so I have no idea where it went. Would it be in my inventory? ¡°Inventory.¡± But Skuld¡¯s Fragment wasn¡¯t there. What the hell? Could it have turned into a skill? I opened my skill window, and among a flood of notifications about increased skill efficiency, I found something unexpected. [D-rank skill ¡®Danger Sense¡¯ has fused with the power of Skuld¡¯s Fragment.] [Upgraded to S-rank skill ¡®Danger Detection ¨C Precognition.¡¯] Huh? It fused with this skill? But this is a passive ability¡­ [Danger Detection ¨C Precognition] [S-rank skill] [Detects dangers the user is unaware of. Vision turns red, and enemy attack trajectories become visible in advance. Blessed by the Goddess of Time, Skuld: A random precognition will activate once every 100 days. Precognition will primarily relate to the user¡¯s danger.] A spontaneous precognition once every 100 days¡­ The randomness is concerning, but since it¡¯s tied to my own dangers, it sounds useful. So, Skuld foresaw that I would obtain this skill? That¡¯s pretty amazing. But if the fragment merged with this skill, does that mean Skuld¡¯s third prophecy is gone? Hmm¡­ I guess I just have to wait 100 days now. Feels kind of disappointing. ¡°This skill changed, so now I have to wait 100 days for a random precognition.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ then we won¡¯t know anything for a while.¡± ¡°Yeah. A shame, really. Maybe in 100 days, I¡¯ll get some insight. But it¡¯s random¡­¡± Diana looked disappointed on my behalf. ¡°We need to uncover that strange connection¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I know¡­ Sigh. I¡¯m taking a break today.¡± God-Slaying, meeting Odin, ranking up to S-rank¡­ It¡¯s been a tiring day. Plus, I need to check my daily SP income tomorrow. I¡¯ve finally reached S-rank, so grinding A-rank dungeons on Mount Heracles just doesn¡¯t appeal to me anymore. ¡°What about you, Diana?¡± When I asked if she was heading back, Diana swallowed nervously and, in a small voice, said: ¡°¡­Can I stay with you today?¡± Her cheeks flushed slightly as she looked up at me. Uh¡­? What¡¯s up with her all of a sudden? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 117 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 117: Forest Manifests (1) ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine with that, but I was just planning to drink and relax today.¡± Do elves drink alcohol too? I think I saw them drinking when we won the battle at Kevrian. ¡°Then let¡¯s drink together!¡± ¡°Sure, sure, I wouldn¡¯t mind a drinking buddy. But why are you so eager today?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Diana trailed off at the end of her sentence. Then, she looked at me with eyes full of admiration and awe. ¡°When I saw you in your spiritualized form earlier, my heart wouldn¡¯t stop racing. You looked so amazing, so dignified, as if you were overwhelming the entire world¡­ You were like a god¡­¡± Her face turned red as she spoke. She was completely mesmerized. Hmm¡­ Having a beauty like Diana act this way really feels nice. Even after becoming a god, I still get flustered by the gaze of a beautiful woman. Ah¡­ A god? ¡°Diana, isn¡¯t it just because you¡¯re my Apostle? I¡¯ve ascended to divinity, after all.¡± ¡°Oh! That explains why you looked so divine!¡± Her golden eyes sparkled with excitement. Her ears perked up, twitching slightly in her excitement. ¡°I usually try to keep my distance so I don¡¯t become a burden¡­ But after seeing you like that, I just couldn¡¯t hold back¡­ I really want to be with you today.¡± She pleaded with me with an intense gaze. Well, I don¡¯t mind at all. I guess I¡¯ll spend the night drinking with Diana and relaxing. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll go buy some drinks. Wait here for a bit.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± After telling Diana to watch over the house, I stepped outside. I was waiting for the elevator when a sudden thought crossed my mind. Have I ever had a beautiful woman over at my place, just the two of us, drinking together? ¡°¡­Never.¡± No, I¡¯ve never had anything close to a romantic event in my life. Even when I lived alone in a small-town university, there were no such opportunities. It was the same when I was studying for the civil service exam. And after becoming a Hunter, I was too busy getting thrown around from place to place to even think about it. There were a few moments that might have turned into something, but I never made a move. Even with Kang Shia, it was unclear if it was even a thing¡­ Wow, I really had nothing going on. The only thing that comes to mind is that one accident with Diana¡­ Man, life¡­ I¡¯ve ascended to divinity, and yet I feel kind of empty. Maybe that¡¯s why¡­ Diana¡¯s gaze from earlier kept replaying in my mind. She clearly has feelings for me, and we¡¯ve already had a physical relationship. Now, it¡¯s just the two of us, a drinking night with an incredibly beautiful high elf¡­ I swallowed unconsciously. I may have lost all memories due to my infinite stamina¡­ But tonight¡­ Hmm¡­! Isn¡¯t tonight my ¡®chance¡¯? As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I sprinted toward the convenience store. I had to be careful since my stats had increased dramatically. ¡°Welcome.¡± As soon as I entered, I headed straight for the alcohol section. Originally, I was just going to drink some soju or beer by myself, but then I spotted some whiskey. Hmm¡­ Diana is a demigod, and I¡¯ve ascended to divinity too¡ªso beer and soju probably won¡¯t even make a dent. Yeah, whiskey is the way to go. Before I knew it, my hand was reaching for the whiskey bottles. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Can I get a bag, please?¡± I started grabbing bottles left and right, and before I realized it, I had cleared out all the whiskey from the store. ¡°Do you have more whiskey in stock?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ That¡¯s all we have¡­ But how are you planning to carry all that¡­?¡± The cashier looked at me like I was insane. I guess it makes sense. I did just buy out their entire whiskey supply. Hmm¡­ Weak alcohol won¡¯t even make me feel tipsy, so I need all of this. ¡°Please ring it up.¡± As the cashier swiped my card, I stored all the bottles in my inventory. The cashier¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°What¡­ What just happened? Magic?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Something like that.¡± I was about to brush it off, but the cashier kept staring at me with wide eyes. ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­ I¡¯ve never heard of mages using magic like that¡­¡± Ugh. Is this guy a Hunter enthusiast? Most combat mages focus on offensive spells, not inventory magic¡­ Tsk. I didn¡¯t want to use a Dragon Words on a civilian, but I guess I have no choice. ¡°¡®Forget about the inventory.¡¯¡± The cashier¡¯s eyes lost focus for a moment before nodding. With that taken care of, I left the store, suddenly feeling impatient. I wanted to get home as soon as possible. As soon as I thought about spiritualizing and turning invisible, my semi-transparent body faded completely. I merged with the world around me. Like a complete ghost. ¡°I¡¯ll leave these here¡­¡± When I entered the house, I saw Diana. She was setting up the sofa table in the living room. Plates, cups, spoons, and chopsticks were neatly arranged. She shouldn¡¯t even be familiar with chopsticks in her world, yet she knew how to use them? But¡­ there was no food on the table. I didn¡¯t really need food anymore, so my fridge was empty. Whenever I did take a break, I usually just ordered delivery or drank¡­ Hmm. Did I buy too much alcohol? I left the house again in my transparent state and flew to a nearby market in a hurry. I grabbed some bread, salad, chicken for myself, and even stocked up on more whiskey. By the time I returned, everything was already set up. Diana was sitting on the sofa, fidgeting restlessly. Her face was slightly flushed. Then, she even summoned the spirits for consultation. ¡°Alcohol¡­ Now that I¡¯m A-rank, I probably won¡¯t get drunk¡­ Should I pretend to be drunk? What should I do?¡± The elemental spirits of fire, water, wind, and earth¡ªwho looked like tiny people¡ªwere all nodding or shaking their heads in response. Hmm¡­ If I just suddenly appear now, I might come off as a rude guy. I quietly went to the front door, materialized into my physical form, and opened it. ¡°You¡¯re back, Jiho?¡± Diana immediately ran toward me, unable to hide the flush on her face. ¡°Yeah, I brought some more food¡­ Oh, you set everything up?¡± I acted surprised as if seeing the setup for the first time, then took out several bottles of whiskey and food from my inventory. Diana received each item with both hands and placed them on the sofa table. There was so much whiskey that we had to line it up on the floor. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of alcohol.¡± ¡°Our ranks are so high. I figured we wouldn¡¯t get drunk easily, so I bought a lot.¡± After dealing with all the drinks, it was time for food. I handed her some chicken and asked, ¡°Diana, you don¡¯t eat meat, right?¡± ¡°Oh, I can eat it, but I don¡¯t really like it. But since Jiho brought it, I¡¯ll eat it.¡± ¡°Nah, I got salad for you too. Here, have this.¡± Her eyes sparkled. ¡°Thank you for thinking of me, Jiho.¡± Wait¡­ Is this the power of being a god? She¡¯s looking at me like that just because I gave her a salad¡­ Are all my apostles going to act like this? If Jinseong looked at me like that, I¡¯d probably want to punch him. ¡°Well then, shall we drink?¡± And so, the drinking session began. Since I didn¡¯t even have a proper wine glass at home, we just poured whiskey into regular cups. It tasted strong but oddly bland. I didn¡¯t feel like I would get drunk at all. When I looked over at Diana, she was tilting her head in confusion. ¡°Earth¡¯s alcohol is weak.¡± ¡°Maybe we¡¯re just too high-ranked? This just tastes like bitter water. Should I use magic to make it easier to get drunk?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Oh! Jiho, try using a divine command.¡± I got curious and decided to give it a try. ¡°¡®Get drunk more easily.¡¯¡± A faint light flashed, but I didn¡¯t notice much of a difference. Did it work? ¡°Try drinking.¡± ¡°Alright. Cheers, cheers.¡± Clinking cups with a high elf over a sofa table¡­ This felt so cheap compared to her elegant appearance. I should have bought some wine glasses. When I drank again, it felt slightly better. I still had to chug whiskey like it was beer to feel anything, but at least it didn¡¯t taste as bland as before. Diana, on the other hand, was getting red much faster. ¡°Oh¡­? I think it¡¯s working on me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s eat then.¡± We kept passing drinks back and forth. As we chatted about the past, reminiscing about our first meeting, the buzz slowly crept in. After an hour or two, Diana started swaying. The divine command seemed to work better on her than on me. But still, a slightly tipsy Diana looked¡­ a little too alluring. She kept trying to match my drinking pace. ¡°Ah¡­ I-I¡¯ll drink too.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep up. You¡¯re already a bit drunk.¡± ¡°I-I can drink¡­!¡± Her tongue was already getting twisted. She tried to pour herself another drink but suddenly lost strength and collapsed forward. She ended up leaning against me. With all that drinking, she should have reeked of alcohol, but instead, she had her usual refreshing scent. ¡°Jiho¡­¡± As she leaned on me, she slowly lowered her head. Is she asleep? I looked at her face¡ªher eyes were closed, and she was breathing softly. Ah, whatever. This is just how I am. Might as well put her to bed and drink more whiskey. I decided to carry her to the bedroom. After gently placing her on the bed and turning to leave, suddenly, her arms wrapped around my neck. Huh? ¡°Heh. I can¡¯t lie to a god, huh¡­¡± Diana, who had been pretending to sleep, opened her eyes with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not actually that drunk.¡± Then, she pulled me closer. As our lips met, her tongue slipped in. But the thought that popped into my head wasn¡¯t about her soft tongue or refreshing scent¡­ Ah, you dumbass! That was it. I had secretly been expecting something like this anyway. If Diana hadn¡¯t made the first move, I probably would¡¯ve just kept drinking whiskey that wasn¡¯t even getting me drunk. Then later, I¡¯d probably have ended up punching a bathroom wall. Tongue met tongue. Back and forth. Ever since I attained a divine body, my temperature has remained constant... But suddenly, my body felt hot. The room was warm. I kept kissing her endlessly before finally pausing and lifting my head. Diana, lying beneath me, gazed up at me. Her blue eyes were so beautiful that it took my breath away. Phew, she set this all up¡ªif I just sat here doing nothing, I¡¯d be an idiot. "I''m not drunk at all." "That''s a relief." "I''m not sleeping tonight." "Am I... receiving a blessing?" "Yeah, the first blessing of the God of Souls. Consider it an honor." Fearing that I might lose my memory like last time, I turned off my infinite stamina skill. Yeah, I¡¯m an S-rank now. A body that has reached divinity. That silly skill¡­ I don¡¯t need it! I can be strong even without it! The morning was refreshing. Next to me, Diana was sleeping peacefully. Ha, she really is... A goddess. More than reaching S-rank yesterday, the thing that truly makes my heart swell is the night we burned together. The rising sun illuminates the room, making me feel strangely sentimental. Maybe I should have some coffee. I get out of bed. And then, suddenly, a message pops up. [Danger detected¡ªForesight has activated.] Huh? Now? Not in a hundred days? Along with it, a semi-transparent screen began to appear before my eyes. It feels just like watching TV. Bzzzzzzzt. A white screen, like when a TV is on the wrong channel, appeared before suddenly playing a video. The first image showed a massive hall engulfed in pure white flames. Inside, the Einherjar I saw before were melting away, consumed by the white fire. This flame... it¡¯s familiar. It¡¯s the same as the White Flame that appears when I unleash my soul energy. The focus shifted from the burning Einherjar, slowly moving. A vast staircase that seemed to stretch on forever. The screen followed it upward. More Einherjar and Valkyries, burning and vanishing. How long had the ascent lasted? At the top of the stairs was a space resembling the hall from earlier. The ceiling was open, allowing rain and lightning to pour down. And in the center of it stood a colossal figure. Too large to be human, yet too small to be a true giant. Long, flowing white hair and a beard that reaches the ground, a billowing white robe. A massive staff in his right hand. One eye covered with an eyepatch, the other glowing red. That eye¡ªit¡¯s similar to the All-Seeing Eye that Odin used against me. Is this man... Odin? ¡°Heh...¡± He lets out a twisted laugh. ¡°Is this how it ends?¡± His gaze dropped downward. The white flames rapidly climbed the staircase. With his power, he should be able to suppress them, but Odin merely chuckled bitterly. ¡°So this is how the great cycle ends. The Awakener of Souls... I confirmed that he had reached divinity... I sealed him away...¡± Odin¡¯s voice was hollow, yet the words struck a nerve. If he¡¯s talking about the Awakener of Souls, then he¡¯s talking about me. Confirming that I had reached divinity¡ªthat must mean my S-rank ascension. He confirmed it... and sealed me away? My drowsy mind snapped wide awake. I need to listen more. Whoosh! The White Flame had already reached the top. Odin watched it, then pointed the end of his massive staff forward. Suddenly, crimson flames rose before him. It looks like he was trying to counter the White Flame with another fire. The two flames clashed¡ªbut the White Flame effortlessly devoured the crimson fire. ¡°Heh... what power.¡± Odin clicked his tongue at the sight. Then, as if dumbfounded, he let out a sigh. ¡°To collect debts using SP... Is this truly my end? Is this the end of Asgard...?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 118 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 118: Foresight Manifests (2) Debt collection for SP? What, am I some kind of loan shark...? Judging by the situation, it looks like Asgard and Odin are the ones being pursued for debt collection. The pure white flames had now reached Odin''s body and were burning fiercely. Odin summoned a red barrier to block the flames, but they pierced through without resistance. For someone who was supposed to be Asgard¡¯s highest-ranking official, his death was absurdly swift¡ªhe simply burned away into nothingness. The flames were so intense that he couldn''t even scream before turning to dust. Along with him, the screen went black. "Is this the future that Skuld foresaw?" Although the system indicated that Danger Detection ¨C Foresight had activated, from what I saw, I didn''t seem to be in danger at all. Rather, it was a spectacular scene where I was collecting Asgard¡¯s debt and burning Odin to ashes. But then, why did Odin purge Skuld, the one who made this prophecy? If I were Odin, I¡¯d be grateful for the warning. And yet, he descended upon me himself, obsessively interrogating me to find out if I knew about this or not. It¡¯s suspicious. "But where exactly did the SP I lent out go for it to trigger debt collection?" It couldn¡¯t possibly be the 150 million SP that Loki was supposed to give me. Even Hercules hands out 100 million at a time, so I doubt that Asgard as a whole would burn down over a mere 150 million SP. That must mean, at some point in the future, I lent a massive amount of SP to Odin and Asgard... And I had so much SP that Asgard couldn''t even afford to pay it back? That would have to be far into the future. But then again, Odin said, "I confirmed that he had reached divinity... I sealed him away..." So, it feels more like I was sealed away right after ascending. Now that I think about it, they confirmed I had ascended and then immediately sealed me¡­ Did they seal me the moment I became an S-rank in the Order faction? And since the Neutral faction is only A-rank, the system retaliated, causing Asgard to burn down? That theory makes sense¡­ But then, the term "debt collection" doesn¡¯t quite fit. Was it a system penalty? Did Asgard get consumed by flames because of some unpaid debt? But why the hell would Asgard be indebted to me in the first place? Ugh, I have no idea. Even after seeing the prophecy, I¡¯m left with nothing but more questions. At least, I can be relieved that this doesn¡¯t seem like a future where I am doomed. For now, I just need to be cautious of Asgard and Odin, now that I know how treacherous they are. "Jiho, are you awake?" As the vision faded, Diana approached me, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Yeah, I just had a foresight activation¡­" "Really?" As I was about to explain, Diana stopped me. "Asgard rules this world, right? Just in case, send it to me as a message instead." Huh, is it really that serious? I doubt they¡¯d stalk me that obsessively¡­ But still, better to be cautious. I considered setting up a Soul Barrier, but that would make me look suspicious, so I just sent her a message instead. After reading my Apostle message, Diana¡¯s eyes widened. [Debt collection?] [Yeah, it''s so ridiculous that I had to check twice.] Diana thought for a moment before asking: S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [For a debt collection to happen, a debt has to exist first, right?] [Yeah.] [Hmm... Then, isn¡¯t it possible that your SP Exchange has a lending feature?] [Huh¡­ instead of just a shop?] Her idea made sense. Maybe the answer lies within the SP Exchange. I checked my status window, and my SP had increased by a little over 4 million, bringing my total to 5 million. Gaining over 4 million SP in a single day¡­ So this is the power of an S-rank? Would my SP income increase further if I raised my Soul Power stat? Curious, I tried increasing it¡ªonly to find that each point now cost 500,000 SP. That¡¯s insanely expensive¡­ But since I¡¯ve already started, I might as well go big. I invested 2.5 million SP to raise it by 5,000 points. Soul Power: 1,005. Now, I wonder how much this will affect things. After I finished allocating my points, Diana hesitated before speaking. "Um, Jiho." "Yeah?" "I received way more SP than usual¡­ Should we check if others experienced the same?" That¡¯s to be expected, right? If SP exchange efficiency increased, Diana would earn more, too. "That¡¯s probably because I reached godhood and my skill efficiency improved." "Even so, it¡¯s over ten times the usual amount¡­ Could it be because of what happened last night¡­?" ¡­Ten times?! That¡¯s way too much of an increase. If she means last night¡­ At first, I didn¡¯t get what she meant, but then I saw her blushing face and realized. Wait¡­ did SP increase just because of that?! I should ask the other Apostles. I sent a message to Jinseong. [Hey, did you receive more SP than usual?] [Yeah, I¡¯m getting about six times the normal amount. Plus, every time I kill a monster, I get even more SP than before. The system even says I¡¯m harvesting souls.] ¡­Soul harvesting? What the hell is that supposed to mean? [Huh? But I only gave you soul mediation abilities?] [That¡¯s what I thought too! Oh, by the way, I hit B-rank and got promoted to Weapon Master. Maybe that¡¯s why?] So B-rank warriors can advance into upgraded classes, huh? I guess they don¡¯t let you stay stuck with your E-rank class forever. Am I the first human to reach B-rank besides Jinseong? Well, it''s probably not because of the Weapon Master skill. [No, I think it''s because I''ve become a god.] [...A god? What god? Are you crazy?] [If you reach S-rank, you become a god.] [Wait, you''re S-rank now? Wow¡­ Where are you? I''m coming right now.] When I told Jinseong I was home, he said he''d be there in no time. So he was on Earth. I had a casual breakfast with Diana, drinking coffee and eating the bread we bought yesterday. Just as we were finishing up our meal, Jinseong arrived. "Hey. So, you''re really a god¡­ huh¡­?" As soon as I opened the door, Jinseong barged in¡ªthen froze the moment he saw me. He just stood there, staring at me with shaking eyes. "Uh, w-why is this happening¡­?" Then suddenly¡ª Thud. He dropped to his knees in front of me at the entrance. What the hell is wrong with this guy? "Hey, are you insane?" "Ah, shit. This isn¡¯t right¡­? My body is moving on its own¡ªugh, mmph." [Apostle ¡®Jinseong¡¯ has accumulated continuous disrespectful remarks. Would you like to administer divine punishment?] A message popped up in front of me. Wait, I have a function like this? I clicked ¡®No,¡¯ and only then did Jinseong seem to regain control of his body. He got up, looking pale as he stared at me. "Hey, did you punish me, Your Holiness?" "What¡¯s with the ¡®Your Holiness¡¯? Just act normal." "But I barely even said anything, and it told me to await divine judgment for being disrespectful. Then it said I was spared by the grace of a merciful god and should praise Him." Jinseong grumbled about the absurdity of it all. I don¡¯t recall speaking that politely to the gods who used to protect me, and I never got penalized for it¡­ Maybe it¡¯s different because he''s my direct apostle? It''s an interesting feature, though. "Hey, can you turn this off? Or do you, now that you¡¯re a god, want even your childhood friend to speak formally to you, Lord Jiho Kim?" "Hold on, I just became a god¡ªI need to figure this out." As soon as I said that, another system message appeared. [Would you like to adjust the restrictions placed on your apostle?] I selected ¡®Yes,¡¯ and a horizontal bar with five levels appeared. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] The leftmost was ¡®None,¡¯ and the rightmost was ¡®Maximum.¡¯ It was currently set to maximum, so I adjusted it down to level two¡ª¡®Mild.¡¯ This should make things better. "Hey, try swearing at me again." "Ugh, fuck!" Jinseong flinched a little as he cursed. Scaredy-cat¡­ But then he quickly relaxed. "Oh, I''m fine now?" "Yeah, it gave me a control bar. I set it to ¡®Mild.¡¯" "Nice, that¡¯s good." Jinseong stretched his legs and walked in, taking off his shoes. Then, spotting Diana, he was taken aback. "Diana?" "Hello, Jinseong." "Why are you here so early in the morning¡­?" He glanced back and forth between Diana and me. Then, suddenly, he smirked. "A man and a woman together so early in the morning, huh? I see, I see¡­" "Yeah, it''s exactly what you''re thinking." "Wow, lucky bastard. So, are you two dating?" Diana quickly waved her hands. "No, no, we¡¯re not dating. Only another god can be a god¡¯s partner. I was merely blessed by Him." Jinseong looked at me like I was trash. "Hey, you¡¯re seriously too much now that you¡¯re a god. How could you toy with a woman¡¯s feelings like that?" "Wow, no. Diana¡¯s the one insisting on this arrangement." Even as I explained, Jinseong clicked his tongue, calling me a terrible person. Unbelievable. I actually suggested we date instead of keeping things vague, but Diana refused. She said she had to become an immortal herself if she wanted to be with me. I didn''t even think that was necessary, but she was so firm about it that I just agreed. Even after hearing all that, Jinseong kept mocking me. Only when Diana stepped in to defend me did he finally stop. This guy¡­ Since he''s here, I should test something. "Oh yeah. While you''re here, check this out." "What is it?" "Soul Form." Diana was left speechless when she first saw it. I wonder how Jinseong will react. "You''re really going to do this¡­? If Jinseong feels the same way I did¡­" Diana sounded worried. Yeah, that would be horrifying. If a shaved-head guy started yearning for me¡­ Jinseong''s expression stiffened as he saw our hesitation. "Diana¡¯s reaction is making me nervous¡­" "Mm¡­ Yeah, I''m feeling a little uneasy too. But you¡¯re the only test subject available. Worst case, I¡¯ll just erase your memory." "Heh, what, am I gonna fall for you or something?" "Mm¡­ Seems like it." "Ah, shit. Like hell I¡¯d fall for you. How bad could it be? Just do it." With his agreement, I cast spiritualization. In an instant, my body turned transparent. Looking around in that state, I saw Diana staring at me with both cheeks flushed red. And then... Thud. Lee Jinseong dropped to his knees again, staring blankly at me. Ah, I feel bad for making my friend kneel so often. When I released spiritualization and returned to my physical form, Jinseong was still on his knees, unmoving. "Hey, how was it?" "..." "Hey. Snap out of it." I shook his body, and only then did he stagger back to his feet. "Wow, shit. What the hell¡­." He looked at me, his eyes trembling ever so slightly. Unlike before, he still seemed dazed. "Damn, that one hit hard¡­." "How was it?" "Ah, I can still feel the aftereffects. You just looked insanely powerful and overwhelming. My inner Guan Yu almost disappeared for a moment." Even in this situation, he¡¯s bringing up Guan Yu? This guy¡­. "Is this what it feels like when a real god descends? If I want to stay friends with you, I need to reach S-rank too. I think I''m starting to understand what Lady Diana meant." "Yes, essentially, you felt like a higher-dimensional being," Diana nodded in agreement. That much? Just one rank up, and the difference is this massive¡­? "So, what are you going to do now?" "Hmm, actually, this happened¡­." As I sent him a message, Jinseong listened while nodding. After hearing everything, he tilted his head and raised both hands. [Something about this seems fishy¡­ but I don¡¯t know. Why don¡¯t you go see Hercules? He might know something.] [Hmm, I guess I should¡­.] [Erase my memory. Odin himself came down to inspect this prophecy, right? He seems to be taking it very seriously. He might round up everyone around you for questioning.] He''s got a point. Odin personally descended to investigate the third prophecy. It''s best to be as cautious as possible. After erasing his memory with Dragon Words, I spoke to them. "Then, I¡¯ll go see Hercules. Diana¡­." "I¡¯ll be in the Garden of the Apostles." "Got it. Jinseong, are you heading into a dungeon?" "Yeah, man, being friends with a god isn¡¯t easy. I need to level up fast and aim for S-rank too." Apparently, kneeling just now left a strong impression on him. He was getting complacent at B-rank, but now, after seeing a realm beyond his own, he was determined to grind hard again. "Diana, see you later." "Yes, take care." After reverse-summoning Diana, I used Heimdall¡¯s Return to teleport to Eshtar. Asgard used to just let me use their transport freely, but now that I''m S-rank, I doubt their method will work for me anymore. At the peak of Eshtar¡¯s mountain. As I gazed at the A-rank dungeon portal floating beside me, Hercules suddenly appeared. "You¡¯ve reached S-rank! Congratulations." He congratulated me the moment he saw me. We sat down, and I told him everything that¡¯s happened. Hercules showed interest when I mentioned the prophecy. "We¡¯ll need a Soul Barrier for this." He cast a Soul Barrier over the mountain peak. After I explained the prophecy in full, his expression turned serious. "Debt collection, huh¡­? That must be related to your SP Exchange." "I¡¯d have to open the exchange to know for sure, but my SP trading skill level is too low right now, so I can¡¯t access it yet." "You¡¯ll unlock it soon enough¡­ but yeah, we need to establish the SP Exchange first to get a clearer picture." Hercules advised me to prioritize setting up the exchange. Then, he shifted topics. "Hmm¡­ putting that aside, they thought you were sealed? But sealing a soul-type god should be incredibly difficult." He pointed out an issue with my supposed imprisonment. "Really?" "Yeah. Even when Olympus was hunting me down, I wasn¡¯t easily sealed because of my soul-based nature. Apparently, it takes an absurd amount of SP. And that¡¯s just for a half-blood like me." "Hoh¡­." So I can¡¯t just be easily sealed by surprise, huh? I¡¯m not sure exactly where the limit lies, but¡­. "So, how about we test it?" Hercules clenched his fists. Uh¡­. Is he seriously suggesting we test sealing me?! [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 119 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 119: Avatar Exchange ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not seriously going to seal me, are you?¡± ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s see how much SP it takes. Aren¡¯t you curious? How much SP does it take to seal a true soul god?¡± It¡¯s definitely something I should know. If this were a game, it would be like checking my max HP. I need to know my limits so I can prepare for future situations. But looking at that fist the size of my head makes me hesitate. ¡°Wait, do I really have to take that punch¡­?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t even a Soul Energy Emission, so there¡¯s no risk of annihilation. As the Lord of Chaos, I¡¯m just giving you a flick on the forehead.¡± That fist is bigger than my head¡ªwhat kind of ¡°flick¡± is that? ¡°Yeah, no, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°What, don¡¯t you trust me? Look, I swear. No Soul Energy Emission, just a seal test.¡± As soon as Hercules swore, the system displayed a confirmation message. This guy¡­ Why is he so eager? ¡°Do we really have to do this?¡± ¡°Of course! Knowing your limit is crucial. You should be grateful I¡¯m doing this for free. And it¡¯s just a test. I¡¯ll stop the attack as soon as I see the SP cost.¡± He explained that when he tries to seal me, the system will display the required SP cost. If he¡¯s just pretending to seal me rather than actually doing it, then it¡¯s worth testing. Just as I made up my mind, Hercules swung his fist. [Danger Detection activated.] The upgraded Danger Detection showed me the trajectory. But his fist was even faster. Even though the skill was upgraded to foresee the future, the fist landed before the red trajectory could fully form. Does that mean I can¡¯t properly read an SSS-rank Lord of Chaos¡¯s attack? The fist stopped right in front of my face. Up close, it looked even bigger than my head. And as it halted, a powerful gust of wind followed. If I didn¡¯t brace myself, I¡¯d be blown away. Boom! Behind me, everything was a mess. I heard the sound of mountains being sliced and boulders flying. Damn, he just casually swung his fist, and a mountain collapsed¡­ So this is an SSS-rank Lord of Chaos. Even at S-rank, I still have a long way to go. Hercules, with his fist still extended, suddenly seemed to realize something. ¡°Oh, right. Use up all your SP.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°If you take a hit in this state, your SP will be drained first. That means you¡¯ll just be wasting it.¡± Apparently, before spending SP to seal a god, my own SP would be depleted first. Rather than losing it from a hit, I might as well use it myself. Right now, I have 2.5 million SP. I invested it all into my Soul power, raising it to 1,010. ¡°All done.¡± ¡°Alright, here I go.¡± Is he going to throw his fist again? But instead of moving his fist, he simply extended one finger. His index finger lightly touched my forehead. A faint pressure followed. This was nothing¡ª Crack. I felt my bones shatter. His finger pierced straight through my forehead. At first, there was pain, but it quickly disappeared. His finger had gone straight through my brain. If I were human, I would have passed out instantly. But I felt completely fine. At most, it was a mild discomfort. My physical body was just a shell. Since my Soul form was untouched, I barely felt anything. ¡°¡­Wait, this SP cost is ridiculous.¡± While I was marveling at my own body, Hercules looked astonished. ¡°How much SP does it take?¡± ¡°Hold on¡­ Did I read that wrong¡­?¡± He even rubbed his eyes. Then, in a low voice, he muttered: ¡°Hah¡­ 100 billion¡­ Even for a soul-awakened being, that¡¯s insane. The system really favors soul-type awakeners.¡± 100 billion. That number was too big to comprehend. ¡°How much does it take for other lower gods?¡± ¡°At most, between 10 million and 1 billion. That¡¯s why most gods focus on keeping their SP reserves high so they don¡¯t get sealed.¡± Other lower gods max out at 1 billion, but mine is 100 billion¡­ That¡¯s at least a 1,000 times difference. ¡°The prophecy said Asgard sealed me, right? Does that mean they used 100 billion SP? Does Asgard even have that much?¡± ¡°No way. If they had 100 billion SP, they¡¯d just save up a bit more and upgrade to a Creator. That¡¯s an absurd amount. I never even considered such a figure existed.¡± Hercules withdrew his fist. As he did, my body began to regenerate. My brain reformed, my bones reconstructed, and my head returned to its original state. ¡°Huh, my body is healing on its own?¡± ¡°Yeah. Now that your body is an avatar, it automatically restores itself based on your true Soul form. Hmm¡­ Avatar¡­¡± He had been speaking nonchalantly, but then he got fixated on one word. ¡°Avatar¡­ Right¡­ What avatar-related skills do you have?¡± The word ¡°avatar¡± reminded me of Hades. Back when I was protecting Elprian in Eshtar, Hades showed up to negotiate. That¡¯s when I got the ¡®Avatar Exchange¡¯ skill. [Avatar Swap] [Active Skill] [Rank: SS] [Completely swaps the position of your avatar and main body, free from any restrictions. The avatar left behind will move automatically based on the user¡¯s behavior. The skill takes 200 days to recharge after use.] I had obtained it by trading one of Persephone¡¯s items. But I had never used it. Back when I was A-rank, I was only a demigod, so I didn¡¯t have an avatar. And I¡¯d never been in a situation dangerous enough to warrant using it. Hearing that I had received the Avatar Exchange skill from Hades, Hercules was shocked. ¡°You got Avatar Exchange?! That explains why they thought you were sealed. That skill is incredibly useful.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Here, look.¡± Hercules sat down on the ground and started drawing with his finger. ¡°This here is Kim Jiho in Eshtar, labeled A. And this is Kim Jiho¡¯s avatar on Earth, labeled B.¡± He marked A and B, then put an X over A. ¡°Let¡¯s say you¡¯re in Eshtar and things get too dangerous. You¡¯re on the verge of being sealed, and even using other teleportation powers would result in pursuit. That¡¯s when you activate Avatar Exchange.¡± ¡°Is Avatar Exchange better than other abilities?¡± ¡°I think so. If you use this skill, you can switch to your B avatar on Earth. That way, you¡¯ll be free from this place for now.¡± So, I can swap bodies from my A avatar in Eshtar to my B avatar on Earth. I get it so far. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°But what does that have to do with being sealed?¡± ¡°Even if you switch from A to B, A won¡¯t just collapse like a puppet with its strings cut.¡± ¡°Hmm. The skill description said it moves automatically. Is that related?¡± ¡°Yeah, when you swap avatars, the one you left behind moves on its own, acting as you normally would. That avatar can still be sealed.¡± So even if I escape to my B avatar, my A avatar will continue behaving as usual. That means it won¡¯t be immediately obvious that I¡¯ve escaped. That¡¯s pretty useful. But isn¡¯t sealing only possible if there¡¯s a soul present? ¡°Sealing only works on souls, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°But my abandoned A avatar won¡¯t have my soul anymore, right? How can it be sealed?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t no soul left at all. A portion of your soul remains.¡± If there were no soul left at all, the avatar would just be a lifeless puppet¡ªaccording to Hercules. Apparently, when you use Avatar Exchange, around 5¨C10% of your soul stays behind. ¡°Uh¡­ then does the remaining soul recover over time?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t fully recover. But if you return to the avatar you left behind, you can absorb that soul again. If that avatar has been sealed, you¡¯ll have to break the seal first.¡± ¡°So, I can¡¯t just infinitely escape by swapping avatars?¡± ¡°Exactly. Every time you use the skill to escape, you lose a small portion of your soul. Eventually, you¡¯ll have to recover it.¡± Hercules fell into deep thought. He wiped away the A and B he had drawn on the ground with his hand and then looked at me. ¡°In that prophecy, you were probably in a state of having escaped using Avatar Exchange. There¡¯s no way they¡¯d pay 100 billion SP to seal your real body.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ that makes sense.¡± When Asgard tried to subdue and seal me, I used Avatar Exchange to escape. They must have sealed the remaining avatar instead. Then they celebrated, thinking they had successfully sealed me¡ªonly for me to still be alive and completely outplay them. And as a result¡­ Asgard goes up in flames? Huh. I kind of like that. ¡°If only 5¨C10% of my soul remains, does that mean sealing the leftover avatar would cost 50 or 100 million SP instead of 100 billion?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably not that simple. I don¡¯t know the exact numbers either. I¡¯d like to test it out, but Avatar Exchange has a 200-day cooldown, so I can¡¯t just experiment recklessly.¡± I agreed. Who knows what could happen in those 200 days? I can¡¯t waste my chance on an experiment. Hercules stood up from the ground. ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee the prophecy will come true, but just in case, I recommend preparing an avatar. Store it somewhere safe. Not on Earth.¡± Somewhere safe? If not Earth, I don¡¯t really have many options. ¡°Here, maybe?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I wouldn¡¯t recommend it. Freya is keeping an eye on this place. I don¡¯t always have my Soul Barrier active either.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°Yeah, Eshtar is firmly under Asgard¡¯s control. They¡¯ll notice even the smallest change. Another planet would be safer.¡± Another planet, huh¡­ The only one that comes to mind is Kevrian. Elphrian seems to be an expert at making hideouts. I¡¯ll ask her for help. ¡°Thanks for the advice. Avatar Exchange is a pretty useful skill. But how do you know so much about it?¡± ¡°Any Lord of Chaos has this skill. It¡¯s standard.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s not exclusive to Hades?¡± ¡°Nope. It¡¯s an SS-rank skill, but it¡¯s important enough that we rarely let it leak outside. ¡­Honestly, even if you have a fragment of Persephone, this seems like too great a gift.¡± Hercules studied me closely. Then, he smirked meaningfully. ¡°Maybe someone on our side wants to make you a Lord of Chaos.¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®Lord of Chaos¡¯?¡± ¡°Being granted Avatar Exchange means that much to us. Nothing is certain yet, but for now, just buy an avatar and store it somewhere safe.¡± That powerful of a skill, huh? That bastard Hades¡ªalways laughing like a madman, but at least he gave me something useful this time. ¡°Do they sell avatars in the SP shop?¡± ¡°Yeah. You can also create one yourself. Don¡¯t you have a skill for it?¡± I searched through my skill list, but I didn¡¯t have an Avatar Creation skill. When I told him, Hercules tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Huh. It usually unlocks once you reach S-rank¡­ Maybe it¡¯s different because you¡¯re a Soul God? Just buy one from the shop, then. The SP cost is about the same anyway.¡± I checked the SP shop and saw that avatars were indeed for sale. The variety was insane¡ªnot just human forms, but even different species. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Why are there so many options?¡± ¡°You can descend as different species. In the end, though, your soul is what matters, not the avatar itself. But you should buy a human-form avatar with high compatibility.¡± ¡°Compatibility?¡± ¡°It means how well your avatar¡¯s wavelength matches your soul. To use Avatar Exchange, you need an avatar with at least 90% compatibility.¡± So I have to buy a human one, after all. I kind of wanted to try being a dragon, but their compatibility barely reaches 30%. Even humanoid races like elves max out at 70¨C80%. So it has to be human, huh? If I¡¯m buying one, I might as well go for 99% compatibility. I selected it. Then the price popped up. [100 million SP.] ¡°¡­Why the hell are these all in the millions?¡± ¡°An avatar costs a billion?¡± ¡°Yeah, the 99% compatibility one is 100 million.¡± ¡°A billion? It¡¯s just a human avatar, that¡¯s way too expensive. Mine was only around ten million. Must be because you¡¯re a Soul God.¡± Damn, I thought being a Soul God came with perks, but now I have to pay extra for things like this? I was planning to buy it right away and stash it in a hideout, but this messes up my plans. I earn 4 million SP per day, so I could gather the amount in 25 days¡­ But who knows what could happen in those 25 days? As I struggled with my options, my eyes landed on Hercules. Right. I have a rich guy right here. I can borrow it. ¡°Hey, Hercules.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Lend me 100 million SP.¡± ¡°¡­Do I look like your personal bank? Do you even understand how much 100 million is?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back with interest. 5% in a month.¡± ¡°5%? Hmm¡­¡± Hercules wavered instantly. A 5% return in just one month was a huge deal. After thinking for a moment, he let out a deep sigh. ¡°This is the last time.¡± Wow. I asked without really expecting him to agree, but he¡¯s actually lending it. Even though I¡¯ll owe 5% interest, this is still a win for me. ¡°But there¡¯s a condition.¡± ¡°What condition?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay me back right away. Instead, hurry up and open an SP exchange.¡± ¡°SP exchange?¡± ¡°Yeah. Within¡­ three months, at least.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 120 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 120: SP Exchange Hercules demanded that the SP exchange be opened within three months. Two months would be enough to establish it, but the looming presence of Asgard made me hesitant. "Wouldn''t it be better to delay the opening and come up with countermeasures first? Odin''s side is watching for an opportunity." "The countermeasure is already in place with the Avatar exchange. Besides, the SP exchange has tremendous expansion potential. If you give this up, even as a Soul God, you''d only be slightly better than a mere lower-ranked deity." "Hmm..." "Even if you open the exchange, they won''t be able to attack you right away. This time, you don¡¯t have to give them any shares." Hercules also wanted to see the results of his 5% investment. SP exchange... The fact that they were so eager to get their hands on it meant it had enormous growth potential. If I kept hesitating out of caution, it would be like refusing to make soybean paste because I was afraid of maggots. "Alright. I''ll open it." "Good. Then I''ll give you 100 million SP." Through the system contract, I completed the SP trade with Hercules. After handing over a huge amount of SP, he gazed down the mountain. "I''m spending too much SP. Honestly, I¡¯d love to sweep through that land right now and recover it all..." Clicking his tongue, he muttered that if not for the contract, he would have already done so. At times like this, he really did seem like a Lord of Chaos. "I''m leaving now. Buy a good Avatar." With that, he lifted the Soul Barrier and vanished. Since I had received SP, it was time to make purchases. But before opening the SP shop, I decided to visit Elprian first. I needed to prepare a place for my Avatar in Kevrian. "Heimdall¡¯s Return." Using Heimdall¡¯s Return, I teleported to planet Kevrian. After parting ways with Elprian in the past, I had marked a coordinate here. But... "This doesn''t look like the place I marked before." I had arrived in a forest. Why a forest? The spot I had marked before was a wasteland. This area was supposed to be jointly managed by Hades and her, so Olympus shouldn''t have been able to track my location. [Are you perhaps... Kim Jiho?] A clear voice echoed in my mind. It was Elprian''s voice¡ªthe one I knew well. Did she create this forest? "Yes, it''s me." [I thought so... But your power has grown so much since I last saw you that I wasn¡¯t sure. Have you become a god?] "Yes, I¡¯ve risen to S-rank." I glanced around, but there was no sign of her. Where was she speaking from? [Come this way.] A light green leaf suddenly floated in the air before me, shimmering as it moved through the air to guide me somewhere. I followed it for about ten minutes. Eventually, I came across a large rock formation with a cave. [Come inside.] Following her voice, I entered the cave. Inside, the space was wider and more open than expected, filled with plants growing like a garden. Flowers of various colors glowed like lanterns, illuminating the cave. I wasn¡¯t knowledgeable about flowers, but it was a fascinating sight. Step, step. Elprian slowly walked towards me through the flower field. She was wearing a light green dress and still had that beautiful smile as she greeted me. "Kim Jiho, congratulations on becoming a god." As soon as she saw me, she bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle. I returned the greeting, and she stretched out her hand to create a table and chairs. "Please, have a seat." "Thank you." As soon as I sat down, a teacup and tea appeared before me. It wasn¡¯t a spirit helping her¡ªit was all created with just a wave of her hand. Impressive. Could I do this with Dragon Word Authority? "This tea is made from Alcrin flower petals infused with my power. It has a special effect that even refreshes the soul." Refreshing the soul? Intrigued, I took a sip. Indeed, it wasn¡¯t just my body that felt relaxed¡ªmy very soul loosened up as well. "This is nice. You could sell this to gods." "Hehe, I already do in the SP shop. It¡¯s quite popular." As we shared tea, our conversation flowed in a warm atmosphere. "You need a hideout for your Avatar?" "Yes, I believe Asgard will start targeting me in earnest now." I didn¡¯t mention the prophecy, just kept it at that. Elprian nodded and suddenly smiled. "Aren¡¯t you glad you listened to me?" Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "About what?" "The Avatar exchange." "Oh... Yeah, I suppose so." "I can provide a hideout for you anytime. I was able to recover this much thanks to you, after all. However..." Here comes a condition. I figured I should agree to reasonable requests, so I waited for her next words. "If you¡¯ve really fallen out with Asgard, could you stop intermediating their souls and instead handle more of mine?" "Cancel Asgard¡¯s soul mediation?" "Yes, unless you¡¯re still trying to avoid full conflict with them..." Hmm. Now that I thought about it, Odin had already used his Mimir¡¯s Eye on me, yet I was still mediating their soul transactions. There was no reason to keep providing SP to my enemies. Odin made the most SP on Earth, but I could always smuggle souls instead. Soul smuggling gave me 100% of the proceeds, while mediation only gave me 50%. So, in the end, my earnings remained the same, but there was no reason to help my enemies. Might as well cut Olympus off as well. They had been leeching off me for too long. "I¡¯ll cancel all soul mediation deals. I¡¯ll add you to the list." "Oh¡­! Thank you. I will protect your Avatar with my life." Elprian looked overjoyed. She hadn¡¯t seemed hopeful at all at first. But now that I had agreed, her face was full of disbelief¡ªlike she had just hit the jackpot. Opening the soul mediation menu, I canceled all the other gods. I wondered if I needed a reason to cancel the contracts, but now that I was S-rank, I could do it freely. As I sorted through the list, I noticed Elprian¡¯s name was already listed twice. Oh, right. She was already double-registered. Wouldn''t that mean I couldn¡¯t add her again? Curious, I tried to register her name, but a message appeared. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [If your soul mediation level reaches 15, you can add one more duplicate listing.] So it was impossible for now. "My mediation level is too low to allow additional duplicates. Instead, I¡¯ll lower your commission fees by 5% on both entries." "Oh¡­ I see. Yes, that alone is more than enough. Thank you." She seemed a bit disappointed but quickly recovered and expressed her gratitude. Then, she personally initiated the contract process. A system window popped up, displaying an incredibly long contract. To summarize, the contract stated that my avatar would not be touched in any way and would be kept in a safe location. I had simply thought about leaving my avatar in someone else¡¯s care, but she was considering my avatar¡¯s safety even more deeply than I was. ¡°Wow¡­ Did you prepare this contract in such a short time? It even specifies that my avatar won¡¯t be touched¡­¡± ¡°Of course. Kim Jiho¡¯s avatar is the Avatar of the God of Souls. Many high-ranking beings would pay a fortune in SP to buy it or use it for experiments. This clause is essential.¡± I hadn¡¯t even thought of that. Thanks to her careful consideration, I was reassured that my avatar would be kept in a safe place. After finalizing the contract with her, I purchased an avatar from the SP shop. The 100 million SP I received from Hercules vanished instantly, and a system message appeared. [The item from the SP shop has arrived.] [Generating avatar. Please designate the land for creation.] I selected the empty cave floor in the middle of a flower field. A bright white magic circle was drawn on the ground. Light rose momentarily before disappearing along with the magic circle. In its place lay a body identical to mine, completely naked. As soon as the avatar appeared, my dormant Avatar Exchange skill suddenly activated on its own. [Detecting user¡¯s avatar. Would you like to designate it as the target for Avatar Exchange?] I pressed ¡°Yes,¡± and my body momentarily glowed red. [Designation complete.] With that message, the body remained lying in the same position as before. So that¡¯s my 100-million-SP avatar¡­ ¡°That¡¯s Kim Jiho¡¯s avatar, huh? Should I move it to a secure location right away?¡± ¡°Yes, please do.¡± Elprian and I looked at my avatar together. With a small gesture from her hand, the ground beneath my avatar suddenly opened. Then, my body disappeared underground. ¡°I¡¯ve hidden it deep below the ground. Even if Olympus captures me, they won¡¯t be able to find Kim Jiho¡¯s avatar.¡± Elprian spoke with confidence. Hmm¡­ I should be able to trust her. ¡°Has anything happened while I was gone?¡± At my question, Elprian let out a deep sigh, as if she had been waiting for the opportunity. ¡°The search for the Fragment of the God of Time is going well. But Hades¡¯ debt is weighing heavily on me.¡± ¡°You borrowed from Hades¡¯ Executors?¡± ¡°Yes. At the time, they said the interest rate was 10%, but after adding various fees and claiming the transaction was technically illegal in the SP shop, the actual annual interest rate is close to 20%¡­ Sigh.¡± ¡°What? 20%?¡± ¡°They keep finding excuses¡ªhandling fees, risk surcharges, and so on. Altogether, it¡¯s nearly 20%. And they¡¯re always looking for an opportunity to raise the interest rate further¡­¡± Elprian¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°At this rate, even if we achieve Kevrian¡¯s independence, I worry that we¡¯ll just end up as a semi-colony of Hades.¡± ¡°¡­How much did you borrow?¡± ¡°Well¡­ just a little¡­¡± The way she trailed off made it clear¡ªshe had borrowed a massive amount. Seeing her like this reminded me of Asgard burning down due to debt collection. What happens if she didn¡¯t pay Hades back? ¡°What happens if you default on the loan?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll become his slave¡­ The contract includes a clause forfeiting my soul. If that happens, I¡¯ll be reduced to a breeding vessel for monsters.¡± Elprian frowned deeply. Damn¡­ They¡¯ve already locked her in with the contract. Seeing her situation made me think of the SP Exchange I planned to establish. If my SP Exchange operates the way I anticipate¡ªoffering SP loans¡ªthen I could lend SP to her myself. ¡°How do you think this would work? Do you think people would use it a lot?¡± When I brought up the idea of an official SP lending exchange, Elprian¡¯s face lit up. ¡°That¡¯s going to exist?¡± ¡°Not yet, but I think my SP Exchange will have that feature when I set it up.¡± ¡°Wow, that would be amazing. Instead of being exploited by a loan shark like Hades, people could borrow from an official entity¡­ You¡¯re the one setting it up, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to be a game-changer. Kim Jiho, can you set it up quickly?¡± She then told me that while she was discussing her SP loan with Hades¡¯ Executors, countless inquiries were coming in. ¡°When I was invited to Hades¡¯ Executors¡¯ office, the scale was overwhelming. There were 100 avatars of Hades managing the business at the same time, and they were generating a ridiculous amount of SP.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°When I spoke with them over video, they were so arrogant. The gods were practically begging, and they just sneered, acting all high and mighty¡­ I even saw some gods being dragged away as slaves¡­¡± Hmm, that sounds exactly like something Hades would do. Elprian described how she had seen gods being dragged away, screaming, to an unknown fate. The sight had been horrifying. So even if you become an immortal god, it¡¯s meaningless if you end up as a slave. If anything, immortality would turn it into an eternal hell. ¡°If you establish an official lending service, everyone will flock to it. Right now, the only reason people aren¡¯t borrowing from Hades is that his Executors are completely untrustworthy. But if there were a legitimate alternative, the demand would be overwhelming.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Ah, I wish I had some spare SP to invest in it. It sounds like it would be huge¡­¡± Elprian looked at me with genuine regret. Her usually clear and innocent gaze suddenly took on a mysterious allure. For an elf deity, her expression now carried a strangely seductive energy¡­ I had a bad feeling about this. If I stayed any longer, I might get caught up in something and end up giving away shares of my business. ¡°I appreciate your insights. I should get to work. Please take good care of my avatar.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ You¡¯re leaving already?¡± ¡°Yes, I need to start preparing for the SP Exchange.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame¡­ Alright. I¡¯ll make sure your avatar stays safe. Please visit when you have time.¡± Elprian seemed disappointed but saw me off without resistance. So she wasn¡¯t actively trying to seduce me after all. Leaving my avatar in her care, I returned to my house on Earth. As soon as I got home, I reorganized the SP mediation interface. I replaced the lost Olympus and Asgard markets with smuggling-based trades instead. After restructuring everything and going to sleep, my SP income had risen to 5 million. With increased soul power and a more efficient god portfolio, my profits surged. My SP Trading level was now at 9. With just 100 million SP, I could reach level 10. At this rate, I could reach my goal in 20 days¡­ For the next 20 days, I kept showing up at Eshtar¡¯s domain. ¡°You sure come here a lot.¡± ¡°I need to make full use of the mentoring effect.¡± ¡°What about dungeons?¡± ¡°No point in clearing them right now. But I need to pass the time, so just summon it.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I farmed A-rank dungeons, using all the SP I earned to level up my Soul Reaper skills. Each dungeon run raised my skills by one level. After 20 days, all my Soul Reaper skills had reached level 40. I was nearly at 100 million SP. I could open the exchange now, but I decided to milk the mentoring benefits a little longer. Once my Soul Reaper skills hit level 50, a message appeared. [You have reached 50% of your mentor¡¯s skill level. The mentoring effect no longer applies.] Damn, I wanted to hit level 100¡­ But that¡¯s not possible, huh? This grind is over. Now¡­ It¡¯s time to establish the SP Exchange. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 121 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 121: SP Exchange (2) I spent 100 million SP to raise my SP Trading Skill to level 10. Then, a message popped up. [SP Exchange can now be established.] [Would you like to establish the SP Exchange?] I pressed "Yes" to establish the SP Exchange. What will come out of this...? [SP Exchange window has been activated.] [SP Exchange has been added to the system. The one overseeing it is the Soul God, Kim Jiho.] [Soul God Kim Jiho¡¯s SP Exchange is specialized in finance.] Huh... It''s already being added to the system? Checking the system menu, I saw that the SP Exchange had been newly established. Wow, it really was created just like that? And seeing "SP Exchange" officially listed in the system¡ªsomething even the deities fear¡ªfelt somewhat overwhelming. Alright, what kind of services does this exchange offer? I remember it was said to be specialized in finance... I opened the SP Exchange. It was completely empty. Only a few options were available. [Deposit.] [Loan.] [Settings.] [Upgrade.] Four options. Deposit and loan¡ªthose seem similar to what a bank does, right? Settings and upgrades must be for me as the administrator. I checked each one. [Deposit.] [You can deposit SP into the SP Exchange. The SP Exchange guarantees an annual interest rate of 1%. The maximum deposit limit is 100 million SP.] 1% interest. That¡¯s ridiculously low. Depositing 100 million SP would only yield 10 million SP in interest. Who would even deposit with such a low rate? But suddenly, countless messages started popping up. [The deity ¡®!#[email protected]$#*)%¡¯ from the 8,877th realm has deposited 100 million SP.] [The deity ¡®Albrot¡¯ from the 1,732nd realm has deposited 100 million SP.] [The deity ¡®Zeus¡¯ from the 17,344th realm has deposited 100 million SP.] [The deity ¡®Poseidon¡¯ from the 17,344th realm has deposited 100 million SP.] Messages flooded in like crazy. Some names were familiar, like Zeus and Poseidon, while others were just bizarre symbols or strange characters. Wait, are there really this many deities in existence? Even beyond the 100-million SP deposits, plenty of deities were depositing 10 million, 20 million SP each, making the list grow exponentially. The SP Exchange¡¯s storage was filling up in an instant. And then, more messages popped up. [SP Exchange¡¯s SP storage is 80% full. Please upgrade the SP Exchange.] [SP Exchange¡¯s SP storage is 90% full. Please upgrade the SP Exchange.] Ugh, you can¡¯t just rush in and deposit like this...! Besides, the SP deposited in the bank isn¡¯t even mine, right? Can I even upgrade it? Ah, screw it. Let¡¯s just go for it. I navigated to the upgrade menu. A message appeared. [You can upgrade the SP Exchange using 10% of its total deposits. Would you like to proceed?] Checking the SP storage limit, it was set at 100 billion SP. Wait, did it really fill up in less than an hour after opening? The sheer number of deities in this vast universe was hitting me all at once. Filling up 100 billion SP this fast... Shaking off my astonishment, I carefully read the message. The cost to upgrade: 10 billion SP. Seriously...? Only 10% of the total deposits could be used for upgrades, meaning I needed to reach the deposit cap before expanding. "Upgrade." A simple message popped up. [You have used 10 billion SP to upgrade the SP Exchange to Level 2.] [SP deposit limit has been increased to 2 billion SP.] [Total SP storage limit has been increased to 500 billion SP.] [Interest rate adjustment is now available. The minimum interest rate remains at 1%.] [When the SP Exchange reaches Level 30, it will be recognized for its stability, allowing adjustments to the reserve ratio. The current reserve ratio is 100%.] Reserve ratio? Ugh... I¡¯ve lived a life completely unrelated to finance, so I have no clue what this means. It said I could adjust the interest rate, but there wasn¡¯t really a reason to increase it. After all... The messages kept flooding in. [The deity from the 1,294,194th realm...] [The deity from the 373,195th realm...] How many different realms even exist in this universe? Deities were frantically rushing in with their SP to deposit. Even with just a 1% interest rate, the number of customers was overwhelming. SP stacked up in the Exchange. Whenever the SP storage filled up, I upgraded it again and again. Before I knew it, the SP Exchange had reached Level 10. The total SP storage limit had increased to 50 trillion SP. The deposit limit per deity had risen to 1 billion SP. 50 trillion... 1 billion... It feels totally unreal. Meanwhile, the SP I personally owned was only around 20 million. Hmm, even if all these deposits are coming in, I won¡¯t really profit unless I start lending SP, right? A bank makes money by lending and collecting interest, after all. But so far, no loan requests had come in... [The deity from the 112,341st realm has requested an SP loan.] [The deity from the 8,471st realm has requested an SP loan.] Then, more messages started popping up. And more... And more... The flood of messages was overwhelming. It was like I had held down the Enter key by mistake, causing the screen to scroll endlessly. It was a constant stream, as if there was a bug. Loan requests were coming in. So many realms, so many deities. All of them wanted me to review their loan applications. Ughhhhh! What is this?! How am I supposed to review all of these?! At this rate, I¡¯m going to be stuck managing the SP Exchange for eternity! And seriously¡ªwho even is this deity from the 8,471st realm? Some random nobody from a remote corner of the universe? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] How am I supposed to verify whether these deities can even pay back their loans...? Ugh, this is a disaster. There must be some options. I start pressing different selections. First, [Settings]. When I press Settings, I see that I can adjust deposit and loan interest rates. The current deposit interest rate is set at 1%. The loan interest rate is 5%. I can increase the loan interest rate up to 10% and the deposit interest rate up to 3%. Hmm, Hades¡¯ loan interest rate is supposedly around 20%, right? He tricked Elprian into thinking it was 10% while actually making her pay 20%... Then, even if I set it to 10%, it¡¯s not that expensive, is it? I casually adjusted the loan interest rate to 10%. Then, a warning message popped up. [You have set the loan interest rate excessively high compared to the deposit interest rate.] [Your interest margin reaches 9%. Are you sure you want to proceed with this setting?] Interest margin? Ah¡­ so since the deposit rate is 1% and the loan rate is 10%, the profit margin is 9%? Anyway, there¡¯s already a line of people waiting to take out loans. 10% is cheap. The competitor is charging 20%, after all. I confidently set the loan interest rate to 10%, and another message appeared. [The resistance of the gods to loan repayment will increase. To counter this, a strong debt collection team is required. Would you like to invest in this?] Debt collection team¡­ That must mean those who go and take everything from those who can¡¯t repay their debts. Suddenly, I recalled the sight of Asgard being burned to white flames. Is this related to that? Might as well invest in this too. I can¡¯t tolerate people taking loans from me and not paying them back. Debt collection is the most important thing. Looking at the upgrade button, I saw there were upgrade options for debt collection as well. I poured all my SP into it, and before I knew it, the debt collection level reached LV 10 MAX. [Debt Collection LV.10] [If gods using the SP exchange fail to repay their debts, the debt collection team will be dispatched. SSS-rank deities will be forcibly collected as SP.] Guaranteed up to SSS-rank¡­ Very nice. This should put my mind at ease. After investing in debt collection, a message appeared saying I used up 10% of the SP exchange¡¯s deposit assets, but soon enough, new deposit applications flooded in. Ugh. The sheer amount of scrolling is overwhelming. Do I have to approve each one manually? No, if this is a system, there must be a way. I carefully examined the upgrade options. Scrolling down the upgrade options, I found an entry labeled "SP Exchange Manager." Ah, this must be it. I upgraded it immediately, consuming another 10% of the deposited SP. [SP Exchange Manager has been created.] S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Then, a golden pig started flying in front of me. A golden pig with golden wings. Despite being a pig, it wore glasses and a graduation cap. Is this the manager? The pig looked at me. Its gaze was sharp¡ªfar too intelligent for a pig. Just from its eyes, I got the strong feeling that this thing was smarter than me. [How would you like to set your investment strategy?] Options: Aggressive - Moderate - Defensive. Hmm, isn¡¯t "Moderate" usually the best choice for things like this? I selected ¡®Moderate.¡¯ [SP Exchange Manager is now active¡­] [SP Exchange Manager is reviewing interest rates¡­] Wait, is it going to lower the loan interest rate? There¡¯s no need to lower it since Hades is the only competitor in the market right now¡­ But the SP Exchange Manager is sharper than I expected. [SP Exchange has a monopoly in the current market. SP Exchange Manager recommends a harsher loan interest rate.] [SP Exchange Manager suggests leveling up the SP Exchange. It passionately argues that the unclaimed market should be seized immediately.] Then, an avalanche of messages poured in from the manager. Advice for me and the SP Exchange¡¯s future. When I didn¡¯t respond right away, the pig opened its mouth and spoke. ¡°Oink oink. Master, you must maximize your interest margin.¡± ¡°Oink oink. Master, the market belongs to you right now. Opportunities like this don¡¯t come often. We must sweep up the entire SP market.¡± ¡°Oink oink. Greed, you must be greedy, Master.¡± The golden pig kept oinking while speaking, passionately spitting out words¡ªliterally, as its spit was also golden. Wow¡­ the pig manager seems reliable, but¡­ I have no idea what it¡¯s talking about¡­ damn¡­ Should I have studied finance? In the golden pig¡¯s eyes, I saw my own reflection. A dumb expression. I look completely lost. I¡¯ve ascended to being a divine being, yet I¡¯m getting overwhelmed by financial information. Ah¡­ this isn¡¯t right¡­ [Would you like to entrust the SP Exchange¡¯s management to the SP Exchange Manager? The SP Manager will receive an additional 1% of the SP Exchange¡¯s dividend profits.] If I manage it myself, I get 100%. If I leave it to the pig, I get 99%. I already agreed to give Hercules 5%, so that leaves me with 95%, or 94%¡­ Sigh¡­ Fine, this kind of thing should be handled by an expert. Until I learn more about finance, I¡¯ll leave it to the pig. When I pressed "Yes," the golden pig nodded confidently. ¡°Oink oink. Master, leave it to me! I will make you rich!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Until I gain more knowledge in this area, I¡¯ll leave it to the pig. Once I entrusted it to the golden pig, it immediately began upgrading various aspects. Even so, confirmation messages still popped up for me, meaning I had the final say. For now, to empower the pig, I approved everything. The golden pig bowed deeply to me. ¡°Oink oink. Master, thank you for your full trust. I will make sure to repay it, oink oink.¡± ¡°Well, I expect maximum profits. That way, it benefits both of us.¡± ¡°Oink oink, of course. This is a great opportunity to exploit the deities¡­ Hehehe¡­ Those arrogant gods¡­ Hehehehe¡­ They called me a pig¡­ Hehehehehe¡­¡± Hmm¡­ That last part didn¡¯t sound like pig noises¡­ Maybe I misheard it. ¡°Oink oink. Master, I will now dedicate myself to running the SP Exchange.¡± ¡°Alright, take care.¡± ¡°Oink oink. Yes, I will report to you daily, so I highly recommend checking the reports. You must stay informed of the market trends, oink oink.¡± The pig bowed deeply once more before vanishing. Man, saying it¡¯ll report daily makes it seem so reliable. Good choice. ¡°Phew¡­ Time to go home.¡± It¡¯ll take some time before I see any real earnings. Plus, after waiting 30 days in Eshtar for the mentoring effect, I kind of miss home. Now that I don¡¯t need to grind here anymore, I¡¯ll go home and rest for a day or two. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± I used the return skill and arrived home. The vast space is still as barren as ever. But there¡¯s something different. A subtle aroma of coffee lingered in the air. Sensing someone¡¯s presence, I looked toward the sofa and saw a familiar figure sitting there. ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re finally here? I¡¯ve been waiting for quite a while.¡± ¡°¡­Loki?¡± A black-haired handsome man. At a glance, he was beautiful enough to be mistaken for a woman. He once tricked me by disguising himself as the volcano goddess with that face¡­ That bastard, when did he break in and start drinking coffee from my cup? ¡°Hey, this is my house, you know?¡± ¡°Ehh, what¡¯s the point of differentiating ¡®yours¡¯ and ¡®mine¡¯ between us?¡± ¡°The hell we are. Why are you here?¡± When I snapped at him, Loki gulped down the rest of his coffee and stood up. ¡°The reason¡¯s simple¡­ Isn¡¯t it because of the SP Exchange?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 122 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 122: Loki, Suspicious Did he manifest here in person because of the SP Exchange? "A god can just come to Earth like this?" "This is just a very weak avatar of mine. It''s for negotiations. This level of manifestation is fine." Loki shrugged and spoke with ease. Since this was the same guy who transformed into a goddess before, I guess this wasn¡¯t that surprising. "You came because of the SP Exchange?" "Yeah, because of our deal." "That deal was already off after Odin descended. I¡¯m pretty sure I said no quite a few times..." Did he really think I¡¯d give shares to Odin, who was using his omnipotent eye to manipulate me? While I was in Eshtar¡¯s domain for a month, Freya, who managed Eshtar¡¯s affairs, had sent me quite a few messages. Begging me to sign the contract. But I had no intention of signing a deal with the suspicious Asgardians, so I rejected all of them. "I already established the SP Exchange. There are no shares for you." "Don''t you need our capital to upgrade the SP Exchange?" "Hah, capital my ass. Do you even know how much is currently deposited in the SP Exchange?" "How much?" Loki¡¯s eyes sparkled with curiosity as he asked. Ah, I shouldn¡¯t reveal the actual numbers to a guy like this. "Just know that it¡¯s a ridiculous amount. How much were you originally planning to give me?" "Ahem... 200 million." Ha, 200 million¡­ SP Exchange Level 10. Deposit limit: 50 trillion. 50 trillion was a huge sum, so the deposits weren¡¯t completely maxed out yet. To upgrade the exchange to Level 11, I needed 10 trillion. I could invest 10% of the deposit limit, but now that wasn¡¯t possible. With only 5 trillion available from deposits, I still needed to gather another 5 trillion... There¡¯s no way these guys, who were reluctant to even give 200 million, would hand over 5 trillion. "Hah. 200 million¡­ Just know that this operates on a trillion scale." When I mentioned "trillion," Loki¡¯s eyes widened in shock. "Trillion? Are you sure you didn¡¯t miscount a zero or two?" "Miscount? No way. I never knew there were so many gods in this world." As we talked, I naturally crossed my arms. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I steeled myself, determined not to fall for Loki¡¯s tricks¡ªthe god of mischief, after all. "If this were before I set it up, maybe. But now, why would I sell you shares?" "Trillion, huh..." Loki blinked a few times, then raised both hands. "Well, in that case, there¡¯s no way to get a share. I should¡¯ve secured it when you were still clueless, but now it¡¯s too late." Huh? Loki was backing down surprisingly easily. He leaned back on the sofa and took another sip of his coffee. "Kim Jiho, the Soul God¡ªwhat exactly is your goal?" "What else? Survival, of course." "Survival? Who¡¯s threatening you?" "I don¡¯t know. Odin seemed pretty comfortable controlling me." At my words, Loki scratched his head and sighed deeply. "Sigh¡­ Why did Odin go and do something so unnecessary? He¡¯s just made you even more wary of him." Loki looked genuinely confused. Hmm¡­ Does this guy not know about Skuld¡¯s prophecy? Since he represents Asgard and moves around so much, I figured he would know¡­ Might as well ask. "You don¡¯t know?" "Know what?" "The god Odin ordered me to kill." "That was Guan Yu, right? I personally picked him out¡­ When I tried to bring in someone else, that guy stepped up heroically, willing to sacrifice himself. He was just a lower-ranked god, but he had guts." Loki casually took another sip of tea. This guy¡­ He really doesn¡¯t know? "The one I actually killed was Skuld." Clang. Loki¡¯s eyes widened in shock. The teacup slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. Damn it, this guy is making a mess in my house. "What¡­? How do you even know about her? No, wait¡ªSkuld was taken by Odin for something important¡­ Are you sure it was really Skuld?" "Yeah, the Asgardian goddess of the future, Skuld." Loki¡¯s reaction was definitely different from Odin¡¯s apostle, Aria, who thought I was talking about Guan Yu when I mentioned Skuld. His expression turned deadly serious, and he gestured for me to stop. "Wait a second." Loki snapped his fingers. Dark smoke started filling the room. "Now, say that again." "What¡¯s this?" "A smokescreen, just in case." His face was unusually serious. It was strange seeing someone who was always so playful with an expression like this. "You really didn¡¯t know?" "Of course I thought it was Guan Yu." "When I arrived at the place Odin had prepared, Skuld was there. I heard she had made a prophecy about Asgard¡¯s fate, and Odin had her locked up instead." I then explained Skuld¡¯s execution. How Zeus attacked Odin. How Skuld had another prophecy. How she was imprisoned for revealing it. And how she was eventually sentenced to death. Of course, I didn¡¯t tell Loki everything. I left out the third prophecy and only mentioned that Odin had interrogated me, asking if I knew anything. Loki was still on Asgard¡¯s side, so there was no need to mention that debt collectors would soon set Asgard on fire. Hearing my story, Loki¡¯s expression turned grim. He kept shaking his head, muttering, "No way¡­" "Was that prophecy really accurate?" "How should I know? I just heard about it." Yeah. I thought taking out a god would be easy money¡­ ¡­Until Skuld showed up, and Odin mind-controlled me, and I got caught up in all this nonsense. If it had just been Guan Yu, things wouldn¡¯t have gotten so complicated. "Sigh¡­ If what you¡¯re saying is true, I can¡¯t trust Odin anymore." Loki¡¯s expression was dead serious. "You said Zeus attacked Odin, and Odin lost, right?" "Yeah." "A battle between gods¡­ If Odin lost a fight of that scale, then it was already over for him. If even a mid-tier god like Skuld could see that he was losing, then he¡¯s already completely defeated." Loki nervously bit his thumbnail. I¡¯d never seen him this shaken before. "In that case, maybe that fight between the two supreme gods already decided the fates of Olympus and Asgard." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "Well, yeah, but it was just a prophecy. Isn¡¯t it something that happens far in the future? If one of them is going to become the creator god, they¡¯ll have to fight in the end anyway." "True. But if the battle was meant to happen in the distant future, why did Odin purge Skuld? Shouldn¡¯t he have been grateful? She was giving him a warning about his loss¡ªhe should¡¯ve been preparing for it instead." Hmm¡­ That¡¯s a good point. If someone predicted I¡¯d lose an important battle, I¡¯d be doing everything I could to overturn it. But I don¡¯t think I would have gone as far as executing the one who made the prophecy. How would I know what other futures they might predict? ¡°Hearing you say that, a possibility I didn¡¯t want to imagine is coming to mind.¡± ¡°What possibility?¡± ¡°The possibility that Odin¡ªno, Odin already lost to Zeus.¡± Loki, who had just said it was a possibility, was now dropping the honorifics when referring to Odin. There was a strange sense of certainty in his voice. Odin already lost to Zeus? That can¡¯t be right. He¡¯s still walking around perfectly fine... He even used his Mimir eye just recently. But Loki had already convinced himself, regardless of my doubts. ¡°Between Olympus and Asgard, who do you think has the upper hand?¡± Loki suddenly threw out an unexpected question. ¡°How should I know?¡± ¡°Just take a guess.¡± ¡°Well... In my country, Olympus is definitely more familiar than Asgard.¡± I don¡¯t know about other places like Northern Europe, but in my country, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are definitely more well-known than Asgardian gods. Even planetary names are mostly taken from Olympian gods. Loki nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re right. In terms of recognition, we fall behind Olympus.¡± ¡°To me, the Olympian gods are just more familiar. Even Hermes¡ªwell, Herm¨¨s¡ªis a famous luxury brand, after all.¡± ¡°Hah, you¡¯re not wrong. Olympus is definitely more widespread on Earth. Honestly, we¡¯re at a disadvantage compared to them.¡± Loki hesitated briefly before continuing. ¡°Actually, this grand plan of regression was originally their idea.¡± ¡°What? Seriously?¡± ¡°Yeah, Odin accepted Zeus¡¯s proposal. Some voices in Asgard opposed it, but in the end, we all agreed to walk the path of the Creator God...¡± So this whole infinite regression thing started with Zeus? Asgard just went along with it after being persuaded by him. ¡°So Asgard really hasn¡¯t been leading anything on its own?¡± ¡°Compared to Olympus, that¡¯s true. Looking back now, it feels like we¡¯ve just been dragged along by Zeus¡¯s schemes. I told Odin several times, but he brushed off my concerns, saying it was fine¡­ It was not like the cunning Odin I knew.¡± Loki frowned as he recalled how Odin had been strangely lenient when it came to Olympus. His expression was already twisted in frustration. ¡°I need to investigate Odin myself.¡± He was already fired up, even though I hadn¡¯t even told him about the third prophecy yet. Well, I wasn¡¯t planning to share that anyway. The SP Exchange deal was already completely out of his mind. ¡°So... does that mean the SP Exchange contract is off?¡± ¡°Well... About that. Can¡¯t you at least give me 1%?¡± This guy is really trying to pull a trick on me. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Ah, come on. Aren¡¯t you curious? I need to show some results if I¡¯m going to conduct my investigation properly. I¡¯ll share all the intel I find with you.¡± ¡°My shares are more valuable than that. Fine, I¡¯ll sell for 5 trillion.¡± ¡°If I had 5 trillion, I¡¯d already be a Creator God.¡± So 5 trillion is that much, huh? Well, a trillion is still a trillion... Either way, my answer is still no. Loki clicked his tongue at my firm rejection. ¡°Che, fine. Then how about this?¡± ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Release the sealed gods.¡± Loki suddenly brought up the sealed gods. ¡°Huh? What do you mean, sealed gods?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb. I know.¡± Hmm... So he figured out that I¡¯ve been in contact with them, huh? I decided to feign ignorance. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even try to lie. Your eyes are shaking like crazy. You think you can deceive the God of Deception?¡± ¡°Ugh... How much do you know?¡± ¡°I know the sealed gods are desperately trying to break free.¡± Loki smirked at me. ¡°I also have a pretty good guess about your connection to them.¡± ¡°Ha... How do you figure all this out?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Loki.¡± ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you done anything to stop me?¡± ¡°Olympus is the one mainly managing the seals. If something happens there, they¡¯ll take most of the damage. Since we¡¯re still allies for now, I was planning to wait and let things unfold, but I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡± Even if Odin hadn¡¯t lost to Zeus, the gap between them was already too wide. If Asgard wanted to catch up, Loki figured they had to overturn the entire board. ¡°Right now, the one guarding the seals is Pollux. He may be a lower god, but since he has Zeus¡¯s blood, he¡¯s pretty strong. The only reason he hasn¡¯t ascended to a mid-tier god is because the requirements for promotion are ridiculously high. There are some powerful martial gods among the sealed ones, but they¡¯re low on SP, so defeating Pollux won¡¯t be easy. That¡¯s why I need you.¡± ¡°Hm...¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want your identity exposed, you could just unseal them quietly. But if you fight, Pollux will probably figure out who you are. Just kill him. Once the seals are broken, things will descend into chaos, and no one will care about some lower god.¡± Killing him, huh... That reminds me of the ¡°Godslaying¡± quest. To become a god of the Neutral Faction, I needed to fulfill a condition¡ªkilling a god. Maybe eliminating Pollux would complete the quest... But what exactly would happen if all the sealed gods were freed? ¡°What happens if the sealed gods are released?¡± ¡°Humans will fall into turmoil. The beings they were forced to abandon will return. The gods will be weak at first due to being newly unsealed, so they can be suppressed again¡ªbut they won¡¯t go down easily this time.¡± ¡°Hmm... Would that stop this infinite regression cycle?¡± ¡°No idea. It¡¯s a fifty-fifty chance. But shaking things up is necessary. If time keeps flowing like this, Zeus will become the Creator God. It¡¯s not just because of Skuld¡¯s prophecy¡ªthe power gap is already obvious.¡± Man... Loki wasn¡¯t just trying to stop Olympus; he wanted to throw the entire system into chaos. I could sit back and reap the rewards in the chaos, but... Alliances really don¡¯t last forever, huh? ¡°If you break the seals, won¡¯t Asgard suffer losses too?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll manage. Olympus will take the bigger hit. I¡¯ll personally make sure no one interferes, so go and stir up some trouble. Pollux is strong, but you¡¯re a god of souls. You can win.¡± ¡°Hey! We need a contract. You can¡¯t reveal anything about this to anyone.¡± ¡°Hah. You really love contracts, don¡¯t you, Kim Jiho? Depending on Odin¡¯s situation, I might seriously consider switching over to your side.¡± ¡°Who said we¡¯d take you in? Just sign the damn contract.¡± Loki grumbled but complied, sealing the agreement to keep quiet about the seals. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be looking forward to it. I¡¯m going to investigate Odin.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 123 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 123: Seal Attack (1) Loki removed the smoke and disappeared with a serious expression. Was the prophecy about Skuld being purged and Odin falling to Zeus that shocking? I didn¡¯t expect him to order the complete unsealing of the seal. A battle against Pollux. This situation is different from when Skuld was involved. Skuld had been completely subdued and was ready to be executed. On the other hand, Pollux belongs to the lineage of the divine body and possesses power comparable to a mid-tier god. Hmm¡­ Can I win? I should contact my father. I reached out to my father and told him what had happened with Loki, mentioning that Loki was the one who suggested unsealing the seal. [This is a strange situation.] ¡°I don¡¯t fully understand the prophecy, but Loki seemed certain about it.¡± [If he¡¯s that certain, then the scales may have already tipped toward Olympus. We must stop Zeus before he ascends to the position of a creator god.] ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I plan to kill Pollux and release all the gods from their seals. Is Asura ready?¡± [Hmm¡­ We¡¯d prefer to wait a bit longer, but Asura is confident. Lately, he¡¯s been questioning if we even trust him, saying that there¡¯s no need to delay over some mere low-tier god¡­ Honestly, even without your help, he probably would¡¯ve fought Pollux soon anyway.] ¡°Really? Still, we should be careful¡­ Doesn¡¯t Asura lack enough SP?¡± [He believes the gap between a high-tier god and a low-tier god is enough to cover the difference. His argument isn¡¯t entirely without merit. More and more gods among us are pushing to take action now.] ¡°Hmm, understood. Then let¡¯s set a date quickly.¡± [Can you do it tomorrow?] Tomorrow? That¡¯s fast. Is Asura really that impatient? ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll check on one thing first and get back to you right away.¡± [Alright.] After ending the communication, I fell into thought. Jumping into a fight against Pollux tomorrow with my current SP is too risky. Is there a way to pull some earnings from the SP Exchange? I should summon my manager first. ¡°Summon, Golden Pig.¡± With a pop, a golden pig appeared before me. ¡°Oink oink! Master! You called for me?¡± ¡°Yeah, I have a question. How does the SP Exchange earn SP?¡± ¡°Of course, we earn SP through interest by lending SP, oink oink.¡± ¡°I see. Then how much have we lent out? When do I get my SP earnings?¡± ¡°Oink oink! Our reserve ratio is currently at 80%. That means out of the 50 trillion deposited, only 20% can be used. In other words, we can only use 10 trillion for loans and upgrades, oink oink.¡± I looked up the reserve ratio on my phone. It¡¯s the percentage of total bank deposits that must be kept in reserve as liquid assets. Apparently, the legal reserve ratio in my country is 7%. Wait, then why is my reserve ratio at 80%? Why are they holding on to 80% of the SP instead of lending it out? That¡¯s way too high. 10 trillion is still a massive amount, though¡­ ¡°Oink oink. So far, our upgrade expenses were 10% of total assets, making upgrades possible. But now that we¡¯ve reached 10 trillion, we can¡¯t do that anymore.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Until now, we¡¯ve had to invest 10% of our assets into upgrades no matter what¡­ But now, to turn a profit, we need to use more than 10%, oink oink.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because there¡¯s interest on deposits. 1% interest on 50 trillion is the same as 10% interest on 5 trillion, oink oink.¡± Ah, that makes sense. Hmm¡­ So unless I can pull 5 trillion from somewhere immediately, I need to invest the full 10 trillion now to generate profits. If we set aside 5 trillion for deposit interest, that leaves only 5 trillion to generate income. ¡°At this rate, our expected annual profit is 500 billion SP, oink oink.¡± ¡°500 billion SP¡­ Is that a lot?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an enormous amount. In just 20 years, we could afford another upgrade, oink oink.¡± ¡°20 years? That¡¯s way too long¡­ And that means I wouldn¡¯t be able to use any SP for myself in the meantime, right?¡± ¡°The SP Exchange belongs to you, oink oink. However¡­ The system states that only 2% of the profits can be withdrawn. Withdrawals are also limited based on level. The base rate is 1%, with an additional 1% depending on level, oink oink.¡± The Golden Pig suddenly pulled out a mysterious book from thin air and started reading. The book¡¯s cover was written in Korean: "About the SP Exchange." ¡°What¡¯s that book?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret manual that only managers receive, oink oink. Would you like to read it, Master?¡± He held the book open for me to see. It was filled with dense text and countless clauses tangled together. Ugh, these level restrictions are such a pain. 2%¡­ That seems way too low. Let¡¯s calculate. Annual profit: 500 billion. 2% of that: 10 billion. My daily mediation earnings are 5 million SP. That means I need 20 days to make 1 billion SP, and 2,000 days to reach 10 billion SP. 2,000 days¡­ Let¡¯s see, that¡¯s about 6 years. So, I¡¯d earn in one year what I would otherwise take 6 years to earn through SP mediation. ¡°So, I can withdraw 1 billion SP per year?¡± ¡°Oink oink. That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot, but I still don¡¯t like that only 2% can be withdrawn.¡± ¡°100 billion SP is an enormous amount, oink oink. But this withdrawal is only possible once all loans are fully allocated.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ That makes sense. Are there a lot of loan applications?¡± ¡°Oink oink! The demand is through the roof! However, we still haven¡¯t reached the 10 trillion mark because our transaction reach is limited.¡± Wait, what? There have been overwhelming applications from different worlds, but the reach is still limited? ¡°Oink oink. The universe is vast. The SP Exchange¡¯s reach expands based on your divine power and the SP mediation level.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I need to keep leveling up the SP mediation system too.¡± ¡°Oink oink! Yes! And once the SP mediation reaches a certain level, our SP Exchange will also be able to act as a mediator. The higher the level, the more efficient it becomes, and Master will be able to withdraw more earnings!¡± There¡¯s so much to upgrade. No matter how much I earn, it never seems to be enough. Hmm¡­ The SP Exchange is a long-term investment, but for now, I need to focus on strengthening myself. What¡¯s the point of all this if Pollux seals me away here? ¡°When do I receive interest income?¡± ¡°By default, profits are settled annually¡­ But if you prefer, we can distribute them monthly, oink oink.¡± ¡°But we haven¡¯t finished lending out all the SP yet.¡± ¡°Since you own the majority of shares, that much is possible, oink oink. However, 90% of the income will be split across 12 months, while the remaining 4% will be paid in the final month.¡± I own 94% of the shares, so I can only take 94% of the profits. That means 94 billion, divided again¡­ Ugh, math. I sucked at math in school, and now my brain¡¯s about to explode. Thankfully, the manager quickly calculated everything for me. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°This month¡¯s payout is 750 million SP, oink oink. Transferring now.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Oh, nice.¡± ¡°Normally, low-tier gods can only store up to 5 billion SP, but since Master is a Soul God, your limit is much higher. Transferring now, oink oink.¡± The Golden Pig started glowing. A message popped up. [You have received this month¡¯s dividend from the SP Exchange Manager.] [750 million SP has been deposited.] ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°This is just the beginning, Master. Oink, oink, oink.¡± ¡°Yeah, with this much, I should have no problem dealing with a lower god.¡± A lower god was said to store around 500 million SP. If it comes down to an SP battle, wouldn¡¯t I win in the end? But my golden pig companion poured cold water on my expectations. ¡°Oink, oink¡­¡­ The standard upper limit for a lower god is 500 million. However, if a lower god has increased their soul rank to the level of a mid-tier god, their upper limit can extend up to 2 billion. Please be cautious.¡± ¡°Hm, yeah. It doesn¡¯t hurt to be careful. Anyway, thanks. You can go now.¡± The golden pig bowed its head deeply before disappearing. As soon as it vanished, I found myself momentarily intoxicated by the thrill of possessing 750 million SP. If I start accumulating this much every month¡­¡­ Well, I¡¯ll wipe everything out in no time. Now that I had 750 million SP, I no longer had to hesitate in attacking the seal. I connected with my father via communication. [Are you ready?] ¡°Yes. Where should I go tomorrow?¡± [I will open a portal.] ¡°Understood.¡± One day¡­¡­. What preparations should I make in the meantime? I reviewed my skills. I had raised my combat skills to level 50 at a bargain through Hercules. Soul emission, soul barrier, and so on¡­¡­ But raising them to level 51 required 100 million SP each. Somehow, upgrading these further felt like a waste. And boosting soul mediation right before a battle seemed too complacent. Alright, I¡¯ll increase my soul power instead. Each point of soul power cost 500,000 SP. I was currently at 1,010. With my newly acquired 750 million plus my existing SP, my total was 770 million. I decided to keep 500 million in reserve and invest the rest into my soul power. As I poured SP into it, my soul power rose rapidly until it reached exactly 1,550, leaving exactly 500 million. It felt somewhat incomplete, so I added another 25 million to round it off to 1,600. Hm, perfect. My remaining SP was now 475 million. I decided to keep this amount in reserve. When I stood up from the sofa, my body bounced as if propelled by a spring. They said soul power integrates strength, agility, and magic¡ªso my physical abilities must have increased as well? Before my head could hit the ceiling, I quickly transitioned into my soul form. Then, whoosh¡ªI soared upward, jumping several floors of the apartment before stopping midair. Hm, no one saw that, right? Well, nobody lives here anyway. It¡¯s an abandoned ghost apartment complex. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± Returning home, I tested my abilities. I infused soul emission into both weapons and magic, expanded my soul barrier, and experimented with various techniques. By the time I had thoroughly familiarized myself with everything, the sun had set and risen again. Step. Step. [As soon as I open the portal, Asura will emerge from the seal.] A crimson portal opened by my father. Wearing my mask, I stepped inside, revealing an entirely new landscape. A bright, pristine space. Floating clouds beneath my feet. Stepping onto them, they supported me like solid ground. A gentle golden glow imbued the atmosphere with sacred radiance. It felt like I had arrived in the celestial realm. I had imagined the seal to be underground, but this was unexpected. [Once you enter the seal, proceed straight ahead and aid Asura.] Boom! A loud impact echoed from the distance. Has it already begun? I advanced swiftly. With each step, my body shot forward like a bullet. Even distances that seemed vast were covered in a single stride. After four steps, a group of figures came into view. ¡°An intruder!¡± ¡°Stop him!¡± They were soldiers clad in Greek-style armor, a familiar sight. They quickly reformed their ranks, aiming their spears at me with vigilance. Judging by their aura, they were A-rank. Demi-god level. In the past, they might have made me hesitate, but¡­¡­ ¡°Vanish.¡± With a single word, they were engulfed in pure white flames. Not even a scream escaped before they were utterly erased. A notification about SP consumption appeared, but I ignored it and pressed on. ¡°The front line has already collapsed?!¡± ¡°A god¡­¡­ It¡¯s an S-rank!¡± ¡°No, at this level¡­¡­ he must be at least a mid-tier god! We must alert Pollux immediately¡­¡­!¡± Whoosh. As they turned their backs, flames devoured them. There were still many soldiers left. Since they were all in Greek armor, I simply incinerated them as I advanced. Twenty steps forward, ten battalions annihilated. Eventually, a new sight emerged beyond the clouded realm. A colossal violet gate. So massive that it completely severed the continuity of the cloud-based seal. Unlike the heavenly ambiance, the ominous glow of the gate felt out of place. It seemed like it belonged underground or in hell rather than here. And standing before it was a familiar figure. A man covered head to toe in golden fur. He wore no armor, only a simple short-sleeved shirt and shorts. A towering figure, nearly three meters tall, with a well-built muscular physique. Pollux. At his feet lay a fallen red giant with three heads and six arms. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 124 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 124 ¡°That bastard is the intruder you trusted? Too late now.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± He kicked as if playing soccer. A red-skinned figure flew toward me. A giant with three heads and six arms¡ªAsura Is that Asura? Why is he so weak? The guy was acting all high and mighty, but he got wrecked. Suddenly, my vision turned red. A danger detection signal. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± Thanks to Skuld, my danger detection has been upgraded, but I still can''t see the trajectory. For now, I immediately casted Soul Barrier. Boom! A deafening sound erupted from behind me. I quickly turned around to see Pollux grinning menacingly. ¡°Soul Barrier? You¡­ you¡¯re Kim Jiho, aren¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°Pollux¡­!¡± ¡°Because of you, I ended up sealed away! Today, I will finally settle this grudge!¡± He hit me first, and now he¡¯s mad? What the hell is his problem? Like a thief getting angry when caught. Whoosh! Pollux¡¯s figure vanished. Boom. Boom. Above me. Then, the sound of impact from behind. My golden Soul Barrier remained solid, without a single crack. Defense is holding up just fine. But I can¡¯t just sit here and keep getting hit. Time to go all out for the first time in a while. ¡°Summon Phoenix.¡± [It has been a long time, Master.] A Phoenix appeared before me. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve evolved into S-rank, but its mana felt overwhelming, despite being the same size as before. ¡°I¡¯ll imbue you with soul energy. Keep Pollux in check.¡± [Understood.] As I imbued the Phoenix with soul energy, its body turned pure white. With it keeping Pollux occupied, I draw my Soul Sword. Boom. Boom. ¡°Tch, this thing is too damn tough¡­!¡± Pollux continued pounding away at my barrier. But it didn¡¯t even budge. Raising it to level 50 was definitely worth it. While keeping an eye on the barrier¡¯s condition, I channelled soul energy into my Soul Sword. It surged upward in an instant. It extended beyond the barrier. The blade now reached about 4 to 5 meters in length. I can¡¯t freely control its length like the Yeoui, but this should be enough. After all, this is a battle of soul bodies. As long as my attacks connect, the outcome will be determined by SP amount and efficiency. ¡°So this is the original Soul Barrier¡­ Completely uselessly sturdy¡­!¡± Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom! Pollux¡¯s fists rained down from all directions. But none of them penetrated my barrier. At this rate, he¡¯s just throwing weak punches at a wall. My skill efficiency is clearly much better. Now, I just need to attack. The problem is¡­ I can see his fists, but not his body. Where the hell is he striking from? Still, my Soul Sword is 5 meters long. If I swing it in all directions, surely one hit will land, right? I made sure to avoid hitting the fallen Asura and swung my sword. But¡ªnothing. I felt no contact at all. His punches kept coming, but even at maximum speed, my sword never touched him. ¡°Tch, too slow.¡± Pollux¡¯s afterimages flickered in all directions. It¡¯s like he¡¯s using some kind of clone technique, leaving behind countless residual images. But whenever my sword does touch one, it vanishes instantly. None of my attacks were landing. Damn¡­ Is there really this much of a power gap? We¡¯re both soul beings, aren¡¯t we? Crack. [Soul Barrier is damaged. SP is being consumed for repair.] A message popped up, and SP drained rapidly. I checked my SP usage¡ª10 million SP gone. I recharge it¡ªanother 10 million gone instantly. If this keeps up, I¡¯ll be in serious trouble¡­ Even the Phoenix can¡¯t catch Pollux. [Master, he¡¯s too fast!] ¡°Did you really think a mere Phoenix could keep up with a god?¡± ¡­Damn, this is pissing me off. The only reason I¡¯m still standing is because my barrier is unbroken. If it had shattered even once, I¡¯d already be defeated and sealed away. Whoosh. Whoosh. ¡°Hahaha! A mere mortal like you, granted the power of a Soul God? What a joke!¡± Pollux easily dodged all my attacks, laughing mockingly. Damn bastard¡­ No matter how much I swung my Soul Sword, it only consumed my SP without landing an effective hit. I need to think of another way rather than just trying to land a strike. Boom! Another punch crashed toward me. A sturdy barrier blocked it. Hmm¡­ the barrier. Right, the barrier makes contact with the enemy. Can I imbue it with Soul Emission? As soon as I tried it, a message popped up. [Soul Emission is imbued into Soul Barrier. While the protective efficiency decreases, it now reflects attacks, dealing damage to the enemy.] Boom! Boom! Boom! ¡°Urgh¡­ Reflection? How absurd!¡± Pollux, who had been pounding away at my Soul Barrier, suddenly had golden explosions erupted from both of his fists. Then he abruptly stopped attacking and leaped backward. He grimaced and looked down at his fists. His hands, strangely mangled. Since he was in a soul form, there was no blood, but parts of his fists had been torn away. ¡°Soul Gods are such a nuisance. I see now why my father, Zeus, was so wary of you.¡± ¡°And you¡ªwhy the hell are you so fast when you¡¯re just another lower god?¡± ¡°Hah. The fact that someone like you thinks they can stand on equal footing with me¡­ No matter if you¡¯re the Soul God, you¡¯re far too arrogant.¡± Pollux¡¯s fists began regenerating at an incredible speed. He took a deep breath while looking at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to use his authority¡­ but I have no choice. Soul Emission¡­!¡± Pollux¡¯s fists flashed pure white. Then, white flames erupted. Wait¡ªwhy the hell can he use Soul Emission? Did Hercules not just lose Soul Barrier, but also Soul Emission?! My vision turned red again. I imbued my Soul Barrier with Soul Emission and evaded. I have to admit it¡ªclose combat against him is impossible. That means my only options are Soul-imbued Incantations or powers like Thunder God''s Authority. I need to lock down every possible escape route. Though its efficiency is cut in half compared to melee attacks, I have no choice¡­ But just as I prepared for a large-scale attack, an obstacle stood in my way. That damn Asura, lying in a miserable heap. If he gets hit by Soul-imbued attacks, he¡¯ll die. Tch. Useless god¡­ I backed away, making sure he was out of the attack¡¯s range. As I retreated with all my might, Pollux closed in at a slightly faster pace. There¡¯s no massive speed gap between us. From that, I can tell there isn¡¯t a huge difference in our physical capabilities¡­ Once I gained enough distance to avoid hitting Asura, I rose into the sky and activated my skill. ¡°Thunder God.¡± Soul-infused Thunder God. From beyond my Soul Barrier, radiant white lightning erupted in every direction. An inescapable situation. Pollux clenched his teeth. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± This bastard can use Soul Barrier too? Damn it, Hercules! All because you fell for Aphrodite¡¯s temptation, now I¡¯m stuck suffering like this?! As my Thunder God pierced into his Soul Barrier, Pollux¡¯s fist reached me first. Boom! [Soul Barrier is partially shattered.] [Soul Barrier is recovering.] [SP is greatly consumed.] His fist, burning with white flames, smashed into my Soul Barrier. Unlike before, when his hits barely tickled, this strike packed real force. My golden barrier was half-collapsed, and his massive fist stopped just short of my face. Then, he followed up with a second and third strike. Every time my barrier was about to break, it regenerated¡ªonly to be broken again and restored once more. Pollux stared at my Soul Barrier with a stunned look. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± His expression twisted in frustration. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] His fists slowly began to burn again. The reflection damage combined with my Thunder God and him barely piercing my barrier is taking a toll. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± Pollux leaped backward and reactivated Soul Barrier. His burning arms extinguished and slowly regenerated. I can¡¯t just sit back and watch. Once more¡­ ¡°Focused Enhancement¡ªThunder God.¡± CRACKLE! Lightning rained down. ¡°Phoenix, don¡¯t hold back. Burn everything.¡± [Understood.] I unleashed my Phoenix. In an instant, the sky-world was engulfed by relentless lightning and brilliant white flames. Pollux scrambled to evade. But this is different from before. I¡¯ve sealed off every escape route. Pollux¡¯s Soul Barrier is battered by my Thunder God and Phoenix¡¯s flames. Half of his barrier shattered. His eyes widened in shock as he desperately flew. ¡°Grrr¡­ To be pushed back by a mere mortal¡­ A Soul God¡­!¡± Well, compared to him, I guess I am just a mortal. Still, even if my martial skills fall short, I should make the best use of what I have, right? Even though he stole both Soul Energy Emission and Soul Barrier, my skill level itself seems to be lacking. If you infuse Energy Emission into a ranged attack, its efficiency drops by half. Right now, my Energy Emission efficiency is at level 50, making it 100 times more effective¡ªso in this case, it¡¯s 50 times. And yet, even with that lower efficiency attack, his barrier was half-destroyed¡­ Damn, if I had landed just one sword strike with my soul sword, this fight would have been over already. ¡°Hah, the world is truly unfair. Why was such a power granted to someone with such insignificant talent like you?¡± ¡°And this is coming from a guy who lived his life as a pampered son of a god? Didn¡¯t even go through much hardship. At least Hercules had his Twelve Labors.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ The Twelve Labors of Hercules were a blessing. I, Pollux, possessed talent no less than Hercules, yet he took on all the trials, leaving me without the chance to make a name for myself as a hero. I could have completed those trials. If I had, I would have stood in his place¡­!¡± ¡°Oh, come on, how do you even compare yourself to Hercules? You¡¯re just some womanizing rapist bastard.¡± All you did was grant infinite stamina. ¡°And you¡¯re still using Hercules¡¯ skills, aren¡¯t you? Stop complaining. Thunder God.¡± I close the distance now. That paper-thin Soul Barrier, which even Thunder God can break through, will be destroyed in an instant. Pollux, who had been wearing a grim expression as I and the Phoenix approached, clenched his lips tightly. Then, clenching his fist, he muttered: ¡°Brother, help me. Castor.¡± As soon as he uttered the name Castor, Pollux¡¯s right arm transformed into solid steel. And then he infused it with energy. His entire arm began burning bright white. This was a different level of power than before. Hmm, this looks strong. I released Thunder God, widening the gap between us. Zzzzt! Zzzzt! The Thunder God struck against Pollux¡¯s barrier repeatedly. As I concentrated my power, cracks began forming in his barrier, like an eggshell breaking apart. Pollux, eyeing his barrier with cold eyes, leaned forward instead. Then¡ªhis form disappeared. Scanning the area, I spotted him standing where Asura had collapsed. He lifted Asura with his left arm and hurled him toward me. ¡°Gaaah! Krrrghhh!¡± The moment Asura made contact with the Thunder God¡¯s energy, he screamed in agony. At this rate, he was going to be erased entirely. Ah, this useless bastard¡­ I considered finishing him off along with Pollux, but I decided to let him go this time. I deactivated Energy Emission on the Thunder God, so Asura was merely being electrocuted now. ¡°Go down.¡± I commanded lightly with Dragon Words and drew my soul sword. As soon as Asura hit the ground, Pollux charged at me. His right arm burned as he rocketed toward me like a cannonball. Damn, he¡¯s fast. But now, I was getting used to his speed, and my danger sense showed me the trajectory of his attack. Unlike before, this was his final desperate strike. It was fast, but I could see his route. This time, no dodging¡­ I thrust my soul sword! Zzzzt! The sword of light and the steel fist collided. For a moment, we seemed evenly matched, pressing against each other in a contest of strength. And then¡ª BOOM! The steel fist shattered into pieces. Pollux¡¯s arm disintegrated, bursting into flames. He looked at me in disbelief. His entire body was quickly engulfed in white flames. ¡°Grr¡­ How¡­ How could this be¡­?! I gave it my all¡­ I combined my power with Castor¡¯s¡­ There¡¯s no way I could lose¡­!¡± Pollux writhed in agony as he was consumed by the white flames. Was this the end? Damn, if he had just taken one sword hit from the beginning, he would¡¯ve died instantly. ¡°If it¡¯s come to this¡­!¡± Grimacing in pain, Pollux turned his gaze downward. Following his line of sight, I saw Asura writhing in pain. ¡°Haaah!¡± Pollux suddenly lunged toward Asura. What the hell? Is he trying to kill Asura? Asura was useless and only got in the way, but letting him die like this left a bad taste in my mouth. ¡°Phoenix, don¡¯t let him get near Asura!¡± [Understood.] I unleashed Thunder God toward Pollux¡¯s back. Even while burning, he dodged the streaks of lightning with remarkable agility. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Damn, this guy really was a martial god. But he couldn¡¯t dodge them all. A lightning bolt struck his right leg directly. ¡°Gaaah!¡± Pollux plummeted from the sky. By the time his body hit the clouds, his limbs had already vanished. Only his torso and head remained, wailing in agony. Even his soul form showed no signs of regeneration. ¡°Grrr¡­ If I used Energy Emission¡­ I should¡¯ve at least taken one of you down with me¡­¡± ¡°Farewell, my first guardian deity.¡± Shink! I gently stabbed my soul sword into his chest. Pollux¡¯s eyes lost their light. ¡°You¡­ bastard¡­¡± He disappeared, his gaze filled with resentment to the very end. What a stubborn guy¡­ Still, since he was my first guardian deity, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a complicated mix of emotions. We actually had a decent relationship at first¡­ ¡°Aaagh! S-Save me! Hurry, I¡¯m going to die!¡± Suddenly, I heard desperate screaming from the side. Asura flailed all six of his arms wildly, in a complete panic. His body was still burning slightly from the Thunder God¡¯s energy. Sigh¡­ This useless idiot¡­ Even at the very end, he was just a pain in the ass. I walked toward Asura. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 125 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 125 "Soul Barrier." I approached Asura and used Soul Barrier. Starting from my body, the Soul Barrier gradually expanded, enveloping Asura. As it did, the white flames clinging to Asura¡¯s body slowly disappeared. "Huff, huff... I think I can survive now." As the flames vanished, Asura''s body began regenerating. Once his scorched body had fully healed, Asura slowly rose to his feet. A giant with three heads and six arms. He had a single neck but three heads attached to it, and his muscular six arms were much larger than mine. With long fangs and a fierce, twisted face, he looked just like a monstrous creature. His upper body was completely bare, but fortunately, his lower half was covered by cloth. "Thank you. Are you the God of Souls, Kim Jiho?" One of his six arms extended toward me. His arm stretched out like rubber. Was he asking for a handshake? Asura, whose hand was as big as my entire body, lightly shook my hand. "Thanks to you, I was able to survive." "What exactly happened?" At my question, Asura scratched his head with one of his upper hands. "That guy... He was way stronger than I expected. I couldn¡¯t break through the Soul Barrier. If I had fully recovered my strength, maybe..." "But you were acting so confident..." "Ahem. It was similar to the fight you and Pollux had earlier." Asura waved his six arms around as he explained. This guy had a monstrous face unlike anything else in the world, but his demeanor felt oddly naive. "I dodged most of his attacks and landed plenty of critical hits. But that damn Soul Barrier blocked everything." Was he talking about how Pollux had overwhelmed me earlier, but I survived thanks to my barrier? I guess the situation was reversed here. "Anyway, what kind of low-ranking Olympus god runs around using Soul Barrier with their soul energy? Still, I dealt enough damage to make your job easier. Otherwise, your SP consumption would''ve been enormous." I didn¡¯t really feel that way... His words made me suddenly curious about how much SP I had left. I opened my status window and saw a chaotic mess of SP consumption logs. Since every clash of attacks altered the numbers, the log was too long to read. So, I just checked the final result. I had 100 million SP remaining. I started with 475 million and used up 375 million? That was an insane amount. A shiver ran down my spine. If Asura hadn¡¯t held back, I might have completely drained my SP. And this remaining 100 million included SP that had been restored through the Soul Sword¡¯s conversion, meaning my actual remaining SP could have been even lower. Wow... That was a close call. [You have eradicated an opponent of similar rank. The Soul Sword has been slightly enhanced.] [The current rank of the Soul Sword is S.] Since I had killed another S-rank god, the sword''s rank hadn¡¯t increased. Well, it would be too convenient if it ranked up every time I killed a god... "Looking at my SP, I really was in danger." "Right? Right? I played a big role, didn''t I?" "Well, I also lost a lot because I had to avoid hitting you when you were down." "Ahem... I apologize for that." "Pollux was trying to kill you no matter what before he died. Why do you think that was?" At my question, Asura scratched his head with his upper hand again, looking puzzled. "I was shocked too. If you hadn¡¯t been there, I would¡¯ve been annihilated." "But if he really wanted to kill you, why didn''t he do it when he had you subdued?" "As a low-ranking god, killing me¡ªa high-ranking god¡ªwould have caused a massive backlash. If he had gone through with it, his SP would have been drained significantly, and he might have been sealed as well." Hmm, is that so? When I killed Skuld, I didn¡¯t suffer any penalties like that... Maybe it¡¯s different for high-ranking gods at the SSS level. I should be careful if I ever need to take down a high-ranking god. "From what I saw, you don¡¯t seem to have fully adapted to being a lower-ranked god yet." "Really? I did reach S-rank, though." "Then you probably haven¡¯t been at S-rank for long. You still don¡¯t seem to fully control your body''s abilities." Asura stroked his chin with four of his hands. He looked surprisingly serious when talking like this. Thinking back to my fight with Pollux, maybe he had a point. I had been leveling up so rapidly that I hadn¡¯t had time to adjust. And I hadn''t fought many equally matched opponents, so I never had to go all out. "I owe you my life, so once the seal is released, I¡¯ll help you out." "Oh, thank you." "I¡¯d give you a skill too, but my SP is practically empty right now... Once I recover, I¡¯ll reward you." Oh, a skill too. Even though he lost to Pollux, he was still a god specializing in combat, so his skills should be useful. Asura then said, "Alright, let''s go release the seal." He turned around, and I followed him forward. A massive purple gate loomed before us. "Is this the seal?" "Yes. Countless gods from Earth are imprisoned behind it." "Is there a way to open it?" Asura stared at me silently. What? Why is he looking at me like that? "I don¡¯t have any SP left." "I only have 100 million SP left." "100 million? That¡¯s more than enough!" Asura got excited upon hearing that I had 100 million SP left. He stretched out multiple hands and pointed at the purple gate. "We don¡¯t need to destroy the whole thing. We just need to create an opening." "Sigh... I¡¯ve already used too much SP..." "Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll pay you back later. We were once the ruling gods of Earth, after all!" Asura pounded his chest confidently. His exaggerated movements, filled with bravado, somehow made him seem less reliable. He was nothing like the Asura I had imagined... I thought he was a silent god of battle. Still, we had to break the seal. But... did I really need to use SP to do it? "Phoenix, try shooting fire at it." [You think a normal attack will work on that?] "Let''s at least try. I¡¯ll attack too." I had Phoenix attack, even though it seemed doubtful. At the same time, I fired my Thunder God technique. I also took out Yeoui for the first time in a while, infusing it with sword energy and slashing at the gate. But all our attacks simply passed through the purple gate and vanished. "This gate was built to seal gods. Did you really think mere magic would break it?" "It didn¡¯t even budge, huh. Damn." No choice, then. Man, now that fights have reached a divine level, Yeoui feels pretty useless... [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] I unsummoned Phoenix and put away Yeoui. Instead, I took out my Soul Sword and approached the gate. "Soul Energy Emission." As I infused the Soul Sword with soul energy, pure white flames erupted from it. As I drew closer to the gate, I realized¡ªthis wasn''t just a gate. It was like cutting through an entire world of purple light. When I slashed through the space in front of me at an angle, a different phenomenon occurred than when I used Yeoui. [You are cutting through the ''Seal of the Gods.''] [5 million SP will be consumed.] Following the trajectory of my soul sword, the violet atmosphere turned pure white. However, after a brief moment, the world was dyed purple once again. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Keep slashing along the same trajectory in succession," Asura advised from behind. So, I needed to keep cutting the same white space repeatedly? Alright... Since one slash consumed 5 million SP, I had 19 attempts left. For now, I decided to slash five times in a row. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. I swung my sword along the exact same trajectory. As a result, the violet energy was unable to seep back into the slashed space. Instead, the white area gradually expanded. "Just a little more!" Geez, Asura sure was eager¡ªprobably because it wasn¡¯t his SP being drained... Still, I had already spent 30 million SP on six slashes. Since I¡¯d already used this much, I might as well keep going a bit longer. I decided to invest up to 50 million SP and slashed four more times. The white space began expanding rapidly. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s opening...!¡± The diagonal white space continued to grow. Soon, it became large enough for Asura to pass through as well. Most of the space was still filled with violet energy, but at least an opening had been created. Hmm, I guess I could stop slashing now. I deactivated my soul sword and stepped back. "This should be enough, right?" "Yes. The gods will be emerging soon." Just as Asura had said. "Fortunately, everything went according to plan." The first to step through the rift I had created was my father, the avatar of Michael. Behind him, radiant wings of light spread wide. "Father." "Thank you, Jiho. Thanks to you, we were able to break the seal." At the same time, gods began pouring out behind my father. Angels representing Christianity and deities from Buddhism were the first to emerge. Following them, more and more gods kept appearing. Hindu, Taoist, and Japanese gods, as well as others I couldn¡¯t even recognize, continued to emerge. At first, I tried counting them, but after surpassing one hundred, then two hundred, I simply gave up. There were just too many. "Wow¡­ freedom at last!" "I thought it was over when we were sealed..." "We must reclaim our followers. And we must exact revenge on Olympus and Asgard." "Now that we¡¯re out of the seal, SP is flowing back into us. The distortion of our believers¡¯ faith is being restored." Although their SP had been depleted, the deities were visibly energized. They all seemed delighted to be regaining their divine power. Had they reclaimed their faith the moment they were freed? If so, that was a relief. As my father observed the gods around him, he approached me. Unlike the joy of liberation, his expression was quite serious. "Hmm... something is suspicious." "Why do you think so?" "I never expected that we would regain our faith the moment we emerged. If Olympus and Asgard knew this, they would have strengthened the seal¡¯s defenses. But to leave only a low-ranking god in charge¡­ doesn¡¯t that seem odd?" "Hmm¡­ that¡¯s true." "The reason Olympus-Asgard can maintain their endless regressions is because they¡¯ve been siphoning our faith. Reversing time on a global scale requires an immense cost. Without the SP they steal from us, it wouldn¡¯t be possible. Yet they left the seal so poorly guarded...?" The gods trapped in the seal were crucial to maintaining the time loop. Considering their importance, they should have been under constant guard by high-ranking deities. Pollux was strong, but he was still just a low-ranking god. Leaving such an important area under his sole supervision was far too careless. "We¡¯ve decided to scatter for now." "Where will you go? Earth?" "If all these deities descended upon Earth, it would throw the world into chaos. Every god has their own divine realm. Once we regain a bit more power, we¡¯ll have enough strength to return to our domains." "Won¡¯t Olympus attack again?" "They might. But as long as we recover our faith and regain SP, we can restore our strength quickly." "I see. But something about this still bothers me." I explained Pollux¡¯s use of Hercules'' Divine Aura and SP Barrier. Hearing this, my father¡¯s frown deepened. "A low-ranking god wielded Hercules¡¯ authority? Hmm... this is troublesome. Asura, what do you think of the power of those skills?" "They were a real pain. That low-ranking god was putting out strength equivalent to a high-tier middle god. I got completely wrecked by him, and your son had to save me." "So, those two abilities allow them to punch above their weight class..." That meant an S-rank could fight at SS-rank power, and an SS-rank could rival an SSS-rank. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that most gods would be helpless against anyone wielding those two abilities? Damn it... "If even a low-ranking god can fight at a mid-tier level..." "This is a real problem." The once chaotic and noisy gathering had grown silent. Everyone was now watching my father, Asura, and me, their expressions grim. "And Pollux tried to kill Asura." "Asura? He tried to kill you?" "Yes." "But why? They could have just re-sealed you and continued stealing faith¡­ unless they no longer needed to?" Suddenly, my father¡¯s eyes began glowing. Had Michael fully descended? "We must all retreat to our respective divine realms for now. Asura¡¯s attempted assassination is suspicious." "That sounds like a good plan." "Understood." One by one, the deities began vanishing. Had they recovered enough SP to return to their divine realms? That was fast... "Soul God Kim Jiho, I will take my leave as well. Contact me later. You should also hurry and find a safe place." "Understood." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 126 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 126: A World in Chaos One by one, the gods were disappearing. Many were hurriedly fleeing to their own divine realms. ¡°Well, given the situation, I have no choice. Once I regain my strength, I will surely repay today¡¯s favor.¡± Asura extended his hand for a handshake once again. This guy¡­ at least he knows how to be grateful for having his life spared. ¡°I¡¯ll be expecting a skill.¡± ¡°Haha, you can look forward to it. See you next time.¡± Asura waved at me before vanishing in a flash. His brutal face really doesn¡¯t match his personality. ¡°I will certainly repay the favor of releasing me from my seal.¡± ¡°As soon as the situation stabilizes, come to the Celestial Realm. We will make sure to reward you.¡± Various gods approached, greeted me, and then disappeared one by one. Many gods vanished without even a word of thanks, but at least these ones had some basic manners. They seemed to be from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism¡­ I should definitely visit them when I have the chance. Even Michael, who had manifested through my father¡¯s body, disappeared, and most of the remaining gods had returned to their respective realms. I briefly examined the sealing site, but Olympus didn¡¯t seem to be launching an attack or anything. The expressions of the higher deities had turned so serious that I suspected a trap, but no enemy forces were invading. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± Using Heimdall¡¯s Return, I teleported home. I considered hiding out in Kevrian, but with the higher deities now unsealed, I wanted to grasp the situation more clearly. As soon as I arrived home, I turned on the TV, only to see breaking news. [Forgotten gods, lost memories are resurfacing?] [Christian believers start smashing Odin statues enshrined in churches] [Believers protest against the Valkyries] [World Hunter Association states, ¡®We are closely monitoring the situation.¡¯] sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Just reading the headlines told me that things were getting crazy. The news anchors looked extremely grave as the broadcast began. ¡°The world is currently in severe turmoil. People who once believed Asgard¡¯s gods to be absolute are now experiencing changes in their memories.¡± ¡°Yes, it would be more accurate to say that their memories are being restored. Across various holy sites worldwide, incidents of Odin¡¯s and other Asgardian statues being destroyed are occurring frequently. In the Middle East, even the Hunter Association has been accused of involvement, leading to terrorist attacks.¡± ¡°The Hunter Association claims they are unaware of the cause and are simply monitoring the situation. Meanwhile, Asgard¡¯s Valkyries have remained silent on the matter.¡± Flipping through different channels, I saw footage of people demolishing statues of Odin, Thor, and Loki. Well, yeah, it was always strange to see Thor statues in Buddhist temples and Odin statues in churches¡­ -What the hell is happening? -Wasn¡¯t Asgard responsible for awakening hunters? I thought they were protecting Earth¡­ -If people keep smashing those statues, won¡¯t divine punishment come? Asgard gave us hunters, but honestly, what have other gods done for us? -Damn, I don¡¯t know what to believe anymore. I used to be non-religious, but I started believing in Odin. My mom is a Christian, and now she¡¯s crying and panicking¡­ -But if the Valkyries withdraw, won¡¯t we end up like the last world? We should ban the destruction of divine statues. Debates were raging online. Given the seriousness of the situation, there weren¡¯t many joke posts¡ªmost of them were deeply serious discussions. Some argued that Asgard seemed suspicious. Others worried that without Asgard and the Valkyries, humanity wouldn¡¯t survive the dungeon portals. Surprisingly, the internet was filled with a lot of pro-Asgard sentiment. Or rather, public opinion was shifting in their favor. -Dude, what do other gods even do? Asgardian gods are the ones actually protecting us. -Yeah, did any other religion give us power or awaken us? When we faced destruction, Asgard turned back time to save us. They¡¯re the real gods. Why are people worshiping random deities? -We can¡¯t let Odin¡¯s statues be destroyed. This could be a test of faith from Asgardian gods. -Hey, are you a Hunter Association employee or something? -What? No, I¡¯m just saying¡ªwho¡¯s actually protecting us? These pro-Asgard opinions were rapidly spreading, leading to fierce arguments. Then, as time passed, governments deployed police and military forces to protect Asgardian statues in churches and temples. Huh, that was fast. I kept watching TV and browsing the internet while ordering fried chicken. As I munched on my meal, I observed the shift in public sentiment. More and more, the dominant belief became: Asgard is the only one protecting us right now. And then, a new breaking news alert came in. The UN and the World Hunter Association issued a joint statement: [We urge the public to refrain from speculation about Asgard and to avoid the destruction of Asgardian statues.] ¡°¡­Huh. This is unexpected.¡± Was it because Asgard had actually demonstrated divine power, while other gods had not? Or was the government and Hunter Association manipulating public opinion? Regardless, the internet was now overwhelmingly pro-Asgard. Three Days Later ¡°The Olympus gods are still quiet, huh?¡± Three days had passed since the gods were unsealed, but nothing had happened so far. Governments and the Hunter Association were working hard to suppress chaos. When I contacted my father, he said that the other divine realms were also relatively peaceful. ¡°Olympus hasn¡¯t made a move, have they?¡± [No, the other divine realms are also quiet. We¡¯re still on high alert, but for now, everyone is focused on recovering their strength.] Hmm¡­ Lower-ranked god Pollux was able to use Soul Energy Emission and Soul Barrier, and he tried to kill Asura with those abilities at the end. Maybe I was too wary because of that? Given how much the situation has changed, it seems they can¡¯t act recklessly either. For now, I¡¯ll put that issue aside¡­ [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°By the way, given the current public sentiment, has there been any decline in SP income?¡± I had noticed a drop in the intermediary fees from unsealed gods during soul transactions. [Yeah, it¡¯s decreased quite a bit. It looks like many casual believers have converted to Asgardian worship. The bigger our share was, the greater the loss.] My father frowned. Well, Christianity was widespread across the world¡­ The larger the religion, the more followers it had lost. [The problem is that the trend is getting worse.] "Since they experienced destruction once, it seems like the governments of each country are putting all their efforts into supporting Asgard. On top of that, people believe that the previous world was also run by Asgard. They think they¡¯re only able to live again thanks to Asgard..." Originally, it was Olympus, but as the world changed, so did memories. Even after unlocking the seal site, these memories remained unchanged. Asgard, the one that turned a world on the brink of destruction back to the past. Even in the current world, Asgard is awakening hunters, granting them power, and exerting its influence. In contrast, the other gods were merely worshiped as deities from ancient times, without actually granting authority or abilities. If I were an ignorant non-believer, I¡¯d probably believe in Asgard, too. After all, they¡¯re showing the real power of a god. [Yes, compared to Asgard, we are perceived as abstract deities. Many divine realms, including ours, take this issue very seriously.] "Do you have any solutions?" [Not yet. Even if we wanted to use our authority, we lack power.] Father says that things will change once SP is restored and he can use his authority again. "What happens when you use your authority?" [We must actively intervene in the world as well.] Intervene? "What do you mean by intervention¡­? What exactly are you planning to do?" [Nothing is decided yet¡­ but at the very least, we must do what they¡¯re doing.] "Are you going to create Awakened beings?" [Yes. Given the situation, we have no choice if we want to maintain our influence.] Father sighed deeply. [Originally, it was a principle that divine realms do not directly intervene in the earthly world.] "Really?" [Earth is a highly stable SP supply source. If gods interfere, they only end up consuming their own SP, destabilizing the balance, and making their income unreliable.] "SP is generated everywhere, then?" [It¡¯s the fundamental energy that sustains immortals.] "But for powerful divine realms like yours or the Buddhist realm, maybe it¡¯s fine, but wouldn''t declining divine realms want to intervene to strengthen their influence?" [That¡¯s why the gods made an agreement to prevent that. How Olympus and Asgard managed to break that agreement is still a mystery...] According to Father, Earth was in a very stable state. Although the power of faith had weakened with the advancement of scientific civilization, the sheer population size compensated for the decline. Since the world was stable, SP consumption was low relative to income, making Earth¡¯s gods the envy of gods from other planets. [Even declining divine realms didn¡¯t take reckless actions. No matter how much they declined, they still received enough SP to sustain and upgrade themselves. It was a good era¡ªMichael often reminisces about it.] "That¡¯s¡­ something. But why did the world suddenly turn into this mess?" [From what you¡¯ve said, it seems to be Zeus¡¯s doing¡­ He¡¯s known for his extreme jealousy and thirst for power. He¡¯s been using all sorts of means to strengthen his influence.] Zeus. I¡¯ve seen plenty of other gods, but I haven¡¯t seen his face yet. The one who led the infinite regression of the world and opened the Gate of Chaos. If you think about it, is he the final mastermind behind everything? "You have a lot on your plate¡ªkeeping Zeus in check while recovering your strength and reclaiming your presence on Earth." [You¡¯re not the only one. Isn¡¯t the SP Exchange yours? After being unsealed, Michael and many other gods wanted to take out loans from it.] "They¡¯re always welcome as customers." [But the funds were already maxed out. I couldn¡¯t borrow a single SP.] "Huh? Really? Last time, it said it wasn¡¯t full yet..." The loan limit is 10 trillion SP, and it''s already reached the cap? That¡¯s impressive¡ªhas it become that popular? [It¡¯s like a goose laying golden eggs. Take good care of it.] "Yes, understood." [Alright, I¡¯ll contact you again next time. I need to focus on regaining my strength.] "Okay, take care." The call with my father ended. The fact that the SP Exchange loans are already maxed out¡­ That¡¯s good news, isn¡¯t it? "Yaaawn¡­ So, you¡¯re done with your call?" "Holy¡ª! You scared me!" A sudden voice from beside me. Whoa, what the hell? I turned my head and saw Loki sipping steaming coffee. What? I didn¡¯t sense him at all. "When did you come in?" "Ts-ts¡­ You¡¯re too careless. What if I were an assassin?" "Wait, aren''t you unable to use your divine power while on Earth?" "Yeah, this body is somewhere between A and B rank. But still, you were so distracted you didn¡¯t even notice me¡­ ts-ts. Even if my stealth skills are top-notch, you¡¯re at S rank now¡ªyou should¡¯ve sensed it." Loki wagged his finger and clicked his tongue. Ugh, he¡¯s annoying, but he¡¯s not wrong, so I have nothing to say. "Why are you here?" "Set up a Soul Barrier." I placed a Soul Barrier around the house, and Loki looked around before carefully speaking. "Are you keeping track of the SP Exchange loan records?" "What are you talking about all of a sudden?" "Do you know exactly how much SP has been borrowed and by whom?" "I leave that to the manager. How could I check all that manually?" "Check it." Loki stared at me with a serious expression. His face looked unusually grave. "Why?" "I told you I was looking into Odin, right?" "Yeah." "I¡¯ve been digging deep, and I found something strange." "What is it?" "Odin is borrowing SP indiscriminately from your exchange. Not just under his own name¡ªhe¡¯s using the names of all sorts of Asgardian gods to take out loans." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 127 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 127: Odin¡¯s Summoning Odin taking out a loan from the SP Exchange? Wait, identity theft on top of that¡­? "What kind of god gets their identity stolen?" "The gods of Asgard have put everything on Odin." "But does that mean he can take out loans under other gods'' names too?" "Sigh, I¡¯m losing my mind here." "¡­You too? Are you also in debt?" Loki nodded with a gloomy expression. "I owe a hundred billion." "Holy¡­ you do realize the interest rate is 10%, right? That¡¯s 10 billion a year to our exchange." "10 billion¡­? Hah¡­" Loki, who had never shown such a hopeless face before, now looked utterly devastated. This is insane. "I know I¡¯m the one running the SP Exchange, but this sounds like straight-up fraud. Tell Odin to cancel it immediately." "That¡¯s impossible¡­ We can¡¯t break the covenant with Asgard." "What kind of covenant?" "It¡¯s the oath Odin made with all of Asgard when he entered the infinite regression. I can¡¯t share the details, or I¡¯d be violating it¡­ but essentially, we¡¯ve entrusted our fate to him. To make him the Creator." Loki speculated that Olympus likely had a similar arrangement. So, he can''t explain the details, but breaking it isn¡¯t an option, huh? "Alright, fine. Just make sure you keep up with the interest payments. Don¡¯t end up getting debt collected." "Debt collected?" "Yeah. Just don¡¯t end up going up in flames like the prophecy¡­ Oh." "A prophecy? What are you talking about? There was another prophecy?" Damn it. I accidentally mentioned the third prophecy I hadn¡¯t told him about yet. As I tried to avoid his gaze, Loki grabbed my shoulder tightly. "What prophecy? Tell me." "Aren¡¯t you bound to Odin through the covenant? Won¡¯t it all just end up with him anyway?" "It¡¯s not that kind of covenant. If it were, would I be snooping around investigating Odin? Hey, I¡¯m your debtor too, remember? I somehow ended up owing a hundred billion¡­" Loki became even more depressed at the mention of his debt. At least it didn¡¯t seem like he¡¯d run off and snitch to Odin. I took a moment to organize my thoughts. Debt collection leading to Asgard being engulfed in flames. Odin, with a hollow smile, swallowed by the fire. That was the third prophecy. Why was Odin so desperate to keep anyone from seeing it? I couldn''t figure it out on my own. But now, I had a hint. From what Loki just said, Odin had taken out massive loans under Asgard¡¯s name from my SP Exchange. These guys¡­ Did they end up burning because they never paid it back? For the entire Asgardian realm to be reduced to ashes¡­ Just how much debt were they trying to dodge? I could ask Loki for advice, but¡­ Can I really trust him? "Not sure if I should be telling this to the master of backstabbing." "Ah, I¡¯ll stake my divine honor on it. Plus, we¡¯re under a Soul Barrier¡ªit¡¯s the perfect time." "Hmm¡­" "Odin¡¯s been acting strange, and I think it has something to do with Zeus. I¡¯m worried we¡¯re all just playing into Zeus¡¯s hands." "Fine. Then swear on your honor." Loki grumbled, "You seriously want me to swear?" but still made the oath. A system notification appeared. [Do you accept Loki¡¯s oath?] S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If the system recognizes it, then it should be reliable. Alright, he¡¯s a smart guy. I might as well tell him and see if he can help piece this together. "What do you think Asgard is worth?" "In SP terms?" "Yeah." "It¡¯s worth an unimaginable amount. Why do you ask? Don¡¯t tell me¡­" "In the third prophecy, Asgard was burning." Loki fell silent, his expression hardening in deep thought. "Even if you take loans from the SP Exchange, could it really destroy an entire divine realm?" "That¡¯s what I¡¯m asking." "A divine realm is home to countless gods. While it¡¯s ultimately tied to a planet, it exists as a separate world. No matter how much debt you have, it shouldn''t be enough to make the entire world burn¡­" The divine realm of Asgard. A world created by gods, so its value was beyond measure. Even with massive debt, could it really lead to complete destruction? Loki wasn¡¯t convinced. "Even trillions in debt shouldn¡¯t be enough to burn all of Asgard¡­ unless some of the gods disappeared." "It¡¯s not Asgard? But Odin himself said so¡­ He lamented that it was Asgard¡¯s end." I explained the vision I had seen, and Loki nodded. "If Odin¡¯s temple in Asgard was burning, then yeah, Asgard was finished." "I see." "Was that truly the future Skuld foresaw?" "Yeah, that¡¯s what I saw." "Did he say anything else?" I tried recalling the prophecy. Did I miss anything? Ah¡­! "He mentioned confirming that I had ascended to divinity before sealing it away." "Ah, that¡¯s it!" Loki immediately understood. "You got hit by a system penalty! If a penalty is combined with debt collection¡­ that scene could definitely happen!" Loki seemed convinced that the system¡¯s penalty could be that powerful. "Is the system really that strong?" "Of course. It stands above all other forms of order." Now it made sense why Pollux had changed his tune the moment I reached B-rank back in the day. If the system¡¯s penalties are this severe¡­ Even with debt collection added in, if the system¡¯s penalty alone could destroy Asgard¡­ "Even as an S-rank, there are penalties? Even after ascending to divinity, the system still penalizes you¡­? That¡¯s extreme, even for a god of souls¡­" Loki looked at me with envy. I suspected it was because my neutral faction status screen hadn¡¯t reached S-rank yet¡­ But there was no need to tell him that. "Skuld gave Asgard the best prophecy she could. She basically warned them not to mess with you. And yet, Odin ignored it and borrowed an absurd amount under other gods¡¯ names. That¡¯s a serious problem." "Right? It¡¯s like he wants the prophecy to come true. If he didn¡¯t take on the debt, there wouldn¡¯t be any debt collection in the first place." "He wants the prophecy to come true¡­?" Loki¡¯s eyes widened. "If the prophecy happens¡­ Odin and Asgard are destroyed. But where does all that borrowed SP go¡­? In the end, who benefits?" Loki murmured in deep thought, his expression grave. "If we disappear, the alliance between Olympus and Asgard is automatically dissolved¡­ They won¡¯t have to pay the price of the alliance anymore¡­ And the covenant to support the losing faction in the Creator¡¯s war¡­" Guh! Loki suddenly coughed up blood. His body began turning translucent. Wait, what? The Soul Barrier is still intact¡ªso why is this happening? ¡°W-what¡­? My main body is under attack¡­ Odin¡­! That lunatic¡­!¡± Loki rapidly faded away. Just before disappearing completely, he left me with one final message. ¡°Kim Jiho, you must save Asgard. If not, you¡¯ll end up being toyed with by Zeus¡­!¡± Before he could even finish his sentence, Loki¡¯s avatar vanished in an instant. Did Odin get to him? He disappeared, leaving behind words that sounded like a final will¡ªtelling me to save Asgard. Did he decide to take care of a faction that failed to ascend to the Creator¡¯s position? If Zeus had become the Creator, did that mean instead of abandoning Asgard, he would still take care of it as an ally? But if Asgard gets penalized for debt collection and goes up in flames¡­? Then Zeus and Olympus wouldn¡¯t have any reason to care for Asgard anymore. It would just disappear on its own. Vrrrrrrr. As I was sorting through my thoughts one by one, the world suddenly started turning completely white. What the¡­? I hadn¡¯t deactivated the Soul Barrier yet. The entire living room¡ªno, even beyond the living room¡ªwas filled with a blinding white light. [As the representative of Asgard and the overseer of Earth, I hold you accountable for the chaos caused by the unsealing. I summon Kim Jiho, the lower deity of Earth.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] A majestic voice echoed from within the light. I¡¯d heard this voice before. It was the same voice I¡¯d heard when Odin used his omniscience on me. With the Soul Barrier still active, I stepped toward the window. A massive pillar of light was shining down on my apartment from the sky. Rumble. The apartment began to tremble before slowly lifting off the ground. Even with the Soul Barrier activated, I was being pulled along with it? I hadn¡¯t even finished organizing my thoughts, but getting dragged away like this felt wrong. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± I considered using Avatar Swap but decided to keep it as a last resort. I set the coordinates to Kevrian and activated Heimdall¡¯s Return. My entire body was enveloped in light. At the exact moment I attempted to break away from the space¡ª [It¡¯s useless.] Thud! I was repelled, barrier and all. Damn¡­! Was it because this skill came from Asgard? If so, the only option left was Avatar Swap. I could escape with that, but¡­ was it really the best choice? This skill was my last resort. And the cooldown was long. A strong premonition told me that using Avatar Swap here would be a mistake. Was this the upgraded Danger Detection kicking in? Fine. I¡¯ll go see what Odin¡¯s up to with my own two eyes. If things get too dangerous, I can always use Avatar Swap to bail. My body kept floating upward. After failing to escape with Heimdall¡¯s Return, I was the only one being pulled into the sky. My apartment had already crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces. Ah, my house¡­ Just like the last one, none of my homes on Earth ever seem to last. Like being sucked into a UFO¡¯s beam, my body continued soaring higher and higher. My final destination was a massive purple portal. As soon as I entered, I recognized the place. It was the same space I¡¯d seen in my prophecy. An endless staircase leading up to a massive hall. There was no ceiling¡ªonly an open sky, surrounded by raging storms. A temple engulfed in a tempest. It was fitting for the Storm God Odin. ¡°It has been a while. Is this the first time you¡¯re seeing me in this form?¡± A towering figure with one eye covered by a black eyepatch. Long white hair and a beard cascading down to the ground, along with a flowing white robe¡ªjust like in the prophecy. He also held a staff. His crimson eyes gleamed as he gazed at me. ¡°You¡­ are you Odin?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why did you summon me so forcefully?¡± ¡°Because you released the gods, Asgard¡¯s expected SP gain in this cycle has drastically decreased. You must take responsibility for that.¡± Odin extended the tip of his staff toward me. At that moment, Valkyries began appearing one by one, walking down the staircase. Not just the staircase¡ªValkyries with wings of light were descending from the sky, surrounding me. There were already hundreds of them. And their power felt incredibly strong¡ªat least A-rank, with the occasional S-rank mixed in. Why the hell are there so many lower deities swarming around¡­? ¡°You¡¯ve kindly given me a reason to intervene. Of course, even if you hadn¡¯t, I would¡¯ve summoned you soon enough¡ªbut having some justification is always useful.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of the system¡¯s penalties?¡± ¡°Heh¡­ I¡¯ve never heard of the system protecting those who ascend to divinity.¡± This bastard. He saw Skuld¡¯s prophecy with his own eyes, yet he¡¯s pretending not to know? Something is seriously wrong with this Odin. ¡°What happened to Loki?¡± ¡°Loki? That traitor is none of your concern.¡± Odin slammed his staff against the ground. Suddenly, crimson threads wrapped around my body. Like ropes, they tightly bound me. I tried to move, but I was completely immobilized. ¡°Hand over your shares of the SP Exchange. Since we¡¯ve suffered a major loss in SP this time, I¡¯ll take 20%. Then, I¡¯ll release you.¡± 20%? That¡¯s daylight robbery. Has he lost his mind? ¡°No way.¡± As if waiting for that answer, Odin¡¯s lips curled into a grin. It was a smile that welcomed my defiance. ¡°Then be sealed.¡± What? That quickly?! The crimson threads tightened around me. Searing pain cut through my flesh. Gah¡­ I wanted to keep talking and figure out what the hell was up with Odin, but this wasn¡¯t going to work. I needed to get out of here. Now¡­ Now was the perfect time to use Avatar Swap! Avatar Swap. Without uttering a word, I activated it in my mind. Immediately, my vision turned pitch black. ¡°¡­Hmm? His spiritual form¡­ seems to be fading slightly, Odin.¡± ¡°Pay no mind to it.¡± Right before my spirit was fully transferred into my avatar stored in Kevrian, I heard their voices. The Valkyrie sounded worried, but Odin dismissed her concerns. His voice was as calm as ever. ¡°Damn it¡­ that hurt like hell.¡± I could move again. I looked around. A cave? Did Elprian prepare this hideout for me? I survived. That crimson thread¡­ I don¡¯t know what it was, but it hurt like hell. Even after switching bodies, my entire body still tingled. As I massaged my aching limbs, a system message appeared before me. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 128 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 128: Zeus''s Intentions [The chief god of the Asgardian pantheon, ¡®One Who Is Ruled,¡¯ Odin, has inflicted fatal harm upon the soul-awakened Kim Jiho and attempted to seal him.] [¡®Soul Reaper¡¯¡ªA Rank. Has not yet attained divinity. Since he attempted to harm a soul-awakened being who has not reached divinity, the system¡¯s protection is activated.] [¡®Soul Mediator¡¯¡ªS Rank. Recognized as having attained divinity, thus reducing the penalty effect.] Among the many messages, the first thing that caught my eye was "One Who Is Ruled, Odin." As expected... He really seems to be under Zeus¡¯s control. And then, there was a message stating that Odin was penalized as an A-rank ¡®Soul Reaper.¡¯ Luckily, the neutral faction doesn¡¯t qualify for an S-rank. Checking my status window, I saw that all conditions, including god-slaying, were fulfilled, except for obtaining divine qualification. This was cleared when I was with the Order faction... So I have to fulfill a separate condition for the Neutral faction? Since that condition isn¡¯t met, I can still impose a penalty. [Would you like to impose the penalty?] If I impose the penalty now, will things turn out the way I saw? Like the burning Asgard and Odin¡¯s ruined form? Considering how he forcibly summoned and bound me, there¡¯s no reason not to press "Yes"... [Kim Jiho. You must save Asgard. Otherwise, you¡¯ll just be playing into Zeus¡¯s hands...!] Loki¡¯s last words weighed on my mind. If I penalize Asgard now, the only one who benefits is Zeus. But it also bothers me to completely let it go. If Odin remains as Zeus¡¯s pawn, isn¡¯t it better to deal with him now? Judging by his actions, he¡¯s basically Olympus¡¯s second unit... ¡°Can I put this on hold?¡± [Would you like to defer the penalty?] A new system message appeared in response to my mumbling. Oh. So I can defer it. I pressed ¡°Yes¡± to put it on hold for now. [Kim Jiho, did you use Avatar Exchange?] A voice called from within the tunnel. ¡°Yes.¡± Then, the dirt within the tunnel began to rise. The clumps of earth took shape. In the blink of an eye, the dirt formed into Elprian. She looked at me with a worried expression. ¡°You used Avatar Exchange... That means you were in danger.¡± ¡°Yes. Odin forcibly took me and almost sealed me.¡± I tried materializing my soul form. My transparent body wasn¡¯t intact. Not only was my physical form damaged by Odin¡¯s binding magic, but even my soul form was wounded. ¡°Your soul has taken significant damage. You were in real danger.¡± ¡°Yes. A little later, and I would¡¯ve been sealed.¡± ¡°Good timing, then. The Supreme Commander of the Undead wants to speak with you.¡± ¡°Hades?¡± That guy again... Is it because of the SP Exchange? I¡¯ve been steadily eating into his loan market. Reading my expression, Elprian gave a slight smile. ¡°I kept rejecting requests to talk about the SP Exchange. But this time, he mentioned Zeus. So I thought I should ask you. What do you want to do?¡± "Zeus...? Then I have to hear it." "Understood. I''ll summon Hades to the conference room. Please come with me." At Elprian¡¯s gesture, a blue portal opened in the tunnel. Following her inside, the space shifted. The narrow tunnel transformed into an open, forested garden. A large wooden round table stood in the center, surrounded by beautifully blooming flowers. Lush greenery filled the air with a fresh scent. When did they set up this place? Across the round table, Hades was leisurely admiring the flower garden. "Hehe. A place overflowing with life." "Thank you for the compliment." "I feel an urge to taint it... If this weren''t an important matter, I might have given in to the impulse..." Hades eyed the flowers like he wanted to devour them. Then, suddenly, he got up and sat at the round table. "It¡¯s been a while, Kim Jiho." "Yeah." "I''d like to talk about the SP Exchange... but let''s handle the important matter first." He scanned me from head to toe. His eyes flashed with interest. "Your soul is quite damaged." "Odin bound me." "Sigh... Odin? Without just cause?" "He summoned me, accusing me of unsealing the Gods of the Seal." "Heh, that alone shouldn''t have been enough to forcibly summon a god of souls. This isn¡¯t like Odin... He¡¯s usually the cautious type. And yet, he acted like he didn¡¯t fear penalties..." "Cautious? Not at all. He was reckless. Anyway, what¡¯s the issue?" I felt like we were talking too much about my situation, so I prompted Hades. He dropped his smirk and spoke seriously. "It''s about Odin and Zeus." "What about them?" "Zeus listed an item on the SP Market." "What item?" "Nothing particularly special. Just a fragment of Gungnir." "Gungnir? That¡¯s Odin¡¯s weapon, isn¡¯t it?" Elprian asked beside me, and Hades nodded. "Yes. It¡¯s an SS-rank weapon, quite well-known. I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s fragmented, or how Zeus got it, but... Regardless, this is the first time Zeus has personally listed something on the SP Market." "Hmm... That is unusual." "Until now, Olympus handled most transactions. At the divine level, trading through the SP Market offers better fee advantages." So there''s a difference in transaction fees between personal sales and bulk trades at the divine level. "Do you know how much Zeus listed Gungnir¡¯s fragment for?" "No." "5 trillion SP." 5 trillion...? Elprian looked dumbfounded. "5 trillion? That¡¯s absurd. Did the SP Market even approve that?" "Normally, we would reject such transactions... but Zeus strongly insisted. Not only did he negotiate for a 5% transaction fee, but he also made it clear that even if it doesn¡¯t sell, he would still pay the fee. The SP Market manager agreed without hesitation." "Ha... 5 trillion..." Elprian shook her head in disbelief. But Hades looked at me with a serious gaze. "5 trillion SP is an astronomical amount. That kind of money doesn¡¯t just appear out of nowhere... Not under normal circumstances." "Ah!" Elprian gasped and turned to me. "Kim Jiho. As the owner of the SP Exchange, you must know something about this..." 5 trillion SP. The maximum loanable SP from the SP Exchange was 10 trillion. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Among them, Odin of Asgard had taken out an enormous loan using the names of all the other deities. Ah...! "Odin." "Odin?" "Odin took out an enormous loan from the SP Exchange, using the names of all the deities of Asgard. He¡¯s going to buy the fragments of Gungnir." "Why would Odin do something so insane? With 5 trillion, he could build a factory to mass-produce Gungnir." "Because he''s lost his mind. It looks like he''s under Zeus'' control." I explained everything that had happened to the two of them. How Odin had taken out a full loan using the names of Asgard¡¯s deities. How he had subdued Loki and forcibly summoned me to seal me away. And how, despite hearing the third prophecy, he still intended to execute Skuld, who could see the future. Hades let out a deep sigh. "Hah. Zeus¡­ He really knows how to manipulate people. I don¡¯t know how he managed to control Odin, but now that he has, he¡¯s squeezing every last bit out of him." That was exactly right. Zeus was milking Odin for everything he had. By selling the "Fragments of Gungnir" through the SP Store, he secured 5 trillion SP. "Just taking the 5 trillion would be enough, but of course, he wouldn¡¯t miss the chance for a double win." "He must have heard Skuld¡¯s prophecy and is using it to his advantage. Making sure the prophecy comes true." "From Zeus¡¯ perspective, gaining 5 trillion SP would guarantee his ascension in divine rank. Moving up from SSS-rank to becoming a Creator. At that point, Asgard would no longer be worth keeping as an ally¡ªit would just be in his way." So that¡¯s why he ensured Skuld¡¯s prophecy would come true. He kept asking about the third prophecy because he was worried that I might change my mind after hearing it. A burning Asgard. And Odin. He intended for this outcome. Get 5 trillion SP, and then erase Asgard with the system¡¯s help since it¡¯s no longer useful. A perfect double win. "Can¡¯t we cancel the 5 trillion SP transaction?" "Impossible. I¡¯m not the owner of the SP Store. The manager overseeing Zeus¡¯ transactions is the ¡®Smiling Devil.¡¯ Now that I think about it, this bastard must be colluding with Zeus too. Always covering for him¡­" Gritting his teeth, Hades seethed with frustration. A look of pure defeat was clear on his face. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "That idiot Odin. What the hell did he do to get himself into this situation? If you¡¯re not capable, just stay still! What the hell did he do with Zeus to let things get this bad? That one-eyed bastard always acted like he was so smart, but in the end, he got played by Zeus!" Hades started cursing furiously. It was a completely different side of him¡ªhis rage was boiling over. Given that he had thrown himself into chaos to defeat Zeus, it was only natural for him to lose his composure. Hades continued to hurl every insult imaginable, then suddenly went silent and bowed his head. "Heh¡­ We¡¯re doomed." "What? No way." "The transaction is complete. Zeus has secured 5 trillion SP by selling those worthless Gungnir fragments. Well, after a 5% transaction fee, he actually got 4.75 trillion. Heh. The SP Store made 250 billion out of this. Haha. Wonderful. Fucking wonderful¡­" Whoosh. The chair Hades had been sitting on was instantly engulfed in black flames. The same happened to the round table. The black flames flickered intensely before reducing the table to nothing but ashes. "Hades!" "Heh, Zeus becoming a Creator¡­ That means I¡¯m the first one to be erased. Hahaha¡­ Might as well burn the whole damn garden before I go! Hahahaha!" Hades had lost it completely. Rumble. Suddenly, skeletons and zombies started crawling out of the flowerbeds. They began tearing up the garden and wreaking havoc. What¡­ what is he doing? "Just burning it down would be boring. Might as well destroy everything before I go. Hahaha! Hahahahaha! Persephone, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I wasn¡¯t strong enough¡­!" Hades kept laughing like a madman as he summoned an endless horde of undead. I turned to look at the garden¡¯s owner, Elprian, but she simply shook her head and said, "Just leave him be." Sigh. If Zeus becomes a Creator, what happens next? Is Earth going to be left with only women? I fought so hard to restore Earth to its original state, but¡­ is this really how it ends? Feeling completely drained, I just stood there, watching Hades¡¯ undead circus. Zombies chewing on flowers. Skeletons swimming through the garden. Yet Elprian silently continued to restore the crushed and uprooted flowers. As if in response, the undead rampaged even harder. What the hell is this ridiculous scene¡­ I had no idea how much time had passed as I watched this bizarre spectacle. Hades had been cackling, sobbing, and calling out Persephone¡¯s name while tears and snot ran down his face. Then, suddenly, he snapped back to reality. "Heh¡­ Heh¡­ Hmm. But I¡¯m still alive?" "Yeah¡­ Could it be that Zeus actually has some brotherly love for you?" "As if. That bastard said he¡¯d erase me the moment he became a Creator. Heh. This is weird." Hades frowned, looking down at his own body in confusion. "Why am I not dead? What¡¯s going on?" Before I could even respond, a message appeared before me. [The God of Deception, Loki, is requesting a communication link.] Huh? Loki¡­ is alive? But the next message made my heart race. [The God of Messengers, Hermes, is requesting a communication link.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 129 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 129: Rejecting the Proposal Loki and Hermes, huh? Ever since the world changed into Asgard, there hadn¡¯t been much contact with Hermes. For now, let¡¯s contact Loki. [Kim Jiho!] As soon as I opened the communication, Loki shouted urgently. There was a gaping hole in his chest. ¡°You¡¯re alive?¡± [Odin came to his senses. I was released just before being sealed.] Even though he was in a spirit state, Loki''s chest had been neatly hollowed out. It was clear that he had been through his share of suffering. ¡°Why did you call me?¡± [Did you impose a penalty on Asgard?] ¡°Not yet. It felt like I was only helping Zeus. But since Odin is practically Zeus¡¯s subordinate now, I was wondering if imposing a penalty was the right move.¡± [No, don¡¯t! It¡¯s fine now! If Asgard disappears, Zeus¡¯s victory will be complete!] ¡°Hm, but you handed over 5 trillion to Zeus. What about that?¡± Loki flinched at that. His scrunched-up expression was almost pitiful. Where had his former confidence gone? Now he just looked like a boss being scolded for messing up. [5 trillion... Haah... No matter what, I¡¯ll repay the debt. So please, stop the penalty!] He hesitated at "5 trillion" for a moment, then pleaded with me to hold off on the penalty, swearing he¡¯d pay it back somehow. ¡°Alright. I don¡¯t feel like letting Zeus have his way either.¡± [Ah, then...] ¡°I¡¯ll listen to what Hermes has to say first. I¡¯ll get back to you soon.¡± [Hey... Hey!] I cut the communication. I wasn''t planning to impose a penalty just yet, but I couldn''t let this slide too easily. If I gave in right away, I¡¯d look like a pushover. Might as well hear what Hermes had to say. I connected with Hermes. [It¡¯s been a while, Kim Jiho-nim.] ¡°You¡¯ve been up to some interesting things.¡± [Haha¡­ Now, you just need to put the finishing touch.] Hermes, wearing a winged hat and a sharp suit, looked at me with a relaxed smile. His confident demeanor made sense. After all, Olympus was on the verge of victory. ¡°You¡¯re not asking me to impose a penalty on Asgard, are you?¡± [Oh, but I am. You catch on quickly.] ¡°Why would I?¡± [Kim Jiho-nim, we can maintain a good relationship.] Hermes smiled warmly. [Even if you only impose a debt collection on Asgard, enforcing the penalty would generate over 5 trillion SP. Dismantling such a massive divine realm would yield considerable byproducts. You¡¯d make an immense profit.] ¡°In exchange, Zeus would become even more perfect.¡± [Yes, a win-win situation. You¡¯d gain massive SP, and Zeus would achieve perfection... The best possible outcome.] ¡°Haha... But it¡¯s funny. Even after earning 5 trillion SP, you still care about Asgard?¡± I gestured to Hades beside me. ¡°Hades was screaming about how he was doomed, but he¡¯s still alive and kicking.¡± ¡°Keh keh¡­ Hermes. Looks like Zeus hasn¡¯t become a Creator yet.¡± S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Hades, who had come to his senses, approached me. His face, which had been filled with despair earlier, now looked thrilled. ¡°Keh keh. This spirit god¡ªturns out he¡¯s not as dumb as I thought. Choosing not to destroy Asgard deserves some praise.¡± ¡°Shut up. I don¡¯t need your praise.¡± ¡°Why so cold between us?¡± Hades strutted over with his skeletal zombie followers, looking absolutely ecstatic. ¡°Ugh. Keep those zombies away from me.¡± ¡°Oh, my apologies. I was just so happy. Keh keh.¡± Snap! With a flick of his fingers, Hades made the skeletons and zombies disappear. Hermes scowled when he saw Hades. [Why are you here, Uncle?] ¡°Because you guys sold a shard of Gungnir for 5 trillion. That¡¯s how I met him. Keh keh.¡± [Sigh... Kim Jiho-nim. Don¡¯t mind his words. He won¡¯t be around much longer. Let¡¯s have a productive conversation.] ¡°Productive, my ass! Kim Jiho, think about it. If Asgard falls, do you really think they¡¯ll leave you alone? You hold the SP exchange, the greatest treasure of all!¡± [No, that¡¯s not true. We will ensure your safety. Since Earth will no longer be habitable for humans, we can arrange for you to migrate to another planet.] Wait... Earth won¡¯t be habitable for humans? What the hell are these guys planning? Just then, Hermes¡¯s expression brightened as if he had an idea. [Ah! You could even stay in Kevrian. Once Hades is gone, it¡¯ll be free for the taking. We won¡¯t touch it.] He was now suggesting that I become a god in Kevrian. [Honestly, the Asgard issue will resolve itself over time. Zeus just wants to ascend as a complete Creator as soon as possible, so he¡¯s offering you this deal. But if you refuse¡­ the outcome won¡¯t be pretty.] Now he was mixing in subtle threats. [Hera asked why we should let you go. She suggested sealing you up and dissecting you instead, but I managed to talk her down. Haha.] Hah. Hera. Did I wrong her in a past life or something? She¡¯s always hostile whenever she¡¯s mentioned. So, in the end, they were just threatening me¡ªfollow them or suffer. Hmm... Honestly, I was tempted. Zeus seemed overwhelmingly strong. Rather than fighting him, settling in Kevrian didn¡¯t sound so bad. But how could I trust these guys? They had no issue betraying Asgard, despite their alliances. If I trusted them and got backstabbed, that would be the end of me. ¡°I refuse.¡± Hermes nodded, as if he had expected my answer. [So that¡¯s your decision. I truly don¡¯t understand why you insist on such futile resistance.] ¡°Keh keh keh! Kim Jiho, hurrah! Hurrah!¡± Hades started cheering beside me, raising his arms in celebration, which only irritated me. Seeing this, Hermes frowned and pressed his hand against his forehead¡ªthen suddenly froze. His eyes widened as he looked to his side. Then, with an air of utmost respect, he bowed deeply. The camera angle shifted abruptly. [Hoo hoo. My foolish brother, you remain as clueless as ever.] A flash of light. A blinding radiance filled the screen. It was so bright I could hardly see. As my eyes adjusted, I began to make out a silhouette within the light. A long, golden mane of curls, along with a thick beard. Every strand of hair crackled with electricity, and his eyes shone a piercing white. His divine features were sculpted to perfection, radiating both overwhelming majesty and breathtaking beauty. I had a pretty good idea who this was. [This is our first time facing each other, Soul Awakener.] "Are you Zeus?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [Yes. I am the King of the Gods, Zeus. The ruler of the solar system.] Zeus boldly proclaimed himself as the ruler of the solar system. Even though it was just an image on a screen, the pressure I felt when he made that declaration was immense. He was clearly different from the countless SSS-rank transcendents I had encountered before. I could finally understand what it meant for someone to be on another level. The title King of the Gods suited him perfectly. [Do you truly refuse Hermes'' proposal?] "Yeah." [You cannot win. I have already ascended to a higher level, and the members of Olympus have equipped themselves with Hercules¡¯ skills. You won¡¯t just lose¡ªyou should be worrying about your very existence.] "I doubt you''d let me live even if I surrendered." Hearing my response, Zeus burst into laughter. He immediately affirmed my words. [Hahaha! At least you understand that much. You are worthy of being my obstacle. Hah, it would be too dull if Odin had been my last.] "So, you never intended to spare me in the first place?" [The SP Exchange is far too valuable to be left in the hands of a mere lesser god. It should rightfully be claimed as the spoils of my conquest over the solar system, don¡¯t you think?] Zeus, that bastard¡­ So he never planned to leave me alone in the first place. He''s not even trying to deceive me anymore. He¡¯s ascended to another level, huh? "You''ve reached the level of a Creator, yet you''re still obsessed with the SP Exchange?" [Heh¡­ Even though I have ascended, I am still bound by the system. The SP Exchange, which allows expansion across the entire universe, is invaluable. It is not something that should be dismissed as just an exchange.] "Ha. Your greed knows no bounds." [Yes. Greed! That is what made me who I am today.] Zeus openly acknowledged his greed and ambition. The radiant glow around him was dazzling. Watching him, Hades clenched his teeth. "Zeus¡­!" [My na?ve brother. Are you still foolishly chasing the shadow of Persephone?] "You bastard¡­ I will kill you. You, above all else¡­!" [Tsk, tsk. If you truly desire Persephone, I will bring her back for you. Just subdue Kim Jiho and bring him to me.] Zeus immediately attempted to tempt Hades. Seriously? He looks like a radiant god of light, but he''s making shady deals like this? I was momentarily worried that Hades, who was utterly devoted to Persephone, might actually consider it. As I took a step away from him, Hades looked at me like I had lost my mind and made a circling motion with his finger near his temple. His tone became rough. "Kim Jiho. Do you really think I''d listen to that bastard?" "I mean, you never know." Hades glared at me for a moment before turning his gaze back to the screen. "Get lost. The Persephone you revive would be nothing more than a shell that resembles her. If you had the power to truly restore her soul¡­ you would¡¯ve used that power to kill me already. Am I wrong?" [Heh, my dear brother. You know me too well.] Wow. He never stops lying, does he? Should a god of his level really be like this? "You¡­ I swear I will kill you¡­" [I look forward to it.] Hades ground his teeth furiously. The moment he saw Zeus, all his composure had vanished. Zeus watched him with a smirk before making a proclamation. [Watch over Earth.] Then, the transmission was cut off. What is he planning now? The way he acts like he''s already won is infuriating. Ugh. Is there no penalty for Zeus? Since he didn¡¯t directly attack me? But he controlled Odin to act on his behalf¡ªshouldn¡¯t that count as a reason to impose a penalty? I really want to penalize him somehow¡­ [Would you like to impose a penalty on Imperfect Creator Zeus?] Oh. Is it actually possible? As I was about to press Yes, a long explanation followed. [He manipulated Asgard¡¯s Odin to indirectly harm the Soul God. This meets the conditions for a penalty. However, because he did not directly inflict harm, the effectiveness of the penalty will be reduced.] [The target is Imperfect Creator, EX-rank. The effectiveness of the system penalty is further reduced.] There were also other conditions that kept decreasing the penalty¡¯s effectiveness. On top of that¡­ [If you impose a penalty on Imperfect Creator Zeus, you will be unable to impose a penalty on Asgard. Do you still wish to proceed?] I recalled what Hermes had said earlier. If Asgard were burned down, I could earn even more SP from the aftermath. But no matter how reduced the effect might be, my choice was obvious. As long as Zeus was after the SP Exchange, weakening him in any way was in my best interest. Asgard would still be in debt to me anyway, so it was fine. "I impose a penalty on Zeus." [Imposing a penalty on ¡®Imperfect Creator¡¯ Zeus.] [Zeus'' SP acquisition rate has significantly decreased.] [This effect will remain until Zeus becomes a Perfect Creator.] Huh? That¡¯s it? It doesn¡¯t even reduce his current SP, just his income? Ah¡­ So the penalty that could have burned all of Asgard down was reduced to merely lowering Zeus'' SP earnings. This feels disappointing all of a sudden. "Zeus, what the hell are you planning¡­?" Meanwhile, Hades, who had been grinding his teeth the whole time, suddenly gestured toward the air. A massive screen, like a TV, appeared in midair. Displayed on it was Earth. "Nothing seems out of the ordinary?" "No, something is definitely wrong." Hades shook his head, returning to his usual polite speech. Had he regained his composure? The usual madness in his eyes was completely gone, replaced with a cautious expression as he manipulated the screen. The view zoomed in on Earth. The clouds parted, revealing land, which continued to grow larger as the screen zoomed in further. Before long, the landscape became familiar. "Wait. This is near my home." Seongsu-dong, where my entire apartment building had been ripped from the ground due to Odin¡¯s summoning. After being flung into the sky and crashing back down, the scene was a disaster. The apartment''s fall had caused multiple buildings to collapse, and several fire trucks and ambulances had gathered at the scene. "There it is." Hades swiftly moved the screen, locking onto a specific location. The spot where my apartment used to be. And right there¡ª A golden lightning bolt was embedded in the ground. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 130 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 130: Zeus, Restrained. A mark of electricity. That was the first thought that came to mind when I saw the lightning embedded in the traces of the uprooted apartment. Normally, real lightning just flashes and crashes to the ground in an instant. But this golden current didn¡¯t dissipate; instead, it flickered in a finely twisted state. ¡°Astrap¨¥¡­¡­¡± Hades murmured quietly as he gazed at the lightning. Elprian responded to Hades'' words. ¡°Zeus¡¯ divine artifact. An SSS-rank weapon, Astrap¨¥.¡± ¡°Lightning has always been a symbol of the King of Gods. And Astrap¨¥ is the most powerful among them¡ªthe ultimate divine relic.¡± ¡°What does he plan to do with that?¡± ¡°Who knows¡­¡­¡± The golden lightning took on a distinct form. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At first, it wasn¡¯t that large, but as it began spreading its currents in all directions, its size steadily increased. As Astrap¨¥ grew, the screen zoomed out. Ambulances and police cars dispatched to the accident scene now looked tiny compared to the expanding Astrap¨¥. It had already grown to the size of a neighboring apartment complex. [Humans.] A majestic voice echoed through the screen. It was Zeus¡¯ voice. He was speaking in an entirely unfamiliar language, yet it was understood effortlessly. The divine speech that a god grants to lower beings. [From this moment on, I, Zeus, am the sole god on Earth.] A declaration of absolute arrogance. Yet, with his current power, Zeus had the qualifications to make such a claim. He was EX-rank, after all. [I shall cleanse every remnant of other gods from this world. Each and every soul shall submit to me.] The moment Zeus¡¯ proclamation ended, Astrap¨¥ exploded. No¡ªit didn¡¯t just explode. It expanded in an explosion-like surge. The lightning, which had been the size of an apartment complex, instantly spread outward, engulfing everything in its wake. As the scale of Astrap¨¥ increased, Hades likewise continued zooming out the screen. Bit by bit, the screen pulled back, but Astrap¨¥¡¯s thunderbolts expanded even faster. The divine lightning kept stretching outward. ¡°No way¡­ the range¡­.¡± ¡°Just how far is this going to spread?¡± As the zoom-out continued, I suddenly realized something. At this rate, my apostles would be caught up in it, too. I needed to bring them into the Garden of Apostles. I opened the apostle window¡ªDiana, Drakina, and Lee Jinseong weren¡¯t on Earth. Diana was already inside the Garden of Apostles, and Drakina was active with Drakia in Kevrian. Lee Jinseong was out hunting in Eshtar. But the others¡­ they were still on Earth. I attempted to summon them back to safety. [Apostle Summoning is unavailable.] That was the only message that appeared. No matter how many times I pressed it, the same ¡°Unavailable¡± message kept popping up. Damn it¡­¡­ Were Kang Sia and the guild members all about to die like this? The screen continued zooming out. It had already expanded past Seoul and was now showing the entire Korean Peninsula. The whole land was bathed in golden light. Not a single gap remained. Hah. At this rate, the entire country is going to be wiped out. ¡°Zeus¡­ with that much power, he could consume the entire planet. Is he planning to kill all humans?¡± ¡°By his own hand? Why¡­?¡± [I shall cleanse the impure souls. Be reborn anew!] Astrap¨¥ engulfed the entire Earth. Land, sea¡ªeverything was swept away. Minutes passed. And then, slowly, Astrap¨¥ began to shrink. Like rewinding a tape, the screen, which had zoomed out to display the Earth, gradually zoomed back in. The thunderbolts that had swallowed the planet converged back toward the Korean Peninsula. The once-massive lightning storm rapidly diminished in size. The screen continued to zoom in until it finally returned to the origin of this chaos. The place where my home used to be. Strangely, despite the overwhelming surge of electricity, the buildings remained intact. The roads were untouched, and there were no signs of explosions. But there were no people. The firefighters and police officers who had responded to the fallen apartment were gone. The bystanders, volunteers, journalists, and reporters¡ªeveryone had vanished. Not a single trace of human life remained. ¡°There are no signs of life.¡± ¡°Keh keh¡­ So, he only killed the people? But why?¡± The camera panned around, but only animals were visible. A dog trotted by, barking. Pigeons pecked at the asphalt as they walked. A cat lazily stretched under a parked car. The animals were fine. Only the humans were gone. [1%... Hmm. It seems the purification is not yet complete. I shall begin again.] 1%? As Zeus spoke his cryptic words and declared his intention to start over, the world turned completely white. ¡°Huh¡­¡­?¡± Hades, watching the screen, furrowed his brows and manipulated the display. Suddenly, the brightness dimmed. Did he adjust the lighting or something? But no matter how dark the screen became, the world remained pure white. Just as I was wondering what was happening, the light suddenly stopped. And the scene that emerged was¡­ ¡°The people¡­ they¡¯ve come back to life.¡± ¡°The timeline has been reversed. But this is even further back than before.¡± That was right. The world had returned to before my home was uprooted. Before Odin had summoned me. [Odin, the contract has been fulfilled. By the authority of the Creator, time has been reversed, but debt remains unchanged. Hahaha! Even an EX-rank reversal cannot overcome the system. Your debt shall remain¡ªand you shall be erased along with it.] People looked up at the sky in shock, reacting to the booming divine voice. Was that broadcasted to the entire planet? Now this was the presence of an absolute god. But more importantly¡­ This bastard. Was he experimenting to see if reversing time would erase his debt? Fortunately, even time reversal couldn''t nullify debt and interest. The system¡­ I still didn¡¯t know exactly what it was, but at times like this, it was damn useful. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [Then, I shall restart the purification. Hm¡­?] Zeus, who had been making his grand pronouncement from the heavens, suddenly paused in shock. [You¡­ Kim Jiho¡­! You insolent wretch!] Huh? Why me, all of a sudden? Hades and Elprian also turned to look at me in confusion. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Keh keh¡­ What kind of prank did you pull on that guy?¡± ¡°What do you mean, what did I do? All I did was pass on the penalty.¡± I checked the system window, and a new message had been added. [Penalty target ''Imperfect Creator'' Zeus has turned back time with the intention of debt relief. Strengthening the penalty.] [SP acquisition rate has drastically decreased.] ¡°Hehehe. What exactly did you do?¡± ¡°I just slapped Zeus with a penalty that reduced his SP acquisition rate.¡± As Hades laughed, he read further into the system message. ¡°So, he turned back time again with the intent of ¡®debt relief,¡¯ and the penalty got even harsher?!¡± ¡°Hahahaha! Is that for real? That bastard Zeus, acting all high and mighty, and now look at him! Serves him right!¡± ¡°Hm. It¡¯s just an SP acquisition decrease, though. Originally, the penalty was strong enough to burn Asgard to the ground.¡± ¡°Hehehe. Maintaining divinity requires SP. Zeus, being EX-rank, needs an absurd amount. We can¡¯t even imagine how much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Hades pulled up another screen. It showed Earth being completely swallowed by Zeus¡¯ lightning, Astrape. He pointed at the screen. ¡°This insane feat¡­ How much SP do you think that took?¡± ¡°A ridiculous amount, obviously.¡± ¡°Exactly. At first, I couldn¡¯t figure out why he did this attack¡­ but now I get it. He was trying to perform precise strikes on humans to modify their souls while supplying himself with SP.¡± ¡°Soul modification?¡± ¡°He¡¯s turning all humans who recognize and worship other gods into his own followers.¡± ¡°But why is he killing them all?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a process. He¡¯s stripping other gods¡¯ influences from their souls and replacing them with his own essence. You said 1% conversion, right? If he does it 99 more times, all of humanity will be Zeus¡¯ slaves.¡± ¡°If they get hit with that lightning torture a hundred times, they all become Zeus¡¯ followers?¡± ¡°Most won¡¯t last a hundred times; it¡¯s literal electric torture.¡± ¡°True, people have different levels of resistance. But judging from how he¡¯s doing it, he might not just be aiming to subjugate them. Maybe he¡¯s actually changing their species¡ªlike turning them into lightning spirits.¡± ¡°Hehehe. Zeus would totally do that. Changing their entire race! That makes sense.¡± ¡°Then why rewind time? He could just keep electrocuting them¡­¡± ¡°He must¡¯ve had some kind of talk with Odin. There must be a reason. Hehehe, Zeus doesn¡¯t waste resources for no reason.¡± Elprian and Hades added more explanations from the side. So, Zeus is working on converting all humans into his slaves, removing the influence of all other gods? ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just make them obedient humans?¡± ¡°Hehehe, Zeus doesn¡¯t trust humans. He tried ruling alone as the king of gods, but during the Roman era, Yahweh took everything from him. That¡¯s why he has an extreme obsession with exclusivity¡ªhe outright despises the human race itself.¡± ¡°So instead of controlling them as humans, he¡¯s just changing their species? That¡¯s insane.¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s insane. That¡¯s exactly who he is. Hehehe¡­ If his plan succeeds and all 7 billion people on Earth become lightning spirits or whatever, he¡¯ll become an incredibly powerful being even on a cosmic scale. But your penalty completely screwed him over. Hehehe!¡± Hades was laughing his heart out. Well¡­ At least things aren¡¯t going the way Zeus wanted. Not that I planned this. I was worried the penalty was too weak, but¡­ [Soul Harvesting¡­ Grrr!!] Zeus¡¯ furious voice roared from the sky. Ah. Did I mess up his soul harvesting on top of everything else? So his plan was to electrocute people, harvest SP, rewind time to revive them, then repeat the cycle? Was he planning to loop this over and over? ¡°Haha. Ever since Yahweh stole all his followers, Olympus has struggled financially. Zeus has been a cheapskate ever since. He must¡¯ve made a super tight SP supply plan. Seeing it fall apart feels so satisfying. Hehehe!¡± Zzzzt. As time rewound again, Astrape embedded itself back into the ceiling of a restored apartment¡­ [Kim Jiho¡­ I will show you hell¡­] His voice trailed off as it faded away. The Astrape had been forcefully recalled. Hades rolled on the floor laughing. ¡°Hehehehehe! Seeing him reduced to a defeated mutt! Ahhh, this is bliss! Kim Jiho, I¡¯ll make sure to repay you for this. Hahahahaha!¡± ¡°Wait. So is Zeus sealed now?¡± Did it end just like that? That guy made a grand entrance, waving his divine ojo, but he¡¯s already out of commission? But Hades abruptly stopped laughing and shook his head. ¡°No, no. He¡¯s not sealed. His SP income took a hit, so he can¡¯t spam that move anymore, but he¡¯s still powerful. However¡­.¡± ¡°However?¡± ¡°He might mobilize his underlings instead. They don¡¯t require his SP.¡± Even if Zeus himself stays put to conserve SP, the rest of Olympus is still a threat. Especially those gods wielding Hercules¡¯ abilities¡ªthey¡¯re seriously dangerous¡­ So, while the worst-case scenario was avoided, Olympus was still a problem. ¡°What will Olympus do next? Will they come for me?¡± ¡°Maybe. Or they might target other pantheons. Hehe. Zeus might even go after the freed deities and wipe them out before they get too strong.¡± Hades smirked as he pondered Zeus¡¯ next move. Then, suddenly, he turned serious and spoke to me. ¡°Kim Jiho. You should contact Asgard.¡± ¡°Asgard? Why?¡± ¡°You need to assert your rights as a creditor and check on Odin¡¯s status. If Odin has returned to normal, he¡¯s probably holding a massive grudge against Zeus. We need to drive a wedge between them. Hehehe¡­¡± That makes sense. Loki did say Odin had returned to normal. Might as well confirm it myself. I connected the communication line. Loki picked up immediately, grinning from ear to ear. [Kim Jiho! That was you, wasn¡¯t it?] ¡°Well¡­ yeah, I guess you could say that.¡± [Haha! Having the right connections makes all the difference. Damn, why are my connections so useless?!] He rolled his eyes at someone offscreen. The screen shifted sideways. [Odin has something to say to you.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 131 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 131: Complete S-Rank (1) [Please spare me.] Odin appeared on the screen. He was on his knees, begging. Seeing that, he seemed to have regained his senses¡­ [Please, at least spare Asgard from destruction.] Judging by his attitude, he didn¡¯t seem to realize that I had already used the penalty. Oh-ho. This might be useful. "I''ll hear you out first. What exactly happened?" [Haa¡­] Odin let out a deep sigh before he began speaking. [Zeus used an unknown power to subdue all the gods of the other divine realms, except for me and Asgard.] "What? How exactly did he do that?" [I¡¯m not sure. I only know that it''s somehow related to the power of Chaos, but the exact method eludes me.] "Is this also the work of that Smiling Devil?" "Keh-heh. Who knows¡­" Hades shrugged, pretending he didn¡¯t know. Damn guy. He won¡¯t share any information but is happy to eavesdrop. "Hey. If you''re just going to listen, then get lost." "Keh-heh, but this is my domain. Since you¡¯ve entertained me today, I¡¯ll grant that request as a special favor." With that, Hades bowed deeply to me. "I''ll propose a mutually beneficial business deal next time. See you then." As he disappeared, Odin continued speaking. [Zeus made me a rather generous offer¡ªa treaty of alliance between Olympus and Asgard. The contract would establish equal standing for both realms, ensuring that if one became the Creator, the other would enjoy the same status.] "Zeus made such an offer?" [He initiated the discussion, and Loki handled the negotiations. Loki and Hermes fiercely debated, and eventually, Zeus just told Hermes to accept all of Asgard¡¯s conditions, leading to the alliance being sealed.] That¡¯s unexpected. Didn¡¯t Zeus intentionally push Asgard into accepting SP Exchange penalties to cut them off? That alliance contract with Asgard must have become a shackle for him now¡­ Back then, though, he was the one who proposed it. [Zeus seemed to be in a hurry. That¡¯s probably why he agreed to such terms for the alliance.] [Regardless, if I hadn''t accepted his offer, Asgard might have been sealed away as well. So, I agreed. I decided to follow his infinite regression plan while searching for a way out.] "Hmm¡­" [At first, I was suspicious of his motives, but Zeus was simply obsessed with gathering SP. I, too, did my best to extract as much SP as possible while Asgard ruled over Earth.] "You didn''t even properly buff the humans; you just focused on squeezing SP out of them." [Why buff them when the world was going to regress anyway? Besides, to defeat Zeus, I couldn''t afford to waste SP carelessly. Many years passed¡­ and Zeus barely took any action. Meanwhile, I moved with full force to accumulate SP.] Odin had assumed that the gap between him and Zeus had somewhat narrowed. But that was a terrible misunderstanding. [Kim Jiho. After you appeared, Zeus contacted me.] "After I showed up?" [Yes. To be precise, after he failed to turn you into an angel. Zeus contacted me, saying he had something to discuss about soul awakeners. We met on the planet Kalvine.] Knowing how powerful Zeus was, Odin had gone fully prepared. But it was pointless. Zeus utterly overpowered him. [He was too strong. I¡¯d say he wasn¡¯t even EX-rank anymore at that point.] "So, what happened?" [I was subdued in an instant, and after that¡­ my memories are blank. From that moment on, I was just his puppet. Sigh¡­ I never expected him to max out his SP Exchange loan and dump the debt on me¡­] Odin sighed deeply. Seeing the hulking old man shrinking his shoulders and hanging his head made him look pitiful. His elderly appearance only amplified that effect. But still, he had debts to pay. "Fine, let¡¯s say you were a puppet. But you still need to repay your principal and interest." [Ugh¡­ The debt is too massive.] "Oh, come on. The SP Exchange wouldn¡¯t lend unless it was repayable. We¡¯re not some shady loan sharks¡ªwe¡¯re a system-recognized, first-tier financial institution. You¡¯re not planning to weasel out of it just by kneeling, are you?" [That¡¯s not my intention¡­ But with the gods being freed, our SP income has dropped significantly. Paying 5 trillion with interest is excessive.] This guy. Unbelievable. Was he asking for a discount on the interest? That¡¯s his problem, not mine. "Then sell off your assets and start repaying. Or do we need to send in the debt collectors? Hermes said burning Asgard down could net more than 5 trillion SP." I refuse to let my¡ªno, my SP¡ªbe stolen. Since he still didn¡¯t realize he had already used the penalty, I had to push hard. Odin trembled violently at my words, then weakly responded. [Ugh¡­ Fine. I¡¯ll pay it back¡­] [Kim Jiho. Can¡¯t you at least lower the interest a little? If we have to pay the full 10%, Asgard will go bankrupt.] Loki pleaded with a desperate expression. So this is what being a creditor feels like. I couldn¡¯t afford to let Asgard go bankrupt, but I wasn¡¯t going to do this for free either. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "For free? No way." [Of course not. We¡¯ll offer you protection.] "Protection?" [Do you not realize how much Zeus loathes you? What will you do if the Olympus gods attack in a group?] "Aren¡¯t gods forbidden from descending recklessly? Because of the Chaos invasion?" [That was before an EX-rank being appeared on Earth. The restriction follows the highest-ranked entity, meaning that lower and mid-tier gods can descend now.] [And now that an EX-rank has emerged and infinite regression has stopped, Chaos has lost its justification for invading. Monsters might stop appearing altogether.] No more dungeons? I should ask Hades or Hercules about that later. Hmm. If dungeons stop appearing and gods start descending into the human world¡­ That could be dangerous. Thinking back to when I fought Pollux, I had burned through a lot of SP. If there had been just one more low-tier god back then, I might have died. Having bodyguards might not be a bad idea. "But didn¡¯t you guys already blow all your SP on loans? You won¡¯t have enough to fight." [We¡¯re still in an alliance with Olympus. Because of our pact, we can¡¯t deal fatal attacks to each other. If we¡¯re guarding you, we can at least act as meat shields.] "What, you¡¯re human shields now?" [More or less. We¡¯ve got someone perfect for that¡ªThor.] "Alright. I¡¯ll cut 1% off." [Can¡¯t you go a bit lower?] "Want me to make it 0.5%?" [Ugh, damn it¡­] Loki scowled at Odin and let out a deep sigh. [Fine. I¡¯ll take the 1% reduction and be grateful. Hey, are you interested in women? I can set you up with a stunning beauty.] "No thanks. I don¡¯t trust you not to shape-shift into her." [No, no, it¡¯s Freya, the goddess of beauty. She rivals¡ªno, she surpasses Aphrodite.] "She¡¯s married. No thanks." [Come on, that means nothing to an immortal god! Just meet her. Her beauty is dazzling, and she¡¯s very interested in you.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "Not interested." [Then what about the Valkyries? The entire Valkyrie legion is single.] "I said no. Just focus on repaying the debt." [Tsk. What a waste of your manhood¡­] Loki grumbled. For now, he agreed. [I''ll send Thor soon. He has the ability to summon Asgard¡¯s legion, so he can protect you.] "Alright." [Then next time, I''ll bring a better offer. Cut the interest down a bit more.] With that, the communication was cut off. Perhaps it was because they had seen Asgard burning, but they were acting incredibly submissive. Not bad. "Haa." Today had been a whirlwind. Captured by Odin, survived through an avatar exchange, Zeus reaching EX rank, trying to reshape the world to his will but failing due to a penalty... Hmm. Let¡¯s sort this out. The only remaining enemy force was Zeus and Olympus, while those trying to stop him included all the remaining divine realms, including Asgard. Of course, Asgard seemed to still be trying to maintain a superficial alliance with Olympus. Just to remain as a burden to Zeus. I don¡¯t know what kind of contract they made, but it¡¯s fascinating that they¡¯re still keeping this alliance despite the rift between them. Well, that¡¯s their business. At this point, all we need to do is buy time for the freed gods to recover. But that EX-rank Zeus is bothering me. Even if his SP income has decreased and he can''t use his power freely, he¡¯s still an outlier god¡ªthere¡¯s no telling what he might do. ¡°This is really concerning. Who knows what Zeus will do next¡­¡± Elprian shared my concern. ¡°Even though his forces are isolated, he still shares the Soul Reaper skill, making him the most powerful. If he concentrates his power and attempts to take us down one by one, no divine realm will be able to withstand him. Kevrian has prevented the gods from descending so far due to his dealings with Chaos, but that¡¯s no longer the case. If Olympus launches a full-scale invasion, even Hades will have no choice but to retreat.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll contact Drakia and inform them of this situation. For now, we need to gather as much strength as possible. Mr. Kim Jiho, you must be exhausted from today¡ªplease rest here in this sanctuary.¡± ¡°Yes, understood. Thank you.¡± Returning to the sanctuary Elprian had prepared, I checked my status window. My remaining SP was in a miserable state. Probably because of what happened with Odin¡ªthere wasn¡¯t even a million left. This isn¡¯t good. Keeping Soul Reaper at A-rank had been useful in dealing a blow to Zeus, but I can¡¯t keep it at A forever. Even a low-tier god like Pollux had given me trouble¡­ I need to raise Soul Reaper to S-rank and continue growing if I want to stand a chance against Olympus¡¯s gods. Though, what¡¯s on my mind is whether the penalty will be removed. As if reading my thoughts, a system message popped up. [System penalties will remain even if the rank increases.] It really feels like it¡¯s reading my mind. So, does that mean the penalty will continue to affect enemies if I maintain A-rank? The system immediately responded. [Only one penalty is applied per divine realm.] It¡¯s practically pushing me to rank up. Fine. I can¡¯t stay at A-rank forever. Let¡¯s do this. I opened my status window to check the conditions for ranking up. All conditions were cleared. Except for one¡ªobtaining the Qualification of Divinity. What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Last time, I got it by clearing a quest, but there¡¯s no quest this time. Should I ask Loki? But then he might get suspicious about the penalty, so I decided to ask my father instead. [The Qualification of Divinity?] ¡°Yes. Do you know anything about it?¡± [You¡¯ve already ascended to divinity, yet you still need that? Well, we can grant it to you.] ¡°Oh. Really?¡± [Yes. But multiple gods need to recognize you for the Qualification of Divinity to be granted. I¡¯ll ask the sealed gods. Since you were the one who freed them, they¡¯ll gladly help.] Great. That condition is easily cleared. [By the way, what exactly happened with Zeus? He displayed an incredible anomaly.] ¡°Oh, well, you see¡­¡± After explaining everything, my father¡¯s eyes glowed white. What? Is this Michael? [Zeus¡­ I had my suspicions about his authority, but he really reached EX-rank.] ¡°Are you Michael?¡± [Yes. But thanks to your penalty, Zeus won¡¯t be able to act recklessly. Still, if he gathers enough power, he might be able to display that anomaly again. After that lightning strike, our SP income has been decreasing by 1% each time.] ¡°How long has it been since that lightning strike?¡± [Our situation is so dire¡­ Not just us, but the other divine realms as well¡ªwe¡¯re tracking our SP income by the second.] Wow¡­ This is the peak of poverty. So, Zeus¡¯s plan isn¡¯t completely ineffective. Stealing 1% at a time¡­ It¡¯s sheer luck he only did it once. [I assume the lost 1% went to Zeus. If he keeps using his authority like this, we¡¯ll be wiped out. We must officially declare Olympus as our enemy and form an alliance with Asgard.] ¡°Yes. Please also take care of the Qualification of Divinity. I¡¯ll need it to fight them.¡± [Understood. I¡¯ll take care of it as soon as possible.] With that, Michael¡¯s presence disappeared. So my father was back to normal. ¡°Father. Let¡¯s keep an eye on the situation and contact each other if anything happens.¡± [Alright.] ¡°But now that Michael is free, do you still need to remain as an avatar?¡± [He says this form is still efficient. Plus, this place is literally heaven. I feel more fulfilled here than ever before.] He clasped his hands in prayer. This is so weird to see. I¡¯d like to bring him to Earth, but it¡¯s too dangerous right now, so staying in heaven is probably for the best. ¡°Alright. Let me know when everything is ready.¡± [Got it. It won¡¯t take long.] And so, three days later. I finally obtained the Qualification of Divinity. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 132 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 132: Complete S-Rank (2) [You have met all the conditions to upgrade Soul Reaper.] [Would you like to upgrade Soul Reaper?] The moment I pressed Yes, my body turned transparent. Without even thinking about it, my body automatically transitioned into a soul form. [Reconstructing soul body.] Then, my hands and feet started to slowly disappear, turning into dust. Before I knew it, all my limbs were gone, and even my torso vanished, leaving only my head. As the sensation in my mouth faded, my vision also disappeared. When my entire body scattered, all the suppressed sensations exploded at once. Elprian¡¯s Hideout, Hades¡¯ Domain. Suddenly, everything in Kevrian flooded into me all at once. All the sensations and perceptions experienced by every being in that space flowed through me. And then, all of it passed through me and disappeared somewhere else. No, did it really pass through me? Even my soul body had vanished. There was truly nothing left of me. I felt as though I had become a mere fragment of the world itself. Though my consciousness remained intact, I had no place to exist. The longer I remained like this, the more I felt myself being completely absorbed and assimilated into the world. ¡­This isn''t good. I need to reform my soul body. That system bastard said it would reconstruct me, so why isn¡¯t it doing anything? Is there a way for me to create it myself? The moment I thought about it and willed it into existence, a sudden realization struck me. I knew how to do it. I must create it. I must manifest my will to create. At that moment, the surrounding world vanished. The next thing I saw was an endless, pitch-black void. From within that darkness, a small sphere of light began to form. It started small but gradually expanded. It stopped growing once it reached the size of my fist. A perfectly round, flawless sphere. [Strengthen and reconstruct the user¡¯s soul.] A system message appeared next to the sphere of light. ¡­So this is my soul? Strengthen it, huh? [Loading the souls you have absorbed.] [Loading the souls you have mediated.] Suddenly, countless spheres of light started appearing around me. Compared to my soul, these were on a completely different scale. If mine was the size of a fist, some of these were as large as a head, while others were as big as boulders. Were these the strongest essences of the souls I had absorbed or mediated? Each soul possessed distinct traits. They weren¡¯t limited to just Strength, Agility, and Magic like the Order faction. Even within the Magic attribute, there were countless variations of elemental affinities. Because of this, the number of summoned souls was countless. Compared to them, my soul was small and insignificant. Yet, unlike the others, it maintained a perfect spherical form. ¡­Was this the reason I had been able to awaken as a soul-based being? Even if I strengthened and reconstructed my soul, I couldn¡¯t afford to lose its perfect spherical shape. To achieve that, I needed to merge the summoned souls. The moment I willed it, the scattered souls began converging. Soon, they fused into a grotesque shape. The resulting soul had six jagged protrusions, stretching in various directions. Even after merging, the size hadn¡¯t increased significantly. It seemed that when souls fused, the best qualities remained, rather than simply stacking all their attributes. Nevertheless, compared to my original soul, these new qualities were far superior. But¡­ it wasn¡¯t enough. Six exceptional attributes. As I examined them, I instinctively understood what they were. Strength, Agility, Magic, Craft, Soul, and Time. If I absorbed them, I would become overwhelmingly powerful. Still¡­ I let go of my attachment. Raw power wasn¡¯t enough. What mattered was an ability befitting a soul-based being. I needed to maintain the perfect sphere. With that determination, I began carving away the excess traits. Chunks of exceptional attributes were cut away, and the shape gradually transformed into a sphere. Time passed¡­ though I had no sense of how long. At first, large portions were removed easily, but as the sphere became more refined, the process slowed down. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It became increasingly difficult to achieve perfection. But I continued, lost in the process, chiseling away endlessly. Eventually, I saw the outline taking shape. A perfect sphere. By the time I finished, my soul had grown slightly larger than before. What was once the size of a boulder had now been reduced to something just a little bigger than my original soul. ¡­Well, no point in lingering on regret. Time to merge. [Strengthening the soul.] [A state of perfect equilibrium has been achieved. You have fully ascended into a Soul God.] At least the soul had grown in size rather than simply being replaced with stronger traits. The once white sphere now shone with a golden radiance as it began expanding. Unlike before, when my body had disintegrated, the process was now reversed. First, my head reformed. Then my torso and finally, my limbs. As my golden soul body took on a human shape, the glow gradually faded. And within that body¡ªI had returned. [Soul body has been reconstructed.] [You have ascended into a Complete Soul God.] [The Order and Neutral status windows have been merged.] [Neutral faction stats have been consolidated into Soul Energy.] [Soul Energy has significantly increased, and its efficiency has greatly improved.] [A new effect has been added: For every 2,000 Soul Energy, soul-related skill efficiency increases by 1x. Current multiplier: 2x.] All of my stats had converted into Soul Energy, and new effects had been added. An exponential increase in skill efficiency¡­ ¡­This is insane. [As a Complete Soul God, you are no longer bound to any faction. You now exist independently.] So, I was now completely separate from both Order and Neutral. And my status window had merged¡­ Does that mean I no longer have two status windows? ¡°Status window.¡± [Name: ??? (Kim Jiho) Class: Soul God] Title? God Slayer Soul Power: 4,554 SP: 910 million] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] A seamlessly integrated class. At some point, my SP had exceeded 900 million. Oh, has it been about a month? Considering the 750 million SP from the SP marketplace and the intermediary earnings, that seems about right... [From now on, apostles will be granted the Soul Energy Emission and Soul Barrier skills by default.] [Skill levels will vary depending on the apostle¡¯s rank, with a maximum value of 20% of the user¡¯s skill level.] [You have acquired the ¡®Divine Domain¡¯ skill.] [Divine Domain: Consumes a large amount of SP to temporarily grant Soul Energy Emission and Soul Barrier skills to deities of lower god rank or higher. Skill levels vary depending on the god¡¯s rank, with a maximum of 20% of the user¡¯s skill level.] [When Soul Energy Emission and Soul Barrier reach level 100, a new skill will be unlocked.] A skill that consumes a large amount of SP to grant surrounding gods the Soul Reaper skill. So, it¡¯s basically a buff skill? Hmm, when I became an S-rank Soul Mediator, I got access to the SP marketplace and was able to rake in profits. But Soul Reaper doesn¡¯t seem to have any immediately appealing benefits. It just says I¡¯ll get a new skill at level 100¡­ Meh. Well, at least my soul power has been enhanced¡­ As I was about to move my body to test my newfound power, a final message popped up. [As the Soul God, you have acquired the Authority of Mediation and Reaper.] [Acquire the Authority of Fusion. It will guide you to a higher rank.] Authority of Fusion? Could this be the requirement for SS rank? Hmm¡­ Where do I obtain it? Now that I think about it: Mediation came from the Order faction. Reaper came from the Neutral faction. That leaves Chaos. Maybe I can obtain it there? Seems worth testing. For now, let¡¯s move my body. My soul power had skyrocketed. Last time I moved, my body shot forward uncontrollably¡ªbut not this time. Now, I felt a perfect sense of control. I knew my power limits exactly and could move accordingly. Let¡¯s try using my full strength. While in soul form, I jumped¡ªand instantly soared high into the sky. ¡°Woohoo.¡± In the blink of an eye, I pierced through the clouds. Then, as I fell back toward the ground, I landed just as smoothly. With this power, I can finally repay Pollux for the humiliation he dealt me. The difference between a fully realized S-rank and a lesser form is night and day. I checked my most frequently used skills. The Soul Mediator skills didn¡¯t seem outwardly different. I¡¯d have to wait for income reports to know for sure... Soul Energy Emission. Soul Barrier. These two skills had reached level 50. Previously, their efficiency was 100 times normal. With the God Slayer title, it had doubled to 200 times. But now¡­ It had increased to 1,000 times. A message indicated that further increases would require raising the skill level. 1,000 times. That¡¯s five times stronger than when I fought Pollux. They said every 2,000 soul power increases skill efficiency by 1x, but my rank-up seemed to have boosted efficiency even further. With my heightened soul power, I could easily erase a couple of lower gods. Even if they were from Olympus. Elprian appeared from the ground. Seeing me, she gasped in admiration. ¡°Kim Jiho, I felt an incredible surge of soul power just now¡­ Ah.¡± Her eyes widened as she observed me. ¡°You¡¯ve already ascended to a mid-tier god!¡± That¡¯s how I look? It felt a bit weird to suddenly declare myself a true Soul God, so I just nodded. ¡°Well, something like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s incredible. In just a month, your presence has completely transformed. Before, you felt incomplete¡ªnow, your soul form carries undeniable authority.¡± So, it has been a month. It took longer than expected to ascend. ¡°Yeah. Now I should be able to take on Zeus and his crew. Any news from Olympus this past month?¡± ¡°No, they¡¯ve been eerily silent.¡± Hmm. This month was my strongest moment. Why haven¡¯t they attacked yet? A delay benefits me, but¡­ I may have gotten strong, but I¡¯m still just S-rank. I need to acquire the Authority of Fusion. If I receive the Chaos faction¡¯s status window, will I become a Soul Fusionist? ¡°Can you contact Hades?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± After a moment, she shakes her head. ¡°He¡¯s not answering. He never responds when he¡¯s engaging in his ¡°hobbies.¡± It must be that time again.¡± His hobbies¡­ What the hell is he doing now? Not helpful at all. Guess I¡¯ll have to ask Hercules instead. After parting ways with Elprian, I prepared for teleportation. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this avatar in your care again.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll protect it well.¡± The cooldown is still 200 days, but I bought an extra avatar in advance, just in case. It cost me 100 million SP, but that¡¯s a small price to pay for my life. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± Destination: Mount Eshtar¡¯s peak. Time to ask Hercules if he can grant me Chaos faction status. With a light heart, I teleported¡ª BAM! I slammed into something mid-teleport, forcing me to halt. What the¡ª? A barrier? Crackle. Lightning rained down from the sky. Mount Eshtar was completely encased in a thunderstorm barrier. Hmm. Wasn¡¯t the real storm giant supposed to be out at sea? Yet, instead of the ocean, Olympus had sealed off the mountain. ¡°You bastards! How dare you steal my skill¡ª!¡± A furious roar echoed from above. It was Hercules. Looks like Olympus has finally made their move. So much for their non-aggression pact with Chaos. They must be here to capture Hercules. If they succeed, their skill levels will increase¡ªwhich would be a pain. My current SP: 800 million. Enough to put up a fight. ¡°Soul Energy Emission.¡± I drew my soul sword, infusing it with energy. A radiant white flame surged, condensing into a brilliant blade of light. Crackle. I swung the sword upward¡ª And shredded the thunderstorm barrier apart. Slipping through the opening, I advanced. BOOM! An explosion rang out from the mountain peak. I moved swiftly¡ª And arrived at the summit in an instant. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 133 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 133: First Battle with Olympus (1) "Ugh...!" Inside the massive lightning barrier, another bolt struck down. Yellow lightning enveloped Hercules¡¯ head and both arms. He struggled to break free, but it didn¡¯t seem easy. Surrounding Hercules was a group of warriors¡ªtwenty in total. They resembled the Greek soldiers I¡¯ve seen before, but their attire was more relaxed. Are all of them S-rank? "Who are you?!" "That man is a top-priority target for elimination." "He¡¯s a Soul God." "Four of you, handle him." Even with my sudden appearance, the warriors didn¡¯t seem nervous. Instead, they split up and moved toward me. Spears, swords, and bows are aimed at me. "Lord Zeus has ordered your death. I will take your head." "I heard he¡¯s a low-tier god. Let¡¯s finish this quickly." The warriors look skilled. Stronger than Pollux, even. But unlike back then, my danger sense hasn¡¯t activated. Swish! One warrior charged at me like a bullet. He¡¯s faster than Pollux, but I can read his movements clearly now. "I¡¯ll be the one to¡ª" Too slow, too many openings. At this level¡­ Squelch! "Guh...!" My soul sword pierced his throat effortlessly. He clutched his neck, letting out a choked scream before collapsing. His soul barrier was torn apart with ease. His body ignited in white flames and vanished instantly. Seeing their ally disappear in an instant, the enemy hesitated. "Askleos was erased just like that...?" "Is he really a low-tier god? He¡¯s far too strong." "Contact Zeus immediately. He needs to be restrained." The enemy moves in perfect coordination. Ten continued to keep Hercules surrounded, while nine prepared to face me. Are they all skilled warriors? They¡¯re not careless anymore, and their formation is quick. "Kim Jiho¡­ run! These warriors are Ares'' subordinates. Soon, Ares himself will descend!" Hercules shouted at me while fighting back against his captors with his still-free legs. Ares¡­ the god of war. He always gets outplayed by Athena, but he¡¯s still a deity. A direct confrontation with a god might be too much right now. "Then I¡¯ll go all out..." I unleashed my full soul energy. My soul body strengthened, and my soul sword expanded. The blade stretched long. I also summoned my phoenix. The creature emerged, its entire body now glowing white-hot. It looked at me and flinched in surprise. [Master, have you already become a mid-tier god? Your power is immense.] "Something like that. Let¡¯s break through them at full force." [Understood.] The phoenix ignited into white flames and charged at the enemy first. I follow right behind. "Stop them!" The nine warriors threw spears and shot arrows. Their weapons aren¡¯t uniform, and their timing varied. But each attack is at a master¡¯s level. A single thrown spear split into hundreds, while arrows multiplied mid-air to form a blue barrier. Are they attacking and defending at the same time? But I can see through all their movements, and my danger sense still isn¡¯t activating. Fwoosh! The spears failed to penetrate the phoenix¡¯s flames and fell, burning. The barrier was shredded apart like paper. "Soul Barrier!" Three warriors stepped forward, wielding swords and shields. As they activated Soul Barrier on their shields, the white barriers grew massive¡ªlike a towering wall. The phoenix¡¯s charge was momentarily halted. [That shield is quite sturdy¡­ I can¡¯t break through.] "Step aside for a moment." With the space cleared, I thrust my sword. Squelch! The barrier is pierced instantly. As soon as a hole formed, cracks spread across the entire shield, and it shattered. "This is insane¡­!" "Scatter and stall him! We just need to buy time!" The moment the shield was broken, the warriors retreated swiftly. But I¡¯m faster. I slashed the closest warrior with my sword. Before he can dodge, his soul body was cleaved in half. "Kh¡­! I¡­ I¡¯m fading¡­! My immortal body¡­! Aaargh!" He watches his upper body burn, screaming in despair before vanishing. I checked my SP after eliminating him. Was it because my efficiency had improved? About ten million SP was consumed. When I fought Pollux, I lost over three hundred million, but now the SP consumption had drastically decreased. At this rate, I could take down all twenty of them. "One strike¡­!" "Don''t engage! Fall back!" The enemies didn¡¯t block my way to Hercules; instead, they moved aside. They immediately realized they couldn¡¯t match me and chose to keep their distance, only attempting to hinder me from afar. If I had more time, I would have chased them down immediately¡­ But I didn''t. "Phoenix, take care of them." [Understood. With this much power, it should be more than enough.] The Phoenix kept the enemies who had backed away in check. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Meanwhile, I closed the distance to where Hercules was. His arms were bound by lightning, and he fought using only his legs. Boom! He kicked away spears and arrows flying toward him without hesitation. Despite the enemies'' relentless attacks, he blocked them all with just his legs. In fact, he even managed to launch sharp counterattacks, deflecting weapons back at his foes. It was incredible how he fended off more than ten enemies¡¯ attacks at super speed. If he hadn¡¯t been restrained by Zeus, the gods here would have had their heads shattered in an instant. "Tch¡­ As expected of Hercules." "The Soul God is coming too." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "Fall back for now!" As I approached, the warriors scattered like a receding tide. I thought they''d be ready to fight to the death to protect their divine status, but they fled without even looking back. "Hah¡­ Just as I thought, Ares'' men. More thugs than soldiers." Hercules smirked as he watched them flee. Then, when he turned to look at me, he urgently gestured toward the lightning restraining him. "Zeus¡¯ lightning¡ªcan you cut it? Since it''s an EX-ranked lightning, it''s quite troublesome." "I¡¯ll give it a shot." "I''ll try to shake it off as much as I can." I swung my sword at the lightning binding his right arm. Bzzzzt. The moment my blade made contact, it was blocked for the first time. It felt like striking steel¡ªmy sword didn¡¯t budge. This was on a completely different level from the previous lightning barriers. "Focus Enhancement. Soul Energy Emission." I hated wasting SP, but I had no choice. I activated Focus Enhancement and slashed again. This time, my sword began to cut through, little by little. "Wait¡­ why are you only using Soul Energy Emission?" "Huh? What do you mean? This is the strongest attack I have." "Hmm¡­? That¡¯s odd¡­ Never mind. Just keep going." Hercules gave me a curious look but said no more. Instead, he channeled power into his right arm and yanked downward. Snap. The lightning rope started to break apart. With Hercules¡¯ raw strength adding to the effort, the lightning shattered and vanished. "Alright! Now the left one!" "Got it." I repeated the process, cutting through the lightning on his left arm. "Stop them!" [I will handle it.] The enemies who had fled earlier now rained arrows and spears upon us from a distance. But the Phoenix spread its wings wide, turning into flames and forming a protective barrier. While it held them off, I quickly severed the left-side lightning as well. Now, only one remained¡ªthe golden lightning embedded in Hercules¡¯ head. Unlike the ones binding his arms, this one was much thicker and sturdier. And yet, he remained standing despite having such a thing lodged in his skull. "Here goes!" I struck it with my fully enhanced attack. But nothing happened. When I cut the ones on his arms, I could feel my blade slicing through, even if slowly. This one, however, didn''t even get a scratch. BANG! BANG! I struck again and again, but it was useless. Was the one in his head the real core of the restraint? "Ugh¡­!" Growing impatient, Hercules exerted more force. He grabbed the lightning with both hands and pulled it taut. His muscles swelled to an insane degree, and a murderous aura surged from his entire body. "Go higher!" I leaped above him and started hacking at the lightning like chopping wood. Once, twice¡­ Even after dozens of strikes, it didn¡¯t move. "RAAAHHH!" Hercules let out a mighty roar and strained with all his might. Only then did my blade finally start to cut through. I concentrated my attacks on the spot that had slightly caved in. I must have struck it hundreds of times. KRRRRRRRRR Thunder rumbled across the sky. And at last, the cursed lightning shattered. The moment he was freed, Hercules took off running. "This way! We''re heading to the main body!" He was sprinting toward the coastline beyond the mountains. His main body¡ªthe "Lone Colossus"¡ªwas waiting there. It had only been a second since he spoke, yet he had already become a distant speck. He was incredibly fast. I hurried after him. "Those guys¡­¡­." "Don''t pursue them. If we go after them, we''ll just die." "Ares will be here soon." "This actually works out well. If he eliminates the Soul God too, Ares will achieve the highest merit." "It''s a shame to lose both of them, but¡­¡­." As I ran desperately, I heard the enemy warriors chatting behind me. Even though they lost us, they didn¡¯t seem too concerned. They believed that once Ares arrived, he¡¯d easily subdue us. Their arrogance made me uneasy. Regardless, under their passive watch, we managed to flee to the shoreline. Upon reaching the shore, Hercules began to fade away. Swoooosh! The ground trembled and fierce waves crashed. Then, beyond the sea, a massive figure slowly emerged. A giant made entirely of pitch-black metal¡ªthe Lone Colossus. Its feet touched the sea, while its head reached the sky¡ªa surreal and colossal being. When I thought it was an enemy, its overwhelming presence struck me with fear. But now that it''s an ally, it feels reassuring. [With this body, I won¡¯t fall to mere lightning. Come forth, Zeus!] Hercules lets out a tremendous roar. The sheer energy within that roar is overwhelming. It¡¯s not directed at me, so I don¡¯t feel threatened, but the sheer intensity is undeniable. Had I been an enemy, that roar alone would have sent me sprawling on the ground. "Ughhh!" Yeah. Just like those guys back there. "Just a roar¡­ and it''s this strong?!" The eighteen lower-tier warrior gods who had been cautiously approaching from a distance are now writhing on the ground, clutching their ears. Blood trickles from their ears, and their limbs tremble violently. The gap between SSS-rank and S-rank really is like heaven and earth. As I watched them collapse, my communicator suddenly beeped. It¡¯s Loki. [Kim Jiho, where are you?] "I''m at Eshtar. The Olympus bastards came to capture Hercules, so I''ve been fighting." [What? Hercules? Those bastards¡­ is it because of his Soul Reaper skill? Got it. Hold on a bit. I''ll send reinforcements.] With that, Loki abruptly ended the call. What the hell? Reinforcements¡­? The situation already seems under control. KRRRRRMM! The sky rumbled again. My vision turned red. My entire body stung¡ªno, it burns. Danger sense. Thunder and danger sense together mean¡­! "Soul Barrier!" I activated the barrier and dashed toward the sea. CRACKLE! A massive bolt of lightning struck the exact spot I was standing on. If I had been even a fraction slower or hadn¡¯t activated my barrier, I would have been vaporized instantly. Even though I dodged, the sheer force of the attack¡­ I hurriedly check my status screen¡ªjust blocking that one attack cost me a hundred million SP. An EX-rank god¡¯s attack¡­ Is this actually a cheap price to pay? KRRRRRRRMMMM! As another strike prepared to descend, Hercules roared. [Not so fast!] A violent gust swept through the battlefield as a massive shadow blotted out the sky. I looked up. A giant black metallic hand was intercepting the lightning. It belonged to the Colossus Hercules. Then, the sky trembled. [You vermin¡­ You''ve grown even stronger, haven''t you? Ares. I¡¯ve gathered Hercules¡¯ data. Capture the Soul God first.] The sky, blocked by Hercules¡¯ hand. Then, suddenly, a single ray of light pierced through. Hercules groaned in pain. [Kuh¡­!] THUD! A small hole appeared. A piece of Hercules'' hand vanished entirely. And through that gap, someone descended. "Understood, Father. From here on, I¡¯ll handle this myself." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 134 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 134: First Battle with Olympus (2) A man clad in silver steel armor. Only his helmet was golden, making his appearance unbalanced. He was fully encased in armor, wielding a spear in one hand and a short spear in the other. Rather than a god of Olympus, he looked more like a medieval knight. All he needed was a horse. [Ares¡­] From behind, I heard Hercules¡¯ voice, tinged with regret. Despite his hatred for Olympus and Zeus, his voice now was unexpected. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Hercules.¡± [It has, Ares.] ¡°Haha¡­ I had hoped never to see you again.¡± [I feel the same.] Two men, regretful yet resigned. What is this? The atmosphere feels strange. ¡°It is our first meeting, God of Souls. I am Ares, god of war.¡± As he touched his helmet, it vanished smoothly. And his face was revealed. Radiantly beautiful. Among all the male gods I¡¯ve seen, he might be the most handsome. Wavy golden hair. Piercing blue eyes filled with determination. Glasses slightly obscuring those eyes. Cold, chiseled features. Seeing a handsome god usually just annoys me, but this guy is beyond that¡ªhis presence is overwhelming. No, at this level, he¡¯s not the god of war¡ªhe¡¯s practically the god of beauty¡­ And he wears glasses? If he takes them off¡­ Wow¡­ No wonder he¡¯s Aphrodite¡¯s lover. ¡°Divine Protection.¡± Huh? That skill¡­ That¡¯s the one I used before. A buff that makes all thrown weapons miss. Ares is using Divine Protection himself. As I tensed up and observed him, my danger sense suddenly kicked in. A trajectory heading straight for my head. I immediately dodged sideways. Whoosh! Ares¡¯ short spear was where I was standing. No, rather than flying there, it just appeared there. I couldn¡¯t perceive any movement at all, only the sharp, menacing aura it emitted. The spear¡¯s tip lingered in my direction for a moment, then returned to Ares. ¡°As expected¡­ you¡¯re not just a low-tier god.¡± He adjusted his glasses while looking at me. Cold eyes. I feel like he¡¯s analyzing me down to my very core. ¡°Your ability to sense danger is top-tier. You accurately predicted my attack¡¯s trajectory¡­ yet you barely dodged. Do you have a limited form of foresight?¡± He kept his gaze locked on me, carefully watching my reactions. This is uncomfortable. But¡­ was Ares always this observant? ¡°Why does Ares seem so intelligent?¡± I turn to Hercules and ask. He responded with a question of his own. [He¡¯s not just the god of battle, but the god of war. Of course, he embodies intelligence too.] ¡°Isn¡¯t that Athena¡¯s role? The smart war god.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because of Athens.¡± Ares twirled his spear as he spoke. ¡°The city of Athens worshiped Athena and fully supported her image. That¡¯s why she is seen as the intelligent war god. But war isn¡¯t just about mindless slaughter.¡± He continued to study me. ¡°The Romans, whom I love, also embody my spirit. In our time, the relationship between gods and mortals was symbiotic.¡± [Ares was worshiped as Mars in Rome. During that time, his SP intake was second only to Zeus.] Hercules added more context from behind. Since Rome¡¯s first king, Romulus, was the son of Ares¡ªMars in the Roman pantheon¡ªhe was widely worshiped. So when people believe in a god positively, their nature changes too? Hmm¡­ so basically, he¡¯s not just some brainless berserker. A cautious, intelligent adversary¡­ I don¡¯t like this. Thunk. Ares, who had been analyzing me for a while, suddenly drove his spear into the ground. ¡°War God¡¯s Banner.¡± As the spear struck, its tip transformed into a banner. A golden flag. A crossed sword and shield emblem stood out. Flash. Light began radiating from the banner. The golden light spread across the ground. And from that illuminated ground, figures began to rise. ¡°For the War God!¡± ¡°Call us more often, General!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the enemy this time?¡± Loud voices filled the air as soldiers emerged. Soldiers burst onto the scene, chattering noisily. There¡¯s no discipline to be seen, yet each one is a powerhouse. "The opponent is a Soul God. About SS-rank level. Do not let your guard down, slowly encircle them, and buy time. I will take on Hercules." With a casual flick of his spear, Ares began to walk towards us. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As if synchronized with his steps, his legion advanced. [Kim Jiho. The opponent is the War God Ares. Never let your guard down, be careful. You must survive.] "Of course¡­ Huh!?" Suddenly, Ares charged straight at me. The spear in his hand appears to split into hundreds right before my eyes. This bastard¡­! He acted like he was going for Hercules, but it was a fake-out!? "Soul Barrier!" Boom! My body was sent flying. Thankfully, the Soul Barrier remained intact. As I soared through the air, Ares followed without hesitation. "A Soul God¡¯s Soul Barrier¡­ Quite strong." He reached out his hand, and spears dominated every angle around me. My entire body tingled with the warning of danger. With just a gesture, he unleashed hundreds, no, thousands of spear strikes. So this is a War God¡­? I can¡¯t let this continue. "Haap!" I thrust my Soul Sword from within the Soul Barrier. Ares countered by clashing his spear against my sword. Whoosh! It was a simple swing. But as my blade met his strike, my body nearly flew away from the sheer force. What monstrous strength¡­ "You have decent potential." Boom! Three spear strikes coiled toward me like snakes. I tried to parry them, but my hands already felt sluggish. "But you are still inexperienced." Boom! Boom! Cracks appeared in the Soul Barrier. Ares doesn¡¯t just wield his spear. His limbs¡ªeven his head¡ªare all weapons. Bang! He closes the distance and unleashes a flurry of punches. Meanwhile, the floating spears continued to move freely, pressuring me. The spear in his hand, if I take my eyes off it for even a moment, will try to smash the back of my head. I¡¯m barely managing to keep up. I get the feeling that relying solely on my barrier will get me killed. I need to use my Soul Sword along with the barrier to prevent a fatal blow. Clang! Clang! Clang! Sword and spear clashed countless times. Some of his strikes grazed my blade, but thankfully, the barrier blocked most of them. "The Soul Barrier is quite formidable. Your rank is low, yet you manage this level of defense. Truly, Olympus''s greatest obstacle¡­ You also have a natural sense for battle." Ares murmured as he throwed a punch at me. His glasses gleamed ominously. He¡¯s analyzing me¡ªeven while attacking!? I''ve already burned through 100 million SP in less than five minutes. At this rate, I won¡¯t last much longer. "Phoenix!" I summoned the Phoenix to distract him. Ares glanced at it with mild curiosity¡ª But his interest fades in an instant. "Even if its master has grown stronger, it is still incomplete¡­ Do not bring such a trivial creature into our battle. It is a waste." He grabbed the Phoenix¡¯s head. And in a single moment¡ªBoom!¡ªit burst apart. ¡­Wow. It didn''t even get a chance to do anything. I know it¡¯s not dead, just forcefully unsummoned, but still¡ªwhat a humiliating defeat. Ares¡¯s strength is overwhelming. His attacks are simple. A basic punch. A basic spear thrust. Yet they are terrifyingly fast and efficient. He dominates every angle of my defense. Without the barrier, I''d already be a bloodstain on the ground. Is it because I let him get too close? My danger sense is screaming so much that my vision is practically red. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] BOOM BOOM BOOM! My barrier takes massive damage in an instant. But Ares doesn¡¯t look entirely pleased either. "The original Soul Barrier is truly something¡­ Such ridiculous efficiency¡­ Even after all this, it still holds strong." Whoosh! I counter with my Soul Sword whenever I find an opening, but Ares evades effortlessly. And yet, he grumbles about it the whole time. How irritating. Fighting him up close is suicide. I need to create some distance¡ª [Get the hell out of my way!] BOOM! A thunderous roar erupted from the shoreline. Ares¡¯s warriors were sent flying in all directions. "Hah. Shit. That thing is way too strong." "We used to be on the same level, but how the hell did it get so powerful?" "That guy who used to serve Ares¡ªhow did he turn into such a monster?" The soldiers of Ares grumbled as they were flung away. Ares¡¯ legion¡ªeach one of them a god in their own right. Yet, not a single one suffered serious injuries. Just as I struggled against Ares, Ares'' subordinates struggled against Hercules¡­ But in the end, neither side could land a decisive blow. Ares, watching one of his soldiers get thrown aside, suddenly shouted to them. "We¡¯re switching opponents. The Soul God is strong but inexperienced. You lot should be enough." "Understood!" "Better than fighting that monster, at least." In an instant, Ares¡¯ soldiers surrounded me. Their swords and shields gleamed, and banners bearing the eagle insignia fluttered in the wind. Yeah, this was a real legion. Sigh. Fine. They were definitely better than dealing with Ares himself. "The Soul God is still unfamiliar with battle. I trust you, my seasoned warriors." "Yes, sir!" Ares looked over his legion with a gentle gaze. Then, suddenly, he flung his glasses away. The soldiers erupted into cheers. "Whoo!" "Captain took off his glasses!" "Hercules, you''re dead meat now!" Without his glasses, his eyes were bloodshot. They looked more intense than before¡ª But they weren¡¯t filled with madness. Just a deeper surrender to the heat of battle. The soldiers who had been charging at me suddenly turned to stare at Ares instead. Like fans gazing in admiration at their idol. It was absurd, but curiosity got the better of me. What exactly was he about to do? Ares stomped his right foot onto the ground. The earth caved in beneath him. Then, he murmured softly¡ª "Mountain Shatter." Rumble¡­ The ground trembled. A short yet intense quake. Sensing something off, I turned around¡ª And saw that the mountain where I met Hercules every day was floating in the air. Yeah¡­ The entire mountain. A completely surreal sight. Ares then reached toward the sky. "Flaming Heavens." The sky caught fire. The once-white clouds turned into blazing flames. The heavens above Hercules¡¯ head became a sea of fire in an instant. And then¡ª The mountain flew straight at him. Yeah. A whole damn mountain. Whistling through the air. "Man, Ares is the best!" "When was the last time he did this? Since the Gigantomachy?" "Following Ares never gets boring!" The soldiers cheered in excitement at this miracle. A mountain was flying, and the sky was burning. Sure, if it were just the mountain flying at me, I could dodge it. I could just turn into a spirit and let it pass through me. But this was different. That mountain was a massive accumulation of divine energy. Like a lightning bolt made of pure spiritual force, it was an attack meant to annihilate its target. An overwhelming feat. [Ha. The legendary Mountain Shatter & Flaming Heavens that crushed the Gigantomachy¡­ It¡¯s an honor, Ares!] "I feel the same. I¡¯m glad to fight you." Ares grinned, glasses discarded. His expression radiated pure enjoyment of battle. His already-handsome face became dangerously mesmerizing. The men around him couldn¡¯t take their eyes off him. "Captain¡­" "I knew following him was the right choice." "He¡¯s worth pledging eternity and immortality to." These lunatics¡­ are they his fan club or what? Watching these men get all flustered over another man was downright unsettling. Especially the ones squirming and twisting their bodies. [Sky-Sundering.] With a single motion of Hercules¡¯ hand, the burning sky split apart. The "Flaming Heavens" part of Mountain Shatter & Flaming Heavens was gone. But the flying mountain remained. The Sky-Sundering I experienced before was a divine art that could split the entire world in half. But this time, it only affected the sky. "Your technique proved useful." [Even Soul Barrier can be infused into Mountain Shatter & Flaming Heavens¡­?!] Wait. You can mix Soul Barrier into divine techniques like that? Hercules stretched out his massive hand toward the mountain. Yeah. His hands were huge. Fitting for a body that reached both heaven and earth. But the mountain was even bigger. That massive chunk of earth hurtled toward him, and he was trying to stop it with just his hands. [Ghhrrr¡­!] Hercules braced himself, his body straining under the weight. He took one step back. Then another. Ares seized the opportunity. He shot forward, wielding a single spear in one hand. Like a falling star, he flew. Compared to the demon-like, colossal Hercules, he looked like a righteous warrior. Just as he was about to unleash a heroic strike¡ª Rumble! A thunderclap roared across the sky. Was Zeus getting involved now? I had to take down Ares'' legion before that happened¡­! Boom! A bolt of lightning struck the flying mountain. In an instant, it began to split apart. The massive divine energy inside it scattered into the void. The mountain crumbled. "Ares. You didn¡¯t shatter the mountain. You just threw it." The one who actually shattered the mountain¡ª Was the massive hammer. A hammer so large, it was fitting for the giant hands of Hercules. "If you really wanted to break a mountain, you''d need something like this." [PR/N: LOVE AND THUNDER] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 135 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 135: Thor, the Protector "Thor¡­!" Ares scowled deeply. He gazed at the man standing proudly atop the shattered mountain. A massive figure, nearly twice the size of a normal person. His long golden hair fluttered in the wind, and his golden beard completely covered his nose and chin. Dressed in golden armor crackling with yellow lightning, he wielded a massive hammer in his hand. Then, as if adjusting to his size, the hammer shrank smoothly. So this was the God of Thunder, Thor? Just from his appearance, he looked immensely powerful. "What do you think you''re doing?" "Uh¡­ I was just trying to come down, but my hammer went off course." Rumble! Suddenly, his body transformed into lightning and landed right in front of me. Thor stood tall, shielding me. "Thanks to you lot, I ended up in serious debt. Now, I have to protect my creditor." Crackle! The ground was infused with electricity, and from within, people began emerging one by one. They were giants, just as large as Thor. Each wielded a hammer, surrounding me in a commanding stance. "We¡¯re still allies, aren¡¯t we?" Thor crossed his arms and looked at Ares. What a bold-looking guy. If he shaved his beard, he might look like a godly-class handsome man, but with his massive frame, he didn''t seem very human. "Lord Ares!" "Hmph. Asgard¡­ such trickery. Fall back for now." At his command, Ares'' subordinates withdrew in formation. A moment ago, the atmosphere was relatively free, but now it was razor-sharp with tension. Ares'' army. Thor''s army. The two factions stood at a standoff, watching each other carefully. "The battle is already decided. Asgard should just sit back and witness Olympus'' complete victory¡­ Why go out of your way to make enemies?" "You think we¡¯d trust those who owe us five trillion? We have to make sure Zeus doesn¡¯t win, no matter what." "That five trillion debt¡ªSP Exchange is owned by Kim Jiho. If he dies, wouldn''t the debt disappear?" "Loki already investigated. Even if Kim Jiho dies, SP Exchange won¡¯t disappear. It¡¯ll just become part of the system. Rather than letting a heartless system own it, it''s better if our side holds onto it." These bastards¡­ Where did they find out about that? If killing me would erase SP Exchange, they would''ve tried immediately. Still, for now, it was reassuring to have such solid protection. "You¡¯ve figured out quite a lot." Thor''s words made Ares, now wearing glasses, shake his head. "Asgard should have been wiped out¡­ Kim Jiho, your actions will be regretted for a long time." "Hahaha. Thanks to that, we still have hope." Ares pulled out the long spear he had planted in the ground and turned his back to us. "We¡¯re withdrawing for today." "Understood." "We captured Hercules, so it wasn¡¯t a complete loss. I managed to upgrade my Soul Reaper skill." Was he talking about when he was trapped by Zeus¡¯ lightning at the start? Tsk¡­ Well, it was still better than being completely captured. "If father regains more power, we can break the pact¡­" Ares'' body gradually became transparent. His summoned subordinates vanished one by one. "When that time comes, I¡¯ll personally kill you, Thor." "I look forward to it. I¡¯ll crush the War God¡¯s skull with Mjolnir." "Hmph. I¡¯ll be waiting." Ares disappeared without a trace. Was the penalty for breaking the Olympus-Asgard alliance really that severe? Ares, who had been burning with determination, retreated without a fight. At least I could breathe for now. "Creditor, this should be enough for an interest reduction, right?" Thor turned around and pounded my shoulder. His hands, as large as cauldron lids, slammed down, making me feel like my shoulder was about to break off. "It was just one time. I¡¯ll count it in my mind as a favor." "Hahaha! This guy¡ªyour eyes move like Loki¡¯s. Looks like you¡¯ll never actually reduce it." His slaps on my shoulder got even harder. Damn, this really hurts. "I appreciate your help." Hercules appeared, a sword still embedded in his chest. He bowed deeply to Thor in gratitude. "Hahaha. That¡¯s Hercules for you. Always quick to express thanks like a true warrior. You must have been a worthy opponent." "Not at all. I was severely weakened by Zeus'' lightning. If I had fought Ares, I would have lost." Hercules spoke calmly, then turned to me and bowed as well. "Thank you, Kim Jiho. Trying to rescue me in that situation¡­" "I was just repaying my mentor." "It¡¯s not much of a reward, but I¡¯ll relinquish my SP Exchange share purchase rights to you." "The right to buy shares?" The right to buy shares in SP Exchange. Even if I refused to sell, it was still valuable, considering the potential growth of SP Exchange. Yet, Hercules gave it up without hesitation. "When Zeus subdued me, I could feel it. He was looking for the share purchase rights." "Even if he finds them, I don¡¯t have to sell, right?" "If you die, the system might allow him to buy them." Oh¡­ The system isn¡¯t biased like I am against Zeus. It might just sell them logically. "He was more focused on finding a way to steal share purchase rights than even my skills." "Can those rights even be stolen?" "For SSS-rank beings, no, but he¡¯s now an EX-rank god¡­ He might have a way. Since you arrived in time, the rights weren¡¯t taken." [Hercules is relinquishing his SP Exchange share purchase rights. Do you accept?] A system message suddenly popped up. When I pressed "Yes," his purchase rights vanished completely. Hercules looked relieved. "Now, even if I get captured again, Zeus won¡¯t gain anything extra." With that settled, Thor suddenly plopped down. Even seated, his towering frame was about the same height as me. He stared at me intently. Even sitting down, his overwhelming presence was no joke. "Soul God, cut my interest a little." "I¡¯ll lower it by 1% if you keep protecting me." "That¡¯s a given. But shouldn¡¯t there be some extra bonuses too?" Thor stroked his beard while giving me a deep look. That stance¡­ was pure extortion. But I was the creditor here. Time to stand firm. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "Thanks for today, but I can¡¯t give you a bonus just yet. If I keep cutting interest every time, I¡¯ll go bankrupt. Help me out again next time, and I¡¯ll cut it for you then." ¡°Jeez... Are you even human? Usually, when I glare at someone like this, they just give in.¡± His stare was intense, but this wasn¡¯t enough to sway me. Hercules, standing beside us, spoke as if it were pointless. ¡°That guy even defied Zeus.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. No wonder this isn¡¯t working.¡± Thor suddenly sprang to his feet. He looked at me and asked, ¡°Then next time I save you, I¡¯ll expect a reward. But hey, you¡¯re planning to go to Earth, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stay descended on Earth all the time. It¡¯d be easier if I marked you.¡± ¡°A mark?¡± ¡°Yeah. Consider it my blessing.¡± Thor pointed at my left shoulder. With a loud crackle, lightning erupted. For a moment, my left shoulder burned with pain, but the sensation quickly faded. ¡°I¡¯ve engraved my mark there. If you''re in danger, just touch it and call for me. I¡¯ll come right away.¡± On my left shoulder, a yellow lightning-shaped mark had appeared. So this is Thor¡¯s mark. [Thor¡¯s Blessing has been engraved.] [You are an independent god. You cannot receive his divine protection.] [You become more attuned to the attribute of lightning.] ¡°I understand. Thank you.¡± ¡°So, next time, you¡¯ll cut my interest, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± I answered half-heartedly, making Thor sigh deeply. ¡°Damn it, Odin¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have become his adopted son. Zeus messed me up, and now I¡¯m stuck like this.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he your real father?¡± ¡°No. Originally, Odin and I were competing for the highest seat in Asgard. In the end, I gave it up and became his adopted son¡­ I trusted him because he was smart, but I never imagined he¡¯d screw things up this badly.¡± So he¡¯s not Odin¡¯s biological son? Thor grumbled about Odin for a while. ¡°Damn Odin. I¡¯m out of here.¡± With a wave, he vanished in a flash of lightning. Hercules turned to me and said, ¡°Kim Jiho, at least you got yourself a reliable bodyguard.¡± ¡°Yeah. He¡¯ll be useful until the treaty between Olympus and Asgard breaks.¡± ¡°Since you promised him compensation, you¡¯d better keep your word. Thor is infamous for swinging his hammer first and thinking later when he¡¯s pissed.¡± ¡°If he saves my life, sure, I¡¯ll cut some interest.¡± ¡°Haha. Good thinking. As long as he gets something in return, he¡¯ll be more willing to help.¡± Hercules waved at me. ¡°I should leave Eshtar too. If Olympus invades again, I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll be able to hold them off.¡± S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Was Zeus¡¯s lightning really that strong?¡± ¡°Yeah. Sure, I was in soul form, but¡­ even in my giant god form, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy. If his power were fully restored, I¡¯d already be captured and dragged back to Olympus.¡± Hercules¡¯ body started turning transparent. At the same time, the colossal figure on the beach began fading away. ¡°The Lords of Chaos need to reorganize, too. I¡¯ll contact you if anything important comes up.¡± ¡°Okay. Got it. Hmm¡­ But if you''re leaving, is it really safe for me to go to Earth? Zeus might throw a lightning bolt at me.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll actually be safer. Right now, Earth is swarming with gods trying to stake their claims. A weakened Zeus won¡¯t be able to interfere so easily. There aren¡¯t many gods there in the first place. Because of what Odin did, even Freya left for Asgard¡­¡± According to Hercules, the system of this broken world was on the verge of collapse. He glanced wistfully at the magical city of Eshtar. ¡°Still¡­ I made easy SP here. What a shame.¡± ¡°Oh, wait. I have two questions.¡± ¡°What are they?¡± ¡°Even after all this, will Chaos keep summoning dungeons on Earth?¡± ¡°For now, yeah. But their attacks might slow down. The headquarters will reassess whether to continue¡­ What else?¡± ¡°Can I awaken as a being of Chaos?¡± Hercules gave me a dumbfounded look. ¡°Chaos? Why now?¡± I explained the concept of soul fusion to him, making him fall into deep thought. ¡°Fusion¡­? First looting, then mediation, and now fusion? What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Yeah. Hades once tried to awaken me as a being of Chaos. I figured maybe you could, too.¡± ¡°That was back when you were human, right? He probably wanted to make you his subordinate and awaken you that way¡­ But now you¡¯re a god. It won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll check with Chaos when I get back. I¡¯ll contact you later.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Just as Hercules was disappearing, leaving only his upper body visible, he suddenly stopped. ¡°Oh! One more thing, Kim Jiho. Why do you fight like that?¡± ¡°What do you mean? Something wrong?¡± ¡°Why do you only use soul energy emmission? You don¡¯t imbue it into your skills.¡± ¡°It¡¯s inefficient for ranged attacks. Close combat is the best for efficiency.¡± ¡°But you can mix it into close combat skills. Don¡¯t you have any combat skills ranked S or higher?¡± S-rank combat skills? All I had were escape techniques¡­ Even my Thunder God skill was only A-rank. ¡°Nothing S-rank comes to mind.¡± ¡°You need at least an S-rank to damage gods. You should mix soul energy emission into it. That¡¯s the best way to enhance your attacks. Just like how Ares infused Soul Barrier into his technique.¡± Wait, that was possible? No skill description ever mentioned that¡­ ¡°If you do that, your fights will be way more efficient. Alright, now I¡¯m really leaving.¡± He waved and vanished. Damn. Couldn¡¯t he have told me this sooner¡­? Now that Hercules was gone, I had no reason to stay here. If Earth was safer, I should return home. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± I used my return skill to go back home. Had Zeus rewound time? My apartment, which had been uprooted, was perfectly intact. As soon as I arrived, I turned on the TV. I was curious about what had happened in the month I was gone. A commercial was playing. Guess it wasn¡¯t news time yet. Might as well drink a beer while watching. I popped open a can from my stash and flopped onto the couch, zoning out at the screen. Then the next commercial came on¡ª ¡°Pfft!¡± I spat out my beer. On the screen was Asura. Not just a representation of him, but the actual Asura I had saved. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 136 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 136: Earth, Once Again in Turmoil. On the screen, Asura was looking around. Despite his grotesque appearance as a dreadful entity, the horror seemed somewhat reduced due to the distant camera angle. With his foolish expression, he even looked a bit amusing. [Uh, should I look over here?] Did he get an OK signal or something? After clearing his throat several times, Asura suddenly summoned multiple weapons in his many arms. Swords, spears, axes, and other weaponry. Then, out of nowhere, he started demonstrating martial arts. Suddenly, a message appeared in the center of the TV screen. [The current footage is in slow motion.] Just as I was wondering what he was doing, bullets started pouring down on him. Dududududu! Bullets rained from all directions. With his huge frame, he made for a perfect target. But Asura began to skillfully deflect every single bullet with his weapons. Not a single round reached his body; he knocked them all away. Even though the footage is in slow motion, Asura''s movements are incredibly fast. The bullets fly at an excruciatingly slow pace, while he alone moves as if in real-time. [Now resuming normal speed.] As that caption appeared, the playback speed suddenly accelerated. Bullets, now moving at their usual rapid pace, were barely visible to the naked eye. Meanwhile, Asura swung his weapons at an insane speed, forming what looked like an impenetrable wall. After deflecting all the bullets, Asura lightly pressed his foot to the ground. Thud! The wasteland beneath him caved in. The cameras filming Asura all rose simultaneously. The angle naturally shifted upward, capturing Asura¡¯s face. He cleared his throat. [Ahem. Even if you are not awakened, if you join me, Asura, you too can awaken! Come to the temple and take part in the Awakening Ritual. I will make you strong!] Then, the screen gradually darkened, and a message appeared. A list of temples offering the Awakening Ritual was displayed, along with a note to visit the website for more details. What is this? Did I just hallucinate? As I sat there, baffled, another commercial began. This time, it''s an angel. [By the will of God, salvation for believers. Judgment upon Olympus.] Unlike Asura¡¯s over-the-top display, this advertisement was calm and composed. The angel¡¯s eyes glowed white, but their skin tone and features resembled an East Asian. Not Michael, then. Another angel? [Come to the place of faith and awaken. God will lead you to heaven.] The camera then shifted to an ICU. Inside, the angel walks among the patients. As they pray in the center of the room, a majestic light fills the intensive care unit. When the light faded, the patients slowly opened their eyes and begin to move. A literal miracle. The angel smiled gently at the recovering patients. Then, the screen gradually blurred, revealing a list of churches and cathedrals in Korea offering the Awakening Ritual. A note instructed viewers to check the website for details. ¡°What the hell is going on? Are gods just casually intervening in the world now?¡± As I stared at the TV in disbelief, more and more commercials promoting religious awakenings appeared. Christianity and Buddhism, already dominant in Korea, promoted their numbers, while smaller religions highlighted their exclusive support for awakened individuals as a selling point. It seems like there are more awakening advertisements than actual product commercials now. ¡°What the hell happened in just one month?¡± While watching these divine power showcase ads, the news broadcast began. I grabbed another beer and turned my attention to the screen. The first scene was already shocking. [As always, our top story covers the latest from the UN and the World Hunter Headquarters.] [You¡¯ve seen this footage many times before, but we¡¯ll replay it once again.] The footage played. A large conference hall marked "UN Headquarters" filled with people engaged in heated discussions. Then, the atmosphere grew tense, and the UN Secretary-General stepped onto the podium. "Humans, cease your meaningless debates." Suddenly, a massive figure dropped into the frame. Thud. The UN Secretary-General was crushed underfoot, his body pixelated on screen. But the crimson color seeping out left no doubt¡ªhe''s been obliterated. The conference erupted into chaos as security forces rush in, opening fire. But the bullets passed through the figure as if he weren¡¯t even there. "Burn." With a mere gesture of his finger, flames engulfed the delegates. World leaders were reduced to nothing more than ashes in an instant. "Aaaahhh!" S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The cameraman screamed, and the figure pointed a finger at him. "Freeze." The camera locks in place. The man smirks. His face resembles Ares. The only difference is their hair¡ªAres has wavy curls, while this man has long, straight hair. "I, Apollo, proclaim this." Apollo? That explains the resemblance¡ªthey¡¯re half-brothers. He continues his arrogant declaration. "Humans, accept your fate. My father, Zeus, will soon resume his judgment. Devote yourselves fully when that time comes." Apollo¡¯s body starts to fade. His final words echo through the chamber. "Zeus'' judgment will continue. Surrender your hearts and obey. Become the Thunder Spirits." Then, he vanished completely. The UN Secretary-General is dead, world leaders have been incinerated, and only the cameraman remains... or so it seems. "Rise." "Time Reversal." A flash of light erupts in the air, and familiar figures begin to appear. Michael, taking the form of my father, and the Guanyin Bodhisattva I saw at the seal. One by one, other divine beings representing major religions manifested in the UN hall. As they extended their hands, the deceased began to revive. Time itself reversed within the space, restoring everyone to life before they burned. "What... is this?" "How...?" The leaders, bewildered, look around in shock. "Leaders of the world, I am the Avatar of Michael." "And I am the Avatar of the Bodhisattva Guanyin." One by one, the gods introduce themselves. The gathered humans stare at them in disbelief. "We were sealed away by Olympus." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] "But now, freed from our seals, we have descended to actively protect humanity." The gods slowly began to ascend the platform. The news broadcast ended there. [From that day on, the gods informed us that Zeus intended to turn all of humanity into thunder spirits.] [After that, various religions began conducting their own awakening rituals.] [The gods have stated that Zeus'' judgment is less effective on those who have awakened.] The broadcast then explained how certain religions were more specialized in particular classes, while others had their own areas of expertise. News outlets also promoted the idea that in religions with fewer followers than the major ones, people could become awakened more quickly since there was no waiting list. [Asgard, once suspected of colluding with Olympus, has been officially cleared of such allegations by the Divine Alliance.] [In fact, the Divine Alliance announced that thanks to Asgard¡¯s decision, they were able to break free from their seal. At the same time, they declared that Asgard would now be accepted into the Divine Alliance.] The news had completely transformed... There was no more ordinary news¡ªonly endless stories about the gods. Well, it had to be shocking, after all. Looking through the news and gathering information online, I was able to confirm a few things. Zeus'' lightning strike and time manipulation had been erased from people''s memories. However, some high-ranking awakened individuals still remembered. Many of them suffered unbearable pain, with some even losing their minds or going insane. Among them, a few claimed that Zeus had mentioned "Kim Jiho" and started asking who that was... But since it was such a common name, my identity hadn¡¯t been exposed. And ever since Zeus¡¯ judgment that day, nothing else had happened. However, starting two weeks ago, sealed gods began to take action and deliver divine messages to their followers. As a result, a week ago, the UN convened a meeting of world leaders... But then, Apollo appeared and killed them all. Then, after he vanished, the gods appeared and resurrected everyone. The timing of all this was way too perfect. [Haha, I got the guardian deity Asura! My starting stats are insane¡ªmy strength is 20!] [If you go to a minor religion, they pour all the ability points into each individual! My friend went to Cheondoism and got all stats at 25.] [? Stop spreading baseless rumors. Don¡¯t promote minor religions.] [? Yeah, my friend tried a minor religion, but the organization had poor support, and he couldn¡¯t even get into a dungeon. No proof, no talk.] Online, heated religious debates were in full swing. But rather than fighting over doctrines, people were arguing about which religion offered the best perks. In our country, the dominant religions were still Christianity and Buddhism. And now, Asgard¡ªpreviously seen as the ruling force of the world¡ªwas being accepted as one of the major religions. Lower down the ranks were somewhat less popular "minor" religions, which had been categorized in online rankings. Islam and Hinduism, which weren¡¯t widely practiced in Korea but had large followings overseas, were considered stable minor religions. They were probably major ones in the Middle East or India. Below them, the situation was much more unpredictable. Because of rampant misinformation, people were hesitant to make a choice. That¡¯s why major religions were selectively recruiting only highly talented individuals, while minor religions were accepting just about anyone. As soon as they joined, people were awakening. Stronger bodies, firmer skin. Even the elderly were regaining their youth, as seen in interviews. "Major religions don¡¯t easily accept new members, especially not old folks like us. The best way to live a healthier life, even for just one more year, is to awaken as soon as possible¡ªno matter where." The screen showed Lee Junghoon (73) being interviewed. He barely looked like he was in his 30s or 40s. He even revealed his ID, urging people to join minor religions and enjoy the benefits of youth. He proudly shared how he and his wife had both awakened, regained their youth, and even revitalized their marital life before the interview ended. Wow, grandpa got his groove back. At this rate, the entire population would become awakened beings. [Soaring number of awakened individuals, but not enough dungeons¡ªurgent measures needed for dungeon supply.] [The closed-off Broken World¡ªHunter industry jobs disappearing.] [Anonymous hunter insider warns: At this rate, everyone will be stuck at F or D rank and die.] Browsing the news, I saw more and more reports like these. Especially in the Hunter community, discussions about dungeon shortages were everywhere. Well, it made sense. High-level hunters used to level up in the Broken World. But now that it was gone, their path to gaining strength had disappeared. The Chaos beings claimed that dungeons would still appear, but there was no way they could meet this overwhelming demand. "Whatever, it¡¯ll work itself out." That wasn¡¯t something I needed to worry about. I already had enough on my plate with SP trading and everything else. And now, there was even something called the Divine Alliance¡ªthey could handle it. After a month of being away, my phone had been off. As I charged it and browsed the web, a call came in. [Caller: Lee Jinseong.] Well, he¡¯s the only one who¡¯d call me anyway. As soon as I picked up, he started yelling. -Oh, mighty god! Have you finally finished your awakening? "Yeah. How¡¯d you know?" -I got a message too. It said the god I serve has fully awakened as the True Soul God. Oh? So even my apostles get notifications? Interesting. -So, I called to check, and you actually answered. "Yeah. Nothing major happened, right? I just finished awakening and started catching up on the news¡ªit''s crazy." Lee Jinseong hesitated for a moment. Then, he spoke cautiously. -Someone wants to give up being your apostle. "Huh? Someone wants to renounce apostleship?" -Yeah. Do you remember that middle-aged guy among your apostles? I recognized his face, but I couldn¡¯t recall his name. I checked the Apostle Status window for confirmation¡ªhis name was Lee Jaehyun. But next to his name¡­ [Inactive.] An "X" mark appeared beside it. "It says he¡¯s inactive. What happened?" Lee Jinseong sighed before answering. -Well¡­ the thing is¡­ After hesitating for a bit, he finally explained. -That guy¡­ he''s been in a coma ever since the day Zeus¡¯ lightning struck. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 137 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 137: First Apostle Meeting (1) "Struck by Zeus'' lightning...? Wasn''t that a month ago?" -Yeah. "So, he''s been in a coma since then?" -Yep. He hasn¡¯t regained consciousness at all. Hmm. I recalled something I learned earlier while gathering information. Most people forgot about Zeus¡¯ lightning, but a few high-ranking Awakened remembered it, and some even lost their minds or went insane due to the pain. "Did he end up like that because he remembers getting struck?" -I remember it too. It hurt like hell. Ugh... Suddenly, Jinseong started cursing. He went on and on about how agonizing the lightning was. -Wow. It was seriously like electric torture from hell... It didn¡¯t actually last long, but it felt like days had passed. And it wasn¡¯t even like they were trying to make us surrender¡ªjust endless electrocution. I swear, just thinking about Zeus makes my teeth grind. He kept ranting about how he thought he was going to die for a good ten minutes. I should cut him off here. "Hey... but you seem fine, though?" -Oh, yeah. I suffered for a few days but managed to endure it. "What about the other apostles? Do they remember getting struck?" -Yeah. Among our guild members, Kang Shia and Lee Hyeju remember it too. They all overcame it on their own. As for my other apostles... Diana was in the Apostle¡¯s Garden, and Drakina was wandering around with Drakia in Kevrian, so they had nothing to do with Zeus'' lightning. So out of the four humans, three endured it, and one ended up in a coma? "Is it common for people who were struck by lightning to fall into a coma?" -We looked into it, but it¡¯s not that common. Some people went insane from the pain, but full comas like this were rare. Still, there were a few cases. "So, there were some. Any common factors?" -Hmm, it''s hard to call it a pattern, but... they were all devout believers. Apparently, those who fell into a coma were people who were fanatically devoted to the supreme gods. Previously, it was Zeus. This time, it was Odin. These were people who had given themselves over to Zeus or Odin with absolute faith. After the Zeus lightning incident, they collapsed. "There must be a lot of devout believers of Zeus and Odin, though? They basically replaced the old gods." -Ah, but the people who fell into comas have one specific thing in common. They were originally non-religious, but after dungeons appeared, they started believing in Zeus or Odin. "Ohh..." Originally, Zeus and Odin had taken over the roles of the major religions in the world. Christians and Buddhists had started worshiping Zeus and Odin as their supreme gods. But the ones who fell into comas were people who had no religion before dungeons appeared. When chaos descended upon the world, they found faith in Zeus and Odin. -Yeah. That seems to be the pattern. "But what does that have to do with renouncing apostleship?" -The major religions claim they have ways to cure people in these comas. Since Lee Jaehyun was a promising hunter, both the Christian and Buddhist groups have offered to heal him. A promising hunter? Was he really at that level? He only grew this strong because he became my apostle. Originally, he didn¡¯t have that kind of potential. -Lee Hyeju has been begging non-stop. She even got down on her knees, pleading for me to release her father from apostleship so he can wake up. "You sure do care a lot about her." -Ah, shut up. She was my former boss. And I knew Jaehyun too. Heh. If you say so. "Fine, I''ll revoke his apostleship." -Really? You won¡¯t suffer any consequences? The only downside is that my soul mediation efficiency will drop a little. But the world has changed so much that I can just recruit new apostles anyway. "Not a big deal. Saving him comes first. But is it just him? What about the others?" -Hmm... I''ll ask. Maybe they feel too guilty to bring it up. I mean, in a way, it¡¯s like switching to a new god now that there are more choices available. Like abandoning your first god for a better deal. Oh... I hadn¡¯t thought of it like that. In the old world, the system exploited Awakened individuals. Olympus and Asgard took turns monopolizing them, extracting every last bit of SP. In contrast, I was very generous. Jinseong didn¡¯t even have his SP collected, and for the others, I only took the bare minimum. That¡¯s why they grew so fast. Hmm. But even if other divine realms are desperate to recruit Awakened people, could they really offer better benefits than me? I recruited apostles primarily for my Soul Mediation Multi-Skill, but other gods need apostles to harvest SP from them. In terms of efficiency, I should be the better option... "Are other gods really offering better perks than me? Honest question." -Of course I¡¯d still pick you. But if I wasn¡¯t your friend and this was just a normal apostle contract...? "And? What then?" -I¡¯d switch, obviously, dumbass. Your side only has one god, but the other has a whole lineup of famous ones. It¡¯s like choosing between a small company and a major corporation. If you got job offers from both, you''d go for the big company, right? The only difference is that here, the small company offers a higher salary. But in the end, stability is more important. Ugh. That analogy hit too close to home. Yeah, I¡¯m technically a special class as a Soul God, but I¡¯m still just a low-ranked deity. Meanwhile, those guys are high-ranked gods who have been established rulers of Earth¡¯s faith for ages. Even I would probably switch. "Ugh... But my benefits are still better." -Stability matters more. Even minor gods offer great perks. "Tch, fine. I¡¯ll cancel the contract with Jaehyun first. I just do it from here?" -Yeah. Let me know once it¡¯s done. I¡¯ll contact Lee Hyeju. "Heh. Alright then, go make your call." -Heh? What¡¯s with the attitude? Tch, and you''re a guardian deity now... He¡¯s way too concerned about Lee Hyeju. I was tempted to tease him more but decided to let it slide since I was officially a god now. As I opened the keyword menu for the Apostle¡¯s Garden, I noticed there was also an option to undo apostleship. I hadn¡¯t expected to use it this soon. The available keywords for Lee Jaehyun, who was marked with an X, were [Check Stats], [Retrieve SP], and [Undo Apostleship]. I considered retrieving the SP before undoing it, but since it wasn¡¯t much, I decided to take the high road and clicked on [Undo Apostleship]. [Are you sure you want to terminate the apostleship contract?] [Once an apostle contract is terminated, you will never be able to form an apostle contract with that person again.] So, there was such a condition. Without hesitation, I pressed [Yes]. The process of termination began. [The apostleship contract with Lee Jaehyun is being terminated.] [All SP invested in Apostle Lee Jaehyun will remain with him. Are you sure you want to proceed?] I hadn¡¯t invested much anyway, so it didn¡¯t matter. I pressed [Yes], and Lee Jaehyun¡¯s figure slowly disappeared from the Apostle¡¯s Garden. A message popped up. [The apostleship contract with Lee Jaehyun has been terminated.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± -Ah, really? Got it. I¡¯ll call you later. Jinseong, clearly pleased, quickly ended the call. That guy. He''s probably rushing to contact Lee Hyeju. Well, that¡¯s his problem. Meanwhile, my eyes kept catching recruitment ads for Awakened beings on TV and the internet. Should I be recruiting as well? Maybe I couldn¡¯t reach the level of a personal Kim Jiho¡¯s divine realm, but I needed to diversify my SP income streams. Ever since the SP exchange market was established, the earnings from my SP mediation skill had decreased. But it was still profitable. If I aggressively recruited apostles to enhance the efficiency of my SP mediation skill, it could turn into a great source of income. In battles between gods, SP consumption was practically mandatory. In real-world wars, at least land is conquered, but in Olympus, even if I wiped out enemies, it wouldn¡¯t increase my earnings. I had to keep brainstorming ways to increase my SP supply. The money was decent for now, but if I didn¡¯t keep upgrading, I¡¯d find myself out of SP at a critical moment, leading to ruin. Should I register my divine realm under Kim Jiho¡¯s name as a minor faction? Sigh. There was a time when my conditions were considered highly attractive... But now, thanks to all the gods scrambling to recruit apostles, I felt like my business had suddenly turned into a tiny shop. Hmm. I needed to recruit apostles. And I also had to consider what Hercules had mentioned. An S-rank or higher skill. He said that combining it with Soul Emission and Soul Barrier would yield great results. But I didn¡¯t even have an S-rank combat skill. As I checked my skill window, my eyes drifted past the semi-transparent display to the TV screen. Asura was making a ridiculous expression in another commercial. ¡°Oh. Asura!¡± Right. I was supposed to claim a reward for saving his life. Since he was an SSS-rank god specialized in combat, he must have some useful skills, right? I immediately initiated communication. ¡°Asura, sir.¡± [Oh, Kim Jiho? Long time no see.] ¡°I saw your commercial.¡± [Hrm... Humans have so many demands. Couldn¡¯t they just film my majestic presence?] ¡°These days, humans are picky. They need performance. But you did great, Asura, sir.¡± [Haha. Thanks.] ¡°By the way, is it really okay for you to come down to the mortal world for a commercial? I thought interference from chaos was an issue before.¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [After Zeus upgraded to EX rank, the rules about chaos interference became ambiguous. However, if we stay too long, it disrupts the balance of the world. So we can only manifest briefly with limited authority.] Even SSS-rank gods were openly shooting commercials, but Asura¡¯s answer explained why. Hmm. So staying for too long was still a problem. ¡°If descending for too long disrupts balance, wouldn¡¯t it be a major issue if Olympus started descending recklessly?¡± [Zeus won¡¯t want to disrupt the balance too soon¡ªnot before he completes his plan to turn all of humanity into thunder spirits. If things go wrong, the consequences are unpredictable.] So it was literally an unforeseeable risk, which was why he was avoiding breaking the balance too hastily. Yet, countless divine factions seemed to be descending all over the place... Well, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re managing it somehow. I should focus on the main issue. ¡°Asura, sir, do you remember the reward you promised me for saving your life?¡± [Of course. A god must repay their debts.] ¡°Would it be possible to receive a combat skill as my reward?¡± [Hmm... A combat skill?] Asura nodded thoughtfully at my request. [When you fought Pollux, I could tell. No matter how good your sword and shield are, a warrior¡¯s skill matters the most.] ¡°I¡¯ve improved since then, but there are just too many strong opponents.¡± I told him about Ares, and Asura¡¯s fighting spirit flared up. [The War God Ares... Quite a famous figure. We know him better as Mars, his Roman name. He¡¯s strong.] ¡°On top of that, he¡¯s combined his abilities with the Soul Reaper skill. If Thor hadn¡¯t arrived, I don¡¯t know how things would¡¯ve turned out.¡± [Indeed. A war god combined with a soul-reaping skill is a formidable opponent. Are you asking for a combat skill to fight him?] ¡°I¡¯m not planning to challenge him right away. I need to gather more strength first.¡± [Understood. If that¡¯s your goal, I must help you. Come to Bongeunsa in three days.] ¡°Bongeunsa?¡± [Yes. I¡¯ll send an avatar there.] With that, Asura ended the call. He readily agreed to grant me a skill¡ªgood. I sank into the couch, contemplating what to do for the next three days. It would be best to recruit more apostles on Earth. But my appeal seemed to have dropped significantly. Were the conditions offered by minor gods really that good? I searched TV and the internet for information, but found nothing useful¡ªonly an overwhelming number of advertisements. Well, I hadn¡¯t been an apostle for long, so there wasn¡¯t likely to be any structured information available yet. As I was deep in thought, I received a message from an apostle. It was from Kang Shia. [Guardian, may I meet with you?] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 138 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 138: First Apostle Meeting (2) A massive building near the Hunter Association. This is the headquarters of the Daehyun Guild, led by Kang Shia. ¡°Impressive.¡± Is it because they¡¯re such a successful guild? Owning an entire skyscraper in the heart of Gangnam¡­ Well, Daehyun was originally a major corporation anyway. Looking at the floors, it seems the Daehyun Guild doesn¡¯t use the whole building¡ªsome floors are occupied by Daehyun¡¯s subsidiaries. As I reached the 43rd floor, a group of burly men blocked my way. ¡°How may we help you?¡± They were standing in my way, preventing me from passing. This is the 43rd floor, right? As I stared at them blankly, one of the men next to me seemed to recognize my face and quickly spoke up. ¡°Oh. This is today¡¯s guest.¡± ¡°My apologies. Please, come this way.¡± The guards stepped aside. One of them bowed deeply to me. ¡°My apologies for the inconvenience. You must be Kim Jiho?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Kang Shia has instructed us to escort you to the conference room. Please follow me.¡± I followed him into the conference room. A massive space, capable of accommodating over a hundred people. Yet inside, only three people were waiting. Kang Shia stood in the center of the room. Beside her was Lee Hyeju, looking grim. A short distance away, arms crossed and eyes closed, stood Lee Jinseong. As I entered, all three turned to look at me, visibly startled. ¡°Oh, Kim Jiho?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The two women stared at me, utterly mesmerized. Even Lee Jinseong¡¯s mouth hung open before he snapped out of it. ¡°Damn. You really awakened? You look even more incredible than before. I seriously considered kneeling.¡± ¡°Huh. Normal people don¡¯t react like this, but it seems apostles do.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Please, sit here, Guardian.¡± Kang Shia personally pulled out a chair for me and offered me a seat. As I sank into it, I noticed the women¡¯s faces turning as red as ripe persimmons. Thump. Thump. Thump. Gulp. Their heartbeats were loud. Even the sound of them swallowing was clear. Being this sensitive is a hassle. Lee Hyeju avoided my gaze and whispered to Kang Shia. ¡°This is a bit much¡­ Expanding the number of apostles might not be a good idea.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ My heart is racing.¡± This reaction¡ªit¡¯s similar to what happened with Diana. They can¡¯t even meet my gaze, their faces flushed red. It makes sense for Kang Shia since we had a prior connection, but Lee Hyeju? Curious, I asked. ¡°Hyeju, how do you feel when you look at me? Does your heart race?¡± Even as I spoke, I realized how ridiculous the question sounded. A normal response would be, ¡®What the hell is wrong with you?¡¯ But instead, Lee Hyeju¡¯s face turned even redder. She avoided my gaze and hesitated. ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m genuinely curious. Why do my female apostles react this way?¡± As I leaned slightly toward her, Lee Jinseong stepped between us. ¡°Ahem! Hey, cut it out!¡± Ah. This guy. Seems like he has some feelings for her. Daring to defy the Guardian? A true man. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Respecting his loyalty to his friend, I stepped back. Then, I looked him over. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t seem all that different from last time.¡± ¡°Hmm. You still shine brilliantly, but the first time was the most shocking.¡± ¡°Huh. I¡¯ve actually improved a lot since then. If your reaction is only at this level, something must be off.¡± I¡¯ve gone from a half-baked god to a full-fledged one. Back then, even the spirit of Guan Yu within him disappeared. But now, this guy is standing his ground. Love power? That¡¯s one explanation, but we¡¯re barely at the ¡®crush¡¯ stage. Could it be something else? ¡°Oh, I adjusted the restrictions on apostles before. Maybe that has something to do with it?¡± ¡°I should test it.¡± I adjusted the restrictions on Kang Shia and Lee Hyeju, changing them from maximum to minimal. Their gazes gradually returned to normal. Lee Hyeju, in particular, quickly regained her composure. ¡°Phew. This is much better.¡± ¡°Earlier was really¡­¡± Kang Shia trailed off. She took a deep breath and met my eyes again. ¡°Guardian, thank you for accepting my invitation.¡± She bowed deeply. Click. Clack. Her heels echoed as she stepped up onto the stage in the conference room. As she did, a massive screen appeared behind her. [Apostle Progress Report] Kang Shia suddenly began a presentation. It was a clear and concise summary of the apostle situation in South Korea and the benefits provided by various divine realms. ¡°Currently, about 5% of South Korea¡¯s population¡ªapproximately 2.5 million people¡ªhave successfully awakened.¡± 5%? 2.5 million is a massive number. ¡°In the past, less than 1% of the population awakened and became hunters. Now, that number has increased fivefold.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Guardian, please don¡¯t use honorifics with me. It feels like blasphemy¡­¡± Kang Shia made the request cautiously. At that, Lee Hyeju shot me a sharp glare before quickly turning away, her face flushed again. Even with the restrictions loosened, they¡¯re still affected, huh? ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Oddly, she looked relieved that I was speaking casually. She continued with her explanation. ¡°The most popular divine realms in South Korea are Christianity and Buddhism. Their benefits aren¡¯t particularly overwhelming, just slightly better than those of regular awakened individuals.¡± Major religions grant about 2-3 times the benefits of regular awakened beings. Christianity focuses more on magic and healing, while Buddhism, likely influenced by Asura, emphasizes warrior abilities. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] As for Asgard, another major divine faction, they¡¯ve recently increased their benefits, specializing in agility-based archers. However, compared to minor religions, their benefits are relatively modest. Still, people choose major religions for their stability. ¡°There are other advantages to major religions. For example, the major factions were the first to reach out to us with a method to heal Lee Jaehyun.¡± At that, Lee Hyeju glanced at me. "How did that matter go? Has he recovered?" "He¡¯s still... undergoing treatment, as far as I know." Lee Hyeju answered me politely. I never imagined she would be this respectful to me¡ªhow curious. "Ahem. This time, I''ll explain about the minor side." Kang Shia began her explanation. She focused her presentation on the benefits of minor religions and the percentage of people choosing them. Even if they were considered "minor," religions like Islam or Hinduism were major in other countries. Or even Taoism, which had once dominated the East. These were treated as quasi-major religions. Foreign, but still stable¡ªsomething like that. "Do minor religions offer that many benefits?" "Yes." "Looking at this, it seems like we have the best benefits." "That''s correct. People still don''t quite grasp the concept of SP. To be honest, neither do we..." Kang Shia glanced at me before continuing. "There is still little information available about SP. So, people don''t yet realize the immense advantages granted by the Guardian Deity." "Hmm. Kang Shia, how much of a benefit difference do you think there is between my apostles and those of minor gods?" Kang Shia answered as if she had been prepared for the question. "In terms of Soul Energy Emission and soul barrier, I cannot make an assessment due to my low rank, so I will exclude those aspects from my answer." "Alright." "I believe the difference is at least three to five times." "Really...?" Soul Energy Emission and soul barrier were newly added abilities. And since no one had reached even A-rank yet, there hadn¡¯t been much opportunity to use them. In truth, the core strength of my apostles was their ability to use those two skills. That was a tremendous advantage. Especially in battles against gods... But since the awakened ones on Earth were still at a low level, it wasn¡¯t much use for now. Everyone was busy leveling up and distributing their stat points, so they probably didn¡¯t even understand what these abilities were. Even without considering those two skills, if my benefits were three to five times better than those given by minor religions, that was a massive difference. "So, I have the most benefits, huh?" "Yes. Based on my research, that seems to be the case. That¡¯s why I have a question for you, Guardian Deity." "Hmm. Actually, you don¡¯t need to call me ¡®Guardian Deity¡¯ anymore. I¡¯ll revoke the Oath of the Divine King. Now that Zeus has reached EX-rank, it seems the world''s loop will finally end." Since she kept calling me "Guardian Deity," I revoked the Oath of the Divine King on the spot. With just a simple word from me, the oath was undone. The apostles'' contracts remained intact, but the confidentiality clause was effortlessly erased. "Ah, then... how should I address you?" "Just call me like you used to¡ªJiho." Kang Shia''s face lit up as she responded. "Yes, Jiho-nim." "I... I mean, I don¡¯t have to call you ¡®Guardian Deity¡¯ anymore either, right?" "Yes, feel free to speak comfortably. But, Hyeju, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever been close, so don¡¯t act like we were." During the transition from Olympus to Asgard, memories were altered in strange ways, making Lee Hyeju act as if we had been close in the past. When I pointed that out, she went "Ah..." and nodded. "Today, as I accompany you, Guardian¡ªno, Jiho-nim¡ªthere''s something I really wanted to ask." "What is it?" "Are you planning to expand the number of apostles?" That was a fair question. After accepting Lee Jinseong as an apostle and integrating part of the Daehyun Guild, I hadn¡¯t recruited any more. "The past and the present are completely different. In the old world, Olympus and Asgard were stuck in an endless cycle, taking turns ruling. Back then, secrecy was essential for everything." The three of them nodded in agreement. I continued. "But now things have changed. The endless loop is over. Zeus has become an EX-rank god, and I have lifted the seals on the gods. Unlike before, there¡¯s no longer a need for strict secrecy when recruiting apostles." "Yes, now everyone knows." "In this situation, expanding the number of apostles wouldn''t be a problem. Especially since having more apostles would be beneficial for me in gaining SP." Hearing this, Kang Shia let out a relieved sigh. "That¡¯s a relief. Since you¡¯ve expressed such intentions, Jiho-nim." "Really?" "Yes. That means I don¡¯t have to discard the materials I prepared." The screen flipped to the next slide. "Project Title: Guardian Deity''s Apostle Expansion Plan." That was the first thing that caught my eye. "What the heck is this?" "I took the liberty of preparing some materials for the prosperity of the Guardian Deity." When did she even prepare this? I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the apostles after appointing them. To be honest, I thought she had asked to meet today to say something like, ¡®I want to transfer to another god¡¯s domain. Please let me leave. Boohoo.¡¯ This was too good to keep to myself. "Can I summon the other apostles?" Kang Shia bowed her head deeply before responding. "Jiho-nim, you are my Guardian Deity. You do not need permission from an apostle." "Ah, right. Thanks." I still wasn¡¯t used to being treated like this. Might as well summon all the apostles. First, I summoned Diana. Then I messaged Drakina, telling her to come in human form before summoning her. Two apostles appeared in the conference room. "Jiho-nim, you called for me?" As soon as she was summoned, Diana greeted me with a polite bow. "Ah, I was just about to take a break... huh?" Drakina, who had been grumbling, froze as soon as she saw my face. She hadn¡¯t seen me since I became a god. "Did you fall for me?" "Ugh... W-what is this pressure...?" Hmm. Instead of being captivated, she seemed more scared. I weakened my restraints a little, and she let out a relieved sigh. "Wow. That was some insane pressure. What the hell happened? Did you actually become a god? Damn! The last time I saw you, you were in my lair. How did you get this strong so fast?" "Show some respect to the Guardian Deity." "How rude." The two women snapped at Drakina. I clapped my hands to calm them down. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "She¡¯s always been like this. Drakina, keep your mouth shut." "Tch. Is this divine speech or something? It¡¯s even stronger than dragon speech. Fine, fine." "Alright, I¡¯d like to hear Kang Shia¡¯s explanation now." "Understood. I will begin the presentation." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 139 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 139: Olympus Dungeon (1) ¡°I have a question for you, Jiho. How many apostles can you have?¡± At her words, I checked the level of the Apostle¡¯s Garden. The level kept increasing. Since the SP consumption wasn¡¯t too high, I kept raising it until it reached level 100 before I knew it. Once it surpassed level 50, the number of allowed apostles started increasing rapidly, and when it hit level 100, the limit reached a thousand. Is this the max? I tried to raise the level further, but a message popped up saying that at S-rank, the number of apostles was limited to 1,000. ¡°It looks like the limit is 1,000.¡± Kang Shia nodded at my words. She reacted as if she had expected the number to be lower. ¡°1,000¡­ Then we¡¯ll have to recruit only elite hunters.¡± ¡°Kang Shia, wouldn¡¯t that be difficult? The top-tier hunters already have patron gods.¡± ¡°Hyeju is right. The hunters from the Asgard era have mostly sworn loyalty to Asgardian gods. While Asgard has said they don¡¯t mind if their hunters switch allegiances, they¡¯ve provided major benefits to keep them in place. Most of the highest-ranked hunters are still with Asgard. They¡¯d rather keep their current positions than risk losing their advantages.¡± So, hunters with patron gods can switch deities. But they just don¡¯t feel the need to? That explains the current situation. If that¡¯s the case, I probably can¡¯t even recruit mid-to-upper-tier hunters easily. Everyone is desperate to recruit people. ¡°So that means they won¡¯t come to our side?¡± ¡°Yes. Honestly, I don¡¯t think we can get the highest-ranked ones. But I do think there¡¯s a way to attract upper-tier hunters.¡± Kang Shia pointed at Lee Jinseong. ¡°When our guild was struggling, Jiho took us all in as apostles. After that, when Lee Jinseong reached B-rank, Daehyun Guild benefited a lot from the publicity. Tons of people asked how he leveled up so fast. If we say it was thanks to Jiho, our patron god¡­¡± ¡°That was back when gods were still sealed. Would that still work now? These days, gods are competing aggressively to attract Awakened individuals with benefits.¡± Diana raised her hand to question it. She had a point. Back then, the benefits were minor, but now, gods are offering major incentives. There¡¯s no differentiation. Kang Shia looked at Diana and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. This is just a way to remind people about Lee Jinseong¡¯s rapid growth back then.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°We need to emphasize Jiho as the first human of the 21st century to ascend to godhood. A human patron god. No, a god.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. Right now, people aren¡¯t even considering the possibility of becoming gods themselves. But if we reveal that Jiho has ascended, it¡¯ll generate immense interest.¡± At that, Drakina, who had been listening with a dissatisfied expression, immediately countered. ¡°That¡¯s because this one¡­ I mean, this patron god is a uniquely exceptional Awakened. Regular humans can¡¯t do it. Even among dragons, successful cases are rare.¡± ¡°But humans don¡¯t know that. And we don¡¯t need to attract everyone. The limit is just 1,000 people. We were even thinking of doing a commercial, but now we won¡¯t need to.¡± Kang Shia sounded disappointed, as if the ad had been a major part of the original plan. Was I really about to be in an Asura-style commercial? As the first human god of the 21st century? ¡°The world has changed drastically. The powerful elites of humanity have learned ways to extend their lifespans. They¡¯re not choosing religions hastily; they¡¯re watching and scheming, searching for ways to stay young. Those who were already religious have awakened, but there are still plenty of high-ranking individuals and elite Awakened waiting on the sidelines.¡± ¡°Would such cautious people be willing to accept me as their patron god?¡± ¡°They see someone who started from the same point as them, who has already ascended to godhood and is recruiting apostles. And on top of that, they can gain a unique ability¡ªSP.¡± ¡°A unique ability?¡± ¡°SP. Most people still don¡¯t know about it. It seems like gods are deliberately keeping it a secret.¡± You only learn about SP when you reach B-rank. I had heard that the public wasn¡¯t aware of it yet. ¡°But as more people reach B-rank, high-ranking individuals are starting to grasp the concept. If they learn they can acquire SP, they¡¯ll be interested.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°And if we promote that this is what led to your ascension, we can attract even more talent.¡± Apostles increase soul mediation efficiency¡ª5% for A-rank apostles, 2% for B-rank, and 1% for C-rank. I don¡¯t know the exact rates for lower ranks, but I should at least recruit C-rank or higher. I didn¡¯t ascend only because of SP, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to embellish the story a little. ¡°But would everyone really want to become a god?¡± ¡°Gods don¡¯t die or age, do they?¡± ¡°Yeah. Immortal, ageless, eternal.¡± ¡°Then of course they¡¯d want to. It¡¯s the ultimate dream of the powerful.¡± Ah. There was that story about a major corporate CEO once saying¡ªif he could regain his youth, he¡¯d give up all his wealth. No matter how rich or famous someone was, death had always been the great equalizer. Now they want to escape even that. That makes sense. ¡°So how do you plan to spread this information?¡± ¡°That depends on your decision, Jiho. Do you want it to spread secretly, or would you prefer a rapid announcement? That will determine our approach.¡± ¡°Hmm, taking it slow seems awkward. 1,000 is a small number compared to the world population, but it¡¯s a lot when limited to high-ranking Awakened.¡± ¡°Exactly. And the top-tier Awakened are highly valued by existing religions. If we proceed secretly, recruitment will be slow.¡± I hate dealing with complicated things¡­ But I have no idea what Zeus might pull, so I need to increase my SP income and grow stronger as fast as possible. Even with C-rank apostles, filling up all 1,000 slots would give me a 1,000% boost¡ªten times more than I earn through the SP exchange. I need to gather people quickly. ¡°Can we recruit from other planets?¡± ¡°Elves and dwarves are deeply devoted to their own religions. And Elprian is still recovering, so she probably won¡¯t hand over her apostles easily.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Strong faith and limited availability, huh? I guess there¡¯s no point in going all the way to Kevrian just to steal Elprian¡¯s followers. I looked at Drakina, but she shook her head. ¡°Well, for starters, we don''t have many dragons... and the other races in the neutral faction may have numbers, but it''s hard to find anyone above C-rank. Honestly, even C-rank isn¡¯t common. It¡¯s a hero-class rank, after all.¡± Yeah, that made sense. C is Hero, B is Legend, and A is Demigod, right? If this world isn¡¯t set up for leveling like Earth, then reaching those ranks wouldn¡¯t be easy. ¡°Let¡¯s spread the word quickly. I¡¯d rather get famous than get taken out by Zeus.¡± ¡°Understood, Lee Jinseong.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah?¡± ¡°For now, I need you to post on the high-ranking HunterNet board. I''ll prepare the content for the post. Since you''re B-rank, your words carry weight.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start informing the guilds through our shared information channels. Since we only need a thousand people, we don¡¯t have to make this too public. I¡¯ll focus on high-ranking Awakened.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not sure how much SP a D-rank gives, but for now, let¡¯s just take C-rank and above.¡± Other religions could gather SP through their followers'' faith, but that wasn¡¯t an option for me. Instead, I could use my apostles to act as soul intermediaries. I had no desire to be worshiped like some divine being by people from the 21st century¡ªthis method was way better. Plus, I had the SP Exchange. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll set the restriction to C-rank and above.¡± ¡°Good. Thanks. Oh, and if you find any skilled and trustworthy D-rank Awakened, bring them in. I want to see how efficient they are.¡± Their soul mediation efficiency would be lower than C-ranks, but if the difference wasn¡¯t too big¡­ Then we could fill the gaps with D-ranks if C-rank recruitment slowed down. Gathering a thousand C-rank or higher Awakened might not be easy. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get started right away. Lee Jinseong, let¡¯s work together.¡± ¡°Yeah, got it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be with my apostles for a bit. I¡¯ll join you later.¡± ¡°Of course, Jiho. Take your time.¡± The three members of the Daehyun Guild bowed to me before heading out. ¡°You needed to talk?¡± ¡°What have you and Drakia been up to? Haven¡¯t heard from you in a while.¡± I asked since I hadn¡¯t heard much from the dragon god¡¯s side lately. Drakina simply shrugged. ¡°Father has been recovering his strength while collecting fragments of the gods of time. But I heard Zeus has reached EX-rank? So Father assumes there¡¯s no point in time regression anymore and is focusing entirely on recovering his power.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not looking for Chronos¡¯ fragments anymore?¡± ¡°That search has slowed down. They¡¯re getting harder to find.¡± So the dragon god was purely focused on restoring his power? ¡°He hasn¡¯t said anything about the current situation?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ He only mentioned that if he doesn¡¯t recover his strength soon, we¡¯re in trouble.¡± I see. That guy is always hard to read. ¡°At least with Father focusing on recovering, I finally got to take a break. No more hunting for those damned stones.¡± Drakina grumbled at me, clearly annoyed. She was basically asking why I was bothering her when she was finally resting. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Got it. Go rest.¡± I was about to send her back to the Apostles¡¯ Garden when¡ª BAM! The meeting room door flew open. ¡°Kim Jiho!¡± Kang Shia burst in, looking alarmed. ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s serious!¡± She hurriedly climbed onto the stage where the presentation had been earlier. She quickly manipulated the screen, and soon, a news broadcast appeared. [Breaking News] [Urgent Report] These headlines flashed across multiple screens. Kang Shia split the screen into several sections, each showing different news channels from various countries. ¡°There are continuous lightning strikes in the centers of major cities worldwide.¡± ¡°Lightning?¡± ¡°Yes! In Seoul, it''s striking near City Hall¡­¡± On the screen, golden lightning was endlessly crashing down from the sky. [Lightning continues to strike the centers of major cities, including Seoul. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported. However, Seoul City Hall employees and nearby civilians have been evacuated.] At least there weren¡¯t any casualties. What the hell is Zeus doing now? He shouldn¡¯t be gaining any SP from this. ¡°I need to contact the other divine realms and go see for myself.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just observe. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Judging by the footage, I wouldn¡¯t figure out anything from here. As I prepared to leave, Diana and Drakina stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m coming too.¡± ¡°I wanna go as well.¡± ¡°I get Diana, but why you?¡± ¡°I want to gather information on Zeus. He¡¯s connected to our world too.¡± Fair point. That lightning could hit Kebrian as well. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°I¡¯ll come too.¡± ¡°No, Kang Shia. Stay here and keep monitoring the situation in other cities. Things might get dangerous.¡± Diana was a demigod, and Drakina was a dragon, but Kang Shia was just a regular human. She could be in real danger. She nodded at my words. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll keep you updated through the Apostle''s message.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 140 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 140: Olympus Dungeon (2) I stepped outside the building in my incorporeal state. Floating in midair were the three of us¡ªmyself, Diana, and Drakina. There is no need to search for the direction of City Hall. The powerful energy of lightning is unmistakable. "All three of us, move toward that lightning energy." With the divine will activated, I gave the command. Instantly, the three of us teleported to the vicinity of City Hall. "Wow. So this is divine speech...? It''s even better than draconic speech." Drakina marveled. Diana, fully armed, held her bow at the ready. She scanned the surroundings. "They said the humans evacuated, but not all of them. Is that... a helicopter?" Diana pointed to the sky. Several news helicopters hovered in the air, filming the lightning. "This place has a lot of strange things." "Hmm, let''s go invisible for now." Our forms vanished smoothly. Our bodies became completely transparent. This way, we wouldn¡¯t be caught on camera. Drakina, puzzled, asked, "Aren''t you trying to make the world recognize Kim Jiho as a god? Why hide?" "We''re just here for reconnaissance. There''s no need to make a declaration as a god right now. It would just turn into gossip. It¡¯s better to introduce myself gradually through the HunterNet." Besides, if things go south, we might have to retreat. No need to get caught in an embarrassing situation. We approached cautiously while remaining invisible. Lightning struck the plaza in front of Seoul City Hall. Its scale was immense. But despite its intensity, there was no visible damage. Not just to people¡ªthere wasn''t a single disruption to the plaza itself. Though sharing the same space, the lightning seemed detached from the world. Hmm. I can definitely feel the energy of lightning, but... "That thing doesn¡¯t seem to have any effect." "Lady Drakina is right. The energy is strong, but it¡¯s disconnected from this world." "Still, this is incredible energy¡­ And it¡¯s appearing in cities all over the world? What is the purpose of this?" Drakina crept closer to examine the lightning. "Looking at it like this doesn¡¯t reveal anything..." I slowly closed the distance. Up close, it looked less like lightning and more like a pillar of light. It was large enough to fit dozens of people inside. At a glance, it didn¡¯t seem dangerous... But there''s no way Zeus would do something meaningless. "You two stay back for a moment. Soul Barrier." I deployed Soul Barrier and approached. Prepared to swap to an avatar if necessary, I remained on high alert. I reached a distance where I could touch the lightning with my hand. Yet nothing happened. I didn''t get electrocuted, nor did the temperature change. What the hell is this? [Kim Jiho, according to foreign news reports, a door-like shape has appeared inside the lightning.] A message from Kang Shia. A door? "Do you see anything resembling a door?" "Uh¡­ Oh! It''s forming over there!" Diana pointed toward the ground. At the point where the golden lightning met the earth, a white door had appeared. [Keep me updated if you hear anything else about the door.] [Understood.] After instructing Kang Shia, I landed on the ground. A fairly large door. With the golden lightning surrounding it, it stood out even more. I drew my spirit sword, maintained Soul Barrier, and cautiously approached the door. I remained in a combat stance, watching carefully. The door did not move. Several minutes passed, yet nothing changed. Diana and Drakina, who had been watching from above, descended to the ground. "Jiho, should I send a spirit to investigate?" "Yeah, good idea." "Silime." A green wind spirit materialized in the air. Following Diana¡¯s command, Silime approached the door. It reached out toward the door but suddenly stopped. Then, it turned to look at Diana, as if giving a report. "Huh¡­? Really? Alright, come back, Silime." After listening, Diana dismissed Silime, then turned to me with a baffled expression. "Silime said a system message appeared when it tried to enter. It called this the entrance to Olympus Dungeon: Fragment of the Pantheon and said only those ranked C or higher can enter." "That thing is a dungeon?" That door inside the lightning¡ªa dungeon? Remaining on guard, I reached out and touched the door. A message appeared. [This is the entrance to Olympus Dungeon: Fragment of the Pantheon.] [Created by the Imperfect Creator, Zeus. Since Zeus cannot achieve true creation, he has merged an existing dungeon with the Pantheon.] The Pantheon... I remember that. That¡¯s the place I visited when I went to receive my skill. A place filled with statues from the Order faction, originating from Olympus. Fragments of that place¡­ [Upon clearing the dungeon, ¡®Zeus¡¯s Lightning¡¯ will be lifted.] [Would you like to enter?] So, the lightning will disappear if I clear the dungeon? It seems suspicious, but since it¡¯s a system message, it shouldn¡¯t be a trick. I calmed my mind and looked at the door. No danger detection was triggered, and I didn¡¯t feel any particular sense of threat. ¡°Jiho-nim, I¡¯ll go in first.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll go. You two should return to the Apostle¡¯s Garden for now.¡± ¡°It could be dangerous¡­¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. It doesn¡¯t seem that dangerous.¡± I dismissed Diana, who was worried, and Drakina, who didn¡¯t seem to care much. Then, I pressed "Yes" on the system prompt asking if I wanted to enter, and my body started being pulled into the door. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. My vision turned bright white before returning to normal. The floor was made of pure white marble. White mist floated around the area. This definitely resembled the grand temple where I had received a skill long ago. And between the thick mist, I could glimpse marble statues. Back then, I admired their craftsmanship, thinking, Wow, these are well-made! But now, those well-made marble statues were glaring at me menacingly. ¡°Intruder detected.¡± ¡°Eliminate and turn them into a thunder spirit.¡± The statues were modeled after various races¡ªelves, dwarves, humans, and more. Around a hundred statues moved in unison and charged toward me. Straight into battle, huh? ¡°Kill.¡± ¡°If you die here, you shall become a servant of Zeus.¡± They even had a formation as they attacked. But¡­ Their movements were slow¡ªso slow it made me want to yawn. ¡°Shatter.¡± I didn¡¯t even use a skill, just gave a command. Cracks began forming, and the statues turned to dust, disappearing completely. ¡°All too easy.¡± At this level, even Diana or Drakina could have easily handled them. The system message said only C-rank and above could enter, right? So this is the expected difficulty level? Still, I shouldn¡¯t let my guard down. Who knows what that cunning Zeus might be up to? I was about to proceed with my Soul Barrier activated¡ª Until I saw this message. [¡®Fragment of the Grand Temple¡¯ dungeon has been cleared.] [¡®Zeus¡¯s Lightning¡¯ has been lifted.] That¡¯s it? Already? A flash of light, and I was back at Seoul City Hall. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] That was way too easy. Zzzzt, zzzzt. As soon as I returned, the lightning that had been connected to the sky rapidly shrank. It had been silent before, but now it crackled noisily before disappearing. So, that¡¯s all there was to it? This thing only looked powerful on the outside but was actually just an empty shell. [The lightning over Seoul has vanished. Did you do this, Jiho-nim?] [Yeah. I followed a gate and found a one-room dungeon. There were about a hundred moving statues, but they were only C-rank at best.] [That lightning was a dungeon? Um¡­ Can I report this to the Hunter Association?] [Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea. Just note that my assessment of the statues¡¯ strength might be off¡ªthey were way too weak.] [Understood. I¡¯ll take that into account in my report.] [Also, where¡¯s the nearest lightning strike now? I¡¯ll take care of it.] [Busan.] [Got it.] Busan¡­ I remember going there once when an A-rank dungeon appeared. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Busan.¡± I decided to test if Divine Speech could handle this. The moment I spoke, my body lifted off the ground and started flying on its own. Heading south with ease. Completely automatic, just from saying the words. The ride was incredibly smooth. The scenery flew past. After some time, multiple messages popped up from Kang Shia. [The lightning in Beijing has been cleared by a lower-ranked Taoist deity entering the dungeon and destroying it.] [The New York dungeon has been dismantled by the Awakened of the U.S. Hunter Association.] [The Paris dungeon has disappeared due to the intervention of the Valkyrie Legion.] One by one, the lightning strikes were vanishing. Thankfully, it seemed the dungeons weren¡¯t too high in difficulty. By the time I received reports on about fifteen cleared dungeons, A massive bolt of lightning came into view. The lightning over Busan felt different from the one in Seoul. A group of people had gathered in front of the dungeon gate. They were clearly Awakened, just by looking at them. Did they gather people after hearing reports about the cleared dungeons in other countries? But why weren¡¯t they going inside? ¡°Will our Busan branch alone be enough?¡± ¡°Some countries¡¯ hunters aren¡¯t taking action at all¡­¡± ¡°The only places that succeeded with just Hunters are cities with strong Hunter branches, like New York or London.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we wait a bit longer? Let¡¯s request more elites from Seoul.¡± ¡°Yeah. I heard someone in Seoul cleared it.¡± Well¡­ They were too scared to go in. There were about ten of them. All of them were C-rank Hunters. If they had gone in¡­ Hmm. They probably would have lost. Even though we¡¯re both C-rank, it would have been a battle of ten against a hundred. Their caution worked in their favor. I landed on the ground and released my invisibility. After drawing my soul sword and activating my Soul Barrier to fully prepare myself, I strode toward them. The sudden appearance of me startled them. ¡°W-Who are you?¡± ¡°This area is off-limits. Step back!¡± Ignoring their words, I continued walking. A large man reached out to grab my shoulder. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me say this place is off-limits?¡± ¡°Stop.¡± At my single word, he froze in place. Seeing their comrade unable to move, the others assumed a defensive stance. ¡°You¡­! What did you do to him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not an ordinary person. Fall back and stay on guard!¡± Like a bunch of hedgehogs, they bristled with hostility. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have dropped my invisibility. But staying invisible makes it tricky to be fully combat-ready¡­ The dungeon earlier was low-level, but there¡¯s no telling when a strong one might suddenly pop up. ¡°Just stay still for ten minutes.¡± With my command, they all froze completely. Leaving them behind, I opened the bright white gate crackling with yellow lightning. [Entrance to Olympus Dungeon: ¡®Fragment of the Pantheon.¡¯] [Clearing the dungeon will disable ¡®Zeus¡¯s Lightning.¡¯] [Would you like to enter?] I selected ¡°Yes,¡± and my body was sucked in. The scenery was exactly the same as before. Marble floors. A view as if floating within the clouds. One hundred marble statues. ¡°An intruder. Detected.¡± ¡°Eliminate and turn them into a thunder spirit.¡± Even their lines were identical. ¡°Just die. Shatter.¡± As I spoke lightly, the marble statues gathering to surround me instantly shattered into dust. Soldiers of various races crumbled, unable to resist the will of the gods. [¡®Fragment of the Pantheon¡¯ Dungeon has been cleared.] [¡®Zeus¡¯s Lightning¡¯ has been disabled.] Well, that was easy. Even after exiting the dungeon, the frozen people were still stiff as statues. ¡°Has it not been ten minutes yet? Alright, release.¡± At my words, they regained movement. At first, they were looking away, but the moment they could move again, they spun around toward me. ¡°What the¡­ You!¡± ¡°Hey! Calm down! Excuse me¡­ who are you?¡± The big guy who had grabbed my shoulder earlier started getting worked up again, but his comrades held him back. I mean, come on. I just incapacitated ten C-rank Hunters with a single word. Picking a fight is a bad idea. ¡°I¡¯m the god who just disabled the Lightning Dungeon in Seoul.¡± ¡°Wha¡­? A¡­ god?¡± ¡°Quit messing around! You¡¯re obviously Korean! How could you be a god?!¡± ¡°Look it up on HunterNet later. See ya.¡± Leaving the easily agitated big guy behind, I took off into the sky again. Hmm¡­ Where should I go next? I should probably disable every instance of Zeus¡¯s Lightning I come across. The dungeon isn¡¯t that tough, so there¡¯s no point in leaving it be. ¡°Take me to the nearest Zeus¡¯s Lightning.¡± My body began soaring on its own. This is pretty cool. Flying high, I started crossing the sea. South of Busan¡­ Japan, huh? Well, I¡¯ll just keep disabling them as I go. [Who do you think you are?] [Bakayar¨­!] Even in Japan, I got called an idiot while disabling another one. Boom! Boom! [Conventional weapons are useless! We need to disable that¡ªHuh?] Continuing south, I disabled more Lightning in Southeast Asian countries. Even as artillery rained down, I slipped through and took them out effortlessly. By the time I¡¯d completed my route from Busan to Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam, a whole day had passed. Then, as I was letting my divine speech guide me to yet another location¡­ My body suddenly stopped. And then, a system message popped up. [There are 11 remaining instances of Zeus¡¯s Lightning in the next 24 hours.] [Zeus¡¯s Lightning is activating.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 141 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 141: Athena¡¯s Contact (1) Damn¡­ was the time limit 24 hours? I ran around as fast as I could, but since I wasn¡¯t using spatial movement, I couldn¡¯t clear all the dungeons. According to Kang Shia¡¯s reports, the major powers had mostly cleared their dungeons on their own. However, the progress was slower in regions like Africa and Central Asia, where many hunters had defected to stronger nations. Even so, since the difficulty level wasn¡¯t too high, I thought most of the dungeons would have been cleared¡ªbut 11 still remained. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± I returned home. In the past 24 hours, I had gone on a tour from Japan to Southeast Asia. [Did you see the message about Zeus¡¯ Lightning activating? Right now¡­ it¡¯s expanding in the regions where the dungeons weren¡¯t cleared.] A message from Kang Shia, my apostle, popped up. At her words, I turned on the TV and saw a live broadcast covering the situation. Zeus¡¯ Lightning, which stood tall as if connecting the sky and the earth, suddenly expanded and began to engulf the cities. The lightning streaked endlessly in all directions, overturning everything in its path. [Zeus¡¯ Lightning, which has grown this large, is now sweeping across the city. The range now extends beyond the city itself¡­] The news anchor¡¯s voice narrated the changing footage. Analysis reports showed that the lightning had spread across the entire metropolitan area and even the surrounding regions. If the lightning covered such a massive range¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that mean instant death for everyone? Damn¡­! Zeus¡¯ Lightning, which had overturned the city in an instant, suddenly began to lose its glow. Just as it had expanded in a flash, it vanished just as quickly. And in the aftermath of the disappearing lightning¡­ ¡°Huh? It¡¯s¡­ intact?¡± The city emerged completely unscathed. Not a single trace of damage. The footage split into multiple screens, showing the 11 cities one by one. All of them had been struck by Zeus¡¯ Lightning, yet every single one appeared perfectly intact. [Jiho-nim. There are no casualties reported in the regions where Zeus¡¯ Lightning struck.] Kang Shia reported the damage assessment. All 11 cities had zero casualties. There were some injuries and property damage caused by panicked people creating chaos during the evacuation, but no one had been electrocuted by the lightning itself. As I listened to Kang Shia¡¯s report, the news was also announcing that there were no casualties. [Zeus¡¯ Lightning, which had swept through the cities in an instant, disappeared just as quickly. ¡­Breaking news. Amazingly, there are no casualties in the areas struck by the lightning.] Kang Shia¡¯s information was faster than the news. The broadcast showed footage of the cities. People were hugging each other, overjoyed at having survived. Zeus¡­ If no one was going to be harmed, why did you strike 100 cities with lightning? It reminded me of the time Zeus had used Astrape to cover the entire Earth with lightning. Back then, he said it was to transform humans into Thunder Spirits. Didn¡¯t he mention that 1% of their souls would be transformed with each strike? If repeated 100 times, it would fully convert their souls into Thunder Spirits. Hmm¡­ could this be a miniature version of that process? I contacted my father, and he had a similar thought. [We¡¯ve reached the same conclusion. We¡¯re dispatching angels to investigate the situation. The Divine Realm Alliance is also planning to send their apostles. Once we uncover the truth, I¡¯ll inform you.] ¡°Yes, Father.¡± The communication ended. I could feel the tension on my father¡¯s side. It was reassuring that the Divine Realm Alliance was stepping in right away. ¡°Zeus¡­ you¡¯ve been quiet for a while¡­¡± The dungeon difficulty had clearly been low. Even B- and C-rank hunters, if they worked together properly, could clear them without divine intervention. But I had a feeling this was only the beginning. When I entered the Pantheon, there had been countless marble statues. If those powerful beings started moving, it would become a real headache. With that in mind, I was still puzzled by Zeus¡¯ decision to only deploy C-rank minions. If he had assigned stronger A- and B-rank subordinates to the dungeons, they could have caused much more damage. Was he still lacking in SP? Sigh. I¡¯d have to wait until the situation was fully understood. I kept the news running in the background and logged into HunterNet. Once I accessed the portal, it was flooded with articles about Zeus¡¯ Lightning. [It¡¯s the end of the world. The end.] [Wow. Is that the same lightning that struck the entire Earth before? I don¡¯t remember it.] [But why is Zeus so powerful? Aren¡¯t other gods more famous?] [The lightning in Seoul disappeared quickly, but Busan was in total chaos. I¡¯ve never seen such pandemonium during an evacuation¡­] ?Yeah, but Busan¡¯s was nothing. Other countries were even worse¡ªit was practically a riot. [Looking for a child lost during the evacuation. Seven-year-old Ha Dongjun. Here¡¯s the link to his photo¡­] Although the lightning itself didn¡¯t cause any direct casualties, the chaotic evacuations resulted in plenty of incidental damage. Tsk. I should¡¯ve marked coordinates in Busan too. As I scrolled through the comments, something caught my eye. [Link to the person who dispelled Zeus¡¯ Lightning.] I followed the link and found a video showing me and the Busan hunters. Watching it in video form felt strange. Even though I had ascended to godhood, I didn¡¯t look any different on camera. In the footage, the hunters all froze when I spoke. Then, I walked into the lightning and emerged shortly after. The lightning vanished in less than a minute. I disappeared from the screen as the video faded to black. Just when I thought the short video was over, an interview segment began. It showed the hunters being interviewed inside a building. ¡°This is Kim Jia, a reporter from HunterNet. What exactly happened out there?¡± Ah, so this was a HunterNet production. At the reporter¡¯s question, the hunters exchanged glances. Then, a man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward and answered. ¡°I¡¯m Lee Myeonggon, a hunter from the Busan Hunter Association. We were dispatched toward Zeus¡¯ Lightning, but our forces alone couldn¡¯t clear it. We were at a loss when suddenly¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I heard that several C-rank hunters had gone missing in other regions. It would have been difficult to proceed without sufficient forces.¡± ¡°Exactly. So, we were waiting for reinforcements from Seoul. But then, a man appeared out of nowhere.¡± ¡°That man claimed to be a god. He looked just like any other Korean guy, though!¡± ¡°He told us to check HunterNet later. Reporter, do you know anything? You¡¯re from HunterNet, after all.¡± The hunters turned the question on the reporter. She shook her head, clearly unaware. ¡°We have no information on this. Did the man who claimed to be a god mention his name?¡± Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°No. He just showed his face.¡± ¡°What did he look like? Was he handsome?¡± ¡°No, just a regular young man in his 20s from South Korea.¡± The hunter heavily emphasized the word regular. You bastard¡­ you¡¯re disqualified from becoming my apostle. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°I see¡­ While we can¡¯t confirm whether the man in the video is truly a god, his incredible performance is undeniable. His speed rivaled that of the minor god Jiang Ziya, who cleared the dungeon in China. According to reports, he didn¡¯t just clear Seoul¡¯s Zeus¡¯ Lightning¡ªhe also dispelled over 10 lightning strikes across Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam in a single day.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± ¡°It seems that, just like in Busan, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere and cleared the dungeon. Let me show you the related footage.¡± The screen displayed me traveling around Japan and Southeast Asia, clearing dungeons. Foreign hunters were startled when I emerged from concealment without warning. Ignoring their reactions, I simply entered the dungeon and cleared it right away. Around ten clips of me doing this were shown. ¡°They say he used a peculiar barrier before entering the dungeon.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. A golden barrier enveloped his entire body.¡± ¡°He was also holding a sword of light.¡± Since the dungeon was created by Zeus, I had dispelled my concealment and entered in full combat mode, wary of any potential traps. That¡¯s why everything was captured on video. Eh, whatever. Kang Shia is going to reveal me as a god on HunterNet anyway. It¡¯s good to have some tangible achievements. Since I cleared the dungeon, this would help establish a favorable image at the start. After the interview footage ended, news of me began trending in the popular searches. Kang Shia would know how to make good use of this. For now, I needed to review my skills before receiving the ones from Asura. I had to get a clear grasp of my current arsenal. I started by examining my S-rank skills. Heimdall¡¯s Return was an escape skill. Dragon Heart wasn¡¯t an attack skill but a passive one, making it tricky to combine with Soul Emission and Soul Barrier. Then there was Aegis Shield, a defensive skill. I rarely used it because of Soul Barrier... But what if I combined it with Soul Barrier? ¡°Aegis Shield.¡± When I activated the skill, a small shield materialized and floated around me in the air. Now, let¡¯s try Soul Barrier with it. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± The shield became coated in a golden protective layer. [You have used Soul Barrier on an S-rank skill.] [Defense and SP efficiency have significantly increased.] [SP consumption has increased.] Oh-ho. What a synergy effect. The increased SP consumption was a drawback, but the enhancement was worth it. That bastard Hercules should¡¯ve told me about this earlier. Feeling eager to test other skills, I continued scanning my skill list. Why were there so few S-rank attack skills? Thunder God was just an A-rank skill. ¡°This one¡¯s no good. Neither is this one¡­¡± After skipping through multiple skills, my eyes landed on Dragon¡¯s Power. Dragon¡¯s Power¡ªthe skill I obtained after completing the quest related to the dragon god, Drakia, and perfecting Dragon Heart. I hadn¡¯t found much use for it since acquiring it. It was labeled as a special skill, without a specific rank. ¡°Dragon¡¯s Power.¡± I decided to summon just a tiny fraction of its strength. A flame, no larger than a fingernail, flickered to life above my palm. It was incredibly small. Yet, the moment it appeared, the temperature in the room spiked. ¡°Smaller. Soul Emission.¡± I shrank the flame down to the size of a speck of dust. Then, I infused it with Soul Emission. The crimson flame turned pure white. [You have used Soul Emission on a special skill.] [The special skill Dragon¡¯s Power now scales with the rank of Dragon Heart.] [The attack power and SP efficiency of Soul Emission have greatly increased.] [SP consumption has increased.] Whoa. This works too? I couldn¡¯t see the exact synergy values, but it was definitely better than nothing. I should¡¯ve been using this combo all along¡­ I could use this for ranged attacks, and receive close-combat skills from Asura. Not bad¡ªmy current skills weren¡¯t useless after all. ¡°Release Dragon¡¯s Power.¡± I deactivated Dragon¡¯s Power and was about to dispel the floating Aegis Shield as well. I attempted to deactivate Soul Barrier and reverse-summon the shield, but¡­ There was some writing behind the shield. Huh? It was in Korean? It hadn¡¯t been there before. [Soul God Kim Jiho. Use the Magic Encyclopedia. There is a message for you.] Magic Encyclopedia? That was the skill Athena had given me. I hadn¡¯t used it since learning Dragon Speech, so it had been collecting dust. And Aegis Shield was also a gift from Athena¡­ Was this from her? Athena¡ªthe goddess of war. Also a goddess of strategy, tactics, and wisdom. Considering the hostile relationship with Olympus, a message from their goddess of wisdom seemed¡­ Suspicious. Was it a trap? [You have no reason to trust me. However, as one who has already ascended to godhood, you won¡¯t be affected by the A-rank skill Magic Encyclopedia. You must do this to evade Zeus¡¯s gaze. Please, trust me. I cannot hold this message on the shield for long.] That was a fair point¡­ And my upgraded danger sense wasn¡¯t triggering. Still, I hesitated. Sensing my caution, Athena added a tempting hook. [Don¡¯t you wonder about the whereabouts of your avatar?] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 142 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 142: Athena¡¯s Contact (2) My Avatar, huh... Did the avatar I left with Elprian disappear? I hurriedly contacted Elprian. ¡°Elprian, are you alive?¡± Elprian immediately responded as the communication connected. On the screen, she appeared perfectly fine. [Huh? Yes¡­ of course I¡¯m alive.] Ah. I asked something so abrupt in my panic. ¡°You haven¡¯t been captured by Olympus or anything, have you?¡± [No. It seems like they aren¡¯t interested in this side for now.] ¡°Oh. I see. Could you check if my avatar is still intact?¡± [Just a moment¡­] Elprian turned her head, checking something off-screen. After a brief wait, she replied. [It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s still in the hideout.] ¡°Alright. Got it.¡± [By the way, what¡¯s going on?] When I told her that Athena had mentioned something about the avatar¡¯s whereabouts, Elprian paused for a moment before speaking. [Could it be the avatar from when you were captured by Odin?] ¡°Ah¡­!¡± [You never got it back from Odin, did you?] Right. When I was caught by Odin, I escaped using an avatar swap. Normally, when you escape by swapping avatars, a portion of your soul essence remains in the previous avatar, reducing its efficiency. However, back then, I was still an incomplete S-rank. Afterward, when I upgraded to a true S-rank, my soul essence underwent a complete transformation. I had forgotten about the old avatar, preoccupied with Zeus constantly causing chaos. ¡°Come to think of it, I never retrieved it.¡± [If it¡¯s an avatar of the Soul God, it would be valuable for research. You should ask about it.] ¡°I will.¡± I contacted Loki. [Hey. What¡¯s up?] ¡°Where¡¯s my avatar?¡± [Your avatar?] ¡°Yeah. The one you guys captured.¡± [Ah. I didn¡¯t know back then¡ªI was on the run from Odin too. Let me check. I¡¯ll call you right back.] The connection briefly cut off before he called again. [Odin says it¡¯s gone.] ¡°Are you sure?¡± [Yeah. He probably handed it over while under Zeus¡¯s control¡­ but he doesn¡¯t remember it.] Loki spoke with a regretful expression. Ugh, that useless Odin. No help at all. ¡°Ugh. Got it. Athena made a strange proposal.¡± [Athena?] Oh, right. Loki is the God of Trickery. I should hear his opinion. When I told him that I had received a message through Aegis¡¯s Shield, Loki mused aloud. [Hmm. Athena isn¡¯t the type to play tricks. It¡¯s curious why she would make such a proposal to you, Zeus¡¯s enemy.] ¡°Isn¡¯t Athena Zeus¡¯s daughter?¡± [Yeah. She¡¯s his most beloved daughter. I know her as a devoted follower of Zeus. Strange¡­ Wait, you said she offered a Magic Encyclopedia skill? An A-rank skill, right?] ¡°Yeah.¡± [You should check it out. Whether the information is true or false, you might as well see it. It won¡¯t affect you. If you¡¯re worried, just use Soul Barrier before examining it.] ¡°Really?¡± [Yeah. But be careful if she asks you to go somewhere to retrieve your avatar.] ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll check the message.¡± Following Loki¡¯s advice, I activated Soul Barrier and used the Magic Encyclopedia. Unlike the usual dragon-language spells, this required regular magic casting. I decided to cool down the heated room as a test. ¡°Cold.¡± Recalling my old magic-casting sensation, I chanted the spell. The room¡¯s temperature dropped, and a rectangular window appeared before me. It resembled a green chalkboard. [Thank you for accepting my proposal.] White letters appeared on their own. Hmm. Is there a way for me to respond? As I considered this, a pen and a white input box appeared beneath the chalkboard. So, I just write here? I took the pen and wrote. [What message do you want to deliver?] [It¡¯s about Zeus¡¯s Lightning.] Zeus¡¯s Lightning. That¡¯s what Astrape used to blanket the Earth with thunderstorms¡ªa lesser version of it, though. So, my guess was right. [The dungeons connected to Zeus¡¯s Lightning are linked to fragments of the Pantheon. You didn¡¯t clear all 11 last time, did you?] [No.] [Then, the dungeons in that region will strengthen. Stronger Pantheon marble statues will begin to appear. If this keeps up, human hunters won¡¯t be able to handle them.] She proceeded to reveal more facts: Zeus¡¯s Lightning appears in the same location every week. It activates 24 hours after it appears. When activated, the dungeons strengthen, and the people in the area undergo Soul Enchantment. Even if Zeus¡¯s Lightning is destroyed, dungeon gates will gradually increase in number and difficulty. Awakeners who die while trying to clear Zeus¡¯s dungeon will rapidly undergo Soul Enchantment. I took photos of the details with my phone. Then, I read through each point carefully. No matter what, it seemed like the system was designed to gradually empower Zeus. Right now, the dungeon level was still low due to the lack of power, but it would inevitably scale up. I needed to eliminate these whenever they appeared. [If I learn more, I will contact you through the Magic Encyclopedia.] [Why are you telling me this? You¡¯re his daughter.] [Zeus¡­ ultimately has no need for Olympus. He is merely hiding his true intentions for now due to the Pact.] Zeus doesn¡¯t need Olympus? That was an unexpected revelation. Why not? However, she didn¡¯t explain further. [If I keep messaging you, he might detect it. Let¡¯s leave it here. Your avatar is concealed at the fourth statue to the left of the Bifr?st Bridge in Asgard.] [It¡¯s in Asgard?] [Yes. When Zeus temporarily handed me control over Odin, I hid it there. You should be able to retrieve it with Asgard¡¯s help.] Even Odin was briefly controlled by Athena? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] So, Zeus must have temporarily transferred control while spending the massive amount of SP he had drawn in. [Until next time. Be prepared¡­] With that final message, the green window vanished. Leaving after dropping such valuable information, huh? I like it. Of course, I still need to verify if this information is genuine. I immediately contacted Loki and relayed the details I received from Athena. Loki¡¯s expression hardened. [Zeus¡¯ lightning¡­ gradually upgrading, huh? It¡¯s nothing now, but it¡¯ll be a pain later.] ¡°Yeah. Though, of course, we can¡¯t fully trust her words yet.¡± [Obviously, we¡¯ll need to verify it. So¡­ your avatar is concealed at the fourth statue on the left side of Bifr?st? I¡¯ll go check right away. I¡¯m good at finding things like that.] Loki confidently offered to handle the search. While he was investigating, I contacted my father and informed him of the situation. [Athena told you that?] ¡°Yes. I thought we should share the intel with the Divine Realm Alliance.¡± [Hmm. It would be best not to mention that Athena was the one who provided this information.] ¡°Why not?¡± [If Athena is genuinely helping us, revealing her as the source could blow her cover, don¡¯t you think?] Hmm. He has a point. If she is indeed acting as a mole within the enemy ranks, exposing her identity would be reckless. [We¡¯ll verify the information on our end and announce it publicly. Since Loki knows about it too, we should coordinate with Asgard and make the announcement together.] I agree with keeping Athena¡¯s identity a secret. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But if only Asgard and Heaven announce it, I won¡¯t gain much out of it. If the two divine realms jointly reveal this information, it¡¯ll improve their public image¡ªbut I want in on that, too. ¡°Father, let me join in on the announcement.¡± [You? But you don¡¯t belong to a divine realm.] ¡°I¡¯m planning to take on some apostles. With more apostles, the efficiency of my Soul Mediation will increase. That benefits your side, too.¡± When I mentioned that I intended to reveal myself as a human-turned-god and accept apostles, my father looked displeased. [Hah¡­ My son, promoting himself as a god alongside the divine realms¡­ That¡¯s practically blasphemy.] ¡°Come on. Even the archangels are SSS-ranked these days. Just think of it as a joint promotion with one angel-level figure. Besides, you¡¯ll benefit from the increased Soul Mediation efficiency.¡± [¡­Fine. Fine. Michael will take care of the announcement.] We agreed on the terms and ended the call. Just then, Loki called me. [Hey. I found it.] ¡°Oh. Already?¡± [Yeah. It was damn well hidden. If she hadn¡¯t specified the fourth statue, I never would¡¯ve found it. Athena¡¯s info checks out.] ¡°Then hand it over.¡± [Got it. I¡¯ll bring your body to your place, alright?] I agreed, and shortly after, Loki teleported in with my avatar in his arms. The sight is ghastly. One arm and one leg are missing. The face is disfigured, barely recognizable. The skin is charred black, with chunks torn off. The hair is completely burned away. If I couldn¡¯t sense the familiar energy of my soul, I wouldn¡¯t have even recognized it as myself. ¡°Hey. You guys didn¡¯t rip off my limbs for research, did you?¡± ¡°No way. I brought it straight here. You think I¡¯d dare damage the avatar of my creditor?¡± Loki sweared he didn¡¯t tamper with it. The body is wrecked, but the soul energy inside is intact, confirming its authenticity. Since the soul is what matters for research purposes, it seemed legitimate. ¡°Damn. So this is what happens when Zeus gets his hands on you?¡± ¡°This? Please. We gods can suppress physical pain at will. This was just a light roasting to see if you¡¯d flee using avatar exchange. If he had actually tortured you, it would¡¯ve been far worse.¡± Yeah, that makes sense. To inflict real harm on a god, you¡¯d have to target the soul. Zeus must¡¯ve zapped Odin¡¯s body once, realized it was an avatar swap, and then used 5 trillion SP to revert to his own body. ¡°Can this avatar be used again?¡± ¡°You can probably restore it. The damage is only physical. Just heal it and stash it somewhere safe.¡± ¡°But my soul has upgraded since then. I¡¯m not sure this avatar can still represent me properly.¡± ¡°You can adjust that. Heal the body first, then see how it syncs with your soul.¡± ¡°Got it. Thanks.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ since I found your avatar and all¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not reducing your interest.¡± ¡°Come on. I¡¯m not shameless enough to ask for that. I was wondering if we could publicly announce the info Athena gave us on our end. It would help Asgard¡¯s image if we revealed this intel first.¡± He¡¯s thinking the same thing as my father. ¡°Asgard¡¯s reputation hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet. If we¡¯re the first to announce this, it could really boost our standing.¡± ¡°I already told my father and Michael. They¡¯re planning to make a joint announcement with Asgard.¡± ¡°What?! You told them already?¡± Loki looked disappointed. ¡°Athena might be playing the role of a Trojan horse. We can¡¯t risk exposing her identity.¡± ¡°Man¡­ I should¡¯ve contacted you sooner.¡± He sighed in frustration. ¡°Oh, and I¡¯ll be part of the announcement too.¡± ¡°You too? Well, you are a god now. How many apostles are you taking?¡± ¡°1,000.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I explained that I can¡¯t receive worshippers, only apostles. Loki nodded in understanding. ¡°You¡¯re the god of souls¡ªtaking in worshippers would be crossing the line. Got it. So you want your name included in the announcement too?¡± ¡°Yeah. It boosts Soul Mediation efficiency.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re included.¡± ¡°Oh, and since I delivered your avatar¡­ how about adding me to your Soul Mediation network?¡± I did clean up Asgard once, after all. Hmm. Loki could be a useful liaison with Asgard, so adding him might be worthwhile. But I shouldn¡¯t let him in for free. ¡°You¡¯ll need to offer something in return.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Asgard¡¯s diplomatic representative. I¡¯ll actively promote you when the Divine Realm Alliance debuts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a given. Got any S-rank or higher combat skills?¡± I¡¯ll be getting skills from Asura, but you can never have too many. Loki answers immediately. ¡°I do, but I¡¯m too deep in debt to transfer skills right now. Once I gather enough SP, I¡¯ll give you a combat skill. Just give me a month.¡± ¡°You need SP to transfer skills?¡± ¡°Of course. If we could just hand out skills for free, every god would be overflowing with them. It costs a lot of SP to grant skills.¡± Loki repeatedly emphasized that he¡¯ll need a month, swearing that he¡¯ll give me the skill then. He even offered to make a formal pledge. Fine. I decide to add him to the Soul Mediation network. ¡°Alright. You¡¯re in.¡± ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Once Loki was added, he asked curiously. ¡°So, how much does adding apostles boost your efficiency?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only accepting C-rank or higher. Each one boosts efficiency by 1%.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ so 1,000 apostles means 1,000%? Damn, we better investigate Zeus¡¯ lightning and make that joint announcement ASAP.¡± Hearing that my efficiency would increase tenfold made Loki even more excited. His eyes practically sparkled as he rushed off to begin the investigation. Not long after Loki left, I received a message from Kang Sia. [Jiho-nim. We¡¯re ready to make the announcement on HunterNet. Shall we begin?] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 143 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 143: The First SSS-Rank Skill (1) [Are you announcing it today?] [I originally planned to wait a bit longer, but you''re quite the hot topic online right now. I intend to take advantage of this opportunity.] So, they¡¯re planning to row while the tide is high, huh? [Heaven and Asgard have decided to announce the results of their investigation into the two divine realms and Zeus¡¯ Lightning. I¡¯ve arranged for my name to be included in the announcement. Isn¡¯t there some way to leverage this?] I deliberately left out the fact that Athena had given me the information. There was a brief silence from the Apostle¡¯s message. After a few minutes, I received a reply. [There will undoubtedly be significant controversy and backlash if we announce that a human in the 21st century has become a god. However, if Christianity¡ªthe most powerful faction¡ªand Asgard publicly support you, the controversy could shift in a positive direction.] Kang Shia suggested proceeding as planned. [If we follow the original schedule and then reveal the investigation results afterward, it will create a second wave of buzz, maximizing the positive effect.] If they announce that a human has become a god, there will be heated debates. People will fight like crazy online¡ªsome claiming it¡¯s a hoax, others arguing it¡¯s true. The question of whether it¡¯s real or fake will dominate the conversation. And if both divine realms mention me during the chaos? The controversy will tilt in my favor. Since those two divine factions currently hold the most influence on Earth, public opinion will be more inclined to see me positively. [Alright. Let¡¯s stick to the original plan and use the investigation results to amplify the synergy.] [Understood.] Good. Now, it¡¯s time to make a move. To inflate the profit from Soul Mediation. [Alright. Let¡¯s go all in. Let¡¯s stir up some controversy and sell it for all it¡¯s worth.] [Yes, understood. Thank you for giving me the authority to handle this as your Apostle. I¡¯ll do my utmost to ensure the best outcome.] She used to run Daehyun Guild, one of Korea''s top guilds, so she should handle this well. [By the way, would you be open to doing interviews later?] [Interviews?] [Yes. If you publicly demonstrate your divine abilities, it could serve as a powerful incentive to attract more people.] Huh... They¡¯re pulling out all the stops to recruit a thousand Apostles. Since I¡¯ve entrusted the promotion to her, I might as well leave it entirely in her hands. [Alright. Just let me know when you need me. If it¡¯s necessary to recruit a thousand C-rank or higher hunters, I¡¯ll do the interview.] [Thank you. I¡¯ll proceed with the announcement now. Please watch if you have time¡ªI¡¯ll be posting it on the high-level forum.] Following her message, I pulled out my phone and logged into HunterNet. The site was cluttered with various menus and sections. I navigated to the C-rank forum and tried to access it¡­ [You do not have permission to enter this forum.] Huh? Even though I could access the other forums just fine? Annoyed, I checked the site¡¯s details and realized I was still listed as a basic-tier user. To access the C-rank forum, I needed to upgrade my rank. ¡°The upgrade requirements are¡­¡± [To upgrade your rank, you must provide proof of clearing the ¡®Eshtar¡¯s C-rank Dungeon.¡¯] For crying out loud. I¡¯ve cleared A-rank dungeons countless times, but I¡¯ve never bothered with a C-rank dungeon. And how the hell am I supposed to provide proof? Frustrated, I sent out an SOS message. [I can¡¯t access the forum because my rank is too low.] [Oh, really? I¡¯ll take a screenshot of the post and send it to you.] Soon after, I received a photo of the forum post. ¡®An Awakened Becomes a God.¡¯ That was the title of the first post. It provided a rough profile of me. It described how, before the apocalypse, I was the only B-rank awakened, hailed as humanity''s last hope. However, when the world was reset, all records and memories of me were erased. It went on to explain that, following the world¡¯s collapse, I relentlessly trained and reached the dream-like rank of S as a human. The post also mentioned that during the Zeus¡¯ Lightning incident, I had traveled across Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia, wiping out dungeons. In the current era, where the highest-ranked awakened were only B-rank, the story sounded like pure fiction. However, the last part of the post stated that both Daehyun Guild and Asgard were vouching for the authenticity of the information. It had the air of an official document. There were two additional posts. The second post explained the concept of SP in broad terms, emphasizing that it became the most critical stat for B-rank and higher hunters. The third post was a recruitment notice for Apostles, detailing the benefits of becoming one. It specifically highlighted the SP perks, which were still poorly understood by most hunters. Even though the second post explained SP, it was questionable whether it would convince the C-rank hunters. After reviewing the posts, I messaged Kang Shia. [How¡¯s the response?] [The C-rank forum doesn¡¯t have many users, so there hasn¡¯t been much reaction yet. I plan to collaborate with foreign hunter associations to post the message there as well. But that will have to wait until Heaven and Asgard make their official announcements.] [Got it. I¡¯ll be patient.] Even though there were more C-rank hunters than before, they were still considered top-tier among hunters. And with the chaos caused by Zeus¡¯ Lightning, not many people seemed to have seen the post yet. I decided to wait until the buzz built up. A Few Days Later ¨C Bongeunsa Temple As promised, I came to receive a skill from Asura. ¡°There¡¯s been some buzz about me, but¡­¡± Despite the forum posts being up for several days, there hadn''t been a surge in Apostle applications. According to Kang Shia, most C-rank hunters were skeptical and in a wait-and-see mode. [C-rank hunters are treated like royalty wherever they go, so they won¡¯t rush into becoming an Apostle without certainty.] She had expected this outcome. She predicted that once Heaven and Asgard made their announcements, only then would the hunters finally move. The topic had already become a hot issue online. Even though the post was only on the C-rank forum, the news was spreading quickly. Since I had eradicated Zeus¡¯ Lightning, my face was becoming increasingly recognizable, fueling debates over whether I was genuinely a god or a fraud. Multiple media outlets had contacted Daehyun Guild for interviews, but they were on hold until the divine factions made their announcements. Once the investigation results were out, they would time their interviews accordingly. There was no need to rush. [I''m here.] As I stood idly at the entrance of Bongeunsa Temple, a message arrived. Asura¡¯s main body was massive, so I figured he would be in human form. But my assumption was completely wrong. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Kim Jiho.¡± Standing at the temple entrance was Asura in his enormous soul form. With his three crimson faces and six arms, he still looked as terrifying as ever¡ªlike a wrathful demon god. Since he was in soul form, he passed right through the temple gates. ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± ¡°W-what the¡­? A monster!¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°Run!¡± The people around Bongeunsa Temple scattered in a panic at the sight of Asura. He looked like a herald of hell itself. However, while many fled in terror, some people instead cheered. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s Asura from TV!¡± ¡°Wow, he really looks like that?¡± ¡°He''s scary, man. I was going to ask for an autograph when I saw him on TV, but...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can get close.¡± The people, too intimidated to approach, instead pulled out their phones and started snapping photos in unison. Asura tilted his head slightly at the sight of them, then turned and walked toward me. ¡°Whenever I descend to Earth, people always point those objects at me.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re pretty famous because of all the ads.¡± ¡°Haha. Is that so? Being famous as a god is a good thing.¡± Asura chuckled heartily and plopped down in front of me. Even sitting, he was still far larger than me. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about what skill to give you.¡± ¡°Yes. Do you have any combat skills of S-rank or higher?¡± ¡°Of course. I have plenty of skills to spare. At first, I was going to give you a decent one, but¡­ considering you saved my life, it wouldn¡¯t be right to repay you so lightly.¡± Oh-ho. Now this is a true god. I¡¯d gotten used to dealing with slippery, conniving deities, but to have one this straightforward and magnanimous¡ªit was almost refreshing. ¡°So, I¡¯ve decided to give you my most treasured skill. I used a significant amount of SP for it. The others tried to stop me¡­ but I, Asura, always repay my debts of life.¡± ¡°Thank you so much. What kind of skill is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an SSS-rank skill.¡± SSS-rank? My eyes widened. I didn¡¯t have a single SSS-rank skill yet. My soul-based abilities were rare and powerful enough to qualify for SSS-rank, but since they didn¡¯t have formal grades, they weren¡¯t classified. Among my graded skills, Avatar Exchange was the highest at SS-rank. But now, an SSS-rank skill¡ªand a combat skill at that? Wow¡­ truly, God-sura indeed. ¡°Do you know how SSS-rank skills are transmitted?¡± ¡°No, this is my first time with one.¡± ¡°SSS-rank skills are symbols of a deity. You can¡¯t just learn them by receiving them. If you were my apostle, it would be possible, but since you¡¯re a separate god, you¡¯ll need to follow a certain process.¡± Wait, I can¡¯t just learn it right away? ¡°Normally, you¡¯d have to master a fundamental skill of mine first and then synchronize your soul wavelength with mine¡­¡± Suddenly, Asura moved his hands. All five of his arms simultaneously grabbed his upper leftmost arm and yanked it. For a moment, his face twisted in pain. Zzzzt¡­! Pluck! His arm was torn off completely. Since he was in his soul form, no blood spurted out, but it was still a grotesque sight. His massive arm, larger than my entire body, fell to the ground before me. ¡°Take it.¡± ¡°No, wait¡­ this is too much¡­¡± ¡°When will you ever have time to learn my other skills and sync your soul wavelength with mine? You have far greater things to accomplish. I must do everything I can for you.¡± ¡°But this is part of your soul body, isn¡¯t it? I can feel an immense amount of divine energy from it. This isn¡¯t just an avatar, is it¡­?¡± ¡°I brought part of my true form¡¯s spirit into this arm. Haha. It¡¯ll take me about a month to recover.¡± He looked nothing like the god I first met¡ªfrantically begging for his life. Now, he seemed divine¡ªalmost radiant with a halo behind him. Incredible. He was¡­ incredible. He was willing to tear off his own arm for me¡­! With trembling hands, I reached out and touched Asura¡¯s severed arm. A message appeared. [Would you like to absorb the soul body of the deity, ¡®Asura¡¯?] [This is a refined spirit body designed to enhance absorption efficiency. Absorption rate will increase.] [The Soul Reaper skill activates, boosting absorption efficiency.] Oh. Nice. I pressed Yes, and Asura¡¯s arm disappeared as it was absorbed into me. [You have absorbed the soul body of ¡®Asura¡¯.] [Divine Power +100.] [You have absorbed an incomplete soul body of Asura. It will gradually regenerate over time, increasing your divine power. The maximum increase is +300.] Oh. A bonus effect. I currently had around 4,000 divine power, so gaining 100 instantly with the potential for 300 growth was a huge advantage. [You have mastered Asura¡¯s soul patterns.] [You are a god of the souls. All patterns are already inherent. No further pattern absorption is necessary.] Huh¡­? So, because I¡¯m a soul god, I don¡¯t even need to sync my soul wavelength? Asura stared solemnly at his missing arm. There was a deep, meaningful expression in his eyes as he gazed at the void where his limb had once been. Asura¡­ You probably didn¡¯t need to tear off your arm to give me the skill, did you? ¡­But this was definitely not the time to say that. I¡¯ll just consider it a bonus¡ªan extra gift along with the skill. I could always repay him later. ¡°I¡¯ve absorbed it properly. Thank you so much.¡± Hearing my words, Asura, still staring at his missing arm, slowly nodded. ¡°Good. That¡¯s a relief. Now, I¡¯ll transmit my skill to you. With our soul wavelengths aligned, you should be able to obtain it without issue.¡± Asura¡ªthe god who selflessly tore off his own arm¡ªwas about to pass on his treasured skill. My heart pounded with anticipation. ¡°Take it.¡± [You have acquired the skill: Three Heads and Six Arms ¨C Asura¡¯s Path.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 144 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 144: The First SSS-Rank Skill (2) Three Heads and Six Arms? Asura¡¯s Path? I couldn''t quite grasp what kind of skill it was just from the name. I immediately checked the skill description. [Three Heads and Six Arms ¨C Asura¡¯s Path] [SSS-Rank Skill] [The fundamental skill that embodies the essence of Asura. You can completely transform the form of your soul body. Through the ceaseless battles in Asura¡¯s Path, your soul¡¯s growth potential will expand. You can dispatch a portion of your soul body to Asura¡¯s Path, where it will engage in endless combat, enhancing the power of your original soul. If you reach the 44th rank in Asura¡¯s Path, you will be able to manifest the Asura¡¯s signature form: Three Heads and Six Arms. While transformed into the Three Heads and Six Arms form, you can summon a fragment of Asura¡¯s Path into the present world.] Hmm... A soul development skill? I couldn''t quite get a clear sense of it yet. ¡°What kind of skill is this?¡± ¡°It is a skill that allows you to evolve and transform your fundamental soul form.¡± ¡°My fundamental soul form, you say...?¡± ¡°You are in a human form, are you not?¡± That¡¯s right. My original appearance was simply my human self. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°True gods, who are worshipped through faith, possess fundamental soul forms that reflect the image of their worship. Archangels, for example, have wings, and I, as you can see, have three heads and six arms. This is the form people believe in, and thus it grants us the greatest power.¡± ¡°Ah...¡± So, divine beings are most efficient when they remain in the form people imagine them to be. ¡°You are different, though. You didn¡¯t ascend through faith but rather through the system. Thus, your most optimal soul form is simply your original human self.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°This skill allows you to develop and transform that fundamental soul form.¡± ¡°What changes will that bring?¡± ¡°For one, you will be able to fully utilize your power even when transforming into forms other than your human shape.¡± Previously, I could only unleash my full power when I maintained my human form. Now, I could take on different shapes without being restricted. ¡°Additionally, you can enhance your fundamental soul form. Compared to your current human shape, it can be amplified up to three times.¡± "Three times stronger¡­" That sounded impressive, but I still couldn''t fully grasp the benefits of strengthening my fundamental soul form. It was an SSS-rank skill, so it was bound to be incredible, but¡­ For now, I moved on. ¡°What does the soul dispatch ability do?¡± ¡°Are you familiar with Asura¡¯s Path?¡± ¡°Hmm... Isn¡¯t it something like hell?¡± ¡°Hell is a separate realm called Hell realm.¡± Asura squatted on the ground and drew something into the dirt. The word Six Paths was deeply carved into the earth. ¡°Do you know what the Six Paths are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not very familiar with them.¡± Hearing my response, Asura smiled knowingly and began to explain. ¡°The Six Paths refer to the six realms where those who have not attained enlightenment are reincarnated. The three lower realms consist of Hell, the Hungry Ghosts, and the Animals, known as the Three Evil Paths. The three higher realms are Asura¡¯s Path, the Human Realm, and the Heavenly Realm, forming the Three Good Paths.¡± ¡°Asura¡¯s Path is considered part of the good realms?¡± ¡°In comparison to Hell, Hungry Ghosts, and Animals, yes. It is a realm for those whose morality is ambiguous, those drawn to combat. I oversee Asura¡¯s Path, but I do not interfere. The beings there prove their worth through endless battle.¡± So basically, it was a realm of eternal combat. It sounded slightly better than the truly hellish realms, but still didn¡¯t seem like a pleasant place to live. ¡°It is not an ideal realm for seeking enlightenment. However, for warriors, it is the ultimate battlefield. Those who fight endlessly, until they lose their will to battle, will eventually reincarnate into one of the other paths.¡± ¡°I see. So, this skill sends my soul into that battlefield?¡± ¡°Exactly. You lack true combat experience, don¡¯t you?¡± While I had more experience than most humans, I was still far from the level of the gods or the ancient divine beings. I had simply relied on efficient skill usage rather than genuine fighting prowess. ¡°I have more experience than most humans, but not enough to compare to gods.¡± ¡°The endless battles in Asura¡¯s Path will fill that gap. Moreover, you will be able to complete the Three Heads and Six Arms form.¡± ¡°Wait. That part bothers me a little... Won¡¯t I end up looking like you if I take on that form?¡± Currently, Asura was missing one arm, but still, three heads and six arms was... a bit much. I couldn''t hide my unease, which made Asura tilt his heads. ¡°You don¡¯t know how advantageous it is, do you? With three heads, your field of vision expands, and your situational awareness sharpens. With six arms, you can wield six weapons at once and attack in unpredictable patterns. Do you have any idea how envious beings from other divine realms are of this form?¡± ¡°Ah... Well, I guess that makes sense...¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk. You¡¯re still being spoiled.¡± Asura shook his three heads in disappointment. Then, red light radiated from his body as his form gradually shrank. When the light subsided, he appeared as a strikingly handsome man with long, crimson hair and tanned skin¡ªresembling someone of Indian descent. ¡°Whoa... That¡¯s insane.¡± ¡°Are all gods this good-looking?¡± ¡°Quick, take a picture!¡± Even the people who had fled in fear returned. They eagerly pulled out their phones and began snapping photos. Ugh¡­ This superficial, appearance-obsessed society¡­ ¡°See? I can transform my appearance at will.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But once you fight in the Three Heads and Six Arms form, you¡¯ll understand. It will open your eyes to a whole new world.¡± ¡°Got it. But... if I need to reach the 44th rank, won¡¯t that take a while?¡± ¡°No. Judging by the strength of your soul, you¡¯ll rise through the ranks quickly.¡± Asura then offered me a word of advice. ¡°Don¡¯t send too large a portion of your soul at once. Only send what you can control.¡± ¡°It could become uncontrollable?¡± ¡°If you dispatch too much of your soul, the separated part may develop its own will. It might even try to take over your true self. The dispatched soul fragments will not harbor fond feelings for the original that abandoned them. Sending just 1% should be plenty.¡± Hmm... I had considered sending a large portion to accelerate my rank-up, but¡­ Since it was Asura¡¯s realm, I decided to heed his warning. ¡°I look forward to seeing your growth.¡± Asura then reverted to his original form. It seemed that his humanoid appearance was actually uncomfortable for him. His body gradually faded until he completely disappeared. ¡°Ah! Wait a moment. What about the Asura¡¯s Path summoning ability?¡± ¡°It is exactly as it sounds. You¡¯ll understand once you reach the 44th rank. For now, just watch your soul body thrive.¡± Hey! That sounded important! How could he just leave without properly explaining it? Asura gave me a mischievous grin before vanishing. Then, just as he was about to fully disappear, he suddenly paused with a sheepish expression. ¡°Ah! Soul God, I nearly forgot to mention.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Oho. Was he finally going to explain the skill? ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Could you, um... do a bit more soul mediation for me?¡± ¡°...Sure. Just go on. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± ¡°Much obliged.¡± The same Asura who had just exuded such grandeur now looked as pitiful as when he was pleading for his life. Since he had three faces, I guess he was hard to read. After all, I did receive something from him, so I simply agreed and sent him off. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never forget what he looked like earlier.¡± As Asura vanished, people expressed their disappointment. At first, they were terrified of him, but after he transformed once, their attitude completely changed. Now that the overwhelming presence he exuded was gone, the crowd''s attention shifted to me. ¡°Who is that guy?¡± ¡°Huh? I think I¡¯ve seen him on YouTube before.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t he the one who erased Zeus¡¯s lightning?¡± At least some people recognized me. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± As people started to focus on me, I simply used the skill to return home. Hmm. Today¡¯s events might end up on the news. Once home, I activated the Three-Headed Six-Armed ¨C Asura Path skill. [No soul body has been dispatched to Asura Path. Transformation is not possible.] [Would you like to dispatch a soul body to Asura Path?] I pressed Yes, and a prompt asked how much of my soul body I wanted to send. Recalling Asura¡¯s advice, I set it to 1%. [1% of your soul body has been dispatched to Asura Path. The dispatched soul will engage in eternal combat.] [The experience of the dispatched soul will be shared with the main body during sleep.] With that message, the skill activation concluded. ¡­Is that it? For an SSS-rank skill, it felt underwhelming¡ªlike I had just sacrificed 1% of my soul body. At that moment, I received an Apostle message from Kang Shia. [Jiho-nim, there are eyewitness reports claiming they saw Asura and you at Bongeunsa Temple. Did you go there?] The rumors were already spreading. [Yeah. I met Asura at Bongeunsa to receive a skill from him.] [The conversation between you two was completely incomprehensible in the footage. It sounded like a language no one could understand.] [Really? I didn¡¯t restrict the audio or anything. Maybe it¡¯s because it was an SSS-rank skill transmission?] [SSS¡­ rank?] She was briefly speechless. Considering how absurdly rare SSS-rank skills were, her reaction was understandable. But for me, the whole thing felt a bit off. I had been expecting a combat skill, but instead, I got this¡­ Combat sense enhancement, soul body evolution, and the ability to summon parts of the Asura Path. Not bad, but still, was it truly worthy of an SSS-rank label? After a brief pause, Kang Shia continued. [However, the footage clearly captured Asura tearing off his arm and giving it to you. It also showed the two of you interacting in a friendly manner. This has increased public interest in you.] [Public interest, huh.] [Yes. Since it¡¯s confirmed that it was indeed you, we¡¯ll leverage this for promotional purposes.] [Sure. Just don¡¯t overdo it¡ªour real push will begin after Asgard¡¯s announcement.] [Understood.] She suggested using my meeting with Asura for promotional gain, and I agreed. Afterward, I recalled the condition of the skill: The dispatched soul¡¯s experience would be shared during sleep. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s sleep.¡± It hadn¡¯t been long since I dispatched the soul, so I didn¡¯t expect to gain much experience just yet. Still, I was curious to get a glimpse of Asura Path. Though sleeping had become more of a formality since I attained divine status, I still enjoyed it occasionally, savoring the familiar human sensation. And then, I dreamt. ¡°Ugh, fuck.¡± My separated soul body immediately started cursing. The soul was swearing at my main body, wishing for its death. Deep gashes marred its entire form¡ªwounds so severe they could no longer regenerate. ¡°How many of these bastards are coming at me¡­? Gah!¡± Stab. A black sword pierced through its chest, and its entire body melted away. Even though it was a dream, the pain was real. So real, in fact, that I jolted awake. ¡°Urgh!¡± S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I clutched my chest the moment I woke up. My body was unharmed. [The soul body in Asura Path has been sealed. Would you like to spend SP to lift the seal?] ¡­What? It costs SP? I pressed Yes, and 100,000 SP vanished. For that price, it seemed worth it, so I went back to sleep. Once again, it started in a forest. My soul kept cursing about the seal before being ambushed once more. ¡°Damn, you sneaky bastards¡­ Gah!¡± It died again. The pain was unbearable. I woke up once more, gasping for breath. Again, the system asked if I wanted to spend SP to unseal the soul. It reminded me of an arcade game. The kind where you insert coins to continue after dying. ¡­Damn it. I had plenty of SP, but this was ridiculous. Fine. I¡¯ll invest 10 million SP. It was an SSS-rank skill, after all. If I wanted to fully master it, I¡¯d have to be willing to spend. And so, over the course of a single night, I burned through 10 million SP. And then¡­ [You have reached Rank 1974 in Asura Path.] [You can now add partial soul body enhancements. A third arm can be formed.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 145 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 145: The First SSS-Rank Skill (3) My soul body died 100 times in a single night. Still, by the time I hit around the 50th death, I started getting used to the combat. I cut down enemies in the forest and ascended the mountain. Things were going well until I fell into a trap and got instantly killed several times. Since death in Asura¡¯s Path results in immediate sealing at the point of death, when the seal is broken, I resumed from the exact moment I died. As I crawled out of the trap, the enemies were already lying in wait above, slaughtering me repeatedly. Again and again, this cycle repeated. After dying over ten times, the enemies eventually grew exhausted and fled, only for me to fall into yet another trap. Throughout the day, I waged countless brutal battles. And in the process, I cut down a significant number of foes, climbing to rank 1,974. Prior to hitting 2,000th place, my rank hadn¡¯t been displayed¡ªit seemed only the top 2,000 were counted. ¡°A third arm, huh¡­¡± S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The arm I obtained after investing ten million SP. Time to test it out. I activated the skill [Three Heads and Six Arms ¨C Asura¡¯s Path]. Immediately, an image formed in my mind¡ªa visualization of a human arm and hand. It resembled my right arm. Maybe because I¡¯m right-handed, my mind instinctively shaped it after my dominant hand first. [Would you like to form the third arm? Please specify its location.] As I imagined different ways to use the new limb, the system message popped up. Oh. It seemed I wasn¡¯t restricted to attaching all three arms on one shoulder like Asura. In that case, there was no need to place them all on one side. Where would it be most useful? If it could go anywhere, I could even place it on my head or chest. Hmm¡­ Since I already had arms on both sides, placing it in the center seemed practical. And since I could remove it at will, there was no harm in experimenting. ¡°Form it on my chest.¡± A crimson light swirled at my chest. Then, the light tore apart, and a new arm extended outward. It ripped through the center of my clothing, emerging alone and upright. It moved as naturally as my original limbs, showing no signs of restriction. But¡­ the sight of it felt uncanny. I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. It was utterly grotesque. While my regular arms were at least covered by my shirt, the pale, bare third arm drooped from my chest. When I flexed it, the limb shot upward, standing stiffly on its own. I moved it around. Swish. Swish. It moved with precision and ease according to my will¡­ But¡­ Ugh. It was disturbing to look at. So what if it looks weird? What matters is how well it performs in combat! Logically, I knew that. Yet, the sight still repulsed me. Can I change its form somehow? The limp, dangling arm on my chest. When I left the bathroom, the hand kept brushing against my groin. Ugh. It was giving off some perverted vibes¡­ As I pondered how to modify it, I strolled into the living room. Out of curiosity, I used the third hand to pick up the remote and turned on the TV. A documentary about sea creatures was playing. When did I change the channel to this? The screen showed a squid. It snatched a passing fish with its tentacle, then devoured it whole. The squid¡¯s attack left an impression. It lay camouflaged on the ocean floor, then suddenly lashed out with its tentacle to seize its prey. ¡°Hmm¡­ What about something like that?¡± The third arm¡­ Rather than leaving it as an awkward, dangling human arm, why not transform it into a tentacle? A sharp, piercing tip for attacking. And if I infused it with soul energy, it could become a formidable offensive weapon. I could keep it hidden most of the time and extend it suddenly to catch enemies off guard. [Would you like to transform the third arm?] The system message responded to my thoughts. But the next message wasn¡¯t so welcome. [Not a humanoid form. Soul form efficiency will significantly decrease.] Hmm¡­ Since my fundamental soul form was human, using a tentacle-like shape would result in a performance penalty. Tch. Never mind, then. I¡¯d just deal with the awkward human arm. But the next message made my eyes widen. [You are a Soul God. You are exempt from the soul form penalty. Efficiency reduction is negligible.] Oh. So as a Soul God, I could transform my soul body without suffering penalties? If the efficiency remained nearly the same, I might as well customize it. I began conceptualizing. There was no need to keep the tentacle exposed all the time. It could remain hidden and lash out only at decisive moments. I also wanted the ability to relocate it freely. As for the length¡­ hmm¡­ what would be optimal? I activated the [Three Heads and Six Arms ¨C Asura¡¯s Path] skill and began adjusting the limb, testing different configurations. Since this was a third physical extension, I took my time refining it. Then, a thought occurred to me. Would this new form apply to my soul body in Asura¡¯s Path as well? ¡°Asura-nim. I have a question.¡± I connected with Asura through communication. He appeared with one of his arms missing, welcoming me with a grin. [Oh! There you are. Your soul body is already infamous in Asura¡¯s Path. Because you''re a god, they have no choice but to seal you. But when they do, you just keep reviving endlessly. How much SP are you burning through?] ¡°I spent ten million SP yesterday.¡± [Heh! Ten million¡­ The Soul God¡¯s capital is truly boundless.] ¡°Hahaha. Well, as a result of that investment, I gained a new arm. By the way, if I create it here, will it also appear on my dispatched soul body?¡± [No. You¡¯ll need to recall it and dispatch it again. How many times has your soul body died?] ¡°A hundred times. One hundred thousand SP per death.¡± [Then you should summon it back and reabsorb it. If it keeps dying like that, its hatred toward your main body will grow exponentially. It will try to separate from you. If that happens, you won¡¯t be able to reabsorb it¡ªinstead, it¡¯ll challenge you to a life-or-death battle. A hundred deaths is a good benchmark for recalling it.] So my dispatched soul body could potentially rebel against me? Damn¡­ [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] It had been cursing me like crazy the entire time it was dying. If I summoned it here, it might attack me on sight. Better to summon it somewhere isolated. I left the house and flew toward a secluded area. Eventually, I arrived at a clearing on the side of a small mountain. There, I activated the [Three Heads and Six Arms ¨C Asura¡¯s Path] skill once again, summoning the soul body. [Summoning the dispatched soul body from Asura¡¯s Path.] [Summoning will consume 300,000 SP. Proceed?] Summoning cost SP too, huh? I selected Yes, and a crimson portal gate opened before me. From the gate, a figure leapt out¡ªme. ¡°Urgh¡­ Main body¡­!¡± The other me glared at me with murderous intent. His entire body was tattered and covered in wounds. The only weapon he carried was a crude iron sword scavenged from Asura¡¯s Path. Compared to my current self, he was in a pitiful state. I had experienced the same deaths he had, but he must have suffered even more. After all, he died a hundred times in a single day. That hatred of his¡ªI understand it, but still... ¡°You bastard... I¡¯ll kill you¡­!¡± Kim Jiho, having lost all reason, lunges at me. With nothing but an iron sword, he charged straight at me. But his attack¡ªit¡¯s far too slow. The difference in soul power between us is a hundredfold. It seems he¡¯s been reaping souls through his struggles in Asura¡¯s Path, but even so, the gap between us remains vast. ¡°Tsk. Sorry, but find your peace in being reabsorbed.¡± Scarlet tendrils shot out from my chest. Their tips are razor-sharp. As I unleashed Soul Energy Emission, the tendrils turn a brilliant white. ¡°W-what the¡­?!¡± The tendrils stretched out and sliced Jiho¡¯s iron sword clean in two. Then, with a swift thrust, they pierced through his chest. The barbed spikes tore into him, and his soul form began to unravel. His soul was drawn into me, gradually dissipating. Before he fully disappeared, he let out a final, grief-stricken gasp. ¡°Ugh... If I¡¯d had just a little more power... I could have used Heimdall¡¯s Return¡­.¡± And with that, he was completely absorbed. Hearing those words sent a chill down my spine. Damn it. If he had used Heimdall¡¯s Return to escape, it would have been a real pain. Next time, I¡¯ll need to either subdue him instantly or prevent him from activating that skill altogether. As his soul merged with mine, his memories became part of me. Memories far more brutal and harrowing than the ones I glimpsed in my dreams. His combat sense, honed through countless one-on-one and one-against-many battles, is now mine. The experience is nothing like the fragments gained from dreams¡ªit¡¯s far more substantial and refined. Even his hatred for me. Every time he died, he rekindled his loathing for me. Even as he recognized the overwhelming power difference, he clung to his burning desire for revenge. Feeling every ounce of that fury firsthand makes me feel a twinge of guilt for my clone. But still¡­ ¡°Three Heads and Six Arms ¨C Asura¡¯s Path.¡± The deployments will continue. Until I reach rank 44 in Asura¡¯s Path. Zeus could make his move at any moment, and I can¡¯t afford to let sympathy for my clone hinder me. This time, I equipped the clone with a tendril, so it should fight even more effectively. The tendril¡ªabout the thickness of a finger and capable of extending up to ten meters¡ªwas specifically crafted for my soul body. Its synergy with Soul Energy Emission makes it highly efficient. If needed, I can even bind a soul sword to the tendril for more flexible attacks. While I could extend the tendril¡¯s length even further, the efficiency of soul power would drop beyond this range, so I decided to keep it at this optimal length for now. Alright. With this new addition, my clone should perform much better in battle. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± I detach another 1% of my soul body and dispatch it once again, then return home. The TV is still on, displaying endless news coverage about my meeting with Asura from the day before. Online, people are still arguing over whether or not I¡¯m truly a god. [Is he really a god?] [C-rank hunters are freaking out. The Daehyun Guild officially vouched that he¡¯s divine.] [Whoa¡­ can a human really become a god?] [He seems super close with Asura.] [He even gave him one of his arms.] [But honestly, he doesn¡¯t really look like a god. Asura was drop-dead gorgeous in human form.] [Right? If he¡¯s supposed to be S-rank, he looks more like A-rank.] Hah. I guess people are used to seeing gods with flawless, stunning features on TV. So now they¡¯re mocking my appearance? Pfft. As if they have room to talk. They fail to realize that this appearance¡ªthe face of an ordinary human turned god¡ªis proof of my ascension. It seems Asgard and Heaven won¡¯t be making any announcements today either. Satisfied, I head to bed once more. During the ten hours of sleep, the number of deaths my clone suffered decreased significantly. The newly deployed soul body restarted from scratch, but this time, it fought with far greater skill. The clone handled both one-on-one and group battles with remarkable efficiency, making excellent use of the tendril. By the time it moved from the forest to the mountains, it began dying again, but even then, the death count was far lower than before. The accumulated combat experience clearly paid off, but the tendril¡¯s support also played a significant role. ¡°Thirty times, huh¡­.¡± Only thirty deaths to climb back into the top 2,000. A drastic improvement from yesterday. I considered recalling the clone, but Asura advised me to aim for around a hundred deaths before pulling it back, so I decided to follow his suggestion. Still¡­ Whip! A tendril shots out from my shoulder and effortlessly snatched my phone. It retracted, delivering the phone back into my hand. ¡°This thing is pretty handy.¡± With my clone making good use of the tendril, I should get into the habit of practicing with it regularly. Gotta master it quickly. Suddenly, I noticed a message from Kang Shia that arrived while I was sleeping. [Jiho-nim, Asgard and Heaven are about to make their announcement. Both sides are requesting your participation.] And a message from earlier than that: [Tomorrow, Asgard and Heaven will jointly reveal the truth about Zeus¡¯s Thunder. If you participate, it¡¯ll greatly solidify your presence in the world.] [We¡¯ve scheduled the announcement for tomorrow. If you show up in person, even C-rank hunters will start believing in you.] Ah. So they were asking me to attend today, huh? I was so caught up in the brutal battles of Asura¡¯s Path that I didn¡¯t even notice the messages. I glanced at my phone again. There are multiple unread messages from Loki. [Hey. What the hell are you doing? Why aren¡¯t you responding? We went out of our way to arrange the announcement at the Seoul Hunter Headquarters just for you. Are you not planning on making your debut?] [There¡¯s not much time left. If you don¡¯t reply, we¡¯re going ahead without you.] [Seriously, only an hour left.] Tch. Why the hell is he spamming me? I fire off a quick reply. [Got it. I¡¯m coming.] [Good. You¡¯ve got 20 minutes left.] I glanced at the clock¡ª9:40 AM. The announcement starts at 10:00 AM. I pushed myself up from the bed. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 146 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 146: Ambush (1) Seoul Hunter Branch. As I made my way toward the auditorium, the place was packed with reporters, leaving no room to step. Not only Korean journalists but also foreign press had gathered, creating a chaotic scene. ¡°We''re setting up. Please step aside for a moment.¡± A group of Valkyries was personally organizing the stage in the auditorium. There were a total of ten of them. Their intense presence was enough to make the reporters instinctively keep their distance. Click. Click. Still, some journalists captured the Valkyries'' images from afar. The Valkyries glanced at them briefly before continuing their work. Perhaps taking their lack of response as permission, the sound of camera shutters only intensified. ¡°Begin.¡± At that command from one of the Valkyries, five of them simultaneously drew their swords and stabbed them into the floor of the stage. Immediately, mana surged between the swords, forming a magic circle. A blue portal began to open atop the completed formation. ¡°Show respect.¡± As the portal took shape, the ten Valkyries in the auditorium knelt beneath the stage. Each gripped their swords, planted them in the ground, and bowed their heads deeply. Hmm. Who''s coming? Vrrrrr. The portal gradually expanded. A deep blue light radiated in all directions, engulfing the entire stage. Along with it came an overwhelming spiritual energy. This presence is no joke¡­ This was on the level of a High Deity. Before long, the light subsided, and the portal disappeared. Thud. A camera dropped to the floor. ¡°Wow¡­¡± The reporters could only gape in awe. Some of them seemed to lose focus in their eyes. And for good reason¡ª Beyond the portal stood a silver-haired goddess. Clad in pure white armor, she radiated an overwhelming divine presence. She was a towering giant, standing about 4 to 5 meters tall, completely dominating the auditorium. Yet, she possessed beauty beyond compare. Even among all the stunning women I had seen, none could match her. The only one who even came close was the remnant of Aphrodite that had briefly inhabited Diana¡¯s body. Faced with such divine beauty, the journalists were too stunned to even press their camera shutters. If a being from Asgard looked this breathtaking¡­ ¡°You have done well. Rise.¡± At the goddess¡¯s command, the Valkyries immediately stood. One of them turned toward the reporters and spoke. ¡°This is Freya, leader of the Valkyries. Show your respect.¡± ¡°The goddess of beauty, Freya¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a ranking even among divine beauty, huh¡­?¡± Gasps of admiration filled the room. Indeed, her beauty was worthy of the title of the goddess of beauty. Even though she was three times the size of a human, she was so stunning that it was impossible not to be overwhelmed. If I hadn¡¯t reached S-rank, I probably would have been completely entranced. ¡°Oh my¡­ You¡¯re already here.¡± Freya scanned the room before stopping her gaze precisely where I was hidden in the air. Then, she smiled softly. Wow¡­ She was already stunning with a neutral expression, but when she smiles? That¡¯s just unfair. Even as an S-rank, I felt my mental defenses nearly crumble. Suddenly, I remembered Loki¡¯s offer¡ªlower interest rates in exchange for hearing about Freya. Maybe I should¡¯ve just accepted back then¡­ No, wait. She¡¯s a giant. ¡°Come over here, Kim Jiho.¡± She extended a hand, motioning for me to stand by her side. Well¡­ She already found me. I dropped my invisibility and flew over to her. Instantly, camera flashes erupted. Unlike before, the reporters reacted swiftly this time. As I stood beside Freya, her body glowed momentarily before gradually shrinking. Now, at a human-like size, her beauty became even more dazzling. When she was a giant, her sheer size created a sense of distance, but in human form¡ªwow¡­ If Loki had shown me Freya back when he made that interest rate offer, I might have actually taken the deal. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to personally attend today¡¯s announcement, Lady Freya.¡± ¡°I wanted to see you in person, Jiho.¡± She stepped closer, her eyes crinkling with a charming smile. Facing the direct smile of the goddess of beauty was nearly mind-numbing. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Freya.¡± Suddenly, the world turned white. A brilliant light poured from the ceiling, and a few white feathers drifted down. Like a spotlight, the light concentrated on the space beside me. Whoosh! A pair of luminous white wings unfurled atop the stage. That form¡­ I recognized it. ¡°Michael. I didn¡¯t expect you to come.¡± ¡°Heh. Likewise, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± It was the Archangel Michael, wearing my father¡¯s form. However, his face was purely made of radiant energy, so only those like Freya and me could make out his features. The others could only marvel at the divine radiance, letting out endless exclamations. ¡°The Archangel Michael!¡± ¡°I heard gods would be descending today, but I never imagined it would be these High Deities.¡± ¡°Quick, take pictures! Hurry!¡± Camera flashes erupted from every direction. Yet the two High Deities ignored them completely, focusing solely on me. ¡°Kim Jiho. It has been a while.¡± Michael offered me a slight nod. Even though he was using my father¡¯s avatar, he was clearly the one in control. Now, I stood between Michael and Freya. ¡°I, Michael, make this proclamation regarding Zeus¡¯s Lightning.¡± ¡°This matter has been investigated by Asgard, the Christian faction, and the Soul God, Kim Jiho.¡± The two High Deities solemnly began their announcement regarding Zeus¡¯s Lightning. Each time my name was mentioned, the reporters turned their gazes toward me, but they remained focused on the divine figures. Thus began the official statement on Zeus¡¯s Lightning. Their report closely matched what I already knew¡ªafter all, the source of the information was Athena. The two High Deities methodically relayed the details I was familiar with. Of course, for the journalists, these were completely new revelations, and they diligently took notes. This scene was probably being broadcast live as well. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] About twenty minutes passed as they spoke. After delivering the core information, the two High Deities concluded: ¡°Zeus¡¯s Lightning poses a great threat to humanity. The Divine Alliance will not stand idly by and will take all necessary measures.¡± ¡°We express our gratitude to the Soul God Kim Jiho for providing crucial information regarding Zeus¡¯s Lightning. Asgard and the Divine Alliance fully support his endeavors.¡± ¡°We, too, pledge our support to Kim Jiho, the human who has ascended to S-rank as the Soul God.¡± Oh? I thought they were just going to mention my name, but this is more than I expected. As I glanced back and forth between them, the two high-ranking deities smiled and nodded. [I¡¯ve heard that receiving an Apostle boosts soul mediation efficiency. The Divine Realm Union will definitely back you up.] [Jiho~ We¡¯ll be here to support you, so please take care of soul mediation for us~] Their voices resonated in my mind, spoken secretly. Especially Freya¡ªher solemn tone from the announcement was gone, replaced with an incredibly sweet and affectionate voice. She even winked at me¡­ Wow. She really is the Goddess of Beauty. It¡¯s hard to maintain my composure. Anyway, these two renowned deities from the Divine Realms have decided to support me. Because of their words, every gaze in the room is now focused on me. Looks like the long-stalled process of making C-rank hunters into Apostles will finally move forward. The cameras and people¡¯s attention are all on me. It feels like the perfect moment to say something. If I make my presence known once more here, recruiting Apostles will be much easier. I stepped forward on the stage. Just as I opened my mouth¡­ The world turned red. ¡­This is danger detection!? The upgraded danger detection detects an attack. Direction¡ªabove. Range¡ªthe entire auditorium! "Soul Barrier." I expanded the Soul Barrier to cover the entire auditorium, including the stage and the press area. A golden barrier spread out. BOOM! The Soul Barrier trembled violently. But it didn¡¯t tear¡ªit deflected the attack completely. Looking up, I saw a black lightning bolt striking the Soul Barrier, gradually weakening. Seeing this, both high-ranking deities tensed up. ¡°This power is unusual. Could it be Zeus¡¯s?¡± ¡°Lower the barrier for a moment. I will evacuate the people.¡± At Michael¡¯s words, I deactivated the Soul Barrier. Michael extended his hand towards the people. A luminous hand made of light grew larger, enveloping everyone in the auditorium. ¡°Withdraw.¡± Then, in an instant, they all vanished. Just in time, as a black lightning bolt crashed down where they had been. ZZZZZT¡­ From the spot where the lightning struck, dark electric currents gathered and took shape. The shape resembled a human. There were five of them in total. ¡°Who are you?!¡± One of the Valkyries shouted furiously, drawing her sword. One of the black lightning beings¡ªthe Thunderborn¡ªextended an arm. ¡°Krrrgh!¡± A strange shriek echoed as black lightning bursts out, striking the Valkyrie. ZZZZZT! The Valkyrie tried to block with her sword, but¡ª She vanished into dust. A devastating attack. ¡°To erase a Valkyrie in one strike¡­¡± ¡°At least A-rank¡­ No, even higher.¡± ¡°Valkyries, retreat.¡± Recognizing they were outmatched, Freya ordered the Valkyries to fall back. Michael and Freya prepared for battle. I gripped my Soul Sword and reactivated the Soul Barrier. ¡°Krrrgh!¡± The five Thunderborn charged in unison¡ª But they all targeted only Freya. ¡°A non-aggression treaty exists¡­¡± Freya eyed them warily as they rushed toward her. Yeah. Olympus and Asgard are still bound by their alliance. Why are they attacking Freya? Hmm. I don¡¯t know their reason, but this makes things easier. I struck from the side of the incoming enemies. ZZZZZT! I slashed through the Thunderborn on the far right. For a brief moment, a golden-and-black barrier flickered around it. This¡­ feels similar to the Soul Barrier. But it¡¯s weaker than the original. My Soul Sword cut through both the barrier and its body, slicing it in half. ¡°KRAAHH¡­!¡± Cutting through lightning feels just like cutting flesh. As the black lightning faded, the Thunderborn¡¯s true form was revealed. Alright. Let¡¯s take down the remaining four. ¡°Dragon¡¯s Power.¡± I struck the next target and unleashed the Dragon¡¯s Power at a distant one. The synergy with my Soul Energy Emission took effect. The enemy¡¯s barrier flickered briefly before its body ignited entirely. ¡°Grrrgh!¡± As their comrades fell, the remaining Thunderborn turned toward me and charge. Their humanoid forms shifted¡ª They became pure lightning, streaking toward me at terrifying speed. A few days ago, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to track their movement. But thanks to my battles in Asura¡¯s Realm¡­ Now, I can see them clearly. Swish. "Go." I lightly dodged two lightning streaks and extended my tendrils. My tendrils, turned pure white from my Soul Energy Emission, instantly stabbed into the lightning. The black lightning vanished immediately. Now only one remained. ZZZZZT! The bolt of lightning I dodged turned back like a homing missile. I casually cleaved it in two with my Soul Sword. The Thunderborn split and dissipated instantly. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°They didn¡¯t seem like easy opponents, but you handled them effortlessly.¡± ¡°They seemed at least at the level of lower deities, empowered by Zeus¡¯s unique abilities¡­ yet they couldn¡¯t withstand a strike from the God of Souls.¡± Indeed. My struggles in Asura¡¯s Realm paid off. I¡¯ve been able to draw out more of my Soul Form¡¯s potential. I should keep sending myself there. Ssssss¡­ The remnants of the split and pierced Thunderborn¡ª From the spots where they vanished, something began to appear. ¡°¡­No way.¡± ¡°Those are¡­?¡± What emerged¡ª Were spirits. Spirits with their bodies split and pierced, slowly burning in pure white flames. Seeing them, the two high-ranking deities leapt down from the stage in shock. ¡°These faces¡­ I recognize them.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they gods from minor divine realms?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 147 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 147: Ambush (2) Michael and Freya exchanged serious looks. ¡°This god was a lieutenant of the sun god Mithra. He was clearly responsible for the military.¡± ¡°I recognize this one too. He was a god from Celtic mythology. He used to court me persistently from the neighboring region...¡± Michael and Freya spoke in turn as they observed the soul bodies burning due to the release of soul energy. So these guys were gods? Mid-tier deities, they said? ¡°What exactly qualifies as a mid-tier deity?¡± ¡°It refers to gods who were once prosperous but have now declined.¡± ¡°They¡¯re barely able to sustain their soul forms with SP revenue.¡± Freya spoke formally to me but casually to Michael. Is it because I¡¯m her creditor? In any case, they weren¡¯t from major pantheons like Christianity¡¯s angels or the Aesir of Asgard, but rather a declining minor faction. ¡°Zeus can make gods his pawns?¡± ¡°A god would rather be sealed than be controlled like a puppet¡­ But since Zeus has reached EX rank, even this seems possible.¡± ¡°Fortunately, these seem to be only S-rank, lower-tier gods¡­¡± If only lower-tier gods are being turned into these thunder slaves, then it¡¯s still manageable. But if today¡¯s attackers are just the beginning and SS-rank ones show up later, that¡¯ll be a problem. As Michael watched the fading divine soul, he turned to Freya. ¡°Olympus and Asgard are still officially in an alliance, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°These thunder slaves were stronger than normal lower-tier gods. It was only because the soul god Kim Jiho subdued them so easily that it seemed otherwise. The barrier they used appeared to be a variation of a soul barrier. If five of them attacked you together, wouldn¡¯t that be a violation of the alliance treaty?¡± Freya thought for a moment before nodding. ¡°You¡¯re right. If this level of force attacked me, Asgard¡¯s representative, Olympus and Zeus would immediately incur penalties.¡± ¡°And yet they attacked you anyway¡­¡± ¡°Does this mean they no longer care about penalties?¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible. However, the system¡¯s penalties are severe, no matter how powerful an EX-rank being is. Perhaps Zeus is trying to use a stratagem to avoid them?¡± A stratagem where one borrows another¡¯s blade to kill. In this case, is Zeus using mid-tier deities as his borrowed blade? ¡°Olympus didn¡¯t directly attack me, so it¡¯s not technically a violation of the treaty?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°But Michael, you saw it too, didn¡¯t you? These gods lost their will and were dominated by Zeus. They¡¯re effectively his subordinates. The system will recognize this as Zeus breaking the treaty.¡± ¡°So wasn¡¯t this an experiment? Freya, this is just your avatar, isn¡¯t it? Even if you¡¯re Asgard¡¯s representative, damaging an avatar wouldn¡¯t be serious enough to break the alliance, just enough to incur some penalties. Zeus is testing whether this counts as breaking the treaty.¡± ¡°But thanks to Kim Jiho, I suffered no damage¡­¡± ¡°Exactly. Which means Zeus still doesn¡¯t have his answer. He¡¯ll try again.¡± KWA-RUUUUUUUUM! Before Michael could finish his sentence, black lightning struck down through the gaping hole in the auditorium ceiling once more. All at once, the black lightning bolts shot toward Freya. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± With a simple gesture, she erected a barrier, deflecting the lightning across the auditorium. From those spots, just like before, more figures transformed into black thunder slaves. Are these guys gods too? I prepared to face them, but Michael stopped me. ¡°Kim Jiho. Do you have enough SP?¡± ¡°SP?¡± ¡°Yes. You wiped out five gods earlier.¡± Oh, right. I hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to my SP levels lately... Following Michael¡¯s prompt, I checked my status window. ¡°Damn¡­ I only have 100 million left.¡± I had quite a bit before. When did I burn through so much? Looking at my usage history, I saw that using the soul sword consumed the least SP, while dragon¡¯s power burned through an absurd amount. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Since the soul sword refunds SP when killing enemies¡­ The soul sword only cost me 15 million SP, but using dragon¡¯s power had drained 80 million in one go. Wow. I should stick to just using the soul sword from now on. [You have annihilated an opponent of similar rank. The soul sword is slightly strengthened.] The system message noted an enhancement, but no rank-up. [You have slain a god. Absorbing divine abilities.] [Absorbing Zeus¡¯s Black Lightning.] [Converted into soul energy. Soul power increased.] Lose something, gain something else. I lost a huge chunk of SP, but my soul power had increased significantly. The increase was 200 points. When I fought Ares¡¯s subordinates, my soul power didn¡¯t grow nearly this much. Maybe it¡¯s because I absorbed Zeus¡¯s Black Lightning too? An enormous boost. Each point of soul power costs 500,000 SP, so 200 points is worth 100 million SP. I still took a loss, but at least it wasn¡¯t completely one-sided. Now, seven more thunder slaves had appeared. Each required about 15 million SP to eliminate, so my 100 million SP was cutting it close. Still, this should be manageable. I stepped forward, ready to fight, but Freya stopped me. ¡°Kim Jiho, you don¡¯t need to help this time.¡± ¡°Freya? But you only came to the mortal world in an avatar form. You can¡¯t exert your full strength.¡± ¡°Yes, but I am the leader of the Valkyries. Even in avatar form, I can handle them. Besides, I¡¯m curious about the results of Zeus¡¯s experiment.¡± Freya advanced. Michael crossed his arms and watched. ¡°An avatar alone won¡¯t be enough. Are you playing into Zeus¡¯s hands?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s better to figure it out now. If the alliance violation penalty is triggered, that works in our favor. If not, we¡¯ll adjust our strategy accordingly.¡± Step. Step. With each step, Freya¡¯s right arm grew larger. The thunder slaves, sensing her advance, emitted eerie groans. ¡°Krrrgh¡­!¡± Zzzzt! Black lightning crackled across their bodies. All seven charged at Freya simultaneously. They kicked off the ground, transforming into streaks of black lightning as they shot toward her. Each one targeted a vital point¡ªhead, neck, both arms, chest, and both legs. Seven bolts of lightning scattered, then converged on a single target. Their speed was like light itself. If I hadn¡¯t absorbed my soul clones¡¯ experiences from Asura, I wouldn¡¯t have even perceived the attack. In the past, I would have just hidden behind a soul barrier, waiting for it to be over. But despite their overwhelming speed, Freya only scoffed. ¡°Hmph.¡± She extended her hand. Slowly stretching out her right hand¡ª Though her movement was sluggish, her hand expanded enormously. At this rate, it could grasp the entire auditorium and crush it. Then¡ªshe clenched her fist. Like swatting mosquitoes. A simple motion¡ª Yet, between the massive fingers, an intricate web of soul energy glowed. It looked effortless. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] But it was flawless and inescapable. All seven bolts of lightning were absorbed into Freya¡¯s gauntlet. The moment she clenched her fist, the black lightning seemed as if it would disappear completely. However, it was Freya who grimaced instead. Within her massive grasp, the seven black bolts did not vanish¡ªthey endured. It was thanks to the barrier surrounding the lightning. "Is this a variation of a soul barrier? How troublesome." Freya clenched her fist even tighter. Yet, the barrier encasing the black lightning did not break. Instead, Freya¡¯s form was starting to blur little by little. "No matter if it¡¯s just an avatar, I can''t even seal away these small fry?" "Rather, it looks like you''re the one running out of strength." "Hmph. I only came to Earth with a weak avatar because I wasn''t taking this seriously. Even you, Michael, wouldn¡¯t have been able to seal them." "Well, I won¡¯t deny that." So, even though they''re both avatars, it seems they can¡¯t completely defeat a god. Freya¡¯s soul form was gradually disappearing, starting from her feet. Michael, watching the scene unfold, spoke in a relaxed manner. "If your avatar is being destroyed, that should be enough proof for the system to recognize that Zeus¡¯s faction has attacked you." Even as her body faded away, Freya responded calmly. "That¡¯s true. But there¡¯s no real change happening." "So if they subjugate the gods of the lesser pantheons and attack Asgard, Olympus won¡¯t receive any penalties?" "Seems like it. Did they find a loophole in the system? We need to prepare for them as well. This soul barrier is too sturdy." Freya continued clenching her fist, but the black lightning still writhed unharmed in her grasp. Meanwhile, her lower body had now faded up to her thighs. Hmm¡­ Looks like I¡¯ll have to take care of this. "I¡¯ll handle that black lightning." "Are you sure?" "Yes. Since Lady Freya has already subdued them, it shouldn¡¯t cost me as much SP as before." I imbued my soul sword with soul energy. Approaching Freya, I carefully stabbed my sword one by one into the black lightning trapped in her massive grasp. Each time my blade pierced through, Freya¡¯s soul energy, woven like a net, conveniently dissipated at just the right timing. Such delicate control¡­ As expected of an SSS-rank divine being. As I retrieved my sword, each black lightning bolt burst into flames and disappeared. [You have slain a god. Absorbing the god¡¯s power.] [Absorbing Zeus¡¯s black lightning.] [All energy is converted into soul power. Soul power has increased.] [Spirit sword has been slightly enhanced.] Once again, my soul sword had been strengthened, and my soul power had risen after eliminating the seven black bolts. Killing seven of them granted me 280 points of soul power. Meanwhile, I had only spent 50 million SP¡ªmuch less than before. It was possible because Freya had already weakened them. This was practically stealing the finishing blow. In just one day, my soul power had increased by 480 points. "Kim Jiho, thank you for your help." "Not at all. I only finished things off." "But you must have spent a considerable amount of SP..." The once formidable leader of the Valkyries now blushed as she approached me. With her body fading, she suddenly grasped my hand. Her previously gigantic hand had shrunk into a more human form, and the gauntlet had vanished, leaving behind a beautiful, pale hand instead. "I really want to repay you for today¡¯s kindness. Please visit Asgard so I can properly express my gratitude." "Haha. No need for that." "No, I insist. Truly. I¡¯m so grateful. Within Asgard, I have a palace called F¨®lkvangr. Please come visit." Before vanishing completely, Freya entwined her arm around mine. She smiled beside me, but this time, unlike before, her expression was filled with seductive charm. One moment she seemed pure and graceful, and now she was downright alluring. That smile made my mind spin for a brief moment. "I¡¯ll make sure you have a very enjoyable time¡­ Fufu." With a teasing giggle, she disappeared. Even after she was completely gone, it felt as if her fragrance still lingered, leaving me standing there in a daze. Logically, I understood. She was the dignified leader of the Valkyries, speaking casually with Michael. And now that same strong goddess had suddenly changed her demeanor entirely. It was obviously an act. She was probably just trying to lighten her debt a little. But her beauty was so absurd that I couldn¡¯t help but smirk. "Kim Jiho¡­ beware of that temptress." Now that Freya was fully gone, Michael clicked his tongue and chastised me for standing there dumbfounded. "A temptress¡­?" "Yes. To obtain Br¨ªsingamen, the necklace that grants infinite beauty, she even lay with dwarves. She is a woman who will use any means necessary to get what she desires. Especially her beauty and her body¡ªshe does not hesitate to wield them. Among the Seven Deadly Sins, greed and lust suit her perfectly." Michael warned me that many gods had fallen for her charms, given away all their SP, and ended up sealed. Seriously¡­ Hearing this from him while he has my father¡¯s appearance makes it feel like I¡¯m being lectured by my own dad. I already know all this. "I trust in your self-control, Jiho. You even resisted Olympus¡¯s temptations despite possessing the Infinite Stamina skill, did you not?" Michael praised me for not making any mistakes, even with infinite stamina. Wait, when did he find out about that? Feeling more and more like I was being lectured by my father, I quickly cut him off. "Alright, alright, I get it, Michael." "Good. I must be going as well. I need to gather the gods of the Divine Alliance and assess the lesser pantheon gods." As Michael prepared to return, light once again descended from the sky. His body slowly lifted into the air, creating a rather majestic sight. Then, suddenly, he stopped midair. "Oh, right¡­ Your apostles can use your skills, correct?" "Yes, though with reduced efficiency." "Then¡­ can gods be accepted as apostles as well?" [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 148 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 148: Receiving a Large Investment ¡°Take a god as an apostle?¡± Back when I was B-rank, I did accept Diana, who was of the same rank, as an apostle. Taking a god as an apostle¡ªit''s not impossible. ¡°I have accepted an apostle of the same rank when I was B-rank, but I need a target.¡± ¡°I plan to persuade the gods of the minor pantheons. Some of them struggle to even maintain their soul forms because they haven¡¯t found apostles.¡± That makes sense. On TV, major religions like Christianity and Buddhism run massive ad campaigns, so minor pantheons don¡¯t stand much of a chance. People are looking for safer options, after all. This feels exactly like the dynamic between major corporations and small businesses. If I could take an S-rank god as an apostle, the efficiency of my Soul Mediation skill would skyrocket. This is an offer I can¡¯t refuse. ¡°I¡¯m all for it. The gods should be able to earn SP through the Soul Mediation skill as well.¡± ¡°Understood. I will persuade them.¡± With that, Michael floated up into the sky and disappeared. With his departure, both archangels were now gone. As soon as they vanished, the valkyries gathered in one corner of the auditorium began to move. ¡°Kim Jiho, may we begin the cleanup?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± The valkyries started clearing the auditorium, which had been scorched and left full of holes by the black lightning. Some of them stepped outside, then returned shortly after. ¡°Most of the reporters have taken shelter, but some are still covering the scene from a distance near the Hunter Association building. If you wish to hold an interview, I can summon them here.¡± Holding an interview might be a good PR move, but... Michael might introduce me to gods who could become my apostles, so I didn¡¯t see much need for additional publicity. Besides, today¡¯s events had already provided enough exposure. ¡°No, that won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯ll be heading back now.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± I used Heimdall¡¯s Return to teleport home and checked my status window. [Name? Kim Jiho Class? God of Souls Title? Godslayer Soul Power: 5,034 SP? 50 million] A simple status window. My SP, which had once been abundant, was now down to just 50 million. But considering how much my Soul Power had increased through soul reaping and ability absorption, it wasn¡¯t exactly a loss. Still, with this amount, if an enemy attacked my home, I might get sealed. In battles between gods, SP functions as both an offensive resource and a lifeline. It¡¯s essentially both HP and skill gauge in game terms. No matter how efficient my skills are, sheer numbers can overwhelm anyone. I need to secure a way to earn SP as soon as possible. For now, I¡¯ll monitor my SP balance tomorrow and determine my daily earnings. That¡¯ll give me a clearer picture of my income and expenses, allowing me to make better financial plans. With my increased Soul Power, my SP mediation income should also have risen. I¡¯ll check my earnings tomorrow, but for now... ¡°Light.¡± Instead of a skill invocation, I used magic. This was a method of contacting Athena via Magic Encyclopedia. I needed information on the black lightning and the puppet god incident that had been triggered by it. Whoosh. As I used magic again, a green chalkboard materialized before me. I wrote a message detailing my observations: Zeus seems to have subjugated other gods. He is using them as puppets and targeting only Freyja of Asgard. [TL/N: Changing Freya to Freyja to be more mythologically accurate] It appears to be a test to see if he can circumvent Asgard¡¯s alliance treaty penalties. After writing this long message, I soon received a reply. [Your assumptions are correct. I only learned about the black lightning recently as well.] Athena then explained the current hierarchy of Olympus. Athena, Goddess of War, is tasked with managing dungeons created by Zeus¡¯ lightning. Ares, God of War, is responsible for capturing and sealing gods from minor pantheons. Hephaestus, God of Smithing, modifies the captured gods into ¡°Black Thunder¡± entities. [Beyond this, I don¡¯t know what other tasks Zeus has assigned.] [What exactly is happening in Olympus?] [Several major gods have disappeared¡­ Hera, Dionysus, Artemis¡­ They haven¡¯t been seen in Olympus for some time now.] Hera, Dionysus, Artemis. These are significant figures¡ªmembers of the Twelve Olympians. And they¡¯ve all disappeared? What the hell is Zeus up to? [God of Souls, Kim Jiho. Please stand against Zeus. Yahweh has left the solar system, and Buddha has attained enlightenment and disappeared once more. Among the EX-rank gods, Zeus is the only one left with such ambition¡­ Only you can stop him.] [I¡¯m merely an S-rank god.] S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [You are the one he is most concerned about. You are the biggest variable in his plans. As the God of Souls, you have gained power through the SP exchange system. Please use it more efficiently to bring Zeus to justice.] Athena, Zeus¡¯ own daughter, was making a desperate plea. Just what kind of atrocities is Zeus committing for his own daughter to take a stand against him? I need to gather more information from her. [Understood. Then tell me more about the Black Thunder. The sooner we understand it, the faster we can respond.] [I don¡¯t know the full details, but I will explain what I do know. Zeus has ordered Ares to only capture gods who are in a critically weakened or sealed state.] Gods from minor pantheons who can¡¯t even find apostles. Gods who are on the brink of collapse, barely maintaining their existence. These are Ares¡¯ primary targets. Rather than causing large-scale conflicts on Earth, Ares¡¯ army focuses on locating and capturing near-death gods. [Once captured, these gods are taken to Hephaestus¡¯ forge, where they undergo modifications. Zeus¡¯ power is also involved in this process.] The god of smithing, Hephaestus, and the absolute EX-rank god, Zeus, working together to turn gods into puppets. The Black Thunder entities, altered gods, are said to be powerful for a limited time. [For a short period, they retain their original divine power along with an added Soul Reaper skill. However, they are unsuitable for prolonged battles. The Black Thunder is essentially disposable. At most, they can be used two or three times.] [Are only lower S-rank gods turned into Black Thunder entities?] [For now, yes. Zeus doesn¡¯t have enough SP to modify higher-ranked gods. But that could change in the future.] Athena told me she would send messages occasionally, so I should check them. She also sent a farewell message, saying that if she kept sending messages for too long, Zeus might notice. [Kim Jiho, the most important thing in war is logistics. You have the power to dominate the financial system of the SP world. Please act wisely and defeat the great evil that is Zeus.] With that final message, Athena¡¯s blackboard disappeared. I understood that she wanted me to stop Zeus¡­ but for now, all I had was 50 million SP. After cutting off communication with Athena, I checked my situation. The SP exchange¡¯s monthly profit was 750 million. It seemed like a huge amount, but once I started dealing with gods, it would disappear in no time. I hadn¡¯t had enough time to properly assess the profits from SP mediation, but it was definitely lower than the SP exchange¡¯s profits. What used to seem like a huge income now just felt insufficient. Even if I expanded the SP mediation to artificially inflate my earnings, it still wouldn¡¯t be enough. I needed to upgrade the SP exchange quickly¡­ [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] There were 50 trillion SP deposited in the exchange, and I needed 10 trillion SP to upgrade it. Since I could only invest 10% of the total deposits into upgrades, I needed to find a way to secure 5 trillion SP. If I relied on deposit interest alone, it would take 20 years to accumulate that amount. By then, Zeus would have already regained all his strength. Hmm¡­ At this rate, selling off some shares and securing investment might be a better option. Is there anyone I can get SP from? The other gods on Earth were already struggling to gather SP, so they were out. Asgard was drowning in debt to the SP exchange, so they wouldn¡¯t have money to invest¡­ Hmm. That only leaves the Chaos faction. I should contact Hercules. [Kim Jiho, long time no see. I was about to reach out to you anyway. What¡¯s up?] Hercules appeared on the communication screen. He still had a sword stuck in his chest. "Ah. I wanted to ask if the Chaos faction was interested in investing in the SP exchange." [Why? It seems to be running fine. Why would you need investment? It¡¯s like a golden goose¡ªyou should just hold onto it.] "I need 5 trillion SP to upgrade the SP exchange. If it weren¡¯t for Zeus, I¡¯d take my time upgrading it. But that guy has been pulling all sorts of tricks lately." I told him about Zeus¡¯s lightning and dark thunder. Hercules frowned deeply. [That bastard Zeus is really doing everything he can.] "Yeah. And on top of that, he¡¯s got his eyes on the SP exchange. Even if I lose some shares, I need to upgrade it fast." [I see¡­ Actually, Hades wanted to talk to you about investment. You also mentioned wanting to awaken into Chaos, right? He said he¡¯d explain more about that too.] Right. If I awaken into the Chaos faction, I¡¯ll be able to gain the power of Fusion as well. [I¡¯ll connect you to Hades. You two have a lot to talk about, so just open a direct channel.] "Alright. Got it." Hercules¡¯ communication cut off, and almost immediately, Hades appeared. What? Was he just waiting for this? He popped up instantly. [Hehehe, long time no see, Kim Jiho. Thank you for taking an interest in our investment offer.] Hades rubbed his hands together like a sycophant and bowed his head to me. What the hell? Why is he acting so servile? If he knew I was the one looking for investment, he¡¯d be acting more high and mighty. Something was off. Ah¡­ Did Hercules not tell him that I was looking for investors? In that case, I should act like I have no interest in the investment. "Well, I¡¯m more curious about whether I can awaken into Chaos despite being a deity." [Hehe. Normally, awakening a soul god is incredibly difficult. You¡¯ve already ascended to divinity, and on top of that, you¡¯re a god of the soul attribute. However! I¡¯ve made it possible! I convinced the great ¡®Left Hand of the Creator¡¯ that investing in the SP exchange was absolutely necessary!] The Left Hand of the Creator? I think Loki mentioned something about that before. It was the Chaos God that the Lords of Chaos served. "Who is the Left Hand of the Creator?" [The first god created by the true Creator who made the entire universe. The very foundation of the cosmos, maintaining its order.] "Hmm¡­ If they¡¯re that powerful, couldn¡¯t they just wipe out Olympus and Asgard in one go?" [Haha. To them, this isn¡¯t even worth that level of attention. At most, it warrants sending a Lord of Chaos. The true Creator governs an infinite universe; why would they care about a single solar system? Think about it in terms of cleaning your house. You¡¯d deal with big messes and dirty dishes first before worrying about a speck of dust on a bookshelf. In fact, you might not even notice it.] So the solar system is just a speck of dust? "Zeus has become an EX-rank Creator now. Doesn¡¯t that mean he can compete?" [Pfft. Not even close. Zeus is like a newly awakened F-rank in your world. If the Left Hand of the Creator is an SSS-rank god.] The scale of this is insane¡­ The Chaos faction has some seriously powerful backing. "Why would someone like that be interested in the SP exchange?" [The true body of the Left Hand of the Creator has no interest. But one of their avatars¡¯ avatars has taken an interest in the SP exchange. You see, their avatars compete based on performance.] An avatar of an avatar¡­? This is on a completely different level. "From the way you¡¯re talking, it sounds like I¡¯d have to accept investment to awaken into Chaos." [Hehehe. We can¡¯t just give it away for free, can we?] "I don¡¯t know¡­ Giving up shares just for Chaos awakening doesn¡¯t seem worth it." [Of course, we wouldn¡¯t invest just for that. We¡¯ll invest 100 trillion SP into the SP exchange.] 100¡­ trillion? Gulp. I tried to keep my poker face, but that number was too overwhelming. Upgrading costs 10 trillion, so with 100 trillion, how many times could I upgrade? [And we don¡¯t need any shares.] "Huh? No shares?" [Yes. Just give us a seat in the SP exchange. We¡¯ll become its second financial institution. Hehehe¡­] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 149 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 149: Chaos Faction¡¯s Status Window (1) Second-tier financial institution? Does that mean a savings bank? I had the urge to shout "OK!" but held myself back. I need an advisor. This is too difficult to judge on my own. Alright. Let¡¯s just call the SP Exchange Manager here right now. "Oink oink. Master. Did you call for me?" The Golden Pig appeared after a long time. Hades was startled upon seeing the pig. [No way. He is¡­?] "Oink oink¡­ Hades!?" "What? You two know each other?" The Golden Pig frowned. "He¡¯s my former workplace junior. Oink oink." "Huh? You were a Lord of Chaos?" [Hmm¡­ No, he was just a manager at the SP Shop. He quit, saying he was going to rank up, and disappeared. So, he ended up at the SP Exchange.] "Oink oink. A chief manager at the SP Exchange is far better than just a manager at the SP Shop." [Well, your rank was too low to advance further. Heh. An S-rank manager, really? Heh heh heh.] "You¡¯re as rude as ever. Oink oink." The pig and Hades glared at each other for a moment. They were former colleagues, but their relationship didn¡¯t seem great. The pig turned away first and looked at me. A strong golden glow radiated from him. "Oink oink. Master. What do you need?" "Hades proposed this deal¡­" The Golden Pig listened intently to Hades¡¯ proposal. Then he turned to me and spoke again. "Master, do you absolutely need Chaos Awakening?" "Hmm. If I want to move on to the next stage, then yes, I do." "Oink oink. In my personal opinion, the SP Exchange will fully mature in a thousand years and be as good as the SP Shop. But if your Awakening is at stake¡­ oink oink, there are certain conditions we must consider before accepting the deal." The Golden Pig adjusted his glasses with his arm. A dazzling golden light flashed. "First, deposit interest rates. We currently offer 1%, but if Hades¡¯ second-tier financial institution enters and offers higher interest rates, all the capital will flow there." "Oh, that¡¯s true." "Second, loan interest rates. They could offer lower rates than us. We lend at 10%, but if they lower it to 7¨C8%, everyone will flock there for loans." I see¡­ If I had been blinded by the 100 trillion SP and agreed to open the bank without thinking, we would¡¯ve been doomed. If Hades set a 2% deposit rate and an 8% loan rate, all the customers would go there, right? "We could¡¯ve been ruined." "Oink oink. Master, the SP Shop has a massive amount of accumulated SP. They can afford to take losses initially to drive competition out. Oink oink." [Oh no, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯m just suggesting we collaborate at the SP Exchange. Right now, the SP Exchange only has 10 trillion SP in loans, and the gods are complaining. It¡¯s inconvenient. Heh heh heh.] "Oink oink. No accepting deposits, and the loan interest rate must be at least 5% higher than ours." Hades shrugged at the Golden Pig¡¯s statement. [Heh heh. That was the plan from the start. I wanted to work together with Kim Jiho. You¡¯re so suspicious. Heh heh.] "Oink oink¡­ I suddenly remember how this bastard kept opposing my rank-up and caused me to fail my SP Shop manager promotion. Master. Oink oink." [Oh, do you have proof it was me? Heh heh.] "Anyway, we also need to agree on the lease period. A hundred years should be appropriate." [Hey, a hundred years isn¡¯t enough. I¡¯m investing 100 trillion SP; I¡¯d be fired if it¡¯s just a hundred years. Let¡¯s make it a thousand years.] "Hmm. Two hundred years." [Hey! This guy, really.] They started arguing over how long the lease should be. Ah. Calling the manager was a good decision. I don¡¯t have to negotiate this myself. Yeah. Since they¡¯re taking 1% of the SP, they should at least do this much. "Three hundred thirty years. No more than that." [Heh¡­ Heh¡­ Running into you is just bad luck. Fine, I¡¯ll agree. But allow for contract renewal.] "Understood. Oink oink. We¡¯ll discuss that after 330 years." With the main terms settled, the two negotiators wrapped up their discussion. Hades looked at me once the deal was done. [Heh heh. You really picked a good SP manager.] "Seeing it today, I think so too." [Anyway, a deal is a deal. I¡¯ll send the 100 trillion SP and the Chaos Awakening Orb.] He¡¯s giving me the full 100 trillion? Even with the restrictions on deposits, loan interest rates, and the time limit, he¡¯s willing to send the SP so easily¡­? I looked at Hades in doubt, and he explained. [After talking with Goldberg, we realized upgrading the SP Exchange would make our operations much easier. We decided to invest the 100 trillion boldly.] "Goldberg? The pig¡¯s name is Goldberg?" [Heh heh. That¡¯s what we called him on our side. I don¡¯t know his real name. Anyway, the official investment and store entry contract will appear in your inventory. Make sure to approve it.] "Got it. By the way, how is the Chaos faction planning to interfere with Earth now?" [Krr¡­ That Smiling Devil bastard keeps disrupting meetings. It¡¯s obvious he¡¯s in cahoots with Zeus. We¡¯re still discussing, but for now, dungeons will continue to appear on Earth as planned. Heh heh.] "Really? There are so many Awakeners on Earth now that dungeons won¡¯t be a threat anymore." [Heh heh. Sending dungeons is basically like dumping trash for us. As long as you handle it, it works out for us too.] Originally, if dungeons weren¡¯t cleared, Chaos would gradually expand its influence, leading to the Chaos Lord¡¯s descent and the world¡¯s destruction¡­ But now, the descent seems to be on hold, and they¡¯re just spawning dungeons. Looks like there¡¯s still a fierce debate about Zeus on their side. [If anything changes, I¡¯ll let you know. Just make sure to process the payment.] With that, Hades ended the communication. The Golden Pig turned to me with an apologetic expression. "Oink oink. Sorry, Master. I should¡¯ve negotiated a better deal¡­ but since we needed the Chaos Awakening Orb, I couldn¡¯t use a hard-bargaining strategy." "It¡¯s fine. Upgrading quickly is better for me too." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] When I mentioned that it was better to upgrade quickly because of Zeus, the Golden Pig nodded. ¡°There were such circumstances, huh? Oink oink.¡± ¡°You did a great job negotiating. I didn¡¯t even catch that loophole.¡± ¡°Oink oink. Since I receive dividends from my master, I must help out in this way. Then, I will allocate the entire 10 trillion to the upgrade.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I can¡¯t use any of it for myself?¡± Even if I could use just 1% of that 10 trillion, I¡¯d be able to rapidly boost my energy and dominate everything. But as expected, the Golden Pig firmly shook its head. ¡°The 10 trillion investment cannot be used for personal gain. Oink oink. If Chaos raises an issue about it, things will get troublesome. Their power is immense.¡± ¡°That strong?¡± ¡°Oink oink. Yes. The SP capital they have accumulated through the SP store and moneylending is beyond imagination. Their scale is large enough to manage the entire universe.¡± ¡°What exactly is Chaos?¡± The Golden Pig adjusted the mortarboard on its head and began explaining about Chaos. ¡°Oink oink. The Chaos faction only appears to those who disrupt the balance of the universe. They act as cleaners.¡± ¡°Really? I thought dungeons just appeared randomly.¡± ¡°They gradually appear in places where the universe is unstable. They send dungeons first to assess the situation.¡± Additionally, the Golden Pig mentioned that most dungeons were remnants of planets destroyed by Chaos. ¡°But in Kevrian, the dragons just summoned Chaos like it was nothing. That wasn¡¯t disrupting the balance¡ªthey actively called it.¡± ¡°Oink oink. That was because the faction grew too large. Chaos¡¯s core principle is to descend upon those who disrupt balance and purify them¡­ but as more members joined and more Lords of Chaos were added, some started destroying perfectly fine worlds just to increase their power.¡± ¡°And the Left Hand of the Creator, the deity of Chaos, just lets that happen? I thought they were an incredible being.¡± ¡°This all started from a competition among their avatars. Oink oink. They do stop at a certain point, but¡­¡± Hmm. At first, Chaos only cleaned up irregularities, but now even the Creator¡¯s Left Hand¡¯s avatars were fighting for power? ¡°Oink oink. With the 10 trillion investment, we can immediately upgrade the SP Exchange to level 20. Shall we proceed?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go with that.¡± ¡°Understood. If you have received the contract, please review it with me before signing. Oink oink. Hades might have hidden some traps in it.¡± That makes sense. I should handle this while the Golden Pig is here. [The Lord of Chaos, ''Supreme Commander,'' has sent you an item.] [Would you like to receive it?] As soon as the system message appeared, I pressed ¡®Yes.¡¯ Two items were added to my inventory. One was the "SP Exchange Entry Contract," and the other was the "Orb of Chaos Awakening." I took out the SP Exchange Entry Contract first. The Golden Pig carefully scrutinized its clauses. After examining it for about ten minutes, the Golden Pig nodded, indicating that it was fine. ¡°Oink oink¡­ It seems to be in order. We have further negotiations with Hades regarding operations, but the essential terms are intact.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t see any issues either.¡± ¡°Shall we proceed with the contract?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± As soon as I signed the contract, it floated into the air. Then, it started burning with golden flames. Seeing this, the Golden Pig suddenly let out an excited cry. ¡°Oooh! Master, SP is flowing in! Oink oink!¡± ¡°Great! Invest it right away!¡± ¡°Understood! Oink oink!¡± Leaving the SP Exchange in the Golden Pig¡¯s hands, I took out the Orb of Chaos Awakening. A black orb, about the size of a fist. The moment I retrieved it from my inventory, a message popped up. [This is the Orb of Chaos Awakening, created by the Creator¡¯s Left Hand.] [Even those who have ascended to divinity can undergo faction awakening. Would you like to awaken into the Chaos faction?] Nice. If I obtain the Chaos faction status window, I¡¯ll finally be able to use the power of fusion. I immediately pressed ¡®Yes.¡¯ The orb slowly disappeared, dispersing into black mist. The mist swirled around my body, and some of it was absorbed into me. [You are absorbing the power of Chaos¡­] I could feel my soul body slowly changing. [You are already an awakened divine being.] [Your Chaos faction rank begins at B-rank.] So I don¡¯t have to start from F-rank, huh? sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As the black mist from the Orb of Chaos Awakening continued to surround my soul, its volume gradually decreased while the amount being absorbed increased. The system kept displaying messages saying, [Absorbing¡­]. ¡°Hurry! SP, charge up faster! Oink oink!¡± Looks like the 10 trillion SP from the exchange isn¡¯t arriving all at once, just like this loading process. ¡°Alright, first stage upgrade!¡± As I watched the Golden Pig¡¯s reactions, the black mist surrounding me had almost completely disappeared. Then, one final message appeared. [You have absorbed most of the power from the Orb of Chaos Awakening.] [If you absorb the remaining portion, you will become an official member of Chaos, and your faction rank will immediately rise to S-rank.] [If you do not absorb it, you will remain independent, and your Chaos faction rank will start at B-rank.] So if I fully convert, they¡¯ll boost me straight to S-rank? Or I can remain independent and start at B-rank. Hmm¡­ I know Chaos is strong, but there¡¯s no need to swear allegiance to them. Freedom is better. ¡°I won¡¯t absorb it.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 150 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 150: Chaos Faction¡¯s Status Window (2) [You have awakened as an Awakener of the Chaos Faction.] [Your Awakener rank is B.] "Status Window." As soon as the message appeared, I opened the status window. [Name? Kim Jiho. Class? Soul God Title? Godslayer Soul Power ¨C 5034 SP? 50 million] This was the familiar combined status window I had seen before. But beneath it, another status window had been added. [Name ¨C Kim Jiho Class ¨C Soul Fusionist Level ¨C 100 Guardian Deity ¨C Title ¨C Strength ¨C High Agility ¨C High Magic ¨C High Origin ¨C Unusable SP ¨C 50 million (Shared)] Origin? What is that? I can roughly understand the other stats. Strength, Agility, and Magic are pretty much the same as before. SP is at zero, probably because I just awakened. [You have awakened as a Soul Fusionist.] [Soul-related skills have been added.] [Acquired the skill ¡®Soul Fusion.¡¯] [Acquired the skill ¡®Soul Disassembly.¡¯] So now, in addition to mediation and reaping, I¡¯ve gained fusion as well. Does this mean I can upgrade to SS rank now? As if answering my question, a message appeared. [Upgrade the Chaos-class Soul Fusionist to S rank. Doing so will reveal a new path forward.] So, it can¡¯t be done at B rank, huh? Maybe I should have just joined the Chaos Faction outright. That would¡¯ve solved everything in one go. Hmm¡­ no. Once I join, I might not be able to leave. My base stats are already high, so ranking up should be quick. I¡¯ll just level up from B rank. Since I¡¯m already level 100, I just need to reach 200 to achieve A rank, and then I can go for S rank. With that settled, I focused on a personal curiosity. "Golden Pig." "Oink¡­ Stage 2 upgrade! ¡­Yes, master?" "What is the ¡®Origin¡¯ stat? Do you know? You used to be a manager for the Chaos Faction, right?" "Oh. Have you fully awakened into the Chaos Faction?" "No, not completely. That¡¯s why it says ¡®Origin¡¯ is unusable." The pig nodded in approval. "Oink. Well done. The ¡®Origin¡¯ stat points allow one to return to the Origin, where the One True God of Chaos, the ¡®Left Hand of the Creator,¡¯ resides." "Origin? Why would someone return there?" "Oink. If your body or soul is on the verge of destruction, you can return to the Origin and be reborn." "Wait, so it prevents both physical and soul destruction?" I can see how a dead body might be restored if the soul remains. After all, even Earth¡¯s gods bring people back to life just fine. But if the soul itself is gone, wouldn¡¯t that be game over? And yet, this system revives even that? So, if I were to fight Hades and, by some miracle, kill him with my soul energy emission, would he just resurrect in the Origin where the Left Hand of the Creator is? That sounds ridiculously overpowered¡­ "Oink. Yes. However, if someone is unable to manifest as a soul entity, then the points are useless. But for those who can, the Origin provides a chance to be reborn." "Wait, does that mean even non-gods can achieve immortality?" "Oink. Immortality isn¡¯t that simple. Origin points are extremely difficult to gather. They¡¯re awarded as a special reward for completing missions assigned by the Chaos Faction." The pig explained that Origin points weren¡¯t just used for resurrection but could also enhance and modify one''s soul. So, because I¡¯m not fully aligned with Chaos, I don¡¯t have access to this ability. "Then do you have Origin points?" "Oink. No, I left the Chaos Faction, so I don¡¯t have any anymore. I started questioning the whole concept of Origin points." "Why? You can revive even after death and even upgrade your soul. Sounds amazing." "Oink¡­ I¡¯ve seen too many people return from the Origin completely changed. They come back with an unshakable, blind devotion to Chaos and the Left Hand of the Creator. Sometimes, they act so violently and impulsively that they don¡¯t even seem like their old selves anymore¡­ It¡¯s as if they aren¡¯t the same beings they once were." The Golden Pig spoke with a serious expression. He said that everyone who had visited the Origin returned with altered personalities. At first, he thought it was just because their souls had been modified. But over time, he started to suspect that the Origin itself was brainwashing them into absolute loyalty to Chaos. "Oink. I just want to live freely. I don¡¯t want to be brainwashed." "Yeah. Listening to you, I think I made the right choice by not fully awakening into the Chaos Faction." If I had access to the Origin, it would have ultimately linked me to the Left Hand of the Creator. And that sounds like more trouble than it¡¯s worth. "Alright. Keep working." "Oink. Understood, master." Thanks to the pig, my curiosity about the Origin was settled. Now, I should check out my new skills: Soul Fusion and Soul Disassembly. I started with Soul Fusion. [Soul Fusion Lv.1] [Fuses soul entities together. A primary body can be designated. The number of entities that can be fused increases with skill level. At skill level 20, skills and items can also be fused. Fused souls cannot exceed the rank of the Soul Fusionist. Any remaining soul energy from the fusion converts into the user¡¯s SP.] Hmm. Since I¡¯m currently Chaos B rank, that means any fusion I perform will only reach B rank. But fusing soul entities¡­ Does that mean I can literally merge souls? I really need to test this out. And if the skill level increases, I can fuse skills and even items? Does that mean I can evolve them too? "Soul Disassembly is..." [Soul Disassembly Lv.1] [Dismantles spiritual entities. When the skill reaches level 20, it can dismantle not only souls but also skills and items of B-rank or higher. Understanding the essence of souls through disassembly increases SP acquisition by 1% per skill level. At level 50, the user can dismantle their own soul to create a clone.] So the Soul Disassembly skill isn''t just about breaking things down¡ªit has various side effects too. The SP acquisition increase¡ªdoes this apply to all SP gains? Creating a clone is also interesting. Is it different from an avatar? It seems like Soul Disassembly is used to break down skills and items, while Soul Fusion is for combining them to upgrade. First, I need to level up these skills. Since the status window shows that the two SP pools are shared, I started investing points. The goal: Level 20. I rapidly click the Level Up button. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Once Soul Fusion and Soul Disassembly both reached level 20, my remaining SP was 10 million. It seems these two skills don¡¯t consume that much SP for leveling up. They''re different from Soul Mediation. [Soul Fusion skill has reached level 20. Fusion synergy effects have increased, and skills and items can now be fused. However, the rank of fused skills and items cannot exceed the rank of the Soul Fusionist.] [Soul Disassembly skill has reached level 20. B-rank or higher skills and items can now be dismantled. However, the grade of dismantled materials cannot exceed the rank of the Soul Fusionist.] The skill levels are all maxed out, but now the issue is the Soul Fusionist¡¯s rank. Do I have to start leveling up again? There¡¯s a title perfect for situations like this. [Earth¡¯s Number One] [Grade: A] [A title bestowed upon the Earth¡¯s top awakened individual recognized by the gods. Gains 1% of experience earned by other awakened individuals on Earth. Effect ends upon reaching A-grade.] If I deal with Zeus¡¯s Lightning and take down some gods, I should be able to level up. Right now, fusion and disassembly are tricky to use. Even if I fuse something, the best I can get is B-rank. What¡¯s the point of that? First, I need to raise my Soul Fusionist rank. For now, I¡¯ll just rely on the SP acquisition bonus from Soul Disassembly. "Oink. Master, it¡¯s all done." "Oh? Yeah. How did the SP Exchange level and storage limit change?" "Oink. The SP Exchange is now Level 20. The storage limit has increased to... 500 trillion." 500 trillion? It was 50 trillion before¡­ These numbers are getting ridiculous. "500 trillion? Whoa¡­ that¡¯s insane." "Oink. As your soul power and SP Exchange level increased, the loan limit also expanded. However, since it won¡¯t fill up instantly, we should diversify our product offerings. Also, the reserve ratio has decreased due to the SP Exchange level increasing." "Wait, I thought the reserve ratio only dropped at skill level 30?" "Oink. Since the Chaos Faction and Hades invested in the SP Exchange and affiliated their banks with it, the system recognized its stability. There was an exception clause for this." The golden pig pulled out a thick SP Exchange Manual and showed it to me. Well, I don¡¯t mind if the reserve ratio is lowered. That¡¯s a good thing for me. "Oh? Really? How much did it drop by?" "60%. Now, when the 500 trillion cap is reached, 200 trillion can be used for loans. Oink!" 60%¡­ Before, it was 80%, meaning that out of 50 trillion, only 10 trillion could be loaned out. Now, it¡¯s doubled. Damn, this could bring in a crazy amount of profit. "Can we even issue 200 trillion in loans? Wasn¡¯t Odin controlled by Zeus before?" "Oink. That¡¯s why we¡¯re planning to adjust interest rates dynamically based on loan demand. Leave the details to me." "Alright. Do your thing." "Oh, and the profit extraction rate has increased to 3%. Oink." "So if the storage reaches 500 trillion and we operate 200 trillion in loans at full capacity, how much profit would I get?" "1% interest on 500 trillion deposits¡ª5 trillion. 10% interest on 200 trillion loans¡ª20 trillion. Your 3% cut of 20 trillion is¡­ 600 billion. Oink! However, since loan interest rates can fluctuate, actual earnings might be lower." "Whoa¡­ How much was I making before?" "Before? About 10 billion." Holy¡­ My earnings just increased 60 times. I could only stare in awe at the massive figure. Even if the interest rates adjust and profits drop, it¡¯s still dozens of times more than before. "Damn, this is huge. Then, let¡¯s do it now!" "Oink. However, this only applies when both deposits and loans are maxed out. Even though your range has expanded, it won¡¯t happen overnight. The same goes for loans." "True. Last time, it only filled up because Odin lost his mind." "Oink. I estimate that we can secure about 100 trillion this year. That means 40 trillion can be loaned out. You can immediately take profits from the 50 trillion we already secured." "So right now, we can loan out 20 trillion, right? Can we fill that?" "Oink. Easily. Based on that assumption, I¡¯ll distribute your cut in advance. The expected profit from 20 trillion in loans is 2 trillion. After subtracting deposit interest, it¡¯s 1.5 trillion. You get 3%, which is 450 billion." 450 billion. I used to only get 100 billion, but now it''s 4.5 times more. And as deposits and loans increase, this will grow exponentially. "Alright, advance it now. Last time, you gave me 750 million, right?" "Yes. Since we distributed 90% of the profits, after deducting that, your payout now is 2.625 billion. Shall I transfer it immediately?" "Uh¡­ yeah, go ahead." Even though I secured 100 trillion in investments, it didn¡¯t feel real¡ªuntil I saw that 2.625 billion SP in my account. My total SP balance now: 2.635 billion. "Oink. We¡¯ll be quite busy from now on. Serving you is the greatest honor of my life, Master." "Yeah, just manage it well and keep the profits coming. You must be busy¡ªgo on." "Understood, Master!" The golden pig bowed deeply and left. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Total SP: 2.635 billion¡­ Absolutely insane. Time may be on Zeus¡¯s side, but I¡¯m not at a disadvantage either. With exponential SP growth, I could only grin, thinking about how to spend this fortune¡ªuntil suddenly, a message and call came in at the same time. [Jiho, I found a god who wants to become your Apostle.] [Kim Jiho, after the recent news event, many C-rank hunters have requested to become your Apostles. Currently, over 200 hunters are asking to join. Should we accept them all?] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 151 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 151: Accepting a God as an Apostle Looks like my status rose now that both Michael and Freyja are backing me. Over 200 C-rank Hunters are suddenly requesting to become apostles. But what really caught my attention is the gods who want to become apostles. The limit is supposedly 1,000 apostles, but I don''t know how that changes if gods are included. First, I should accept the gods. I''m curious about how efficient it¡¯ll be too. I sent a message to Kang Shia. [Some lesser gods want to become apostles, so I¡¯ll accept them first. It''ll increase the efficiency of SP mediation.] [G-Gods¡­ as apostles? Understood. Then I¡¯ll summon them to Korea under the pretext of an evaluation. Should I call them to the Daehyun Guild building?] [Do that.] After giving instructions to Kang Shia, I started communicating with my father. [Even before the Black Thunder incident with Zeus, this was a hot topic among the lesser gods.] ¡°Really? Then why didn¡¯t they ask the major deities for help?¡± [Hmm... truth is, they don''t really like the mainstream pantheon. Many of them used to be popular but declined due to the rise of major religions.] He gave an example¡ªthe war god of Mitra, the sun god found dead recently. Mitra originated from Zoroastrianism and was popular during the Roman era but declined due to the rise of Christianity. No wonder it''s hard for them to ask the gods who took their place for help. Also¡­ ¡°Honestly, if this hadn¡¯t happened, the mainstream pantheon wouldn''t have helped either, right? They probably don¡¯t have the resources.¡± [Hmm¡­ that¡¯s true. Mainstream religions have many believers, but they also come with high costs. We have to look after our own first.] Makes sense. They¡¯ve just been released from their seals and are busy recruiting apostles themselves. Who has the time to help others? [In that sense, what you''re doing has attracted major attention among the gods. Some are suspicious because your offer seems too good, but many of them are friendly toward you since you freed them.] ¡°So, how many gods are we talking about?¡± [Five gods have decided to challenge becoming your apostles.] ¡°Five, huh?¡± Not too many, not too few. Just right. ¡°What kind of gods are they?¡± [These are gods who were sealed right before being completely forgotten by humanity.] ¡°Forgotten completely...?¡± [As long as a god is mentioned, they can still receive a minimal amount of SP. Gods from Greek, Roman, or Asgardian myths may no longer be worshiped, but they retained power because people still talked about them. They were often featured in stories and heavily adapted.] ¡°So they don''t need to be worshiped as gods to receive SP?¡± [The efficiency is very low, but yes. Mentioning their names generates SP. Especially for higher-ranked gods.] ¡°Then Zeus probably gets mentioned a lot these days, so he must still be getting SP?¡± [True. But if people feel hostile toward him, he¡¯ll barely get any. SP doesn¡¯t go to those marked as enemies.] Huh. So the system''s kind of complex. Still, I understand that for gods who''ve lost their names and for me, this is a win-win deal. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s proceed with the apostle contracts. Where do I go?¡± [I''ll open a portal gate.] Flash! A sudden burst of light inside my house, and a white portal gate appeared. As I stepped in, the world completely changed. A world of pure white light. I was standing on clouds, under the shining sun. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± My father greeted me. Behind him stood five Soulual forms. Four male, one female. Each had a distinct appearance and outfit. Two men and the woman wore modern suits and a dress. One man looked like a Native American with feathers in his hair. Another wore only a loincloth like a sumo wrestler and carried a katana. You could guess their origin just by looking at them. They all stared at me with a mix of hope and anxiety in their eyes. Trying to figure out if I¡¯m their savior or a scammer? ¡°These are the gods who wish to become your apostles.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± At my father''s words, I bowed first in greeting. They all returned the bow. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Soul God.¡± ¡°Thank you for giving us such a generous offer.¡± ¡°No, I should be the one thanking you.¡± ¡°Um¡­ may I ask what exactly we¡¯d be doing as your apostles? We¡¯re prepared, of course, but¡­¡± The loincloth samurai god asked with a solemn face. The other gods swallowed nervously, looking at me. As for what they¡¯ll be doing as apostles... ¡°Nothing in particular.¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only recruiting apostles to boost the efficiency of my Soul Mediation skill. The rest is up to you.¡± ¡°Hold on, hold on!¡± My father pulled me aside quickly. Away from the five gods, he lowered his voice and spoke. ¡°Jiho, you can¡¯t just let them loose.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to boss them around, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying that. But if you just let them roam freely, won¡¯t they become Zeus¡¯s next target? Like Ares, preying on weakened gods.¡± Right, Ares was targeting weakened gods. If I just leave them after making them apostles, they could get picked off again. I walked back toward the five gods. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t plan on interfering much.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°But with Zeus after you, if we only form a contract and part ways, Ares might easily catch you again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°So how about staying in my Apostle¡¯s Garden?¡± Their eyes lit up at the mention. ¡°What kind of place is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an independent space where my apostles reside. It¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°That sounds nice.¡± ¡°I want to make a comeback as a god¡­ Is it possible to be active on Earth?¡± Some gods seemed delighted about the Garden, while others were reluctant to give up on Earth. ¡°You all seem too bold, thinking the Soul God is being overly generous. You are to be apostles¡ªyou must follow your god¡¯s command.¡± My father scolded the ambitious ones. Those aiming to resume their activities on Earth shrank back. The ones in modern clothes clearly wanted to return to Earth, while the feathered and loincloth-wearing ones seemed more drawn to the Apostle¡¯s Garden. ¡°Then let¡¯s do this¡ªyou can act independently but stay together in one place.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an apartment complex where I live that¡¯s full of vacant units. I¡¯ll just buy the building and make it the new base for you gods.¡± ¡°Jiho, that could be dangerous¡­¡± ¡°No. Just because you¡¯re apostles doesn¡¯t mean you have to stay locked away in the Garden. Since dungeons appeared, these apartments have been abandoned. I¡¯ll buy them all and turn them into a fortress for apostle-gods.¡± My father¡¯s concerns were valid. From Ares¡¯s perspective, this Seongsu-dong apartment complex might look like a delicious buffet. But even a low-tier god, if granted skills like Soul Mediation and Soul Emission, could become a decent asset. And while stalling for time like that, if I summon Thor, I might be able to subdue Ares. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Right now, I need to treat these low-tier gods favorably so that they¡¯ll gather others in similar circumstances... ¡°May we act freely?¡± ¡°There are gods among us who once ruled the world. Would you grant them the same freedom as well?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a chance the number of soul god believers could decrease.¡± The gods began bombarding me with questions. I took them lightly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Do as you wish. I don¡¯t need believers anyway. The Soul God cannot receive believers.¡± ¡°Really!?¡± ¡°To think you¡¯d tell us something so important¡­¡± ¡°Understood. Since you¡¯re granting us such convenience, I will become your apostle.¡± Some gods were aiming for a comeback. Others just didn¡¯t want to die and clung to me. There were various types, but once they realized I wasn¡¯t planning to exploit them, they all came together, wanting to become my apostles. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s proceed with the apostle contract.¡± They all nodded in agreement. Once I received their consent, I initiated the apostle contract. [Would you like to form an apostle contract with the ¡°Forgotten Gods¡±?] [The apostle candidates are beings of divine rank. They will occupy 10 apostle slots each.] As I began the contract, a message window popped up. Even in the system messages, their names didn¡¯t appear. They were simply referred to as ¡°Forgotten Gods.¡± I had 1000 apostle slots available. But since these were gods, each one took up 10 slots. That made things a bit tricky. C-rank apostles give 1%, B-rank 2%, A-rank 5%... These gods had better be more efficient than ten C-ranks. For now, I pressed ¡°Accept¡± and proceeded with the contract. [An S-rank god has been appointed as an apostle.] [You¡¯ve appointed a god as an apostle for the first time. You have earned the title ¡°God of Gods.¡±] [God of Gods] S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Grade: SSS] [A title given to one who has taken a god as an apostle. An achievement only possible for a truly great god. Increases SP efficiency from apostles by 20%.] Oh ho. I didn¡¯t expect a title like that. Right now, I have two status screens. Since I need to raise experience quickly with the Chaos status screen, I¡¯ll leave the ¡°Earth¡¯s Number One¡± title on and swap out the ¡°Godslayer¡± title. I¡¯ll only use ¡°Godslayer¡± during combat. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: Soul God Title: God of Gods Soul Power: 5034 SP: 2.635 billion] I swapped titles in the status screen. Then, I watched as more messages appeared. [A god has been appointed as an apostle. The efficiency of Soul Mediation has increased by 100%.] 100% per god! But since each god takes up 10 slots, that¡¯s effectively a 10% efficiency boost per slot. Compared to A-ranks giving 5%, it¡¯s a 2x difference. It didn¡¯t blow A-ranks out of the water, but considering that taking in one S-rank god is easier than recruiting ten A-rank demigods right now, this was very efficient. With five gods as apostles, my Soul Mediation income was multiplied fivefold. Wow. If I get 100 gods, does that mean the boost becomes 10,000%? But just as I was getting excited, the message brutally crushed my hopes. [At your current level, the maximum boost to Soul Mediation from apostles is 4000%.] Tch. So the limit is a 40x increase, not 100x. Still, even 4000% is incredible. Just taking in 40 gods will hit the cap. ¡°So many skills¡­¡± ¡°We can use even Soul Emission and Soul Barrier, which once terrified us!¡± ¡°Incredible.¡± These gods hadn¡¯t yet experienced the boost to Soul Mediation, but just being able to use the skills that once threatened them was enough to bring joy to their faces. ¡°For now, please stay in the Apostle Garden until we can secure an apartment. You¡¯ll need to gather at least some SP if you plan on making a comeback.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Thank you, Soul God.¡± I sent the five gods to the Apostle Garden. Even there, they were labeled simply as ¡°Forgotten God 1,¡± ¡°Forgotten God 2,¡± and so on. Not even their names showed up in the system¡ªhow pitiful. Once they were all in the garden, my father asked me: ¡°How¡¯s the Soul Mediation efficiency?¡± ¡°It¡¯s increased fivefold. I¡¯ll have to monitor it a bit longer to know the final results¡­¡± ¡°Fivefold? Each god gives a 100% boost?¡± ¡°Yes. If you know of any other gods in similar situations, please introduce them. I don¡¯t think I should take too many human apostles after seeing this efficiency.¡± ¡°I see. It¡¯s better for both us and the forgotten gods to become your apostles rather than get captured by Ares. I¡¯ll keep looking.¡± ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll go check how much my daily income has increased.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± He opened a portal for me again. Through that portal, I returned home. Suddenly, it felt like I¡¯d won the lottery today. With the Chaos investment, I leveled up my SP Exchange, and my Soul Mediation efficiency skyrocketed. Now I was curious to see how much my income had increased. With a heart full of anticipation, I went straight to sleep. The next morning, a message appeared. [You have earned over 50 million SP through Soul Mediation.] [From over 50 million SP, income is capped based on your Soul Power. Your current Soul Power is 5034.] [You have acquired 50.34 million SP.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 152 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 152: Counterattack (1) Already hit the limit? I opened my status window. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: God of Souls Title: God of Gods Soul Power ¨C 5,034 SP ¨C 2.685 billion] So the daily income is directly tied to the Soul Power stat. I was going to level up the Soul Mediation skill again since I just got a huge influx of SP, but I guess there¡¯s no need. I should heavily invest in Soul Power, which forms the foundation of everything. It costs 500,000 SP to increase Soul Power by 1. I decided to increase it by 1,000 points at a time and just held down the + button. 5034 became 5035, then 5036, and then the number started climbing by tens instead of ones. I blankly stared as the numbers quickly changed. Before I knew it, Soul Power hit 6000, then 7000. So I¡¯ve already spent 100 million? Well, might as well go further. I didn¡¯t take my finger off the button. I spaced out for a moment and just watched, and suddenly the Soul Power had surpassed 9000. 9000? Wait, that¡¯s a bit much. I hurriedly lifted my finger, but by then it had already passed 9500. And it still kept increasing. The number kept going up until it finally stopped with a click at 10,000. [Soul Power has reached the maximum level for the current tier. It cannot be increased further.] So 10,000 is the cap? Then even if I keep earning SP through mediation, the daily limit is 100 million. [Name: Kim Jiho Class: God of Souls Title: God of Gods Soul Power ¨C 10,000 SP ¨C 202 million] All the SP I earned was pretty much wiped out from the status window. Only 200 million left, but it¡¯s fine since I¡¯m not fighting immediately. It¡¯s actually better to have maxed out Soul Power. And if I set the SP mediation income to hit the 100 million cap, I can achieve everything possible within S-rank. I took my eyes off the status window and moved my soul body¡ªit felt completely different from before. It wasn¡¯t just my soul body anymore; I felt like I could control the entire space. ¡°Three Heads and Six Arms ¨C Asura¡¯s Path.¡± This time, I summoned the soul body inside the house, without going to the mountain. A red portal opened in front of me, and my soul double emerged. The difference from last time was the presence of tentacles. Unlike the previous Kim Jiho, this one looked at me with cold eyes. Maybe it¡¯s because this Kim Jiho knows I defeated the previous double? He was more composed than I expected. He examined me for a moment and then opened his mouth. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s...!¡± He already has enough power to use Heimdall¡¯s Return? But it¡¯s useless. ¡°Stop.¡± Before he could even finish his sentence, Asura¡¯s soul body was silenced. He couldn¡¯t move, just stared blankly at me. ¡°Return to me.¡± I lightly extended my hand, and Kim Jiho¡¯s soul body began to dissolve. Then it was sucked into me and fully reabsorbed. With it came the combat experience he had accumulated. This time, his use of the tentacles was especially helpful and that experience merged with mine. ¡°Dispatching the soul body again...¡± The dispatched soul body¡¯s final rank was 1,018th. If I break into the top 1,000, maybe another part of the Three-Headed Six-Armed ability will awaken. Sending it out again now with Soul Power at 10,000 should boost the rank further. I used the skill again and dispatched the soul body. After wrapping things up, I checked my current status. SP income was now stable. The expected income from the SP exchange was at least 3 billion per month. Plus, income from SP mediation alone was at least 50 million. Now that the limit has increased to 100 million, I figured I could hit the goal quickly if I recruited a few more gods as apostles. As for my abilities, Soul Power was now maxed. Combat skills were still lacking, but with daily income, I could level them up fast. I needed to learn more S-class or higher combat skills to be effective in battles against the High Gods, but for now, I could invest in and develop what I had. The Chaos Status Window was still at a low level. The problem was that there weren¡¯t any easy dungeons to level it up quickly. Maybe I should go monster hunting in the Broken World? There¡¯s Eshtar, which used to be overseen by Hercules. But I hesitate to go there. Zeus had used his authority to drive out Hercules, so I have no idea how the Eshtar territory has changed since. I could get unlucky and run into Zeus if I go there just to level up. It might be safer to head to Kevrian, where Hades and Elprian are, and scope out the situation while hunting some monsters. I only need to level up by 100 anyway. [Jiho. Was the task completed successfully? I¡¯ve selected about 200 C-rank Hunters for now.] As I was lost in thought, Kang Shia reported to me. Hmm. Right. Ever since I started gaining apostles, I haven¡¯t been that eager for C-rank Hunters, but since I still have lots of empty slots, I might as well fill them. 200 sounds good enough. [Oh. Five gods have joined.] [Wow... You must be the God of Gods. That¡¯s incredible. Where are they, if I may ask¡­?] [They¡¯re currently resting in the Apostles'' Garden.] [I see.] Kang Shia looked a bit disappointed. Did she want to let others know that it was she who appointed those gods as apostles? I sent her a message, telling her there was no need for that. [Just the five gods alone have maxed out the SP revenue. From now on, we can be more selective and take our time choosing apostles. We can even allow some lower-tier gods to join.] [Ah, I see. Then shall I narrow down the candidates?] [Hmm... then let''s pick only the very best¡ªjust 100 for now. Once they become apostles, they¡¯ll experience incredible power benefits.] [Yes¡­ I was surprised myself at the SP increase. I believe word will spread quickly once someone becomes an apostle.] [Good. Oh, and the apartment I¡¯m currently living in¡ªdo you think it can be purchased? I¡¯m thinking of making it the gods¡¯ base.] [Of course.] Shia answered immediately without hesitation. Then, another message came shortly after. [But¡­ isn¡¯t that apartment too shabby to be a base for gods?] [Is it?] [Yes. A temple represents the power and dignity of its religion. These days, many religious sects are constructing large new temples. Honestly, that apartment is lacking for someone like you, Jiho.] [Well, I don¡¯t have much money.] Technically, I could create wealth if I really wanted to... ¡°Gold, appear.¡± I spoke casually, and a pile of gold bars formed from my imagination. The gold stacked neatly on the floor, glowing beautifully. But... is this real gold? Well, I used divine speech to create it. [If money¡¯s an issue, I can just make gold.] [Wait, you can just create it like that¡­?] [Yeah, divine speech makes it possible.] [That¡¯s truly amazing¡­ But there''s really no need to go that far for money. The Daehyun Guild¡¯s financial power is more than enough.] That¡¯s what I¡¯d expect from the head of South Korea¡¯s number one guild. Very reassuring. [We¡¯ll purchase the apartment for now. As for the temple, I¡¯m thinking of using a plot of land in Gangnam that the Daehyun Group acquired from the government some time ago.] [But that land belongs to the Daehyun Group, doesn¡¯t it?] Wasn¡¯t that the land they outbid other major corporations for? The one that got a lot of criticism for not investing in R&D? But Shia responded without the slightest concern. [It¡¯s for the gods. An investment like this is only natural at the group level.] [Well, alright. Let me know if you run out of money. I¡¯ll print more gold.] [It¡¯s really okay. Please look forward to the temple.] Shia asked me to leave the land acquisition and temple construction to her. I agreed, and with her handling the details, I no longer had anything to do on Earth. We could still recruit more apostles, but only top-tier ones. And since Zeus¡¯s Lightning would appear in a week, I had nothing urgent until then. So, in the end¡­ [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°I need to level up.¡± The status screen of chaos. I needed to fully understand and obtain the Authority of Fusion. Only then could I reach SS-rank. Once I hit SS-rank, I might finally be able to go head-to-head with Zeus¡¯s envoys. Let¡¯s go to Kevrian and start leveling up. This place is overcrowded compared to the dungeons, so it¡¯s better to level up in Kevrian, where Hades and Elprian are. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± Elprian¡¯s hideout. As soon as I set foot there, Elprian appeared. ¡°Jiho. You¡¯re here?¡± She approached with a wide smile on her face. More welcoming than usual. ¡°Our SP mediation profits suddenly exploded. Did you connect me to another source?¡± So that¡¯s why she¡¯s so happy. With the mediation efficiency suddenly skyrocketing, it makes sense. ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°Thank you so much. It¡¯s been a huge help. I¡¯d really like to repay you¡­¡± She came closer, radiating a pleasant fragrance. Her gestures were subtly seductive. And... why is she wearing something that reveals so much skin? Flawless white skin, a divine figure, and those long ears¡­ Seeing her ears reminded me of Diana. ¡°Any kind of repayment is okay?¡± ¡°Oh my. Yes, of course.¡± ¡°Then please help Diana.¡± S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Diana?¡± Elprian looked disappointed for a moment. But then she quickly changed her expression and asked me: ¡°What kind of help does she need? Though she¡¯s now your apostle, she was once a high elf I deeply cared for. If she needs help, I¡¯ll gladly give it.¡± ¡°Hold on a second.¡± I summoned Diana to the spot. Fully armed, she appeared and looked around in confusion at me and Elprian. ¡°Jiho, this place is¡­?¡± ¡°This is Elprian¡¯s hideout.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Diana.¡± Diana bowed respectfully to Elprian. She also bowed to me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be of help during Zeus¡¯s Lightning, Jiho.¡± "It''s okay. Turns out it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. Just help me next time." "Yes. And¡­ um, something feels strange. I¡¯m in the Garden of the Apostles, and suddenly my SP gain has skyrocketed." "That¡¯s because I¡¯ve leveled up. It¡¯s nothing strange, so just use it to boost your stats. Anyway, Diana, you said that to reach S-rank, you need the Soul God''s recognition, right?" "Ah¡­ yes." Diana glanced between me and Elprian. She gave a small nod. "Elprian. Could you help Diana out a bit? That would be more than enough in return." "Recognition from the Soul God? Oh my, that¡¯s not easy¡­ hoho." Elprian chuckled softly and accepted my suggestion. "Alright. But please leave Diana to me for a while. It¡¯s not something that¡¯ll be done in a day or two." "Understood." "Jiho. I¡¯m fine, really¡­!" "You have to reach S-rank to stay with us, Diana. Opportunities like this don¡¯t come often." After thinking for a moment at my persuasion, Diana seemed to make up her mind. "Understood, Jiho. Honestly, when I was forcibly unsummoned in front of the lightning, I felt deeply powerless. With Elprian¡¯s guidance, I¡¯ll make sure I can be helpful this time." "Fufu. I¡¯ll teach you well." Seems like being unsummoned in front of Zeus¡¯s lightning really got to her. Diana firmed her resolve. And Elprian smiled, saying she¡¯d help. Good. That matter¡¯s resolved¡­ now, back to the original goal. "Thank you, Elprian. By the way, is there any monster worth dealing with around Kevrian?" "A monster worth dealing with?" "Yes. I got another status screen, and I need to level it up." After I explained briefly, Elprian spoke with a puzzled look. "Hmm¡­ You¡¯re a god now. Would hunting normal monsters even raise your experience? The level is completely different. I wonder if it would even count as ¡®experience¡¯ for you." "Hmm¡­" "Ah, but maybe if it¡¯s an A-rank dungeon, it might be different. There are a few A-rank dungeons in Hades¡¯ domain. How about trying one of those?" "Got it. I¡¯ll check with Hades and give it a go." Hades¡¯ response was simple. [Kekeke. Are you crazy? You think that¡¯s gonna work?] "Do I get no experience at all?" [Of course not. What kind of experience would a god gain from fighting mortals? But something¡¯s strange. If you¡¯ve awakened as a god, the Chaos status screen should be S-rank¡­] Hades rolled his eyes while looking at me through the communication window. [I don¡¯t even feel the power of origin from you. That¡¯s odd.] Wait, you can tell that just by looking at me through the comms? Anyway, I diverted the topic. "Come on, let me just run the dungeon once, at least?" [Kekeke. Fine. I¡¯ll give you the location.] After parting with Elprian and Diana, I headed to the location Hades had shared. Flying across the blackened lands, past the undead armies and mountains of corpses, I found the portal to the A-rank dungeon. I entered it easily and cleared it just as quickly. A bunch of monsters appeared, but once I told them to die, they vanished instantly. Even when I was A-rank, I cleared this quickly. Now? It¡¯s practically instant. Then I checked my experience. "Whoa. It went up by 1%." 1% experience gained at Chaos Level 100. But somehow, a whole day had already passed. Clearing the dungeon took less than a minute, yet a full day had gone by, just like in the past. "This efficiency is way too bad." If it¡¯s 1% at level 100¡­ Even assuming I get 1% every time, I¡¯d need to do this 10,000 times. Leveling up via dungeons is pointless. And that 1% gain even includes the bonus from the ¡®Pioneer of Earth¡¯ title. Hmm¡­ this doesn¡¯t seem right. Isn¡¯t there another way? [Kim Jiho. Are you in Kevrian now?] Suddenly, a message came from the Dragon God Drakia. When I opened the comms, a golden egg filled the screen. A massive egg, taking up the entire view. An egg? Out of nowhere? "Your appearance¡­" [I¡¯ve returned to my egg form to properly recover my soul.] "I see. How did you know I was here?" [You and I are linked through the power of dragons. I could feel your presence.] "Yeah. I came to hunt monsters, but it¡¯s really not working out." [Monsters? At your level? You¡¯re a god now.] After I explained about the Chaos status screen, Drakia went silent for a moment, thinking. Then, he made an unexpected suggestion. [How about we go on the offensive instead?] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 153 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 153: Counterattack (2) ¡°Go on the offensive? You''re saying we should attack Olympus?¡± [Not Olympus itself. I¡¯m talking about hitting one of the planets under its colonial rule.] Right. If he had suggested going straight for Olympus, I would''ve thought he was insane. Asgard had its SP drained due to a loan scam, and the other gods had just been released and were busy expanding their territories. Olympus was obviously the most powerful faction at the moment. But if we''re not going directly for Olympus and instead targeting its colonies, now that¡¯s interesting. ¡°Which colony are you talking about?¡± [A planet you¡¯re familiar with¡ªKalvine.] ¡°The one where Drakina was?¡± [Yes. The one I ordered the meteor swarm on in the end.] Kalvine. The planet Drakia destroyed with a meteor strike, declaring he¡¯d rather obliterate it than let it fall into enemy hands. ¡°Didn¡¯t it get annihilated from the meteor impact?¡± [Yes. Most of the intelligent life that supplied SP was wiped out. Some survivors remained, but I paid them no mind.] ¡°Then why would there be a colony there?¡± [That¡¯s what puzzles me too. Back then, Asgard was in control of the planet. Thor¡¯s lackeys were chasing me around like mad.] ¡°Right, I remember.¡± [But lately, now that my power¡¯s recovered, I took another look at Kalvine¡ªand things have changed.] Drakia, having recovered significantly on the planet Kevrian, said he checked on Kalvine out of curiosity once things calmed down. He had intended to claim the planet himself if it was unoccupied. [A new structure appeared in Rome, the capital of the Holy Empire Roman.] ¡°You think that¡¯s Olympus¡¯ doing?¡± [Yes. The architecture matches their style, and all the humans in Rome were gone¡ªreplaced by lightning spirits.] A land where all intelligent beings, including humans, had vanished, leaving only elemental beings of electricity. That was the current state of Kalvine as seen by Drakia. [Zeus has been up to a lot lately, hasn¡¯t he?] ¡°Yes. Kidnapping gods, raining lightning on Earth.¡± [Where do you think he¡¯s getting all that power? I heard his SP income was limited because of you.] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [That SP restriction isn¡¯t something that¡¯s easy to shake. Without a stable SP supply, he shouldn¡¯t be able to pull off all those actions.] ¡°So one of his energy sources is the planet Kalvine?¡± [That¡¯s how I see it. Cutting off the enemy¡¯s supply line is basic warfare.] The humans of Kalvine had already turned into lightning spirits, continuously offering SP to Zeus. If they were eliminated, it could stop Zeus from running rampant. That was Drakia¡¯s conclusion. ¡°But if it¡¯s such a critical supply line, it¡¯s probably heavily guarded.¡± [Naturally.] ¡°How are we supposed to take it out?¡± [Heh. Who said we need to take it all out? We hit and run, do what we can.] Kalvine wasn¡¯t quite as large as Earth, but still a sizable planet. The lightning spirits were scattered across the land, engaging in mysterious activity. [The stronger spirits have reached into the sky from various regions, forming pathways between the earth and heavens.] ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s kind of what Zeus¡¯s lightning felt like.¡± I showed Drakia an image of Zeus¡¯s lightning, and he nodded. [Exactly. It¡¯s a similar phenomenon. That pattern is spread all across Kalvine. They haven¡¯t covered everything yet, but I¡¯d say around 70% of the land is under their control.] ¡°You¡¯re suggesting we destroy that?¡± [Yes. We¡¯ve been on the defensive too long. We need to stop Zeus from getting any stronger. With him being EX rank, his only real weakness right now is his SP supply. If he¡¯s stably feeding off Kalvine, our chances get a lot worse.] Since Zeus ascended to EX rank, I too had rapidly grown stronger. I was earning so much SP that my soul energy was at max. From what I could estimate, I could probably take on an SS-rank god now. Maybe even survive a fight against a higher-tier one. But despite all that, anxiety lingered deep inside me. Zeus. That bastard Zeus was the problem. An EX rank¡ªridiculous. If I stayed at S rank, eventually, he¡¯d overpower me. I had to become at least a mid-tier god. But gaining 1% experience a day¡ªhow long would it take to hit SS rank at that rate? I¡¯d be dead long before that¡ªprobably by Zeus¡¯s hand. In that sense, the Kalvine mission was both an opportunity¡­ and a threat. If only low-tier gods showed up, I could kill them and gain tons of experience. It would deal a blow to Zeus and give Earth some breathing room. But if I died there? Captured on that colony¡ªessentially Zeus¡¯s home turf? That¡¯d be game over. My planetary escape mechanisms were Heimdall¡¯s Return and Avatar Swap. Would those work there? ¡°Tempting proposal, but isn¡¯t the risk too high? Can we really hit and run in Zeus¡¯s territory?¡± [I¡¯ll open the portal for you personally. I¡¯ve regained enough power as a high-tier god. I can at least extract you if needed. Also¡­ what¡¯s your current escape method again?] ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return and Avatar Swap.¡± [Don¡¯t know about the first, but with Avatar Swap, I¡¯d say even in a worst-case scenario, you¡¯d be fine. Plus, Kalvine¡¯s forces didn¡¯t detect my reconnaissance. Looks like Zeus hasn¡¯t fully conquered the planet yet. He¡¯s an imperfect creator after all¡­] ¡°If we go through with the raid, what¡¯s the plan?¡± [Well, that would be¡ª] CRACKLE! ¡°Whoa. Flashy.¡± The world turned a blinding white. The sun had set and the moon was out, but the lightning made everything as bright as day. We were back on Kalvine. No sign of human life, only a desolate land with towering lightning pillars. Each bolt stood at a distance from the others, seemingly guarding its own territory. The scale was similar to the lightning Zeus struck Earth with, but these ones looked visibly weaker. I felt I could take them down easily myself. ¡°Summon Drakina.¡± I summoned Drakina from the Garden of the Apostles. The red-haired beauty appeared, looking absolutely miserable. ¡°Ugh¡­ You really came here? Are you crazy?¡± ¡°It was the Dragon God¡¯s idea. You going to defy him?¡± ¡°Tch. Of course not¡­ But this is so reckless! You do have a real plan, right? Something more than what you told me?¡± Drakina looked at me with gleaming eyes as she asked. I had no such thing. Drakia only set up an escape route and told us to improvise as we went. ¡°Just turn into a dragon already.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± Drakina¡¯s body shimmered, and she transformed into a giant dragon. A massive red dragon with golden highlights shimmering along her scales. She looked even more powerful than I remembered. Her red scales now glowed more intensely with a golden hue. Her mana had grown stronger. No, it was more than magic now¡ªthere was soul energy infused as well. ¡°Drakia. Are you empowering her?¡± At my question, Drakia¡¯s voice echoed softly in my ear. [I¡¯m now fully injecting my power. I¡¯ll channel it into Drakina so she can eliminate the thunder spirits.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°So you¡¯re controlling Drakina then?¡± [Not quite. I¡¯m merely granting power through the authority of the Dragon God.] This guy¡­ In the end, he¡¯s just flexing his powers a bit without really taking on any risk, huh? Sure, I can swap out my avatar and bail if things go south, but losing an avatar means a part of my soul vanishes, so there¡¯s still a significant risk for me. Seriously, so sly. ¡°Drakina. I¡¯ll take the east. You go west and start dismantling the lightning pillars.¡± [Understood.] Maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s receiving power from the Dragon God. Earlier, she kept grumbling, but now she perked up immediately, spreading her enormous wings. Whoooooosh. Just from the flap of her wings, a massive gust swept through. The dragon slowly began to lift off the ground. At first, she was sluggish, but once she gained some height, she shot off west like a bullet. Crackle-crackle. The light that had been flaring in the west began to fade. Drakina didn¡¯t breathe fire or unleash flashy magic. Just a full-on physical charge. Using her massive body as a weapon, she rammed into the thunder spirits and smashed them. Like flipping off a light switch, the west darkened. Her golden scales glimmered faintly, but they were nothing compared to the intense brightness of the lightning. She¡¯s working hard. Guess it¡¯s my turn? ¡°Enlarge, Yeoui.¡± Seeing how Drakina smashed through them, they don¡¯t seem all that durable. I don¡¯t even need to release soul energy¡ªYeoui alone should be enough. ¡°Enlarge. Keep going. More.¡± Back when it was a lower grade, it had its limits, but now, not anymore. I wildly expanded it, cutting through the lightning pillars like chopping down trees. Crackle. Crackle-crackle. The massive lightning pillars were easily sliced by Yeoui. Flying eastward, I slashed them down one after another with my sword. ¡ªDuring the first strike, we must inflict as much damage as possible. And we¡¯ll retreat after five minutes. Drakia had said that no matter how stealthily we try to eliminate the thunder spirits, if the enemy is well-prepared, they¡¯ll catch on quickly. In that case, he suggested we cause as much destruction as possible before they notice. I agreed and kept cutting down the lightning pillars with Yeoui. While doing so, I checked my experience points. Leveling up is one of my major goals too. ¡°About 5¨C10%. I¡¯m getting XP from what Drakina defeats too.¡± Each lightning pillar I destroyed increased my experience. It was on a whole different level compared to clearing an A-rank dungeon. And the best part? I didn¡¯t even have to spend a whole day, and Drakina was earning XP for me. If I can destroy just 20 pillars in 5 minutes, that¡¯s a level up. At this pace, I can probably take down way more. I kept flying and swinging the enormous Yeoui. The lightning columns sliced cleanly with each stroke of my blade. As I demolished the pillars one by one, a long-missed message finally popped up. [You have leveled up.] This is a total goldmine. It¡¯s been about 2 or 3 minutes, and Olympus hasn¡¯t responded yet. Even though this is supposedly Zeus¡¯s SP supply zone, it¡¯s lightly guarded? Just as I was about to level up again, Drakia¡¯s voice echoed. [Five minutes are up. Since this is our first time, let¡¯s retreat for today.] ¡°Sounds good. Reverse summon Drakina.¡± And just like that, Drakina returned to the Apostle¡¯s Garden. Reverse summoning works from quite a distance, huh. Guess I should head back too? [Oh my, look who it is.] Just as I was about to activate Heimdall¡¯s Return¡­ A voice echoed from the sky. A slightly husky, raspy female voice. [The Soul God, huh? Brother. You¡¯ve gone mad, haven¡¯t you? Coming all the way here.] Her husky tone turned sultry and sticky. Especially when she said ¡°brother,¡± I flinched instinctively. While preparing to return, I glanced up at the sky. With the lightning gone, the night sky had darkened. Only the soft moonlight illuminated the land. [Brother. Since you¡¯ve already lost it, why don¡¯t we have some fun? Hmm? Let¡¯s have a real good time. Hehe.] The moonlight gathered. The once-even moonlight that bathed the entire land now focused on a single point. Right where I was standing. As the light converged, my vision turned red. My danger sense screamed at me. Right now, it was just harmless moonlight. But I could instinctively tell¡ªit was about to become a deadly weapon. [This energy¡­ The Moon Goddess¡­!] ¡°Aegis Shield.¡± I summoned Aegis Shield. The small Aegis Shield instantly transformed into a massive shield that covered my entire body. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± I added a Soul Barrier on top for a complete defense. I came here after saving up 500 million SP, so I should be able to withstand this. [Tch. That¡¯s not enough, huh? Brother. Just wait.] Whiiiiiirrr. The moonlight that had been focused on me now shifted. Like a spotlight, it illuminated the ground in front of me. Seeing that, a panicked voice from Drakia rang out in my ear. [Are you really going to fight the Moon Goddess now? Our goal was terrorism. Facing off with the Moon Goddess here is tactically unwise. I suggest we fall back.] ¡°That was my plan. I¡¯m retreating. Open a portal.¡± [Understood.] A red portal opened behind me. Step. Step. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± I slowly backed into the portal and activated Heimdall¡¯s Return just in case. My soul form began to dissolve into light. Right before I completely disappeared, I heard her grumbling. [Ah. Brother, where are you going? You¡¯re leaving without saying bye to me? Ah, come on... Aphrodite and I bet who could seduce you first. Damn it. That bitch was right. Are you really a eunuch little third-year or something? Seriously?] Then came a flood of vulgar swearing, like she had a dirty rag stuffed in her mouth. Filthy curses and shameless innuendo flowed freely from her lips. But honestly, more than the string of profanity, what really got under my skin was that ¡°eunuch third-year¡± crack. What the hell¡¯s a ¡°third-year¡±? It feels even worse than being called a eunuch¡­ [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 154 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 154: Suicide Squad (1) My vision gradually returned. Elprian¡¯s hideout¡ªthis place again. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I sure come here often. [Are you alright?] ¡°Yeah. The teleportation wasn''t blocked. But that god back there¡­ her presence was overwhelming.¡± [Hmm. She looked like Artemis, the goddess of the moon.] Artemis, the goddess of the moon and of chastity. One of the twelve Olympian gods, a well-known deity. I used to borrow her bow and made good use of it. ¡°She¡¯s a famous virgin goddess, right?¡± [Right. One of Olympus¡¯s high gods.] ¡°Then why is she like that?¡± That voice just now¡­ the way she spoke was far from what you''d expect from a virgin goddess. She sounded more like a temptress than a symbol of purity. [Well, I¡¯m not sure either. Maybe try asking Asgard?] ¡°Asgard?¡± [They used to be allied with Olympus, so they might know something.] Contacting Asgard, huh. Let me think¡ªthere was something I remember. When Apollo made Diana his apostle, his true intent was to gift her to Artemis as a new vessel for her virgin goddess form. That was back when Olympus and Asgard shared and rotated stewardship over the worlds. They might know something about Artemis. I contacted Loki right then and there. [Yo. What¡¯s up?] ¡°I wanted to ask about Artemis.¡± [Artemis? Why her all of a sudden? Wait, Kim Jiho¡­ don¡¯t tell me you got seduced by that vixen?] Loki cut in before I even finished my question, his expression dead serious. ¡°No. I was in Kalvine and felt her gaze. It felt unusual, so I¡¯m asking.¡± [Artemis was originally the goddess of chastity and purity, as you know.] ¡°Yeah. But what¡¯s with her now?¡± [At some point during the infinite regressions, she did a complete 180 and started acting strange.] It¡¯s said that Artemis, the moon goddess and virgin deity, stopped using her soul form entirely at some point. Even though it¡¯s far more convenient for a god to act through a soul body, she insisted on always using a physical one. She¡¯d pick various races¡ªbut always females. Usually, she preferred human forms, but sometimes she¡¯d use nymphs, elves, even dragons and dark elves. Once she chose a body, she¡¯d keep it until the world reset. [The bodies she picked were always the most beautiful among their races. And with them, she indulged in¡­ physical pleasure.] ¡°She indulged in sex?¡± That sultry, sticky voice I heard from the sky¡­ So that¡¯s where all that seductive energy came from. [Yup. No one knows exactly why she changed. She became obsessed with men. Every time the world reset, she cycled through hundreds¡ªmaybe thousands¡ªof them. It was a huge shock to both Olympus and Asgard.] In the beginning, even the gods of Olympus and Asgard showed interest in her. She was once the virgin goddess, after all. Artemis, once famed for her beauty. Since she accepted every god who came her way, they flocked to her in droves at first. [But no one ever saw her soul form. Even though the mortal vessels were stunning, what the gods really wanted was a glimpse of her divine, pure soul form. But she never revealed it. Eventually, the gods lost interest and stopped visiting her.] As the divine visits dwindled, Artemis started seeing just anyone¡ªregardless of status. Even non-awakened mortals. She didn¡¯t care. [To us in Asgard, Artemis is just a symbol of lust now. No one thinks of her as a virgin goddess anymore.] Damn. It¡¯s that bad? If I¡¯d stuck around longer earlier, she might¡¯ve outright tried to seduce me. [But wait¡ªwhy were you in Kalvine anyway? Artemis was there?] I told Loki what happened in Kalvine, and his face shifted into one of intense interest. [Zeus was doing that in Kalvine?] ¡°Yeah. The Thunder Spirit was rooted in the ground, linking heaven and earth. It looked like they were harvesting SP through it.¡± [That¡¯s valuable intel. We¡¯ve been too busy to scout other planets. Drakia really pulled through this time.] After listening, Loki thought for a moment before asking a question. [Do you still have open apostle slots?] ¡°I have a lot left. I haven¡¯t taken on any human apostles yet.¡± [If someone becomes your apostle, they can use the Soul Reaper skill, right?] ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s possible.¡± [Then could you take on some more gods?] A sudden proposal from Loki. ¡°I¡¯ve got room. I can take up to 100 gods. Including the few regular apostles I have now, that leaves 94 slots.¡± [That¡¯s more than enough.] ¡°But why gods?¡± [I¡¯m thinking of forming a suicide squad.] Loki¡¯s plan was this: Borrow help from godly realms with many deities and recruit low-tier gods as temporary apostles. Then, I¡¯d lead them into Kalvine to destroy the Thunder Spirits. Not like today where I went alone¡ªthis time, I¡¯d have many gods with me, so the destruction would be much faster. ¡°Sounds like a decent plan, but destroying the Thunder Spirits doesn¡¯t really require soul energy output. Wouldn¡¯t it be faster to just attack now rather than going through the hassle of making them apostles?¡± [The divine realms don¡¯t have enough SP to launch full god-army assaults right now. Plus, they don¡¯t have the Soul Reaper skill. If we launched a large-scale invasion, we¡¯d get massacred. We need to do this like a terrorist strike¡ªwith a suicide squad ready to die even as gods.] Loki emphasized that this was a terror strike, not a head-on war. [If they become your apostles, they can use Soul Barrier, right? If enemies respond while we¡¯re destroying the spirits, they can use Soul Barrier to retreat.] ¡°So that¡¯s why you need them apostled.¡± [Exactly.] ¡°Alright, got it. So when will you bring them over?¡± [I¡¯ll start sounding out the divine realms. Might take some time. Let¡¯s aim for fifty for now.] ¡°Sure. Oh, and for reference¡ªI can only apostle S-grade or above.¡± [Haha. No worries. Anyone SS-grade or higher wouldn¡¯t volunteer for a suicide squad anyway.] With that, the call ended. As Loki disappeared, a voice echoed in my ear. [An assault squad, huh. If we can gather enough numbers, it should be fine.] "Yes. There are fifty lower gods. We should be able to gather them quickly, no?" [Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not so sure. We¡¯ll have to wait and see. I''m not convinced that immortal gods would risk their lives so easily.] ¡°Well then, let¡¯s wait until we¡¯ve gathered enough.¡± [Alright. I¡¯ll do some reconnaissance in the meantime. Let me know once you¡¯ve got the numbers.] With that, Drakia disappeared. I decided to return to Earth and wait for the formation of the assault squad. ¡°Just like the high gods announced last time, a week later, Zeus¡¯s lightning began to strike.¡± A week after Zeus¡¯s lightning had struck. Again, in the exact same location, Zeus¡¯s lightning reappeared. The number was the same¡ªone hundred. The same pattern as before. This time, I¡¯ll make sure not a single one remains. I climbed to the rooftop of the apartment I had acquired and summoned the five gods who had become my apostles. ¡°How have you all been?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Compared to when I first met them, the five gods looked much more radiant. When I asked about their well-being, they excitedly began to speak. ¡°Thanks to you, we¡¯ve regained much of our power, Kim Jiho-nim. This SP Intermediary skill¡ªit''s truly incredible.¡± ¡°The Apostle¡¯s Garden was so comfortable. Entrusting ourselves to you, Jiho-nim, was a wise decision.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Then, may I ask a small favor?¡± All five gods immediately lowered their heads respectfully. ¡°Jiho-nim, you are our god.¡± ¡°No matter what divine beings we were before, we are now merely apostles.¡± ¡°A favor? We are honored. Please command us.¡± Uh¡­ Why are they being so loyal all of a sudden? I guess that SP supply is no joke. ¡°Alright then. Here is my command. Today, Zeus¡¯s lightning has appeared. Please take care of it.¡± The gods actually seemed excited by my request. ¡°It¡¯s what we¡¯ve been hoping for.¡± ¡°This will allow us to regain our presence as gods once forgotten by humanity.¡± ¡°Please let us handle it.¡± I brought up a world map and showed them the 100 major cities where Zeus¡¯s lightning had formed. Each of the five gods memorized the map and started allocating territories among themselves. ¡°I used to be a god active in the Inca region. I can easily move across modern-day Central and South America with my authority.¡± ¡°I was active in Central Asia. I¡¯ll handle that region.¡± Each god took charge of regions where they had once been active. Because their past domains varied, the five of them could cover a wide range of areas. I decided to take care of Northeast Asia myself, so everything was more or less covered. ¡°Let¡¯s head out immediately.¡± ¡°Yes, understood!¡± Apparently, their strength had been well restored in the Apostle¡¯s Garden. The five gods swiftly departed for their assigned regions the moment I gave the order. In the blink of an eye, they were gone¡ªtruly godlike. It hadn¡¯t been long since they regained their power, but their presence was already impressive. ¡°I better get moving too.¡± I covered Seoul, Busan, then moved on to Japan and Southeast Asia. ¡°Ah! That person¡­ that''s the god who was on TV!¡± Even Zeus¡¯s lightning in Seoul had attracted spectators. I cleared the dungeon casually and came out to cheers and flashing cameras. ¡°Wow! A god of the 21st century!¡± Busan. I cleared it too, and suddenly people were calling me a 21st-century god and cheering wildly. A 21st-century god¡­ are they calling me that because a modern human became a god? ¡°A Korean god has come to help!¡± ¡°Wow, did you see him flying? He was too fast to even follow with your eyes!¡± I also easily destroyed the lightning strikes in Japan and Southeast Asia. Each time I did, the public''s cheers grew louder, and in some cities, they even began chanting my name, Kim Jiho. ¡°Kim Jiho!¡± ¡°God Kim Jiho! Please accept me as your follower!¡± There were more and more onlookers. Leaving the cheers behind, I finished clearing the Southeast Asia region. Total time taken: five hours. Much faster than last week. Well, considering how much my power has grown, that¡¯s to be expected. [Shia. How¡¯s the situation looking now?] I sent a message to Kang Shia through the apostle link and got a response right away. [It looks like we¡¯ll be able to clear all of Zeus¡¯s lightning this time. The five newly arrived gods are performing amazingly. Each of them has already cleared at least ten locations.] Really? Good thing I sent them. [But they¡¯re also causing a bit of trouble.] [What kind of trouble?] [They keep declaring themselves as Jiho-nim¡¯s apostles while clearing dungeons, and now our guild is being overwhelmed with inquiries about when they can become apostles too. It¡¯s almost paralyzing our operations.] Seriously? They¡¯re doing that without even being told¡­ [Should we accept more apostles?] [No, just take in a hundred more. I¡¯ve got some partnerships coming up with the gods, so we need to keep some spots open.] [A hundred¡­ We do have some candidates ready.] [Let¡¯s just do one more round of recruitment and select from that group. Dragging this out for too long wouldn¡¯t be good.] [Understood.] Since the clear looks to be guaranteed, I don¡¯t need to travel around anymore. In the final city, Jakarta, Indonesia, I set a return point and headed back home. ¡°My name is really getting mentioned a lot.¡± I flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV¡ªmy name was being mentioned constantly. Each time one of my five apostle gods cleared a Zeus lightning strike, they shouted, ¡°I am an apostle of Kim Jiho-nim!¡± Yikes¡­ no wonder my name¡¯s all over the place. But how did they become so loyal just from staying in the Apostle¡¯s Garden? If I¡¯d known they¡¯d be like this, I should¡¯ve summoned them when I attacked Kalvine. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely summon them next time.¡± With Johannesburg, South Africa, being the final one cleared, all of Zeus¡¯s lightning was completely dealt with. No casualties, total success. The world was in a celebratory mood. We made it through this one safely. Having fended off their attack, now it¡¯s time to strike back. And the next day¡ª Loki informed me that the suicide squad was ready. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 155 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 155: Suicide Squad (2) ¡°The Suicide Squad has already been assembled?¡± [Yeah. I was going to recruit them with incentives, and if that didn¡¯t work, forcefully conscript them. But after seeing yesterday¡¯s outcome, more resources came in.] ¡°You mean yesterday¡¯s results...¡± [The gods whose names were forgotten performed quite well yesterday, didn¡¯t they?] Is he talking about the five Apostle Gods I received? ¡°Come on. All we did was handle a bit of Zeus¡¯s lightning.¡± [The fact that forgotten gods made such a move is a big deal. Those five gods traveled across the world.] ¡°Ah, I see.¡± [Even among the major religions, there are always lower-tier gods who get sidelined. Many are just barely maintaining their soul forms with tiny bits of SP.] When you look at it like this, gods and humans aren¡¯t so different after all. [However, they had two conditions.] ¡°What are they?¡± [First, they want to retain their Apostle positions for one month after the Kalvine invasion ends.] ¡°A month? Trying to gather some intermediate SP commission or something?¡± S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Yeah.] That''s reasonable enough. If I rise to SS-rank, the SP profit cap will go up too. If I get Apostle buffs from them, that¡¯s good for me. [Second, they want to be allowed to return to their original divine realms after ending their Apostle contracts.] ¡°Well, of course. There¡¯s no way the divine realms would tolerate me keeping them.¡± [Hmm¡­ well, the major divine realms have plenty of gods, so they probably don¡¯t care too much. Losing a few lower gods for the sake of relations with the Soul God is a price they¡¯re willing to pay. They know that too, which is why they¡¯re asking for these conditions.] So they¡¯re worried I won¡¯t let them go, huh? ¡°Tell them not to worry. I¡¯ll be recruiting gods who are just short of being sealed anyway. Let them know not to start dragging their feet and refusing to leave after a month.¡± [Hahaha. If the SP revenue is good, there might actually be some who won¡¯t want to leave. Anyway, you''re okay with both conditions, right?] ¡°Yeah.¡± [Then once you¡¯ve gathered your Apostles, I¡¯ll open a portal. Come through then.] Not long after communication with Loki ended, my father contacted me. [Those five gods did pretty well yesterday.] ¡°News travels fast among the gods, huh.¡± [What happens to Zeus¡¯s lightning could decide our fate. You held it back well. After seeing the forgotten gods take action, more are expressing interest in becoming your Apostles.] Oho. I¡¯m glad those Apostle Gods shouted ¡°Apostle of Soul God Kim Jiho¡± in front of Zeus¡¯s lightning. ¡°How many are we talking?¡± [Five, for now.] ¡°So that makes ten, including the current ones. Sounds good.¡± [Alright. I¡¯ll send them your way. Also, please take care of the angels participating in the Kalvine expedition. Michael always felt bad for not being able to pay attention to them while focusing on restoring Heaven.] ¡°Ah, so Loki made a proposal to the Christian side as well. How many are coming?¡± [Loki recruited up to five from each divine realm. We¡¯re sending five.] So five angels from Christianity are coming. If each religion sends five, this is turning into a multinational coalition. ¡°Loki said he¡¯ll open the portal once I gather the gods, so tell the five who want to join me to go there directly.¡± [Ah, right. Will do.] That makes the total fighting force 60. 50 in the suicide squad, and 10 Apostle Gods. We probably won¡¯t head out immediately since there¡¯s no SP yet, so I¡¯ll let them gather SP for a few days first. Wiiiiing. A few hours later, a blue portal opened before me. A vast space paved with white marble. Loki stood at the front, and behind him, 55 gods were lined up in perfect rows. Each god had a different form and size. The angels with their wings spread wide stood out first, followed by giants with iron-colored skin. Aside from those two types, most of the rest had human-like soul forms. With skin tones and clothing styles all varying, it felt like a mishmash of the world¡¯s religions. But the atmosphere was far from divine¡ªit was gloomy, to say the least. They looked more like new recruits arriving at boot camp than gods. ¡°Why is the mood so gloomy? Weren¡¯t they volunteers?¡± It felt more like they¡¯d been drafted than volunteered. Loki gave a wry smile and waved his hand as if to deny it. ¡°No, to become your Apostle, they had to first withdraw from their current divine realms.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Once they withdrew, their names disappeared.¡± ¡°Like the forgotten gods? What does withdrawal have to do with losing their names?¡± ¡°When you''re part of a divine realm, even if you''re nearly sealed, your name still exists. The divine realms have a strong presence, after all.¡± So without that backing, even their names vanish? I looked around at the gods once again. Their appearances were impressive¡ªsome handsome, others fierce¡ªdefinitely god-tier. Even as lower-tier gods, their presence far surpassed that of A or B ranks. But none of them looked familiar enough to immediately identify. Well¡­ except for that one. Long black beard that could sweep the floor. A massive red-skinned man in steel armor, holding a long guandao. He was huge, and his armor just made him seem even more massive. He looked like... ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that Guan Yu?¡± ¡°You recognize just one god out of 55? Well, Guan Yu is pretty famous in East Asia.¡± ¡°For real? That¡¯s actually him?¡± The moment I said his name, the other gods all turned to look at Guan Yu. Receiving their stares, Guan Yu gave me a slight bow with his hands in a respectful martial salute. ¡°I am now a forgotten god. Please call me simply ¡®Guan, a nameless one.¡¯¡± Come to think of it, Guan Yu was once selected for execution during a ritual in Asgard, wasn¡¯t he? He survived thanks to Odin being replaced with Skuld, under Zeus¡¯s rule, but I never thought I¡¯d see him here. With that grudge, you¡¯d think he¡¯d want to chop Loki to pieces, but he didn¡¯t seem too bothered. ¡°Heh. This guy¡¯s pretty famous in China, so why¡¯s he only S-rank?¡± ¡°He says he can¡¯t outrank his older brother. He¡¯s a weird god, honestly.¡± Did Liu Bei become a god too? Feels like that''d be a stretch... "Still, with his fame, he probably never had trouble gathering SP." ¡°Haha. I gave him plenty of massages to make it easier for you to execute him. Right up until the seal.¡± Loki clenched his fist as he said this. He really is Guan Yu¡¯s nemesis. But Guan Yu showed no reaction to Loki¡¯s actions. ¡°It was due to my own shortcomings.¡± He simply stroked his beard and spoke calmly. Next to Guan Yu stood a sword-wielding Taoist and a warrior in military attire. Couldn¡¯t tell who they were just by looking. "Let¡¯s accept them all for now." I signed contracts with fifty gods and apostles. With them, I performed the special kind of contract Loki had mentioned. None of the gods revealed their names. Even Guan Yu was contracted without his name being disclosed. ¡°I¡¯ll gather some SP in the Apostle''s Garden first. Three days should do.¡± ¡°Yes, understood.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] All gods from the Ten Divine Realms were sent to the Apostle¡¯s Garden, and I met with the five gods who wished to join me directly. They each wore different attire, suggesting they came from various divine realms. Three appeared male, and two female. As I approached, all five knelt in unison. ¡°We wish to entrust our soul forms to the God of Souls.¡± ¡°The generosity of the Soul God is already well known among our kin.¡± ¡°Please accept us.¡± I¡¯m not even that generous, but I¡¯ve got a good rep somehow. Do gods usually treat their apostles that harshly? Anyway, since five more offered themselves, I happily accepted them. ¡°Very well. I look forward to working with you.¡± I integrated them too and sent them to the Apostle¡¯s Garden. The garden now housed sixty gods. Fifty of them would eventually depart, but still¡ªwhat a reassuring sight. ¡°Time to recover some SP and launch the invasion.¡± ¡°Right. We can¡¯t attack because of the treaty with Olympus, but I¡¯ll scout other planets. Who knows where Zeus might be colonizing next.¡± ¡°Got it. Now that I think about it, wasn¡¯t Hercules driven out of Eshtar? Maybe that¡¯s a candidate too.¡± ¡°Eshtar¡­ I tried going there casually once, but the defenses were tight. I¡¯ll check it out seriously this time.¡± Loki, telling me to leave it to him, saw me off. I returned home to prepare for deployment. The first task: aid in the gods¡¯ recovery. To help the lower-tier gods recover quickly, I set the SP recovery rate to the minimum. The SP generated by 60 gods would be substantial, but¡­ Now is the time for maximum combat strength. No point hoarding SP¡ªlet it all return to the gods. [Sixty low-tier gods? Quite the feat...] ¡°Though they¡¯re gods whose names has been forgotten.¡± [Still, you said they¡¯d recover in a few days. Your five apostle gods already scoured Earth. Kalvine is smaller than Earth. With their addition, your power will be immense.] ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I¡¯m aiming for a decisive strike this time. But with such numbers, we risk being discovered¡­¡± [That can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s a suicide squad, after all. They volunteered, ready to die. In return, they gain immense SP and escape the threat of being sealed. Risk is part of everything.] ¡°True. Still, I want to save as many as I can. If we time it well, we can strike without casualties.¡± [Understood. I¡¯ll prepare as well.] After finishing my communication with Drakia, I checked if there was anything more I needed to do. Nothing pressing for the moment, but¡­ Oh. Should I ask Athena? I couldn¡¯t message her the first time since it had to be a secret attack, but now that we¡¯ve already struck once, asking questions should be fine. ¡°Aegis Shield.¡± As I summoned the shield, I saw messages that hadn¡¯t shown before. Information that could refine my plan. The second invasion of Kalvine. Once again, I began alone. I stepped through the portal Drakia opened and arrived at a vast plain, where columns of lightning struck down. Compared to before, the density and thickness of the lightning masses were far greater. Where previously bolts had simply jutted up here and there, now it felt like the pillars of lightning were propping up the very sky. ¡°This land feels different from last time.¡± [That¡¯s the Eastern Plain. It¡¯s the breadbasket of the Holy Empire.] ¡°If it¡¯s deeper in, is the enemy more alert?¡± [I checked several times¡ªdidn¡¯t see any. Just as your intel said.] Drakia added with some curiosity. [Your intel is incredibly specific. You were right that Apollo watches over the planet by day and Artemis by night. And that the standard time zone is based on this land.] ¡°There¡¯s no sign of enemy forces now... but it¡¯s too early to be certain.¡± Athena¡¯s information. It contained more valuable details than I imagined. Kalvine is ruled by Apollo and Artemis. They guard the planet in shifts¡ªday and night¡ªand this plain, the Eastern Plain, is their time zone reference. The least-guarded time is during sunset. [But didn¡¯t your intel say dawn is also loosely guarded? Since it¡¯s when the moon sets and the sun rises.] ¡°Correct. But sunset marks the start of Artemis¡¯ watch, and dawn the start of Apollo¡¯s. They say Artemis is the better option.¡± [True, the sun god is more troublesome.] Drakia nodded in agreement. [So, is it time to begin?] ¡°Yes. Please look after Drakina.¡± [Haha. With all the gods you¡¯ve got, I doubt we¡¯ll be needed.] True. Even though Drakina is a descendant of the dragon god, she¡¯s no match for gods. Still, once summoned, she¡¯ll pull her weight. ¡°Apostle summoning.¡± Sixty gods and one dragon appear. As the gods began to materialize one by one, I summoned my soul sword. The first objective is to destroy the lightning columns. But thanks to Athena¡¯s intel, I now had another goal. That is... To slay Artemis. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 156 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 156: Artemis (1) ¡°Is this the planet Kalvine?¡± Sixty gods and dragons stood neatly in formation around me. They were far more energetic than the last time I saw them. Have they recovered a good amount of strength from the Apostle¡¯s Garden? Their gazes were much more favorable than before. I gave them orders. ¡°Yes. This is our target, Planet Kalvine. Everyone, spread out and focus solely on destroying the Pillars of Lightning. If you encounter any enemies, send me a message and request reverse summoning. There¡¯s no need to clash unnecessarily.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The sixty gods split into teams of five and charged off in all directions. ¡°Summon map.¡± I conjured a map to locate the Apostles. Sixty red dots were spreading out in groups of five, with one dot moving alone. That must be Drakina. The lightning pillars illuminating the area began to vanish silently. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The ground, which had been as bright as noon, started to shift into a soft twilight hue. The disappearance of the Thunder Souls was so rapid that I couldn¡¯t even see my target. As I watched, I recalled Athena¡¯s message. ¡ªI heard Apollo¡¯s report. You¡¯ve invaded Kalvine. It was a message that appeared on Aegis¡¯ Shield. Athena already knew. ¡ªI haven¡¯t reported it to Zeus yet. He¡¯s currently in seclusion, claiming to be handling important matters. But in a week, I¡¯ll have to report this to him. She was implying that I had one more week to attack again. She also shared a few key facts with me. Kalvine is guarded by Apollo and Artemis in alternating shifts of day and night, and the plains I stood on marked the boundary. ¡ªApollo is extremely loyal to Zeus. His loyalty is one of the highest in Olympus. But Artemis? She isn¡¯t as loyal. It would be best to attack when she¡¯s on duty. She specifically recommended the time after sunset. That transition period from Apollo to Artemis¡ªshe said it would be full of holes. And just as she said, even as time passed, the apostle gods on the map kept advancing at high speed. And that momentum only stopped about thirty minutes later. [Kim Jiho. We''ve encountered enemies. Please reverse summon.] The gods from the Hindu pantheon, who had gone north, sent a message. Their advance had stopped, as shown on the map. I immediately reverse-summoned them. [We encountered a subordinate of Artemis. A young female¡ªlooks like a nymph¡­ She seems to be around S-rank in power.] As soon as I reverse-summoned them, the team I had sent west also sent a message. When I reverse-summoned them, I started getting similar messages from all directions at nearly the same time. Last time, they ran into enemies within five minutes, so they managed to do a lot better this time, lasting a full 30 minutes. I recalled all the gods for now. [Ah, these crazy wenches are too strong! We can¡¯t hold out!] Once I even recalled Drakina, I was the only one left on Kalvine. Today¡¯s gains were pretty good. Thanks to the apostles spreading out and laying waste, we covered a much larger area than last time¡ªand I leveled up by 20. Not a single god on our side was lost. Everyone was safely reverse-summoned, so there were zero casualties. [Jiho. Let¡¯s retreat. Even Zeus can¡¯t ignore the damage we did.] Drakia sounded satisfied and suggested we withdraw. Yeah. If we pull out now, this would count as a successful surprise raid. But¡­ There was still more to gain. ¡°I¡¯ll engage the enemies for a bit longer.¡± [What? Are you serious? Sure, it¡¯s just nymphs now, but if you keep fighting, Artemis will show up. She¡¯s an SSS-rank Archgod.] ¡°I know.¡± [Even if you¡¯re the Soul God, going against an Archgod is reckless. And the Olympian Archgods aren¡¯t ordinary ones. They can use Soul Reaper skills through Hercules and have amassed vast amounts of SP through infinite regression. Under equal conditions, even three SSS-rank gods wouldn¡¯t be able to take on Artemis.] Drakia had a point. Olympian Archgods are stronger than those from other pantheons. They have access to Soul Reaper abilities, and their SP reserves are enormous. Under normal circumstances, I¡¯d need to be upgraded one more tier to even stand a chance. Still, I ran. Each step surged with power, and my soul form shot out like a bullet. The scenery around me whizzed past, and the once-dim dusk rapidly brightened again. I sped through areas where the lightning pillars had been demolished by the gods over the past 30 minutes and arrived instantly at the site where they¡¯d encountered the nymphs. Pouring all my soul power into movement brought out this kind of speed. [Wait, are you seriously¡ª?!] ¡°Artemis is an Archgod. I know she¡¯s strong.¡± [Then why are you doing this?!] ¡°But what if¡­ she can¡¯t fight in her soul form?¡± [What are you saying? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re doing this because of that rumor about Artemis?] Drakia explained what they¡¯d found out about Artemis. [The virgin goddess Artemis is rumored to act like a libertine, constantly changing physical forms for pleasure. She supposedly never reveals her true soul form. But that¡¯s when she¡¯s playing. Would she really avoid soul form in a life-or-death battle?] But Athena¡¯s message was clear. ¡ªArtemis will never use her soul form. Even if it meant her end as a god, she would never reveal it. Athena added: ¡ªIf she fights without soul form, her power is equivalent to a mid-tier god. If that¡¯s the case¡­ ¡°Oh my. I thought everyone ran away. Brother, you look tasty.¡± A group of women barely covered in cloth appeared. Some were nearly naked. Greenish wings¡ªdamaged or bent¡ªwere on their backs, and their faces were caked with bizarre, thick makeup. If they hadn¡¯t worn that makeup, they might¡¯ve looked like innocent fairies. But it was like they refused to allow that. Were these the nymphs the gods encountered? ¡°How brave. Want us to play with you?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Let¡¯s see if Artemis gets mad or not. Let¡¯s take a bite first. Hahaha.¡± Seeing me, they jiggled their chests to seduce. If it weren¡¯t for their post-apocalyptic rocker makeup, I might¡¯ve actually flinched. ¡°Soul Release.¡± I took a step forward. Just one step. I tore through space and leapt into the middle of the nymphs. Fwoooosh. White flames erupted. The flame of my soul sword engulfed the nymphs. Their soul barriers flared briefly, but they were incinerated in moments. With maximum soul energy and SP prepared, low-tier gods didn¡¯t stand a chance anymore. The instant five nymphs vanished, the others¡¯ expressions changed, and they scattered. ¡°Soul Release!¡± ¡°He¡¯s the Soul God!¡± ¡°Stop playing! This guy¡¯s strong!¡± Their swift reaction showed they didn¡¯t rise to low-tier godhood on luck alone. Vzzzzzzzzzt¡ª They all summoned something into their hands. Ropes¡ªwith leather straps in the middle. Slingshots. The nymphs loaded small sticks instead of rocks. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] These sticks¡­ they looked strangely familiar. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± Thud. Thud. Thud. The enemy''s thrown weapons bounced off the Soul Barrier one after another. They were soaked in pure white soul energy, but lost power and fell to the ground. At first, they looked like blunt wooden sticks, but watching them fall¡­ ¡°Wait, are these¡­ penises?¡± ¡°Kekeke. Must be some pervy transformation from the Soul God. They say these are dicks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. If they¡¯re dicks, they should have balls too. Like this.¡± The nymphs summoned the items again. This time, they summoned not just the stick shapes but also two balls. Just as I initially suspected, they were indeed male genitalia. Sigh. What use could those possibly have as weapons? These little things¡­ they told me not to mess around earlier, but now they''re throwing this? ¡°Aegis Shield.¡± I summoned the shield and charged into the enemy formation. ¡°Scatter!¡± The enemies tried to spread out. But the difference in power was overwhelming. What I could reach in one step, they needed ten to get to. Their barriers couldn¡¯t block my strikes, and their clumsy sling attacks didn¡¯t even tickle. It was an easy battle, like a wolf attacking a flock of sheep. [You have leveled up. Even though they were wiped out in a single strike, they still had the audacity to pop up level-up messages like gods. Shraaak. ¡°Ugh¡­ hehe¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m dying¡­¡± As I cut her neck with the soul sword, the nymph burned with a peaceful expression, just for that moment. The pain of the soul body burning must be immense, yet every time they died, they seemed oddly¡­ relieved. Geez. They¡¯re the enemy, so I cut them down without question, but it¡¯s all kind of unsettling. Still, I cut them. After annihilating the northern group of nymphs, I continued advancing north. A little further on, more lightning pillars appeared, densely planted again. I checked the SP of the apostles affiliated with the Apostle¡¯s Garden, picked the top 20, and summoned them again. As a bonus, I summoned Drakina too. ¡°Just like before. Handle it if any enemies appear and send a message.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± After the gods departed northward, I waited for a moment. Then a group of nymphs began following me like a unit. ¡°The Soul God wiped out the 15th legion sisters.¡± ¡°Stay sharp! Take them down with full power!¡± The number of nymphs: fifty. Five times more than before. Though they warned each other not to lower their guard, they all drew slings just like before. And they loaded them with the exact same thing. Are they even being serious? I considered sweeping them away from range, but to save SP, I handled them with the soul sword alone. They were about the same as the previous enemies. Aside from their ridiculous dick projectiles, they couldn¡¯t penetrate the Soul Barrier, so the fight was one-sided. ¡°Heh, finally!¡± Every time I struck one down, they had this strangely liberated expression as they burned. After cutting down the last nymph, another level-up message appeared. I had already reached level 148. Since most of these nymphs were near the level of low-ranking gods, they contributed significantly to the godslayer count and leveling. At this rate, I might hit 200 by the end of the day. As long as there are no surprises. [Kim Jiho-nim. The Moonlight is attacking us. Ughh. We can¡¯t hold on¡­!] A sudden urgent message. It arrived from nearly all the gods at once. Twenty gods were simultaneously facing life-threatening danger. ¡°Reverse summon.¡± I instantly reverse-summoned them all. The apostles returned to the Apostle¡¯s Garden. Their SP was almost completely depleted. ¡°Oppa. We finally meet.¡± A voice came from behind me. It was that sultry voice I¡¯d heard from the sky. She had approached without a trace of presence¡­ Even if she wasn¡¯t in soul form, but physical¡­ a deity is still a deity? ¡°You¡¯re Artemis?¡± When I turned around, Artemis came into view. Her black hair was cut into a short bob. She wore only white lace underwear that left her dark skin exposed. Piercings adorned her navel and lips, and her brown eyes were clouded with impurity. This¡­ is Artemis, the virgin goddess? She¡¯s nothing like the image I had in mind. She just looks like a pierced-up, sultry black model dripping with swag. ¡°That¡¯s right. Hehe. What perfect timing for an ambush. Almost like someone tipped you off.¡± Artemis slowly approached me. Her black cat-like features exuded a seductive aura that could swallow me whole. ¡°But now that we¡¯re face to face, you won¡¯t be running wild anymore. Now we¡¯ll play a fun little game, just the two of us.¡± Her eyes glowed a bright yellow. And with that, her appearance began to change in my perception. She was already stunning before, but now she looked like something from another world. More beautiful than anyone I had ever seen, and a strong desire to obey her welled up inside me. If I weren¡¯t a god myself, I would¡¯ve already lost my mind. What is this¡­ she¡¯s not a succubus, is she?! ¡°Oh my. Your eyes still have some fight in them¡­¡± Artemis smiled seductively as she drew closer. As she did, the strength in my arms began to drain away. The soul sword flickered and vanished. Seeing that, Artemis smiled even more. The distance between us was now mere inches. She knelt in front of me. And slowly, her hand reached for the waistband of my pants. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it, good boy¡­ Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re really a 3¡­¡­ huh!?¡± Shluk! A tentacle shot out from my chest and pierced through Artemis¡¯s neck. Her eyes blinked in confusion. And in that moment, my body was free again. ¡°Your gaze is deadly, I¡¯ll give you that. Soul Energy Emission.¡± The soul sword reappeared in a blazing flare. Artemis stood there, dazed. And then¡­ I cut her neck clean through. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 157 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 157: Artemis (2) Zzzzzap. The path the soul sword cut through began to burn. Artemis¡¯s head slowly fell. Thud. Her severed head was quickly engulfed in pure white flames and vanished. Her head was cut off, but she¡¯s a substitute. Doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s going to die from just that¡­ Huh? Wiiiiiiiing. Where Artemis¡¯s head had fallen¡ª A massive black vortex, about the size of my own body, was spinning. At the center of that vortex, a single green gem was glowing. A vortex instead of a head¡­ what the hell is this? Whoosh. Suddenly, the vortex disappeared. In its place appeared the head of a beautiful elf woman¡ªblonde hair, blue eyes. The neck was that of the elf with pale white skin, but the body beneath it was still that of the Black woman from before. Both were beautiful on their own, but mashed together like this, the result was grotesque. ¡°You¡­ saw it, didn¡¯t you?¡± The newly-headed Artemis looked at me with a blank expression. Her voice was no longer seductive. It was chillingly cold. Before I knew it, the area around me was filled with icy moonlight. ¡°Saw what?¡± ¡°Shut up. I¡¯ll kill you.¡± I tried to feign ignorance, but it didn¡¯t work at all. The light that once illuminated the world now stood against me. Looks like I touched a nerve¡­ For now, I need to keep attacking. Fwoooosh. I closed the distance. Before the moonlight could swallow me whole, I brought the soul sword down from above. Artemis¡¯s body was cleaved in two, and the white flames completely incinerated her. But then, darkness erupted and devoured the flames. As the fire died down, what was revealed was a beautiful woman with a Latin look. Seriously? Her body parts come in different ethnicities? Whoosh. Artemis, now fully transformed into a copper-skinned beauty, retreated. She glared at me with murderous intent¡ª A complete 180 from the seductive aura she had before. ¡°Moonlight, extinguish the god of souls.¡± She commanded the air and the light to erase me. Immediately, the atmosphere changed, and the entire world turned blood-red. Danger sense activated at maximum level. ¡°Soul Barrier. Aegis Shield.¡± I cast a barrier and summoned my shield. What began as a small round buckler was soon bathed in light, transforming into armor that covered my entire body. Does this mean the threat is coming from all directions? I layered the soul barrier over the armor-like shield and charged toward Artemis. If she were confident in close combat, she wouldn¡¯t have retreated! ¡°Pathetic!¡± BOOM BOOM BOOM! Everywhere the barrier touched moonlight, explosions erupted. I had barely taken a few steps when cracks started forming in the shield. Wow. That power is insane. This isn¡¯t the level of a mid-tier god¡­ should I run? I checked my SP¡ª1.1 billion remaining. I came in with 1.5 billion, so I still have plenty left. That should be enough to keep fighting. Not that Artemis would let me leave even if I tried. I have to do some damage. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­!¡± I poured SP into the barrier and advanced toward Artemis. As I approached, she kept backing away, firing moonlight at me. But the distance between us neither widened nor shrank. Ugh. If this keeps up, I¡¯ll be the one at a disadvantage. In that case¡­! ¡°Dragon¡¯s Power.¡± It¡¯s SP-inefficient and weak in terms of damage. But for now, I just need to close the distance. That was my aim in using Dragon¡¯s Power. Flames gathered at Artemis¡¯s location and exploded. But she grimaced and caught the flames in her hand. Clenching her fist, she extinguished them. ¡°Tch. Is that all you¡¯ve got¡­?¡± I didn¡¯t expect much from Dragon¡¯s Power anyway. It was just a distraction to slow her down for a moment! ¡°Soul Release!¡± Fsssssssh. The blade of light turned into pure white flames and shot forward. Artemis hurriedly dodged, but the blade¡¯s speed was faster. Slice. ¡°Gah¡­!¡± The soul sword pierced straight through Artemis¡¯s chest. Her body was engulfed in pure white flames. The fire spread completely, but once again was swallowed by surging darkness. Her head and neck disappeared into the flames, and a vortex appeared briefly. Within it shone a strangely glowing green gem. It was so mesmerizing, my eyes were drawn to it on instinct. But the gem quickly vanished, replaced once more by a human head. This time, it was the face of a beautiful white woman. Seeing that face snapped me back to my senses. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Damn. Now¡¯s not the time to space out. The gem¡¯s charm was too strong¡ªit messed with my head. ¡°You bastard!¡± ¡°Yeah? Let¡¯s see how long you can keep coming back.¡± She shouted at me in rage, but her body once again tried to retreat. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Can¡¯t let that happen. Now that I¡¯ve closed the distance, I won¡¯t waste this chance. ¡°Soul Release!¡± Before her legs fully regenerated, I unleashed my second and third strikes. Fwoooosh. With every slash, her body ignited. ¡°Y-You¡­ bastard¡­!¡± But her regeneration was just as fast. Not only did her human form keep regenerating, but she kept swapping out different racial features. Just how many bodies does she have? The distance wasn¡¯t increasing anymore, but it was hard to tell whether I was actually damaging her. Rather, Artemis¡¯s gaze grew more vicious every time her body burned and her head changed¡ªit was chilling. Slaaash! I slashed her again. And again. Artemis¡¯s physical body had already changed dozens of times. This time, when I sliced through an elf-shaped body vertically, a familiar vortex and green gem were revealed again. As soon as the gem appeared, my body froze involuntarily. ¡°Light, destroy my enemy!¡± Now seemingly unable to flee, Artemis shouted a command to the moonlight every time a new head grew. My soul barrier was breaking down faster and faster. Damn it. It seemed the only fundamental way to truly subdue her was to land a hit when her entire body had burned away and she was in a presumed soul state. But due to the green gem that appeared every time her neck vanished, I couldn¡¯t land any attacks while Artemis was in soul form. And every time the gem showed up, I froze like I was being locked in place. Even though I¡¯d seen this dozens of times, the moment it appeared, I couldn¡¯t escape its power. The only fortunate part was that Artemis kept trying to hide herself in a physical form. If she had just kept attacking in her soul form, that gem would¡¯ve made her almost impossible to deal with. ¡ªBeware of Artemis¡¯s "eyes." There is special power in them. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Athena had warned me that anyone who met Artemis¡¯s gaze would be completely immobilized. I had managed to restrain her using a tendril that hadn¡¯t met her gaze, but when the gem popped out, even the tendrils wouldn¡¯t move. Looking back, Artemis¡¯s eye powers probably had something to do with that gem too. ¡°Go ahead, keep trying to kill me. My physical body is endless. When your SP is all gone, I¡¯ll devour your soul without leaving even a speck behind.¡± Artemis hurled another insult as her neck flew off again. Checking my SP, I only had 800 million left. That meant I¡¯d already used up 300 million. Cutting through her physical forms hadn¡¯t consumed that much SP, but the moonlight attacks she launched were a different story. My soul barrier was breaking faster and faster, and I was barely keeping up by pouring SP into it. Even with Aegis¡¯s shield helping defend, the power was overwhelming. Without a solution to that gem, I couldn¡¯t destroy Artemis. When I cut down her 51st body, a message popped up. [The grade of the Soul Sword has risen to SS.] The Soul Sword had ranked up. Maybe because I¡¯d kept slicing through the body of a goddess. After countless slashes, I finally got the upgrade message. [SP absorption efficiency of the Soul Sword has greatly increased.] [Skills related to the soul are enhanced.] [Some of the Soul Sword¡¯s seals have been released. A special effect is now activated.] A seal? I didn¡¯t know this was a sealed sword. I thought it was just a growth-type weapon... Anyway, I expected another bump to skill efficiency and SP absorption, but this time, a special effect too? That¡¯s a godsend in this situation. Slaaash! Another neck gone, and Artemis¡¯s body vanished in white flames. Thanks to the sword¡¯s upgrade, her body disappeared much faster than before. I could definitely feel the power increase. Then the vortex and the green gem appeared once more. And once more, my body froze as I laid eyes on it. Her physical form began regenerating from head to toe, but¡ª There was something strange at her feet. ¡°Not darkness?¡± Her soul form was always completely shadowy, like a silhouette. But this time, her toes looked different. Instead of shadow, pristine white toes had broken through the darkness. ¡°Ugh... What is that sword!?¡± Artemis had noticed too. She stared at my sword in panic. This time, she had the appearance of an East Asian woman. Seriously, how many beautiful women have I had to cut down today? ¡°Soul Release.¡± Anyway, something was clearly different this time. It felt like I¡¯d finally landed a real blow¡ªtime to keep going...! [We can¡¯t let this go on.] A chilling voice echoed across the land. It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female. But the moment I heard it, I felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. My whole body weakened, and I struggled to stay conscious. Boom! A powerful shockwave erupted between me and Artemis. My soul barrier ignited in flames instantly. This was a level of power I had never experienced before. Even as I poured SP into the soul barrier, it barely held. Yeah... I need to fall back for now. Retreating my soul form, I checked the front¡ªArtemis¡¯s body wasn¡¯t intact either. She¡¯d been caught in the shockwave too and was blown back. It was such a massive blast that her entire body had shattered. Splat! Blood sprayed everywhere, and pieces of flesh scattered in all directions. Her head, however, flew into the air, intact. A floating head¡ªit was like something out of a horror movie. [That sword... left an impression. We¡¯ll meet again, Soul God.] Her head flew higher and higher, disappearing into the sky. I tried to follow it, but the sky had turned blood red. Her head had escaped, but the moonlight attacks continued? ...Guess chasing her isn¡¯t an option. That head was flying way too fast anyway. [Let¡¯s retreat.] Drakia urged me to fall back. Checking my status window, I only had 300 million SP left. But I¡¯d somehow reached level 197 in the Chaos status window. Even though I was just cutting down physical forms, they were goddess-tier, so... a level explosion. Only 3 more levels till Chaos A-grade... I was tempted to keep going, but let it go. With a shady new enemy showing up and low SP, retreat was the right move. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll fall back.¡± [Good. It seems Artemis¡¯s power is even affecting portal summoning. Once it opens, use Heimdall¡¯s Return inside the portal. You¡¯ll need both to escape.] ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll do that.¡± The moonlight kept hammering my soul barrier. Was it even interfering with teleportation? Maybe it was actually lucky the enemy decided to back off. As Drakia opened the portal, light gathered around it and made it flare brightly. Then the portal started shrinking rapidly. If I hesitated even a little, the portal might close. ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± I used the return skill the moment I entered the portal. Unlike last time, though, a crushing pressure pressed in from all sides. Good thing I¡¯d preemptively activated Aegis¡¯s shield and my soul barrier. My vision went black... then slowly lit up again. Now I was back in Elprian¡¯s hideout¡ªa second home by now. Relieved to have made it back safely, I finally checked the message I¡¯d missed during the fight with Artemis. And there it was¡ªsomething I couldn¡¯t believe. [A quest has been granted by the Moon Goddess Artemis.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 158 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 158: Soul Fusionist A-Rank (1) A quest from Artemis? There was something fishy about her... but first, let¡¯s check the details. [Special Quest] [Difficulty: Impossible] [Free Artemis] [The Moon Goddess Artemis has become a sacrifice for ???? by Zeus. She believed him when he said he¡¯d release her once he ascended to the position of Creator, and cooperated. But even after reaching EX rank, Zeus has shown no interest in her. Quest Reward ¨C Apostlehood of Artemis] A brief background story appeared in the Apostle Quest tab. Artemis is supposed to be Zeus¡¯ daughter, right? Did this bastard really sell off his own daughter? He really is something else. ¡ªMy soul body was briefly released, so I left a message. Please free me. If I can regain my true self, I will do anything for you. A short message was attached at the bottom of the quest window. A desperate-sounding message. Seeing as the reward is Artemis becoming an apostle, she must be betting everything on this freedom. But to free Artemis¡­ I''d have to fight that voice. I¡¯m not confident about that. That green gem that appeared every time Artemis¡¯ body was burned... Just facing it made my soul freeze. When I heard the voice, I nearly lost my mind. [Sigh. I shouldn''t go back to Kalvine. The presence of the one who devoured Artemis is far too powerful.] ¡°You know who it is?¡± [No. But it¡¯s likely a uniquely powerful being, even among the divine.] ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make it EX rank?¡± [No. EX rank is a different class entirely. This one doesn¡¯t seem to be that strong. And if Zeus had that much power, he wouldn¡¯t be wasting time controlling Artemis¡¯ soul. He would¡¯ve killed you on the spot instead of running away.] Well, that''s a relief. If Zeus¡¯s ally were EX rank too, there¡¯d be no hope. When I brought up the Artemis liberation quest, Drakia had some thoughts. [It¡¯s fine if you want to make Artemis your apostle¡­ but you¡¯d need to be at least SSS rank, wouldn¡¯t you? You¡¯d have to be of equal rank to her.] ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the issue.¡± [It''s rare for a deity to willingly become someone¡¯s apostle. If you could take her as an Apostle God, she¡¯d be a tremendous help. But for now, the quest seems useless. Unless your rank goes up, that is.] So, it¡¯s a quest I can¡¯t complete at my current rank. [Anyway, I¡¯ll be heading off. Artemis¡¯ attack drained too much of my SP.] ¡°Right. Take care.¡± Once the Dragon God left, I used Return to go back to my house on Earth. As soon as I arrived, I opened my status window. [Name? Kim Jiho Class? Soul God Title? Godslayer Soul Power ¨C 10,000 SP? 310 million] [Name ¨C Kim Jiho Class ¨C Soul Fusionist Level ¨C 197 Guardian Deity ¨C Title ¨C Earth¡¯s Number One Strength ¨C High Agility ¨C High Magic ¨C High Origin ¨C Unavailable SP ¨C 310 million (Shared)] My level jumped in an instant. Just 3 more levels and I¡¯d hit 200¡ªA-rank. Shame I didn¡¯t push a bit harder earlier. After checking my stats, I summoned my soul sword. The upgraded sword. The seal was broken, but I couldn¡¯t tell what changed. It looked the same on the outside. Looking through the earlier messages, I found some detailed stats. SP Conversion from Soul Energy Emission went from 60% to 70%, and the max SP per burst increased from 500,000 to 5 million. Soul absorption efficiency also improved. Both are definitely good, so no complaints there. But what really bothers me is the sword¡¯s special effect. It supposedly activates with the partial release of the seal, but I still don¡¯t know what it is. ¡°Soul Energy Emission.¡± Even after using it, the white flame aura of the sword looked the same as always. The being who controlled Artemis ran away¡ªmaybe something did trigger. A critical hit, maybe? Seriously, what the hell is this sword? Trying to recall its origin... Back when I was just trying to become an Awakener and ended up with two status windows from drinking a beer. It was one of four items in my inventory. The walkthrough book, the orb that created the recycling window, the letter linked to the sealed divine realm... And this sword. At first, it didn¡¯t even respond. I thought it was just a black stick. ¡°Come to think of it, Loki gave me that whole gift package.¡± The bundle that was given to me when he was disguised as Aurelia, tricking the sealed gods. I didn¡¯t question it back then since I was being cautious against Asgard, but now that I¡¯m a creditor¡­ I should ask him. When I called Loki, he actually asked me back. [A black stick? What¡¯s that?] ¡°You know, the stuff you gave me during your Aurelia days. When I first awakened.¡± [Yeah, I gave you the walkthrough and the letter.] ¡°There was also an orb and a black stick included?¡± [Hmm. Doesn¡¯t ring a bell. Maybe because I was using clones a lot during that time?] ¡°Really? You don¡¯t know? This thing¡¯s a growth-type weapon. It¡¯s SS-rank now.¡± [Growth-type? Damn. If I¡¯d known that, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d have given it to you!] Loki sounded genuinely baffled. Fair enough. ¡°Then who gave it to me?¡± [How should I know? But if that¡¯s a rare growth-type sword, and that orb added a new system feature¡­] ¡°This one¡¯s the Recycling Window. Not very useful.¡± Originally, it was for collecting impurities filtered during trait absorption. I¡¯ve seen it spit out some skills, but they were all B-rank at best. And B-rank skills aren¡¯t that useful once you¡¯ve got divine or soul-based abilities. [A whole new tab in the system, and you say it¡¯s not useful? Man, your life¡ªor afterlife¡ªis just blessed.] Loki shook his head, waving me off. [Anyway, I only sent you two items. You figure out the rest. I¡¯ve got work to do.] ¡°Wait¡ªhey, I¡¯ve got news from Kalvine.¡± [Ah, right. You and your treasure hoards¡ªgot distracted. So? How¡¯d it go?] When I told him what happened with Artemis, Loki¡¯s face turned serious. [Green gem¡­ shadowy soul form, huh?] ¡°It ran away when Artemis¡¯ toes started to show.¡± [Dealing with Zeus is already a pain, and now this shows up? Still¡­ I think we¡¯re getting a clearer picture of his ally.] ¡°Ally?¡± [Yeah. Zeus sealed away all the gods on Earth except for us in Asgard. I¡¯ve always wondered where he got the power to do that. There¡¯s no way Zeus could¡¯ve done it alone. So I figured it was the work of the Lord of Chaos, the ¡®Devil with the Smiling Face¡¯, who was in league with Zeus¡­] But even that theory left too many unanswered questions. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Even if it was the Devil with the Smiling Face, he¡¯s on the same tier as the other deities. Sealing all of Earth¡¯s many gods at once? There was no way the Earth deities would¡¯ve gone down so easily just from his power alone. [I''ll look into it. Thanks for the useful intel.] With that, Loki ended the transmission. In the end, they still couldn¡¯t figure out the origin of the Soul Sword. Worse, it turned out that even the black orb hadn¡¯t been given by him, deepening the mystery. Ha¡­ then who did give it to me? I tried thinking it through, but I couldn¡¯t even begin to guess. ¡°Sigh. I¡¯ll think about that later¡­¡± My thoughts drifted to the Recycle Window. If the Soul Sword came with it, maybe it actually had immense value? Hmm. So far, it¡¯s been filled with mostly useless skills¡­ But since I just wiped out Artemis¡¯s physical form, maybe something worthwhile got added? ¡°Recycle Window.¡± When I opened the Recycle Window, the black orb was enlarged and appeared semi-transparent. Inside, all kinds of skills were stored. ¡°The skills are still garbage though.¡± Just a parade of B-rank stuff. And not even anything unique¡ªmostly standard magic spells. Looking at the most recent ones¡­ [Nymph¡¯s ¡°Water Bomb¡±] [Nymph¡¯s ¡°Fire Wing¡±] [Corrupted Nymph¡¯s ¡°Forced Heat¡±] Guess it¡¯s because I slaughtered a bunch of nymphs recently? All the skills were from them. I looked for any skills from Artemis¡¯s body since I¡¯d massacred it too, but didn¡¯t see any. Maybe that wasn¡¯t enough to generate skills? Makes sense¡­ I didn¡¯t get any when I killed the SS-rank goddess Skuld either. Though, back then, the black orb had way more empty space¡ªnow it¡¯s about 80% full of this and that kind of trash. Most of the defined skills are B-rank, or at best one-time use A-rank skills. Man, even now, it¡¯s still not worth much. Nothing I¡¯d actually want to learn. ¡°Hm. Since it¡¯s all junk anyway, maybe I should try fusing it?¡± Ever since I became a Soul Fusionist, I¡¯d never actually tried Soul Fusion or Soul Disassembly. Mainly because it kept telling me that I couldn¡¯t exceed the rank of my Soul Fusionist class anyway. I¡¯m currently a B-rank Soul Fusionist, and B-rank skills or items are useless to me¡ªso I never bothered. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Soul Fusion.¡± Two glowing white circles appeared in front of me. The left one was labeled ¡°Main Body.¡± The right one said ¡°Fusion Target.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just toss stuff in.¡± I dropped in ¡°Water Bomb¡± and ¡°Fire Wing¡± from earlier. Water and fire¡­ not exactly a great combo, but they¡¯re just B-ranks, so I figured why not experiment? [Attempting Soul Fusion¡­¡­] [Soul Fusion failed. The skills have disappeared.] Whoa. Skills can vanish too? Damn. Good thing I tested it first. I could¡¯ve cried blood if I tried fusing my S-ranks and this happened. [Absorbing trace of failure. You gained SP and EXP.] That message definitely caught my eye. SP and EXP? I checked my status. My SP still sat at 310 million, unchanged¡ªbut my EXP had gone up by 3% from 197. Huh. That¡¯s actually a decent amount. ¡°Wait¡­ does Soul Disassembly give EXP too?¡± My eyes landed on the Corrupted Nymph¡¯s ¡°Forced Heat¡± skill. Hmm¡­ Is this one useful¡­? Just in case, I checked the skill description. [Corrupted Nymph¡¯s Forced Heat LV.1] [A skill gained through a nymph¡¯s corruption and seduction of countless males. Forces the target into a state of heat. Only activates on males.] Sigh¡­ males only¡­ ¡°Soul Disassembly.¡± This time, only one white circle appeared. Without hesitation, I shoved the Forced Heat skill into it. [Disassembling soul¡­¡­] [Skill Ddsassembled. You obtained ¡®B-rank Skill Shard¡¯ x1, along with SP and EXP.] Nice. So Soul Disassembly gives EXP too. I checked how much¡ªit had increased by 1%. Assuming it always gives 1%¡­ 100 B-rank skills would mean 1 level up. I looked back at the Recycle Window. It was filled with tons of skills, but I wasn¡¯t sure if there were 300. ¡°If it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll just buy more. Whatever.¡± There¡¯s a random box in the SP shop. I never bought it before since the efficiency was so bad, but now I¡¯m earning a hundred million a day, so spending some doesn¡¯t even make a dent. Even if I burn some SP, upgrading quickly is more important. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Disassemble.¡± Fusion might not give EXP if it succeeds, so I decided to stick to disassembly. I pulled skills out of the Recycle Window and fed them into the Soul Disassemble window. And so began the grind. The skills in the Recycle Window vanished rapidly, and I hit level 199. A B~D-rank random box cost 10,000 SP. ¡®Not that bad.¡¯ I thought, and ordered 100 of them. And the results? ¡°Wow. Just one?¡± 1%. Unreal. These bastards are out of their minds. At this rate, to get 100 B-rank skills, I¡¯d need to spend 100 million SP¡­ They say many drops make an ocean, but this level of SP drain is just absurd¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­ well, I earn that much in a day.¡± I considered combining the B-rank Skill Shards for another fusion attempt, but decided to just keep buying boxes. Right now, I¡¯m only getting B-rank skills, but once I reach A-rank Soul Fusionist, fusing might start giving A-rank skills too. 100 million seems pricey, but I can earn it overnight. No need to be stingy¡­ just spend it! And with that, I burned through 250 million SP. [You have reached Level 200.] [¡®Soul Fusionist¡¯ has advanced to A-rank.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 159 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 159: Soul Fusionist A-Rank (2) ¡°Ha. I¡¯m never doing a draw again.¡± I thought the probability of getting a B-rank was 1% since I got one out of 100 boxes¡ªbut nope, that wasn¡¯t it. I was opening box after box and nothing came out. I nearly had a heart attack. Seriously, random boxes are not something to mess with. I¡¯ve got 60 million SP left. [Name - Kim Jiho Class - Soul Fusionist Level - 200 Guardian Deity - Title - Earth¡¯s Number One Strength - Supreme Agility - Supreme Magic - Supreme Origin - Unavailable SP - 60 million (Shared)] All the attributes had automatically changed to the highest rank. Well¡­ since soul power is the most important stat right now, I wasn¡¯t really paying attention to Strength, Agility, or Magic. The thing I was most interested in was the condition for upgrading to S-rank. I needed to reach S-rank as a Soul Fusionist to even have the chance to become an SS-rank Soul God. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ The conditions to upgrade to S-rank are¡­¡± [Conditions for class ¡®Soul Fusionist¡¯ to reach S-rank have been generated.] All stats at Supreme Obtain the qualification of divinity Form an S-rank through soul fusion Disassemble 100 A-rank or higher souls Ugh¡­ those are some annoying requirements. I¡¯d rather go hunt gods again. Conditions 1 and 2 were already cleared¡ªthey had checkmarks next to them. So I guess I don¡¯t need to get divinity again this time. Well, I am aiming to become a Soul God anyway. But condition 3 was the problem. Form an S-rank? I recalled the message I got when I leveled up my Soul Fusionist class. [Soul Fusion skill has reached level 20. Fusion synergy increases, and now skills and items can also be fused. Skills and items cannot exceed the grade of the Soul Fusionist.] Right. It clearly said skills and items can¡¯t surpass my current grade. And now I¡¯m A-rank, so I can only get A-rank stuff at most. I checked the skill description again to see if anything changed¡ªnope, still the same. So, only A-rank skills and items¡­ ¡°Ah¡­?¡± Wait, what if it¡¯s not about skills or items? What if I fuse with an A-rank Hunter¡¯s soul? Could I end up with an S-rank? I mean, it¡¯s a system-generated quest. They wouldn¡¯t give me something impossible, right? ¡°Hm. I¡¯ll have to experiment with that later¡­¡± Then I looked at the 4th condition: 100 disassemblies of A-rank souls. That probably includes items, skills, and soul entities, right? That¡¯s a problem too. Even B-ranks were rare¡ªhow am I supposed to get A-ranks? But then again, if it''s not limited to skills and items, maybe it¡¯s doable. It just said ¡°A-rank or higher,¡± so if I go to Kalvine and catch some Corrupted Nymphs and disassemble them, maybe that counts? Could be worth a shot. ¡°Haah. They should¡¯ve just given me an easy god-slaying quest instead.¡± Damn system¡ªnever lets anyone take the easy path. I flopped onto my bed and looked at the aftermath of opening 25,000 boxes. First, inventory check. All the B-rank items were long gone, and now I had mountains of C- and D-rank items. I¡¯d disassembled some of them at first, but the system only gave me ¡®Skill Fragments¡¯ and SP, so I skipped the rest. I was more focused on getting experience points. ¡°Just trash everywhere.¡± Although, if I took this trash back to Earth, I could sell it for a good price. Since Earth¡¯s current Hunter level maxes out at B-rank, and most people are using C- and D-rank gear. But I can make money however I want now, so why bother selling items? [Low-Grade Elixir] [C-rank] [Heals physical injuries and reverses aging.] Rich folks would love stuff like this. But selling it is more trouble than it¡¯s worth. I¡¯ll just grind it all down. Though before that¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s level up the skills.¡± Soul Fusionist skills cost SP equal to Skill Level * 1 million SP. With 60 million SP, I could get both key skills to level 30. [¡®Soul Fusion¡¯ skill has reached level 30.] [¡®Soul Disassembly¡¯ skill has reached level 30.] 51 million SP drained instantly. Now I had less than 10 million left. Better not use any more for now. ¡°Soul Disassembly.¡± I opened the Disassembly tab and started stuffing in items and skills. One by one. What a grind. Over 20,000 skills and items. As I dumped them into the Soul Disassembly bin, I started to wonder what I was doing with my life. ¡°Can¡¯t this be automated?¡± I wished my hand could auto-click and transfer everything from my inventory. Tried issuing a divine command to the system: [User¡¯s rank is too low. Unable to interfere with system.] Figures. The system¡¯s as merciless as ever. So I had to do everything manually? I lay on the bed and used both hands¡ªand even my tentacles¡ªto disassemble everything. ¡°Wow. The sun¡¯s up.¡± I started this at night, and by the time I finished, the sun was high in the sky. I gained 100 million SP, totaling 110 million. From decomposing 24,900 items and skills, I got about 10 million SP. I spent 250 million to get them and got 10 million back. That¡¯s 4% return. ¡°Yep. Gambling is not it.¡± Random boxes really aren¡¯t the way. ¡°Well, anyway¡­¡± 630 C-rank skill fragments. 1,870 C-rank item fragments. What do I do with these? S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Maybe try fusing them?¡± I opened the Fusion tab and tossed in the fragments. [Skill fragments must be input in sets of 10 to fuse. For fusion into a higher rank, input in sets of 100.] Hmm¡­ So 10 gives the same rank (C), and 100 gives the next rank (B)? Well, I don¡¯t need C-ranks, so this works. I bundled them in sets of 100 and started fusing. [You¡¯ve obtained the skill ¡®Shadow Echo.¡¯] [You¡¯ve obtained the skill ¡®Giant¡¯s Strength.¡¯] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Ended up with 6 B-rank skills. Of course, for someone like me who operates a soul body, these skills are useless. All just junk to dispose of... Might as well use up all the item fragments too. Out of the remaining 1,270 fragments, I used 1,200, which gave me 6 B-grade items. Spent 250 million and in the end, this is all I¡¯ve got, huh. Haa... hahaha. After upgrading like this, a terrifying thought crossed my mind. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... do I need to collect 100 fragments for A-grade too?¡± So that¡¯s why the condition was ¡°Disassemble 100 A-grade or higher souls¡±... Are they expecting me to collect fragments through soul disassembly to make an S-grade? Use an A-grade Awakener as the fusion base instead of skills or items, then collect 100 fragments as the offering. In theory, that could produce an S-grade. ¡°Wow, but 100 A-grades is kind of insane.¡± Where the heck am I supposed to get 100 A-grades? I was rolling around on my bed, feeling overwhelmed, when a message came in from a follower. [Jiho-nim. We''ve selected a total of 50 Apostle candidates so far¡­ What would you like to do?] It was a message from Kang Shia. I had told her to narrow it down to the elite, and looks like she already picked 50. Honestly, I didn¡¯t need human hunters that badly anymore. Not long ago, I was struggling to recruit even a few C-grade hunters, but now that I have apostles and lower gods from each faction acting like mercenaries, my SP income cap is maxed out and the roster¡¯s looking pretty flashy. Still, my human forces are too weak right now, so I¡¯ll give positions to about 100 of them to raise them up. [Good. Then fill out the rest and bring them all at once.] [Understood.] In the past, I was even considering taking in D-grades if necessary. Now it feels like I¡¯ve gone from a subordinate to a boss. Not bad. All thanks to the Apostle gods... ¡°Ah, wait a sec.¡± Right. The Apostle gods! I opened the Apostle panel. There are 60 gods recovering their names. None of them have names yet. S-grade skills might be too much, but couldn¡¯t I get A-grade skills or items from them? I sent a message to the nameless god with the highest SP among them. No.46, listed as a nameless god. The numbers make it hard to tell who¡¯s a dispatched god and who¡¯s an Apostle. [Are you available to talk right now?] [Of course, Soul God.] [What was your old name, by any chance?] [Guan Yu.] Ah. So 46 is Guan Yu. Someone like Guan Yu should recover his power quickly... Though, it¡¯s only been a day since the expedition to Kalvine, so I guess he hasn¡¯t regained enough SP to reclaim his name yet. [How much value would an A-grade skill or item hold for a lower god?] [Do you need one, Soul God? If so, I shall offer one immediately.] [No, I should pay with SP. I can¡¯t just rob gods who haven¡¯t even recovered their divine names yet.] [Soul God. This is not robbery. For an Apostle to offer something to their god is only natural. Considering the value of this Soul Mediation SP you''ve granted us, even an S-grade would be a reasonable offering.] So this Soul Mediation thing is that valuable, huh. Still, I¡¯m earning 100 million SP a day. Doesn¡¯t feel right to just take things for free. In life, ¡°free¡± usually comes with a hidden cost. [But if we were to assign a value, how much would you say it¡¯s worth? I¡¯ll take any A-grade. Even trash skills or items are fine as long as they¡¯re A-grade.] [Under those conditions¡­ hmm. You could probably get one for around 300,000 SP.] 300,000? That¡¯s cheap? Wait a sec. That¡¯s way cheaper than opening those boxes. I was spending a million SP each time just to get a B-grade skill or item¡­ Hah. [That cheap?] [Yes. That¡¯s the going rate for ritual tools. Gods who¡¯ve been forgotten by humanity often discard their ritual tools, since they¡¯re no longer useful. Especially now, with everyone short on SP, you¡¯ll find them selling at even lower prices.] Ohh. Ritual tools¡­ [Thanks. Do you have anything to sell, Guan Yu?] [If you need something, Soul God, I will offer my Green Dragon Crescent Blade.] [No, no. I¡¯m asking if you have anything to sell.] [¡­I currently have nothing of the sort.] Guess his stuff is all high-grade. I ended the call with Guan Yu. After learning all this, everything moved quickly. I contacted Loki and my father and asked if they had any junk A-grade items they could sell, and they sourced everything from the divine realms. [You sure any A-grade is fine, even if it¡¯s garbage?] ¡°Yeah. Just send it over.¡± [There¡¯s even a rock.] ¡°Hah. What kind of rock is A-grade... Whatever, just send it.¡± I collected everything at 200,000 SP per item and spent a total of 20 million SP. Wow, so cheap. Ugh. Should¡¯ve just bought from the gods yesterday. B-grades would''ve been even cheaper, right? Suddenly that 250 million SP I blew yesterday feels painful. ¡°Whatever. That¡¯s three days¡¯ worth of earnings. Forget it. Just forget it.¡± Forcing myself to forget, I dumped all those A-grade junk items into soul disassembly. Each item left behind SP and fragments. Surprisingly, they gave a lot of SP. ¡°This one gave 100,000. Oh, this one 300,000? Whoa, more than I paid for them?¡± The SP amounts were random, but ranged from 10,000 to 400,000. After disassembling all 100 A-grade items, I recovered 10 million SP. So I spent 10 million SP to break down 100 A-grade items. Wow... I really was an idiot yesterday. Blinded by the urge to level up¡­ [You have fulfilled the condition: ¡®Disassemble 100 A-grade or higher souls.¡¯] A message popped up right away. Cleared what looked like a pretty tough mission in just one day. Networking with the high-level divine realm folks really pays off. So now only one condition remains. Forming an S-grade through Soul Fusion. I¡¯ve already collected the 100 sacrifice materials. But I¡¯m unsure what to use as the upgrade base. If A-grade skills or items don¡¯t work, can I use an Apostle? What about Diana? But if the fusion fails, what happens? Does it blow up? That¡¯s too risky... [Master. Use me.] Suddenly, the phoenix popped out of my forehead. Unlike usual, it was in a small form. About the size it was back when it looked like a chick. ¡°What are you saying? What if you disappear?¡± [I am a phoenix. Even if I die, I resurrect.] ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s under normal conditions. This is soul fusion¡­ It might be dangerous.¡± [¡­I¡¯m prepared for that. I¡¯m useless to you now, aren¡¯t I?] ¡°Why are you talking about usefulness?¡± [You saw it too, didn¡¯t you? How useless I was in the battle between gods.] The phoenix¡¯s words brought back memories of the fight with Ares. When it exploded like a puff of smoke from my clenched fist. True, it was helpless in a fight against a deity-class opponent... But still, the risk is way too high. [I don¡¯t want to explode helplessly again. Yes. I want to become an S-grade. Please, let me do this.] The phoenix¡¯s eyes were burning, just like its nature. A fierce gaze with not a hint of fear of death. If I didn¡¯t say yes, it looked ready to burn down my house. ¡°Alright. But let¡¯s try to make it as safe as possible.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 160 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 160: SS-Class Power (1) Twenty days had passed since that day. The Phoenix¡¯s promotion to S-rank was still at a standstill. Zeus''s lightning had struck three times, but each was dismantled thanks to the efforts of the Apostle Gods. ¡°Oink oink. Master, I¡¯ll now give you this month¡¯s earnings report.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Before I knew it, a month had passed, and the golden pig appeared. I received 3.375 billion. Total assets: 5 billion SP. ¡°Is the operation running smoothly?¡± ¡°Oink oink. Yes. Thanks to your expanded divine power, we¡¯ve been able to attract SP from more gods across different worlds. At this rate, both deposits and loans should be full in a few months.¡± ¡°No interference from Hades¡¯ side?¡± ¡°Oink oink. Nope. Hades¡¯ loan bank is still in the prep phase... I¡¯ve been buying us some time. Oink oink.¡± The golden pig winked at me as it said that. You little rascal¡ªdoing good work. ¡°Oink oink. Then I¡¯ll take my leave, Master.¡± ¡°Alright. See you.¡± As the golden pig disappeared, I turned on the TV. It was broadcasting a heated debate over Daehyun Group''s construction project. [...Controversy continues over Daehyun Group¡¯s recent activities. Over to reporter Lee Ahyoung.] When the anchor called the reporter, the screen switched. A construction site right in the heart of Gangnam. People wearing masks to cover their faces were holding up signs and blocking access at the site entrance. [Yes. I¡¯m currently standing in front of the Power Construction site. As you can see, shareholders of Daehyun Group and other citizens are blocking the site in protest against the construction.] ¡°¡®A temple? What nonsense.¡¯¡± ¡°¡®Take responsibility for the stock drop.¡¯¡± ¡°¡®Kim Jiho a god? That¡¯s just a kid¡¯s name from the next town over!¡¯¡± Were the shareholders this upset because the stock really fell? Hmm... Associating it with a god shouldn''t have affected the stock that much. I searched it up on my phone. The stock had actually gone up a bit, now just taking a breather. So who are those people? [Shareholders are protesting the construction of a temple for the god ¡®Kim Jiho¡¯ on land purchased from the government. Some religious groups have joined the protest, accusing the project of blasphemy.] Hmm... Looks like people from other religions are leading the charge against it. That person has a cross necklace¡ªprobably Christian. That other one has prayer beads¡ªlikely Buddhist... Seems like major religious believers are spearheading the opposition. Come on, I unsealed stuff and mediate SP, and this is how I¡¯m treated? ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I need a temple right now anyway.¡± It¡¯s natural for people to deny someone becoming a god. What matters now isn¡¯t that temple¡ªit¡¯s the Phoenix. [Master. Everything is ready now.] ¡°Yeah? Phoenix, come out.¡± The Phoenix burst out from my head. Compared to twenty days ago, its colors were clearly stronger. I had invested some SP to ensure it was in its best condition before attempting a fusion. Of course, I only gave it as much as it could absorb, so from my perspective, the SP investment wasn¡¯t too big. ¡°Can¡¯t power up any further, even if I give you more SP?¡± [Correct. I don¡¯t think I can get any stronger now.] ¡°Alright¡­ then let¡¯s give it a shot.¡± I opened the Soul Fusion window. Using the Phoenix as the main, I added 100 A-rank item shards as the sacrifice. Just as I tried to fuse, a message popped up: [¡®Phoenix¡¯s divine power is too low. Promotion will fail with absolute certainty. Do you still wish to proceed?] Ah¡­ If it¡¯s giving me a message like that, it¡¯s basically saying it¡¯s not going to work. Even after maxing it out, and it¡¯s still like this¡­ what a headache. ¡°This won¡¯t work. The odds are too low.¡± [Hmm¡­ It¡¯s really hard for me to grow any further.] Even the Phoenix murmured with a troubled tone. While thinking of a solution, my eyes landed on the still-open Soul Fusion window. ¡°Then let¡¯s forget promotion for now¡ªlet¡¯s try strengthening you instead.¡± I put the Phoenix back into the fusion slot and grabbed an A-rank item. I tried the fusion, and another message popped up. [Fusing a spiritual being and an item. As they belong to different categories, the result will be random. Proceed?] So this isn¡¯t a Phoenix-centered outcome¡ªit¡¯ll be completely random. Hmm¡­ That¡¯s a bit tricky. Maybe I need to fuse it with another spiritual being? I asked the gods if they had any spare A-rank spirits lying around, but they all looked reluctant. [An A-rank spirit? Demi-god level? That¡¯s not something we have lying around.] [That might be hard to get, Jiho.] Looks like demi-god level spirits are hard to come by. Tsk. Should I raid Kalvine again and throw a nymph into the fusion window? ¡°Ah...!¡± While mulling over ideas, I suddenly thought of the Soul Disassembly skill. Didn¡¯t it say that at level 50, I could create a clone? What if I put my clone into the fusion? ¡°Let¡¯s try it.¡± I raised the Soul Disassembly skill level. When it reached level 50, a new message popped up: [¡®Soul Disassembly¡¯ has reached level 50. You can now create a clone.] [The clone''s soul disassembly rate corresponds to your skill level. At level 50, the clone can exert up to 5% of the main body¡¯s power.] So the skill applies at a 1/10 ratio of the level. Right now, my strength is top-tier even among S-class. 5% should be more than enough for A-rank. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Create clone.¡± When I initiated the clone, it asked how much of the soul I wanted to split. I chose just 1%, and a flash of light appeared before me. A spiritual being identical to me appeared. Even its outfit matched mine exactly. ¡°So this is a clone?¡± A sensation I¡¯d never felt before. The spirit I sent to Asura¡¯s path felt like an entirely separate being, but this clone was fully under my control. Until now, I had only moved on my own¡ªnow I could multitask with my spiritual being. ¡°This feels weird.¡± I spoke through the clone¡¯s mouth. It felt awkward. My main and clone mouths opened at the same time, and upon seeing that through the clone¡¯s eyes, I closed the main mouth. The signal system between my main body and the clone still felt unfamiliar. Even the sensory input¡ªsight, hearing, smell¡ªwas doubled, so adapting wasn¡¯t easy. If I want to use this clone effectively later, I¡¯ll need lots of practice. ¡°For now, let¡¯s focus on the fusion.¡± [You¡¯re going to put your clone in? That¡¯ll damage your spirit, Master. It¡¯s too risky.] ¡°No, this one¡¯s different from the spirit I sent to Asura¡¯s Path. I think I¡¯ll recover over time even if I fuse this one.¡± The spirit I sent to Asura¡¯s Path had its own independent version of Kim Jiho¡¯s consciousness, but this clone was no more than a puppet. The one sent to Asura¡¯s Path would cause permanent soul damage if not retrieved¡ªbut the clone should recover with time. ¡°Let¡¯s start with just 1%.¡± I opened the Soul Fusion window and inserted the Phoenix. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] In the sacrifice window, I directly controlled my clone to make it jump in. Then a new message popped up. [Would you like to fuse the Phoenix with ¡®Kim Jiho¡¯s Clone¡¯? They are both Grade A. If the fusion succeeds, the Phoenix will be enhanced.] Good. After maxing out the fusion skill level to 100, I proceeded with the fusion. [The Phoenix has been enhanced.] [Master... What incredible power. Such pure soul energy¡­!] ¡°Nice. Let¡¯s keep going.¡± I took off 1% chunks of my clone and fused them with the Phoenix. Each time the Phoenix was enhanced through fusion, I tried upgrading it by combining it with 100 sacrificial items. Every time, the message gradually started to change. At first, it said the chance was absolute. The second time, it was a very high chance. The third, just a high chance. By the fourth and fifth times, failures began to appear with low probability. ¡°My SP is melting away.¡± As my clone disappeared, 1% of my SP was consumed as well. Still, I had saved up enough over 20 days, so it wasn¡¯t a waste. Upgrading to SS-rank was more important. When I fused the tenth clone, failure messages stopped appearing. [Would you like to upgrade the Phoenix through soul fusion?] ¡°Yes.¡± Is it finally happening? When I pressed Yes, the Soul Fusion window started shining brightly, unlike any normal fusion. Flash. Flash. Sensing something extraordinary, I watched as a message appeared within the light. [Phoenix has successfully upgraded.] With that, I had met all the necessary conditions. [All conditions to upgrade the Soul Fusionist have been cleared.] [Your Soul Fusionist rank has been raised to S-grade.] [You¡¯ve met the upgrade conditions for Soul God.] [Would you like to upgrade to SS-grade Soul God?] Of course, I pressed Yes. When I did, the world around me changed completely. Planet Kalvine. A place not reinvaded despite being a known SP source for Zeus, due to an unknown being who had taken over Artemis. Returning there after three weeks, I found their preparations were complete. Artemis, now in the form of a dark elf with bronzed skin. Trailing behind her was a legion of scantily-clad nymphs. It was twilight¡ªwhen the sun sets. Not the ideal time for the moon goddess to use her full power, but she had something up her sleeve. ¡°Apollo. Help me.¡± Though the sky was clearly at sunset, the world turned white. The sky ripped like paper, and a massive chariot burst forth. It resembled the flame chariot I used to favor. Size-wise, not much different from when I rode it. But the horses¡ªeach one was snow-white and possessed soul energy fit for lower gods. Standing behind the seven horses was a man. His upper body was bare, and his lower half was wrapped in white cloth. He resembled Zeus but was even more striking. A man who symbolized pure golden light. Apollo. ¡°Yes, Artemis.¡± His voice was clear and elegant. As he appeared, the nymphs behind Artemis shrieked in delight. ¡°Aah¡­ Lord Apollo.¡± ¡°The most beautiful of Olympus.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still the sun itself.¡± These nymphs, who had been acting lewdly moments ago, now adored him like fangirls at an idol concert. It was awkward to see. Apollo ignored the nymphs completely and brought the sun chariot down toward me. ¡°You are the Soul God?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m the Soul God.¡± ¡°Unfazed, even in front of two deities.¡± ¡°Two deities? To me, you¡¯re the only one who feels like a god. Artemis is just a puppet under someone¡¯s control.¡± Apollo. He¡¯s Artemis¡¯s twin brother, so how would he react to my words? If he didn¡¯t know she was being controlled, I might be able to use that, so I subtly hinted at it. Hearing my words, Apollo furrowed his brow. ¡°Hmm. No wonder Artemis asked me for help¡­¡± He raised his hand. A giant bow appeared. A bow made of gold. The power within it¡ªtremendous. It could very well be considered a supreme divine artifact. ¡°You must be erased here.¡± ¡°Heh. So you knew?¡± ¡°I knew. If it¡¯s the power controlling her¡­¡± ¡°She even gave me a quest¡ªtold me to free her. And yet her own brother would just watch?¡± ¡°A quest¡­?¡± Apollo glanced at Artemis. She just shrugged her shoulders. For a moment, hatred and contempt flickered in Apollo¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­Father will free Artemis himself. Seems she¡¯s grown impatient, being trapped for so long.¡± ¡°Hohoho. That¡¯s good news. It means she¡¯s starting to break. Then our plan can move faster.¡± Artemis laughed seductively from the side. Apollo, who had been glaring at her, snapped his fingers. Fwoooosh! Artemis was instantly engulfed in flames. Her dark elf body vanished, and she regenerated into a green-haired nymph. ¡°What are you doing, Apollo?!¡± ¡°Watch your tongue, wraith. You¡¯re nothing but a puppet controlled by your ¡®master.¡¯¡± ¡°Grrr¡­¡± Faced with Apollo¡¯s terrifying aura, Artemis retreated. He turned away from her and aimed his bow at me. ¡°Soul God. Disappear forever with the sunset.¡± An arrow began forming on the bow. The atmosphere instantly grew scorching hot. A destructive heat that could even burn one¡¯s spirit form. ¡°Sun Arrow.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 161 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 161: SS-Class Power (2) Apollo¡¯s arrow slowly approached, then suddenly disappeared¡ªtransforming into a massive wave of flame. Its speed¡­ wasn¡¯t fast. Easily avoidable. But the sheer size was overwhelming. Flames that could turn the world upside down. The name ¡°Sun Arrow¡± wasn¡¯t just for show. Still, this much is easy. ¡°Soul Disassembly.¡± I reached into the flames and activated Soul Disassembly. Originally, it required a disassembly window where the item had to be placed, but that no longer applied. Now that I¡¯m an SS-rank Soul God, things are different. As my rank increased, I gained access to more divine authorities, and the limitations on my skills were lifted. I analyzed the source of the surging crimson flames. They were composed of Apollo¡¯s divine power and soul energy. The first shot¡ªthe Sun Arrow¡ªwas the core of the flames, with energy spreading out from it. Using the power of disassembly granted to me, I severed the connection. A rift began to appear in the wall of flames rushing toward me... KWA-KWA-KWANG! The Sun Arrow exploded in place before it could even touch me. Apollo¡¯s arrow failed to reach its target. ¡°So you had something up your sleeve.¡± Apollo stood proudly on his Sun Chariot, staring down at me. He didn¡¯t look particularly flustered despite his arrow being blocked. ¡°Apollo! You need to destroy him right now! He¡¯s gotten so much stronger in less than a month!¡± ¡°Empty husk of Artemis, don¡¯t call my name so lightly. Your identity¡¯s already been exposed¡ªshow some respect to the Sun God.¡± Apollo glared at Artemis. The real Artemis was sealed inside her soul body. That black shadow I saw before¡ªhe was the god who sealed her. The Artemis body prancing around outside must be one of his subordinates. This is getting complicated. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you myself.¡± Apollo turned his gaze away from Artemis. He grabbed the reins of the Sun Chariot. In the blink of an eye, Apollo and the chariot expanded before me. A massive sword of flame had formed in his right hand. ¡°Soul Emission.¡± I infused soul energy into my soul sword. White flames emission forth intensely. Same Soul Emission as always. FWOOSH! Before I realized it, Apollo was right in front of me, swinging his flaming sword down from above. A simple downward slash. Yet even that basic move held overwhelming power. BOOM! His flaming sword clashed with my soul sword. Then came the second and third strikes in quick succession. BOOM! BOOM! Each clash sent out massive shockwaves. The explosions erupted at point-blank range, but neither of us was affected. His sword strikes¡ªmore manageable than expected. Maybe it¡¯s because Apollo doesn¡¯t belong to the War God class? I can even counterattack. ¡°Enlarge.¡± At my command, the white flames of my soul sword expanded dramatically. Apollo¡¯s chariot tried to retreat, but my blade reached first. CRACKLE! Realizing he was too late, Apollo grabbed the blade with his left hand. Flames roared as shock spread across his face. He hadn¡¯t expected this much power. ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re strong¡­!¡± He let go of the sword and pulled back, leaping away. GRRRRR! In his place, the flame horse of the Sun Chariot lunged at me. Like a wild beast, it opened its fiery jaws wide. SWISH. I lightly swung my sword, and the chariot was split clean in half. It was then engulfed by the white flames of Soul Emission and began to vanish. But in that brief moment, Apollo had already flown far away. ¡°O, Sun.¡± Floating high in the sky, Apollo had already resummoned his Sun Chariot. His right arm was raised toward the heavens. His index finger pointed skyward. He was pointing at the sun. ¡°Reveal a fragment of thyself here.¡± At the tip of his finger, a small sphere formed. It glowed a deep crimson. Artemis screamed when she saw it. ¡°Apollo. That crazy bastard! He¡¯s trying to kill everyone¡­!¡± She tried to flee, panic in her movements. The nymphs with her also retreated in every direction. ¡°Sundown.¡± It began as a sphere no larger than a fingertip. But as it fell, imbued with Apollo¡¯s divine authority, it expanded exponentially. FWOOSH! It hadn¡¯t even fallen far before the massive sphere of flame dominated the sky. Its sheer size was overwhelming, and even Zeus¡¯s Thunder Pillar got caught in it and began to burn. Ha. Even for a sun god, the scale was insane. The power to drop miniature suns in an instant? ¡°Soul Disassembly.¡± I used Soul Disassembly to observe it. Its structure was completely different from the earlier sun technique. It had multiple cores forming the foundation of its power, and the roots branched out in various directions. It wasn¡¯t just massive¡ªit was immensely powerful as well¡­ Most of all, the soul energy forming its framework was overwhelming, and it was falling at incredible speed. With my current Soul Disassembly, it would strike before I could dismantle it. It was impossible at the moment. In that case... ¡°Summon Phoenix.¡± As I summoned the phoenix, I spoke. ¡°Soul Fusion. Phoenix.¡± The soul form began to transform. Fwoooosh. Flames surged from my body. Wings of the phoenix spread wide from my back. [Master. Have you adjusted to the wings?] The phoenix¡¯s voice echoed in my mind. We had temporarily fused. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go. To Apollo.¡± Soul Disassembly wasn¡¯t the only power that had evolved. Soul Fusion had also awakened new abilities in line with its SS rank. [You may now attempt Soul Fusion with beings whose soul wavelengths closely match your own.] Unlike disassembly, Soul Fusion had stricter conditions. The requirement for similar soul wavelengths wasn¡¯t easy to meet. But the phoenix was different, having evolved through repeated fusion with my clone. Perhaps because it had been strengthened through my clone? Our wavelengths were nearly identical. That was why I could now accept the phoenix¡¯s soul form. I took flight. From the evolved phoenix¡¯s wings, pure white flames blazed. Maybe it was because the upgrade had been heavily influenced by my clone? Every time the phoenix released soul energy, its soul form was reconstructed with White Flame. Because of that, our compatibility was perfect. Wings spread, I charged straight into the miniature sun. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± I pierced right through the sun-shaped flame. The orb of fire radiated immense soul energy. A miniature sun worthy of Apollo, the sun god. Vast soul power was intricately woven within it, and now, with Hercules¡¯ soul emissions added, the force was overwhelming. Any ordinary divine soul body would¡¯ve been disintegrated upon contact. No chance to seal it¡ªit would burn them to pieces instantly. But I wasn¡¯t the same. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] My soul form, temporarily fused with the phoenix. A phoenix born of flames. Fire attribute was second nature to me. Though the miniature sun contained soul emissions that were fatal to soul bodies, its core attribute was still fire. Because I was familiar with that attribute, I could defend against it easily. BOOM! [Even if Apollo¡¯s sun was imbued with soul emissions, its essence was White Flame. Same as my soul body¡ªcompletely harmless to me.] ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go at full speed.¡± Whoooosh! I blasted through the domain of fire. ¡°You... what have you done¡­? That power¡ªisn¡¯t that Soul Flame?¡± Apollo furrowed his brows as he saw me soar into the sky. He seemed slightly rattled by how quickly I had closed the distance. ¡°Is that¡­ the phoenix¡¯s power?¡± ¡°Soul emission.¡± No need to answer. I flew toward Apollo and brought my soul sword down on him. Clang! Apollo blocked with his flaming sword. Even though I flew at top speed using the phoenix¡¯s power, he responded swiftly. ¡°Heeheeheehiiing!¡± As my soul sword overwhelmed his flame sword, his sun chariot got in my way. Slash! I cut through the entire chariot, staying close to him without giving him a chance to create distance. At the same time, I extended my soul sword, aiming straight for his throat. Fwoosh! But a flame shield blocked my strike. Apollo summoned flame weapons on the fly to counter my attacks. When the shield vanished, he switched to a sword. When the sword disappeared, he brought back the shield. If I cut both at once, he¡¯d summon the sun chariot again. He kept shifting the distance just enough¡ªnever allowing a single hit. Relentless. At this rate, it would never end¡­ Whoosh! I thrust a tentacle imbued with soul emission. It extended from my sword-wielding right hand. Its target¡ªhis right arm, the one holding the flame shield. That arm didn¡¯t have a Soul Barrier! Shluk! ¡°Grr¡­ a tentacle!?¡± Apollo, who had just been blocking with his flame shield, was caught off guard. A sudden tentacle shot out and pierced through his right arm. As he staggered, I cut through the shield with my soul sword and lunged toward his body. Crackle! The Soul Sword clashed against Apollo¡¯s barrier. As expected of a god¡¯s barrier¡ªit was strong. But a Soul Barrier... that originally belonged to soul-type Awakeners like us. ¡°Soul Disassembly.¡± Upon activating Soul Disassembly again, the pattern of the Soul Barrier revealed itself. Perhaps because it belonged to a soul-type Awakener. I instantly grasped the principles behind the skill¡¯s structure and how to dismantle it. Of all the structures I¡¯ve seen through Soul Disassembly, this was the most solid and stable. But I knew exactly where to strike. However... To completely dismantle it, my soul power and skill level still fall short. If Soul Emission handles the offensive side of soul-type abilities, then Soul Barrier is the cornerstone of their defense. Its structure is so stable that taking it down fully requires immense soul power and a high-level Soul Disassembly skill. Still, creating a small crack should be doable. Thunk! ¡°What...!?¡± For the first time, a look of shock appeared on Apollo¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes as he saw the Soul Sword piercing through his abdomen. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I aimed for his throat, but he dodged. [You have damaged the soul form of the Sun God ''Apollo.''] [Soul Reaper is activated against the Sun God ''Apollo.''] [You are stealing SP and soul power from the target.] A system message popped up, indicating the success of the Soul Reaper skill. Even without killing him, just wounding him allowed me to reap his SP and soul power. ¡°Guh¡­!¡± He tried to pull the blade out, but I followed him and kept it lodged in. My SP and soul power numbers spiked rapidly. [Soul Power increases by 200.] [SP increases by 100 million.] [You have reached the maximum amount of Soul Power you can obtain from the target. To gain more, increase your Soul Reaper skill level.] [You have reached the maximum amount of SP you can obtain from the target. To gain more, increase your Soul Reaper skill level.] Including soul power, the total gain was worth about 200 million. Just a momentary stab, and Apollo had been drained of immense power. ¡°You bastard¡­!¡± He must have felt his strength draining away. Apollo¡¯s demeanor completely changed. His entire body began to glow with a blinding white light. Whoosh. He pulled back. I tried to pursue, but his speed was different from before. Apollo, now flickering in brilliant light. Looks like he¡¯s burning through SP recklessly now. ¡°Nectar.¡± A golden chalice appeared in Apollo¡¯s hand. He chugged it down in one go. Immediately, his soul form¡ªpierced by the Soul Sword¡ªwas fully restored. Nectar, the drink of the gods. Did it have the power to restore even soul forms? ¡°To think you¡¯d break through a Soul Barrier¡­ even that whore Artemis said something true for once. I was saving SP for the future, but maybe now is the time to use it.¡± He pointed at me with a glowing finger. A beam of white light shot out like a laser. Crackle! It was stopped by the Soul Barrier. But one side of the barrier was starting to melt through. Even with the phoenix fusion, this attack was difficult to block. [Master. This is the power of Light. It¡¯s slightly different from my domain, so I can¡¯t defend against it as easily as before.] ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s good enough.¡± I looked at Apollo. He was going all-out now. His SP must be draining at an incredible rate. Forcing him to burn through that much was already a big win. Hmm. Maybe it¡¯s time to pull back? ¡°Heimdall¡¯s Return.¡± I flapped my wings and activated Heimdall¡¯s Return. My soul body turned into light. As the world became pure white and I began to warp through space¡ª I saw something unusual within the light. ¡°Did you think turning into light meant I couldn¡¯t follow?¡± Apollo, now also transformed into light. He was chasing me even as I used Heimdall¡¯s Return. He reached out a hand of light toward me. ¡°I¡¯ll erase you here and now.¡± Apollo¡¯s hand closed in on my soul body in an instant. Nothing was stopping him. Thunk. Apollo furrowed his brow instead of smiling. Confused, he muttered: ¡°Huh¡­? You¡¯re not using your Soul Barrier?¡± ¡°You know why?¡± I whispered in his ear, as he looked bewildered. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to waste my SP.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 162 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 162: Sky Garden of the False God (1) ¡°What the¡­?¡± Apollo looked at me like I was crazy. Ignoring his gaze, I activated a skill. ¡°Soul Mediation.¡± After reaching SS-rank, this skill evolved as well. It now transfers everything from my main body. The target: my avatar hidden in Elprian¡¯s sanctuary. ¡°The soul body is fading¡­?¡± This effect is similar to the ¡°Avatar Swap¡± ability granted by the Lord of Chaos. That skill has a downside¡ªif the soul body isn¡¯t retrieved, part of it is permanently damaged¡­ But my current Soul Mediation is different. I can transfer everything cleanly without loss. There¡¯s a limit to how much I can transfer, but¡­ Right now, I can move everything I have. I suspect the ¡°Left Arm of the Creator,¡± which granted the Lord of Chaos his skill, was also based on Soul Mediation. [Master. Are you heading to Kalvine again?] The phoenix, fused with me, spoke up. Yeah. I did get in a good hit on Apollo, but it¡¯d be a shame to retreat just like that. I plan to cause a scene in Kalvine. And if possible, I¡¯ll clear Artemis¡¯s quest too. [Then I¡¯ll stay behind. Just enough to keep Apollo unsure.] Won¡¯t that be dangerous? [I¡¯m a phoenix. As long as I have your power, I can resurrect.] Alright. I¡¯ll leave it to you. [Activating Soul Mediation. Target: ¡®Avatar 1.¡¯] I first transferred the core of my soul, my SP, and the Soul Sword. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Faster than light. While Apollo watched in confusion, my consciousness faded. ¡°Whew. Soul Mediation¡¯s pretty useful.¡± A familiar scene greeted me¡ªElprian¡¯s sanctuary. ¡°The Soul Sword¡¯s right where I left it.¡± I opened my inventory and checked on it. My strongest weapon right now. Can¡¯t do without it. [Phoenix. What¡¯s the situation?] As soon as I sent the message, a reply came back. [I¡¯ve already died and resurrected three times. I¡¯ve got about four more resurrections left. Apollo is still confused, unsure whether it¡¯s due to my resurrection power or not.] [Good. Just stall him a little longer.] The phoenix¡¯s authority¡ªresurrection. Thankfully, it also applies to my fused avatar. Four more times... It might pass in a flash, but what¡¯s important is that Apollo is now far from Kalvine. Now¡¯s my chance. ¡°Drakia. Let¡¯s return to Kalvine.¡± [You¡¯re planning another assault?] ¡°While Apollo is away, I need to destroy as many Thunder Pillars as possible.¡± [Understood.] A portal opened once more. I stepped into it, courtesy of Drakia. The Kalvine planet looked different now. The blazing sun had completely set. A crescent moon shone in the night sky. Even if Apollo returns now, he¡¯ll be much weaker. It¡¯s deep into the night. ¡°Summon Apostles.¡± I summoned the Apostle Gods. One by one, they appeared. Gods from across the world stood tall and dignified. At the front was Guan Yu, looking like two men combined in size, riding his Red Hare and holding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade. ¡°We have come at your command.¡± The gods deeply bowed their heads to me. They were respectful before, but after I reached SS-rank, they now treated me like a true divine being. Man¡­ even with the extra SP income after reaching intermediate deity status, this is a bit much. I hope they don¡¯t refuse to return to their own factions later. Clearing my throat, I addressed the gods. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°You¡¯ve all reclaimed your divine names, I see.¡± ¡°Yes, Divine One.¡± ¡°Though we are unworthy, we now stand as your sword.¡± They all keep calling me ¡®Divine One¡¯ now. Even gods dispatched from other divine realms are like this. Technically, they¡¯re mercenaries, but they act more devoted than my actual apostles. ¡°I trust you won¡¯t retreat this time, even against the corrupted nymphs.¡± ¡°Yes. We will give it our all.¡± ¡°Destroy the Thunder Pillars. And if you find Artemis, contact me. There¡¯s something I must settle with her.¡± ¡°Understood, Divine One.¡± The gods bowed once again with utmost respect. Then, in small squads, they scattered in all directions. Much faster than before. Seems like they recover strength a lot quicker now that they¡¯ve become apostles. Watching their retreating backs, I gave a command to the world itself. ¡°Find Artemis.¡± My divine energy spread across Kalvine. The target: Artemis. My energy stretched across the planet¡ªbut Artemis¡¯s presence remained hidden. That little sneak¡­ is she sleeping or something? ¡°Hey, can I go too?¡± What the¡ªwhy is she still here and not out on deployment? Drakina stood awkwardly alone where the Legion of Gods had departed. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°But it feels like the gods are going to take care of everything. I couldn¡¯t even breathe standing among them.¡± ¡°Tch. You get so much SP from soul mediation... just hurry up and go. Or go find Artemis.¡± As I gave the order, Drakina clicked her tongue and transformed into her dragon form. Once she disappeared as well, I continued to spread my soul power and focused on the search. But no matter how hard I looked, Artemis wouldn¡¯t show up. Had she left the planet entirely? Still, just in case, I kept sending out my soul energy. She might eventually show up to block the Apostle Gods¡¯ attack. That¡¯s the moment I¡¯m waiting for. One minute passed. The Thunder Soul Pillars around me were already devastated. They were no longer visible to my eyes. I floated up higher into the sky, and only then did I faintly spot them again. Five minutes passed. Now, even from the sky, the Thunder Soul Pillars were almost gone. The enemy still hadn¡¯t shown themselves. In the past, they used to send corrupted nymphs throwing phalluses, but now¡ªsilence. Those bastards... Are they really giving up on Kalvine? [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [Divine Lord, the enemy has been detected.] [They¡¯re the same lustful nymphs we¡¯ve seen before, but their aura is different this time.] A report came in from the gods. Even a video was attached. When I played it, I saw half-naked nymphs with bloodshot eyes charging at the gods. [Manifest, Azure Dragon.] Was this footage from Guan Yu¡¯s side? Guan Yu swung his Green Dragon Crescent Blade. A blue dragon manifested from the blade and rushed toward the nymphs. It was a powerful charge. The Azure Dragon seemed infused with soul energy¡ªwhite light flickered across its blue form. The nymphs were immediately swept away. Their bodies were ripped apart and vanished. [Grrrrr...] Yet the nymphs neither screamed in pain nor hesitated. They growled like beasts. Clearly insane and devoid of reason. [They cannot withstand the power granted by the God of Souls, but they keep charging in madness.] The gods'' legion began to slow down due to the onslaught of nymphs ignoring their own lives. Drakina grumbled and sent her own report. [Compared to last time, the nymphs are weaker, but there are way too many, and they¡¯re soaked in madness. They¡¯re charging recklessly, making it hard to eliminate the Thunder Spirits.] I rose higher into the sky to get a better view of the battlefield. Thanks to the gods advancing like a tidal wave in the past five minutes, I couldn¡¯t see the ground from this height... ¡°Expand vision.¡± I used divine speech lightly, and my view expanded like looking through a telescope. With this, I observed the battle between gods and nymphs. It was a one-sided massacre. The gods were slaughtering the nymphs with ease. Each god unleashed their divine powers and swept away the nymphs. Slaaash! The weapons of the gods cut through the nymphs entirely. The nymphs, shaped like beautiful naked women, were torn apart and burned. The attacks included bursts of soul energy, which engulfed the nymphs in white flames until they disappeared. One would expect them to retreat or their numbers to visibly decrease after such a massacre, but they didn¡¯t. Nymphs kept appearing from somewhere, continuously throwing themselves at the gods. ¡°I need to find the cause...¡± I expanded my vision even more and scanned the area. The region where the gods'' advance was halted by the nymphs. Beyond that stood solid, unshaken Thunder Soul Pillars. Something was writhing there... ¡°Soul Disassembly.¡± I analyzed the Thunder Soul Pillar. I wondered if Zeus¡¯s power would make it unanalyzable, but it was actually easier than with Apollo¡¯s. Maybe because it''s not a combat-based technique? ¡°It¡¯s basically an SP supply tool...¡± The structure was simple. A conduit that sends SP from the ground to the sky. Becoming a Thunder Soul, a vassal of Zeus, it sends SP to its deity and eventually vanishes. It absorbed SP from the land like roots sucking up moisture from soil, and then sent it upwards. I checked the other pillars¡ªthey were nearly identical. But one Thunder Soul Pillar stood out. ¡°That one¡¯s... interesting.¡± It was a pillar where moonlight was gathered. Much thicker and sturdier than the others. While the others were composed of pure white lightning, this one had black energy swirling at its core. ¡°That¡¯s the one. Let¡¯s go.¡± As I gave the order, my soul body moved instantly. Since reaching S-rank, my divine speech had become even more powerful. Its speed now was incomparable to before. ¡°This is it.¡± In the blink of an eye, I stood before the strange pillar. It was overwhelmingly larger than the others. Inside, black energy surged and churned¡ªit vaguely reminded me of the power of the Chaos faction. Crack crackle. Like the others, it made electric noises. But unlike the rest, it also emitted other sounds. Groooaaa. Kaaaahhh. A voice that sounded like a mix between a human¡¯s scream and a beast¡¯s howl. It was coming from within that central dark space. ¡°Soul Disassembly.¡± It had been too far away to properly identify earlier¡ªthis unusual cluster of soul energy. Using Soul Disassembly again, I analyzed the core of its power. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Its basic structure matched that of a typical soul energy source. But there were two major differences. First, the SP (Soul Power) absorbed from the earth wasn¡¯t flowing into the heavens¡ªit was being drawn into the black space instead. Second, a current of energy originating from that black space was extending toward the moon. The energy was so fine that it looked like a thread when viewed with the naked eye. Connected to the moon, huh¡­ ¡°Grrr!¡± While I was analyzing the soul energy, I realized I was now surrounded by nymphs. They had the faces of peerless beauties¡ªbeauties that could shake the very world if they were human¡ªbut crawled on all fours like beasts, hands and feet on the ground. Like four-legged animals. ¡°What happened to you all? Can¡¯t you speak?¡± ¡°Kaaa!¡± These were the same nymphs that had recklessly charged at other gods. Yet now, they simply circled around me, growling like beasts. I used Soul Disassembly on a nymph. A concentration of black energy was focused around its head. That feeling¡ªit resembled the energy of chaos, or the black aura I once saw from Artemis¡¯s soul form. The wave pattern was similar. Are they being controlled by that stuff? ¡°Grrrr¡­¡± ¡°Uuuuuh¡­¡± More and more nymphs began to gather. Back when they threw phallic objects, the nymphs were S-rank, at least minor deities. These ones were mostly A-rank, with a few B-ranks here and there. Quantity over quality, huh? At this level, subduing them will be easy. ¡°Begone.¡± Fwoooosh. As I spoke the divine word, the nymphs began to turn to dust, starting from their heads. ¡°Grrr!¡± ¡°Yap! Yap!¡± The nymphs barked like dogs as their comrades vanished, but they too soon followed into nothingness. The area was cleared in an instant. Whiiirrrrr. The pillar of soul energy flared, hastily summoning more nymphs. But there was no need to just stand around watching it. ¡°Soul Emission.¡± Swoosh. I drew my soul sword and sliced the entire thing. Kiiiiiiiek! As the soul sword pierced the black energy at the center of the pillar, a chilling scream echoed. The black energy began to burn with white flames. [*#$)#¡­¡­ #$&$!!] What the hell is it saying? ¡°Translate.¡± The words were automatically interpreted in my mind. [Kieeeeek¡­ Soul God¡­! The Master will punish you¡­] A language I¡¯d never heard before. Although it was automatically translated into Korean in my mind, its linguistic structure was completely alien. Languages of humanity or Gods originating from Earth were usually translated automatically. But this one? It¡¯s strange. Feels like something that only S-rank beings or higher could understand. Anyway, the message was nothing more than a third-rate villain¡¯s final threat. I slashed the black energy once more with my soul sword, and it fully ignited and vanished. Now then, time to find another target. Wriggle, wriggle. Huh? I still had Soul Disassembly activated. From the spot where the pillar¡¯s black energy had burned away¡ªcompletely destroyed and structurally collapsed¡ªsomething was wriggling. It looked like it had disappeared on the surface... But it left something behind. Whiiish. A tiny, worm-like strand of black energy rose into the air, like it was ascending. I glanced around briefly. The gods were still battling the nymphs but were gradually pushing them back. Nothing appeared too dangerous. I¡¯ll leave the ground to them and follow this thing. Whoosh. I moved my body to pursue the black energy. Realizing I was chasing it, the black energy accelerated. No matter how fast it moves, I can catch it anytime and crush it. But let¡¯s see where it¡¯s headed. And soon, I arrived in a new space¡ªabove the sky. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 163 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 163: Sky Garden of the False God (2) ¡°It looks like a garden.¡± A garden floating absurdly in the night sky. There was a small fence around it, and the soil that made up the ground was clumped together, suspended in the air. On top of it, colorful flowers were in full bloom. ¡°He definitely ran this way.¡± Following the trail of the black energy led me into this strange garden. It wasn¡¯t a particularly large garden. As I walked among the blooming flowers, the beautiful scenery began to change. ¡°Aren¡¯t these... nymphs?¡± The garden that had been blooming with beautiful flowers suddenly changed completely. Instead of flowers, there were nymphs'' body parts grotesquely embedded in the ground. A beautiful scene had suddenly turned into an execution ground. As I walked between the scattered nymph limbs, a black portal at the center of the garden came into view. ¡°Hmm...¡± It was clearly suspicious. Even when I analyzed it with Soul Disassembly, all I could see was a high density of SP. Other than that, it just looked like a portal for transportation. Didn¡¯t seem to be any traps... but the real problem was where it would take me. I looked around once more. The center was filled with nymph corpses, while the outer edge bloomed with beautiful flowers ¡ª a bizarrely shaped garden. There didn¡¯t seem to be any hidden powers or traps in the garden itself. ¡°Soul Disassembly.¡± I scouted while using Soul Disassembly, but no anomalies stood out. The only thing I could confirm was the source of the floating garden¡¯s energy. The central black portal. A tremendous amount of SP was being emitted from there, powering the garden. ¡°So in the end, I need to check inside the portal.¡± Now that I knew there was nothing much to the garden itself, I stepped into the portal. Even if it was a trap, I could always escape via soul mediation. As I stepped through the portal, I entered a world of total darkness. There was no ground to stand on, so I floated. Was this what the night sky without even moonlight looked like? Not a single speck of light. [Soul God. You''ve entered our garden.] [You¡¯re fearless, aren¡¯t you.] Flash. Flash. A bizarre language automatically translated in my head. At the same time, five green lights flickered around me. As the lights faded, what appeared were eyes. Each about the size of my body. In the center of the white sclera, green glowing pupils gleamed eerily. Around the eyes were countless tentacles, and just by a glance, their size easily exceeded ten meters. A giant eyeball monster? A lower god¡ªor perhaps slightly stronger than that. The eye monsters extended their tentacles and surrounded me. It looked like they could attack at any moment. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± I cast a barrier for now, and then the eyeball monster directly in front of me shouted. [Wait! Here, I can repay the humiliation I suffered from that bastard... You all stay out of it!] The monster was radiating intense hostility toward me. Hmm. That voice¡­ sounds familiar? ¡°Artemis? No, the shell that possessed Artemis.¡± [Screeech! Shell, you say!? I¡¯ll kill you right here and now!] It got easily agitated at my guess¡ªseems I was right. This was the thing that had been controlling Artemis. The one that took over Artemis¡¯s body and, for some reason, rolled around with men. When Artemis''s body was destroyed, a green jewel had emerged. Back then, just seeing it made my body freeze up completely... But now, even though the eyeballs glow green like that jewel, I don¡¯t feel the same paralysis. Maybe it¡¯s because my rank has gone up? Anyway... ¡°Soul Energy Emission.¡± [I¡¯ll kill you right here and now!] I drew my soul sword and emitted energy. At the same time, the tentacles surrounding the green eyes all shot toward me. The world lit up from the released energy. Tentacles of a dark gray color flew at me in uncountable numbers. Whoosh. Whoosh. I spun my blade like a windmill. It left behind a pure white afterimage that looked like a disc in front of me. The tentacles tried to push through that barrier. Fwoooosh. But not a single one made it past my soul sword¡ªthey were all set ablaze. The tentacles were definitely not weak. But the power of the soul sword with soul energy emission was on a level even a deity couldn¡¯t ignore. No way these lesser monsters¡¯ tentacles could break through. [Screeech¡­!] The eyeball let out a pained screech. Where was the sound even coming from, anyway? As that one faltered, I charged in to finish it off, but the remaining eyes began to act. [Foolish wench.] [Still, you are one of our kind.] [We can¡¯t just let you die.] Eyes above, behind, to the right, and to the left of me. They all extended their tentacles toward me at once. Far more intense than the ones attached to the first eyeball. It wasn¡¯t infused with soul energy like those Olympus guys¡¯ attacks, but still not something I could ignore. While approaching the eyeball that had once been Artemis¡¯s shell, I swung my soul sword in every direction. Slash. [Khh¡­!] Slice. [What is this power¡­!] Fwoosh. Another cut, another burst of flame. [We can¡¯t pierce that sword¡­!] [Was the Soul God once a famed swordsman?] Swordsman? Nah. It¡¯s just that my chaotic battle experience from Asura¡¯s Path is coming in handy. [Ki¡­ Kiiiek¡­] I raced through the air and closed in on the eye in an instant. Its tentacles already burnt away and shriveled. As I approached, its eye suddenly began to glow. [Ki¡­ Kiiek¡­ Become mine.] A flash of light from its eye. My body suddenly felt weak and relaxed. Was this that charm ability it used back when it had Artemis''s shell? Why does this grotesque eyeball monster suddenly look¡­ attractive¡­? ¡°Yo. If you''re gonna seduce me, at least wear a prettier shell. Gross.¡± Stab. Come on. No way I¡¯d fall for an eyeball. If I actually got charmed by this tentacled freak, I¡¯d be unfit to be a god. I drove my soul sword straight into the eye and intensified my energy release. Immediately, the eyeball monster was engulfed in white flames. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [Th-this can¡¯t be¡­] It vanished, leaving that as its final words. [No way¡­!] [How could it go down in just one strike?!] The other eyeball monsters quickly flew away and retreated. Rather than avenging their comrade, they were more eager to run. Hmm... I still don¡¯t know where this is or who they are, but they¡¯re enemies either way¡ªso maybe I should beat some answers out of them? ¡°You first.¡± I flew toward the eyeball that had been raining tentacles from above. [Y-you wretch!] The eye panicked as I approached. It flailed its tentacles desperately, trying to flee, but I was faster. Eventually, it gave up on running and counterattacked. [Death Ray.] A green light gathered at the eye and shot toward me. A beam imbued with the power of death. But in my current state, it''s no threat. ¡°Soul Disassembly.¡± I dismantled the incoming death ray. It vanished into thin air before it could even reach me. The shocked eye extended its tentacles again¡ªbut to no avail. [Kieeeek!] ¡°Now there¡¯s just two.¡± Leaving the burning eyeball monster behind, I searched for the next target. After I killed the second one, the remaining eyeballs were already vanishing into the distance. Hmm. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t kill them outright next time¡ªat least ask where I am first. Clap. Clap. Clap. Three slow claps echoed through the darkness. Then, light began to enter the dark space. It started above my head and gradually brightened. I looked up... ¡°A crescent moon?¡± A curved yellow shape, just like a crescent moon. A soft yellow light spread out and illuminated the dark space. The entire area became visible. ¡°Ugh, what kind of place is this?¡± The space was vast. Even as a mid-tier god, I couldn¡¯t take it all in at once. I had to use divine speech to magnify my vision to see its end. Looking closely at the distant edges of this vast place¡ª They were covered in dark gray tentacles. Just like the ones dangling from the eyeball monsters, but much larger and covering the entire perimeter of the space. Where am I? [Soul God.] A voice echoed from above the crescent moon. A figure descended toward me. A humanoid form cloaked in darkness. Its face shimmered like a swirling vortex, with a green gem at the center glowing with a sinister light. That look... it''s familiar. Wasn¡¯t that the figure I saw when I slashed Artemis¡¯s body? I was wary, wondering if I¡¯d freeze up again the moment I saw the gem like last time¡ªbut I didn¡¯t. There was pressure, sure, but it was bearable. ¡°Are you the one who¡¯s taken over Artemis?¡± [Yes. You can withstand my presence now, can you? Soul God. You¡¯ve become a radiant being.] The shadowy figure placed a hand over its chest and bowed politely. There wasn¡¯t any real hostility in that gesture. ¡°Who are you?¡± [I am¡­ a being that does not truly exist. I drift through dreams, dwelling in fiction.] The shadowy figure was spouting nonsense. ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re right in front of me.¡± [And what do I look like to you?] ¡°A black human. A shadow person? Your face is swirling, and there¡¯s a glowing green gem.¡± [So that¡¯s how we appear to gods.] sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The shadowy figure shook its head slowly. With a wave of his hand, a small crescent moon formed behind him. Just the right size for someone to sit. He casually sat down on it, crossing his legs and gazing at me. [I am an evil god who has existed since before humanity appeared.] Guh-oh-oh-oh. The tentacles at the edge of the world began to stir. The vortex surrounding the gem expanded, swallowing moonlight. An evil god? The corpses of the nymphs I saw in the garden came to mind. Eyeball monsters, and those disgusting tentacles. Definitely seems more evil than good¡­ [¡­A god defined by humanity. A fabricated god. A false god.] ¡°A false god? What are you talking about?¡± [A god born from human tales. Fiction. That is what we are.] A god made up for storytelling¡­? This guy? [Our concept only emerged about 100 years ago. And we are not objects of worship, but of fear. We are imagined beings, created to express cosmic horror.] ¡°Wait, hold on. If you¡¯re just an imagined being, how are you this strong?¡± He feels as powerful as a high-tier god. Maybe not as flashy as Apollo at full power, but comparable to regular Apollo. And this tentacle space. If he¡¯s controlling it¡­ That¡¯s easily SSS-tier power. SSS-tier gods are the central figures of major mythologies. The gods I know of are pretty legendary in their own right. And yet this guy¡ªhe¡¯s imagined, and still puts out SSS-level output? Makes no sense. He¡¯d need serious SP income to pull that off. ¡°Anyway¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡± [I have no true name. I¡¯m merely a fabricated being from a mythology that only emerged a century ago.] ¡°So what are you called in that myth?¡± [K''aai.] K''aai? Is that even a god? [You clearly don¡¯t know me.] ¡°Of course not. I only really know the famous ones. But seriously, you¡¯re just a made-up mythological being¡ªhow are you this strong?¡± [Heh. Many things have happened. I¡¯ve told you my name, but I can¡¯t reveal any more to an enemy Soul God.] ¡°Oh, really? Then I guess we¡¯re fighting.¡± He clearly wasn¡¯t going to say anything more, and those tentacles were starting to close in¡­ I prepared for battle again. K''aai? I¡¯ll have to look that up later¡­ For now, I have to take out the enemy. As I drew my soul sword and got ready to fight, K''aai held out both hands to stop me. [So hasty. At least hear me out.] ¡°Your tentacles are approaching¡ªI can¡¯t just sit here.¡± Clap. Clap. At my words, K''aai clapped twice. [The tentacles will stop. Can we talk a bit longer?] Hmm¡­ They really did stop. What the hell does he want to talk about? ¡°What kind of talk?¡± [Let¡¯s make a deal.] ¡°You want to make a deal?¡± [Yes. Make us into true gods. And in return, we will aid you in place of Zeus.] [A quest has been offered by K''aai.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 164 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 164: Sky Garden of the False God (3) [Special Quest] [Difficulty: ?] [Reconstruct the false god ¡®K''aai¡¯ into a true god.] [A mythical god created by a human, ¡®K''aai¡¯ wants to become a true god. He has assisted Zeus up to this point, but after Zeus ascended to EX-rank and continually delayed fulfilling their contract, K''aai decided he could no longer trust him. They are now placing their hopes in you, the Soul God. If you accept the proposal, the ¡®Great Old Ones¡¯ will form an alliance with the Soul God, and you will obtain crucial information about Zeus. Quest Reward ¨C Alliance with the Great Old Ones. Information about Zeus.] ¡°Great Old Ones?¡± [They are gods belonging to the same mythology as I am. Each one is at the level of a substitute deity.] As the gem within the vortex sparkled, a window popped up in front of me. Various monsters flashed before my eyes. Octopus-like creatures, lizard beasts, frog-like horrors, and more¡­ Some were overwhelmingly huge, others were merely human-sized. They varied in size, but shared one trait¡ªevery single one looked grotesque. ¡°Are those the Great Ones?¡± [Yes.] ¡°What are they doing now?¡± [That, I¡¯ll only tell you if you accept our proposal.] ¡°Hmm. I am interested in the offer¡­ but I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to make you into a true god.¡± [Don¡¯t you have that sword?] K''aai pointed to my soul sword. The vortex spun faster. [The sword that even cut through my darkness. With that sword, you can completely destroy Artemis¡¯s soul form.] The vortex floated upward along with the gem. Then, where the vortex had been, a head appeared. The face of a young woman with her eyes closed. Her black hair was braided upward, and her skin was so pale it looked almost translucent. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She looked more like a teenage girl than a mature woman, but her beauty was dazzling. A crescent moon symbol was engraved on her forehead. I could guess who she was... [Cut Artemis¡¯s soul with that sword. Don¡¯t do it all at once. Break her down slowly.] K''aai suggested. [When you strike her eyes first, she won¡¯t be able to bear the pain and will awaken. Once she sees that the Soul God¡ªher last hope¡ªis the one harming her, she¡¯ll fall into despair.] K''aai¡¯s calm words were chilling. The green jewel sparkled, almost¡­ joyfully. [I know that Artemis asked you for help. It¡¯ll be quite a sight when the one she believed in the most shatters her face with a sword. Personally, I predict this: That proud virgin goddess will try to remain composed, pretending not to be flustered.] K''aai¡¯s speech quickened. The jewel flickered brightly. [That¡¯s when you should crush her sharp nose with your sword. She''s very proud of her appearance. Let''s destroy her face, bit by bit, and show her the result in a mirror. Unlike the body, damage to the soul will leave deep psychological wounds.] He added, saying it would be entertaining to hear her scream¡ªand if not, there were other ways to torment her¡ªthen laughed in a low tone. It was a deep voice, but K''aai sounded genuinely delighted. At that laugh, images of nymph corpses suddenly surfaced in the garden. Their body parts were displayed in various ways at the garden¡¯s center. [Ah. I just had a better idea. Take the virginity of the virgin goddess. Her physical body has already been used and abused by my subordinates, but her soul remains untouched. When the one she thought was her last hope steals everything from her, she¡¯ll fall into true despair.] K''aai continued in an excited tone. The torture talk was so grotesque, it eventually just got auto-filtered in my mind. So this is what an evil god is? Come to think of it, none of the gods I¡¯ve encountered so far were purely evil... But these ones¡ªthese ones genuinely enjoy cruelty. I asked him: ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it yourself and ask me to do it instead?¡± [Heh. ¡®We¡¯ swore an oath not to touch her soul form directly. So we can¡¯t. On top of that, Artemis placed a powerful protection on her soul before becoming a sacrifice. No ordinary deity can harm her. But that sword of yours... it might work.] As he said this, Artemis¡¯s soul form floated one step closer. Only her head retained the appearance of a goddess, while her body was a shadowy form¡ªmaking it feel like just her head was drifting in midair. It seemed I had to make a choice. I recalled Artemis¡¯s quest: ¡®Liberate Artemis.¡¯ No specific method was provided, but if I destroyed K''aai here, that would likely count as liberation. Then I¡¯d be able to gain Artemis as an Apostle. I glanced at K''aai. His power definitely felt like that of a substitute god. Too strong to have come from a human-made myth. Whatever methods were used, the K''aai before me was undeniably SSS-rank. And this space was his domain. If a battle broke out, it wouldn¡¯t be easy. He looked weaker than Apollo from earlier, but who knows what skills he could use to turn the tide. And if he escaped, it could be a long time before I got another chance to clear Artemis¡¯s quest. In contrast, K''aai¡¯s quest was simple. Artemis was already captured¡ªjust torture her and hand her over. No chance of her escaping. I only needed to use the soul sword to strike her. Sure, it was completely villainous behavior, but the reward was tempting. An alliance with the powerful group called the Great Old Ones. And valuable information about Zeus. That information must be extremely significant¡ªwhy else would Zeus have sacrificed his own daughter? In terms of efficiency, siding with K''aai was clearly better. ¡°Soul Energy Emission.¡± Vrrrrrrr¡ª The soul sword ignited. I slowly moved it toward Artemis¡¯s face. Is this where I stab her eyes, then proceed with various forms of torture while listening to her screams as she awakens? I''ve never committed such an atrocity before. If I follow all of K''aai''s suggestions, torture won''t be the only thing I''ll be doing. I would completely disgrace the virgin goddess, revel in her downfall, and cooperate with the evil gods... Do I really have to go that far? [O Soul God. You hesitate. Do not. You and Olympus are enemies anyway. Especially Zeus¡ªhe targets you specifically. Artemis is his child. Who knows what reward she might have promised you, but can you really trust the daughter of Zeus?] K¡¯aai began to speak slyly as I wavered. [Are you still bound by human morals and rules? You are a Soul God. A great deity unlike us common gods. You are destined to rule more universes and govern entire planets. Striking down a mere goddess is a small task in comparison. We, the Great Old Ones, will support you.] K¡¯aai emphasized my status as a great god, urging me to decide. My sword was already almost touching her, but I hadn''t acted, and K¡¯aai seemed impatient. [Does your conscience trouble you? Artemis is no righteous god. Even when her handmaiden Callisto was raped by Zeus, she expelled her for no longer being a virgin. She preached purity among her nymphs, yet when Zeus violated one, she blamed and punished the nymph.] K¡¯aai listed the victims of Artemis¡¯s twisted standards of chastity. His voice was sly like a serpent, gradually coaxing me. She¡¯s the enemy¡¯s daughter anyway. Olympus¡¯s dogs are better off slain. My conscience? She¡¯s a hypocrite. The nymphs who followed her were victims, yet they were punished and cast out. The abandoned ones were then tormented by Hera¡¯s jealousy, killed, or transformed into beasts. K¡¯aai recited Artemis¡¯s tale like a poem. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Its rhythm had an eerie allure. If I were just one rank lower, I might have been swayed and plunged my sacred sword into Artemis¡¯s neck already. But I¡¯m SS-rank now, and I¡¯m not swayed by that voice. I only weigh what benefits me more. ¡°No.¡± At that moment, Artemis¡¯s eyes snapped open. Her jet-black pupils matched her dark hair. Despite being sealed all this time, her gaze showed no weakness¡ªonly fierce strength. Perhaps because she''s also the goddess of the hunt? She had the eyes of a warrior. ¡°You dare not listen quietly, do you.¡± With that, the crescent moon tattoo shimmered. K¡¯aai, the jewel within the swirling vortex that had been slandering Artemis, flinched. [Oh? What¡¯s this? Have you arrived so soon?] ¡°I can no longer tolerate you tarnishing my honor with such baseless words.¡± Artemis glared fiercely at the vortex above her. It swirled with mocking laughter. [Heh. The virgin goddess Artemis¡¯s honor is already buried deep. What¡¯s left to tarnish?] ¡°Mere rumors about my body will be undone once I restore my soul. Callisto was exiled only because of her constellation assignment. The facts you speak of are far from the truth.¡± Artemis refuted K¡¯aai¡¯s words. She looked quite desperate. Until now, she had remained sealed, but perhaps she''s emerging because death felt imminent? ¡°Soul God. Think carefully. False gods are fictional by nature. They are fabricated beings with inherently cruel tendencies. Do you truly believe they will cooperate with you even after achieving their goals?¡± [We Great Old Ones keep our promises.] ¡°Nonsense. Then why are you proposing to go against Zeus now? Fulfill the contract you already made.¡± [That¡¯s because Zeus didn¡¯t uphold his end of the bargain.] A fierce argument erupted between the swirling vortex and Artemis¡¯s floating head. They both made valid points¡ªit was hard to decide. So I asked Artemis: ¡°If I free you, will you become my apostle god?¡± ¡°Yes, Soul God.¡± She lifted her chin arrogantly, nodding with pride. Even in a life-threatening situation, her pride remained. ¡°But I¡¯m going to fight your father, Zeus. How can I trust his daughter?¡± ¡°Pfft¡­ Father¡­ You mean the one who sold me out, pretended not to see me even after becoming a creator? I bear a grudge against him too. If you¡¯re set on subjugating Zeus, I¡¯ll aid you with utmost sincerity.¡± After hearing her resolve, I turned to K¡¯aai. ¡°If I slay Artemis, how exactly do you and your kind become deities?¡± [That¡­ I¡¯ll tell you after she¡¯s slain.] ¡°No, I need to hear it first. There have been too many times where you say ¡®I¡¯ll tell you after,¡¯ and I no longer trust that. This is too critical¡ªI must know now.¡± [Hmm¡­] K¡¯aai hesitated to speak. Artemis lifted her head as if to say, ¡°See? Told you.¡± ¡°Look. He can¡¯t even answer. Do you really think these evil gods will truly help the Soul God? In contrast, I¡¯ve offered to become your apostle. I¡¯ve put everything on the line. Help me, Soul God.¡± K¡¯aai chuckled and finally spoke. [Hehehe. The Soul God just hasn¡¯t fully shed their humanity¡ªthat¡¯s why you hesitate¡­ The method is simple. We¡¯ll slice up your soul and consume it.] ¡°You¡¯d¡­ eat me?¡± Artemis frowned and bit her lip. K¡¯aai cheerfully continued, watching her. [We need fragments of a god¡¯s soul. But we don¡¯t need your intellect. Just discarded fragments of divine essence. To obtain that, we require a god who¡¯s easily corrupted and prone to losing reason. Zeus told us you had the weakest mind. Hahaha. How does it feel to be chosen by your own father as the weakest among gods?] ¡°Zeus¡­?¡± Artemis¡¯s eyes slowly lost focus. Was it the shock of being betrayed yet again by her father? But she soon regained her composure, shook her head side to side. Wow. She¡¯s just a head, and she can still do that. ¡°He¡¯s already betrayed me¡­ I¡¯ve known for a long time. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Soul God, this is the state I¡¯m in. Doesn¡¯t that make me all the more trustworthy?¡± [Think carefully, Soul God. There¡¯s no need to avoid the easy path. There¡¯s no need for conflict. Just render Artemis¡¯s soul mindless and hand it to us. You don¡¯t even need to go that far. Keep torturing her and eventually, her soul will crack. I¡¯ll start devouring it from there¡­ hehehe¡­] Darkness clouded Artemis¡¯s face. That snake-like thing crawled over her face. With nothing but a head, she couldn¡¯t shake it off¡ªonly stare in disgust. ¡°Disgusting¡­ This is why I didn¡¯t want to open my eyes.¡± [Can¡¯t even endure this much? No wonder Zeus picked you as the weakest, O virgin goddess.] This wasn¡¯t going to end at this rate. Hearing K¡¯aai¡¯s words, my decision was already made. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve decided.¡± Both of them turned their eyes toward me. Waiting for the conclusion. Among them, Artemis seemed more resigned than hopeful. The gap in conditions and difficulty was too large, after all. Any other god might¡¯ve accepted K¡¯aai¡¯s offer¡ªunless they were especially righteous. But I¡¯m different. I¡¯m the Soul God. ¡°I¡¯ll do both.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 165 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 165: Shooting the Sun (1) ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± [God of Souls. I don¡¯t understand your intention¡­] A faint smile spread across Artemis¡¯s face. In contrast, K''aai looked displeased. Well, considering their conditions, K''aai was more likely to be chosen¡ªno wonder he looked unhappy. ¡°K''aai, your side needs a piece of a divine soul, right?¡± [Yes. And not just any divine soul¡ªa pure, white soul fragment from a being who¡¯s lost their reason.] ¡°If that¡¯s what you need, I can give it to you.¡± [No way¡­ How? Ah, because you''re the God of Souls?] ¡°Exactly. Hmm. Artemis, let me see your arm. I¡¯m going to harvest a piece of your soul.¡± At that, Artemis¡¯s right arm, previously shrouded in darkness, was revealed. Pale but with well-defined muscles. [Will this suffice?] ¡°Yeah. Alright then¡ªlet''s harvest the soul. Artemis, you consent, right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I suppose so.¡± Artemis nodded, dazed. With her permission, I brought the Soul Sword to her arm. ¡°Adjusting soul energy output¡­¡± The blade shrank, about the size of a kitchen knife. I pressed it to Artemis¡¯s soul and carefully began slicing. Zzzzzzzt. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain. But seeing her biting her lip harder showed it definitely hurt. Even though I lowered the output, it still caused pain. [Heh. To feel pain from just this? God of Souls, whatever you''re doing, wouldn¡¯t plain torture be quicker?] ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m nearly done.¡± Zzzzzzzt. Bit by bit, the Soul Sword cut into Artemis¡¯s soul. Whether it was because of the lower output or the nature of divine soul, it didn¡¯t cut easily. Snip. Still, I didn¡¯t give up. With careful slicing, a small part of the soul was finally separated. A tiny piece of flesh from her arm¡ªjust a minute fragment of divine soul. ¡°This much should be regenerable, right, Artemis?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Yes, it should be.¡± ¡°Good. Then¡­ Soul Fusion.¡± I opened the Soul Fusion window. The main component: Artemis¡¯s soul fragment. The sacrifice: ¡­ ¡°Summon Clone.¡± I summoned my clone. Since it¡¯s for sacrifice, there¡¯s no need to give it my full form¡ªjust a simple orb. [Hoooh¡­] ¡°Uh¡­ What are you doing? Are you combining your soul with mine?¡± ¡°Yep. Should make for a decent result.¡± Artemis flushed bright red and looked flustered. What¡¯s up with her? Ignoring Artemis, I began the fusion. [Soul Fusion in progress...] The Soul Fusion window began to glow. Before the result appeared, I silently wished for a pure soul fragment. If my will as the God of Souls imbues the process, the result will likely follow that direction. Ever since reaching SS-rank, I¡¯ve known this instinctively. And my intention bore fruit¡ªthe result was satisfying. [SSS-Rank Divine Soul Fragment has been created.] [Fused with the God of Souls'' essence. Soul fragment¡¯s size and purity have increased.] Success. The resulting fragment looked like a transparent glass bead. Completely different from Artemis¡¯s white soul. K''aai was visibly thrilled at the sight. [Ooooh¡­ That soul fragment¡­! Excellent. Wonderful¡­!] He was totally ecstatic. Meanwhile, Artemis, looking pale, asked me, ¡°Wait. Are you seriously going to give that to him?¡± ¡°Yeah. Of course.¡± ¡°But still¡­ it¡¯s a fusion of my soul and yours¡­ How can you just give that away?¡± ¡°Huh? Why not? You said it was a regenerable amount. Same goes for me.¡± ¡°But combining two divine souls is like¡­ like having a child together!¡± Wait, what? How did she even come to that conclusion¡­? Her wild imagination left me speechless. ¡°¡­Are you crazy? That was just a piece of your arm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just how a human sees it! No matter the part, a god¡¯s soul contains divine information! When two divine souls are fused, it¡¯s basically like we¡¯ve had a child together!¡± [Heh heh heh. That¡¯s just a soul fragment, Artemis. Stop spouting nonsense and worry about your own life. A virgin goddess imagining that¡­ how absurd.] K''aai immediately shot her down. Still, her reaction left me feeling uneasy. Better double-check. ¡°Soul Disassembly.¡± Using Soul Disassembly, I examined the soul fragment. I carefully searched for any trace of my or Artemis¡¯s soul essence¡ªbut found none. Maybe because I had wished for a pure soul fragment? What these false gods want is a blank, untainted divine soul to replace their own. This should be safe to hand over. ¡°There¡¯s no trace of either of our essences in it. It¡¯s a pure soul. No need to worry.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Still¡­¡± ¡°And what if I don¡¯t hand it over? You planning to die here?¡± ¡°¡­No, I¡¯m not.¡± Artemis reluctantly accepted it. Yeah. Her own life matters most. K''aai laughed at that. [As if she¡¯d die for it¡­ God of Souls, may I have the fragment?] ¡°You know this one piece won¡¯t be anywhere near enough for your goal, right?¡± [Of course. You made it as a sample, didn¡¯t you? So I could experience it firsthand.] ¡°Good. Glad you caught on.¡± [Please toss the soul fragment into the vortex.] I threw the fragment into K''aai¡¯s vortex. It swallowed the soul immediately. A green gem shimmered brightly. [Oooooh. This¡­ it really works¡­!] The vortex began spinning wildly. With the jewel flashing so intensely, it looked like a mirrorball in a nightclub. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Artemis clenched her jaw, staring at the scene. Lady, I told you it wasn¡¯t our kid. Why do you look like you sold your own child? Whirrrrrr. The flashing went on for about 10 minutes. Eventually, the vortex¡¯s spin began to slow. Then finally¡­ [I have manifested one at last!] Zzzzt. Zzzzt. One strand of the swirling darkness began to change. A lump of flesh in a pale apricot hue suddenly emerged, slowly morphing and elongating on its own. What eventually formed was a tentacle. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] It even had suction cups, resembling an octopus arm. ¡°Ugh¡­ tentacles again?¡± [What can we do? The human who designed us must have hated the sea¡­ or seafood.] K''aai replied, shaking the tentacle with a gleeful wobble. Just what kind of person came up with this guy? I¡¯ll have to look them up once I get back to Earth. Sigh. Do I have to start researching human myths now too? [Oh Soul God, can you provide us with these soul fragments? If you do, the gods of Dreamland shall aid you.] ¡°Dreamland?¡± ¡°That¡¯s basically the divine realm of those false gods.¡± Hmm. Like Olympus, maybe? But the quest was just to reconstruct K''aai as a god. There¡¯s also a quest reward offering an alliance with the Great Old One¡ªso is it really necessary to supply soul fragments? ¡°The quest I got only requires me to make you a god. The alliance with the Great Old One was listed as a reward anyway.¡± [Heh. In the current situation, I''m the only proper Great Old One left. The others used up all their power in Dreamland and are now sealed¡­ If you want true strength, provide the soul fragments.] ¡°What, are you scamming me? You put ¡®alliance¡¯ as a reward, but it turns out it¡¯s useless?¡± [Well, if you disassemble Artemis¡¯ soul, all you''d get is food for me anyway. It''s not a lie. You¡¯re asking if it¡¯s useless because I¡¯m the only one left... well¡­] K''aai wiggled the tentacle into a circle. Ugh, this bastard. Turns out he¡¯s got nothing? Artemis, also looking dumbfounded, spoke to me. ¡°Soul God¡­ Are you really going to trust those tricksters who have no power? Just kill him and free me. I¡¯ll help you with all I have.¡± [Heh¡­ No power, you say. We were the ones who executed Zeus¡¯s ¡®Heaven and Earth Overhaul¡¯ operation. We put all of Earth¡¯s gods into a temporary comatose state, and the Olympus side sealed them off...] That event¡ªwhen numerous gods across the divine realms were sealed all at once. Was that the work of the Dreamland faction? Artemis didn¡¯t seem to deny it either. ¡°If they managed to halt all the gods of Earth even for a while, then they must¡¯ve drained all their SP. Would helping them now even be worth it?¡± [Heh¡­ If we gain divine soul fragments, it certainly will be¡­ especially considering what Zeus is planning.] K''aai extended a tentacle into the air before the vortex. A large screen appeared, displaying something. ¡°The Pillar of Thunder?¡± [Soul God. I commend your surprise attack on Kalvine. It significantly cut off Zeus¡¯s SP supply. However, his plans will proceed nonetheless.] Seven Pillars of Thunder appeared on the screen. One of them stood out with an unusual color. It didn¡¯t just shine white¡ªit shimmered with iridescent light, obviously extraordinary. [Zeus plans to invade Earth¡¯s divine realm.] ¡°He¡¯s going to attack a divine realm? He¡¯s already been blasting lightning on Earth weekly¡ªdoes he really have enough energy for more?¡± [He is an EX-rank god now. Don¡¯t underestimate his potential, Soul God.] K''aai didn¡¯t say which realm would be attacked, but insisted that a major invasion was coming soon. He lightly tapped the rainbow lightning on the screen with a tentacle. [This lightning will be a major factor in the invasion. It seems to contain some of our false gods¡¯ powers as well.] ¡°The same power that rendered gods comatose?¡± [Yes. It was a miracle only possible because we were false gods. But now that Zeus has reached EX-rank, he can imitate it. He¡¯ll find a way to use it. Still, it won¡¯t work on us.] Thus, K''aai proposed to restore the power of the Dreamland gods and form an alliance. Talk about desperation to become a true god. ¡°Let¡¯s just finish the quest involving you first. We¡¯ll figure out the rest afterward. I can¡¯t perform infinite soul fusions in a day, you know.¡± [Hmm¡­ Such a miracle isn¡¯t easily achieved, I understand¡­] He accepted it rather obediently, suggesting those soul fragments really were that valuable. [Then let us form a contract¡ªagree to provide me with soul fragments, and I shall release Artemis.] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try to make at least one per day.¡± [One a day¡­ Then it will take about a year for full recovery. If possible, I¡¯d appreciate it being faster.] ¡°I got it.¡± With the contract to supply soul fragments made, Artemis was released. Her nude form was fully revealed. Her snow-white body was dazzling. She stood about 160 cm tall¡ªnot very tall, with a delicate, girlish build, yet firm muscle underneath. She even had abs. Not much in the way of curves; more of a straight-lined body shape. Hmm. Hmmm. Her face and body gave off a vibe¡ªlike a teenager in middle or high school. ¡°What are you staring at!?¡± Artemis shouted sharply. She tapped her body with a finger, and a white dress materialized to cover her. [Heh. Now that you¡¯re an apostle, you should obey your divine master¡­ how disrespectful.] ¡°Ugh¡­ not yet.¡± Artemis denied it while grinding her teeth. Just then, the quest completion window popped up. [You have freed Artemis.] [You have completed a special quest.] [Goddess Artemis has become an apostle of Soul God Kim Jiho.] Artemis must have seen the message too. With a gloomy expression, she asked me, ¡°¡­So you¡¯re my apostle god now. Want me to undress again?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Nothing to see anyway.¡± I waved my hand dismissively. I like voluptuous figures, so I¡¯m good. Relieved, Artemis looked visibly more at ease. [Heh. After seeing so many indecent sights, and you''re still embarrassed over mere nudity? You''re such a child.] ¡°Silence, monster. I¡¯ll repay every disgrace I¡¯ve suffered so far.¡± Artemis summoned her bow and aimed it at K''aai. I get it¡ªafter being imprisoned and humiliated for so long, it makes sense she¡¯s angry. But she shouldn¡¯t act on her own. ¡°Stop, Artemis. We still have much to cooperate on with him. Settle the score after everything¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Grr¡­ Fine.¡± She lowered her bow obediently. Well, at least she listens to me now as an apostle. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Soul God. I have a good suggestion.] K''aai, watching the scene unfold, spoke with his usual eerie and cunning tone. [Apollo is outside right now¡­ Perhaps worried for his twin sister. He¡¯s been waiting a long time. Wouldn¡¯t this be a perfect chance to eliminate him?] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 166 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 166: Shooting the Sun (2) "Is Apollo outside?" When did that guy even arrive? [He''s been here for a while. But I didn''t open the portal for him. If you, the Soul God, had attacked me, I would have opened the door for Apollo.] The spine-chilling thought crossed my mind. If I had fought to save the goddess, I would have faced a joint attack from Apollo and K''aai. I could have escaped using the soul mediator, but who knows what would have happened if the two high-tier gods launched a combined attack. Merging my soul form was the right decision. "Apollo... Are you going to kill him, Soul God?" Artemis asked with a pitiful expression. She seemed to be pleading with me. As twins, she must be concerned about him. But right now, an opportunity to capture the Olympian high-tier gods has arrived, and I can''t let it slip away. "Yes. Today, I will capture the Sun God. Artemis, you should help." "¡­¡­If you''re asking me, I cannot comply. Instead, give me a direct command as an apostle." "I understand. Apostle Artemis, put all your strength into helping me kill Apollo." Artemis nodded silently with a grim expression. So it seems that once you become an apostle, you can''t disobey the main god. This is quite useful. [Let me know when you''re ready. I''ll send you in immediately.] I checked my remaining SP as K''aai''s offer stood. Around 1 billion SP left. It seemed insufficient¡­ But this was such a rare opportunity that I couldn''t afford to retreat now. Should I gather SP from the apostles? "Apostle''s Garden." I opened the apostle''s garden window. Having reached SS rank, the garden had expanded to 5000 apostles. Since Artemis was now a high-tier god, she took up 100 spots. So high-tier gods are like that. Low-ranked gods occupy 10 spots¡­ Hm. "Huh?" [You have appointed an SSS-ranked god as an apostle.] [You have appointed a high-tier god as an apostle. If you appoint 4 more high-tier gods, you can promote the apostle''s garden to ¡®Divine Realm¡¯.] The new message appeared as I opened the apostle''s garden. A Divine Realm¡­ The scale has expanded significantly since I became a mid-ranked god. I looked at Artemis''s status window. Her impressive stats. Unlike me, who has soul power, her attributes ranged from strength, agility, magic, and many more unprecedented stats. Among them, my eyes were drawn to her SP. "SP 10 billion...?" "Well, I haven''t done anything while being trapped. It accumulated quite a bit." [Even though I took a little, it''s still that much... Truly, a high-tier god of Olympus. You''ve gathered a lot while resetting the world.] Seeing 10 billion SP, a sense of urgency hit me. If Artemis had this much, how much has Apollo accumulated? "How much SP has Apollo gathered?" [He is the Sun God, the God of Light, Medicine, Music, Reason, and many other domains. If he has more than Artemis, he certainly has a lot more.] "Right. If we talk about SP, Apollo is probably one of the top gods among the 12 Olympians." More than 10 billion SP¡­ That''s going to be tough¡­ Is there any way to handle this? As I looked at the apostle window, the SP collection caught my attention. Can I collect SP from Artemis? I pressed the SP collection button. [Do you want to collect SP?] [Since Apostle Artemis is higher-ranked than you, you can only collect 10% of her SP.] Oh. 10% means 1 billion. That''s exactly the amount of my current fortune. "Artemis, I¡¯m going to use your SP." "What...? Wait a second!" Without listening to her objections, I proceeded with the SP collection. [You have collected a total of 1 billion SP from ¡®Apostle Artemis¡¯.] [You have collected SP from a higher-ranked god. You cannot collect SP for the next month.] [You have collected a huge amount of SP. It will take some time to be credited to you...] [You are a Soul God, SS rank. It will be credited immediately.] A month of no SP collection? Well, what''s important is the present moment. I was worried it would take time since it was a huge amount, but fortunately, that was not the case. Alright. Now, should I collect from the other apostles as well? [Are you still destroying the Pillar of the Thunder soul?] [Yes. We don''t see any enemies.] [Hmm. Apollo seems to be ignoring the ground and waiting in the sky. I¡¯m preparing for a confrontation with Apollo now. I need SP, so I¡¯ll collect some. I¡¯ll pay it back later.] [Ah, you don¡¯t have to repay it. Everything of ours belongs to you, Great God.] The apostles readily agreed. From the lower-ranked apostles, I could collect up to 50%. In this emergency, I gathered as much SP as possible, and I was able to collect another 1 billion here. Still, 3 billion... It still felt lacking. "10 billion like this..." Artemis¡¯s face showed a look of resignation. K''aai sneered beside her. [Isn''t it the duty of an apostle to offer everything to the main god? Accept it with joy.] Artemis glared at K''aai fiercely, then turned her gaze back to me. [There¡¯s a limit to how much SP you can collect, but are you a mid-ranked god?] Is she messaging me privately, so K''aai doesn¡¯t hear? When I nodded, she stared at me in surprise. [For a mid-ranked god to have this much power... Impressive. But it might still be tough to face Apollo... ] She sent the message and then turned to K''aai. "What¡¯s your plan?" [Are you willing to cooperate?] "I¡¯m an apostle... I cannot go against the main god. But if it¡¯s an absurd plan, I¡¯d suggest retreating instead of fighting. Apollo is a strong opponent." [He is strong, indeed. But this is my domain. If we lure him and ambush him, there¡¯s a chance of victory. Even if we can¡¯t kill him due to lacking power, we¡¯ve prepared an escape route. Causing him damage here is enough.] With that, K''aai began explaining his plan. We began preparing according to his strategy. * * * "Artemis..." Apollo, shining with white light, was standing in front of the portal to the Sky Garden, looking displeased. ''The energy of the Soul God has been cut off here. Is K''aai fighting? This bastard¡­ not opening the door.'' Apollo glared at the darkened center of the portal. K''aai. A false god who controls Artemis. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. His power rivaled that of a high-tier god, and his mysterious abilities meant he wouldn''t worry about him losing against an ordinary enemy... ''I have a bad feeling.'' Apollo recalled his fight with the Soul God. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Until recently, he had been merely human¡ªyet now, terrifyingly powerful. This time, he had been upgraded once more, now strong enough to rival even high-ranking gods. ¡®I must eliminate him this time. He¡¯s growing far too fast. I told Athena, so reinforcements should be arriving soon. He won¡¯t escape.¡¯ Zeus was too busy to respond, so Apollo reported to his closest confidant, Athena. He knew that on the surface of Kalvine, minor gods were suppressing the Pillars of Thunder, but he ignored it. ¡®As long as I defeat the Soul God.¡¯ Drawing out all his power, Apollo made his final preparations. Then suddenly, an urgent voice rang out. [Apollo¡­ kuugh. Help! The Soul God is too powerful¡­!] ¡°Ha. Pathetic wretch¡­!¡± If it was going to be that bad, he should¡¯ve opened the gate earlier. As the black part of the portal disappeared and returned to its red glow, Apollo stepped inside. Pitch-black darkness. Only two places emitted light. The light of Apollo¡¯s radiance, and the shining sword of light held by the Soul God. Whirrrrr. The sword of light scattered chaotically. All the tendrils surrounding the Soul God were sliced and burned away, and white cracks appeared on the shadow-shrouded body of Artemis. As the darkness burned away, Artemis¡¯s soul began to emerge. ¡°You bastard!¡± Apollo rushed toward the Soul God. But upon seeing Artemis¡¯s soul, he hesitated briefly. ¡°Could it be¡­ Artemis is being freed¡­?¡± If he delayed just a little more. If the darkness was fully purged by the sword of light¡­ Would Artemis return? As Apollo lingered, a sharp voice screamed at him. [Apollo! What are you staring at?! Waiting for Artemis to be freed? Idiot! She said she¡¯d become the Soul God¡¯s Apostle as a quest reward. Are you going to let her be sent to him?] ¡°Damn it¡­¡± [If Zeus destroys the Soul God, would she, now his Apostle, survive? Keep dreaming like usual and wait for Zeus to rescue her again. Stop scheming!] Grit. Grinding his teeth at the insolent remark. As rage consumed him, light burst from Apollo¡¯s body. Fwoooosh. All tendrils were incinerated. The domain of darkness now shone like broad daylight. [You fool! What are you doing?!] ¡°I¡¯ll deal with your rudeness later.¡± Staring at the burning tendrils like trash, Apollo¡¯s soul became pure light and flew at the Soul God. ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± The Soul God briefly glanced at Apollo. Though he put up a barrier, he didn¡¯t stop attacking K''aai. His intent clear¡ªto finish the dying enemy in front of him first. The sword of light burned away the darkness. Fwoosh. Artemis¡¯s face was revealed. It had been so long since he¡¯d seen that face. Twin gods who had once relied on each other more than anyone. At the sight of her face, a wave of emotion swept over him¡ªbut the thought that her becoming the Soul God¡¯s Apostle would be the end pushed him into action. ¡°Stop!¡± In his desperation, Apollo charged in soul form. He poured in all his remaining power. Though he used no skills, reducing SP efficiency, there was no time to spare. Crash! ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± The Soul God was flung violently away. He soared into the pile of burning tendrils lit by Apollo¡¯s light. [I¡¯ll hold him with tendrils. Just tone down that cursed light!] ¡°What help do you think your measly tendrils will be?¡± [Heh¡­ that light¡ªI actually can¡¯t stand it. If Artemis is freed because of you, it would violate our contract. You don¡¯t want that, do you? Then stop now!] ¡°Hah¡­ Why does Father make deals with such weaklings¡­?¡± The darkness had greatly weakened. More than half of Artemis¡¯s body was visible now. Expressionless, yet somehow sorrowful. Seeing her face, Apollo hesitated. ¡®If I leave it like this just a bit longer¡­ Artemis might be freed.¡¯ One more burst of light would rid the darkness entirely. He was tempted to stay still for just a moment longer¡ªbut in the end, he diminished his light. The radiance from his body began to fade. [Good¡­ the tendrils are regenerating¡­] Tendrils grew once more in the spot where the Soul God had crashed. Dozens of tendrils wrapped around him and began dragging him toward Apollo. ¡°Hm. He¡¯s not the type to go down with just that.¡± [He fought me with everything he had. He probably doesn¡¯t have much power left either. He was a strong opponent¡­] The Soul God, bound tightly in tendrils. Through the gaps, his face looked unconscious. ¡°I¡¯ll seal him first and take him to Father.¡± [Hehe. Why not just give him to me? Hand over the Soul God, and I¡¯ll release Artemis.] ¡°That won¡¯t happen. The Soul God¡¯s life and death is Father¡¯s decision. I¡¯m taking him in.¡± Even if Artemis was precious, capturing the Soul God was something Zeus had emphasized himself. Apollo coldly rejected the offer and approached the Soul God. ¡®He¡¯s not the type to go down so easily¡­¡¯ Remaining cautious, Apollo kept an eye on him. And as he came within reach¡­ A sword of light shot out from between the tendrils. Still bound to a sword-shaped tendril, the Light Sword flew straight at him. ¡°I knew it! You weren¡¯t subdued!¡± Apollo summoned a flame shield to block the strike. Clang! Brilliant white sparks burst between the two weapons. The clash was brief. Cracks spread across the shield instantly¡ªthere was no question which side was stronger. ¡°Damn¡­ still strong. K''aai! I¡¯ll unleash more power!¡± Radiance returned to Apollo¡¯s body. A new light shield formed in his right hand, aiming to block the incoming sword. But just as he was about to intercept it¡­ Whoosh! ¡°What?!¡± The tendrils that had bound the Soul God shot toward Apollo. His arms, legs, torso¡ªattacked from all directions. Darkness resisted the light and bound Apollo. ¡°What is this¡­?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Apollo. I¡­ couldn¡¯t disobey.¡± Shhhk. A snow-white hand pierced through Apollo¡¯s chest as he stood in shock. So pale it was almost transparent. That hand¡­ that voice¡­ He knew it well. ¡°Artemis¡­?¡± [You¡¯ve done well.] Before he could say more, the hand holding his shield was pulled down by tendrils. Nothing stood before him. And the sword of light ran him through without resistance. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 167 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 167: Shooting the Sun (3) "You bastard...!" Apollo, bound all over by tentacles. Even though the soul sword was stabbed into his chest, we couldn''t let our guard down. "Attack with everything you''ve got." "...Understood." [We have to suppress him as much as possible right now.] As I gave the order to Artemis, K''aai joined in as well. The tentacles binding Apollo''s limbs turned black and began to obscure his light. "You bastards...!" Light burst from Apollo¡¯s chest. Though his limbs were shrouded in darkness, his core was emitting even stronger power. But when Artemis stirred her hand inside him, the light flickered, weakening and strengthening again. Even so, his incredible regeneration was astonishing. Despite a gaping hole in his chest, his soul body repeatedly collapsed and regenerated. Even with my soul sword piercing his chest and Artemis attacking with both hands. It was a lethal blow that would have killed a human instantly, but being a god, he endured. Fwoooosh. Even brighter light shone from his chest than before. Was Apollo drawing out more power? We can¡¯t leave him like this. [Attack harder. Don¡¯t give him time!] At K''aai¡¯s urgent shout, I activated a skill. ¡°Divine Domain.¡± Divine Domain¡ªa skill that temporarily grants the Soul Emission and soul barrier skills to allies. Artemis, being my apostle, could already use both, but K''aai couldn¡¯t, so I used the skill to support him. It cost some SP, but I couldn''t waste this opportunity. Affected by the Divine Domain, K''aai laughed joyfully. [Oh ho. This is the power of the God of Souls.] The blackened tentacles were now imbued with Soul Emission power. Apollo, under this pressure, was getting squeezed even harder. Before, the tentacles just restrained him¡ªbut now they began to erase his limbs completely with the aura. "Grgh...!" The light radiating from Apollo''s chest dimmed. At the same time, his limbs began to regenerate again. Was he diverting power from his core to save his limbs? ¡°Soul Barrier.¡± He tried using the Soul Barrier skill he had taken from Hercules. But even in this dire situation, it had little effect. ¡°Artemis. Dispel his soul barrier whenever it appears.¡± Since dispelling Soul Barrier consumed a lot of SP, I left it to Artemis. She responded with a somber expression. ¡°Apollo¡­¡± She called his name with pity, but still tore apart his Soul Barrier with ease. Honestly, it felt like her bare hands were more powerful than any weapon. ¡°Soul Emission.¡± I used Soul Emission again inside Apollo¡¯s body. White flames slowly flared up from his chest. His limbs were crumbling under the tentacles, and his core was being relentlessly attacked by the soul sword. ¡°Ugh¡­ You cowards¡­!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as cowardice in battle. Winning is what matters.¡± [Heh. Apollo. You¡¯re easier than expected. Imbuing the tentacles with Soul Emission really works well.] K''aai was right. Even though we had planned a surprise attack, I didn¡¯t expect it to go this well. At first, I just hoped to deal some damage¡­ but he couldn¡¯t even fight back. Well, considering Artemis and K''aai are near-divine, and I¡¯m almost divine level myself, it¡¯s basically a three-on-one ambush. No wonder he can''t resist easily. At this rate¡­ we might really catch a big one here. [You have reached the limit of soul energy you can absorb from the target. To gain more, increase the level of the Soul Reaper skill.] [You have reached the SP absorption limit from the target. To gain more, increase the level of the Soul Reaper skill.] Maybe it was because I¡¯d struck him earlier with my sword. Though the sword was still embedded in Apollo, the Soul Reaper had reached its limit. And now wasn¡¯t really the time to spend SP upgrading skills. As I kept channeling Soul Emission into his chest and pouring out soul energy, the same messages popped up every 10 seconds. After about ten messages... [You have inflicted sustained critical damage to a demigod.] [The Soul Reaper skill has leveled up by 1.] Unexpectedly, the skill level increased. The Soul Reaper skill, which wouldn¡¯t increase without SP investment... just leveled up on its own. That¡¯s huge. With the skill level up, I could now steal soul energy and SP from him again. [Soul Reaper activated on Sun God ¡®Apollo¡¯.] [Soul energy and SP are being stolen from the target.] [Soul energy +50.] [SP +25 million.] It wasn¡¯t a massive amount¡ª50 soul energy and 25 million SP¡ªbut the fact that the skill level went up made it worthwhile. I continued to stir his chest with my sword, raking in the bonus rewards. ¡°Soul God¡­ your strange power again¡­! You¡¯re stealing my power!¡± Apollo shouted, but it was all bluster now. His soul body was repeatedly breaking down and re-forming. If Soul Reaper levels up automatically like this¡­ Should I invest some SP to upgrade it in advance? With one level up granting 50 soul energy and 25 million SP, the return was worth about 50 million SP. So, I tried investing 1 billion SP. [Soul Reaper skill level has increased.] sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Soul Reaper skill level has increased.] When the skill reached the 90s, the 1 billion SP was used up. Still, with the sudden jump in Soul Reaper level, Apollo was clearly in more pain. ¡°What have you done¡­ My divine authority¡­ my power¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll put your power to good use.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Soul Barrier!¡± He hastily tried to shield his soul body again. But maybe because it was rushed, the barrier was pitifully weak. At this level... ¡°Artemis. Attack.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± She broke the barrier, and the tentacles now wrapped around Apollo¡¯s entire body. The soul sword remained embedded in his chest, unleashing Soul Emission at full power. Thanks to the increased Soul Reaper level, I still hadn¡¯t hit the limit of what I could absorb. [You have inflicted sustained critical damage to a demigod.] [The Soul Reaper skill has leveled up by 1.] Even without hitting the limit, the skill kept leveling up. After about 10 minutes, the Soul Reaper skill reached level 99. At this rate, I might even hit level 100. ¡°You¡­ bastards¡­¡± Apollo¡¯s resistance was clearly fading. The light that once shone from his soul form was nearly extinguished. The white flames erupting from Apollo¡¯s soul energy release looked even more intense than the light he normally emitted. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Apollo couldn¡¯t even run¡ªhe just kept taking damage equal to death, over and over, regenerating each time. [Apollo. An incredible amount of SP. To think he could endure the combined attack of three deities like this.] ¡°But it looks like the end is in sight.¡± Apollo was fading. In contrast, my Soul Reaper skill level had increased, and the gap between my SP income and expenditure was shrinking fast. At this rate, Apollo would keep losing SP until he died from his own depletion. Just as I thought we might subdue him more easily than expected¡ª Fwoooosh. The tendrils wrapped around Apollo¡¯s face burst into flames. His expression turned utterly serious. His fading soulual body suddenly recovered in an instant. ¡°Artemis.¡± He turned his head back. He ignored the soul sword stuck in his chest and looked only at Artemis. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ve truly become a full Apostle of the Soul God?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Truly full? There¡¯s no way to break the contract?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t. Once I longed for freedom, and once the Soul God cleared my quest, I became bound to him.¡± ¡°¡­I see. So there¡¯s no way to free you.¡± Apollo conversed with Artemis with a calm expression. He still had this much strength left? I drove the soul sword deeper into him, flooding more soul energy through it. But even as his body burned in agony, he continued speaking calmly. ¡°Artemis¡­ your true enemy is the Soul God. He was the one who penalized Father through the system. That¡¯s why we couldn¡¯t release you sooner¡­ Why were you in such a rush? It hasn¡¯t even been a year since Father became a Creator. You should¡¯ve waited longer. You should have.¡± ¡°Apollo. If Father had regained his power, would he really have freed me? Really? I thought long and hard while sealed away. I still remember the look on his face when he abandoned me. He looked so¡­ refreshed.¡± Zeus, who could look that refreshed after selling off his daughter. Artemis shook her head as if trying to rid herself of the disgusting memory, then said to Apollo: ¡°I couldn¡¯t trust him anymore, Apollo. Why don¡¯t you just stay with me?¡± ¡°Stay with you¡­? Hah. Are you seriously suggesting I become an Apostle of the Soul God too?¡± ¡°Yes. That way you can survive. The Soul God¡­ he¡¯ll accept you too, won¡¯t he?¡± Turning Apollo into an Apostle? If he truly became one, that might work, but¡­ ¡°It¡¯s possible¡­¡± But seeing him whip his head toward me and glare fiercely, it didn¡¯t seem like he¡¯d ever actually do it. ¡°I¡¯d rather die here than live as a mere Apostle.¡± Apollo glared at me, unwavering. His presence was still overwhelmingly strong. How much strength did this guy still have? I checked my SP¡ªabout 1.5 billion remained. I¡¯d used 1 billion to level up the Soul Reaper skill, so technically I¡¯d only spent 500 million? No, factoring in the SP I gained through Soul Reaper, I¡¯d poured a massive amount into this fight¡­ Even with a critical hit from the soul sword, plus the combined assault from Artemis and K''aai, we were only at this point. Just as I prepared to release another Soul Energy Emission¡ª Apollo growled at me. ¡°Soul God. You really cornered me into a trap. At this rate, I¡¯ll disappear before Athena¡¯s reinforcements arrive. To think I¡¯ll die at the hands of my twin sister¡­¡± ¡°Then accept it. Stop resisting and vanish.¡± ¡°But consider this your misfortune for having faced me.¡± Misfortune? More like jackpot. That¡¯s when Apollo¡¯s aura completely shifted. ¡°I, Apollo, renounce my position as heir to Olympus.¡± Apollo¡¯s eyes turned pure white. His fading soul body suddenly regenerated at a rapid pace. FWOOSH. The tendrils binding his limbs burst into flames all at once. [What¡­? What is this power!?] Those tendrils had definitely been infused with soul energy! My guard, which had been relaxing slightly, shot back to full alert. Apollo had burned away all the tendrils restraining his body. ¡°Ugh. Soul Energy Emission¡­!¡± I poured more soul energy into the sword once again. But Apollo didn¡¯t flinch. Even the soul flames rising from his chest had quietly subsided. ¡°This power¡­ get away!¡± Artemis quickly retreated. In an instant, she had escaped toward the wall made of tendrils. She¡¯s fast, as always. ¡°You remember what I said, right? If Apollo renounces his claim to heirship, we retreat!¡± When we planned the strategy to lure Apollo, Artemis had warned us: ¡°Apollo is among the strongest of the Olympian deities.¡± Apollo. Though an illegitimate child of Zeus, he was treated as the de facto heir. The sun god, always powerful in every mythology. ¡°Don¡¯t get greedy and try to destroy him. Just hurt him enough and pull back. And¡­ if he ever declares that he¡¯s giving up his heirship¡ªrun. No matter what.¡± Artemis didn¡¯t explain the details, but she¡¯d insisted we must flee. She said that if Apollo gave up his heirship, he¡¯d become unbelievably powerful for a short time. And indeed, the atmosphere had completely changed. Just as I was thinking we needed to retreat¡ª Apollo opened his mouth. ¡°Solar Storm.¡± BOOM! Apollo¡¯s body was instantly engulfed in light and exploded. The massive pressure blasted me back. Still gripping the soul sword, I was sent flying. ¡°Soul Barrier!¡± CRACK! ¡°Guh¡­¡± An unpleasant sensation on my back. Looking behind me, I saw the tendril wall had been smashed. Ugh. How far did I get blown back? Thanks to activating the barrier in time, my soul body wasn¡¯t too damaged¡­ But this dark space had suddenly turned scorching hot. [Apollo. This is my domain. I won¡¯t permit any further outbursts.] K''aai, also blown back, returned to his vortex form and extended tendrils from the opposite wall. They came flying at Apollo from every direction. ¡°Pathetic.¡± But the tendrils turned to light and were instantly reduced to ash. They had been obliterated by the light storm. A slow, spiraling white light whirled around Apollo at the center. ¡°What are you spacing out for? Let¡¯s go!¡± Artemis had returned to my side. She urgently urged me to retreat. ¡°How is he so strong just because he gave up being heir?¡± ¡°He gave up his place as a deity.¡± Artemis stared at Apollo with a grim expression. ¡°To survive. And¡­ to destroy the Soul God.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 168 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 168: Shooting the Sun (4) You''re giving up your position? An SSS-rank one at that? Artemis looked on sadly at Apollo, shining alone in the center. "All illegitimate sons of Zeus must be heirs to be recognized as SSS-rank. Apollo, Dionysus, Hermes¡ªall of them. Since he''s given up the heirship, Apollo will soon be downgraded to SS-rank." "Illegitimate son? Don''t your myths not really care about that kind of thing?" "Not true. Hera saw Zeus¡¯s illegitimate children as eyesores... Even though she treated them as equal gods once they became deities, if Apollo is demoted to a mid-tier god, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯ll do..." "Now¡¯s not really the time to be worrying about Apollo. Then we can just back out for now. He¡¯ll get demoted after exhausting himself." It felt like a last-ditch rampage. He must¡¯ve sensed he¡¯d be taken down anyway by the combined assault of me, Artemis, and K''aai, so he¡¯s exploding his power before dying. I considered fighting him for a moment, but his energy was no joke. In that case, well, I guess it¡¯s time to dip. Too bad I couldn¡¯t siphon more through soul reaping, but there¡¯s no need to fight a rampaging opponent. He¡¯ll be demoted to SS-rank after his outburst anyway. Not a threatening god anymore¡ªmission accomplished. ¡°Artemis. Go to the Apostle¡¯s Garden for a bit.¡± I reverse-summoned Artemis and finished preparing to flee. "Soul Mediation." Guess I¡¯ll warp to Elprian¡¯s hideout again. I gave Apollo a casual wave and transferred everything into my avatar. [Soul God¡­? Don¡¯t tell me¡­?] "You¡­ the same trick again?!" ¡°K''aai, you too. Get out of here.¡± I heard K''aai''s voice, but I dipped before he could say more. No need to clash with someone ready to die. My vision slowly darkened. When I opened my eyes again, I was in the familiar setting of the hideout. I bought another avatar and left it at the hideout. "Two deities of Olympus handled. Got a lot out of this." Apollo''s demoted. Artemis becomes an Apostle. Truly the best outcome. I stepped outside the hideout and strolled through Elprian¡¯s garden, enjoying a moment of peace. I still needed to get info from K''aai¡­ But he¡¯s tough¡ªhe¡¯ll survive somehow. I looked at the flowers in the garden. Sunflowers, raising their heads toward the sun. The sunlight was perfect for a nap. [There you are.] Huh? S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. That¡¯s Apollo¡¯s voice? A chill ran down my spine. Wait¡­ how is he here, in this domain? "Soul Barrier." I cast Soul Barrier and looked around¡ªevery flower in the garden was burning. The temperature skyrocketed. All light was concentrating on this place. I looked to the sky and saw a giant, blazing sun. At first, I thought I was seeing things¡ªbut no, it was definitely larger than usual. "Light Suppression." I reduced the incoming light to observe the sun closely, and then I saw something strange. There were three circles. The overlapping light made it look like one massive sun, but once I reduced the brightness, I saw three overlapping orbs, like the Olympic rings. Wait, what? Even for a sun god¡ªthree suns? And how did he even track me here? [Sunlight is my eyes and ears.] Apollo answered my doubts with solemnity. I couldn¡¯t tell where or how he was speaking. "Soul Disassembly." As I used the skill, I was left speechless. The sunlight pouring over the world¡ª All of it contained Apollo''s power. And the most powerful spiritual force was emanating from that blazing sun in the sky. Its frequency matched Apollo''s. I had a bad feeling about this. That sun¡­ surely that isn¡¯t Apollo¡­ right? [Soul God. I have decided. I will utterly destroy you.] Apollo''s voice thundered from the heavens. At the same time, Elprian¡¯s garden erupted into flames. With Soul Disassembly, I saw all three sunlight sources focusing on this place. Light surged in from all directions. Fwoooosh. The garden burned for just a moment before the ground itself began to melt. Especially the spot where I stood¡ªit had been completely disintegrated. If I hadn''t been in a floating state, I¡¯d have been completely consumed. Whoa. This is like a natural disaster. [Soul Barrier is partially destroyed. Emergency SP usage initiated¡­] This message kept flashing with increasing frequency. Seriously, how many times has it broken just from standing here? Alright, time to move. And then¡­ "Soul Fusion: Phoenix." I fused with a phoenix spirit, one resistant to fire. As soon as we merged, the phoenix spoke: [Master¡­ I have no resurrection powers left.] ¡°Apollo took them all?¡± [Yeah. He completely tore me apart. Luckily, he couldn¡¯t stop me from returning to the Apostle¡¯s Garden.] Shame. I was hoping it might still be able to resurrect. "But you still have fire resistance, right?" [Yeah, but¡­ this is on a whole other level.] "As long as it helps a little, that¡¯s good enough. Let¡¯s get out of here. Fly." Wings of flame unfurled from my back, and I flew to dodge the sunlight. I avoided going too high and flew sideways instead. Going up would just get me scorched. [I, Apollo, was once worshiped as a sun god¡ªbut that was based on ancient understanding. I am the god of sunlight.] Apollo¡¯s voice echoed with a weird declaration. I mean, sure, ancient folks didn¡¯t really know what the sun was. But why bring this up now? [As god of light, I command: To the six worlds that worship me as the sun god¡ª] He spoke like he was delivering a divine judgment. I felt a cold chill crawl down my back. [I will now take away the light of the sun.] As he made his proclamation, the world began to turn pure white. It had already been incredibly bright earlier, but now it felt like I was completely engulfed in light itself. [O Sun. Grant eternal light to the God of Souls.] I looked up and saw seven suns in the sky. There had only been three before... Did ¡°six worlds¡± mean different planets? The light was much stronger than before. Even though it was just sunlight pouring down, the world around me was being destroyed. No matter how fast I flew, the light adjusted to my speed and continued to rain down relentlessly. Endless messages popped up. [Soul Barrier is half destroyed. Using SP urgently¡­¡­] [Soul Barrier is half destroyed. Using SP urgently¡­¡­] [Master. Even I, a phoenix, can¡¯t withstand this. I¡¯m heading for the sea!] The phoenix, whose body was made of fire, screamed as it flapped its wings at top speed. Even with the Soul Barrier protecting me, my body was burning so badly I couldn¡¯t stand it. I left the flying to the phoenix and focused on my own defense. ¡°Aegis Shield.¡± I summoned the Aegis Shield and cast Soul Barrier on it. The Aegis Shield changed shape like armor to protect my body. Part of it melted under the overwhelming sunlight, but once the Soul Barrier was in place, it thankfully held its shape. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s much better.¡± [You should¡¯ve used it sooner.] ¡°No kidding.¡± I barely had time to catch my breath. [Athena¡¯s Aegis, is it? Athena, you¡¯re useless. Solar Arrow.] At Apollo¡¯s flat voice, I looked to the sky. Solar Arrow ¡ª the arrows Apollo fired. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] If I could see where they were coming from, I could find where his soul form was. But my hopes were quickly dashed. In a world burning white-hot, arrows of light rained down like a torrential downpour. It felt like I was being bombed. Countless arrows chased after me. Had he really become the sun? The color was a strange bluish-white. And the power inside them was immense. Seeing that, the phoenix flapped its wings madly. [The sea!] The moment we spotted the ocean, we dove straight in. Even then, my soul body kept sinking deeper and deeper underwater. I thought I was finally escaping the blinding white light¡ªbut then Apollo¡¯s bluish-white arrows pierced the sea as well. Fsssss. The heat from the arrows instantly evaporated the water. The sunlight had at least been bearable for a moment, but once the arrows hit, the ocean water vanished without a trace. Wow. Shit¡­ The arrows were way stronger. I might actually die here. I checked my SP¡ªonly 500 million left. Not even 10 minutes had passed. How did it drain so fast? Ugh¡­ Should I use Soul Transfer and run again? But my avatar¡¯s only connected to this place? Damn it. I opened the windows wide just to get some sunlight¡­ But if he can detect any place touched by sunlight, then even Earth wouldn¡¯t be safe? ¡°If this chaos hits Earth¡­¡± [It¡¯s the end. Total destruction. Looks like this planet¡¯s already toast anyway.] ¡°He¡¯s from Olympus. He probably won¡¯t go as far as destroying Earth, right? They need a base too.¡± [Isn¡¯t the risk a little too high to test that theory?] I couldn¡¯t argue with the phoenix¡¯s logic. If I fled and Apollo went berserk like this, it¡¯d be over. Damn it. I¡¯ll have to summon Artemis and figure something out. ¡°Summon Artemis.¡± Artemis appeared with a gloomy expression. That lasted only a moment¡ªonce she saw the surroundings, she was horrified. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Apollo¡­ that bastard really became the sun. What kind of power is this?¡± Looking up at the sky and the incoming Solar Arrows, Artemis quickly grasped the situation. She furrowed her brows deeply, then her face became calm and composed. ¡°Apollo¡­ to summon seven suns? He¡¯s choosing complete self-annihilation over living as a mid-tier god?¡± At Artemis¡¯s words, the light dimmed slightly. The arrows that had been flying stopped mid-air. Then a solemn voice echoed from the sky. [Artemis. I have no intention of living while bowing to Hera. I will defeat the God of Souls, become the greatest contributor to Father¡¯s legacy, and beg for my resurrection.] ¡°You think Zeus will grant it?¡± [¡­I¡¯m not sure. But I was as good as dead anyway. I¡¯m putting my faith in the chance. If I burn everything to destroy the God of Souls, perhaps Father will show mercy.] Then Apollo¡¯s voice softened, almost pleading. [Artemis. Step aside. Before I disappear, I will also plead for your resurrection. Isn¡¯t that better than living as a slave to the God of Souls?] ¡°Apollo. I refuse. Zeus will never bring us back. You¡¯d be better off becoming an apostle of the God of Souls. You wouldn¡¯t just survive¡ªyou could gather enough SP to become a deity again.¡± [Artemis¡­ I never imagined we¡¯d be so different, despite being born from the same womb on the same day. I will not live as a slave.] ¡°Then negotiation¡¯s over.¡± Artemis¡¯s face was ice-cold. Apollo fell silent briefly, then spoke again. [¡­So be it. I¡¯ll destroy you with my own hands, and beg Father to revive you too.] The twins¡¯ negotiation ended in failure. The light intensified again, and the arrows began to move. ¡°Apollo. Turning into the sun was your mistake.¡± Artemis pointed at the suns. A tremendous surge of power radiated from her body. For the first time, I could feel her true divine presence. ¡°O Moon. Devour the Sun. Eclipse.¡± Under the seven suns¡¯ blinding light¡ª A black circle appeared. A moon covering the brightest central sun. It didn¡¯t block all seven, but the crazy sunlight pouring from the sky weakened significantly. [An eclipse¡­] ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± The phoenix sighed like it had just been saved. Artemis turned to me, her face still calm and cold. ¡°God of Souls. Now¡¯s not the time to relax. One moon can¡¯t block seven suns, and Apollo¡¯s Solar Arrows are still active. You see that bluish-white color?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Those are arrows shot with the sun¡¯s true essence. More dangerous than the sunlight itself. If they hit you, the damage will be enormous.¡± Right. Those bluish-white arrows¡­ They made ocean water vanish completely. ¡°Just keep flying. It¡¯s a battle of time now. Apollo can¡¯t stay in that state for long. I¡¯ll hold him off as long as I can. If things get too dangerous, unsummon me.¡± Artemis turned and placed herself between me and the Solar Arrows. Damn¡­ she¡¯s kind of reassuring, huh? [Even if the moon blocks it, the sun is still the sun. Light is eternal.] Fwaaah. The wave of light shifted its movement. From illuminating everything around me, it now focused solely on me. The world split sharply into light and darkness. Sunlight shining only on me. It felt like a spotlight. As if I were the star of a play¡ªonly I was illuminated, and everything around me was cast in shadow. [Krrrrgh... Master. I''m running out of power!] I checked my SP at the phoenix''s screech. Remaining SP: 100 million. Damn it. My SP¡¯s vanishing like snow under the sun. Even my soul body was starting to heat up. Artemis was blocking the arrows, but this crazy light was too much. At this rate, I¡¯m really going to burn to death. I opened the Apostle Spear. ¡°Screw it. No time to ask questions...¡± Without hesitation, I drained all my SP and gripped the soul sword with my right hand. ¡°Soul Energy Emission.¡± I drew the sword, but the sunlight pressing down was overwhelming. For now, I sent a massive burst of sword energy toward the light. It looked like I was just a lunatic swinging at empty air. But something was getting cut. [You¡¯re quite rebellious!] So, is this how I die? I kept flying and swinging my sword with whatever SP I had left. All the seawater around me evaporated. Even in the deep sea, this damned sunlight was endless. I swung in a trance. Then, suddenly¡ªa message appeared. [Soul Reaper has activated against the Sun God ¡®Apollo¡¯.] ¡°This light... it was you?¡± [You alone must be destroyed. Soul God!] Wasn¡¯t he supposed to have become pure sunlight? He turned into a mass of light and just kept coming for me relentlessly. Goddamn it! I slashed, and slashed, and slashed again. Before I knew it, all the water had evaporated, and I found myself at the deepest seabed, swinging my sword endlessly toward the light. Even from the direction Artemis was defending, Apollo''s sun arrows kept coming relentlessly. I deflected a blue-white arrow with my sword, and my SP dropped sharply as searing pain wracked my whole body. Aegis had already melted completely¡ªnow unrecognizable. Even my soul body was starting to take real damage. If not for the pain tolerance I built in the Asura¡¯s Path, I¡¯d have collapsed already. But... I¡¯m not dying like this! [No more... I can¡¯t go on... Master.] Tch. It was a time-limited power... When is this going to end? There was no sign of the light stopping. Looking up at the sky, I saw the moon that had been blocking the sun now being consumed by the light. It was getting even stronger. Am I seriously... going to be completely erased like this? ¡°Apollo, you bastard! Just die already!¡± [You have dealt continuous fatal damage to the god.] [Soul Reaper skill level has increased by 1.] [Soul Reaper skill has reached level 100.] [You have acquired a new effect.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 169 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 169: Shooting the Sun (5) A new effect? Was there a new effect at level 100? [Soul Reaper now activates at all times.] [You absorb freely wandering SP. The range and amount absorbed scale with the Soul Reaper skill level.] [If a soul body is destroyed or a skill of A-rank or higher is activated nearby, you can absorb some SP.] [Soul Reaper is activating¡­¡­] Originally, it only activated when I killed. Then it started triggering when I damaged enemies. Now, the skill has been upgraded again¡ªit absorbs SP from the ambient surroundings. Hmm... Is this efficient? I think Apollo¡¯s sunlight qualifies as an A-rank skill or higher¡­ ¡°Soul Emission.¡± I poured power back into my Soul Sword and checked my SP. 200 million. My SP, which had been draining like crazy, now stood at 200 million. I¡¯d gathered every drop from the apostles, only for it to evaporate in an instant. I¡¯m in tatters, but the sun is still merciless. On the planet Kevrian, I¡¯m the only one standing in the spotlight of the sun. Still¡­ the light seems a little dimmer than before. Is the guy finally running out of steam? [Soul God. Just die already¡­¡­!] ¡°Psh. Hell no. You¡¯re older, so you back down.¡± I swung my sword again and checked my remaining SP. It had been dropping by a million at a time from 200 million. But suddenly, the rate of depletion slowed dramatically. Then¡­ it started increasing. Slowly, but still. The description said I absorb ambient SP¡ªwas there really this much of it? Nice. If I just hang in there a little longer¡­! [I thought it was almost over! You cockroach. I¡¯m lifting the barrier!] Barrier? There was a barrier? After that declaration, his attacks intensified. The rate of SP recovery slowed. Thankfully it hadn¡¯t turned negative again, but the cursed sunlight was bearing down even harder. [O Sun! Annihilate the Soul God¡­¡­!] Worse than the sunlight itself was the Solar Arrows. Even from the direction Artemis had been guarding, they were now raining in. Could she no longer defend against them? Whoooosh. Pale blue Solar Arrows came flying at high speed. Until now, I¡¯d been desperately dodging, but they were everywhere now. Nowhere left to run. I¡¯d turned off danger sense¡ªit kept triggering nonstop and messing up my vision. ¡°¡­Hoo.¡± Guess I¡¯ve gotta break through. If I stay here, the arrows will tear me apart. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I scanned for an opening. All those beatdowns I took in Asura Realm... at least that experience is useful now. In a split-second, I found the weakest point and charged. Bang! Bang! Bang! My sword collided with the Solar Arrows. I cut through seven of them¡ªthen explosions rippled behind me as they burst in sequence. ¡°Grrgh¡­ dammit¡­¡± My head went white. An immense pain¡ªworse than anything I¡¯d ever felt. I couldn¡¯t even stay conscious. The enemies always screamed in agony when their soul forms were cut. So this is what it feels like¡­? [Master¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t hold on any longer¡­¡­] [The phoenix has suffered a critical hit.] [Soul fusion is canceled.] Shit¡­! It¡¯s not dead, is it? The phoenix wings vanished from my soul form. It had been letting me fly automatically, but now? My speed dropped to less than half. A chill ran down my spine. The annihilation of my soul was right at my throat. It barely survived 15 arrows¡ªif I get hit a few more times¡­ I¡¯ll die. Whooosh. More Solar Arrows. Three of them. At my current SP, there¡¯s no way I can block that. If I get hit, I die. No wings. SP¡¯s drained. I¡¯ll be completely erased¡­ Am I dying? Is this how I go? Killed by Apollo¡¯s suicide attack, just like that? No way. Hell no. After everything I went through, I¡¯m not dying like this! ¡°Soul Disassembly.¡± I¡¯ll do something. Anything. I analyzed the Solar Arrows. Structures made of ultra-dense soul energy. Inside those tiny arrows lay the primal force of the sun¡ªthe heart of the universe. And infused within it was Hercules¡¯ Soul Emission, built to completely obliterate soul forms¡­ ¡°Right¡­ Soul Emission.¡± Two incompatible forces were fused together. There¡¯s got to be a gap somewhere. No¡ªI must find one. Thinking I was really going to die awakened a resolve I¡¯d never known before. At first, when I saw the structure, I thought there was no way I could break it. But I kept digging. Trying to wedge myself into it. Fwhoooooosh. The arrows slowed down. Is this¡­ a trance state? That level of focus where you forget yourself in a life-or-death moment? This feeling¡ªI¡¯d never experienced it before. It gave me goosebumps. Even a rush. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± But¡ª Even after hyper-focusing, searching for any gap¡­ There wasn¡¯t one. The Solar Arrows were perfect. The Soul Emission was seamlessly fused. This was the best Soul Disassembly I¡¯d ever done¡ªbut¡­ Nothing. I could at least analyze the sunlight pouring down on me, but the arrows? Nothing to exploit. If there¡¯s no gap¡­ then I¡¯ll just cut through it. Better than taking it head-on¡­! I moved my Soul Sword. Boom! Boom! I cut one, then another. SP dropped sharply. As the sword clashed with the Solar Arrows, they exploded. With each explosion, the soul structure of the Solar Arrows changed. The once-perfect structure was altered. Ah¡­ I think I¡¯m starting to get it. I think I understand¡­! [SP has dropped below ten million.] [The soul body of the Soul God is in danger of disappearing.] [The efficiency of soul-type skills temporarily increases greatly.] Below ten million¡­! Seriously¡­ death is right around the corner. But there was something welcome, too. Just when I felt like I was about to grasp a clue, the system announced a boost in skill efficiency! Thanks to that, I could further analyze the structure of the Solar Arrows. Ah. If only I had a little more time, I think I could understand completely¡­! Whoooosh. One arrow. I couldn''t block one of them. Fwoooosh. The Soul Barrier flared up, and Aegis¡¯s form collapsed. The breached defense line couldn¡¯t be stopped. Athena¡¯s shield vanished in an instant, and the Soul Barrier disappeared with it. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± I instinctively raised my left arm against the incoming arrow. It pierced my left arm and exploded immediately. [Finally¡­ finally!] Apollo¡¯s triumphant voice echoed in my ears like a hallucination. The moment the arrow struck and my soul body was blasted away played out in slow motion. The pain felt so distant it didn¡¯t even seem real. Time stood still¡ªwhat I saw was not the loss of my arm, but the structure of the Solar Arrow as it exploded upon contact with my body. Two explosions from my Soul Sword. And now one that hit my body directly. From the changes in those structures, I began to understand something. It felt more like a mirage than a real solution. But this was all I had to believe in. ¡°Soul Fusion.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] The words escaped my mouth instinctively. The structure of the Solar Arrow, unraveling from the explosion. I had thought it was perfectly merged with soul energy, but there was a gap. A tiny gap I could only notice when pushed to the brink of death, after taking the attack head-on. I slipped into that gap. And merged with it. The flames began from my lost left arm and rapidly spread through my body. My arm was gone. My left eye could no longer see. I couldn¡¯t feel my leg. The entire left half of my body had vanished. The remaining flames of the Solar Arrow surged toward the right side, ready to consume it too. But I devoured it instead. I fused myself with the Solar Arrow¡­! [You¡­ what have you done¡­! How dare you defile my power of the Sun¡­!] Apollo¡¯s voice turned frantic. The light grew more intense. Though I couldn''t see it, I could feel more Solar Arrows flying toward me. Just a little more time¡ªjust a little more and I''d be ready¡­! ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be doing that.¡± KRACKOOOM! Suddenly, the light weakened. ¡°Wow. Soul God was about to be totally erased. Now that I¡¯m here, why don¡¯t you back off, Apollo?¡± [Thor¡­!] ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that weird barrier, I would¡¯ve been here sooner. Apollo, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten the alliance treaty between Asgard and Olympus? Stand down.¡± WHOOSH. WHOOSH. WHOOSH! Massive gusts of wind roared from behind. The light faded with them. ¡°Phew. Look at that sunlight. It¡¯s so strong, it¡¯s burning me black. Isn¡¯t this a violation of our alliance treaty? Mind clearing it up?¡± [¡­¡­You!] I faintly heard the voices of the two gods. But all my focus was on the fusion¡ªI had no room to pay attention to them. I disassembled and reassembled the Solar Arrow. The new structure replaced the lost half of my soul body. My left eye returned. The dazzling light now felt familiar. My torso reformed. Though bathed in light, it matched my human form exactly. Finally, my arm and leg took shape. Pale blue light. The surface was cloaked in flames. [Soul God ¡®Kim Jiho¡¯ has successfully fused with the Solar Arrow.] [You have awakened part of the Sun¡¯s Authority.] [Your resistance to light-based attacks has greatly increased.] A message more welcome than any other. My SP, which had dropped below ten million, rapidly recovered. It shot past thirty million, then fifty million¡­ Another message popped up. [The efficiency of soul-type skills has returned to normal.] A bit of a shame to lose that bonus, but I guess it means my body has stabilized. Finally, a breather¡­ ¡°Soul God, you¡¯ve changed. Are you a light-being now? Half-light, half-human?¡± ¡°Ugh. I barely survived, and that¡¯s what you say? And you¡ªdidn¡¯t you promise to come when I was in danger? That took you long enough.¡± ¡°Apollo put a barrier over this area. I didn¡¯t even know you were in trouble. I couldn¡¯t get any signals. As soon as it was lifted, I sensed the danger and rushed over.¡± Thor spoke in a flurry, as if trying to excuse himself. Well, still¡ªcrisis averted, and I¡¯ve absorbed the power of the Sun. A blessing in disguise? Considering how close to death I was earlier¡­ it¡¯s not something I want to go through again. [You¡­ you¡­!] ¡°Apollo. Have you lost your senses? You¡¯re still attacking. That¡¯s a violation of the alliance treaty. Asgard will officially report Olympus¡¯s breach, and Olympus will have to bear the penalty.¡± As the weakened sunlight suddenly intensified again, Thor shielded my body. His hammer blocked the front, and his body supported me from behind. Wait¡­ is this a back hug? Ugh¡­ getting hugged by a guy like this¡­ Not exactly pleasant, but pretty effective at blocking sunlight. And blocking the Solar Arrows, too. Boom! Boom! Thor¡¯s body shook. The crashing sound from behind¡ªSolar Arrows again. But their power was noticeably weaker than before. Apollo. You''ve lost your strength... The Solar Arrows exploded, and I gathered the wandering SP. Enjoying yourself under the protection of the gods, are you? ¡°Apollo! That blast even dealt a serious blow to me, who was merely ¡®passing by¡¯! I shall formally lodge a complaint with Olympus and request a penalty!¡± Thor, having absorbed all of the Solar Arrows, raised his hand toward the sky and declared proudly. But Apollo gave no reply. He only shone brighter. However, despite the brightness, his strength rapidly diminished. Was this the end for the one who once burned everything in his frenzy? At this point... I can consume it all. ¡°Thor. I¡¯m fine now. I must absorb Apollo¡¯s power.¡± ¡°The power of the sun...? Alright...¡± Thor let go of me with a reluctant expression. ¡°Let¡¯s head toward the sun.¡± I slipped from his arms and rose into the sky. The light grew stronger, but it was weak. [You... took my beloved sister, and now even my divine power...] Apollo¡¯s voice was filled with sorrow. The once-majestic tone had lost its strength. Despite the eclipse, seven suns still shone in the sky. But as time passed, they disappeared one by one. The radiant circles vanished clockwise, starting from the outer left. In the brief moment I soared from the dried seabed into the sky, six rays of sunlight had vanished. Whether Artemis¡¯s power had waned or not, the eclipse was over¡ªand now only one sun remained. As I ascended through the clouds, the sunlight no longer carried divine energy. Whoosh. As I rose higher, I saw the sun chariot. Just one horse remained. It no longer held the grandeur it once had. It was so small, I wondered if even a single person could ride it. And standing atop it was Apollo¡ªmore pitiful than ever. Apollo, once praised as the most beautiful among the gods. His strong muscles had vanished, his body gaunt and emaciated, half of his face reduced to bare skull. He looked at me with a deeply fatigued expression. ¡°Hoo... Soul God. You truly possess the power of the sun... I should have pressed harder and finished you off...¡± ¡°Apollo. Surrender your power and become my spoil.¡± I raised my soul sword and pointed it at him. He seemed to sense death approaching, and closed one eye. If I kill him, I¡¯ll be able to fully master the power of the sun. Just as I was about to move in¡ª A hand stopped me. ¡°Soul God, wait¡­!¡± ¡°Artemis?¡± ¡°Let me try to persuade Apollo. Can¡¯t we accept him as an apostle?¡± ¡°I doubt he¡¯d ever submit to me.¡± ¡°Please... just give me a chance to talk to him.¡± She grabbed my hand and earnestly pleaded. Sheesh. After fighting like mortal enemies a moment ago, now she wants to talk it out? Hmm... As much as I want to kill him right now for all the hell he put me through¡­ Taking him as an apostle might actually be more useful. He dragged me to the brink of death, but rather than kill him outright, keeping him as an apostle to torment forever might be better. I¡¯d miss out on the sun¡¯s power, but maybe if I restore him later and then kill him, I could get the power too. Could keep him suffering for eternity... Hmm. ¡°Well... fine. Try to persuade him.¡± ¡°Really? You mean it?¡± Artemis¡¯s face lit up with joy. Just as she flew toward Apollo with a hopeful expression¡ª Something unexpected happened. [There¡¯s no need for that.] ¡°Ku... Kuaaaagh!¡± Apollo, now pitifully frail¡ª His body was wrapped in lightning. Ominous, pitch-black lightning. Wait a sec... isn¡¯t that black thunder? [Thor. Our alliance has not been violated.] A familiar voice. Thor, now hovering nearby, frowned and responded. ¡°...Zeus?¡± [Apollo was once a member of Olympus, but he was exiled. His ¡®accidental¡¯ attack on you was by no means the will of Olympus. But since he once belonged to us... in addition to offering my apology, allow me to punish the insolent god who attacked you.] ¡°You... Don¡¯t tell me...?¡± [I sentence Apollo to death.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 170 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Chapter 170: Reorganization (1) ¡°Father¡­?¡± Apollo asked back, as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. Even I, who once fought him to the death, thought this was too much. Wasn¡¯t it Apollo who gave up his position and tried to kill me? He was a dreadful enemy, but to Zeus, he was nothing less than a loyal subject... Zeus didn¡¯t answer Apollo¡¯s despair. [Athena. Come forth.] ¡°¡­Yes, Lord Zeus.¡± At that, a woman appeared, silently materializing from thin air. Athena, donned in a helmet, gripping a long spear, and wearing full armor. It was the perfect look for the goddess of war. Completely covered in armor except for her face, and even that face alone was enough to dominate the atmosphere. Her cold expression and overwhelming presence were intense, but her beauty was still striking. All the goddesses of Olympus are this beautiful, huh. Athena is the epitome of an icy beauty. [Execute Apollo before my very eyes.] ¡°Understood.¡± Athena replied without hesitation. A pure white energy gathered on the tip of her spear. ¡°No¡­ Don¡¯t!¡± Artemis screamed as she saw it happening, but Athena didn¡¯t even glance her way. Stab! ¡°Guh¡­ urgh¡­¡± Fwoosh¡ª Apollo''s body crumbled where the spear pierced him. White flames ignited from his chest, engulfing his entire body in an instant. ¡°So you really¡­ did it¡­¡± Crackle! Then came the black lightning¡ªdevouring Apollo within the flames. It looked like lightning, but the way it feasted on him was grotesque, like maggots eating away at a corpse. ¡°Zeus!¡± Artemis, enraged by the sight, rushed forward. Sigh¡­ I get how she feels, but I can¡¯t just let her charge in recklessly. The opponent is Zeus, after all. ¡°Artemis, reverse summon.¡± I sent her to the Garden of the Apostles. She gave me a resentful look just before being summoned away, but what else could I do? Charging in alone wouldn¡¯t solve anything. Apollo was already being eaten away. His face and limbs had been consumed, leaving only the torso¡ªthe area where Athena¡¯s spear was embedded. [Athena. Withdraw your spear.] ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Slide. As soon as the spear was pulled out, the black lightning resumed its activity. Apollo no longer had a head or mouth to scream with¡ªhe simply vanished. Flash! A massive shockwave burst from the place where Apollo disappeared. The clouds dispersed, and even light was pushed away. ¡°Is he¡­ truly gone?¡± Thor stood in front of me, blocking the shockwave. That guy¡¯s actually doing a decent job as my bodyguard. The sky darkened, like a night without a single star. If only high-ranking beings weren¡¯t the only ones present here, everyone else would¡¯ve been blown away by that shockwave. As I stared at the spot where Apollo vanished, a message popped up. [A massive amount of SP is being released.] [Soul Reaping is activating¡­] [A certain force is blocking the Soul Reaping. Skill efficiency is significantly reduced.] A certain force? The black lightning that consumed Apollo formed a downward-facing arc. That shape¡­ oddly resembled a smiling face. So, I can¡¯t absorb SP because of that black lightning? The dark lightning wiggled like a mouth. [Thor. So? Was that punishment fitting for a criminal?] ¡°¡­Hah. You crazy bastard¡­ wasn¡¯t he your son? He was even your heir candidate.¡± [I have countless sons. I can always make more.] This guy¡­ What a piece of trash. Athena¡¯s eyebrow twitched slightly at Zeus¡¯s words, but her face remained stoic. [But now that I¡¯ve devoured Apollo¡­ I realize. You interfered at a crucial moment. If you hadn¡¯t shown up, I could¡¯ve destroyed the God of Souls. How annoying¡­ Asgard.] ¡°What the hell? Aren¡¯t we allies? Eternal allies?¡± [Eternal, you say¡­ Fufu. Only while Asgard still exists. If Asgard were to vanish, wouldn¡¯t the alliance naturally dissolve?] ¡°¡­What?¡± [Let¡¯s leave the rest for another time. Until next we meet. I¡¯ll be digesting my son now. Hahahaha!] The black lightning disappeared. Leaving behind the chilling words about ¡°digesting his son.¡± ¡°¡­That lunatic. He sacrificed his own son and actually enjoyed it. Right, Athena?¡± Thor¡¯s words made Athena shake her head. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t wish to answer that.¡± She lightly swung her spear in our direction. It wasn¡¯t an attack¡ªjust a gesture without hostility. A great wind blew, but it wasn¡¯t anything Thor needed to block. He simply watched. The wind pushed back the encroaching light one more time, then died down. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be on my way. Let¡¯s meet on the battlefield next time.¡± ¡°Sure. Breaking Olympus¡¯s shield sounds like fun.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s your goal, you¡¯d better get stronger. Thor. At your level... heh.¡± Athena disappeared with a slight smirk tugging at one corner of her lips. Thor looked in the direction Athena had vanished, dumbfounded. ¡°Wow. She totally just mocked me, didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°She did.¡± ¡°Hah. I¡¯ll have to teach her a lesson with Mj?lnir next time.¡± He swung his hammer angrily through the air. This guy¡­ definitely a ¡®fists first, words later¡¯ type. Still, hearing their conversation sparked a question. ¡°But wait, aren¡¯t Olympus and Asgard allies? Doesn¡¯t that mean they can¡¯t fight each other?¡± ¡°Oh, huh. That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Then why did Athena say what she did? And Zeus, too. He mentioned something about Asgard disappearing.¡± ¡°Hm...¡± Thor seemed to ponder my words for a moment. Then he shrugged. ¡°Thinking¡¯s not really my thing. I¡¯ll ask Loki.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ you do that.¡± ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve gotten super strong! Is it because of that thing? Your soul mediation deal or whatever. Can I get in on that too?¡± ¡°If you¡¯d protected me earlier, I would¡¯ve happily brokered your soul¡­ but just look at my body.¡± Half light, half soul form¡ªmy body was a weird blend. Starting with tentacles, I was gradually becoming something less and less human. But as I looked again, the light side of my body was slowly reverting to soul form. Thor noticed and commented. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re regaining your original soul body. Quit whining. I¡¯ll come earlier next time. Took a major hit from that Apollo punk¡ªsaid it almost broke the alliance treaty. Hey, Soul God guy. Can you hook me up?¡± What a big guy to be whining like that. Still, if it weren¡¯t for Thor, things would¡¯ve been tough¡­ Maybe I should give him a slot? I opened my status window to check my SP. Huh? ¡°Why are you blinking like a cow in headlights?¡± ¡°Ah, hold on a sec.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] My SP was skyrocketing. It had barely scraped past 50 million before, but now it was at 500 million¡ªand still climbing. What the heck? I thought Zeus devoured all of Apollo¡¯s power? Whoooosh. A wind blew from behind me. Along with it came a surge of light toward me. This wind¡­ felt just like the one Athena stirred with her spear. [I sealed Apollo¡¯s essence into my spear. Absorb it.] Athena¡¯s voice came with the wind. Whoa. When did she prepare something like this? [Restore Aegis. I¡¯ll need a communication link with you. Zeus will move in earnest soon. His first target is Asgard.] As her voice faded, so did the wind. The space around me had grown bright. Light gathered toward me. It had mostly been absorbed by the left side of my soul body, but now it was also drawn to the right. ¡°Wait, I thought Zeus consumed everything¡­ So not even a Creator God can swallow it all?¡± ¡°Guess not.¡± I thought about telling Thor what Athena had said but decided against it until I had more solid information. That would mean revealing I¡¯m in contact with Athena. ¡°You¡¯re lucky.¡± ¡°I feel great. And in that mood, I¡¯ll give you a soul mediation slot.¡± ¡°Seriously? Thanks. Go ahead, eat up all of Apollo¡¯s leftovers. Hahaha!¡± Laughing heartily, Thor stepped aside. [Soul Reaper skill has leveled up.] I¡¯d absorbed so much SP, even my skill level went up. [You are becoming more attuned to the Authority of the Sun.] [Various authorities of Apollo are being embedded into your soul body.] Not just SP¡ªthere were bonus perks too. The Authority of the Sun. Still not sure what it really means, but I¡¯ll have to study it. While I was basking in joy, a message popped up that made me frown. [Apollo¡¯s soul fragment is being absorbed. This is a component of his ego. It is sealed by Athena¡¯s spear.] Apollo¡¯s ego¡­? I thought he was completely gone? When did Athena seal this and hand it over? This is¡­ Kind of awkward. Do I really need the ego of Apollo, someone I¡¯d once fought to the death? When Artemis asked me before, he was still her brother, so accepting him as an apostle made some sense. But this¡­ It just feels¡­ empty. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just keep it for now.¡± I stashed Apollo¡¯s soul fragment deep in my inventory. It felt too awkward to discard. ¡°All done?¡± Thor, who had stayed to watch me absorb everything, asked once the light had fully settled into me. ¡°Yes. I think it¡¯s time to head back.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go on ahead.¡± He waved and disappeared. Well, he showed up late, but thanks to him, I survived. I was just about to head back after sending him off when¡­ ¡°Kim Jiho.¡± A voice called out to me from below. Elprian was flying up toward me with a tired face. ¡°What in the world happened? I just got back from sending Diana to the Soul Realm¡­ and my entire territory is in ruins.¡± ¡°Ah. No wonder I didn¡¯t see you.¡± After I told her about the battle with Apollo, Elprian listened intently. But the response came from an unexpected direction. ¡°Keke¡­ No wonder. I was wondering why the sun was so powerful¡­ so Apollo self-destructed.¡± ¡°Hades? Wait, you knew?¡± ¡°Yes. Sunlight doesn¡¯t exactly work well with us. So I just cut off communication with Olympus to keep the news from spreading. Keke.¡± Hades gave a chilling smile. He looked me up and down, then smirked. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite strong. And now you wield the power of the sun¡­ just getting close to you might burn me. Keke.¡± ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t come close.¡± ¡°Keke. We¡¯ve had such a good business relationship¡ªwhy so cold? Anyway, the reason I¡¯m here is¡­¡± Hades glanced around. Then he walked up to me and whispered quietly. ¡°You seem to have absorbed Apollo¡¯s power¡­ by chance, did you also obtain a fragment of his soul?¡± A soul fragment? How does this guy know about that? I feigned ignorance for now. ¡°Soul fragment? Not sure what you mean.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Hades looked at me intently. Then, with a knowing smile, he stepped back. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t know, there¡¯s nothing I can do. But if you do happen to come across it¡­ please consider selling it to me. You can also list it on the SP shop.¡± ¡°Alright. For how much?¡± ¡°Ten billion.¡± ¡°Ten billion?!¡± I was shocked at the number. Is a soul fragment really worth that much? ¡°Yes. I assure you it would be a win-win deal. Keke¡­ if you¡¯re interested, please list it on the SP shop¡­¡± Hades disappeared with a chuckle. Elprian frowned as she looked at the spot where Hades had vanished. ¡°He said he was going to turn a god into an undead servant¡­ seems like he¡¯s planning something using Apollo¡¯s soul fragment.¡± ¡°But Apollo lost all his power. Is that even possible?¡± ¡°Who knows. I don¡¯t know the exact method¡­ but he kept asking if I could repay my debt, and looked disappointed when I said I could. If I hadn¡¯t had SP, he probably would¡¯ve made me into a soul fragment¡­ Seems like godly soul fragments are used as materials.¡± Hmm. So that¡¯s why he¡¯s willing to pay ten billion? Ten billion SP could do a lot¡­ Well, I did absorb Apollo¡¯s SP, so there¡¯s no need to hand it over right now. I¡¯ll think about whether to sell it or not. ¡°Elprian. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Phew¡­ It can¡¯t be helped. Still, it¡¯s fortunate that there was a gain. The symbolic figure of Olympus, Apollo, has been destroyed¡­¡± For someone saying that, her expression is pretty sour. Sure, Apollo did the damage, but he chased me into Elprian¡¯s hideout, which got wrecked too¡­ so I do feel kind of bad seeing her face. Time to head home quickly. ¡°Thanks for saying that. I¡¯ll return to Earth and do some maintenance.¡± ¡°Ah, could you put out the fires before you go? The flames carry the power of the sun god, and it¡¯s really draining for me to extinguish them.¡± Elprian grabbed my arm just as I was about to return. I couldn¡¯t refuse her request, so I descended back to the land. The land below was utterly scorched. The ground was completely blackened, and the ocean had dried up. Not all of Kevrian¡¯s seas had evaporated, so water was flowing in from other regions, but the sea level was visibly much lower. Just thinking about what would¡¯ve happened if I had fought Apollo on Earth sent shivers down my spine. ¡°Look, that fire just won¡¯t go out.¡± Following Elprian¡¯s instructions, I began extinguishing the flames. Maybe it was because I had gained the power of the sun god¡ªwhenever I got close to the flames, they naturally got absorbed into me. Each time, my SP increased, and I gradually awakened more of the sun god¡¯s power. Feels like I¡¯m collecting loot now. At first, I was dragged into this cleanup effort by Elprian, but now I was excitedly traveling all over Kevrian to gather it up. Once the fire had been mostly extinguished, a unique message window appeared. [The seal on ¡°Apollo¡¯s Soul Fragment¡± has been released by 10%.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 171 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 171: Reorganization (2) The seal on Apollo¡¯s soul fragment... Does it unlock more as I comprehend the authority of the Sun God? I¡¯m not sure how the situation will change once it¡¯s fully released. ¡°Please return to your original form.¡± When I extinguished the fire, Elprian stepped up to restore nature. After seeing gods only fighting and destroying each other all this time, this is a refreshing change. ¡°Elprian, are you low on SP?¡± ¡°I am¡­ But I need to revive my domain in order to regain SP here. The Sun God''s rampage... It''s truly terrifying.¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to support you with about 100 million SP.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Please, please do!¡± Since I fled to Elprian''s sanctuary and caused all this devastation, I supported her with 100 million SP out of moral responsibility. I made way more than that just by extinguishing Apollo¡¯s fire at her request, so it¡¯s nothing, really¡­ ¡°Thank you so much, Kim Jiho.¡± ¡°If you''re grateful, take good care of Diana.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± After parting on good terms with Elprian, I finally used Heimdall¡¯s Return. Whooooosh. Seeing my familiar home, I finally felt like this endless day was over. ¡°Whew. Not much time actually passed, but how many things happened today?¡± When I first charged into the Kalvine planet all confident as an SS-rank, I felt like I had the world in my hands¡­ But then I got wrecked by Apollo and really learned what it meant to face death. Of course, the gains from this expedition were enormous, but still¡ªit was a long day. I invaded Kalvine, got chased off by Apollo, allied with K''aai, recruited Artemis as an Apostle¡­ ¡°Oh yeah. I wonder if that guy''s still alive?¡± I checked if I had a communication link with K''aai, but there didn¡¯t seem to be one. Hmm¡­ Maybe Artemis has a link? ¡°Summon Artemis.¡± I summoned Artemis into the living room. ¡°¡­¡± She was crouched down, hugging her knees with her head buried. She looked really depressed. Well, she did just watch her twin brother Apollo get devoured right in front of her eyes¡­ ¡°¡­Why did you call me?¡± ¡°I was checking if you could contact K''aai. I don¡¯t have a connection to him.¡± ¡°¡­K''aai. That damn bastard¡­ If only he hadn¡¯t been there. If Zeus hadn¡¯t offered me as a sacrifice¡­¡± She lifted her head for a moment, then buried it again. The area around her darkened. Come on, what is this, a comic book? Does the room literally get darker just because she''s down? Even though the fluorescent lights were on, it felt like night where she was sitting. ¡°Am I¡­ trash?¡± ¡°Why would you say that?¡± ¡°I betrayed Olympus just to save myself, and now I¡¯ve caused Apollo to die¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Olympus and Zeus betrayed you first. Didn¡¯t you see what a monster Zeus is? He even devours his own kids.¡± ¡°Aaaaah! Apollo! If only I hadn¡¯t stabbed you back then! If I hadn¡¯t done that, you wouldn¡¯t have died¡­!¡± Artemis screamed, clutching her head. Seriously? She helped plan that ambush on Apollo and even used an eclipse when he became solarized, and now she¡¯s like this? Maybe she got traumatized seeing him actually die. ¡°I wanted to get out of K''aai somehow, but¡­ I didn¡¯t want to see this. Seeing Apollo get devoured by Father¡­ Soul God, you¡­ You feel like Apollo too. Did you devour him as well?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional. It¡¯s just how my power works.¡± ¡°Torn apart between two gods¡­ Apollo¡­¡± With empty eyes, she kept muttering ¡°I¡¯m trash.¡± Was the shock that bad? She was so composed during the fight with Apollo, but now this? It¡¯s jarring. ¡°Hey. Just connect me to K''aai, and go rest. You¡¯re not in shape for this.¡± ¡°K''aai¡­ I don¡¯t even want to see that guy. He¡¯ll contact you eventually. I can¡¯t.¡± She flat-out refused. Can an Apostle even defy a High God like this? ¡°Artemis. Don¡¯t you want revenge on Zeus? If we¡¯re going to take him down, we might need intel from K''aai.¡± ¡°Zeus¡­¡± ¡°Think about Zeus devouring Apollo right before your eyes. He even popped up a laughing emoji with black lightning!¡± ¡°Zeus¡­!¡± ¡°Yeah. We have to get revenge. K''aai selling you out¡ªthat was Zeus¡¯s doing too. All of this started with him.¡± Her eyes widened as she glared upwards. But then she slumped again, burying her head once more. ¡°Right now¡­ all I can think of is Apollo dying. I know Zeus is the root of it all, but I really can¡¯t stand even looking at K''aai.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± ¡°Soul God, I¡¯m sorry. Just give me a little time. I have no motivation right now.¡± ¡°How little?¡± ¡°Like¡­ ten years?¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°¡­Too much? One year then.¡± Ugh. This girl¡¯s lost it. A year? Are you serious? Should I just override her with a divine command? Sigh¡­ Still, considering she just lost her twin brother, that feels harsh. I reached for my inventory. ¡°You see this?¡± I waved Apollo¡¯s soul fragment in front of Artemis. The materialized soul fragment was a golden sun split in half. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what?¡± ¡°Apollo¡¯s soul fragment.¡± ¡°Where did you get that?¡± ¡°Found it during absorption. Apparently, it contains his consciousness.¡± Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Whoosh. Artemis lunged at the fragment so fast I almost lost it. I quickly put it back in my inventory, and she grabbed me, yelling. ¡°Why! Why are you taking it away?!¡± ¡°You think I¡¯ll just give it to you? Hades offered 10 billion SP for this.¡± ¡°What¡­ 10 billion?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She visibly weakened at the mention of 10 billion, but her eyes stayed locked on the fragment. ¡°If you help me take down Zeus with your full sincerity, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± ¡°Really!?¡± ¡°Yeah. But in the meantime, you follow my orders absolutely. I shouldn¡¯t have to command you as a High God¡ªyou act on your own to benefit me.¡± Sure, 10 billion SP is nice, but Artemis giving her full support is more valuable. I could force an Apostle to obey, but it¡¯s better when they do it of their own will. And if she acts up again, I can always sell the fragment to Hades. Artemis agreed to my proposal right away. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°¡­Alright, Soul God. Zeus is the enemy of both me and my twin. I¡¯ll give everything I have to support you.¡± ¡°Yeah. Good attitude.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll contact K''aai right away.¡± Artemis quickly got to work, moving swiftly. Now that¡¯s what I call effective. A communication screen pops up. On the screen appears a single tentacle. The swirling darkness and gemstones were gone, leaving only a faintly twitching tentacle. [God of Souls. You¡¯ve got some nerve contacting me.] ¡°Oh, you¡¯re alive?¡± [Yeah. I almost got completely wiped out by Apollo. Damn you...] K''aai twisted its tentacle. If it had teeth, it¡¯d be grinding them right now. ¡°Hey. If I had fought there, your whole base would''ve gone up in flames. Because I pulled back, Apollo came after me instead¡ªand that¡¯s why you¡¯re still alive.¡± [What nonsense. My base was up in flames less than a minute after you left. I barely escaped with a single tentacle¡­ I''m regenerating now.] So that¡¯s why only one tentacle¡¯s left. He was so sure of himself just because someone stepped into his territory¡­ [What happened to Apollo?] ¡°Well, as you can see.¡± I pointed at my head with my finger, and light radiated from it. A brilliant glow, almost like a halo. K''aai gasped when he saw it. [No way¡­ Isn¡¯t that Apollo¡¯s power? What on earth happened?] ¡°What do you think? After a fierce battle, I won and absorbed his authority.¡± [I can hardly believe it. Back then, Apollo was such a powerful being¡­] K''aai shook his tentacle in disbelief. [To think you defeated Apollo¡­ You really are the Soul God. Did you absorb all of his power?] ¡°No. Zeus devoured him. He didn¡¯t go easy, even on his own son.¡± [Zeus¡­? Hmm. He wouldn¡¯t have done that without a good excuse.] I explained what had happened with Apollo. K''aai waved his tentacle thoughtfully. [So Zeus used the Asgard Alliance Treaty as an excuse to consume Apollo. Clever as ever¡­ He avoided the penalty and got rid of his troublesome son.] ¡°You think Apollo was a nuisance? That guy was a loyalist to the core¡ªhe burned everything he had just to fight.¡± [That¡¯s true¡­ But when we contacted him, he seemed like he no longer needed the gods of Olympus¡­ Artemis, don¡¯t you know anything about that?] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Artemis sank into deep thought. Then she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Hera seemed to be planning something, but¡­ I got eaten by you before I could find out.¡± [Hmph¡­ useless.] ¡°You little¡ª¡± [Anyway, let¡¯s move on¡­ What Zeus said to Thor bothers me. I¡¯ll look into it.] If Asgard disappears, wouldn¡¯t the alliance be automatically void? That¡¯s what Zeus had said. He didn¡¯t seem like the type to say things idly. He must¡¯ve had something in mind. ¡°Got any leads?¡± [Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll investigate and let you know. I¡¯m off.] With that, K''aai cuts the connection. What the¡ª? He just left a bunch of questions and vanished. Well, at least we confirmed he¡¯s alive and reconnected the communication line. ¡°That reminds me, Soul God¡­ where are we? Is this a hideout?¡± With the call over, Artemis looked around. She¡¯d been too deep in despair earlier to notice, but now she was finally seeing her surroundings. ¡°This place is tiny. And it¡¯s above ground? That¡¯s not much of a hideout.¡± ¡°This is my house.¡± ¡°Your¡­ house?¡± Artemis looked at me in disbelief. ¡°This prison-like place is your home? Soul God¡­ are you even aware that you¡¯re a god?¡± Come on, this place is a super expensive apartment. I just got it cheap because of the nearby dungeon. ¡°Seriously, even my disciple''s garden is a hundred times better. How humiliating that my deity lives in a place like this¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s your problem? I like it here.¡± ¡°You have a whole pantheon under you and you live here? If I were one of your follower gods, I¡¯d be throwing a fit.¡± Man, she nags like a wife. But really, how big a house would I need to impress Artemis? Big or not, it¡¯s not like it makes a difference. Back on Earth, I lived in a big house too, but it didn¡¯t feel much different from this apartment. So I just ignored her and turned on the TV. [Controversy surrounding the power company site is intensifying.] Oh¡­ isn¡¯t that the site where I wanted to build my temple? Of all times, this comes on right now? ¡°Why are you turning on the TV when I¡¯m not done talking?¡± ¡°Do you even know what a TV is?¡± ¡°I was a deity up through the 21st century, remember?¡± She gave me a glare. But when she looked at the TV screen, her expression changed immediately. ¡°¡®God Kim Jiho must stop temple construction immediately¡¯¡­? Your name is Kim Jiho¡­ right?¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s me.¡± Religious protestors on the TV, holding signs. Looks like there are even more of them than last time. ¡°Why are you letting that slide?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been busy with other stuff. Is there really a need to argue with them?¡± ¡°Then have a subordinate drive them away or chase them off. It¡¯s disgraceful for a god.¡± ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t do that in a democracy.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Why is a god babbling about democracy? You¡¯re still too human.¡± She looked at me in pity, shaking her head. Then she reached out toward the TV screen. A soft light started to emanate from her hand. ¡°Hey. What are you doing? You¡¯re not going to kill them all, are you?¡± ¡°What do you take me for?¡± On the TV, the protestors were shouting passionately. Above their heads, a soft silver light began to shine. A curtain of light, descending from the sky. [Uh¡­ w-we have a developing situation! A mysterious light is descending from the sky! It¡¯s pushing people back!] The light moved like waves, pushing the crowd away. The reporter gasped and fell back. The camera stopped showing her and turned toward the power company site. The entire site was bathed in radiant light. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll build it for you. The temple.¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 172 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 172: Reorganization (3) ¡°You¡¯re building a temple?¡± ¡°Yeah. We need to show a miracle to those humans who dared to insult the Supreme Deity.¡± Artemis moved her fingers. Rumble¡ª Beyond the veil of light, the ground rose. ¡°Is that¡­ marble?¡± A massive chunk of marble emerged from the earth. It was as tall as a skyscraper. ¡°That¡¯s a kind of moonstone. Even better than marble.¡± Moonstone? Guess it makes sense, since it was summoned by the goddess of the moon. It looked exactly like marble, but if she says it¡¯s different, so be it. Step by step, people backed away from the massive moonstone pillar that stretched up to the sky. The moonstone extended endlessly. [Wh-what is that?] [Something like that coming out of the ground all of a sudden...] Wobble. Wobble. The massive moonstone swayed slightly. When I looked at Artemis, she had a mischievous grin and was waving her hand. [Ahhh!] [The ground is shaking!] [Run! It''s moving!] [A divine punishment!] People dropped their protest signs and fled in panic. Artemis giggled as she watched them. ¡°Serves them right for insulting our Supreme Deity.¡± Is she doing this for my sake? From the look on her face, it seems more like she just wanted to mess around... Is this the scale of a god¡¯s prank? [The area around the Electric Power Corporation is in chaos... Kyaaah!] A reporter tried to continue the broadcast. But people rushed toward her, creating a total mess. As the live feed was cut, Artemis drew a square in midair. A vision of the Electric Power Corporation site appeared like a TV screen. But unlike a TV, Artemis¡¯s "screen" had the freedom of a camera focus. She quickly scanned the surroundings with it, then looked at me and said, ¡°People are panicking badly. They might trample each other to death.¡± ¡°Well, that giant moonstone is swaying. Of course they''re going to run.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ if they had the guts to protest a god with signs, shouldn¡¯t they be ready to die? Running just because a rock wobbles?¡± Artemis clicked her tongue in disappointment. ¡°But still, it¡¯d be awkward if someone died on the day the Supreme Deity¡¯s temple is born, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. So cut the prank already.¡± ¡°Fine. Yip!¡± She opened her palm. The moonstone stopped moving, and light spread in all directions. [Huh¡­?] [I... I can''t move my body.] [Ahhh! I¡¯m gonna die!] Everyone touched by the light was frozen in place¡ªexcept for their heads. ¡°This way, they won¡¯t trample each other. Now, time to build the temple.¡± ¡°Hey. You can build the temple, but don¡¯t make it in Greek style.¡± ¡°...Why not? I could make it better than Olympus¡¯s temple.¡± So she really was thinking of building a Greek temple. Good thing I caught it early. ¡°We¡¯re going to be fighting Olympus all the time. What¡¯s the point of making it Greek-style? Just go for a different style.¡± ¡°Ugh... I only thought of Greek styles. This is a problem.¡± ¡°What¡¯s to think about? There are tons of buildings around. Just make it look like one of those.¡± What¡¯s the big deal about a temple? Let¡¯s become a building owner. ¡°You¡¯re so unromantic. Buildings aren¡¯t even pretty.¡± Artemis grumbled, but since she agreed to follow my request, she didn¡¯t argue further. [Humans.] Suddenly, a majestic voice echoed from the screen. It was Artemis¡¯s voice. I glanced at her¡ªshe was mouthing the words without actually speaking aloud. [I am Artemis, Apostle of the Supreme God, Kim Jiho.] [W-wait, Artemis?] [Isn¡¯t Artemis supposed to be part of Olympus?] Even though their bodies were frozen, people were doing their best to speak. [Given the blasphemy you have hurled at our Supreme Deity, divine punishment would be just. However¡­] A mass of light formed in the sky. It took shape like arrowheads. The color drained from people¡¯s faces. No one could stay calm at the sight of such overwhelming arrows. [The merciful Supreme Deity, Kim Jiho, has decided to forgive you.] Whoooosh! Arrows of light rained down from the sky. Toward the motionless people. [Aaaah!] [Please¡­ save us!] As the arrows flew straight at them, the people screamed in terror. But just as they seemed about to strike, the arrows were absorbed into their bodies. Then, a silver crescent moon symbol appeared on their foreheads. [Aaaaah!] [My forehead... it¡¯s burning¡­] [However! Know this¡ªI shall be watching. If you blaspheme against the gods again, I will not remain still.] Artemis declared in a voice full of divine authority. At the same time, the moonstone was enveloped in light and began to transform. ¡°This part goes here, and twist this like that...¡± She hummed to herself as she moved her hands through the air. Simple gestures, like molding clay¡ªbut the results were anything but simple. ¡°Whoa. She actually made a building.¡± A towering structure, resembling a modern skyscraper. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Maybe it looked like a tower because it was made of moonstone. The lower floors were straight and narrow, but the higher it rose, the more it tapered. At first it seemed like a sword, but at the top, it flared out into a wide disc. Like a plate placed on top. No, on closer look, it was a half-moon shape. A sword piercing through a crescent moon. ¡°What¡¯s with the top?¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯ll live. It¡¯s the Supreme Deity¡¯s quarters¡ªcan¡¯t have it be cramped, right?¡± ¡°No, I mean the crescent moon shape.¡± ¡°Oh. Since I built it, I had to include a trademark. I was going to go with a crescent moon, but I gave you more space instead. Be grateful.¡± Ha. How generous of you¡­¡­. ¡°Hey¡­ That thing¡¯s not gonna fall off, is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine. Moonstone is sturdy, and my power is imbued in it too.¡± The TV screen, which had experienced a brief broadcast interruption due to the recent commotion, changes again to show the newly created building. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] [Viewers, can you see this? A flash of light, and then this massive structure appeared.] [The god who created it identified herself as Artemis. Artemis is known as one of the twelve Olympian gods, the goddess of chastity and moonlight.] [The religious sector is attempting to contact the divine realms, but each divine realm has only replied that they will investigate the matter.] [People, already uneasy from the recent disappearance of sunlight, are now even more anxious, wondering if this is the beginning of a full-scale invasion by the gods, especially with the appearance of an Olympian goddess.] It hasn¡¯t been long since Artemis became my Apostle... Everyone¡¯s probably busy trying to verify the facts. [Jiho, are you able to communicate?] Right on cue, a call from my father comes in. ¡°Yes, Father. I can hear you.¡± [What¡¯s Artemis talking about?] ¡°Father? Michael is your father? You¡¯re with the Heaven faction?¡± Artemis, who was eavesdropping, asked curiously. Good grief... After explaining the situation to both gods, Father nodded in understanding. [I see. A lot has happened in just one day.] ¡°Yes. Things ended up this way.¡± [Apollo being wiped out... That¡¯s good news, but Zeus still bothers me. Got it. I¡¯ll inform the other divine followers.] And with that, my father ended the call. Artemis watched and then asked me, ¡°What¡¯s the current situation on Earth, regarding the gods?¡± ¡°Right now, it¡¯s the age of great religions. Everyone¡¯s scrambling to get followers.¡± ¡°And the gods? Have they regained their power?¡± ¡°Not fully, but they''re recovering. They''re all out recruiting awakened ones like crazy.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see. But then why¡­¡± Artemis pondered for a moment, then shrugged as if she gives up. ¡°Never mind. I still don¡¯t know much about Earth¡¯s current state. Soul God. I¡¯m going to go decorate the interior of the temple. The exterior may be complete, but the interior work has to be seen firsthand.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t design it weirdly. Make it modern.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle it first. If you don¡¯t like it, we can tear it down and redo it.¡± ¡°What are you planning to do exactly? Ah, wait.¡± I stop Artemis just before she flies out the window. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send one of my human Apostles.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust my sense of style?¡± ¡°No, I do, I do. Just... build it however you want for now, and then fine-tune the interior with the Apostle. She¡¯s also the owner of that land.¡± ¡°I could finish this in less than a day... fine, send her.¡± Artemis pouted slightly, then vanished with a whoosh. I can''t trust her alone with the interior¡ªwho knows what it¡¯ll look like. I¡¯ll send Kang Shia to make sure it''s livable. I called Kang Shia and explained the situation. ¡°¡­So that¡¯s what happened. I¡¯m counting on you.¡± [Yes¡­ You want me to assist the moon goddess Artemis with finishing the interior, correct?] ¡°Right. She insists she has good taste, but don¡¯t let her talk you into something unlivable.¡± [Understood. I¡¯ll assist Artemis and try to design it properly. But... since the place is for a god, is there really a need to make it look like a place for humans to live?] I glance around my house. Spacious living room, TV, sofa¡­ It was a nice living space back in my human days, but thinking back to when I had to move through Kevrian to avoid sunlight, it suddenly feels small. ¡°True. Make the space I¡¯ll be staying in more open. But the lower floors are technically a temple. Shouldn¡¯t they be functional for visitors?¡± [Understood. I¡¯ll do my best to design it well.] After giving Kang Shia her task, I open my status screen to check my SP income. I¡¯d become SS-rank, fought Apollo, and increased my soul power greatly. On top of that, I gained a deity as my Apostle, so the soul mediation efficiency should¡¯ve increased too. How much will I earn per day now? I opened the soul mediation panel, and messages flooded in. I picked out the key ones. [Your daily SP income from soul mediation has reached 500 million.] [The SP you can earn from soul mediation on the planet ¡®Earth¡¯ has reached its limit. You can no longer earn SP from soul mediation on Earth.] 500 million... That¡¯s an insane figure. It used to be 100 million when I was S-rank, so it¡¯s increased fivefold. But the part about hitting the limit bothered me. When I checked the income details more closely, I saw a message that cleared up my question. [Humans on Earth transact about 0.1 SP per day, half of which is lost to inefficiency. Soul mediation improves this efficiency and allows the user to collect the lost SP.] [Awakened individuals have significantly higher SP transaction values.] [Your SP income from Earth is 412.32 million.] If Earth¡¯s population is 8 billion, and each normal person accounts for 0.05 SP per day, that gives us the 400 million figure. Add the awakened ones with their higher SP yields, and the total reaches 412.32 million. So the remaining amount must be from other planets? I am brokering for the gods of Kevrian too¡­ In any case, 500 million is the max for now. To increase it further, I¡¯ll either need to broker with other worlds¡¯ gods or awaken more people on Earth. Neither option sounds easy. ¡°Let¡¯s put income expansion aside for now¡­¡± I checked my items and skills. The soul sword is still SS-rank. Aegis was completely destroyed and remained in my inventory as a liquid. Maybe I need to restore that to reconnect with Athena¡­ I¡¯ll have to find a way to repair it¡­ ¡°Skills¡­¡± A new skill appeared¡ª¡°Authority of the Sun God.¡± And its rank is SSS. [Authority of the Sun God LV.1] [SSS-Rank Skill] [You govern the sunlight that shines upon the world. When the sun is up, your soul form is strengthened and you can manipulate light. As your skill level increases, you gradually become one with the light and your soul transforms into a light attribute. If your skill level is higher than other Sun Gods in the same world, you gain priority over that planet¡¯s sunlight.] So I grow stronger in sunlight, and as the skill levels up, I essentially become light. If my skill level is the highest among Sun Gods on Earth, I get priority over the planet¡¯s sunlight... I¡¯ll need to study this. Still, it¡¯s an SSS-rank skill. I should definitely develop it. Way better than getting a random tentacle and calling it Asura... [You have an incoming call from the deity ¡®Asura.¡¯] Hah, what timing. [Kim Jiho. Kim Jiho. Are you there?] ¡°Whew. Manners aren¡¯t your strong suit, huh?¡± [What¡¯s that supposed to mean?] Just as I was thinking about Asura, he contacted me. He urgently asked, [Why has Artemis shown up?] ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± My father, and now this¡­ All the gods I¡¯m connected to are contacting me? After explaining the gist of it to Asura, he responded in amazement. [So, you made Artemis your Apostle and defeated Apollo?] ¡°Yes. Though Zeus finished him off at the end.¡± [Hah¡­ Truly impressive. Seems like only yesterday you struggled against a low-ranked god like Pollux. Soul God, you really are on another level than ordinary gods.] Asura¡¯s three faces, six eyes all focused on me. They slowly examined me from head to toe. The gaze was intense. [You¡­ seem worthy.] ¡°Of what?¡± [Of inheriting Asura''s Path.] [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 173 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 173: Asura¡¯s Path (1) ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯ve obtained Asura¡¯s Path?¡± I looked at the skill description for Asura¡¯s Path. [Three Heads and Six Arms - Asura¡¯s Path] [SSS-Rank Skill] [A fundamental skill of the Asura god. It completely transforms the form of the soul body. Through endless battles in the Asura¡¯s Path realm, the range of development increases. You can dispatch part of your soul body to Asura¡¯s Path. The dispatched soul endlessly fights there, allowing the main body¡¯s soul to grow. Upon reaching the 44th rank in Asura¡¯s Path, you can achieve the symbol of the Asura: Three Heads and Six Arms. When the soul is transformed into the Three Heads and Six Arms form, part of Asura¡¯s Path can be summoned into the current world.] The last part caught my eye. When transformed into the Three Heads and Six Arms form, it says a part of Asura¡¯s Path can be summoned. Is that what it meant? ¡°You¡¯re talking about summoning Asura¡¯s Path?¡± [Yes.] ¡°So, even if I keep sending my soul body, I won¡¯t reach the 44th rank?¡± [It¡¯s not easy to get past the top 500 with just a soul body. You have to face low-level gods at that point.] I see. No matter how strong my main body is, sending just 1% of it as a soul probably isn¡¯t enough to beat a low-level god. [So stop sending just your soul. Come yourself.] ¡°To Asura¡¯s Path?¡± [Yes. You need to create your domain.] ¡°What exactly does it mean to summon part of Asura¡¯s Path?¡± [You¡¯ll understand once you come.] So basically, I need to go there? It¡¯s possible, but... ¡°If I go, I¡¯ll have to fight again, right?¡± [You have to raise your rank in Asura¡¯s Path.] ¡°Hmm. But it¡¯s okay if I don¡¯t go right this minute, right?¡± [That¡¯s true, but...] ¡°Then I¡¯ll prepare a bit first.¡± [Do that. But don¡¯t take too long. If you could beat Apollo, you¡¯re already strong enough. We don¡¯t know how Zeus will move, so come as soon as you can.] ¡°Yes, understood.¡± With that, Asura ended the communication, telling me to call him when I was ready. This is going in a completely unexpected direction. I was just trying to ask why Artemis from Asura popped out suddenly like my father had, but¡­ ¡°Three Heads and Six Arms? Asura¡¯s Path.¡± For now, I used the Asura¡¯s Path skill to summon a soul body. Maybe because I sent it after reaching SS rank? My soul body, which had stalled at a certain rank, suddenly rose quite a bit. I was too busy fighting Apollo to check properly, but it didn¡¯t get sealed or anything. ¡°Why¡¯d you summon me already?¡± Kim Jiho suddenly appeared in front of me. He looked at me with a displeased expression. This guy didn¡¯t run? ¡°Why didn¡¯t you run?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even leave my main body, so what would be the point of running?¡± ¡°Hmph. You give up quick.¡± Then I should send you off without pain. The moment I drew my soul sword, I felt something strange. This is... Something¡¯s off. My attitude toward death is way too calm. I just came back from hell in Asura¡¯s Path, and now I¡¯m facing death like it¡¯s nothing? Me? ¡°Soul Disassemble.¡± This current version of me is an SS-ranked clone. I had a hunch, so I immediately used Soul Disassemble. ¡°Tch¡­!¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± My clone¡¯s soul was connected by a strange thread. Very faint, but a pale white line. An invisible, translucent thread that can only be seen with Soul Disassemble. I felt it. This was a soul relay. That bastard was trying to escape using a soul relay just like I did in front of Apollo! Shhhhk! I instantly beheaded him with a tendril and absorbed his soul. ¡°Light, follow the thread.¡± At the same time, I followed the soul relay he¡¯d set up. The thread was leading to my bedroom. I quickly went inside, and¡ª ¡°What the¡­ a mosquito?¡± Because his soul had been absorbed by me, the soul relay line had weakened even further. And it was connected to a mosquito. ¡°Stop.¡± I stopped the mosquito and approached it. Then a grating voice came from it. [Ugh¡­ Main body¡­!] ¡°You¡­ a mosquito? That¡¯s just sad. But I gotta respect your will to survive.¡± Crunch! I squashed the mosquito-me with my hand. Only then did it feel like my soul had fully returned. Wow¡­ I guess I really can¡¯t afford to send any more soul bodies. This soul relay thing¡ªhe used it even with such a tiny fraction of my soul? That¡¯s just nuts. As soon as I fully absorbed him, a message popped up. [You have reached rank 878 in Asura¡¯s Path.] [Partial soul body addition available. You can now form a fourth arm and a second head.] I can get one more arm and one more head? I used the skill again, and the shape came to mind automatically. The default form was one arm and one head. The right arm and a new head appeared next to my current ones. I turned the new arm into a tendril for now¡­ As for the head? I left it in default. Riiiiip! There was a tearing sound near my face. My original face moved to the side, and my field of view suddenly shifted sideways. At the same time, a new sight entered my vision. I had four eyes now. I turned my heads left and right. And both fields of view came in at the same time. At this point, I really felt like I¡¯d completely left humanity behind. Physical adaptation happened fast. But mentally, it was hard to accept. So I went to the bathroom to look in the mirror. ¡°This is a bit¡­ worse than the arm.¡± ¡°...Worse than the arm.¡± Two heads on one body. Just one neck, but two faces are stuck together side by side. ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± When I open my mouth, both mouths open. When I close my eyes, both sets shut simultaneously. The two heads still can''t be controlled separately. Asura insisted this setup would be super efficient in combat, but seriously, there''s no way I can live like this with two faces stuck together. ¡°Soul God. Huh? What is that form?¡± ¡°Artemis. When did you get here?¡± I turned around at the voice from behind to see Artemis looking at me with curious eyes. ¡°You were originally human, right? You can change your soul form like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a skill I got from Asura.¡± ¡°Asura¡­ Oh, that war god with three faces and six arms? Changing the original form of your soul, huh? That¡¯s a pretty handy skill.¡± ¡°Yeah. But I really can¡¯t get used to having two faces.¡± ¡°Just the face? What about your arms?¡± ¡°I transformed them into tentacles.¡± When I showed her the two tentacles, Artemis instinctively took a step back. Wait, why are you backing away? ¡°Ugh. I don¡¯t really like tentacles¡ªtraumatized by K''aai.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°But if your original form was human, how can you make tentacles? It must be hard to adapt to something like that if your base is human¡­ Is the skill that versatile?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m the Soul God. No matter how I transform, I adapt just fine.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s really cool. Then try changing the face, too. It¡¯s kind of hard to keep looking at that.¡± She subtly averted her gaze. Even a deity finds this form hard to look at, huh? ¡°Yeah, I should. But I can¡¯t really think of a good replacement.¡± ¡°For the head?¡± ¡°Yeah. What would you change it to if you were me?¡± Artemis hummed, deep in thought. ¡°You¡¯re keeping sight, hearing, and smell functions, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Then what fits that¡­ hmm¡­¡± She started to move her fingers, sketching a glowing crescent moon in the air. Of course. She just has to go with the moon. Still, sight, hearing, and smell, huh¡­ [The sunlight is my eyes and my ears.] I remembered when Apollo found me. I stepped out into the sunlight from hiding, and he suddenly said that¡ªit was terrifying. ¡°Artemis. Is the moonlight your eyes and ears too?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°When Apollo was chasing me, that¡¯s what he said.¡± When I told her about it, Artemis shook her head firmly. ¡°That¡¯s only because Apollo was going all out. There¡¯s no way he lives like that all the time. Unless you¡¯re a creator god or something.¡± ¡°Really? According to the description of the Sun God''s Authority, you assimilate with light and gain its attributes.¡± ¡°Then you basically become light. You¡¯d be seeing and hearing and feeling everything, right?¡± So it was a power Apollo forced out, huh. But if I use this second head, maybe I can draw out something similar. ¡°Soul Fusion.¡± I tried it right away. I offered up the Sun God''s Authority. Then I inserted the soul form that made up my second head. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Combining the Sun God¡¯s Authority with the second head.¡± ¡°Whoa. That¡¯s even possible?¡± ¡°The head¡¯s been hard to make use of, so I¡¯m just giving it a try.¡± No real logic. Maybe it''s thanks to precognition, but I had a strange certainty that it would work. [Soul Fusion successful.] [Second head has been merged with the Sun God''s Authority.] [Your senses can now be projected through sunlight.] Oho! [Sun God¡¯s Authority now holds immense foreign essence. Skill range is greatly reduced.] [Increasing skill level will expand the range of the Sun God¡¯s Authority.] [More SP is required to level up the skill.] Ugh... I thought it was a perfect upgrade, but there are still drawbacks. I guess I can accept the higher SP cost, but the reduced range sucks. Still, it said I could increase the range by leveling it up, so I immediately tried upgrading the Sun God¡¯s Authority. ¡°Whoa. 300 million?¡± It drained 300 million SP each time. Absolutely monstrous consumption. And even then, the skill stopped leveling up. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It capped at level 5. [Cannot raise the skill level further. You must absorb more of the Sun God¡¯s power.] I did share Apollo¡¯s power with Zeus, so I guess that¡¯s why... Tsk. Too bad, but I should stop for now. ¡°Sun God¡¯s Authority.¡± I activated the ability as a test. ¡°Whoa...!¡± My senses were completely amplified. Anywhere the light touched inside the house, I could see, hear, and feel everything. At first, it was just the house. But then, the range began to expand outward. Through this apartment building, my perception stretched outward. Whoa, this is getting too wide. We always talked about gods and stuff, but now that my senses are tied to sunlight, I really feel like a divine being. Anywhere the light reaches¡ªI can see, hear, and even touch it. ¡°Lalalala¡­¡± A pot-bellied man lathering himself with a shower towel. Because the light touches his entire body, it¡¯s like I¡¯m touching him myself. Ugh. That¡¯s... a lot. ¡°Woooow, those idols are amazing¡­¡± A schoolgirl watching a boy band on TV with a dreamy look. Her too. Light is everywhere, so if I want to perceive, I can. ¡°Ugh¡­ this is¡­¡± Countless people, animals, and objects¡ªI can see, hear, and feel them all. The sheer flood of information threatens to sweep me away. If I weren¡¯t a godlike entity, the information overload alone would have fried my brain. ¡°Gotta regulate¡­ Let¡¯s limit to SP 100 and above.¡± I decided only to perceive targets with SP 100 or higher, and instantly, all the unimportant info got filtered out. Ordinary people? Gone. No more accidentally caressing middle-aged men. Same for animals and plants. All regular objects? Cut off. With only SP 100+ as the filter, the number of perceived targets dropped dramatically. What does that leave? Maybe E or D-rank hunters? Only groups of hunters are occasionally detected. "Did it work?" "Yeah..." Artemis looked at me with a curious expression and asked. Just as I was about to answer her, I realized that the light was also touching her. As the light touched her, information flooded in automatically¡ªsight, touch, and hearing. Artemis, dressed in a pure white one-piece dress. I hadn¡¯t intended to, but I ended up scanning her entire body. Ahem. Artemis... she''s in soul form, so why the curves...? No wonder she looked bigger than before. "What? What''s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you answering?" "Ah, the information load was just too much¡­ Deactivating the power of the Sun God." As I deactivated the power, I felt like I was back to being human from a god. Wow. That really felt like being an all-powerful deity. "How long was I like that?" "How long? You were spacing out for about a minute." "6 million gone in one minute." "SP drains that fast? Whoa. That¡¯s rough." So it consumes 100,000 SP per second. I really shouldn¡¯t be using this recklessly. Gotta save it for battle. Alright, now that I¡¯ve tested this skill¡­ ¡°Time to head to Asura¡¯s Path.¡± ¡°Why there?¡± After I gave her a rough explanation, Artemis nodded. ¡°Then I guess you won¡¯t need my help?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try going alone for now.¡± ¡°Got it. I was going to suggest you check out the inside of the temple, but it sounds like this comes first. Then I¡¯ll finish it up how I like and show it to you.¡± ¡°Okay. Just don¡¯t make it too weird.¡± With a ¡°hmph,¡± Artemis vanished. Sigh, I left Kang Shia there, so it should be fine. If I don¡¯t like it, I can always rebuild it¡­ Right now, Asura¡¯s Path comes first. Before heading out, I checked my status window. [Name ? Kim Jiho Class ? God of Souls Title ? Godslayer Soul Power ¨C 22,341 SP ? 6.2 Billion] A simplified status window. At the end of S-rank, the soul power limit was 10,000, but my rank increased and after the battle with Apollo, it surged. Upgrading the Sun God''s power to level 5 cost me 1.2 billion, but I still have 6.2 billion SP left. "This should be more than enough." Even before absorbing Apollo, I could take on demigod-level enemies, and now I¡¯ve got his power too. Alright. Let¡¯s go. [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 174 [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] Chapter 174: Asura¡¯s Path (2) ¡°So this is Asura¡¯s Path.¡± Asura¡¯s Path. The name sounds terrifying, but the scenery is a lush, green mountain meadow. I had only shared the view through my clone, but being here in person feels different. ¡°A newbie.¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± Rustle. The bushes shook, and enemies armed with weapons jumped out. Their genders and appearances were all different. Some looked human, while others looked monstrous enough to pass as beasts. Soon, I was surrounded on all sides. They began to approach, but then suddenly stopped. ¡°Wait¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s something different about this one.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t charge in. Spread out!¡± They looked at me and quickly made a judgment. Seeing them reminded me of what Asura had told me before entering. [Everyone in Asura¡¯s Path exists for battle. There''s no such thing as retreat.] Asura, sir... That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. ¡°So even in Asura¡¯s Path, the sun rises.¡± I raise my finger toward the sky. It¡¯s time to use the Sun God''s power in combat. ¡°Divine Power of the Sun God.¡± Sunlight pours into the domain. An overwhelming amount of information flooded my mind. ¡°First, organize it.¡± I scanned for enemies with over 1000 SP. Those under that wouldn¡¯t even be in Asura¡¯s Path. Soon, I could detect all the enemies around me. I see them, hear them, touch them. Good. They¡¯re completely in the palm of my hand. ¡°O light, annihilate my enemies.¡± Whooosh! The power of the sun is unleashed. Sunlight bathes the earth. I can¡¯t control all light, but manipulating the light around me is easy enough. As I infuse energy into the light, the enemies ignite all at once without even a scream. ¡°Ugh¡­ Aaaaaaagh!¡± Well, one of them is hanging on a bit longer. An enemy engulfed in flames. He looks at me in disbelief before being consumed by the sun¡¯s fire. ¡°If touched by light, it¡¯s over. And then¡­¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! Gunfire¡ªunfamiliar to me¡ªrings out from all directions. So they sent bait first, then opened fire. But the light has already revealed them all. ¡°Protect me.¡± At a simple command, the flying bullets ignite and burn away. Extending my senses further, I spot the hidden snipers. ¡°There you are. Be gone.¡± A sniper camouflaged like a chameleon in the wild. But they can¡¯t escape the light. Ssssss. The sniper bursts into flames. He opens his mouth wide in agony, but vanishes into ash without a scream. After taking out five of them, a message popped up. [You display overwhelming power in Asura¡¯s Path.] [Asura¡¯s Path is evaluating your ranking based on current results¡­] [Incredible power detected. Cannot be measured. Assigning highest rank in current tier.] [You are now within the top 1000. Weaker ones will no longer interfere with you.] Top 1000 even with the highest rank? That¡¯s lower than I thought. ¡°Well, fine.¡± I just need to reach 44th place, right? If I keep eliminating everyone who stands in my way, I¡¯ll get there eventually. I deactivated the divine power of the Sun God and began walking. Losing 100,000 SP per second¡ªI''d better conserve it. Whoooosh. With one step, my body shot forward like a bullet. Even with the Sun God¡¯s power deactivated, my soul body still gleamed with light. Maybe that¡¯s why. My soul body feels lighter, faster than usual. In an instant, I broke through the forest and entered mountainous terrain. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a big one.¡± ¡°He¡¯s definitely strong. But that means if we take him down, we¡¯ll become insanely powerful. Grrrr¡­¡± The ground crumbled, and massive dogs leapt out. Talking dogs. Up close, they look more like wolves. No, they¡¯re even bigger¡ªcomparable in size to hippos, with hulking bodies. They looked strong on the outside. Red skin and tusks as big as my upper body made them terrifying. In the past, they¡¯d have been a challenge. But now, they¡¯re nothing to me. ¡°Vanish.¡± One word. One word is all it takes. They disintegrated into dust. Beasts that couldn''t even resist a single utterance¡ªnot divine speech, not even dragon speech. They vanished without a scream. ¡°Kill him!¡± From a barren hill, more beasts burst out in waves. What could they possibly be thinking, charging in like this? Just one word is enough. ¡°Die.¡± Sssssss. With that word, all the monsters disappeared. These things are no longer worthy of being my enemies. [You have eradicated the Gatekeepers of Asura¡¯s Path, the Nang-a pack, in an instant.] [Asura¡¯s Path is evaluating your ranking based on current results¡­] [Unrivaled power detected. Cannot be measured. Assigning highest rank in this region.] [You are now within the top 300. You have broken through Asura¡¯s Path¡¯s outer perimeter.] So this was just the outer region? Well then. The enemies were too weak¡ªit was getting boring. This is perfect. My body becomes light and takes flight, ascending the mountain. ¡°They say he¡¯s the God of Souls¡­¡± ¡°Die.¡± Some strange guy jumped out to block my path, but I just erased him with words. ¡°S-So strong. Be fully prepared. Somehow, we must stop that guy¡­¡± ¡°Disappear.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ He''s not someone we can handle. Even if he''s a member of Asura¡¯s Path, there are times we must retreat¡­¡± ¡°Then maybe you shouldn¡¯t have opened your mouth. Be gone.¡± Enemies of all kinds appeared, and they formed teams, but none of them could stand against me. Not even a single word from me ¡ª divine speech ¡ª can they withstand. My rank keeps rising, but it doesn''t excite me much. Was it always this easy¡­? The location changed. A mountain peak. As I stepped onto the summit, a red portal appeared in the center. ¡°Let¡¯s check it out.¡± The moment I stepped into the portal, the scenery shifted. Until now, it was a journey from forest to mountain. Now, in front of me is a temple. A huge temple gate, big enough for hundreds to pass through at once, came into view. Srrrrrr¡­ The gate opened on its own, and someone stepped out. Boom. Then the gate quickly closed again. ¡°Soul God! Die!¡± ¡°Die.¡± Another enemy suddenly jumped out, and I spoke lightly. ¡°Kugh¡­!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun] But this enemy is different from the previous ones. One who withstands my divine speech. Finally, an enemy I can¡¯t kill with just words? ¡°You didn''t die from divine speech.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a god too¡­ Of course I wouldn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Oh. Really? Nice to meet you.¡± At least a low-ranking god, so that makes them S-class or higher? Once I realize that, the enemy became visible to me. A grotesque god with a bizarre body, similar to Asura. Two heads, four arms, horns like an ogre on his head. Bright red skin, huge tusks jutting out. That form¡­ ¡°You got the Three-Head Six-Arms skill too?¡± ¡°Kuh¡­ This is my natural form!¡± ¡°Ah, I see. So you¡¯re going to fight me?¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± The low-ranking god shouted sharply, curled up like a hedgehog. Good grief. ¡°If we fight, you¡¯ll 100% die, you know?¡± ¡°Grr¡­¡± ¡°I left the others with at least their souls. But for gods, I¡¯ll just sweep you away with Soul Emission.¡± ¡°S-Still¡­¡± ¡°Why not just surrender? Why do you have to fight?¡± ¡°Asura¡¯s Path¡¯s members grow through combat. Even if I perish, the great Asura shall resurrect me! I fight!¡± The low-ranking god actually gets fired up at my question. ¡°You think Asura can revive your soul even if it''s obliterated? This isn¡¯t sealing ¡ª it¡¯s annihilation.¡± ¡°M-Maybe¡­ He can¡­!¡± ¡°Really? Then let¡¯s fight for real.¡± ¡°Die!¡± The low-ranking god charged at me. Maybe it¡¯s because he''s seasoned in Asura¡¯s Path, but his movements are clean and fast. Two of his four hands throw daggers like bullets, and the other two ¡ª one with a spear, one with a longsword ¡ª tried to stab me. But such techniques only work on low-tier gods. To me, one who commands the power of sunlight, they¡¯re far too slow. Crunch! Stab! ¡°Gah¡­!¡± I crushed all four weapons with my hands, then pierced his throat with a tentacle. The low-ranking god was subdued instantly. Whip! Another tentacle bound his body and draghed him toward me. ¡°I respect your fighting soul, but you should pick your opponent more carefully.¡± ¡°Grgh¡­¡± ¡°Hey, Mr. Asura. Do I need to kill this guy to climb the ranks? Should I just go ahead and erase him with Soul Emission?¡± I press my soul sword against the god¡¯s neck. Well now. Binding him with tentacles and pointing a sword at his neck ¡ª I really look like the villain here. [You¡¯re too strong, my friend. Please, restrain from using Soul Emission. A seal should be fine.] ¡°Alright.¡± I¡¯ve got a friendly relationship with Asura, after all. I should at least grant this kind of request. I returned the soul sword to my inventory and began to tear the god apart with my tentacles. ¡°Ugh¡­ Gah¡­!¡± ¡°Still, once the seal¡¯s undone, you might be able to come back.¡± ¡°Mercy¡­ Thank you¡­¡± Even with his soul body wrecked, the god thanked me. Probably grateful just to be spared. His body faded and disappeared quietly. As he vanished, the gate opened. What is this, a dungeon or something¡­? ¡°Your next opponent is me¡­¡± ¡°Oh come on.¡± Judging by the aura, the next one''s about the same level as the last. Why do I have to fight another one? Is this some kind of endless gauntlet? Do I need to beat 50 of them just to reach rank 44? Suddenly, this is getting annoying. ¡°Authority of the Sun God.¡± I commanded the light. Now I can see the enemies. There are at least ten more gates like this ahead of me, with twenty more low-ranking gods stationed behind them. So many nuisances¡­ No need to open each gate. I¡¯ll wipe them all out in one go. ¡°O light, seal the gods.¡± Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions erupt one after another. All the temple halls in front of me burst into flames and exploded. ¡°T-This light¡­ what¡­?¡± ¡°Gah¡­!¡± ¡°To be sealed by such an attack¡­ it¡¯s an honor¡­¡± The low-ranking gods guarding the gate were all burned and vanished. Even without emitting soul energy, they were crushed by an overwhelming force. The sealing of each one of them was transmitted to me as information. This is the authority of the Sun God. A power capable of crushing low-ranking gods like ants. Truly the ultimate skill for mass slaughter. "The SP cost is insane though¡­" After sealing twenty low-ranking gods, 50 million SP disappeared for each one. If I had used soul energy emission, I could have subdued them more efficiently, but if I had messed that up, I might¡¯ve killed them. I''m on friendly terms with Asura, after all¡­ Better to just spend some SP and be done with it. Whoosh. A red light flashed before my eyes. "Hah. What power is this?" Asura appeared in front of me. All three of his faces wore expressions of disbelief and astonishment. "Even though you''re the Soul God, you''re someone who hasn''t been a god for long." "I was worried your challenge against Asura¡¯s Path might fail." "But it was entirely your power that annihilated Apollo. So strong." Each of his three faces spoke in turn. His expression more serious than ever. In his six arms were long swords glowing with a blood-red light. "Your rank is already 50." "If other mid-level gods lose to you, then our goal is already achieved." "But I am a God of War. I want to cross swords with a strong opponent like you." Three faces, speaking one after another. He¡¯s completely serious about fighting. "You could just take it easy..." "Haha. If I lived compromising like that, I would never have reached this level." The tips of his six swords pointed at me. And in that moment, the world split into six. Above, the sky was sliced. In the middle, the air was cut. Below, the earth was cleaved. A strike delivered by six arms. The world is split, and heaven and earth are overturned. A powerful sword aura. The pinnacle of martial might. He tore apart the heavens and earth with a single strike. But the rupture of heaven and earth wasn¡¯t intentional. He simply swung his swords¡ªand the destruction was collateral damage. All six strikes targeted me. "Soul Barrier." A golden barrier that protects the soul. As soon as it was summoned, it started to crack. At first, there were six lines. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But those lines infinitely amplified, creating endless fractures in the barrier. Yet, as soon as the cracks appeared, the Soul Barrier began to repair itself. The attack was terrifying, but it couldn''t break through the defense. "Hmm. Tough one." Before I realized, Asura¡¯s divine form was right in front of me. Clang! Clang! Clang! Each strike landed in the exact same spot. A single point, targeted without a shred of deviation. Hundreds, thousands of sword strikes. Unable to withstand it, the barrier shattered in an instant. [Soul Barrier is on the verge of breaking. Consuming SP to restore.] I leapt back and drew my soul sword. Time to fight seriously. "Soul Energy Emission." Pure white flames burst from the soul sword. Maybe it¡¯s the boost in soul power. The condensed force is strong. Good. This fight might be worth it. "Hoh¡­" Seeing that, Asura stepped back. Was he preparing to fight seriously? Then suddenly, his arms drooped. And just like that, the six swords in his hands vanished. What the¡ª? "Let¡¯s stop here." [Translator - Night] [Proofreader - Gun]