God's Atlantis
Elena appeared near Zone 5,485. She had intended to move straight into the zone itself — but the area had been eroded, and what she found was nothing like the place she knew.
The erosion is still spreading. It's already swallowed two zones and is reaching for a third.
She clicked her tongue.
What lay beyond was another territory entirely — a domain thick with the power and presence of some unknown divine seat. Once you stepped inside, getting out would not be easy.
She was not foolish enough to charge in blindly. Using magic, she surveyed the interior of the zone.
Mindless undead drifted along the outer edges. At the center of the zone rose a towering black pillar, and atop it sat a crimson eye. The eye turned and looked toward Elena.
You have been touched by the Gaze of Death.
You are outside the zone.
You are unaffected.
"…I see."
Elena gave a quiet nod as the notification windows rose before her.
A particular god surfaced in her mind. Through the Exiles, she had long since studied the divine seats — the gods and monsters of myth, and even the lesser heroes and great figures beneath them.
If it's a god related to eyes, there are a few known counters. Reflect the gaze with a mirror, or eliminate the target without being seen.
Neither was certain.
The first was too simple — it would likely fail. The second required not being detected in the first place, which was already difficult. Especially around that black pillar, where nothing but flat, featureless black earth stretched in every direction.
I can manage it. All I need is illusion magic to conceal my presence.
More important than that was Seong Yujin. He was nowhere near the black pillar. The far likelier possibility was that he was hidden somewhere across that vast zone.
Elena let out a soft breath. A blue butterfly appeared on her left shoulder.
"Stop, Mirror. Don't move too hastily."
A familiar voice came from behind her. It was Samuel, the boss of Helten. As always, he wore a white octagonal mask with no eyes, nose, or mouth.
"Boss. And the one behind you… who is that?"
A figure stood behind Samuel — a full-body robe and a white, featureless mask. The robe made even the person's gender impossible to determine.
"A new recruit. White. I'm training them myself, so you don't need to worry about it."
"…"
White simply stared at Elena without a word.
"And of course, they know how to keep their mouth shut. Your identity won't leave this place."
"Well. They do look the type."
Elena crossed her arms, making no effort to hide her displeasure as she addressed Samuel.
"Erosion is underway. The cause is Qing Guoli of the Black Pillar Alliance. He's one of Gotwall's people."
"I know."
"…I was supposed to handle everything related to the Black Pillar Alliance."
"I know that too. But the situation has changed."
She furrowed her brow as hard as she could.
"How far have you gotten involved?"
"Not from start to finish. I just gave Qing Guoli a little push. While you and Cheonma were in Hell, I decided he was useful enough."
"Cheonma is inside. Is he dead?"
"No. He's very much alive. He's even turning a profit off the situation, surprisingly enough. Ah — would you mind releasing that killing intent? It doesn't bother me, but White doesn't care for it when it's this blatant."
Elena narrowed her eyes at White. No killing intent or hostility radiated from them. But the moment their gazes met, her skin prickled. Instinct warned her of danger.
Just being with the boss already means they're no ordinary person.
Confronting them with force would not be wise. Elena withdrew her killing intent.
"I intend to save Cheonma."
"Unexpected. I didn't realize you took that much interest in him."
"I owe him a debt."
"Ah. That Hell business? I've heard the stories. But is that really all?"
"Do I need to explain further?"
"No. No need. Saving Cheonma is fine — he's capable. But for now, hold off."
"What's your angle? I need to know the boss's plan before I decide whether to cooperate."
"Verification."
"Verification?"
"First, the erosion zone. More precisely, we need to see how far Qing Guoli's plan succeeds. That matters for our purpose as well."
"…"
Our purpose.
Killing a god.
Elena's mouth went bitter. When Samuel spoke this seriously, even she couldn't force the issue.
"And the second?"
"Cheonma's capability. Even if he is a regressor, there's a limit to the knowledge he can put to use. This is a chance to measure what he's really worth."
"And if he falls short of expectations, you dispose of him?"
"Hardly. The knowledge he holds is useful. His ability is more than adequate. It's just… I'd be disappointed in him."
"So this entire situation sits in the palm of the boss's hand. Is that how I should think of it?"
"Don't overestimate me. There may come a moment when we have to run."
Then White turned their head to the side — east. Elena reflexively followed their gaze. Roughly ten kilometers away, a group was heading toward the erosion zone. Sixty people. Judging by their gear, a mid-to-small-scale Legion.
"…Weren't you controlling the area around here?"
"Ah. This is also part of the plan. The Bombastic Legion, I think? I leaked a little information."
"You deliberately lured them. Why?"
"AP. That black pillar needs AP. You could call it a kind of food."
"A kind of sacrifice, then? Cruel work."
"Come on. That was their choice. I only dripped a little information their way. Look at their faces — packed full of greed. If they clear it successfully, they'll gain a great deal. This might even become the stepping stone that elevates them into a major Legion."
"A stepping stone to a major Legion… Opportunities like that don't come easily. Which is another way of saying it's that dangerous. Nothing in this world is free."
Samuel only shrugged.
Elena looked at the black pillar Samuel was watching. An unpleasant structure. No — it might not be a structure at all. It might be a living thing.
"I have a rough idea about that eye. But the pillar itself is another matter. What is it?"
"It won't be long. Just watch. You'll see something interesting."
"…"
Elena pressed her lips shut. If it came to it, she was ready to step in.
"Ah. There's Cheonma."
"…Where?"
"There."
She looked in the direction Samuel indicated — and couldn't help frowning. Seong Yujin was wearing a strange golden mask and commanding a force of undead.
???
Killed by the crimson eye atop the black pillar, I figured out Qing Guoli's contracted divine seat. The true name of the "Heavy Eye" was Balor.
Balor was a giant from Celtic mythology who possessed the Evil Eye. According to the myths, every living thing his gaze touched died.
Killing with a look alone… that's some bullshit broken ability.
But there was a loophole.
Touch that gaze and you die on the spot. And to die, you need to be alive. But what if you were already dead?
The hint is the undead in this zone. They're already dead, so taking the gaze doesn't kill them.
I had died the moment the black pillar's gaze hit me. No time to resist. If I'd used Heavenly Mind — the skill that grants temporary immunity to status effects — I might have held out for a minute. But at the time, using Heavenly Mind hadn't even crossed my mind. By the time I realized, the gaze had already killed me.
The bastard lost interest the second I died and looked somewhere else.
That helped. I used Full Recovery to resurrect, immediately summoned the Golden Mask of Tutankhamun, and put it on. Then I ran. I took the gaze again while fleeing, but just as expected — I didn't die.
◈ While wearing the golden mask, no curse can take hold.
◈ The wearer becomes one of the dead.
◈ Mana +50.
◈ Undead can be controlled according to mana value. Mummies can be controlled regardless.
◈ Destroys the wearer's mind. If the mind remains intact, the wearer becomes a true master. If the mind is destroyed, the wearer falls to the state of a mummy.
Whether that gaze counts as a curse, I don't know. But as long as I'm wearing this mask, I'm treated as one of the dead. I'm alive — but in an undead state.
I didn't attack the black pillar immediately because its forces were no joke. I knew countless undead were hidden around it.
Qing Guoli is a black mage — a necromancer, specifically. If that bastard can field hundreds of undead… then I just need hundreds of my own.
So I'd put distance between myself and the black pillar and been roaming the area, capturing undead.
"Cheonma! Still not giving up? Offer me that mask and I might just spare your life."
Qing Guoli's voice rolled out from the black pillar. The bastard was baiting me.
Astride a skeletal steed, I raised my middle finger toward the pillar.
"I'll be over there to kill you soon enough — go ahead and write your last words!"
"Pointless. It won't be long now. Do you not understand that I am showing you mercy?"
"Mercy, my ass."
Thud. Thud! Thud-thud-thud-thud!
From behind, Wang Xuan came charging with that massive body. As a hungry ghost, Wang Xuan was disgusting no matter how many times a day you saw him.
"This asshole again. I've already figured out how to deal with this one. Kids!!"
I shouted. The two hundred undead under my capture and control formed ranks with practiced ease.
Thud. Thuuud!
Wang Xuan fell into the trap I'd prepared in advance — sinking straight down into the earth.
"Wreck him!"
Twenty chain-wielding skeletons leaped into the pit first. They didn't care if their bodies shattered — they dutifully wrapped chains around Wang Xuan. He thrashed as the chains went taut. The chains were anchored to massive surrounding boulders, dwarf-forged and not easily broken.
That monster's strengths come down to three things. Raw power. Size. And it doesn't die. The weakness… no intelligence. Worse than a beast. At least a beast learns after falling for a trap a few times. This thing doesn't learn a damn thing.
The real danger was when Qing Guoli took direct control of Wang Xuan.
We're far enough now. Even if he wanted to pilot Wang Xuan himself, he can't from this distance.
Precious information, earned through trial and error.
"Kill him! Kill the bastard!"
The undead attacked from range — loosing arrows, hurling spears. On my command, they poured prepared oil into the pit in gushing streams.
KRAAA-KOOM!
Lightning struck. The oil caught fire. Flames roared up from inside the pit.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The souls housed in Wang Xuan's body evaporated. Even then, the undead force never stopped attacking. Four or five souls were snuffed out every second.
"Heh. This is what happens when you run into me."
Wang Xuan was a hard opponent one-on-one. Alone, running would have been the best option. How was I supposed to kill the thing seven thousand times by myself? My stamina wouldn't hold.
But if I wasn't alone? If I could trap Wang Xuan and pin him down? The whole job got absurdly easy.
"You corpse bastards. Stop playing around and kill him already. Heh."
Watching Wang Xuan die, I savored the satisfaction of victory.
"…Hm?"
From the direction of the black pillar, a swarm of undead came charging toward us. Over three hundred of them. High-tier undead like Death Knights and Dullahan mixed in among them in decent numbers.
"Coming to save Wang Xuan? Looking after your lord, are you?"
"He's a failure… but he has a rather special trait. Too valuable to lose just yet. I'll be taking Wang Xuan back."
Qing Guoli's voice resounded.
"With three hundred undead? If you wanted Wang Xuan back, you should've sent five times that."
I drew my sword and stepped forward.