The Rock Sun Awakens
The skill created by weaving together four essences.
“Ugh.”
I coughed up blood.
“Contractor, what has happened?”
“Ah, I pushed myself a little. It’s nothing serious.”
“You must heed this one’s words. When did I tell you not to overexert yourself?”
Tsk.
Nyx clicked her tongue.
“It’s all because I trust the goddess.”
“Hmm, regardless, do not push yourself.”
“Yes, yes.”
I replied half-heartedly and activated the skill forged from four essences.
Rumble!
Armor overlaid my skin. It felt heavier than before, its color closer to black, with a silver sheen rippling across the surface. It looked like something straight out of a cyborg movie.
I sharpened my nails and scratched the Metal Reflection Armor.
Clang!
Sparks flew where my nails passed, yet the armor’s surface remained perfectly smooth without a single scratch. I hadn’t infused it with internal energy or mana, but I’d put quite a bit of force into it—still, it held up fine.
“This’ll do.”
I grinned. The repulsive force I’d felt when pressing with my nails was subtle but present. The “spikes” of the spiked boar would no longer land effective hits, so the reflection ability that returned an opponent’s power was far more useful.
The Explorer of Wisdom observes you with intrigued eyes.
The God of War of Olympus warns the Explorer of Wisdom.
“Among the constellations watching you, one more with a strong presence has appeared.”
“Yeah. It’s a god-king level constellation, so that makes sense.”
“God-king level?”
“Odin. The king who rules the Aesir.”
I answered casually.
The Explorer of Wisdom cheers at your insight.
Odin. A multifaceted being that couldn’t easily be placed on either the side of good or evil. With this, three god-king level constellations were now observing me. Even before my regression, Odin had taken an interest in me around this time. The reason was obvious—I had devoured his followers during the promotion match and obtained a buff skill that borrowed their power. After Ares, another constellation with voyeuristic tendencies had attached itself to me.
“Let’s pick up the pace.”
“If the enemy numbers are great, this one shall join the fray as well.”
“Reliable as always.”
With Nyx’s control over Polar Night, she could easily divert the acid saliva of the iron slugs. As we sprinted through the underground passage—
“It’s a player.”
“Why is he alone?”
“Let’s subdue him first and think later.”
I encountered a team of players who appeared to be from a Western nation. Lucky. They were a fairly fast team, yet I’d met them before they entered the ruins. That meant I could eliminate them here.
Fierce Charge
While the opposing team members were still talking, I kicked off the ground hard. The distance closed in an instant.
BOOM!
The tank’s startled “Huh?” became his last words. Even full plate mail had gaps. I drove Light-Piercing Finger between the armor plates, and the tank’s body collapsed.
“Easy.”
“Y-you……”
“What. Don’t just stand there—say something.”
I struck the close-range dealer’s chest with Dragon Emperor Fist. With a thunderous explosion, the player turned to dust.
Red Bind
Gust Tornado
Flame ropes wrapped around my legs. A fierce wind followed. A coordinated attack of two attributes—quite a well-synced team.
“Trapped in a barrier of flame and wind, he won’t be able to move easily.”
“We’ve bound his feet, so let’s hit him with a big one……”
Slash.
I cut through the spells with Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword and charged the two magic-class players.
“Why? Not working out?”
“How?!”
“That’s for you to figure out.”
Whoosh!
I felled the two players with Mountain Lord Blue Claw and eliminated the defenseless supporter as well.
“Goddess, I’m speeding up more.”
-Understood.
Despite increasing my speed, competitors still appeared. From now on, I’d have to use Cloud Flow Steps in tandem.
Huff. I took a deep breath and sprinted down the passage at full power.
About an hour had passed since we moved into the underground tunnel. Surprisingly, even after speeding up, I encountered two more competing teams. They were no match for me, of course.
“How can one person……”
With a dying scream, the player turned to dust. These guys were pretty strong for Bronze rank. The fact that they’d moved through the passage even at the risk of overexertion suggested they were after the same thing.
-Did they have a separate target?
“Yeah. The hidden boss on the 25th floor.”
The hidden element of the 25th floor. It was well-known enough in the present era that calling it “hidden” didn’t quite fit, but there was still a boss monster that only appeared when special conditions were met.
A faint light shimmered at the end of the passage. Emerging from the darkness revealed a structure that looked like something out of a documentary.
▶ Main Mission - Ruins Exploration completed.
▶ First to enter the ruins.
▶ Including the team the player belongs to, a total of five teams have entered; the mission will end once five teams are present.
▶ Additionally, if five teams are not filled within one hour from now, the mission will automatically terminate.
All that running until my feet sweated had paid off. I wiped the sweat from my brow and climbed onto the ruins.
“Goddess, you must have been bored until now, right?”
-Well, most things were resolved on your end.
“From now on we can fight properly, so loosen up.”
-Has the mission not already ended?
I smiled faintly and pointed at the statue erected atop the ruins. A massive statue about ten meters tall. Its head was a bizarre mix of human and wolf features, with long cylindrical objects attached to both sides. In human terms, a large gem was embedded in the forehead area.
“I’m going to fight that thing.”
-I sense no hostility.
“That depends on what I do.”
Energy Bolt
A mass of blue light flew toward the orange gem embedded in the large statue’s forehead. At that moment, the statue’s closed eyes flashed open.
Hidden Mission - Guardian Statue of the Ruins
The guardian statue of the ruins, the “Rock Sun,” has awakened from its slumber upon recognizing the intruder.
The guardian statue will never stop until it has defeated you.
Additionally, the ruins’ defense system has been activated.
No one except players who have already entered the ruins may access this place.
▶ Objective: Destroy the Rock Sun.
Rumble!
The “Rock Sun” rose above the ruins. Since it was too long, I’d just call it the guardian statue. Anyway, the statue that had recognized me floated about ten meters off the ground and assumed a combat stance.
“This is a sacred place. Those who defile it with their filthy feet shall not return alive.”
A red light blazed from the gem embedded in the statue’s forehead.
“Goddess.”
“You cannot do anything without this one’s help.”
Nyx, who had manifested the homunculus body, deployed a barrier with the power of Polar Night.
Solar Majesty
Red magic bullets fired from the gem. Hundreds of energy projectiles resembling bullets pounded against the veil of Polar Night. The power of Polar Night tore and resealed repeatedly.
“Hmph, such paltry light cannot drive this one away!”
The light shimmering on the statue’s forehead grew steadily stronger. Good. It would maintain this pattern for a while.
“I’m leaving this to you.”
I used Cloud Flow Steps to exit the area and moved to a spot outside the guardian statue’s line of sight before activating Agile Hind Legs.
Bang!
I leaped into the air. Rising higher than the floating guardian statue, I swung my leg. Black currents spread like a bird’s feathers.
Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts, 6th Form — Twin-Winged Phoenix Kick.
My foot struck the gem embedded in the statue’s forehead, causing the massive figure to shake violently.
“Damage detected. Engaging the enemy immediately.”
Reverse Wall of Anti-Evil
Crash!
A navy-blue light flashed from the gem and sent me flying back to the ground.
“Partner, are you injured?”
“This much is nothing.”
“It would be better to intercept from below.”
“No. That thing can’t be damaged except for the gem.”
Its entire body had invincibility. The only part that could take damage was the gem on its forehead.
“At this distance, this one can attack with Polar Night as well.”
Whoosh!
A spiral of Polar Night twisted toward the guardian statue’s forehead. At that moment, the navy-blue light that had repelled me colored the surroundings once more. The Polar Night melted away like salt touching water.
“Why is my authority……?!”
“Ranged attacks are nullified by the guardian statue’s ability.”
The standard strategy assumed a full raid of twenty players. Trying to clear it with just two people naturally made it difficult.
“Don’t worry. This guy’s weaker than the senior.”
Wolf’s Soul
Mist surged from the cylinders attached to both sides of the statue.
“Grrrr!”
The mist, transformed into wolf shapes, moved nimbly left and right, closing the distance. It looked ready to bite at any moment if it found an opening.
In that case, I’d give it one. I leaped into the air once more. While floating, I was full of openings.
“Target acquired. Eliminating.”
Vrrrr!
The cylinders rotated and continuously released Wolf’s Soul.
Crunch! Crack!
Four wolves bit into me. The power was tremendous—enough that even a decent tank would struggle to endure. However—
Metal Reflection Armor
Blessing of Greed
The Blessing of Greed eroded the metal armor. The wolves’ souls failed to penetrate the now-reinforced armor’s defense.
“One more hit!”
I unleashed Twin-Winged Phoenix Kick again, which had long range. Boom! The statue’s head, half wolf and half human, shook violently.
Reverse Wall of Anti-Evil
I was repelled again, but quickly regained my posture. At that moment, red light rippled from the gem and unleashed magic bullets just like before.
“Without this one’s permission, no one may lay a hand on the contractor.”
Polar Night energy enveloped my crown. Red magic bullets rained down, but the barrier of Polar Night perfectly blocked the guardian statue’s assault through repeated destruction and regeneration. Truly, a power whose offense and defense switched so freely was something I had rarely seen before or after my regression. As expected of a constellation even Zeus revered.
“Thanks. Thanks to you, I can put that thing down quickly.”
“A reward requires an expression of sincerity befitting it.”
“Three cotton candies.”
“What do you take this one for?”
“You’re being expensive. Five, and no more.”
“A fitting tribute.”
A dramatic agreement. While the guardian statue was releasing energy, I leaped once more and struck the gem hard.
“Mobility. Impossible. Energy source. Destroyed.”
“Operation halted.”
Crash!
The guardian statue fell to the ground. The now-lightless gem no longer emitted energy.
I sat atop the guardian statue and caught my breath. Thanks to the goddess, it had been an easy defeat. If I’d been alone, it would have been quite a struggle. My luck with patterns had been good too. The guardian statue had one more attack pattern—Praise of the Sun, which scattered magic bullets in all directions. Why was an attack without a target so fierce? Because when the bullets touched the barrier surrounding the ruins, their power amplified. That wasn’t all. The bullets refracted toward players, and their trajectories couldn’t be read. If it had used Praise of the Sun from the beginning, it would have been quite troublesome.
“Lucky.”
I placed my hand on the shattered gem. From now on, it was time for Devour.